Spiralized Raw Veggie Salad

I recently acquired my new favorite kitchen tool… A Spiralizer! This slicer turns a zucchini, beet, potato or any other veggie into long, noodle-like spirals, giving you a new way to prepare and present food. There are other blades that came with the contraption, but I’ve yet to try them out. In this tasty raw recipe, all of the vegetables have been put through the basic spiral blade. If you want one of these for yourself, check out the Paderno Spiralizer, which is the model I purchased.

Raw Spiral Salad

By Caroline MacDonald

Serves 5-6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

Spiral Veggies-

2 large zucchini

2 large carrots, peeled

2 beets, scrubbed and peeled

Dressing-

1/2 c lemon juice

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

1/4 t cayenne pepper

lots of lemon pepper, to taste

Step 1: Chop the ends off of each veggie and run through the spiralizer. Combine all veggies in a large bowl and toss until evenly mixed. Don’t be alarmed if the veggies start to tangle; this is bound to happen and is helped by using tongs as serving tools.

            

Step 2: Whisk together all dressing ingredients and pour over veggies. Toss until evenly coated. For best flavor, let the veggies marinate for a couple hours.

Serve Chilled.

Enjoy!

~Caroline~

Southwestern Zucchini Pasta Salad with Tomato-Cilantro-Avocado Sauce

I created this recipe when I needed a reason to try a new local pasta brand, and eventually turned it into a vegan salad with raw zucchini noodles! I also added the avocado the second time around and loved the creaminess it gave the sauce. It's a light, spicy salad that satisfies and refreshes on a hot summer day. I've posted the zucchini version, but know that you can use a box of your favorite pasta if you're so inclined.


SW Pasta Salad with Tomato- Cilantro- Avocado Sauce
By Caroline Mac

Serves 3-5 

Ingredients:
4 zucchini, sliced into thin strips (I used a vegetable peeler)
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 c carrot, shredded
1 container (3 cups) Pomi diced tomatoes, split in half
1 c fresh cilantro, plus 1/4 c to be added later

1 15 oz can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 avocado, plus more for garnish
Juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic
1 t SW style seasoning
1 t smoked paprika
1/2 t cayenne pepper
3 pinches salt
Cholula hot sauce, to taste





Step 1: Combine 1.5 c tomatoes, 1 cup cilantro, avocado, lime juice, garlic, and all seasoning in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Step 2: Combine Zucchini noodles, cucumber, carrot, 1.5 c tomatoes, 1/4 c cilantro and beans in  a large bowl. Stir gently until thoroughly mixed, careful not to break the zucchini noodles.

Step 3: Pour sauce evenly over the vegetables and stir gently until all ingredients are thoroughly coated.  Serve cold or at room temperature with a few slices of avocado for garnish.

Enjoy!


~Caroline~

Raw Vegan Zucchini Lasagna

What's better than lasagna? Raw vegan lasagna! I recently came across this recipe on Pinterest and after a few alterations produced my own! This is truly delicious and, despite some doubts on my part, held its shape remarkably. The flavors really jump out at you and the texture of the zucchini noodles is great. You can pack even more veggies and toppings into the "casserole" to make this dish unique!

Raw Vegan Zucchini Lasagna
By Caroline Mac, after This Rawsome Life

Ingredients:
Noodles
1 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise

Cashew Cheese
2/3 c cashews
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 T lemon juice
2 t Italian seasoning
3 T nutritional yeast
Water

Broccoli Pesto
1/2 head broccoli
3 T sun dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil
1 T olive oil
3-4 leaves fresh basil
Lemon-garlic seasoning (I used Penzey's Trinidad)
Water

Toppings- To taste
I used...
3 mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tomatos, thinly sliced
Basil leaves, ripped into small pieces



Step 1: Blend all cheese ingredients in a food processor, adding water until mixture reaches a creamy, spreadable consistency. Set aside.

Step 2: Blend all pesto ingredients, adding water until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

Step 3: Layer your ingredients in a small casserole dish, starting with a layer of zucchini noodles, until you have used all ingredients. My pattern was "noodle, cheese, pesto, tomato, mushroom, basil, repeat". I ended with a layer of cheese and pesto.

Step 4: Slice and serve!

Enjoy!

~Caroline~

Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Caramelized onion and Veggies

Every time I browse Pinterest I see about ten pins about cauliflower crust. As a lower carb, gluten free, and healthy alternative to traditional pizza crust, it's no wonder this trendy food has gone viral. I figured it was about time I gave it a shot!

I tried to veganize my pizza as much as possible, using caramelized onions as a base, rice cheese instead of mozzarella, and plenty of veggies. However, since this was my first time making a crust from cauliflower, I decided it would be best to use the eggs included in the recipe. Next time I'll try to use a vegan replacement for those as well!

