Creamy Garden Vegetable Soup

 

     Sometimes I go on these crazy cooking sprees where I create dishes with interesting flavor combinations while dancing around the kitchen singing the song from Lady And The Tramp that plays when Lady and the Tramp fall in love over a plate of spaghetti... THAT'S AMORE!(You know the one).

(http://www.world-wide-art.com/Chris_Dellorco/Lady_and_the_Tramp_Thats_Amore_Suite_Original/vaid37916.html)

     Other times I make a big pot of soup so I don't have to cook for a week. Today was one of those times.

     I love soup year round, but there's something special about sitting down with a big bowl of soup in the middle of winter. I switched up my typical vegetable soup recipe just a little bit by blending it with an immersion blender to add creaminess to the soup.

 

Creamy Garden Vegetable Soup

 



(Makes: one big pot)
Ingredients:

-2 carrots
-1 stalk of celery
-1/2 onion
-2 small red or 1 russet potato
-6 cloves garlic
-8 cups veggie broth
-1 can(14.5 or so oz.) diced tomatoes
-1 can(6 oz.) tomato paste
-3 cups frozen veggies(mine contained corn, peas, green beans, lima beans and carrots)
-1 can beans(I used pinto because that's what I had)
-Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place a large pot over medium-low heat. Chop carrots, celery, onion and potatoes into similarly sized pieces and mince garlic. Sauté in a little bit of olive oil for about 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Add remaining ingredients except for beans and cook on high until boiling. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about an hour stirring occasionally. Add beans and simmer for another half hour or so.  You can eat as is, or blend for a creamier soup. I used an immersion blender, but left the soup somewhat chunky. Alternatively you could also blend half the soup in a blender and stir back into the pot.

Raw Berry Chocolatey Banana Pie

Raw Berry Chocolatey Banana Pie

      This pie is berry chocolatey. Get it? Very chocolatey, but with berries. *Wink, wink*.

 

 

     I love raw things. I just feel better about eating a dessert that utilizes natural sweeteners such as banana's, and semi-natural one's like agave. And with my work schedule, school(thank God for my College's 6 week winter break) and everything else I have going on, sometimes I NEED dessert. Not want. Need. And I'm sure you do too. In fact you deserve it. Not only is this pie delicious(just look at that beut!), but it requires no baking(as raw foods tend not to), and it's packed full of fruit, chia seeds and nuts, so you can feel good about eating it.



Ingredients:

Filling:
-1 1/2 cups berries(I used 1/2 cup each: frozen blueberries, blackberries and strawberries)
-1 banana
-2 Tbs. coconut oil or coconut butter
-1 cup non-dairy milk
-5 Tbs.(1/4 cup and 1 Tbs.) cocoa powder
-3 Tbs. chia seeds
-1 Tbs. agave nectar
-1 tsp. vanilla
-Pinch salt


Crust:
-2 cups raw nuts(I used almonds and pecans)
-1 Tbs. coconut oil or coconut butter
-2 Tbs. flax seeds
-1 Tbs. agave
-1 tsp. vanilla

Raw Chocolate:
-1 Tbs. agave
-1/4 cup cocoa
-3 Tbs. coconut oil
-Pinch salt

Method:

For Filling:
Blend all filling ingredients in a vita-mix if you have one, or blender or food processer until smooth. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight to allow the chia seeds time to thicken the mixture into a pudding like consistency.

For Crust:
Pulse crust ingredients until the mixture has reached desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky. Press into a pie pan. When your filling is ready, pour into crust and freeze for a couple hours before serving.


Decorate with raw chocolate drizzle or raw chocolate covered berries.


For Raw Chocolate:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. I stir mine in a bowl set over a larger bowl of hot water to thin it out and make the chocolate possible to drizzle or dip berries in it.

-If not serving right away, I like to store in freezer, but let defrost for 20 minutes or so before I eat it.

Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Oatmeal

I've already posted on my love for all things oatmeal raisin on my Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Granola post, but what that post didn't cover is my love for raw recipes.

"Why?" you ask.

Well, not only are raw foods usually very simple to throw together, requiring less active prep time(since you don't have to cook it), but eating raw is often the best way to get optimum nutrition from your food because cooking can break down and destroy the enzymes food contains.

I like cooked food, but it's fun to incorporate raw recipes into my diet. And I love cooked oatmeal, but this raw oatmeal recipe is a nice way to spice things up and add a little variety. Variety along with cinnamon are the spices of life you know. This recipe contains both.

Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Oatmeal

(Makes one large serving)
Ingredients:


-1 cup non-dairy milk of choice(for a truly raw recipe I like to make my own almond flax milk)
-1/2 cup steel cut oats or oat groats
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1/4 tsp. cinnamon
-Pinch salt
-1 scoop stevia(my bottle came with a little scoop. If yours did not, or if you're using liquid, add a very, very small amount at a time and taste)
-1 Tbs. chia seeds
-Optional: 1 tsp. lucuma powder(it has a sweet, slightly caramel flavor. If you omit, you may need to add more sweetener)

-Toppings such as raisins and almonds


Method:


Combine all ingredients except for toppings in a bowl. Cover and let soak in refrigerator overnight, or at least a few hours. Sprinkle with toppings of choice and enjoy!

Warm Roasted Potato, Beet & Butternut Squash Salad

For me, the popular dish Potato Salad conjures up images of church picnics and summer pot lucks when I was a child. I used to love potato salad the way my mom made it, with lots of mustard, pickles and hard boiled eggs, tucked perfectly into an ice chest for a day at the lake or a pot luck at the park.

This potato salad is all dolled up and ready for a night out on the town with the addition of roasted beets, butternut squash and herbs, and a light, warm mustard vinaigrette dressing. I still get my mustard fix(I used to eat the stuff plain or stir it into my mashed potato's as a kid. *Cringe*, I know), but I sub Dijon mustard for its common yellow cousin. And vinegar gives the dish the same delightful tang of pickles.

Warm Roasted Potato, Beet & Butternut Squash Salad

Ingredients:

- 2 beets, washed, peeled and diced (I actually tend to not peel them because it's messy and mine were organic, but I guess most people do peel theirs, so I leave the life altering decision to your discretion)
-2 potatoes, diced(I used 1 Russet and a couple small reds)
-1/4 of a butternut squash(about 2 cups), diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 onion, diced
-1 Tbs. olive oil

For Dressing:

-1 1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
-1 Tbs. vinegar(I used apple cider vinegar, but would have subbed red wine vinegar if I had any on hand)
-A handful fresh rosemary(or maybe about a Tbs. dried)
-2 tsp. thyme
-1/2 tsp, dill
-1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all vegetables and oil in a large bowl, then divide between 2 baking sheets. Roast for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Meanwhile prepare dressing by whisking all dressing ingredients in a bowl.

When veggies are done, pour into a large bowl and immediately toss with dressing. This dish is delicious warm, room temperature or cold. You have choices!

Creamy & Tangy Secret Ingredient Pasta Sauce

I've been a little squash obsessed recently. There are just so many varieties and it's the perfect fall food. Even though California holds onto that summer warmth until November, this year I'm hoping for early gray skies, colored leaves, and some October sweater weather. I will it. I've even accessorized with scarves at least a few times a week in the 100 degrees Fahrenheit weather, just to protest these Californian 8 month summers. It's a travesty.

End rant.

Anywho, as you've probably ascertained, the secret ingredient in the pasta sauce is... squash! Specifically of the butternut variety. A delicious food with a very fun name. Come on, say it with me: butter nut, butternut, butternutbutternutbutternutbutternut! It's just fun to say. And this pasta sauce is equally fun to eat.

Pureed squash adds creaminess(without fat), to this recipe and lends a very pretty pale orange coloration. I also add cauliflower because... why not? Lemon juice lightens up the flavor while adding some tang. Try this recipe. It's super healthy, super delicious.

After devouring my first attempt at this recipe I had to go back to the store and pick up another squash and make more pasta sauce. I had to. To perfect the recipe and make it blog ready obviously.

Creamy & Tangy Secret Ingredient Pasta Sauce

(Makes 3 cups sauce)
Ingredients:

-1/2 a butternut squash, cubed(I like to cube and roast the other half with mixed veggies and add to pasta and sauce)
-2 cups cauliflower florets
-1 cup non-dairy milk
-1/4 cup nutritional yeast
-1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
-1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
-1 1/2 tsp. salt
-1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
-3 cloves garlic, diced
-1 lemon
- Optional: 1 Tbs. olive oil(I used it the first time I made the recipe and omitted it the second without noticing much of a difference)


Method:

Steam squash and cauliflower until tender. Meanwhile puree all other ingredients in vita-mix(or blender/food processor). Add steamed veggies and puree until smooth. Serve over pasta and roasted veggies.

Chick Pea Brownies

I'm sure I've said this before as a good number of my recipe's are, at first glance... odd. Think: Quinoa Granola, Hot Chocolate Pancakes with zucchini, Avocado Alfredo. The list goes on and on. But trust me these are good. They are. Really.

