Raw BBQ Eggplant-Chicken Pizza with Smokey Cashew Gouda

What came first, the chicken or the eggplant?

Who cares, I'm eating pizza.

What you'll need:

Crust

1 obo squash, peeled

1/2 C flax meal

1 T gluten free tamari

1 t italian spice mix

1 t oregano

1/2 t black pepper

1. puree squash in food processor until smooth
2. add remaining ingredients and mix well in a separate bowl
3. spread to 1/2cm thickness on a parchment lined dehydrator tray
4. dry overnight (~10hrs) at 41 C, until crisp

BBQ Sauce

1 fresh tomato

1/2 C sundried tomatoes

1 apple, cored

1 garlic glove 

2 T tamari

3 T maple syrup

1/4 t cinnamon

1/2 t cumin

1 T hickory flavour

1 T onion powder

1/2 C water

1. puree tomatoes, apple and garlic in food processor until very smooth (2-3min), adding water as needed
2. blend in remaining ingredients

Eggplant Chicken

1 medium Japanese eggplant

bbq sauce from above

1. chop off the ends and peel the eggplant
2. cut into 1 cm cubes and toss with bbq sauce
3. spread onto a parchment lined dehydrator tray, ensuring even sauce distribution
4. dry at 41C for 3-5 hours until no longer crunchy but still slightly firm

'Roasted' Veggies

12 mushrooms

8 thin asparagus spears

2 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 t black pepper

1/4 t pink salt

1. slice mushrooms thinly and chop asparagus into 3cm sticks
2. toss oil and seasonings
3. dry on a parchment lined dehydrator tray for 4 hours at 41 C

Smokey Cashew Gouda

1 C raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained

2 T raw apple cider vinegar

2 t Wizard's gf/veg Worcestershire

2 t hickory flavour

2 T agave nectar

1/4 C nootch

1/2 t pink salt

3 T water

1. puree raw cashews in food processor until very smooth (~3 min)
2. add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth

Assembly

1. spread half of gouda mixture on prepared crust
2. cover with roasted veggies and bbq chicken 
3. top with dollops of remaining gouda
4. dehydrate for another 1-2 hours
5. remove from dehydrator by lifting the entire parchment sheet
6. cut into slices and enjoy while still warm!

RAWsagna

This recipe took me a while to develop, but I actually managed to create a very convincing meat sauce for this raw lasagna! It has both a satisfying texture and flavour.

What you'll need: 

4 medium zucchini

Meat Sauce:

1 batch Raw Vegan Ground Beef

1 cup Mar-raw-na-raw sauce

Cashew Ricotta

1 C cashews 

(soaked in 2 T apple cider vinegar and 1 1/2 C water overnight)

3 T nootch

1 t Wizard's gf/veg worchestershire sauce

2 T onion powder

1/2 t garlic

1/4 t pink salt

1/4 C water (reserved from soaking)

Cheddar Sauce

2 orange capsicums

1/2 C raw sunflower seeds

1 T squeezed saurkraut (optional)

7 T nootch

1 T onion powder

1/2 T garlic powder

1/2 t pink salt

1. slice zucchini thinly using a cheese slicer or mandolin
2. lay out slices on a dehydrator tray so they are not touching and dehydrate for 2-3 hours at 47C
3. combine meat sauce ingredients and let sit to marinade

Ricotta:

1. process cashews until very smooth
2. add seasonings and water and blend until incorporated 

Cheddar:

1. process capsicums and seeds on high for about 3 minutes until very fine
2. add seasonings and blend until smooth

Assembly:

1. in a small baking pan, lay out a layer of zucchini noodles so that each slice is overlapping another by about a 1/3 until the base is covered
2. drop spoonfulls of 1/2 the meat sauce evenly across the zucchini layer and press down to fill any holes and smooth the top of the layer
3. spread half of the ricotta over the meat layer
4. add another layer of zucchini noodles
5. repeat one more meat sauce and ricotta layer
6. add a final layer of zucchini noodles
7. pour the cheese sauce over the last noodle layer and smooth evenly
8. let sit on the counter for about 20 minutes for the layers to set
9. cut into pieces by stabbing downward with a sharp chefs knife to avoid pulling out a noodle and ruining the layers

Raw Vegan Ground Beef

The trick to this recipe is dehydrating the mixture just right to get the soft-firm texture of ground beef. This beef works great for sauces or taco mixes.

