Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing

My last post of 2012. What a great year this has been! Food blogging and taking pictures has been a fun and learning experience. I've improved much but still have a ways to go. Meeting like minded people and being inspired everyday has been amazing. I look forward to what adventures lie ahead. I leave you all with this really wonderful dressing. I know many will be eating healthier as a New Year's resolution and this dressing will help you get some freshness in your meal plans. I personally found myself tipping the bowl to get the last of it. It's light and refreshing on its own, adding it to a fresh salad just makes it that much better. I've been waiting to find a great creamy style dressing that's easy to make at home and finally I've found one that fits my needs. This is raw, nut free, soy free, gluten free and of course vegan. I think this will amaze you as much as it amazed me. Happy New Year's to you all....Cheers!

The base of this recipe is hemp hearts. If you're unfamiliar with hemp seed hearts, you will want to add these great little seeds to your lifestyle. They are easy to sprinkle in smoothies, on salads, add some to the top of your toast and jam. In this recipe they create a wonderful creaminess. Hemp seeds are a great source of omega 3 & 6 and are a high quality complete protein. Four tablespoons, or 1/4 cup, of hemp seeds contain 15 grams of protein, and they're also a good source of fiber containing 2.5 grams per quarter cup. They also contain high concentration of vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid and many other micro-nutrients that your body needs. Another great thing about hemp seeds is that they do not need to be soaked to aid in digestion, they can be eaten raw and the body will absorb and digest all nutrients readily and easily. They contain a lot of nutrition in a small package. If you love hemp hearts, you may also like my other recipes containing hemp hearts. Raw Healthy, Happy, Hemp Seed Cookie Balls & Raw Creamy Miso Soup w/ Mushrooms...a few great ways to use hemp seeds!

Now, let's make some delicious dreamy creamy dressing...

Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hemp hearts
• 1/3 cup water, plus more as needed for thinning
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• a few strands chives, broken into 1 inch pieces
• a few sprig leaves fresh dill 
• a few sprig tops fresh cilantro and/or parsley
• dash or two garlic powder
• dash or two onion powder
• himalayan salt to taste 

Using a blender, I used the magic bullet for this, combine ingredients and blend until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Taste for flavor adding anything extra to suit your taste...more lemon?...more herbs?...more garlic or onion powder? Chill before serving. Makes about 5 servings.

Store in an air tight container in refrigerator for up to a week.

Note: I have not made this in a regular blender. The magic bullet works wonders but if you don't have one this should work fine your blender at home. You may consider doubling the recipe if using a larger blender. Mix and match herbs to suit your taste.

Salad shown consists of romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumbers and topped with cracked pepper...simple and delicious!

Enjoy!

How to Freeze Fresh Herbs:

Fresh is always best, but I do find that I buy fresh organic herbs and then they get thrown away. If you find that is the case for you, below is a few simple ways to freeze your herbs making them easily ready for this recipe and others.

Fresh dill sprigs can be frozen for up to a couple months, but they will darken in color. There is no need to thaw before using. Frozen dill weed will still always have more flavor than dried dill. Below are two methods for freezing dill.

Cilantro is best used fresh, freezing turns it mushy, so fresh is best for great flavor.

Parsley is another herb that freezes well. You can freeze parsley the same as dill by using one of the two methods provided below.

Chives also freeze well. Frozen chives have the same flavor as fresh chives. To freeze chives you can cut the strands into small pieces, lay on cookie sheet and place in freezer for about 20 minutes. Once frozen place in air tight container, should last up to year. You can also freeze by using the ice cube tray method below.

Whole Stalks: 

Dill: Place a bunch of dill, stalks and all, in a reusable plastic bag or airtight container. Once the dill freezes, use clean kitchen shears to remove the needed portion, then return the remaining dill to the freezer. Entire stalks can be used to flavor soups and stews, then use a slotted spoon to remove the dill just before serving.

Parsley: Chop parsley into small pieces, place in reusable plastic bag or airtight container.

Ice Cubes:

An ice cube tray provides serving size cubes of herbs that can be tossed into soups, stews and other hot dishes. Dice the herbs, place a small amount in each section of an ice cube tray, add water and freeze. Once frozen, remove the cubes and store them in resealable plastic bag or freezer container. You can also add veggie broth instead of water, or combine herbs as well for a ready to use herbal blend.

Carrot Miso Soup

This wonderful soup comes from the Smitten Kitchen. It's the simplest of ingredients with such great flavor. Yes, there are a lot of carrots involved but carrots are really on the cheap. I can pick up a 5 lb bag of organic carrots for under $5 making this a very inexpensive soup to prepare (double the recipe and store in the freezer for later if you like). The miso costs a bit more at around $8-9 a tub but will last up to a year + in the fridge. If you follow my recipes you will be sure to use it more than once. The miso compliments this soup beautifully making it a classic favorite. I love miso for its flavor and health benefits, it is quite unusual and irreplaceable. The only changes I made to Deb's recipe was adding a little tofu to round this soup out with some protein. I have chosen to use a silken tofu, sliced and topped with a bit of cayenne for a little kick of spice. The tofu is soft and silky blending in almost seamlessly with each bite and the cayenne adds a bit of warmth. So delicious! Feel free to omit the tofu if you're not a fan. And if you are a fan, feel free to add more for extra protein. 

