Two for One: Miso Soup & Southwestern Hummus

I'm so excited to share two new and yummy recipes with you guys --- so instead of wait around I thought I'd do an AtV first and post them both right now! But it gets even cooler; both recipes are "Quick & Easy"!

Before I share the recipe for this special soup I wanted to touch on how amazingly wonderful the Miso broth is. It's so simple but SO packed with flavor, and has the potential to take on many different forms. I'm looking forward to using this broth as a "veggie stock" in quite a few upcoming AtV recipes. This isn't just your average Miso soup, oh no my friends, this is edible magic!

AtV Miso Soup

(this recipe yields enough for 1-2 servings, depending on how big you like your bowl of soup)

Broth:

1/2 tsp Onion powder

1/2 tsp Garlic granules

1/2 tsp dried Parsley

1/2 tsp ground Celery Seed

1/2 tsp pureed Medjool Date (or other liquid sweetener to taste)

1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp Lemon Pepper (or black pepper with a squeeze of lemon juice)

3 Tbsp Unpasteurized Mellow White Miso

3 C Warm/hot Water

Add the above ingredients to your blender and blend for about 20 seconds.

Side note: Store the broth in an air tight container in the fridge and it will keep for at least a week!

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Soup Contents:

You can get really creative with the contents of this soup if you'd like, but in the above photo I kept it fairly simple -

Wilted/Massaged Spinach

*Spiral Cut Zucchini sprinkled with lemon pepper

Dehydrated Crimini Mushroom

*One of my favorite ways to eat Zucchini in raw soup is to toss it with a little bit of lemon pepper and dehydrate it for 1 hour. The zucchini stays crunchy but takes on a slightly different texture that (to me at least) resembles al dente "pasta". It's so good!

How about one more?

Southwestern Hummus

Okay this is just too easy and too good! (I'm getting hungry just writing about it)

First you make up a batch of your favorite raw Hummus Recipe

Then you make up a batch of Pico De Gallo like this:

3 med. Tomatoes chopped

1/2 large red or white onion chopped fairly small

1 large green Bell Pepper

1 Tbsp Lemon juice

1 or 2 Tbsp Lime Juice

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp Adobo Seasoning

Cayenne Pepper - to taste

1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast (optional, but so good)

1/2 tsp Garlic Granules

1 (heaping) tsp of Pureed Medjool Date (or liquid sweetener to taste)

Mix the above ingredients all together, if you have time (and can patiently wait) let the Pico marinate in the fridge for at least a half an hour.

Add equal parts Hummus to equal parts Pico de Gallo and *poof* You've got Southwestern Hummus! For an additional kick you can throw in some Fresh Corn and chopped Avocado to the Pico - but I didn't have any on hand, otherwise it would be in the photo.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

xoxo,

Sarahfae - AtV

Animal Veggie Addicts: Chito the Miniature Horse!

Well now, this is really exciting! AtV is super excited to introduce the newest addition to our animal pals - Chito!

Chito is a fruit and veggie loving 14 year old miniature horse. Since he went blind he has to live in his owner's backyard but he doesn't mind. Every day he gets an apple from the neighbors as well as a mid-afternoon fruit or veggie treat from his owner. He enjoys carrots, apples, peas, celery and grapes but his favorite thing in the world is a banana. Chito's owner can't even put banana peels in the compost pile anymore. The blind mini has been known to bound right over a three foot fence to grab banana peels, as well an young peas from the garden. Chito's daily companion is a six year old border collie who loves to grab the apples right out from under Chito's nose and drop them somewhere else. Then the hunt is on! A single apple can keep these two entertained for an hour. Chito also enjoys homemade vegan banana muffins on special occasions as well as any miniature fruit or veggies his owner can find, because she thinks feeding miniature animals miniature stuff is funny.

Thank you SO much to Chito's keeper, the very talented and very crafty Rachel Klein of One Pretty Thing (we LOVE her site!) for contacting us. She and Chito wanted to share a couple of important links with AtV: for those of you who keep or are friends of miniature horses, a list of fruits and veggies to do and don't feed your horse.  Also if you are looking to donate to a very important and worthy cause - please visit the International Humane Society and give to their disaster fund which supports the displaced animals of Haiti.

