Ani's Raw Food Essentials (54 page)

This burger's all about the Hickory BBQ Sauce. Choose your favorite burger and bread, and top with sauce and your favorite toppings. I like my burger sloppy, which means I top it with a generous amount of sauce! Beware: the chile powder in this sauce packs a punch in color as well as flavor, so be sure to use darker-colored cloth napkins or bandanas as napkins to avoid stains.

1 recipe of your favorite burger
1 recipe Hickory BBQ Sauce (page 202)
1 recipe of your favorite bread

Serve your favorite burger on the bread of your choice, topped with BBQ Sauce, sliced onions, and lettuce.

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

 

Tomato is blended with sweet mango, tart apple cider vinegar, and chile powder to make a delicious sauce you'll want to use on your burgers, as a dip for your vegetables, and in your wraps.

I like to add a smoky flavor by using a drop or two of smoke flavor. I use flavorings sparingly and find this one adds a layer of taste and smell that is easy to miss with raw foods. Decide for yourself if you'd like to use it by reading Liquid Smoke, page 84.

1 cup seeded and chopped tomato
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon chile powder
1/3 cup dried mango
1 or 2 drops liquid smoke (optional)

Place all the ingredients, except the dried mango, in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Add the mango gradually and blend, to thicken your sauce. Add more or less mango to produce your desired consistency. Note that the sauce will thicken as time passes and the dried mango absorbs even more of the liquid.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

 

Chickenless Burger is crumbled into a marinara sauce with chile powder, to create a sloppy, saucy burger.

I used to love how marinara would soak into bread. If you're not concerned with keeping to a strict 100 percent raw diet, feel free to make your Sloppy Joe on a wheat-free or whole-grain bun. Whatever suits your fancy. The sauce and burger are still superclean, green, and healthy for you!

Place the ingredients in a mixing bowl, and toss well to mix.

 

Serve on your favorite bread with romaine lettuce. Enjoy immediately.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Marinated portobello mushroom slices are topped with Avocado-Pistachio Pesto, Buckwheat-Battered “Fried” Onion Rings, and “Roasted” Bell Peppers, to make a mushroom lovers' dream burger.

2 portobello mushrooms, stems removed, sliced into ¼-inch slices
2 tablespoons Nama Shoyu or Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 recipe Avocado-Pistachio Pesto (page 216)
1 recipe Buckwheat-Battered “Fried” Onion Rings (page 116)
1 recipe “Roasted” Bell Peppers (page 118)
4 tomato slices
4 romaine leaves
1 recipe of your favorite bread

Place the mushrooms in a bowl with the Nama Shoyu, lime juice, and olive oil. Set aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

 

Squeeze the excess marinade from the marinated mushrooms, and discard the marinade. Arrange the mushroom slices on your favorite bread. Top with the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

MAKES 4 BURGERS