Raw Knoedel with Pumpkin Goulash

Aside from living in Austria for two years, my son was born there, so the country holds a very special place in my heart. While this recipe breaks a lot from the tradition of the food (as do all of my ethnic dishes), it does take a great deal of influence and inspiration from the Austrian culture. Being a vegetarian while living in Austria I thrived on semmelknoedel, which are bread dumplings. With the raw diet bread is out... but that doesn't mean we can't reinvent the dumpling!

Knoedel:

1/2 a head of cauliflower
1 cup of brazil nuts
1/2 cup of coconut flour
2 tablespoons coconut butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon maca powder
dash of white pepper
pink Himalayan salt to taste (be generous)
handful of fresh parsley 

Chop the cauliflower into medium-sized pieces. In a food processor add the cauliflower, brazil nuts, coconut flour, coconut butter, olive oil, nutritional yeast, coriander, white pepper, and salt. Blend until the mixture becomes dough-like. Add parsley to food processor and pulse a few times so that small bits of parsley are mixed into the dough. Portion the dough into desired dumpling sizes and roll into balls. Allow dumplings to sit on a paper towel or cloth for at least 15 minutes to absorb excess moisture.

Goulash:

1/2 a small pumpkin (roughly 2 to 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 a red bell pepper
1 small tomato or 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup red onion
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons corriander
2 teaspoons chipotle pepper
pink Himalayan salt to taste (be generous)
additional water (if needed)
parsley (for garnish)
white truffle oil (for garnish)

Chop the pumpkin, bell pepper, onion and tomato into medium-sized pieces and place in a blender. Add the coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, paprika, cumin, coriander, chipotle pepper, and salt. Blend until completely smooth. If needed, a small bit of water may be added (remember a goulash should be thick). Pour goulash on to plates. Place dumplings on top of the goulash, and garnish with parsley sprigs and a drizzle of white truffle oil.

Raw Scrambled "Eggs"

I was home from work yesterday, which gave me an opportunity to make breakfast! I usually just have smoothies on the weekday mornings, but yesterday I was craving a bit more! Here is a great recipe for scrambled "eggs". There are some similar ones out there, but I think the sauerkraut definitely kicks this one up a notch! Plus yellow squashes are cheaper than zucchini and help out in the color department

1 yellow squash
1 avocado
1 cup of sauerkraut
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
pink Himalayan salt to taste
1 medium-sized tomato
1/4 cup of red onion
small handful of parsley
dash of cayenne pepper

In a food processor combine the yellow squash, avocado, sauerkraut, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil, turmeric, paprika, coconut aminos, and salt. Pulse careful until you get a scrambled egg like texture. (Note: If you blend too much your "eggs" will be runny... even soupy!) Move mixture to a Chop tomato, onion, and parsley and add to bowl, mixing in evenly. Top with a dash of cayenne and enjoy!

Raw Banana-Apple-Nut Muffin

I start most work days with just a smoothie for breakfast. It is fast and easy. But on the weekends I crave a bit more. This weekend I invented these "muffins". Now, eating raw food you are never going to get the exact texture of any baked good, but these sure left me satisfied! No baking, no dehydrating... these are the perfect quick muffins. This recipe only makes about 2 or 3 muffins, depending on the size, but they are very filling and you probably won't be able to eat more than one in a sitting!

1/2 cup of walnuts (soaked 4 hours)
1 banana, ripe
1/3 cup of dried apple slices (buy at the store or make your own in a dehydrator)
4 dates, pitted
2 tablespoons of coconut flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
dash of pink Himalayan salt

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Blend, continually pausing to scrape the sides with a spoon, into a smooth, thick dough. If the mixture is too wet add a bit more coconut flour. Separate the dough into desired portions and mold into muffin shape. If desired, use a paper muffin liner for effect.

Raw Cacao Brazil Nut Balls

This past weekend I went to the farmer's market and bought a large bag of okra. I had grandiose visions of raw gumbos and pickled goodness... and then I made some recipes. When I cooked with okra, I never really thought of the fact that that it is mucilaginous. Using it raw nothing could hide this fact. My pickled okra were like slimy witch fingers. My gumbo was snot soup. I thought maybe I just needed to embrace this gooey quality and I made a raw queso dip. While this was better, it was still just not good. My poor husband the human guinea pig asked, "How much okra did you buy?" So we are officially done with okra, and because I honor and respect all of my blog readers I am NOT recording those recipes. In fact if I had my way I would bury them deep in an abyss where even the earth worms would not be subject to their slime...

Once you've had some failed experiments nothing satisfies better than a classic. And these little dessert balls were the reward for battling through the muck. Go make some and reward yourself for whatever muck you have gone through today!

