SPINACH MOUSSE

Makes 4  servings

Even Popeye loves tomatoes when they’re stuffed with this creamed spinach mousse. Serve over sprouts or your choice of greens.

4        large tomatoes

2        cups fresh spinach

1        tablespoon basil, freshly chopped

1          teaspoon tarragon, freshly chopped

¼       teaspoon garlic, freshly grated

2         tablespoons seed cheese, such as almond or cashew

½       teaspoon sea salt

½       teaspoon fresh pepper

TOOLS: High-speed blender

•    Cut off tomato tops. Hollow tomatoes out and discard.

•    Blend remaining ingredients in high-speed blender.

•    Pour mixture into hollowed-out tomatoes and serve on favorite greens.

Learn about the health benefits of tomatoes:

http://tiny.cc/7s7kh

Adding raw nut cheeses to your repertoire may satisfy your soul in ways that you don’t anticipate. Start off with the simplicity of the Basic Almond Ricotta. Or divide batch portions to create a cheese board assortment with varieties of Feta and Herb Cheese.

3 cups raw almonds, plus water for soaking
¼ teaspoon probiotic powder
1 teaspoon light yellow miso
1 ½ cup water
TOOLS: High-speed blender, mesh container or sieve and cheesecloth

• Place almonds into hot water for a few minutes. Pinch almond skins off with fingers.
• Remove almonds from hot water. Place in bowl and cover with cool water. Soak at room temperature for 4-6 hours.
• Place probiotic powder, light miso, and water into blender and mix.
• Drain soaked almonds. Add soaked almonds to blender and process with miso mixture, adding more water if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency.
• Dampen cheese cloth and layer inside mesh container.
• Pour almond mixture into cheesecloth and cover with cheesecloth folds.
• Let stand to ripen (ferment) about 12 hours over bowl.
• Place weight on top of mesh container if mixture has excess liquid.
• Store covered in the refrigerator about 24 hours to firm up, or prepare cheese alternatives now before storing.

Alternatives
Herb cheese: For each cup of ripened nut cheese, hand mix a variety of fresh, finely chopped herbs and onion to ripened cheese: 2 teaspoons fresh chopped herb, 1 teaspoon onion, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon nutritional yeast, and ¼ teaspoon lemon juice.

Feta cheese: For each cup of ripened nut cheese, hand mix: 3 teaspoons nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ tablespoon minced onion and ¼ teaspoon lemon juice. Using an off-set spatula, spread to desired thickness—approximately ½ to 1 inch—on a nonstick Teflex drying sheet. Dehydrate at 105° F for 6 hours.

Chef’s note: Basic Almond Ricotta keeps, in an airtight container, up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

For health benefits of almonds, visit http://tiny.cc/jo0on

Serves 8

A tangy, Asian-inspired dressing like this one pairs well with a sweet salad, such as Chop-Chop Salad.

½             cup fresh orange juice

½            cup water

1 ½            tablespoon white miso

1 tablespoon tahini

2                 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 small cloves of garlic or 1 teaspoon grated

1            tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoon flax oil

½            scallion, thinly sliced (optional)

TOOLS:  High-speed blender

• Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend until creamy.

Chef’s note: Orange-Ginger Dressing keeps, refridgerated, for 4 days.

Learn about the health benefits of ginger:

http://tiny.cc/vrxbn

Chop Chop Salad

CHOP-CHOP SALAD

Makes 6-8  servings

While you could make this in a food processor, it is well worth it to chop these ingredients by hand into ¼” chunks to fully appreciate the ingredients. For an East Meets West/Asian fusion type dish, serve with Orange-Ginger Dressing.

1             tablespoon lemon juice plus 2 cups water, mixed in bowl

2             large apples

1            wedge napa cabbage, or 2 cups finely chopped

2            cups romaine lettuce, finely chopped

1              cup English cucumber, chopped

1 cup red pepper (about 1 large red pepper), chopped

½            cup red onion, finely chopped

TOOLS: Ceramic knife for long-lasting freshness, if available

• Chop apples into ½” – ¾” chunks. Set aside in bowl with lemon juice and water.
• Chop remaining ingredients into ¼” – ½” pieces. Drain lemon water from apples and place all ingredients in one bowl.
• Hand mix all ingredients until all are evenly distributed.

Chef’s note: Chop-Chop Salad keeps, refrigerated in airtight container or green bags, up to 2 days.  To prevent apples browning, put the slices in a bowl of cold water to which a spoonful of lemon juice has been added.

Learn about the health benefits of apples:

http://tiny.cc/81gij

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Miss American Pie

MISS AMERICAN PIE

Makes 4

My father and I used to pick fruit and then bake a pie. Nowadays I prefer my pies raw, but they retain the same flavors. This version features Michigan stone fruits in their full glory.

CRUNCH

1 cup pecans, soaked overnight in water, rinsed twice and drained

3           tablespoons flaked raw oatmeal, soaked 1 hour in water and  drained, or 1/3 cup flaked    oatmeal drained use a oat flaker and then soak for 1 hour, drain remaining water  or 1/3 cup flaked oatmeal

¼         cup maple syrup

1            tablespoon date paste

¼          teaspoon cinnamon

pinch  sea salt

TOPPING

2              cups pecans, soaked overnight in water, rinsed twice and drained, then dehydrated at 105° F for 12 hours

6-8          dates, pitted

1/2          teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

FILLING

2            large peaches, sliced into 8-12 lengthwise bite size pieces

2            cups cherries, pitted

¼          cup maple syrup

seeds of 1 vanilla bean, soaked for 1 hour in water and scraped

TOOLS: Food processor, oat flaker, blender, and dehydrator

• Blend dates, maple syrup, date paste, cinnamon, and salt in blender.
• Coarsely chop pecans and thoroughly coat with maple syrup mixture.
• Spread mixture thinly over dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 105° F for about 24 hours or until you get crispy breaks.
• Prepare topping now and add dehydrated pecans, vanilla and salt into food processor. Process till mixed.
• Add dates to food processor and continue to blend ingredients, being careful you do not over process.  Mixture should be mealy and lumpy. Set aside.
• Marinate fruit filling in maple syrup and vanilla bean seeds for two hours.
• Break up pecan crunch and add to fruit filling. Mix well.
• Assemble and plate peaches, cherries, and pecan crunch onto dish.
• Sprinkle topping over and serve.

Chef’s note: You can make a double recipe and keep refrigerated separtely up to 1 week.

If anyone is oppossed to eating fuzzy skins, soak the peaches in warm water for about 10 minutes. The peach skin should now peel off smoothly leaving the outside of the peach with its original natural smoothness and no knife markings.

Learn about the health benefits of peaches:

http://www.thefoodpaper.com/features/health/peaches.html

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