Chilled Cucumber Soup.

Spring means green food...naturally! This springy soup is sure to please any critic--sweet, refreshing, super quick...a perfect addition to any salad and sandwich meal. 

           Chilled Cucumber Soup. 

                            Yum. 

                  And oh so lovely! 

Chilled Cucumber Soup. Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients 

1. One large cucumber, chopped

2. 2 cups raw spinach leaves

3. 1 cup almond milk

4. 6 oz. silken soft tofu

5. Two fresh basil leaves

6. 10 drops watermelon flavored liquid stevia

7. 10 drops coconut liquid stevia

8. "Nogurt" and dried basil for topping

Method

1.  Blend all ingredients in your high speed blender until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Ssrve chilled, garnished with Nogurt (previous post) and dried basil, if desired. Enjoy!

Orange Basil Cream Pudding.

Fresh basil. Ahhhhhhh. Basil just screams spring, am I right?! The smell, the sight, the dishes it dons...so springy! 

This Orange Basil Cream Pudding is absolute bliss. Creamy, citrus-y, basil-y, spring-y deliciousness! Enjoy!

       Orange Basil Cream Pudding. 

Orange Basil Cream Pudding. Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 9 oz. silken soft tofu

2. One large Orange, peeled and sectioned (leave outer fibrous cover on)

3. Two large fresh basil leaves, chopped 

4. 15 drops liquid coconut stevia

Method

1. In your food processor, combine tofu, basil, stevia, and 1/2 of Orange (leave other 1/2 for topping).

2. Blend until tofu is smooth. Orange and basil will remain slightly textured. 

3. Spoon into bowl and garnish with remaining Orange chunks. Serve!

Chocolate Basil Oatmeal.

Yes. I know. This is weird. WEIRDLY DELICIOUS! Oh my LANTA are you guys in for a crazy flavor party! Mmmm. This was THE perfect breakfast after my cold and rainy run on Saturday morning. Warm, gooey, chocolatey, oh man. Swoon. 

           Chocolate Basil Oatmeal. 

          Droooooling, much?! I am....

Chocolate Basil Oatmeal; Vegan, Gluten free. Serves one. 

Ingredients 

1. 1/2 cup oats of choice (oatbran is my personal fave)

2. 1 1/2 cups water, divided

3. 1 T carob powder (you can use cocoa if you want to. I opt for carob to avoid the caffeine.)

4. 1/2 tsp dried basil

5. One packet stevia

6. Extra basil for garnish 

Method 

1. 1. Bring 1 cup water to a rolling boil. 

2. In a medium size bowl whisk oats, carob, basil, and stevia.

3. Reduce heat to medium and remove pan from burner as lu stir in your oat mixture. Return to heat and stir vigorously--let it thicken slightly before adding additional 1/2 cup water. 

4. Cook, stirring regularly, until desired thickness is reached. Pour into bowl and garnish with basil. EAT UP! So good. 

Coconut-Basil Cream Pudding.

There are few flavor combinations that are more delicious and comforting than coconut and basil. I swear they were meant to go together. Tropical, sweet coconut paired with fresh and cool basil?! It's like a trip to the Bahamas in your mouth! So good. 

This "Coconut-Basil Cream Pudding" is delicious as a breakfast addition, as well as a dessert or snack! It's great anytime of day! Quick, easy, and packed with high quality plantbased protein. Whip some of this up and you will NEVER go back to those gross, chemical-laden "Jello" Pudding Cups. Eww. 

        Coconut-Basil Cream Pudding. 

                         Heaven. 

I made this dreamy dish with my treasured "Sweetleaf" brand coconut-flavored liquid stevia. You all know my utter OBSESSION with my beloved stevia. Since I am SOS-free, it's the only sweetener I use on a regular basis (I VERY RARELY use agave and molasses-only when I need the sticky consistency for a recipe). I am especially crazy in love with Sweetleaf brand. It is the ONLY brand of stevia I have tried that does not lend a bitter aftertaste. Also, they don't add any gross preservatives. IT'S JUST PURE STEVIA! Now that's what I'm talking about! Sweetleaf is the bomb--It's the only stevia brand I use!

                 Sweetleaf-LOVIN'. 

         Arguably the best thing ever. 

Coconut-Basil Cream Pudding; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients 

1. 9 oz. Morinu silken soft tofu

2. 15 drops coconut flavored Sweetleaf stevia

3. 1/4 tsp dried basil

Method 

1. Combine all ingredients in your kink food processor and blend until super duper smooth and dreamy looking. Transfer into bowl and top with a sprinkle of dried basil for garnish. Serve!

Note: I mixed in about 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed to my pudding for some substance. It was delicious! Highly recommend. 

Orange-Basil Nice Cream

This right here is heaven. I'm not kidding. I literally melted when I ate this. You already know my utter obsession with banana ice cream, but when I added these two extra ingredients to the mix? Oh wow. I am in love.

Orange-Basil Nice Cream.

Orange-Basil Nice Cream; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Serves One.

Ingredients

1. one frozen banana, frozen in chunks
2. one frozen orange, peels and sectioned prior to freezing
3. 3 leaves of fresh basil

Method

1. Easy-peasy. Add all ingredients to your Vitamix (reserving one of the basil leaves for decoration) and blend until smooth and creamy. 
2. Spoon into bowl and garnish with remaining basil leaf. Enjoy!