After learning about the raw vegan diet, a whole new world opened up with exotic ingredients I had never thought existed: unpasteurized soy sauce, flax oil, chia seeds, etc. Not to mention, I’ve learned  to recreate familiar dishes from using innovative techniques like transforming zucchini to pasta or cauliflower to rice. The creative ball just keeps on rolling!

One of the techniques I’ve learned is that I don’t have to necessarily heat food to cook them. I could also marinate and let the ingredients soak the flavors over time. So, I marinated mushrooms in artichoke brine and added them to my cauliflower rice. I topped the dish with fresh basil and marinated olives…Viola! I have an Italian creation that’s raw, healthy, AND delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 basil leaves, sliced or chopped
• 1/2 cauliflower
• 1/4 cup white button mushrooms, sliced
• 4-6 marinated olives, sliced
• 1 cup marinated artichoke brine*

*You may also make your own marinating brine by mixing water, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Thoroughly wash and clean the mushrooms. Marinate in brine overnight.
2. Thoroughly wash and clean the cauliflower (I found an insect in mine, which made me think of my old ways prepping the cauliflower for cooking, yikes!)
3. Chop the cauliflower into florets and finely grind them in a food processor.
4.  Pour the cauliflower into a bowl or a plate and mix it with the mushrooms.
5. Top with basil and olives.
6. Devour!

I didn’t include the artichokes not only because they weren’t raw, but also because they were going to make the dish too tangy.

Here’s what else I’ve been enjoying in the past couple of days:

Sushi from Cafe Gratitude

Homemade zucchini fettuccine. Recipe from Charmaine Mercado.

Raw vegan “Hail Merry” macaroons. I got these Whole Foods. Moist and delicious.

I’ve also whipped up some fresh seaweed salad with Nama Shoyu soy sauce, munched on raw vegan cookies, and made a trip to Jamba Juice for some smoothies.

One new thing I notice is that I don’t crave for food when I’m not hungry-and I don’t get hungry that often. I guess that’s a good thing?