Soothing Spinach Soup

You won’t believe how creamy this soup is. It is Plant-Based and so healthy, delicious and “creamy” without the cream! Full of fresh spinach,a potato  and a bit of cashew creme ( oh yum) It’s sure to become one of your favorites and simple to make.   
Approx 5 Cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup of cashews
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-2  russet potatos peeled and  cut into pieces
• 3 bay leaves
• 3-4 cups tightly packed spinach (washed, dried, stems removed) 
• 3-4 cups cups organic vegetable broth

 1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

TO PREPARE:

1. Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup water. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Transfer the cashews and their soaking water to a blender and puree until smooth and creamy; this may take several minutes. Set aside.

2. In a soup pot, combine the broth, potato, onion, garlic and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and simmer until the potato is very tender, about 15 minutes. Add the spinach and 1 cup water. Cover and cook over medium heat until the spinach leaves have wilted, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

3. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender or food processor, working in batches if necessary (do not overfill the blender), and puree until smooth. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot until smooth.) Pour the soup back into the pot. Whisk in the cashew cream ( your desired amount) lemon juice, pepper, and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot.

 
This soup heats up well so you can enjoy it for a few days!

inspired by: Forks Over Knives

Creamy Dreamy Tomato Soup (DF)

 Love this soup, hot or cold. A great source of vitamin C, antioxidants, and also gets rid of those ugly free radicals in your blood stream. Remember ..."The redder the better". Think deep colorful foods. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. Olive oil (or vegetable broth for non oil recipe)

• 1 diced onion

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced.

• ½ cup raw soaked cashews ( soak in water for 4-6 hrs)

• 2 cups Vegetable broth

• 3-4 tsp. tomato paste

• 1 can whole tomatoes w/ juice

• ¼ cup oil packed of sun dried tomatoes, drained.

• ½-1 tsp. dried oregano

• ¼ tsp. fine grain salt

• ½ tsp. ground pepper

Instructions

1. Heat Olive oil (or broth) in Large saucepan, add the onion, garlic and sauté for 5-6 minutes until translucent.

2. In a blender, combine the soaked cashews and the broth and blend on high speed until creamy and smooth. Add the garlic-onion mixture, tomatoes and their juices, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste and blend on high until smooth.

3. Pour the tomato mixture into the saucepan in which you cooked the onions and set the pan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then stir in the oregano, salt, pepper, and thyme, all to taste.

4. Gently simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the flavors have developed.

5. Chill if a cool soup is desired.

6. You can thin this out with some more veggie broth if needed. 

 

Creamy White Bean and Herb Dip

A creamy, delicious, refreshing dip that has highlights of lemon and herbs. Great as a dip or used in a wrap or sandwich.

Ingredients :

1 can (15oz) cannellini beans

1/4 cup tahini (best to use a thinner consistency)

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 cloves garlic grated or pressed

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp of water if needed

1/4 cup chopped herbs of choice ( dill, basil, parsley, rosemary, or thyme)

Instructions:

In a food processor add drained and rinsed beans, tahini, lemon zest lemon juice, salt, garlic, and olive oil (reserve herbs for later).

Pulse to combine then blend until creamy (scrape down sides as needed) Blend less time if you like a chunkier texture. If you prefer smooth, blend for longer. Add slowly a tbsp of water at a time to thin if needed.

Add your chopped herbs and pulse again to combine.

Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Add more olive oil for creaminess, lemon for tartness, salt, or water to thin. (it will thicken when chilled)

Enjoy immediately, or you can chill. Drizzle olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle herbs on top before serving.

Note: If you want to try this without tahini, just add another 1/2 cup of white beans and a touch more lemon, olive oil, garlic etc