I admit fully to having my doubts about this dish. But it was actually amazing. Different, for sure, with unexpected flavors and textures. I was incredibly impressed, and, when I had unexpected visitors and this was all I had on hand to put out, they all asked for seconds!! Definitely a good meal to include in a raw diet, where it’s nice to have something different that feels a little more hearty. Oh! Did I mention that this is from Eat Raw, Eat Well again? I have NOT moved past the recipe stage of raw eating, since I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing at all, even with a recipe.

That said: make this for sure.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in 2 cups of water, covered, 8 hours in the fridge.
• 1/2 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in 1 cup of water, covered, for 30 minutes.
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp. raw agave nectar
• 1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch ground pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup of sweet potato strips (spiralized sweet potato)
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, process chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of their soaking liquid, until smooth.
2. Add agave, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, pepper and cayenne and process until incorporated.
3. Transfer to a bowl. Add sweet potato,  cilantro, carrot, bell pepper, and chickpeas and stir well.
4. Transfer to a shallow casserole -type dish and dehydrate at 105 F for 30 minutes, until mixture is warmed through.