5 Minute Soup

This is the easiest and fastest soup and it's amazingly delicious! And yes, I drank it out of a glass!! When you have an infant and a 4 year old, the fastest consumption possible is preferred:-)

1 cucumber

1 avocado

4-5 handfuls of spinach

Juice of one lemon

1 tsp salt

1-2 cups almond milk

1-2 cups water to get consistency you want!!

 

Enjoy!!!

Pineapple-Cucumber Gazpacho

 Pineapple-Cucumber Gazpacho

PINEAPPLE-CUCUMBER GAZPACHO

From RAW FOOD REAL WORLD by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis

4 cups chopped peeled cucumber (from 1 large English cucumber or a few Kirbys)

4 cups chopped pineapple (from 1 large or two small pineapples)

1 cup fresh pineapple juice

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 green onion, white and 1 inch of green, chopped

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 handful cilantro leaves, plus few extra for garnish

3 tablespoons avocado oil, macadamia oil, or cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil

1 handful finely chopped raw macadamia nuts

In a blender, add 3 cups of cucumber and pineapple, the pineapple juice, jalapeno, green onion, lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup of cucumber and 1 cup of pineapple, the handful of cilantro, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil. Pulse blender quickly a few times-the gazpacho should remain chunky. Taste for seasoning. If you have time, chill before serving. Before serving, add the macadamia nuts and stir to distribute them evenly. Place in serving bowls and drizzle the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Garnish with cilantro.

I have posted this recipe in the past, but decided to post it again for two reasons. First, it's such a refreshing summer treat. If you have a garden, it's a perfect chance to grab some fresh cilantro, green onions, and cucumbers to make this. Second, I decided to make a juice version of it today, and it turned out pretty darn good! In fact, my 2 1/2 year old drank so much of it that his little belly was distended!! Here's what I used:

1 small pineapple

1 medium cucumber

1 medium zucchini (because I have a lot I needed to use)

1 bunch of fresh cilantro

You could certainly juice a small green onion and a small jalapeno pepper as well, but I wanted to make sure Gabe would drink it! 

Here a few health benefits to this juice:

Cucumbers:

Cucumbers help promote hydration d/t the high water content, which also helps to reduce toxins in the gastrointestinal tract and reduce acidity. They contain the lignans lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol (I know, I can't pronounce them either!) which have been shown to reduce several cancers including, prostate, ovarian, and breast cancer. The high content of potassium and magnesium help promote healthy blood pressure, They are a good source of silica, which helps promote joint health, strengthens connective tissues, and is great for nail health. Cucumber is also rich in vitamins A, B1, B6, C, D, folate and calcium, which when mixed with carrot juice can help reduce uric acid levels in diseases like gout. Interestingly enough, it also contains a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas to produce insulin.

Cilantro:
Aids in digestion, works as an anti-inflammatory, helps detox the body, helps to manage cholesterol levels, and helps prevent nausea. It's high in iron, magnesium, phytonutrients, and flavonoids.

Pineapple:
They are rich in vitamin C and help fight off viruses. They are also great for cough and colds d/t the high amount of bromelain they contain, which helps suppress coughs and loosens mucous. They contain manganese which helps support strong bones and connective tissues. Their anti-inflammatory qualities also help with diseases like arthritis. Pineapples also help to reduce the acidity of the GI tract. With the high acid producing diets that most Americans consume, this is a really important quality!

Cream of Tomato Soup

Cream of Tomato Soup by Nomi Shannon

3 cups roughly blended tomatoes (5-6 tomatoes) 

1/4 lemon, peeled and seeded 

1 avocado 

1 cup sprouts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 

2 tablespoon chopped onion (optional) 

1 small clove garlic, chopped (optional) 

Additional sprouts and or Basil flowers

 Add enough cut-up tomatoes to blender to measure 3 cups, roughly blended. Add lemon, avocado, sprouts, basil and garlic, blend until smooth. Pour into serving bowls, top with additional sprouts and basil flowers. Serves 2.

