Rollatini with “Smokey” Red Pepper Sauce

My zucchini plants are still going strong. It’s exciting because we are well past the season and it’s pretty damn cold here in northern New Mexico. Even in our sunroom, the temp gets chilly at night. I was expecting maybe one or two more tiny zucchinis, but to my surprise, a mutant began to grow and rollatini was born.

Weeks into it’s growth I knew it was going to be a whopper, but I was not prepared for the final outcome. Considering we got that nifty new mandolin, I started planning and got these amazing thin, wide sheets of perfect zucchini. I contemplated making lasagna, but Marie and I agreed that zucchini holds its shape enough to do something a little more creative with it.

The filling was the easy part. I’ve made raw ricotta before, but the real hero in this recipe is the “smokey” red pepper sauce. I mixed red bell peppers with a red jalapeno. You can use a green jalapeno. Jalapenos turn red when they ripen, but the flavor is exactly the same. I used the red because I have to make sure the photos look as perfect as I can, otherwise, I wouldn’t care at all. The heat however is different from pepper to pepper, it ranges from mild to medium hot.

I try to use spices from our garden when I can, but sometimes it’s just not feasible. Using store bought spices isn’t cheating, at least I don’t consider it cheating. I’m not about to sit and smoke a bunch of peppers with mesquite or whatever is used just to get one teaspoon of smoked paprika. If it’s not your thing, just omit it, but it makes a huge difference in flavor and it would be a shame not to add it to this recipe.

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: Rollatini with “Smokey” Red Pepper Sauce

1 large zucchini sliced thin length wise

Cashew Ricotta

1 cup raw cashews (soak for 6 hours or overnight)

3 tblsp oat milk

3 large garlic cloves

1 tblsp oregano

1 medium lemon (juiced)

pinch salt

Place all ingredients together and blend until smooth.

*you can use any alternative milk you like, but oat milk has a little more body to it and gives a creamier texture. I tried it with almond milk which was too sweet and found the oat milk to be better for a savory recipe.

**if your ricotta isn’t smooth enough you might not have soaked the cashews enough, you can add a little more “milk

“Smokey” Red Pepper Sauce

4 red bell peppers (cored and sliced in half)

1 red jalapeno pepper (cored and sliced in half)

10 small cloves of crushed garlic

1 tblsp smoked paprika

1/8 cup olive oil

pinch salt

pinch pepper

Toss peppers, olive oil and crushed garlic cloves together, let marinate for 2 hours. Place skin side down in the dehydrator and drizzle oil and garlic over them. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 4-6 hours or until soft (the skin should be shriveled but not hard). Blend peppers, paprika, salt and pepper until smooth.

To assemble: spoon ricotta into the center of zucchini sheet and roll. You can use a toothpick to keep it together. Spoon sauce on top and sprinkle a little oregano on top. Enjoy!