Raw January Day 25 /26: Spicy Winter Veggie Soup

Mmmm....soup. I have to say, steamy soups and slow-stewed veggies are what I've missed the most during this experimental month. I mean, what was I thinking going raw in the month of January?

The good news is this has sparked my creativity more and forced me to come up with alternate ways to get that warm feeling in my belly. This soup is one of them. I had decided after butchering a kabocha square that came in my organic box that the silly thing wasn't worth it. There was a lot of hacking and chopping and at the end all I had was barely a cup of usable flesh. Originally this was going to be a squash/mango soup; however, I was discouraged. My eyes turned to the half a head of cauliflower, and I thought, "Why the hell not?" Into my dear, sweet Cuisinart it went with the rest of the ingredients I had assembled. A few taste-tests later, and

here you have it.

I imagine any winter squash would do....butternut comes to mind, of course. The heat from the serrano does a nice job of giving the feeling of warmth without over-powering the soup. I think this would also make a nice take on bruschetta (but hey, I think everything is better on bread!).

In other news, my new toy arrived today. I have two more nights at the job (and a desperate need to rearrange the kitchen) before I can use it, but needless to say I am very excited to set it up (right angles, people....right angles!).

Winter Veggie Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 kabocha squash, seeds removed, peeled, cut into 1" cubes (or about 1 cup of your favorite, easier to butcher squash)

1/2 cauliflower, cored, cut into 1" cubes

1 mango, peeled, core removed, cut into 1" cubes

1 serrano pepper, stem removed, seeds intact

8 fresh basil leaves

juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2 tbs dried lemongrass

1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbs almond milk

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse the squash and cauliflower until the ingredients are finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until puréed. The soup will have the consistency of cream of wheat cereal; if necessary add a tablespoon or so of water to achieve this texture (I didn't need it). Chill for at least two hours, then serve. Makes about eight 1-cup servings.

Raw January Day 12 - 14: Butternut Squash Tacos with Cilantro Cilantro Cheese

Since I'm almost the only one partaking of the raw food-ness in my house, I've been living off of leftovers quite a bit. I plan to do a fair amount of raw experimentation this weekend, so hopefully I will have more recipes soon! Until then, you'll have to settle for a taco recipe I played with tonight....more on that later.

Tonight's raw prep included making almond milk and juicing oranges. I changed out the vinegar I'm using to reconstitute some raw sun-dried olives (I received a case for free, and the darn things are entirely too bitter to eat as is).

I also cataloged the leftovers I had in the fridge to make sure I wasn't wasting anything. Happily, there wasn't much to worry about. Speaking of leftovers, remember my Marinara Sauce from earlier this week? I enjoyed that at work over kelp noodles and dehydrated baby bellas. It was quite tasty. This pic--taken on my phone--doesn't do it justice, so just trust me.

Without further adieu, I give you squash tacos! My friend Amie sent me a recipe to try out. Her version used walnut taco meat, but frankly I'm scared of anything that uses the words "nut" and "meat" in the same sentence. Childish? Most likely, but it still squicks me out. I'm working on changing my opinions on that....

Butternut Squash Tacos

Ingredients:

Cilantro Cashew Cheese (shown right):

2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 c raw cashews, soaked and rinsedjuice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/4 c packed fresh cilantro leaves

1 green onion stalk, sliced
water sufficient for processing (I used about 3 tbs)

Southwest Butternut Squash:
1/2 butternut squash, sliced into thin ribbons
1/2 tbs ground cumin1/2 tbs ground coriander

1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp Nama Shoyu

juice from 1/2 lime

1/2 chipotle pepper, minced (optional)
sea salt to taste

Other Ingredients:
8 small-to-medium romaine leaves
1/2 c pico de gallo
additional toppings, as desired (avocado, cilantro, etc)

Directions:

Southwest Butternut Squash:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, massaging the spices into the squash. Allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.

Cashew Cheese:

Place garlic and salt in a food processor and chop into small pieces. Add cashews and process into paste. Add lemon juice, cilantro and water; purée until smooth. (see close up photo, right)

To Make Tacos:

Spread each lettuce leaf with 2 tablespoons of the cashew cheese. Add 1/4 cup of the squash and top as desired. Serves 4.

This "cheese" is, quite frankly, amazing. The zesty garlic, hints of acid, and cilantro give it the perfect balance to go with the earthy flavors of the marinated squash. While I listed the servings at four in the recipe, I think you'd be hard-pressed to feed more than two. I scarfed down 4 tacos on my own without a second thought.

One last look....

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!

Steak Tacos with Mexican not-Rice

What a busy month it has been! I've been absent from the cooking scene thanks to a variety of reasons (end of the school year, family vacation, work-work-work). This week I will be doing plenty of cooking, though, since I am on a daywalker's schedule for a change. It'll be interesting to see how the other half lives....

Tonight we had steak tacos. This is a simple enough meal with a ton of flavor. Because I'm a fan of irony and new ventures in cuisine, I stole my friend Amber's recipe for a vegan, raw, substitute for the traditional Mexican rice (which of course I added my own touches to). She illustrates beautifully on her page the preparation of this squash-based side dish. Meanwhile, I was lucky to get a photo of my own finished product. Seriously, you try fighting off two hungry spawn who could easily toss you over the balcony if you stood between them and dinner....

Not that I blame them. I mean, us girls gotta eat!

Steak Tacos

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c dark Mexican beer (I used Negro Modelo)

1/4 c tamari

juice of one lime

1/2 tsp each fresh cracked pepper and salt

2 tbs oil (chili oil for a little heat)

1.5 pounds flat iron steaks

8 tortillas

Directions:

In a resealable plastic bag, combine all ingredients except tortillas. Marinate steaks at room temperature for at least an hour (if marinating longer than 2 hours, refrigerate).

Heat grill pan over medium-high heat. Add steaks and grill to desired doneness (3 min each side for med-rare). Remove from pan and allow to rest 10 minutes.

Warm the tortillas according to your favorite method (I like to warm them one at a time in a skillet over medium heat, about a minute each side). Slice the steak into thin strips and divide among warmed tortillas. Add your favorite taco fillings and serve.

[In the photo we have sour cream, avocado, pico de gallo, cilantro, and a little shredded cheese in addition to the steak.]

Squashed Mexican "Rice"

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 2 cups)

1/2 c tomatoes, diced

1 tbs green chilis, diced

1/4 c red onion, diced

1/8 c chopped cilantro

1/8 c arugula, chopped

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

pinch garlic powder

juice of 1/2 lime

Directions:

Place the squash cubes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse into small, rice-sized pieces.

Transfer to mixing bowl and add all other ingredients. Mix well and serve.

[I used half cilantro and half arugula instead of all cilantro, because my oldest offspring is not a big fan of cilantro. Were she not a factor, I'd have used all cilantro as Amber does in her recipe; the arugula did add a nice peppery touch, however!]