Yummy Marinara and Spaghetti

[SedonaSun]

MMMMMMMM!! I just made Alissa's marinara sauce and slathered it over zucchini "spaghetti". Oh. My. Goodness. :D

I changed the recipe a bit... used 6 cloves of garlic instead of 4, and accidentally poured in more cayenne, but I love hot stuff and it wasn't too much actually. I used no parsley. As for sun dried tomatoes, I used about half a pint. I didn't have any, so bought some already marinated and sliced from Sunflower Market's antipasto bar. Not sure if they're 100% raw since I don't know what they're marinated in, but the jars of marinated tomatoes have acids and dioxides or something in them anyhow. They are yummy though!!!

Spaghetti and LOTS of sauce has always been a fave, but I never made it much since I've been married because the tomatos bugged hubby's tummy. But this could easily be a staple dinner. It tasted meaty and olive-y even. I have another zuke left and some sauce. I'm not hungry, but I don't know if they will survive the night ;)

If you haven't tried it yet and if you like spaghetti, try it! I don't even have a saladacco--just used the veggie peeler. Mmmm... go make it. Now. Don't wait. :)

[askcassyfirst]

Your description makes it sound just lovely! I was going to do squash 'spagetti' for supper tomorrow, so now you have convinced me to do the marinara sauce with it. I am so full right now from my earlier supper that is hard to think of food, but this is the second thread about that marinara in under two weeks. My hubby loved it on the pizza, so no doubt it is just as special over 'spagetti'.

Thanks for the nudge! :)

Cassy. :)

[Olive]

This was one of my favorites when I first went raw! I burnt myself out on it though :rolleyes: . . . but I think it's been long enough for me to try again! It's especially good with some chopped up raw olives, pine nuts and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (if you eat it). Mangia!

[rawpriestess]

I too, love the marinara sauce over zucchini angel hair pasta,

I also add some ground up pine nuts to pretend to be parmesian cheese,
and I add a handful of cut up black olives, sliced,

and I chop up some of the pesto stuffed mushrooms and throw them on top too, they are really delicious when all eaten together.

Rawpriestess

[karotw]

I have just discoved the joys of the squash spaghetti. I have and fettucini alfredo from Alissa book and was then inspired to try the marinara (which I modified slightly). I put a little too much garlic in the sauce for my liking (and those around me, as it was quite noticable). I also got creative and used mung bean sprouts (like in the pad thai recipe in Alissa's book) as my "noodles" with the marinara. . .this was sooooo yummy!

Karen

[SedonaSun]

Olive -- I'm afraid of burning out on it, too. I seem to have done that with the chili. :(

Karotw -- thanks for the info on the sprouts. I was considering adding them to the zukes, but wasn't sure. I'll give them a shot, either solo or with the zucchini--and sauce, of course ;)

Next up on the "to try" list... pizza I think.

[RawTruth]

Kelly, did yo include the dates? I want to make this tonight, but I'm a little hesitant about the date. Do you think I can leave them out?

[SedonaSun]

RawTruth, yes, I used the dates. I forgot they were in there, but that explains the slightly sweet taste ;) Honestly, I haven't made enough recipes to know very well how things might taste by adding or removing items. I don't believe the dates do much for consistency, but probably just flavor--but that's a guess.

[Rawkinlocs]

For me, the sauce was a tad too sweet with the dates. I think that the slight sweetness of the sundried tomatoes is enough so you could make it without the dates IMHO. But I, too, love this sauce! I also like to chop up bell peppers, onions (and if you do mushrooms, you could add those as well) toss with a bit of olive oil and allow to marinate or put in dehydrator for a little bit to soften. Mix in with the sauce for chunkier spaghetti-type sauce.

[SamL]

I haven't tried this one yet, I loved the pizza, I know you'll love it too.

[RawTruth]

Thanks, ladies. I'm going to try it without the dates for the first time. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

[rawpriestess]

I think I will try it without the dates too, as it was a sweet sauce.

I put it all together, with the zucchini noodles, then I dehydrated it, to make it warm and to meld the flavors together which worked really great.

Sometimes, I marinate the zucchini noodles in olive oil and fresh basil chooped, while I am making the marinara sauce, and then I toss it all together, this makes it really good too.

I have made nut meatballs and put them in with it, and people really love this. for the meatballs, I use a pecan sausage recipe I got at a class. Yummy.

[SamL]

I tried it today, and enjoyed it, I was out of sundried tomatoes so I'm sure it would have been better again.

I like the sound of your meatballs.

