Tenth Day @ 105 Degrees

Today we continued our week by making a sprouted sesame wrap.  We soaked and sprouted the sesame seeds first.  They were then combined with zucchini, capsicum, tomato, basil cayenne pepper, nutritional yeast and flax meal.

Sprouted sesame wrap dehydrated

The shitake mushrooms were tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and nama shoyu, and they dehydrated.

Marinated shitake mushrooms

We then washed irish moss which was packaged dry.   This will later be blended up to make a paste for adding to recipes.

Cleaning and soaking irish moss

Irish moss


For lunch we assembled the sprouted sesame wraps.  First a smoked red pepper tahini sauce was made with tahini, lemon juice, smoked salt, capsicum and cayenne.

Sprouted sesame wrap and ingredients

Then the rest of the ingredients were built up.  Baby spinach, enoki mushrooms, julienned carrot, beetroot and cucumber, avocado and sprouts.

The sprouted sesame wrap ready to be rolled

Sprouted sesame wrap, shitake, avocado, sprouts, smoked red pepper tahini

Ninth Day @ 105 Degrees

The ninth day was a busy day and the week's theme is wraps and breads.  First, we took our dried almond pulp out of the dehydrator and ground it into flour which will be used in a recipe later in the week.

Almond flour

Our lunch today will be Tacos with Refried Beans, Guacomole and Sour Cream.  After a night of dehydrating, the tortillas are ready and pliable.

Tortillas after dehydrating


The first part of the recipe is the tomato sauce.  Using sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes,onion, lime juice, olive oil and garlic, we processed this mixture together and added it to the refried bean mix that had been dehydrated from the day before.

The tomato sauce


The guacamole is made as well as the salsa.  Also a sour cream is prepared.

Assembling the tortillas

First the tomato sauce with spicy bean mixture

Then the guacamole

Next comes the tomato and mango salsa

Topped with baby spinach

Lastly sour cream

Tacos with Refried Beans Guacomole and Sour Cream


After lunch we made pizza crust.  We were allowed to experiment with a base recipe.  Flax meal is the binder in the recipe and a cashew cheese is spread around a hollow in the crust.

Pizza crust with macademia cheese


The cheese is covered with another layer of crust, and I included some porcini powder for added flavour.

Topped with a porcini crust


The pizzas are then put into the dehydrator for about 48 hours.  Meanwhile, tomorrow we make a sprouted sesame wrap ...

Eighth Day @ 105 Degrees

Today, we finish making the kimchee dumplings with sesame ginger foam.  The ravioli wrappers that are used to make the kimchee dumplings had been dehydrated and ready to use.

Ravioli wrappers after dehydrating

The wrappers are thin and pliable.  We cut the wrappers into squares.

Ravioli wrappers cut into squares


Next, we made the kimchee filling.  This comprised of cashews, nama shoyu, sesame oil, tahini, agave and pre-made kimchee.

Kimchee filling


The filling was then placed onto the wrapper and the moisture from the filling enabled the wrapper to stick when folded.

Step-by-step folding kimchee dumplings 

Lastly, the sesame ginger foam was prepared using ginger juice, sesame oil, agave and lecithin.  This mixture was whipped with a stick blender and only the foam was used as condiment.

















Kimchee dumplings with sesame ginger foam


After a filling snack, we then started on Tacos with refried beans, guacamole and sour cream.  For the tortillas we processed zucchini, red capsicum, flax meal, lime juice, chilli powder, garlic, salt and cumin. This mixture was spread out on paraflex sheets and placed in the dehydrator.

Tortillas ready to be dehydrated

Next, the spicy "beans" were mixed.  This mixture included sunflower seeds, sun-dried tomatoes, dark miso, cumin, chilli powder, coriander, olive oil, dates, garlic powder, spring onions and fresh coriander.

Spicy "beans" mix


After processing, the spicy "bean" mix was placed on paraflex sheets and placed in the dehydrator.

Spicy "beans" ready for dehydrating

We will continue this recipe tomorrow ....

Seventh Day @ 105 Degrees

Today was a field trip and we travelled out to a local spring to collect spring water.  It was raining and armed with plastic and glass bottles we filled up while Russell, our instructor, showed us an instrument called a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter for measuring the purity of water.

We returned to the academy, wet and hungry and proceeded to make a seaweed salad.  First arame seaweed is soaked in water for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, we julienned the beet, cucumber and apple.  A thinly sliced piece of watermelon radish was also softened in sesame oil and salt.  We then peeled an orange and cut into segments. In culinary terms, these are called citrus "supremes".  A dressing was also made with a juice of an orange, tahini, nama shoyu, sesame oil, agave, apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

Preparing for seaweed salad


A handful of salad greens are mixed with the other ingredients.

Salad ingredients mixed together 


Some of the dressing is mixed in as well as the orange segments.  The dressing is my favourite so far.  It consists of the juice of an orange, tahini, nama shoyu, sesame oil, agave, apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

Salad dressing and oranges segments added


A steel ring mould (or form) is placed in the middle of the plate (no photo) and the ingredients are placed inside.  The mould is removed and the salad is formed.  The remaining dressing is poured around the salad and black sesame seeds are sprinkled on top.

Finished seaweed salad

The kale chips are dehydrated and ready to eat.

Kale chips dehydrated

Sixth Day @ 105 Degrees

Today we started making the wrappers for the Kimchee Dumplings with Sesame Ginger Foam.  These are served in the restaurant and was the first dish we tasted when we arrived at 105. We will be using some of our kimchee we made last week.

The first step is to chop the coconut meat we had left over from our coconut opening day. This is blended in the Vitamix with beet juice and also spinach juice.

Colouring coconut mixture


The coconut mixture is spread over the paraflex sheets with a metal spatula.  They are then dehydrated for 4-5 hours.

Beetroot coloured kimchee wrapper ready to dehydrate

Spinach coloured kimchee wrapper ready to dehydrate


The next dish was Kale Chips.  We tore the kale into small pieces and then made a sour cream base recipe using cashews, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, water and salt.  To this we decided what ingredients we wished to add to make our own special kale chip flavour.

I chose a Thai theme and added tamarind paste, basil, red onion garlic, smoked salt, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, ginger, nama shoyu, thai chilli, red dried chillies and black pepper.

These kale chips were then put into the dehydrator for 3-4 hours.

Sour cream mixture rubbed into kale






















Kale spread on mat ready for dehydrating


Lastly, we made Sushi Rolls for lunch.  We prepared the elements that are used in the dish (this is called mis en place).

Mis en place

First, we marinated a few shitake mushrooms in olive oil and nama shoyu.

Shitake mushrooms marinating


Then, we cut a  cup of jicama and chopped in a mini food processor until the consistency of rice.  The jicama was then placed in a nut bag and the water was strained out.


















Jicama ready to use

Then, we learned how to place ingredients onto the nori sheet (the sheet should actually be close to the front edge of the mat).  Jicama rice, black sesame seed and avocado (with the edges hanging over ends) were placed first.

Sushi development

Then, cucumber strips, red bell pepper, sunflower greens, spring onions and shitake mushrooms are added.

Ready to roll sushi


The sushi is rolled and end sealed with water.

Sushi roll complete


Two dipping sauces complete the dish.  Nama shoyu and an orange, nama shoyu and tahini dipping sauce.

Nori roll cut and presented


After lunch I ordered a Mango Creamsicle.