SRK Tour Adventures: Texas Part III

We left Palmetto State Park early, as we had a long drive ahead of us all the way to Del Rio. It was interesting to watch the landscape gradually change once we passed San Antonio. Fields were replaced by ranches and the trees got smaller and smaller as we went. Cacti, low brush and dried up river and creek beds... unmistakable signs that we were easing our way into desert country. We also saw border patrol stations, since the 90 West hugs the Mexican border, as well as plenty of prisons and detention centers, no doubt because of the isolation. "Do not pick up hitchhikers - Prison Area" said a sign. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't fit anyone in as the van is jammed packed! lol Unfortunately it was raining a good chunk of the way, but the closer we got to our destination the more the sky cleared up. Yay!

Rough Canyon, Amistad National Recreation Area
Once again, we decided to follow Angel's advice and stopped at Amistad National Recreation Area located just passed Del Rio. Amistad consists of the American portion of International Amistad Reservoir which lies on the US-Mexico border. It comprises the reservoir's 540 miles of shoreline in Texas as well as several miles along many of its tributaries including the Rio Grande, Devils River and Pecos River.

Amistad NRA offers five campground locations by the water. All of these (except for Governor's Landing) are primitive sites however, and don't have electric, water or shower facilities. At the Visitor Information Center at the entrance of the Amistad, the ranger pointed out the various campsites but then drew special attention to a new one called Rough Canyon, situated a little out of the way along the Devils River. Our initial idea was to just stay overnight and continue west towards Big Bend National Park where we were wanting to spend a few days, so we weren't sure about going that far from the main highway. Back in the parking lot I found Don talking with a couple of French Canadians. We learned that they've been coming to Texas for years in the winter and were camped at Rough Canyon, which they warmly recommended as it is both super quiet and very scenic.

And so we paid attention to what Life was pointing out to us and drove the 20 some miles to Rough Canyon. It's a popular boat ramp (no wonder as the location was fabulous!) to which they added a very small camping area (it has a grand total of four sites!) right on the waterfront. Oh and you know what the best part was? It only cost us $4/night!!! Wow, you could stay here for 4 or 5 nights for the price of what most other campgrounds charge. Granted that we had to rough it since it didn't have any amenities, but still... What a deal! We had the campground all to ourselves as we learned that our fellow traveling friends were staying at a different place just down the road.

From the campground you could see Rough Canyon Cliffs across the water.

As usual, I prepped dinner while Don pitched the tent. Since I had already made ‘Refried’ Beans, Nacho Cheeze and Sour Cream at Palmetto State Park (more details later), all I had to do was whip up a guacamole and a green salad. He was expecting a simple cracker n’ spread type of meal as we normally have no brainer food when changing location. “Carmi, you’re a food magician!” Don goes to me when he saw the spread. ;-)

We enjoyed the various components on large romaine lettuce leaves. Ah man, was it ever yummy!

As you might have figured out by now, I love love sunsets! After our Mexican feast we were treated to yet another stunning display of colors. Makes you feel so blessed to be able to witness such beauty! It dawned on me that we didn't see sunrises or sunsets for the entire time we lived in the Kootenays in British Columbia. No wonder I can't get enough of them now!




We slept like logs amid the quiet tranquility occasionally disturbed by the sound of fish jumping, owls hooting and sheep baaing in the distance. A rather unusual combination, eh?

The next morning Carole, the French Canadian lady, stopped by to give us directions to a really scenic road that she'd discovered just a few minutes from the campground. We swapped stories for a while and one thing led to another, I mentioned that we were eating mostly raw. It turns out that she was into health foods and had been experimenting with raw on her daughter's recommendation. No way! Here we were in the middle of nowhere, in this teeny weeny campground off the beaten track talking about raw food prep! *shaking her head* I mean, what are the chances of that!?! lol Being on the road Carole was finding it challenging to whip herself up something healthy and raw, especially as her hubby isn't into it and she hadn't taken a lot of equipment along. Since I'm becoming somewhat of an expert on the matter, I gave her a few simple tips.

The weather was fabulous; so warm and without a single cloud in the sky! We learned that this was actually the first day of nice weather in quite some time. They'd had pretty much everything but snow so our timing couldn't have been better! Early afternoon we headed off to explore the surrounding area. As Carole suggested, we drove up El Diablo Parkway, a little winding and dipping dirt road that took us deep into desert.

We saw lots of nopal cacti along the way. I found out that they are actually bigger versions of the prickly pears we encountered in Florida. I didn't recognize them at first as they didn't have any red fruits on them.


Carole had told us about a couple of paths branching off the road that brought you closer to Devils River. In the distance we could see the steep limestone cliffs that were carved by the river over millennia.

It was breathtakingly beautiful!

These next shots were taken along the second path that we walked on.

We sat in silence for a while, admiring the unobstructed view of the river. A power spot for sure!

Hard to fathom how such scenery and alcohol can go together but we found some beer cans as we walked. One of them was still full so Don decided to do humanity a favor. ;-)

I woke up early the next morning, just in time to see the sun rising on the Devils River.

Gone With The Wind
We were really starting to like this place. No wonder Carole and her hubby decided to make it their headquarter. We thought we might stay for an extra day or two, but once again our tentative plans were changed and we were led to move on. Not long after taking the above photo the wind gradually started to pick up. I joked that the tent might blow off if we weren't inside, but as it turned out I wasn't far from the truth. When we got up we saw that the sky had clouded over and a storm was brewing. Oh-oh, not good! Forget about staying, we had no choice but to hit the road. Sure was a trip taking down the tent, as the wind was getting fiercer almost by the minute.

Seminole Canyon State Park
We had everything packed up in record time and continued our travels along the 90. As the day was still young, we decided to stop at Seminole Canyon State Park a few miles further West. The park is renowned for its jagged canyons cut through the Chihuahan Desert wilderness. Thousands of years ago, native people left behind dozens of ancient painted symbols on the canyon walls carved by the Rio Grande. As we couldn't undertake the long hike that led to the famous Panther Cave, we opted instead for a shorter walk to Seminole Canyon after which the park is named. It took us a while to locate the trail, which we even lost all together at some point, but we still found a way to get to the canyon anyway. Yay!

Wow, those gusts of wind were somethin'! Sure didn't want to stand too close to the edge, I tell ya! Don had to literally hold my shoulders in order to steady me while I took photos. lol When we first reached the canyon a buck was frightened by our presence and it proceeded to effortlessly hop from one rock to another all the way to the top. What a magical moment that was!



Desert Storm
The ride through the desert that followed was a bitter sweet one. With our rushed departure from Rough Canyon that morning, we hadn't paid attention to the gas in the tank which was only a quarter full. We had spotted a few towns on the map so we figured we could just fill up along the way. Bad idea! These were the sort of towns that you'd easily miss if you blinked!

Along with the stress of possibly running out of gas in the middle of the desert (Yeah, yeah, I know it's a terrible cliché, but what can I say? It was really happening! Eeek), our engine started to overheat. Oh - oh! Not good either! We had noticed that the antifreeze had begun to leak a bit in San Antonio, but figured it wasn't a big deal as we've encountered a similar issue in the past. Thankfully, we had some water with us so Don fed it to the van which eagerly drank it up. It seemed to do the trick but as we had no more water we had better find a town real soon!!! As we approached Sanderson, we were bracing ourselves for yet another one horse town. It was a small community alright, but at least it did have a couple of gas stations. Woo hoo! We were so happy and relieved! Man, that was a close call!

While all this was going on, the scenery passing in front of our eyes was fantastic! There are times when I'm too caught up in my internal mini drama to be able to appreciate Nature's beauty, but that day it was simply too spectacular to ignore.

Our challenges weren't over just yet but I'll leave that aside for now.

How about I tell you a little about all the yummy stuff we've been eating lately?

Our Sunny Raw Outdoor Kitchen
Since going on the road, most of our time and energy has necessarily been devoted to the various tasks required by our trip. I must admit that I sometimes miss putting on my creative culinary hat and trying new recipes. We tend to mostly eat the same simple stuff all the time. (I told you a little about our menu here.) However during our stays at Brazos Bend and Palmetto State Parks, I did get to be more adventurous with our food.

Jicama is so much fresher and cheaper down here than back home! Since we’d bought a couple in Houston, I decided to whip up a few different things with it.

A light twist on one of our favorite meals: Asian Veggies in Ginger Marinade on Jicama Rice

I also made Matthew Kenney's Rosemary Mashed which I served with Raw Food Right Now's Raw Gravy from their Thanksgiving ebook. I gotta say this is my all time favorite version of gravy as it isn't as intense as others that are mainly made with mushrooms. It also calls for cashews, celery, onion (I used green onions as we have trouble digesting the raw yellow or white kind), garlic, lemon juice and salt.

The tatoes and gravy combo was even approved by Don, the potato lover! ;-)

And how could I not make our dear Jozzie’s famous Lemon Poppy Seed Cake? We completely forgot to buy some poppy seeds but I thought black sesame seeds would work well too. They did! It was yet another perfect cake for the road as it doesn't require any setting in the fridge.


Not long before we left for our trip I received a couple of Russell James’ new ebooks, but I hadn’t even managed to browse through them yet. (I know, I know, how could I resist?) I finally got a chance to pull up the ebooks again and try some of his recipes. Yippee!

A couple of mornings we munched on Chia Seed Porridge from his No Dehydrator Recipes ebook. A true breakfast of champions! We enjoyed it topped with banana slices, chopped apple, a little maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Really very good and filling too. One day for the life of me I couldn't locate the oat groats! I was momentarily bummed but then decided to improvise with what I had. That turned out to be a good thing after all as I came up with this yummy and lighter grainless variation. You'll need to plan a little ahead as it requires that you soak a few ingredients overnight.


Hearty Breakfast Cereal
Inspired by Russell James' Chia Seed Porridge in his No Dehydrator Recipes ebook

The night before soak in a bowl:

1 ⁄2 cup sunflower seeds
1 ⁄4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dry coconut
1/4 cup almonds (although you could also use 1/2 cup of almond pulp left over from making almond milk instead!)

In a second bowl, soak:
1 ⁄2 cup raisins
6 small dates or 3 Medjhools

In a third bowl, soak:
1/4 cup chia seeds in 1/2 cup water

You will also need 1 1/4 cups of almond milk for this recipe, so if you don't already have some handy, you'll want to soak your almonds overnight as well.

The next morning:

1 - If necessary make your almond milk first. (I usually use 1 cup almonds to 5 or 6 cups water)

2- Drain and rinse your seeds/nuts from the first bowl. Then place in the blender.

3- Drain the dates/raisins soak water (don't throw it away!!!). Then place dates along with half of the raisins in the blender.

4- Add the chia seeds to the carafe of the blender, along with 1 1/4 cups almond milk, 1/4 cup dried fruit soak water and 1/4 tsp cinnamon (or more!)

5- Blend briefly so as to retain some texture.

6- Transfer to bowls and fold in remaining 1/4 cup raisins.

7- Top with fresh fruit of choice (I've used banana slices and chopped apple) and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon.

Carmella's Notes:
~ If the mixture isn't quite sweet enough to your taste, add extra fruit soak water, agave nectar, honey or maple syrup.

~ If it's too the cereal's too thick to your liking, simply add more almond milk or fruit soak water.

~ On a cold winter morning, for a warm cereal you could gently heat up the almond milk on the stove before adding it to the blender. Just make sure that the burner is on medium and stir the mixture constantly to avoid destroying the enzymes.


Don had picked the biggest durian he could find at an Asian market in Houston, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite ripe. Boo hoo What a bummer as we were so looking forward to this special treat. While looking through various recipe ebooks, I stumbled upon the perfect way to use it! Soooooo good!

Durian Vanilla Smoothie
From Raw Pleasure Australia’s new free ebook, The Simple Guide to Eating Raw

1 whole durian
Flesh of ½ young coconut
Water of 2 young coconuts
2 vanilla beans

Put all of the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

Note: If you don't have a high speed blender such as a Vitamix, you might wish to split your vanilla pods and scrape the seeds, instead of using the entire pod.

Jenni's Note:
The first time I had this smoothie I was aghast that someone would mix durian with something else. 'What a waste' was my miserable thoughts as I watched the durian flesh being blended with the coconut and vanilla. Fortunately for me my friends have very open minds and I am in love.

Carmella's Notes:
~ Funny as my first thought was also that if it wasn't that the durian wasn't ripe I wouldn't normally want to mix it with anything else, since it is so yummy on its own.

~ I used a different ratio as I went with what we had on hand. I'd say I used 1 durian (although that's not saying much as the size can vary greatly), the meat and water of 1/2 a young coconut and about 1 tbs vanilla powder. The result was more like a pudding consistency.

We had a mega uncooking day at Palmetto Park in preparation for the next leg of our journey, as we were expecting to stay at campgrounds that don't have electricity. That turned out to be quite a trip as we had to work in a cloud of wasps!!! I have reacted very strongly to their sting in the past so it was a real meditation. Not that I was afraid that they would attack me but rather that I might accidentally crush one while picking something up and therefore get stung. Thanks to our being extra careful though, the uncooking went without any incident.

Time for the taste test!

Since we were going to be traveling through the heart of Tex Mex country, I decided to whip up all the fixings for a gourmet Mexican style meal.

I've tried a few raw renditions of refried beans in the past but I hadn't found one that really wowed me. Here's a cross between a recipe from Kristen Suzanne's Easy Raw Entrees ebook and Russell James' Spicey Beans from his Mexican Style Raw Food Recipes ebook. It was a winner! Definitely the best we've had yet!


Not 'Refried' Beans

1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked 2 hours or more
3/4 cups sun-dried tomatoes, soaked at least 1 hour
2 tbs lime juice
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp dark miso
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
2 garlic cloves
1 green onion, chopped
Handful fresh cilantro (about 1/4 cup), chopped
Tomato soak water

Process all ingredients except cilantro in food processor until smooth. Add a little soak water if needed. Transfer to a bowl.

Fold in the cilantro by hand.

The following recipe was inspired by Kristen Suzanne's Cheezy Nacho Sauce. The famous Rich Cheddar Sauce that we all love so much with a spicey twist. Seriously yummy stuff!

Nacho Cheeze
Adapted from Kristen Suzanne's Cheezy Nacho Sauce in her Easy Raw Entrees ebook

1 1/4 cup cashews, soaked
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup water
1 medium carrot
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder or cayenne (use less if you prefer it not too spicy)
2 tsp taco seasoning (I threw in a bit of onion powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, and chili flakes)

Blend all ingredients in high speed blender until smooth.

Lastly, I decided to make Russell's Sour Cream also from his Mexican ebook. It is slightly different than most versions I've encountered as it calls for apple cider vinegar as well as the usual cashews, lemon juice, water and salt. I really liked it a lot.

That day, since we had all the ingredients for it, we enjoyed Russell's Avocado Lime Soup from the same ebook. Very good and oh-so-creamy!


And now on a sweet note...

We had almond pulp left over from making milk that I just couldn't bare throwing away. After much pondering and browsing through recipes I decided to make two kinds of treats. I shaped one of the batters into cookies and the other into balls, but you could take your pick, depending on what form appeals to you the most.

This first recipe is a slight variation on Jennifer Cornbleet's Almond Cookies. The result reminded me a lot of the cake layer of Heathy's wonderful Chocolate Orange Cake which is one of my all time faves, except with a touch of almond extract.