[RawTruth]

So, I made it last night and it was yummy. I left out the dates and the oil, but went a little overboard with the garlic and cayenne, I think, because it sort of bit my mouth (!!). Still great, though.

I was so frustrated with my zucchini noodles, though. At one point, the Saladacco flew out of my hand, hit the floor and went spinning, leaving trails of little "noodles" across the kitchen. I keep wanting the noodles to be longer and separate, but they're short and many of them are sort of attached at the side to an uncut piece of zucchini. Any hints on this? I keep trying to make the zucchini chunks stand up in the hopper of the device, too? Is this possible? It seems that with them laying over on their sides, I'm not getting great noodles. (Of course they taste great!)

[Amethyst_Rain]

man, i really do have to get Alissas book :)

[Mieke Benton]

Me, too, now I am very curious to read that recepie.
I will have to see how much to book is.
What are good books? Any suggestions.
I do have the two of Butenko.

[Pailani]

<<At one point, the Saladacco flew out of my hand, hit the floor and went spinning, leaving trails of little "noodles" across the kitchen.>>

LOL! What a mental image! I can see my best friend posting this!

My 'pasta' also has lots of short pieces.

This has also become a staple for me, I love it and have had it almost every night. I really do need to branch out! But it's so long since I've been able to have pasta (no wheat) that I'm making up for lost time. I've made it with dates, without dates, without sundried tomatoes and with, and with so many onions and garlic that it burned my mouth.

I made the fettuccino alfredo and, it was nice at first, but it's so rich that I felt queasy later. I don't think I'll make it again.

I did make the recipe for salsa, and I think that will become a staple. My family makes a vegan Mexican casserole every week with cumin, and I smell the cumin and want the casserole. So now I can have salsa with added fresh corn, sort of a Mexican soup.

I'd love to find a staple for every night of the week, even if I end up just having a salad most of those nights, just having an option would be nice.

[RawTruth]

<<At one point, the Saladacco flew out of my hand, hit the floor and went spinning, leaving trails of little "noodles" across the kitchen.>>

What really bugged me was that my dogs weren't the least bit interested in cleaning it up!


I made the fettuccino alfredo and, it was nice at first, but it's so rich that I felt queasy later. I don't think I'll make it again.

I had the exact same reaction. I took some to a friend and she loved it, but she wasn't the one faced with a giant bowl of it to finish. The next day, I tried rolling some up in a lettuce leaf ... it wasn't so great. Finally, I decided to forget what a waste of expensive ingredients it was and just dumped it.


I did make the recipe for salsa, and I think that will become a staple. . . . So now I can have salsa with added fresh corn, sort of a Mexican soup.

Willing to share it here? That sounds great.


I'd love to find a staple for every night of the week, even if I end up just having a salad most of those nights, just having an option would be nice.

I like this idea, too, Leslie. I stopped at a store on the way home tonight and grabbed a few things since I'm running low. I can't believe I was out of salad fixings! Silly me. Hesitating over the different items made we regret not having made a menu plan like I'd wanted to. I think it's important for me, also, to know ahead of time what I'm having.

Can't wait to read your salsa concoction!

[SamL]

I liked the fettucini Alfredo , I added more water to make it runnier, I've used it on crackers under my toppings, as dip as pizza cheese. IT is a bit rich so I don't make it up as a staple.

I like having a good tomato / salsa/ style sauce and a cheesy sauce in my fridge all the time. My husband leans toward the cheesy sauce, and I love the tomato, The tomato one has been varyied so many times, I now add apple cider vinegar, dates and nomu shoyu for a bbq , type flavor

[Pailani]

The salsa was mostly Alissa's recipe, but I didn't have quite everything, so I used what I had:

4 plum tomatoes
a sliver of onion (I didn't have scallions)
a clove of garlic
some parsley, I tried to eyeball 1/4 cup
a dash of cold pressed oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

I put all that through the blender, then added corn freshly cut from one cob.

And it was like a Mexican soup.

It's funny, I made up a salad dressing recipe this evening, too. I posted a couple weeks ago that I was intimidated by raw food recipes because, even with cooked food, I can't cook. And someone said that not being much of a cook might actually be a good thing for a person trying to acclimate to raw cooking. And that does seem to be the case! :)

[RawTruth]

Now that you mention it, I remember that post. I've been so impressed by all the recipes you've been preparing, I forgot that you said you weren't a "good" cook. Guess your talent was just waiting for the right outlet! Thanks for the salsa info. I haven't tried corn since I've been raw, so this will be a great reason to buy some tomorrow.