Soft Corn Tortillas with spicy “beans,” avocado-corn guacamole and tomato-lime salsa (raw)
Make this dish as spicy as you like. Don’t cut too deep into the corncobs or you’ll end up with those hard little pieces that get stuck in your teeth. When making the “beans,” keep in mind that they will be tossed with a mild tomato sauce, so the spiciness will be mellowed out. If you want to make them ahead of time, keep all the components separate and assemble at the last minute, as the tortillas will get soggy if left to sit too long. The flaxseed can be ground in a coffee or spice grinder or Vita-Mix with dry blade (it will yield about 1 cup ground flaxseed).
“We sometimes get large, skeptical men in the restaurant who may have been dragged in by a girlfriend or family member and who proudly insist ‘I’m a meat and potatoes guy!’ For them, I always recommend this particular dish. It’s very filling and hearty. Then I smile graciously as the same guys later inevitably tell me something like, ‘I thought I was going to have to go for a burger after this, but I’m really full!’ I’ve had so many variations of this conversation, and it’s always the tortillas that get the best response from the self-proclaimed ‘carnivores.” – SM
This is one of my favorite and easiest versions of raw ravioli. In my Istanbul restaurant we offer many small plates, encouraging our guests to share and experience many options off of the menu. I offered this dish on our opening menu and it was by far the best selling small plate we offered for the winter and spring. It is a great starter or amusé for any Mediterranean focused meal, really giving the diner that first delicious introduction of what is to follow. The sweetness of the beetroot, and cashew based cheese is balanced out very nicely with the acid of the balsamic and spiciness of the garlic oil.
SERVES 6-8
For the Ravioli:
1 Large Beet, slice paper thin rounds and marinated in garlic oil, salt and pepper
“This was a beautiful and refreshingly sweet salad, perfect for a light lunch. The mixture of the fresh fruit and greens together with a sweet and tangy creamy dressing was a great combination. I don’t usually eat poppy seeds, but it worked rather well with this dish and added a nice crunch. It’s important to remember that poppy seeds contain opiates like morphine and codeine, although the cultivated western poppy seeds contain little opium if any. I’m sure they’re safe in small quantities as a garnish as they are usually used.” – Indulge
Coconut Persimmon Flan with Strawberry, Mango, and Banana Salsa (raw)
Young Thai coconut has to be my all time favorite ‘raw food’ ingredient. It’s so versatile; you can use it in sweet or savory recipes. I tend to have a sweet tooth, so I end up using it mostly for puddings, flan, or tart fillings.
The only thing I hate is the labor involved in hacking the coconuts open, scraping out the meat, and cleaning it. There’s just no easy way about it. Other that that, they’re great! I’ve experimented with several different knives. I destroyed my very expensive Viking cleaver- it worked, but the blade is too thin. I tried a couple of those cheap Chinese cleavers, but they don’t seem to be sharp enough. The guys at Northwestern Cutlery in Chicago (www.futurechef.com) came up with the solution- a heavy-duty cleaver that I think they use for chopping off fish heads (gross, I know). It was either that or a machete, and that would have just been too crazy.
This recipe makes enough crust for abut 10 tarts if you are using 4 1/2-inch shells. At the restaurant we use 3-inch shells, which are a nice size for a small dessert. Smooth-sided tart shells work best for this recipe, but any kind will do. If you try making a large tart, the crust should be a bit thicker to withstand the pressure of removing it from the shell or using a tart ring would work well too. As with the sour cherry tart, the recipe calls for both coarse and fine almond flour. Again, you can just grind the almonds and use 3 cups total, rather than separating between the coarse and fine crumbs. However, to make a slightly more refined crust, you may want to sift through the nut crumbs to remove any larger pieces – either way it will taste the same.
Try also serving it with the Vanilla Cream and spiced pinch of ground ginger.
Spicy Peanut Coconut Noodles with ginger and lime (raw)
Peanuts are technically a legume, although you wouldn’t necessarily think so considering someone misleadingly named them “peanuts.” Make sure you get really fresh, organically grown peanuts. Some debate persists about peanuts having toxicity, but it seems this may be from peanuts that are too old; at any rate, most toxins and other undesirables are washed away in the soaking process. However, if you don’t feel comfortable eating peanuts, try this with cashews.
"One of our chefs, Amanda, helped us turn this idea into a really great, flavorful dish. The flesh of young Thai coconuts makes perfect noodles — although they are soft, they do not stick together and are as easy or easier to eat then regular starchy noodles."
True story: I got a call last week from the Food Network of all places. There is/was a contest going on called the Ultimate Recipe Contest- basically looking for the best recipe in six different categories (chicken, pasta, comfort foods, burgers, cookies and cakes). The casting director had come across my personal website www.somelikeitraw.net and thought that I would be able to come up with some pretty unique recipes for the contest and wanted me to enter some.
I have to admit I was a little flattered and a wee bit surprised. Yet another sign that raw food has hit the mainstream!! Anyways, I’ve entered my manicotti recipe for the ‘Pasta’ category and came up with a new chocolate cake recipe for the ‘Cake’ category which I am sharing with you today.
A lot of people ask where I get my ideas from. It does vary, but many times it’s just looking at a cooked recipe and trying to convert it to raw. This time I happened to have an old Gourmet magazine lying around with a fabulous photo of a chocolate-glazed hazelnut mousse cake on the cover. The light bulbs went off and I set to work on creating it ‘raw-style’. Hope you like it and wish me luck with the contest!
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