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Archive for January, 2010

Celery Soup

January 30th, 2010

Sabrina already issued our official greetings, but since this is my first post, I’ll reiterate how excited we are to share our passions with you all. Feel free to comment often and let us know what you think, or tip us off about something! Now, let’s make some soup!

I was hungry today and there weren’t many options for ingredients in my fridge. Jinjee had sent this around as part of her Daily Raw newsletter, and since I did have celery, avocado and lemon, I thought I’d give it a try.

Celery Soup

Blend up:
1 bunch of celery
1 avocado

Stir in:
juice of 1 to 2 lemons
dash of olive oil or flaxseed oil
salt to taste (1/4 tspn)
season to taste (dash of rosemary, tarragon, sage)

Optionally, warm in saucepan on lowest heat for two minutes, til it is just warm, not hot…

My changes: I used 1 Meyer lemon (definitely a different flavor, but all I had), added a couple cloves of garlic, I didn’t have any herbs, and I just put it all in the blender, instead of dividing it. The texture was light and fluffy — almost like a frosting. Got me thinking about a shredded veggie/nut or seed sort of cake with this as frosting… I’m not sure the soup would come out like that if I hadn’t added the oil, lemon etc to the blender.

I also chopped some red pepper and a little onion into the bowl once I’d blended and poured because I like to chew my soups and even when cooked I shy away from pureed soups, or only puree half. But that’s my idiosyncrasy. You might enjoy it without the peppers. I would also consider adding some crushed red pepper to spice it up a little and make it more warming, though the garlic did add some of that effect itself.

I left the ingredients out on the counter for a while before I got around to making soup, but I also blended it long enough to give it a little warmth. I could see it being lovely in the summer if served cold too, but I did like it warm in the winter, and the avocado makes it feel very rich and filling.

Update 2/28: I have really been enjoying this soup lately, dumping in loads of garlic — kiss me kiss me kiss me! — and cayenne to make it really warming. I also added some dried parsley and tarragon, but didn’t notice a huge change in flavor. But I love it as it is. One day I added it to the blender that already had some olive oil, cayenne, honey and salt and the honey added a nice dimension as well. But since I already get enough honey in my diet and I like the soup without it, I don’t add it regularly. I have mixed in nutritional yeast as well and like it blended in the soup or sprinkled on top. The buckwheat crunchies or crumbled up flax crackers would make a nice topping as well.

I think fresh cilantro would take this soup to a whole new level, and you could add a touch of cumin, chili powder and lime instead of the lemon, or a fresh jalapeno for some heat. Good for your next taco night! It would also lend itself to being a flavorful sauce or veggie dip as well. And I’m still working on the concept of a veggie cake with this as frosting… cake for dinner! Yee haw!

Comments ( 2 )

raw food, soup, vegan

Salutations! (& kale salad love)

January 28th, 2010

“Whoo hoooo! Check it out, we’re live!!!” That is what I heard when I picked up the phone today. I love it! Sioux and I have had a dream of starting this blog for some time and now here we are. This comes to fruition at a time when both of us are experiencing a constructive flow in our lives, and it reminded us that when you follow your passions, the universe delivers with abundance.

With that said, welcome to crunchybits.net! Our goal is to share information on all the topics that we love and are an important part of each of our families. We will include bits about nutritious and delicious food, natural parenting, homeschooling, gardening, friendship and other topics that capture our attention and beg us to research them as is our habit.

Sioux and I love discovering those special crunchy bits in the small and big towns that surround us, including family farms, independent bookstores, open spaces, delicious restaurants and more. We want to share this local goodness with you, giving you the chance to support those unique places, as well as being able to learn more about the fun and interesting spots around your town.

So let’s celebrate! This recipe is an all-time favorite, and we have both passed on to pretty much everyone who has tried it because it is just that good!

Kale salad

serves 4 (if you plan on sharing)

1 bunch lacinato kale
1 bunch of curly green kale
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. Salt
2-3 TBS sweetener
1 avocado
½ red onion
1 large tomato

Wash kale and tear into bite sized pieces. Drain off water of use a salad spinner.
Combine kale, olive oil, cider vinegar, sweetener (we recommend raw local honey or date paste) and salt.
Massage for about five minutes. The kale will break down and become the most beautiful dark green.
Add chopped avocado, chopped tomato and chopped onion. Massage gently this time until incorporated. I usually go by feel when making this recipe. While massaging you want it to be oily enough without being drenched and it should feel a little sticky while massaging. Make sure to taste test it and add more of what you think it needs.

If you can manage to wait, let sit in fridge for an hour before serving. The kale marinates down quite a bit, so don’t be intimidated by the size of the salad when first put into the bowl. You’ll likely end up downsizing bowls to serve it, due to both marination and frequent taste-testing.

Yum!

Now here is the low down…

I use the apple cider vinegar, Sioux uses the equivalent of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

I pour it all in and mix while Sioux prefers to make the dressing and pour it on top before mixing. I know they are subtle differences, but they do also make subtle differences to the salad. Now it is your turn. Give it a try and add your little twist! Leave a comment below to let us know what you think of the salad, and if you have your own special twist or alternative version to contribute.

The family reviews: