In Jozzie's Sunny Kitchen

Back with you to report about Jozzie and I's kitchen fun in Medford, OR!

Last spring we spent sooooooo many hours playing with food that we very nearly exhausted ourselves. We took things a lot more easy this time around and came up with a 'brilliant' plan to focus our energy in the kitchie working on desserts and enjoy light meals of mostly raw soup and salad.

One of the first sweet treats we whipped up was the Maple Walnut Cake from my new Delightfully Raw, as Jozzie had been drooling over it ever since she saw a photo of the cake. And so it just seemed natural that we should make it to celebrate her birthday. (She keeps getting younger by the year!) ;-)

We used a slightly larger pan than the one in the book, so the cake turned out a little bigger and flatter. We figured that this would help us cut smaller pieces since it's a very rich cake.

And a little peek inside...

Jozzie told me that when she first came over to America from Poland as a little girl, her favorite treat was maple walnut ice cream. So it was no wonder then that she was intrigued by this dessert! The Maple Walnut Cake sent her straight to taste bud heaven; if only you'd have heard her moan in delight as she took her first bite! hehe

We had some Cheezecake left over from the (crazy busy) Holiday class we gave towards the beginning of our stay. A classic simple dessert, so pretty with the bright red berry sauce!

A copy of Matthew Kenney's new Everyday Raw Desserts was waiting for me at Joz's (yay!) and I could hardly wait to make some of the recipes! I know I've said it before but I'll say it again: Matthew is probably THE raw chef I admire the most. He's a true genius!

Jozzie has dozens and dozens of all kinds of extracts so I jumped on the opportunity to make his Butterscotch Pudding (topped here with a touch of Raspberry Sauce for color.)

This was super rich (and I kid you not!!!) We figured that each serving contained about 3/4 cup nuts! Eeek! We could only manage to eat a few spoonfuls, but boy was it ever delicious! Mmmmm

Of course Jozzie had a few dessert creation ideas up her sleeve for us to experiment with. We actually make a really good team; she scouts the net for interesting recipe projects and cooked dishes to transform into raw and I come up with the proportions and how to go about assembling them.

We concocted a Durian and Coconut Cream Napoleon that we thought turned out really well; thin 'phyllo' pastry layered with a Durian Mousse and a Coconut Whipped Cream. Very light and creamy and oh-so-tasty!

Durian and Coconut Cream Napoleon

'Phyllo' Pastry
 We used the recipe from the Baklava on p. 60 in Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw Desserts. It calls for cashews, macadamias, lemon juice, honey, water, vanilla, salt and flax meal.

Cut into pieces of about 4" x 2 1/2"

Durian Mousse
1 1/2 cups durian flesh
1/4 cup Irish moss paste*
1/4 cup agave nectar (or more, depending on how sweet your durian is)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
---
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tbs lecithin powder

Blend first set of ingredients until smooth in high-speed blender.

Add coconut oil and lecithin and blend again, just to incorporate.

Chill in the refrigerator to set.

To make Irish Moss Paste:
Blend 1.5 oz (or ½ cup packed) soaked Irish moss with 1 cup water in a high-speed blender until completely dissolved.

Coconut Cream
1 cup water
¾ cup young coconut meat
½ cup cashews, soaked
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Irish moss paste (see recipe above)
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons raw agave nectar or honey
¼ cup melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or liquid vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch salt

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.

Place in the refrigerator to set.

Assembly
Spread a generous layer of Durian Mousse on a piece of 'Phyllo' Pastry.

Top with a second piece of pastry.

Spread a generous layer of Coconut Cream, topped with a third piece of 'Phyllo'.

Decorate with Coconut Cream and Durian Mousse and, if desired, sprinkle with a mixture of ground gogi berries and dried coconut.

Enjoy immediately.


Another brainchild of Jozzie's was a Persimmon Angel Food Cake. We used Matthew's recipe for the cake layer and as I was preparing it, it hit me how very similar it is to my Shortcake using dried coconut, almond pulp, dates, vanilla and salt. The only main difference is that he calls for coconut oil and some almond milk instead of cashews.

The Persimmon layer consists of a light Irish moss based filling with bits of dehydrated persimmons that provide a lovely burst of flavor. Yum!

