Raw Molé

This one has taken me 2 years to get to work. For this dish you must practice. It’s not for everyone. If you have never had Molé you may be off put by the strong chocolate flavor over vegetables. Molé is a sauce used on meats in Mexico. I am not an eater of chocolate. When I make a sweet such as bliss balls I use Carob powder which is from a completely different plant than Cacao. But Carob does not work for me in this dish.

Ingredients:

• Red Pepper (1 large)
• Jalapeño (1 medium or any hot pepper)
• Dates ( 3 menjool soaked 2 hours)
• Chipotle pepper (dried, 1 medium, soaked 2 hours, can use 2 tbs Chipotle powder)
• Pumpkin seeds (1 tbs)
• Flax seeds or Flax meal (1 tbs)
• Cacao Power (2 heaping tbs)
• Epazote (2 tbs, find at Mexican grocery stores, can omit)
• Oregano (dried or fresh 1 tbs)
• Cumin (dried 1 tbs)
• Cilantro (1/4 cup fresh)
• Agave nectar (2 tbs)
• Water (date and chipotle soak water, enough to reach desired consistency)
• Salt/pepper to taste


Before soaking the dates and chipotle pepper, cut them into smaller pieces and they do not have to soak as long. Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix for at least 2 minutes. I like this very thick as you can see in the photo. The key is lots of red pepper, good dates, fresh cilantro and epazote powder. If you cannot find epazote powder then double the cumin.

The second photo shows the mole over raw corn, squash and red peppers. Add also tomatoes and any other vegetables you have. This dish makes a nice addition to a salad or parsley Mexican rice. It is definitely not for everyone as it has a very desserty taste because of the large amount of cacao powder so experiment before you make it the centerpiece of a meal. This dish may not be raw as the dates and Chipotle pepper may not be sun dried. Salud!

Sorry but the blog has gotten weird and I cannot post pictures????

Squash Blossoms stuffed with Sprouted Sunflower Purée and Tomato Coulis

It takes you longer to say the name of this dish than it does to make it. If you are growing your own squash or are going to farmers markets then you have access to squash blossoms. Once you have made this dish I will guarantee that you will never vote democrat or republican again. Your eyes will be open and your chains will be broken. You are welcome comrade.

Ingredients:

Squash Blossoms (10, or as many as you want to make) (See photo below)

Sprouted Sunflower Purée:

• Spouted Sunflower Seeds (1/2 cup, if alone) (other recipes suggest Pistachios or Pine Nuts)
• Sprouted Rye (if combining with sunflowers then use ¼ cup of each)
• Lemon juice (1/2 fresh squeezed)
• Olive Oil (5 tbs)

Tomato Coulis:

• 1 small Heirloom Tomato
• Sage (4 fresh leaves, experiment with any fresh picked herb)
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil (2 tbs)

My recipe is an adaptation from the book “Entertaining in the Raw” by Matthew Kenney. He suggests pistachios for the purée. The most common ingredient on the net is pine nuts for the puree base. I soak sunflower seeds and rye seeds in water for 8 hours then sprout for around 8 more hours. I think this is a nutritious inexpensive type of filling and it tastes great too. You may only want to use ½ cup of sprouted sunflower seeds. You can use tahini, babab ganoush, hummus, nut pate, etc etc etc. Anything will work as the purée base. Use a food processor to mix the seeds and lemon juice for about 80 seconds adding the oil for the last 5 seconds. I like this thick but you can thin it with water if you prefer.

For the tomato coulis chop up the tomatoes and put in blender with salt and sage leaves. Blend until smooth about 60 seconds adding the oil for the last 5 seconds. Select a very ripe heirloom tomato of any color or variety. You want to really taste the tomato in this dish.Most Coulis recipes say to strain but I like it chunkyish.

Stuff each blossom with the puree, place on a plate and cover with the tomato coulis. This makes enough as a main dish for 2 people. I get my squash blossoms at the Tower Grove (St. Louis USA) farmers market. Get there at 7am or they will be gone!! When you put one of these in your mouth you want to taste the blossom, sunflower seed and tomato. This dish is for you from Mother Earth and your local farmer.  Salud!