QUINOA SALAD WITH CURRANTS AND PISTACHIOS
Try red quinoa for a change of pace
INGREDIENTS:
1-16 ounce box of quinoa, cooked and cooled
1 cup lime juice and the zest from the limes (approximately 8)
1 ounce finely chopped scallions
1/2 ounce finely chopped Italian Parsley
1/2 ounce finely chopped mint
2 cups currants
8 ounces of raw pistachios
METHOD:
Prepare quinoa according to the directions on the package. Place in large bowl and allow
to cool. Juice and zest limes. Pour over quinoa. Add remaining ingredients and mix
well. Chill.
Chef’s Note: Add pomegranate seeds when in season.
Strict McDougallers: Omit the pistachio nuts.
Copyright 2011 Unprocessed
PERFECT PESTO STUFFED MUSHROOMS
(Raw)
When Rip Esselstyn came to my home for dinner the first time, he ate the whole dozen by himself!
INGREDIENTS:
12 Crimini mushrooms
1 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon yellow low sodium miso
1 cup fresh basil leaves
juice of one lemon, or to taste
METHOD:
Destem mushrooms and set aside. Remove some of the center if necessary. Place the rest
of the ingredients in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade and process until smooth.
Fill the mushroom cups and dehydrate 2-4 hours until warm.
Chef’s Note: If you don’t have a dehydrator, bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 45
minutes or until soft.
Strict McDougaller’s: Substitute cannellini beans for the nuts.
Copyright 2011 Unprocessed
CHEF AJ’S DISAPPEARING LASAGNA
(Soy free and gluten free)
People always ask me how well this freezes. I honestly don’t know as there have never been any leftovers!
INGREDIENTS:
2 boxes of no boil rice lasagna noodles (De Boles)
6 cups of your favorite no oil marinara sauce
2 cans (15 ounce each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 ounces of fresh basil leaves
1 cups of pine nuts, raw cashews or hemp seeds
2 cloves of garlic (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup of low sodium miso
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1 - 4 ounce cans of sliced olives, rinsed and drained (optional)
1 pound frozen kale (defrosted, drained with all of the liquid squeezed out)
2 pounds of sliced mushrooms (I like to use Crimini or baby bellas
1/4 cup low sodium tamari
one large red onions, finely diced
Faux Parmesan* (recipe follows)
Strict McDougaller’s: Omit the nuts, olives and faux parmesan. The nuts really do make
the filling richer and creamier and each serving contains only 1/2 ounce of nuts per
serving.
METHOD:
Make the filling in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, by adding the beans, 2
ounces of basil 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup each lemon juice, miso and nutritional yeast.
1 cup of the pine nuts and 1/8 of a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Puree until smooth.
Add drained kale and process again.
In a large non-stick sauté pan, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons water or low sodium
Tamari until translucent, about 8 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary. Add garlic,
mushrooms and tamari and sauté until browned. Taste mixture, adding chopped garlic
and more tamari according to your taste. Cook until mushrooms appear to be glazed and
there is no more liquid left in the pan.
Pour 3 cups of the sauce in a lasagna pan or 9” by 13” pan. Place one layer of the no
cook noodles on top. Cover the noodles with half of the kale filling, then with half of the
mushroom mixture. Place another layer of noodles on the mushroom mixture and add the
remaining half of the kale filling and the remaining half of the mushroom mixture. Place
one more layer of noodles on top of the mushroom mixture and smother evenly with the
remaining 6 cups of sauce. Sprinkle the sliced olives on top of the sauce along with a
liberal sprinkling of faux parmesan.
Bake uncovered in a preheated 375 degree F oven for an hour.
Let set 10 minutes before slicing.
Chef’s Note: If you have time, marinate the sliced mushrooms in the Tamari several
hours in advance or even the night before. Make sure the top layer of noodles are fully
covered with sauce.
Copyright 2011 Unprocessed
FAUX PARMESAN
(Raw)
This is much more economical than the store bought version
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup raw almonds or cashews
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon salt-free seasoning (I prefer Benson’s Table Tasty)
METHOD: In a food processor fitted with the “S” blade or in a blender, combine all
ingredients until a powdery texture is achieved. If you like it more chunky, process less.
Chef’s Note: You can also use store bought almond meal in place of the almonds. We
use this on everything from air popped popcorn to potatoes to steamed veggies and as a
topping on chili and soups.
Copyright 2011 Unprocessed
HOCKEY PUCKS
I remember reading in Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr’s book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” that he
eats 8 peanut butter cups every New Year’s Eve. When I had the honor of having him at my home for
dinner, I created this recipe so he could enjoy them more than once a year. I originally called them
“Essies” in his honor but Ann Wheat, owner of the amazing Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco
renamed them Hockey Pucks because of their shape.
INGREDIENTS: (filling)
1 cup date paste* (recipe follows)
1 cup peanut butter, unsweetened and unsalted
1 Tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla
METHOD:
In a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, process date paste, peanut butter and vanilla
until smooth and creamy. Add a little unsweetened almond milk if mixture does not
process easily. Place filling in a 24 piece silicone brownie pan mold and freeze until
firm. Once hard, place coating around filling and freeze.
INGREDIENTS: (Coating)
2 cups unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
2 cups pitted dates
1 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla
METHOD:
In a food processor fitted with the “S” blade grind peanuts into a powder. Add cacao
powder and process again briefly. Add enough dates until mixture sticks together so you
can form a ball. Add Vanilla and process again. Place coating around each frozen peanut
butter square and form into a “hockey puck” with your hands.
Chef’s Note: 24 piece silicone brownie pans are available at craft stores, cake decorating
stores or at www.wilton.com. If you would like to make an all raw version of this treat,
substitute raw almond butter for the peanut butter and raw almonds for the peanuts.
Strict McDougallers: Sorry, but you’re just going to have to eat an apple for dessert, or
make this for your friends who eat the Standard American Diet, as there is no way to
adapt this recipe to be nut-free.
Copyright 2011 Unprocessed
DATE PASTE
(Raw)
Make sure you always have some on hand to create a healthy dessert in no time
INGREDIENTS:
One pound of pitted dates
One cup of liquid (water, unsweetened non-dairy milk, unsweetened juice)
METHOD:
Soak dates in liquid overnight or for several hours until much of the liquid is absorbed.
In food processor fitted with the “S” blade, process dates and liquid until completely
smooth. Store date paste in the refrigerator.
Copyright 2011 Unprocessed
For more delicious recipes go to www.ChefAJsHealthyKitchen.com