Sunflower Seed “White Sauce”

I have been meaning to share this one for a while. It is SUPER simple and a new-found love in our home.

We all just know it as “White Sauce.” It is great in place of any creamy dressing, sour cream, or dip for veggies. It can pretty much go on anything dinner-ish.

My kids use it on their tacos, pasta and broccoli, lentils, or potatoes for lunch. We eat it in ALL kinds of tacos for dinner, to calm down spicy soup, or just anytime we need a carrot or veggie dip. I cannot believe how easy and cheap it is to make.
I use to make a raw cashew dip all the time, which is still so yummy and a bit creamier than this, but a lot more expensive, and when trying to feed more people this works wonders!

Add all the following ingredients to the blender:

1 Bag of Raw Sunflower Seeds, 12 oz bag or about 2 C, soaked in water at least 10 minutes, then drained.
This gives them a quick soak/sprout. You can do longer, like a few hours or overnight if you want them totally sprouted.

3 Small Limes, juiced (Roll them out on the counter first to get the most juice)

1 Tbsp. Sea Salt, add more later if needed

Water up to the 4C line when seeds are in the blender.

Blend on sauces or high for 2-3 cycles or until your desired texture of creaminess is achieved.

*This recipe make a big batch, like 4 C or more when finished. It stores in the fridge 4-5 days...if it lasts that long! :)

Fast Raw Vegan Cheese Ball

Last Christmas I found and modified the most simple and delicious "Cheese Ball" I have ever had. I could not believe how fast it was to make and how fancy it looked. We simply devoured it with wheat crackers and veggies.

Into the Blender went:
1 1/2 C Cashews
1/2 Lemon, or 2 T Lemon Juice
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 T Nutritional Yeast
Dash of Cayenne Pepper

Pulse Together until the dough forms a ball on top of the blade. It is not wet and you can just dump it out into a bowl and form it together with your hands.
Add Shredded Almonds or other crushed nuts to the outside. It is ready to eat right away, or cover it and store in the fridge. The longer in the fridge the more it will dry out and become crumbly- which becomes and excellent salad topping :)
*It is very versatile and I think I would add crushed Walnuts and Italian spices to the outside next time. 

Kale Guacamole Dip

 It may sound weird to add kale to the already wonderful guacamole, but it was SO delicious, with absolutely no bitter taste of kale. I have had a new found love for kale lately and this recipe is a great way to incorporate the highly nutritious kale. Actually I could eat it by itself, it's that good!
This can be served as a veggie dip or with raw taco salad. Both are great.

You need:
* Food Processor
* 3 Avocados
* 1 Roma tomato, sliced in half
* 1/4 Red bell pepper, cut in half
* 1 large piece of garlic, pressed
* 1/2 tsp sea salt
* 1/2 lime, juiced
* 1-2 big stalks of kale, wash and keep just the leaves

Put everything except the kale in the food processor and pulse until slightly chunky.
Tear kale into small pieces and add to food processor. Pulse until well incorporated and there are only small pieces of kale. The mixture should still be slightly chunky. Scoop out into a bowl.

Serve with carrots, cucumbers, celery, and peppers. (The picture shown is 1/2 the batch.)

Raw Seed and Veggie Burger

This seed "burger" or patty, was surprisingly great and a hit with the kids. I think they each had 2 or 3.
It brought us back to the days of BLT's and burgers, without the sluggish feeling afterwards.:)
It was also great served with raw Chocolate Shakes.

For the Seed and Veggie Burger patty:
1 C flax seed
1 C raw sunflower seeds
Grind up in the blender together. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
In the blender add:
1 C fresh zucchini
1 C carrot
3-4 stalks of celery
1/4 white onion

Blend until there are little or no chunks. Stir the mixture into the seed mix. Form into patties with your hand and shake a little sea salt and black pepper on each one. Place on a rack or dehydrating sheet and dehydrate for an hour or 2.(The sun or dehydrator work perfectly) Then flip them and let dry for another couple of hours, or until your desired texture is achieved. I personally like them pretty dry.
Serve within a leaf or two of Iceberg lettuce, topped with tomato and raw ketchup.

Raw Ketchup Sauce
1-2 Tomatoes, diced (1 1/2 C)
3 dates, (soaking first helps them not to clump so much)
1/4 C Olive Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 T Apple Cider Vinegar (or more or less, depending on if you like it)
1/2 C Sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped or soaked
Blend all until smooth.

Doubling the ketchup recipe may help with the smoothness, unless you have a blender that can blend small amounts of sauce. However, we have had it chunky and it still tastes great.

Avocado Spread

Originally I wanted to call this "Avocado Butter" but it's so much creamier, I just went with "spread."
This is so delicious on raw corn on the cob. (Yes you can eat it raw off the cob! I also like it soaked in warm water for a few minutes.)

1 ripe Avocodo, mashed to cream
Add:
1tsp Lime juice
1/4-1/2 tsp. Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Mix until really creamy. 

Avocado Spread is also great as a spread for any sandwich.

Guacamole

I can't believe I haven't posted our favorite quick and spicy guacamole recipe...maybe because we like to add different amounts each time. We keep these spices in the front of the cupboard for quick access. Here it is and add more spices if you like. This will be a 1 person version.

1 Avocado
1/2 T Lime juice from a Lime
1 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1-2 tsp. Onion Powder
1-2 tsp. Garlic Power
1/4-1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Cayenne
1 tsp. Chili Power
1/8 tsp. Oregano

Mix well, and adjust to taste. We like ours spicy!

Raw Pizza

So after almost 2 years of trying many raw foods, I finally found what I thought to be a fairly simple and yummy Raw Pizza recipe. I got the "inspiration" for it, from a Raw Inspiration book, and of course tweaked it to my liking :) It just takes a little preparation time and is well worth it!

Raw Pizza Crust
1 C Golden Flax Seeds (soaked 1/2 hour-1 hour)
1 C Water
2 C Almonds, Soaked (overnight or I've used right away)
2 T Chopped Onion
2 tsp Thyme
2 tsp Rosemary
2 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1-2 T honey or agave (opt. I like it a little sweet:)

Grind the flax seeds in a blender or grinder. Then soak the ground flax seeds in 1-2 C water until it is absorbed. Stir occasionally.

Blend the Almonds. If they are dried out a bit they will blend finer.
Add the flax seed to the almonds and add onion and other spices. Blend, process, or stir together until well mixed.
Form the dough into pizza crusts and dehydrate overnight. Longer for a harder crust.
This made about 10 5-6 inch. Pizza Crusts and kept them in a container in the fridge. They lasted 2 weeks.


Pizza Sauce
2 C Tomatoes
1/2 C Sun dried Tomatoes
1/4 C Italian Seasoning
1-2 Garlic Cloves

Blend all until smooth. Put in an airtight container until ready to use.

Pizza Cheese

1 1/2 C Macadamia nuts
2 T Lemon Juice
1/8 C Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Sea Salt
Dash of Cayenne Pepper (makes it a little spicy when dehydrated)
Enough water to blend smoothly.
Blend all until creamy. Store in container until ready to use.
I like it because it looks like Mozzarella cheese, and turns a little yellow after dehydrated.

Take a crust and spread Pizza Sauce, and then Cheese Sauce. I topped mine with chopped tomatoes, red bell peppers, and broccoli. You can put whatever toppings you like. (avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, raw olives, and thinly sliced zucchini are also great.)
Finally, eat plain. Or dehydrate it for a couple of hours.
Take out and enjoy!

Before Dehydrated

After Dehydrated

As "Pizza Bites"

Raw Sour Cream

Raw Sour Cream

1 C Macadamia Nuts

1 Lemon, juiced (abt. 1/3-1/2 C lemon juice)

1 Clove of Garlic, pressed (opt)

1 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 C water, or more.

Blend all in blender, adding a little water at a time until completely smooth and almost fluffy.

Serve anywhere you use sour cream.On raw chilli or with Raw Tacos are great!

*A Vegan alternative is to dip cubed, boiled potatoes in the sour cream followed with Parmesan Nut Cheese.

Raw Sweet and Sour Sauce

Raw Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 C Raw Honey
1/2 C Water
1 tsp Garlic Salt
1 T Lemon Juice
1/2 Vinegar
2 T Nama Shoyu
1/4 C Pineapple

Blend all. Warm slightly or use cold like a dressing.
Best over Mixed Veggies: Broccoli, peas, cauliflower, bell pepper mix.

Quick Guacamole

Quick Guacamole
1 Avacodo, pitted
Lime juice, 2-3 TBSP
1 tsp Sea Salt
Mash together with a fork and enjoy with flax crackers!

OPT 2: (dash of chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, and onion powder adds a nice zing)

Best Guacamole

The Best Guacamole
4 large Avacodoes
½-1 C diced Cilantro
2 minced Green Onions
2 cloves of garlic
¼ C Lime Juice
2 tsp + Sea Salt
A Little bit of:
Oregano
Cumin
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Mix all in Food Processor and Enjoy!

Raw Veggie Dip/Dressing

Our kids call it "white" or "white sauce" for lack of a better name. 
This has been a favorite and staple for a while now. It is our "Ranch" dip or great with vegetable salads or spicy dishes. I like to make this batch and put half in a dressing bottle and half in a Tupperware bowl for easier dipping.


Cashew Veggie Dip or Dressing
2 1/2 C cashews (best if quick-soaked at least 10 minutes in warm water)
2 small lemons, juiced (abt. 1/4-1/3 C org. lemon juice)
1 medium clove of garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 Tbsp Sea Salt or to taste
1 ½ C cold water
In the blender add 1 C water with other ingredients. Blend until thick and creamy. If it is too thick, add the other ½ cup of water and blend.
Taste and add more sea salt if needed.
You can add even more water for a thinner consistency to make it a dressing.

Raw Cashew Cream Cheese

Cashew "Cream" Cheese
It's not really a cheese at all. But makes a great dip and spread for chips, flax crackers, and raw sandwiches.

1 C purified water
1 1/2 C Coconut shreds
2 C Cashews
1/2 C and 2 TBSP Lemon juice
1/4 C E.V.O.O.
2 TBSP Apple cider vinegar (Braggs is pure and raw)
2 minced Cloves of garlic
1 TBSP and 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
1 1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Place all ingredients in a blender. If it gets stuck take off the blender and mix it with a spoon or spatula and blend again. It should be creamy.It will thicken in the fridge.YUM! Try on any veggie or raw bread as a spread.
My kids actually like it on crackers etc.

Lettuce Taco Wraps

"Tacos"
A lettuce cup or collard with the middle cut out. (Or sometimes just with flax crackers.)
Diced Tomatoes (or salsa)
Chopped up lettuce
"Bean Dip"
2 Tbsp E.V.O.O
1 tsp Org. Lemon Juice (or from lemon)
1/2 tsp Agave
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/8 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 C Warm water
1/3 C Dried Onions
1/3 C Kamut Flour (Ground from Kamut Grain. The grain I buy at the Health Food Store.)

Grind Kamut in the blender until it becomes flour or slightly grainy. Add in onions and other oil, juice, and spices. Pour into a glass bowl. When ready to serve pour in water and stir. Let sit a minute or two and stir again. Serve warm.

This recipe I bought from www.rawfoodart.com. I modified it slightly to my liking. You can add more onions if you want. It really does taste like taco meat or beans.
The Lady on the site calls it : Pinto Beans/Dip.