Well, not really refried beans – soaked sunflower seeds actually –  but they sure do taste refried bean-y!  This is a great RAW recipe that’s heartier and sticks to the ribs a bit, which is an important division of living foods.  Not so heavy it won’t refresh, I think this would make a delightful summer supper after a long day of play.  Serve it up right with homemade Pico de Gallo salsa and fresh guacamole, and you’ll never know you’re mowing on minced sunflower seeds instead of traditional pintos.  It’s sort of perfection: miniature, healthy burritos!  Olé!

I wish I could take credit for this creation, but I’m still new to this RAW game and only just learning the infinite tastes and textures associated with the cuisine.  So this is not one of my own concoctions.  The original recipe is by Terces Engelhart, but comes to me by way of my uncooking teacher, Laurie.  Like many RAW recipes, it does require some foresight.  But thats okay, right?  We all like thinking and planning for delicious food!  And really, the ‘decision deadline’ is only 5 hours out.

Ingredients

8 sun dried tomato halves (dried, not ‘in oil’)

2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1/4 cup packed cilantro with stems, chopped

1/4 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

Instructions

In separate bowls, cover the sun dried tomatoes and sunflower seeds with water and let soak for at least 4 hours.  When finished, save the tomato water.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add the drained sunflower seeds and sun dried tomatoes and purée to a smooth paste, using the reserved tomato water to thin as needed.  You may want to save a few tablespoons of the seeds to mix in at the end for a chunkier texture.  Now, place all the rest of the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor or blender, and continue to purée until well mixed.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

You can either serve this pâté as a dip, or in a collard greens wrap like I did.  For a wrap, choose a nice large leaf and trim the stem (and only the stem) a good portion of the way up.  Spoon the pâté onto the leaf and top with your favorite veggies – I tried various combinations of cilantro, onions, red peppers, green beans, and avocado.  Then, just roll it up tight-like, and enjoy!

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Tags: gluten-free, RAW

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