happy Raw Year!

(Don't mind me - I have fun with all the RAW-adjectives...)

Did you all have lovely RAWlidays? I surely did. I brought a date nut torte on christmas eve to my surrogate sicilian family in NJ which went over very well and I made marinaded veggies plus a raw cheesecake for my family on christmas day. Everyone enjoyed the food and asked for the recipes so that's a good sign! On new year's eve, I made those pesto stuffed mushrooms again (they are really delicious) and matt made some raw ice cream for all of us. 

I'm sending along with this email, blessings and best wishes for a peaceful, healthy and happy 2007, not just for the recipients but to your friends, families and people that we will never meet around the world.

So - you know the deal, first the reminders for the upcoming raw weeks and then a recipe or two. I just received a recipe for Mexican Rice made with parsnips that is really tasty so I'm enclosing it here. I've been eating that the past couple days...

• Thursday, January 11, 2007 - 6:30 - 8:30 pm, raw food potluck at 18 Worcester Village Rd in Worcester. Come with a dish to share and plates/utensils with which to eat. Last month wasn't a big showing like previous months but that is totally fine. The purpose for these potlucks, for me, is to have people there who want to be there for raw food. So come if you want a nice social time that is centered around raw food. 

• Sunday, January 14, 2007 - 1:00 - 2:00, chocolate turtle candy recipe workshop at Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier. Cost: $10 for member, $12 for non-member Feeling guilty from all your holiday eating? Well, let's make some raw candy and forget about the guilt! This simple recipe tastes so good and your kids will love it, too! Sign up at the Coop.

• Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Jan 19-21, Alissa Cohen's Level 1 & 2 Certification Classes. Level 1 is from 3-8 pm on Friday. Level 2 is on Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday 10-2. For information, please check out my calendar: Call me to register please: 223-2111. 

• Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 6:30 - 7:30 pm, date nut torte recipe workshop at Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier. Cost: $10 for member, $12 for non-member. This is my all-time favorite dessert recipe and it's the one I bring whenever I want to turn someone on to raw food. It's rich and filling - only a little bit is needed to satisfy a sweet urging. Sign up at the Coop.

• Sunday, January 28, 2007 from 3-7 pm, 18 Worcester Village Rd, Worcester. My non-dehydrated winter recipes class. We'll do a possible "day in the life" of raw food with a breakfast, lunch, dressing, dinner and dessert recipe. We talk a bit about sprouting, how to set your environment up and other things. We have great fun basically talking and eating for 4 hours. Cost: $75 per person. Call me to register: 223-2111 Bring: pen/pencil and a smile

*whew*
now for the recipes:

Enjoy!
Linda

mexican rice

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1-2 medium parsnips (peeled and minced in food processor to equal 1 cup)
4 sun dried tomato halves, soaked for 2-4 hrs
3 Tbsp. of the sun dried tomato soak liquid
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt

Directions:
Rinse the onion and garlic by submerging in filtered water, swishing and draining them. Next place the onion and garlic on a teflex sheet and dehydrate for 4 hrs. to soften and sweeten the vegetables and help to evaporate much of the volatile mustard oils. Next, mix the dehydrated veggies with the parsnip “rice”, add sun dried tomatoes and soak water, chili powder, cumin and sea salt. Stir this mixture until well combined. Adjust seasonings to taste. Let this mixture marinate for approximately 4-6 hours in the fridge for the flavors to marry. Warm for 20-30 minutes in a dehydrator set at 115ºF until warm.

LINDA'S NOTE: I just threw everything in the food processor, blended it and ate it. Very tasty and much less complicated but go for the directions if you want. I ate this by itself and also with Alissa's Spicy Refried Bean Recipe below.

spicy refried beans

Ingredients:
2 cups sprouted chickpeas
1 cup walnuts
2 avocados
2 limes, juiced
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 teaspoons cumin powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt (the coarse gray kind)
pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a food processor and blend until smooth.