Recipes from the Editor

Recipes from the Editor

By Paula O'Brien, Editor

Summer’s a great time to go on a Blender Bender! Smoothies, dressings and dips provide green summer goodness that’s perfect any time of day.

Creamy Fresh Herb Dressing

Makes 1 ½ cups

This dressing is great on salads, as a dip for veggies, dolloped and swirled into a bowl of gazpacho or the Cucumber Soup.

½ cup each, roughly chopped leaves: fresh cilantro, mint and basil

½ cup soaked cashews or sunflower seeds or ½ avocado

3 Tbsp hemp seeds or extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

½ tsp ground coriander

2 – 3 Tbsp water

¼ to ½ tsp salt

Soak cashews/sunflower seeds 1 ½ - 2 hours at room temperature. Drain and rinse.

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Dressing will keep in refrigerator for three days.

Minty Melon Smoothie

1 serving

This smoothie uses melon seeds! Rich in vitamins, minerals and protein, tap into their nutrition by blending with water and straining out and discarding the solids.

2 cups spinach, collards or kale, stemmed ½ cup fresh mint, stemmed

2 cups melon, fresh or frozen (cantaloupe, galia, canary, piel de sapo…)

½ - 1 banana

1 kiwifruit — peeled

1 cup “melon seed water” (see note), or your alt-milk of choice, plus more for desired consistency

Ice as needed

Optional: ½ tsp cinnamon

Note: Blend the seeds and inner “melon goo” with 2 cups water until seeds are broken down. Strain through nut milk bag, very fine strainer or cheesecloth so you remove all seed shrapnel. Also a refreshing drink on its own!

Load the ingredients into your blender in the order listed. Blend at high speed until smooth and creamy.

Spicy Cilantro Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

Quick and tasty! Serve with veggies as a dip (carrot sticks, cucumbers, red peppers, celery sticks), use in salads or nori rolls.

1 large bunch cilantro

¼ sweet onion, dicedJuice of 1 lime

1 tsp garam masala (if not available, use cumin)

¼ tsp apple cider vinegar

2 dates, pitted and soaked in 4 oz water for a few hours

1 tsp tamari

3 Tbsp almonds, soaked 4 – 8 hours or 4 Tbsp cashews, soaked 4 hours

Optional: ½ jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed

Loosely chop cilantro. Blend everything until smooth.

Cucumber Soup

Makes about 2 cups

Easy and refreshing, this soup will help you chill on even the hottest days.

4 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped (about 1 ½ tightly packed cups)

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/ 3 cup water

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 crushed garlic clove

1 Tbsp hemp seeds or extra virgin olive oil

1/ 8 tsp salt½ ripe avocado, chopped

Tbsp minced fresh herbs

Additonal avocado chunks, dulse flakes, crushed walnut for toppings

Blend romaine, cucumber, celery, water, lemon juice, garlic, hemp seeds or olive oil and salt together until smooth. Add in avocado and blend until incorporated. Add in fresh herbs and pulse briefly (you still want flecks, don’t blend them away).

Serving option: Swirl in some salad dressing (like Creamy Fresh Herb Dressing) and put additional avocado chunks on top. Sprinkle on some dulse flakes and crushed walnut.

Summer’s a great time to go on a Blender Bender! Smoothies, dressings and dips provide green summer goodness that’s perfect any time of day.