Rawsagna Made Easy

My fridge was still full of zucchini a while back (yes, I know, I didn't have the chance to put this up before now) and so all I needed was some mushrooms because, as you probably agree, the rest of the ingredients are regulars in every raw foodie's pantry. Lasagna is definitely not an everyday dish at my home but it's great food for entertainment. Even guests who are not familiar with raw food will appreciate it. And the best part: it's sooo easy to make, you will not spend all day in the kitchen.

Rawsagna

(Serves 2)

1 large zucchini, for the "pasta"

Filling:

~10 button mushrooms

1/4 red onion

shoyu sauce

optional: bell pepper, other veggies

Sauce:

6 sundried tomatoes

1 large heirloom (or other kind) tomato

chunk of onion

2 cloves garlic

few leaves of fresh basil

1-3 tbsp shoyu sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

Nut Cheese:

1/2 cup Brazil nuts

sliver of onion/clove of garlic

optional: salt

Preparations:

1. Start by soaking the sundried tomatoes in a bowl of water for several hours (or at least as much time as you have).

2. Chop the mushrooms and the onion into small pieces. In a bowl, mix them with shoyu sauce and marinate your filling in the dehydrator for a couple of hours.

3 Peel and then slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin, lasagna pasta-like sheets. Place them on a mesh tray and dehydrate them for an hour or two but check on them every so often to make sure they don't dry out.

4. Blend all of the sauce ingredients until it reaches a smooth consistency, taste test and add more seasoning if necessary.

5. An hour before serving time, spread layers of the marinated mushroom, thinly sliced vegetables (if you're using any) and some sauce on the zucchini sheets (except for a couple top layers) and dehydrate them further for an hour at 118 °F (48 °C). Spread only tomato sauce on the top layers. 

6. For each serving, layer 3 sheets with filling and top with a layer of zucchini with the sauce only. 

7. Grind the Brazil nuts, onion/garlic, and salt in a spice grinder or make a larger batch and then you can use a food processor. The extra nut "cheese" you'll have will last several days in the refrigerator. 

8. Sprinkle the lasagna servings with the "cheese" crumbs and decorate them with fresh basil leaves.

It sounds like a lot "to do" but it really is effortless and worth the while. If you want to make a savory dish for lunch, dinner, to impress guests you have over, or to take to work the next day....you might just want to make this.

From Basil to "HemPesto"

A few days ago a dear colleague of mine surprised me with some freshly picked zucchini squashes from his garden. Yes, I know, I work with such nice people : )

Well, that meant I had to get to work and go out of my way to make something other than a salad for once... And since it's basil season too, here's the outcome. 

HemPesto

(Makes about 1/2 cup)

 large bunch of fresh basil

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup walnuts

2-3 cloves garlic

splash of olive oil

salt to taste

Remove the basil leaves from the stems and process them with just half the hemp seeds and half the walnuts, a splash of olive oil, the garlic, and salt. Depending on how thick/runny you prefer your sauce (runny is easier to mix with pasta) add more nuts/seeds or oil to the mixture. Taste test and add some salt if needed. 

To make zucchini pasta just cut grooves all the way lengthwise the zucchinis and then shave them into pasta. Check out the Pad Thai recipe for more details on this...
In a large bowl, toss the pasta in the sauce, cut up some tomatoes to go with it and decorate the servings with basil leaves. Hmmm, sooo satisfying...

Basil Nutrition
This lovely herb has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it's high in vitamin K and A, and the bone strengthening mineral, manganese. It can provide relief from arthritis and protect you from cancer.
Yes, the bursting aroma is not all...

Serving Suggestion
Needless to say, pasta is not the only way to enjoy pesto. Serve this as a dip with crackers or veggie sticks. Spread it on canapés, sandwiches, or pizza. You can even make it really liquidy and use it as a salad dressing. So good so many ways...

Move Over, Raspberries!...

As if raspberries were not "cool" enough anymore, right? No. Of course that's not the case. But... Yes, there's a BUT. Why would I get raspberries to make dressing when I live in Fairyland where all I have to do is just step outside of the house and I find myself surrounded with wild blackberry bushes?! I have been awaiting the season, watching them bloom and later show the green berries for weeks...and for the past two weeks they've had tons of fruit...mmm. I realize I probably end up with a bunch of haters, or jealous audience, but hey, I just moved here recently and I have to brag. If for no other reason, then because it's definitely a raw foodie's heaven and I'm a bit enthusiastic. You can't blame me for that. : )

So what did I do with the berries I just picked? I've made blackberry vinaigrette that's to die for!

