Wild Rice and Tarragon Pilaf

I have not posted many recipes with sprouts as most of you are not yet sprouters. But this one is so good and so stunningly vivacious that I hope you will give it a try. This is a great one to take to potlucks and be the Bon Vivant of the party. No need for cuff links or a tiara, this baby does it for you.
 
Ingredients

• Wild Rice (2 cups soaked 48 hours)
• Celery (1/2 cup)
• Onion (1/4 cup any kind, red is best here)
• Apple (1/2 medium any kind)
• Olive Oil ( ¼ cup)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (4 tbs)
• Tarragon (1/4 cup mashed in mortar or chopped)(or Savory, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano etc.)
• Dry Mustard (2 tbs)
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

This recipe comes from the excellent web page meameoba.com. I have modified it a little. When selecting wild rice, look for rice that is harvested by hand in the wild and therefore more environmentally friendly. Much so called Wild Rice nowadays is artificially grown in ponds with chemicals. Also seek out Fair Trade rice harvested by First Nations Peoples. As to whether or not cooking alters the nutritional content is another matter. If you wash the rice and then soak them in a covered jar in a dark place for 48 hours you have a very tasty and nutritious grain. Be sure to change the water every 12 hours.

Cut the celery, onion and apple into small pieces. Combine everything in a bowl. I have never been able to save any to see if it tastes even better after it has marinated. I suspect you could make a big bowl of this and it would keep covered in the fridge for a few days to be used as each nights side supper dish. Any herb will work including also basil, oregano, cilantro etc. I have yet to do it without dry mustard powder so i am not sure how important that ingredient is. This makes enough for a side dish for four people. Do not be put off by the crunchness of the rice, savor its lingering flavor on you taste buds. This dish will really open your eyes to the power of fresh, raw, fair trade, natural, organic food. Salud!

Sweet and Sour Ginger Dressing

Here is a fast and flavorful dressing for when you are in a hurry.

Ingredients:

• Sesame Oil (4 tbs) (Hard to find in raw form)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (3 tbs)
• Soy Sauce (2 tbs, Braggs, Nama Shoyu, Tamari etc)
• Agave Nectar (2 tbs)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 lemon squeezed))
• Ginger (2 tbs grated)

Combine all ingredients in a cup and stir. Pour over salad and toss. A Chopin "Prelude" playing in the background helps. This can cover 4 side salads. A little of this goes a long way. You do not want too much. The secret is a light coating of the greens and vegetables. This works very well in a salad that has cubes of rutabaga, beets, carrots, cauliflower, brocolli and other crunchy vegetables. You want to be able to taste the flavor of each fresh vegetable and green leaf while it has a slight ginger tang to it. I have seen variations of this on the net with much more lemon juice, also with lime or orange or pineapple juice. This is also a “fit the ingredient amount to your taste “ dressing. Play around. If you have a great fresh local Apple Cider Vinegar (“Sea Cider” cider vinegar from Saanich, BC for example!) then you may want to add a few more tablespoons of it. Also vary the amount of agave and lemon juice to suit the mood you want to achieve for your salad.

I find a ginger grater to be indispensable. It is not easy to chop ginger. For years I baulked at buying a gadget that only grated ginger, lemon rind and nutmeg. Now that I have partaken in hand grating and learned how healthy and tasty these three foods are when prepared fresh, I cannot live without my grater.

Tarragon Nut Dressing

This is dedicated to my Cortes neighbor Izzy who gives me many wonderful herbs and vegetables from her beautiful Garden

When fresh herbs become available in late spring you can make all kinds of healthy dressings to put over any salad or vegetable medley. This dressing works great over a lone beet, yam or turnip that you want to use up. I was given some fresh tarragon by neighbour Izzy and found this recipe on the net by typing "tarragon dressing" and then playing around with all the wonderful recipes that appeared.

Ingredients:

• Nuts (almond, pine, cashew etc 1/2 cup)
• Onion (any kind including green onion, ¼ cup)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 squeezed)
• Garlic (2 cloves)
• Tarragon (1/2 cup)
• Olive Oil (3 tbs to one cup)
• Salt and pepper to taste.

