I have released four recipe books so far:

The Best of the Sunny Raw Kitchen
The Best of Raw Freedom Community
Delightfully Raw and
Deliciously Raw

These feature some of the most delectable creations to have come out of my raw kitchen and will appeal to anyone interested in a healthier diet, regardless of their level of knowledge and experience. From easy one-step everyday fare to more elaborate and involved gourmet dishes and layered cakes, they offer something for everyone and every occasion. Incredibly tasty smoothies, creamy and comforting warm soups, sexy salads, delicious nut cheezes, satisfying entrees and scrumptious guilt-free desserts...

Healthy food never tasted so good!

To learn more about my recipe books, click here!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Recipe of the Week: Spinach & Mushroom Pockets

Eventhough Thanksgiving has already come and gone for us Canucks, I certainly have lots to be especially grateful for; this past week was like early Christmas for me! Yay! (Guess I've been a very good girl!) I received 2 packages in the mail that made their way in absolute record time, given the fact I live in the boondocks. One was full of all sorts of goodies I'd ordered online that my good friend Joz forwarded to me. (Ahhh! The joys of living in Canada, eh? You'd be surprised how many outfits won't ship outside the US!) So now I'm loaded up in various raw items, including three new recipe books: Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw (Can't wait to try the 'tofu'; totally ingenious!), The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw by Mark Reinfeld and Sweet Gratitude, devoted solely to Cafe Gratitude's magnificent desserts. (Good Lord! Un-be-lie-va-ble!) The other package contained Irish moss from Elaina Love; something I've been meaning to experiment with for ages! Hours of fun in the kitchen awaiting Heathy and I during her coming visit... Woo hoo! The 'to make' list is getting longer by the day! lol

In fact, it seems I've been doing more browsing for new recipes than actually preparing them. So much so that I was a bit at a loss as to what dish to feature this week. But that only lasted until I fetched out of the freezer the mini pockets Mosaica and I made during our last savory D day. The funny thing is that they came about totally unexpectedly. (Isn't it how some of the best recipes get created?) After assembling Russell James' excellent Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiches, we ended up with lots of let-over filling. Hum, what to do? As we were also planning to make the Veggie Pizza Crusts, we swiftly changed plans and used the filling for mini pockets.

All I can say is "Wow!" I'm in love with pockets!!! So many possibilities to play with and so fun to eat! Bet they would make a fantastic take-along snack too. As I'm munching on them, I have to remind myself that these are raw! lol


Spinach & Mushroom Pockets

Makes 10-12 mini pockets

Herb Crust
4 cups sprouted buckwheat
4 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup ground golden flax seeds
3 cloves garlic
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp tamari or salt (to taste)
2 tsp Herbes de Provence

Process in food processor until a dough-like consistency is reached.

Form batter into small half circles on Teflex sheets, between 1/8 and 1/4 " thick.

Dehydrate for a couple of hours at 110 degrees. Flip onto mesh, dehydrate some more until dry to the touch (another hour or so). You still want the dough to be pliable so as to pinch the edges together when assembling the pockets.


Spinach & Mushroom Filling
Adapted from a recipe by Russell James

2 cups crimini or button mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs lemon juice

Wash and roughly chop the mushrooms, then marinate them in the salt and lemon juice and set aside.

2 cups zucchini
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup white miso
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 medium white onion
3 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs powdered psyllium husk
1/2 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.

2 cups tightly-packed spinach
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Pulse spinach, olive oil and salt in a food processor for 10 to 20 seconds until broken down.

Drain the mushrooms from earlier and transfer them to a large bowl, along with the blended courgette (zucchini) mixture, and spinach. Then also mix in the following ingredients:

1/4 cup finely sliced spring onions
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 tbs minced basil (or 1 tsp dried)

Once thoroughly mixed, pour this mixture into the bases. You'll need to slightly overfill the bases as the filling will reduce slightly in the dehydrator.

Dehydrate overnight and during the day, for anything up to 24 hours.

Remove from the dehydrator and decorate with slices of tomato and fresh basil sprigs. It's also a good idea to brush the top of the quiche with a small amount of olive oil, to make them more appealing in their appearance.

Assembly:

Spread a few tablespoons of filling on a half circle of crust.

Place other half on top and carefully pinch the edges together. (Dipping your fingers in water helps the process.)

Dehydrate the assembled pockets at 110 degrees for 8 hours or so. (I left mine overnight.)


Carmella's Notes:
~ In order to facilitate the pinching process, I usually spray a little water along the edges of each half-circle and let it sink in before getting to work.

~ You may have some filling leaking out as you pinch. That's okay; just wipe it away and make sure to close the sides well.

I served these bites of deliciousness with Creamy Lemon Herb “Noodles” posted on Julie's Raw Ambition blog and a mixed green salad with my house dressing.

Delish!

14 comments:

  1. Wow! These look great!! You should, if you have time, post some of your recipes on the AllRawDirectory.com because people would really LOVE your recipes, Carmella!!

    Lots of love to you!

    Wendi
    XOXOXO

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  2. Oooh! Let us know what you think of the idiot's guide... I was kind of curious to see exactly what's inside. I imagine it's positive, but the title throws me off a little.

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  3. Wow, didn't know about this resource, Wendi. Thanks for pointing it out!

    juusan,
    It's a good beginner's guide with lots of basic info. The recipes are on the simple side but interesting. I've tried a couple so far and they were pretty tasty.

    You can take a peek inside the book on Amazon's site here

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  4. Please tell us how the tofu goes. My husband has been dying to make it but I can't find carrageenan. Do you have a source? Thanks for all you do! Peace, Jane

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  5. Hi Jane,
    Sure will! Carrageenan is actually another word for Irish moss. I bought mine from Elaina Love's site. I have yet to play with it but it does look great and I've heard only good things about her moss. ;-)

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  6. Carmella,

    I bought Cafe GRatitude's book yesterday, but I am disgruntled by the fact that lots of the recipes call for a mixer! Obviously, this isn't a commonly used piece of equipment for a raw fooder....is there any other way to do those recipes without it?

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  7. Lindsay,

    You're right, a mixer is very unusual in a raw kitchen. I've made several of the recipes in their previous book with a simple food processor and with great results. The texture just won't be exactly the same, but I can guarantee you that the taste will be every bit as delicious!

    Enjoy experimenting!

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  9. Hi Carmella!

    The recipe looks great and I want to try it!

    Do you soak flax seeds, dehydrate and grind them? or you just simply grind them?

    Greetings from Brussels!

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  10. Hi Digi,

    I just grind them up without soaking.

    Enjoy!

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  11. hi carmi!! looks amazing - want to try it - can you tell me how long you soak and sprout the buckwheat? there are so many opinions when it comes to buckwheat - i want to do what you do since everything i've made of yours has turned out perfectly:)
    thanks!
    sarah

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  12. Oh yummy!!! How I wish I was there with you, Sarah, to enjoy those!!!

    I only soak the buckwheat overnight, then rinse it really well in the morning until the water runs clear and voila! All good to go!

    Have fun making the pockets!

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  13. These are sooo delicious. My husband and I love these tasty pockets!

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