Wild Blackberry Vinaigrette Salad with Millet Crackers

(Serves 2 people or 1 hungry raw foodie)

For the Dressing

Blend* the following ingredients:

~ 1 cup of blackberries (you may thaw out some frozen berries as an alternative)

~ 1 tsp mustard

~ 2 tbsp vinegar ( I used apple cider this time)

~ 2-3 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)

maple syrup (not raw) or honey (not vegan) or other sweetener to taste

pinch of salt

optional: pinch of cayenne pepper

*Berries have a lot of seeds. I prefer to keep them in there but if you rather have a smoother dressing then press them through a sieve first and add your berry paste to the rest of the ingredients and blend.

Look at the color of this!...

As for the salad, I like to keep it simple when the dressing is such an extraordinary one so this is all mine had but of course you can go as crazy as you wish:

mixed greens (or chop up a large head of romaine lettuce)
peas removed form 3-4 pods of English peas
a chunk of thinly sliced red onion
1 small Persian cucumber, sliced diagonally

Add avocado or nuts for a more filling meal.

1. Toss the ingredients with the dressing and pile some on individual serving plates along with some crackers.
2. Excuse yourself (or not) and lick the blender before sitting down to enjoy your plate of Heaven!

Aren't we so spoiled???

Blackberries are antioxidant stars!

Anthocyanins, the antioxidants that give these berries their dark color, have antiinflammatory and anti-cancer qualities as well. Being exceptionally nutritious, high in vitamins C and K, and very rich in manganese and fiber, means they contribute to your heart health and good eyesight, help keep your bones strong and support your digestive system.

Taco Time

What else could you use baby collards for? It's Summer time (on the Northern hemisphere anyway) and  I didn't want to juice such fresh, crisp leaves. So I made tacos. Being about as large as the palm of my hand they're the perfect size and the perfect shape. Folded them into halves and filled them with sprouted goodness to end up with an enviable lunch.

Baby Collard Tacos

(Makes 6 tacos)

For the filling:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds 

sliver of red onion

1/2-1 jalapeno

juice of half a lemon/lime

cumin, cayenne, salt

handful of chopped cilantro

1 small tomato

and collard leaves to act as taco shells..

Directions:
1. Soak the sunflower seeds for 6 hours or overnight.
2. In a food processor, combine and pulse just a couple of times the seeds, the onion, jalapeno, lemon juice, and the spices.
3. Mix in the cilantro.
4. Fill your collard leaves with a few spoonfuls of the filling and top each with chopped tomatoes.
5. To top it all, drizzle nut/seed cheese on them if you wish.

This is great when you have people over and it takes just a couple of minutes to make. Yes, it's always good to have soaked seeds in the fridge; you never know when they come in handy...especially if you eat them often so they will never go to waste.

Sunflower seed nutrition
As the main ingredient here, replacing minced meat and what not, who knows what...they deserve some attention. Guess what, these seeds are full of nourishing goodness. They're very high in protein (the kind that's easily digestible), rich in B vitamins and a very good source of minerals too. They're exceptionally high in vitamin E, come out as winners as a matter of fact, yep, they've taken a trophy for it. So eat them! Your eyes, your heart, your bones, your hair, and your skin will thank you for it. They're good for your nerves, have anti-cancer properties, and are a good anti-inflammatory. All that in tiny seeds????!!!

This is fast food...not as you've known it... Enjoy and share!

"Roasted" Mushrooms with Fennel Salad

As you probably know by now, I like to keep it simple. I prefer to spend no more than 20 minutes in the kitchen and still create something delicious.This dish is really quick to prepare but you'll need time to leave it in the dehydrator for a while. It's so delicious though that it's really worth waiting for and your house will smell heavenly! The mushrooms are just like roasted mushrooms and are nicely complemented with a simple salad that is not heavy on dressing or overpowering herbs, etc.
As I mentioned before, mushrooms are incredibly healthy and fennel bulbs are very rich in antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer qualities. They're also a very good source of fiber and some vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C (to boost your immune system), folate (a B vitamin that will help reduce your homocysteine levels and lower your chances of a heart-attack), and potassium (to help  lower high blood pressure). These precious bulbs have other medicinal qualities too. They can improve digestion, help with urinary tract infections (UTI), and even provide relief from migraines! Of course it's always an option to just eat them for their unique flavor...

