Raw January Days 2 through 5 -- Mushroom Shiro, Cinnamon-Coconut Cream, and more

I'm in the working half of my week, which means I need to consolodate. Fortunately I made enough food in the first half to get me through! That's the funny thing about food prep....it takes the same amount of time to make one serving as it does to make six the majority of the time.

On Day 2 I had a fruit bowl topped with cinnamon coconut cream (recipe below!) and hemp seed for breakfast; lunch was leftover Cucumber Soup; for dinner I made--get this--mushroom shiro! It's only my favorite Ethiopian dish from Blue Nile! While my version isn't as good as the real, it's a decent approximation of the stewed original.

Shiro is ground chickpea powder, which is combined with berbere in this very delicious stew. Instead of chickpea powder, I used ground macademia nuts. Dehydrating the veggies gave them a cooked feel that is absolutely necessary when dealing with dishes that are traditionally cooked over a long period of time. In the absence of injera, I used lettuce leaves. See below for the recipe!

Day 3 was met with a breakfast smoothie of aloe, wheatgrass, ginger root, peaches, and beet greens (which are actually red--go figure).For lunch I had more of Day 2's mushroom shiro. As I had an absurd amount of carrots, I went with this carrot linguine dish by Russell James (see photo, right). Naturally, I had to make a few adjustments. I followed the linguine recipe to a T, aside from using all carrots rather than the carrot/parsnip split. I managed to amass 6 pounds of carrots from the organic co-op, and I thought carrot linguine seemed a fitting way to diminish the bounty. The only change I made to the macademia mozzarella was to add a clove of garlic to the purée. It tasted very much like Alfredo sauce and helped cut the sweetness of the carrots. The red pepper sauce had more augmentation, as I found the original to be a little....I don't want to say bland, but I felt it needed a little boost. Four rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes and half a tablespoon of chili-infused olive oil found its way into the red pepper puree. Adding a few cracks of black pepper completed this dish that I am pleased to say went over very nicely with the spawn.

Day 4 I was back at work, so it was filled with leftovers. I failed miserably at the raw cinnamon rolls I had attempted to make, so instead the "dough" got dehydrated into sweet bread (I'll make my second attempt when I'm off work again!). Another fruit bowl for breakfast, followed by mushroom shiro for lunch and a hefty salad for dinner. I also put the "mostly" in "mostly raw" by having a baked potato at work. Hey, a girl's gotta eat!

Today is Day 5, and I'm planning on having another salad for dinner, and as soon as I finish here I'm going to whip up a smoothie with buckwheat, spinach, chia seeds, and blueberries. I think for lunch I'll just do a fruit salad with the sweet bread that was salvaged from the cinnamon roll attempt.

Anyway, on with the recipes!

Cinnamon Coconut Cream

Ingredients:

1 c fresh coconut meat

2 tsp agave nectar

2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Makes 1 cup of thick cream. This is great with fruit or blended into a smoothie. My youngest daughter thought it was yogurt and was quite happy to eat it with a spoon!

Raw Mushroom Shiro

Ingredients:

2 c assorted mushrooms, chopped

16 grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp olive oil

1 tbs nama shoyu

1 tbs + 1 tsp berbere spice blend

1 tbs lemon juice

1 c macademia nuts, soaked and dried

2 cloves garlic

1 tbs fresh ginger, grated

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1/4 c tomato juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 large lettuce leaves

Directions:

Toss mushrooms, tomatoes, and onion in oil, nama shoyu, one teaspoon of the berbere, and one teaspoon of the lemon juice. Spread on dehydrator sheet and dehydrate 2 hours at 105F.

In a blender, pulse the nuts until finely ground. Add the garlic and remaining berbere and lemon juice. Pulse again to chop the garlic. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

After dehydrating, coarsely chop the onion. Stir mushrooms, tomatos, and onion into the macademia sauce. Serve with lettuce leaves substituting for the injera. Alternatively, serve over parsnip rice.

Fiesta Lime Tilapia Tacos, Zesty Corn and Rice, and Kid-Friendly Coconut Mojitos

I don't typically go for spice blends (save the curry and masala blends I love so much!), but once in awhile one ends up in my possession. My sister dropped off a bunch of spices at my place. She travels for her job, and when her lease ended she didn't bother finding a new place since she lives out of hotels almost exclusively this time of year. This is how I came to know Mrs. Dash's Fiesta Lime seasoning blend.

I took the easy route and made tacos with the blend. I'm happy to say that they turned out quite flavorful with smoky lime tones. I've included a link to the ingredient list should you prefer to come up with your own blend.

I served the tacos with an old stand-by corn and rice dish that I use fairly often. It's a great use for leftover rice (this is where most of my Chinese take-out rice ends up). The beverage came about after I spent an evening watching baseball at a local hole-in-the-wall. The bartender and I were speculating what to do with the UV Coconut that had been sitting on the shelf untouched for several weeks. We decided that a coconut vodka mojito was the way to go. The next week I brought in some mint leaves and we tested the theory out. I worked, so I decided to make a non-alcoholic version that the spawn and I could both enjoy.

