Delightfully Raw in Utah: Part II

The drive from Eagle Mountain to St-George was a breeze. It was pretty much just a straight shot down I-15 S. The forecast was predicting rain but it only started about 20 miles from our destination. No biggie.

Visiting Friends in St-George
It had also been two years since our last visit with Barbara and Duane, so we were glad to get a chance to spend a bit of time together. As you may recall, Barbara is the president of VSU, the Vegetarian Society of Utah, and has done SO much to spread the good word about the benefits of eating healthily in her community. Barbara & Duane have been following a whole food plant based vegan no-oil diet for the last five years and are lovin' it! It has helped Barbara in overcoming several health issues, including obesity. Now at 68 years young she's like an energy bunny and her enthusiasm is contagious!

Just a short two months before we got there Barbara had back surgery done. Thanks to her surprisingly good health it couldn't have gone smoother (they were able to operate from the front). In fact, her doctor says he's never seen anyone recover so quickly from such a major surgery! ;-)

B&D really get into the Holiday spirit; they are notorious for putting up sometimes as many as 7 Christmas trees around their home! But this year, with Barbara's surgery and their new feline daughter Chai, they decided to stick mostly to lights and little festive decorations.

Raw Potluck
The day after our arrival VSU held a raw potluck at B&D's lovely home. They were a wonderful bunch and I had lots of fun demoing two of our staple recipes: my Strawberry Banana Shake and Sweet Pea Soup.

My little elves getting the samplers ready.

Once again VSU members really outdid themselves and got very creative with their dish contributions, even though raw is very new to many of them.

Kevin Kirkland, a gentleman who is just opening a smoothie bar in St-George called TruBerry, brought a couple of samples of his concoctions for us to try.

Tru Green Smoothie
Apple juice
Banana
Acai berries
Blueberries
Strawberries

Tru Berry Red
Apple juice
Banana
Acai berries
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries


A beautiful salad with the colors of the season made from kiwi, pomegranate, cilantro, avocado, onions and peppers.

Golden Onion Morsels

Golden Onion Morsels
From Joel Fuhrman's Super Immunity

Makes 30-40 balls

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 cup raw almonds
1 med. Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tsp ground chia seeds
1 tbs onion powder
Toasted seame seeds - for coating
Minced chives - for coating

Grind cashews and almonds into a powder in high power blender.

Add apples, nutritional yeast, chia seeds, onion powder and blend again.

Form into small balls and roll each ball in sesame seeds and chives.

Savory Oat Rice

Posted by Jinjee on Gone Raw

We have finally found a way to make raw rice! The secret is not to use rice at all, but raw, soaked oat groats. You can buy the raw oat groats in bulk or in bagged packaging. They look just like brown rice. Soak them for 24 hours and follow the recipe! It is amazing how much this tastes like a rice dish, and satisfies just like rice too. However, the germinated oats give you a ton of energy, which of course cooked rice does not. The men in my family love this recipe, as it is high in protein!

1 c oat groats
1 c button mushrooms, diced
3 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
Savory herbs (thyme, marjoram, sage, or oregano, etc..)
1 Hass avocado

1. Soak oat groats for as little as 24 hours and up to 48 hours. The grains become softer the longer you soak them.

2. Marinate mushrooms for 24 hours in garlic and 2 tbs. olive oil

3. Drain oats, rinse, place in bowl, and add the marinated mushrooms

4. Add 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt, 1 tsp olive oil and savory herbs

5. Let sit for 1 to 3 hours

6. Add 1 Hass avocado, cubed

7. Stir and serve

Guacamole and raw crackers

This was a yummy cheezey spread made with cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, turmeric, red chili, miso, turmeric and green peas.

Another lovely salad: kale, cabbage, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper and pomegranate. It was served with a ranch type dressing made from cashews, garlic, lemon juice, dates, vinegar, onion, basil and salt.

Barbara had made Carrot Crackers and one of my variations from the wonderful vegan cheeze that she introduced me to during our last visit.

