Inspired by a friend of mine who is eating raw these days I decided to do some experimenting. I found this recipe in a really great cookbook called “Living Cuisine”.
Photo By: Jamie Tilley
Ingredients:
Eggplant Manicotti
1 eggplant
1 and 1/2 T sun-dried sea salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 T organic extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch sun-dried sea salt
Macadamia Nut Ricotta
1 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup whole raw cashews
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 T organic extra virgin olive oil (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T nutritional yeast
1 tsp sun-dried sea salt, or to taste
Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Marinara
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
6 Roma tomatoes, or 4 large tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup finely minced red onion
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
Sprig oregano and rosemary, or dried Italian seasoning
2 T olive oil
1 T maple syrup or raw agave nectar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1-2 tsp sun-dried sea salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp chiptle pepper, or pinch of cayenne pepper
Prepare the eggplant manicotti: Peel the eggplant. Slice thinly across the seeds into 10-12 slicestoss the eggplant slices with sea salt. Marinate for 1 hour. The bitter juices will wick away from the eggplant. Gently squeeze the eggplant, and marinate the slices in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and sea salt for 1-2 hours. Gently squeeze the slices to wick away excess marinade before rolling.
Make the macadamia nut ricotta: Soak 3/4 cup of the macadamia nuts and cashews together in 3 cups of fresh water for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse. In a food processor, chop remaining 1/4 cup of dry macadamia nuts and pine nuts into a fine meal. Set aside. Reserve a few tablespoons for garnish. Chop soaked macadamia nuts and cashews into a fine meal. Add lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic and blend until as smooth as possible. Add a few tablespoons of fresh water to aid in blending smooth. The ricotta should be fairly smooth and thick. Add the ground dry macadamia nuts and pine nuts and nutritional yeast and blend until well mixed. Season with salt.
Stuff the manicotti: Spoon 2-4 tablespoons of ricotta onto each marinated slice of eggplant and roll into a manicotti-shaped roll. The manicotti can be served “fresh” like this or dehydrated for 2-4 hours at 108 degrees F to warm and set and to marry flavors and texture.
Make the marinara: Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in 1 cup frewsh water until sofr (5-15 min). Drain and rinse. Set aside. Cut the tops out of the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in halves and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Dice the tomatoes. Set aside. In a food processor, finely chop garlic, red onion, and herbs. Add sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, maple syrup or honey, and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and chop in pulses. Do not blend until smooth; leave a touch of texture. In a bowl,fold together sun-dried-tomato mixture with diced tomatoes. Season with sea salt and, if desired, chipotle or cayenne pepper. Spoon a generous amount of marinara over each serving of manicotti. Garnish with reserved ground macadamia nuts and pine nuts.
recipe from: Living Cuisine by Renee Loux Underkoffler



Photo by Jamie Jay