 Persimmon Angel Food Cake

Angel Food Cake
We used half a recipe of Matthew Kenney's Vanilla Angel Food Cake on p. 114 of Everyday Raw Desserts but you could easily use the following recipe instead:

Shortcake
3/4 cup well packed soft dates, chopped
1 cup loosely packed leftover pulp from making milk
1 cup dried coconut
1/2 cup cashews, ground
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt

Place the dates in food processor and process until a smooth paste forms. You may need to add a little water and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.

Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.

Persimmon Mousse 
3 ripe persimmons
1/4 cup Irish moss paste (see recipe in Durian Coconut Napoleon above)
2 tbs agave nectar
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
---
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tbs lecithin powder

Blend first set of ingredients until smooth in high-speed blender.

Add coconut oil and lecithin and blend again, just to incorporate.

Fold in 1/2 cup dehydrated persimmons, packed.

Chill in the refrigerator to set.

Dehydrated Persimmons
5 or 6 large persimmons

Peel and slice the persimmons about 1/4" thick so that the central 'star' design shows.

Place on a mesh and dehydrate. (Sorry we lost track of how long it took; just bear in mind that you want them still a little moist on the inside.)

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.

Assembly
Spread half of the Angel Food Cake or Shortcake batter at the bottom of a 9"x9" square glass pan lined with saran wrap.

Top with Persimmon Mousse. Allow to set in the refrigerator.

When firm, top with the rest of the Cake layer.

Return to the refrigerator to set.

To serve, cut small portion, top with Coconut Cream from Durian and Coconut Cream Napoleon recipe. Finish off with a nice piece of dehydrated persimmon.


All that sweet stuff aside we did venture into the savory department a wee bit...

While we were there I received a newsletter from Living Light with the following Corn Cake recipe. Jozzie already had corn cakes on her mind so we tackled them one afternoon. Much like Cherie Soria's famous Crab Cakes, these are sooooo easy to assemble and only require a few hours of dehydration. And the Caper/Avocado topping complemented them very well. Delish!

Corn Cakes
Recipe by Cherie Soria
Posted in Living Light's December 2010 Newsletter

Yield: 6 servings

4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup macadamia nuts, ground
3 tablespoons onion, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
2 tablespoons dried shiitake mushroom powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon red jalapeño, seeded, minced
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 pinch white pepper
1 teaspoon Celtic or Himalayan crystal salt
2 tablespoons psyllium powder
1 tablespoon golden flax meal

Garnish
6 tablespoons capers, oil packed
1 avocado, finely diced
1 teaspoon chili oil

1. Combine corn and other ingredients, except psyllium, flax meal, and garnishes, in a mixing bowl and mix by hand.

2. Add psyllium and flax meal to the mixture and mix again, thoroughly.

3. Using a 1/4 cup measure, create small cakes, about 1 inch deep.

4. Place cakes on a dehydrator screen (no Teflex needed) in a dehydrator set at 105 degrees Fahrenheit for 1-4 hours prior to serving.

5. Remove from dehydrator just prior to serving and garnish with capers, diced avocado, and a drizzle of chili oil. Serve warm and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions: Elegant on a bed of wilted greens with sliced tomatoes and olive oil-packed capers and finely diced avocados spilling over the top. A drizzle of chili oil is optional.  

Notes: Fresh corn can be frozen successfully and used in this recipe. When corn is in season, remove it from the cob and freeze it in sealed containers. Use in salads, casseroles, chips, and corn cakes.

We spent Christmas with Jozzie's family and, as you've no doubt guessed, we had to make something extra special for the occasion. We began our feast with a sparkly "champagne" made with GT's Original Kombucha, freshly squeezed orange juice and a touch of agave nectar.

The main dish was Russell James' Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiches which both Jozzie and I had made a few times before. We dehydrated them a tad too long, though, and the filling was on the salty side.

We also served a platter with Corn Cakes and BBQ Meatballs that we had already prepared. I had made the latter into very small balls at the Holiday class, but had failed to reduce the dehydration time accordingly. As a result, like for Russell's quiches, the flavors ended up being too concentrated. This time I used a small cookie scoop, as recommended by Tina Jo, and they turned out much better; so moist on the inside and utterly delicious, especially topped with extra BBQ Sauce.