YUM! I love avocado and basil so this was delicious!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup by Nomi Shannon

1/4 cup almond butter 

1 1/2-3 cups quartered Crimini* or button mushrooms, to taste 

1- 2 teaspoons chopped onions 

1 tablespoon chopped parsley 

2 teaspoons Nama Shoyu*, or tamari* (or increase sea salt) 

1 pinch sea salt 

1/2 cup water 

4 tablespoons minced mushrooms

In a blender, combine the almond butter, mushrooms, onions, parsley, Nama Shoyu, salt and water. Blend until smooth. Pour into a serving bowl. Top with the chopped mushrooms. Yields 1 cup, which in a perfect world should serve 2.

This soup is pretty rich so 1/2 cup is perfect. Nomi also suggests using it as a gravy too if you wanted. It was delicious!

Zucchini Soup!

 ZUCCHINI SOUP
Recipe by Nomi Shannon

Bowls compliments of my sis-in-law!

This past weekend, we headed to Illinois so my husband could play basketball in a tournament with my brother. I haven't seen the two of them play basketball together since 2002 when they were in their last year of college. They played college basketball together at the University of South Dakota. They were also roommates and that's also how I met Eric! I'm such a lucky woman!


Anyway, we had a fantastic weekend and got to enjoy some raw food together! My parents and my brother and sis-in-law try to incorporate raw foods into their days, so it's always fun to try new things with them when we are together. On Friday night, my sis-in-law had grilled veggies and potatoes, salad, and I made raw zucchini soup. Here's the recipe from the soup. 


Zucchini Soup by Nomi Shannon

1 medium cucumber, cut up 

2 medium zucchinis, cut up 

1 avocado, cut up 

1/4 cup chopped parsley

 1/4 cup chopped basil

1/4 cup chopped scallions

 1/2 yellow pepper, chopped (optional) 

1/2 lemon (peeled and seeded) 

2-4 tablespoons chopped onion, to taste 

1 small garlic clove, chopped

 Nama Shoyu*, or sea salt to taste

This was delicious and I will definitely be making it again! I do not have a high powered blender (ie vitamin, blendtec) so I juiced the cucumber and zucchini instead of putting them into the blender. I didn't think they would blend very well. I also didn't use the 2-4 tbs of chopped onion. I was afraid it would be too overpowering. I'm not a huge raw onion fan to begin with. It turned out great!

And let's not forget of course a night is not complete without an amazing raw dessert. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, but you can click here to see what we had. It was a huge hit! Since the ganache tart is made with coconut oil, it's important to mix and pour it very quickly so it doesn't start to solidify. My first attempt at making this didn't turn out very pretty.  Delicious, but just not pretty! So, after several attempts, it's much prettier these days!

Raw Celery Chowder

Raw Celery Chowder by Rhonda Malkmus of Hallelujah Acres

1 cup freshly made carrot juice

1/2 cup freshly made celery juice

4 stalks celery (diced)

4 green onions (diced)

1 small zucchini (diced small)

1/2 red bell pepper (diced small)

1 garlic clove (diced)

1 teaspoon parsley (minced)

Sea salt to taste

Blend half of the diced vegetables and garlic with the carrot and celery juice.

Stir in remaining diced vegetables, minced parsley, and salt.

This was good, but I wouldn't try it unless you've acquired a true vegetable taste!

Excuse the small 2 year old finger attempting to push the pulp into garbage:)

Raw Hot Tortilla Soup

Submitted By: Rhonda Malkmus at Hallelujah Acres

To make this soup (and warm it), just place all of the ingredients in a powerful blender like the Vitamix Turboblend VS variable speed blender (http://ecommerce.hacres.com/VitaMix-TurboBlend-VS-Blender) and leave it running for several minutes. The friction creates heat that warms the soup.

This recipe uses Rhonda’s Simple Vegetable Soup Stock(http://www.hacres.com/recipes/cards/simple-vegetable-soup-stock).

