Raw January Day 6 - 11: Marinara Sauce and Orange Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

It's been a whirlwind of a week. No, I didn't fall off the raw wagon, but I did spend a couple of days not eating at all. I received news of the passing of a good friend on Saturday, and my appetite has been in the negative realm.

This blog is about food, though, and I have food topost! I've been embracing the lettuce wraps lately--mainly because I've been getting a TON of

lettuce from the organic co-op.

Shown here is a wrap with pickled herring (my local grocer let me watch it being made, so I know its rawness is intact), tomato, avocado, and red onion. Super tasty and super filling. This was a great meal to have at work.

Next on the list was to perfect the raw marinara

sauce. I've tried several recipes, and ended up

with this hybrid. I found it to be closest to how I

think marinara should taste. Plenty of herbs and garlic give it the Italian kick needed to meet my approval. We had it over a bed of zucchini, yellow squash, and red bell pepper noodles (shown right). Two zucchini, one yellow squash, and one red bell fed three of us with no leftovers, so adjust according to your family size.

In my meals I've also had a variety of salads, and for breakfast it's been almost exclusively smoothies. Today was an exception, however, as I (after 3 tries) have perfected the raw cinnamon to suit our tastes. The recipe originally came from The 30 Minute Vegan and is shown here. I appreciate the jumping off point, but I couldn't get their recipe to really taste like much more than a mouthful of sugar and cinnamon. I know, I know, what else is a cinnamon roll supposed to taste like? Well, my palate demands a little more challenge than sweet on sweet....on sweet.

So, below you will find my take on the raw cinnamon roll, as well as my marinara recipe. Enjoy!

Raw Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

3 c fresh tomatoes, diced

1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water until

soft, liquid reserved

1/2 c fresh mango, diced

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1/4-1/2 fresh jalapeño, deseeded and diced

1/3 c fresh basil, packed

1/4 c fresh oregano, destemmed

1/4 c fresh thyme, destemmed

1 red bell pepper, deseeded and deribbed

2 sun-dried black olives, deseeded

1 large shallot, peeled

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c liquid reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes.

Directions:

Set aside one cup of diced tomatoes for later. Place remaining ingredients except liquid from sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor and purée. Add sun-dried tomato liquid as needed to smooth out the sauce. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary. Pour purée into bowl and stir in remaining tomatoes. Serve over pasta, marinated veggies, or as a dip for raw garlic bread. Makes about 7 cups of sauce.

Orange Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

1 c raw buckwheat groats (unsoaked, or soaked and dehydrated until dry)

1 1/2 c raw pecans, finely chopped

2 1/2 c Medjool dates, pitted, packed

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs + 1 tsp honey

1/4 c orange juice

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tbs ground cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

1/4 c golden raisins

Directions:

Process the buckwheat groats for 40 seconds in a food processor, or until finely ground. Add ONE cup of the pecans and process an additional 30 seconds. Add TWO cups of the dates and continue to process about 30 seconds. Add ONE teaspoon of the honey and all the vanilla. Process for 30 seconds more, or until a sticky dough forms. If necessary, add an additional teaspoon of honey to achieve a dough that will form a tight ball and hold its shape.

Transfer the dough to a flat work surface covered with wax paper. Using your hands, press the dough into a rectangle 9" x 11" and 1/4" thick.

Process the remaining 1/2 cup of dates, honey, juice, vinegar, cinnamon, and salt in the food processor until smooth. Spread the mixture over the dough, leaving about 1" along the far long edge. Sprinkle raisins and pecans evenly over the cinnamon layer.

Roll up the dough by making a small fold along

the long edge closest to you, pressing it down, peeling back the wax paper, and continuing to roll in the same way, making as tight a roll as possible (similar to rolling sushi, if you've ever had the pleasure). When completely rolled, wrap entire log in wax paper and refrigerate at least 15 minutes.

Cut the log into twelve even slices. Makes 12 rolls. Top with icing if desired.

Orange Zest Icing

Ingredients:

1 c cashews

3 tbs almond milk

3 tbs agave

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp orange zest

Directions:

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Makes about a

cup of icing, enough to drizzle over 12 cinnamon rolls.

You can see my youngest spawn enjoying one of these breakfast rolls here. That's icing on her lip, not a snaggle tooth!

Stuffed Eggplant Marinara

Eggplant season is here, and it is incredibly difficult for me to say no to this pretty purple member of the nightshade family. I started out wanting eggplant parmesan, but ended up with this thanks to my aversion to battering and frying (see the Fried Pickle Wontons for my favorite way around such things).

