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 Vegan Pizza Balls - version II

Raw Vegan Pizza Balls

Bite size pizza - raw, vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.  This is a super tasty tweaked version of my Raw Vegan Pizza Rounds and Poppers.  There's just a slight difference between the two recipes, but enough to notice so thought I would post this recipe as well.

I popped these yummy snack size bites into the dehydrator for just a couple hours and boy, I don't know how I stopped myself from eating them one by one!  They are SO good right out of the dehydrator, but no worries if you do not have one as these tasty pizza balls can be eaten without dehydrating.  Yep.  Sure can.

Bite Size Pizza - the Raw Vegan Way

When you bite into these delicious balls of bliss, especially right out of the dehydrator, you'll think you're eating a slice of pizza.  Pretty close to it at least.  Plus they are chewy and... oh my... I think I need to make another batch.

Raw Vegan Pizza Balls Makes approximately 18-20 small bites

1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 heaping cup sundried tomatoes (soaked in 1 cup of water - reserve water)
1/3 cup onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup hemp heart seeds
1/2 heaping cup nutritional yeast (needed for "cheese" flavor)
1 tsp fennel seeds (needed for tasty pizza flavor)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
*optional black olives (about 5-6 quartered)

In a food processor add sunflower seeds and process until small bits that resembles flour.  Do not drain the soaked sundried tomatoes - simply scoop them out of the soak water, give a gentle squeeze and add them to the processor.  Add in all remaining ingredients *except* water and process until mixture holds together when forming a ball.  You may need to stop and scrap down the sides, etc. as mixture will be somewhat thick.  It shouldn't, *but* if the mixture seems too dry add in some of the soak water a little at a time until achieved.  Take a little taste test too - you know you want to.

Roll the mixture into small bite size balls.  You'll probably want to do another taste test at this time.  If there are any left and you don't want to dehydrate them, serve immediately or put them in the fridge to chill.

Or - put them on a lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 110°F for approximately 2 hours or longer if you wish.  This will not turn them into crust or crackers, it will simply firm them up a bit more.  You will definitely want to do another taste test right out of the dehydrator - mmmmm!  In fact, at this point you may want to make a double batch.

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 Herb Flatbread

Veggie Herb Flatbread - Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free

Please excuse the photo quality.  I typically take my photos outside, but lately it is way too hot for me to do that.  If I did, the food would look like a pile of goo and I don't think that would look too appetizing. ;)

This is a version of my other flatbreads.  I made my Raw Vegan Sloppy Joe's over the weekend and wanted something a little different than the others, so I created this one.  It's very flavorful and went quite well with the Joe's!  Let's just get right to the recipe...  

Raw Vegan Veggie Herb Flatbread

1 1/2 cups flax meal
1/2 cup hemp heart seeds
1/4 cup heaping nutritional yeast
1 Tbs phyllium husk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine above ingredients in large bowl and set aside.

1/3 cup heaping sundried tomatoes - soaked in 1 1/2 cups water until softened.  Reserve soak liquid and set aside.

1 very large tomato
drained sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup onion roughly chopped
1 large garlic clove roughly minced
1 small peeled zucchini
1 small carrot roughly chopped
1 Tbs Herbs de Provence
1 tsp Mediterranean Basil
1 tsp Mediterranean Marjoram
1 tsp onion powder
pinch of sea salt

In food processor, process until well combined and somewhat resembles thick pasta sauce. 

Add 1 cup of the reserved soak water to the dry mix bowl and combine.  This will be thick.  Stir in the veggie mixture and combine well. 

This made 1 full tray plus a small square.  Spoon the mixture onto two lined dehydrator trays - pending on how big you want to make the squares.  Evenly spread the mixture, but don't spread it too thin as it will shrink up a bit in the dehydrator.

Put into the dehydrator at 145° F for 1 hour only then turn down to 115° F.  About another 30-45 minutes after that, or when the top is dry to touch, transfer the flatbread to a mesh tray.  Put a mesh sheet on top of the bread along with a tray, flip it over and remove it from the lined sheet by slowly peeling it off.  Put it back in the dehydrator until done.  I typically rotate the tray around on the hour or so, but is not necessary.  Total time will vary due to location, weather, humidity, dehydrator, wetness, thickness, etc.  I live in the dry desert, so this only took approximately 6 hours. 

Cut into desired sizes and once completely cooled, put into a ziplock bag or other container.  This will also soften the bread.  Can be stored on counter for a couple days or put in fridge.

Enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Vegan Pizza with Spinach Basil Pesto

Raw Vegan Pizza with Spinach Basil Pesto

Oh.  My.  Gosh!  This was one of my best pizza's yet!  Honestly, Mark and I could hardly wait to dig in.  And let me tell you... crumbs did not fall.

Yummy Healthy Guilt-Free Pizza!

For this huge pizza I wanted a bright green sauce, so I created a raw vegan Spinach Basil Pesto.  For toppings, lots of colorful veggies: red cabbage, sweet onion, yellow squash, orange & yellow sweet peppers, avocado and my own sundried grape tomatoes.  I believe I made a rainbow! 

It was just too pretty to eat.  Riiiiight.

Raw Vegan Pizza Crust - ready to go into the dehydrator

I used my basic nut-free raw vegan pizza crust recipe that you can find here, but made it a bit bigger this time.  Oh and I also added a bit of white onion to the tomato mixture.  While the crust is in the dehydrator, I drool for hours as the house smells like a giant pizza! 

Rainbow Veggie Pizza

Just in case you wanted one last look at this colorful, delicious and healthy pizza before I get to the recipe.  I know, I'm such a tease (snicker snicker).

Raw Vegan Spinach Basil Pesto

1 cup packed torn basil
3 good handfuls baby spinach
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 Tbs hemp heart seeds
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbs lemon juice
4-5 turns black pepper
pinch or two of sea salt
*optional EVO

Put all ingredients into a blender except optional EVO (extra virgin olive oil) and blend until smooth and creamy.  You'll probably need to stop the blender off and on to work the mixture down.  It will be thick which is perfect for the pizza crust.  However, if it's too thick or you want a thinner consistency, add a little water or drizzle of EVO until desired liking.

My Raw Vegan Pizza Crust recipe is here.  Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Tomato Stack

Tomato Stack Lunch

Want a quick, simple and satisfying lunch or snack?  Try my super easy Tomato Stack.  You should have seen the whole tomato as it was as big as my hand!  In fact, I could have stacked it higher, but this was perfect.

This is so simple that it doesn't actually require a recipe, so I'm just going to write up the basics and you take it from there.  Okie dokie? 

Tomato Stack

1 large tomato - sliced thick
1 small avocado - mashed and seasoned to taste
sliced sweet onion
sprouts

Layer ingredients 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 Vegan Sloppy Joes

Raw Vegan Sloppy Joes

So the other night we were watching a movie and in one scene they were eating Sloppy Joes.  My mind suddenly went to food and I blurted out I NEED TO CREATE A RAW VEGAN SLOPPY JOE!  Mark didn't miss a beat and said "YES!!"

Let me back up.  When I was a kid I loved Sloppy Joes!  But not the meat part, just the sauce.  While my mom was making the packaged sauce (I don't know how I ate that crap), I would sneak in and taste it by the spoonful before she added the meat.  So fast forward to the other night.  As soon as I seen them eating SJ's my taste buds went off - big time. The next day I put on my Raw Vegan Mad Scientist Coat (apron) and into the garden (kitchen) I went to turn another old school dish into a healthy raw & vegan one.

I've included sort of a step by step photos and at the end is the recipe.  I'll admit that it was very difficult to take a decent photo of the SJ's without it looking like meat, which it's not, but trust me when I say that the flavor will burst in your mouth!

Walnut and Mushroom Mixture

I used walnuts and baby portobello mushrooms for the base mix and pulse processed to semi little bits.

Fresh Tomato Paste Mixture

The tomato mixture is processed until it resembles tomato paste, but tastes much better!

Tomato Paste Mixture with added Veggies

Little bits of veggies were then added.  The flavor was absolutely bursting in my mouth!


Both mixes combined

After adding the tomato veggie mixture to the walnut shroom mix, I scooped a big spoonful and took a bite.  BAM!  Oh yes, it is seriously that good! 

Veggie Joes!

I happened to have made a new flatbread recipe a few days ago, so I served my raw vegan SJ's on my new bread.  Perfect!  I haven't had time to post the recipe for my new flatbread and while I could have done that first, I was just too super excited about my SJ's! 

Speaking of my SJ'S, lets move on to the recipe.  Just to note that I'm writing it out in steps, so all the ingredients are in each step of this simple recipe.

Raw Vegan Sloppy Joes
This makes a big batch - I'll measure next time.

