Raw Taco Salad with Spicy Hemp "Cheese" Dressing - Vegan as always

Raw Vegan Taco Salad with Spicy Hemp "Cheese" Dressing

Who doesn't love taco salad - especially guilt-free eat all you want taco salad!  We eat taco salad frequently and I tend to change up some of ingredients each time, as well as the spicy "cheese" dressing. 

Above is one version that I have loaded with a rainbow of veggies on top of a bowl of greens: cherry tomatoes, red onion, green onion, red & yellow bell pepper, corn, avocado, cilantro and my Walnut Mushroom Filling that I tweaked just a tad bit (recipe below).  

Oh and Mark likes beans in his sometimes (beans do not like me), so I added pinto beans in his bowl.  On the side are my raw vegan taco chips that I have yet to write up the recipe for, but I'll do that in good time.

Raw Vegan Taco Salad with Spicy Hemp "Cheese" Dressing

This version is just about the same, but I added red cabbage and omitted the red & yellow bell peppers.  Both were served with my Spicy Hemp "Cheese" Dressing.

You can't go wrong with taco salad, or salad in general, so fill your bowls with lots of greens and add whatever veggies you love to your hearts content!


Walnut Mushroom Taco Filling II - raw & vegan
(for my nut-free version, go here)

1 heaping cup walnuts

2 1/2 cups quartered baby portobellos (8oz package)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder (I typically use more)
1 tsp smoked cumin powder
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbs Braggs liquid aminos (or Tamari)

Put all ingredients in order into food processor and pulse process until you have small bits that resemble taco meat.  Don't over process or you will end up with pate.  This will be light in color, but will darken after a little while. 

Store in fridge for a couple hours to let the ingredients mingle or serve immediately.  This is best when eaten fresh, but will last in the fridge for one extra day.

Note:  I change this recipe up almost every time I make it by adding other spices, increasing the heat, etc.  It's very versatile, so adjust to your taste buds.

 

Spicy Hemp "Cheese" Dressing

 

1 small red bell pepper - seeded

1 small banana pepper- seeded (or pepper of choice for heat)

1 large clove garlic

1/2 cup hemp heart seeds

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (needed for "cheese" flavor)

1/4 tsp ancho chili powder

juice from 1 lime

good pinch of sea salt

*1/4 cup water

 

Put all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  You might have to work the ingredients down with a tamper (if using vitamix) or stop and push/scrape down as needed.  *You may want to add a little more water to thin down if you like or to desired consistency.  This dressing will thicken up a little more while in the fridge.

 

You can adjust the heat by adding less of the pepper and chili powder and/or adjust to your tastes buds. 

 

Store in fridge in airtight container for up to 4-5 days, but is best eaten fresh and within 3 days.

 

Peace☮

Rocki

High Raw - Vegan Quinoa Collard Wraps with Special Sauce

High Raw Vegan Quinoa Wraps 

Occasionally I do eat cooked foods, but not very often.  When I do, I typically incorporate it with mainly raw foods.  One of the cooked foods I truly love is quinoa. 

In short, quinoa is a nutritious gluten-free seed that is a great source of complete protein and fiber.  Quinoa is used like a grain - you can use it in both savory and sweet recipes.  If you've never had it before, give it a try!

For this recipe I used cooked quinoa as the base along with a lightly steamed sweet potato (not yam) with raw veggies and my Raw Vegan Special Sauce.  My tummy isn't able to handle uncooked sweet potatoes, so I simply lightly steam them to satisfy my sensitive tummy. 

This is a very flavorful and filling meal - easily prepared with just a few basic ingredients.  I did not measure the ingredients I put into the quinoa mixture as I just went with what looked and tasted good to me.  Feel free to add or omit any of them.  However, I am including my Special Sauce recipe as that is what really makes this dish flavorful.


High Raw Vegan Quinoa Collard Wraps
approximately 8-10 wraps

Collard Leaves or other wrap of choice

cooked and cooled quinoa (1 cup dry cooked in 2 cups water as per package directions)
1 lightly steamed sweet potato - diced (not yam)
couple handfuls baby spinach - chopped
onion - thinly sliced (as much or little as you like)
avocado - sliced thin

Put all ingredients *except sliced avocado* into a large bowl and gently combine.  Set aside and make the Special Sauce.

Raw Vegan Special Sauce

1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup hemp heart seeds
1 banana pepper (or pepper of choice)
juice of 1 lime
small handful cilantro
1/4 tsp ancho chili powder (or to your liking)
pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Pour sauce into the quinoa mixture bowl and gently combine.

Note about the collard leaves:  I use very large leaves that I cut along both sides of the stem, which gives me 2 leaves.  But you can do this however you like.

For each wrap: place the collard leaf on a cutting board, add a scoop of the quinoa mixture and a couple slices of avocado then roll up like a burrito.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Vegan Veggie Burgers - Nut-Free Version

Raw Veggie Burgers - Vegan and Nut-Free

Super delicious and bursting with flavor raw vegan veggie burgers!  

