Eat Raw Vegan

Basic Raw Vegan Basil Pesto Recipe

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:21:23 +0000

The following recipe for a basic raw vegan basil pesto goes well on spiralized veggie noddles (e.g., zucchini, carrots, turnips, yam-style sweet potatoes) and on raw broccoli or cauliflower and combinations of those types of vegetables (for more on how to better enjoy raw broccoli, check out my earlier post entitled Raw Organic Broccoli – It’s All About The Sauce!). For example, for dinner this evening I had the pesto over a combination of cut cauliflower florets and broccolini (a cross between broccoli and kai-lan). The evening before I had the pesto served over spiralized organic turnips and yam-style sweet potato. The following is an adaptation of the basil pesto recipe you can find in Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens and the Tree of Life Café Chefs (available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca). I’ve cut the volume in half so that it’s more appropriate if you’re making the pesto for 1 or 2 people.

Special Equipment

Food processor or blender. A mini-prep food processor or small blender works great for the volume.

Ingredients

1/2 -3/4 cup organic raw pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh de-stemmed organic fresh basil
2 Tbsp organic unfiltered cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp organic lemon juice
1-2 cloves of organic garlic
1 tsp Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt.
1/4 cup filtered water, reserved.

Directions

Add all the ingredients to the food-processor or blender. Pulse the mixture in food-processor or blender, adding 1 Tbsp of water at a time to help facilitate blending and in order to reach the desired consistency for the sauce.
Serve & Enjoy

The pesto should keep for about 2-3 days sealed in the fridge. As mentioned earlier, the pesto makes a nice dressing for spiralized vegetables noodles. Here in Vancouver, you can purchase spiralizers at OrganicLives, Gorilla Food, Eternal Abundance, and from various other places and people (e.g., Katherine Marion aka the Rawsome Chef).

Some other notes:

If you plan on serving this pesto with a dish that you’ll bring to a potluck, consider de-veining the garlic. Some people find raw garlic too intense. By de-veinging the garlic, they’ll enjoy your dish a lot more. When making the pesto for myself, I usually don’t remove the garlic vein as raw garlic doesn’t give me any problems.
You can get organic raw pine nuts, organic unfiltered cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, and Himalayan salt from OrganicLives.

Please share your modifications and improvements to the recipe in the comments section of this post.

Possibly Related Posts:

Brutus Dressing Recipe – a Replacement for Raw Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing?

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:11:14 +0000

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been using a simplification of a raw vegan Caesar salad dressing recipe. This past Friday, I had a chance to go to a very unique raw food potluck. I brought a “Caesar Salad” with raw vegan croutons that I purchased from OrganicLives. My friend M. asked for the recipe for the dressing, so here it is

Equipment

Mini-prep Food Processor or Blender (small blender is best)

Ingredients

1 cup raw organic pine nuts
juice of 1/2-1 medium or large organic lemon
1 medium or large clove of garlic
1 tsp kelp powder
1 tsp salt (sea salt or Himalayan salt is best)
1 Tbsp cold-pressed organic extra virgin unfiltered olive oil
1/4 cup filtered water (reserved)
1 date (e.g., Medjool or Hunza dates)
organic black pepper (to taste)

Directions

Add all the ingredients except the reserved water and black pepper to your mini-prep or blender.
Blend all the ingredients, adding 1 Tbsp at a time of reserved water until you reach the desired consistency
Mix in ground black organic black pepper at this point, or later after tossing with Romain lettuce greens, etc.
Enjoy!

The dressing should keep for a few days sealed & refrigerated, but it’s always best to use it up fast. Toss with Romain lettuce greens for a “Caesar Salad”. If you have raw vegan croutons available, add them as well as it will take your raw vegan Caesar salad to the next level. I’ve also used the Brutus dressing on spiralized root vegetables and on a kelp noodles salad.

Some other notes:

Regarding the kelp powder, you can purchase ground kelp powder, but you may have better results by grinding your own sun-dried kelp strips.
If you are going to be serving the dressing with a dish that you will share with people who may find raw garlic too intense, consider de-veining the garlic clove. I usually de-vein garlic for any dishes I bring to potlucks.
If you make a very thick dressing, it can be used as a Caesar-like veggie dip
The dressing will thicken in the refrigerator. Add a little freshly squeezed lemon juice or filtered water to thin if desired.
You can purchase raw organic pine nuts, dates, Himalayan salt, Peruvian raw organic olive oil, etc., from OrganicLives (1829 Quebec Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada).

I hope you have some success with the Brutus dressing recipe. Please share your modifications/improvements in the comments section of this post.