Almond Balls or Cookies

Adapted from a recipe in Jennifer Cornbleet's "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People"

2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1 cup almond pulp
1 cup Medjhool dates
1/2 tsp almond extract
Dash salt

Coating:
¼ cup ground almonds

Process walnuts and whole almonds first in food processor until coarse.

Add rest of the ingredients except ground almonds and process some more. (Do not over process; you should still see chunks.)

Form batter into balls or cookies.

Toss in ground almonds for coating.

Chill 2 hrs before serving.


This next recipe started out as Russell James' Chocolate Chip Cookies from his Chocolate Recipes ebook, but then evolved into something a little different. Actually, these are very similar to my Double Chocolate Cookies in The Best of Raw Freedom Community ebook.


Chocolate Balls or Cookies
1 1/2 cups almond pulp
1 cup oat flour (obtained by grinding up oat groats)
1/2 cup walnuts, ground in a food processor
1 /4 cup maple syrup
3 tbs agave nectar
3 tbs cacao powder
1 tbs carob powder
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 /4 tsp teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cacao nibs (optional)

Coating:
Dried coconut
Mesquite and carob powder

Process all ingredients except cacao nibs until smooth in food processor. If desired, add cacao nibs and process briefly just to incorporate.

Roll batter into small balls or cookies.

Toss in dried coconut or a mixture of mesquite and carob powder to coat.

Store in refrigerator.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I added nibs only to half of the chocolate mixture.

~ I then coated the plain balls with coconut and the ones with the nibs with mesquite and carob.


Mmmmmm... All this talk of food is making me hungry. Time to go fuel up on smoothie! ;-)

P.S. If you want to find out where we're off to next, you can take a peak at our updated itinerary here!

Pilgrims of The Raw Table

The day we arrived in Quebec, we were immediately presented with an opportunity to cater for a group of people. Since getting into raw and living foods in 2000, we had never felt moved to give workshops or food prep classes, sell our raw goodies or anything along those lines. People have suggested many times that I open a raw restaurant, but in my mind I’d be shaking my head “no way!” I know how much hard work and dedication would be required by such an endeavor, and while raw foods occupy an important part in my life, the number one priority has always been to do my inner work.

I came to the realization many years ago that the most effective way I can help others is to do whatever it takes in order to become a better person. So far, so good. Of course, the internet has provided an ideal means for me to reach out and share what I've been learning, in particular in terms of the raw diet.

When this catering opportunity arose, something had mysteriously changed, and we accepted the challenge with barely a blink. Perhaps one of the main reasons being that it would be supporting a good cause, as the event was a 6 day walking pilgrimage inspired by the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain.

We found out about the pilgrimage through my sister Josee who first participated 3 years ago. She couldn't join the others on their departure on the morning of August 4th, but Don later drove her to the community hall where the pilgrims spent their first evening.

Saying Goodbye to Ti-Nours.

The 15 some people who took part in the event walked on average 20 to 25 kms a day, for a total of 138 kms, hauling their various supplies and sleeping gear on their backs. Wow, what a feat! It felt really good to know that we'd be providing sustenance to these fellow pilgrims on this adventure, which challenged them deeply both at the physical and psychological levels.

Thursday's Asian Menu
Our food preparations went amazingly smooth, and we even found ourselves enjoying the process. With the help of my good friends on Raw Freedom Community, I came up with 2 menus which I felt would fit the bill. We arrived on location at Remigny about 1 1/2 hours ahead of time in order to finish assembling that evening's meal.

We started off with an exotic Creamy Thai Coconut Soup.

This recipe was developed by our friend, Manu, who was trained as a SAD chef in Germany. The preparation requires that you separate the pulp from the broth with the help of a sieve or a nut milk bag; no small task when done for a large crowd. We had to blend/strain the soup in 7 batches! Phfew! Although it turned out really delicious and went over well, Don and I agree that it is too labor intensive for catering purposes.

The main course: Spring Rolls with Ginger Marinade, served with a spinach and mung bean sprout salad.

