The Soup Season - Raw carrot soup with yogurt and dill

Break out the VITAMIX and start adding raw soups to your daily diet. Raw soups are different from juicing as they include the fiber. Make sure you peel and wash before adding to the blender! These are really satisfying in the winter!

RAW CARROT SOUP with yogurt and dill

5 carrots-washed and peeled, the ends nipped off and cut into 2" pieces
1 onion-peeled and quartered
6+ cloves of roasted garlic with the oil (if you are a purest and want to use raw only, add 2 garlic cloves, or to taste)
2 stalks celery, washed and cut into 2" pieces
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chopped basil ( fresh if you have it)
3 cups filtered water
salt and pepper to taste
Splash of olive oil or oil of choice

Add before serving:
Dollup of plain greek yogurt
sprinkle of dill

Put everything in the VITAMIX except the spices and whirl on medium until blended.
Then keep blending for 2 min more and add spices while blending. At the very end, add the oil and whirl it a bit more.

Remember if you blend on high with the VITAMIX it will 'cook' the soup in just 4 minutes, so be careful! The motor is so fast that it will literally take the mixture to a boil!

This makes enough for several portions so I divide it out and stock it in the fridge. Since it's a raw soup it doesn't need to be 'heated' to eat, so it's a great dish to take to work for lunch. This soup is great with Trader Joe's seaweed chips, or more celery stalks, and you can put a dollup of plain yogurt on it to doll it up and a sprinkle of dill.

If you like a thinner soup, just add more water. You can also add some vegetable bullion if you want more flavor but I find it really tasty like this.

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms - Raw Recipe

I made a cooked version the other night and then thought it could be easily adapted to raw. I was right!

3-4 Large Portabello Mushrooms - stems removed (and reserved for something else)
In a bowl with a lid, layer the mushroom caps with olive oil, balsamic vinegar. Cover and turn every few minutes while making the stuffing. Allow to marinate at least an hour, or overnight.

Stuffing:
Chop baby spinach leaves - a couple of handfuls
6 sprigs of fresh cilantro-chopped
4 leaves of basil - chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried cherries
(or you can use raisins)
Balsamic vinegar and olive oil
salt, pepper, sprinkle of red peppers or cayenne to taste
Allow to marinate about an hour
then add:
1/2 cup feta cheese

Stuff the mushroom caps, and add some fresh raspberries to the top and serve!
Yummy
And this is great the next day for a lunch on the go.

Fresh Corn Salad

Fresh corn, taken off the cob. About 6 cobs worth or more.

Put in simmering water for a few minutes only, drain. (optional) I like the corn just a little softer than raw.

Add:

1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

2 tsp garlic chopped fine, 2-3 cloves

2 peppers, one red, one orange, seeded and chopped fine

3 avocados, chopped chunky

2 limes, juiced

olive oil to taste

This is a lovely fresh salad that a friend just made. We've made it twice now-and it's great the next day for lunch too. You can wash big leaves of spinach and make little rollups if you want to go fancier for a luncheon.

Raw-ish Quinoa salad

Red Quinoa - prepare whole box as on box 

1 orange pepper, chopped 

1 yellow pepper chopped 

apricots chopped-fresh or dried. Dried will last longer if you want to keep this to use several nights.

currants, raisins or fresh dark grapes, chopped in 4ths-my favorite both for color and freshness 

1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

lime juice-about 5 limes - fresh squeezed or juiced is best!

roasted pine nuts (lightly roasted in olive oil)

roasted sesame seeds (lightly roasted with pine nuts in olive oil)

chopped pecans (best if soaked and dried before chopping)

This is a great salad to make in volume and then put in smaller containers for lunch

Good consistency to use in lettuce rollups. It has a nice nutty flavor and texture.

I also like to use it with a dash of hot chili peppers for zip to the tongue

Raw Relish for lunch

This is a favorite raw rollup-and it works great as a take-to-work lunch.

1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 orange, peeled and chopped
1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
10 red grapes, cut in quarters
1 firm roma tomato, chopped fine

add: a pinch of sea salt, a sprinkle of pepper
I like to add cayenne pepper for some kick, of course
if you have some pineapple, that works nicely too.

10 large romaine lettuce leaves, washed and whole.
fill with relish, sprinkle with sesame seeds and eat!

These look so pretty too.

Note: I had a can of organic chopped tomatoes and added these instead of fresh-note: don't do it again.
They are too mushy. Use fresh ingredients.

Raw - Marinated Cucumbers

Since we are all entering harvest time, here's a fast raw favorite of ours:

Peel and Slice 1-2 cucumbers. Make slices about 1/4"
Add:
1/3 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
(this are aprox. I splash it in so bare with me on this one)
2 tsp garlic
Juice of one fresh lemon
salt and pepper.
Fresh chopped: basil.

Yes, we use both the vinegar and lemon, but you can use one or the other.
This saves for a few days-if there are any left, so we do usually make extra.
They are great alone as a side dish or add them to the top of any salad.
Take them to work because marinated doesn't need to be refrigerated!
If you take your salad in one container, without dressing, take the cucs in a separate one and add them as the dressing.

Variation:
we add crumbled feta cheese at serving, and sliced olives for a greek flare!

Variation #2:
Add sliced red tomatoes to the cucumbers before marinating so they are both steeped in the dressing

Raw - Stuffed Tomatoes

6 nice big fat deep red fresh tomatoes! This is the season for them!
Cut off the tops and core them scooping, out the insides so you have tomato cups

save the insides, chop and mix with:
1/3 c each: onion, celery, finely chopped
jalapeno pepper chopped - to taste. If you like it spicy add more.
fresh basil leaves-finely chopped, *I use about 1 big leaf per tomato
I cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped mango
salt and pepper
juice of 1 fresh lemon
a splash or two of olive oil

Mix all ingredients and stuff into the tomatoes until they are heaped full! Garnish with a sprig of parsley and a serve with wedges of fresh lemon or lime and pita bread and more mango!