Sadly, my kids were less than thrilled with the "mojito" as it is presented here. For those that prefer a sweeter version, use half coconut water and half limeade.

Fiesta Lime Tilapia Tacos

Ingredients:

1 tbs tamari

1 tbs fresh lime juice

12 oz tiliapia filets

2 tbs Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning (ingredients here)

1 tbs peanut oil

8 whole wheat tortillas, warmed

1/2 c salsa

avocado, sliced

1 stalk green onion, finely sliced

2 tbs cilantro, finely chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

Whisk together tamari and lime juice. Brush tilapia with the tamari blend, then season well with the Fiesta Lime seasoning. Heat peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the fish and cook about 3 minutes each side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and allow to rest a few minutes. Cut fish into bite size pieces.

Divide fish among the warmed tortillas and top as desired with salsa, avocado, green onion, and/or cilantro. Finish with a squeeze of lime and serve. Serves 4 (2 tacos per person).

Zesty Corn and Rice

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil

2 tbs onion, finely diced

1 15oz can unsalted corn, drained

1 small can of roasted green chiles, finely diced

1 tsp lime zest

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chile powder

2 tbs red bell pepper, diced

1 teaspoon serrano chile, finely diced (optional)

2 c prepared rice

juice of half a lime

salt to taste

fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion until just turning translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add corn and let it heat for 5 minutes. Add chilis, zest, and seasonings and cook an additional 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, serrano (if desired), prepared rice, and lime juice. Heat through and salt to taste. Serve with cilantro, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Coconut Mojito (non-alcoholic)

Ingredients:

1/4 c mint leaves, tightly packed

juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbs)

1 tbs sugar

2 c coconut water

16 oz club soda

ice

additional mint leaves and lime wedges for garnish

Directions:

Muddle the mint leaves with the sugar and lime juice. Place in a pitcher and pour in the coconut water. Allow to steep in the refridgerator at least an hour.

When ready to serve, fill 4 glasses with ice and divide the minty liquid among the glasses. Top with soda water and garnish with mint leaves and lime wedge. Makes 4 16oz servings.

Raw Carrot-Ginger Soup with Sour Coconut Cream, Thai Flavors

I don't know how the rest of the country feels, but it is damn hot here in Kansas. Lately I have had to shower after cooking just because slaving over a hot stove renders me sweaty and gross.

I have a friend--Amber of Almost Vegan--who has been experimenting a lot with raw foods. While our dietary goals are very, very different, I can't help but salivate over the idea of a delicious meal that doesn't require heating up the house. And, being the open-minded girl that I am, I do really like the idea of quite a few raw dishes. I'm actually planning to do a lot more raw food (mine will include meat and fish, however) in the near future to help beat the heat.

I've been craving carrot-ginger juice lately, and I always adore Thai flavors. I took these two and put them together into a soup that is absurdly filling, completely vegan, and--on top of all that--raw. It's the perfect meal for a hot, sticky day.

I realize that not all the ingredients I used are technically raw. I used normal canned coconut milk, as well as garnished my bowl of soup with sriracha. For all I know, my vinegar doesn't even qualify as raw. I trust that the true raw purists out there know where to find the appropriate ingredients for their own preparation, though.

Speaking of garnish, the Sour Coconut Cream actually ended up tasting like real sour cream. The viscosity is a little thinner (especially at room temperature!), but the flavor is absolutely perfect. This was nothing but pure luck on my part, but I am pleased nonetheless. I also made a simple cilantro-basil oil to drizzle over the top by blending together two tablespoons each of cilantro leaves, basil leaves, and olive oil. The sriracha was to add a little more heat to my serving, but could easily be replaced by making your own raw chili pepper puree.

Raw Carrot-Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

4 c carrot juice

2 medium carrots

1/2 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed (may peel if desired)

1-2 tsp fresh red chili, diced (adjust according to heat preference)

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 tbs fresh ginger, diced

3" stalk of lemongrass, the tough out 3-4 layers removed and reserved for another use

1 c coconut milk

1 avocado, removed from peel and pit

1 tbs tamari

juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 c cilantro leaves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cardamon

pinch nutmeg

Directions:

Blend 2 cups of the carrot juice with the carrots until completely pureed. Add the rest of the carrot juice and the remaining ingredients and blend until completely pureed.

Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate an hour before serving. Makes about 8 cups of soup.

Sour Coconut Cream

Ingredients:

1 c coconut milk, chilled

1 tbs rice vinegar

1/2 tbs coconut oil

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Beat all ingredients until fluffy. Chill an hour before serving. Makes about a cup of cream.