Calamari, sorta kinda not really...

So I recently got my hands on Living Raw Food, the second book of recipes from the Pure Food and Wine proprietor. It did pretty much the same thing the last book did, which was reignite my interest in working with raw foods.

The appeal of raw foods wasn't so much about health (O.K. wasn't only about health) but a cross between the sort of primitive molecular gastronomy practiced by many raw foodists and the meaningful exploration of high quality ingredients. I was also taken in by the use of whole foods, given processed foods lost much of their appeal to me during that brief Atkins-diet phase I had when I was 20 or so. While I ditched the diet of waterbath cheesecake made with splenda, I never quite picked pasta and other refined starches back up.

It is recipes like the above, calamari with tartar sauce, that are reigniting my passion for exploring this cuisine. However it is also reminding me of the frustrations when dealing with the not-so-vegan-inclined..

Tess (my vegan buildingmate): "Ike, you want to come upstairs with us to get some raw vegan calamari?"
Ike (Tess's not so vegan but very blue partner): "I don't like calamari."
Tess: "Well it isn't calamari."
Ike: "I don't really like things fried."
Tess: "It is raw! How can it be fried?"
Ike: "Well, you said it was calamari."
Tess: "It is raw vegan, how can it be squid or fried?"

Ai. Ike did come upstairs. Ike ate raw vegan calamari. Raw vegan calamari was deemed good, or at least acceptable for those who don't like fried calamari.

Honestly it isn't all that much like calamari, though if you like calamari you'll probably like these. It is definitely a snackable concoction that makes for a good traveling companion, it is cute, and novel, all told pretty easy to make. Cutting them into rings is a vanity that you can surpass if you feel like it. Regardless of the differences, the inspirations you find raw foodists make from the original food is a delight.

While I'm not going to post the recipe here (see the book below, it is worth it), I'll mention that a mix of spices, ground up golden flax seeds, some lemon, and king oyster mushrooms are friends of yours... And of course, do not forget the salt.

Seasonal Slaw, Featuring Chiogga Beets, Served on a Bed of Kale

Mmm... Clearly I've got an axe to grind against my self, on that whole "only posting desserts" thing... Being unable to take new pictures also seems to be doing wonders for my blog-updating. Sadly the dishes I've made today, a Ras al Hanout and Passion Fruit slaw as well as the Whole Grain Medley tossed with Tomatoes, Basil, and Mint will be lost. The fudgey brownies from a new recipe I am tooling around with are not particularly photogenic, so cheers to that?

Anyway... The camera battery charger remains unfound (!!! pain), so I will continue posting _real_ food recipes, while I cry to my self about the veganized peanut butter crispy bars unphotographed, along with the chocolate bourbon pecan pie I am making for tomorrow.

I have yet to find my "always go to" dressing recipe for slaws, but I also never buy anything to make my slaws...

Seasonal Slaw, Featuring Chiogga Beets Served on a Bed of Kale
Serves 6

Dressing

• 1/4 c fresh lime juice
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 t salt (or soy sauce)
• 1 T nut butter (optional)

Salad

• 1 small head cabbage, shredded (red, green, combo, whatever)
• Any combination of the following, shredded, matchsticked, thinly sliced, or finely chopped:
• Sweet Onions or Scallions
• Kale
• Beets
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Squash
• And more!

Prepare the dressing items in a bowl, mix well.
Prepare and toss together the remaining ingredients in another bowl, drizzle dressing over. Salt to taste.
It is good let it sit a few hours, or covered in the fridge over night

Mango-Tequila Sorbet spiked with Serrano Chilis

P1030390
Originally uploaded by vapidchick

So a friend told me about a spicy mango sorbet he had at a local Ice Creamery... And well... me being the cocky cocky cook that I am thought "Anything they can do I can do better."
There are many reasons I don't really like eating out, that extend beyond my vegan values... and that mantra is one of them.

While I have never eaten this purveyor's spicy mango sorbet, I have no shortage of affection for this one. On the spiciness factor, all but one friend was fine with it. The latter claimed that I assaulted her with it and made her eat it, "but the cilantro one was really good." I know that after a few bites I am I need a glass of (almond) milk.

Onto the recipe!

Mango-Tequila Sorbet spiked with Serrano Chilis

1 Umeboshi plum (Eden)
32 oz Frozen mango chunks (Trader Joes/365 Organic)
1 pinch salt (Pink Himalayan)
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 T jaggery (Thai taste)
3 T tequila (Salza brand, Hornitos)
2 T lime juice or to taste
3 Serrano chillis, seeded (or more, depending on preferred spiciness)
1 T raw almond butter (maranatha)

Make a simple syrup with the water and sugar (bring to a boil in a sauce pan, for a few minutes, then let return to room temperature)

BLEND ALL!

