Generally speaking, I’m not into the raw food movement.  Years of self-healing within the Ayurvedic and TCM systems have seen me lean toward cooked foods as the bulk of a diet, raw foods a condiment.  But.  Taste-wise, I can certainly make a defence for raw foods! For the purposes of cooking class, raw gastronomy is an assignment and this was incredibly yummy result.  A base recipe nut pâté that can be whipped up on the weekend and then reworked in an infinite variety of ways to yield different flavor profiles throughout the week.

Yield: 1-1/2 cups of pâté

What you need for the pâté:

• 1-1/2 cups raw almonds
• 1/4  cup raw sesame seeds, unhulled preferred
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons sweet brown rice vinegar
• 1 or 2 tablespoons dulse seaweed, finely chopped
• 2 umeboshi plums, stones removed

What you do for the pâté:

1. Soak the almonds in lots of fresh water to cover for 8 to 12 hours.  Remove the skins by rubbing them between your fingers.  Rinse the peeled almonds and set aside.
2. Run all the ingredients together through a (strong) juicer that has a nut butter option.  Alternatively, if you have access to fancy kitchen gear, a Blixer would work great.  If neither is possible, then go the food processor route – but the result won’t be as smooth.  Just take your time, add extra water by the tablespoonful as necessary, and stop often to let the motor cool down and scrape the sides.  Add the least amount of liquid possible in order to obtain a really thick paste.                            
3. That’s it.  Transfer to a bowl and eat as is or seasoned.  It’s nice on crackers, rolled into wraps or seaweed, or thinned in a blender with raw nut milk to make a raw sauce for veggie noodles, slaw or to coat kale chips prior to dehydration.

What you need for the 3-Way variations:

Variation #1 – East-Influenced:

• 1/2 cup of basic raw pâté
• Finely chopped kimchee to taste
• Minced scallions to taste (optional)
• Nori seaweed flakes to taste (optional)

Variation #2 – Curry’n’Corn:

• 1/2  cup of basic raw pâté
• 1/2 teaspoon of S&B Oriental Curry Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Freeze-dried corn, thawed, minced, to taste

Variation #3 – Herbs and Olives:

• 1/2 cup of basic raw pâté
• 1 teaspoon raw fermented Dijon-style mustard (optional, but recommended)
• 1/4 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano and onion powder
• Finley chopped olives to taste
• Minced capers to taste

What you do for the 3-Way variations:

1. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together well with a fork until the mixture is smooth and uniform.  Use as desired.