roasted sweet dumpling squash with rosemary and garlic

winter squash did nothing for me until i tried the different varieties grown by our csa, and now roasted squash may be my favorite thing about fall (next to the colorful leaves and coziness of the season, of course:) i like kabocha, delicata and sweet dumpling squash best as they all have a nice sweetness and texture to them that make them delicious simply roasted with just a bit of salt - and their skin is edible (and very good) - so no peeling (which is not always easy with squash)!

this dish came together pretty effortlessly as i just picked through the fridge and garden for ingredients. in my opinion, all veggies taste great together roasted, especially squash and root vegetables! to make sure those tough veggies got tender when baked, i added just enough water to fill the bottom of a glass casserole dish and covered with foil to steam them through.

the sweet dumpling squash, purple potato and carrots were baked with a nice sprinkling of salt, three chopped garlic cloves and two sprigs of rosemary for 25 minutes in a 425° oven. then i removed the foil, added broccoli and a drizzle of olive oil, then roasted the veggies uncovered another 20 minutes.

while the vegetables were cooking, i picked and made a kalad (which i just accidentally typed but have decided to leave and coin as the new term for kale salad :) it would have been a quick and easy salad had every single leaf not been covered in eggs, tiny cocoons and cute little caterpillars hiding in the curly ends! after the little guys were freed, the chopped kale was washed thoroughly, massaged with olive oil and salt, then sprinkled with hemp seeds and dried cranberries.

 

you know it's a good meal when hubba wubba says to leave out the rest because he plans to go back for seconds!:) which vegetables do you enjoy in the fall?

xoxoxo

today

this morning john and i went to the collingswood farmer's market and found some local and organic goodies, including a five-pound bag of yukon gold potatoes. when we got home i threw about half the bag in the crockpot to make oh she glows' crispy smashed potatoes (with a slight variation in the sauce using carmella's cashew cream recipe). while the potatoes were cooking i gathered some greens for a salad, then spotted kati laying on our bench from the kitchen window. all in all it was a very nice day :) i hope you're enjoying your weekend as well!

xoxoxo

raw vegan zucchini rollatini

looking to wow your friends and show them how amazing raw, animal-friendly food can be? well do i have the dish for you! these bite-sized rollatinis look fancy, taste incredible and can be served as a nutritious appetizer or main dish.

john ate his right up and declared "these are great! the sauce mixed with the cheese reminds me of something my mom used to make." coming from a man whose a) mother is an exceptional cook and b) response has been an unenthusiastic "not bad" to many of the things i've been making lately, this really means something.=)

the rollatinis were actually john's suggestion. we love raw zucchini lasagna but it can be a bit of a production to make. these rollatinis do require the same steps (minus the walnut meat) but to me, they're worth it! you can also make some of the filling ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.

soak: the first thing you want to do is get some ingredients soaking in water to make them easier to blend. for the cheese you'll need to soak 1 1/3 cup cashews, and for the tomato sauce 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes and one medjool date. they can soak anywhere from an hour to overnight, whatever works for you.

slice: next you want to slice your mushrooms thin and get them marinating. you'll want to use about 12 baby bella, cremini, or button mushrooms. mine were tossed with a drizzle each bragg's liquid aminos, extra virgin olive oil and some fresh thyme from the garden. if you don't have bragg's you can use soy sauce, lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. fresh or dry herbs are optional.

blend: while your mushrooms are marinating, make your cashew cheese and sauce in a high speed blender. you could also use a food processor but your cheese may not come out as smooth. to lessen the clean-up and add a little creaminess to the sauce, i make the cheese first, pour it into a ramekin, then make the tomato sauce right in the messy blender.

cashew cheese
(this recipe makes enough cheese for about 16 rollatinis)

1 1/3 cup raw cashews, soaked
1/4-1/2 cup water
2 tsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 T nutritional yeast (optional, to taste)

drain the cashews and place all ingredients in a high speed blender. process until smooth. you can see that i stirred some leftover kale salad into the cheese. you could also add chopped chard or spinach, or nothing at all. it's up to you, but i do recommend the simple kale salad! 