Chill. Churn according to ice cream machine's instructions...

Substitute sugar mix with an agave/water blend (sweetened as you like) to make raw.

Also I recommend checking out the up close close full size photo here..

Tis pretty :)

Coming up were the accompanying sorbets... a Cilantro-Rum Lime Sorbet, and a savoury Roasted Red Pepper and Chipolte ice cream.

Tacos!

Another item crossed off the Raw Food, Real World "to-make" list. I did not include the bell pepper in the tortillas (they are either expensive, pesticide ridden, or both... and usually shipped from across the globe).

For the spicy "beans," I used a mix of pumpkin seeds in addition to the sunflower seeds. Think that is about it. The results were great, and the omnivores scarfed them all down.

For kicks, below, the tortilla mix spread out on the teflex sheet, about to go into the dehydrator (and the soaked seeds off to the side).

Raw Tabouli

Ach, you absolutely must click through to see this in big beautiful form. Click on the image, click on "all sizes" above the photo, then click on "large' or "original." Anyway, this is a great "I don't like measuring things" recipe.

1-2 large heads of flat leaf parsley
1 bunch mint (optional)
1 bunch of scallions
1 small onion
Couple heads garlic (optional, as much/little as you like)
A tomato, or bunch of cherry tomatoes

Hemp seeds
1 lemon (or two)
Olive oil, or hemp oil
Salt

Clean and chop the first six ingredients, toss into a bowl. Drizzle with oil (about a quarter of a cup). Juice the lemon(s), and add to the mix. Sprinkle with salt, toss on a handful of hemp seeds (as much or as little as you'd like). Toss until well coated. Enjoy!

Arugala Salad with Shaved Pears, Cherries, and Meyer Lemo

This is a simple one to throw together. Wash and shred some arugala, shave some pears, toss some cherries on top. For the dressing just blend peeled meyer lemons with some olive oil, salt, a bit of honey or agave to taste... and voila. If you have some lying around, spiced walnuts or pumpkin seeds would add a nice touch to the dish.

Raw Raspberry Cheesecake

So Alison, my house mate, was looking through one of my vegan cookbooks and saw a raspberry cheesecake. It was a typical cooked, tofu based sort of affair. I'm not a big fan of soy, and try to avoid it, and told her I could totally make her a better, raw version. I had some raspberries in the freezer, some cashews I had been soaking the day before for a faux sour cream, or whipped topping, or something (I forget). So I threw this together. It was loved by all. It would be good with a whipped cream topping, I think... Mayhaps next time.

Here is the recipe:

Crust:
1 c hazelnut meal (leftover from hazelnut mylk)
1/4 c almond meal
dash of vanilla
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon
Enough agave nectar to keep mix sticking together, or until desired sweetness is reached

Filling:
1 c soaked cashews
1/3rd c nut mylk of choice (I think I used hemp seed)
1/3 c lemon juice
1/2 c frozen 0r fresh raspberries
1/4 c agave nectar, or enough stevia to reach desired sweetness
1 t vanilla extract
dash of salt
1 T lecithin
1/4 c unscented coconut butter

Crust:
In a standing bowl mixer or food processor, mix together crust ingredients until they reach the consistency desired. Feel free to leave it 'dry' and crumbly, the cheesecake filling will hold it together. Press into an 8x8 brownie pan, or something of same surface area/depth.

Filling: Blend all the ingredients together, except lecithin and coconut butter. Add lecithin and coconut butter and blend until smooth. Pour into brownie pan, pie pan, whichever. Refrigerate until set.

Notes: Honestly, I didn't measure the raspberries. I just added to taste. Also a personal option, I added some slices of red beets for color. This is optional, but I like it, personally.

Squash Linguine with King Oyster Mushrooms and Dried Cherry Tomatoes

The title pretty much says it all. I decided I need to make virtually everything in Raw Food/Real World... and of course document it. Next post will be a list of what I need to make, what I have made, and a bit of commentary on it. Anyway... today was... delish. So this was the titular recipe. Included below are some of the steps. The recipe can be found in the book, it is relatively simple, though.

First, you make some linguine noodles from goldbar squash, using a peeler, mandolin, whatever your weapon of choice is. Lightly alt them and let them sit in a colander, while you prep everything else.

Toss the mushrooms with some nama shoyu, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a bit of italian spices. Let marinade. Toss cherry tomato halves with a bit of olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Dehydrate (sorry, I don't want to give the recipe away here, get the book!).