Ingredients

• 3 cups of Rhonda’s Simple Vegetable Soup Stock
• 1 Roma tomato
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery rib
• Thin slice of onion
• 1 garlic clove (peeled)
• ¼ slice of red bell pepper
• 1 cup of shredded cabbage
• 1 avocado (peeled and pitted)
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• ½ tsp unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt
• Pinch of cayenne
• ¼ cup pitted olives
• ¼ cup raw or frozen corn

Directions

1. Place all ingredients (except olives and corn) in blender and begin blending with the “variable” speed at #1 (using a Vitamix Turboblend VS).
2. Then quickly increase speed to #10 and then switch setting to the “Hi” and run on “Hi” for three to four minutes until steam escapes.
3. Turn off blender and add olives and corn.
4. Blend again on “variable” speed setting #5 just until olives and corn are mixed into the hot soup.
5. Serve in soup bowls topped with broken pieces of tortilla chips.
6. Add a big salad and some homemade whole grain bread and ENJOY

Vegetable stock.

I placed everything in my blender all at once. 

This is a terrible picture, but it still tasted good!

Now, I'm sure you can see that this soup isn't completely raw, but it has a great combination of veggies. I made this soup, but with a few alterations of my own.  While I did use vegetable stock, I did not warm my soup.  I just used my good ole Cuisinart Food Processor. I also did not consume bread with mine, but I did have some Stacy's Pita Chips on top. They are not raw, but pretty delicious! I definitely think it's worth trying if you're interested. It's a nice "mostly raw recipe" to try if you're just getting started!

Warning: this will make you smell like garlic:)

Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato Basil Soup

Do you ever open the frig and just stare? Then try to remind yourself of what you were looking for in the first place? I did that today. I was trying to decide what I could throw together for a quick lunch using some alfalfa spouts, and then got stuck in a black abyss. What I was actually going in there for in the first place, (the alfalfa sprouts) was not what I ended up with. I found some tomatoes and basil that according to my memory, which is not very good, had taken up residence in our frig for longer than they should have. Now, I'm not saying that they were spoiled or anything, just ready to be evicted! So, thanks to the black abyss, here's a little version of Tomato Basil Soup that I came up with. And it's good:) Even with the jalapenos, my son loved it too!

Tomato Basil Soup

4 large tomatoes, (fresh heirloom if in season)

1 cup fresh basil leaves (don't pack)

1 large garlic clove

1 avocado

2 green onions

3 slices jalapeno pepper

1/2 cup water

1/2-1 teaspoon Himalayan salt

pepper to taste

Blend everything together in a food processor and consume!

Although that might be the worst picture of a bowl of soup I've ever seen, it really is good. Don't forget that I'm not a photographer!!

Cleanse Soup!

Wow! What a fabulous Thanksgiving we had! We were able to spend the weekend with family in Iowa and then ended our weekend with an overnight in Galena, Illinois. It was fantastic! I have to admit that I was not able to maintain the 80-90% raw diet that I have been doing. I did bring a few items with us so I could eat some raw, but it's always hard when you're visiting people that don't eat like you. I would never want to offend anyone. We brought salad fixings, raw oatmeal, and some veggies along with our old juicer. I am glad that we got some raw things in over the weekend.

I decided that I should do a bit of a cleanse upon returning home. I came across this recipe that sounded perfect:

Cleanse Soup from the Do Eat Raw App.

2 little red bell peppers

6 green onions

3 celery stalks

1 avocado

2 tomatoes

5 leaves of kale

1/2 inch root ginger

1 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup fresh spinach

1 teaspoon Himalayan Salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup warm water

Chop all of the ingredients, place in a food processor, and blend until creamy! I didn't have any spinach so I left that out and I also only added about 1/2 cup of water. I like my soup a bit thicker, but you can add as much as you'd like. 

