raw veggie wraps w/ almond cheese

one of the reasons i didn't transition to veganism earlier in life is that i really loved cheese. plus, as an ovo-lacto veg, cheese was one of the bigger staples in my diet. however, in my research of a raw-foods diet, i came across several different nut cheese recipes and gave them a shot. to my delight, most of them were delicious. and i mean delicious in a gourmet-cheese type of way. the almond cheese recipe below is one i came up with from experimenting with several different recipes.

• 1/2 zucchini
• 1/2 cucumber
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 2 tablespoons bragg's aminos
  
• 1 ½ teaspoons dulse flakes
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
  
• 1/2 avocado
• several large lettuce leaves

for the almond cheese:

• 1/4 cup untoasted almonds
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon cold press olive oil

slice zucchini, cucumber and carrots into thin spears. lay on a plate or shallow dish, and marinate them in the braggs, garlic and dulse flakes for several hours. if you don't have bragg's, you could substitute low sodium soy or nama shoyu cut with a little water. flip occasionally.

meanwhile, soak the almonds in water at room temperature. after about 5 or 6 hours, drain and blend in a magic bullet or food processor with tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. this will be a thick spreadable cheese, but if you need to thin, just add a teaspoon of water and re-blend. spread cheese on a lettuce leaf and fill with the marinated veggies. add a slice or two of avocado and wrap up.

this recipe makes enough for about 3-4 lettuce wraps.

raw carrot salad

i made this for a mid-day snack. i was feeling raw, and didn't want to spoil my dinner. perfect!

• 1 pkg. baby carrots (6oz.), hand chopped
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw mustard
  
• 3 tablespoons nama shoyu/braggs aminos
  

mix it all up and enjoy the healthy. i make raw mustard by grinding up a couple tablespoons of yellow mustard seeds with a dash of raw apple cider vinegar and water. of course, you can use regular mustard if you aren't worried about eating raw. it makes about two servings of a lite snack. i also think it would make a nice side dish for dinner.

the apple carrot juice

i made this juice a few times over the summer, but i hadn't touched my juice machine in about two months. however, thanks to maggie at dog hill kitchen, i'm now the proud owner of everyday raw by matthew kenny. thanks maggie! - go check out her blog here.
as i was saying, i was re-inspired to make juice. although this recipe is not in his book per se, i'm posting it because it was one of my first juice experiments (note the super-simplicity), and because i'm excited to try out some new raw recipes!

• 4 granny smith apples, cored
• 3 carrots, peeled

core and chop up the apples to fit in your juice machine, then stick the carrots through.

as you can probably tell by my recipes, i don't like things that are super-sweet. i love using granny smith's for their tartness, but feel free to substitute your favourite apple.