Rawkin' pasta

I promise I'll get sick of the raw puns. One day. Anyway, I have two amazing raw pasta dishes to share with you. I'm constantly surprised by the intense flavor profiles of raw dishes and how wonderfully rich and delicious they are; I have yet to be disappointed by raw cuisine. These pasta dishes are hearty, satisfying and full of flavor. Not to mention they're amazing to make in this heat because, well, they require no actual cooking.



1. Zucchini fettuccine with red pepper marinara

Ingredients
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 6 sundried tomatoes, reconstituted in hot water
- 4 white or crimini mushrooms
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 shallot
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (I recommend Eden)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tbsp each basil and parsley
- Pinch o' red peppa flake
- S&P

- 1 zucchini, made into fettuccine using a vegetable peeler.

Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and desired consistency is reached. Serve over zucchini fettuccine. Mangia!



This sauce was simply divine. I was originally going to make it with tomatoes instead of red pepper but I didn't have any fresh tomatoes. Sometimes things work out for the best because I loved it with the pepper. It tasted like honest to goodness marinara - tangy, rich, robust - and I don't think I would change anything about the recipe.

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2. "Pad Thai"

Ingredients
- 1 zucchini, made into noodles using a spiralizer or vegetable peeler
- 1/2 red pepper, julienned
- 1 small cucumber, julienned
- 1 carrot (or a handful of baby carrots), julienned
- Chopped peanuts or cashews (for garnish)
- Green onions (for garnish)
- Cilantro, to taste

Sauce
- 2 tbsp nut butter du jour
- 1 tbsp shoyu or braggs
- 1/2 in. knob of ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp agave
- Juice of one lime
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 Thai chili

Instructions
- Put all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour over vegetables, toss, top with nuts and green onion if desired and enjoy! I also recommend adding bean sprouts, but I didn't have any on hand.


I ended up slurping the remainder of the sauce after I was finished. Need I say more?


There you have it, two raw noodle dishes that are amazingly simple and delicious and use ingredients commonly found in the every day foodie kitchen. The more I eat raw foods, the more I crave them. I'm really getting into raw eating and I can't wait until I get the chance to buy a dehydrator and really immerse myself in the cuisine. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to continue making dishes like these. I know, it's a shame, right?

Sunrise, Sunset

Check out this gorgeous sunset I saw outside the house the other day. Shortly after I snapped this picture the entire sky turned a lovely shade of pink. Florida sunsets are phenomenal sometimes.



This morning (post-sunrise, I don't wake up that early) I decided to make a bowl of hot oats. Why? I don't know. It's supposed to be over 100 today. But, my craving was calling me to the stovetop. No matter how creative I get with my oats, this is always my favorite.


Banana bread oats

In the mix
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup almond milk + 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 banana, whipped in while cooking
- Cinnamon

Topped with
- 1/2 banana
- Raw walnuts
- Flax
- More cinnamon
- Granola sprinkles


It's even better than eating a slice of warm banana bread straight from the oven. Well, almost.

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Last night's dinner started as an awesome idea, but didn't end as such. I whipped up some cilantro jalapeno hummus and wanted something to dip into it that wasn't pita or something overly carby, so I decided to make Brendan Brazier's zucchini "chips". I was expecting them to be crispy and light and an amazing accompaniment to my deliciously spicy hummus. However, after I took them out of the oven, they were soft and floppy and not chip like at all. The flavor was amazing, though, so I decided to toss them on a salad and call it a day. Here's the recipe if you want slow cooked zucchini:

Ingredients
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- S&P

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300.
- Cook for 30 minutes on a greased cookie sheet. Eat as a side dish or a salad/grain dish topper, but do not attempt to dip into anything. It won't work, I promise. What I have learned about Brendan is that he likes to name his dishes things they aren't (see: pizza), but his flavors are wonderful. I guess you can't have everything.


I almost didn't want to include this in the post, but it looks pretty and tasted great. Plus, coconut oil is my latest obsession so I look for any excuse to cook with it.