Banana Water

• 3 Bananas
• 8 Cups of water
• Agave to taste

Raw sugar or stevia to taste
In blender: add all of your ingredients and blend. May add ice if you like your drink ice cold.  or Freeze the Bananas for a chilled drink!  Delicious and nutritious!

Carrot and Mint Soup – Sergio

This was a class favorite!

Carrot and Mint Soup
½ cups chopped onion
1 pounds carrots
3 cups Vegetable broth
1 medium shallots
2 tsp chopped fresh mint
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Coarse kosher salt
1 apple finely coarse

Preparation
Heat large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and shallot; sauté 2 minutes. Add all carrots, broth; bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat; simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree soup in batches in blender; return to pan. Mix in mint and spices. Season with coarse salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with finely diced carrot, finely diced apple, and mint.

Chocolate Tofu pudding

Directions
Makes 4 half-cup servings

1 pound soft silken tofu (16 ounces)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup (to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until completely smooth. Spoon into small bowls and chill well before serving.

Nutrition Information
Per 1/2-cup serving:
calories: 150; fat: 3.5 g; saturated fat: 0.7 g; calories from fat: 21%; cholesterol: 0 mg; protein: 8.4 g; carbohydrates: 22.3 g; sugar: 17.5 g; fiber: 1 g; sodium: 191 mg; calcium: 58 mg; iron: 1.9 mg; vitamin C: 0 mg; beta-carotene: 0 mcg; vitamin E: 0.2 mg
Recipe from Jennifer Raymond, found in Patricia Bertron’s book, Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Diabetes

Black Bean Spread – Vegan!

This simple bean dip is versatile and virtually fat-free. Keeping your fat intake low is crucial for keeping hormone levels within healthy limits to lower breast and prostate cancer risk. Add cumin to this recipe for added flavor and antioxidants. Enjoy this dip on crackers, raw vegetables, or as a sandwich spread.

Directions
Makes 6 servings

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans
1 cup salsa
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Combine beans and salsa in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add cumin, if using

Nutrition Information
Per serving (1/6 of recipe):
81 Calories, 0.4 g Fat, 0.1 g Saturated Fat, 4.2% Calories from Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 4.7 g Protein, 15.4 g Carbohydrate, 2.7 g Sugar, 3.8 g Fiber, 280 mg Sodium, 47 mg Calcium, 1.6 mg Iron, 6.4 mg Vitamin C, 172 mcg Beta-Carotene, 0.6 mg Vitamin

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

We did this soup 2 ways.  1 vegan where we eliminated the butter and cream… and guess what….

The majority liked it without the butter and cream!

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil spray
• 1 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and      seeded
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetables broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• 1 cup milk or half-and-half
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 10-ounce jar pumpkin butter
• Chopped pistachio nuts

Preparation

Preheat the Electric Skillet to 325 °F. Spray with the vegetable oil spray.

Place the squash halves, cut side down, in the prepared dish. Pierce the skin sides several times with a fork. Bake until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Using a large spoon, scrape the flesh from the cooked squash into a food processor. Discard the skins. Add 1 1/2 cups of the vegetables broth, the cinnamon, marjoram, thyme, and nutmeg and puree in the Vita-Mix until smooth. Transfer the puree to a large saucepan. Whisk the milk into the soup over medium heat. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add the remaining broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Top with a dollop of pumpkin butter and sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts before serving.

Chilled pea soup with mint – Chef Sergio

This soup was a class favorite!  Light, refreshing and flavorful.

Ingredients:

• 1cup of frozen organic peas,
• 1 ¾ cup vegetables broth,
• ½ shallots
• 1 stalk of celery rinsed and chopped
• ¼ onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet warm 1 tps of olive oil, add the onions, celery and shallots and cook for 5 minutes. (until translucent and soft) let them cool and then pour into a blender or Vita mix.   Add peas and mint with 1 cup of vegetable stock blend it all and add more stock.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

My Friend Stacy Bounk  from Wisconsin shared this with me.  It’s incredible!

• 1 ½ C chickpeas drained (1 Can)
• 1/8 tsp + 1/16 tsp salt
• tiny bit over 1/8tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs Sunbutter or Almond Butter
• 2 Tbs rice milk ( I used Almond milk)
• 2 Tbs Agave (add more if you want it sweeter)
• 1/3 C chocolate chips (good quality)
• 2 to 3 Tbs Flaxmeal (you can omit but also omit the milk if you do)

Add all ingredients (except chocolate chips) into a food processor and blend until very smooth.  Then mix in the chocolate chips.  Eat as a snack or serve with apples/pears/celery.  Get creative if using as a dip.  Amazingly tasty.