This is one of my older recipes that I'm finally getting around to posting.  Just never thought of taking pics of these as they aren't the prettiest looking specimens, but they sure are delicious!  I make different versions of veggie burgers as I tweak them all the time.  These are nut-free, but then sometimes I feel like a nut so I'll use walnuts (tee hee hee). 

Raw Veggie Burgers in the dehydrator

While in the dehydrator, they smell soooo good that it's hard to not eat them right off the tray.  Not that I have ever done that (snicker snicker).  But it's well worth the wait. 

The recipe is super easy to make and you can adjust the seasonings and herbs to your liking.  That's one of the tweaks I make as I just let my taste buds take control - partly anyway.  So let's get to the recipe.

Raw Vegan Veggie Burgers - Nut-Free
*makes approximately 8 burgers

1 cup sunflower seeds ground to flour consistency
place in large bowl and set aside

2 large garlic cloves - minced
2 heaping cups mushrooms (quartered)
1/2 onion roughly chopped

Put the above into food processor and pulse process several times until broken down into small bits, but do not over process or it will turn into mush.  Transfer this mixture into the flour bowl and combine well.

Add the following into the flour bowl:

1 large carrot - shredded
1 large zucchini - shredded
1 1/2 TBS Braggs or Tamari
1 tsp heaping Marjoram
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 TBS flax meal

Combine ingredients well.  Mixture will be thick and wet.

I make 8 large thick patties as they shrink down in size.  However, you can make them as big or small as you wish - just remember that will alter the time frame in the dehydrator.

Scoop mixture onto lined dehydrator sheet and form into a large thick pattie.  Do this for each one.  Put into the dehydrator at 145° F for 1 hour only, then turn down to 115° F.  When the top is dry to touch (about another hour or so), transfer them to mesh trays by placing a mesh sheet and tray on top of the patties, flip the trays over then slowly peel back the liner.  Put them back into the dehydrator, wet side up, until done.  They will be moist (not wet) on the inside, yet firm when done.

Total time can vary between 5-7 hours or longer due to a variety of factors (thickness and size of patties, weather, location, humidity, dehydrator, etc.).  Mine took about 6 hours total, but I live in the desert, so that is a factor.
I used romaine leaves for our "bun" and topped them with sliced tomato, onions and avocado.  These are flavorful enough so that you don't need any condiments, but if you prefer to use them then by all means go with your taste buds and enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Lasagna - Marinated Portobello with Vegan Herb "Cheese"

Raw Vegan Lasagna

Raw Lasagna - YUM!  As you can probably tell I love making raw lasagna.  It's one of Mark's favorites, besides my raw tacos, burritos, etc.  It's so easy too.  Of course there is some food prep depending on what you have in the fridge and how you want to make it, but for the most part it is so easy it's crazy.

Marinated Portobello with Vegan Herb "Cheese" Raw Lasagna

This one I made a little heartier by using Portobello mushrooms which I marinated for extra flavor and to soften them up a bit.  I also dehydrated them, but no worries if you do not have a dehydrator as you don't have to do that step.  It just gives them a more "cooked" like texture and appearance.  

Raw Vegan Lasagna - Yum!

The "cheese" is a variation of many of my other hemp "cheese" recipes.  I don't always have fresh herbs on hand, which are always the best, so I use dried in those cases - use whatever you like though.  For the red sauce... well I change it up here and there all the time, but here's this version.  Feel free to change it up to your taste buds.  That's the beauty of raw foods!


Raw Lasagna - Marinated Portobello
with Vegan Herb "Cheese"
this made 2 huge platefuls

Marinated Portobello Mushrooms
2-3 Portobello's, degilled and sliced thick (I used 2 large)
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar (I use a raw gluten-free version)
1 Tbs Braggs or Tamari
1 Tbs EVO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 Tbs Agave
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.  Place the sliced portobellos into a Ziploc bag or other container and pour the marinade into the bag.  Try to coat each one as well as you can.  It may seem as if there is not enough marinade, but the shrooms will develop juice while marinating.  Marinate in fridge for at least 6-8 hours - the longer the better.  Every so often I gently turned the bag over a few times to coat.  When ready to layer, simply remove the shrooms from the bag and let rest to drain onto a paper towel lined plate or cutting board. Or...

*optional* After marinating, place on lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 115° F for approximately 1-2 hours, or longer if you wish.

Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup heaping sundried tomatoes - soaked until softened, then drain
2 medium tomatoes - roughly chopped
1/4 heaping cup onion - roughly chopped
1 medjool date
1 large clove garlic - minced
5-6 basil leaves - chopped
1 long sprig rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
black pepper - few turns or to taste
pinch sea salt

Process in food processor.  Mixture will be thick.  I don't like my lasagna wet and soppy, so I strain my sauce.  Put the tomato mixture into a fine to medium mesh strainer placed over a bowl and set aside to drain while you prepare the rest of the lasagna ingredients.

