Raw Tempura Vegetable Sauce

This is one of my favorite new raw recipes. It's easy to make, and I think it really tastes great. In fact, I crave it. It gives me a little boost that seems just right in the late afternoons.

Raw Tempura Vegetable Sauce

1/2 C raw sunflower seeds, unsoaked
1 C raw cashews, unsoaked
1/2 C fresh lemon juice
1 t Redmond or Celtic salt
1/2 C olive oil
1 t Chinese Five Spice (star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, and black pepper)
1 C water

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender, pouring in the water slowly until you achieve the right consistency. (I usually pour in the whole cup of water at once, but can't guarantee you'll get a consistency you'll like.)

Spoon into a bowl for dipping broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery or any other firm, raw vegetable. You can refrigerate it for several days, if it's lasts that long.

You can also mix the sauce with vegetables and heat in a food dehydrator at 145°, spread on a Teflex sheet or parchment paper, for two hours. I enjoy this variation, but I am usually too impatient to wait to heat the vegetables!

Note: The original recipe comes from Gabriel Cousens' Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine. His recipe uses pistachios and pine nuts, which are better choices than the nuts I used, but cost somewhat more. He also uses 3 teaspoons of  salt rather than 1 teaspoon (3 teaspoons was too salty for my taste.)