The secret to this one is not to let the nuts over power the dressing. Tarragon can be rather strong but you want it to be the flag carrier here. Mix all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor. Add 3 tbs of olive oil for the last 5 seconds. Put the mix in a jar and add as much oil as you like, at least enough to cover it and stir thoroughly. The amount above makes enough to put lots over 4 salads. You may want to make enough to last a week or more so just be sure to put the rest in a covered container with enough oil to cover the mix. If you want a tradition dressing then you may add a cup or more of the Olive Oil to the mix so that it pours. I add a lot less oil and spoon it over the salad and then mix it into the salad. I like a chunky dressing  (Almost pestolike) and want to taste lots of tarragon in every bite. You may have a different preference so play around with this. Of course any herb will do in place of the Tarragon. Oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, cilantro even sage makes a nice dressing. I would like suggestions on other herbs to use here especially local wild herbs from the forest. The addition of onion and much more nuts and oil separate this from a pesto. Salud!

Texas Chili

Dedicated to that great Texan Jim Hightower

 

This dish is rather different. It neither looks nor tastes like Texas Chili (Chili with meat and no beans) very much but is a fine substitute. It is a modification and addition to the Chili recipe in Sergei and Valya Boutenko’s book “Fresh. The Ultimate Live-food Cookbook” 2008. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley. My favorite raw foods recipe book.

 

Ingredients:

  

Meat:

• Walnuts (1/4 cup)
• Cumin (Heaping tbs)
• Braggs (5 tbs)
• Olive oil (3 tbs)
• Sea Salt (If you like)

 Chili:

 

• Fresh Tomatoes (3 medium)
• Sundried Tomatoes (1 cup if you can afford it or less)
• Basil (1/4 cup fresh or any dried Italian seasoning)
• Raisins (10-12)
• Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
• Lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
• Cumin (2 heaping tbs)
• Garlic (3 cloves)
• Hot pepper (any kind, any size depending on heat wanted)
• Water (0-1/4 cup depending on thickness desired)

 

To make the meat, put all the ingredients in a food processor except the oil and blend. Add the olive oil for the last 3 seconds of blending. Form into grape size balls and put in a bowl. For the chilli, blend all the ingredients except the oil. I do not soak the sundried tomatoes first. This leaves them chucky. You can soak for an hour if you like a smoother chilli. I add no water which makes it paste like. You can add water to thin it out. Fresh basil is not available this time of year so i just use a spoonful of Italian seasoning. Most raw Chili recipes call for more raisins. I like about 8-10 or it overpowers the dish. You may like more. Olive oil is added for the last 3 seconds of blending. Pour the chili in the bowl with the meat and stir. This makes enough for only one person so if you are making it for 4 then it can get expensive as a first course. You can make less meat or omit the meat all together. As always when you are poor, cut back on the amount of sundried tomatoes and add more regular tomatoes. Any kind of tomatoes will work, especially heirlooms. Roma’s are usually recommended but not always available at the market. I prefer very very ripe tomatoes for this. Salud.

 

Indian Cabbage

Dedicated to the new Chief Minister of West Bengal state Mamata Banerjee. She is West Bengals first woman Chief Minister (Governor).

There are lots of raw cabbage recipes on the net. Cabbage is inexpensive and keeps a long time.

Ingredients:

• Cabbage (1/ head)
• Garam Masala (3 heaping tbs or more to taste)
• Agave Nectar (2 tbs)
• Braggs (3 tbs, can use just soy sauce or tamari)
• Lime (1/2 squeezed)
• Cilantro (1/2 cup or more)

Shred cabbage. Chop up the cilantro. Mix everything together in a bowl and there it is. This is enough for 4 people as a side dish. This is good for 2 days covered in the refrigerator. I have eaten it as my main meal. You can add nuts, dried fruit, nutritional yeast, hemp or sunflower seed, shredded carrots etc. Remember the three rules of meal preparation: Experiment. Experiment. Experiment. No photo as it's just cabbage. Salud!

Orange Salad Dressing (Free yourself)

Dedicated to last week’s Pink Floyd reunion

I was given 3 bags of oranges from the marina grocery store where I am painting. So I made a salad dressing with them. This recipe was all over the internet but sounded to easy to be true and I had ignored it. I tested this on others and we all agree that not only is this fast and easy but also extraordinarily tasty. Why has this secret been hidden from the world? Think about it. This is a healthy, fast and beautiful food item. You can make it cheaply whenever you want. Yet the rulers insist we buy poison in a bottle for $4 to put on our garden salad and we do it. Free yourself. Do not be another just another brick in the wall!