If you have a furry, feathered, scaly, or "other" animal friend that would like to be a part of the Addicted to Veggies campaign please email us your photos. Try to include a fruit or vegetable in the picture, as well as a little bit of information along with the photo, i.e.; animal's name, favorite fruit or veggie, and a fun fact, tid-bit, or story. Don't forget to let us know if there is a earth/animal-friendly site you would like for us to plug, in addition to your own blog.
We look forward to *hopefully* featuring a new animal every week in our upcoming special "Animal Veggie Addicts" section.

Beet Burgers!

Let me start this post off by saying that I'm not a fan of beets. However, when I saw Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's post for Roasted Tofu-Beet Burgers I fell in LOVE with the color. Yes. The color.

Now mind you I've only eaten beets on a few different occasions, and could never seem to get past their sweet dirt-like taste...but yesterday I finally decided to purchase a bunch from my local natural foods store. Determined to see for myself what a raw/vegan Beet Burger would taste like, and whether or not I could mask the earthy beet flavor and actually change my opinion of the root veggie.The results? Well, they were pretty startling. In fact, my sister and fellow veggie addict had the same adversity to beets - but with a little persuasion she tried the Beet Burger and happily gave it her seal of approval!

So here you have it...

Beet Burgers with mustard, red onion, avo, tomato, sandwiched in between romaine leaves

Beet Burgers 

1 c (packed) Shredded Red Beet

 1 c Cashews (soaked 2 hours - then chopped)

5 Tbsp Ground Sunflower Seeds (OR Ground Flax seed)

4 Tbsp Unpasteurized Mellow White Miso 

2 tsp Onion powder

1 tsp dried Oregano

1 tsp ground Celery Seed

1 tsp dried Chive

1/2 tsp Cumin

2 pinches Garlic Granules

2 pinches Ground Black Pepper

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Place all of the above ingredients into food processor. Process until mixed and ground evenly.

Optional: form into 4 patties and dehydrate for 3-4 hours. This will firm up the Burgers slightly, which I prefer. 

Nested on top a bed of raw Sauerkraut, drizzle of yellow mustard, sliced red onion and tomato. A winning combination of flavors if you're like me and LOVE acidity.

xoxo,

Sarahfae - AtV

Creamy Broccoli Soup

First off I'd like to acknowledge all of the yummy and amazing raw Broccoli Soup recipes that are floating around the interwebs. One of my fav' is Shannon Marie's version over at Rawdorable. If you haven't seen her blog then go say hi - she's quite lovely!
So, without further ado I'm excited to offer my contribution to the list of yumminess! Yay Broccoli!
This soup is not only really easy, it's SO taste satisfying, so filling, and approved by a non-vegan rawfoodie (we love getting taste approvals). I hope you'll have the time to make and enjoy this recipe just as much as I did, and plan on doing for a very long time.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

Step 1. Making the "Soup mix"

Into food processor combine all of the following ingredients:

2 c Broccoli

1 c Cashews

1 Tbsp dried Chives (can use fresh if you'd like)

1 Tbsp dried Parsley

1 tsp ground Celery seed (if you don't have it buy it! It's one of my favorite spices)

3 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp Garlic Granules

Cracked Pepper - to taste

*Sea Salt - to taste (or other - see below)

*Current favorite salt substitute: Unpasturized Mellow White Miso.

For this recipe you can omit the Sea Salt and sub it with Unpasteurized Mellow White Miso for more depth of flavor. For this recipe I used roughly 3 Tbsp of Unpsteurized Mellow White Miso.

In food processor finely chop all of the above ingredients. Once finely chopped place the "Soup Mix" aside in a bowl --- the "Soup Mix" should roughly add up to 1&1/2 to 2 cups.

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Step 2. Making the SOUP

This part is really simple - back to your food processor you go...
(each Version should yield enough for 1 good sized bowl of soup)

Version 1 (w/ Avocado)

1/2 c "Soup Mix"

1 c Warm Water

1/4 of a medium sized Avocado

Process for 3-5 minutes, until creamy

Version 2 (w/ no Avocado)

1/2 c "Soup Mix"

3/4 c Warm Water

Process 3-5 minutes, until creamy

You can store the remaining "Soup Mix" in an air tight container in your fridge and it should keep for roughly 5-7 days. I plan on making this in a larger batch and enjoying it as a quick lunch on the go.
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One more note: If you're not a fan of "Warm Soup" please don't shy away from heating this recipe up on the stove. My only word of caution is to avoid a simmer or boil. The flavors are very full and present, and there is no need to bring them out by "cooking" the soup. A good quick and thorough heating (while stirring)  would be perfectly fine!