Possibly Related Posts:

Free Screening of Earthlings on January 30, 2010, Vancouver Public Library

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:45:37 +0000

There will be a free screening of the movie Earthlings on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library (350 W. Georgia Street) in the Alma VanDusen Room (lower level). Doors open at 2:00PM and the film will start at 2:30PM. If you would like, you can download the event flier from the organizer’s website. Note that the event is being organized by a group called Liberation BC that has supported single-issue and welfare campaigns. As an vegan that endorses the abolitionist approach to animal rights, I don’t support this type of activism. As a starter about why someone might not want to support such campaigns, please read Gary L. Fancoine’s short essay The Four Problems of Animal Welfare: In a Nutshell. All this said, Liberation BC is doing the community a service by organizing this film screening — an example of basic education that I can endorse. If you still consume & use animal products, I encourage you and your friends to attend this event so that you can truly start to see & understand what you are choosing to participate in when you consume and use such products.

Possibly Related Posts:

Shot of Freshly Squeeze Veganically Grown Wheatgrass Juice

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:59:46 +0000

“Wheatgrass refers to the young grass of the common wheat plant, Triticum aestivum, that is freshly juiced or dried into powder for animal and human consumption. Both provide chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. Claims about wheatgrass’ health benefits range from providing supplemental nutrition to having unique curative properties.”¹

The photograph above is of a shot of freshly squeezed veganically grown wheatgrass juice available from OrganicLives Enterprises (1829 Quebec Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada). The fresh wheatgrass is provided by Salt Spring Island Wheatgrass.

References

Wheatgrass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatgrass Accessed January 14, 2010.

Possibly Related Posts:

Kombucha Tea Making Workshop – Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 7:30PM (Commercial Drive Area, Vancouver, BC, Canada)

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:47:09 +0000

Kombucha Tea Concoctions by Patricia Ganswind

“Kombucha is a living health drink made by fermenting green or/and black tea and sugar with the kombucha culture. The result can taste like something between sparkling apple cider and champagne, depending on what kind of tea you use. It’s not what you’d imagine fermented tea to taste like. You can buy Kombucha at the health food stores, but usually it’s about 4 dollars or so for a tiny bottle. Home brewing is easy and very economical. Why not learn how to make it?”

DATE: Wednesday, January 20, 2010.

TIME: 7:30pm.

LOCATION: Commercial Drive area, Vancouver, BC, Canada (contact the organizer via e-mail at gennyktea@gmail.com or RSVP on Meetup.com for the address).

SUBJECTS: Kombucha tea, fermentation, where to find supplies, special teas and combinations.

DURATION: Approximately 1-1.5hrs

FEE: $20 cash, including a Kombucha culture plus detailed written instructions.

For more information, please visit the organizer’s description of the Kombucha tea making workshop on her website (which includes other posts that talk more about Kombucha).

Photograph courtesy of Geoff Peters www.photosvancouver.com, Released under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Possibly Related Posts:

geoffmobile: “What’s it like being Raw Vegan in Vancouver?”

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:53:09 +0000

This evening I was interviewed by geoffmobile and was asked: “What’s it like being raw vegan in Vancouver?” Here is what I had to say:

The one thing I failed to mention (but hinted at) in the short mobile upload interview was that one of the best things about being raw vegan in Vancouver is all the amazing raw foodists and raw vegans here in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The relationships with these people and the vast improvement to my health (even beyond a cooked vegan diet) really have revolutionized my life. I’m in better (all-round) shape here in 2010 than I’ve been probably since I was a very young child, and my raw vegan lifestyle has a very large role to play in this.

I’m going to pose the question posed to me this evening by geoffmobile (YouTube Channel)- QUESTION: What’s it like being raw vegan in Vancouver? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

P.S. — In the video I’m wearing a hoodie by Herbivore Clothing which I purchased at Karmavore (The Vegan Shop) – that store is another reason why it’s great to be vegan in Vancouver!

Possibly Related Posts:

Raw Organic Broccoli – It’s All About The Sauce!

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 21:09:28 +0000

I was at a raw vegan potluck in early December and the topic of broccoli came up. I was mentioning how once you clean up your diet and start eating more amazing fresh healthy whole foods, your palate changes. Specifically, I used the example of raw broccoli. It tastes way more amazing to me now on a raw vegan diet than it ever did when I was eating a “healthy” diet that contained animal products and processed foods. The person I was speaking to at the potluck remarked “I don’t know about raw broccoli…” indicating that they don’t enjoy it very much. Then someone else involved in the conversation chimed in with something I found interesting: “It’s all about the sauce!”

A good sauce can really change the taste and how much you enjoy certain raw vegetables. I’ve been experimenting a bit and have been using a modification of a pine nut dip recipe that can be found in Raw Food Formula for Health: A Modern Approach Through Simplicity, Variety, and Moderation by Paul Nison¹ (available from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca).

