October Potluck

We made appetizers preparing for the holiday seasons. As always, everything was wonderful!!!

The "traditional" pinwheels were made with raw onion bread and herby almond spread.

The raw onion bread is from http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2013/12/raw-onion-bread.html and the herby almond spread recipe is using almond feta as the base from http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2014/07/almond-feta.html
Herby Almond Spread
Ingredients:
1 cup of the almond feta
2 TBS of chopped herbs, parsley, basil, thyme....
sliced green onions
1 TBS chopped pine nuts
1 TBS nutritional yeast
1 TBS miso
2 TBS diced red onion
2 minced cloves of garlic
combine all the ingredients and refrigerate.
To make the pinwheels:
The herby spread is evenly placed on the onion bread. It is rolled and then using a serrated knife sliced into 3/4 inch slices.

Dolmas (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Prep time 30 min  Wait time 1 hour  Yield 3 servings (4 each)

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

1/2 teaspoon coconut nectar or sweetened of choice (I used maple syrup)

1 teaspoon crushed garlic (about 2 cloves), divided

12 grape leaves from a jar of brined grape leaves

2 medium zucchini, finely julienned

1/4 cup coarsely chopped raw pine nuts

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh dill weed (I used 1 TBLS dried)

1 tablespoon minced green onion

1 tablespoon cold-pressed flax oil (I used grape seed oil)

1 tablespoon dried currants or chopped unsulfured raisins

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1.  In a small bowl, make a marinade by combining the orange juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, nectar, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic.  Set aside.

2.  Trim the stem ends of the grape leaves (the jar I bought was already trimmed) and dip the leaves in the marinade so each is completely coated.  Put the leaves in a glass baking dish and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour (I let mine sit for an hour and a half).

3.  Use scissors or a knife to cut the julienned zucchini into pieces the size of rice.  Place the zucchini in a medium mixing bowl, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over the zucchini, toss it, and wait 5 minutes.

4.  Gently squeeze out excess moisture from the zucchini using your hands.  Discard the zucchini liquid or keep it to use in a salad dressing or soup.

5.  combine the zucchini "rice" with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, pine nuts, parsley, dill weed, green onion, flax oil, currants, oregano, and black pepper in a medium bowl.  Toss gently to combine.  (Over-mixing will make the zucchini mushy).

6.  Place a grape leaf with the stem end closest to you, stem side up, on a flat surface.  Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center and draw the two sides of the leaf over toward the center.  Take hold of the edge of the leaf that is closest to you and roll it completely over the filling, tucking it under the filling slightly and pulling back gently to create a firm envelope.

7.  Place assembled dolmas seam-side down in a glass baking dish.  Continue assembling dolmas and placing them close together in the dish until all leaves are filled.

8.  Serve the dolmas warmed, chilled, or at room temperature.  To warm, cover the dolmas and put them in a dehydrator set at 125 degrees for 30 minutes to 2 hours, or in a warmed over (preheated to warm and turned off) for 30 minutes.

From Raw Food for Dummies by Cherie Soria

Coconut nut balls








Guacamole on cucumber discs
2 avocados
1 tomato, diced
diced red onion
lime juice
cucumbers, sliced into discs



Watermelon soup

3 cups chopped watermelon

1 cucumber, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs lemon juice

2 Tbs parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

·         Put half the watermelon, cucumber, red pepper, onion in the blender. Add the jalapeno pepper, olive oil, and the lemon juice. Use the puree setting until the mixture is smooth.

·         Put the remaining watermelon, cucumber, red pepper, onion in a large bowl. Add the parsley and stir well.

·         Pour the blended mixture into the bowl. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

·         Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Stir before serving.

Avocado-Corn Salsa

1 cup corn kernels and milk from the cobs (about 2 cups or 3-4 ears)

1 red bell pepper, diced

½ red onion, diced

1 avocado, diced

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tsp mustard seed

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.