Carrot & Orange Cake (RAW)

from http://therawchef.com/therawchefblog/carrot-orange-cake

3 cup carrot, finely grated
2 cups pecans, ground in a food processor
1/4 cup raisins, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice*
Date paste**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup desiccated coconut

* Mixed spice is a blend of cinnamon, coriander seed, caraway, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. If you’re in the US you can use pumpkin pie spice.

** Make the date paste by grinding 1 cup soft dates and 1/2 cup orange juice in a food processor until smooth.

- Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Shape into individual cakes or press into one large cake, ready to be cut at the end.
- Place on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 8 – 12 hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can simply place the cake into the fridge to set.

For the frosting

1 1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons agave
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

- Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.
- Place in fridge to achieve a thicker consistency and spread on cake when you’re ready to serve.
- Garnish cake with nutmeg.

Going Raw

Mm mm!!  Makes you feel good!  Is good for you!  Is fun!  It’s the way to go!

If you’re new to it, check out a recent article that discusses what it is, how to follow such a diet, and even side effects.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Raw_Food.htm

A great book which goes into good depth and doesn’t necessarily suggest that a 100% raw diet is right for everyone is Becoming Raw.  There are numerous good recipe books also.  Two of my favorites right now are Raw Food: A Complete Guide for Every Meal of the Day and Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People.

Raw Zucchini Hummus

  

I’ve made this twice now, using sunflower seeds.  Not only is it good, but it keeps well in the fridge for a good 5 days.  We love this stuff.  In preparing this, I started out by blending the zucchini and lemon juice and found that it was a tasty porridge in itself – try it before it gets too smooth and see what you think!

INGREDIENTS

3 raw zucchinis, peeled and chopped
6 tbsp lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
2 pinches ground cayenne pepper
1/2 cup raw tahini
1 cup sesame or sunflower seeds, soaked
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzle
Fresh parsley, minced for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Place all ingredients, except oil and parsley, into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth or to desired consistency. Drizzle with oil and garnish with parsley. Complement it with crudités, raw flax crackers or whole-grain pita bread. You can also spread it on sandwiches, mix it with salads, use it as a dip, etc.…

NOTES

If you’re using a regular blender, I find that it’s easiest to blend the zucchini and lemon juice first.  Then add the soaked sunflower seeds in slowly.  Then the rest.  For the garlic, I suggest using a garlic press and letting the garlic sit for 10 minutes.

I could not find raw tahini, even at Whole Foods, so I used regular tahini.  However, making your own tahini is not difficult and I will be trying that once I get my Vitamix blender!