Our raw Dinner and conversation with Cherie was divine. Cherie is truly an inspiration, she has quite a gift of capturing people’s imagination and putting it into practical steps to make the juicing lifestyle a reality. She addressed our questions and concerns with her gentle zeal and knowledge. She, well – each of us – shared our trials and tribulations, which added a new depth to the conversation. Our intimate dialog and raw food was both revitalizing and nourishing. Here is the menu and the recipes follow:

The menu

Appetizer:  Marinated Watermelon w/Almond Cream Cheese

Soup:  Avocado Cucumber Soup w/Smoked Salt

Main course:

Build your own Raw Pizza w/raw nut sausage
Greens w/pesto
Smokey Sun-dried Tomato Flax Crackers w/fig and olive tapenade

Dessert:  Coconut Date Ice Cream w/nutmeg

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The recipes ↓↓↓

Marinated Watermelon w/Almond Cream Cheese

• 4 cups bite-sized watermelon pieces
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs bite-sized mint pieces
• Almond Cream Cheese (see recipe, below)

1) Cut the watermelon into bite-size pieces.

2) Add the vinegar and toss well.

3) Garnish with the mint and cheese and serve.

Tip:

> For best flavor: allow the vinegar to marinate with the watermelon for at least a half hour, toss often during this time.

Almond Cream Cheese

This recipe requires an eight-hour (overnight) soak.

• 2 cup almonds (skins removed)
• 2 cups kombucha or Rejuvelac (more, if needed, see Tip, below)
• 2 tsp sea salt

1) Remove the skins of the almonds by blanching the almonds in hot water (not over 120 degrees), let soak for a few minutes and then – one-by-one – pop the kernel out of the skin.

2) Soak the almonds in the kombucha or rejuvelac for at least 8 hours.

3) Cream the mixture, with the salt, in a high speed blender until smooth.

Tips:

> I’ve noticed that the amount of liquid almonds absorb during an 8-hour soak varies …. why, you ask? … here’s what I think:

• the size of the almond
• how dry they are
• the variety

So — when blending take notice if the mixture needs more liquid in order to become smooth and creamy. Signs to watch for are:

• there is no liquid, or very little liquid, remaining after the 8-hour soak
• the blender blade has a hard time spinning the mixture
• the mixture reminds grainy, even after quite a bit of blending

> Why I soak the kernels after removing the skins:  Almonds reach their saturation point at about 8 hours, at this point the kernel is holding as much liquid as it can. The kernels will blend easier and be more creamy when they are saturated with liquid. (See my separate TIP post and Tweet on “emulsifying.”)

Avocado Cucumber Soup

• 1 avocado (peeled, pitted)
• 1 cucumber, peeled (seeded is optional)
• 1 pear (seeds removed)
• 1 bunch cilantro (cut into 2-inch pieces, stems okay)
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Smoked salt, for garnish

1) Mix all ingredients (except the smoked salt) in a high-speed blender until creamy.

Ah, gotta run, more here later.

Here is half of the crepe batter spread out on a spill-proof (Teflex) dehydrator sheet. Once it was ready - done 'cooking' in the dehydrator - I traced around a cereal bowl with a knife to make round crepe shapes. For the other half of the batter I used about a half cup of the batter to make individual crepe shapes, see image, below.

Did you know that the wrong way to pronounce “Crepes” is  …..  “krr-apes.”

Dan, our housemate, corrected me… he says the correct way to pronounce it is ……….. ‘krr-epp’ …. The French and English pronunciation is the same.

… and when you use the plural form the ‘s’ is silent… so… it’s always ‘krr-epp.’

I recently made these crepes (krr-epp) for a client – and – brought them to the South Bay Raw Food MeetUp monthly potluck. They are absolutely divine. I’ve made them many times, the mouth feel and taste are just like a crepe (krr-epp), people always go ga ga over them.

My recipe is adapted from the "Scallion Crepes," page 209, in this wonderful book: Raw Food, Real World. As I mentioned in my previous post, I love this book... the recipes (I've made many) and photos are excellent.

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The recipe ↓↓↓

Makes about 20 crepes (pancakes)

• 4 cups Thai Young coconut meat (I used 5 coconuts)
• 2 cups diced yellow squash (I used 4 crooked necks)
• 3 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup Thai Young coconut water
  —–
• More coconut water, up to a cup
  —–
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (see Tips/image, below)
• 1 cup flax seeds, finely ground  (about 1 1/3 cup ground)

1) Blend the first four ingredients in a high-speed blender until the mixture is creamy.

2) Add more coconut water, a 1/4 cup at a time to get to the consistency of custard, not too thick, not too thin (see Tips, below).

3) Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix in, by hand, the ground flax seeds, blend well.

