DINNER TONIGHT: BLT Sandwich, Jicama Cheez Fries, and Corn Salad

I worked at dinner again tonight.
I was intrigued by a BLT recipe by David Klein that I had seen, and I wanted to try that.  Then I needed some sides.  I had been wondering what all the hullabaloo about jicama fries was all about, and so I had bought a jicama (it was about the size of a baking potato), and then I made a corn salad to accompany it all.
I decided at the last minute that the fries should be cheez fries, and that the corn salad should have cheez, so I made up a batch of my cashew cheddar cheez.

BLT
1 lg lettuce leaf per pattie
1 C Brazil nuts, soaked and drained
1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and drained
sliced tomato
sliced onion

• In a food processor, process sun-dried tomatoes and Brazil nuts, adding water as needed to make a fine pate.
• Form 3 patties
• Spread a little mayonnaise on each leaf.
• Place each pattie on a lettuce leaf (I used red leaf lettuce).
• Top with tomato slices, and sliced onion
• To eat, fold the leaf around the pattie and use hands to eat.

This was my first experience eating a “lettuce sandwich”.  I have steadfastly avoided doing so, and now, I know that, for me, I have been correct in avoiding them (just too messy – not my style).  The next time I make this (soon), I will use it as a thick spread on the sunflower sesame bread, as opposed to a pattie, which would ooze out,  and top it with onions, tomatoes, and sprouts.

CORN SALAD
2 C corn, sliced from cob
1 C tomatoes, chopped
1/4 C onion
1/2 C bell pepper
Chili powder to taste

• In the food processor, process tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper to a chunky consistency.
• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

I drizzled a little cashew cheddar cheez over this salad on the plate, and mixed it in as I ate.

JICAMA FRIES
1 lg jicama, peeled and cut into fry-like strips
1 T olive oil
1/2 t sea salt
1 T chili seasoning

• Place jicama strips in a large bowl. Add olive oil and mix well to thoroughly coat jicama strips.
• Sprinkle in salt and chili seasoning and mix to coat jicama strips.

I found the jicama too oily, so I put it in the dehydrator for about 1/2 hr.

I served this with a glob of cheddar cheez on the plate, and dipped the fries in the cheez as I ate them.  This was my first experience with jicama, and I found it quite sweet, almost like an Asian pear.  The fries did not taste like fries to me, but my room-mate and I agreed that they were tasty.

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I BELIEVE YOU COULD CALL THIS CHEEZ WHIZ

Last night I had the brilliant idea to try to make my cheddar cheez recipe be solid.  I had made up one solid cheez once before, using agar flakes, so I figured it would work.  Even sitting overnight in the refrigerator, however, it never hardened, just thickened quite a bit, to a texture a little like that cheese product that used to come in a jar.   It still tastes okay, though.

I have a party tomorrow, so I will pack it up and take it along.

DAIKON CHEEZ BITES

DAIKON CHEEZ BITES

Ingredients:

Leftover cashew chedda cheez

Daikon slices about 2 inches wide and 3 – 4 inches long.

 

Arrange the daikon slices close to one another on a teflex sheet-covered dehydrator tray.

Spread a spoonful or so of the cheez on each daikon slice.

Dehydrate for 6 hours or so at 100 degrees.

Check the slices for dryness. If not completely dry, put them back into the dehydrator and continue to dehydrate until they are completely dry.

When the cheez bites are completely dry, remove from the dehydrator, eat some, and store the rest in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Remove the tray from the dehydrator, peel the cheez-covered daikon slices from the teflex and place them

 

I used a variation on my cashew chedda cheez recipe that has butternut squash and olive oil in it.

 

CHEDDA CHEEZ, TOO

1 C cashews, soaked 2 hours, rinsed and drained

1 med. red or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1-1/2 C butternut squash, peeled and cubed

Juice of 1 lemon

1 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T nutritional yeast (optional, not raw)

1 t sea salt, or nama shoyu (or to taste)

6 T water

1 T garlic powder

1 T chili powder, or to taste (optional)

 

Place all ingredients in the VitaMix and process until smooth.