"Roasted" Mushrooms
Ingredients:
(Serves 2-3)
~20 white button or crimini mushrooms
1/4 red onion
2 in sprig of rosemary
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbs nama shoyu (contains soy!)
water

Directions:
1. Brush the dirt off the mushrooms, trim the ends of the stems if necessary and quarter each head.
2. Prepare the marinade by mixing the olive oil, shoyu sauce, and a little water.
3. Take the rosemary leaves off the sprig, chop them really fine and mix with the oil and shoyu.
4. Slice the onion and toss everything in a bowl to mix well.
5. Place it all in the dehydrator (leaving them in a relatively flat bowl works best) for a couple of hours at 115ºF (46ºC) and toss them around every 15-20 minutes or so.

Fennel Salad
Ingredients:
(Serves 2-3)
1 apple ( I used a Fuji but I think green apples would work really well. Just use your favorite kind or whatever you have available)
1 fennel bulb and some of the feathery top (that looks a lot like dill)
few slices of red onion
2-3 tbsp of walnut oil
dulse flakes
Optional: chopped walnuts, salt & pepper or herbs of your choice

Directions:
1. Quarter the apple, remove the core, and slice the quarter pieces crosswise and as thin as possible.
2. Slice both the fennel bulb and the onion paper thin (or as thin as you can).
3. In a salad bowl, toss everything with walnut oil, sprinkle with dulse (add salt and pepper if you like) and garnish with some of the feathery parts of the fennel chopped up.

Now the question is, why would you go to a restaurant?

Featured in Funky Raw, UK's raw food magazine

Believe It or Not, I've made Curry!

Going raw shouldn't mean giving up on your favorite cuisines such as Indian, Thai, Mexican, etc., right? I keep experimenting with dishes that I really enjoy and I would love to have from time to time, not to mention adding variety to my daily menu! Speaking of variety, this week was finals week, which means I've been living on tons of nuts and chocolate for days so I'm especially ready for a treat, and I wanted to make a new dish. This was so delicious...I will have to make a second batch tomorrow : )
I've already talked about the health benefits of mushrooms and cilantro but there's a main ingredient in this flavorful bowl that is more than worthy of praise...yes, you guessed right, I'm talking about coconut. Whole coconut, coconut water, coconut butter, coconut oil...it doesn't matter what you consume, they're all very good for you. Coconuts are high in fat, but it's the good kind of saturated fat that's really easy to digest and is readily available for energy. Besides the healthy fat, they have a myraid of other health benefits such as being high in easily digested protein, supporting thyroid health and helping with kidney issues. To top it all, they have antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antifungal properties. Sorry diamonds, coconuts are my best friend!

Warm-You-Up Thai Green Curry
(Ingredients / serving!)
For the marinade:
3-4 crimini mushrooms
1 small baby bok choy
1 green onion or 2 slices of red onion
couple of slices red bell pepper
a pinch of grated ginger 
2 tbsp nama shoyu (this is NOT soy free!)
2 tbsp water
few slices of hot pepper (I used serrano)

For the sauce:
3.5 on (7 tbsp) coconut butter (you will need to melt it!)
1 tsp (or more) Thai green curry paste*
1/4 cup (or as needed) warm water
1 tbsp nama shoyu
1 tsp coconut sugar (or your favorite sweetener)
Optional: little crushed garlic (I didn't add any and it was plenty flavorful without it)

For garnish:
cilantro
sliced green onion

*I used a paste that comes in a jar and the worst part is that it's loaded with table salt. Well, hopefully there isn't that much in there...it doesn't taste really salty. If you're near a great Asian market where you can get all the ingredients for it then you can make your own paste! Make sure to get some galangal (Thai ginger), lemongrass, and kaffir lime.