tomato sauce
(adapted from delightfully raw by carmella soleil, also makes enough for about 16 rollatinis)

3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medjool date, soaked
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
fresh or dried herbs, to taste (optional)

drain the date and sun-dried tomatoes, and give them a little squeeze to remove the excess liquid. place everything in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

 

now we need to cut 16 thin rollatini strips. to do this you'll need two medium zucchini and a mandolin or v-slicer. spread about a tablespoon cheese and marinated mushrooms onto the zucchini strips like in the picture above, then roll carefully from bottom to top.

to serve your rollatinis raw, gently warm them in the dehydrator at 118 degrees for three to four hours. if you don't own a dehydrator, you could probably warm them in the oven on the lowest setting. the heat may be too much to keep them "raw", but they will still be good and healthy.

lastly, top with tomato sauce and chopped basil and enjoy your homemade, raw gourmet meal! yay for the garden still producing zucchini because i can't wait to make these babies again! do you think you'd give something like this a try?

xoxoxo 

mushroom rice pilaf

dinner was on the simple side but so delicious, i had to share! our csa had organic cremini mushrooms for sale and i wanted to use them in a way that was new to me but not too involved.

on my recipe search this fresh mushroom rice pilaf caught my eye. i've made a million rice and veggie dishes but have never cooked everything together in a seasoned broth. what a difference!

the recipe was doubled and adjusted a little to suit our tastes and cooking method (rice cooker). good thing i jotted my changes down because this tasty recipe is bound to make the rounds!

mushroom rice pilaf

4 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
2 cups seasoned stock of your choice
1 1/3 cup white or brown rice, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

in a pressure cooker, saute olive oil, garlic, mushrooms and green peppers about five minutes, stirring occasionally. pour in your stock and rice, lock the lid and bring the rice cooker to pressure for seven minutes. turn off the heat, but don't remove the lid.

set the timer and allow the pressure cooker to sit for fifteen minutes. (this is a trick i learned to conserve fuel. so much heat is locked inside that the rice will continue to cook). at the end of fifteen minutes remove the lid and serve your yummy pilaf with sliced green onion and fresh basil.

soon we should be getting winter squash from the csa. can't wait to try something like this acorn squash with wild rice pilaf for fall!

xoxoxo

golden flax crackers

finally, a flavorful flax cracker that i'm proud to share! but i can't take even half the credit for these. thank you carmella and doctor in the kitchen for your delicious cracker inspiration!

the ingredients on doctor in the kitchen's flax cracker box told me to add bragg's liquid aminos and raw apple cider vinegar to my cracker batter. carmi's blog inspired me to add vegetables to make the crackers colorful and even more nutritious. good thing i had enough sense to measure and write the recipe down, because this one is definitely a keeper.

golden flax crackers

2 C golden flax seeds
2 C water
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
3-4 leaves purple cabbage  
1 carrot or 1/2 orange bell pepper
2 celery stalks
2-3 garlic cloves 
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T bragg's liquid amino acid
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp salt
few sprigs rosemary and thyme

in a large mixing bowl, combine flax seeds and water. allow the mixture to sit for about an hour or so. the batter will be nice and gooey when it's ready.

in the meantime, chop vegetables or pulse them in the food processor, making sure not to puree them. you can really use any kind of vegetable, or none at all if you want to make these quick. if you want to add veggies, three cups of chopped vegetables makes a nice ratio to the flax seeds.

mix all ingredients until well combined. spread onto two and a half teflex sheets and dehydrate at 110 degrees for a few hours. when the top layer is dry and cracker batter corners start to pull away from the sheets, flip onto trays and dehydrate until fully dry. if you want your crackers chewier, take them out sooner. to make sure they're extra crispy, i leave mine in the dehydrator overnight.