Ingredients:

• Oranges (2 organic)
• Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
• Red Wine Vinegar (3 tbs or more to taste)
• Mint (3 tbs or more, preferably fresh)

Blend oranges and mint in a blender or food processor. In a bottle or bowl combine the orange/mint with the oil and vinegar and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate. This keeps for 2 days covered in fridge. It can be put over any salad or vegetable combination. I hope you find this dressing as inspiring as I do. I am now off to write poetry and free the masses. Salud!

Mushroom gravy

I finally got this to work. I think the secret is the hour soaking of the mushrooms and using pulled from the garden Thyme and Rosemary.

Ingredients:

• Mushrooms (3 cups, any kind)
• Cashews (1 cup)
• Lemon Juice (from ½ lemon)
• Thyme (fresh best but dried ok, 2 tbs)
• Rosemary (fresh best but dried ok, 2 tbs)
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• Water from mushroom soaking

This recipe and the Mediterranean Carrot recipe comes from the excellent web site “rawepicurean.net”. They recommend Shitake mushrooms. I use white, brown, Crimini or Portobello mushrooms as they are cheaper. Soak the mushrooms in a bowl of water for about an hour. Some will float so occasionally push them all down in the water. The original recipe calls for cashew flour which is hard to find on the remote island I am on so I make my own. Put the cashews and rosemary (if it is fresh leaves) in a food processor and blend until it is a powder. Add the other ingredients and blend. The amount of water you add depends on how thick or thin you want the gravy. It is hard to get thick. It will be watery but taste it. This goes on everything and keeps in the refrigerator for only 2 days covered. The original recipe recommended sage. I did not have this so substituted rosemary. It does not look great but the taste will win you over. Salud!

Mediteranean Carrots

This is quick and easy.
Ingredients:

• Carrots (4 large)
• Nuts (1/2 cup of Cashews, Pine, Almond, Hazelnut etc.)
• Raisins (1 cup) (or any dried fruit)
• Olive Oil (¼ cup)
• Dill (3 heaping tbs, fresh chopped if available or dried)
• Lemon Juice (from half a lemon)
• Onion (small, any kind or a shallot)
• Garlic (4 or more cloves)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and shred the carrots. Chop the onion into small pieces. The nuts can be cut down to a small size in a food processor or blender. Crush garlic in a garlic press. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. This amount makes a nice side dish for 4 people. It is best after an hour of refrigeration. It keeps for 2-3 days covered in the refrigerator. This is a fast and inexpensive dish for potlucks. You can experiment with other vegetables instead of carrots. Also as an alternative to raisins you can use chopped dates or figs, dried cherries ect. Salud!

 

Bok Choy and Corn Salad

This one is a real surprise. It is fast and very distinctive. Soon farmers markets should have fresh local Bok Choy, Corn and Cilantro.

Ingredients:

Bok Choy (4 heads for each person)
Corn (1 cob for every 4 heads of Bok Choy)
Cilantro (a half a bunch or more, I like much more)
Cumin (2 tbs)
Oregano (2 tbs)
Garlic Powder (2 tbs or more or 2 crushed cloves)
1 Lime (squeezed for juice. I use Verjus)
Salt (To taste)

In a food processor blend the bok choy (already cut up into pieces) with the cilantro thoroughly. Cut the corn off the cob. Mix everything together in a bowl and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. This keeps well covered for 3 days. It is a great side dish that tastes much richer than the work involved in making it. Go crazy with the cilantro. It’s the secret ingredient to this one. The above amounts of ingredients are enough for one person to have as a side dish so double the amounts for 2, quadruple for 4 etc. In the summer bok choy and corn can be inexpensive. This is a fun side dish that is easy to make and is very tasty and nutritious. Great for potlucks but bring the recipe as everyone will want to know what it is. Salud!

Dill and Root Vegetable Medley

Here is a flexible side dish that can be made many ways


Ingredients:

• Squash (any kind, one)
• Sun dried tomatoes (preferably soft but you can soak hard ones)
• Olives (10-15, pitted)
• Corn (two cobs)
• Spinach (Or any leaves, kale, romaine etc.)


