Recipes

Strawberry Power Salad

Loaded with micronutrients and antioxidants this salad makes a delicious spring/summer meal.

Ingredients
5 cups chopped baby spinach or spring mix
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons honey mustard
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup raw pecans, toasted (you can also drizzle with maple syrup when toasting to candy them)

Method
In a large bowl, toss greens with blueberries and strawberries. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, honey mustard and vinegar. Drizzle dressing over salad and sprinkle with toasted nuts. Enjoy!

Green Monkey Smoothie

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1 banana (peel it and freeze it first if possible, it is the secret ingredient)
1/2 to 1 cup of frozen berries of your choice
1 to 2 big handfuls of baby spinach

Method
Blend and enjoy!

* As you progress you can add more green to your smoothie, but this is a great way to get started. And don't worry about protein if you have this for breakfast because in addition to vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber, greens are loaded with protein!

Blue Dino Smoothie

Ingredients
1 to 1/2 cups of water - start with 1 cup and add more if necessary
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
2 or 3 leaves of kale (but only if you have had green smoothies before and want to kick it up a notch or if you are feeling like really going for it)
1/2 of a frozen banana
1 cup of frozen blueberries

Method
Blend and enjoy. Remember if you don't have a super duper high powered blender like the vitamix, add the liquid, flax and greens first and blend. Then slowly add the frozen fruit. You may have to start and stop the blender a few times and stir it and add more water.

Berry Blast Smoothie

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 of a frozen banana
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1 cup of frozen strawberries
*Optional: 2 or 3 leaves of kale

Method
Blend and enjoy. Remember if you are new to green smoothies you can just have the spinach for awhile before adding kale which has a stronger taste. But if you really want to go for it, kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat.

Peaches and Green Smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup of frozen peaches or 2 medium ripe peaches
1 frozen banana
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 small handful of kale or Swiss chard
1 tablespoon ground flax
1 to 1/2 cups of water

Method
Blend and enjoy.

Tropical Breeze Smoothie

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 cups of water or coconut water
1 cup of frozen mango
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 handful of Swiss chard or kale
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1/2 cup of fresh or frozen pineapple

Method
Blend and enjoy. You can use water or coconut water in this recipe. (Note: not coconut milk, but coconut water. This smoothie should be more than sweet enough, but if you would like to add chunk or two of frozen banana, you can add it to sweeten things.)

Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 cups of water or unsweetened chocolate almond milk
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup of frozen dark cherries
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
3 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 tablespoons unsweetened good quality cocoa powder or cacao powder

Method
Blend and enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2 cups water
2 cups plain almond milk
4 tablespoons dried cranberries
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (or 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of the three above, you can add more if you like it spicier)
2 cups quick cooking oatmeal (not instant)
Maple syrup for serving
Chopped pecans, for serving (lightly toasting them first is delicious)
Additional almond milk, for serving (if desired)

Method
In large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the pumpkin, water, milk, dried cranberries, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Bring to a boil. Add the oatmeal. Turn the heat down and cook about 15 minutes. Stir often. Once the oatmeal is cooked, serve with maple syrup or agave syrup on the side, chopped pecans to sprinkle on top.

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Ingredients
1/3 cup regular oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of kosher salt
1 1/4 cups almond milk
1 apple, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (Granny Smiths are great)
1-1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
2 tablespoon chopped walnuts, for sprinkling on top

Method
In a medium sized pot over medium heat combine the oats, apple, chia seeds, applesauce, almond milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Whisk well.

Heat over medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often. When the mixture thickens and the liquid is absorbed, it is ready. Stir in the pure vanilla extract.

Pour into a dish and sprinkle with chopped walnuts, a pinch of cinnamon, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Add a tiny bit of almond milk on top.

Creamy Dreamy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie #2

Ingredients
1 whole banana (frozen)
1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup plant-based milk
A dash of ground ginger
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

Method
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more non-dairy milk as necessary to achieve proper consistency. Add more pumpkin or spice to taste. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Note: 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice = 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves or allspice, 1/8 tsp nutmeg

The following four recipes are from the book "Unprocessed," by our Fall Speaker, Chef AJ

Almond Milk

Why buy plant milk in a box laden with sodium when you can make your own for just pennies a glass?

Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds (or your favorite nut or seed)

Method
Soak the almonds overnight in filtered water. Be sure to cover completely as they expand when they absorb water. In the morning, drain completely and rinse well several times. Place the almonds in a blender with 3 cups of filtered water. Blend on high speed until the almonds are fully incorporated into the liquid. Pour mixture into a paint straining bag (that is new and has not been used for painting!). You can get these at any hardware store for about 99 cents. Strain the milk from the pulp over a bowl until you can't squeeze any more liquid out of the pulp. You can reserve the pulp for another use such as making cookies or crackers. Refrigerate any unused milk. Lasts about 2-3 days.

If you like your nut milk thicker an richer, more like cream, just add less water. For thinner almond milk, add more water.

Cheap and Easy Method
Place 1 TB raw almond butter in a blender with 3 cups filtered water and blend until smooth.

It's Easy Being Green Smoothie

Serves 2

Ingredients
2-3 fresh oranges and 1 cup of water or 16 ounces of fresh squeezed orange juice
1 bunch of kale (approximaely 12 ounces)
2 frozen, ripe bananas
2 cups frozen mango
Fresh mint leaves to taste (optional)

Method
In a blender, blend oranges with kale until smooth. Add frozen fruit and blend until completely blended and thick.

Chef's Note
For a Creamsicle effect, use half unsweetened almond milk and half orange juice. You can also use spinach instead of kale.

Orange Sesame Dressing

Ingredients
3-4 peeled oranges
1/2 cup unhulled sesame seeds
1/8 cup low sodium miso paste

Method
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Chef's Note
This is especially delicious on chopped kale.

Sweet Potato Soup with Cannelini Beans and Rainbow Chard

You can also make this soup with butternut squash or white potatoes in place of the sweet potatoes

Ingredients
8 cups water or low sodium vegetable broth
2 TB sun dried tomato powder
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2-3 large sweet potatoes (2 pounds), peeled and cut into uniform cubes
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 lb rainbow chard, chopped
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (with zest from lemons)

Method
In a large soup pot, bring the water or broth to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add the leeks. Cook for about 8 minutes until soft. Add diced sweet potato and cook another 8-10 minutes until tender. Add the beans and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove soup pot from heat and stir in chard so that it wilts. Stir in lemon juice and sun dried tomato powder. Sprinkle chopped Italian parsley on top, if desired, and garnish with a fresh lemon twist.

The preparation for this soup can be done in advance. It takes only 20 minutes to cook and the recipe can be easily doubled.

Chef's Note
This is a beautiful and colorful soup. If you can't find rainbow chard you can use any green that you choose. If you can't get sun dried tomato powder, simply buy sundried tomatoes that are dried and not packed in oil or water and grind them in a blender to a powder.