This dish uses crispy tofu to fill the texture void left by skipping the vat of frying oil; the protein boost doesn't hurt anything, either. If you don't want to be bothered with gutting the eggplant just to put its insides back inside, simply cube the eggplant before roasting, mix it all together in a 9x9 pan, and bake as instructed.

Stuffed Eggplant Marinara

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, halved lengthwise

1 tbs light olive oil

salt to taste

1 15oz can fire-roasted tomatoes

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

3 springs fresh oregano, stem discarded

6 sprigs fresh thyme, stem discarded

1 18oz block extra firm tofu, pressed, drained, and cut into 1" cubes

3 tbs peanut oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

8oz baby portabella mushrooms, stems discarded, caps quartered

1/2 c shredded asiago cheese (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Brush cut side of eggplant with olive oil and season with salt. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside.

Combine tomatoes, roasted peppers, oregano, and thyme in a bowl, crushing the larger tomato pieces. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and set aside.

Heat peanut oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tofu several minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

In the same skillet that the tofu was prepared, saute onions over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and saute another minute. Stir in tomato paste, coating the onions. Add the crushed tomato combination and stir. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place mushrooms on a baking dish and bake for ten minutes. Scoop out the flesh of the eggplant, leaving a 1/4" shell. Chop the removed eggplant and combine in a large bowl with the mushrooms, tofu, and tomato sauce. Season with salt again, if necessary, then divide the tomato mixture evenly amoung the hollow eggplant halves. If desired, top with cheese. Bake in oven for 10 more minutes, or until heated through. Makes 8 servings.

Italian-Style Meatloaf

It's meat. It's a loaf. It's a loaf of meat. Is there really anything else to say?

This is a meal I make probably about once a year. It's a random craving I get on occasion--or, rather, I crave sandwiches made from the leftovers! Having grown up with meatloaf that was nothing more than ground beef and ketchup, I had no basis for what became my version. In fact, I just assumed I hated all meatloaf until my mid-twenties when I decided to tackle the loaf-o'-meat on request.

I jam as many veggies as I can into this hunk of cow, and have even substituted a couple of cans of beans for half the beef. Because there is so much veg chopping involved in the meatloaf, I usually serve it with a simple salad tossed with vinegar and some thin toasted slices of beer bread.

Don't forget to save some for sandwiches the next day....a little garlic aoili and sliced tomato, and you'll wonder why you let your family eat so much for dinner the night before!

Italian-Style Meatloaf

Ingredients:

3/4 c Romano cheese, shredded

1 15oz can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, blended

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb ground Italian sausage

1 egg

1/2 c yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 c bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 zucchini, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs anchovie paste

1 tbs fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 tbs fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

1 c Italian style bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Set aside 1/4 cup of the cheese and half of the blended tomatoes for later.

Combine the rest of the cheese and tomatoes with the remaining ingredients until well-combined. Place in a greased 9" loaf pan and back, uncovered, for one hour. After one hour, top with reserved tomato puree and cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 8.

Vegetable and Pasta Carbonara with Italian Beer Bread

I don't know that there is anything more comforting than a big bowl of pasta, and pasta carbonara definitely tops my list for comfort food. The summer weather demands a lighter dish, so I added fresh veggies to balance out the heaviness of the sauce and pasta.

The bread is just a basic beer bread with the addition of herbs and cheese. I used a dark beer in the bread, but any beer will do.

If there are leftovers, make sure to reheat the pasta low and slow, otherwise you might end up with pasta and scrambled eggs! I put it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes at 30% power and stir frequently.

Vegetable and Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

2 c asparagus, cut into 2" lengths

1 c carrots, julienned

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c dry white wine

1 c grape tomatos

5 large eggs, room temperature

2 tbs heavy cream, room temperature

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb pasta, cooked al dente

1 c grated Romano cheese

1 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease.

Saute asparagus and carrot in the bacon fat for 2-3 minutes, until asparagus turns bright green. Add garlic and saute another minute. Return bacon to the pan. Stir in wine and tomatoes; allow to simmer 2-3 minutes.

Beat eggs and cream together, then season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat and quickly whisk in the egg mixture with the vegetables until the eggs thicken. Add hot pasta to the vegetable and egg mixture and toss to coat. Stir in cheese and parsley. Season to taste and serve. Makes 8 servings.

Italian Beer Bread

Ingredients:

3 c unbleached flour

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tbs baking powder

1 tbs each fresh rosemary, oregano, and thyme, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c grated parmasen cheese

12 ounces beer

1 egg

2 tbs water

Directions:

Heat oven to 375F. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, herbs, garlic, and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined (batter will be thick). Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan. Beat the egg and water together and brush onto the top of the loaf. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.