December 6, 2009

ingredients

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped ($1.60)
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped ($.80)
1 cup flax meal ($.30)
3 bananas, pureed ($.45)
1/2 cup raisins ($.40)
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

4 bananas, sliced ($.60)
4 tbsp agave ($.40)

I had a hard time deciding what to call this. Trying to fit cooked food descriptions on raw vegan foods can be fun, but trying as well. I started out with an idea for raw banana nut bread that could be a breakfast meal with some fruit added. I was in a rush and took them out of the dehydrator when they were still quite soft, which was about two hours on each side. With bananas on top and some agave, they made perfectly soft, almost fluffy pancakes. The ones I left in a bit longer, about twice as long, were excellent for banana nut bread. And, I those I left in even longer, twice as long again, were crunchy banana cookies … crunchy on the outside, but still having a bit of softness in the middle.

Call this whatever you like, and adjust your dehydrating time to suit your preference.

For this recipe, the ingredients need to be processed separately and then folded together. First, add one cup water to the flax meal and set aside to gel. I used the food processor with the S blade to grind one cup of walnuts fairly fine and put them in a large mixing bowl. Puree three bananas and chop the remaining half cup walnuts coarsely, add to mixing bowl. Add the salt, spices, and soaked flax meal and stir. Fold in the raisins.

Place on plastic, teflex or parchment sheets in the dehydrator. Use a spoon to scoop out 14 portions and smooth out into 3″ rounds. They should be about 1/4 in thick and somewhat thicker than when making flax crackers, basically the shape and size of small pancakes.

For soft pancakes, flip as soon as it’s possible to handle them and then allow to dehydrate on the other side until firm on the outside, but the desired softness inside.

Top with a sliced banana and a tablespoon of agave.

ingredients

1 cup brazil nuts ($4.90)
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
juice of one lemon ($.50)
dried or fresh herbs for rolling

1 lb grapes ($1.39)

This “cheez” is amazing, and surprisingly simple to make. In a blender, add all the cheez ingredients. Puree for several minutes until as smooth and creamy as possible (it’s a delicious alfredo sauce at this point). Pour into a jar or other glass container and cover with cheese cloth. Let sit overnight or longer to develop the desired sharp taste. As it sits, the nut “cream” will thicken up as well, making it easier to handle.

Once the flavor has developed to your liking, divide in two equal portions. Place in center of several layers of cheese cloth and form into roughly a circle shape. Wrap each in the cheese cloth and place them in a colander with a weight or weighted plate on top. Put the colander in a sink or over a plate or bowl to catch any drips. A lot of the liquid will be pressed out of the cheez this way. Let it press for several hours.

This doesn’t get gooey, but it will be the consistency of cream cheese. Further pressing can make a firmer cheez.

When it has the desired consistency, remove from the cheese cloth, shape into a wheel and roll in dried or minced fresh herbs. Serve with grapes.

* To make cheez crumbles for the green salad above, take one of the wheels of cheez and break into small pieces, about the size of peas or about. Dehydrate the pieces until they’re a little crunchy on the outside but just a little soft on the inside.