Spaghetti Squash - Vegan, but not Raw.

During these cold winter months I have been craving warm, heartier fare. And, while I don't want my cravings to pull me away from plant-based food, I'm open to some of it being cooked every now and then. Back in October I put together this baked spaghetti squash with a creamy mushroom marinara. I've honestly made it about once per week ever since. It's so simple and requires literally 3 ingredients: 1) the squash, 2) a jar of vegan organic mushroom marinara sauce, 3) Veganaise. Here's what you do:

-Take a whole spaghetti squash and prick holes in it all over (so that it doesn't explode in the oven), I use a small paring knife.
-Place on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.
-Allow to cool enough to handle it, then slice open lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and discard. Meanwhile, pour roughly 1.5 cups of marinara sauce into an oven-proof bowl and place in the oven to warm through residual heat (your oven should be off).
-Using the tines of a fork, pull 'spaghetti' strands away from the skin and transfer to a serving platter.
-Mix 2 tbsp of Veganaise into the sauce to make it rich and creamy. Pour sauce over spaghetti squash and serve.

A Wild Rice Recipe That's MOSTLY Raw.

This recipe comes from my good friend, Debra, who is a fantastic holistic health counselor. We made this last month and ate it by the fireplace of her phenomenal Harlem apartment. In addition to the fabulous recipe, Debra taught me that wild rice is not actually a rice, but a grass that grows in marshes (FYI).

(Again, I'm a terrible photographer)

So, here's how you do it:
Fill a bowl with 3/4 cup wild rice. Cover the rice with water and place in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, changing the water daily.
Saute 1/2 onion (chopped) in 2 Tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil over a low flame. I add a pinch of salt. When the onions become translucent and soft, add a handful of dried cranberries*. Saute for one minute more and turn off heat. Drain wild rice and add to the onions, tossing everything together with a wooden spoon. Adding the rice off the heat will simply warm the grain, rather than cook it. Serve and say "Bon Appetite" in your best Julia Childs voice.



I served mine with beet ravioli, topped with store-bought pesto.
(better here with the camerawork, eh?)



*I like Eden Organics brand because the cranberries are sweetened with pure apple juice, rather than sugar.

Leftovers...

I'll admit that leftovers have me really confused when it comes to raw foods - they obviously can't remain in the refrigerator for days on end, just to be warmed up again in the microwave. After years of preparing conventional food, I had nearly mastered the art of using up leftovers. As a matter of fact, I often planned my meals with leftovers in mind. But, raw foods have me a bit more perplexed....

You'll recall that on Saturday I made the Thanksgiving dinner from Sarma's book Living Raw Food. It was delicious and I LOVE coming up with leftovers the day after Thanksgiving. Well, as usual, I had a ton of stuffing left over from our meal. As I scooped it into a storage bowl and tucked it neatly into the refrigerator, I honestly had no clue what I was going to do with it...that is until I started making Kale Chips on Sunday morning.

As you might remember from a previous post, I top my kale chips with a nut cheese sauce. Well, I happened to have a good deal of sauce left over once the chips were already in the dehydrator. Coincidentally, I had two avocados that were at their peak. The stuffing is very meaty (think ground beef), so I had the idea to turn them into tacos. To do this I simply topped romaine leaves with stuffing, cheese sauce and guacamole (that I made with my 2 avocadoes). I folded up the romaine leaves like a taco and savored every bite.

Who knew that raw food leftovers could be so good?

Autumn Vegetables

For the past 3 years I have focused on eating as seasonally as possible. After some time cooking this way I quickly began to relish the changes in seasons for the unique gastronomical pleasures that each time of year supplied. When I transitioned to a more raw diet this summer, I worried about how seasonal eating would play out. In particular, I wondered whether root vegetables, which become so sweet and delicious when roasted at high temperatures, would be at all palatable in the raw.

I noticed that Sarma's Thanksgiving menu has a Celeriac Mash. Of course everything she makes is delicious, so I was confident that this would be no different, even without being roasted at a high temperature. I just had to try it.

As a matter of fact, I've been so disappointed about missing One Lucky Duck's Thanksgiving dinner, that I got inspired to make every menu item myself for dinner last night. All the recipes are featured in Living Raw Food, Sarma's latest book. Fun fact: it's actually easier to make the entire Thanksgiving dinner than it is many other recipes in this book.

The recipes were created to serve 10 to 12, so I halved most of them. Here's what I did for the Celeriac Mash - titled Mashed Root Vegetables in Living Raw Food:

2 cups pine nuts (soaked for at least an hour)

Puree the pine nuts in high-speed blender with 1 cup filtered water until smooth. Pour into large bowl.

