Berry Beet Leaves Smoothie

Well, yesterday's post talked about all the great produce that we got with our spring shares in the local community-supported agriculture program. So, today I was inspired to work up a new smoothie recipe..

Don't throw away (or compost) the leaves from fresh beets! You'll love them as the greens in your next smoothie.

Berry Beet Leaves Smoothie:

1 organic banana
2 T organic oatmeal
11 ounces organic coconut water
5 ounces filtered water
1 t organic matcha powder
2/3 cup organic frozen mixed berries
4-5 organic beet leaves

In a Vitamix, or high speed mixer, combine the ingredients in the above order. Blend from low to high spending 30 seconds on the highest speed.

Enjoy these sweet greens!

This post was written by guest blogger, and smoothie expert, Jeff.

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Vegan Sautéed Tempeh and Veggie Salad with a Creamy Tomato Dressing

My family joined a CSA for the first time this year.  We participated in the spring share which gives us 2 veggie pick-ups at the farm.  Our first visit was yesterday, so off we went with a large organic cotton cloth bag in hand.  We were very excited to see what we would receive.

A steady stream of cars drove down the long gravel drive that lead to the farm.  We parked and joined the line of fellow organic veggie lovers waiting for the barn door to slide open.

Promptly at 5PM the door opened.  We entered the barn and organic veggies where laid out in front of us in bins.

Each bin indicated the veggie name and how much you take.  Either 1 bag or 1 bunch was indicated.

The process was quick and we left the farm with a full bag of fresh organic local veggies.

We received a mixture of greens, pea shoots, arugula, assorted lettuce, beets, garlic, oregano, and bok choy.

Can't wait to see what we get our next visit!  I highly recommend participating in your local CSA.  It's a great way to support local organic farmers.

Ingredients for creamy tomato salad dressing:

4 organic tomatoes, puréed into a sauce

3 T organic extra virgin olive oil

1 T organic coconut vinegar 

1 T organic Dijon mustard 

1 T organic garlic powder

1 t organic dried dill

1 t organic dried oregano 

2 t vegan mayonnaise 

1/2 t sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl; set-aside while you make the tempeh and veggies.

Ingredients for salad:

6 cups organic mixed salad greens, washed and dried 

1 package organic tempeh, cubed

1 organic pepper, sliced into thin strips 

1 cup organic cherry tomatoes 

2 -3 T organic oil

Heat oil in cast iron skillet.  Add cubed tempeh, peppers, and tomatoes.  Sautée until the tempeh is golden brown and peppers and tomatoes have softened.  

Place lettuce on each plate and top with tempeh and veggies.  Serve with the creamy tomato dressing on the side.

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Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Today I woke up needing chocolate today.  Don't know why, but I had to feed my craving.  I didn't want to turn to something unhealthy, which was very tempting.  I wanted to keep to my morning routine of having a smoothie.  So I created this smoothie that tastes just like a peanut butter cup.  It's rich, creamy, and most importantly, chocolatey!

Ingredients:

1 cup organic hemp milk

1/2 cup filtered water

1/2 cup ice

1 1/2  tablespoons organic raw cacao powder

1 scoop protein powder, chocolate flavor

1 organic banana

1/4 cup organic almond butter

Method:

Place all ingredients into a VitaMix.  Start on level 1 and gradually continue to level 10, then on high for 10 seconds.

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Vegan Rustic Chive and Garlic Chickpea Crackers

I am calling these crackers rustic because you shape them by hand.  No need to roll out the dough and stamp them into neat rounds or squares.  Just slap them together and, ta-da! Crackers!

These crackers are crunchy and are perfect for dipping into a hearty soup or spreading a spicey nut cheese on.

The reason why these crackers are crunchy is because I used dried chickpeas.  I processed them until most of the chickpeas become flour;  the secret is to leave small bits of chickpeas.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic dried chickpeas 

4 T water

3 T organic chives, snipped into tiny pieces

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil

2 t organic garlic powder

1 t chive salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

Place chickpeas into your food processor, blend until you get flour.  For a crunch flour, you'll want to leave in very small pieces of chickpea.

Place the "crunchy flour" into a large bowl and add remaining ingredients.

Stir until a dough forms.

Scoop up approximently 1 tablespoon of dough.  Roll into a ball and flatten between your hands and place on baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until very lightly browned.

Store in an air-tight container.

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Raw Basil Garlic Ketchup

Replacing my usual ketchup with a raw version was a move I was hesitant to make.  I love ketchup, it's my condiment of choice.  Now, I am not saying I won't slip back into buying my usual organic Trader Joes ketchup.  But when I have the time and I have the ingredients, I will definitely make my own raw ketchup.

There are numerous benefits for making your own ketchup.  

1.  No added sugar 

2.  You can control the sodium

3.  Create custom flavors

4.  Use all those gorgeous organic tomatoes growing in your garden!

With vegan grilling season upon us, blend up a batch, pour into a pretty bottle and proudly place on your table! 

Ingredients:

7 organic tomatoes, quartered 

10 organic raw sun dried tomatoes 

4 organic garlic cloves

1/2 cup organic basil

1/4 cup raw coconut vinegar

1 t sea salt

Method:

Place all ingredients in your Vitamix or a high speed blender.  Start low and continue to high.  Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly blended.  Do not over-blend; you want the ketchup to be thick.

Store in a glass bottle in the refrigerator. 

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Ranch Hummus

Hummus is very versatile, you can enjoy it as a dip, on sandwiches, and in salads.

For lunch today I needed to make something quick because I didn't have a lot of time.  Whipped up some hummus, cut some carrots and I even tried dipping cashews into the hummus.  Surprisingly, it was very delicious!

Ingredients:

16 ounces organic chickpeas

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle on top 

2 organic cloves of garlic

1 1/2 t  organic dried parsley 

1 1/2 t organic dried dill

1 1/2 t organic dried onion powder

1 t organic lemon juice

1/2 t sea salt 

Method:

Place all ingredients into a food processor; blend until smooth.  

Place into a bowl and drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with dill.

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Raw Blueberry Pie

Raw desserts are amazing!  I've mostly been making chocolate treats but I thought it was time to do some exploring.   My favorite fruit is the blueberry and if I am not enjoying blueberries by the handful, I'd like to savor them in pie.

I didn't make this blueberry pie in the "traditional" pie tin.  I made it in a square pan; to be honest, when I was putting this recipe together, I wasn't sure how it would taste.  When my family and I had a square for dessert my husband said, " this tastes just like blueberry pie".

So there you have it, the reason this pie isn't round!

Ingredients for crust:

1 cup organic cashews

1/4 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut 

4 organic dates, pitted

1/4 t sea salt 

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until a crumbly dough forms.

Method:

Evenly distribute mixture into your pan and gently press down.  Set aside and prepare the filling.

Filling ingredients:

1 cup organic blueberries, fresh or frozen

4 organic dates, pitted

Place ingredients into your food processor and blend thoroughly.  The blueberry mixtute will be thick.

Method:

You will need a spatula to remove the pie filling.  Spread the blueberry filling evenly over bottom crust.  Set aside to make the crumble top.

Ingredients for crumble:

1/2 cup organic cashews

2 T organic unsweetened shredded coconut 

2 T organic raw agave nectar 

Place all ingredients into your food processor and blend until a soft crumble forms.

Method:

Using your fingers evenly distribute the crumble over the pie filling.

Refrigerate for 1 hour before enjoying!

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