Raw Zucchini Spaghetti with Basil Walnut Pesto

I love zucchini!  It's one of my favorite summer veggies.  I have found that I prefer it raw because no matter how you prepare it, it retains it's crunch.  Lucky for me, my CSA, The Good Food Collective, provides me with an abundance of it!

To make zucchini noodles, you will need a spiral slicer.  There are many options for spiral slicers.  I have a World Cuisine Tri-Blade Spiral Vegetable Slicer.  It's a hand crank and was inexpensive.

SALAD

1 green zucchini

1 yellow zucchini

1 seedless cucumber (if desired)

Tomatoes (I use a variety of heirlooms to get the best flavor)

PESTO

2-3 large handfuls of fresh basil

3-5 large cloves of garlic (adjust to your liking)

1 handful of raw walnuts

Good quality olive oil (flavored olive oil works great!)

Up to1 tablespoon of sea salt

Wash the zucch and leave the skins on.

Cut off the ends and put it through the spiral slicer using the smallest noodle blade.  Put noodles in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle with olive oil.  Dice the tomatoes and put them in with the zucch.

Put the basil, garlic, and walnuts in a food processor and chop.  When everything is chopped well, drizzle in olive oil until you are happy with the consistence of the pesto.  Add sea salt until the flavor is to your liking.  Mix in with the veggies and let sit on the counter for about 2 hours before serving. Stir frequently to release all the yummy juices!

Kimchi or Kimchee

Kimchi/Kimchee is a Korean side dish made from various vegetables and seasonings that are fermented. Traditionally kimchi styles vary by regions across Korea.

Kimchi is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, C, phosphorous, niacin, calcium, & iron.  It also contains non-dairy lactic acid bacteria, one of which is lactobacillus kimchii.  All that good shit aids your gut in digestion.

This is, by no means, the only way to make kimchi.  I found several recipes and settled on adapting one I found from hungry tigress food blog.

PROCEDURE:

Day 1:  Dissolve 6 tablespoons of finely ground sea salt OR pink salt in 8 cups of water.  Cut 1 head of cabbage (Napa or savoy) into 1-inch pieces.  (I do not recommend using red cabbage for this part. It's too sweet and it will also throw off the color and everything will turn red. I do like the flavor of it, so when the kimchi is completely done, I chop up some of that red deliciousness and throw that shit right on my plate with the kimchi and mix it in. It adds a bit of sweetness to the sour of the kimchi.)  Ok, back to the green cabbage Goddesses.....Make sure that all the pieces separate as you put them in a non-reactive bowl, preferably glass.  Pour that briny shit all over the cabbage so it gets a good bath!  Place a plate inside the bowl over the cabbage to keep all that leafy green goodness submerged. Let this sit at for least 12 hours or over night.

 

Day 2:  Strain cabbage from brine BUT set the brine aside.  You'll need it later!  Put the cabbage back into the non-reactive bowl.  Add to the cabbage 2 tablespoons of Turkish or Hungarian paprika,  2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh garlic, and 6 sliced scallions OR 1 sweet onion quartered and sliced OR hell!  Add both!  This is your party!.  You can add other savory spices as well.   I throw in some cayenne pepper.   

At this point you can also choose to add other veggies.  I added 2 shredded carrots, 1 rib of celery thinly sliced, 1 kohlrabi root quartered and thinly sliced, 1 fresh jalapeño thinly sliced, and 1 Jimmy Nardello sweet Italian frying pepper thinly sliced.  You can also add daikon radishes and cucumbers.  Hell!  Add whatever the fuck you want!  Except tomatoes. They don’t belong in here.  You can put that shit on top when you fill your plate! 

Once you have everything in there that you want, ix everything together really well.  It's best to just dive right in with your hands.

 

Split all that delicious veg between 2 wide-mouth, quart-sized canning jars or if you have a half-gallon jar you can put them all in there.  Make sure you pack everything down really well.  Don’t let any of that shit sneak out!  use your hands if you can.  Pour the brine into the jars just to cover the veg. This is very important so pay attention! You will have brine left over!  SAVE THAT SHIT!!!

