Got your attention, didn’t I?! No, not that change, I want to talk about the change of seasons.
Here in New England we are getting the first blast of spring. It has been long anticipated and everyone is excited to shed their winter garments enjoy the warmer air. It’s only getting up to about 50 degrees Farenheit, but as a friend recently quipped, “50 is the new 80!”
For foodies, with the warm blast come dreams of greens and going to the local farm or farmers market. There is a reason for this. Spring is the perfect time to detox from the winter and the spring greens are just what the liver wants to get the detox going. It’s natures way of clearing out and preparing for the spring and summer. Staying in tune with nature and eating with the seasons is the most natural way to live. Bitter greens such as dandelion and arugula are particularly adept at this natural cleansing.
I may be pushing it a little bit, but I whipped up this delicious family favorite (yes, even the two teenagers love it!). It’s a vegan Spring Pea & Basil Soup, and it is so easy to make. This recipe, like many others coming soon, are meant to offer you suggestions on how to eat with the seasons and honor your body. Often times people reach for manufactured foods and our body just really doesn’t know what to do with them. Our bodies crave whole and healing foods, that come from the earth, not from a machine or “food plant.”
So with this change of seasons, consider opening your mind and heart to choosing organic and local foods, real foods that your grandmother or your great grandmother would recognize. It’s a simple choice that will sustain you, the local farmer, AND the planet.
Vegan Spring Pea and Basil Soup
Ingredients:
1 large onion chopped
2-3 T olive oil
1 bag of frozen organic sweet peas (use fresh if available!)
1 bunch of organic basil, roughly chopped
1 box hemp milk (can use unsweetened coconut, soy or rice milk if you prefer)
Directions:
In a soup pot, sautee the onion in the olive oil on medium heat. When translucent, add the peas and lower the heat so they can cook through (I throw mine in frozen and they need some time to thaw).Add the hemp milk and basil, and a dash of salt.
Blend with a food immersion blender or pop into your cuisinart.
Serve and enjoy!