Carrot Crackers
Published in VegNews Magazine 12/11 issue

Makes about 35 crackers

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

2 1/2 cups grated carrots (approx. 10 organic carrots)

4 tablespoons flaxseed meal

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1/2 to 1 cup water

1.  In a food processor, grind sunflower seeds into a fine powder.  Add carrots, flaxseed meal, salt, pepper, and ginger.  Pulse a few times to combine.  With processor running, add water in a thin stream.  Stop processing when mixture is thick, but moist enough to spread.

2.  In a dehydrator on two parchment-lined dehydrator sheets, spread mixture until 1/4 inch thick.  With a knife or pizza cutter, score into cracker shapes.  Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6 hours.  Flip dry dough and dehydrate on the other side for another 4 hours.

3.  For a non-dehydrator option, preheat oven to 350 degrees.   On two parchment-lined baking sheets, spread dough 1/4 inch thick.  With a knife or pizza cutter, score into cracker shapes.  Bake for 40 minutes or until dry and crispy.
 

Tarragon Mustard Vegan Cheeze

She also whipped up a batch of this awesome Tropical Chutney that she discovered when she attended the 40th IVU International Vegetarian Congress in San Francisco last October.

Tropical Chutney
By Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff
Recipe posted here

Makes 4-5 half-pint jars
 
You can use any combination of mangoes, papayas, pineapples, peaches and/or apricots along with sultanas (yellow raisins).
 
1 cup dried and chopped tropical fruits
1 cup warm or hot water
1 cup yellow raisins
2 tablespoon fresh, grated ginger root
Juice of one large lemon or lime
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
Additional water as needed

Place the dried fruit in the warm or hot water and set aside for ½ hour or longer to soften.

Then place all ingredients, including the water in which the fruit pieces are soaking, in the jar of a blender or a food processor. Puree the mixture, adding more water as needed to yield a fine-grained pudding-like consistency.

Allow the chutney to stand for a few minutes before transferring it to a serving bowl for storage, or to clean glass jars for gifts.

This chutney will keep for several weeks if refrigerated.


And on the sweet side...

There's an older gentleman named Frank who has been a member of VSU for years. At every potluck he proudly brings his very own creation: a raw pie made from almonds, dates, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.

Chocolate Nut Balls made from walnuts, almonds, cranberries, raisins and cacao powder.

This was my personal favorite brought by a lovely lady named Hazna. It started off as a raw apple pie that she got from a lady named April Fazini. She then modified it by adding mango, pineapple and persimmon folded into a yummy cream made with cashews, almond milk creme sauce and sweet potato. Decadent! In fact I even had 2 servings! ;-)

There was also a delicious Chocolate Pudding but I didn't get a chance to take a pic as the dish arrived while I was doing the demo. BUT you can see it at the bottom right corner of Don's plate. It was made with coconut meat, agave, maple syrup, raw cacao powder, carob, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Gina served it with fresh raspberries. Yum!

Let's munch! Yay!

This was my serving. I'm such a foodie; I had a hard time not trying a little of every dish. As a result I momentarily forgot that it had been less than a week since I was eating solid foods again. I later had to pay the price, as my belly complained about this mistreatment. As good as it tasted this feast ended up sending me on a downward spiral in terms of digestion. In the end I had to go back to liquid foods to give my body a chance to recover. In fact, I'm still not totally back to normal yet. *sigh*

A few of us stayed quite late after the meal as we were all caught up in interesting conversations. 

Greg and Mark, two super nice men I had met at the last raw potluck that Barbara held here.

Donnie caught Pu and I the next morning while we slept in. ;-)

Before we left we had a little photo shoot with Barbara and Duane. ;-)

Barbara had the idea to get some family shots with Miss Puss.

I hope you too had a wonderful Holiday Season filled with joy, radiance and beautiful people!

Raw in a Flash Video: Vegan Tarragon & Mustard Cheeze

 

And the Great Vegan Cheeze kick continues... ;-)

What can I say? I just can't get enough of this delicious super quick and versatile vegan cheeze that lends itself to umpteen variations. This time I let myself be inspired by the delicate fragrant aroma of fresh tarragon from our garden, and with a hint of Dijon mustard for yet another tasty combination. Mmmmm...