Base Nut Sauce Recipe

The following can be used as a base sauce for your raw salads that include organic broccoli, cauliflower, etc. If you make the sauce really thick, you could also uses it as a dip. I often just like it is so that the wonderful tastes of the vegetables can still come through, but others may want to spice it up more.

Equipment

min-prep food processor or blender

Ingredients

1/2 cup pine nuts, macadamia nuts, and or Brazil nuts
juice of 1/2 medium organic lemon
1 inch peeled organic fresh ginger
1 clove organic garlic
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
sea (or Himalayan) salt & black pepper to taste (I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon of each while making the recipe and add more pepper later)
filtered water, reserved, to help reach the desired consistency for the sauce.

Directions

If you’re using macadamia nuts or Brazil nuts, consider soaking them for an hour or two in the fridge in filtered water to help facilitate blending.
Place all the ingredients in the blender or mini-prep, adding a little bit of the reserved water as you go along until you reach a nice smooth sauce consistency.
Toss into salads consisting mainly of broccoli or other edible vegetables in the the Brassicaceae family and enjoy!

The sauce should keep for a few days in the fridge in a sealed container. I used this sauce (made with macadamia nuts) for lunch today. I made a salad with chopped cauliflower and broccolini, some diced dandelion greens, and a couple of sliced Brussels sprouts I had laying around in the fridge. To help liven up the base sauce, you might consider adding some chopped green onions or other herbs and spices. I’ve made the sauce using each of pine nuts, macadamia nuts, and Brazil nuts separately and in combination. They are each a little different, so experiment and see which you most enjoy. I think I enjoy the sauce the most when it’s made just with good quality raw organic macadamia nuts. Suggestions on improving the recipe above would be most welcome. Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

If you only have a food processor with a large bowl, you may want to double the recipe, else you may have a hard time processing things down into a nice sauce consistency.

QUESTION: What’s your favorite sauce to liven up your salad dishes that include raw broccoli, cauliflower, and other similar vegetables? Please share your recipes in the comments section of this post.

Notes

Paul Nison has begun consuming raw goats milk, something I strongly discourage you from doing. Whatever it does for Nison’s health is morally irrelevant, since by increasing demand for goats milk, he has compromised the health & very lives of many, many goats.

Possibly Related Posts:

VeggieWorld Interviews Aaron Ash of Gorilla Food – Organic Raw Vegan Food in Vancouver, BC, Canada – Part Two

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:45:59 +0000

As I was mentioning in an earlier post that gave the first part of the interview by VeggieWorld with Aaron Ash of Gorilla Food, some of my favorite places to hang out and get a bite of organic raw vegan food here in Vancouver, BC, Canada are Organic Lives (1829 Quebec Street), Eternal Abundance/Traffles Cafe, and Gorilla Food (located at 101 – 436 Richards Street). In this interview (part 2), Jay Davé of VeggieWorld interviews Aaron Ash of Gorilla Food. Jay gets to taste several dishes & desserts that have been on the menu at Gorilla Food.

QUESTION: What’s your favorite appetizer/entree/salad/dessert served at Gorilla Food? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

To find out the latest going on at the restaurant, please visit the official Gorilla Food website.

Possibly Related Posts:

VeggieWorld Interviews Aaron Ash of Gorilla Food – Organic Raw Vegan Food in Vancouver, BC, Canada – Part One

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:43:45 +0000

Many of my friends here in Vancouver, BC, Canada know that among my favorite places to hang out and get a bite of organic raw vegan food are Organic Lives (1829 Quebec Street), Eternal Abundance/Traffles Cafe, and Gorilla Food (located at 101 – 436 Richards Street). In this interview (part I), Jay Davé of VeggieWorld interviews Aaron Ash of Gorilla Food – one of the coolest people here in Vancouver. I’ll post the second part of the interview in part II.

QUESTION: As this interview is split across two posts, let’s start with this question: What’s your favorite drink/smoothie served at Gorilla Food? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

To find out the latest going on at the restaurant, please visit the official Gorilla Food website.

Possibly Related Posts:

Dr. Fred Bisci on Choosing Health via a Raw Vegan Diet

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:54:57 +0000

In the video below, SupremeMasterTV’s Healthy Living show interviews Dr. Fred Bisci, a nutritional consultant & health expert and long-time raw vegan from New York City, on choosing health via a raw vegan diet:¹

Towards the end of the interview, Dr. Bisci talks about sprouts. I’d like to include more sprouts in my diet in 2010 and will be experimenting with at-home sprouting methods in the months ahead. If all goes well, I will report on my successes here on Eat Raw Vegan.

To find out more about Dr. Fred Bisci and the work he does, please visit the official Fred Bisci website.

QUESTION: What is your favorite kind of sprout and why? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

References and Notes

More on SupremeMasterTV’s Healthy Living show can be found at http://suprememastertv.com/hl/.