What you'll need:

1 head broccoli, florets only

3 carrots

10 crimini mushrooms

1 1/2 C sprouted lentils

1/2 C raw walnuts

1-2 t hickory flavour

3 T gluten free tamari

1 T onion powder

1 t garlic powder

2 t black pepper

1/4 t cinnamon 

1. puree all the vegetables in a food processor in batches to get them into a fine mush, combine in a large mixing bowl
2. process lentils, walnuts and seasonings together until smooth
3. combine all processed ingredients and mix thoroughly
4. spread roughly over 2 parchment lined dehydrator trays
5. dry at 41C for about 8 hours, stirring/mushing the mixture twice throughout
6. your 'beef' is done when it has turned a uniform brown colour and is firm to the touch, but not yet crunchy or hard

mar-RAW-na-RAW sauce

a simple but versatile raw marinara sauce

What you'll need:

(makes 1 cup)

3 medium tomatoes

1/2 C soft sun dried tomatoes (rehydrated if needed)

3 cloves fresh garlic

2 t dried oregano

2 t black pepper

1 T brown sugar

1 T gluten free tamari

1 T olive oil

1. blend all ingredients except olive oil until throughly mixed and there are no large chunks of garlic
2. add olive oil and gently pulse until incorporated
3. store in a mason jar, because everything looks better in a mason jar

Raw Eggplant "Bacon"

Tonight was supposed to be sushi...ya that didn't happen. Instead I decided to use some of the raw eggplant "bacon" I started making last night. I threw it in with some sprouted alfalfa, cucumber and gf tamari. Saddled up with an apple, this was a grrrrrreat meal. See below for the bacon recipe:

What you'll need

• 1 medium eggplant
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp  tamari (gf)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• pinch black pepper

1. Whisk together all ingredients except eggplant in a small bowl
2. Peel eggplant
3. Thinly slice the eggplant. It’s easier using a mandolin that allows for very thin slices, or a horizontal peeler
4. Dredge in the sauce mixture
5. Move the softened eggplant to a mesh dehydrator tray
6. Once all the eggplant slices are done, if you have any marinade mixture left over, brush the remaining marinade over the eggplant slices.
7. Dehydrate at 46°C  / 115°F  for 12-24 hours, depending on how thick your eggplant slices are. Mine took about 15 hours.

Portobello Mushroom burger

I LOVE mushrooms...not only are they chalked full of essential nutrients but they are also the only fruit or veggie source that can give you a dose of vitamin D . 1 2 PUNCH!

What better way to enjoy them than as a tasty vegan burger substitute. This Portobello mushroom recipe is oh so easy and just as tasty.

What you'll need:
2 - Portobello Mushroom Caps
2 tbsp. Herbs of choice (I used oregano and thyme)
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

1) Remove stalk from mushroom
and wash thoroughly

2) Combine oil and herbs in a small
dish or bowl and mix well

3) Drizzle oil mixture over both sides of
your mushroom cap. Rub in until covered.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper

4) Dehydrate at 47C/117F for 8 to 10 hours
Flip once half way through if able to

Dress it anyway you like. I used 2 slices of almond bread as the bun and topped it off with some sun dried tomaotes. Paired with a simple spinach salad that was drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Sundried Tomato Almond Bread

Almond pulp (or almond flour) can be used in all sorts of desserts, breads, cakes etc. One of my favorite things to do is to make raw, dehydrator bread. It's really easy, and since I make almond milk 2 or 3 times a week, almond pulp is always on hand. This is an extremely versatile RAWcipe, working with the almond pulp as a base you can really add whatever you want and make it your own.

What you'll need:
2 c. Almond Pulp
1/2 c. Sun dried Tomatoes ( I like to re hydrate mine in olive oil over night first, but dry works too)
2 tbsp. Garlic Powder
2 tbsp. Onion Powder (or really finely diced onion works also)
1/4 c. Olive Oil

(Makes 8 to 10 "slices" depending on the thickness you make them)

1) Pulse the dried almond pulp for about 60
seconds to get a finer mixture


2) Add in the sun dried tomatoes, oil, garlic and onion powder. Pulse until all is evenly incorporated

3)Press into whatever shape/form you
choose. I don't mind getting a little
dirty so I just use my hands.

4)Dehydrate at 45C/115F for 8 to 10 hours.
if  you're able to, flip half way through. if you
can't ... no worry beef curry they'll still turn
out juuuuuuuust fine.

Store in an airtight bag/container in the fridge

Almond Milk (Mylk?)