break them into pieces and you've got yourself a yummy gluten-free cracker. oh, i almost forgot to warn you - have a toothpick ready - the flax seeds will cling to your chompers for dear life! i hope you have a very happy monday and a wonderful week! xoxoxo

kale salad with olives and bruschetta

sweet baby jane, this kale salad is GOOD! there's just something about the combination of kale and sicilian olives that i'm crazy for. i crave this salad. the best part, it's so easy to throw together! plus it's nutritious, so i don't feel bad eating big bowls of it two nights in a row right before bed.=)

to make this savory delight, start by cleaning and de-stemming a bunch of kale. add a few pinches of salt, a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil, juice from half a lemon, and massage your kale until each piece is saturated. top with bruschetta (chopped tomato, basil and garlic) and sliced olives and you're ready to go! i like to let my salad sit in the fridge a few hours for the best flavor.

to balance the saltiness, add dried figs, currants or raisins (which i was unfortunately out of the third time around.) too bad our fig tree hasn't given us enough for leftovers to dry. but figgy's still a baby, four or five i think.

how do you feel about kale? delicious and nutritious? over it? only in chip form? (that's what john thinks). personally i love kale in all forms, in moderation. i did overdo it a little and got sick of kale for a while. also, greens are high in oxalates, which are no good for cystitis sufferers. i still need to tell you more about that.

happy wednesday!

xoxoxo

healthy snickers and summer harvest tacos

last weekend i tried to make chocolate cream caramel bars from this rawsome vegan life. since i didn't have or feel like making cashew butter, i used chunky peanut butter instead. i'm not sure why the chocolate layer didn't get thick and creamy, but the result tasted just like a snickers bar. all who had a sample loved them, so i will definitely make them again.

last night's dinner was a team effort of slicing and dicing. john and i used golden summer squash, corn, sweet bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and romaine lettuce from the csa along with an avocado, black beans and spiced walnut meat to make a flavorful vegetable taco. even kati found them to be enticing.=)

to warm the vegetables but keep them raw, i just tossed them in lemon juice, olive oil, agave and spices, then stuck them in the dehydrator on 115 degrees for about an hour.

it seems everyone around me is getting creative in the kitchen. my brother has been cooking, and he and his friend exchange pictures of their meals. i told him to start a blog! my mom just made eggplant parmesan for the first time and can't wait to make it again. i could talk food all day. it inspires me to hear what others are making. what have you been whipping up in your kitchen?

raw pizza three ways

if you've been reading this blog for awhile, you're probably aware of my love for raw pizza. if you're not familiar with raw pizza, let me break it down for you (with links for more information.)

the crust is a mix of zucchini (or any summer squash), sprouted buckwheat groats and flax seed.

the cheese is a delicious blend of soaked cashews, lemon juice and nutritional yeast.

the toppings for raw pizza are endless. this time we went with walnut sausage and basil, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, and rainbow chard with raw tomato sauce, lightly heated in the dehydrator.

why raw? raw or living food is food not heated above 115 degrees, to preserve the live enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals that can otherwise be destroyed or altered when heated. raw food is more nutritionally dense and is generally easier to digest, giving our systems a huge break. although i don't eat an all raw diet, i make it a point to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as i can. it seems the more raw food in my diet, the more energy i have and the better i feel overall. 

as i heard someone say just yesterday, your body is the place you live, take care of it!

(in order to make raw pizza, a dehydrator is needed. i recommend an excalibur 5 or 9-tray system. if you search around you may be able to find a good deal. it will probably run you around $150-200. for us it was a great investment. we make kale chips, cheez-its, fruit roll-ups, eggplant bacon, crepes, crackers, raw lasagna, nori snacks, granola, green powder, buckwheat crunchies...all kinds of things! ours is running right now, making "sun-dried" tomatoes with the surplus of romas.)

enjoy your weekend! i plan to be back soon with a community garden update.

xoxoxo

asparagus quinoa with garden greens

if today's weather is any indication of what summer will be like, we're in for a rough one. it's almost 90 degrees and we haven't had substantial rain in so long that the lawn is burnt crispy! (so much for 'april showers bring may flowers'). in fact, farmer's almanac is predicting an unusually hot and dry summer for the eastern states. this is not what i wanted to hear.