I got the idea for the rolls when I recently visited a raw restaurant in Montreal, Crudessence, whose menu offered something similar. Rice paper not being raw, it had never occurred to me to use it, but since the crowd wasn't focused on raw foods per se, I thought it would be a nice transitional yet light dish. I filled the rolls with lettuce, daikon, carrot, cucumber, red and yellow pepper, green onion, snow peas, red cabbage, cilantro and home grown sprouts. I had never worked with rice paper before and was a bit clumsy at first, but by the time I finished rolling #16, I was getting the hang of it. lol

As the location was more than an hour's drive away, I had thought best to assemble the Spring Rolls on the spot, concerned that the rice paper might dry out. Due to the lack of working space and my unfamiliarity with the technique, it was a bit of a stressful process, but the end result was yummy, fresh and colorful. The Ginger Dipping Sauce with its spicy bite complemented the rolls perfectly.

Ginger Dipping Sauce or Marinade

Yields about 1/3 cup

1/4 cup sesame or cold pressed olive oil
2 tbs lemon or lime juice
2 tbs tamari
2 tbs grated ginger
1 soft date
1 garlic clove
3/4-1 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like your food)

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender.


The marinated Asian Spinach Salad came from my mom's repertoire. Although Don and I have been enjoying it without rice, we decided to stick to the original recipe for the catering menu. Since it is recommended to assemble the salad an hour before serving, I decided to toss the marinade in once we arrived in Remigny. As we were driving towards the location, it occurred to me that I had forgotten to take cashews along! Ooopsie! Thankfully, the salad turned out to be a success regardless.

Dessert was Mango Parfait with Raspberry Sauce and Whipped Cream.

I love LOVE the warm hues of this parfait and think it fit right in with the theme! The Mango Pudding was a recipe from my first ebook, the Raspberry Sauce was actually more like a jam; fresh raspberries briefly blended with lime juice and agave nectar (no straining), and the Whipped Cream was this all time favorite. Although everyone seemed to enjoy the meal, the dessert particularly impressed them. We even got a toast and a round of applause. *blushing*

The following day was to be the most challenging for the pilgrims with some 32 kms through the woods. Amazingly, everyone made it in record time and were surprisingly in good shape afterward. A nice young lady told me that she suspected our meal had a lot to do with it. (Yay raw!)

On the drive back, we were blessed with the most beautiful and vivid rainbow! What a magical sight and a fit ending to such an energizing and successful day!

Saturday's Italian Menu
After we got back, we didn't really have time to rest much as we were catering again at Laverlochere on Saturday evening. We spent a good chunk of Friday and Saturday afternoon finalizing the food prep. This time, we had a real kitchen at our disposal at the location and it made a huge difference. The dinner schedule ended up being delayed by an hour or so which allowed us to relax and take our time.

Dinner started with a Tomato & Herb Soup made with freshly picked basil and oregano from my little garden. The veggies were all chopped and we had brought the Vitamix along so all we had to do was blend the soup and gently warm it up on the stove.


The entree was Zucchini Pasta with a slightly modified variation of Cherie Soria's tasty Arugula-Basil Pesto, Tuscan Pizza and a side mixed green salad with my House Dressing.


Basil Arugula Pesto

Yield: 1 cup sauce (Serves 4)

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
1/2 cup arugula leaves, tightly packed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons light miso
2 cloves (1 teaspoon, pureed) garlic
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt, or salt to taste
2 tbs almonds, ground
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbs pine nuts

Combine all of the ingredients, except the pine nuts, in a food processor outfitted with the “S” blade, and pulse a few times to begin chopping the basil and arugula leaves. Add the pine nuts and process until the desired consistency is achieved. Do not over process the mixture, or the oil from the pine nuts will separate, and the mixture will become too oily. The texture should be creamy with tiny specks of pine nuts throughout.

Store the pesto in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to four days, or freeze for up to three months.


For the pizza, we opted for a simple but very tasty combination of ingredients. We spread a thick layer of fermented cashew cheeze on a sunflower buckwheat crust, followed by cherry tomatoes, black olives, thinly sliced red onion and nut parmesan.

