Squash Gummies

We saw this recipe and thought we would share it from squash-gummy-candy

Ingredients

• 8 cups summer squash or zucchini, peeled, seeded and cut into roughly 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 can fruit juice concentrate (11.5 ounce)
• 1 can water

Directions

Prepare squash.  This is a good use for overgrown garden zucchini – just cut around the seed cavity.

Place cubed zucchini in a large, nonreactive stockpot.  (I use an 8 quart stainless steel stockpot.)  Pour in juice concentrate and water.

Cook gently until translucent and tender, about 30 minutes.  Drain in a colander, spread out on dehydrator sheets so the pieces are not touching.  

Dehydrate at 135 degrees F for 8-12 hours or until tacky but no longer moist.  I usually do mine overnight. 

Suggested flavors: cranberry-raspberry juice concentrate, blueberry juice, and strawberry-kiwi juice concentrate.

I’d suggest storing these in the fridge and eating them within a month, or freezing for longer storage. 

Raw Cashew Brie wheel with rind with a fig spread

Raw Cashew Brie this recipe is from http://www.rawfoodmagazine.com/brie-cashew-cheese-wheel-with-rind/

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp probiotic powder
• 3 tsp nutritional yeast, optional
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Place the cashews in bowl, adding twice the amount of water.  During the soaking process, the cashews will absorb water and swell.
2. After soaking the cashews, drain and discard the soak water. The process has a two-fold purpose.
   • First, to soften the cashews so they blend perfectly smooth.
   • Secondly, to reduce the phytic acid which is rough on digestion.
3. In a high-powered blender, combine the cashews, water and probiotics. Blend until the mixture is velvety smooth.
   • This can take 2-4 minutes, depending on your machine.
   • Test it occasionally by rubbing the mixture between your forefinger and thumb.  If you feel any grit, continue blending.
   • Be careful that you don’t over-heat the mixture.  If the carafe is feeling warm to the touch, let the mixture rest to cool before proceeding.
   • If you have a low-powdered blender, I would suggest blending the water and the cashews first.  Once smooth, then add the probiotic.  We don’t want to kill the good bacteria by over-heating it.
4. Prepare a stainless steel mesh strainer by placing it in a larger bowl.  Then line it with a double layer of cheesecloth.
5. Pour the “cheese” mixture into the center of the cloth.
6. Gather all the edges of the cloth together, twist tight and fold it over onto itself.
7. Lay a small plate on top of the bundle, followed by a weight.
   • Use a mason jar filled with water, beans, flour or whatever.
   • You want the weight to be heavy enough to put pressure on the “cheese” but not too much that it forces too much to leak through the cheesecloth.
   • We have the bowl under the strainer to catch the “whey” that will slowly drip out.  It won’t be much, just enough to leave a mess if unattended.
8.  Cover the bowl with a towel and set the mixture aside on the counter top for 24-48 hours to culture.
   • The temperature of the house will affect the culturing time.  The warmer the house, the quicker it will start to culture, so keep an eye on it.
   • It will develop a pretty strong cheese-like odor during this time.
9. After it has cultured, scoop the mixture into a clean bowl.
10. Add the salt and nutritional yeast.  Mix well.
11. Transfer the “cheese” to a ring mold or the ring of a Springform pan,  lining the base with plastic.
12. Place the mold in the freezer for several hours so it sets up nice and firm.
13. Carefully remove the cheese from the mold and place on a non-stick sheet and slide into the dehydrator.
    • Dry for 1 hour at 145 degrees (F).  Click (here) to read why.
    • Reduce the heat to 115 degrees (F) and continue to dry for up to 24 hours.
    • Half way through the dry time, remove the teflex sheet and place the “cheese” on the mesh sheet for the remainder of the dry time.  This will speed up the process and allow air to flow around it.
    • This process will cause a rind to develop around the edges.
14. Once done, enjoy!   There should be a nice rind on the outside and creamy “cheese” on the inside.
15. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for approximately 7 days.  The “cheese” will continue to culture but once chilled it slows down considerably.

We add a fig spread. This is not raw

ingredients:
10 oz dried figs cut into 1/4 inch sections
3 TBS sugar
1 1/2 cup water

Boil the above until the water is almost gone. Add to blender and blend.

