Kitchen Sink Veggie Soup

One night this week, I found myself with lots of veggies in the fridge, no clear idea of what to make for din din, and after a yoga class, and not much time to make it. I threw a whole bunch of veggies in the blender, with some fresh herbs and some spices, and – presto! A tasty, and light yet satisfying veggie soup. I recommend experimenting with whatever you have left over in the fridge, a handful of some fresh herbs if you have them, and enough salt and pepper to bring out the flavors. Don’t forget to add a little water to get things moving in the blender, probably 1-2 cups depending on how watery your veggies are. Here was my “recipe”:

1 ½ cups shredded beets

1 cup carrots

1 cup chopped celery

Couple big handfuls of kale

½ of a big bunch of cilantro

2 green onions (the thick white part – save the thinner greener parts for garnish)

Juice of two limes

¼ teaspoon (or so) cumin

Salt (probably about a teaspoon) & pepper to taste

1 ½ cups of water

Blend until smooth! Garnish with extra green onion or extra herbs. I served mine with some flax crackers, but this would be nice along with a salad, too. The point is, use whatever veggies you have that seem to go together, some herbs and spices, salt & pepper, maybe a squirt of lemon or lime, and you are in business!

Keep the Vampires Away: Greens with Garlic, Raisins and Pine Nuts

I went to Spain in high school on an exchange program, and one dish that sticks in my mind, made by my host mother, is broccoli sautéed with garlic, pine nuts and raisins. I have had a similar dish at Spanish restaurants in the U.S., but with spinach instead of broccoli. So last night, having newly restocked my pine nut supply, I made a raw version of greens with garlic, pine nuts and raisins – this time, with Swiss chard. It would be delicious with spinach too, or even kale, but I had a big bunch of chard that I wanted to use.

2 cloves of garlic (use 1 if you need to go out in public after, or more if you want to keep the vampires away!)

½ cup raisins

3 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoons pine nuts

Big bunch of Swiss chard (or other greens)

Salt & pepper

Shave garlic very thin or chop into tiny pieces, and toss with raisins and oil so the garlic and raisins can soften a bit (15 minutes or so). Wash and chop greens. Working in 3 or 4 batches, add greens and some of oil mixture to a big bowl, and toss with salt and pepper. Check seasoning, and repeat with additional portions of greens until all the oil and all the greens are in the bowl (I found it easier to work with the greens in steps to get them all really well coated). Cover bowl, and let marinate for 2-3 hours, tossing occasionally. Add pine nuts, and serve. Raw appétit!

Back to Bloggin'...with Rosemary Garlic Raw Stuffed Mushrooms

I can’t believe it has been so long since I’ve blogged! Believe me, it’s been about that long since I made anything much more complicated than a salad. The holidays were very busy, and also I got engaged, so I’ve been working on the initial, big details of wedding planning.

If that weren’t enough, I’m teaching an Alissa Cohen Living on Live Food class on January 23 (check out www.rawteachers.com/angelasalvucci) and a raw basics workshop at Pure Yoga and Pilates in Wilmington, DE on February 6, and plan to add more classes to my calendar shortly! So it’s a busy time – forgive my lack of attention to the blog!

With all my travels and class and wedding planning, there hasn’t been much time for grocery shopping, so I’m running low on supplies, but tonight I made raw stuffed mushrooms and a broccoli soup for dinner (the soup was to try out my brand new Vita-Mix, QVC version…my first super duper turbo high speed blender!). The broccoli soup was Alissa Cohen’s recipe in Living on Live Food, but the mushroom recipe was mine, based on a) my mom’s cooked stuffed mushrooms, which are delicious and b) what I actually had in the fridge and cabinets! Here goes:

About a dozen large button mushrooms (crimini would also work)

½ cup celery, chopped (about 2 stalks)

½ cup walnuts

1 clove of garlic (less if you don’t want it too zippy)

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 ½ tablespoons (or so) fresh rosemary (use whatever spices you like! I was using the remains of a rosemary Christmas tree that had decorated the kitchen table for the holidays)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt (about ½ teaspoon) & pepper to taste

Wipe any dirt off mushrooms with a damp cloth, and gently remove stems. In a food processor, combine all other ingredients until as smooth or chunky as you like (I did mine quite smooth). With a small spoon, stuff mushroom caps. This recipe will make about a dozen large, very full stuffed mushrooms. Place mushroom caps and dehydrate for an hour or too at 105, to warm them through, or put them in the oven at the lowest temp (and keep checking to make sure they aren’t getting too warm!), or just eat as-is. Raw appétit!

When the Weather Outside is Frightful...Raw Hot (well, warmish) Chocolate Made with Nut Milk

The weather is certainly frightful where I live in the Northeast today, and there’s nothing more delightful than a cup of hot chocolate to sip while you stay cozy inside! My hot chocolate is really more on the warm side, but just as tasty as the real thing! I made it with Brazil nut milk. I don’t do nut milk very often – I’ve never really been a milk person anyway, so it’s not something I’m looking to substitute – but for hot chocolate, I’m all over it! I used a regular blender, not a Vita-Mix for this nut milk – so you can, too! No fancy tools required. I also used panty hose (clean ones!) to strain, rather than a fancy nut milk bag, which I also don’t have.
You could use cashews instead, if you don’t have or don’t like Brazil nuts. For plain milk, just skip the cocoa powder. Add vanilla if you are craving a little egg nog-like treat, or a teaspoon of cinnamon and pinch of cayenne for Mexican cocoa.