Between the two of us, the process of assembling the pizzas went really well.

One challenge was to find enough room to fit everything on those relatively small plates...

Somehow we managed! ;-)

I had dehydrated these delicious new crusts a few days earlier. It's a sort of a cross between the Pizza Crust featured in Cafe Gratitude's I Am Grateful and my usual favorite Veggie Herb Crust. A winner and definite new favorite!

Herb Pizza Crusts

Yields about 33 square crusts

4 cups soaked buckwheat
2 2/3 cups sunflower seeds, soaked
4 cups zucchini, peeled and roughly chopped
3/4 - 1 cup ground flax
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup + 1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs + 2 tsp Italian herbs
1 tbs + 1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbs sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Spread batter about 1/4 " thick on 3 3/4 dehydrator trays covered with teflex sheets. Score into 9 squares per tray.

Dehydrate at 125 for 2-3 hours, then flip onto mesh and turn the temperature down to 110.

Dehydrate until dry.

Carmella's Note: Alternatively, you could also form the batter into small or large round crusts.


I was considering topping the pizzas with thinly sliced fresh basil, but opted for a basil flavored cheeze instead. Have I told you how I'm in love with fermented cheeze? It all started here!

Basil & Garlic Cheeze
1 cup basic Cashew Cheeze (See recipe below)
1 generous teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced chives
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon packed fresh basil, chopped

Combine Cashew Cheeze, garlic, chives, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt in a bowl. Stir until well mixed. Add basil and stir until well distributed. Taste and adjust salt, if desired.

Press firmly into a small container or bowl lined with plastic film. Sprinkle mixture of dried basil and garlic powder on top. Allow to chill for at least 12 hours or until it firms up.

When firm, de-mold, turn over and transfer onto a plate. Sprinkle more dried herbs on top and sides.

Variation: If you prefer, you can enjoy this Cheeze 'cream cheese style' by simply transferring the mixture into a container and using it as a spread. This is the texture I aimed for in the above cheeze.

Store in fridge in airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days.


Basic Cashew Cheeze
3 cups Cashews, soaked 12-14 hours
3 capsules probiotics
2/3 cup fresh rejuvelac (see instructions in this post)

In high speed blender, blend the soaked cashews with probiotics and rejuvelac until smooth.

Line a sieve with a double thickness of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Transfer the mixture to the sieve, drape the cheesecloth over the top, cover with a towel and leave in a warm place to ripen for anywhere from 14 to 24 hours, depending on how warm your house is.

Season according to one of the following recipes (or come up with your own variation!)

Alternatively, shape the mixture into a round, place in a covered container, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or until it firms up.

Store in fridge in airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I've been using rejuvelac made with quinoa and it works beautifully. I soak 1/4 cup quinoa in about 1 1/2 cups water overnight, drain and rinse well the next morning. Then I add 1 cup fresh water to the mason jar, cover it with cheese cloth, followed by a clean towel, and let it sit in a warm place for 2 days. Then I decant the liquid; this is your rejuvelac!

~ I once forgot to soak the cashews ahead of time and did a little experiment; I ground them up finely in the Vitamix first and added a little more water. The mixture didn't blend as easily as with soaked cashews so I ended up using more liquid than in the original recipe. The texture of the resulting Cheeze was a touch softer and had more the consistency of Boursin. Out of this world!

All together now...

Tuscan Pizza

On a piece of Herb Pizza Crusts, spread a generous layer of Basil & Garlic Cheeze.

Top with sliced cherry tomatoes, slivers of kalamata olives and finely sliced red onion.

Finish with a sprinkle of Nut Parmesan*.

*I used a parmesan recipe from Cafe Gratitude's book made with Brazil nuts, garlic and salt, but I bet my Pine Nut Parmesan would have also worked nicely.

And last but not least, dessert was an avocado based Chocolate Mousse layered with fresh berries and topped with a dollop of Whipped Cream. I tried to find a piping bag but to no avail, so I used a Ziploc bag which I cut a small piece off the bottom corner. Not as pretty, but it did the trick.