Hemp Herb "Cheese"
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 large garlic clove
1 cup hemp heart seeds
small handful fresh basil
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp sea salt
water as needed

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.  I like this "cheese" to be a little on the thick side as it works best for spreading on the zucchini layers.  If it is too thick, thin it out with water, a little at a time, until desired consistency.

Spinach Layer
Fresh baby spinach - roughly chopped or torn
amount will vary, use as much or as little as you want

Zucchini noodles
I used 3 zucchinis - sizes vary so use however many you need

I made the noodles with my mandolin - a bit thicker than usual due to the amount of veggies that I was using.  They soften up like noodles while in the fridge for a couple hours and are so yummy!  Anyway, you can also slice them with a knife if you don't have a mandolin.

Let the layering begin!  I used 2 zucchini noodles for each layer that I partially overlapped to make a hearty lasagna serving.  I put a good layer of the herb "cheese" on both sides of the zucchini noodle layers so that it would hold in the veggie layers all nice and snuggly - except when I layered with the red sauce.  You can see how I layered mine, but feel free to layer in any order you wish. 

This can be served immediately, or put in the fridge for 1-2 hours to let the flavors mingle and the zucchini noodles soften.  Enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Mexican Pizza - The Raw Vegan Way

Mexican Pizza - the Raw Vegan Way

We LOVE Mexican food (obviously) and could eat it 7 days a week.  Scratch that.  Make that Raw Vegan Mexican food.  Living here in the southwest we practically live on Mexican food.  In fact, Mark is getting much better with having a little heat in his food. 

Scratch that.  He now LOVES heat in his food.

Raw Mexican Pizza

I simply took one of my raw vegan pizza crusts out of the freezer (sometimes I make a few personal sized pizza crusts and store them in the freezer for up to a week, but they've never made it that long in there ;) and used the leftover walnut mushroom taco filling, mildly spicy hemp "cheese" and pico de gallo from the night before, along with some veggies and voila'!  Mexican pizza!

Eat the rainbow with my Raw Vegan Mexican Pizza!

You can find my pizza crust recipe here or for my soft corn tortillas go here - both raw and vegan of course.  My Walnut Mushroom Taco Filling is here  and my Pico de Gallo is here along with a nut-free taco filling.  Last but not least, is another version of my hemp cheese that I used for my Mexican pizza.

Hemp Cheese - Mildly Spicy version
 
1 yellow bell pepper
1 cup hemp heart seeds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (needed for the "cheese" flavor)
1 large clove garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
juice from half a lemon
1/4 cup water (or more)
good pinch of sea salt
*optional: small pepper of choice for more heat (tastes yummy with or without)

Put all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  You might have to work the ingredients down with a tamper (if using vitamix) or stop and push/scrape down as needed.  This will be somewhat thick and creamy, but you can adjust it with more water to thin it down to your liking.

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Vegan Nut-Free Taco Filling, Pico de Gallo and Green Baja Sauce

Pico de Gallo, Nut-Free Taco Filling, Green Baja Sauce - Raw and Vegan

For those who like or need to keep their meals nut-free, I altered my Walnut Mushroom Filling to accommodate you.  I like to keep most of our meals either nut-free or at least enjoy them sparingly.

This version I tweaked ever so slightly and replaced the walnuts with raw sunflower seeds.  It has a nice texture and same great flavor as my original recipe.  Perfect replacement for the walnuts.  I'm also working on another one, which I've made before but want to tweak it a bit more before posting it.

I also created another new sauce to go with our raw tacos tonight.  Mark loves my hemp cheeses, but I wanted something different and was thinking of a Baja sauce.  It came out fresh and bursting with flavor!

My pico de gallo is a staple here, we eat this regularly and it was funny to actually measure it.  I change this up frequently, so go with your taste buds.  Oh and yes, there was guacamole with our raw tacos.  Can't eat Mexican food without guacamole!  Any meal for that matter.

Nut-Free Taco Filling - Sunflower Seeds

1 heaping cup raw sunflower seeds

2 1/2 cups quartered baby portobellos (8oz package)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder (I typically use more)

1 tsp smoked cumin powder

2 tsp Braggs liquid aminos (or Tamari)

 

Put sunflower seeds into food processor and process until you have small bits.  Add in remaining ingredients and pulse process until it resembles taco meat.  Don't over process or you will end up with pate - unless you want pate.  This will be light in color, but will darken after a little while. 

 

Store in fridge for a couple hours to let the ingredients mingle or eat immediately.  This is best when eaten fresh, but will last in the fridge one extra day.

 

Note: Feel free to adjust the spices to your to your taste buds - I do that all the time.