4) Gently, by hand, mix in the sliced scallions, avoid breaking the diagonal sliced scallions. Let sit – allowing the ground flax to absorb moisture.

5) When the mixture is thick and gooey put the batter on a spill-proof dehydrator sheet, here are two options:

♦ Slice the scallions very thin - diagonally. Cut them even thinner that what is shown here.

A) Use about 1/4 cup of the mixture and spread it out making a 4 to 5-inch round-crepe shape, about 1/8-inch thick.
B) Use half the batter and spread it out making a large square, about 1/8-inch thick. After the large crepe is finished ‘cooking’ make round crepes by tracing around a small bowl or plate with a knife.

6) Dehydrate the crepes in 2 stages, first at 145 degrees for 1 to 2 hours.

7) Then, when the top of the crepes (remember – krr-epp) is firm, flip the crepes onto a dehydrator screen, remove the spill-proof sheet, turn down the heat to 110 degrees (or 90 degrees on a hot day) and ‘cook’ for another 6 to 8 hours (see Tips, below, about drying time).

Tips:

♦ The amount of coconut water that you’ll need is determined by how much water/liquid comes from the squash, it varies, so add the coconut water in small doses, about 1/4 cup at a time.

Here are crepes (pancakes) on a spill-proof (Teflex) dehydrator sheet. This recipe can make up to 20 crepes, about 4 inches wide. (Here the size is 5 to 6 inches wide.)

♦ Check the crepes often for done-ness – during both stages of dehydration, you don’t want to over ‘cook’ them. For more information see my blog post: Dehydrator temperatures.

For information about flipping the dehydrator sheets between the two stages of dehydration – see the YouTube video in my Corn Tortillas recipe.

If you want a very flexible, pliable, soft corn tortilla – then you’ll be verrrry happy with this recipe….

I made these torts for a client and for our monthly South Bay Raw Food MeetUp group’s potluck.

They are good tasting and perfect for rolling….     I’ll post photos soon.

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The recipe ↓↓↓

My corn torts were inspired by the Soft Corn Tortillas (page 188) in this book: Raw Food Real World. I love this book ... for 2 reasons... I've made maaaaany of the recipes and every one has been good. AND, I like this book for the 'eye-candy' factor ... the photos are great.

• 3 cups fresh corn (about 3 medium-sized cobs)
• 2 cups chopped orange bell pepper
• 3/4 cup ground psyllium husk
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp sea salt

1) In high-speed blender, mix all ingredients well, and let sit for 15 minutes (see Tip, below).

2) Pour and spread the mixture on a spill-proof dehydrator sheet, two options:

3) Dehydrate for 1 to 2 hours at 145 degrees (see Tip, below).

4) When the top is firm, flip them over (see YouTube video, below) transferring it from the spill-proof sheet to a dehydrator screen, peel away the spill-proof sheet and dehydrate for 2 to 4 hours at 110 degrees.

Source:  Joni Sare, 2009; adapted from: Raw Food, Real World, by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis, page 188. See book image.

♦ I use white corn and orange bell pepper. The color of the finished torts looks just like yellow corn tortillas. →Here'r some fun facts about corn: it's a grain not a veggie; the use of the word "ear" of corn does not originate from the physical aspect that the cobs on a corn stalk look like ears - that's just a "folk-etymology." The historical use comes from Old English: ear of grain, and Latin: husk of grain. (source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Discuss:Why_is_corn_called_an_ear_of_corn)

Tips:

♦ Once you blend all ingredients let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the ground psyllium husk to absorb moisture, the mixture will become thick and pudding-like.

♦ I always dehydrate in 2 stages, changing the temperature after 1 or 2 hours.

The first stage: Start dehydrating at 145 degrees with the food on a spill-proof sheet. At this temperature quite a bit of the moisture is eliminated quickly without heating the food too high.

The second stage: When the top is firm I flip the contents onto a screen and lower the temperature. Drop the temperature to 120 degrees or less based on these two variables: the type of food that is on the tray and my time. For example: If dehydrating over night I’ll turn the temperature down to 90 degrees. If the food is thick (and I want it dry and crunchy, I’ll drop the temperature to 120 or 110 degrees.

♦ How to flip dehydrator trays:
This short 1.36-minute video shows two tips, go to the 0.52-minute mark to see how to flip a D-tray.

Here is the menu – and the recipes – I created and served for the 3-day Delicious Soul Retreat with Susan Greene, M.A. Psychology and certified SoulCollage Facilitator, in West Marin this past June.

Here is my SoulCollage, called "Figments."

Click here to see what her (our) weekend entailed.

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The 3-day menu ↓↓↓

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Friday dinner: Thai View full article »