Tabbouleh (From Sprouted Quinoa) , Popcorn (NOT!) and Marinated Tomatoes

Well, we had a sad occurrence this morning. We say "goodbye" to another kitchen appliance. I killed our little Nesco dehydrator a few weeks ago with Eggplant Bacon. This necessitated the purchase of an Excalibur dehydrator (the champ of all dehydrators!!☺). Now we say goodbye to our little blender, who after attempting to blend corn for raw corn chips (recipe coming soon), had smoke coming out of it's back side. I guess this will necessitate the purchase, sometime in the future, of say a Vitamix or perhaps a Ninja Kitchen Machine? While we are grieving we will depend on our handy, dandy little food processor from Walmart. Sniff, sniff..no I am not crying...man, burnt rubber sure smells up the place!

On tonight's Raw menu is Tabbouleh and Popcorn. No not movie theatre popcorn but it smells sort of similar and has a cheesy taste, minus the cow. Quinoa is an amazing grain and even more amazing sprouted. It is rich in Amino Acids and Minerals. I have read that it benefits people that suffer from migraine headaches, diabetes and heart disease. Sprouting it takes it to another level as it now provides amazing enzymes that help with digestion and nutritional absorption. So here is the recipe:

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Sprouted Tabbouleh (see below)

1 Diced Cucumber

1/4 Diced Onion

1 Seeded and Diced Red Pepper

1 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley

1/2 Cup Fresh Mint

Mix all ingredients together and toss with dressing below. Garnish with sliced avocado and kalamata olives. Yum!

Dressing

4 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
4 Teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Himalayan Salt

**to sprout Quinoa combine 2 cups of well rinsed Quinoa with 4 cups of filtered water. Soak for 4 hours. Drain in a sieve then set sieve in a bowl and cover with a plate. Set aside for an additional 4-6 hours. You will see "tails" coming out of the quinoa as they sprout! Use immediately or within a few hours for best tasting quinoa. You can store them in your refrigerator for 1 day if necessary.

Soaking

Sprouted, look closely, you will see tails!

Marinated Tomatoes

Adapted from a recipe from "How We All Went Raw" by the Nungessers
In a bowl, add:
6 vine ripened tomatoes,each sliced into 8 sections
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jjalapeno pepper

1/4 cup of basil, minced

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

Let tomatoes marinate for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Popcorn, No Really!

We tried dehydrating this and it turned out nasty. Either we did it wrong or it just was.....well, nasty. We noticed while making it though that it was wonderful undehydrated! So that is how we are going to serve it tonight. This is recipe is adapted from Philip McCluskey's recipe for Raw Popcorn. ***See below for more about Philip.

One head of Cauliflower broken into small florets
4 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast or enough to coat all the florets
1 Tablespoon of Himalayan Salt
A dash of Cayenne Pepper

Put it all in a freezer bag and shake like crazy. The kids think it's really funny when I do this. Then enjoy!

Rawmometer Rating:

Tabbouleh 4.5, Popcorn 5 and Marinated Tomatoes 5 out of 5

Kids and Husband's ccomments:

"I don't know any thoughts mom, can I watch Tom and Jerry now?" - 7 year out daughter "C"

"Good."- 9 year old son "B"

"Everything turned out really good!" 16 year old daughter and photographer "M"
"I am really surprised but that actually filled me up and it was good!" Husband "O"

Adult son "C" working again. :( no comment at this time

***Philip McCluskey is a sought-after motivational speaker, author, and weight loss expert who inspires and educates thousands worldwide about the raw food lifestyle, after he lost over 200 pounds naturally. After thirty failed diet attempts…  and the looming prospect of gastric bypass surgery, raw food saved Philip’s life, transforming him from a morbidly obese 400 pounds to a fit, energized, and glowing 185 pounds.