Directions:
1. Slice thinly or chop all of the marinade ingredients (or whatever vegetables you may be using) and place them in a bowl. Mix them with the shoyu sauce and water and place the bowl in the dehydrator to warm for a couple of hours or as much time as you have on hand. If your coconut butter is in solid state then put that in the dehydrator (in a separate bowl) as well to let it melt.
2. Once the butter is melted you can make the curry base by mixing all the sauce ingredients. Do a taste test and add shoyu, sweetener, etc. if necessary.
3. Add the sauce to the marinade and stick it back in the dehydrator for a while.
4. Garnish with cilantro and/or green onions just before serving.
5. Thank the universe for all the wonderful ingredients : )

First Raw Thanksgiving!

 I was ready to sacrifice my diet on Thanksgiving and eat some cooked food but when I asked my husband what he felt like having this year he said "Let's make it all raw!" Needless to say, I was really surprised (he's a vegan but not a raw vegan!) and excited at the same time. We never had the traditional meal most people create but always made something different such as African food one year and Thai another time, etc. Well, yesterday was the closest we ever got to preparing the typical dishes but again in a not-so-typical way. Two minor details that are worth mentioning: we went shopping in the last minute (and some things, such as green beans were sold out), and we made all of these dishes in no time. So if you want your next Thanksgiving meal to take less than an hour to prepare and make you feel energized, instead of wanting to fall asleep then take note..

On the menu was:

"Mashed potatoes"

Cauliflower, cashews, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, herbs.

Mushroom gravy

Crimini mushrooms, tahini, shallots, olive oil, shoyu sauce, rosemary, salt

Marinated Asparagus
(in place of green beans)

Asparagus, ginger, olive oil, lemon juice, salt

Stuffing

Jicama, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, celery, shallots, shoyu sauce, olive oil, sage, salt & pepper 

Cranberry sauce

Cranberries, apples, dates, honey (not vegan!), ginger

Brownies 

Walnuts, dates, cacao powder, honey (not vegan!), vanilla, salt

It all came out more delicious than I expected. Everything was incredibly satisfying and as a whole, made you feel so good. There was only one thing, too much garlic in the mashed potatoes. I know, if you're a garlic lover like me you might say, "How is it possible to make something too garlicky?" Believe me, it is possible especially when "cooking" raw!

Now, I would like to hear what you had for Thanksgiving! I hope you're kind enough to share! 

Happy Thanksgiving! : )

"Better Than" Pad Thai

What do you do when pasta is on the menu at home?
With a large batch of my favorite peanut sauce already made I had to figure out what to put it on! It didn’t take long to get some zucchini out and go on a raw pasta adventure. I had been wanting to try zucchini pasta but haven't figured out what kind to make first….until now. It was the first time but definitely not the last, in fact, I admit that I’ve made this dish several times in the past two weeks already! Yes, it’s that good.

Raw Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini makes perfect pasta because it doesn’t have an overpowering flavor and it has quite the right texture to replace the strings of dough we’re all used to. If you have a spiralizer or some kind of a magic machine to make pasta, lucky you, your task just got somewhat easier. If you’re like me and even your mandolin is in storage somewhere and all you have to work with is a knife then do this: cut grooves all the way lengthwise the peeled zucchinis but be careful to not cut through the other side. With a peeler go down the grooves you’ve made and shave your squashes into pasta. It takes some work but I must say I didn’t expect to like the outcome as much as I do now and it’s so worth it. Pile some on plates and put your pasta servings in the dehydrator for a warmer dish at about 130 °F (54 °C) while you make the sauce.

Peanut Sauce*
Ingredients:
(Serves 2-3)
1 ½ cup peanuts (or a shallow cup of peanut butter)**
optional: 3-4 tbs soy sauce/nama shoyu 
~½ cup water added a spoonful at a time (you may add less or more depending on how watery you prefer the sauce)
2 cloves garlic
handful of cilantro
optional: 2 tbsp of your favorite sweetener
optional: 1 jalapeno (makes it spicy)

* If you happen to end up with leftovers this makes a great dip to go with apples or veggies.
** For this recipe I used lightly toasted Valencia peanuts, which are not raw. I’ve talked about raw Jungle peanuts vs. roasted peanuts here and in this case I think these are a better choice. Decide for yourself. If you want to go for both the flavor and the improved digestibility then I recommend using lightly toasted Valencias. If you insist on 100% raw go for the Jungle ones and maybe adjust your seasoning.

