After a five-year battle with chronic ill health, Brocket discovered that eating raw food made more difference to her health and wellbeing than traditional, holistic and natural therapies.

Raw food enthusiasts believe that fresh, natural food that has not been heated over 44°C retains beneficial living enzymes which help the body to digest food and absorb nutrients, vitamins and minerals more effectively.

Now a raw food chef, teacher and coach, Brocket shares her passion for eating raw and living a healthy lifestyle in The Raw Food Kitchen Book, explaining how to start incorporating more raw food into your diet. She believes including just 20 per cent of raw food – or one meal a day – will make a difference to your health.

Including more than 80 recipes, as well as advice on ingredients, preparation and equipment, the book is designed to help people create versions of comfort foods such as pasta, pizza, cheese, cereal and more. Here, she shares her recipe for Raw Pad Thai with Kaffir Lime.

“This wonderfully fresh summer dish is so much better than the carbohydrate-laden original,” she writes. “I promise you’ll love it.”

The Raw Food Kitchen Book by Amanda Brocket, $39.99, is published by Lantern.

Raw Pad Thai with Kaffir Lime

Ingredients

Handful each of bean sprouts, mint, Thai basil and coriander leaves
Handful of chopped nuts (such as macadamias or cashews)
1 long red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
Lime wedges to serve

Sauce

1 cup (150g) cashews, soaked for 2 hours in filtered water, then rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon dulse (red seaweed) flakes
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 small red chilli, seeded and roughly chopped
1 stem lemongrass, white part only, roughly chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
¼ cup(60ml) lime juice
2 tablespoons tamari
6 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon raw coconut nectar
¼ cup (60ml) filtered water, plus extra if needed
½ teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Noodles

2-3 large zucchini, spiralised (julienned)
1 large carrot, spiralised
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup (80g) thinly sliced cabbage
Handful of snowpeas, thinly sliced
½ red capsicum, seeds and vein removed, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups (120g) bean sprouts
Handful of Thai basil leaves (or basil)
Handful of mint leaves
Handful of coriander leaves

Method

To prepare the sauce, place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the olive oil and blend again. Set aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the noodles in a large bowl, add the sauce and gently toss to coat. Serve topped with bean sprouts, fresh herbs, chopped nuts and chilli, with lime wedges on the side.

Serves 4