Tag: raw vegan food

Red Lentil Pasta with No-Cook Spinach Sauce

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Red Lentil Pasta with No-Cook Spinach Sauce
Red Lentil Pasta with No-Cook Spinach Sauce, via Eat the Vegan Rainbow

Sometimes you may find yourself in a need of a really, really quick meal. In those cases pasta is always your friend, and no-cook pasta sauces make things even quicker. I know, you can always reach for a jar – and I don’t have anything against jars and pasta sauces. But, pesto and similar type of sauces, or perhaps I should them dressings?, come together in a snap and can help you get out of the tomato-based pasta sauces rut.

Traditionally, pesto is made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. It can be well balanced, but it is often too oily, and the cheese, for those who eat dairy, and olive oil can often overpower the delicate basil flavor.

I prescribe to a very broad definition of what pesto is. To me it usually means a sauce (spread, dressing) made with some green leafy vegetables and/or herbs and nuts – and that’s it! Any combination that gets you there counts as a sort of pesto in my book. You can think of combining green things like basil, spinach, arugula, parsley, mint, kale, on one hand, with pine nuts, almonds, pistachios or seeds of different kind (like pumpkin, sesame or sunflower) on the other hand, and you will end up with a flavorful “pesto”. My examples here include Pumpkin Seed and Parsley Pesto and Kale Pesto with Cashews.

Given that most seeds and nuts have plenty of fat in them, I usually don’t add any additional oil, although  drop or two of good quality olive oil can certain enhance the flavors. The recipe below does not use any oil, and I don’t think you will miss it!

Pomegranate molasses is perhaps the only unusual ingredient included in the recipe for this snapy pasta dish. If you’ve never tasted this molasses prepare yourself for something tangy and tart, while at the same time sweet. I like to use it in my pasta sauces as it works as a sort of mix between a bit of balsamic vinegar and a bit of sugar, which some pasta sauces may need. If you don’t have pomegranate molasses on hand (I got mine for a very reasonable price at my local Indian store and I bet Middle Eastern stores would carry it), you can always use some balsamic vinegar. Or, if you are really adventurous, you can mix some balsamic vinegar with some regular molasses or maple syrup in equal parts, and use that instead. You only need a tiny bit to drizzle over the pasta just before serving!

Final note: the recipe below lists red lentil pasta as a ingredient. I like this variety because it has a deeper and nuttier flavor. But: you can of course use any pasta you have on hand. In my view, tubular (think macaroni) or short flat (think bow tie pasta) types of pasta work better with pestos than long ones (think spaghetti) – but this I leave up to you and your pantry!

Red Lentil Pasta with No-Cook Spinach Sauce

What you’ll need:

  • 1 box (12 oz, 340 g) red lentil pasta macaroni
  • 1 lbs (450 g) baby spinach (or chopped frozen spinach that has been fully thawed)
  • 1 cup pistachios, lightly salted
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar)
  • Optional: more molasses (balsamic vinegar) for drizzling on each serving

 

What you’ll do:

  1. Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the box.
  2. While pasta is cooking, place the rest of the ingredients into a food processor equipped with an S-blade and process until smooth.
  3. When pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water to cool just slightly, then toss with the rich, cream sauce. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge overnight to serve the next day – this dish is definitely a make-ahead friendly!
  4. Serve room temperature and drizzle some pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar) right before serving.

Copyright © Eat the Vegan Rainbow, 2019

Raw Zucchini Pasta with No-Cook Tomato Sauce

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Raw Zucchini Pasta with No-Cook Tomato Sauce, via Eat the Vegan Rainbow

Confession time: raw food is not really my thing. And I don’t mean salads or smoothies or just munching on fruit or veggie sticks or nuts. That doesn’t count and those I love. And I love different types of quick and easy breakfast ideas, like energy balls or muffins that you can just whip together.

What I mean here is taking something that you feel like should be cooked, for example a soup or maybe a stir-fry and making it raw, or as you may have learned from the recent cookbook review I wrote on “Raw Vegan”, without using temperatures above 150F.

And yet: couple of things I tried actually changed my mind on perhaps not all types of raw food recipes, but definitely on a handful of them. One of the raw foods I like is this quick and super easy and super raw take on spaghetti and marinara sauce.

