Tomato Tahini Dressing

March 28th, 2010

Start those tomato seeds! You won’t want to miss out making one of the most de- licious dips/dressings ever!

I used to enjoy this dip at our very good friend Brigid’s house. Finally, we had her make it in front of us and another foodie friend and I made educated estimates on the amounts she was putting in of the ingredients. After a couple taste tests and additions, we had it! This recipe makes a whopping 7 cups. Sometimes I cut it in half and other times I make the whole batch since it is the perfect dip or salad dressing.

Brigid’s Tomato Tahini Dressing

  • 1 1/2 c. cold pressed extra vigin olive oil
  • 1 1/4 c. water
  • 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 c. wheat- free tamari
  • 2/3 c. nutritional yeast
  • 2 tomatos
  • 1/3 c. tahini (homemade, of course!)
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp. raw sesame seeds
  • 2 1/2 tsp psyllium husk powder

Blend all ingredients. That’s it!

This is pretty thick and holds up fantastic as a dip but is light enough to be a dressing as is. If you would like it thicker or thinner, adjust the psyllium husk powder to your liking.

The color of this dressing is a beautiful red. It is a sure sign that warm weather is here!

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homemade hummus

March 14th, 2010

One of our favorite on-the-road snacks is hummus. Garbanzo beans are high in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and zinc, and are a source of dietary fiber and protein.The tubs in the store can be expensive, and can have preservatives or other unnecessary ingredients.

Soak the beans overnight to reduce cooking time — soak, drain and cook for 1-2 hours, and drain again. You can soak for 12-24 hours, sprout them for 2-3 days until the tail is about as big as the bean, and then steam them for 20 minutes or so until they soften. I’ve found enough information online and in The Sprout Garden to make me wary of eating raw chick peas, so if you decide to go that route, proceed with caution and do your research.

Seeing Lucia making sweet potato chips for the camera, Dante decided he wanted to make some hummus too. Except that was the first day we used the camera, and somehow the main video of him putting in all the ingredients was corrupted. Since he gives the recipe, I asked him to film it again using the extra chick peas and pretending to add the rest. He was a trooper though and acted as tho he had actual ingredients to add to the food processor bowl (love watching him “scrape out” all that tahini!).

Hummus

  • 4 cups cooked/steamed chick peas (~ 2 15oz cans)
  • 2 Tbsp lemon
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp  cumin (or to taste)
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup water (or as needed to reach desired consistency)
  • 3-4 Tbsp olive oil

Put all ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and whizz. We usually add everything but the oil, and once the dip is nearly done, we add in the oil. We taste and add more spices, salt or lemon juice at this point as well. Sometimes we add more garlic, or roast the garlic first. You can add more lemon, 1 red pepper, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, chives or more to keep things interesting. While we tend to use hummus as a dip, we also spread it on rinsed romaine leaves and top with onion and tomato .  Sometimes we smear it on toast

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garden burger pate

February 16th, 2010

Another yummy recipe from the Raw Family Signature dishes for you today. The recipe is titled Live Garden Burger in the book. It can be shaped into paties or made into a sandwich as they have in the book, but I thought it was scrumptious on celery and also served in red pepper boats.

garden burger pate

  • 2 cups sunflower seeds
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 2 TBS raw agave nectar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 bunch fresh herbs (such as basil, thyme, dill or rosemary)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 hot pepper
  1. Whiz up the sunflower seeds in the food processor with the s blade. Grind them to a powder. Pour that into a bowl.
  2. Chop carrots into 1 inch pieces and put them in the food processor. Grind until pureed.
  3. Add chopped onion, raisins, agave and olive oil.
  4. Juice lemons and add juice to food processor.
  5. Add sea salt, herbs and hot pepper. Blend for about 1 minute. Scrape sides down sides and process for 30 more seconds.
  6. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the sunflower seeds and mix by hand until thoroughly mixed. Makes about 4 cups of pate. It will keep in the fridge several days.

My variations:

I used brazil nuts that I already had soaking instead of the sunflower seeds. I think it was close to 2 cups but may have been slightly over. I drained them and tossed them in the food processor. I used raw, local honey instead of agave and apple cider vinegar in place of the lemon (about 1/4 cup). I had some fresh basil stored in the freezer which came to me with love from my mom’s garden so that is what I used.
At first try, the pate was a bit spicy but as flavors married and I ate it the next day, it was perfect. My five year old loved it in red pepper boats. It was also a hit with my hubby. I call this a win!
It is a very pretty pate and can be used in a variety of ways so be creative and experiment!

Since it makes such a generous amount, I put half in a container for the fridge and I froze the other half. I love doing this for those times that I am really busy and don’t have as much time to prepare in the kitchen. This will defrost easily and be a satisfying treasure when I need it.
Add some color to your life and your diet with this yummy garden burger pate!

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