 

Now.....Here comes the tricky part.  You have to weight down the veg inside the jar.   This will make one hell of a mess if you aren’t careful. (Ask me how I know.) You're going to do this with sandwich baggies and the rest of that sexy brine.  Very carefully, put a baggie in the opening of each of the jars.  Fill the bags with brine.  Carefully squeeze out the air and seal the baggie.  Do this for all of your jars.  Put any extra brine in a glass jar and save it. You may need it later.  Throw NOTHING away when you make this!  Place the jars into a glass bowl incase they drip.  You will not be putting the lids on at this time so put that shit in a safe place for now!  Put the whole bowl in a cool dark area. If you can’t find an area that stays dark, just put it in a corner of your kitchen and throw a towel over the whole shebang. 

 

Make sure to check it daily to be sure that the veg is still submerged.  You may have to release air from baggies or you may have to add more brine to them.  (See?  Save that shit!)  After 3 days check to see if it has soured enough for your taste.  It could take up to 6 days to get the best flavor.  It could take longer for you.  Depends on your preference.  

Once it's how you like it, carefully remove the baggies and dump all that sext brine into the jars, cap, and refrigerate.  If you need more, add some from the extra jar you have tucked away in the back of your fridge.  This will last quite a while. The vinegar has pickled and preserved everything. Make sure you eat this shit every single day for a happy gut!

 

Couscous Stuffed Peppers

This is one of those recipes that came about by trying to make a meal out of what was already in the house.   I

4 large bell peppers, any color (you can also use long Italian green or other large banana peppers)
1 box of organic couscous, rice, farro, quinoa, or any other small grain.  Any flavor is fine.
Fresh shelling peas-as amny as you like (you can use frozen if fresh are not available)
1 large carrot diced
1/2 of a large red onion
5 garlic scapes diced
1/2 of a small green zucchini diced
1/2 of a small yellow summer squash diced
1 fresh ear of corn on the cob (you can use frozen if fresh are not available)
1/8 cup red or yellow lentils

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions.

Cook the lentils in 1/2 cup of water until tender but not mushy.  Drain any remaining water.

Shell the peas, stip the corn off the cob, and dice the rest of the veggies.  ***Do not precook the corn!

Sautee' the veggies in good quality olive oil on medium high heat for 5-10 minutes.  Stir constantly to prevent burning.

When the couscous is done, add it to the veggies and mix well.  Turn off heat.

Cut off the tops of the peppers and scoop out the seeds.  You can keep the tops for little covers while they bake if you like.

Evenly distribute the couscous/veggie mixture between the peppers.  Put the tops back on and bake at 350 in a open pan for 20-30 minutes. 

 

 

###Please note that couscous is made from semolina, which is made from wheat. If you are intolerant to gluten, you can use a hardy red or brown rice.

Cashew Chipotle Spread

I have found that cashews are one of the best staples that you can have in your vegan/raw arsenal. When using them to make nut milk, there is virtually no pulp. They make a great alternative to whipped cream. They make great ice cream. Their texture is so creamy and smooth that really any condiment you make with them is texturally pleasing! I love this spread. It makes a great partner for fresh veggies and raw breads and crackers. It will stay for a week but you'll eat it before then!

2 cups of raw cashews
1& 1/2 cups of cold water
1-2 Roma tomatoes
2 large cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of Himalayan sea salt
1 large or 3-4 small dried chipotles
1 tablespoon of chipotle chili powder
1 lime juiced
1 bunch of cilantro leaves

Put half of the water and everything else in the blender and process, adding the rest of the water as necessary until you have the smooth and creamy consistency that you want. Taste and add more of any ingredient as per your taste. Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Grandma T's Pickled Green Tomatoes

This original recipe came from the grandmother of one of my best friends. This is a most delicious treat! You can eat these with bread, crackers, or use them for a topping on pasta. My favorite way is to use them as a topping on shredded raw zucchini.

You'll notice that there are no measurements. It's all going to depend on what you have on hand and what your taste preferences are. My jars are heavy on the garlic and red pepper but I chose not to add herbs.

