September 7, 2010

Bolognese in the Raw

One of my favorite sauces is bolognese. Admittedly, I've only ever had the vegan version, so I'm not sure how it is with meat, but I'm sure those who eat meat are quite fond of it. I dabbled with the idea of making a tempeh or vegetable bolognese, but I wanted something raw. It's weird how there are some days when I crave raw foods, and days where all that will fulfill me is a huge bowl of hot soup. Regardless of which day it is, I always give my body what it wants. Today it wanted bolognese and something raw, so that's just what it was given.



Raw bolognese
Ingredients

- 1 large tomato, or 2 medium, chopped
- 5 sundried tomatoes, unsoaked
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 5 mushrooms
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Oregano and basil, to taste (~1/2 tsp)
- S&P, to taste

- 2 zucchini, cut into 'noodles' using a vegetable peeler or spiralizer

Instructions
- Add tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, garlic, carrot and olive oil to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and pulse just a few times, so that the mushrooms and walnuts start to break down but there are still chunks in the sauce. The mushrooms and walnuts are the "meat" of the bolognese, so there needs to be some texture.

Serves 2, or 1 hungry Krystina




This was love at first bite. The walnuts and mushrooms added the perfect texture and taste. Sometimes a plain raw marinara can get boring, so this is a great way to change it up. I think this is my favorite raw sauce thus far; it's hearty, filling, and the walnuts add the all important omega 3's (they have more than any other nut!). If you're just starting to get into raw food, I highly recommend making this sauce because the meatiness is familiar and the ingredients are simple pantry staples.


It doesn't look appealing by any means, but I promise it's good.

Mangia! :D

6 comments:

  1. Oh now this sounds fantastic. I have only had the vegan version myself.

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  2. I love doing a TVP bolognese - it's got the same ground beef texture and an extra boost of protein...but I'm loving the idea of your raw version!

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  3. Yum that sounds nice. I usually make mine (cooked) as per regular bolognese but with green/brown lentils as replacement for meat :) I also chuck in extra veg. Do you reckon another nut could be used instead of walnuts?

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  4. I haven't done much with TVP. I tend to not use meat substitutes aside from tofu and tempeh because the idea of fake meat doesn't sit well with me, plus it seems to upset my tummy!

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  5. Emma - I think pecans would work well. Walnuts and pecans are fattier and have a texture more suited for the dish. I don't think almonds or cashews would work as well.

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