Step 1
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
2 medjool dates (or dates of choice)

Soak in fresh water together for approximately 20-30 minutes.  Set aside - these will be used in Step 3.

Step 2
2 1/2 cups baby portobellos - roughly chopped
1 cup walnuts (soaked & dehydrated, but not necessary)
1 tsp Braggs or Tamari
1/8 tsp chili powder

In food processor, pulse process to semi-bits - but not too small as you don't want this mushy.  Put in large bowl and set aside.

Step 3
2 medium size tomatoes - quartered
1 garlic clove - chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper - roughly chopped
1/4 cup celery - roughly chopped
sundried tomatoes & medjool dates from Step 1 - drained

Put in food processor and process well, until it resembles tomato paste.  Leave in the processor and follow next step.

Step 4
1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/4 tsp heaping ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

Add to the tomato paste mix in food processor and pulse a few times to combine.

Step 5
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1 large garlic clove - minced

Add veggies to the tomato mix and pulse process briefly just to combine.

Step 6
Add the tomato veggie mix to the walnut shroom bowl and stir to combine. 

Serve on bread or buns of your choice.  For lunch I had leftovers on romaine lettuce - delish!  Store in fridge.  Best enjoyed the day of making it and will keep for one extra day.

Enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Pizza and Flatbread - Spinach Basil with Vegan Cheese

Raw Vegan Pizza

Raw pizza.  Oh yes.  And we can eat it anytime we want without the guilt.

This is another variation of my raw vegan pizza crust.  I was in a spinach and basil kind of mood, so I took the hint and into the garden I went (kitchen).

Raw Vegan Spinach Basil Pizza Crust and Flatbread

Besides the fresh basil plant that I have in the kitchen, the house smelled like basil throughout while the crust was in the dehydrator.  My oh my, was my tummy rumbling! 

I decided to make a smaller pizza than usual as I wanted a flat bread for sammies as well.  That's what is on the bottom tray.  Same recipe, but two different yummies.

Veggie Pizza on Raw Spinach Basil Crust

I wanted different toppings to go along with my spinach basil crust. Something bright and colorful - and of course tasty.  So while the crust was in the dehydrator, I made a simple orange bell pepper hemp cheese spread.  Perfect.

Then I opened the fridge and just started pulling out veggies.  I thought it would be fun to have something resemble stringy cheese - like when you bite into a pizza, you have a string of "cheese" from your mouth to the pizza.  Carrots were my choice for this and I used a peeler for it.  The rest of the veggies I thinly sliced, except for the beet root.  I used a small flower cookie cutter.  Every raw vegan pizza needs pretty purple flowers.

Before I go onto the recipe, I have to say that the carrot "cheese" truly worked!  Mark took his first big bite and stringy "cheese" went from his mouth to the pizza in his hand.  We both smiled.  "Cheesy" smiles of course.

Raw Pizza and Flatbread - Spinach Basil

3/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup hemp heart seeds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbs phyllium husk
1/8 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and set aside.

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes - soaked in 1 1/2 cups water for approximately 30 minutes.  Drain and reserve liquid for next step.
2 large tomatoes - roughly chopped (just about 2 cups)
1/2 large yellow bell pepper - roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic - minced or diced small
1/2 cup onion - roughly chopped
pinch of sea salt

In food processor, process until well combined.  Leave in processor and add in:

2 handfuls baby spinach
small handful basil

Continue processing until well combined. 

Add 1 cup of the reserved soak water to the dry mix bowl and stir well.  This will be thick.  Stir in the wet mixture.  If it seems too thick to spread, add some more soak water a little at a time. 

Spoon the  mixture onto two lined dehydrator trays.  You can either make 2 pizzas or flatbread or one of each.  With your clean hands or spatula, form into shape of choice.  You don't want it too thin as it will shrink up a bit in the dehydrator.  Also, the thicker it is the longer dehydrator time.

Put into the dehydrator at 145° F for 1 hour only then turn down to 115° F for another 5-7 hours or until done.  Total time will vary due to location, weather, dehydrator, wetness, thickness, etc.  When the top is dry to touch, transfer it to a mesh tray - put a mesh sheet on top of the crust/bread, flip it over and remove it from the lined sheet by slowly peeling it off.  Put it back in the dehydrator until done.  I typically rotate the tray around, but is not necessary.  The small pizza crust took a total of 6 hours this time and the large flatbread about 7 1/2.

