crunchy bits

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!