Ever wanted to make your own Almond Milk but thought it was too much work? I'm sure we've made reference to "almond pulp" or "almond flour" (which is essentially the same thing) in past posts without fully explaining where it came from. We've found that making your own almond milk (mylk to some people/producers) is really easy and has multiple benefits. One of which is leaving you with the pulp afterwards that can be used to create all kinds of goodies, including raw breads, energy bars and so much more. Here's a simple way to make your own almond milk.

What you'll need:
1 c. Raw Almonds
3 to 4 c. Water
1 tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp. Sea Salt (optional)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (optional)
1 Nut Milk Bag (you can use cheese cloth but a nut bag tee hee works better and is a great investment)

1) Place almonds in a bowl or jar
and place in fridge for 4 to 24 hours

2) Put almonds, water, cinnamon, vanilla,
salt and vanilla into your blender jar

3) Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, the mixture
will turn milky/cloudy white after the first few seconds

4) After blending, place your nut bag over a bowl
or jug, pour the mixture in for straining

5) Now comes the "fun" part of squeezing
(if you have a 5 year old's mentality like I do)

6) Pour your homemade almond milk into
an airtight mason jar or jug

7) Place in fridge, enjoy as needed
(it never lasts more than 48hrs in my house)



DO NOT throw away the almond pulp that's been left in the nut bag, place
that goodness in your dehydrator at 40C/105F for 6 to 8 hours. Or on a cookie sheet in you're oven on low. After, you're left with almond flour...waste not want not. Stay tuned for recipes later today that will give you an idea of what you can do with your results after dehydrating.

Blueberry Vanilla Faux-Yo

For all fellow fro-yo lovers out there. 

Sadly, we cannot offer sample cups like Menchies.

What you'll need:

2 frozen bananas

1/2 C blueberries

1/4 t vanilla extract

1. blend all ingredients in a food processor until chunky, scrape down the sides
2. blend for about 2 minutes more until smooth and slightly whipped, scraping sides as needed

Kale Slaw

Coleslaw is like the junkfood of salads and is totally awesome in my opinion. I'm a big fan of cabbage. This is a nice fresh tasting rendition of it using kale instead of green cabbage because kale is good for you or something.

What you'll need:

(makes about 6 servings)

Salad

1/2 head purple cabbage, cored

1 bunch kale

2-3 carrots

raw pumpkin seeds to top

Dressing

6 T vegan mayo

1/4 C fresh lemon juice

3 T tamari

2 T balsamic vinegar

pepper like cray

I make this entire salad in my food processor with the grating/slicing attachment. 

Ain't nobody got time for that chopping.

1. cut the cabbage and kale into pieces that will fit into the processor opening
2. feed the pieces into the slicing side of the attachment to slice all of the kale and cabbage, set aside
3. shred the carrots using the grating attachment 
4. mix together dressing ingredients in a salad bowl and toss with the rest of the salad mix
5. dish into bowls and top with pumpkin seeds

Raw Vegan Flax Mayo

This mayo is great for salad dressings and dips but has a nice flavour by itself. It took a couple tries to get the technique right, but the order you add the ingredients is definitely important for this recipe!

What you'll need:

(makes 1 cup)

2/3 C extra virgin olive oil (or other oil of choice if you want a milder tasting mayo)

2 T flax meal

1/4 C water

2 t tapioca starch

1/2 T apple cider vinegar

2 T lemon

1 T agave nectar

1 t pepper

1/4 t pink salt

1. mix flax meal, water and tapioca starch thoroughly and let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes 
2. whisk olive oil with remaining ingredients well and set aside
3. in a small food processor (or magic bullet) puree set flax 'egg' mixture and 2T of oil mixture for 30 seconds
4. add the rest of the oil mixture in 2T increments, processing for 30 seconds after each addition
5. once everything has been mixed, process for an additional minute
6. store in a sealed container in the fridge

RAWFL Falafel and Yellow Zucchini Pita Wraps

What you'll need:

Falafel

2 carrots

1 onion

3 stalks celery

5 C broccoli florets

12 crimini mushrooms

1 orange/yellow capsicum

1 C sprouted lentils

5 cloves garlic

1 T curry masala

3 T cumin

1 t pink salt

2 t black pepper

1. process carrots, onion and celery until fine and set aside in a mixing bowl
2. process broccoli and mushrooms and add to mixing bowl
3. process capsicum with lentils and spices and mix thoroughly with the rest of the mush
4. form into 3cm balls and place on a lined dehydrator tray (they will shrink apart once dry so you can cram them on pretty tight)
5. dehydrate at 41C overnight, flip and dehydrate until they hold together firmly 