This is another great on-the-go lunch recipe!

Rawish-salmon spread

This isn't raw-technically. I use a large can of alaskan salmon...but it IS raw-ish and salmon is chock full of omega 3s for great brain function!

I make this and keep it on hand, sometimes I'll freeze half for another time too. As you can see, the recipe varies with what I have on hand

1 large can alaskan salmon, drained. Flake with a fork and mash so any tiny bones are dissolved up
1/2 onion chopped fine
1/2 gr pepper chopped fine (or red, or yellow)
1/2 c edamame or green peas
chopped fresh: parsley, cilantro, oregano and basil
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
parmesan cheese
toasted pine nuts (or leave em raw too)

mix up and add a splash of olive oil, a good swig of red wine vinegar, and the juice of a whole lemon
I don't add mayo but I suppose you could if you like it

ANd we like it hot, so the pepper flakes, jalapeno peppers and a sprinkle of cayenne go in for us.

Toast corn tortillas in oil until crispy and then fill with this mixture, top with shredded cabbage and a squeeze of fresh lime before eating!
You can use lettuce leaves instead of tortillas but of course!

This is one of those "even better the next day" so it's great to make enough for lunch the next day too.

Healthy Lunchtime Eats

Lima Beans Greco
1 bag dried lima beans-soak overnight in cold water, rinse and drain when time to cook. Boil in water until soft. Drain. Remove any loose skins that have separated.

olive oil
red wine vinegar
fresh lemon juice-at least 1 lemon
oregano, basil, parsley (fresh if you have them in the garden-yum!)
hot chili peppers (if you like hot!)
cayenne
salt, pepper
garlic-as much as you like and we like it

add what you have, and here are some we've liked:
onion-chopped fine
celery-chopped fine
carrot-julienne slices
mushrooms-sliced

parmesan cheese or other dry cheese, grated
sesame seeds, sunflower seeds or even chopped walnuts (whatever you have works!)

Toss it all together and let it steep overnight for great second day flavor.

This holds for days, and gets better and better.

You can: eat it on a salad, put it in lettuce rolls, stuff a tortilla. You can have it as a side dish or all alone. This doesn't last long in our house!

This is a taste and test recipe, so allow yourself to play with the spices and go for color and splash!

Raw Edamame Salad

1 red pepper - chopped
1 bag of shelled raw edamame
1 cob of corn - shucked
1 small bag of shredded carrots
1 tbs garlic - chopped
1 zucchini - chopped

Mix all ingredients and keep in the fridge.
I had it with balsamic vinegar and some pine nuts last night for a yummy dinner.

I had some this morning stirred into scrambled eggs with turmeric and curry.

It's been nice to have this made to take for lunch too. Put the dressing on at the end.

Raw food recipe-Lettuce Wraps

Yesterday I bought the raw food staple-avocados. I'm finding myself choosing more raw, and the more I do, the better I feel. The suggestion is, allow yourself to gradually transition to more fresh and raw, living food. I'm starting afresh, again!

Raw Food Recipes that are easy, fast, and inexpensive are what we are all about. I can't take time for elaborate concoctions: cooked or raw.

Raw is living food. It really feeds you. A friend just said that she has been adding more raw food and she's noticing how much MORE energy she has in her day to day life. Yes! We all need energy, don't we?

Try this instead of a bread sandwich:

Lettuce Wraps:
2 ripe avocados, mashed
2-3 tomatoes-nice big juicy dark red ones-diced up
1/2 a jalapeno pepper-diced
2-3 slices of onion-diced
garlic-which I like-so 2-3 cloves-diced
half a lime-juiced
6-8 leaves (kale, collard, romaine or iceberg) washed and dried
Spices that work: s&p, cayenne, tumeric, parsley, cilantro.

that's the basic, but for variety you can add, corn, edamame, diced mango, diced cucumber, shredded carrot, diced celery.
You can add just about anything you want to the base of avocado garlic and tomato-let your personal creativity soar!

If you are taking this for lunch at work, increase the lime and don't fill the lettuce boats until it's time to eat. Scoop the mixture onto the leaves and roll or fold just like a taco...yum!

BREAKING MORE RULES

Ok so here's another one. Jeez, I thought I wasn't even gonna post tonight! What is up! I told you-I've got almost TOO much energy! It disturbs my usual tranquility!

Anyway-alot of juice freaks say NOT to mix fruit and veges except apples and carrots of course. They seem to go with everything. But is this a real rule that works for you? OR is it one of those that we add to the list of "OLD RULES WE ARE BURNING ALONG WITH OUR BRAS".

In GREEN FOR LIFE, which is a raw book by Victoria Boutentko, she has green smoothies, and she mixes fruit and veges!

Here are some of her combinations:
a banana, half an apple, a cup of blueberries (frozen or fresh), a large handful of spinach, and some plain yogurt.
or
a cup of mango, half a peeled cucumber, ginger, and yogurt.
or
a banana, blueberries, 4-6 kale leaves, an orange, and some yogurt.
or
a banana, half a pear, some cranberries, half an orange, a stalk of celergy, 4-6 romaine lettuce leaves

she adds water to these.

Anyone care to try and let us know? I'm not so sure about the banana with kale...but hey! It's sounds colorful for sure! Hey Jac, how about drinking this in front of the kiddies.

I would bet you can get away without the yogurt. I add some ice cubes to make it thicker. They also use some water if it is too thick in the blender.