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

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