ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI + TOMATO GARLIC SAUCE with FRESH HERBS

This was dinner for me and le boyfriend last night, and it was freaking delicious. He was late getting to my house so imagine the will power it took for me to control myself; I had to let a giant bowl of this uber luscious raw vegan spaghetti sit on the counter for AN HOUR without devouring it all before he got here. Yeah - I DO deserve a medal. Anyways, he finally did get here and we ate it in the sun after adding some cilantro and oregano from the garden. It was his first time (having zucchini noodles...) and he said he loved 'em. I often wonder why people eat fudge when there are Medjool dates in the world, or similarly why people eat white pasta when there are zucchini noodles! I think the answer is because they are not aware of the magical effect dates have upon entering your mouth (if you didn't know - dates become fudge when they meet your taste buds) and likewise, the miracle of zucchinis + a spiralizer. This is my theory anyways. 

I will let you in on a little secret - of course by announcing it like this it immediately becomes public knowledge and no longer a secret but shh - I've given you this recipe before, and it was just a few days ago. But WHY THEN am I pretending that it's new? Because when I shared it on the blog previously, it was in the form of PIZZA CRUST! Trippy, right? Check it out here. I mentioned in that post that the base for the pizza was basically like a humongous bowl of zucchini pasta and tomato sauce, and then you just dehydrate it in the form of pizza crust. Well, I was in my fave organic grocery store yesterday (waddup, Eternal Abundance) and saw some zukes and tomatoes which made me remember how badly I just wanted to eat that bowl of pasta before I even made it into pizza. I decided I'd make it happen that night (which was last night). 

I try to make my stories sound exciting but let's be real - I just explained that I wanted to eat noodles, so I made noodles and ate them. Oh well. In other news, I just got some dope matte grey nail polish in the mail from Abe's Market and I love it. Totally chemical free and vegan. I heart dat! Enough of this tedious rambling, sometimes I just have nothing to say. Let's eat. 

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI + TOMATO GARLIC SAUCE with FRESH HERBS

Noodles:
3 zucchinis 

Sauce:
2 tomatoes 
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove
2 dates
2 bell peppers
1/4 cup walnuts

Toppings:
Avocado (optional)
2 sliced tomatoes (I warmed them up in the oven which also intensifies flavour) 
Oregano
Cilantro

To make the noodles: slice the zucchinis into noodles with a spiral slicer, mandolin or a cheese grater. Set aside in a large bowl. 

To make the sauce: blend all the ingredients until smooth, adjusting according to taste. Mix this into the noodles. 

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ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI with SUN-DRIED TOMATOES & BASIL

I cannot get over how amazing tomatoes are when you drizzle them with some extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and allow them to dry in the sun, dehydrator or oven. They become flavour EXPLOSIONS that are the very essence of the best pizza you've ever eaten. Trust me. But wait - don't trust me. Find out for yourself by doing it. You will not be sorry. They taste so damn delicious that all you need to do to make a meal is throw them on some noodles. Bam. You just made a mind-blowingly tasty dinner that everyone will be jealous of. If they aren't envious, then they are definitely missing their sense of sight or smell. 

Although my family's own tomatoes from our garden in the summer are - needless to say - my favourite, I eat them all long before summer is over so in the cooler months we need to rely on other sources for my tomato obsession. My mom brought home a jar of organic sun-dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil and spices yesterday and I opened it up this afternoon only to have my taste buds do a happy dance and my memories of our oven-dried tomatoes from summer sweep back into my mind. Ahh. Flavour explosions. I am confident I could have eaten the entire jar but I held back and did the next best thing: threw some of the tomatoes onto zuke noodles along with some basil leaves. Everyone's jealous. 

I'm gonna tear through that jar in no time, so next week I think I'll hit up the farmer's market and buy some more there. *Cannot wait* but *must wait*. Something else I can't wait for? A tentatively planned trip I want to go on this summer. Get this: I might be going to Minneapolis, Montreal and Mexico. All three places start with M. My name is Em. If ya look on a map, the layout of the trip is an M shape. I basically HAVE to go, right!? (Say yes.) My soul mate sister moved to Montreal a few years ago and that's why I wanna go there. Also, the culture in that city is off the chain from what I have heard. I'll be in Minneapolis for a family reunion. And Mexico... well. Avocados. Mangoes. Papayas. SUNSHINE. Need I say more? But actually I have made a friend there who has a vegan restaurant and hotel and has invited me to stay for free. Can life get any better? Only if I had some frozen bananas to make a chocolate mylkshake with. 

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI with SUN-DRIED TOMATOES & BASIL 

Noodles:

2 large zucchinis 

Sauce:

1 cup dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil 

Salt, pepper, lemon juice, other spices you like

1/2 cup basil leaves (whole or chopped) 

Note: the tomatoes are gonna need to taste *amazing* before you even add them to the noodles and stuff because they are the star of this recipe, so try to get organic or even better - use your own! 

To make the noodles: slice the zucchinis into noodles on a spiral slicer, mandolin or even cheese grater. Set aside in a large bowl. 

To make the sauce: blend up half the tomatoes into paste then mash up the rest of the tomatoes with the olive oil and the rest of the ingredients and mix everything into your noodles. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and mix again. Eat. Omg. 

raw vegan phở with hoisin sauce, broccoli, mushrooms, basil & sprouts

I promised you this recipe awhile ago, and now I am delivering. I got the idea to make raw phở a couple weeks ago and couldn't get the thought out of my mind. I mean, we all love phở right? But personally I am not too crazy about the high salt content and rice noodles. The fresh broccoli, warm, gingery broth, crunchy sprouts and aromatic basil, though? COUNT ME IN. 

This recipe has all the positives and none of the processed. Oh! Some other advantages? It's super cheap to make, and low-fat! (I know those factors are important to a lot of you.) It's basically no fat if you choose not to make the hoisin sauce but c'mon now - it's raw. vegan. hoisin. sauce. I want to literally bathe in this recipe. 

I couldn't have been happier with the flavour of the broth. I was a bit skeptical I could make it taste as great as the original but it honestly tastes BETTER. No kidding. You get the real, unrefined flavour of onion, garlic, ginger, coriander and cinnamon, with none of the excess salt. You can choose to warm it slightly with your broccoli and mushrooms on the stove like I did (this also steams the veggies a little bit which I love) or you can leave everything totally raw and enjoy it at room temperature. 

I basically inhaled two bowls of this; it was like a phở frenzy. I was so full I left the last bowl to my mom. I still have the taste of the dish in my mouth and I am now craving more... dang. Make this anytime you wanna warm up and ward off colds. The ingredients are all anti-cancer super foods that will keep you living long and smiling big. What's not to love?

raw vegan phở with hoisin sauce, broccoli, mushrooms, basil & sprouts

serves: 1-2

noodles:

1 large zucchini sliced into noodles on a mandolin, spiral slicer or cheese grater

broth:

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon chunk of peeled ginger

Dash of cinnamon and coriander, to taste

3 cups hot water

1 tablespoon miso (any kind will work) 

1 peeled garlic clove

hoisin sauce:

1 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon maple syrup (or other preferred sweetener)

2 tablespoons almond butter

1 tablespoon coconut vinegar

1 peeled garlic clove

Toppings:

1 head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces 

1/4 cup basil leaves

1/2 cup mung bean sprouts

3-4 sliced white mushrooms

To make the broth: blend all the ingredients until smooth. Strain if you want, and mix in your broccoli and mushrooms. You can either warm this mixture up on the stove (and simultaneously lightly steam the veggies) or leave as-is. I just love steamed broccoli and warm broth. Pour this over your noodles in one or two bowls and top off with sprouts and basil leaves. 

To make the sauce: blend all the ingredients until smooth. If it's too thick, add some water. Pour over your phở bowl(s) and DIG IN WITH CHOPSTICKS. 

marinated zucchini noodles with tomato basil sauce, dried baby tomatoes & garlic portobello meatless balls

Today is an exciting, calm, warm, cool day. It is merely overwhelming. For the first time in weeks it is raining gently outside the office window and I can see the driveway and our enormous twin cedars getting showered lightly. I slept in and woke up to the bountiful gray skies and pitter patter of raindrops. Then I had a lavender bath which has now placed me in a meditative-like, contented emotional state. I am also listening to cathedral music and that only helps to ground my spirit more.  Sipping lemon chili water, skin moisturized with vanilla-scented coconut oil, mind in a perfect place - I am where I want to be on this glorious day.  

What makes me even more blissful is that I get to share these photos and this recipe with you! Can't deny that I am very pleased with the photographs. But of course I can't take much credit - when you have beautiful life to photograph and the lighting is just right, your photographs will show beautiful life. That is what happened yesterday while I made my dinner. I began preparing the meal at around noon because it required some drying of food (specifically portobello meatless balls and baby tomatoes).

Although it takes several hours to dry the meatless balls and tomatoes, altogether there's hardly any hands-on time. All you need to do is whip up a sauce and slice your zucchini into noodles. This recipe is great for anyone to try: seasoned raw foodists, whole food veggie people, skeptics of raw veganism, even my cat was trying to snag some. The dish is absolutely bursting with fresh flavours and you can taste how nutritious ever bite is. The food speaks to me! Maybe I should call myself the vitamin C whisperer. 

Most of the ingredients came from my family's garden (tomatoes, basil, onion and garlic) or the farmer's market (zucchini) and this makes me smile. Local, organic plants grown with love are the best foods you can give your body and your self; and they are best at keeping healthy our animal friends and terrestrial home. 

