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.