Favorite recipes from Alissa's Book

[Marin Mom]

I would love to know how some of the recipes came out and what are the favorites. I have had a few disappointments (probably just personal taste) but my favorites are Gus's Pesto, Crepes, and the Banana Macadamea Cookies. I would really like to learn how to make some of the entrees though. Any suggestions on something easy that may appeal to the rest of the (SAD) family? :confused:

Thanks-

Cindy

[sweetpea76]

I just got Alissa's book and I am trying " Eggplant Pizza" today~ I'll let you know how it turns out !

[ShelShel]

I think the first thing I made, that turned out really good...are Alissa's Corn Chips. They are simple, quick and very tasty. They are the closest thing I eat that remind me of a chip! And making a raw salsa to go with it...this is really close to what you would serve if you were a SAD eater.
Then you could serve enchilada's as the main dish and some raw ice cream for dessert. ;) Just an idea for a meal.

I think once you find out what you like and don't care for...it becomes easier to tell if you will like a recipe. If you don't like curry...don't use it in her Carrot/Pecan burgers...they will still taste great!

I also love the Mock Salmon Pate. Oh, wow...that was really good too. If there is something you don't care for about a recipe...experiment a little until you figure out how to make it to your liking.

Good Luck!

[Raene]

Great post idea.
Every time I make something from Alissa's book, I rate it so that I know later if I liked it enough to make it again. Ratings are 1-5 stars, 1 being bad and 5 being really great. I'll go in the order that they're in in the book.
Marinated Greens--3 stars comment: much better the next day (like she says)
Spicy Fries--1 star--yuck! Maybe it's just me, but the raw honey available at my HFS is really thick and these just tasted awful b/c of it. Might be better with agave.
Onion Dip--3 stars--pretty good; very oniony
Guacamole--5 stars--delicious
Broccoli Soup--5 stars--I LOVE this. I'm addicted. It's great the next day, too. I omit the onion. Just remember that garlic gets stronger as it sits in something...the next day it's pretty spicy!
Creamy Pea Soup--5 stars--yum! I love peas.
Honey Mustard Paste--1 star--ugh! I read on the board that this is great...I don't know why it tasted sooo bad and SOO spicy. Again, my honey is very thick so it was hard to stir. The mustard was extra spicy and this tasted nothing like honey mustard to me.
Crepes--5 stars--holy moly, I could eat them all in one sitting they were so awesome. I impressed my SAD friends with these, too.
Mock Salmon Pate--3 stars--Pretty good, just not exceptional
Fettuccini Alfredo--4 stars. yum!
Almost Tuna--5 stars. I love this stuff, but I forget every time that the alfalfa sprouts are not really part of the recipe. Can't stand em and end up buying them and then remembering they're not ground up, so I have to actually taste em. Lol.
Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps--5 stars. Most definitely a favorite. So easy, too.
Calzone--1 star. Just thinking of this makes me feel ill. I don't know if maybe my sprouts went bad or something, but the dough part was awful. Enough to keep me from eating buckwheat sprouts again.
Mock Turkey Loaf--5 stars--made this at Easter for SAD friends and it was a hit. Beautiful, too.
Pad Thai with Sauce--5 stars--also a hit with SAD friends. Delicious.
Walnut Mushroom Loaf--3 stars
Nori Rolls--4 stars
Sweet Apple Nori Rolls--5 stars. My daughter loves these too.
BBQ Chicken Fingers--2 stars--pretty spicy and didn't settle well in my stomach. I don't like dehydrating so I just ate this as a pate on my salad.
Crab Cakes--4 stars--tasty!
Collard Rolls--4 stars
Carrot Cake--5 stars--delicious! I usually don't like cooked carrot cake. This is tasty! You can shape it into anything, too, and I made it for Easter a few years ago and shaped it into a bunny--added coconut flakes to the icing, carrot sticks for whiskers and ears, raisins for eyes, and voila!

I hope more people add their favorites/ least favorites. It's always good to know others' opinions.

[gingincal]

I can't remember the name of this juice drink - it's just green apples and parsley - my very favorite juice combo. If you haven't tried it, please do.

Alissa's Dressing - really simple and tasty
BBQ Chicken Fingers - I think you have to dehydrate these for them to taste right
Mrs. Ackerly's Dressing
Tahini Dressing
Mock Salmon Pate'
Purple Pockets - really colorful and lots of crunch
Date Nut Torte - sweet and delicious

I have lots of uncookbooks - Alissa's is my favorite (I'm not just saying that because this is her site, either ;) ).

[tvillemom]

RAENE: I guarantee that your crust spoiled in the dehydrator. Next time deh. it on high (about 140) for an hour and then turn the temp. down. Then I deh. the crush until it is pretty dry....then when I flip it, I even dry it awhile that way. Then you add the "stuffing" and it gets moist again, and then when you deh. it awhile it's not spoiled....I loved this. If it tasted "bad" it probably spoiled, which can sometimes happen in a bread or cracker recipe if your not careful!!

