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

Raw Rosemary and Sprouted Buckwheat Crust

DISCLAIMER: This recipe is not for those afraid to get their hands a wee bit dirty.

This recipe is a double batch, so you can either halve it if you are using it for a crust or make the whole thing and freeze half for later. For a cheezy rendition mix in 2-4 T of nootch* with the dry ingredients!

What you'll need:
2 C RAW pumpkin seeds
2 C RAW sunflower seeds
1 C RAW coconut flour**
4 C buckwheat sprouts
1 sprig rosemary (leaves only)
1 T EVOO***
1 T onion powder
2 t pink salt
1 t black pepper
1/3 C ground flax seed****
2/3 C water

Procedure:

1. mix flax meal and water thoroughly and let sit in your refridgerator for 15 minutes, DO NOT skip this wait time, it really makes a difference in the eggy binding power
2. grind seeds in food processor into a fine powder
3. place in mixing bowl with coconut flour, onion powder, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly and break up any clumps
4. process buckwheat sprouts, rosemary leaves and EVOO until it is  a homogenous mush
5. add buckwheat mush and flax goop to dry ingredients
6. using your hands, knead everything
   
   together until uniform and the mixture sticks together when pressed
7. take half of the dough and press onto a parchment lined dinner plate and press evenly to the edges to make your pie crust shape of your desired thinness (thicker will hold together, I make mine about 3/4cm thick)
8. if your dehydrator is like mine, you will need to cut this crust in half and place each half on either side of the center hole 
9. dehydrate at 41 C for about 2 hours until it is a darker brown and holds together firmly
10. the remainder of the dough can be frozen or dehydrated into crackers/raw bread

* nutritional yeast flakes

** make sure the coconut flour is raw (like Coconut Secret brand), most brands use pressurized steam to defat their coconut flours. Coconut heats well though, so it's not the worst thing ever.

*** extra virgin olive oil

**** you can grind your flax seed yourself or buy pre-ground flax meal, just make sure that you store ground flax seed in the freezer as it will go rancid much quicker than the whole seeds. Basically the general rule of thumb, is the better an oil is for you, the worse it is for you once heated (coconut is fine). That's why it really urks me when brands sell flax-containing baked goods or roasted nuts/seeds as 'healthy'...you might as well inject plaque straight into your arteries.

This recipe was inspired Sarafae Bedelia (possibly related to Amelia Bedelia?) and her awesome raw vegan blog: addictedtoveggies.com

Beach, Sandwich and RAW CASH STASH BUTTER

I think a beach day is one of the best ways to enjoy the final sunny days in Vancouver. I decided to use my raw bread to make a sandwich to bring with me for my day in the sun.

On my sandy:

• raw carrot-ginger bread
• one side cashstash butter (see recipe below)
• one side fresh garlic paste
• some spinach
• 1/3 cucumber, sliced
• 1 golden beet, shaved
• 2 big hunks of red capsicum
• pepper

This sandy was super flavourful and filling. The cashstash butter went really nicely with the sweetness of the beets and the garlic and pepper accented the spinach, cucumber and capsicum (which is just what my Kiwi roomy calls bell peppers, which I think is cool because there's like 15 different kinds of pepper and one less is just fine by me.)

           





         

RAW CASH STASH BUTTER:

what you'll need:

3/4 C cashews, soaked for ~30min (the cash)

1/4 C raw, shelled pistachios (the stash)

1T fair trade coconut oil (to help blending and prevent separation)

1/4 t cinnamon (optional)

1. drain soaked cashews

2. blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth