Vegan Tamale Pie - and My New Outlook on Food!

i wanna make this!

Raw Zucchini Hummus (yields over 3 cups; you can easily cut this recipe in half)

2 zucchini, chopped
½ cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 cup raw tahini (the Artisana brand is nice; substitute regular tahini if you need to)
4 tbsp olive oil
½ cup raw sesame seeds

Vitamix instructions:

Put all ingredients in your Vitamix and blend to a rich perfection!

Food processor instructions:

Same as above. You may have a hard time blending the sesame seeds, so I recommend soaking them for a few hours first, halving the recipe, and stopping frequently to scape the bowl. You can also omit the seeds entirely, but in that case I also recommend omitting the olive oil to keep a thick consistency.

http://www.choosingraw.com/perfect-raw-hummus-for-raw-wednesday/

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Other than getting some grocery shopping done, we did get to make it to a local bookstore where I purchased Eating in the Raw.

So far I am on chapter 3 and I don't want to put it down. I am so excited about my new life with raw food that the only way I can describe this feeling is that it is like being in love. I am In Love with Raw Food. It is so real. So much energy. I feel alive and clean when I eat it. I want to get better with what I eat meaning less cooked and more raw. I want to increase my raw intake from 35% to 80%. This is a goal that I will try to accomplish by Melody's first birthday in 2 months.

Last night I went out with my boyfriend and had a couple of alcoholic drinks. Though I did not get "drunk" I had enough to make me wake up feeling really gross. I just felt... awful. I cooked vegan banana pancakes and home-fried potatoes for my Mom this morning. So add lots of gluten, starch and oil to make me feel even crappier. What made it worse was that me being so exhausted I went and got a soy mocha from Starbucks. It was a recipe for disaster. I felt so awful today and I think that since I have been experiencing the benefits of raw food, I am more in tune with my body and now realize what effects cooked food, alcohol and caffeine can have on my body.

Even though I have just somewhat, preached, about raw food I am going to end this post with a recipe my Mom and I came up with tonight. It's not raw but it is vegan. Definitely not the healthiest but I thought I would share anyways. My Mom, who is not vegan at all, not even vegetarian, who loves fat and sugar and salt... Thought it was so tasty that she wants to go and buy some Daiya cheese.

Tamale Pie

Cornbread:

1 cup all--purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 tab. baking powder1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teas. salt
egg replacer to equal 2 eggs
1 cup soy, rice or almond milk

"meat"

2 pack 12 oz Smart Ground Original Crumbles

1 Red Onion, chopped

1 Medium green pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

3 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (8 oz) ripe olives, sliced

8 oz (about 1 cup) fresh or frozen kernel corn

8 oz Daiya Cheddar style "cheese"

1/4 cup cumin

1/4 cup chili powder

16 oz penne, uncooked

1 dozen corn tortillas

heat smart ground in large skillet or wok.

while heating, boil 2 quarts water, add 2 tbsp oil, then pasta when at full boil.

saute onions, green pepper and garlic in another skillet in oil. add them to smart ground.

add tomato sauce, olives, and corn.

when pasta is soft, drain, add to smart ground mixture.

fry tortillas in oil, drain.

line 9X13 dish with 6 tortillas, layer smart ground, 1/2 daiya cheese. then add the remaining 6 tortillas, the other 1/2 of cheese, then top with corn mix.

for decoration you may save a few sliced olives to add on top of corn mix.

bake at 350 F for 15 minutes or until bubbling.

don't have a photo of the finished product only of the "meat" mixture"

Sincerely,

Wendy