Sauce:

• Carrots (two)
• Red bell pepper (one)
• Tahini (1 heaping spoonful)
• Dates (2-4 soaked 15 minutes)
• Onion (1/4)
• Lemon Juice (1/4 cup or whatever you have, Verjus works best)
• Water (half a cup)
• Salt to taste
• Dill Weed (1-2 tbs or more)

Combine all the sauce ingredients in food processor or blender and mix. The squash is peeled and the seeds are removed. (Bake seeds in oven with olive oil until crunchy for a snack). The squash can be spiralized, diced, thinly sliced or cubed. Cut Sun dried tomatoes into smallish pieces. Olives can be sliced into thirds. The corn is cut off the cob. Mix everything together and it is ready. Does not have to be put over any greens but is very good over any type of greens. Best if refrigerated 3-12 hours. The vegetables you put this sauce over are very flexible. Instead of, or with the squash add rutabaga, beet, parsnips, carrots etc. You can do more olives or corn. You can add lots more dill weed, fresh is best. Salud

Vegan Ceviche

Raw Vegan Ceviche

• Coconut meat (2 coconuts young, equals about a cup of meat)
• Lime Juice (1-2 limes squeezed)
• Cucumber (1 whole big English, better peeled)
• Red (or Yellow) Bell Pepper (1)
• Cherry tomatoes (2 cup full’s)
• Red Onion (1 whole small)
• Avocado (If available, 1)
• Jalapeno (1) only if you like hot
• Garlic (4 cloves)
• Dulse Flakes (kelp flakes or just sea salt) (3 tbs full heaping)
• Cilantro (as much fresh as you can, ¾ cup or more)
• Oregano (2 tbs full)
• Coconut water (or plain water) enough to cover everything in a bowl
• Salt and pepper to taste

If you cannot find fresh young coconut, go to a store or market that has an Asian section. Here (Victoria, BC) you can often find frozen coconut meat and it is usually already cut into strips. Thaw before use. If using fresh coconut then slice the meat in to thin strips around 4 cm or 1.5 inches long. Also slice the cucumber, bell pepper tomato and onion the same way. The avocado can be sliced to any sized chucks. Put all in a bowl. Squeeze the limes (you can also use lemon or bottled juice) over the vegetables. Crush the garlic and add. Cut the jalepeno (Can be any hot pepper) into as small of pieces as you can cut them and add. Add the dulse flakes (sea salt), cilantro, oregano and coconutwater (or regular water) into the bowl. Stir with a spoon. Refrigerate for one hour. Even better if it is refrigerated for 24 hours. Only bring the bowl out of the refrigerator when ready to serve. Eat on crackers, as a side dish or on a warm summer day it can be the full meal.

My version is a Mexican style ceviche that I modified from web recipes. I think you could substitute bamboo shoots, cauliflower, hearts of palm or something similar in place of the coconut. I never had real ceviche before. I made this and served it at a potluck with a number of ceviche lovers present. It was next to a shrimp ceviche and a tuna ceviche. Everyone seemed to enjoy mine. I certainly did. Comments and suggestions encouraged. Salud.

Raw Vegan Brownies

This recipe comes from the internet and then my experimenting to make it simple and fast.

Raw Vegan Brownies

Ingredients:

• Walnuts (1 cup, raw)
• Medjool Dates, dried (6-8 pitted)
• Carob powder (2 heaping tbs or more)
• Water (2 tsp, for a moister brownie; optional)
• Dried fruit (any kind, any amount or none at all)
• Salt (to taste)

1. Process the walnuts (you can add pecans and other nuts) and salt (if desired) in a food processor until finely ground. Add the dates until the mixture sticks together. If this does not go well it could be because you do not have a strong food processor. If that is the case then cop the dates into as small a pieces as you can before you add to food processor. Add Carob powder (or cocoa powder or chocolate chips) to the processor and mix briefly. Also add water at this time if you want moister brownies

2. If you are adding any dried fruit (diced into small pieces) then transfer the fruit and the batter to a mixing bowl. Mix well using hands. Pack mixture firmly into a square container to whatever thickness you like. If they are too thin they fall apart, too thick and they taste doughy, I prefer about the height of my flattened thumb. Use a potato masher to make the batter flat. Stored in a sealed container, these brownies will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer. If they fall apart when you try to eat them then next time make them thicker and add more dates and even agave nectar or honey. Salud and share!

Mexican Style Rice

Here is a basic raw side dish you can make and keep in the refrigerator for the rest of the week. This is especially good in the fall and winter as you can get fresh parships all over the northern hemisphere.