 

Green Baja Sauce

1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 small pepper for heat of choice - or use more yellow bell
1/4 cup roughly chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup hemp heart seeds
water as needed

Put all ingredients in blender and just a tiny bit of water to help get it going.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Add a little more water at a time to thin it out as desired.

Store in fridge for up to 3 days.


Pico de Gallo

3 medium tomatoes roughly chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup cilantro (small handful)
1/2 cup roughly chopped green onion
1/2 cup roughly chopped white or red onion (I use a mix of both)
2 cloves garlic - *minced (or see below for easy way to mince)
juice of 1 lime
jalepeno of desired amount or other pepper for heat
pinch or two of sea salt

Put all ingredients into food processor and pulse process until broken down into chunky little pieces.  Or, process until your desired consistency.  I like to put mine in mesh strainer and let most of the juice strain out so it doesn't make our tacos soppy wet.  Your choice.

*TIP: to mince garlic the easy way, turn food processor on and with it running toss in the garlic cloves and voila'! minced garlic!  Scrape down the sides and then add in the rest of the ingredients.

Hope you enjoy the recipes and have fun creating!

Peace☮
Rocki

Taco Night! Raw Vegan Walnut Mushroom Filling and more

Raw Vegan Tacos and Dip

 

I'm going to get right to the recipes as I'm a bit short on time, so I'll just let you look at the yummy pictures.

 

Raw Vegan Tacos with Baby Romaine

 

However, I will say that it's taken me a while to post more of my raw vegan Mexican food because, just like when I used to cook, I never measured - especially when it came to Mexican food.  Anyway, I finally did. 

 

Raw Vegan Tacos with my Soft Spicy Corn Tortillas

 

Walnut Mushroom Taco Filling - raw & vegan

(for my nut-free version, go here)

 

1 heaping cup walnuts

2 1/2 cups quartered baby portobellos (8oz package)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder (I typically use more)

1 tsp smoked cumin powder

1/2 Tbs Braggs liquid aminos (or Tamari)

 

Put all ingredients in order into food processor and pulse process until you have small bits that resemble taco meat.  Don't over process or you will end up with pate.  This will be light in color, but will darken after a little while. 

 

Store in fridge for a couple hours to let the ingredients mingle or eat immediately.  This is best when eaten fresh, but will last in the fridge for one extra day.

 

Note:  I change this recipe up almost every time I make it by adding other spices, increasing the heat, etc.  It's very versatile, so adjust to your taste buds.

 

For the rest of the recipes you can find them here:

Spicy Hemp Cheese - nut-free

Soft Spicy Corn Tortillas

 

My pico de gallo will be in the next post.

 

Peace☮

Rocki

Raw Pizza Crust - Vegan, Gluten-Free and Nut-Free

Raw Vegan Pizza

Every time I make my pizza I like to change the toppings, and sometimes tweak the crust.  I have a couple of my raw vegan nut-free crust recipes posted here on my blog, but even though I only tweaked this one a bit, it was actually enough to make a much larger pizza or a couple medium ones. 

The toppings on the pizza above are: peeled carrots, sliced white onion, shredded red cabbage, sliced sweet yellow peppers, my own sundried cherry tomatoes and sliced avocados.  My Spinach Basil Pesto recipe can be found here.

Mark's Birthday Pizza and Bliss Ball "Cake"

Mark's birthday was July 1st.  I asked him what he would like for his birthday dinner and he said "PIZZA!"  You got it hon!  So I made him his special birthday pizza topped with marinated mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and avocado.  He ate every last crumb. 

Yes.  I sang the birthday song.  Twice. 

So here's my raw vegan, nut-free crust that I tweaked.  This will make 2 medium size pizza's or 1 large plus 1 personal pizza... or...

Raw Rocki's Pizza Crust
vegan and nut-free

1/2 cup plus 3 TBS flax meal
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup heaping hemp seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (ground into flour)
1/4 heaping cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 TBS psyllium husk
1 TBS Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine all the above ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

1/3 heaping cup sundried tomatoes - soaked in 2 cups warm water for about 30 minutes (drain and reserve liquid as you'll need it in the next step)
2 medium tomatoes
3/4 large red bell pepper
1/4 cup heaping roughly chopped onion
1 tsp garlic powder or clove
1 tsp fennel seeds
pinch sea salt

Put ingredients into a food processor and process well.  The mixture will be somewhat thick and not watery.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the soak water to the dry mixture bowl and combine well.  Now add the above tomato mixture to the bowl and stir until combined.  If mixture seems too thick, add more water a little at a time.  It won't be like typical pizza dough, but will be quite thick.

Line two dehydrator trays with a teflex sheet (or similar) and spoon the mixture onto them.  Your choice of the sizes you want to make, but just make sure to not make them thin as it shrinks up while dehydrating.  Shape into pizza size and shape of choice.

