This is a great soup to use up those extra carrots from the garden.  Perfect hot or cold!  Serve with french bread, or a garden salad.

This recipe makes 8 to 10 large servings

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large onions (chopped)

4 cloves of garlic crushed (I like lots of garlic, so use a whole bulb)

2 tbsp curry powder, or paste (I like the Thai Kitchen red curry paste)

4 lbs of carrots (peeled and chopped)

8 cups vegetable broth

Sour cream or plain yogurt for garnish (optional)

Cilantro or chives for garnish (optional)

Heat oil in a large pot and saute onions and garlic on medium heat until transparent.  Add curry powder and cook  for one minute to bring out the flavors.  Add the vegetable broth and chopped carrots and cook until the carrots are soft (about 20 minutes or so).

Use a hand blender (immersible blender) and puree until the soup is smooth.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and sprinkle with cilantro or chives.  (for Vegan’s – omit the dairy topping)

This is a recipe I tried from the Sunmaid Raisin Recipe site.  It turned out better than I expected, so my daughter asked me to add it to the website.  I’ve changed the recipe a bit to give them a bit more flavour.  I hope you enjoy!

2 cups all purpose unbleached flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsps baking powder

1 1/2 tsps cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 1/2 tsps vanilla

1 cup raisins

1 egg yolk (to brush tops before baking)

1 tsp sugar (to sprinkle over tops before baking)

Preheat oven to 400º

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until it resembles course bread crumbs.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg, milk and vanilla.  Add to the flour mixture and stir until moistened.  Add the raisins and form into a ball.  Roll out onto a cutting board and cut into nine 3″ circles. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes until golden.  Serve warm with your favorite tea.

These vegan sushi rolls were a big hit at our dinner table.  My daughter ate a whole roll by herself.  I’ll definitely be making these again soon.

Sushi Rice:

3 cups sushi rice (rinsed well)

3 cups water

Add rice and water to a large saucepan and bring to boil.  Cover and simmer on low for about 12 minutes. Transfer to a non metallic bowl and cool.

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 tbsp raw cane sugar (or granulated sugar)

1 tsp salt

Heat the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves.   Pour over the rice and mix in.

Julienned vegetables of your choice….peppers, cucumbers, zucchinis, carrots, avocados

Cover a bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap and place a sheet of nori seaweed on top of the plastic.  Spread the nori with rice (about 1 1/2 cups for each nori sheet) leaving about a cm around the edges uncovered.  Place your choice of veggies across one end (the end you start rolling from) and use the bamboo mat to roll it up.  Place seam side down until you’re ready to cut into slices.  Slice each roll into about 8 pieces.   Serve with soya sauce for dipping and wasabi if you like to heat things up a little.  This recipe makes 4 large rolls.

These vegan oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies are so good.  Great to fill the cookie jar.

1 cup earth balance (vegan margarine)

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose unbleached flour (I prefer to use organic)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups quick cooking rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened medium shredded coconut

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (or bitter sweet)

In a mixing bowl, combine the earth balance and brown sugar and cream together until it’s light and fluffy.  Add the almond milk, lemon juice, and vanilla, and continue mixing. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and the rolled oats.  Add the dry mix to the creamed mixture.  Add the coconut and chocolate chips to the mixture and drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 50 cookies.

This potato leek and edamame soup is both nutritious and filling for those cold winter days.  Perfect with some wholegrain bread or a side salad. Serves 4

4 cups organic vegetable broth

1 large leek (white part only) (slice lengthwise wash and chop)

1/2 large white onion (diced)

2 lbs yellow flesh potatoes (diced with skins left on)

2 tbsp grapeseed oil

3 green onions (chopped)

1 cup frozen edamame beans

fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the leek and white onion until transparent.  Add the broth and potatoes and cook until the potatoes are cooked.  Mash with a potato masher until you have a nice thick soup (you can also use a hand blender instead of a masher, if you have one).  Add the green onions and edamame and cook for 2 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

These vegan chocolate coconut macaroons are a very delicious treat, that the whole family will enjoy!

1 cup raw organic sugar

2 tbsp agave nectar

1/2 cup almond milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

6 tbsp unbleached organic flour

1/2 cup cocoa

In a large bowl mix the sugar, agave nectar, almond milk, vanilla and salt.  Mix in the coconut.  In a separate bowl sift together the flour and cocoa and then add to the wet mixture.  Combine well and then drop by tablespoon full onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350ºc for 10 minutes.  Don’t overbake as the bottoms will burn very easily.  This recipe makes approx 30 cookies.

This is a vegan variation of my favorite scones.  My daughter says these are “Really, really, really yummy!”

2 cups all purpose organic unbleached flour

3 tbsp earth balance (cold)

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 3 cloves crushed fresh garlic)

1/8 cup fresh chives (or use freeze dried if you don’t have fresh)

1/2 cup vegan cheddar (grated)

1 cup unsweetened organic soy milk

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt.  Mix thoroughly.  Use a pastry blender and cut the cold earth balance into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs.  Mix in the garlic, chives and vegan cheddar.  Pour the soy milk over the top and mix with your hands until the dough holds together in a large ball (don’t overwork the dough, you want it to be nice and flaky when it’s done baking).  Flatten out into a 8″ circle and cut into 8 wedges.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and bake at 350ºc for 20 to 25 minutes.

This is a tasty vegan chili recipe that will warm your insides!

2 tbsp olive oil

5 tbsp chili powder (add more or less to taste)

1/2 large onion diced

2 med zucchini diced

1 yellow bell pepper chopped

1 can sliced mushrooms drained (or use fresh if you prefer)

1 can tomato sauce

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 cans kidney beans drained and rinsed

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the onions, peppers, and zucchini, until the onion is transparent.  Add the chili powder and cook another couple of minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

We all love this vegan rendition of the popular skillet dinner. This is packed with flavor and it’s easy to put together.

Serves 4

1 package of 4 vegan sausages (I use Yves Vegan Sweet Italian Sausages) Sliced into 1/4″ pieces

2 lbs of baby red yellow flesh potatoes (cut each potato into 4)

4 green onions chopped

1 white onion chopped

1 red pepper chopped

1 orange pepper chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped

2 tbsp olive or grapeseed oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the potatoes.  Cook over med high heat until the potatoes are brown and almost cooked through.  Add the garlic and white onion, and cook until transparent.  Add the vegan sausage, green onion, and peppers.  Cook over med low heat for another 15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Some of the nutrients you’ll find in quinoa are:

Riboflavin, calcium, vitamin e, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, folic acid, and beta carotene. One cup of uncooked white quinoa has a whopping 24 grams of protein, 12grams of dietary fibre, and only 8mg of sodium.

Quinoa is also a complete protein that provides you with all the essential amino acids necessary for human growth and development.

It’s available in whole grain, flakes, and flour. And can be used is a variety of dishes like soups, stews, as a substitute for rice, and for baking.

I’m a big fan of quinoa, so you’ll be seeing lots of recipes on www.rawandfresh.com that feature this versatile superfood!