I just love fresh, jumbo Medjool dates. Not when ground up and mixed into nut balls or energy bars… blech. In fact, I loathe those sorts of things, where the almost-juicy quality of the dates is destroyed by over-processing.

No, dates are best enjoyed whole, where their lovely succulence can be enjoyed full-on. I’ve said more times than I can count that the simple treat of a raw pecan stuffed into a whole date and popped into one’s mouth is like pecan pie, only the way pecan pie wishes it could taste!

Here, I’ve made up a salted vanilla filling for the dates without any additional sugar. All the sweetness comes from the dates themselves. And the overall effect when all is said and done is that of a salted caramel!

The dish is comprised entirely of non-perishables, so you can make this entire batch and keep at your desk at work, or in a container in your gym or dance bag for a quick energy pick-me-up when you need it… and with the added salt, it’s a great way to replenish electrolytes after a good workout! And shoot… I just finished one up as part of a late breakfast.

And forget those “nut balls” that so many raw foodies make with dates (did I say “blech” yet?)… these put those to shame. In my not-so-humble opinion.

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Ho ho ho, this is great. If you are like me and crave rich, satisfying, savory, even “meaty” meals (tho they be raw and enlivening), things you can eat with a fork and not need anything else to round out the meal, this is it.

Similar to yesterday’s recipe, another “Caesar” salad concoction, this one is also made with raw almond butter. Add to that some finely diced mushrooms with some garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and scallions… and plenty of fresh black pepper… this is a hearty delicious meal that satisfies all by itself.

Also would make a great salsa-type dip or a Wrap or Salad Sandwich filling. Would be a serious winner at the buffet table or at a raw pot luck.

And although I used simple, Utterly Pedestrian organic button mushrooms, you could use portabellas, reishis, maitakes, shitakes… whatever your favorites are.

Oh, God bless the humble mushroom and the versatility of raw almond butter!

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And don’t miss checking out this recipe for a Mushroom “Caesar” Salad, one of the best recipes on this whole site, IMHO.

Yah, okay… so there’s no egg in this. And no parm. And no anchovy. And there’s tomato in it.

But believe me when I tell you, if you love Caesar Salads, you’ll love *this* salad. And you’ll understand why it’s a “Caesar” when you take your first bite. Exactly how the ingredients of raw almond butter, olive oil, garlic, tomato, and lemon juice combine to give a parmy, anchovy kinda hit, with a damn-near unctuously yummy dressing coating each crunch of romaine the same way that a good Caesar does… well, I don’t know and I don’t care.

All I know, this recipe is a keeper and a staple, the kind you’re gonna wanna make once a week, provided there’s raw almond butter in the house. This also makes an excellent salsa-type dip, and is wonderful as a filling for a salad sandwich. Will keep well overnight in the fridge.

Why Raw Almond Butter Is So Expensive

I did go and splurge nearly 18 bucks on a jar of raw almond butter. Just scandalous how expensive it is. But you can thank those who allowed the law to pass in California requiring all raw almonds to, actually, no longer be raw… they must now (for nearly a couple years, actually) be pasteurized in some manner, denaturing them, allegedly to protect the masses from lurking salmonella.

So, without stepping too high on my soap box…just remember that when we allow the gov to force the denaturing and pasteurization of our food in the name of “safety”, it’s A) denatured (ewww) and B) it’s Just That Expensive. Eighteen bucks for a little jar of something that grows abudantly all over the world. Cray-zee.

However… raw almond butter is several celestial dimensions above peanut butter, in my book. And it makes some of the best salad dressings. To wit, this one… still one of my favorite things on my entire website.

So… if you can manage to afford this precious stuff, GET SOME TODAY. I promise to add several more really wonderful recipes to the library here using the heavenly stuff.

And as for the fat content… no, this is NOT low-fat. But come on, into every diet a bit of good fat must fall, and this is the good stuff! Enjoy…

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The mushroom recipe trend continues, as we’re in a cold snap here in the Northeast and mushrooms seem to hold a number of keys to enjoying savory, earthy, grounding, warming cold-weather foods.

