Nori Rolls

Peg Harvey-Sweeney

Food as Medicine: This is a super easy raw appetizer. Seaweed is another “superfood” that has many health benefits.

  • 5 sheets Nori (seaweed)
  • 1 cup Seed cheese
  • ½ cup shredded Carrots
  • ½ cup diced Celery
  • 1 cup Alfalfa Sprouts
  • 1 cup sprouted Sunflower or buckwheat sprouts
  • 1 julienne sliced Red pepper
  • 1 cup finely chopped Cucumber

Divide seed cheese into 5 portions.  Spread seed cheese on Nori sheets, leaving a clear area about ½ inch from each side. Then layer with carrots, celery, sprouts, red peppers, and cucumber.

Roll like a California Roll, then slice each roll into 5 or 6 pieces. Makes 25-30 appetizers.

Granola

Amy Arnold

  • 6 C. rolled oats
  • 1 C. chopped pecans or almonds
  • 1 C. wheat germ
  • 1 t. grated nutmeg
  • 1 T. ground cinnamon
  • Salt
  • 1 C. dried raisins or cranberries
  • 1/2 C. canola oil
  • 3/4 C. honey

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Toss the dry ingredients but not the dried cranberries together, then add the oil and honey and toss again to coat them thoroughly. Spread the mixture on two sheet pans and bake until golden, turning every 10 minutes so that it browns evenly. When done, after about 30 minutes, add the dried cranberries and let cool. As the granola cools, it will lose its stickiness and become crunchy. Store in a tightly covered jar.

Chilled Cukes

Alix Mayer, Maddy Druker, and Edna

Combine in a bowl:
Water and Vinegar (about half and half)
Add:
Salt – lots
Sweetener to taste: sugar or raw agave nectar, Truvia, etc.

Peel or or don’t and slice cucumbers into coins, dump in mixture and chill Tomatoes (optional).

Maddy loves these and has been known to make an entire meal out of this dish! For kids, they are a great alternative to pickles since our Chilled Cukes are less robust in taste and are also good because they offer all the enzyme benefits of raw veggies, unlike pickles which are pasteurized. My mom, Rudd Mayer, used to keep chilled cukes in vinegar and water, so this is a variation.  Edna always had a bowl of these going in the summer, and when the tomato vines were producing she added those fabulous home grown tomatoes.

Edna’s Lime Pickles

Pat Miller

  • 7 pounds large but not seedy cucumbers

Slice ¼ inch thick and cover with 2 cups lime mixed with 2 gallons of well water. Stir occasionally.

Let stand 24 hours. Drain and rinse well, cover with clear water and let stand 3 hours.  Then drain and cover with the following:

  • 2 quarts white vinegar
  • 4 ½ pounds sugar
  • 1T. Pickling salt

Put in a small cheesecloth bag:

  • 1 t. mixed pickling spice
  • 1 t. whole cloves
  • 1 t. celery seed

Let pickles soak in this overnight. In the morning, boil hard for 35 minutes. Add a little green food coloring. Can in clean sterile jars.  Makes 9 Pints.

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Karen Druker

Very refreshing on a hot day.

  • 4# Seedless watermelon, cubed
  • 2# yellow or red cherry tomatoes
  • a dash of salt
  • ¼ C. thin sliced red onion
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 1 T. grated fresh ginger
  • 1T. sugar

Cut melon into ¾ “cubes, add other ingredients, toss. Make 3-5 hours ahead so flavors can blend.

Cinnamon Toast Pecans

Pat Miller

  • 2 T. butter, melted
  • 2 T. light corn syrup
  • 2T. sugar
  • ½ T. ground cinnamon
  • 4 C. (about 1 pound) pecan halves

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Stir together first 5 ingredients. Add pecans, tossing lightly to coat. Spread coated nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks, if they last that long.

Editor’s note: These would make nice Holiday gifts, presented in pretty jam jars.