As accompaniment we served Brussels Sprouts tossed in a marinade and 'roasted' in the dehydrator. These were surprisingly good!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Adapted from a recipe posted on Body Ecology's site here

2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp tamari
1 lb Brussels sprouts, cored and quartered

Whisk first four ingredients together in medium size bowl. 


Toss in Brussels sprouts and allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

Spread sprouts evenly over a baking sheet and dehydrate until tender (about 3 hours at 110 degrees.)


And on the sweet side we each worked on our own projects; I made Matthew's Marzipan from his new book while Jozzie prepared Heathy's raw rendition of the famous Italian Christmas fare: Zucotto. Unknowingly our choices couldn't have been more perfect as both desserts complemented each other so well. These were really amazing!

Matthew's astonishing creativity really shines through in this Marzipan recipe; the texture was very impressive. As I was making the batter I had my doubts that it would come to a consistency that would allow me to roll it later. However once chilled it was firm enough and sooooo silky smooth. Uncannily like the original marzipan! The almond extract and rose water gave it a lovely subtle flavor. Delicious!

I had a bit of difficulty in assembling the dessert as the instructions weren't correct; the recipe said to roll the batter into a 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" wide strip. In actuality the strip had to be more like 4" wide.

I was surprised by how easy it was to actually roll the Marzipan over the Raspberry Jam. I worked on a non-stick sheet and simply folded each side towards the other until they met. We only had to do a teeny bit of patching at the end in order to hide the jam.

We then rolled the log in very finely ground coconut flour which prevented it from sticking and also made it very pretty.

Tada!

Heathy's Zucotto cake recipe was phenomenal! It is very dense but the blend of chocolate and almond flavors were to live for!

Italian Chocolate Zucotto
By Heathy Pace
Posted on Eighty Percent Raw site here

An Italian classic in the raw. Walnut cake with a hint of orange is layered with crunchy almond vanilla cream, and smooth rich chocolate cream, in this elegant dessert.  Serve it with orange segments, or fresh seasonal berries for an added burst of flavor and lightness.

Cake Ingredients
    •    1 cup walnuts
    •    2/3 cup almonds
    •    1 cup pitted, packed medjool dates
    •    1/2 teaspoon orange zest
    •    1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cake Directions
    1.    In a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl.
    2.    Grind the walnuts into crumbs. Add to the almonds.
    3.    Process the dates with the zest and extract until smooth. Add the nuts and process into a smooth dough.
    4.    Line a 1 quart mixing bowl with plastic wrap and press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Set aside.  

Almond Cream Ingredients
    •    1 cup cashews
    •    1/3 cup almond milk
    •    1/3 cup melted coconut oil
    •    3 tablespoons maple syrup
    •    1 1/2 -2 teaspoons pure almond extract
    •    2 tablespoons chopped almonds

Almond Cream Directions
    1.    Blend all but the chopped almonds, until smooth. Fold in the almonds.
    2.    Spread a thick, even layer of the cream on the cake layer.
    3.    Chill in the freezer for a few hours, or until the cream is firm enough to spread the next layer on top.

Cacao Whipped Cream Ingredients
    •    3/4 cup almond milk
    •    1/2 cup cashews
    •    1/2 cup walnuts
    •    3 tablespoons cacao powder
    •    3 tablespoons maple syrup
    •    2 teaspoons carob powder
    •    Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
    •    Pinch celtic sea salt
    •    2 tablespoons melted cacao butter
    •    1 tablespoons coconut oil

Cacao Whipped Cream Directions
    1.    In a blender, combine all but the butter and oil, until smooth and creamy.
    2.    Add the last two ingredients and blend to incorporate.
    3.    Spread the mixture over the almond cream, filling the hole.

Finale
    •    Chill the cake in the freezer for a few hours, or in the fridge overnight, until firm.
    •    To unmold, invert the cake onto a plate. Remove the bowl and plastic wrap.
    •    Dust with cacao powder, slice, and enjoy with friends.


And on this sweet note I'll stop here for now. It's a gorgeous sunny day in snowy Mt-Shasta and we'd like to make the most of it and go for a nice walk.

Oh and remember that you have only another day to take advantage of my Mega Recipe Book Sale!

Have a blessed, joy-full, healthy and delicious New Year!

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. ;-)

Recipe of the Week: Rosemary-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Eureka! My quest for yummy raw taters is finally over!

