roasted tomatillo salsa.

roasted tomatillo salsa

(courtesy of Sommer's kitchen)

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed

2 white onions

1 large jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup packed cilantro
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic

3 avocados

1 lime

    

                                                      

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel and chop the onions into quarters. Place the tomatillos, onion and jalapenos on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with the oil.

Roast in the oven for 15 minutes—until the exteriors are blistered but the insides are still lightly raw.

Meanwhile, half the avocados, remove the seeds, and scoop out the flesh.

Remove the roasted vegetable from the oven and trim the jalapeno stems and remove seeds. Place the roasted vegetables in a large food processor and pulse until mostly smooth.

Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, garlic and avocado. Pulse until the avocado is pureed into the mixture. Serve warm or refrigerated with tortilla chips.

savory carrot soup.

savory carrot soup

(courtesy of Ellie's kitchen)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 2-3 small)

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

2 1/2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic

5 cups chopped carrots

5 cups vegetable broth

Zest of one lemon and juices

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring frequently so the onions don’t brown. Add the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add chopped carrots and lemon zest. Cook for 3-5 more minutes until the carrots start to absorb the flavor. Add broth and bring to boil. Simmer until the carrots are tender. Blend in batches until smooth. Return to pot and add lemon juice. Serve and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Note: We also use this soup as a dip for raw veggies and tortilla chips. My kids love it!

cranberry sauce.

cranberry sauce

2 cups unfiltered organic apple cider

2 cups organic sugar

1/4 cup water

1 cinnamon stick (about 3 in long)

2 bags organic cranberries (about 24 oz total)

In a medium-large nonaluminum sauce pan, combine the apple cider, sugar, water and cinnamon stick. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the cranberries, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until most of the cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to develop the flavors. Remove the cinnamon stick and let sauce come to room temperature just before serving.

onion hummus.

onion hummus

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

3-5 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup Annie’s Goddess Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups organic garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

In a small sauce pan or skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two until the onions are soft but garlic has not browned.

In a food processor, mix the tahini, dressing, lemon juice, cumin and salt. Then add the onion and garlic. Mix. Add the garbanzo beans and mix thoroughly until smooth and creamy about 1-2 minutes, scrapping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Serve with raw veggies and pita chips.

citrus mojo.

citrus mojo

1/2 red onion
3/4 cup cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
6 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place the onion and cilantro in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir. Add the onion and cilantro to the mixture and stir.

Serve over a salad, hay stacks, tacos, fajitas or use as a zesty salsa.

hemp hummus.

hemp hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons tahini

*1/4 cup hemp seeds, hulled

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth and fluffy. Serve with fresh veggies, seed crackers, or pita chips.

*Superfood

leek potatoes with lemon gravy.

leek potatoes with lemon gravy

Leek Potatoes:

4  lbs. yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup Earth Balance® butter

3 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced

1/2 rice milk

freshly ground salt and pepper

Lemon Gravy:

4 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup organic corn starch

1 package onion soup mix

1/3 cup fresh minced herbs (oregano, cilantro, sage, thyme)

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

freshly ground salt and pepper

Prepare the potatoes by scrubbing and chopping them into 1 in. cubes. Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water with a dash of salt for about 40 minutes or until very tender. Drain well and place the cooked potatoes back into the pot.

In a pan melt the butter and sauté the leeks, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes until the leeks are very tender. Add milk and stir. Remove from heat and pour into the pot of potatoes. Add salt and pepper and beat/smash until fluffy. Place the pot of finished potatoes in the oven to keep warm while preparing the gravy.

In a small pot, heat the vegetable stock on low heat, add the corn starch and onion soup, whisking vigorously while adding the dry contents. No one likes lumpy gravy :-) Once mixed add the remaining gravy ingredients and simmer on low heat for about a minute, stirring constantly.

Top the dish off with some hemp green beans and it’s a small meal. Add a salad and it's dinner.

dressings.

dressings

Blend in a processor until completely liquefied.

raspberry vinaigrette

1/2 cup raspberries

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon orange or apple juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon agave

french

1 cup olive oil

½ cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup organic tomato paste

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons djion mustard

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

orange cashew dressing

2 peeled oranges

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup cashews

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

american

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire® sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

1/3 cup olive oil

bruschetta.

bruschetta

4 organic roma tomatoes

2 garlic cloves minced

10 fresh basil leaves finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 baguette in 1/2 inch thick slices

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 

Chop the roma tomatoes in 1/4 inch dices. Add the garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir and let stand at room temp for 10-20 minutes.

Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and lightly coat with a little olive oil or vegan butter. Bake for roughly 1-2 minutes, until lightly brown. Let the slices cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

black bean hummus.

black bean hummus

(courtesy of Breann's kitchen)

1 can organic black beans with juices

1/2 lemon, juiced

3 tablespoons parsley chopped

3 tablespoons cilantro chopped

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Place ingredients in a blender in order and blend on low until mixture is the consistency of refried beans.

Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips.

*This also makes a great substitue for refied beans, which often contain hydrogenated oils.

corn and bean salsa.

corn and bean salsa

(courtesy of Kerrie's kitchen)

1 can organic corn

1 can organic black beans

1/2 red onion finely chopped

3 organic roma tomatoes chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro chopped

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 large avocados chopped

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Chill for an hour and serve with warm tortilla chips.

guacamole base.

guacamole base

(courtesy of Breann's kitchen)

3 avocados

10 stems chopped parsley

10 stems chopped cilantro

1/2 lemon, juices

dash of garlic salt or seasoning salt

Place ingredients in a blender and mix on low until desired consistency.

Serve immediately with warm tortillas chips.

For a change in taste and texture, stir in one or all of these ingredients: try 2 tablespoons chopped red onion, 1 clove minced garlic, or 1 chopped roma tomato.

everyday salsa.

everyday salsa

1 bunch of cilantro, washed and stems cut off

1 small sweet onion, cleaned and chopped into quarters

2 cans organic diced tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes with jalapenos

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large food processor using the pulse button, blend the onion and cilantro until it's a thick chopped mixture. Do not over blend.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor. Using the pulse button again, blend the salsa to the desired consistency. Do not over blend or salsa will lose its texture.

Chill for an hour and serve with tortilla chips.