You will need:
•Ball pint-sized canning jars with a wide mouth
•Green tomatoes
•Sea salt
•White distilled vinegar
•Good quality extra virgin olive oil
•Fresh garlic either crushed or thinly sliced (a lot of it)
•Crushed red pepper flakes
•Fresh herb of your choice from the following-basil, oregano, or parsley. Or you can choose to not use any.

1. Slice HARD GREEN tomatoes very thin.

2. Salt both sides of each piece and put it them in a colander.

3. Put the colander in the sink and put a weight on top of the tomatoes. I used a large kettle of water that fit inside the colander. Let the tomatoes drain over night.

4. The next day put the tomatoes in a GLASS bowl and cover them with white distilled vinegar. Cover the bowl with a plate or a towel. Leave it on the counter for 3 days.

5. On the 3rd day drain the vinegar out of the tomatoes and begin the canning process.

6. Layer in the jar in this order-tomatoes (2-3 slices), 1 tablespoon of olive oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, herb of choice.

7. Continue this layering process until you are about 1/2 to 1 inch from the top of the jar. The last layer needs to be olive oil and it must cover the top of the tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon at a time do you don't end up with too much.

8. Put the lid on the jar and then the ring. Push down the middle button to force the seal and then screw on the ring tightly. Put the jars in a cupboard until they are ready to eat. Let sit for a couple days before eating. Once you open a jar you must refrigerate it!

 

You can find this and other great recipes on Allergy Free Alaska!

Tomato Avocado Salad

I made this great salad today for dinner.  It was just enough for one.  Everything came from my garden except for the avocado.

1/2 Haas avocado diced
1 big handful of cherry tomatoes halved
1-2 cloves of garlic finely diced
12 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
The leaves of 5 stalks of fresh cilantro finely chopped
3 zucchini flowers chopped
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste

Put everything in a bowl and mix together.  Let stand at room temp for about 15 minutes before eating to let all the flavors mingle.  You can refrigerate this but it tastes best at room temp.

Check out this recipe and a ton of others on Allergy Free Alaska

Raw Almond Zucchini Hummus

I am always at a loss when it comes to the left over pulp from making home made nut milks.  Usually I just dry it in a low oven and freeze it for flour.  The other day I Googled 'nut pulp recipes' and found this gem courtesy of Choosing Raw.  It is delish!  The base recipe is from Choosing Raw but I have modified it a little bit and added some other variations below.

1-1 & 1/2 cups of almond pulp
1 zucchini (clean well.  you can use the skin.)
Fresh garlic (use as much as you want for your taste)
The juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, again depending on taste
Sea salt to taste
1 tsp of ground cumin

Put everything in a food processor or high-powered blender and mix until incorporated.  Chill for several hours or overnight.  Use with veggies, as a spread, or with crackers.

Roasted Red Pepper-roast 2 large red peppers until skin in charred.  Dice small and mix into hummus by hand after it's been blended.

Garlic-Add a whole head of garlic into the mixer.

Cracked Black Pepper-Add 1/8-1/4 cup of whole black peppercorns to the mixer.

Chive-Add 1/4 cup of fresh chives to the mixer

CREAMY 7 LILY Soup

I made this recipe spur of the moment to satisfy an onion craving.

2 boxes of organic veggie broth or
1 large head of garlic
2 bunches of chives
2 bunches of scallions
4 leeks
3 large shallots
1 large red onion
1 large sweet onion (mayan, spanish, vidallia)
6 chipolini onions
1 small celery, including heart and all the leaves

SLOWLY bring the broth to a boil.  While it's coming to a boil:

Peel and halve the garlic clove by clove and add it to the broth.
Cut the chives and add them in.
Cut the scallions and leeks, including the green part, and add them in.
Peel and quarter the chipolinis, shallots, red onion, and sweet onion and add them in.
Large chop the celery heart, including leaves, and add that in.

Gently boil veggies for about 15 minutes or until veggies are soft. (no more than 15 minutes!)

Strain out the veg from the soup and put them in the blender.
Blend 2-3 cups at a time until smooth, adding back into the soup after each time.
Repeat until you have blended up all the veg.
Salt and pepper to taste.

You can also find this recipe along with many others on Allergy Free Alaska