Who needs the heat when raw food has so much sizzle? The Raw Truth (Celestial Arts, 2011), by raw foods pioneer Jeremy A. Safron, is a cookbook that offers a wealth of raw foods expertise with an array of delicious, flavor-packed recipes, raw food techniques and transitioning tips that include everything one needs to know in order to take advantage of this healthy lifestyle. The following Pesto Wraps recipe has been excerpted from the chapter “Appetizers.”
Pesto Wraps
These delightful little treats were one of the many bite-sized creations that I came up with for a catering gig, and they became such a hit that people requested them forever after. SERVES 4 TO 6
• 3 large zucchini, peeled
• Pinch of sun-dried sea salt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
Presto Pesto
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh green and purple basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 heaping tablespoon red miso
• 2 tomatoes, cubed
• Chopped green and purple basil, for garnish
1. Using a vegetable peeler or mandoline, cut thin, wide strips lengthwise down the zucchini. Place the zucchini strips in a bowl, cover with water, add the sea salt and lemon juice, and soak for 2 hours, or until they taste clean (not starchy). Drain, rinse, and drain again.
2. To prepare the pesto, place the walnuts, basil leaves, and garlic in a homogenizer juicer or food processor and homogenize, creating an oily paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir in the miso.
3. To prepare each wrap, lay a zucchini strip flat on your work surface. Drop a teaspoon of pesto in the center of the zucchini strip. Press a small piece of tomato into the pesto. Fold or roll up the zucchini strip. Secure the wrap by piercing it with a toothpick or place it, seam side down, on a serving plate. Serve garnished with the chopped basil.
Reprinted with permission from The Raw Truth, Second Edition: Recipes and Resources for the Living Foods Lifestyleby Jeremy A. Safron, copyright © 2011. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press and the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA. Photo Credit: Eniko Perhacs.
Click here for the main article, The Benefits of Eating Raw Food, Transitioning Tips and Techniques.