My husband had some work to do, so it was just the little man and I making soup together. He loves to help. Surprisingly enough, he loved this soup too! He ate about half of my bowl and kept saying, "spicy" in his sweet little voice! Trust me when I say that I was one happy mama seeing him eat this soup. So good for his little body after a weekend of "not so healthy" food! Soups and smoothies are always an excellent way to get young kids to eat leafy greens and other veggies they can't really chew!

Love that chubby little helping finger!!

He was leaning in to get a taste!

One of many bites! And yes, he's sitting on the cupboard!

It's difficult to take pictures when your 2-year old is attempting to help and eat at the same time. I attempted to take several pictures of the soup in the bowl all while he kept leaning over like he was going to lap it up like a dog. I'm sure he would've if I'd let him:) 

BTW, I really liked this!

Basic Green Vegetable Soup.

BASIC GREEN VEGETABLE SOUP. By Kristen Suzanne.


Remember, you can always add in your favorite herbs and vegetables to put your own spin on it. 


Spinach- great source of vitamin K, which helps you build stronger bones. Also a great source of iron. It's better assimilated in the body when in the presence of vitamin C (found in the fresh lime in this recipe).

2 1/2 cups water
1 cup romaine chopped
1 cup packed spinach
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kelp or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 banana peeled
1 avocado pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped or 2 teaspoons dried
2 tablespoons green onion chopped.

Blend all ingredients except avocado, basil, and green onion. Add the avocado and blend until smooth. Pulse in the basil and green onions.

Wasn't sure about that banana at first:) I think it just added an extra creaminess.

When I first tasted this, I wasn't sure about it. It has a very interesting taste. It grew on me  with every bite. It's always good to try new and different tastes. See what you think!

It's that time of year!

RAW CHILI from www.vibealive.ca

I don't know about you, but I love a bowl of chili when the weather starts cooling down. It's kind of one of those comfort/winter foods that helps me get into the the fall/winter spirit! Ok, so not really! I hate winter, but I do love chili so here ya go!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tomatoes

2 celery stalks

1/2 cucumber

1/2 red pepper with seeds

1/2 large portabella mushroom (may leave this out if desired)

1/2 of a lemon juiced or about 1/3 cup

1 fresh chive

3-4 Tbs of hemp seeds

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp to 1 Tbs cumin (I used a full Tbs.)

3 Tbs chili powder

2 Tbs cold pressed olive oil

2 Tbs Nama Shoya

Pinch of Himalayan pink salt or celtic sea salt

1/2 cup dulse (you can also leave this out)

handful of sunflower sprouts

This seems like a lot of ingredients, but it's super easy and fast. I don't have a vitamix, so I peeled my cucumber and put the garlic through a press before I blended everything. I didn't use the mushroom, dulse, or sunflower sprouts because this was a last minute meal and I didn't have them on hand. I had broccoli sprouts, but wasn't sure I wanted to use them in place of the sunflower sprouts. So, place everything in the blender and blend away!

I don't mind tellin ya that this stuff is pretty darn delicious! I will definitely be making it again and again;)

Creamy Corn Soup

"CREAMY" CORN SOUP

    2 ears sweet corn
    1 avocado
    1 clove garlic
    1/2 red bell pepper
    1/4 cup walnuts
    1/2 to 1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos (to taste)
    1/4 cup olive oil
    1 cup water

1) First, prepare all your ingredients. For the corn, cut the corn kernels off the cob. You can run the knife along the edge of the cob. Put half in a blender cup and keep the other half. Cut the avocado in half and peel. Put half of the flesh in the blender with the corn. Dice and reserve the flesh from the other half. Cut the bell pepper half in half. Add 1/4 to the blender and dice the other quarter and reserve.

2) Place the rest of the ingredients  into the blender. Pulse blender until large chunks are broken up and then run briefly until it is smooth.  Make sure you don't run it too long (esp. if you have a Vita-Mix!) because you don't want the soup to get hot.  Adjust water if you want it a little thinner. You can also taste and add more Braggs if you want.