Thanks so much!

xoxo,

Sarahfae - AtV

Animal Veggie Addict: Haru the Corn loving cat

Addicted to Veggies is so excited to boast another new Animal Veggie Addict friend!!

Meet Haru the handsome tabby. 

Haru’s love for veggies is a special story. When Haru made a trip to the dentist to have a routine teeth cleaning the anesthesia caused him to become very sick, and a loss of appetite was the cause of great concern to his loving owners. After failed advice from the vet, by chance a can of corn was opened...the rest became Animal Veggie Addict history. Haru was hooked on the starchy vegetable and has since been eating to his hearts content, like a Kitty/horse! Making a speedy recovery from his trip to the Dentist, of course.

Now when his owner boils corn on the cobb Haru comes running excitedly, his eyes wide, and his paws lovingly batting for attention. We asked Haru if there was a site or earth friendly cause that he would like to raise awareness too, and he eagerly told us to visit his friends over at The Peninsula Humane Society --- these wonderful people are responsable for placing Haru in the loving home that he has today. Also a word of thanks to Haru’s owner for contacting us at AtV. We’re so happy to tell his story, and look forward to making many more Animal Veggie Addict friends.

If you have a furry, feathered, scaly, or "other" animal friend that would like to be a part of the Addicted to Veggies campaign please email us your photos. Try to include a fruit or vegetable in the picture, as well as a little bit of information along with the photo, i.e.; animal's name, favorite fruit or veggie, and a fun fact, tid-bit, or story.
We look forward to *hopefully* featuring a new animal every week in our upcoming special "Animal Veggie Addicts" section.

xoxo,

Sarahfae - AtV

Stuffed Zucchini "Parmigiana"

Happy New years everyone!
I'm excited to have more free time now that the Holidays have passed. I've missed my kitchen, and weekly foodie routine...so, cheers to falling back into normalcy and regaining our lovely routines.
I had every intention to post this recipe yesterday, but the laziness of  new years day got away with me...no excuses, but better late then never.
And I'm truly excited about this one!

Stuffed Zucchini "Parmigiana" w/ Apple-Tomato-Bell Pepper Marinara

While the details of this recipe may seem a bit lengthy in comparison to my usual recipes, I promise you that it's much more simple than it appears - and the results are very very rewarding. I really hope you'll give this recipe a try, and pass it along too! Here are the tools you will need:

• 1 large cutting board
• 1 of the following: A very sharp knife, A vegetable peeler, or A veggie mandolin. 
• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 small mixing bowl
• 2 medium sized shallow bowls OR 2 deep dinner plates
• 1 basting brush
• 1 nut grinder OR coffee grinder (clean from coffee grounds of course)
• Blender OR Food Processor
• 1 fork

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Step 1 - the "Parmigiana":
In your nut grinder/coffee grinder place the following:
1 c Sunflower Seeds
1 tbsp Onion powder
2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried Parsley
Sea Salt
*Grind*
Now you have your dried Parmigiana mixture! Put this dried mixture into an air tight container and store in the refrigerator...but don't forget about it because you'll need it very soon.

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Step 2 - the Basting mixture:
Bare with me here - this may seem a bit strange, but I promise all of these flavors work really well together!
In a small mixing bowl place the following:
2 tbsp Yellow Mustard (you can use Stone Ground Mustard if you prefer)
2 tbsp pureed Medjool Dates (I always keep a jar of pureed dates in my fridge for my sweetener, if you're not like me then you can just sub the dates with another form of sweetener to your liking such as honey, agave, or stevia)
2 tbsp of water
Mix well. Set this Basting mixture aside...but not too far from your work station.

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Step 3 - The Zucchini
1 to 2 Large Zucchinis, washed, and the ends removed
Thinly slice the Zucchini Length-wise. You don't want the Zucchini to be any thicker than 1/4 of an inch.
Set aside the Zucchini and move on to the last step in the preparation phase.

