Raw Vegan Chili

Lissa has been having a Raw Food Romance for the past two-and-a-half years, thriving in the winters while living on mostly fruit and greens as part of a low-fat raw vegan diet. After losing 70 pounds and healing countless health complaints, she embarked on a journey to help others experience their true healing potential. Her creative personality has led to some wonderful recipes that help so many to stick to a raw diet when dealing with cravings. With more books to be written, Lissa is excited to see how many people she can inspire and the beautiful souls she will meet along the way.

Ingredients

Chili Base

• 4 to 5 mushrooms
• 1 zucchini
• 20 to 30 grape tomatoes
• ½ red bell pepper
• ½ a small yellow onion
• ½ cup of lentil sprouts
• Non-GMO corn
• Coconut aminos (optional)
• Lemon juice
• Seasonings, to taste
  • Chili powder
  • Cumin
  • Oregano
  • Garlic powder

“Sour Cream”

• 1 cup of cashews, soaked
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• Small amount of water

Chili Sauce

• ½ red bell pepper
• 3 small tomatoes
• 8 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes (no oil)
• 6 dates
• 2 cloves of garlic (optional)
• A small piece from 1 chili pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• Fresh oregano
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt
• ½ teaspoon of cumin
• Water as needed to desired consistency

Watch a Video of Melissa Raimondi Preparing Raw Vegan Chili

Directions

• Chop four or five mushrooms, a zucchini, 20 to 30 grape tomatoes, half of a red bell pepper and half a small yellow onion into very small cubes and allow to marinate in a bowl with half a cup of lentil sprouts and fresh raw non-GMO corn in a little bit of coconut aminos (optional), lemon juice, chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic powder, all to taste and optional depending on your sensitivities to spices. Place the bowl in the dehydrator, a sunny spot on your counter or your stove with only the inside light on for warmth for a few hours to warm up and marinate. Just don’t put them in the fridge—you don’t want them cold.
• Blend a cup of soaked cashews (soaked for four to five hours) with the juice of a lemon and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Add a small amount of water to blend but keep it fairly thick. This is the “sour cream.” Once blended and supercreamy, place in your fridge for an hour or more. As the “sour cream” is high fat, you will have enough for a few days’ worth to use in dinners, dressings or dips. You may also halve the recipe if you want to make less.
• Right before you make the chili sauce, drain the marinade out of the chopped vegetables.
• Make the chili sauce. It’s half the rest of the bell pepper, about three small tomatoes, eight pieces of sun-dried tomatoes (no oil), six dates, two cloves of garlic (optional), a small piece of chilli pepper (optional), a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of smoked paprika, fresh oregano, half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of cumin. Add water to consistency—about half a cup but play around with it. Start slowly—you want the sauce to be fairly thick. Blend the sauce for about 5 to 6 minutes on high in your Vitamix or other blender. It will get warm. Measure temperature with a thermometer and don’t let it go over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Adjust seasonings as you go, if desired.
• Pour sauce into the bowl with veggies. Stir. “OMG, yum!” Lissa says.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and get sour cream from the fridge. Put a few scoops on the top of your chili and top with freshly chopped green onion.
• “Go to heaven eating it,” Lissa says. “And then wish you had made more.” 🙂