Good luck next time.

[Raene]

Thanks! I wish I could try it again, but I'm scarred from the first one. Funny thing is, my vegetarian mom who hates most of the raw food I make really liked it. Maybe her taste buds died.

[ab_raw]

Well, this is only my first week raw, but this is what I tried so far:
Guacamole - excellent
Fettucine with Marinara sauce - I dished out a bowl for myself and for my partner who was not home yet, and I ate mine and then I so badly wanted to eat her's too. This was so yummy. I made the recipe exactly and then sprinkled a few pine nuts on top.
Kale salad - never thought I'd like it but I had it twice this week so far
Marinated asparagus - delish!
Banana and Papaya pudding - simple and good

Not in her book, but my favorite snack so far was celery sticks filled with cashew butter and banana.

Today for lunch I'm trying the collard rolls with guac and for dinner I am trying the fettucine alfredo.
Anita

[RawSinger]

There are many recipes from her book that I make a lot but my favorite would have to be the Kale Salad. It's so good! I loved kale before I went raw but I love it even more now. The salad is so simple and so easy to make and that's part of the beauty of it. It's just reeeaally good.


tvillemom-I don't like asking but I need to know: if you turn the dehydrator up to 140, won't the food become non-living?

[JEN]

Calzone
Pasta w/marinara
Collard Rolls
Enchiladas
Stuffed Portobellas
Lemon Pudding
Date Nut Torte
Mudslide
Ceasar Salad
Tahini Dressing

[Blossom]

Mine is EGGPLANT PIZZA this has helped to keep me raw it is so good. I have made it so many times and like to experiment with different herbs ect.

[Eva]

RawSinger: I've read in a few different places that it wouldn't make the food become nonliving. The temperature of the food wouldn't be 140, just the temperature of the dehydrator. It takes awhile for the food to heat up, and some people have done experiments like taking the temperature of the food, and it seems to be okay.

If you had the dehydrator up to 140 the whole time, that would definitely be a problem.

Either way, the idea above is accepted by some, controversial for others.

And this is only an idea for recipes in which if you don't do that (in some climates only), the food would spoil really quickly.

EDITED TO ADD: By the way, some of my faves are:
-Any of the stuffed mushrooms
-Mock Salmon Pate
-Flax Crackers (with avocado, onion, tomato on top)
-Fettucine
-Spaghetti with marinara sauce
-Crepes
-Enchiladas
-Easy pizza ;)
-Fudge balls

[RawSinger]

Ok, thanks Eva. I'd always wondered about that.

[Snoozy]

My favorite so far is her Blueberry Pie! The filling is super easy and I was completely shocked that it set up!

I just tried Kale for the first time today using her Kale Salad recipe. I can't even believe that I liked it! I was so scared to even try Kale. I just assumed it would be bitter or something. That was such an easy recipe and so good!

My parents are coming to visit next week and I'm planning on making Alissa's:

Cinnamon Rolls
Enchiladas
Key Lime Pie
Pizza Bread but using as wraps
Strawberry Crepes
Apple Cookies
Eggplant Pizza
Ravioli
Cannoli
Onion Dip
Pepper Dip
Corn Chips
Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy
Black Forest Cake
Banana Nut Drink
Lemonade
Mudslides

[Raene]

Does the lemonade just make enough for one person? Can you water it down a bit? I'm having people over but I can't really juice 4 apples per person.

[GlimR]

Avocado Chutney is my #1 favorite of all.....

[greenday]

Kollard Rolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are SO GOOD! :)

[avolove]

My Favorites:
Blueberry cheesecake- so incredibly filling and better then the sad version
Walnut fudge- WOW!
Date nut torte-This is great now, but a life saver when first raw
Carrot pecan burgers- My sad eating friends really enjoy these too
Chili- Really great on cold days when you want something warm
:)

[rawnerino]

Hi all.

I have tried the corn chips and have had the batter crack in the dehydrator. I think it may have been that the corn wasn't fully thawed and too much liquid was involved. I just bought fresh corn on the cob to try these again. Any suggestions, equipment, methods that you used to make them successful would be greatly appreciated. I go to a raw food restaurant here in Toronto just for the great corn chips--they also have bits of carrot in them so I thought Alissa's recipe might be similar.

Thanks so much

[rawnerino]

My favorite is the pecan burgers--I love these served right away as a pate scooped onto collard leaves. My stepdaughter prefers them dehydrated for a few hours.

My other favorite is the Portabello mushrooms with avocado--I crave these--had them for lunch today actually they are so fast and yummy. I think I crave them as I was not able to eat either mushrooms or avocadoes for 13 years because I lacked the enzymes to digest them. I would suffer great abdominal pain for about 7 hours after eating them. I even had ultrasounds as my doctor thought it was my appendix, the pain was so severe. This goes to support the enzyme theory of raw well enough for me to be a believer. I can eat both of these offenders together and walk, no leap away...full of energy.