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Step 4 - (One of my newest favorite foods) Apple-Tomato-Bell Pepper Marinara:
Place the following in your Blender OR Food Processor
1 Medium Apple - cored and sliced
1 Medium Tomato
1/2 Large Red or Yellow Bell Pepper
*Puree*
Add to the pureed mixture:
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Onion Powder
2 pinches of "Italian Seasoning" (Dried: Basil/Oregano/Thyme/Rosemary/Marjoram)
2 pinches of Parsley
2 pinches of Garlic Granules
Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper to taste
*Puree Again*
Remove mixture from blender/processor and store in an air tight container in the fridge. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes so the flavors can meld.

Now - on to the assembling!

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Assembly Step 1 - Basting:
In your your shallow bowl or deep dinner plate begin "Basting" both sides of your thinly sliced Zucchini:

You do not want to over saturate your Zucchini with the mustard base - only a very thin coat is necessary, just enough to wet the Zucchini and give it a light yellow tint. Once you've basted all of the Zucchini (roughly 6 to 10 slices - depending on how large your slices are, and how big your want your portions to be --- see below for variations on plating size) Set the "basted" Zucchini aside and move onto the "Parmigiana" step.

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Assembly Step 2 - "Parmigiana":

In your other shallow bowl OR deep dinner plate pore a layer of your dried "Parmigiana" mixture and place a slice of the "Basted" Zucchini on top. Use a fork to press the Zucchini into the "Parmigiana" mixture. Turn the Zucchini over and repeat until the Zucchini has been evenly coated.

Yummm!

Okay. So at this point you should have coated all of your Zucchini with the dried "Parmigiana" mixture. Set all of your lovely coated Zucchini aside (but not too far away), and move on to making the "Stuffing".

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Here's my very rough recipe for a simple yummy wilted Swiss Chard salad that is the perfect "stuffing" for this recipe. (If you don't have Swiss Chard on hand you can use Spinach instead)

Wilted Swiss Chard (Or Spinach) Stuffing

In large mixing bowl prepare the following

1 bunch of Swiss Chard, stems removed, chopped roughly, and massaged until wilted/broken down

1 hand-full of Walnuts, chopped very well

2 to 3 heaping tbsp of the dried "Parmigiana" mixture

3 to 4 heaping tbsp of the Apple-Tomato-Bell Pepper Marinara

1 tbsp of the "Basting" mixture

*Mix all of the above very evenly*

(I forgot to metention that when I don't feel like getting my hands all wet and messy I'll opt to use a potato masher like the one featured in the above picture. It's a great tool for not only mashing, but massaging your greens! Try it sometime!)

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Assembling the Plate

Lay the the strips of Zucchini "Parmigiana" parallel to each other, each strip should be slightly overlapping...

Then you take your fork and press down on the seams of each zucchini strip so they "bond"...

From here you will want to place a good heaping amount of the Wilted Swiss Chard "stuffing" on the strips of Zucchini...like you would if you were rolling sushi. Use your hands, or a good sized knife to lift up the edges of the zucchini and begin rolling it up properly into a lovely log...

Yay! Look at that lovely stuffed Zucchini "Parmigiana"! Don't forget to add a layer of the Apple-Tomato-Bell pepper Marinara on either the bottom of the plate, or poured over the top of the Zucchini...or both. Either way you can't really go wrong with this meal.
And if you prep ahead of time and store all of the ingredients in the fridge the assembly for this simple meal goes rather quickly. I've already enjoyed this recipe four times since putting it together...and it's probably going to stay high on my list of favorite foods. It hits your taste buds in all of the right places, and I really hope you take the time to make it so that you can agree with me.

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Here are a couple plating variations, just know that the "look" of this meal can really be whatever you'd like...as long as it's eaten and enjoyed!

With no Marinara and lots of Walnuts

View from the top...a smaller plate, but still lovely I think.

Thanks for tuning in!
xoxo,
Sarahfae - AtV

Smoothie Time!

While the following recipe might be old news to most of you, it never gets old with me, and remains my all time favorite treat, not to mention a current favorite breakfast pick-me-up.

My Favorite Smoothie

3 C Frozen Bananas
2 whole ripe peeled Bananas
2-3 C frozen Pineapple
6 C Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Zest of 1 large Orange
2 tsp Vanilla

Blend!!

Drink, sip, sigh, smile, refrigerate for later - or share with a loved one for optimal enjoyment.