For spaghetti I use spiralized zucchini noodles aka zoodles. I’ve been using zoodles for some time know and they are fantastic. Even when you do cook them they are done in no time and make a simple pasta-like dish, or stir-fry, or even as that classic – spaghetti and meatballs! They taste great in a salad, with no cooking required, too. So, I suppose it was a no-brainer that they would work with a no-cook tomato sauce.

Speaking of which, the no-cook sauce did need some development to make into something that does not taste like you are just chugging down some canned tomatoes. Adding canned beans (I suppose this may disqualify the recipe from being technically “raw food” but it’s as raw as this one will get) to boost the protein, flavor and creaminess, and adding nutritional yeast really made the flavors pop!

Try this sauce with other things as well, and you will not feel like you are missing anything. For this specific pasta dish, topping everything with some chopped olives (I recommend Kalamata here as they are a bit edgy) will make a great dish even better. Enjoy!

Raw Zucchini Pasta with No-Cook Tomato Marinara Sauce

What you’ll need:

  • 4 large zucchini, spiralized
  • FOR SAUCE
  • 1 28 oz (800 g) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 15.5 oz (440 g) can white canelini beans
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon umami spice mix or 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • FOR SERVING
  • kalamata olives, sliced, for serving

What you’ll do:

  1. Place all the sauce ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, which should take about a minute.
  2. Pour the sauce over the spiralized zucchini and toss well to combine.
  3. Serve immediately topped with sliced olives and enjoy!!!

Copyright © Eat the Vegan Rainbow, 2019

 

 

Raw Energy Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Posted in Breakfast Ideas, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , 2 Comments
Raw Energy Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
Raw Energy Oatmeal Raisin Muffins, via Eat the Vegan Rainbow

Few Sundays ago, I shared with you my impressions of a new cookbook on the vegan block – “Modern Raw: Healthy Raw Vegan Meals for a Balanced Life” by Rachel Carr. I’ve been wanting to cut down on cooking for some time, and especially during the summer, so this cookbook came to me in just the right moment. You can read more about my views and check out a recipe kindly provided by the publisher here.

Needless to say, inspired by the raw vegan strategy Rachel outlined, I jumped at the opportunity to start making my own raw experiments. I started with a breakfast item, and a pasta recipe, mostly because many people trying to follow plant-based eating find breakfast to be the most challenging meal, and because I couldn’t imagine that you can have pasta without cooking!

The muffins below are great – sweet without any added sugar, and ready without baking. If you told me that this is possible, I would have rejected your suggestion. Now, of course, I know better, and these muffins – although not having a texture of any muffin you ever tried before – are packed with good-for-you energy and will carry you through your morning.

They are made of carrots, apples, raisins and rolled oats – four ingredients only! And need a bit of help from cinnamon and nutmeg! You need a food processor to make them, since there’s lot of grating and I don’t recommend you undertake this process by hand. And there is also a bit of waiting for these muffins to firm up and come together, so it’s best to make them an evening ahead and them enjoy them for breakfast the next day!

 

Raw Energy Oatmeal Raisin Muffins, via Eat the Vegan Rainbow

Raw Energy Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

What you’ll need:

  • 2 apples, cored (Granny Smith, MacIntosh, Pink Lady work best)
  • 3 extra-large carrots, peeled
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 cups rolled oats, divided
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 12 walnut halves, optional

What you’ll do:

  1. Using a fine shredding attachment on your food processor or hand-held grater, grate the apples and carrots. Transfer them into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Change the food processor’s attachment to S-blade, then combine 1 cup of rolled oats and raisins. Pulse until finely ground.
  3. Combine with the grated carrots and apples, add the rest of the ingredients (all except walnut halves), and mix well using your hands to help the juices release and combine. Don’t worry if the mix feels wet – oats will absorb some of the excess moisture later. Depending on the exact variety of apples you use, you may end up with a bit too wet of a dough. In that case add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more oats.
  4. Line the muffin pan with the same baking liners you would use for your muffins or cupcakes. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mix into each muffin holder. Pack in the dough by pressing with your fingers. Top each muffin with a walnut half, or top with rolled oats, or couple of raisin. You can also skip the topping or mix-and-match.
  5. Leave the muffins in the fridge for couple of hours to form up. Before serving take them out and let them come to room temperature – this will take 15 minutes or so. The muffins should slide out of the wrappers with easy and hold well together. If they don’t, you may want to add a bit more ground rolled oats into your dough next time. However, if they do, you will have a delicious, no-bake muffin on your hands – a great way to start your day. Enjoy!

Copyright © Eat the Vegan Rainbow, 2019