All in all, the final product was quite tasty and successful. My only issue was that the crust stayed kind of soft in the middle, not holding its shape and making it a bit hard to serve- definitely required a fork! Hopefully I can troubleshoot this the next time I make it and keep the crust more solid all around. Let me know if you figure out a way to solidify the center more!



Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Caramelized Onion and Veggies
By Caroline Mac, crust adapted from recipegirl.com

Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 large head of cauliflower, shredded into small crumbles (I used a food processor)
1 large egg
1 c shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (I used a rice-based cheese)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced

Toppings:
1/4 bell pepper, sliced
1/4 zucchini, sliced
3 cloves garlic, halved
4-5 basil leaves, shredded
1/2 portobello mushroom, sliced
6.5 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 white onion, chopped
2 T olive oil

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion. Stir occasionally for about an hour until the onion browns and becomes very soft. The onion is now caramelized. It's worth the extra time!

While the onion caramelizes, make the crust...

Step 2:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cauliflower crumbles in a bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. Let cool.

Step 3: Grease a baking sheet or pizza pan and set aside. Combine cauliflower and remaining crust ingredients in a bowl and stir until thoroughly blended. Pat the mixture onto the baking sheet in a circle about 9-12" in diameter, making sure it is an even thickness throughout. Spread a little olive oil over the crust.

Step 4: Place all veggies and garlic (except the artichoke) in a baking dish and drizzle with a little olive oil and italian seasoning. Stick these in the oven with the pizza crust (step 5) for about 6 minutes. Set aside.

Step 5: Bake pizza crust for fifteen minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven.

Step 5: In a food processor or blender, puree caramelized onions with artichoke hearts. Once creamy, spread over the pizza crust, leaving a 1/2 inch border on the edge. Place all veggies and basil on the pizza.

Step 6: Bake pizza for another 3-5 minutes, making sure not to burn the crust. Remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes (It'll be easier to serve).


Remember, my crust wasn't 100% successful, so I can't guarantee that yours won't be a bit floppy using this recipe. However, I can vouch for the taste- It's super delicious! I'll update this recipe once I figure out a solution for the crust.


Enjoy!

~Caroline~

Veggie Quinoa Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce

One of my goals for my blog this year is to start creating more of my own recipes. I thought a good first one would be a classic tomato sauce. I decided to make it a little more interesting than your average marinara by adding basil and a kick of chili pepper. I made a meal out the sauce by adding veggies, beans, and some protein-packed quinoa pasta! 

Veggie Quinoa Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce

By Caroline Mac

Ingredients:

Sauce

6 oz tomato paste

3/4 c fresh basil

2 cloves garlic

2 fresh tomatoes, peeled

1 t olive oil

1/2 T Italian seasoning

4 pinches salt

1/4 t plus 1 pinch chili pepper

Veggies

1 squash, diced

1 zucchini, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

1 1/2 c mushrooms

1/2 c great northern beans

Olive oil to sauté veggies

Chosen amount of quinoa pasta 

Step 1: In a food processor, combine all sauce ingredients and puree until relatively smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Step 2: In a medium saucepan, sauté onion and mushrooms in olive oil until tender and onions become translucent. Add squash and zucchini and sauté until tender. 

Step 3: Add beans and sauce to pan and stir until everything is evenly coated. Cover and set heat to warm until pasta is cooked.

Step 4: Cook pasta according to directions on the package. Top with sauce and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Vegan and Nearly Raw Fettucini Alfredo

One of my favorite restaurants back in Portland is Prasad. It's a vegan cafe located within a yoga studio. If you're ever in the Pearl District, be sure to check it out. Prasad introduced me to a new raw and ultra healthy phenomenon: Veggie noodles. That is, vegetables cut in such a way that they are nearly pasta-like in consistency. The dish I had at Prasad was a zucchini noodle linguini with pesto and a cashew ricotta. It was delicious! Tonight, I made my own version of this tasty dish. I used my Zyliss julienne peeler to slice zucchini into pasta-like strips, made a cashew cream, and cooked up a veggie burger. The end result was delicious!

Vegan and Nearly Raw Fettucini Alfredo

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis

1.5 cups raw, whole cashews

1 cup boiling water

1 clove garlic

Pinch of salt

1t Italian seasoning

1 veggie burger (or one per person dining)

Step 1: Run cashews in the food processor until finely chopped. Add Cashews and water to a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Add garlic, salt, and seasoning and blend thoroughly. 

Step 2: Using a julienne peeler or spiralizer, cut long, thin strips of zucchini so it resembles noodles. Set aside.

Step 3: Cook your veggie burger according to the directions on the package. I used a Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burger.

Step 4: Dish out zucchini noodles and toss with sauce to taste. Top with a crumbled veggies burger.

Enjoy!