This recipe conversion was inspired by a French woman we found online at  French cooking for dummies. She is creative and blogs about everyday French cooking with easy to find ingredients.

This particular recipe caught our eye because it had common ingredients that we keep on hand. It was easy to convert to raw and very tasty. We served it with a shredded carrot salad that was a great complement for color and flavor.

The secret was smoking the coconut. The original recipe called for grilled coconut (in oven for 2 minutes) Damon smoked the coconut in the wood stove after first spreading the coconut with Nama Shoyu, olive oil, salt and pepper.


It's winter and the fire is usually going in the office so we put it to use! We opened the flue and put some moist wood on a good bed of coals, put the coconut on a grill on top of the wood and closed the door  and flue. This made a smoke filled stove that infused our coconut with a wonderful smoky flavor without overheating it. We had Oak.... Madrone is also readily available and has a wonderful flavor, use whatever hardwood you have on hand.  If you don't have a wood stove, marinate with Nama Shoyu, olive oil, salt, pepper and a couple drops of liquid smoke for two or three hours, then dehydrate for 1/2 hour.

The soup ended up tasting much like a gourmet split pea soup with a smoky bacon or ham. It was incredible! We're not sure how the original soup taste, but we are sure it was just as good. Thanks again to French Cooking for Dummies!
 
Raw Spinach with Smoked Coconut Soup recipe by Damon Siska

Vegetable Stock
2 1/4 cup water
1/2 small zucchini
1/2 small carrot
1/2 avocado
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 yellow bell pepper
2 teaspoon Bragg's Amino Acids
Salt to taste

Blend until very smooth and set aside.

Smoked Coconut Fillets (tasted like Smoked Ham!)
Meat of one young Thai coconut (remove in largest chunks you can)
Drizzle with Nama Shoyu and a few drops olive oil per fillet
Salt and Black pepper to taste.
Smoke in cold smoker, BBQ or wood burning stove in short bursts to keep internal temperature of the coconut low.
HINT: If it's too hot to hold in your hand it's getting too hot.
Set aside.

Spinach Coconut Soup
All the pieces of coconut too small to smoke
1 pound fresh spinach (reserve a small handful)
2 1/4 cup vegetable stock
Water from the young Thai coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic with skin left on
1 onion
1/2 red scotch bonnet pepper w/o seeds (we used a serrano)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric
fingertip size piece of ginger
2 teaspoons dark agave syrup
Salt to taste

Blanched Spinach (not raw!)
Blanch the small handful of spinach
Set aside...

Put all spinach coconut soup ingredients into high speed blender and blend until very smooth. Use your wrist on the outside of
the blender carafe to feel the temperature.....stop when it feels warm. Add blanched spinach and use low speed to briefly fold it into the soup. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with the smoked coconut.
Preparation time: approx 1 hour,
Servings: 4

Most recipes can be converted to raw. Use more or less water than called for or a little more oil....or less. Remember what happens when food is cooked and substitute! It's fun and easier than you might think! What cooked meals have you converted to raw lately? Please comment we would love to know.....