"tomato-roni"

This recipe is for a vegan version of pepperoni from http://news.therawfoodworld.com/raw-vegan-pepperoni/
We plan to use it on our Buckwheat pizza crusts, raw caramelized onions, almond feta, and marinated veggies

Kitchen Tools / Equipment Needed:

• Blender
• Dehydrator

Ingredients / Grocery List:

• 8 (unsalted) sun dried tomatoes , soaked
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 T Minced Garlic
• 2 T flax seeds , ground to a meal
• 1 T hemp seed oil

Instructions / Directions / Method:

1. Put all ingredients into a blender until smooth.
2. Use a teaspoon to scoop mixture and lay onto dehydrator sheets.
3. Set dehydrator at 115 for 8 to 10 hours checking half way through to flip and flatten with a spoon.
4. Continue drying until crispy.

Alternatives / Replacements:

• Use sea salt if needed/wanted.
• Sprinkle a bit more of the ground flax on top prior to drying and/or while flipping.

Curried Chickpea salad

This is from Roberto's New Vegan Cooking, by Roberto Martin via Mind, Body, Green.

Curried Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked then cooked until very tender, or two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 celery ribs, diced small
• 1 large organic Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced small
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup currants or raisins
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup
• 2 whole scallions, green parts thinly sliced and white parts minced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Place half of the chickpeas in a food processor and pulse them once or twice to chop them up a bit. This can also be done in a bowl with a potato masher.

2. Place the chickpeas and the rest of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix them with a rubber spatula until well combined.

3. Season the salad with salt and pepper then cover and refrigerate it for 30 minutes minimum before serving.

Salad is good for five days in the refrigerator.

This recipe appears in Roberto's New Vegan Cooking, by Roberto Martin. 

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18704/insanely-simple-curried-chickpea-salad.html

Sweet Potato Crusted Chicken/Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

When we make this we make two, one with chicken and one vegetarian. Each pie serves 4. The recipe is below is for 8. Peas could be easily added as could corn. We selected the vegetables we had in the refrigerator.
For those thinking what about the protein, there is protein in the eggs and vegetables, especially the green beans, a legume. The nutritional information is at the bottom.

chicken (left) mushroom (right)

Ingredients for 2 Crust:
4 eggs
8 baked sweet potatoes, removed from skin and cooled

directions: Combine the ingredients for the crust

sauteed vegetables

Pie filling for two:
2 cups green beans, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, diced
1 large red bed pepper, diced
parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, season to taste
2 - 4 TBS gluten free flour to thicken

chicken (left) mushroom (right)

directions: water saute until the vegetables are soft. Divide the ingredients into two pie/quiche pans.

1/2 pound chicken cubed and cooked is added to one.
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced and cooked is added to the second one




Top with sweet potato crust

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes



Nutritional information mushroom                              Nutritional information chicken
calories: 200                                                                 calories: 220
carbs: 37.6 g                                                                 carbs: 34.8 g
fiber: 8.2 g                                                                    fiber: 7.4 g
fat: 3 g                                                                          fat: 3.6 g
protein: 8.6 g                                                                protein: 13.6 g

Pine Nut Parmesan Cheese

We altered Cheri's recipe by adding a clove of garlic.

Pine Nut Parmesan Cheese

 

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Author: Cherie Soria

Recipe Type: Cheese

Cuisine: Raw Vegan

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw pine nuts
• 1 or more cups filtered water
• 1⁄4 teaspoon probiotic powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove of garlic (we added this)

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients in a high-performance blender, adding water as necessary to achieve a thin creamy texture.
2. Divide batter in half and spread each half, paper thin, on a dehydrator tray lined with a nonstick sheet. Dehydrate for 12 hours or until the cheese is completely dry and crisp.
3. Using a pastry board scraper, scrape cheese shavings off the sheet.

Besto Pesto

My Favorite Besto Pesto by Karen Ranzi

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(From Raw Vegan Recipe Fun for Families- Page 44)
1/3 cup pine nuts, soaked 20 minutes
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup basil, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic (optional)

The pesto can be made in the food processor or blender. In the blender, blend all until desired consistency.

In the food processor, grind the pine nuts, then add the garlic and fresh herbs and process until finely chopped. Use as a topping to Zucchini Spaghetti or create appetizers by spreading pesto on mushroom caps, pepper slices and/or zucchini rounds and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 3 to 4 hours. (I always find myself preparing the pesto appetizers for the holidays!).