Carrot Miso Soup 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 - 2 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely grated 
• 4 cups water or vegetable broth (I used water)
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) white miso paste
• 8 oz. organic silken tofu, sliced thin and at room temperature
• cayenne pepper as garnish, to taste 
• chives, chopped OR scallions, thinly sliced

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, carrots and garlic, saute until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add liquids and ginger. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender.

Let soup cool a bit. Add miso to soup and puree using 1 of 3 methods: An immersion blender right in the por, a food processor or a regular blender. You may have to puree the latter two methods in batches.

Add a bit more water as needed. Taste for seasoning adding salt, especially if you didn't use veggie stock you may like to add salt. Add pepper, more miso or grated ginger to taste.

Slice your tofu, ladle your soup into serving bowls, top with tofu, a sprinkle of cayenne for some heat and a nice bunch of chives or scallions.

Enjoy!

Raw Spicy Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

Happy New Years! Starting the New Year off with a raw dish to help cleanse and detox the days gone by. This soup is alkalizing and refreshing. Not only is it an anti-inflammatory soup but it's also full of beneficial ingredients that your body will thank you for. Let the power of red work wonders for your health. Each ingredient has its own special nutritional benefit, all of which contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, fiber and some proteins. For extra protein and nutrition try adding a sprinkle of black sesame, hemp or chia seeds on top. Would be great with spiralized zucchini noodles too! Eating fresh and clean for half of your daily intake is highly helpful in keeping the mind, body and spirit aligned and in good health. Cheers to good health in the new year!

Raw Spicy Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• 2 large tomatoes
• 5 or 6 grape tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• a few cilantro, parsley or basil leaves
• a few chives
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• himalayan salt to taste

Quarter your tomatoes. Core and de-seed your bell pepper, cut into slices. Place all ingredients in food processor/blender and blend until a soup consistency. Taste for flavor adding extra ingredients to suit your taste. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice over top and some chopped chives, parsley or basil. Serves one or two small as an appetizer. Feel free to warm gently.

Notes: 

Would be great with julienned or spiralized zucchini noodles.

So easy and fresh....Enjoy!

Zucchini & Sweet Potato Vichyssoise

This was such a beautiful and easy soup to make. It's so basic, yet packs tons of flavor. Simple and delicious...it's a welcome addition to the recipe collection. Traditionally Vichyssoise is made with regular potatoes, but once I starting researching for this recipe I came across a few recipes using sweet potatoes and that was that! This recipe is largely adapted from Ina Garten. Vichyssoise, pronounced vish-e-swaz, is traditionally served chilled but I found this to be amazing warmed or at room temp. Every time I've made this it has been gone before it could ever be refrigerated. I encourage you to enjoy this soup however you prefer. It's lovely with a slice of toasted crusty bread for dipping and a nice glass of lemon water.

Sweet potatoes with its bright orange flesh, some varieties have purple, are highly nutritious, full of anti-oxidants, vitamins A & C and trace minerals. They fit in perfectly with the other ingredients while giving this soup a warm golden color. You can either peel your sweet potatoes or leave the peel on for added fiber. 

Zucchini is a vegetable found year round here in California and I hope you find it just as easily wherever you're located. It's an easy and nutritious addition to the soup. 

I love leeks with their mellow onion flavor and will use them wherever I can. Leeks are also highly beneficial to the human body and should be enjoyed often. They do tend to trap dirt in their stalks so be sure to rinse well after slicing removing any debris. Place them in a bowl of cool water, swish them around separating the rings and rinsing well. Or simply use cool running water and a colander. 

Cups and cups, and cups of simple ingredients to be made into a soup you can enjoy warm or chilled.

At this point, your leeks are cooked down, the remaining ingredients have been added to the pot and you're ready to simmer. Once complete you'll have yourself a comforting, velvety soup that's packed full of nutrition and a home that smells divine!

Zucchini & Sweet Potato Vichyssoise

Ingredients

• 5 cups leeks (about 2-3 large or 4-5 small), sliced
• 4 cups sweet potatoes (about 2 small), diced
• 3 cups zucchini (about 2 small), chopped
• 6 cups vegetable broth 
• mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons turmeric or curry powder, optional
• 2 tablespoons basic cashew sour cream, optional
• chopped fresh chives or scallions, for garnish

Chop and prepare your vegetables. For the leeks, once sliced place them in a bowl of cool water swishing them around to rinse away any dirt that is trapped, drain in a colander giving another good rinse, or simply use a colander making sure to break up the rings releasing any dirt in between. The sweet potatoes can either be peeled or left unpeeled.

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat oil over medium, add leeks and saute until softened, about five minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, zucchini, vegetable broth, salt, pepper and optional turmeric, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool about 10 - 15 minutes. Using a hand held submersion blender, blend until creamy. Add the cream and blend again. Or you may opt to use a blender or food processor to blend your soup (this will most likely take two batches to complete).

Serve hot or chilled (I especially liked this warm or at room temp). Makes about 4 servings.

Notes:

Feel free to add in some unsweetened non-dairy milk if your soup is super thick, about 1/4 - 1/2 cup.

This soup is wonderful on it's own without the optional turmeric or curry powder. I have them here in case you would like to vary the recipe up from time to time. Turmeric is noted for it's ability as an anti-inflammatory and cancer inhibitor, adding to the soup will enhance the nutritional profile. As for the curry, if you love it, it will also complement the soup nicely!

This would be great with some spiralized or julienned zucchini noodles.

For some spiciness, try adding a sprinkle of ground cayenne or chipotle powder when serving.

If you're not a fan of sweet potatoes, sub in regular potatoes instead.

Enjoy!