I've tried my share of 'mashed potato' renditions in the last couple of years, but haven't had much success. The recipes ranged from being just 'OK' to ending up in our dog Kylo's bowl. While most versions call for either cauliflower or parsnip (or a mixture of both), someone on RFC recently drew my attention to Matthew Kenney's recipe using jicama.

Also known as Mexican Potato and Mexican Turnip, the versatility of this root veggie never ceases to amaze me. In fact, just yesterday I was enjoying jicama in Joz's outstanding Lemon Poppy Seed Cake!

Here's my slightly modified version of Matthew's delicious Rosemary-Garlic Mashed Potatoes.


Rosemary-Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Adapted from Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw

Serves 4-6

4 cups chopped jicama
1 1/2 cups cashews
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or dried)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
Black pepper, to taste

In food processor, process jicama. Press out excess liquid with a cheesecloth or through a sieve.

Place in high-speed blend with the rest of the ingredients.

Blend till combined. Serve immediately or warm up in dehydrator before serving.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I used a little less cashews than he calls for as I prefer a lighter mixture.

~ I served the potatoes with Cafe Gratitude's Sun burgers, mushroom gravy and a mixed green salad.


If you too are interested to play with jicama a little, check out the other tasty recipes posted here.

Time to Fetch Those Chopsticks Again

I know I've already dedicated two posts to Asian food with a raw twist (see this and this), but with the arrival of the Chinese New Year on February 7th, I decided to hop on board for the celebrations.

It is said that the Year of the Rat is a time of activity and renewal. Well, there's certainly been some major changes and action going on in the Sunny Raw Kitchen lately. For one thing, I now have a new assistant, Manu, who you've already met. He lives next door but likes to hang around our kitchen for some interesting conversations, and of course, awesome raw food.

And so we've marked the beginning of the New Year and this new friendship/collaboration by putting an array of Chinese dishes on our raw table.

As you know, I have a thing for soup and so I took the opportunity to play with some interesting new flavors. For this variation of carrot soup, I replaced the peanuts, usually called for in Szechuan food, with a mixture of almond butter and tahini. Sure did the trick! This one got a big thumb up from everyone.

Szechuan Carrot Soup

Serves 4

1 cup coconut water or regular water
3/4 cup coconut  milk*
1/4 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup young coconut meat
1/4 cup carrot pulp
2 small garlic cloves
1 inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 tablespoon raw tahini
1 1/2 tablespoon raw almond butter
1 1/2 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or tamari
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
dash of lemon pepper
--
4 cups carrots juice

* To make coconut milk, blend 1 part dried coconut with 3 parts water in high speed blender.

Blend all ingredients except carrot juice in a VitaMix or high-powered blender and process until smooth. Add juice by hand. Gently warm up on the stove, stirring constantly until lukewarm. If desired, top with a light cashew cream and serve.


We've tried the following soup posted on GoneRaw. A definite reminder that I should put daikon more often in the shopping cart. The carrot we used was apparently a LOT bigger than the one in the original recipe but delicious nonetheless.

Daikon Dumpling in Miso Broth
Posted by TheDailyRaw on GoneRaw.com

The lemon makes the dish pop wonderful flavors in your mouth. Very, very delicious!

MISO BROTH
* 1 tablespoon yellow miso
* ½ carrot, shredded
* 1 cup warm water
* ¼ cup diced scallions
* 1 dried seaweed, broke into tiny pieces
* ½ lemon

DAIKON DUMPLING
* ½ daikon radish, cleaned
* sea salt

ASIAN MUSHROOM FILLING
* 4 cups mushrooms, finely chopped
* ½ cup rice wine vinegar, (not a raw ingredient)
* ¼ cup agave nectar
* ¼ cup Nama Shoyu
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation
Miso Broth: Put miso, scallions, carrot and seaweed in a bowl with the warm water. Stir to dissolve the miso. Set aside.

Daikon Dumpling: Use a mandolin to slice daikon in paper thin rounds (1/8-inch or less). Sprinkle rounds with sea salt and let set for an hour to soften. Under running water, rinse thoroughly to remove salt.

Asian Mushroom Filling: Put ingredients in quart bag and shake until coated well.

Assemble: Add one teaspoon of the Asian to the center of rinsed daikon round. Fold over and pinch the ends to close.

Place dumpling into a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of miso broth. Squeeze lemon on top. Serve immediately.

