Raw Vegan Veggie Smoothie Heaven

I recently posted about the Green Earth Raw Soup that I can eat three times a day, every day in this weather. Well, as luck has it, this weather might just stick around for a little while! So as not to get bored with the same old fantastically delicious blend of fresh veggies pureed into a bowl, I offer a bit of variety!

This week I have tried the following blended varieties:

All the wholesome goodness one can pack in a cup!

Spinach, garlic, avocado, hot pepper
Kale, garlic avocado, carrot, tomato and cucumber
Beet leaf, spinach, avocado, garlic
Kale, onion, garlic, and avocado
(The point is to use what ever veggies you have in your fridge, if you can't tell!)

Basically, throw as much veggies as you can fit into a cup, add a dash of liquid amino, lemon or lime juice and what ever spices you like. Examples include: a dash of vegan Worchestershire, a spoonful of sriracha, chipotle or cayenne. Maybe some curry powder or cumin.... you can toss in some fresh herbs.. basil or even hysop!

Let the blending begin!

I recently started upping my Omega-3 intake by using Flax seed oil instead of Olive oil.

Of course the last step is to blend together with either an immersion blender or a food processor.

While perhaps not the most photogenic meal, it is the best tasting thing EVER!

Top with those raw cashews and a bit of sprouts, and you have the most nutritionally dense, antioxidant rich meal possible!

VCU is out, go to Sprout!

My coworker and I have long been waiting to dine at Sprout, on Morris Street. Let me start by saying "<3 <3 <3".

We never went for lunch since parking is always such a bear near campus, so the summer is a Richmond vegan foodista's heaven!  The menus are old record covers with photo corners glued in place to hold their ever changing localvore menu. I had the Faux Pho. Delicious! The Mushroom panini bread sandwich was given rave reviews by my coworker as well as the sweet waitress who desperately wants to make vegan cupcakes to put on Sprout's dessert menu (currently there are no vegan dessert options).

Faux Pho!!!

And now for something completely different:

From time to time my neighborhood becomes a dumping ground for unwanted poppetts. So behold this handsome gent!

Yes, I am a sucker for those sweet baby browns! He is my current foster for the time being. I gotta admit, both me and the girls have a crush on him. He is quite a handsome and charming fellow! I will let everyone know how this works out, but I foresee a happy ending in this pup's future (no, not with me, silly)!!!!

seriously! not with me!

Mother's Day, Spring Greens and Apple Cider Vinegar

I will start from the present today, and work backwards.

This is currently soaking in my sink:

Spring greens, radishes, onions, spinach..... Aah, joy.

All those delicious and nutritious leafy delectables came from my mom's amazing garden, in what I refer to as "Doggie Shang-Ri-La" See below:

I was surprised beyond belief to find out that even the little town of Gloucester has a store that carries Daiya cheese and Tofurky sausage! The store is called Country Corner of all things! Go, go Gloucester, ahoy!!!

And now for a bit of hilarity at what not to do in the self check out line at Kroger:

Do not drop the glass bottle of Braggs Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar on the cement floor of the self-check out line. You will loose your self-check outline privileges and be escorted to an aisle where someone will finish ringing you up. 

Sorry Kroger employees! Thanks for being nice. :-)

Jen's Super Spectacular Raw Green Earth Soup

In celebration of high spring, warmer weather, and all that is fantastic about this time of year, I am sharing my very favorite, eat it five days a week and still want more, raw Green Earth Soup recipe.

Green Earth Soup:

2 tomatoes

½ cucumber

1 avocado

2 big garlic cloves

Handful of spinach leaves or kale

1 tbs Liquid Amino

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbs EVOO

Pepper

handful of Raw cashews for garnish

Clover sprouts for additional garnish

Chop up veggies and then blend everything in your food processor.

Serve immediately or chill for 30 minutes. Garnish with cashew and clover sprouts if so desired

 Because this is by far my favorite thing to eat in the growing season, I included the nutritional info for you.

Note how much B vitamin goodness there is in this dish, niacin, thamin, riboflavin... In case you didn't know, many vegans can become deficient in B-12. Eat this soup, and that will not be the case!

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   1 Serving Amount Per Serving   Calories 323.0   Total Fat 18.9 g       Saturated Fat 2.5 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5 g       Monounsaturated Fat 10.0 g   Cholesterol 0.0 mg   Sodium 43.2 mg   Potassium 654.9 mg   Total Carbohydrate 24.5 g       Dietary Fiber 5.1 g       Sugars 9.3 g   Protein 18.8 g   Vitamin A 81.2 %   Vitamin B-12 200.0 %   Vitamin B-6 211.5 %   Vitamin C 53.5 %   Vitamin D 0.0 %   Vitamin E 14.8 %   Calcium 4.7 %   Copper 9.7 %   Folate 23.3 %   Iron 10.3 %   Magnesium 12.5 %   Manganese 25.3 %   Niacin 157.4 %   Pantothenic Acid     305.7 %   Phosphorus     6.9 %   Riboflavin 156.2 %   Selenium 1.5 %   Thiamin 176.7 %   Zinc 2.9 %