March Madness: Raw Food Recipes

All around me I see signs and advertisements for ‘March Madness’ sales and events. When I look at the beautiful, bountiful and delicious produce coming into season in March, I think of ‘March Gladness’! Spring greets us with cabbage, herbs, chives and scallions, asparagus, leeks, parsley, grapefruits and clementines.

Asparagus Spring Chowder

Yes, it is possible to eat asparagus raw and this creamy soup will do the trick nicely.

3 cups of cashew or walnut milk (Blend 1 cup soaked nuts with 3 cups water. Strain if desired, but not necessary. Soup will be thicker if not strained)
2-3 cups of tender upper parts of asparagus spears, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 of a ripe avocado
chopped chives or leeks
pinch of sea salt (opt.)

Blend nut milk, 1/2 of the asparagus, celery and avocado in blender until smooth. Put remaining asparagus in soup bowls and pour liquid over. Garnish with a sprinkling of chives or leeks.

Serves 2
St. Patty’s Patties

Veggie, nuts and herbs mix together nicely in a fresh tasting entree for lunch or dinner.

1 cup each soaked sunflower seeds and pecans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 pitted, peeled and diced avocados
1 grated carrot
2 chopped scallions

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until finely ground and mixed well. Shape into balls and flatten into patties. Serve atop fresh Bibb lettuce leaves and tomato slices.

Serves 2-4
Back to Basics Green Juice

Take advantage of enzyme-rich juicy grapefruits for your staple morning green juice

1 ripe grapefruit, peeled
1 bunch of curly kale or Romaine lettuce
1 medium cucumber
2 stalks celery
1 inch piece of gingerroot
1 handful of fresh sprouts
2-3 leaves of dried stevia, opt. (may use 1 teaspoon of raw honey instead)

Run all ingredients through juicer. Sprinkle stevia in bottom of glass and pour fresh juice in, mixing lightly. Add more stevia if desired.

Serves 1
March Madness Smoothie

I couldn’t resist!

2 ripe clementines, peeled
1 ripe banana
2-3 handfuls of baby lettuce or spinach
meat and water of 1 young Thai coconut
2 tablespoons of soaked chia seeds (pre-soak 1 tablespoon seeds in 4 Tablespoons coconut water)

Blend in a Vita-mix until completely smooth. Pour into your favorite smoothie glass. Try to decide what to call the color before consuming.

Serves 1