I first came upon a recipe for black bean brownies a couple of years ago and was instantly intrigued. Ecstatic really. I have this strange disorder in which I impulsively add random fruits and vegetables to everything I make, including desserts, so a recipe in which black beans took the place of flour was enough to send my little health nerd heart a flutter. Imagine my disappointment when the end result was gummy and tasted awkwardly of beans. Not one to be easily deterred it took about 12 more hideously failed attempts before I threw in the towel.

Fast forward a couple years and what do I come upon whilst trolling one of my favorite food blogs, but a recipe for my mortal nemesis: The Black Bean Brownie. He was fudgy and chocolaty, and decadent looking, shamelessly mocking me from my computer screen. I could not let him win. So I strapped on my imaginary Super Vegan cape and chefs hat and it was off to the kitchen I went.

(Pictured in a sundae with my "Pumpkin" Pie Ice Cream(recipe coming soon) and cacao nibs)


Imagine my distress when I realized that black beans I had not. Enter Super Vegan inspiration! I HAD JUST MADE A BATCH OF CHICK PEAS!(Okay okay it was actually my mom who made them, but regardless). Maybe the mildness of chick peas(also called garbanzo beans) would help quell the unpleasant beany flavor I experienced in my previous encounters with these brownies. And it worked!... Well on my second try. The first I don't really want to talk about it. Let's just leave it at two words: hot mess.

These brownies are fudgy, chocolaty and decedent. They are "healthy brownies" though so don't expect them to taste like their oil and processed sugar filled cousins. My Chick Pea Brownies are their own thing, and I promise they're good. If you'd like, mix in some chocolate chips for extra chocolaty-ness.

Chick Pea Brownies

Ingredients:

-1 Tbs. Vanilla
-1 15 oz. Can Chick Peas
-1 Tbs. Nut Butter(I used almond, though if I had had peanut butter I probs would have used that)
-1/2 of a Small Avocado(Stop looking at me like that. It's good! Trust me on this.)
-1/3 cup Raisins soaked for 10 minutes or so and blended in food processor with 2 Tbs. Soaking Liquid
-1/2 tsp. Salt
-1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
-1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
-2/3 cup Cocoa
-1/4 cup Brown Rice Syrup
-Optional: 1 packet Stevia or more syrup if more sweetness is desired
-Optional: Chocolate chips

Method:

Pre heat oven to 350 degreed Fahrenheit. Blend all ingredients save for cocoa powder in a food processor until very smooth. Add cocoa powder and pulse until combined. You can try it at this point to see if you want it sweeter, but fair warning, it kind of tastes like sweet hummus at this point. Mix in chocolate chips if desired. Pour into a lined and greased 8x8 inch pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they feel firm. DO NOT TASTE UNTIL COMPLETELY COOL. The texture improves significantly and the flavor gets much better as they cool.

More-Quinoa-Please Granola

I love crunchy granola. The secret to this granola's super crunch lies in the addition of uncooked quinoa. This may sound a bit strange at first. It's not.

After trying this recipe out, I have become a crunchy quinoa-a-holic. I have plans for raw quinoa energy balls, quinoa crispy treats, crunchy quinoa cookies, and my ever present recipe for world domination has been rewritten to include uncooked quinoa.

Do not be deterred by this recipes long ingredient list. The process is super simple. You basically just throw all the ingredients in a bowl, press into a pan and bake. And voila! You have a CRUNCH!-tastic batch of world domination worthy granola.

 

 

More-Quinoa-Please Granola
 
 
Ingredients:


-1/3 cup applesauce
-1 Tbs. coconut butter
-2 Tbs. brown rice syrup
-2 Tbs. coconut sugar
-1 Tbs. agave nectar
-1 Tbs. nut butter
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. almond extract
-2 Tbs. flax seeds
-1 tsp. vanilla
-2 Tbs. chia seeds
-2 1/2 cups oats
-1/2 cup quinoa
-1/4 cup oat flour
-1 cup roughly chopped almonds(I like mine raw, but use whatever you prefer)
-1 cup raisins
-1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
-1 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut


Method:


Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse quinoa in a strainer under running water for a couple minutes(this gets rid of the sometimes bitter aftertaste quinoa can have). Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in dry ingredients. Press into a lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray like you would granola bars. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and break granola into pieces. Bake for and additional 10 minutes. I like to stir in the almonds, dried fruit and coconut during the last 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before storing in a plastic bag or glass jar.