Grain Free Collard Green Sushi

I am turning 60 in nine days. NINE DAYS! 60! So I've decided in the days leading up to my birthday I'll clean up my act. Eat super clean. Always delicious. Always vegan. Mostly raw. Easy on the grains.
This morning I was banging around the kitchen and trying to figure out what to have for breakfast. I came up with this concoction and I must admit, it's pretty darn good, filling and satisfying.

1) Clean, de-stem and steam some collard greens. Some folks eat collards raw, so feel free to do that.

2) Prepare your filling. I used:
Finely chopped:
Celery
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Mixed with:
Raw Tahini
Chopped Walnuts
Raw Sunflower Seeds
Pink Salt

3) Add your base spread. I used avocado, but you could use hummus, nut butter or a vegan cheese spread.

4) Top with your prepared filling. I used approximately 2 T per roll.

5) Roll up using even pressure, not too tightly.

6) Slice or eat whole and enjoy!

Pan-Asian Cabbage Salad (a.k.a. Super Awesome Potluck Salad)

A little Vietnamese, sort of Thai, a bit Japanese and I bought most of the ingredients at the Chinese market. So Pan-Asian seems about right. This salad is cool, crisp, peppery and minty and SO darn good! Raw Disclaimer: This salad is raw - but I am not certain about some of the ingredients in the salad dressing. If you want to be sure - simply dress the salad with some Nama Shoyu or Braggs Aminos,  some olive oil and sprinkle with some raw sesame seeds or raw sesame oil, if you can find it.

Start by rinsing well and soaking in some warm water:
2 Oz Dried Shiitake Mushroom Caps

Let the mushrooms continue to re-hydrate while you make the salad. Reserve the liquid for the salad dressing.

Pan-Asian Cabbage Salad

1 large head Green Cabbage - chopped as you would for cole slaw
1 bunch Cilantro - washed and chopped fine
1 bunch Thai Basil - washed and chopped fine (regular basil works, too)
1 bunch Mint - washed and chopped fine
1 very small Red Onion - sliced paper thin and chopped
1-2 Jalapenos (according to your heat tolerance) seeded, sliced paper thin

Place all the above ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently to combine well.

Drizzle with the dressing:

Pan-Asian Salad Dressing
 1 clove Garlic - mashed into a paste
1/3 C Sesame Oil
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/4 C Shiitake broth from soaking the Shiitake Mushroom Caps
1 t Vegan Fish Sauce (yes, Virginia there is such a thing at the Chinese Market. Is it raw? I have no idea.)
1 T Tamari, Nama Shoyu or Braggs Aminos

Whisk together, sprinkle over salad - mix well.
Top with:
1/2 C chopped raw almonds.
2 Oz Shiitake mushroom caps (from the beginning of the recipe) soaked, stems removed and sliced into thin strips.
Thai Basil sprig for garnish.

Serve chilled. This salad is great for potlucks and picnics - it travels well and stays fresh without refrigeration for a few hours.

Raw Pineapple Coconut Macaroons

So delicious and moist, these macaroons will satisfy your sweet tooth whether you are vegan, a raw foodie or not. So good and so easy.

1/2 C Dried Pineapple Pieces
4 T Coconut Butter (not coconut oil)
5    Dates - Pitted
1/4 C Raw Agave Syrup
1/2 C Ground Almond Meal
1/2 C Unsweetened Dried Flaked Coconut
1/2  t Vanilla
1/4  t Sea Salt
Process all of the above ingredients in a food processor fitted with an "S" blade and grind until you have a fairly smooth dough-like mixture. Spoon this mixture into a large bowl and add:
3 C Unsweetened Dried Flaked Coconut
Knead the coconut flakes into the pineapple mixture REALLY WELL. (and I mean REALLY WELL - or they won't hold together)
Now, just firmly squeeze this mixture into bite size macaroons - you can roll some in almond meal too, for variety.
I store them in the refrigerator, if there are any left :)