Put into the dehydrator at 145° F for 1 hour only then turn down to 115° F.  When the top is dry to touch (about another hour), transfer them to mesh trays - remove them from the teflex sheet by slowly peeling it off.  Put them back into the dehydrator, wet side up, until done. 

Total time can vary between 5-7 hours or longer due to a variety of factors (thickness and size of crust, weather, location, humidity, dehydrator, etc.).  Mine took about 6 hours this time, but I live in the desert, so that is a factor.
Enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Herb Smoked Lasagna - Raw Vegan

Raw Vegan Herb Smoked Lasagna

I love creating raw lasagna.  And eating it.  You really can't go wrong as there are a ton of ways to make raw lasagna.  I think that's part of the fun actually.  And eating it.

In this version I created a nut-free herb cashew "cheese" along with smoky tomatoes and onions in place of a sauce.  On each side of the zucchini noodles I put plenty of the "cheese" to hold all the fresh veggies in, and of course for the yumminess factor.  You can use any veggies you like, but here's the layers for this version from bottom up: shredded red cabbage, sliced avocado, double stacked mushrooms with "cheese" in between, and the tomato onion mixture.

Now that you're hungry, here's the recipe that made two huge stacks.

Herb Smoked Lasagna - Raw Vegan

2 large zucchinis - sliced thin or as desired
plenty of veggies of your choice

Cashew Herb Hemp "Cheese"
1/2 cup raw cashews - soaked at least 4 hours.  Rinse well and drain.
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 Tbs nutritional yeast,
1/4 cup hemp heart seeds,
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/2 tsp Mediterranean Marjoram
1 tsp Mediterranean Basil,
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs water

Blend all ingredients.  You may need to stop the blender and scrape down sides a few times.  Mixture will be somewhat thick, but if too thick add more water to your liking.

Smoky Tomato & Onions
2 cups cherub/cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup heaping onions, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Put all ingredients in food processor and pulse several times until it resembles chunky salsa.  Put in strainer over a bowl and let drain - otherwise the lasagna will be soppy wet. After draining, put mixture in a small bowl and sprinkle a few times with more smoked paprika.

I used 2 slices of zucchini noodles for each layer, slightly overlapping them.  Spread some "cheese" on each side of the zucchini noodles then layer with veggies as you wish and enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Vegan Veggie Burgers

Raw Vegan Veggie Burgers - Portobellos

Move over fork and knife!  Raw vegan veggie burgers - it's what's for dinner.

These huge, juicy, delicious, messy, triple napkin, "don't bother me I'm eating" veggie burgers definitely hit the spot.  The get in my belly spot!  They are super easy to make and you can fill them with as many of your favorite veggies as you like.  I used the following, from bottom up:

mashed avocado
onion slices
peeled carrots
sliced tomatoes
leaf lettuce
mashed avocado (can't have too much avocado :)

In fact, I'm just going to get right to the easy peasy recipe as I'm drooling all over my laptop.

Portobello Veggie Burgers

Raw Vegan Veggie Burgers

4 large portobello mushrooms - stemmed and gills removed
Place in Ziploc bag or other container

Marinade
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar (I use raw and gluten-free)
1 Tbs Braggs or Tamari
1 Tbs EVO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 Tbs Agave
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin

Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl then pour over the portobellos and make sure to coat each one as well as you can.  It may seem as if there is not enough marinade, but the shrooms will develop juice while marinating.  Marinate in fridge for at least 6-8 hours - the longer the better. 

After marinating, lightly pat dry each shroom, place on mesh tray and dehydrate at 115° F for approximately 2 hours or until desired tenderness.  Fill with veggies of choice and enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Vegan Veggie Lasagna Stack

Raw Vegan Veggie Lasagna Stack

There are so many ways to make raw vegan lasagna and this is another one of mine.  It is super easy to make and you can change it up to your own liking.  In fact, this is so simple that a recipe really isn't needed, but I have provided it at the end.

Raw Lasagna loaded with veggies

I didn't know where I was going with this one, so I just grabbed a bunch of veggies and went with it.  There are 3 huge layers plus the top, but a couple of them are double stuffed.  Just look at all that raw goodness!

Raw Vegan Meals are far from boring

I text Mark a picture of what I made for dinner (I know, I'm such a tease!) and could hardly wait for him to get home so we could eat.  It was very difficult to not dig into it before he got home.  Okay, so I had a little bite... I had to make sure it was edible, right?

Well, let me just say that the lasagna was our entire dinner.  That is how huge and filling they were.  So if anyone ever tells you that a raw vegan lifestyle is boring... need I say more?

Raw Vegan Veggie Lasagna Stack

This is truly very simple, but here are the basics for my sauce recipe and avocado mash.  The rest of the ingredients I'll list, but there are no measurements as I pretty much winged this one.

Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes - soaked until softened then drain
2 medium tomatoes - roughly chopped
1 medjool date
5-6 basil leaves - chopped
1 long sprig rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
black pepper - few turns or to taste
pinch sea salt

Process well in food processor.  Mixture will be thick.  I don't like my lasagna wet and soppy, so I strain my sauce.  Put the tomato mixture into a fine to medium mesh strainer, place over bowl and set aside to drain while you prepare the rest of the lasagna ingredients.  You can see how I did it in my other lasagna recipe here.

Avocado Mash
1 avocado
squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp onion powder
black pepper - couple turns
pinch of sea salt

Just like it says - mash the avocado along with all the ingredients.

Zucchini noodles
I used 3 zucchinis - sizes vary so use however many you need

I made the noodles with my mandolin - a bit thicker than usual due to the amount of veggies that I was using.  They soften up like noodles while in the fridge for a couple hours and are so yummy!  Anyway, you can also slice them with a knife if you don't have a mandolin.

Use whatever veggies you would like in your lasagna, but here's what I used in this one from bottom up:

zucchini noodles
sauce
chopped yellow bell pepper
zucchini noodles
sauce
peeled carrots
zucchini noodles (I put a little avocado on it first then put it on top of the carrots to hold in place)
avocado mash
chopped onion
corn
zucchini noodles (I put a little tomato sauce on it first then put it on top to hold veggies in place)
tomato sauce

Serve immediately or at least within a 2-3 hours and enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Eggplant Spinach Zucchini Rolls with Sunflower Seed Pate

Raw Vegan Meal

Last Sunday we had lazy morning planned before going on an afternoon outing.  Well, for me that meant playing with food.

I was originally going to make another variation of my raw lasagna, but then my mind started to roll.  Literally ;)  I told Mark my idea and he said it sounded yummy!  So I went with it.

These triple layer rolls of goodness goes like this: 1st layer - marinated eggplant topped with my sunflower seed pate and shredded carrots then rolled. 2nd layer - spinach leaves topped with my hemp ricotta style "cheese" and wrapped around the eggplant roll. 3rd layer - zucchini lasagna noodles topped with more sunflower seed pate and snugly wrapped around the spinach leaves. 

Yum. 

There are a few steps to this and I meant to take pictures of them, but... so I'll just break down each step of my recipe with the ingredients needed.  It's not an all day prep, but do allow yourself a little time.

Eggplant Spinach Zucchini Rolls with Sunflower Seed Pate
makes approximately 12 rolls - pending size of veggies

Step 1 - Eggplant Marinade

1 eggplant - thinly sliced. I used my mandolin at about 1/8" - set aside.

Marinade:
1 Tbs each: apple cider vinegar, braggs amino acids, agave
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Stir well to combine.  Place the sliced eggplant in a Ziploc bag or large pan/dish and pour the marinade over them.  It will appear that there is not enough, but the juice from the eggplant will develop while marinating.  Try to coat each slice with marinade and double stack the eggplant so they can mingle.  Marinate approximately 60 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients.

note: I got 12 slices from the eggplant I used, but please take into account that veggie sizes vary.  If yours is very large then you'll need to adjust the amount of marinade 

Step 2 Hemp Ricotta Style "Cheese"

1/2 cup heaping hemp heart seeds + 2 Tbs
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
1/4 cup water

In blender, blend all ingredients.  You may need to stop blender and work down ingredients.  It will look similar to ricotta cheese.  Due to blenders vary, adjust the water as needed, but you don't want it watery.  Put in small bowl and into fridge while preparing next step.  This will also thicken it up more.

Step 3 - Sunflower Seed Pate

1/2 cup heaping sunflower seeds (soaked and dehydrated, but not necessary)
1/2 cup hemp heart seeds
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove - minced
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
1 tsp basil (fresh would be best, but I was out)
fresh Rosemary sprigs - approximately 1-2 inches
1/8 tsp sea salt

In food processor add the sunflower and hemp seeds and process until you have little bits, almost flour like.  Add in the remaining ingredients and process until well combined.  Divide into 2 small bowls, cover and set aside while preparing the next step.

Step 4 - Shredded Carrots, Zucchini and Spinach Leaves

2 large carrots - shredded.  I used my food processor with the shredder attachment to make it easy, but however you wish is fine.  Put in bowl and set aside.

1 long large zucchini - sliced thin.  I used my mandolin at about 1/8".  Have an extra zucchini on hand just in case.

Spinach Leaves - as many as you need, grab a handful and set them aside

Step 5 - time to rock and roll

Remove the marinated eggplant from the dish and onto a paper towel lined tray or cutting board.  Place another paper towel over them and pat dry.  You don't want them wet and juicy.

Have at least 2 trays to work with: a large one for rolling up the different veggie layers with and the other to place them on.  I used 3 trays - I tend to spread out.  Also give yourself enough room and set out all the ingredients in working order.  Here we go...