Top the pizza with your favorite toppings and enjoy!  For the flatbread, cut it into desired sizes.  Store in sealed container on counter for 1-2 days or in fridge for 4-5 days.  Can be stored in freezer for longer storage.

Note: you can also dehydrate longer for a cracker instead of bread.

Raw Flat Bread and Vegan Cheese Spread

Orange Bell Pepper Hemp Cheese Spread
this makes more than you need for the pizza, but is versatile like any other cheese spread

1 orange bell pepper
1 cup hemp heart seeds
3 Tbs nutritional yeast
juice of half a lemon
pinch of sea salt

In blender, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.  This makes a thick cheese spread.  If you want a thinner cheese, add a little water at a time and blend. 

Store in sealed container in fridge for up to 4 days.

Peace☮
Rocki

Strawberry Mint Swirl Smoothie - Raw and Vegan

Strawberry Mint Smoothie

When I have a little extra time in the mornings I enjoy being creative with my smoothies.  I love to do layers with different fruits and greens, from simple to elegant.  This one was rather simple in looks, but the taste had a definite WOW factor!

Strawberry Mint Swirl Smoothie Mint

Cream Layer:
2 cold ripe bananas
3-4 mint leaves
1/4 cup hemp milk (or milk of choice)
1 tsp Matcha (optional)

Blend all ingredients, pour into a separate container and put in freezer while making the next layer.

Reddish Pink layer:
1 handful strawberries - about 1 1/2 cups
1/2 small beet
1 small frozen ripe banana

Blend all ingredients.

Alternately pour each layer in a tall glass and give a little swirl after each layer.  I topped mine with mint and a few nibbles of my fudge brownie, which is completely optional.

Peace☮
Rocki

Raw Vegan Puerto Rican Rice

Cauliflower Rice - Raw Vegan Puerto Rican II

 

One thing I love to do in the kitchen is turn traditional food raw - especially what I call "old school" favorites. While this raw version isn't actually old school, it is an old favorite that we used to have quite frequently at our friends house long ago.

 

The above version of my Puerto Rican Rice is a spinoff of the first one that I made, which is below.  There isn't too much of a difference recipe wise, but was enough to give it a bit more flavor so am posting both recipes. 

 

Raw Vegan Puerto Rican Rice II

 

1 small head cauliflower

3/4 cup roughly chopped onion

1/2 cup heaping sundried tomatoes - soaked and drained well

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp Saffron

1/8 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup peas

 

Cut cauliflower into chunks, put into food processor and pulse several times until you have rice like pieces - don't over process or you'll have mush.  Scrape sides as needed.  Depending on size of your processor, you may need to do this part in 2 batches.  Put "rice" into large bowl and set aside. *don't clean the processor*

 

Add the following to the food processor:

 

roughly chopped onion

sundried tomatoes

Process until you have semi-small bits.

 

Add in the chopped cilantro and pulse process a few times. Add this mixture to the rice bowl and stir in the following spices only and combine well:

 

cayenne pepper

cumin

Saffron

turmeric

garlic powder

sea salt

 

Gently stir in the peas.

 

Serve immediately or put in fridge to chill.  Store in fridge for up to approximately 3 days.  Remember, this is fresh food so it's best to eat it sooner than later. 

 

 

Raw Vegan Puerto Rican Rice Dish

 

This is my first recipe and again, while there's not much difference in ingredients, there was a definite overall taste in flavor.  Both scored two thumbs up from my official taste tester. 

 

Raw Vegan Puerto Rican Rice

 

1 small head cauliflower

1/2 cup roughly chopped onion

1/3 cup sundried tomatoes

1/2 Serrano pepper - seeded

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup peas

 

Cut cauliflower into chunks, put into food processor and pulse several times until you have rice like pieces - don't over process or you'll have mush.  Scrape sides as needed.  Depending on size of your processor, you may need to do this part in 2 batches.  Put "rice" into large bowl and set aside. *don't clean the processor*

 

Add the following to the food processor:

 

roughly chopped onion

sundried tomatoes

serrano pepper - seeded

Process until you have semi-small bits.

 

Add in the chopped cilantro and pulse process a few times. Add this mixture to the rice bowl and stir in the following spices only and combine well:

 

cayenne pepper

cumin

turmeric

garlic powder

sea salt

 

Gently stir in the peas.

 

I served this rice with avocado slices and sliced bananas sprinkled with Saigon cinnamon.  Both version are delicious room temp or chilled.

 

Peace☮

Rocki