Mexican Raw Veggie Bowl

 This recipe is adapted from Cafe Gratitude's book. It is called Yo Soy Mucho.

It is a multi-item recipe, which seems complicated, but once you get going, doesn't take much time. One tool I used was a Cuisinart mini-prep which greatly reduced chopping time for me.

The bowl is a layering of shredded kale, a raw veggie "rice," salsa, guacamole and a Brazil nut topping.

I started with the Brazil nut topping first:

Chop together:

a handful of Brazil nuts

a clove or two of garlic

pinch of sea salt

set aside

next I made the  guacamole

I used:

2 avocados

1 T chopped jalapeno

pinch of salt

juice of 1 lemon

handful of cilantro

mix together in a bowl using a fork

cover and set aside

 

Instead of making the salsa I bought some fresh at Whole Foods. It had the same ingredients I was looking for (tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic) and I saved a little time.

The kale I used came from Capay farms. I know them well and have used their home delivery organic boxes from time to time. They supply Whole Foods in the  SF Bay Area with kale and week to week I look forward to their different varieties that come in. This week was a red kale that looks like an heirloom variety. The leaves were almost an arugula shape with gorgeous purple tips. Instead of needing to shred it with a knife, I just tore pieces with my fingers.

 

Final prep was the veggie rice.

Ingredients:

2 parsnips
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
pinch of salt

Chop up parsnips into 1 inch pieces.
Chop together in mini prep or food processor all ingredients briefly until you get a "rice" size.

Spread on teflex sheet and dehydrate at 105 degrees 20 minutes to soften.

Assembly:

Lay a handful or two of shredded kale on the bottom of bowl or dish. Add veggie rice on top. Next add guacamole and salsa to taste and finally add the Brazil Parmesan sprinkled all over the dish.

This is something I will make again and again. The Brazil nut Parmesan is definitely a must for lots of salads.This whole dish is not only colorful and tasty, but great for my diabetes due to its very high fiber and low glycemic nature. I am getting something good for me in every bite whether it's good fats from the avocado, Selenium form the Brazil nuts or calcium from the kale.

Enjoy!

kale chips

I inhale these. 

They are the bread and butter of raw snacks.

To make these you really need an Excalibur dehydrator. I had one of the round plastic kind when I first started raw a couple years ago, and it just can't compete with the Excalibur. First off, the temps stay controlled from top to bottom, and when I have the dehydrator fully loaded and my hear is set on all me recipes drying perfectly, I like knowing temps are consistent. The round one (I read) is not nearly as efficient or controlled, and when we go through all the work of soaking and drying, we want  a good end result right?

My recipe for kale chips is the standard one, although I don't really even use measuring spoons anymore. I eyeball it but then, I've seen Martha Stewart eyeball stuff on tv so I don't feel so bad! In fact, it's like a right of passage. I just know instinctively and I have made this enough times to know how much of what to use.

I use:

• 1-2 bunches of kale torn into palm sized pieces and remove thick stem. (use enough so that each piece gets a good coating)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 tsp raw agave
• 1 t nutritional yeast
• juice from a lemon or about 2T
• 1 tsp himalayan salt
• 1 cup soaked raw cashews ( at least 3 hours)

Using the S blade, process in food processor for about a minute. 

Toss mixture with kale in a big bowl and coat evenly. Put kale on trays and dehydrate at 115 degrees for at least 6 hours. Overnight is best. The longer the crisper! 

Keep in an airtight container if you don't eat them all as soon as they are done...

From a mom's perspective, and a wife as well! I can tell you the smell alone drives my family crazy nuts- they get so excited and want to eat them all. It can be first thing in the morning and my 8 year old would rather eat kale chips than her pancakes. Cool huh.

now for the links if you want to shop....