Raw food pasta; What do I need to make raw vegetable pasta?

I was never fond of the traditional pasta noodles; It was simply too much flour for my taste. Imagine my happiness when I stumbled upon real veggie pasta…

Now granted, I’d made my own veggie pasta over the years. I have a manual Atlas Pasta machine. During that time, I’ve cranked out many sheets of traditional spaghetti and pasta noodles. To make it healthier, I would add real veggies to my ingredients. I enjoyed the taste, not to mention the added vegetables brightened up my pasta too.

I started researching raw foods a few years ago. I didn’t have any health related issues, and I didn’t need to lose weight. As a whole food vegan, I was very healthy. In fact, according to my health care provider I was in phenomenal health! However, I noticed when I upped my intake of raw foods even more, I felt even better, and I no longer needed to wear glasses.

Up until that time, I didn’t think feeling better than I already felt was possible. I thought I was at the top healthwise. During my quest to learn more about raw foods, and the creative ways things you could make with raw food dishes I stumbled upon pasta made from vegetables and the traditional methods I used to make pasta, was history.

Fresh from the garden

I’m truly blessed all the ingredients that went into  my above photo of my raw vegetable pasta came straight from our vegetable garden; yellow squash, yellow onions, garlic, red bell peppers, and the lemon balm and oregano that were added as a garnish (after I took this picture.)

 What kitchen appliance do I need to make the raw vegetable pasta?

Finding the right kitchen gadget to make the raw vegetable pasta wasn’t too difficult. I  bought the Saladacco,but didn’t like it at all. It only made angel hair pasta. I wanted more options. However, I did additional research and found a great raw pasta noodle maker that made the traditional pasta, angel hair pasta, and made the flat pasta too! That was perfect for raw lasagna! These days, the spiral vegetable slicer I use exclusively is the Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer. Thanks to this slicer, I can make vegetable pasta in minutes. The time is a lot shorter than cooking the pasta, and depending on what you marinate it with, it can mimic your “traditional pasta”.

Plastic spiral vegetable slicer

The only difference its made from vegetables. Compared to some of my other kitchen gadgets, the plastic spiral vegetable slicer is simple to use. However I do think it’s a must have tool for not only a raw food kitchen, but those who are looking for additional ways to spice up traditional pasta. If you’re trying to sneak in additional vegetables into your daily intake you might want to consider this approach.

Sharing raw foods with others

My daughter occasionally has play dates; a favorite food for her friends is spaghetti. I tend to make traditional homemade pastas when her friends come to visit. They love my homemade vegan pizzas, and vegan eggless eggrolls too but I think pasta has to be their favorite. It has everything to do with the amount of slurping they can do with the noodles. Her friends are so easy to please.

When I prepare pasta for my daughter and myself, the pasta is all raw, however, when serving it for the guest’s I’ll make traditional pasta. Their pasta is half and half; I serve 1/2 traditional pasta, and the other 1/2 veggie pasta. I combine the two and they gobble it up. I always tell their parents before I’m doing it, and they have been very happy since it’s a great way to sneak more veggies into their children’s diet. A few of their parents have purchased the spiralizer for themselves. Although they aren’t Vegan, let alone veggie, it’s a simple way they can include more vegetables into their dietary requirements, the added bonus is they all love it.

My daughter’s friends help me make the pasta. Since it’s  something they obviously enjoy I continue to include their help in our meal preparations. Naturally, their “help” can leave a lot of work for myself, but that’s ok. It’s great to get children involved in cooking, and it’s nice to see them eager about including healthy choices into their eating routine.

At times, they argue about whose turn it is to make the raw veggie pasta. I make them all take turns, but at times It’s hard for them to share. I tend to make extra. This way,  they can take some of the fresh veggie pasta home to share with their families too. The longest I’ve kept my veggie pasta was five days, it’s usually gone before that time.

Regarding the pasta I’ve sent home with my daughter’s friends, I’ve received positive reviews from their families. I really enjoy that, since I know I’m not preaching to the choir. When it comes to my food habits, we’re in the minority. We’re Vegan, they’re not and that’s ok!  I don’t try to force my view onto others, however occasionally you’ll see me entice them with some healthy alternatives to processed foods. 🙂

Realizing the importance of nutrition, those times we spend in the kitchen always have a simple nutritional lesson too. Children are like sponges, and tend to absorb whatever they receive, so it makes sense to provide them with helpful information. Those discussions conducted in our home, has prodded their parents to ask me for additional information focused on health.

As I mentioned earlier, I tend to include my daughter in a lot of my vegan food adventures. It’s another way to bond with her, and it’s a great chance to educate her about the variety of foods available and the effects food can have on our health.  I’m raising her to be nutritionally smart. As my daughter gets older, I hope she continues to make sound nutritional choices and enjoys having fun in the kitchen.

Raw food video: How to make raw pasta with Jennifer Cornbleet

If you’d like to see a how to tutorial for making raw pasta please check out the above. I really like Jennifer Cornbleet’s bubbly personality. You can learn more about her by visiting her raw food website. Eventually I’ll start adding food videos on my site. I definitely have the equipment, and I use the truly amazing Final Cut Studio for my video editing. I simply need to find the time to make videos for my personal sites.

Although the plastic spiral vegetable slicer didn’t cost much, it’s one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.

Question: What are some of your favorite kitchen gadgets?