3) To serve, divide soup base between bowls. Divide up the avocado, pepper, and corn that you chopped and set aside earlier between the bowls. Enjoy!

Serves: 2 to 3, Preparation time: 15 minutes

Here's what the bottle of Braggs looks like in case you aren't familiar with it.

Sorry about the glare on this. I was hoping you could see all of the amino acids in it:)

I sprinkled a touch of Braggs on to of my bowl since I didn't use the whole amount in the recipe.

I will be eating the left overs for lunch tomorrow!

    


This is a super easy and fast soup. Cutting the corn off the cob takes the longest. It tastes wonderful, and I can only imagine how much better it will be when corn is "in season".  I recommend using the whole tablespoon of Braggs, but you can always add more if you start with less!

Spicy Red Pepper Soup

SPICY RED PEPPER SOUP

1 large red bell pepper, chopped
    1 roma tomato, peeled and chopped
    1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
    1 to 2 cloves garlic, pressed
    1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
    1/2 cup water
    1 tablespoon cold pressed olive oil
    1/4 cup fresh cilantro, leaves only
    juice of 1/2 lime
    1/4 teaspoon cumin
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 avocado

1) Place all ingredients except for avocado in a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings to liking.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.  When you are ready to serve, add 1/2 chopped avocado and blend until smooth.  The avocado adds a creaminess to the soup.

I just made this soup tonight because I was in the mood for something quick, easy, and raw. I actually substituted almond milk for the water to make it even more creamy. I did not add the cumin because I have a bit of a love hate relationship with cumin. Also, don't add the whole 1 tsp of salt. I think it was too much. You can always add to taste after you've blended everything. It's spicy and super delish! I LOVE spicy so it wasn't too spicy for me, but I can just imagine my mother saying, "This is hot!".  So, if you're sensitive to spicy flavors, add less jalapeno.  I also did not use a sweet onion, which spiced it up a bit!  Anyway, I highly recommend this soup!!

Did I happen to mention what my husband was doing while I made this soup? Making these:

    
these huge, nasty, disgusting, fattening, non-nutritious brownies. I'm not going to lie....I ate one. Yep, it was delicious:) He can't go a night without something sweet so now maybe you understand why he won't try anything that I make!

Pineapple-Cucumber Gazpacho

PINEAPPLE-CUCUMBER GAZPACHO

From RAW FOOD REAL WORLD by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis

4 cups chopped peeled cucumber (from 1 large English cucumber or a few Kirbys)

4 cups chopped pineapple (from 1 large or two small pineapples)

1 cup fresh pineapple juice

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 green onion, white and 1 inch of green, chopped

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 handful cilantro leaves, plus few extra for garnish

3 tablespoons avocado oil, macadamia oil, or cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil

1 handful finely chopped raw macadamia nuts

In a blender, add 3 cups of cucumber and pineapple, the pineapple juice, jalapeno, green onion, lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup of cucumber and 1 cup of pineapple, the handful of cilantro, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil. Pulse blender quickly a few times-the gazpacho should remain chunky. Taste for seasoning. If you have time, chill before serving. Before serving, add the macadamia nuts and stir to distribute them evenly. Place in serving bowls and drizzle the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Garnish with cilantro.

 Adding the remaining ingredients. Ready to pulse. 

The macadamia nuts really added a nice touch. This is ungarnished obviously.  I'm an RN and mom, not a professional chef or photographer!!

The first day I made this I wasn't sure how much I liked it. I have never been a fan of the sweet/salty thing and this gazpacho reminds me of just that. I ate a bowl and put the rest in the frig. On day 2 I had a bowl and really enjoyed it much better. Day 3, I loved it! I used fresh pineapple that had been sitting on my counter, so placing the gazpacho in the frig to chill probably helps. It's a refreshing taste so on hot summer days it will be amazing! The only thing I will change is the amount of salt added. I will add just a little less next time:)