Nutrition & Recipes

3 Crazy, Sexy, Raw Recipes for Dinnertime

3 Crazy, Sexy, Raw Recipes for Dinnertime
In addition to choosing whole foods, I love encouraging people to up their intake of raw foods. Many raw dishes are wonderful alkaline boosters.

That doesn't mean you need to eat them exclusively. It just means that we could benefit from including more of them in our daily diet. Why? There are several reasons. Raw foods contain more water-soluble vitamins and enzymes (the spark of all life). Plus, studies show that a diet rich in raw foods promotes a faster resting metabolism. Cooking foods definitely has some advantages, including adding variety to a plant-heavy diet and increasing the availability of some antioxidants. A combo of mostly raw and some cooked foods is ideal over the long term.

Here are some raw recipes to try at dinnertime.

Beetroot Ravioli With Cashew Cream Cheese


Homemade raw ravioli may seem daunting, but it’s actually quite easy. And this rendition contains the powerful phytonutrient betanin, which helps to neutralize nasty free radicals in the body. These revolutionary raviolis are a splendid start to any Mediterranean-inspired meal. Bravo!

Marinade Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive or garlic oil
  • 1 lemon
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Beetroot Ravioli Ingredients:

  • 2 large beets, peeled and sliced into paper-thin rounds
  • 1 cup Cashew Cream Cheese (see below)
Asparagus Salad Ingredients:

  • 1/2 bunch asparagus
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin-seed oil, or quality olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnish Ingredients (optional):

  • Fresh minced chives
  • Aged balsamic vinegar
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Sea salt, to taste
Directions:

Prepare Marinade: Combine olive oil, squeeze of lemon, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add sliced beets and marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight.

Prepare Ravioli: Lay half of the sliced, marinated beets on a flat surface (these are the bottom layer of your ravioli). Using a spoon, scoop one tablespoon of the Cashew Cream Cheese in the center of each beet slice (you could also use a pastry bag). Cover the cheese with another sliced beet to complete the ravioli.

Prepare Asparagus Salad: Shave the asparagus into long, thin pieces using a veggie peeler. Combine the asparagus, toasted pumpkin-seed oil, squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper in a bowl, and gently toss to mix ingredients well. Do this just before serving, to ensure you keep the crispness of the veggies.

Serve: Place 6 to 8 ravioli on each plate. Arrange a handful of shaved and dressed Asparagus Salad on top of the ravioli. Garnish with minced chives, a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar, cracked pepper, and a pinch of sea salt if using.

Cashew Cream Cheese (makes 2 cups):

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for a few hours or overnight in water, to soften
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely diced chives
  • 1/4 cup finely minced parsley
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced shallots or red onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:

Blend the soaked cashews with water and lemon juice in high-speed blender, until smooth. Pause often to scrape sides of blender and fold ingredients to ensure a creamy texture.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, chives, parsley, shallots, salt, and pepper, mixing thoroughly.

Serves 4-6



Vegetable Sushi Maki Rolls


A mineral-rich nori sheet is the Batmobile of wraps for your sushi fixings, especially since nori is a strong source of calcium and iron. Your first roll might be a little tricky, but with practice you’ll be a sushi master in no time.

Ingredients:

  • 1 nori sheet
  • 1/4 cup Sesame Root Rice (see below)
  • 1 red pepper, julienned
  • 1/4 cup daikon sprouts
  • 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced and marinated for a few minutes (equal parts wheat-free tamari and olive oil)
Directions:

Place nori on a sushi mat. Spread the root rice evenly on a nori sheet, but be sure to leave about half an inch around all the edges. Press the root rice firmly against the nori.

Stack red peppers, daikon sprouts, and shiitake mushrooms over the root rice in one long strip across the center.

Now it’s time to rock and roll. Starting at the edge closest to you, begin rolling up the mat with nori using both hands. As you roll, tuck and press the nori with your fingertips to keep the roll tight.

Roll until you’ve reached the last inch of bare nori; wet the nori with a dab of water, and press the edge to seal your roll. Slice each maki roll in 6 to 8 pieces.

Serves 1


Squash Pasta With Sage Pesto


This creamy, perky pesto coats your veggie noodles in a soulful sage sauce that won’t sit like a brick in your belly after you leave the table. Zucchini is not only tasty, it’s also a good source of potassium—a mineral that promotes proper muscle growth.

Sage Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chopped basil
  • 3 tablespoons chopped sage
  • 2 tablespoons chopped leek
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
Squash Pasta Ingredients:

  • 3 green zucchini, sliced into noodles
  • 1 yellow zucchini, sliced into noodles
  • 1/2 cup sunflower sprouts (other options: buckwheat sprouts or pea shoots)
  • 1/2 cup thinly julienned red bell pepper
Directions:

Prepare Sage Pesto: Remove stems from basil and sage.

In food processor, gently pulse basil, sage, leek, pine nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast, and salt until finely minced. Add the oil slowly and in a thin, even stream, pulsing until sauce has reached a coarse consistency.

Prepare Squash Pasta: In large bowl, combine green and yellow zucchini noodles with sprouts and bell pepper.

In small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the Sage Pesto, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.

Serves 6

Editor’s Note: Text adapted from Kris Carr’s New York Times Bestseller, CrazySexy Kitchen: 150 Plant-Empowered Recipes to Ignite a Mouthwatering Revolution by Kris Carr with Chef Chad Sarno.