Pumpkin & Pomegranate

I am a picky eater. I have been since I was 8. I was never one of those kids who wouldn’t eat, or who would only eat white food (my mother NEVER would have allowed that). The picky came from a very strong will and a sense of ethics. I decided (while at Summer camp) that I was going to become a vegetarian. Now, I was 8 at the time and I only knew the term vegetarian, so when I said that I usually followed it by “except for turkey and seafood”. Today the thought of saying I am a “vegetarian” doesn’t enter my mind because I do eat fish on occasion (the turkey bit only lasted a year). I get supremely perturbed when people casually throw around “vegetarian” and yet consume chicken (or fish, or whatnot). These are not plants. I am not telling you to change your diet, just don’t adopt a label when it doesn’t fit. Bacon isn’t kosher, chicken isn’t a vegetable. That said, I have no qualms about people saying “mostly vegetarian” or using the term to make sure you don’t get animal products in a restaurant (assuming you aren’t going to order meat). I love my mother, but she has a habit of telling waitpersons that we are “vegetarian except for fish”. This is confusing and not helpful. And this is why I am also not big into labels.

I am not “raw”. I am not “vegan”. I do however have a love affair with raw food, specifically Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe here in Seattle. Last weekend my boyfriend and I (we shall call him “M” for the sake of mysteriousness) went to Chaco after hitting up a vegan bake sale at Sidecar for Pig’s Peace (which is a fantastic vegan only shop benefiting an animal sanctuary nearby). I was starving and ordered the raw coconut curry, and he got the non-raw (but still vegan) Reuben.
My curry was so amazing I have been dreaming up ways to recreate the recipe (and also get back for seconds) ever since. Here is their version:

I think this is pretty damn addictive

My Version of the Raw Curry

True to form, I got a craving and had to make my own. The recipe I cam up with happens to be different, but honestly it is JUST as good! I didn’t have any fresh coconut, so it lacks that layer of flavor, but honestly this can hold it’s own. You can also make it into a dip if you don’t add any water to it.

Vegan Raw Curry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1.5 Cup cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
• 1 red bell pepper (sliced or chopped)
• 2 small lemons (juiced)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 T Nutritional Yeast
• 1 T Freshly chopped chives
• 1.5 t Curry Powder (I used Hot Curry Powder)
• 1.5 t Black Salt
• water (depending on consistency you want)

Method:

1. Drain the cashews and put into food processor.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the water and blend together.
3. Add water slowly until the sauce (or dip) blends to the consistency you’d like.
4. Taste to see if it is seasoned the way you prefer, add more salt or curry powder (or other things) to your taste.

I decided to put this all over some organic broccoli slaw from Trader Joe’s. I wanted to do grated zucchini, but the zucchini at TJ’s was a bit on the moldy side, I could easily put this on kelp noodles as well, but I finished up my last bag a week ago. Next time I will go back to the zucchini-cabbage or kelp noodle though. The broccoli is good, but the flavor is a little overpowering.

I highly recommend using black salt for this. It actually has a slightly smoky flavor that really makes the sauce. My precious bag was a gift from a dear friend, but I have also seen it at my local Indian store.