Raw Mexican Torte

This one takes time but is well worth it as you can make large numbers and freeze them.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• Almonds (2 cups)
• Walnuts (1 cup)
• Menjool Dates (1/2 cup, any type dried dates or raisins works)

Filling:

• Corn (2 cobs)
• Red Bell pepper (1 large, any kind of pepper works)
• Raw Cashews (1 cup, soaked in fridge, 2-24 hours)
• Nutritional Yeast Flakes (1/2 cup)
• Onion (1/4 cup any kind)
• Cilantro (1/2 a cup fresh)
• Garlic (4-6 gloves)
• Lime juice (1-2 limes depending on your taste)
• Salt to taste

For the crust you can use any combination of nuts and include things like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, honey, agave nectar, coconut etc. Adding more dates or raisins or other dried fruits like cherries, mulberry or goji berries makes the crust stand up better when it is finished but adds to the price. So depending on what you want your final torte to do, you can vary the amount of dried fruits to achieve the right type of crust. Blend all crust ingredients in a blender for about 1.5 minutes. Use a cupcake or biscuit baking tray and line each cupcake holder with a baking cup. Any size baking cup works. You can even make this as one pie size torte. I find using a metal cupcake tray is easiest but you can just use baking cups. Line each holder with the crust, making them as thin or as thick as you want. If you are serving them in the baking cup then you can make them very thin.

Chop the bell pepper into small pieces. Cut the corn off the cob. Blend the last seven ingredients for about 2 minutes. I use some of the cashew soak water to make the mixture the consistency of peanut butter. You can make it as thick or as thin as you like. Mix the blended ingredients in a bowl with the red pepper and corn. Spoon this mixture into the baking cups with the crust. Put the finished tortes in the freezer. When you are ready to serve them let them thaw for about 30 minutes.

This dish will surprise you. The key is fresh corn and red peppers from a farmers market. The interesting taste comes from fresh local cilantro (not from Mexico), lime and nutritional yeast. You can make as many as you can and they will keep in the freezer in a sealed container for 2 months.

You can also vary the filling. I cannot always afford cashews so I often substitute sunflower seeds, soaked 6-12 hours. Any raw pate can be a filling. If I have left over crust, I will sometimes add fruit or Baba Ganoush or raw hummus etc etc etc. I have given this version of the recipe as I think it has the most wow taste for newcomers to raw foods, but experimentation will give you wonders to amaze your friends. Salud

 

Raw Baba Ganoush

 

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post. The University of Victoria no longer hires foreign teachers so I had to leave Canada. I moved to St. Louis in May to take care of my 88 year old parents and to teach the Midwest US about the health benefits of eating just real food. 76% of all adult St. Louisians are overweight to the point of health problems so I am here to get that number down to less than 0.1%

 

This Baba Ganoush recipe took 2 years to make work. Most recipes say to peel and put the raw eggplant into a food processor with the other ingredients. I could never get the bitterness out of this dish until one online blog suggested to first freeze the eggplant. Voila!

 

Ingredients:

• Eggplant (medium, peeled and diced into small chunks then frozen)
• Cashews (1/2 cup soaked 12-24 hours)
• Garlic (3 cloves or more if you like)
• Lemon Juice (1 medium lemon squeezed or more)
• Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
• Sea Salt (1 tps)
• Water (to desired consistency)

When I made cooked Baba Ganoush in the past I always left the eggplant peel on. This makes the dish bitterer but adds nutrients. When I make raw Baba Ganoush I still leave the peel on but for those new to the dish I highly recommend peeling the eggplant. This is another dish that benefits from buying fresh local eggplant at a farmers market. The thing called “eggplant” that you see in chain grocery stores does not have nearly the taste or nutrition of a locally grown, picked yesterday eggplant.

  

Peel the eggplant and cut into small cubes (sugar cube size if you have time but bigger is OK). Freeze these in a bag over night or longer. Soak the cashews for at least 6 but preferably 24 hours in a container in the refrigerator (closer to 24 hours if you are soaking whole cashews). If you soak for 18 to 24 hours then change the water at the half way point. I throw the frozen eggplant into my food processor but if you do not have a good strong food processor then thaw the eggplant first. By putting the eggplant in frozen, I find I do not have to add much water. The blending melts the eggplant and contributes water.

 

Editorial and product endorsement: When I moved to St. Louis, I was unable to bring my old $40 food processor with me. So I splurged (my brother chipped in half) and bought at $200 Cuisinart food processor. It is well worth the price. I can make soups, bliss balls etc in under a minute.

Drain the cashews (use the soak water to thin the mix). Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to desired consistency. This one takes practice to get the taste to where you like it. I like a garlicky taste so I add lots more garlic. I also like it hot so I add jalapenos, cayenne pepper, chili powder etc. You can add paprika or lime or cilantro leaves or honey or whatever to give it your unique twist. This is great for using as a dip, or spread on breads and crackers. I will sometimes make it thick and dip raw vegetables in it. Cooked Baba Ganoush is  usually made with Tahini. My version above is the least expensive way to make it. It certainly tastes creamier and richer with the addition of 1/4-1/2 cup of raw or toasted Tahini or any nut butter. Also you can just add Sesame seeds to your blender when you make this to get the taste more authuentic.

 

Raw Baba Ganoush keeps covered in the refrigerator for at least 5 days. This as an inexpensive, easy to make, nutritious dish that can brought out to enhance any meal. Salud!