Rice is my bread and butter but wild rice is one of my favorite ingredients in raw cooking. I always keep some in my pantry. This raw vegan carbonara risotto with green peas is a variation of my raw vegan Zughetti alla Carbonara recipe I posted previously. It’s just a carbonara flavored wild rice risotto. The rice and the carbonara cream sauce makes it hearty and satiating. It’s a great dinner option when you want something a little more substantial for dinner.
To make this recipe, you need to prep the wild rice by soaking or blooming it. But let me quickly touch on wild rice in case you aren’t familiar with it. Though wild rice is named “rice”, it is a water-grass seed, not a grain. It is packed with protein, anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals, and has a nutty flavor. For raw cooking, you prepare the rice by “scoring” and then blooming it (soaking), which results in a nice al dente texture. Check out how to bloom the wild rice here. I recommend starting to soak the cashews for the carbonara sauce 2-4 hours before you are finished soaking the wild rice, so that it will be ready to go all at once. When the wild rice and cashews are done soaking, drain and rinse well. Transfer the wild rice into a bowl. You will also need coconut bacon for this recipe. If you don’t have some pre-made, prepare the coconut bacon a day ahead with the wild rice prep. Here’s the coconut bacon recipe.
Blend up the ingredients for the carbonara sauce in the blender. Pour the sauce all over the wild rice.
Mix it up well and add in the green peas. Toss well. If you own a dehydrator and would like to warm it up, you can lay out the rice on the dehydrator tray lined with a silicone sheet, and stick it in the dehydrator for a couple of hours on 115℉ (46℃).
Mix in half of the coconut bacon right before serving so it remains crunchy.
Top it with some more green peas, coconut bacon, chopped parsley, and finish it off with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.
Voila! Super hearty raw carbonara risotto ready to be eaten! Enjoy!
- ½ bag of 1lb bag wild rice
- ½ cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup coconut bacon to mix in the wild rice
- ½ cup coconut bacon for garnish
- Some roughly chopped parsley for garnish
- Some nutritional yeast for garnish
- 1¼ cups cashews
- ⅓ cup coconut bacon
- 2½ teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 2½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon black salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup water or more as you need
- Score the wild rice for one full minute in the food processor. You have to continuously keep it running, so no pulsing here. FYI, it can be quite loud so I usually get out of the kitchen while it's scoring. When it's done, make sure the wild rice is covered with black powder. If it's not, it's a sign it's not scored enough so keep it running a little longer.
- Rinse the wild rice well under water until the water turns clear.
- Place it into a large mason jar like the half gallon size, or a very large bowl. Pour in enough water to soak and cover it. Let it sit for 12-18 hours. Caution: Make sure the jar or bowl you use has enough room for the rice to expand 2.5 - 3 times.
- Start soaking the cashews for the carbonara sauce 2-4 hours before you are finished blooming the rice, so that everything is ready to go when the wild rice is ready.
- Once the rice is bloomed, rinse and drain. Transfer the wild rice into a large bowl.
- Soak the cashews for 2-4 hours. Drain and rinse well.
- Add the ingredients for the carbonara sauce into the blender, and blend until smooth. If you are using a Vitamix, use the tamper to make the sauce nice and smooth. If you are using a normal blender and having a hard time getting it smooth, add a little bit of water at a time until it blends into a smooth cream. You only want to use the minimum amount of water to make it smooth and no more.
- Mix the carbonara sauce into the wild rice, and toss well until the sauce evenly coats all the rice. Add the green peas and toss well.
- If you own a dehydrator, line the tray with a mesh sheet, then a silicone sheet. Spread out the wild rice mixture thinly and evenly and dry it at 115℉ (46℃) for 2 hours.
- Mix in half of the coconut bacon right before serving.
- Top it with some more green peas, rest of the coconut bacon, chopped parsley, and finish it off with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.
- Serve immediately.
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Keeps for 4 days.
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