vegan, semi-raw, gluten-free
Another recent craving for Mexican food got me experimenting again, and just like other similar dishes such as tacos and enchiladas, it works incredibly well with raw. I believe it’s a combination of both the seasonings and the ingredients to which they are applied compliment each other famously. Best of all, this deceivingly labor-intensive, elegantly presented dish requires quite the contrary. It is so easy to make and friendly to those who are getting raw-acclimated.
I opted to slow-roast the poblanos for about 2 hours at a low oven temperature (200 degrees), using what I call the CWC (cooking with care) technique. You can of course, alternatively use the dehydrator for a 100% raw meal. I chose the former because I prefer the texture, flavor, and moisture-retention that slow-roasting provides. Once roasted, carefully cut a slit down one side of the pepper, forming a pocket. Gently remove seed membrane.
For the base of the “rice”, I once again used my favorite combination of jicama and pinenuts at a 3 to 1 ratio, reminiscent of Pure Food & Wine and Raw Food, Real World. Add them to a food processor along with 2 cloves of garlic and a light sprinkling of sea salt and blitz to a rice-like consistency. Then spread on Teflex sheets and dehydrate for an hour or two, to remove excess moisture. To bring it all together and turn it into “confetti rice”, I combined the jicama and pinenut mixture with fresh sweet corn kernels, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, diced grape tomatoes, ground cumin, paprika, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Keep checking the seasonings and adjust if needed. Stuff this mixture into the poblanos.
The tomato-chipotle salsa cruda turned out a bit more spicy than anticipated, and that says a lot because I am spicy food queen! But it was smoky and delicious, used sparingly. I used 6 halved and pitted roma tomatoes, 6 sundried tomatoes in olive oil, 1 garlic clove, chili powder, Sambhar curry powder, cocoa powder, chipotle powder (SPICY), a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg, agave, and sea salt, and blended until ultra smooth.
The cilantro crema really helped neutralize the heat of the salsa cruda. One cup of soaked cashews, a big handful of fresh cilantro, 1 fat garlic clove, flax seed oil, sea salt, pepper, and cold water were blended together till silky smooth.
AND finally, though it may sound like an unusual combination, I enjoyed a wonderful 2004 Côtes du Rhône Rouge by E. Guigal with my poblano pepper meal.
<3, JMK
