Servings: 1-2

Equipment needed:  knife, cutting board

Time:  15 min, 30-60 min for marinating

Kale is typically a winter green, but I’ll eat it anytime.  I recently had a big bag of it in the fridge and was wondering how to “summer-ize” it.  This recipe is what I came up with.  I especially love the combo of mango and red chili, I’ve not had it often in dishes.  But it really works, and especially in this kind of dish.

I discovered Culantro in a local grocery store a few months ago.  There were small plants available in the produce section, and I immediately spotted this plant.  I’d never seen anything quite like it, and to my delight, it smelled just like cilantro!  Even stronger.  I had to have it!  So I bought the plant and came home to plant it on my side porch.  The leaves look nothing like the leaves of cilantro, although they are related.  Culantro is definitely stronger and should be used more sparingly than the more delicate cilantro.  So I only use one leaf for any dish I make.  Unless of course you’re doubling or tripling the dish for a larger family or group, then of course use more.

This is one of those minimalist recipes using only a few ingredients, so you’re not overloaded by too many tastes.  Just enough.  And just enough texture, color, and contrast to be interesting.  Although some may think this is an “odd” combination, I think it’s fun.    Eating doesn’t have to be boring and predictable, live a little!  And as always, it’s healthy.  And raw vegan.

Raw Kale Salad with Mango, Culantro, & Red Chili:

• 5-6 large leaves of kale
• 1/2 mango
• 1-2 leaves culantro (if using cilantro, 1 small handful)
• 2 ounces almonds
• red chili flakes/powder, to taste
• juice of one lime
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt & black pepper, to taste

De-stem the kale, stack the leaves on top of one another, and slice thinly, width-wise.  Peel mango, dice into 1/2 inch cubes.  Rough chop the almonds.  Add the mango and almonds to the kale.  Finely chop the culantro leaf and add to salad.  Juice the lime, and add lime juice and olive oil to the other ingredients, toss well to evenly coat.  I massage with my hands at this point.  Season with red chili, salt and pepper, to taste.  Cover and marinate for up to an hour.

-JW

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

Equipment needed:  food processor, knife, cutting board

Time: 30 min

My basil plant is so huge and lush this time of year that I MUST take advantage of it’s odiferous, basily goodness   Ok, so I made up the word “basily” but “odiferous” really is a word!  You’ve just gotta love words like that….   I have a great view of my basil plants from my side porch where I hang out morning and night, and so I’ve been thinking of ways to incorporate it into dishes.  I actually thought of basil ice-cream yesterday, seriously.  Apparently it’s not new, I googled it and lots of people have attempted it already.  A sweet, basil ice-cream.  But, that will wait until another day!  Oh…one of my cats, Ava, came inside the other day smelling of basil.  I’ve never known her to play in the basil bush, but even she’s into it these days.

Today’s recipe consists of my favorite kelp noodle “pasta”, lightly cooked fordhook lima beans, a mostly raw vegan pesto, and fresh lemon juice.  My hands still smell of basil

Fordhook Limas & Kelp Noodle Pesto with Lemon:

• 1/2 package Sea Tangle kelp noodles
• 1/4 cup fordhook limas (these are the really big ones and are meatier than the smaller ones)
• 1 cup of fresh basil
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup walnuts (or pine nuts if you have them)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan (or regular parm if you prefer, or Bragg’s nutritional yeast to keep it raw)
• sea salt to taste
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg

Soak a 1/2 package of Sea Tangle kelp noodles in water with the juice of half a lemon for about 30 minutes or so.  This will soften the noodles and give them a better taste and texture.  Boil fordhook limas according to package, if using frozen as I did.  Set aside.  Combine all other ingredients and process in food processor until nuts are broken down.  The pesto should have a texture, not be completely smooth.  Drain your noodles in a colander.  Take a pair of kitchen scissors and snip them a bit, this will make the strands easier to roll on your fork later.  Otherwise, it’s a nice little mess.  Toss your noodles with the pesto, add the limas, and chiffonade some extra basil leaves to toss in, maybe an extra touch of olive oil at the end.  I squeezed a little extra lemon juice at the end also.  I’ve never used lemon in pesto until today, and I really liked it.  But, this is optional… you may prefer a traditional pesto.  The nutmeg was an after thought, and it turned out well I think.  But again, this is a personal preference.

This is a great summer lunch or dinner, enjoy!

-JW

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

Equipment needed:  food processor, knife, cutting board

Time: 30-45 min

This is a recipe from Ani Phyo’s “Ani’s Raw Food Desserts” and it’s quite heavenly!  Thick, rich, moist…divine.  This is a fudge cake made with cacao and requires no cooking and no dairy.  Her recipe says to make two layers, but I only made one.  I’ll play around with this and get more creative next time, but I just wanted to go through it once to get an idea of the time involved, the ease/simplicity of the recipe, and of course…the taste!  Let me tell you…this one’s a winner.  I can see myself making this one again using a cute little heart shaped pan, and decorating with flowers as well as the raspberries!  It would make a perfect Valentine’s Day cake, or birthday cake. I devoured a slice of this last night, with a couple scoops of Purely Decadent Mint Chocolate Chip – Mmmmm!

