Raw Favorites

Yes, yes, I've made these dishes before. But they're favorites of mine, and even though September has arrived, it's still really hot here in NJ, and raw food is a nice treat in the heat.

First, I made zucchini linguine and topped it with spinach pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and heirloom cherry tomatoes.

I found these little heirloom cherry tomatoes at Trader Joes. Aren't they cute? They look like little pieces of candy.

What's cuter than a container of heirloom cherry tomatoes? A little cat trying to play with that container of heirloom cherry tomatoes! This is my kitty Clementine, who really likes to inspect anything new that's brought into the house.

Then I made raw sandwiches. I topped them with cashew cheese, the leftovers of the spinach pesto, more mini heirloom tomatoes and diced avocado. I also made raw zucchini sticks and onion rings from Ani's Raw Food Essentials. The sticks and rings were breaded with buckwheat flour. First I soaked raw buckwheat, then dehydrated it, then ground it in my Vitamix until it was a fine flour. I dipped the zucchini and sliced onion in olive oil and water and then into the buckwheat flour. Then everything was dehydrated for a few hours. I will have to admit that I wasn't very crazy about either. They tasted raw and floury, which makes sense, because that's what they were. So I actually put them in the oven for a little bit. Gasp! Don't tell anyone!


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Zucchini Pasta with Spinach Pesto

You know you're a total food geek when you get excited by a new spiralizer. I accept my geekness and am okay with it. But I have to say that I really love the spiralizer that my dad gave me for my birthday!

I made zucchini noodles with marinated (raw) mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and spinach pesto. Whole Foods used to carry a premade vegan spinach pesto in the fresh pasta section, but they haven't had it in a long time. I used to love it, so I decided to try my hand at making my own. It was very mild and worked really well with the rest of the flavors in this dish. 

Creamy Spinach Pesto

Ingredients:

4 cups spinach, tightly packed

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Process until ingredients are chopped and just slightly chunky - do not over process.

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Raw Pad Thai

I really like raw pasta in the summer, and I love Pad Thai, so when I saw this recipe on Organically Me, I immediately ran into the kitchen to make it. My dad gave me a new spiralizer for my birthday, and I was itching to try it out.


The new spiralizer is pretty cool, as far as spiralizers go. It has three different blades for different sized noodles. I went with the smallest for the Pad Thai.


I usually plan to use one zucchini per person when making raw pasta. I made the mistake of buying gigantic zucchinis, so we ended up with way too much food. I followed the recipe as it is written, but I made four times the amount of sauce, because it just didn't seem like enough. And because it was really, really good. I think next time I make it I will omit the cucumber and maybe add some shredded snow peas.


This dish was really, really good, and I will most definitely make it again!!


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Zucchini Pappardelle with White Bean Alfredo

Like I said yesterday, I'm eating mainly raw food this summer, and I had to try this great semi-raw recipe from HKitchen. The noodles are made with zucchini, but the Alfredo sauce is made with cooked navy beans. The sauce was so nice and creamy that no one would have ever known that it was made with beans, and not dairy cream. The recipe called for tahini, but I had just used the last of mine on a batch of kale chips, so I used raw sesame seeds instead, which worked really well because my Vitamix was able to blend them. I omitted the walnuts and sprinkled the dish with nutritional yeast. Instead of cutting the zucchini with a mandolin slicer, I used my spiralizer to turn them into noodles. This dish was really delicious, and I will definitely make it again!

Beans a great way to add high-quality, plant-based protein to your diet. In addition to protein, they are high in iron, B vitamins and fiber. And they are so versatile that you may never tire of them!

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Zucchini Pasta al Pesto

This is really delicious raw dish that's perfect for a warm spring evening. It's zucchini "pasta" with pesto sauce. Zucchini pasta can be made in several ways. I have a spiralizer that transforms the zucchini into either long thin angel hair pasta or thick ribbons. I usually make angel hair pasta, but I accidentally had the blade set to ribbons. It doesn't matter, because either way it's delicious! If you don't have a spiralizer, don't worry! "Spaghetti" can be made using a julianne peeler, and ribbons can be made using a standard vegetable peeler. I made a simple pesto using basil, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Pesto is traditionally made with pine nuts, but I used cashews instead. I sprinkled nutritional yeast and olives on top of the dish when it was done for a little extra flavor.

Botanically, zucchini is considered a fruit, but it food terms, it is treated as a vegetable. It is high in Vitamins C and A, folate, lutein, manganese and potassium. Zucchinis contain powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

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Raw Food Prep Class - The Basics

I taught a basic raw food class yesterday with my friend Donna for the vegan group we belong to. Donna gave an intro to raw foods and she showed how to prepare a few things for the dehydrator (she made the most amazing kale chips!!), and then she made collard wraps with a variety of different raw foods. She made a few nut cheese and "meat" fillings, which which tasted amazing wrapped in collard greens with some avocado slices. She also made brownies and fig newtons, both of which were awesome. She spent a lot of time before the class preparing all of the foods and got up at 2:30 am to get ready! We all appreciated her hard work - the food she made was all extremely delicious!

I prepared all of my foods in front of the class, so they could see how quick and easy it is to make everything with just a food processor or a blender. I planned my section of the class so that the recipes could be used to make an easy spring dinner. I did a rehearsal class with my friends Deana, Jessica and Rachel last week - these photos are from that class, as I didn't have time to take pictures yesterday.


No Bean Hummus This simple hummus is made with tahini, zucchini, olive oil and some spices. I make this often for parties and get-togethers and it's always a hit.



Caesar Salad Traditional Caesar dressing has anchovies in it, so it's not vegetarian. This dressing uses miso paste and kelp powder to mimic the fishiness of the traditional variety, but it's not over fishy. It's rich and creamy and everyone loved it. The salad is sprinkled with nutritional yeast, but you can make raw parmesan if you have a dehydrator.



Angel Hair Pasta with Spicy Marinara Sauce. The pasta here is zucchini that has gone through a spiralizer. The sauce is made with tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and a little cayenne pepper. Pesto also works well with zucchini pasta.



Key Lime Pie. This pie is super simple to make and it's well loved by all who have tried it. Someone at the class yesterday said she doesn't like key lime pie, but she liked this key lime pie! The crust is made with macadamia nuts, coconut and dates, and the filling is made with key lime juice, avocados, agave and coconut oil. I usually garnish it with raspberries, but I couldn't find the last week.

Spring is the perfect time to start incorporating more raw foods into your diet. They are light and energizing, and will help you keep your cool as the weather gets hotter.

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