The photo directly above is one of my favourites I have ever captured. I can't really say why - perhaps because of it's immediate appearance of simplicity and softness; but the hidden implication of the complicated and intense journey it took to exist here now. Of course, I suppose you could say that about all photographs. Or going further - all that is! Our world is full of light and darkness because without one, the other cannot be. Evil and good, right and wrong, love and hate - all necessary parties in this great game of life (and death). 

The acknowledgement of the equal importance of good and bad in spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism show humankind's ancient awareness of the beauty and need of earthly and universal balance. Understanding and remembering this reality helps to keep me calm, of clear mind, and euphoric. Although I don't believe we should promote the undesired suffering of others, or negativity in general; we cannot ignore that there will always be suffering and negativity. Remembering that without them happiness and positivity could not exist, can help you appreciate the vastness and harmonic simplicity and complexity we live in. It personally gives me peace and, as they say in Buddhism, brings me back to opening my heart for emptiness. 

Now, on to dinner.

 
marinated zucchini noodles with tomato basil sauce, dried baby tomatoes + garlic portobello meatless balls 

portobello meatless balls:

1/4 cup walnuts

1 portobello mushroom

1 very small onion

1-2 dates  

Dash of coriander

Salt + pepper, to taste

dried baby tomatoes:

3 cups halved baby tomatoes (approximately) 

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

marinated zucchini noodles:

1 large or 2-3 small zucchinis

1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 

Pinch of salt

tomato basil sauce:

1/2 cup of your dried tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped zucchini (I use the leftovers after making my noodles) 

1 tablespoon tahini
Small handful fresh basil leaves 

1 date

1 garlic clove

Salt + pepper, to taste

To make the portobello meatless balls: process the walnuts into powder in a food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients and process until it becomes a grayish mush. Not very appetizing in appearance but it smells great! If your mixture is too wet, add some ground flax seeds and let it sit for a minute or two. Form into balls and dehydrate (or bake at your ovens lowest temperature) until they have darkened in colour and hardened on the outside (about 5 hours), or until you want to take them out. 

To make the dried baby tomatoes: cover your hands in the olive oil, then rub down all the tomato halves until they evenly coated. Sprinkle them with salt and mix 'em up. Dehydrate the tomatoes for about 5 hours until they have lost most of their moisture but still have some juice in the middle; or until you want to take them out. 

To make the noodles: slice your zucchini(s) on a mandolin or spiral slicer to create noodles. Rub the noodles evenly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Let these sit out for 30-60 minutes so they can soften and develop flavour. 

To make the sauce: put all the ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth and saucy, adding whatever else you like. 

Assembly: I think you can handle throwing everything together but... toss the noodles in the sauce then top off with the meatless balls and baby tomatoes. Use some fresh tomatoes too for extra noms! 

rainbow noodles with spicy jungle peanut sauce

Nom! This is a simple clean dish that will fill you up with positive energy, vitamins, nutrients, and joy. I always have a giant smile on my face when I eat raw veggie noodles because... well... they make me happy. The day I made this, I had just received some raw jungle peanut butter and olives from the wonderful Natural Food Shop and really wanted to try them in a recipe. Both are used in this one. I wasn't sure how raw olives would taste and at first the flavour was pretty strong and took some getting used to, but now I love them. I've tried raw jungle peanut butter before and very much enjoy it. It doesn't taste like regular peanut butter, it's more bitter - a little like tahini.

I also added some cilantro, black sesame seeds and hemp seeds because A) it makes the dish look that much prettier, and B) why not? You can use a spiralizer for this recipe, but sometimes I prefer my noodles wide and flat, so I used my mandolin to slice the veggies up this time. Anyway you slice it (haha... get it? Slice?  'Cause. You're. Slicing...) this is a fab meal for lunch or dinner and everyone around you is gonna be jealous. Unless you're kind and give them some, but that would basically make you a saint because this recipe is extremely hard to share due to it's amazingness. You're gonna want to keep that amazingness ALL to yourself.

rainbow noodles with spicy jungle peanut sauce: serves one or two

Noodles:

1 sweet red pepper

2 zucchinis

1 carrot

Peanut sauce:

1 tablespoon raw jungle peanut butter

1 tablespoon miso

Juice from ½ lemon

2 dates

Chili powder, to taste

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional) 

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds (optional) 

Water or orange juice, as needed

Garnish:

¼ cilantro leaves

6 raw olives cut in half

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

To make the noodles: cut the veggies lengthwise into thin strips on a mandolin or spiral slicer, then mix in a bowl and set aside. 

To make the sauce: blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding water or orange juice as needed to make it creamy. 

