in a city not so far away there lives a girl who loves green. Green is her favourite colour since it matches her eyes and her favourite sweater. She tries having green in all aspects of her life since she now realizes how important it is to love green food. She uses green vegetables in her cooking and smoothies but that wasn’t enough for this girl: she wanted green milk. Rich, cool, creamy and lightly sweetened green milk. Sounds crazy right? But this girl believed in the green!

She summoned the assistance of her Vitamix cauldron to concoct the perfect green milk. Double double turbo trouble! ITS ALIVE!!

The Green Monster Milk was ready to go out into the world, spreading the goodness of green for everyone to love and enjoy.

The only problem was this milk didn’t look like the rest of the milks in the world. On the surface he looked a little different but inside he had so many good things to offer: vitamins and minerals, those important micronutrients but all anyone saw was his green colour.

He was sad and lonely so he went on a journey through the spooky Collard Green Forest in hopes of meeting others that would understand him and his greenness.

Just when he thought he wouldn’t find any green monsters like him, he finally met some! And people who loved all his green goodness that he wanted to share!

He finally found his calling and that is bringing people only the best source of green power: plant power! He lived happily ever after. Definitely not THE END of this recipe.  

Happy Halloween from our new friend Green Monster Milk!

I made this milk for those who do not like green juice (I have yet to be sold on it!) but I do love green milk! It tastes just like my Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk but with all the green juice goodness. The milk is completely raw, vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free since it is sweetened with dates! So if you are not a fan of straight green juice this milk is a great alternative.

For complete step-by-step instructions with photos visit my Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk post, just add the chopped greens and dates with the almonds instead of just the almonds. Warning: if your nut milk bag is made of a natural fibre like hemp, it will slightly discolour the bag. Wash right away for minimal staining. Trust me….

This is a great recipe to use if you need a little detox after a Halloween fete. If you are anything like me and stuffed your face with sweet bubbly punch and tons of candy, you will need this green milk in the morning. 

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The weather has been kind of a jerk to me since it always seems to be a glorious beautiful sunny day boasting 20 degrees temperature while I am in school and working all day and yet on my day off it rains and freezing. Mother Nature be kind to me please! Thankfully, this soup tastes great hot or cold. If it is beautiful out, take it bowlful outside and enjoy the bright day or if it is miserable, curl up with a mugful of this soup and a good book. There are a lot of recipes for minty pea soups and for good reasons: it is refreshing and melts all those winter stresses away with a single spoonful. Unlike most of the other pea-mint soup combinations the mint is in the magical creamy cashew sauce. Who knew soaking raw cashews could be so wonderful? When I was transitioning into veganism cashew creams saved me from craving dairy and now I am just so in love with them I find any excuse to use them. The cream isn’t overly minty since I really wanted the peas to shine through so add more mint to the cream if you like.

Mark and I are on Day 16 of the Forks Over Knives Challenge and it does get easier. Your body balances itself out and you really start to experience the true taste of your food and what better to recharge those taste buds with some fresh Spring green peas.

Congratulations to the Forks Over Knives Prize Pack Giveaway Winner: Wendi J from Minnesota. You will be receiving your prizes in the mail in the near future! Congratulations again! The giveaway may be over but the challenge continues here at S&C.

Thank you for all who entered! I hope this is the first of many Sprouts and Chocolate Giveaways and I love being able to spread some plant-based love and support to my readers. Thank you so much again for your support!

Notes:

• Make the cashew cream first and then the soup so you don’t have to wash out your blender twice and it makes the soup that much creamier (plus I just hate doing dishes)
• Can’t find fresh peas in the pod? Frozen peas are an excellent substitute since they cook so quickly and you don’t have to shuck them, which is a time consuming effort.
• This soup is super quick and easy to make. To prep for the cream, add some cashews to water before heading out to work and by the time you get home they will be all soaked and creamy for you to make dinner.

Minty Cashew Cream

Makes ½ cup

• ½ raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours (if you have a high power blender there is no need to soak them)
• 10 tablespoons water
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 10-12 fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Transfer to another container until ready to use.

Sweet Pea Soup

Makes 7 cups

•  2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, quartered and sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 5 springs fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh or frozen petite peas
• 4 cups packed baby spinach
• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Soak the leeks in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit. In a large pot over medium high heat add the rinsed leeks and salt and sauté for 8 minutes, adding vegetable stock 1-2 tablespoons at a time so the leeks don’t stick to the pot. The leeks will be softened but not as browned as when you use oil but surprisingly sweet and delicious.

Add the stock, parsley and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. When the stock mixture is simmering add the peas and spinach and cook for 5 minutes until peas are fully cooked and spinach is wilted. Add the pepper and transfer soup to a blender, leaving room at the top of the blender for steam to escape. Blend until completely smooth.

Drizzle the Minty Cashew Cream on top and serve (hot or cold).

P.S. If you get bored of the leftovers since this recipe makes 7 cups, add a pinch or more of hot curry powder when you reheat it on the stovetop. Serve with chopped cilantro or parsley.

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Makes ~4 cups

• 4 cups rolled oats (not instant and to make a gluten free option use certified gluten free oats)
• 1 cup chopped cooking dates
• 1 ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 very ripe banana (must be spotty brown)
• 1/3 cup natural chunky peanut butter (I grind my own at a health food store- way cheaper than pre-packaged)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, measure out the oats and set it aside. In a medium saucepan, bring dates and water up to a boil over high heat, add salt and vanilla, turn down heat to medium-low and cover. Cook dates for 10 minutes until very soft, adding more water if necessary (1 tablespoon at a time). Add the dates and the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth. Add puree to oats and with a spatula mix until the oats are coated. Transfer coated oats to lined baking sheet and cook for 40 minutes, turning oats every 10 minutes. It will crisp up as it cools and you can break up the larger chunks with your hands. Serve with the non-dairy milk of your choice and some banana slices on top.

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