Mexican Style Rice

Ingredients:

• Parsnips (4 medium sized)
• Sun dried tomatoes (1 cup, soaked 2-6 hours)
• Onion (one half medium) (any kind)
• Pepper (one half red, orange or yellow)
• Garlic (4 cloves crushed)
• Cumin (heaping tbs)
• Chili Powder (tea spoon or less or more, its hot!)
• Salt (to taste)
• Water from Soaked sun dried tomatoes (quarter cup or less)
• Olive Oil (quarter of a cup or more)

Peel and cut the parsnips into thumb sized pieces of the same size. Place the parsnips in a food processor and pulse until the parsnips are the size of rice (practice). Cut the sun dried tomatoes into rather small pieces (M&M size). In a blender or food processor mix the onion, red pepper, garlic, cumin chili powder, salt, water and Olive Oil. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Experiment with the amount of water and oil. Start with less and add more if it seems not all the parsnips are getting coated. This recipe takes a little practice to decide how much sun dried tomatoes, spices, oil etc you prefer. Do not be shy, coat that baby. This keeps for up to 5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It is ready to sit beside any raw dish you make as your main meal. Salud!

Raw Nori Rolls

Sorry its been so long between posts. My diet goes very well and my glucose stays below 6. I even took a 3 day train trip. I brought a bag full of raw food on the train and did great.

Raw Nori Rolls

Ingredients:
Nori sheets (as many as you want to make)
Rice:
Parsnips (or Cauliflower)
Garlic (3 cloves)
Sesame oil (2 tbls)
Sauce:
Cashews (One coffee cup full)
Celery (3 six inch stalks)
Onion (One small yellow or white)
Garlic (Four gloves)
Pickle (Kerkens or any kind you like)
Dill (One fourth of a coffee cup, fresh)
Braggs Soy sauce (3 tbls)
Apple cider Vinegar (5 tbls)
Horseradish (spoon full of fresh, more if you like hot)

Addition vegetables:
Cucumber
Carrot
Sprouts
Avocado
Sun dried tomato
Anything really

Nori: You can buy raw nori seaweed sheets on the internet for a dollar a sheet or buy toasted (not raw) nori sheets at any health food store.

Rice: Because I am diabetic, I cannot use the usual sticky white rice found in normal nori rolls. I use either Parsnips or Cauliflower. (If you are using parsnips peel and cut into small chunks). Put either or both (parsnips and cauliflower) with garlic together in a food processor blend until all pieces are the size of long grained rice. Do not over blend or you get mush. Watch for big pieces and reblend them. Add the Sesame oil and stir by hand. You can also add salt, pepper, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic or anything you want to try. The idea is to taste the vegetable with a touch of sesame flavouring. This is the meat of the roll and requires experimentation to get the flavour you want. If you can afford a half a cup of pine nuts to blend in with the parsnips, this adds a nutty taste. How much do you make? Start with 3 large parsnips. If you need more then make more. It is good to always have fresh parsnips in your kitchen.

Sauce: Blend all the sauce ingredients until creamy

Additional vegetables: Slice to desired thinness and crunchiness.

Make these rolls like you would regular nori rolls. Spoon the rice (parsnips) first, then the sauce on top and then any vegetables. Roll. Each chef will create their own style so experiment, experiment and experiment to get what you like. Below is a completely different type of sauce that i often use. I also mix sauces and make rolls of each. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Serve with Braggs or Nami Shoyu or Tamari sauce and wasabi (I just blend fresh horseradish, white vinegar and salt in a blender until creamy for my own wasabi sauce) for dipping.

Additional type of sauce:
Sunflower seeds (two cups)
Garlic (4 cloves)
Lemon juice (half a squeezed lemon)
Ginger (as much as you like)
Braggs (3 tbls)
Red pepper (Half a medium size)
Blend all the above ingredients together until creamy.

Bliss Balls

Here is a popular dessert that is easy to make with a food processor (blender will not do it, sorry Annie). It is based on a recipe from the book  "Fresh, The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook" By Sergei and Valya Boutenko, a brother and sister who were able to reverse their diabetes by going to a raw food diet. I highly recommend this cookbook for its easy and delicious raw food ideas.

