My take on Carrots & Currants

This is what I took to the L.A. raw vegan pot luck on May 1.  The recipe is from my favorite raw recipe book: Living Cuisine by Renne Loux Underkoffler.  I know, I know, I took my darn sweet time posting it.  Better late than never! The day I made it I was out of currants AND flax oil.  I substituted dried blueberries and hemp seed oil.  It still turned out fabulous.

Carrots & Currants
Serves 2-4

3 cups finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup currants or raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dill
1 1/2 teaspoons nama shoyu
2 teaspoons flax oil

Toss ingredients until well coated.  Serve with love!

Pizza

pizza flax crackers
nut cheese
marinara sauce
diced red pepper
diced red onion
sliced black olives
minced basil
pine nut parmesan

When I make a batch of crackers I set aside one or two dehydrator trays to make larger crusts instead of bite-sized nibblers.  Spread nut cheese and marinara on a large flax cracker.  Put veggies toppings on top. Serve with love.

My version is a combination of Cherie Soria’s Pine nut parmesan and Renee Loux Underkoffler’s parmesan.

Pine nut parmesan

1.5 cups pine nuts
1/4 tsp probiotic powder (optional)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon good quality salt

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth and creamy.  If using a probiotic powder you can leave the batter out (be sure it’s covered) to let it culture for a few hours.  Spread thinly onto teflex sheets and dehydrate until crispy. Break apart or crumble.  Stored in glass jars in the refrigerator parmesan will keep for 3 months.

Sprinkle on soups, salads, pasta, pizza — wherever you would use dairy parmesan.

This makes a huge amount of pate.   It lasts about a week in the fridge.  It’s a great make-ahead to have on hand for quick snacks and meals.  I use it on it’s own on top of salads, in lunch time sammiches, wraps, rolls etc.  It’s especially wonderful in raw sushi-maki.

Of course, I had to have some for my lunch today.

Allisa Cohen’s Mock Salmon Pate
Yield: 3 cups Servings: 12

2 cups walnuts
1 red pepper
1 scallion
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
1 tsp salt (I use 1/2 tsp)

Mix it up in a food processor to combine until smooth (optional, I like mine a little chunky since I’m a texture fiend).

Serve with love.

It’s also useful for quick desserts.  You can break it up and use it as a crumble toppings for fruit crisps or pies.

Apple Cinnamon Granola

3/4-1 lb pitted dates (1-1 1/2 cups packed)
1/2 cup purified water (approximately)
1 lb (2 1/2 cups) raw buckwheat groats, soaked and sprouted
1/8 lb (3/4 cup) currants or raisins
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded or shaved coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 4-6 hours, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked 4-6 hours, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup sesame seeds, soaked 4-6 hours, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup flax seeds, soaked 8-12 hours in 1/2 cup purified water (do not rinse or drain)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Loosely separate the dates and put them in a high speed blender.  Add the water and blend to form a smooth paste, adding more water if necessary.
2. Combine the buckwheat groats, currants or raisins, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir well or mix with your hands.
3. Spread 1/4 inch of bater (4-6 cups) evenly on a dehydrator tray lined with a nonstick sheet.  Repeat until all of hte batter is used.
4. Dehydrate for 8 hours at 105 degrees, flip the granola onto a mesh dehydrator screen, and continue dehydrating another 24 hours until completely dry.
5. Break the granola aparat or crumble it into chunks.
6. Store in a sealed glass jars in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Note: use the larger amount of dates for a sweeter granola.

Note: toasted buckwheat groats, known as kasha, is a very popular Middle Eastern grain and can easily be confused with raw groats.  Make sure to buy raw, hulled, buckwheat groats.

Note: for a pretty presentation, you can score the batter into 1″ squares after you put them onto the nonstick dehydrator sheets.

Note: to sprout groats, first soak them in water to cover for 8 hours or overnight.  Drain and rinse them, and put them in a colander over a plate, to catch any water.  Allow them to sprout for 12-24 hours, rinsing them every 12 hours.

Variations

Apple cinnamon granola – add 4 cored and shredded apples.

Berry granola – eliminate the cinnamon and add 1 lb of fresh or frozen berries.  Be sure to fold those in last.

Granola bars – spread the granola batter 1/2 inch thick on nonstick dehydrator sheets, then score into squares before dehydrating.

Serve with love

raw spaghetti marinara

2 1/2 cups tomatoes
12 sun dried tomatoes, soaked
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic
3 dates, pitted
2 tablespoons parsley
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Place on a bed of spiralized vegetable “noodles.” Serve with love.

Veggie pasta with sauce is a standard recipe in the raw foodie’s repertoire. Every recipe book has a version. This is my favorite from Alissa Cohen’s Living on Live Foods, p.367.

It’s super fast to whip up, especially if you’ve got the sauce on hand. I use less oil and I often use use both olive and flax seed oil to get those beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. I also use about 1/2 the salt, since I’ve got to watch my blood pressure.

Marinara is a good weekly stand-by since it can be used in a variety of dishes.