Raw Vegan Version of a Classic

Friday is almost here, thank goodness! And Miko is thankful for zucchini scraps he gets when I break out my vegetable spiral slicer.

Summer approaching means soon zucchini will be everywhere here and I’m looking forward to loading up on massively huge ones at farmer’s markets just so I can use my spiral slicer for Lentil Miso Soup:

Mmm, and Zucchini Ramen Soup:

And this fun Tempeh Skillet Recipe:

And plenty of raw recipes! I have the World Cuisine Tri-Blade Spiral Slicer and like it, but it’s really only awesome for zucchini and other summer squashes. Not great for carrots and most winter squashes I’ve tried in it are very tough and fall apart easily after spiral slicing. Zucchini is awesome though for spiral slicing because it holds up well in cooked recipes as well as raw and really does make a hearty, satisfying alternative to pasta in soups, sautes, and stir fries.

I’m using spiral sliced zucchini in a remixed version of a classic raw recipe, one of the first I learned about at a raw food class back in 2009 – raw marinara sauce with zucchini noodles. This is a much heartier version using hemp seeds to create a raw vegan version of a creamy tomato pasta sauce.

The texture of the sauce is very thick and creamy, just how a creamy pasta sauce should be!

And it coated the zucchini noodles nicely with a kicky and savory tomato and garlic flavor.

The dish was delicious and fun to eat, the sauce has a creamy and kicky garlic and basil flare and really worked with the texture of the raw zucchini noodles.

I go through a lot of hemp seeds in smoothies, salads, and blender sauces. I currently have this Nutiva 5 lb. bag of organic hemp seeds on an Amazon Subscribe & Save regular shipment every 3 months because it’s cheapest currently. These little miracle seeds have a lot of good fat, fiber, protein, and other good stuff. And here’s a lot of science stuff on their cardiac benefits. They’re a great pantry staple for health nuts.