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.

pear berry smoothie.

pear berry smoothie

1 cup frozen strawberries

3/4 cup frozen raspberries

*1/4 cup dried mulberries

1 1/2 cups cubed red pear (about 1 large pear)

1/2 cup coconut water

1/2 cup ice

Put the ingredients in a high-speed blender for about 1 or 2 minutes. Makes two full glasses.

*Superfood

quinoa lettuce wraps.

quinoa lettuce wraps

(courtesy of Food Babe's kitchen) 

1 head romaine lettuce

1 cup dried quinoa, cooked to package instruction

4 large ripe avocados, pitted and smashed

1 lime, juiced

2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped

1/3 cup chopped onion, white or red

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Cook the quinoa according to package instructions, or use a rice cooker.

Make the guacamole by putting all the ingredients in a bowl, except lettuce, and combine well.

Serve by filling a lettuce wrap with quinoa and guacamole. Top with extra cherry tomatoes.

orange goji smoothie.

orange goji smoothie

(courtesy of Julie's kitchen)

2 oranges, peeled and seeded

1 frozen banana

*1/3 cup dried goji berries

*2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds

*1/2 cup coconut water

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 cups ice

Blend all the ingredients together, except for the ice, until smooth. Add the ice and blend once more until frosty. Makes 3 full glasses.

*Superfood

minestrone.

minestrone

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

1-2 cups fresh green beans, chopped (frozen work too)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and pepper

2 cans organic diced tomatoes

6 cups vegetable broth

1 can organic kidney beans

1 cup whole wheat elbow pasta

2 tablespoon freshly chopped basil or parsley for garnish

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, cook until fragrant. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 additional minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, pasta, and vegetable broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Serve in bowls garnished with freshly chopped basil or parsley. 

strawberries wild.

strawberries wild

1 cup apple juice

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 cup coconut ice cream

1/2 cup coconut yogurt

1/2 cup ice

Put the ingredients in a high-speed blender for about 1 or 2 minutes. Makes two full glasses or four small.

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!

morning fries.

morning fries

2 large russet potatoes

1/4 cup chopped sweet peppers

1/2 cup finely chopped red onions

1/2 cup chopped spinach

2 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Scrub and clean the potatoes. In a food processor, shred the potatoes.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the sweet peppers and onion, then sauté for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, spinach and parsley. Fry the potatoes on each side for 3-4 minutes like a pancake. Season the potatoes with a little salt and pepper.

Note: These are just like hash browns, but my kids call them morning fries. They love french fries so much that anything made from a potato usually has to end with the word “fries” :-)

cherry treat smoothie.

cherry treat smoothie

2 cups organic frozen cherries

1 banana

1/4 cup coconut yogurt

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

Put the ingredients in a high speed blender for about 1-2 minutes. Makes two full glasses.

easy-peasy trail mix.

easy-peasy trail mix

dried blueberries 

dried cranberries

dried mangos 

dried cherries

prunes

mulberries 

goji berries

golden berries

chopped dates

cashews

almonds

walnuts

sunflower seeds

pumpkin seeds

mini vegan chocolate chips

Grab a box of plastic bags and turn on some of your favorite tunes. Lay out all the item listed above and put little bit of each into the baggies. Zip them up and store them in a box in your pantry.

I make 30-40 bags at a time. They are a great grab-and-go snack that isn’t chips or crackers.

Try buying these items in bulk because nuts and berries can be expensive. I bought a bulk shipment through Green Smoothie Girl.

coconut oatmeal muffins.

coconut oatmeal muffins

(courtesy of Ellie's kitchen)

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut yogurt

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl with chopped nuts and dates. In your mixer, mix the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients. Wipe down your muffin tins with coconuts oil and sprinkle with a little flour to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan. Pour muffin batter into the muffin tins, about 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Watch the muffins carefully because they are easy to over bake.

creamy basil spinach soup.

creamy basil spinach soup

(Courtesy of Lori's kitchen)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 large leeks, green parts trimmed, whites washed and chopped

4 medium zucchinis, washed trimmed and chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

4 cups vegetable broth

1 bunch fresh basil, washed, trimmed and chopped

6 cups organic spinach, coarsely chopped

10 oz organic frozen broccoli florets (optional)

In a large stock pot heat the oil and the garlic. Add the leeks and zucchini. Stir in the salt and pepper. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes until leeks have softened. Add the cups broth and optional broccoli (I added the whole bag because I wasn’t sure it was going to be enough soup for the whole family—adding the broccoli made enough for my family and was delicious). Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the spinach and basil. Transfer the mixture to a high speed blender (in batches, if needed) and blend to desired consistency. Pour soup back into the stock pot and keep warm.

Serve with a loaf of warm whole wheat bread and balsamic for dipping.

warm & sweet pasta salad

warm & sweet pasta salad

1 lb cooked organic whole wheat rigatoni

1/2 red onion chopped

1 orange organic bell pepper chopped

1 pint organic cherry tomatoes cut into halves

1 cup chopped black olives

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 cup chopped organic spinach

1/3 cup fresh chopped basil

vinaigrette dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot. Drain. In a sauté pan sauté the onion and bell pepper until it's soft, but firm in the center. In the same large pot used to cook the pasta add the onion, bell pepper, pasta and remaining ingredients. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette. Serve warm.

sweet potato hash.

sweet potato hash

1 or 2 large sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic

Salt and pepper

Clean and peel the sweet potatoes. Use a food processor to shred them.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for just a minute or two. Add the garlic. Add the shredded sweet potatoes. Mix a little with a spatula and spread out the mixture evenly over the pan. After a few minutes flip over the potato patty—don’t worry if it falls apart just flip it in sections so all the potatoes are cooked. Serve warm.

mushroom stuffing.

mushroom stuffing

6 cups firmly packed diced whole wheat bread

1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped red onion

3 scallions mined

1 cup chopped button mushrooms

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 orange juice

1/2 cup vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Place the diced bread on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until dry and lightly browned.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, shallots and mushrooms. Sauté over medium heat until mushrooms are just cooked.

Combine juice and vegetable broth.

Combine the bread cubes with the sauté mixture in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together. Slowly stir in the juice and broth mixture, gently sprinkling the stuffing evenly with the liquid. Stir thoroughly.

Transfer to a shallow oiled baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes until browned and slightly moist.

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.