Raw in a Flash Video Extravaganza

Today marks the official launch of my friend Thomas Fox's Omni Blender Video Contest which I just told you more about in this post. Of course, I couldn't resist jumping early into the fun! ;-)

Just in a nutshell... Starting today I'll be posting a new Raw in a Flash video featuring a recipe made with the Omni blender every few days for the coming weeks. I'll be demoing some of my favorite super-simple-yet-scrumptious recipes and sharing all kinds of helpful tips in the process. 

So it is my hope that you'll find a few minutes each week to sit down and watch these videos. I've made a point to select especially yummy recipes that can be prepared 'in a flash' and that can be easily included into your daily routine. Hopefully you'll be tempted to recreate some of these recipes at home and maybe even learn a thing or two from the ton of information that I pass on during these short demos.

And now for the recipe...

Tarragon & Mustard Vegan Cheeze

Inspired by Jo Stepaniak's awesome Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 tbs agar powder

1/2 cup almonds, soaked for 8 - 12 hrs

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbs hemp seeds

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tbs onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dry mustard

3/4 tsp salt

1 garlic clove

---

1 1/2 tbs finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves (or 2 or 3 tsp dry)

Set aside a 2 cup plastic storage container.

In a blender add the almonds, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, hemp seeds, onion and garlic powders, dry and Dijon mustard, salt and garlic clove.

Combine water and agar in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often with a whisk, until completely dissolved, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add mixture to the other ingredients in the blender and process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as necessary. 

Add chopped tarragon and process briefly on low speed, just to incorporate.

Pour into container and cool uncovered in the refrigerator.

When completely cool, cover and chill several hours.  (I usually serve it after 1 hour or so).

To serve, turn out of the container and slice.

Store covered in refrigerator.  Will keep 5 to 7 days.

Carmella's Note: I usually put my cheeze in the freezer for 30 mins or so then transfer it to the fridge. That way it's ready to be served even sooner! Yay!

Enjoy!

Raw in a Flash Video: Pasta in Mushroom & Spinach Cheeze Sauce

One of the recipes I get most complimented about is probably my Spinach & Cream Pasta Casserole; a really yummy dish I was inspired to create early on in my raw gourmet phase. It consists of several steps and therefore requires some time in the kitchen. Definitely worth every bit of it, though, I promise!

Then a couple of years ago I developed another somewhat similar pasta combo for my Delightfully Raw book that used Cultured Nut Cheeze as the base. "Wow," is all I can say! It really took things to another level, lending the finished dish a lovely depth of flavors.

Today's recipe is sort of a cross between these two. It has that 'gourmet touch' thanks to Cultured Cheeze, yet can be assembled fairly quickly.

Who said that fast and easy had to be boring, eh? ;-)

And now for the recipe...

Zucchini and Kelp Pasta in Mushroom & Spinach Cheeze Sauce

Serves 2-3

Prep Time: Less than 30 minutes (More if you don't have Basic Cultured Cheeze already made)

Step 1:
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs tamari

Toss together and set aside while working on the rest of the recipe.

Step 2:
1 1/2 cups sliced spinach
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Massage together in a bowl until spinach is wilted. Set aside.

Step 3:
1 1/2 medium zucchinis, peeled

Make Zucchini Noodles with your favorite spiral slicer - I prefer the Benriner Cook Helper Slicer. (Find out why by reading my Ultimate Guide To Equipping Your Raw Kitchen!)

Step 4:
In a large bowl combine the following:

3 cups or so of zucchini noodles
3 cups or so kelp noodles that have pre-soaked in water for a few hours
Marinated mushrooms and spinach
1/2 cup Basic Cultured Cashew or Macadamia Cheeze
2 tbs finely chopped green onion
1/2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 crushed garlic clove
1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
2-4 tbs water, until desired consistency is reached (bear in mind that some liquid will be released by the veggies as they sit in the sauce!)*
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

*You might want to mix the Cultured Cheeze and the water first before adding the rest of the ingredients for easier handling.

Allow the kelp noodles to sit in the sauce for at least 30 mins. in order to soften them up.

For a warm dish, place covered in the dehydrator at 110 for 1 hour.

Optional: For extra yumminess, sprinkle the top with a Brazil Nut Parmesan or Pine Nut Parmesan.

Herb Flax Crackers With Black Pepper & Chive Almond Cheeze

I took advantage of the last of the rainy spell to crank up the 'D' - (that's dehydrator for the uninitiated) ;-) - and stock up on a few staples. With Don's precious help we made a double batch of Garlic Bread and a few trays of pizza crusts. I also experimented with a new kind of flax cracker that turned out really well. They are light, super crunchy and very tasty. Plus, the herb combination possibilities are endless!

Herb Flax Crackers
Adapted from a recipe by Chad Sarno

Makes 2 trays

1/2 cup flax seeds, soaked overnight in 1 cup water
1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
1 cup roughly peeled and chopped zucchini
1 garlic clove
1/2 tbs onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.

Divide batter into 2 and spread thinly - about 1/4" - onto 2 teflex sheets.

Dehydrate at 120 for 3 hours, flip unto mesh and turn the dial down to 110. Continue dehydrating until completely dry (another 8 hours or so.)


We've been enjoying the Herb Flax Crackers with my latest variation of vegan cheeze inspired by Jo Stepaniak's awesome Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. This time I decided to be bold and replaced the usual cashews and tahini with soaked almonds and hemp seeds. It worked like a dream! The cheeze is seasoned with freshly ground black peppercorn and fresh chives from the garden. Yum, yum, yum!

Black Pepper & Chive Almond Cheeze

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tbs agar powder
1/2 cup almonds, soaked for 8 - 12 hrs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbs hemp seeds
1/2 tbs onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1 garlic clove
---
1 1/2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives (or 2 or 3 tsp dry)
3/4-1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Set aside a 2 cup plastic storage container.

In a blender add the almonds, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, hemp seeds, onion and garlic powders, dry mustard, salt and garlic clove.

Combine water and agar in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often with a whisk until completely dissolved, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add mixture to the other ingredients in the blender and process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as necessary. 

Add chives and black pepper and process briefly on low speed, just to incorporate.

Pour into container and cool uncovered in the refrigerator.

When completely cool, cover and chill several hours.  (I usually serve it after 1 hour or so).

To serve, turn out of the container and slice.

Store covered in refrigerator.  Will keep 5 to 7 days.

Enjoy!


Sunny Raw Birthday Book Sale
A reminder that you have a little less than 12 hours to take advantage of my Sunny Raw Birthday Book Sale. Find out how you can save up to 30% when purchasing my books here!

Garlic & Herb Cheeze

In case you haven't already noticed, I've been on a big cheeeeze kick lately.

With our recent move I haven't had much creative energy to whip up fancy yummies, so we've tended to gravitate towards super simple evening meals. And so I keep coming up with new variations of vegan cheeze inspired by Jo Stepaniak's awesome Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. (Make sure to also check out the Gouda, Onion, Dill & Horseradish and Sundried Tomato and Olive recipes as well!)

My latest batch was a delicious Garlic & Herb that turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to our favorite raw crackers or Onion Bread. Try it, you'll get addicted too!

 

Garlic & Herb Cheeze

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tbs agar powder
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbs tahini (or sesame seeds)
1 tbs onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove
---
1 tsp each of chive, basil and oregano

Set aside a 2 cup plastic storage container.

In a blender add the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, onion and garlic powders, dry mustard, salt and garlic clove.

Combine water and agar in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often with a whisk until completely dissolved, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add mixture to the other ingredients in the blender and process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as necessary. 

Add herbs and process briefly on low speed, just to incorporate.

Pour into container and cool uncovered in the refrigerator.

When completely cool, cover and chill several hours.  (I usually serve it after 1 hour or so).

To serve, turn out of the container and slice.

