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Assembly Mix vegetables with dressing. Drain excess liquid. Place 3 pineapple slices in the center of each plate, overlapping each other. Top with dressed vegetables. Gently place jicama on top and garnish with parsley sprigs. Serves 4–6

Creamy Eggplant and Hummus Cream in Almond Tart Shells with Green Olive Tapenade

The first taste of this dish took me on a culinary journey backward around the world. My first sous chef was Malcolm Johnson, one of a few mad scientists that I would have the good fortune of working with over the years. He introduced me to this green olive tapenade at my first restaurant and it has followed me over the years, first with tuna tartare, then with a charcoal grilled vegetable pizza, and now this raw dish. The almond crust is purely Moroccan, the Hummus very much from the Eastern Mediterranean—and the dish as a whole, quite New York.

Tart Shells

1 cup almonds, processed to crumb form

1/4 cup cashew flour

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1-1/2 teaspoons cumin

Cream

1/2 cup cashews, soaked 1–2 hours

1/4 cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1–2 hours

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 tablespoons tahini

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons water

1 clove garlic

Tapenade

1/2 cup pitted green olives

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch anise seed

Eggplant

1 large eggplant, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch salt

Pinch pepper

1 teaspoon garam masala

Tart Shells Mix all ingredients in a bowl with hands. Use your fingers to press into plastic-lined individual tart shells (3-1/2- to 4-inch diameter with removable bottoms) and dehydrate overnight. Carefully remove the crusts from the shells, place them back on the dehydrator screen, and continue dehydrating until slightly crisp.

Cream Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until completely smooth. Store in the refrigerator and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Tapenade Blend in Vita-Mix until smooth.

Eggplant Toss eggplant with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garam masala. Dehydrate until soft.

Assembly Place the tart shell on the plate and fill with the cream. Top with the eggplant and drizzle with the tapenade. Serves 4–6

Summer Squash Pancakes with Garlic Flower “Yogurt,” Sweet Tomato Jam, and Crisp Fennel

One of the luxuries of working with raw food is that I can occasionally dream up a dish that should be impossible to make. But experimentation always seems to defy the impossible—this dish fits that model. The flavors remind me of summer and of the Mediterranean. It may have even been initially inspired by a Socca recipe that I used to love making and eating with a garlicky, tahini yogurt purée. The importance of this dish, like so many others we prepare, lies entirely in the use of the best ingredients.

Macadamia Purée

1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked 2 hours

3/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup water

1/4 shallot, peeled

1/4 clove garlic

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Pinch salt

Pinch cayenne

Pancakes (Yields 9)

1/2 pound yellow squash, grated

1/2 pound green squash, grated

Pinch salt

1/2 cup flax meal

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1 cup finely chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup Macadamia Purée (see above)

1/4 cup Pine Nut “Parmesan”

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

“Yogurt”

1-3/4 cups cashews, soaked 1–2 hours

1/2 cup coconut meat

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 garlic scapes

Jam

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted

1/4 shallot, chopped

1/2 Roma tomato, diced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-1/4 teaspoons raw agave

1/4 tablespoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes

Assembly

4 cups spinach

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Fennel bulb

Macadamia Purée Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until very smooth and creamy.

Pancakes