Ani's Raw Food Essentials (27 page)

MAKES
½
CUP

 

This butter is slightly salted with unpasturized miso and is so delicious you'll forget there's no dairy in it. It has the consistency of a whipped butter and melts like butter, too! Use on your pancakes, scones, and toast, just as you would dairy butter.

1 to 2 tablespoons unpasturized white miso
½ cup coconut butter, softened but not liquid

Place the miso, to taste, and coconut butter in a bowl and mix together with a spoon.

 

Will keep for a week or more at room temperature.

MAKES
½
CUP

 

I found vanilla butter at a French patisserie, and it sounded delicious, so that inspired me to create this guilt-free version. This is a sweet butter without salt.

½ cup coconut butter, softened but not liquid
1 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, seeded
1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup

Place the ingredients in a bowl, adding the agave syrup to taste, and mix together with a spoon.

 

Will keep for a week or more at room temperature.

MAKES
½
CUP

 

A sweet butter with aromatic lavender from fresh or dry lavender flowers or extract.

Pick fresh, unsprayed lavender flowers, discarding the green parts. Wash well, then chop into the tiniest pieces possible. Alternatively, seek out culinary lavender in the spice section of gourmet stores (never consume lavender sold as a potpourri ingredient). Add to softened coconut butter and let sit overnight to allow for the flavor to absorb into the butter. Adjust to use as much or as little as you wish of the lavender buds for a stronger or lighter scent and flavor.

½ cup coconut butter, softened but not liquid
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender, pulverized in food grinder, or 1 table-
spoon fresh flowers, finely chopped, or ½ teaspoon culinary lavender
extract
1 teaspoon agave syrup

Place the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a spoon.

 

Will keep for a week or more at room temperature.

MAKES
½
CUP

 

Coconut butter is mixed with cacao powder and agave syrup to make a smooth, decadent chocolate butter. Use this to spread onto your pancakes, toasts, biscuits, and even cookies.

½ cup coconut butter, softened but not liquid
2 teaspoons cacao powder
1 teaspoon agave syrup

Place the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a spoon.

 

Will keep for a couple of weeks or more at room temperature.

5

SNACKS AND ACCOMPANIMENTS

IN THIS CHAPTER, I'll show you how to make recipes that can be used to dress up any dish. Recipes include easy cheezes made by blending or processing nuts or seeds; chips and crackers made with vegetables and flax; then dehydrated until crispy; and even dehydrated crunchy vegetables such as Kale Chips, made by coating kale with a sweet red bell pepper sauce, and “Fried” Onion Rings made with a crispy buckwheat coating. Seasoned muts are easy to make by marinating and then dehydrating to intensify theflavors of the seasonings.

 

I will also show you how easy it is to make your own sauerkraut and cucumber pickles by soaking vegetables in a salt bath, then setting them aside to pickle. I'll
introduce you to Korean-inspired, probiotic-rich pickled vegetables called kimchi, made with garlic, ginger, and chili pepper. All are simple to make, but require waiting time for the fermentation to take place.

A lot of people list dairy cheese as one of the more challenging items to replace in a vegan or raw lifestyle. The good news is that it's easy to create tangy, creamy, delicious cheezes without worrying about dairy.

 

Raw vegan cheeze is made by blending or processing nuts and seeds into a cream- or pâtélike consistency. I add lemon juice to achieve a tartness like that of a fermented dairy cheese, and bit of garlic to add a savory flavor. Since all cheeze is salty, I add a pinch of sea salt, too. You can use these cheezes in the same way you would any dairy cheeze: on pizza; in sandwiches, burgers, wraps; and on salads.

I'll start by showing you how to make Basic Cheeze. The consistency is similar to that of ricotta or whipped cream cheese. Unlike dairy cheeze, Basic Cheeze won't become stringy when melted. Adding more water will create a smoother, melted sauce consistency that works great on nachos and as a dip.

 

A second style of cheeze is dry and crumbly, just like Parmesan. It's my Rawmesan Cheeze made of ground nuts with a bit of garlic and salt. It's easy to make and can be used as you would a dairy Parmesan, sprinkled onto soups and pizzas.

 

All my cheezes are full of protein and calcium and don't cause inflammation nor raise cholesterol levels the way dairy does. If you're transitioning to raw foods, you can use these dairy-free cheezes in your cooked food recipes, such as macaroni and cheese or enchiladas; you can also just sprinkle them onto your salad or use as a dip for vegetables, for some tasty, animal-free protein.

These cruelty-free versions of cheese are made with nuts and seeds full of minerals that will keep your skin clear and radiant, and your body lean and strong.