Carmella's Note: We used less vinegar, tamari and sweetener for the mushrooms.


I also was curious to try one of Flandria's recent creations posted on Raw Freedom Community. Exquisitely exotic!


"Canh Chua" Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Soup

2 cups coconut water
1 stalk of celery

2 teaspoons carrot juice
1 cup tomatoes, no skin
2 tablespoons lemongrass, zested, using a zester
1 cup cilantro
1 lime
1 teaspoon agave nectar
2 teaspoons nama soyu
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
1 cup fresh pineapple
1 teaspoon jalapeno with seeds, more for a spicier soup
1 tablespoon saffron
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Preparation
Soak the saffron in olive oil and salt. Set aside.

Blend all the other ingredients. Prepare a nut bag or cheese cloth to strain the soup. Pour the soup into the nut bag or cheese cloth then squeeze liquid.

You can put the soup in the dehydrator to warm before service.

Serve with the saffron oil made earlier. Strain the saffron oil and top the soup. You can add cilantro and mung bean sprouts, too! Enjoy

Variation: Add cilantro and mung beans sprouts, along with the saffron oil on top.

Carmella's Note: I had to omit the lemongrass and saffron as I didn't have them on hand.

On a different note, this cucumber salad was inspired by a recipe found on a conventional SAD diet site. Always a good source of inspiration, specially when it comes to international cuisine.

Asian Cucumber Salad

Serves 4

2 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded*
1 1/2 tbs salt
1 tbs rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tsp raw sesame oil
1 tsp red chili flakes

* To de-seed cucumbers, slice cucumber in half and remove seeds with a spoon.

Slice cucumber thinly with a mandoline. Toss in salt and let sit for a couple of hours. Drain the liquid off.

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Let sit for a half hour to allow flavors to blend before serving.


Next is a broccoli salad that my friend Joz has made countless times. Yet another great new way to eat this veggie in the raw.


Chinese Broccoli with Peanuts
From TopRawMen.net

In a salad bowl, add:
3 cups broccoli tops, chopped
1/4 cup raw Spanish peanuts

In a blender, add:
1 Habañero pepper
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 avocado
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

Blend until creamy, pour over broccoli and peanuts. Let marinate for 45 minutes in the refrigerator.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I used chopped almonds instead of peanuts.
~ I replaced the Habañero with a small slice of jalapeño as I don't care much for heat.


And of course, the 'plats de resistances'. Here's a couple of noodle based entrees that turned out particularly yummy.

Spicy Noodles in Szechuan 'Peanut' Sauce

Serves 4

Noodles
3 or 4 zucchini (depending on size), peeled and made into angel hair with a spiral slicer. (You want roughly 1 1/2 cup pasta per person.)
Salt

Sprinkle salt over zucchini pasta and place in a colander to allow excess water to drain.


Veggies
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, julienned
1/2 large red bell pepper, julienned
2 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
3 cups baby bok choi, sliced
2 green onions, sliced thinly
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced and marinated in:
1 tbs tamari
1/2 tbs sesame oil
2 tsp lime juice


'Peanut' Sauce
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup raw almond butter
2 garlic cloves
1 tbs fresh ginger root, grated
2 tbs Nama Shoyu or tamari
1 tbs raw sesame oil
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbs honey
Dash cayenne
Water

Blend all ingredients in high-speed blender until smooth. Add water until desired consistency is reached.


Assembly
In a large bowl, toss veggies except marinated mushrooms in some peanut sauce, cover and allow flavors to blend in the dehydrator at 110 degrees for at least an hour. (Longer if not using the D.)

Just before serving, add zucchini noodles and drained marinated mushrooms to the veggies.

Divide into 4 servings. Top with more Peanut Sauce and decorate with black sesame seeds.


Hum, still not sure what to call this next dish... I'll go with Stir-dried Veggies and Pasta in Ginger Orange Sauce. The orange zest and mint gives this dish a surprising and fresh flavor. "Brilliant" according to Manu.


Stir-dried Veggies and Pasta in Ginger Orange Sauce

Pasta
3 zucchinis, peeled and spiralized with the largest (fettuccine) setting
1/2 tablespoon salt

Toss zucchinis in salt and let sit in a colander for a few minutes to allow the excess liquid to drain.