Use right away, or refrigerate for a firmer texture.

The taste of this chedda cheez is pretty much like the simpler one I usually make (1 C cashews, 1/3 lg. red or orange bell pepper, 1 T chili powder, 1 t onion powder, 1/2 t sea salt, juice of 1 lemon, water to cover cashews, all blended smooth).  I wanted to try it because it is a good way to use up butternut squash.

Both cheezes can be used as a spread, as a sauce, as a salad dressing, or as a dip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NIBBLES – what I did with the leftovers

Last night, I made spaghetti with zucchini pasta and a tomato/onion/red bell pepper/almond sauce. My sauce came out thick, but I like it that way.

After dinner, I looked at the leftover sauce and just knew I was not oing to eat it this week.  I had a leftover zucchini so I sliced it on the mandonline and then put a spoonful of sauce on each slice and everything in the dehydrator overnight.  This morning, I was amazed at how small the zucchini slices had shrunk, but I was very pleased with the taste of these little bites. My room-mate says they taste like pizza.  Next time, though, I am going to slice the zucchini thicker.

CSA POTLUCK TOMORROW, and I still don’t know what dish I will take

There is a CSA Potluck Dinner tomorrow, coupled with a silent auction. I have donated a malachite and silver necklace and a package of 20 corn crackers with a container of cashew cheez.

Now I need to think about what I will make for my contribution to the potluck. I am really really thinking of bringing a plate worth of the corn crackers and a pot of the cheez, to generate interest in buying the auction item.

Maybe I should make something else as well.

I have several sweet potatoes lying around, and some oranges, some dates, and some raw unsweetened dried coconut. That is the beginning of two possible recipes (I don’t think I want to make my two usual stand-by’s – raw marinated massaged collards, or raw beets/turnips in vinegar– although I do have some beets, some radishes, and some turnips in the refrigerator)

I’m thinking of one of two sweet potato recipes. I like them both because people are surprised when they realize that what they are eating is raw. I don’t know if I would make the whole pie, but I would offer the filling — with all those dates, it is very sweet. I am also thinking about a “stuffing” recipe made with sunflower seeds.

AMAZING SWEET POTATOES
2 – 3 sweet potatoes (or yams)
1 C coconut, dried
2 apples
1/4 C ginger root
4 lemons juiced
2 oranges, juiced
1 C walnuts, chopped fine

• Chop sweet potatoes, apples, and ginger, and run through Champion juicer with ….blank plate. (Alternatively, grate sweet potatoes, apples, and ginger).
• Remove mixtureto a large bowl. Add shredded dried coconut, lemon and orange …juices, and chopped walnuts.
• Mix thoroughly

JUDY’S “JUST LIKE PUMPKIN” PIE
this is most amazing

2 C almonds, soaked
1 C walnuts or pecans, soaked
1 C unsweetened shredded coconut
20 dates, soaked overnight
2 C cashews, soaked overnight, and drained
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced.
3 t pumpkin pie spice
drizzle agave nectar

CRUST
• Combine almonds, walnuts (or pecans, and coconut in food processor or Vitamix, …..and process until ground fine and dough-like
• Pat the dough into two pie plates

FILLING
• Drain dates; reserve soak water.
• In food processor, puree dates, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie spice
• Remove mixture from food processor and set aside in a bowl.
• Set mixture aside in a bowl.
• Process cashews, agave nectar, vanilla, and date soak water as needed, until …..smooth and creamy.
• Combine cashew mixture and sweet potato mix puree
• Spread filling in pie shells
• Dehydrate for 6 hours, then refrigerate.

