Raw Spaghetti Squash

You can tell it’s autumn when I start posting lots of recipes about squash.  Unfortunately a lot of the summer vegetables are no longer ripe, but on the plus side, that gives me good motivation to experiment with fall vegetables.

This was the first time I’ve ever eaten spaghetti squash raw.  It was a little different that cooked, but still yummy.  I extracted it from the squash using the traditional fork scraping method.  It didn’t come off in the same easy strings as I’m used to with cooked, but instead came off in chunks with some strands.

I mixed it with tomatoes, onions and dill and it was really good.  Crunchy and filling.  A nice autumn alternative to a salad. I give it a 4/5 happy monkeys. I’m already looking forward to making it again.

I was really bummed when I found glass shards in the first batch I made and had to throw it all out.  No idea how they had gotten in there.  And this was only a few days after finding metal pieces that looked like staple bits in a smoothie that Matt made.  I wonder if we should be worried…

No matter, I made a second batch and it was delicious.  Probably would be even better with tumeric, but you know how I feel about that!

Ingredients:

Half a spaghetti squash, scraped out with a fork
Tomato, chopped
White onion, diced small
Handful of dill, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Olive oil
Sea salt and kelp flakes to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

Raw Herbed Summer Squash

This is a pretty tasty recipe from The Daily Raw Cafe. As you can see from the picture, I experimented halfway through with spiralized summer squash vs.  sliced.  I definitely like it better spiralized — it reminds me a lot of angel hair and holds the sauce really well.

However, the problem with recipe is that I hate tumeric.  It is evil hiding behind a disguise of tasty flavor. It always stains my clothes yellow and is impossible to get out.  Hence, I am no longer allowed to use it.

I give this a 3/5 happy monkeys. It’s a good recipe but I can’t make it again.

As always, I modified the original recipe a bit.

Ingredients:

2 summer squashes, spiralized
Juice of one half lemon
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 c chopped onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp turmeric
handful fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

Lightly toss ingredients together.

Raw “Fried Rice”

This is a fantastic recipe from the Accidental Vegetarian.   It reminds me nicely of Chinese food and rice, two things I eat rarely these days. And of course, it’s much healthier than both.

It’s a great way to use cauliflower, although I must note it also tastes delicious without the cauliflower.  Possibly even better.  Raw cauliflower has a bit of a bitter taste that I don’t like sometimes, so I like to make it substituting more peas for the cauliflower. I forgot how much I loved frozen peas. When I was a kid, I used to eat them straight out of the bag, a delicious frozen snack. For this though, I did defrost them.

I did modify the original recipe a little bit. I didn’t have sunflower seeds, even though I thought I did, so I used chopped almonds instead.  I also didn’t have lemongrass but it was delicious anyway. Yum! I give this a 4.5/5 happy monkeys!

Of course, the key to the deliciousness is the sesame oil and the not-raw tamari.. eek, cheating!

Ingredients:

* 1 head of cauliflower
* 1 ten ounce package peas, thawed, or fresh peas
* 2 tablespoons onion
* 2 cloves garlic
* ¼ cup cilantro or flat leafed parsley
* 1 inch of lemongrass
* 3 tablespoons sesame oil
* 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
* Tamari to taste
* 1 cup crushed almonds

Directions:

Pulse the cauliflower, onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and cilantro in the food processor until the cauliflower looks like rice . Place in a bowl and add the peas and almonds. Drizzle with sesame oil and tamari.

The Accidental Vegetarian also says that you can warm this recipe up by heating on very low heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly until just warm to the touch, or placing in dehydrator for 30 minutes. I didn’t try this because 1) I wasn’t sure how “raw” that would be, and 2) I was hungry and didn’t want to wait!

Raw Date Nut Torte

Wow! Yum, yum, yum.  I have been thinking about this date nut torte sitting in my fridge all evening, and as soon as I finish this post, I’m going to go indulge in some dessert. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

The funny thing is that Alyssa Cohen has this listed as one of the first recipes to make under her weekly plan in Living in Live Food, but I decided against making it.  At the time, I was much more strict about my anti-candida no-food diet, and the thought of a lot of sugary raisins and dates wasn’t sitting well with me.  But I’ve relaxed my diet a bit now and am allowing myself to enjoy this delicacy.  It is awfully sweet though, so beware.  It’s a little addicting and really not healthy, but delicious none the less.

Ingredients:

Crust

– 2 cups raisins (I used flame)
– 2 cups walnuts

Frosting

– 1 cup dates, pitted and soaked
– Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

Mix the crust ingredients in a food processor until they are well blended. Scoop out and mold onto a plate in a round circle about 1.5 inches thick. Mix the frosting ingredients in the food processor and spread on top of the crust. Sprinkle with copious amounts of cinnamon. Serve immediately or chill for firmer slices.

OK, so I couldn’t wait until after this post. I had to go to the fridge and get some now. Yuuumm!

This gets a strong 5/5 happy monkeys. The best part is the cinnamon I added on top. Next time, I think I’ll mix it into the crust for a cinnamon raisin crust. Also, I think I want to try adding hemp seeds and more lemon juice to the frosting to make it creamier without the added sweetness of more dates.

Raw Red Pepper Paté

This recipe from Alyssa Cohen’s book Living on Live Food is a raw staple for me.  I’ve probably made this more times than any other recipe since I started being raw.  It’s so yummy and easy.  I like to wrap it in collard leaves, or use it as a dip for zucchini sticks, or, as above, use it to top an arugula and tomato salad.

This gets a strong 5/5 happy monkeys.  It’s not surprising that I love it since it’s based on red peppers, which are probably my favorite vegetable ever.  This tastes best in the summer when red peppers are in season and are bursting with flavor.

Ingredients:

– 2 cups walnuts
– 2 stalks celery
– 1 large red bell pepper
– 1 large scallion
-1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in the food processor until smooth. Enjoy!