Veggies
1 cup snowpeas, finely julienned
1 cup carrots, sliced diagonally
1 cup red pepper, julienned
1 cup nappa cabbage, sliced finely
1 cup small broccoli florets
1/4 cup green onion, sliced


Ginger Orange Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon raw sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Nama Shoyu or tamari
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, grated
3/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh mint (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced

Blend all but cilantro in high speed blender until smooth.

Assembly
In a large bowl, toss veggies in sauce. Cover with a plate and 'stir-dry' in the dehydrator for a couple of hours.

Just before serving, add pasta and mix well.

Variation: For a different texture, you can also toss the pasta along with the veggies and sauce prior to putting in the D. It will give the noodles a slightly cooked look, as shown above.


We diverged a little to play with the Land of Smile's exotic flavors too. Not very authentic but hey. *shrug*

On the menu was the Creamy Thai Coconut Soup that I've just featured as Recipe of the Week along with Raw Food Real World's Spicy Thai Wraps, which I've been meaning to try for some time, especially since Heathy keeps raving about how wonderful they are. These were outstanding. We served them with a dipping sauce that Manu made with mango, banana and a bunch of yummy spices.


But back to our Chinese theme...

Finding Chinese desserts to turn into raw wasn't the easiest thing in the world, as there just isn't that much to choose from. There is of course the famous Fortune Cookies that shannonmarie of Rawdorable has done a great job at re-creating here. I opted for a simple but lovely pudding.

Mango Coconut Pudding

Serves 4

1 cup cashews
1 cup mango, fresh or frozen (thawed)
3/4 cup water
3 tbs dried coconut
3 tbs honey or agave nectar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbs lecithin powder

Blend all ingredients except lecithin in high speed blender until smooth. Add lecithin and blend for a few more seconds.

Set in the fridge or freezer.

Serve with orange and grapefruit fillets.


And lastly, we made Cafe Gratitude's outstanding Lime Pie that we topped with a cream made with young coconut and cashews. Perhaps not the most traditional either, but we thought the lime fitted right in with our Asian theme. Anna of the RawTable.com also has a lovely Key Lime Pie recipe posted here.


Phfew! I'm not used to preparing so much gourmet food in such a short period. Time to get back to eating crackers and spread for a little while... ;-)

Recipe of the Week: Brazil-Broccoli Mash and Miso Gravy

It's been yet another week feasting on lots of yummy new dishes. Amongst other things, I happened to be on the same wave length as my dear friend Heathy as we both made some cannellonis. (If you haven't already checked out the account of her latest dinner party, you can do so here.) For my part, I've posted two delicious filling ideas on Raw Freedom Community if you want to take a peek.

However, I've decided to feature Ani Phyo's outstanding Brazil-Broccoli Mash with Miso Gravy since I've only made it four times in the last 5 days! lol

Broccoli is one of those veggies I don't use a great deal, as Don doesn't care for it much unless it's marinated. However, I felt like venturing into new territories, you know, pushing the taste bud boundaries a bit. (I find it's good to get off the food rut once in a while...) Ani was right; her Broccoli Mash & Gravy is absolutely awesome and was an instant hit, even with Don. I've also served this dish to a non-raw friend, and he likes it so much that he's asked me for the recipe.

Amazing stuff! Another one of those 'must try' recipes!


Brazil-Broccoli Mash
From Ani Phyo's Raw Food Kitchen
Posted on files.meetup.com

(Serves 4)

1 clove garlic
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt (I used a LOT less!)
1 c. raw Brazil nuts
2 c. broccoli, chopped

Process the garlic, pepper, and salt into tiny pieces. Add Brazil nuts and process into a powder. Empty this powder into a bowl and set aside. Next, process broccoli while slowly adding the Brazil nut powder back in.

Serve with Miso Gravy (Optional but so darn good!!!)

Carmella's Note: I've been also making this with different nuts: a mixture of brazil/walnuts, brazil/walnuts/ pecans. Mmmmmm


Miso Gravy
¼ c. miso
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
½ orange, peeled and seeded
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp pitted dates

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Carmella's Note: I add a touch of water to the gravy as it is a bit too thick for my taste.

Shown below served with dolmas and homemade sauerkraut. Heavenly!

It's getting close to supper time... Better go whip up another batch to serve with Russell's Spinach & Mushroom Quiches! ;-)