For tonight’s homecooked meal (truly, my favorite way to spend a Friday or Saturday night these days), I decided to experiment with raw food.

First up, zucchini pasta made with my brand-new multi-blade mandoline (I have become obsessed with vegetable pasta over the past few weeks, since first eyeing it on Flickr and having my mind blown), tossed with pecan pesto and topped off with finely diced sweet red peppers and portobello mushroom steaks that have been pre-marinated and slow warmed. This was indescribably delicious. I was very impressed with texture and taste of the pasta, and I’m in love with the raw, marinated mushrooms!

As with my other experiences of raw food, this meal was surprisingly filling. It was also free of gluten, soy, and added salt.

For the portobello steaks
1 Portobello mushroom, sliced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp tarragon flakes
2 tsp garlic powder

1. Mix oil, tahini, cumin, tarragon, and garlic, in a bowl and stir thoroughly.

2. Slice the mushrooms slices, then immerse in marinade. Be sure all pieces are well covered and place in refrigerator to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

3. Dehydrate/cook in toaster oven or dehydrator at 118° for about 2 hours, or until they are tender and slightly browned (appearing as if they have been lightly sautéed).

For the pasta
2 medium zucchini
Stella’s pecan pesto

1. Make pesto according to recipe and set aside.

2. Peel zucchini and julienne using mandoline or spiralizer.

3. Fold pesto into zucchini until evenly distributed, top with portobello steaks and serve! You may have leftover pesto if you use the recipe above, in which case, lucky you! You can add some extra olive oil to keep it moist and put it in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

Serves two.