SUNFLOWER SEED DRESSING
1 C sunflower seeds, soaked and drained
1 T flax seeds
1-1/2 C celery
1-1/2 C onion
1-1/4 C red bell pepper
1 T sage to taste (or use Bell’s Poultry Seasoning)
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic to taste (optional)
1/2 C kalamata olives, chopped fine

• In a food processor, grind soaked sunflower seeds fine.
• Grind flax seeds fine in a coffee grinder.
• Remove ground seeds to a bowl.
• Place all remaining ingredients, save olives, in the food processor, and mince.
• Add olives and combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Place in a pie tin, or rectangular tin of suitable size and dehydrate for six hours, or until dressing has reached your desired consistency.

No matter what, I need to go to the supermarket.

If I make ‘Amazing Sweet Potatoes” I need lemons.

If I make the sunflower seed dressing, I need the olives.

Oh!! If I make the pie filling, I don’t need anything, and it tastes really good…

What will I choose??? I need to decide in the next half hour. Oops! I’ve just gone for the easy one. Excuse me, I need to go soak the nuts.

FALSE ALARM!!! you’ve seen it on other raw food news sources!

I held my breath when I heard the story that the FDA was going to force “pasteurization” of organic vegetables. Of course, I was frightened, because of the forced pasteurization of California almonds, which has raised the price of raw almonds through the roof, but I still held off…. I held my breath…. good thing…

Today, I received an email from Dave Klein, the publisher of Living Nutrition Magazine:
“I was wrong about the pasteurization of greens; the FDA
is not, in fact, proposing to pasteurize greens at all! What happened was someone on the rawfoods board posted a thread that read like there was a proposal to pasteurize greens, telling us to protest on the FDA comment line, with a link to the original article. I didn’t read the article.

In fact, the FDA is proposing regulating growers’ practices, which is probably a good thing.

They’re proposing making growers test their produce at certain intervals for contamination. Also they are looking to make certain regulations about soil conditions, which some groups feel will negatively impact organic growers. I would tend to disagree, as I think a lot of ‘organic’ growers today are faking it and need to be regulated. The real organic growers probably have little to hide.”

I have sat out of this scary notification loop because I wanted to see what would really come around. I understand the panic based on California almonds (what were they thinking of… do they really think that pasteurizing almonds will increase almond consumption, as the world continues to go organic and raw????? They just make us go to outside (foreign) sources, which do not have such ignorant laws (unfortunately, almond prices for raw foodists have just gone through the ceiling, as (sensible) foreign sources have realized that they have a limitless market) The main problem for us here (in the US) is that we must trust foreign sources, which are not necessarily under the same regulations as our local regulations.

Perhaps, our “formerly” raw almond growers/producers in California will be able to organize (oh, but it is California!!! they couldn’t organize when the threat was imminent! )

Meanwhile, it looks like we are safe… stay awake… stay aware!!!

RAW REFRIED BEANS

RAW REFRIED BEAN DIP
adapted from a recipe found on livingmom.com

2 C garbanzo bean sprouts
3/4 C hot water
1-1/2 C sunflower seeds, soaked
2/3 C olive oil
2 T Bragg’s Aminos
1 T onion powder
2 T ancho chili powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t cumin powder
1 T nutrional yeast
sea salt to taste

Puree ingredients in Vitamix to very smooth consistency. Add water as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Serve with burritos, or as a dip for vegetables or chips or as a side dish. Alternatively, dehydrate as patties.

RAW TOMATO SALSA

TOMATO SALSA
adapted from a recipe found on livingmom.net

6 C tomatoes, chopped
1 onion,  chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 jalapeno,  seeded, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
Zest of 1/2 lime
1 t sea salt (or to taste)
Chili powder to taste
Other vegetables and/or seasonings to taste.

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

EASY RAW SUNFLOWER SEED SOUR CREAM

RAW SUNFLOWER SEED SOUR CREAM
adapted from a recipe found on livingmom.net

1 C sunflower seeds
1 C water
4+ T lemon juice
1 garlic clove, pressed (alt: 1/2 t garlic powder)
3/4 t onion powder
3/4 t salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth.