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Party worthy. Crisp fresh veggies and cashew dip.

Go Raw for a Creamy Dip

I've been eating hummus all week. Help. I can't stop. It all started when I whipped up a big batch of my tried and true favorite, a classic chick pea hummus recipe with tahini and lemon (though in full disclosure, I used lime juice instead of lemon). I munched it as a party worthy snack, with retro bunny carrot sticks as we rewatched some Mad Men episodes in anticipation of the coming season this Spring (sophisticated serial television that just keeps getting better and better, does it not?). Mad Men is a show with keen originality, surprises, and rare insights into sexual politics, power, culture, and marriage- not only enlightening those of us who lived through the sixties (I was- er, am- exactly Sally Draper's age, so many aspects of the show are akin to watching home movies), but connecting the dots that birthed our current consumer pop culture, in all its tarnished glitz and narcissistic glory.

Then I nestled dollops of the stuff on warm and comforting bowls of brown rice and stir-fried vegetables (recovering from said cultural insights, and newly minted wife-slash-copyrighter Megan's saucy rendition of Zou Bisou Bisou).

I ate and I ate.

And then there was no more. I was hummus-less. Without hummus. Bereft. An empty fragile goddess sans my favorite vegan protein complement.

So I began to scheme.

I pined for the opportunity to blog another hummus recipe, but I'd already shared not only my classic style hummus, but my irreverent upstart hummus with jalapenos, lime and peanut butter (which apparently, on some vegetarian forum raised an anti-goddess ruckus). Not to mention, my roasted red pepper hummus, perfect for 'Party On' mode (I hear tell there's a Big Game approaching). 

My thoughts did a shuffle play through new and cool possibilities.

And I remembered my raw cashew cream recipe. Why not make it thicker? Why not make it into a hummus style dip? So I did the sensible thing. I soaked some cashews. And guess what?

Raw vegan deliciousness ensued.

Bisou. Bisou.

Fresh, raw vegan candy for body and soul.

This raw cashew hummus style dip is light and creamy.

Raw Cashew Hummus Style Dip Recipe

Originally posted September 2010.

I'm a big fan of hummus in any variety. This particular "hummus" is light and creamy, a lovely dip for those eating raw. I love it as a veggie dip, and as a condiment to lightly stir-fried vegetables and rice.

Ingredients: 

1 cup soaked raw cashews* 

1 tablespoon raw organic tahini (sesame paste) 

Juice from 1 fresh lemon, or to taste 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

1 teaspoon organic minced garlic 

1/4 teaspoon organic onion powder  

Pinch of sea salt, to taste

Instructions: 

Combine the soaked cashews, raw tahini, lemon juice,  extra virgin olive oil, onion, powder, garlic powder, and sea salt in a Vita-Mix or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. 

If it needs more silky body, add a little more extra virgin olive oil.  If you like a stronger tahini taste, add another tablespoon of tahini. Adjust the seasonings to your liking. 

Note- if your lemon does not yield enough juice, you may need more liquid; use two lemons if you need to. Taste test. 

Store in the fridge- in a covered glass bowl or storage container. The flavors get better as it chills. Chilling the hummus also thickens it. 

Use as a dip for fresh crisp veggies such as carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, zucchini sticks, yellow squash sticks, red pepper strips and broccolini. 

Serves four to six. 

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A Vegan Basil Mint Parsley "Pesto Recipe"

Fresh, raw vegan pesto. Yep. You heard me.

By Meet Karina

We're getting so close to our departure now I can taste it. The house is swept and cleaned, boxes and bags are packed. Anticipation is hanging in the desert air. You can almost hold it in your cupped open hands. The hardest part will be trying to sleep Saturday night. I told Steve, If it's 3 AM and we're lying side by side in the dark listening to the whir of the ceiling fan, just waiting, can we get up and go? 

Why not? he responded.

This earned him some extra bonus points.

Not that he needs any. His bonus point status is pretty high to begin with these days. We've had an exciting week. I'm so proud of him. His first script sale, an independent movie titled The Canyon just released its first trailer. If you'd like to catch a sneak peek at the movie, see The Canyon trailer here. You'll see why I fell in love with Yvonne Strahovski and Will Patton when we visited the set.

So what does all this California dreamin' taste like? I decided it tastes like basil and mint with a bite of parsley. 

Green. Earthy. Alive.

Pesto drenched gluten-free spaghetti. Heaven.

Basil Mint Parsley Raw "Pesto" Sauce Recipe  

This garden fresh sauce is so light and delicate, unburdened by cheese or nuts. It tastes herbal and green. Like summer in Santa Monica.

Ingredients:

1 cup washed, loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1/4 to 1/2 cup good tasting cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Sea salt, to taste

Instructions:

Combine the basil, mint, parsley and garlic in a food processor bowl; pulse and process the mixture until it is chopped very fine.

Slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle as you pulse the processor on and off. Process until it becomes a smooth, light paste. Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable. Season with sea salt, to taste.

Cover tightly and store chilled for at least an hour to saturate the flavors. If storing overnight I pour a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil over the top of the pesto to help keep it bright green.

Makes roughly a rounded cup.

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Not Starkist Salad. Eat groovy. Save a tuna.

By Meet Karina

The older I get the more I crave simple. You know what I'm talking about. Home cooking. Childhood classics- like tuna salad. Instead of getting all worldly and sophisticated and dabbling with truffle oil, with each new gray hair my taste is hula hooping into kid-friendly food faster than Marisa Tomei can waggle. Well, maybe not that fast. She is pretty nimble. But you get my drift. I'm whipping up peanut butter and banana sandwiches, not oysters Rockefeller. Actually, I wouldn't know an oyster Rockefeller if it bit me in the tuchas. Filet Mignon (would you believe I've never had it?) doesn't even tempt me, Darling. And Chicken Cordon Bleu vs Chicken Kiev? 

Okay. It is here where I confess  that I'm no Betty Crocker and I've never attempted either recipe. Most likely because I was never what you'd call a big meat eater. I went vegetarian at age thirteen. If I've dabbled at all in the culinary arts it's been because of Anna Thomas and not Julia Child. The first cookbook I ever bought was The Vegetarian Epicure. That was 1972- the first time I ever made soup from scratch, thanks to Anna.

So when I discovered this inventive, almond based vegan tuna salad recipe over at Happy Healthy Life, I knew I had to give it a whirl. Because I'm digging raw food lately. And the idea of a protein salad a la tuna fish caught my fancy. It's fun for an appetizer- fab with crackers or tucked into lettuce cups. Or go ahead and make a classic "tuna" salad on rye with your favorite gluten-free rye bread (here's mine).

First, you need to soak your almonds. Plan ahead. Do it overnight for best texture.

Soaking almonds to make them sprout.

You'll need:

1 rounded cup raw organic almonds
Sea salt
Fresh water

Instructions:

Place the almonds in a glass or ceramic bowl and sprinkle them with a little sea salt. Pour in just enough fresh cold water to cover the almonds (some will float). Cover with a clean tea towel and allow them to soak overnight- at least eight to ten hours. Note- if it's very hot where you are, place them in the fridge to keep them cool and extend the soaking time to at least 12 hours. They should be soft when ready and you'll see tiny sprouts starting to bud at the tips.

Soaked sprouted almonds, ready for salad-making.

This tasty salad makes a great appetizer spread for crackers.

Vegan "No-Tuna" Salad Recipe

I made my faux tuna salad using my own raw cashew cream sauce as a mayo, but if you prefer, you can use your favorite vegan mayo.

Ingredients:

Soaked almonds, as above
2 tablespoons coconut milk, or pickle juice
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Cashew Cream or vegan mayo, as needed
Pinch of sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup diced celery
Fresh minced herbs: dill, parsley
Dab of raw organic agave, to taste 

Instructions:

Dump the soaked almonds into a food processor bowl; cover and pulse until shredded. Add the liquids and pulse again.

Add the cream or mayo, to your liking. Pulse again. You want it flaky.

Taste test for texture. Add more liquid if it needs moisture to obtain the right consistency.

Season to your liking with fresh minced herbs and and a dab of raw agave.

Use in sandwiches, roll-ups, lettuce cups. Serve as an appetizer spread for crackers.

Serves 3-4.

Options:

If you like the taste of raw red onion, add a teaspoon or two of minced Bermuda onion.

If you like curry, add curry to the mixture. Add chopped golden raisins for a spicy-sweet Indian twist.