Ani Phyo’s Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake:

Fudge Cake

• 3 cups dry walnuts
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cacao powder or carob powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup pitted Medjool dates

Frosting

• 1/3 cup Medjool dates
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1/2 cup ripe avocado flesh (from about 1 medium avocado)
• 1/3 cup cacao powder

Combine walnuts, cacao powder, and salt in the food processor and pulse until coarsely mixed.  Add dates and pulse until well mixed.  Shape into 2 cakes of desired shape, set aside. (My trick:  I put parchment paper on the bottom of my pan, packed in my cake mixture, pressing down and evening it out the best I could, and then flipped over the pan onto a plate, remove the parchment… you now have a perfectly smooth top to frost!)

Combine dates and agave and process in food processor until smooth…this is for the frosting.  Add avocado and process until smooth.  Add cacao powder and process until smooth.

Frost one of the cake tops with half the frosting, top with raspberries.  Stack the second cake and frost top and sides.  Decorate how you like!  Have fun!

-JW

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

Equipment needed:  vegetable peeler, knife, food processor

Time: 20-30 min

Who doesn’t crave pasta?  I certainly do.  Classic comfort food, right?  But no one wants to wake up in the morning with carb face The solution:  raw zucchini “noodles”! Don’t underestimate the simplicity of this dish.  This pesto really is delicious.  And the noodle texture is surprisingly similar to regular fettuccine noodles.

Zucchini Fettuccine al Pesto:

• one medium or two smaller zucchini
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove
• pinch of sea salt
• vegan parmesan cheese

Using a vegetable peeler to slice thin, flat “fettuccine” style noodles from a zucchini is quick and easy.  So go ahead and peel your zucchini, preferably an organic one.  Then starting at the top, slice all the way down with your peeler…making a long, flat strip.  Peel until you come to the core, you’ll start to see the seeds.  Stop here.  You can use this for something else later, freeze it, or compost it.  Put these “noodles” in a bowl and set aside.

Combine the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and vegan parmesan in your food processor and process until the basil is chopped.  And your pine nuts and process until smooth.  You should still see flecks of the pine nuts in the pesto, so be careful not to process for too long.  Toss pesto with your zucchini pasta and serve with chopped tomatoes, fresh basil for garnish, and more vegan parmesan if you like.  The pesto will keep in the fridge a few days.  I like to toss and let sit or marinate for about 30 minutes before I eat.  Enjoy!

-JW

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

Image Credit: Brunna Peretti Loureiro

After much thought over the past few months, I’ve decided it’s best to move in the direction that I’ve been leaning towards in my life in general.  And that is towards minimalism.  I feel it’s inevitable that this food blog will mirror my own day to day eating habits.

I’ve been spending lots of time reading other blogs lately, and coming away feeling very inspired.  Two of them have little to do with food, although they do bring up food in light of minimalism:  Mnmlist.com (Leo Babauta) has two great articles, one on minimalist eating in general, and the other on veganism.   Far Beyond The Stars (Everett Bogue) also has an a good article featuring his seven rules for eating a “true food diet”.  TheStoneSoup.com is an excellent minimalist food blog, and I love her salads in particular, some of which are vegan.

Fortunately, with the exception of one, all my recipes have been fairly minimalist in nature.  I know not everyone has a juicer or a Vitamix blender, and probably not a spiral slicer either!  So in place of juicers, for example, I plan to mention how you can use a simple blender and cheesecloth or sprout bag for all your juicing.  This is good for people who travel and can’t take along both a blender *and* a juicer.

And after posting about the nut butter I labored over for well over thirty minutes as one part of the whole recipe, I thought…hmmm, this is just not an everyday type dish.  And it’s not something I do often anyway.  So, to stay true to myself, my habits, and my future (which will involve minimalist eating while traveling, at some point in time!), I will feature alternative ingredients that save time, as well as simpler methods of preparation.  I simply don’t have the time to make gourmet raw food three days a week, and I don’t eat more than 75% raw each day myself.  Most days, I eat fruit or juice and maybe a whole grain side dish for breakfast, a large salad for lunch, and steamed veggies and another whole grain for dinner.

My approach isn’t only to feature what I eat on a daily basis, and the recipes I post will be more involved usually than my typical simple fare.  But…I feel the need to simplify, and it’s best done now, rather than later.

