Recipes

The following four recipes are from the book "Unprocessed," by our Fall Speaker, Chef AJ

Almond Milk

Why buy plant milk in a box laden with sodium when you can make your own for just pennies a glass?

Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds (or your favorite nut or seed)

Method
Soak the almonds overnight in filtered water. Be sure to cover completely as they expand when they absorb water. In the morning, drain completely and rinse well several times. Place the almonds in a blender with 3 cups of filtered water. Blend on high speed until the almonds are fully incorporated into the liquid. Pour mixture into a paint straining bag (that is new and has not been used for painting!). You can get these at any hardware store for about 99 cents. Strain the milk from the pulp over a bowl until you can't squeeze any more liquid out of the pulp. You can reserve the pulp for another use such as making cookies or crackers. Refrigerate any unused milk. Lasts about 2-3 days.

If you like your nut milk thicker an richer, more like cream, just add less water. For thinner almond milk, add more water.

Cheap and Easy Method
Place 1 TB raw almond butter in a blender with 3 cups filtered water and blend until smooth.

It's Easy Being Green Smoothie
Serves 2

Ingredients
2-3 fresh oranges and 1 cup of water or 16 ounces of fresh squeezed orange juice
1 bunch of kale (approximaely 12 ounces)
2 frozen, ripe bananas
2 cups frozen mango
Fresh mint leaves to taste (optional)

Method
In a blender, blend oranges with kale until smooth. Add frozen fruit and blend until completely blended and thick.

Chef's Note
For a Creamsicle effect, use half unsweetened almond milk and half orange juice. You can also use spinach instead of kale.

Orange Sesame Dressing

Ingredients
3-4 peeled oranges
1/2 cup unhulled sesame seeds
1/8 cup low sodium miso paste

Method
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Chef's Note
This is especially delicious on chopped kale.

Sweet Potato Soup with Cannelini Beans and Rainbow Chard

You can also make this soup with butternut squash or white potatoes in place of the sweet potatoes

Ingredients
8 cups water or low sodium vegetable broth
2 TB sun dried tomato powder
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2-3 large sweet potatoes (2 pounds), peeled and cut into uniform cubes
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 lb rainbow chard, chopped
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (with zest from lemons)

Method
In a large soup pot, bring the water or broth to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add the leeks. Cook for about 8 minutes until soft. Add diced sweet potato and cook another 8-10 minutes until tender. Add the beans and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove soup pot from heat and stir in chard so that it wilts. Stir in lemon juice and sun dried tomato powder. Sprinkle chopped Italian parsley on top, if desired, and garnish with a fresh lemon twist.

The preparation for this soup can be done in advance. It takes only 20 minutes to cook and the recipe can be easily doubled.

Chef's Note
This is a beautiful and colorful soup. If you can't find rainbow chard you can use any green that you choose. If you can't get sun dried tomato powder, simply buy sundried tomatoes that are dried and not packed in oil or water and grind them in a blender to a powder.