Recently, I mentioned that I think about raw food recipes in terms of “templates” than recipes. What do I mean by template? I mean zucchini spaghetti: it’s not a particular recipe, but it’s a preparation method that can be endlessly variable, depending on one’s mood, what’s seasonal, and what’s in the fridge. Another template? Blended salads. The idea is always the same, but modifications abound.
Raw rice is another raw “template.” It’s usually made simply by processing a vegetable in a food processor till it’s finely ground like “rice.” Sometimes, nuts, nut butters, or seasonings are added. My favorite raw rice is definitely parsnip rice (see this recipe for a how to) or a mixture of parsnip and hemp, as in my parsnip rice and hemp seeds with spring peas.
Cauliflower rice is also a raw foodist favorite, as is jicama. I love the latter, though I don’t often find jicama in my grocery runs, but am not a great fan of the former. I suppose it’s natural that most of the veggies we use to make vegetable rice are white, but this week, I got to thinking: why shouldn’t I make “rice” out of a non-white vegetable?
I was thinking in particular of carrots, which are one of my favorite veggies. If parsnip rice is a favorite, why on earth shouldn’t carrot rice be, too? I immediately got to chopping up some carrots in my processor, and I am delighted that I did! They work beautifully as “rice,” with only the qualification that I dehydrated the rice a bit to reduce moisture. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you should give the carrot “rice” a squeeze with cheesecloth or paper towels before mixing in the seasonings.
Raw Carrot Coriander Rice (vegan, gluten free, raw)
Serves 2
4 large carrots
2 tsp tamari
3 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp coriander (dried)
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1. Peel and chop carrots roughly. Add them to a food processor and pulse to process until they are chopped to the size of rice. For best results, squeeze the carrot rice through a cheesecloth or paper towel to remove some moisture, and then return to the food processor.
2. Pulse in the almond butter, coriander, tamari, and vinegar. Adjust seasonings as desired. If you have a food dehydrator, you can skip the cheesecloth/paper towel step and dehydrate the mixture at 115 degrees for an hour or so. Serve in raw nori rolls, or as a raw side dish!
Me? I served wrapped in nori, with some spinach, too:
Great texture!
I’d serve this rice dish with a nutrient dense salad of choice. The sushi rolls also make a great appetizer.
Hope you enjoy this easy recipe soon. And tune in tomorrow afternoon, because I have a very scrumptious new chia pudding recipe comin atcha!
xo
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Janae @ Bring-Joy says
September 5, 2012 at 9:33 pmI’ve been neglecting my raw foods lately–this post makes me so happy. You have a way of making simple, raw dishes so alluring! So colorful, gorgeous pics, & simple. Love how easy & quick, no doubt delicious these are, Gena.
Marissa says
September 5, 2012 at 9:50 pmCarrot rice is my go-to rice for sushi. I use carrots and almond butter like you but switch it up with the spices depending on what veggies I’m wrapping it up with. Nice tip on dehydrating or squeezing excess moisture from the carrots. I haven’t done that, but I will try it out. Mine tends to be something between rice and a pate because of the wetness of the carrots. I can see from the picture that your result has a very rice-like texture. Cool!
Lisa @ The Raw Serenity says
September 5, 2012 at 10:07 pmThis is such a brilliant idea. I often make zucchini rice.
I love carrot and I love sushi so this is going to be a winner for sure!
I will def be adding avo in the center though. Sushi is never the same without it 🙂
[email protected] Palate says
September 6, 2012 at 1:53 amI’m such a big cauliflower rice or couscous as I sometimes call it fan, will definitely have to give this a go!!! 🙂
Hannah says
September 6, 2012 at 5:15 amThe Moosewood cookbook has a raw butternut squash rice that they call mexicali. Orange rice reminds me of paella – rice isn’t always white!
Alexia @ NamasteYoga says
September 6, 2012 at 6:56 amraw nori rolls- what a perfect lunch and snack! i love them and often make my own creations. the only thing that bothers me is though that i dont have sharp enough knives to cut the rolls into nice little pieces. when i cut it seems to squish everthing out on one or the other side of the roll and they never look very pretty! raw parsnip rice and carrots are so tasty!! especially when the carrots are marinated Asian style with lots of yummy miso and tamari
Lolita @ Peace, Love and Greens says
September 6, 2012 at 7:51 pmTry a serrated knife and saw back and forty gently. This is what works for me!
Abdi says
September 6, 2012 at 6:59 amI’m a big fan of sushi and sashimi. Lived in Japan for 5 years. Fell in love with the culture and the food. My life is healthy because of it. Remember folks you still must supplement even if you’re a vegan..scratch that..you must supplement with the 90 essentials vegan or not! 🙂
Pure2raw twins says
September 6, 2012 at 9:49 amlooks delicious, love raw carrots and love the idea of using for ‘rice’ 🙂
we still need to make ourselves some raw sushi, it has been on our list to make for a very long time.
Christa @ Edible Balance says
September 6, 2012 at 10:53 amhow fun is this?! I have been incorporating more and more raw foods into my life and love it! I have nori sitting in my pantry just waiting for me to finally get the nerve to make sushi… this may be the time!
Janet says
September 6, 2012 at 12:33 pmI was hesitant until I saw the recipe with tamari and almond butter…yummy!!! Carrot with “butter” is one of the best combos ever for me. I have made a similar thing with shredded carrot and tahini that is delicious…I just called it salad…never thought to call it rice before! Thanks for the idea, I love it!
Rebecca says
September 6, 2012 at 1:56 pmYum! So easy yet such a creative idea! Can’t wait to try! Can never find daikon radish or jicama here, so this is perfect! And I never think to combine almond butter with Asian-inspired meals/snacks like nori rolls, but you’re right, why not? Do you think lemon or apple cider vinegar would work instead of the brown rice vinegar? (yes, I even manage to find a substitution question for a 5-ingredient meal haha sorry!) Can’t wait to try!
Hannah says
September 6, 2012 at 3:55 pmI really and truly want to eat this with a spoon. Oh Gena you goddess lady of creation and joy!
Lolita @ Peace, Love and Greens says
September 6, 2012 at 7:53 pmYum. I think I could use my carrot juice pulp ( from a slow juicer) in this recipe perfectly!
Lauren @ The Homeostatic Mindset says
September 7, 2012 at 2:08 pm“Why shouldn’t I make rice out of non-white vegetables?” DUH. Why have I never thought of this!? As always, nutritious recipe and beautiful pictures 🙂
the delicate place says
September 7, 2012 at 3:47 pmand yet another one i have to try! i am a huge fan of your carrot+white miso+pumpkin seed mousse and this looks right up my alley. i can only handle cauli rice if it is lightly steamed…it’s a bit too much for me raw.
Simone says
September 7, 2012 at 7:50 pmI love carrots so much so this is right up my alley! however, I am turning orange!! my hands and feet are an orange tinge, do you think I should be concerned at all??
Bethany says
September 8, 2012 at 1:13 pmA great way to use up juice pulp! I always make carrot, apple, ginger juice so this would be great!
Andre says
September 9, 2012 at 4:24 amI just made these. They are great. Hubby loved it too. Thanks.