Then dice (cube):

2 cups celery root

2.5 cups jicama

3/4 cup parsnips

Add all vegetables to the bowl of pine nut puree. Then add to the bowl:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp truffle oil

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

Stir all ingredients to combine. Add to a food processor to process in batches. Let sit for at least 2 hours to allow excess liquid to pool at the top. Pour off excess liquid before serving.

Everything was scrumptious (as my grandmother says). The brussels sprouts coated in olive oil, maple syrup, salt & pepper were particularly outstanding. I also added cranberry sauce to my stuffing, just like I've done since I was 8 years old.

Of course I always forget to snap a picture until I'm already mid-way through my meal. My apologies in advance for my future postings.

Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Butter (NOT high raw)

Let me just start by introducing my favorite raw food product ever - Artisana's Coconut Butter. This is not to be confused with Coconut Oil. Coconut butter is a mixture of the oil and meat from coconuts. The result is a delicious and creamy treat that tastes like the tropics. It's wonderful to blend into smoothies or to spread onto Manna Bread. Yesterday, I spread it on baked sweet potatoes.

My craving for sweet potatoes started on Wednesday. I was strolling through the greenmarket at Union Square and came across beautiful sweet potatoes. Usually I prepare baked sweet potatoes by slathering them with butter and brown sugar. While the flavor of this preparation method is heavenly, the nutritional content is disastrous. Then I remembered stumbling across a blog that was created by a student of the lovely and talented Gena (of Choosing Raw fame). Apparently, Gena taught her student how to top baked sweet potatoes with coconut butter instead of dairy butter - and that's exactly what I did.

Recipe:

First scrub the skin of sweet potatoes. Allow to dry for a few minutes.

Gently rub some olive oil into the skin and place on a baking sheet.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, turning half way through cooking time. Potatoes should be completely tender when pierced with a knife.

Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Cut potatoes in half.

Lightly salt potatoes.

Dollop 2 heaping teaspoons of Artisana coconut butter on each half.

Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon on each half.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of maple syrup on each half.

Devour and feel no regrets!

Coconut Goji Tarts

Antony Heaven never ceases to inspire me. The food he prepares is simple, elegant, and delicious. Whenever he presents one of his creations on his blog, I immediately have to try it. I used to be this way with Ina Garten (of Barefoot Contessa fame) before I went raw. Antony is my raw Ina.

His latest creation is a "Chocolate-Coconut-Goji Tart" which I adapted to be less chocolatey and more coconutty, since i'm not a huge chocolate fan. Here's what I did:
Crust:
3/4 cup of walnuts
3/4 cup of cashews
3/4 cup of dates
1/4 tsp powdered stevia
1/4 tsp salt
Process all the ingredients until crumbly.
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of into a paper-lined muffin tin. Use your fingers to press the filling down into the bottom of muffin cup.
Sprinkle a few goji berries on top of the crust.









Filling:
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1 banana
1 avocado
3 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp cocount butter (I like Artisana brand)
2 tbsp cacao powder
1/2 cup agave
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 tsp salt
Process all ingredients until smooth. Divide equally among the 12 muffin liners. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours so that coconut oil can solidify.


I'm having mine for breakfast!

Tratoria Dinner

It was a busy day in the kitchen today here at Intrepidly Raw headquarters. I prepared a batch of raw onion bread, which I'll write more about tomorrow or the next day. I put a fresh batch of kale chips into the dehydrator (those should be ready momentarily). And, I made a fantastic raw manicotti for dinner that is inspired from my new favorite (favourite) blogger from across the pond, Anthony Heaven. It was an Italian tratoria dinner of a fresh salad and warm manicotti. Too bad I didn't have a laminated red checkered tablecloth.

This meal was actually quite simple - I only had to make 2 things: a nut based ricotta, and a raw marinara sauce.
Ricotta:
1 garlic clove
1 cup pine nuts (soaked)
1 cup walnuts (soaked)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/3 cup sweet white miso
1 lemon (juiced)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Give garlic a few pulses in the food processor. Next add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Thin out with water, if desired.

Marinara:
3 large tomatoes diced (roughly 2 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup basil leaves
2 pitted dates
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1/2 lemon (juiced)
1.25 tsp sea salt
4 sundried tomatoes (dry)
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Next, I sliced 2 zucchini lengthwise on a mandoline (try not to use the seedy and very wet core). I then scooped a little dollop of ricotta onto each strip and rolled it up.

I then spooned some marinara sauce into the bottoms of 2 individual gratin dishes and placed each mini-manicotti seam-side down into the sauce. When the bottom of the dish was filled with little manicotti, I spooned some sauce over the top and stuck them into the dehydrator to warm for an hour.

