We
go through many transition steps in life, including those that come
with embracing a plant-based diet. The next step in my own
dietary growth and evolution is to get back to a place where I was
before I starting testing recipes for my book.
I
was (and still am) very interested in the transition a person must go
through to accept a raw foods diet and I was spending time in the kitchen
learning how to make dishes that would help others with this
transition. My personal progress with the vegan raw foods diet seemed
to set up a challenge for me, as I was already experiencing my taste
buds starting to really crave raw, healthy foods..
For
the most part, I would test myself to see how hungry I truly was at
the moment by taking an internal inventory of whether I wanted to eat
a food that was simple in taste – or whether I was craving a
“tasty” and “rich” food. I would use this barometer to guide
me. Sometimes a fruit snack or small fruit meal are the perfect
substitute, if you are not too hungry for the simpler tastes at that
time.
Many
times, by the time you do eat a meal, the simpler food will appeal to
you in a greater way.
Whether
an exclusive raw foods diet is your goal, or it is just to increase your
percentage of raw meals, I strongly encourage you to experiment in
the kitchen with more raw dishes.
Although
these 2 recipes are not 100% raw, you can see how raw foods are
included in the recipe. And of course these basic dishes can be
transformed to fully raw if you wish.
This
first recipe: Spicy Beet Borscht includes a raw beet. If you would
rather make it a raw cold soup, then add fresh vegetables including
tomatoes to your blender, instead of V8 juice.
Spicy Beet Borscht /Cashew Sour Cream
Up the garlic and cayenne and call this soup ‘Count Dracula’s Blood’. Adjust the
lemon, garlic and spice to your taste. This soup is best chilled before serving,
and is easy to make up in advance. This soup is a ‘winner’ for those who like
beets. You can store the borscht in the vegetable juice bottle.
Borscht
1 quart vegetable juice, bottle, organic (R.W. Knudsen ‘Very Veggie’)
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
4 small or 2 cups beets, peeled, cubed small
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 pinches cayenne pepper
dill sprig garnish (optional)
Cashew Sour Cream
1 cup cashews, whole and raw
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup water, pure
Directions
Borscht
1. Blend 1/3 of the vegetable juice in a blender with the garlic. Add the beets,
lemon juice, remaining vegetable juice, and cayenne into the blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Chill in the refrigerator.
Cashew Sour Cream
4. Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy
consistency is reached. Chill in refrigerator.
Assembly
5. Place the borscht in a serving bowl. Then add two dollops of the cashew
sour cream to the top of the soup and serve. Garnish with a dill sprig.
Yield Borscht - 1 quart + 1-1/2 cups Sour Cream -1-1/4 cup serves 4-6
For
the recipe for the collard wraps, wash and pat dry the collards,
de-spine them, line the leaves with a lettuce leaf first and then
fill them with the Sun-dried Tomato Pate' recipe.
Sun-dried
Tomato Pate'
This
pate’ can be used as a spread on crackers, cucumber rounds, celery
sticks or a sandwich. It can also be a filling in rolled Collard
leaves or Belgium endive. If soaking sun-dried tomatoes, soak for 15
minutes. Use the soak water instead of adding the pure
water
in the recipe. This pate’ has a very good refrigerated shelf life.
1
cup walnuts, soaked, rinsed and drained dry = 1-1/3 cups
1/2
cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed tight, (or 1/2 cup from an 8.5 ounce
jar. Drain)
1
teaspoon olive oil
1/4
cup basil leaves or 6 medium leaves (packed tight in a measuring cup)
*4 -
6 tablespoons water, pure (see *note below)
1/4
cup lemon juice
1
tablespoon garlic, rough chop
1
teaspoon sea salt
1
pinch black pepper, ground
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