THE MOST DELISH RECIPES I EVER MADE...TODAY!

As a raw chef, I come up with new recipes from scratch all of the time, and I think, "Man, this is the most delish, ever!"

My trick is - I use the 5 basic principles of taste to guide me - meaning, with every savory dish I make, I add at least one or more elements from each "taste," and because each dish has all 5 flavors, it is always delicious! The tounge has 5 taste centers, so when a dish pings all 5 taste centers, you go, "Yum!!!" Nothing ever tastes flat this way. I thank Victoria Boutenko for teaching me this. Now that you know, you can be your own raw chef!

Here are the 5 flavors:
-spicy (garlic, onion, cayenne, etc...)

-salty (shoyu, celery, kelp, dulse, celtic salt, etc...)

-sweet (carrots, beets, raw honey, agave, raisins, etc...)

-tart (raw vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, etc...)

-bitter (all green leaves, etc...)

Here is a yummy yummy lower fat pate' I came up with using ingredients I had on hand, following the 5 flavor principle. I got the pic above online. (My camera is out of commission). The pic looks similar to what i made, except the tomatoes look dehydrated above. Come to think of it, dehydrating the little "pizzas" would be delish!

LOW FAT BASIL CASHEW ALMOND PATE' PIZZAS

PRE-RECIPE STEPS
1). Put whole organic cashews and almonds in a large bowl and fill with lots of water the night before. Soak overnight on the counter.

2.) In the morning, drain nuts, and rinse repeatedly until water is clear.

Why Soak? Soaking nuts reduces their fat by 40% and removes the enzyme inhibitors that coat nuts and keep nuts dormant (asleep). Soaking them begins the process of germination which means they fundamentally change internally and think they are on their way to becoming a tree or a plant. They are actually a changed being and become ALIVE! Soaking nuts turns nuts into more of a vegetable and improves their digestibility immeasurably. SOAK YOUR NUTS. Soaking nuts also makes them less addictive in my opinion, and probably improves their alkelinity, rather than leaving them acidifying.

3.) Dehydrate soaked rinsed nuts on a teflex in an Excalibur Dehydrator at 105 degrees until dry (1 day to 1.5 days)

4.) Store in ziplock bags and use these nuts as you would any regular nut

RECIPE:

Pizzas:
Set aside:
Large Zucchini sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
Fresh red ripe tomatos sliced into rounds, salted

Pate' Ingredients:
-about 1 cup of basil leaves
-2 cups of germinated almonds and cashews (not necessary that they be dry at all or fully dried)
-1 tsp of celtic salt
-1/2 tsp of agave
-juice of 1 small lemon
-1 Tbsp of nutritional yeast
-1 slice of white onion, about 1/2 inch thick
-2 large cloves of garlic
-2 tsps of dried fennel (optional for italian sausagey flavor, i loved it!)

* Have 1/4 cup of water on hand

1.) Add all ingredients except water to food processor with S blade

2). Grind all ingredients, opening processor to scrape down the sides repeatedly.

3.) Taste mixture when well ground for seasoning. Adjust if needed using key:

ADJUSTING SEASONING KEY:
*If too bland, add salt or lemon
*If too salty, add a touch of agave
*If too sweet, add a touch of salt
*If too flat, add more lemon juice or garlic or onion
*If not enough herbal flavor, add more basil
*If too spicy, add more nuts
*If too dry, add water or lemon juice

4.) If needed, add a little water to mixture if you would like a mushier pate'. My nuts were partially dried (4 hours), so they had a little moisture in them. I didn't need any water.

The recipe will produce a thick, olive green, slightly dry, mealy pate' that formed a ball in my hands. Kind of a gross description, but, man, oh, man, it is so delish!

NOTE:
For a more "authentic" pesto, add olive oil, if desired, but this defeats the low fat nature of the recipe. Unlike this pate', full fat nut pates come out like cream cheese consistency. Nut pate's from lower fat germinated nuts like this recipe will not create a smooth cream cheese consistency, but will come out mealy and slightly chunky. Just so you know it! Personally, I did not miss the extra fat or creamy texture at all! SO YUM!

TO CREATE PIZZAS:
Add a mound of pate' on top of each zucchini slice. Top with a salted fresh organic tomato slice! Eat like a little pizza! Repeat and enjoy until satisfied! Dehydrate if you can't eat them all...at 105degrees! That would be delish!

Another Idea:
This pate' could also be used as a filling for "rawvioli!" since the texture is ricotta like and the flavor is very italian!

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Here's a great smoothie!

FRUITY GREEN PROTEIN SHAKE

In a vitamix add:
-2 Tbsp of raw local honey (optional, but good for the summer, helps to relieve allergies)
-1 Tbsp of spirulina
-1 cup of strawberries, frozen
-1/2 cup of mango chunks, frozen
-2 bananas, frozen
-6 mint leaves
*cold water

Blenderize all ingredients with just enough cold water to form a frosty thick shake. This is so refreshing and the fruit and mint cover the flavor of the spirulina, which i don't always love, though it is so good for you! This is a generous portion! Serves 2.

DID YOU KNOW?
Spirulina is yummy and chock full of PROTEIN!

(Unfortunately, my hair is thinning again after 7 weeks of raw, so i'm wanting to be conscious of eating more protein. Maybe this will help.)

Please read about spirulina here. Lots of interesting facts! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirulina_(dietary_supplement)

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Let me know if you make any of these recipes and enjoy them!

xoxo michelle joy