Directions:
If you’re using peanuts, grind them in a food processor until they’re starting to clump together and little by little add some water. Add the soy sauce/nama shoyu, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and sweetener of your choice. Mix evenly and taste. Adjust the seasoning and add more water if it doesn’t have the consistency of a sauce to pour on pasta. If you’re starting with peanut butter you don’t even need to use a food processor just mix it with water and the rest of the ingredients but use already pressed garlic and chop the cilantro finely.

Assembly:
Get your pasta out of the dehydrator and mix each serving with some peanut sauce and place back into the dehydrator to warm up for a little while longer. Slice some bell pepper and some green onions, and chop some more peanuts to top each plate before serving. Add some chili flakes for an extra spicy finish dig in!
Put zucchinis on your shopping list because from now on you’ll want to have “pasta” on hands at all times.

Pizza For Dinner

My recent European Adventures inspired me to create some more complicated dishes especially because I’m anticipating the days to turn cooler, when we all feel like eating “heavier” or more substantial foods. Also, people’s interest in raw foods is ever-growing and so does the need for transitional* foods on my blog! I had the best raw pizza at a restaurant in Copenhagen, which I wanted to duplicate ever since.

This pizza is even more amazing than I imagined it could be. The end result is just absolutely delicious cold and when put in the dehydrator for 20 minutes to 2 hours your guests might not even be able to tell that they're served a raw dinner!

*Transitional raw foods are those that help you convert to a raw (or high raw) lifestyle by their resemblance to cooked dishes. They usually have more ingredients, are more complicated to create, heavier on nuts and/or seeds, and very often dehydrated and/or even served warm straight out of the dehydrator. It is often very helpful to rely on foods as such for the first days/weeks/months (or however long it may take) because of the satisfaction and fullness they provide.

Raw Pizza Crust
(Makes 6 pieces)
1 cup buckwheat groats
½ cup sunflower seeds
1/6 of an onion (or garlic, if preferred)
splash of olive oil
splash of water
~ ½ tsp salt
basil, oregano to taste
½ cup flax seeds

Soak the buckwheat for a few hours or overnight. Rinse and drain them. Grind the flax seeds until fine. Using a food processor, combine all of the ingredients but the flax seeds. Salt to taste and transfer ingredients into a mixing bowl. Fold in the flax seeds and mix well. Spread the mixture on a teflex sheet (you will get just enough to cover one sheet at a thickness of about 1/3 in or 8 mm). Score as desired (I made it into six triangular slices) and dehydrate at ~130 °F (54 °C) for about an hour then lower the temperature to 115 °F (46 °C) and keep dehydrating until you can flip them over to a mesh sheet. Dehydrate for a few more hours to pizza crust-like consistency.
Now that you have the base, you can store them in the fridge (or freezer) to use later, or you can assemble pizza right away using the recipes that follow.

Raw Marinara (Pizza Sauce)
 (Makes about a cup)
Blend the following ingredients:
½ cup sundried tomatoes*
2 small tomatoes
juice of half a lemon
couple of slices of red onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt to taste/splash of soy sauce
splash of olive oil
basil, oregano

*soaking the sundried tomatoes beforehand helps a lot, especially if you (just like me) don’t have a high-speed blender

Raw Seed Cheese
Ingredients:
(Makes about a cup)
1 cup sunflower seeds
juice of half a lemon
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce/nama shoyu/1 tbsp umeboshi vinegar + some water (if you avoid soy)
optional: dash of turmeric for color

Directions:
Grind the seeds as finely as you can. Blend the rest of the ingredients and add the seed “meal” to the blender. Add some water if necessary for desired consistency. I like it more runny than thick but everybody’s different.

Both, the pizza sauce and the seed cheese will keep in the refrigerator just like the crust, so guess what, once you prepare them all you'll have some grab-and-throw-together lunch waiting for you for days!

Toppings
This is where you can go as simple or as crazy as you wish! I put spinach, tomatoes, and marinated mushrooms on these (above), and the first image shows the one with herbed walnuts and lemon boy tomatoes. You may put pineapple for Hawaiian or pesto for a green pizza. It’s hard to go wrong…

So grab a piece of crust, spread some pizza sauce on it, add your favorite toppings, and drizzle with some seed cheese. You may put the assembled pizza slice(s) into the dehydrator for a few minutes to warm up or for a couple of hours for more of a “baked” feeling.

Dinner is served!

What are YOUR favorite toppings??