[violetsareblack]

I think the first thing I made, that turned out really good...are Alissa's Corn Chips. They are simple, quick and very tasty. They are the closest thing I eat that remind me of a chip! And making a raw salsa to go with it...this is really close to what you would serve if you were a SAD eater.
Then you could serve enchilada's as the main dish and some raw ice cream for dessert. ;) Just an idea for a meal.

I think once you find out what you like and don't care for...it becomes easier to tell if you will like a recipe. If you don't like curry...don't use it in her Carrot/Pecan burgers...they will still taste great!

I also love the Mock Salmon Pate. Oh, wow...that was really good too. If there is something you don't care for about a recipe...experiment a little until you figure out how to make it to your liking.

Good Luck!

I second the carrot/pecan burgers. Of course I did oven dehydrating but I left the curry out (don't like it and didn't have any) and they were GREAT!

[violetsareblack]

Avocado Cups: Wonderful! This was the second recipe I made from her book and I loved these! I had them in the "cups" and in a bowl. I recommend eating them from a bowl as the avocado shells rolled all over my plate but the shells are more fancy if these are served at a party. Highly recommend these!

Marinated Greens: I loved this although I used kale and next time will double the marinade if I use kale again, since it's thicker it didn't absorb as well. When using kale it reminded me of the seared kale they use to make and sell at Wild Oats. Next time I'm adding bigger chunks of garlic slivers.

Spicy Fries: These were weird and did not taste anything like fries. I have read some people on here say they dehydrated them so I don't know if that improves them but I had to go against my raw and eat these with ketchup before they tasted anything like fries. They were really tangy and kinda sweet tasting. Some other poster said they thought agave might make them better. I do not eat honey and used raw agave and they still tasted gross. :P

Corn Chips: I really looked so forward to these. I do not have a non circular dehydrator but I used the oven dehydrate method and they had a great texture. What really got me was how SWEET they were. I know, raw corn is very sweet and these tasted so sweet. I mean they tasted so sweet as if I had put white table sugar in them. I plan to try them again another time with some of my own added stuff. I may even make the spicy version she suggested.I was so disappointed because I really wanted to like them!

Mock Salmon Pate: I actually tried this last night and only had enough ingredients to make half a recipe and had no scallions and it was still good although I assume it's better with scallions as it was a bit bland but still yummy. I'd make it again.

Carrot Pecan Burgers: OMG I loved these! I really didn't think I would but it really cured my burger craving! I did not make these with curry as I do not like it and did not have it on hand and they were still delicious! Highly recommend this one!

Marinara Sauce: This one was good.I've tried many marinara sauces and haven't had any I don't like so far.

Creamy Cheddar Cheese: I actually made this for an additive to another recipe I had for dinner (a crustless "naked" pizza with just toppings marinated in a pizza sauce) and it was pretty good. I probably could have made it creamier with adding water (I use a food processor) but it was definitely good. I have not tried it alone but had it with my meal.

Potato Salad: The main reason I got her book! LOL. I saw the picture on her web site and was CRAVING potato salad. Now, it doesn't have the texture of potato salad and does not taste like any potato salad I've had but it's still really good and juicy! As much as I hated the jicama as french fries the jicama is really yummy in this and the avocados add a great touch! I've made this recipe a few times already and I haven't had Alissa's book very long.

Caesar Salad Dressing: Uck! I actually had to add stuff to this to make it even halfway good for my tastes.I did not like this one. I've always been picky about my dressings, raw or not.

Honey Mustard Dip: I do not eat honey and buy raw agave nectar and so I used that with this. It was good but next time I may leave out the garlic. I used it with the spicy fries (before I caved in and smothered them in non raw ketchup). Was a bit bitter though.

Carrot Cake: I attempted this one night and must have done something wrong? It was not that good and was too carrot-y (?) for me. I tried another on goneraw.com that I loved way better. Lots of people love this though so I am willing to try again one day to see what I did wrong.

Fudge Balls: I have NO idea what I did wrong here either. I used raw almond butter which was oily to begin with and these came out so oily and nasty! I could not make these again, they took a whole $10 jar of almond butter, I can't afford that. Plus, I've made plenty of fudgey type balls and truffle type candies that are raw and not oily like these and call for cheaper ingredients that tasted way better than these. They were OK after sitting in the fridge but it took forever to get the oil off my hands from rolling them into balls.

Elaina's Cinnamon Rolls: Wasn't fond of these or the icing. Something about the texture and not sweet enough for me. I think it was either the almond pulp or the flax or both? They def could be improved. Was very disappointed as I had high hopes for these. Did NOT like the frosting for these either. Gave these to my kids though, they loved them!