1st layer: take a marinated eggplant slice and roughly spread with sunflower pate - you don't need to cover it completely or be neat and perfect.  Make sure to get a little dab at both ends so it will seal close.  Top with shredded carrots and roll up snug.

2nd layer: take 1 large spinach leaf (depends on size of leaf, but you want it to wrap around so use 2 if needed) add some hemp ricotta "cheese" on it and wrapped it around the eggplant roll.

3rd layer: take a zucchini lasagna noodle, roughly spread with a little pate, again at the ends, and snugly wrapped around the spinach leaves.

Now repeat until done.  I had a little bit of the mixtures left over, but not much, so I made a few extra zucchini rolls with it. 

Oh and I double wrapped a few of the rolls with the zucchini, but the rest I only used one as I like how they look with the spinach - more colorful.

You can serve these immediately or chill in fridge for a couple hours and then enjoy.

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Vegan Lasagna

Fresh Raw Vegan Lasagna

This is another recipe that I transferred from my old blog

Before I go on about my Raw Vegan Lasagna recipe, I just want to mention that I have included several pictures to show part of the process and how the ingredients look after preparing them.  I just don't want you to feel overwhelmed by all the photos.

Every time I make my lasagna I change it up here and there.  I never measured anything or wrote it down, for most of my recipes actually.  However, after several requests and starting my old blog, plus preparing for my E-books, I figured it would be a good idea.  I have a kitchen full of my recipes. 

I'll skip the part in telling you how flavorful, delicious, mouthwatering and nutritious it is and get straight to the good stuff.  One little note and then I'll zip it.  Under each photo I explain a little about it, but the entire recipe is at the end.


Veggies prepped and ready to make lasagna

This is a little backwards, but this is almost the end result after preparing all the fresh ingredients (except for the zucchinis) in order to make the lasagna.

 

Wilted fresh baby spinach

Sometimes I like to wilt the fresh baby spinach a little in a tasty mixture, but not to the point that it looks entirely cooked.  It will take on a more cooked texture and appearance after the lasagna has chilled for a couple hours.  I start with the spinach to give it time to wilt and set it aside.

Fresh mushrooms take on a "cooked" texture after marinated

Next we wilt the mushrooms.  I slice the fresh mushrooms and place them in a bowl with my wilting mixture.  I like to wilt them to not only take on a cooked appearance, but for taste and texture as well.  I set this aside and proceed with the next step.  (I strain them after they get to the wilting point that I like)

raw vegan "cheese" crumbles

Sometimes I have this "cheese" on hand as it is a great topping for salads, but to show the entire process of this recipe I made some fresh.

fresh tomato sauce

The yummy sauce!  I start with sundried tomatoes that I soak in warm water.  I actually start the recipe by soaking them and proceed from there, but I didn't take a picture of that part. 

Anyway, after making the sauce I put it in a fine mesh strainer while I prepare the rest of the ingredients.  The reason I do this is because I don't want my lasagna to be wet and soppy.

Sliced zucchini using a mandolin

I slice the zucchinis very thin, approximately 1/8", except for about 5 slices as I make them a little thicker and use for the bottom layer.  If you don't have a mandolin, a sharp knife is perfectly fine.

Zucchini pasta noodles

It still amazes me how zucchini can take on a pasta texture in many raw recipes and it is so yummy!

 

organic olives

Occasionally I add clean organic olives in my lasagna, but this time I used them as a garnish.

first layer of lasagna

Now to layer the lasagna.  No, I didn't forget my lasagna dish.  Sometimes I like to make it on this platter as it is easier to cut and serve from.  The choice is yours.

I start with a little sauce on the bottom, then zucchini and more sauce.  You can layer how you wish, but I'll explain how I do it in the recipe at the end.

raw vegan lasagna RAWks!

(waves magic wand) And in a blink of an eye we have raw vegan lasagna! 

veggie filled lasagna

Look at all those yummy layers!  This can be served immediately or put it in the fridge to chill so it can take on a more cooked texture and appearance as in the photo below.



chilled raw vegan lasagna takes on cooked texture

This is what it looks like after chilled for a few hours.  Sometimes I pop it in the dehydrator to warm up a bit, but for the most part we love it right out of the fridge.

And now for my recipe.  Don't let all the steps scare you...once you get everything set out and start going it is a fairly smooth process.  Just allow yourself a little time, it is SO worth it!  I listed everything in order as I make it.  This can be altered in many ways to fit your liking and/or diet.  For instance, you can completely skip the wilting process and use the fresh ingredients as is.  I make plenty lasagna that way too as it's quick and simple .  Hope you enjoy it!

Raw Vegan Lasagna

Step 1 - Soaking Sundried Tomatoes
3/4 cup sundried tomatoes

Soak in warm water and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.  You will use these in the sauce that will be made in Step 6.

