Butternut Squash Soup

Fall is here people and so we need to embrace it! Along with falling leaves and comfy sweaters, soup is one of my fav things about this season.  So here is a comforting recipe that will carry you through fall and into the long cold winter nights.
First:
-bake a medium sized butter nut squash at 375 degrees
use fork to poke it until it is soft, which should take around 40 mins, and let it sit and cool for about 20 mins

Second:
-scope out the seeds of the butternut squash and throw out
-scope out all of the inside of the squash and put it in the food processor with a whole can of coconut milk and a cup of whole cashews
-blend until smooth

Third:
-while your squash is cooking you can do the next steps
-sautee a medium sized onion (chopped) and minced 2 cloves of garlic in 2 tbsps of coconut oil

and..
-boil 1/2 cup of dry lentils with a large chopped carrot and a chopped celery stalk
-boil until lentils are cooked....about 20 mins

Fourth:
-add in the cooked onions, garlic, lentils, carrots and celery into the food processor with your already mixed squash with coconut milk and cashews.
-add 1 cup of water, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of ginger and 1/2 tsp of paprika
-then mix all the ingredients together in your food processor for about 3-5 mins
-if it is not warm enough you can reheat it in a pot and serve!

Enjoy!

Jam Packed Salsa

Unfortunately summer is coming to an end...but Im not ready to give up my summer foods yet!  I have what will probably be my last summer recipe to share...until next year, but why not go out with a bang?!
Here it is:
Dressing-
juice from half a lime
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
1tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/8 tsp of cayenne
-whisk all of the ingredients together and let sit while you make the rest of the recipe

Salsa-
1 cup of cooked black beans (I boiled mine myself before hand and rinsed them in cold water)
1 medium sized avocado diced
1 medium sized tomato diced
1/2 of a medium sized onion diced
1cup of finely chopped parsley
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 of a green pepper diced
-mix all together in a bowl and then add dressing and mix in.....leave for a couple hours in the fridge if you prefer dressing to soak in

This dish can either be eaten alone, or served with corn chips(organic non-gmo please), or served on a bed of rice or leafy greens.
Enjoy!

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

If there is one thing you might miss when it comes to cutting out dairy is creamy sauces.....mmmm alfredo use to be one of my favorites! I recently just created a recipe where you can have your healthy creamy sauce and eat it too!

You will need:
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup or organic full fat coconut milk (fat in coconut milk is good fat so none of that half fat "light" stuff)
1 cup of whole cashews
1/2 cup of whole brazil nuts
1tbsp of nutritional yeast
1/4tsp of salt
1tsp basil (I used dried)
1tsp thyme (I used dried)

add all ingredients to a food processor and blend for 2-4 mins or until creamy

Mix into any pasta!....I used gluten free rice pasta and added some steamed snow peas!
Enjoy! :)

Wholey Guacamole

I recently had to do a food demo for class and decided to choose my fav recipe I created, which is my version of guacamole.
Because this is a raw a snack it is 100% healthy and has many health benefits!
First of all because this is raw it still has the enzymes in it to help your body break down the food (all raw foods have this benefit which is why every meal should contain raw food).
The main ingredient Avocados! They contain fat...good fat that is (omega 3) which takes longer to digest therefore leaving you full longer.  They have lots of health benefits such as supporting cardiovascular health, good absorption of antioxidants, helps with blood sugar regulation, and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Next up Onions! Yes raw onions... They have sulfur containing compounds which give off their strong odor (and make you cry while cutting them and I tend to cry alot when cutting them).  They also have health benefits such as good heart health (anti platelet clumping agents), benefits connective tissue, supports bones, anti-inflammatory benefits and prevent bacterial infections.

 Then we have garlic! Raw garlic the trick to having great breath! (im kidding, always serve something with mint or parsley in it after a garlic dish because it helps to mask the smell).  Garlic also has sulfur containing compounds that lower blood pressure, help cardiovascular health, its anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-viral, helps iron metabolism and helps prevent cancer.


(info found at  www.whfoods.com)

Recipe
Ingredients: -3 Avocados        -1 small onion (I use a cooking one)
-1or 2 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)
-2 tsps of salt (I prefer pink himayalian)      
-3 tbsps of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Optional- ¼ cup of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, ½ cup of chickpeas or tomatoes (chopped)
Directions: -Chop onions and garlic cloves   -Put all ingredients in food processor and process for 5 mins (or until smooth, less time is you want it chunky) -serve with organic corn chips, veggies to dip, crackers or mix with pasta for a pasta salad
*also just made it with some dill today which added a unique taste to it!