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 Pizza - Nut and Gluten-Free Crust

Raw Vegan Pizza

This is one of my recipes from my old blog that I've transferred here.

 

One thing I love to make is my raw vegan pizza... nom nom nom!  That's right... raw vegan pizza.  Follow me and I'll tell you about it.

Nut-Free Pizza Crust

Above is my own tasty recipe for the crust, which is not only raw and vegan, but also gluten and nut free.

Pizza with lots of veggies!

I like to change up my pizza each time I make it, from a variety of toppings, sauce or no sauce and cheese.  Yes, that's right... raw vegan cheese.  Stay with me now and I'll give you the recipe soon.

Mandala Pizza

I know my pictures are not the best, but heck, I just love how this one looks so have to share another view of it.

Back into the dehydrator

After I put all the ingredients onto the crust I then popped it back into the dehydrator for about an hour.  This gives the cheese time to settle in with the ingredients and makes the house smell yummy!

Fresh sliced pizza anyone?

If you think us raw vegans only eat bunny food, take a look at this scrumptious pizza.  Well, we do still love our bunny food :)

This slice is all mine!

And now it's time to eat!  As you can see, the crust holds up nicely and is quite filling.  We had a small side salad with a couple little slices and... okay, well not so little... and we were full.

That's the end of my pizza tour and now it's time for the recipes for my crust and cheese.

Raw Rocki's Pizza Crust

1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (ground into little bits like flour)
1/4 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 cup sundried tomatoes - soaked in 1 1/2 cups warm water for about 30 minutes (drain and reserve liquid as you'll need it in the next step)
1 large tomato
1/2 red bell pepper
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 3/4 cup of the soaked 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 thick and pliable enough to form with your hands.

Line a dehydrator mesh tray with a teflex sheet (or similar) and spoon the mixture onto it.  I put another teflex sheet on top of the mixture then use a rolling pin and then my hands to form into a big round pizza crust shape.  You can also make a big square pizza too, I do that sometimes.  Don't make it too thin as it will shrink up while dehydrating.

Put into the dehydrator at 145° F for 1 hour only then turn down to 115° F.  When the top crust is dry to touch (about 2 hours in), transfer it to another mesh tray and remove it from the teflex sheet by slowly peeling it off.  Put it back in for about 1/2 hour or so and then flip back over until done.  Total time can vary between 4-6 hours or longer due to a variety of factors (thickness and size of crust, weather, location, etc.).  Mine took about 4 1/2 hours this time, but I live in a dry state so that is a factor.

When the crust is done, top with your favorite ingredients and either put it back into the dehydrator for about an hour or eat right away and enjoy!

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Before I get to the cheese recipe, just want to mention that yes, all the ingredients are raw even the mushrooms.  We like the mushrooms to take on a little bit of "cooked" texture so I wilt them slightly by using a tiny bit of liquid amino acid like Braggs.


Raw Rocki's Pizza Cheese

1 cup cashews - soaked for at least 2 hours then rinse and drain
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 yellow bell pepper
1 clove garlic
3 TBS heaping of nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TBS raw apple cider vinegar (I use Braggs Organic)
 1/4 cup water (can adjust texture by decreasing or increasing water for a thicker or thinner cheese)

Combine all ingredients into vitamix/blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  This makes much more than what you need for the pizza crust, but I always make this size batch because Mark likes to use it as a snack dip for his veggies, etc.

Hope you enjoy these recipes and feel free to change them up as you need to.

Peace☮
Rocki

Edited on 6/26/14

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