Kung Pao Coconut
Here’s what happens when you take an old Chinese restaurant classic and turn it raw vegan. These are the kind of experiments that seem almost fruitless at first; it just doesn’t seem possible. Even when they make vegan ‘chicken’ it doesn’t taste much like chicken to me at all. I feel like saying, “Just stop! Call it what it is and stop messing with people’s heads!” Theres no way cauliflower is ever going to taste like chicken. And why would we want it to? So this is Kung Pao Coconut. You might say tomato and I say toe-mah-to but none of us be calling this ”chicken. That said, my inspiration…
Smokin’ Raw Chili Chill Chaser
I just finished eating this raw chili for lunch for the second day in a row. The first day I ate it at room temperature and all the spices and chile peppers gave me all the heat I needed. But today, after coming in from a very snowy day, I heated it up for an hour in the dehydrator. After it had spent the night in the fridge it needed the chill taken off as much as I did! This is not verboten. That’s what the dehydrator is for: making sure those enzymes stay intact and you still get to have something warm when it strikes your fancy. In the…
Going Vegan with Baby Steps
I know from experience that going vegan – let alone raw vegan – is not always the easiest road. Whatever our motivation, we are often up against a lifetime of mind and body conditioning that certainly hampers the path. And it’s never made easier by the fact that many of our friends… and even, in some cases, our families put up obstacles to our forward movement just by being so incredulous. “When are you going to start eating real food again?”, they’re asking us. We thought we were. This is obviously some gaslighting technique to convince us we’re insane. And don’t you just love those folks who magically spew all…
Very Vegetable Nut Loaf
The best things about this vegetable nut loaf is its sheer simplicity and the fact that it can also be ‘messed with’ to create a bunch of other things. I like that. Form into balls and dehydrate for 3 or 4 hours and you’ve got meatballs that are just looking for some veggie noodles and a simple sauce to make a hearty raw meal. Alternately crumble into salads. Or serve on raw bread for a filling sandwich or in lettuce with a sprinkle of other veggies as a lettuce wrap. There are so many possibilities, the mind reels. It’s a playful little loaf, for sure. You may also substitute one…
Five Spice Papaya Steak With Parsnip Pineapple Rice
Papaya wasn’t always a favorite of mine. Even as a teenager, the few times I tried it, it kind of left me cold. Not that I often saw it around the grocery aisles in Switzerland, where I lived at the time. I guess it took a more evolved adult palate – and a few trips to warmer climates – for me to fully appreciate the delicacy of the papaya. And of course there was Papaya King in New York where papaya, orange and God-knows-what-other mystery additives and flavorings tranformed the fruit into a sugary smoothie tasting nothing whatever like itself! I’m not even sure papaya was in there at all!…
Jerk Watermelon “Steak” on Sesame “Fried” Rice
Watermelon “steak”? Okay, I know it sounds weird. I can’t begin to tell you how absolutely delicious this is. For those of you who haven’t tried any type of dehydrated or cooked watermelon, make a point to try this ridiculously easy and tasty dish. When I first saw this on a British cooking show I was quick to look it up. I couldn’t find a raw recipe so like everything else, I adapted it. At first I tried making it in the oven. I wanted to see how the heat changed the structure of the watermelon. At different stages, the texture changed and I realized that doing this as a…
Fruit Skewers with Tamarind Sauce
To date, I’d never prepared anything using fresh tamarinds before. Previously I used tamarind paste to make the sauce for this recipe and that was ‘fresh’ out of a package. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that wasn’t all as raw as it was supposed to be. Yes, I cheated. So I vowed to take the high road this time and make it all from scratch. Little did I know what I was getting myself in for. We picked up a box of fresh tamarinds at Whole Foods and I set about preparing them for the final feast. Unfortunately, what I read on the box completely commiserated with…
Babaganoush Dip
This raw eggplant tahini dip tastes like babaghanoush and hummus had a baby.
Heirloom Tomatoes & Zucchini Spaghetti
Coming from an Italian heritage, it’s super easy to eat raw or vegan. While we are known for our breads, meats and cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables are also a staple in an Italian home. Of course, no Italian kitchen is complete without tomatoes. I’m growing several varieties, and I’ll eat a tomato like an apple, no accoutrements necessary- but herbs make everything better! Here on the farm we have a lot of fresh Italian herbs growing everywhere. It all reminds me of my childhood in New York. The peppery scent of oregano triggers memories of my grandfather’s roof garden. He put it in and on everything. Until I started…
Broccoli Carrot Slaw With Sweet and Spicy Tahini
Broccoli is an anti-oxidant rich powerhouse that supports healthy cells throughout the body. Plus it tastes good and it’s one of those healthy veggies that even most kids don’t turn up their noses at. That makes it a go-to in my house at all times! Broccoli at the Fairgrounds… The very first time I really made this recipe was years ago when I joined forces with three other raw afficionados to set up a booth for a fair in Santa Fe, NM, where I live. I honestly don’t know where our heads were. Somehow we believed that we could successfully bring raw food into the fairground! As if…! The moment…