Store covered in refrigerator.  Will keep 5 to 7 days.

Enjoy!

A Little Update and Sundried Tomato and Olive Cheeze Recipe

Hi guys! *waving*

Spring has arrived at last to our corner of the world! Yippee! I was surprised to see the snow (including the 7 some feet bank right by the deck!) completely disappear in a matter of just a few days. We have a long rain spell as well as some much welcomed sunshine to thank for that. Several streams have formed by the side of the road we live on, carrying the melted snow into the Slocan river. I love the sound of gushing water... so peaceful!

 

For the first time yesterday I noticed buds coming out, unmistakable signs of Nature's awakening. Woo hoo!

A few ducks happened to bob along the river at the exact moment I took this shot. See them?

Here's a closer look at those little guys. I'm amazed by how lovely and clear the river is; you can literally see the rocks at the bottom. We are so very blessed!

Views of the snowy mountains as we make our way back to the cabin.

Furry Tale
As I mentioned briefly in my previous post, we sure miss our dear furry friend Kylo. I get super excited whenever I encounter a dog on our walks, especially large ones, which I guess is another tell-tale sign of the grieving process. It's so hard to shake off the feeling that our little family is incomplete. Ah well, nothing to do but feel the pain of his absence and ride it out.

Needless to say that all of our attention is now turned on our other furry companion, Miss Da Puss. She's loving those extra cuddles (can you ever get enough?), although it took her several weeks to adjust from the shift brought about by Kyky's departure and my coming home. She's now back to her sweet self, sleeping close to us at night and jumping on our laps as soon as we settle down somewhere.

We've learned that animals seem to go through different behavioral phases. For a while, when the temps were cooler, she got into the habit of scratching at the covers so that she could crawl underneath. First she would completely disappear under the duvet, then we'd wake up later to see her head sticking out and resting on the pillow. Sooooooo cute!

 

Two very sleepy (and cozy!) girls

 

Don and I always joke about the fact that she's a "heat seeking missile." lol  She loves to hang out (sometime seeming dangerously!) close to the wood stove and is notorious for jumping on our seats the moment we get up to take advantage of their precious warmth.

Darn, she just stole my knitting spot again!

 

She, of course, has a great fondness for warm laps too. She often joins me while I'm knitting, as not only does she get a sublimely comfy bed but there's the added treat of having a wool project - in this case a cabled sweater I'm making for Don - sit on top of her as well. Sheer bliss!

We always shake our heads in wonder at how relaxed she can be and sleep in just about any position. hehe

It's all very well to be 'paralyzed' when you're busy doing something, but what happens when you're done? I have to admit that, after all these years, I still have a hard time disrupting Pu' from the comforts of my lap. At least there's always meditation... ;-)

In my Knitting Corner

As I've mentioned before, I have recently picked up my knitting needles again after several years. I'm so enjoying this quiet and meditative craft! I don't intend to blog per se about my knitted creations but I thought I'd at least share the finished results in case you're interested. Detailed info about my projects can be found on my Ravelry account.

A lovely lacy and bell sleeve sweater called Niobe

Mythos: a cardigan made with a super clever construction. I just love love the fabric created by the variegated yarn!

I was finally able to replace my go-to acrylic hat with a handmade merino wool one! Yay! This is the Milanese Lace Topper which was such a fun knit!

 

Pu' giving me a paw with the hat's blocking. She does have a soft spot for lying on wet clothes for some reason.

In my Sunny Kitchen
And up last is a quick look at what's been happening in our (sunny - yeah!) kitchen. Actually, for the most part we've been keeping our meals rather simple; crackers and cheeze, Tostadas, Miso Soup, lightly steamed veggies like cauliflower, broccoli and Brussel sprouts that we otherwise don't really raw... Sometimes we just have a couple of raw soups for dinner.