Here it is, Ang's Raw Warm Chocolate:

1 cup Brazil nuts, soaked at least 2 hours (Cashews would work, too, and would require less or no soaking, if you don’t have time, and less straining)
3-4 cups water (depending on how thick and creamy you like it) that has been warmed to less than 112 degrees – I didn’t measure, but I stuck my finger in, and it felt comfy, so I’m guessing mine was about at body temperature
1-2 tablespoons raw agave nectar, to taste
2-3 tablespoons raw cocoa powder, to taste
Drain nuts and add to blender.
Pour 3-4 cups warmed water into the blender, and blend at the highest speed for several minutes in a regular blender, less if you have a Vita-Mix or other high speed blender (the high speed blender will also warm your water as it blends – be careful and stop to let it cool occasionally so it doesn’t get too warm and roast your nut milk!) Strain through a nut milk bag or pantyhose into a bowl.Pour milk back into blender, and add agave nectar and cocoa powder to taste. Leave out the cocoa powder for regular “milk,” add vanilla and a little more agave for egg nog, or do cocoa powder, cinnamon and cayenne for Mexican hot chocolate. Blend for another 20 seconds or so, and enjoy…raw appétit!

Have Your Carrot Cake, and Eat it Too

I was faced with quite the predicament this afternoon: no (well, very little) food in the house, and a little bit of a dessert craving. I just about always have dates and walnuts, which I would usually throw together with raw cacao powder to make brownies, but I was running low on cacao, and I wanted to save the half cup or so I did have for an emergency. (Raw girls can have chocolate emergencies, too!)

The one thing I did have was carrots…they were the stubby ugly ones left in the bag, but they were there. I’ve thought several times of making carrot cake and how I would do it, so I seized the opportunity. I didn’t decorate the top with anything cute, but you could whittle Barbie-sized carrots and stick them on top of the frosting, with little pieces of parsley for stems, if you were feeling like a big food nerd.

Cake:

2 cups of raisins

2 cups of walnuts

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2 cups of carrots, finely shredded or grated (I used my spiral sliver to make very thin tendrils…remember, you aren’t cooking it, so you need a pretty fine shred so the carrots are soft enough – you don’t want to crunch when you bite in!)

Blend raisins, walnuts, salt and cinnamon in food processor until the mixture is very smooth…you will hardly see pieces of walnuts anymore, the nuts will be releasing their oils, and the whole thing will turn into a doughy ball in the food processor. Add carrots, and pulse chop a few times, until the carrots are incorporated but still visible. Spread onto a plate or tray, about ½ to ¾ of an inch high, in a round or rectangular shape, whatever catches your fancy. You may notice that the walnut oil and carrot juice create a slightly greasy goo around the plate. Don’t worry. You can either sop it up with paper towels, greasy-pizza-style, or transfer the cake to another plate before frosting. Chill the cake before frosting if you can.

Frosting:

½ cup dates (I used very soft Medjool dates – if your dates are hard, soak them for at least an hour, then drain before using)

1 cup cashews, soaked for 1-2 hours, then drained

4 tablespoons fresh orange juice (or lemon, if you prefer)

Blend in food processor until very smooth and a little fluffy – be patient! Spread on cake and serve in small pieces, as it will be very sweet and rich…raw appétit!

Classes start in January!

I'll be teaching Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food Level 1: Chef Certification beginning in January.

Kick off the New Year and make good on your resolutions by getting started on raw!

Are you ready to start losing weight, having more energy, and feeling positively radiant by eating the healthiest and tastiest food ever? This class is for you!

You’ll learn everything you need to get started on raw and living foods right now – no fancy gadgets or complicated techniques required! Just delicious, easy to make meals made of veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Join me to in this day-long class, where we’ll discuss the basics of a day-to-day raw food lifestyle and make tasty dishes like “salmon” pate, angel hair pasta, fettuccine alfredo, stuffed mushrooms, collard roll-ups (a perfectly portable, take-anywhere raw meal!), broccoli soup, and of course, dessert...a delicious date nut torte, and more.

You’ll leave class knowing how to set up your raw kitchen, shop for food, and prepare meals that even the kids will love!

January 23
10am-3pm
Wilmington, DE

$125
Includes breakfast & lunch, raw recipe booklet, and Chef Certification from Alissa Cohen.

To sign up for class or ask any questions, please call me at 617-797-9994 or email at angelasalvucci@hotmail.com. You must sign up in advance. Check out www.rawteachers.com/angelasalvucci for more info on future class dates.

I will also be thrilled to work with you individually or in a group in your home - just get in touch and we'll work out the details!

Holiday Crowd Pleaser: Creamy Spinach Dip

It’s not the greasy, cheesy, mayonnaisey mess that restaurants serve – but that’s a good thing! No one will complain that they miss all that fat when you bring this the holiday party, because this dip is so yummy! Avocados are the secret ingredient that makes it rich and creamy. I got inspiration for this from Alissa Cohen’s Spinach Dip recipe in Living on Live Food, and kicked things up a little with more spices and flavoring. You could do even more, adding fresh or sundried tomatoes, or more of your favorite herbs.

16 oz baby spinach (Adult spinach is fine, too)

2 large or 3 medium, quite ripe avocados

2 large cloves of garlic

½ of a lemon’s worth of juice (about 2 tablespoons, or more if you like lemon)

1 teaspoon onion powder

¼-1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1-1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ cup packed fresh basil

Start by pureeing spinach in the food processor. It may take a while to get going, just be patient, and keep scraping down sides. Then add avocados, and the rest of your flavoring.Adjust salt, pepper, lemon, etc as necessary – working with fresh veggies means you never quite know how much seasoning it might need. Blend well, and serve with veggies to dip. My favorite is endive. Raw appétit!