Chocolate Mousse

Yields 2 cups

3 small avocados (or 2 medium)
3 tbs raw cacao powder
1/4 cup + 2 tbs raw carob powder
1/2 cup + 2 tbs raw honey or agave nectar
3/4 cup water, or until desired consistency is reached
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Generous pinch sea salt

Blend all ingredients in high-speed blender until smooth.

Pour mixture into small serving cups.

Chill for a couple of hours.

If desired, serve with fresh berries and Whipped Cream.

I was inspired to prepare various raw treats that people could purchase after the meal.

Here's a close-up of the dehydrated yummies: Heathy's wonderful Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, and two kinds of cookies.

The cookies came as an afterthought as I found myself with more soaked buckwheat than I needed. I decided to make the Raw Buckwheat Granola from Cafe Gratitude's outstanding Sweet Gratitude book which I slightly modified and shaped into cookies (shown on the left) as well as a more sturdy variation using oat flakes and oat groats.

I had wrapped them in packages of two for ease of travel.

Buckwheat Apple Cinnamon Cookies

1 1/2 cups soaked almonds
1 1 /2 cups soaked buckwheat
2 cups apples, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup dates, soaked
3/4 cup dried coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup agave nectar (or to taste)
1/4 cup liquid vanilla
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup ground oats
1/4 cup ground flax
1 tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oat flakes
Mix all ingredients except oat flakes in a food processor until well incorporated. (You may need to do this in more than one batch!)

Transfer batter to a large bowl and mix in the oat flakes by hand.

Drop by the spoonful directly onto a dehydrator mesh and flatten with a spatula or a glass. (Mine were about 1/3" thick.)

Dehydrate overnight at 110.


We had also made 3 varieties of raw chocolate: Super Cacao Balls and Almond Coconut Joy from Sweet Gratitude, as well as a simple dark chocolate made with cacao paste, agave, almond extract and almond chunks.


We came back with lots of choccies, dehydrated bars and cookies, but that's totally fine by us; we always appreciate a snack to take along when going to town or a last minute dessert.

All and all, we both feel that it was a really positive and growth-full experience.

On that note, I'll leave you with an excellent recipe contributed by Shannsu that would have been perfect for our Asian theme. Unfortunately, with only one day to go, it was too late to incorporate it into the menu. It did provide us, though, with a delicious way to use up all those snow peas and julienned carrots we had left over.

Szechuan Snow Peas
Posted by Shannsu on Raw Freedom Community

Makes 2-4 servings.

This spicy dish featuring sweet snow peas can also be made with sugar snap peas.

4 cups fresh snow peas
1 cup thinly julienned carrots
3 green onions, sliced diagonally
1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp raw sesame oil (or olive oil)
1 1/2 tbsp umeboshi plum vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 tbsp nama shoyu
2 tsp raw honey (or agave nectar)
1 tsp coarsely ground Szechuan pepper (or some black pepper)
Cayenne pepper, to taste

Snap off the ends of the peas, stringing them as you pull the ends off. Cut them into matchsticks, as thinly as possible.

In a large bowl, mix crushed garlic, raw sesame oil, umeboshi vinegar, raw honey, Szechuan pepper and cayenne. Add snow peas, carrots and green onions and mix well, (but gently) coating all the vegetables completely with the marinade.

Allow to stand at least 20 minutes to develop flavor and soften the snow peas, mixing occasionally (the longer the soak, the softer and more flavorful the snow peas). If you like, you can set the bowl in the dehydrator for an hour: this will both soften and warm the snow peas.

Serve on a generous bed of various greens, if you wish. Add a sprinkling of fresh sprouts, as garnish, if you feel so inclined.

Carmella's Note: The only mods I made to this recipe was to go with the apple cider vinegar, as suggested, and add a couple of tbs of sesame seeds. Delish!


P.S. I guess I should mention that the play on words in the title refers to how the pilgrims set the tables in a great big circle for the dinners. ;-)