1 cup of Macadamia nuts

1 cup Cashews

8 Menonjol Dates (Pitted)

4 cacao beans

2 tbs Agave Nectar

Grind the cacao beans in a spice grinder or in a mortar and pestle till not quite a powder. Cut the dates into as small a pieces as you have time for, as the bigger the piece the longer the mixing takes. Put everything in a food processor and mix on high for about 40 sec. You should then be able to form them into balls of any size you want. I prefer golf ball size. If it is not holding together into balls then put back into food processor, add more dates and mix again. 

 Bliss Balls are designed to take the place of Power bars or Cliff Bars or any energy bars so although the ingredients for this are expensive, they are cheaper and healthier than any store bought energy bar.

Macadamia nuts are very expensive so in weeks I have no money, I use cheaper nuts like almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts or hazelnuts. Cheaper dates such as baking dates work but you will notice they are not as tasty as Menonjol dates. If you cannot afford Cacao beans then cacao powder or chocolate powder works fine. I use 100% organic fair trade cacao beans as these are OK for a diabetic. This dessert does not raise my glucose even if I eat 8 in a row!! More agave nectar makes it sweeter. If you are not diabetic you can add some sugar. I add things like dried fruit, honey,  nutritional yeast, hemp hearts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, tequila, etc. Experiment. Enjoy. Comment. Salud!

Mushroom and Mashed Rosemary Cauliflower

Mushroom and Mashed Rosemary Cauliflower

I am sorry it is such a long time between posts. Graduate school keeps me busy; I see why only the young attempt it. Rest assured my raw experimenting goes on at every meal. One day I will remember to take a picture of one of the meals and post it. Here is another fast and easy crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:
Portobello Mushrooms (As many as you like)
1 head cauliflower
1/3 cup Pine nuts (or cashews)
Fresh Rosemary (1/4 cup or more if you like)
Olive oil
Braggs (Tamari sauce or Nama Shoyu)
2 tbs Agave Nectar
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the Portobello mushrooms into bite size pieces. Put in a bowl with enough Braggs and olive oil (each chef will have a different feel for the mixture here) and 2 tbs of Agave Nectar to thoroughly coat the mushrooms. Let it marinade (covered so you can occasionally shake it all) for 12-24 hours in refrigerator. Next day cut up cauliflower into smaller pieces and blend in blender or food processor with pine nuts, salt and pepper and fresh Rosemary (dried will work). This can take a few minutes of blending. Blend until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add however much olive oil you like and blend again briefly. Olive oil is easily bruised with to much blending so always add at last moment or stir it in with a spoon. Be kind to your olive oil and it will love you back!

Put mashed rosemary cauliflower in a bowl and pour the mushrooms on top (If there is marinade left you can add some or all of it to the mashed cauliflower depending on your taste). Serve and enjoy! As always your comments and suggestions are welcome. Salud.

Creamy Noodles

Here is another quick one:

Sauce:
1 cup hazel nuts
1 cup cashews
2 tbs Nutritional Yeast
2 tbs Braggs or any soy sauce
1/2 squeezed lemon
2 cloves garlic
tbs dried oregano
Black peppercorn to taste

Noodles
Zuuchini, or sprouts or parsnip or beets etc.

Mix all sauce ingredients in blender or food processor. Actually any nuts work (almond, macadamian, pine nuts etc) but half cashews make it creamy. Poor over any cut up vegetables. Better if you have a Spiral Slicer (spiralizer) to make the vegetables into noodles. You can mix vegetables. Sprouts are used as is. This is good to make the night before and put in the refrigerator for lunch. I cannot emphasize the importance of using fresh local vegetables as the noodles. This really improves the taste. Salud

Ethiopian Tomato and Almond Wat Stew

Ethiopian Tomato and Almond Wat Stew

• 1 cup of sprouted lentils
• 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes
• ½ cup Pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tbs salt
• 1 tbs Berber Spice
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup cubed zucchini
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• ¼ cup almonds
• 3 tbs lemon juice

This recipe comes from one of my favorite recipe books: ”The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book” by Mike Snyder, Nancy Faass and Lorena Novak Bull, 2010, Adams Media Press. This is a variation on a traditional Ethiopian Wat stew that usually contained meat and whatever vegetables were in season. You too can use whatever vegetables are at hand. I had no celery last night so instead I used parsnip, any vegetables will do. If you do not have time to make sprouted lentils (3 days) then canned or cooked work fine (or even lentils soaked for 10 hours).

