Mangosteens!!!!!!!!!!!

Mangosteens

I LOVE Mangosteens!!

They are my most favourite fruit!  Whenever the local Asian market gets them in I usually buy a bag on the spot. They are pricey—a bag of about 8 mangosteens will be about $7.

I tried them for the first time two years ago and I was hooked on the first taste. To me they taste citrusy, with maybe a bit of strawberry and banana?? It's really difficult to describe.

The fruit looks wonderful from the outside; smooth purple and shiny; but when you cut it open, the fruit itself looks like white slugs. If you've ever travelled down south and seen chocolate in its raw form—fresh cocoa beans—it reminds me of the same look (only smaller). Totally unappetizing I know, but if you can get past the look, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Eating the fruit is similar to eating fresh passion fruit. It's slippery, slimy and juicy.

To open a mangosteen, you need to cut all around the circumference of the fruit. Twist. Pulll apart.
As the fruit ages, the outskin gets tougher, almost like wood, so it becomes harder to cut open.

If you are interested in the history, cultivation etc., here's more interesting facts about mangosteens.

A video discussion on anti-angiogenesis

I found a facinating talk (from ted.com) about the anti-angiogenesis effect of certain foods. Most certainly a thought provoking video.

My Intro to Raw Foods

While I was Christmas shopping in December I came across a raw food recipe book at Winners. I had heard about Raw Food restaurants in Cali and New York and wondered how restaurants could survive by only serving raw foods? How many different, interesting meals can you actually serve without cooking, and more importantly...how can you actually eat only uncooked food without getting bored REAL fast!!

I was intrigued, and since the book was only $7, I bought it!

Cracking it open the next day, I realised that I had to go shopping. There were a lot of ingredients and tools that I had never heard of or simply didn’t have on hand.

I ended up buying tons of different nuts and seeds—raw cashews, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and filberts. More purchases—buckwheat and oatmeal groats (what the heck is a groat?), sprouted mung beans, dried chick peas, red and green lentils and of course lots of fruits and veggies.

A couple of tools I didn't (and still don't) have on hand—a food dehydrator and a spiralizer. The food dehydrator would be practical if you intend on making the "raw food" versions of breads, crackers and cereals. I think the spiralizer is used for cutting vegetables (like zucchinis) into noodle-like strands. I've decided to not rush in and buy new tools until I've tried some of the recipes.