on the brighter side, my greens from last season have started to bolt and the flower buds are delicious. they look and taste similar to broccoli and are perfect with a little lemon and olive oil. below you can see i added the buds to a side salad of spinach, arugula, kale and mushrooms.

asparagus quinoa is made often in our house, especially now that asparagus is in season. this dish is quick, easy, nutritious, and always well-received by friends and family. the recipe is susan voison's of fatfree vegan kitchen - it was originally posted in an article on susan sometime in 2009 that i can no longer find online.

asparagus quinoa
(makes 4-6 servings)

1 C quinoa, rinsed well
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 C vegetable broth
4 sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 C sliced portobello mushrooms
1 bunch asparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 tsp lemon juice
1 T red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

rinse quinoa using a fine mesh strainer. toast quinoa in saucepan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. add garlic and cook another minute. add remaining ingredients except asparagus, chick peas, lemon juice, and red pepper. bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat. cook 10 minutes. add chick peas and asparagus. cover and cook 8 more minutes. stir in lemon juice and red pepper.

kelli's notes: water can be substituted for vegetable broth and button mushrooms for portobello. sometimes i omit red peppers and chickpeas - they taste great but aren't essential to the dish. other vegetables can also be used such as squash and peas. since i like my quinoa on the crunchier side, i use 1 1/4 cup quinoa or a little less than 2 cups water/broth. for a spicy kick add a bit of cayenne pepper.

chocolate and vanilla kale chips

in my mind i've been calling these his and her kale chips, because he (john) loves chocolate...

and she (me) prefers vanilla.

the sweet kale chips were inspired by jess of cupcakes and kale. with kale chips i don't usually follow measurements - i find it easier to taste as i go. for the chocolate kale i used the same ingredients as jess, subbing vanilla water and adding a bit of maple syrup. with the vanilla chips i used a few tablespoons coconut oil, coconut flakes, chia seeds, agave nectar, a pinch of salt, vanilla water, and the insides of one vanilla bean, which were purchased fairly cheap in bulk here.

after massaging everything really well into my garden kale, i placed the coated pieces onto teflex sheets and dehydrated at 115 degrees overnight. the outcome was a sweet little snack packed with green nutrition that even he (who doesn't care much for kale) can enjoy.=)

raw raspberry brownie bites

to make raw brownies you simply need five things (dates, nuts, cocoa/cacao powder, salt and a food processor) and not even five minutes. they are one of the easiest desserts to make. you blend the ingredients for about 30 seconds, press them into brownie shapes and they're ready.

this time we added raspberries to snaz them up a bit. adding berries and liquid vanilla made the batter a little wet, so we dehydrated our brownie bites a few hours.

as raw brownies are very rich, bite-sized pieces are the best way to serve them, in my opinion. (they're actually more like a delicious nutty fudge than a brownie, but a little less dense.)

raw raspberry brownie bites
(makes about 18-20)

1 C medjool dates
1 C raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, or a mixture)
1/4 C cacao powder
8-10 raspberries
3 tsp liquid vanilla*
generous pinch of salt

in a food processor, blend until batter holds together when pressed. shape into bite-sized squares.

*liquid vanilla is made by mixing three vanilla beans, chopped, with one cup water in a high speed blender. in this recipe, lv can be replaced with vanilla extract or scraped raw vanilla bean, to taste.

***

i hope everyone is having a nice weekend. we're snowed in (but not really) and i'm loving it.=)

summer indian meal

while searching online for a raw cabbage recipe, i stumbled upon this curried cabbage salad. indian food is fairly new to me, but i decided to go ahead and attempt a raw indian dinner anyway.

Raw Vegan Curried Cabbage Salad

(serves 4-6) 

Ingredients:

• 1 head green cabbage, chopped
• 1/3 cup shredded flaked coconut (be sure it's raw, if needed)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cold-pressed olive oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (if raw, use Nama Shoyu)
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp curry
• 1/2 tsp cumin

 

Preparation: 

In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients, making sure cabbage is evenly coated. If possible, chill for at least an hour and toss thoroughly again before serving. This will allow all the flavors to mingle and blend.

