What did I do wrong?

[RawTruth]

So, tonight I made the Fettuccini Alfredo from Alissa's book (since I'm officially doing Week 1) and it really bombed. Has anyone had success with it?

Basically what I ended up with was a bowl of way too much sauce and when I tried to fish out the zucchini strips, they'd tear cuz there was so much sauce weighing them down.

Maybe the three cups of nuts in the recipe is too much?

She says 2 zucchini and 2 summer squash. I used 6 zucchini (because I couldn't imagine having enough "fettucine" with only 4 squash) and one summer squash. The zucchini ranged in size between 5 - 6" long and about 1 to 1-1/2" in diameter. The summer squash was a small crookneck squash.

What did I do wrong?

p.s. I'm so bummed because, when making the date nut torte tonight, my brand new processor's motor burned out. I guess it was just too good a deal at Target -- Black & Decker usually $49 for $24. Dang! I'd used it twice! Now I have to go buy another one before I can make tomorrow's recipes.

[Sweet lips]

Raw Truth - take that thing right back to Target :D and ask either for a replacement or upgrade while you are there. They have an excellent return policy.

I don't think you did anything wrong - really! That was the experience of a few others that tried it - So, when I did , I mixed a little at a time until I got it where I thought I wanted it and it was still too much sauce for me, my guys loved it, but I didn't really.

Best Wishes

[askcassyfirst]

I ditto Sweet Lips, Target like many other stores these days, is probably great about returns. Especially if it was something that breaks...You could also call the manufacter and ask their suggestion. It was probably a faulty motor.

With regard to the recipe, it may have something to do with the size of the squash. I found, when making the "spagetti" that I used way more than was called for, mostly because the organic summer squash and zuchiini I found were really small ones. Also, when I drained it on the towels, (A hint I read from Shazzie that makes it less watery, and more starchy like pasta) it decreased in size too! I found myself wishing I had more pasta.

I made a batch of pesto sauce from Alissa's book to put on the spagetti, and it was a lot more than my taste, but T loved it. (My husband has always liked heavy sauces, and extra sauces...) The green and yellow summer squashes can all have such different textures depending on size. I think Alissa mentioned something about using the larger ones since they are drier?

I am curious how the dish tasted for you, despite it's appearence. I bet it tasted great? One of the first raw soups I ever made looked like 'Mrs, Murphy's Chowder" (ever heard that silly child's song? :0) but I loved how it tasted. I am still learning too...Perhaps someday I will be able to create gourmet masterpiece's like Alissa and some of the other's on this board. For now, I just hope it tastes good enough that my husband will ask for more!
I hope that helps. :)

Cassy.:)

[flutterfly]

I made that recipe when I first got the book. Also to much sauce and didn't like it. That is the only recipe in the whole book that I have not had luck with. In most books there are only 4-6 recipes that you can use so I figure I got a real deal with Alissa's book :)

[Joopie]

I don't think you did anything wrong- maybe just cut the sauce recipe in half next time, or double the noodles. The water in the zucchini thins the sauce out a lot, so halving the sauce would be a good bet unless you have a ton of people to feed (or just cut the nuts down a bit). Remember to work the sauce through the noodles with your hands, it makes the sauce thinner and your noodles won't tear- or add a little more water to the sauce to thin it out if it is super thick.

I love that recipe, but I always put less garlic in it because the first few times we made it it was WAY too strong- DH wouldn't even eat it.

Good luck!

[lvg4him]

I know in her DVD she mentions that you really have to mix it with your hands in order to get the moisture out of the squash and into the sauce.

I still cannot put my hands in food, so I couldn't do it and I too had the same problem. It was great for the first two bites and then the sauce was way too dense for my liking.

Maybe we just gotta get our hands in there and really WORK it. She was mixing the sauce into the zuchinni for quite a while (my hands would have gotten tired by the time she was done).

HTH!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HealthSeekersForum

[SamL]

I made this recipe, and really liked it.
The sauce was plenty, I only used some of it and mixed it in with a bowl full of zucchini.
I went back several times to make more and take a little more sauce from the pot when I need it.

I loved the flavor. I have to try not to indulge too much cause there are a lot of nuts/fat in the sauce.

[Allison]

Regarding your food processor...sometimes I have to process the ingredients in batches so as to not burn the motor. You might want to try that next time and see if it works for you.

[Mary]

I tried the recipe for the first time tonight and although the sauce was heavy, I loved the taste! I ate a medium-sized bowl of it and it was very filling; I also did not want to eat too much due to the fact it's so rich. I would probably make some additional "noodles" to go with it for next time just to spread the sauce out over a few more servings.

[RawTruth]

Dang food processor -- I was out all day today -- Raw Food Festival. So, I didn't get to return the processor yet. But, first thing tomorrow morning, Target's gettin that thing back! I'm not swapping it; I'll be buying a different brand this time!

As to the recipe, I did work it in with my hands, but I've decided that I just needed more "noodles." Um ... the taste. Well, at first I liked it, but then I kinda wasn't so crazy about it. But, I shared some with a friend who has no interest in going raw and she loved it. She was practically licking the plate. I tried it again late last night when I got hungry. I mixed some of the extra sauce with some grated veggies but ended up getting a stomach ache. Too much nuts/fat, maybe.

Anyway, if I do try it again, I'll take some of your suggestions. But, for now, I'm gonna move onto some other recipes. I think you're right, Flutterfly, about just a few recipes in any cookbook being good. I'm looking forward to making up some more from Alissa's, though. I'm "behind" on using Alissa's 4-week menu plan, so I still have mock salmon to look forward to right away.

Yay, I'm so glad I got the book & video. Bought two more cookbooks today, also. I'm just gonna be a un-cooking fool.