In coming to this decision, I’ve been able to narrow my focus,  I’ve created a better tagline for my blog, and this will in turn allow my readers…you…to know what to expect in the future.  Vegan whole foods that are partially raw (aiming for at least 50% raw), prepared with minimalism in mind:  both, type and amount of ingredients, as well as the method of preparation.

So…

Here’s to simple, healthy, and most importantly…happy eating!

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

Serves 1-2

Equipment needed: knife and cutting board

Time: 15 minutes

These scooped out cucmbers filled with a creamy tahini mixture are quick and super easy to make.  They’re perfect for a light lunch, snack, or appetizer.  You can serve whole or slice them into bite size pieces.

I’ve added some parsley, cayenne, and dulse seaweed flakes to the tahini, and sprinkled toasted black sesame seeds on top for flavor.  The parsley lends a fresh, green element.  Cayenne, a little heat.  The dulse flakes are a great source of B vitamins and iodine, both needed by the body.  And the black sesame seeds are an intense bit of flavor.

I used Artisana brand raw sesame tahini, it’s a paste made from grinding raw sesame seeds.  The dulse flakes are from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables.  Both were ordered online from Amazon.

Creamy Tahini Cucmber Boats:

• large cucumber, halved, seeds scooped, peeled
• raw tahini, 2.5 Tablespoons
• water, 3 Tablespoons
• fresh lemon juice, 1/2 large lemon
• parsley, a few sprigs, minced
• dulse flakes, 1/2 teaspoon
• cayenne, to taste
• salt & pepper, to taste
• sprinkle of toasted black sesame seeds

Half the cucumber lengthwise, scoop the seeds out with a spoon, then peel the skin with a veggie peeler.  Or you can leave the skin on if you prefer.  I went ahead and peeled mine.  Start by mixing the tahini with the lemon juice and water…use more or less of each, depending on your preference for consistency and taste.  After it’s well blended, add in the rest of the ingredients, saving the black sesame seeds for sprinkling on top.  Fill your cucumber boat with the mixture, and sprinkle a generous amount of the sesame seeds on top.  It’s that easy!

Hmmm, as I sit here finishing up this post, munching on my cucumber boat…I’m imagining that a very simple, chopped tomato salad with some apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar would be the perfect accompaniment to this dish.  Yum!

-JW

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

Serves 1-2

Equipment needed:  Food Processor

This is a fun and simple meal to make for 1 or 2 people.  Just double if you are making for a family.

First, I must say that the rutabaga mash is truly delish!  The garlic goes well with the earthy, sweet rutabaga root.  The tangy sweetness of the pepper relish balances the texture and tastes of the marinated ‘shroom.

Watch for the next blog post, as it will feature a collard greens slaw perfectly suitable as a side for this dish.  I had planned to show all of it on one plate, but I’m having such a brainstorm of ideas for it, I’ve decided to show it alone.

Rosemary-Lemon Marinated Portobello:

• 1 portobello mushroom
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon hemp seed oil or olive oil
• sea salt & cracked pepper to taste
• fresh rosemary, minced (finely)

De-stem the portobello gently, and peel the outer layer off.  Removing the outer layer allows for the marinade to soak in.  Slice into thin or thick layers, depending on your preference.  I prefer thin slices.  Finely chop (very finely, as fresh rosemary is potent!) your fresh rosemary, set aside.  Mix together lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper, and the chopped rosemary.  Soak your mushroom in the mixture, turning so that both sides are well coated, for up to an hour.  Fifteen minutes is fine if you are rushed, the taste will be the same.  Soaking longer gets the ‘shroom softer, and that’s what I aimed for in this raw dish.

Rutabaga-Macadamia Nut Mash:

• 1/2 rutabaga
• 2 Tablespoons raw macadamia nut butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 Tablespoon hemp seed oil or olive oil
• cayenne to taste
• sea salt & cracked pepper to taste
• small bit of fresh parsley, chopped finely

You’ll need a food processor for the mashed rutabaga, or a high powered blender.  The skin of a rutabaga looks intimidating, but it’s easy to deal with.  All you need is a vegetable peeler.  And a knife.  Cut your rutabaga in half, peel it, and chop it into pieces.  Process this in your food processor until fine.  Mix the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl.  Add to the rutabaga and process until well blended and fluffy.  You’ve got raw rutabaga-mac mash!

Sweet Pepper Relish:

• yellow, orange, and red peppers
• bit of fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon raw agave (honey or maple syrup is fine here)
• 1 teaspoon fresh jalapeno
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

De-seed the peppers, chop.  Chop parsley.  Mix all ingredients together.  Now top your mushroom slices!  Enjoy!

Watch for my next post…Rainbow Slaw!

-JW

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

This is an asian inspired raw pasta made with kelp (seaweed) noodles.  Surprise, not all seaweed is green!  Kelp noodles are loaded with minerals and vitamins that your body doesn’t always get enough of.  And these noodles aren’t full of empty carbs that you’re body can surely do without!  They don’t have a strong, off-putting taste like some seaweed.  You can find them at Sea Tangle Noodle Company or, like everything else these days, at Amazon.