We did have a 'D Day' (that's 'Dehydrator Day' in case you're new to the Sunny Raw Kitchen) during which Don and I filled up our 9 tray Excalibur in record time. (I'm soooooo grateful to have a kitchen assistant; it makes such a world of difference!) We made Sprouted Corn Chips, a double batch of Onion Bread which has remained a staple for us over the years, and Garlic Bread - Russell James' beyond generous recent offering to the raw community which became instantly a house favorite.

Since we doubled the recipe for the Garlic Bread I was careful to divide the ingredients so as to do two separate batches in the food processor. In that way I was hoping not to have to finish mixing the batter by hand, which I suspected increased the contact of the mixture with air and contributed to giving the dehydrated bread a dark color in some places.

I altered Russell's recipe slightly by replacing 1/4 cup of young coconut flesh with zucchini and 1/4 cup of the psyllium husks with ground flax. I think it prevents the slight slimy texture his had.

Don is so thrilled to have finally found a good raw alternative to bread that he insisted on forming some of the loaves himself! lol

 

The two loaves that I shaped turned darker brown while the color of Don's remained intact. They were made in the exact same way, so go figure! I guess the mystery is not meant to be solved... *shrugs* If you look closely you can see the difference in shade between the two sets of bread. Thankfully the discoloration (seen in the furthest loaves) doesn't affect the flavor at all, but it certainly doesn't look as appealing.

 

Things continue to be uneventful in the sweet department. I'm still in a mostly nut-less phase so that eliminates a lot of the raw dessert possibilities. There's always chocolate candy, though, and we've been slowly munching our way through the beyond delicious Chocolate Coconut Haystacks I made for Easter.  Once I also whipped up the Lemon Meringue Pie from Sweet Gratitude which I made in my mini-cheesecake pans. The recipe only calls for a bit of cashews in the Meringue Topping and otherwise uses Irish moss, young coconut meat and coconut oil to provide firmness. In keeping the amount of nuts to a minimum I made the macadamia-coconut crust super thin.

My nut consumption has been pretty much limited to the occasional almond milk and Cultured Cheeze. Our vegan cheeze of choice, however, has been the ingenious formula created by Jo Stepaniak, author of The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. These cheezes rely predominantly on agar agar to give solidity to the mixture and use as little as 1/2 cup of cashews per batch (as opposed to 2 cups for the same amount of Cultured Cheeze.) A definite go-to recipe for the low fat conscious.

We've been making the Onion, Dill & Horseradish Cheeze and the Gouda Cheeze variations in the past and they are both phenomenal. I decided however to get a little creative while still using the same basic recipe. The result was the following Sundried Tomato and Olive Cheeze which I must say I am particularly happy with. Not only is it super flavor-full but it's also very pretty. You can enjoy it on your favorite cracker or bread, grated on top of salad or as a component to a stunning pizza like we had last night.

Sundried Tomato and Olive Cheeze

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tbs agar powder
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs tahini (or sesame seeds)
1 tbs onion powder
2 tsps Dijon or prepared mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
---
2 tsps Penzey's Spices Bonnes Herbes (chive, dill, basil, tarragon, chervil and white pepper) or your favorite herb blend
3 kalamata olives, finely chopped
10 thin slices of sun-dried tomato, finely chopped (not re-hydrated)

Set aside a 2 cup plastic storage container.

In a blender add the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, Dijon and dry mustards, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Combine water and agar in a small pan and  bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often until completely dissolved, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add mixture to the other ingredients in the blender and process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as necessary. 

Transfer to a bowl and fold in the Bonne Herbes or herb blend of your choice, diced kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes and mix by hand.

Pour into container and cool uncovered in the refrigerator.

When completely cool, cover and chill several hours.  (I usually serve it after 1 hour or so).

To serve, turn out of the container and slice.

Store covered in refrigerator.  Will keep 5 to 7 days.

Enjoy! 

Last night's feast: Herb Pizza Crusts topped with grated Sundried Tomato and Olive Cheeze and marinated mushrooms, spinach, red pepper and green onion.

Omni Blender April Giveaway Promo
Oh and a quick reminder that you have just about one week left to take advantage of Thomas Fox's Omni Blender April 2012 Give-Away Promo. You can find out all the juicy details here.