As a side, I prepared what we fondly refer to in this house as a "Refrigerator Salad." Essentially, this means that the contents of our fridge get chopped up and put into a salad bowl with a simple dressing. Today I had delicious watermellon radishes that I got at the farmer's market last week and still haven't used. If you live in NYC I implore you to seek out these beautiful specimens. White on the outside, a deep watermellon pink on the inside with a green ring around the outer layer, almost like a watermellon skin.

I diced this up and tossed it with some mesclun mix, a red pepper, some sprouts, chopped pistachios, and hemp seeds. I made a simple dressing out of balsamic, honey, and macadamia nut oil.
The best part about the entire dining experience was that I didn't feel groggy or need a nap afterword.

Snack Food - Cheezy Kale Chips

For me, having raw snack foods within arms reach is central to being able to maintain a mostly raw diet.  I have accepted the fact that I like to nosh.  What happens is that I get cravings to bite into something at various points throughout the day - though I must admit that the cravings are far less frequent and intense than before I began eating mostly nutrient-rich raw foods.  Still, when my tummy starts growling I lose all focus on whatever it is I'm doing and I begin a food-seeking mission that I have to believe is somewhat primitive evolutionarily.  The problem is that healthful food is generally not within arms reach.  To obviate the temptation for junk food, I try to cary an arsenal of healthful raw snacks with me wherever I go.

On Sunday, while at Blooming Hill Farm, I bought a gigantic bag of kale so that I could make one of my favorite snack foods - Cheezy Kale Chips.  This recipe comes from my friend Chela Crane, who is an incredibly talented raw food home cook.  Making kale chips in the raw requires a dehydrator, which I don't have.  Luckily, the oven that came with my apartment has a "dehydrate" function with the lowest setting at 120 degrees.  For those of you who don't have a dehydrator (or a fancy oven like mine), you can set your oven at the lowest temperature it will go, crack the door, and monitor the heat with an oven thermometer.  Just make sure the thermometer goes below 150 degrees - some don't!

Recipe:

2-3 bunches of kale (depending on size)

2 cups raw cashews - soaked 2 hours

1 lemon - juiced

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1.5 tsp salt

1 small red bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Wash and dry Kale.  Cut along the rib of kale to remove the stem.  Cut or tear remainder of kale into "chip" sized pieces.  Place kale on a baking sheet lined with parchment (or a teflex sheet in your dehydrator).  Because the kale is so fluffy, you may need 2 or more sheets to keep kale in a single layer.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender.  You may need to use a bit of filtered tap water to thin out the cheese sauce.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Pour over kale chips and toss with hands to coat evenly.  Spread into a single layer and sprinkle with fine sea salt (optional)

Place in the dehydrator for 7 to 10 hours (I put them in before I went to work today and came home to a finished product).

I put some of the chips into a large gallon-sized ziploc bag for home and the rest into a small bag to take to work tomorrow. 

I'm completely prepared for a new day of healthy raw living.

Morning Smoothie

As I mentioned earlier, when I first learned about the raw food philosophy I felt overwhelmed by imagining how difficult the transition would be from delicious (and readily available) conventional food to a mostly raw vegan diet.  Then I realized something - I ALREADY EAT RAW FOOD - MY MORNING SMOOTHIE!!!!  Well, it was mostly raw.

What started as a Jamba Juice addiction became a morning ritual where I made a fruit smoothie for myself and my partner every morning.  True, it usually had a scoop of frozen yogurt....oh, who am I kidding?....Vanilla Ice Cream in it, but it was a step in the right direction.

After reading Raw Food, Real World, I realized that a few small changes could turn my morning smoothie into a delicious and raw way to start the day.  Instead of high fructose fruit juice (apple or orange were my favorites), I could substitute electrolyte building coconut water.  Since water isn't sweet, I could add Agave syrup.  To make it creamy I could add coconut butter or almond butter.  YUM!

This morning I made a quick and easy Cherry-Banana smoothie:

-1 bag frozen organic cherries

-2 bananas

-roughly 1.5 cups coconut water

-2 heaping teaspoons of coconut butter

-1/2 a vanilla bean

-2 tbsp raw agave syrup (I use 365 brand from Whole Foods)

-a pinch of sea salt

I took a picture for the blog, looked at the clock and realized that I was running late.  So, I poured mine out of the glass you see in the picture and into a mason jar for my commute to Brooklyn.  My partner got to enjoy his at home because he didn't have to be at work until 9:30 - the lucky duck!