4th of July barbeque menu ideas?

[katchmoleen]

This is one of my favorite holidays and I have always made a big spread. So I am looking for ideas to make some delicious raw dishes that will be a hit at a meal like this. OF course a nice big green salad, and I am thinking of making veggie kabobs and a raw corn salad. In the past I have always made a pasta salad that included ham, green peppers, olives, and walnuts, in a mayonnaise based dressing. I think I am going to try to raw it up, but not sure what to replace the ham with for a savory bite. Will try zucchini noodles unless someone else has a better idea.
We have a family tradition of making a flag cake every year. Usually just a white or yellow cake with whipped cream and a flag decoration made from blueberries and strawberries. We have been doing this for more than 10 years! Any ideas on a good raw base for this? I know I can use cashew cream for the whipped cream, but what to put underneath? Most of the raw "cakes" I have seen are nuts and dates whirled up together and this really doesn't appeal to me.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i have no suggestions except someone mentioned (in another thread) a red white and blue salad (red berries, banana and blueberries) and that sounds like a good treat. ;)

congrats on doing it rawsome!

[Thick]

If you can get yourself a good sweet yellow watermelon, you could make the base for the cake out of that...

or this http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14075&highlight=watermelon+cake

A coconut cream pie "cake" would be good under it as well.

Lots of good cake ideas here, too http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=49662&highlight=watermelon+cake

To replace the ham I might try marinating some mushrooms in some hamlike flavorings like liquid smoke, sweetener, salt.

Remember as you're celebrating our freedom how fragile and threatened it is..and get involved in some way with your local government=) Have fun!

[jane b]

I was cutting some fresh corn off the cob this evening to make dehydrated tortillas, and it was all I could do to keep myself from just gobbling up the corn. I think a fresh corn salad sounds wonderful, maybe with a TexMex twist with some onions, tomato and cilantro? Pico de gallo and guacamole are other possibilities.

I'll actually be spending most of July 4th traveling down to Charlotte, NC to pick up DD#5 along with 3 of the 29 grandkids. But we're going to stop at the Pirate restaurant for lunch, and then back home in time for fireworks in the park!

[katchmoleen]

Great idea about the mushrooms! I do love marinated mushrooms and that will give it just the right savory flavor, I think. I am leaning towards cheesecake for the cake. I am not telling my family I am making a raw feast for them, I am just going to make it and I'm sure they will eat it! I am blessed with a whole bunch of non-picky eaters who already like raw things. I made an eggplant dish with sundried tomatoes and olives in a garlic olive oil marinade and they all thought it was great. I am really excited to make this raw feast. I will take pictures if I can!

[pure_good]

Hi, you might like to try a raw cheesecake as the base of your flag cake. There are recipes in the g-living website and I think there is one on Russell James' website. This would probably appeal to raw and non raw foodists alike.

Other menu items could include:

-raw nut burgers with a barbecue sauce (bbq sauce would be based on tomatoes and sundried tomatoes for depth of flavor, you can probably fnd a recipe online somewhere)
-raw apple pie- you could prepare it in a tart pan (the kind with the removable bottom) for a beautiful presentation
-I think ani phyo has a recipe for raw donut holes
-raw ice cream with raw brownies
-watermelon basket filled with cut up fruit
-corn salad does sound perfect
-asian cole slaw salad marinated overnight with sesame seeds, ginger, braggs liquid aminos or nama shoyu, raw sesame oil a little lime juice and agave to sweeten
-marinated vegetables (i.e mushrooms, onions, zuchinni, olives, red peppers)
marinated overnight in braggs liquid aminos. raw olive oil. a squeeze of lemon juice and whatever spices you like
-blended fruit popsicles for the kids
-marinated "sauteed" spinach- massage and smush raw spinach with olive oil, a little lemon juice, a little garlic juice and either sea salt or braggs very vigorously until it is completely wilted and looks "sauteed" You could sprinkle this with pine nuts if you like.

These dishes resemble what you might find at a mainstream celebration, they are relatively easy to prepare for a lot of people and the only thing that might need dehydration is the burgers, but if you dont have dehydraytor I have found that some things will dry out a bit if you leave them uncovered in the fridge overnite.

Hope this helps!

[jane b]

Oooo, the eggplant thing sounds good. I've been looking for something to replace my favorite moussaka recipe. Care to post it?

[pure_good]

I guess we were thinking the same thing about the cheesecake!

[katchmoleen]

I got it out of the Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine cookbook, but of course I never seem to make recipes exactly as they are written.
I took one large eggplant, peeled it, cubed it, and soaked it overnight in salt water. I had to weight it down with a plate and a bowl of water to get it all underwater. I used about 2 t salt in about 4 cups of water.
The next day, I covered the eggplant with olive oil and a garlic seasoning that my husband gets at sam's club, plus some more salt (but it was too salty). The original recipe called for thyme, and I didn't seem to have any, though for some unknown reason I had about five containers of dill. Spread it out and dehydrated it for an hour at 140. After an hour added about 1/2 cup of sundried tomatoes that had been soaked till soft and chopped fine. Dehydrated another hour at 105 degrees. I then added about 6 chopped olives. It was good to eat at this time, but about three hours later I tried it and it was even BETTER. It had softened up and the flavors had really melded. this is one I will be making again.

[Ilse W.]

Marinated, then dehydrated portobello mushroom strips remind me of sausage. I'm getting in the mood for bbq...:D

[katchmoleen]

What do you use for a marinade?

[juliebove]

I made the raw corn salad one year and it didn't go over well at all. Daughter and I were the only ones who liked it. Everyone else preferred their corn cooked! Blech. I've never liked cooked corn.

I also made nacho nut cheese and that went over well. It can be partially dehydrated and then packed into hollowed out baby peppers or chunks of peppers and celery or left as a dip and served with chunks of vegetables.

Also made onion bread into sandwiches with tomato, lettuce and Swiss nut cheese.

[JoyceH]

I just got Sarma Melngailis' new book, Living Raw Food (btw- it's awesome!!!)

She has a summer plate called: BBQ Skewers, Coleslaw, Dill "Mayonnaise" and vegetable chips. The BBQ sauce for the veggies on the skewers is made with lapsang Souchong (smoky tea). I made the coleslaw today and I have to say it's absolutely amazing! It's the best darn coleslaw I've ever had. Wow is all I can say!! The perfect dish for a summer party, potluck or BBQ.

I can't wait to try the veggie skewers with the BBQ sauce and the root veggie chips. If they are half as good as the coleslaw I'll be very happy!

[katchmoleen]

Ooooooh, wish I had that recipe for the BBQ sauce because I am planning to make veggie kabobs.

My final menu is as follows:
For the meat eaters, BBQ ribs
For everyone:
fresh corn salad
zucchini pasta salad with marinated mushrooms, walnuts, green peppers, olives, and raw mayo. I'll let you know how it turned out as I am making it totally up!
veggie kabobs
watermelon
Blueberry Cream cake (http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=3095&highlight=blueberry+cream), made in a rectangular pan with the flag decoration on top (strawberries and blueberries)