I'm back in the kitchen and present you a classic recipe of the raw food cuisine. Now bigger, better, healthier and in high-definition!

What many don't know is that you can heat your food up to 49°C/120°F for a very satisfying and warm experience and still be considered raw.

I was a raw foodist for half a year once and aside from feeling more energized and developing a tremendous sensitivity for flavor, the first thing I and others noticed was how smooth and moist my skin got. So ladies and metrosexual guys, instead of throwing away your money for moisturizers, try to go raw just for some time and invest your money in raw nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits instead.

From my own experience I can assure you that those 60 year young raw vegan ladies and gentlemen looking like being in their forties are for real.

complete with basil pesto and cashew parmigiano

There are some naysayers with arguments like tomatoes have to be cooked for better assimilation of nutrients and try to convince me that 100% raw is not healthy, but those are theorists and never went raw for themselves, highly active centenarian yogis confirm my experience, and for me it does not get healthier than that.

Of course this is my experience and you should do your own research, but It won't hurt to go raw for one or two weeks. Some people thrive on high protein and high fat intake, so those should up their nut intake and go easy on the fruits. This lifestyle is very versatile and one can experiment what works best.

Two short remarks regarding two ingredients before we dive into the recipe.

There is always dichotomy in everything, zucchini's not being the exeption.
Depending on your zucchini's and other vegetables, they may be high in oxalates and may or may not trigger pain and inflammation in some people, so for those sensitive it can be better to peel them. Cooking also further diminishes oxalates.

I went the not peeling route for more vitamin C, potassium, and way more fiber, vitamin K and antioxidant carotenoids like lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene.
This also completes my ayurvedic profile by adding a slightly bitter flavor.

Unlike canned olives which are picked before they are ripe, softened with chemicals and cooked, Botija olives are picked when ripe, kept raw and lacto-fermented using sea salt and water.
Cured in Peru by a family with over 400 years of tradition, they are handpicked, fermented for 3-4 months and then dehydrated in heat chambers at 40°C for 30-40 hours.

Once you taste them, or the ones from your local market, you touch the canned ones only out of despair, because the flavor is like day and night, but if you are an advocate of pasteurization, go for it.

Zucchini Spaghetti

Serves 2

Preparation: 15 minutes

2 zucchini's
2 tomatoes
½ yellow bell pepper
¼ cup or 25 g Botija olives
¼ cup or 35 g pine nuts
1 T olive oil
1 T fresh basil leaves
1 clove of garlic
sea salt flakes and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 squirt of lemon juice

the parsley is just for decoration and not used in the recipe :)

Cut the sides from the zucchini and prepare into spaghetti either by using a spiralizer or a julienne peeler.

the longest noodles were over 1 metre in length

Deseed the tomatoes and cut into cubes.

use roma tomatoes for meaty flesh with few seeds

Deseed the bell pepper and cut into cubes.

i am a nakiri fan, but sometimes i like to use my small santoku too

Remove the pits from the Botija olives with a paring knife.

small produce, small knife

For the basil we use a technique called chiffonade, the French word for little ribbons. Pick eight leaves, remove the stem, stack them over each other and roll them lengthwise into a cigar. Then hold your knife at an 60° angle and slice with an up and down motion.

hold your knife with the pinch grip and curl your other hand into a claw. never lift your knife above your knuckles, push the basil cigar with your thumb but always behind your fingers

Crush garlic with a garlic crusher, cut the lemon in half and squeeze a little juice through the fingers of your other hand, thus catching the pips.
Toss the rest of the ingredients into a big bowl, mix well and set aside.
You can save the sea salt flakes for later as decoration.

i like to use salad cutlery for mixing

Basil Pesto

Serves 2

(for 4 middle sized zucchini's)
Preparation: 10 minutes

50 g basil
40 ml olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
⅓ t sea salt
40 g hemp seeds

Put the ingredients into a food processor and blend.

you can also use only the basil leaves but I am a follower of the Japanese mottainai philosophy which means nothing goes to waste

Traditionaly pesto alla genovese is made with European pine nuts, so you can use 45 g of them instead of the hemp seeds.

alternatively you can purée the ingredients to a fine sauce and add the hemp seeds at the end with the pulse function

Cashew Parmigiano

Serves 8

Preparation: 5 minutes

1 cup or 140 g cashews, not soaked
1 clove of garlic
½ T flavored yeast flakes
¼ t sea salt

Add ingredients to food processor.

this cashew cheese goes with everything Italic
Prepare with the pulse function til you get a parmigiano like consistency.

store airtight in the fridge

Prepare two salad plates, fill with zucchini spaghetti and sprinkle with sea salt flakes and cashew parmigiano. Either serve basil pesto separately or toss over zucchini noodles.

enjoy your little trip to Italy!

My heartfelt thank you goes to @sweetsssj and @healthsquared for hosting this healthy challenge.

Buon appetito and until next time,
Miron