Family Three Course Meal (feat. Cannelloni & Banoffee)
Elliot's sister Alex came to dinner at our house last week with an open mind (as I put it) and 'intrigued and interested' (as she put it) to her first All Raw Experience.
To try something new and different, you do have to be open minded, 'intrigued and interested', but this still didn't change the fact that I spent most of the day preparing something that would not alienate a rookie and did my best to create a meal that would resemble your typical diet.
I can assure you though, if you try the below recipes yourself, it won't even take you a combined 2 hours in prep. I however wasn't going by any recipes and trial and error are big time robbers indeed.
It was such good evening catching up and what a perfect way to get Elliot to eat at the table. And the food was De-li-cious! I certainly thought so, but the real proof is in the pudding... Alex you are the pudding- will you comment? :)
So first we had my Savoury Italian Flaxseed Crackers with Guacamole (Avocado+Lime+Salt+Pepper) and Dejon Cashew Cream Mayonnaise, then we had Raw Cannelloni 'Pasta' and for Desert, it was a scrumptious Banoffee Pie!!
RAW CANNELLONI PASTA
For the sauce
2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
1 Cup fresh basil leaves
½ Cup Sundried Tomatoes (soaked in warm water 1 hour)
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Garlic powder
-Process the Sundried Tomatoes first, put the water it was soaking in aside
-Add the rest of the ingredients into the Food Processer and pulse it into a sauce
-If the consistency is not runny enough, add the tomato water slowly
-If you prefer a creamy sauce, transfer to a blender
For the cannelloni wrap
1 Large Zucchini
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
-Use a mandolin to slice the zucchini lengthwise. Alternatively use a knife to make the slices as thin and even as possible
-Lay them out on a plate, brushing each layer with a little Olive Oil and sprinkling with salt
-Leave to marinate for ½ hour- 2 hours, depending on thickness
For the filling
½ Cup Almonds (soaked overnight)
½ Cup Pecans (soaked 1 hour)
½ Cup Sunflower Seeds (soaked 1 hour)
½ Cup Pumpkin Seeds (soaked 1 hour)
2 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce
1 tsp Mixed Spice
1 tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Cinnamon
-Put all the ingredients in a Food Processer with an S Blade
-Process for about 2 minutes or until the nuts are very finely chopped
-Take some of the nut mixture and squeeze with your hands into tubes (these can be as thin or as thick and as long or as short as you like your cannelloni. I was running out of time so I made large ones for everyone to have one each
-Depending on the length of your cannelloni filling, you will need 2-3 slices of zucchini, overlap them on a work bench with the ends facing you
-Place the filling near your end and roll carefully
-Serve Cannelloni on top of the Sauce with your favourite Salad
RAW BANOFFEE PIE
For the crust
1 Cup Almonds (soaked overnight)
1 Cup Pecans (soaked 1 hour)
1.5 Cups Dates
-Use the Food Processer with an S Blade to chop up all the ingredients well
-Line 8 cupcake tins with cling wrap, so when set, you can pull the pies out with ease
-Scoop 8 equal amounts into of crust mixture into each tin and press down
For the Filling
½ Cup Cashews (soaked one hour)
2 Young Coconuts
2 bananas
3 Tbsp Agave Nectar
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
-First blend the cashews with ½ cup coconut water to a smooth and creamy consistency (drink the rest of the nutritious water or keep in the fridge for another recipe)
-Scoop all the meat out of both coconuts and add to the blender
-Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend to a cream (if you don’t have a high powered blender, it will be best in 2 stages- food processer, then the blender
-Place in the freezer for 5 hours or overnight
For the Chocolate Topping
1 ripe Avocado
2 Tbsp Cacao Powder
2 Tbsp Mesquite Meal
3 Tbsp Agave Nectar
-Use a food processer to process everything together (if the blades don’t cover the ingredients, you can manually mix everything with a fork by mashing the avocado first)
-Add to the pies just before serving
The key here is to freeze this desert first and thaw it in the fridge for 2 hours before serving. If served frozen, it will be too hard and if left at room temperature or even in the fridge for too long, it will fall apart
So good. And so much... Better Raw