You’re going to need to plan ahead to allow for soaking time in a bath of water and lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar).  These noodles are a little rubbery straight out of the bag.  The acid in the lemon or vinegar softens the texture, and the water plumps them up a bit.  It also tames the mildly bitter flavor.  You won’t regret this first step.  Just fill a bowl with some filtered water and add the juice of half a lemon or a tablespoon of the vinegar.  I used Bragg’s raw apple cider vinegar on these.

While the noodles are soaking, put together this yummy, spicy almond butter-tahini dressing:

• 2 Tablespoons almond butter (substitute peanut or cashew butter)
• 1 Tablespoon tahini
• 1.5 Tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (substitute Tamari, Nama Shoyu, or Soy Sauce)
• 1.5 Tablespoons raw agave (substitute honey or maple syrup)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 piece of garlic
• 1/2 piece of ginger (*see below for how to always have this on hand!)
• cayenne to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste (I go heavy on these ’cause I like some heat)

*Skip the dried ginger, it has very little taste.  Buy a knob of ginger root in the produce section.  Use what you need and freeze the rest.  When a recipe calls for it, just take it out and cut off a piece, use a knife or vegetable peeler to shave off the woody, outer bark.  This is the best way to always have it on hand, and it keeps from wasting a leftover knob.

Since I ran out of almond butter in the jar, I made my almond butter from scratch.  There were just enough almonds in my fridge to pull it off.  It’s simple, but a bit time consuming.  All you need are raw almonds, and a food processor.  Oh, and patience!

It will look like this when you first start grinding:

After a while, the almonds will start to stick against the walls of the container.  Stop pulsing, and use a spatula or spoon to scrape down the sides.  Keep grinding.  In 10 – 15 minutes it will look like this:

Keep scraping the sides, and after a little while longer, you will have almond butter that looks like this:

Drain and rinse your kelp noodles, squeeze out the excess water and place in your bowl.  Toss with the asian dressing until well coated.  If you want, you can add some chopped veggies.  Good choices are bok choy, red bell pepper, cilantro, basil, grated carrot, green onion, and sesame seeds.  Set aside the combined dish to let the flavors culminate, for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy, these flavors are synergistic when combined…a taste explosion!  You won’t miss your old pasta very much

-JW

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

This carrot-apple-parsley juice has become my no-brainer, favorite comfort juice since I made it for the first time back in 2001.  Everyone I’ve made it for has loved it.  It’s a perfect way to start the day.  The carrots are sweet, the apple adds a tang (especially if you use a Granny Smith), and the parsley adds that green, fresh goodness that only parsley can.

I’m especially fond of this juice for a practical reason.  I live in a town with no Whole Foods store, so organic carrots and apples are pretty easily found in a local grocery.  And when juicing, organic is desired!  You’re not going to be cooking the pesticides and herbicides out of this produce, you’re going to juice it…so you want the best available produce you can find.  Organic, and preferably local.  Our farmers market is closed in the winter months, so the juice you see here was made from organic produce found at a local Publix store.

The recipe is simple:

• 4-6 carrots
• 1 apple
• small handful of fresh parsley (dried won’t hack it, don’t even think about it!)

Then, juice it!

There are two ways you can do this.  If you have a juicer, fine, if not, you can use a blender and then strain through a nut milk bag.  I bought my Omega 8001 juicer back in 2001 and it’s been hassle free and easy to clean.  It’s great for all kinds of veggie/fruit juices. I love this juicer.

I use a Tribest juicer for all my citrus, it’s easier and quicker for grapefruit, orange, lemon, and lime juicing.

However, I’m looking forward to juicing with a Vitamix blender and straining through my nut milk bag in the near future.  Can’t wait to get my hands on one!  Vitamix, here I come!

Don’t be intimidated to try juicing if you’re thinking it’s too time consuming.  Sure, it’s quicker to open a carton and pour yourself some pasteurized orange juice.  But you’re losing a lot of enzymes that your body needs that way.  And nutrition facts aside, it just tastes better when it’s fresh…much better! It’s easy to rinse out a blender and clean a cutting board and knife, come on…try it!

I fell in love with fresh orange juice on a trip to Mexico about 10 years ago.  I had freshly squeezed orange juice every day for breakfast.  The juice stands out in my mind as a highlight of that trip! I’ve been juicing ever since.  Store bought juices just don’t compare.

Kids love this juice.  It’s sweet.  And you’re going to love doing something so simple and so good for your body.

This is the original comfort food!

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.

This is a new blog that will feature vegetarian, vegan, and raw vegan food and photography.  Come back soon for yummy food updates and photos!

©2010 CrunchyLettuce. All Rights Reserved.