Spring Alaska Style

I love hemp seeds!  I buy them in bulk and store them in glass jars in the freezer.  Not only are they nuttily tasty, but they are stacked with goodness: easily digested protein, all essential amino acids, calcium, antioxidants, chlorophyll, and calcium.  (source)  I use hemp in milk, dressing, Kristen Suzanne's Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce, crackers, granola, smoothies, and sprinkled on salads.

Hemp Milk (is super easy)  

1 cup hemp seeds

4 cups water 

At this point you can blend the hemp and water and then strain through a nut bag for smooth, creaminess, adding the below ingredients later.  

(I personally think this step is a messy pain, so I often skip it.)

Put strained hemp milk back in blender and add: 

7 drops liquid stevia

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

I also used hemp seeds in a lovely soup today, in which the base was carrots and peas.  Ela from Ulterior Harmony loves to put peas in soups and smoothies so I went for it.  That girl is on to something.  Peas were a wonderful, thickening, but undetectable ingredient.  I thought this turned out delicious.

Spicy Curry Soup 

4 cups water
1 cup hemp seeds
6 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
10 oz peas (I used frozen)
1/8 cup nama shoyu

2 dates
2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp tumeric

2 tbsp coconut oil 

I put a bowl of soup in the D and headed out for a divine spring ski.  Here is what spring looks like in Austin, Texas:

And here is what spring looks like in Talkeetna, Alaska: 

Open water!!  Very exciting!

 

snowless trees and bluebird sky

The start and end point of my ski was The Flying Squirrel.  This deli/bakery is healthy and innovative and they have ski trails right out the back door.  How cool is that? 

I brought home a raw beet salad to enjoy with my warm curry soup.  

I sat on the sunny porch reading until about 8:30 pm.  Look at the thermometer:

Of course the actual temperature was just over 30 degrees, but the sun felt intense. 

Denali, getting ready for climbing season.

Question:  Do you have a favorite ingredient that you stick into as many recipes as possible?

Sunflower Lecithin

Many raw food recipes call for soy lecithin, an emulsifier that makes goodies like chocolate and ice cream smooth and creamy.  I generally avoid soy, which is why I was curious about this guy:

(You can read more about sunflower lecithin here.)

Alone, it has a mild taste and interesting texture, kind of like molasses, but stickier, and it seemed to coat my teeth and tongue before melting in my mouth.  

I decided to try this first in hemp milk.  Viv blended up 3 cups water, 1 cup hemp seeds, a little agave, a dash of vanilla, a pinch of salt and a spoonful of lecithin. 

I was a little worried about the brown color of the lecithin dirtying up the milk, but it actually remained fairly white.  

It was creamily delish with raw buckwheat cereal. 

I then tried it in place of the soy lecithin for the coconut cream from Sunny Raw Kitchen.  The result was a little tan in color, but it made a fantastic topping for a raw brownie from The Raw Dessert.  Wow, this was amazing!  I can't imagine choosing a cooked dessert over a delectable treat like this!  

I can't wait to try the sunflower lecithin in other dessert recipes.  

Question:  Anyone done any experimenting with soy lecithin substitutes?