Assembly: pour the sauce onto the noodles and evenly coat. Give it a few minutes for the flavours to develop, and then sprinkle with hemp seeds, raw olives and cilantro leaves. Gobble it up! 

zuke pasta with tahini sauce & other goodness

I used basically the same recipe for the sauce that I made for my raw sushi recipe. It is so TASTY. This creamy, filling meal will leave you satisfied and full of energy. I could eat like 3 bowls of this - oh and guess what, I can! Ah, life is good. Enjoy!

zucchini pasta with tahini sauce, olives, cilantro & avocado: serves one or two

Pasta:
2 zucchinis
1/2 avocado
handful of olives
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup sprouts

Tahini sauce:
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon miso
2 tablespoons peeled ginger root
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/8 cup water (more or less)

To make the sauce: blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy, adding liquid as needed. Set aside.

To make the pasta: slice your zukes on a spiral slicer or mandolin. Put in a bowl and pour your sauce on, rubbing it in with your hands or two spoons, until every noodle is covered. Cut up your avocado and throw it on along with the other toppings. Let it all sit for a minute to marinate then dig in!

green tea soba noodles with roasted vegetables & herbs

My boyfriend and I have been eating so many veggie-noodle dishes lately. Our routine right now (and probably through the winter break) is to get up "early", work out together, make post-exercise green smoothies or juice, then do homework/something productive and go for a walk. Then we make lunch and watch whatever TV show we are currently addicted to - at the moment it is The Wire. Thug life.

Anyhoo, the past week we've been making different kinds of soba noodles with a ton of raw and roasted veggies like sweet potatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, cilantro, beets, onions, garlic, bell peppers, etc. I like to add raisins and peanuts on top. So today I prepared some green tea noodles and served them with delicious, fresh vegetables.

green tea soba noodles with roasted vegetables & herbs: serves two hungry people

Roasted veggies:
1 sweet potato
2 large beets
4 large mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 tablespoon fave veg oil 
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, fennel seeds, dill, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder and rosemary if you have it
1 teaspoon maple syrup 

Noodles:
1/2 package green tea noodles
1 teaspoon veg oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 

Toppings:
1/2 cucumber
1 cup cilantro 
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup raisins 

Prepare your plants: pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice all the veggies so they are all roughly the same size. Mix in the oil, herbs/spices and maple syrup until everybody is evenly coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the beets and sweet potatoes are soft and delicious. 

While they are baking, make the noodles: follow the instructions on the package, ya goof! Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking anymore. Then add a teaspoon of veg oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, if you like. 

Cut up the cuke and cilantro for the toppings. When the vegetables are ready: put your noodles in two bowls, place the roasted veggies on top, followed by the cucumber, cilantro, raisins, peanuts and whatever else you think to add. Eat with your significant other while watching cops chase drug gangs in 90's Baltimore. 

Namaste, yo. 

yam noodles with sweet sauce, marinated mushrooms & sesame seeds

This was a quick dinner I just whipped up after a (strangely) long day. The recipe needs no pre-planning because I didn't even know I was going to make it until I stepped into the kitchen and noticed we had yams. I was going to make a salad but then I'm like... "Hey, yams, you be lookin' pretty fine today. Imma spirooli you up and cover you in sweet miso sauce then put you in my mouth. Whaddya think?"

And so, my dinner was born. 

My favourite type of plant to turn into noodles is (probably expected, sorry) - zucchini. It is PERFECT for pasta. It has the right texture, taste and appearance to fool all your complex-carb-inclined friends. Having said that, I still love turning yams, bell peppers, carrots and other willing veggies into spiralized goodness. It's just so fun and you can be uber creative. 

yam noodles with sweet sauce, marinated mushrooms & sesame seeds: serves one

marinated mushrooms:

4 mushrooms

1 teaspoons sesame oil (optional but recommended) 

1 teaspoon tamari

sweet miso sauce:

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon agave/maple syrup/raw honey

1 tablespoon miso

1 tablespoons hummus (not raw, too bad)

1 peeled garlic clove

2 tablespoons mustard

3-5 tablespoons water, as needed

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Yam noodles:

1 peeled yam

To make the mushrooms: slice them really thin then rub in the oil and tamari. Put them in a warm spot (I put them in my oven at its lowest temperature) and forget about them for a minute. 

To make the sauce: blend all ingredients except sesame seeds together until smooth. Add whatever else you want. Then toss in the sesame seeds by hand. Set aside.

To make the noodles: put the yam through your spiral slicer (spirooli) or slice on a mandolin  Then cover them with the sauce and them get to know each other for a few minutes. The noodles will soften and pick up more flavour. Now remember your marinating fungi friends being warmed somewhere? Add those on top, and sprinkle on some more sesame seeds and raisins. Yum. Yams, man.