Step 2 - Wilting Mixture
1 Tbs EVO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 1/2 Tbs Braggs or other Amino Acids
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs Agave

Wisk all ingredients in a small dish. I use a glass measuring cup as it is easier to pour from.  This is used for both the spinach and mushrooms.  It may not seem like enough for both, but it is - plus the shrooms will produce liquid as they start to wilt.

Step 3 - Wilt Spinach
3 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach

Loosely tear spinach and place in large bowl.  Add less than half of the wilting mixture to the spinach then toss to coat.  Set aside.

Step 4 - Wilt Mushrooms
8 oz or more of Mushrooms of choice

Slice mushrooms and place in bowl.  Add remaining wilting mixture, toss to coat well then set aside.

Once they have wilted to desired liking, drain and set aside.

Step 5 - "Cheese" Crumbles
1/2 cup cashews
3 Tbs pine nuts
1 small garlic clove
1 Tbs nutritional yeast (gives it the cheesy flavor, not to mention health benefits)
1/8 tsp sea salt

Add all ingredients to food processor and process until it resembles small crumbles.  Set aside.

Step 6 - Sauce
1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (or tomatoes of choice)
3/4 cup soaked and drained sundried tomatoes from Step 1
1 medjool date (stone removed)
1/3 cup roughly chopped onion
1/2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
4-5 fresh basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning

Place all ingredients in order into food processor and pulse several times until well blended (may need to scrape down sides), but do not over process.  You don't want this to be a smooth sauce or it will be too runny for the lasagna - it needs to be a little chunky.  Set aside.

Step 7 - Zucchini Noodles
2 large zucchinis

I use a mandolin, but if you do not have one then a sharp knife will be fine.  I start by making about 5 thick slices which will be used for the bottom layer.  Slice the remaining zucchinis very thin or desired liking.  Set aside.

Step 8 - Layer the lasagna  
Now comes the fun part...wait, the above was fun too, right?  This part isn't rocket science, but I'll explain how I layered it, but feel free to layer as you wish.

Take a little bit of sauce and splatter it around with your hand onto a large platter, just to have a thin layer.  Just note here that for the rest of the layering when it comes time for the sauce, I use my clean hands because it's much easier to place on top of the zucchini and spread around.  The sauce doesn't completely cover everything like in traditional lasagna, but enough to get a decent covering.  So the rest goes like this...

Place the thick slices of zucchini on the sauce plate and then...
sauce
"cheese"
spinach
zucchini
sauce
"cheese"
mushrooms
zucchini
sauce
optional olive garnish
top with lots more "cheese"

You can serve and enjoy immediately or place in the fridge to chill a few hours which will let the zucchini become more "noodle" like and all ingredients take on a more "cooked" texture and appearance.  You can also warm it in the dehydrator if you so choose.  Enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Cashew Pine Nut Cheese - Raw Vegan Zucchini Rolls

Raw Vegan Zucchini Rolls

Zucchini.  The versatile vegetable that is loved by raw vegans alike and is a main staple in our home.  From simple raw chips to pasta noodles, fries, smoothies, desserts, lasagna to wraps and... well I'll stop here before I start drooling all over my laptop.

Easy Raw Vegan Cheese Recipe

I've had a love affair with zucchini all my life.  My grandma used to make this yummy tomato, yellow squash and zucchini dish that I would scarf down whenever she made it.  Oh my gosh that was so delicious!  I think I need to recall how she made it and turn it into a raw dish - Rocki style.

Zucchini Rolls with Raw Vegan Cashew Pine Nut Cheese

Zucchini rolls are so easy to make and the variations you can come up with are endless.  For this version I made one of my chunky raw cashew cheese recipes to hold all the goodies inside.  Then I grabbed some veggies for the filling, tuned the radio to KSLX for some good old classic Rock n Roll then started rolling zucchini... and rockn' out.

Cashew Pine Nut Cheese - Raw Vegan Zucchini Rolls

For the cheese:
1 cup cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours, rinse and drain)
2 Tbs pine nuts
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup + 1 Tbs water

Put all ingredients into your vitamix/blender and blend until semi-smooth - unless you want it entirely creamy.  If so, then continue to blend and you may need to add a little more water.  I wanted this cheese to have a thick and somewhat chunky texture to hold it's shape.

For the wraps:
1 very large zucchini
green onions
mushrooms
spinach
cilantro

I used my mandolin to make thin zucchini slices.  You can use the veggies I have listed or other veggies you would like (tonight we had zuc rolls with a pile of shredded carrots and the cheese for the filling - nom nom nom!)  Spread some of the cheese onto the zucchini slices.  Start at one end and top with one of the veggies, roll once, add another veggie, roll once... you get the idea.  End with a little dab of cheese to make sure it sticks.

And there you have it.  Zucchini rolls 101.  Easy as pie.  Mmmmm... pie.  I think I want dessert now.

Peace ☮,
Rocki