Note:

For the soy sauce portion I used two tablespoons of Bragg's Liquid Aminos and two tablespoons of water. The sesame seeds I used were roasted and therefore not raw.

 savoy, my favorite cabbage

the cabbage salad was nicely balanced and incredibly flavorsome. the longer it sat, the more intense the flavors became. however, it lacked color.

delicious but blah-looking

so i added a carrot from the garden, spiralized.

cosmic purple carrot - orange on the inside - cool, but not as cool as the solid purple carrot i had anticipated

muuuch better=)

further online searching led me to a yellow squash curry recipe. with intentions not to turn the stove on,  i made a dressing to coat raw patty pan and eight ball-squash (using angela's eggplant caponata for inspiration).

raw curried yellow squash
serves 2-4

ingredients

about 2 C yellow squash, chopped

dressing:
1/4 C packed diced tomato
1 sun-dried tomato
1 medjool date
3 T olive oil
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp red curry powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp turmeric
pinch nutmeg
pinch cinnamon

fresh cilantro, to garnish
salt and black pepper, to taste

preparation

blend dressing ingredients until smooth. toss with chopped squash and garnish with cilantro. for best flavor, allow squash to marinate a few hours or overnight.

 sweet yet sophisticated. and super yummy.=)

this raw corn chowder? not so yummy. tired of recipes, i made the decision to just wing it. it had such a bitter taste, we couldn't even eat it.

ah well, you know what meatloaf says...

two out of three ain't bad.=)

(had i known in advance, i may have tried to make raw samosas with coconut wrappers and mango chutney. can i get a YUM?!)

ice cream cake ebook giveaway

thank you for the sweet comments on my strawberry banana ice cream cake post. i wish i could share a slice with all of you! what i can do is guide you in making your own and offer a chance to win the ultimate raw ice cream ebook by heather pace.

the bottom layer of this cake is simply frozen banana pureed in the food processor until light and fluffy. after smoothing the banana into a 7-inch springform pan and placing it in the freezer, frozen strawberries with a few squirts agave nectar and lemon juice went in to the food processor next (i didn't bother to rinse it.)

while one layer was freezing, the next was being made. (i was also able to clean up a little and get some laundry done=). dehydrated buckwheat was mixed with maple syrup, cacao nibs and powder for chocolate buckwheat crunchies, and fresh coconut, cashews, macs, coconut butter, vanillla and agave was blended for the vanilla layer. the recipe needs tweaking before posting, though i will share this decadent peanut butter sauce that is the perfect compliment to this cake.

peanut butter sauce

3 T peanut butter (unsweetened and unsalted)
1 T melted coconut oil
1 T water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice, to taste)
pinch of salt

blend all ingredients until smooth.

kelli's notes: if you use sweetened/salted peanut butter, it may be best to omit the last two ingredients. it's so good, you might want to double or triple the recipe.=)

fun swirly top

last year around this time i was an ice cream cake-making machine; once i started, i couldn't stop!

heathy introduced the raw food world to these sensational creations with an ebook and a challenge to create our own. compared to other desserts, i find raw ice cream cakes to be fairly easy to make and insanely fun to create. another plus is they're a bit less expensive because fruit and buckwheat crunchies take the place of pricey nuts/dates often used in raw desserts. (if you grow or pick your own fruit, even better!) and who doesn't enjoy a slice of cool ice cream cake on a warm spring/summer day?!=)






entry #1: rawspberries and cream

entry #2: chocolate strawberries and banana

entry #3: café almond biscotti

final, 2nd place-winning entry: pearberry bliss

wouldn't you like to create a raw ice cream cake of your own?  

heathy's ultimate raw ice cream cake ebook is available for purchase here. enter for a chance to win a copy by leaving a comment below telling me what kind of ice cream cake you'd like to make. for one extra entry: blog, facebook or tweet about this giveaway.

the winner will be selected randomly and announced monday, may 16th, 2011. this giveaway is now closed.

happy cake-creating!