Pita

4 yellow zucchini

2 carrots

1 C flax meal

1 T onion powder

1 T tamari (gf)

1. juice the zucchini, reserving the juice (or grate and squeeze, but you want as little water left in the pulp as possible)
2. process the carrots until fine and add to zucchini pulp in a mixing bowl
3. mix in flax meal and spices until thoroughly combined, adding zucchini juice as needed until the batter is smooth but still thick
4. spread into pita-size circles on a parchment lined dehydrator tray
5. dry for 2 hours at 41C, flip and dry for another 2 hours (you want the pitas to be dry to the touch and firmly holding together, but still soft and flexible, if you dry them too much they will also soften in the fridge so it's not a big deal)

Wrap Stuff

garlic paste (optional)

tahini (so not optional)

spinach/kale

tomato

alfalfa sprouts

avocado

pree much anything you want

1. spread your sauces of choice on either side of the pita and add toppings and falafels
2. eat it like a taco

supes portable

Simple Salad Friday

My Baby (Psyche)

You know those nights where the dog keeps kicking you in the back and farting beside you while you try to sleep? No? Just me hey? Well that's what happened, as a result I didn't have a lot of time to prepare for my meals today.

That doesn't mean that my food wasn't delicious though.

This salad was tasty and simple.

Salad:
Bean Sprouts
Carrot Ribbons
Spinach
Crimini Mushrooms
Raw Peanuts

Dressing:
1 tbsp. Almond Butter
1 tsp. Lime Juice
1 tsp. Tamari (gf)
Water (you'll want enough to make it the consistency of almond milk)

Mix dressing ingredients, whisk until smooth.

Vegan Sushi

It feels as though we've been making a lot of RAWcipes using nuts. Since we both live fairly active lifestyles it's not really a concern. And in the grand scheme of things, it's a fair way of getting protein. However, a tasty dish without nuts is a welcome change. Enter sushi. This was easy to make, and I inhaled hoovered up every last bit. It's probably a good thing I didn't have company to watch me violate that plate of food.

What you'll need:

2 Raw Nori Sheets

1 Avocado

1 Red Pepper

1/2 Cucumber

1 Carrot

1 c. Sprouted Alfalfa

1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar

3 tbsp. Tamari (gluten free)

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Lime Juice

Bamboo Mat

Plastic Wrap

1)Soak julienned carrots in apple cider vinegar for 2 to 3 hours 

2) Thinly slice the red pepper, cucumber and avocado

3)Layer your veggies as you choose. I did:

  Sprouts, cucumber carrots and red pepper

4) Roll tightly using bamboo mat

5) Layer Avocado on top of roll and place on sheet
of plastic wrap

6) Fold plastic over top, and form avocado around the sushi roll you've made

7) Use the bamboo mat to press down firmly to further form and keep avocado in place

8) Using a sharp knife, cut in half, then cut those pieces in half and so on...until you have 8 even pieces.

9) Carefully remove plastic wrap and arrange on plate

10) Mix tamari, garlic and lime

Enjoy!

Great Greeny Goodness

Very rarely will you ever hear me say I "don't have" time for something, especially when it comes to making/eating food. It irks me to no end when people say that. I mean, we live in an age where we have technology to do practically everything for us, yet we have less time than people did 75 years ago when they had to churn their own butter? Insanity I tells  ya. That being said (breathe Shane, breathe) I didn't feel like putting in a lot of effort after yoga tonight so instead...green upon green it is!

Included in this meal:
Smoothie: spinach, kale, strawberries, peaches and good 'ol h2O

Salad: sprouted alfalfa, cucumber,balsamic vinaigrette and a little salt and pepper to taste

Tasty doesn't have to be complicated, and this was plenty to fill me up. Now I'm left with loads of time to make dehydrator bread using leftover pulp from the almond milk I made earlier. Recipe to come tomorrow after dinner. Make sure you check back then. You know you waaaaaaaaaana.

Moose Mousse

This raw chocolate mousse is named after my (Kent) mom's favourite animal. This is what me and Shane had for dessert after calzones and before we passed out from raw food-comas watching Pitch Perfect which I hadn't seen yet and he's seen 6 times. This was my rendition of the dessert he made when we made dinner for my parents the weekend before I moved back to Van. He also managed to make my entire family love brussels sprouts that night which is a pretty amazing feat.