1 cup of brazil nuts
1 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of carob powder
1 date, pitted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon honey or agave
1 teaspoon hemp milk
dash of salt
cacao nibs to cover

Mix all items, except for cacao nibs, in a food processor till you have a gooey, thick brownie consistency. If the mixture is too wet add more dry ingredients (brazil nuts and carob powder). If the mixture is too dry add more wet ingredients (raisins and hemp milk). Roll mixture into ball shapes. On a plate or cutting board sprinkle cacao nibs and roll balls on surface to cover. Enjoy!

Raw Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

I love savory pineapple. I love sweet and sour. I love the tang. And there is no reason you can't have this in a healthy way! So here's my recipe, which could be paired with parsnip "rice" for the full Chinese-style food effect, although it holds up quite fillingly on its own!

1 pineapple
1 red bell pepper
3 stalks of celery
3 collard leaves
1/4 cup red onion
1/2 cup of walnuts (soaked 4 hours)
1 medium-sized tomato
1/2 cup of honey or agave
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
cayenne pepper (as to desired spiciness)
red pepper flakes (as to desired spiciness)
Celtic sea salt to taste

Chop pineapple, bell pepper, celery, collards, and red onion and place in a large bowl. Drain soaked walnuts and crumble into mixture. In a food processor combine remaining ingredients and blend into a smooth sauce. Pour into bowl and mix well so that all vegetables are equally covered. Allow to sit 10 to 15 minutes to absorb flavors. 

Thought for Food

Just because you are a raw vegan doesn't mean I want to see you in a bikini... geez Louise, get to the recipes please!

"Rawtatouille"

Oh word play. Raw plus ratatouille ... "Rawatouille ". Reminds me of my Christian ska zine in high school... "Skallelujah". But THAT is a tangent best not to go into...

Here is my best attempt at creating this comfort food in a raw version. For best results leave the vegetables on the counter to come to room temperature, so you don't have that refrigerator chill. But don't worry, the spicy heat of the cayenne will warm you up as well!

2 medium-sized tomatoes
2 carrots
2 medium-sized zucchini
1/4 cup of diced onion
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 table spoon hemp milk
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon of chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pink Himalayan salt to taste

In a food processor or blender, put one tomato, one carrot, one zucchini, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, coconut aminos, hemp milk, nutritional yeast, paprika, chipotle pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix until smooth. Transfer to large bowl and add diced onion. Dice the remaining tomato and add to the bowl. Using a mandolin finely slice the remaining carrot and zucchini and add to the bowl. Mix well with a large spoon and allow to sit about 10 to 15 minutes to absorb flavor and become tender before serving.

Raw "Mac and Cheese"

This was my first attempt at raw mac and cheese. I know, I know. This recipe involves neither macaroni or cheese, right? Well, it is about the comfort. And as long as it tastes good, who the hell cares!

2 small zucchini
2 large yellow squash
1 cup of walnuts (soaked roughly 4 hours)
10 yellow cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
dash white pepper
dash of cayenne
Celtic sea salt to taste
flax seeds and additional nutritional yeast (for "bread crumb" topping)

Using the wide setting, spiralize your zucchini and squash. Slice noodles into smaller bits roughly the size of macaroni. Place in a bowl lined with a cloth or paper towel to absorb excess liquid and set aside. In a food processor combine the walnuts, cherry tomatoes, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, paprika, white pepper, cayenne, and salt. Blend into a thick creamy cheese-like sauce. In a large bowl combine the "macaroni" with the sauce. Mix well so that it is evenly covered. In a grinder or small food processor (I used a Magic Bullet), grind the flax seeds and nutritional yeast into a fine powder. Plate the mac and cheese and dust with topping. Enjoy!

Raw Butternut Squash- Tomato Curry with Parsnip-Fennel "Rice"

I don't think I will be entirely satisfied with my raw food experience until I make every Indian dish in raw form. Unfortunately, my Indian cooking skills were never very pure and just fell in generic "curry" realms. So if anyone has advise on great raw matar paneer, raw chana masala, raw vegetable korma, or raw naan (a girl can dream, right?) let me know. For right now here is a new raw curry I have come up with.

For Parsnip- Fennel Rice:

3 parsnips
1 fennel bulb (stalks and any green parts removed)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Celtic sea salt to taste

Chop coarsely and add to food processor. Pulse into a grain-like texture.

For Butternut Squash- Tomato Curry:

1/2 a butternut squash, seeds removed
2 medium-sized tomatoes
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons coconut aminos
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon almond milk
Celtic sea salt to taste
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup of peas
Sage and red pepper flakes to garnish

In a food processor combine squash, tomatoes, coconut oil, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, fennel seeds, coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, almond milk, and salt. Blend until the consistency of a very thick soup. Add diced red onion and peas. Mix well, plate and add garnish. Enjoy!

