Raw Food Wednesday: Samosas, Saag Paneer, Shredded Beet and Coconut, Mango Soup, Carrot Pickles, Coconut Snow Balls

Raw Food Wednesday 8/16

Samosas with Tamarind/Date Chutney
(recipe below)

Saag Paneer
(baby spinach, fresh ground cumin seed, fresh ground corriander seed, fresh shredded turmeric, jalapeno, olive oil, nama shoyu and pepper, dehydrated for 1 hour at 115F. Cashew "cheese" with lemon juice and shallot, dehydrated for 8 hours at 115F)

Mango Soup
(mango, cashew nut yogurt, dried red chile flakes, raw agave, garam masala, fresh shredded turmeric root, fresh ground fenugreek seed, salt and pepper. topped with mint and raw pistachio nuts)

Shredded Beet and Coconut
(shredded beet, shredded coconut, jalapeno, nama shoyu, pepper, mustard seed, cumin seed, corriander seed)

Tomato and Onion Chutney
(tomato, spring onion, garlic, habenero, red bell pepper, mustard seed, corriander seed, garlic salt, onion seed)

Carrot Pickles
(recipe below)

Dessert

Coconut Snow Balls with Black Cardamom


We've been talking about this one for a while, and it was great to finally dig into our favorite cuisine. The results -- as you can see -- were vibrant to the eyes and especially to the stomach... We've made cooked versions of most of these dishes in the past -- but the food really takes on a different perspective when prepared raw -- the texture, the spices, the tastes, all have an added "POP" -- it's like tasting them for the first time, which in a sense, we were...


The samosas were a big hit -- the shells are essentially the same as the ones from Monday night, with the addition of fresh shredded turmeric, fresh ground cumin and corriander seed along with 1 tbs. of fresh cilantro. They were poured into a big square on the teflex sheet and then cut into long strips for the samosa wraps, folding in triangles to seal in the cauliflower/mushroom/snow pea/tamarind mix.

The trick was to break down the cauliflower into the tiniest florets you can manage, toss them with the tamarind mix and spices and dehydrate for a couple of hours which really draws out the flavor. Then we sprinkled some raw pistachios to give it a bit of crunch at the end. The Tamarind/Date/Mint chutney was a nice match with spices, nice and creamy...


The rest of the "little bites" were studies in contrast -- the subtle heat of the carrot pickles, the cooling mango soup, the earthy beet/coconut combo, the salty tang of the cashew cheese in the saag paneer and the refreshing (yet sneaky hot) tomato/onion chutney.

This may be the best raw meal we've ever made...



Carrot Pickles


2 carrots cut into thick matchsticks
1 tbs. apple cider vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. tamarind (soaked 20 minutes in 1/4 cup of water, squeezed through a strainer)
1 tsp. raw agave
1 tsp. mustard seed (lightly crushed)
1 tsp. onion seed (lightly crushed)
1 tsp. corriander seed (lightly crushed)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 jalapeno, small dice
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how hot you like it)

toss all the ingredients together in small shallow glass bowl (try to keep the carrot submerged) and put directly into the dehydrator -- you may have to remove a few shelves -- set at 115F for 2-3 hours. Remove from the dehydrator and place in a fridge-safe container and chill overnight. Take them out about an hour before serving to come back to room temp.


Samosas


4 ears of corn
1 tbs. olive oil
1/2" fresh turmeric root
1 tbs. lime juice
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbs. fresh cilantro
1 small jalapeno
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs. ground flax seed

Puree all of the ingredients in the Vita-Mix and let sit for 15 minutes. Pour onto a teflex dehydrator sheet as close to the edges as possible. Dehydrate at 115F for 3-4 hours, flip and dehydrate for an additional 2 hours. Cut into eight 3.5" X 7" rectangles (approximately).

Check it every so often to make sure the shells don't get to stiff, you want them to stay flexible enough to fold later.

(for the filling)

2 tbs. olive oil
1 cup cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
1/2 cup cremini mushroom, sliced thinly
1/2 cup snow peas, finely shredded
2 tbs. tamarind soaked for 20 minutes in 1/4 cup of warm water, then pressed through a sieve
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flake
1 small jalapeno, diced
1 tsp. cumin seed, fresh crushed
1 tsp. corriander seed, fresh crushed
1/2 tsp. turmeric root, grated
1 tbs. nama shoyu (or sea salt)
black pepper to taste

2 tbs. raw pistachio nuts, chopped (optional)


Toss all the ingredients together to coat well, and place on a teflex sheet in the dehydrator for at least 2 hours. Taste for salt/pepper.

Put 2 tbs. of filling (plus 1 tsp. pistachio) on each rectangle and fold up/over into a small triangle shape.

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, indian, saag paneer, carrot, samosas, beets, coconut, mango, tomato, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666