Thursday, February 20, 2014

More Recipes Revealed

So, Tara's inspiration came from this video she saw on youtube. Woman looks like she's 40 but is 70, her husband, who did not do the raw food diet, looks like an old man. Not only does she look good, she obviously is spry and clear minded.

So, now I will reveal a major recipe within the recipes we used in our raw food weekend...Cashew Cheese!   Cashews are plentiful here. Here is what you do:

Get a bag of cashew pieces (less expensive than whole cashews, and they are being chopped to smithereens anyway)

cocunut oil

sneak some water out of the raw sauerkraut you are making.

that's it.

Get your blender out, put the bag of cashews in, put two tablespoons of coconut oil and oh, a quarter cup of that sauerkraut juice. Blend and blend, it should be creamy yet runny. Pour into a glass jar or glass container half full. I warm up the oven a little then turn it off, place the containers, with lid on, in the oven for four hours. It just needs to sit in a warm place so the ferment bacterias in the sauerkraut juice can ferment and cause bubbles and the concoction starts to rise. The sauerkraut water is a salty brine, btw, so that is adding to the cheese recipe too. I have also substituted rejuvalac for the sauerkraut water and then I add a little salt.

so, the cheese rises, then you put it in the refridgerator and it will thicken more. Depending on your ratio of cashews to coconut oil to magic fermento water, you will get a cream cheese spread to hard cheese. The stuff is devine in recipes. Now I know why so many raw recipes have this cashew cheese. I've had a cashew sauce with 'pasta' (spiral cut zuchini)
cashew cream chai tea   !!!!
raw burrito with cashew cheese
cashew cheese salad dressing
and here is a simple dessert I made on our raw food weekend that was a hit:

 get some dates, slice longways but not all the way through.Remove the pit.

take a dollop of the cashew cheese that you always have on hand in your refridgerator now, schmear that into the date.

Tamarind paste! I will be bringing this home for sure. Drizzle a line of that on top. At this point, it is delicious and good, if you want it a little more hearty, I also push some peanuts into the cashew cream. So good.

I must admit , I excel at desserts.

But here is a simple raw pasta dish- ok, I saute for just a few seconds, i just do...

I don't have any photos and I didn't make it for our raw food weekend because my spiral slicer is in Queens....

get some zuchinis, wash and prepare. oh, here is a demo so you know what it looks like:



So, take your pick of machinery, make some noodles, place on a paper towel, or clean kitchen towel to absorb moisture from the fresh cut noodles.

 Chop up some garlic , put it in a pan with olive oil, some nagashoyu or tamari, heat briefly then toss the zuchini noodles in and mix around for 30 seconds or so, then dump on a plate. Squeeze of lemon, twist of pepper. simple pasta. 
Or, make a pesto.
  • Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh basil
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup pine nuts (other nuts, such as almonds or walnuts may be substituted, by soaking, you are breaking down the phytic acid so it can be absorbed properly.  )
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor/blender until nuts are ground. Pesto should still have texture and not be completely smooth. Add more salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! One variation is to add 1/2 cup rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes.



hmmmmm, back to the cashew cheese recipe... the need for sauerkraut water or 
 rejuvelac. This is rejuvelac in the making. It is the water from fermented wheat grains. Other grains can be used. Soak the grains overnight, then dump out the water, rinse the grains and dump that water out too. secure a cheese cloth on top, or if you have a proper screen lid, use that. Rest the jar upside down at an angle , let those grains sprout, rinse them twice daily so they keep moist, but have the jar upside down over night. Finally you will see the grains grow a tail. That is enough- rinse them, then fill the jar with water, i have the grains to water ratio at about 1 to 4. put in a dark room temperature location for about two days, until you see a layer of bubbles on top- then you know it is fermente. Syphone off the water and keep it for making cashew cheese, or watever else you want to mix it with. Fill the jar again and let sit for a day for a second batch. Then compost the grains and clean up.


To make raw sauerkraut, I'm going to be lazy here and refer you to this perky lady. You should also get a tube top for making raw sauerkraut.



Anyhoo, that's all for now folks. Write me! I blog for attention!







No comments:

Post a Comment