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Enjoy this served with cracked black pepper and an abundant sprinkling of ready-made vegan Parmesan. This recipe makes plenty of sauce. Use the leftovers as a dip or in any recipe calling for marina, including conventional pizza and pasta. You may freeze it, but it would lose some nutrients.

INGREDIENTS:

The Pasta:

4 zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds

The Marinara Sauce:

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (6 cups)

1 1/2 tablespoons fine minced onion

3 small cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon solar-dried sea salt (or substitute of choice) (see Note)

Pinch of pepper

1/4 cup Pine Nut Parmesan (see Basic Nut Cheese recipe) or

purchased vegan Parmesan cheese (see Note)

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the pasta: Transform the zucchini into noodles, ideally by using a spiral slicer, the Saladaco (see Note). You may also use a fine julienne slicer, such as the attachment in food processor, but the noodle shapes will not be as thin or fine.

For the sauce: Place dried tomatoes in a deep bowl and add warm water just to cover. Let stand for 15 minutes. Pour softened tomatoes into food processor and puree.

Place fresh tomatoes in a colander to allow any remaining liquid to drain. (Drink the wonderful juice or add it to another recipe.) When the tomatoes are thoroughly drained, put them in a food processor outfitted with the S blade, and pulse to chop. Do not over-process; the mixture should be slightly chunky.

Add the sun-dried tomato mixture, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and pulse to mix.

Let the sauce sit for at least 10 minutes to allow it to thicken. If it is still too wet when you're ready to assemble the pasta dish, drain off a little of the juice.

Pour the sauce over the spiral-cut zucchini, top with vegan Parmesan, toss and let stand for about 5 minutes for the flavors to fuse, and serve.

Serves 4

Note: The Saladaco is available on the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute Web site, visit rawfoodchef.com; or call (800) 816-2319, or (707) 964-2420.

Vegan Parmesan substitutes are available at most natural food stores under various brand names. Solar-dried sea salt is available at natural food stores.

PER SERVING: 100 calories, 5 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (0 saturated), 0 cholesterol, 211 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.

A high-power blender yields smoother cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups raw almonds or cashews or macadamia nuts (see Note for special preparation instructions)

1 cup or more Rejuvelac or 1 cup or more purified water and 1/4 teaspoon probiotic powder (see note)

Solar-dried sea salt (or other salt) to taste

2 tablespoons light miso (optional)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare your choice of nuts according to one of the instructions in the Note below.

Blend the prepared nuts and Rejuvelac in a high-powered blender, adding more Rejuvelac if necessary to achieve a smooth, creamy texture. Add the salt and blend in the miso, yeast and/or nutmeg, if using.

If making cashew cheese, scrape into a bowl and skip the following draining and weighting steps. If making almond or macadamia cheese, line a pint-size (or larger) strainer (a plastic berry basket works great), with cheesecloth, allowing several inches of the cloth to drape over the sides. Set the strainer on top of a small overturned cup or ramekin in a shallow baking dish, and pour the nut batter into the cheesecloth. Fold the excess cheesecloth over the top of the cheese.

Place the cheese in a warm (not hot) location such as over a radiator, near a stove or in an oven with a pan of hot water, to ferment for 8-12 hours. (Less fermentation time is required in warmer weather).

After about 2 hours of fermenting, place a weight on top of the cheese to help press out more of the excess liquid.

Taste after 8 hours. After the cheese has fermented to suit your tastes (you may like it more tangy, in which case leave it out for another 1-2 hours), it may be stored in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes 2 cups

Note: For almonds: Soak raw almonds in hot water for 5 minutes and peel before using to make cheese. The almond should easily pop out of the skin.

For macadamia nuts: You can use unsoaked, raw nuts if you have a high-powered blender. Otherwise, soak macadamia nuts for 6 hours and drain.

For cashews: You can use unsoaked, raw cashews if you have a high-powered blender. Otherwise, soak cashews for 2 hours, rinse and drain.

Rejuvelac is a bottled, fermented beverage made from wheat and rye sprouts. If you do not wish to use Rejuvelac, substitute 1 cup purified water with 1/8 teaspoon of probiotic powder per cup of Rejuvelac specified in recipe. Rejuvelac and probiotic powder are available at natural food stores.

Note: Celtic or solar-dried sea salt is available at natural food stores.

PER 2 TABLESPOONS: 105 calories, 4 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 10 g fat (1 saturated), 0 cholesterol, 2 sodium, 1 fiber.

This layered savory dish is made from vegan almond cheese. "I guarantee that if you make this for your guests, they will not guess it is raw and will doubt it is vegan," says chef-founder Cherie Soria of Living Light Culinary Arts Institute.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe Almond Cheese including optional seasonings (see Basic Nut Cheese recipe)

The Basil Pesto:

1 cup basil leaves tightly packed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt or other solar-dried sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the basil pesto: Place the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and salt in a food processor and puree, leaving it a little bit chunky. Chill for at least 1 hour.

To assemble the torte: Prepare a 3-cup mold by draping it with damp cheesecloth. Evenly pack 1/3 of the almond cheese into the bottom of the mold. Next, layer 1/2 of the pesto on top of the cheese. Firmly pack pesto into place. Evenly pack 1/3 of the remaining almond cheese on top of the pesto. Firmly pack the cheese evenly in place. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with a layer of cheese. Chill the torte for 1-2 hours before turning upside down on a serving plate and carefully removing the cheesecloth. Garnish with small leaves of basil on top and serve with crackers or vegetable crudites.

Serves 12 to 16

PER SERVING: 130 calories, 5 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 12 g fat (1 g saturated), 0 cholesterol, 152 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.