This one is extremely versatile — I leave it to you to discover how many ways you can use it. But do make it and see what tasty benefits and comforts it brings you. And this recipe requires no dehydration — you can make it in just a couple minutes, which certainly jacks up its usability factor!

You can season this recipe with cacao powder, cumin, a splash of organic raw apple cider vinegar and a bit of raw cane sugar to create a delicious raw vegan taco meat.

Or you could use it instead of walnuts and mushrooms in my Greek Spaghetti or Creamy Bolognese sauces…

You can season it with thyme and add a few chopped apples to go in the direction of a holiday stuffing flavor. You can add it to sandwiches, sprinkle it over soups and salads, enjoy it on its own as a kind of “dry chutney”, as is not uncommon in Indian cuisine.

But if you endeavor to “stay raw” during the winter months, I suspect this basic recipe may serve you very well toward that end. You can even warm it gently in the oven, adding to the comforting appeal. Just keep the setting on the lowest possible and make sure you can handle the plate its on with bare hands!

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MAKE THIS RECIPE! Not only is it delicious and a quick-and-easy portion-for-one-person amount, but it also offers a great lesson in how simple grocery-store-bought living ingredients can be wonderfully transformed by the addition of one slightly more exotic ingredient, in this case - raw almond butter.

This recipe makes one delicious Salad Sandwich, which you can make with either a raw dehydrated cracker or bread, or which you can make “rawish” by using toasted Ezekiel bread. You will swear that the filling has some kind of fish, meat, or egg in it… it really fills the mouth with flavor and texture, although without any weirdly dominant taste.

It uses chopped fresh savory cabbage, which has a delicate flavor and a nice crunch, and includes savory ingredients like red onion and tomato, which aren’t the first ingredients one would think to pair with almond butter. But trust me…it works very well. Almond butter is extremely versatile!

You can also use this filling to make canapés (pile on top of raw dehydrated crackers or into pieces of tender white cabbage), and you can use it to make nori rolls, very popular amongst the raw foodies.

You can also triple this recipe and add a little extra chopped tomato to make a kind of “salsa” for enjoying with raw chips or un-raw organic tortilla chips. My 21-year-old son groaned when he tasted this…that’s how tasty it is with organic chips. I’m serious… MAKE THIS RECIPE. After he polished off a whole bowl, his comment: “This stuff is amazing!”

Let me say it a third time: MAKE THIS RECIPE. It’s not just versatile, but it will open up your mind to how you can work with living foods to create explosively flavorful foods that really satisfy!!!

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NEW: Chopped Savoy Cabbage-Tomato Salsa — Make A Bowl To Dip With Chips!

I’ve now also included an additional recipe with a bit more tomato and made in a larger quantity, so you can whip up a bowl to munch on with raw chips (or organic tortilla chips), or to take with you to a raw pot luck!

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A Word About Nori (Sheets of Dried Seaweed)

Nori is the seaweed used to roll up the rice and filling to make sushi rolls, and it comes in both toasted and untoasted varieties. The toasted is what you’ll get at a Japanese restaurant. The untoasted is what is considered “raw”, although nori is not technically “vegan” because there are often little sea critters that live in and get snatched up with the seaweed (for those who are vegan purists).

The sliced nori roll in these photos was made with the untoasted, “raw” variety. However, to be honest… I personally don’t care for untoasted nori. It’s chewy and hard to bite off pieces, whereas the toasted nori is more tender and breaks off much more easily. Untoasted nori is also “fishier” tasting. Meh…some people like this. Find what works for you.

My two cents: In my opinion, it’s far more valuable to enjoy the toasted nori (although it’s not “raw”) if it’s going to enable you to make more fabulous “rawish” Salad Sandwiches and benefit frequently from the great nutrition that exists in eating sea vegetables. Unused raw nori in your cupboard doesn’t do anyone any good…

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Recipe for: Savory Savoy Cabbage Raw Sandwich Filling:

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