Soak the sundried tomatoes and almonds in water for 1 to 10 hours. The longer the better but even just 30 minutes is ok. To make the sauce, in a blender or food processor mix the sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts (really should be only pine nuts for this sauce), olive oil, salt, water and Berber Spice. Berber Spice is a spice mix from Ethiopia. In Victoria I buy it at “For Good Measure” next to “Peppers Market” on Cadboro Bay Road. In the rest of the world you will have to ask around, but it is worth seeking out. It is not expensive and has a very unique taste. In a bowl, mix the vegetables, almonds, and sprouted lentils together and pour the sauce on top.

This will give you an unbelievable dish. I dare say it will be one of the most delicious things you have ever made. The above dish recreated an Ethiopian Wat but the sauce can actually be poured over any vegetable. It will work really well with vegetables that are starting to get old. Feel free to add more salt and Berber Spice to up the taste. Also play with the amount of water, you can go from creamy to soupy. This is so good it becomes a transcendental experience. I had to sit down for awhile after my first taste of the sauce. Salud!

Thai Salad, Transcendent

I have decided not to list what I drink with each meal as I often get cheap, obscure beverages which are probably not for sale in your area. But with this Thai Salad last night I had a very nice red wine from Portugal ($9.99 CN). Here is an easy to make stunner salad:

Thai Salad:

Base:
2 medium cucumbers
2 cups of any greens (lettuce, Kale, arugula etc.)
1 yellow bell pepper
mint leaves
basil leaves
Sauce:
one third cup sesame oil
one third cup olive oil
lime or lemon juice(one half squeezed)
3 tbs agave nectar (or any sweetener)
2 tbs red chili flakes (or ground up dried chilies)
4 Heaping tbs cashew butter (or cup of 8 hour soaked cashews ground up)
water (enough to make it thickness you like)
Garnish:
Cashew pieces and chopped red bell pepper.

Mix all sauce items together in blender or food processor to make sauce. I like it rather thin so lots of water for me. The amount of hot chili is up to you, you can go from mild to forest fire. Chop cucumbers and yellow (can be also red or orange or green) bell pepper into cubes or strips, whichever you prefer. Tare mint and basil leaves in half. These two are the key items, the more you put in, the more unique this dish tastes. Pour sauce over vegetables. Garnish with the cashews and peppers. This makes enough for a side dish for two. To make it the main course just increase all ingredient amounts. This one will surprise everyone. Real Thai salads usually use bib or iceberg lettuce but in the summer so much local greens are available that we can have fun.If it is done quietly, with fresh food and with love you will taste each of the ingredients. Salud!

Nut cheeses

First I want to amend my previous blog. I think yams work better than sweet potatoes. My food processor cuts the yams into a creamy texture but the sweet potatoes stay on the crunchy side. I say try both and see what you like.

I am not 100% raw vegan yet. I still eat some cheese, especially Vancouver Island cheeses which are excellent. But I find nut cheeses are a nice and healthy alternative. I have yet to experiment with making real nut cheeses which involve cheese cloth and a number of days with weights on top of the nuts. Below are 3 recipes taken from raw food web pages. As usual, experiment to get the taste you like best.

Cashew Cheese:
4 cups of raw cashews
4 heaping tablespoon fulls of nutritional yeast
3 tablespoon fulls of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
(1 cup pine nuts if you can afford it)

Blend all together in a food processor. You do not have to soak the cashews. If you do soak them, it makes it creamier. Experiment with the yeast. I like even more yeast then 4 tbs. This cheese can be eaten immediately or left out on table for 12 hours then refrigerated for a stronger flavor.

Sunflower Cheese:
3 cups of sunflower seeds
1 cup pine nuts
3 heaping tablespoon fulls of nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons of mustard powder
water

Blend all together in a food processor. Add just enough water to make it creamy (usually just a few spoon fulls). This tastes like sunflower butter but adding more mustard powder and yeast gives it a unique flavor. You can soak the sunflower seeds for 4 hours for a creamier texture.

Nacho Cheese:
4 small tomatoes
3 avocados
1 red chili pepper
3 small sweet red peppers
1 half red bell pepper
2 or more tablespoons of taco seasoning
black pepper to taste

Blend all in food processor. i usually am missing one of the peppers so go with what I got that day. If you do not like hot then omit the Chili pepper. More taco seasoning gives it a stronger nacho taste.