What you'll need:
(serves 2-4)

2 avocados
6 dates (I use mozafati, but if you don't live near a Persian grocery store where you can buy these beauties then your life just really isn't that great, sorry.)
3 T fair trade cocoa
1 T vanilla extract (which is NOT sweet, Shane)
1/4 t pink salt

1. process all ingredients until smooth, scraping down sides
2. continue to process until the texture is whipped ~2 minutes
3. scoop into adorable little bowls and enjoy
4. watch a hilarious movie

Raw Broccoli and Cheddar Calzone (Gluten Free and Vegan)

         Kent here. Shane came to visit me this past weekend in Vancouver! Aside from antique shopping, bookstore exploring and dollar store raiding, we managed to eat some really good food. On Saturday we went to Gorilla Food downtown (an all-raw organic and vegan kitchen). We'd both been wanting to go for a long time so we were really excited. While the food was delicious, we couldn't help but think "we could do better". And this is what we came up with:

Disclaimer: This is definitely a recipe you need to start the night before. There's a lot of parts that need to be made separately but it's worth it. 

What you'll need:

(~6 servings)

Crust
3 C sprouted buckwheat (dehydrated)

1 C sprouted quinoa (dehydrated)

1 1/2 C ground flax seed soaked in 1 C water

5 carrots, roughly chopped

2-3 T agave nectar

1 T curry powder

1 T cumon powder

1 T onion powder

1 T garlic paste

1/2 t pink salt

1. process carrots until fine
2. add sprouts and seasonings and process until smooth
3. in a separate bowl combine with soaked flax seed using a spoon (preferably a wooden one because they are significantly more legit)
4. spread onto a parchment lined dehydrator tray in a 11/2cm thick square/circle
5. dehydrate overnight, flip in the morning and dehydrate until firm but not too dry
6. refrigerate until needed

Cheddar Cheez Sauce

1/2 C cashews + 1/4 C sunflower seeds + 1/4 C pine nuts soaked in 1 C water overnight

1/2 orange capsicum

1/2 red capsicum

1 T onion powder

1/2 T Wizard's gluten free vegan worcestershire sauce

1 T sauerkraut

3 T nootch

1/2 T garlic paste

1-2 t pink salt (by taste)

1. process nuts and seeds together until smooth and clumping together
2. add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth

Spinach Sauce

1 avocado

1 1/2 C spinach

1/2 t black pepper

1 T fresh lemon juice (or 1/2 a lemon)

1. blend all ingredients together until smooth

'Roasted' Broccoli and Mushrooms

1 C chopped broccoli florets

1 C chopped mushrooms

2 T EVOO

1 T tamari

1/2 t black pepper

1. toss veggies in oil and seasonings
2. dehydrate for 2 hours until roasty looking

Marinara Sauce

2 whole roma tomatoes

1/2 C sundried tomatoes

1/4 onion

2 t dried greek oregano

2 t dried basil

1 t garlic powder

1. roughly blend ingredients together to make a chunky sauce

Assembly:

1. spread cheddar sauce on one side of the crust and spinach sauce on the other
2. distribute the roasted veggies evenly over the spinach side
3. carefully fold the cheezy side over the veggie side to form the calzone and push the crusts together
4. top with marinara sauce
5. warm in the dehydrator (optional) and serve

          Shane completed the meal by whipping this simple but delicious plum and cucumber salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (he was a mildly heartbroken he couldn't find fresh figs to put on it as well):

Raw Caramel Banana Mini Cheezcake Cupcakes

This babies can be enjoyed straight out of your freezer. And by can I mean have to be, because there is a 30% chance they are already melting.

What you'll need:

(makes about 30)

Crust

3/4 C raw hazelnuts

1/2 C raw walnuts

1/4 C raw sunflower seeds

4 dates

1/2 t pink salt

Cheezcake

1/2 C raw cashews soaked overnight and drained

1/4 C Cashew Sour Cream

1 C butternut squash, pureed

1/2 a zucchini, peeled and seeded

4 T agave

3 dates

2 T nootch

1 T lemon juice

2 T vanilla 

2 T coconut oil

3 T top coconut milk

1 banana

1. process all crust ingredients for about 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides when needed, until smooth and clumped together
2. scoop a teaspoon worth into the bottom of your cupcake cups (I use mini parchment ones, they don't stick at all) in a cupcake tray
3. press firmly and smoothly into the bottom
4. freeze the crusts while you prepare the cake
5. process the drained cashews until smooth and clumping together
6. add remaining ingredients and process until really really smooth (takes about 6-10 minutes in my food processor)
7. scoop on top of the frozen crusts to fill up the cups
8. eat the rest with a spoon
9. freeze for at least half an hour