Un-Cooking Lesson: Learning from Mistakes

Exploring raw foods is an adventure, especially if like me you are not satisfied with eating a lonely banana or carrot and calling that a meal. Especially if like me you have attachments to certain foods and want to recreate that wonderment, just in a healthy way. But sometimes you will get an image in your head and things won't go exactly as you had hoped.

This past weekend I tried dehydrating for the first time. My parents have an oven which has a dehydration setting and I was going to make the best pizza crust ever. I pureed butternut squash with olive oil, tomatoes, basil, and oregano. I laid it on a baking sheet and dropped it off at my parents' house and went along with my daily chores for about 4 hours. Well, apparently 4 hours was nowhere near enough time to dehydrate the crust, which probably needed twice as much time. Unfortunately, we didn't have that time. My mother needed to use the oven, and we had to get my son home, feed, and off to bed. What we had for dinner that night was the crust mashed up in what resembled more of a raw polenta.

Another experiment I tried recently involved spaghetti squash. I had seen some online recipes for raw noodles that didn't even  involve a spiralizer. Apparently if you just used a fork and scraped the inside of the raw squash you miraculously had angel hair pasta! Whether my squash wasn't the same ripeness or I was using the fork incorrectly or I was not blessed with magic noodle-making hands, this was not what happened. I was left with mush. I tried to put the un-mushed part in the spiralizer, which resulted in more mush. I may have cried. A little. But instead of giving up and ordering carry-out, which definitely would have been far from raw (if even I could find anything vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free), I made soup. And that spaghetti squash paired deliciously with tomatoes, hemp milk, and a little paprika. One of the best raw soups I have ever made.

So, in learning from my failure- STOP FORCING THINGS TO BE WHAT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE. A good potter will tell you the same when they are at the wheel. Or a good surfer on a wave. Or even someone in a healthy relationship or raising a child. You may have your visions and your wants, but there may also be something far better than what you are clinging to. If you hang on so desperately to what you envision you may not be able to taste the sweetest flavor of all.

Raw Mexicali Zucchini Noodle Salad

Here is a recipe you can make in 15 minutes that is so easy and satisfying, I hardly feel like it is a recipe at all!

2 medium-sized zucchini
1 large tomato
1 ear of corn
1/2 a cup of chopped kale
1/4 a cup of diced onion
1 tablespoons hemp milk
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Spiralize the zucchini and set aside in a bowl lined with paper towels or a cloth to absorb excess liquid. In a large bowl , cut the corn off of the cob. Dice the tomato and onions and add to bowl. Chop kale and add to bowl. Add spiralized zucchini. Mix in remaining ingredients. Plate and top with an additional sprinkling of nutritional yeast. Enjoy!

Raw Red Plum Ginger Cookie

I made this recipe up a week ago, and am just posting it now, so cut me some slack or let me know if the amounts are a bit off!

1/2 cup of dried mulberries
1/2 cup of almond meal (left over from making nut milk, if you don't have just use soaked almonds)
5 dates, pitted
1 1/2 inch cube of fresh ginger
1/4 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of pink Himalayan salt
1 red plum
maple syrup for glaze (can substitute honey or agave)

In food processor combine the mulberries, almond meal, dates, ginger, raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Blend to a dough-like consistency. If it seems too dry, add more wet ingredients (raisins, dates, ginger). If it seems too wet, add more dry ingredients (almond meal, mulberries). Shape dough into small cookie shapes on a plate or tray. Add a drop of maple syrup on each cookie. Slice plum and top each cookie. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Noodles in Coconut-Tahini Sauce

It has been a LONG weekend, and coming back to work is tough. The good news is I will be coming home to a new spiralizer! The Sprirooli is now in Bed, Bath & Beyond for only $25. I spent twice that when I bought one for my friend a few month's back! Anyway, here is a recipe I made before getting the spiralizer (I just used a julienne peeler which was $10, so there is a slightly cheaper option for you!)

1/2 a butternut squash
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup tahini
1 teaspoon white truffle oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 small handful of fresh savory herbs (I used sage, rosemary, and parsley)
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons coconut flakes (optional
pink Himilayan salt

Spiralize the butternut squash and place in bowl. Add lemon juice and salt (about a teaspoon), and set aside for 15 minutes to become a bit more tender. In a blender or food processor combine coconut milk, tahini, white truffle oil, cumin, and salt to taste. Blend until smooth. Pour sauce over noodles. Chop herbs and add to bowl. Mix and plate, sprinkle with nutritional yeast and coconut flakes.