Grain Free Collard Green Sushi

I am turning 60 in nine days. NINE DAYS! 60! So I've decided in the days leading up to my birthday I'll clean up my act. Eat super clean. Always delicious. Always vegan. Mostly raw. Easy on the grains.
This morning I was banging around the kitchen and trying to figure out what to have for breakfast. I came up with this concoction and I must admit, it's pretty darn good, filling and satisfying.

1) Clean, de-stem and steam some collard greens. Some folks eat collards raw, so feel free to do that.

2) Prepare your filling. I used:
Finely chopped:
Celery
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Mixed with:
Raw Tahini
Chopped Walnuts
Raw Sunflower Seeds
Pink Salt

3) Add your base spread. I used avocado, but you could use hummus, nut butter or a vegan cheese spread.

4) Top with your prepared filling. I used approximately 2 T per roll.

5) Roll up using even pressure, not too tightly.

6) Slice or eat whole and enjoy!

Hearty Vegan Split Pea Soup

 Hearty Vegan Split Pea Soup

Serves 6

1 Pound of Green Split Peas - sorted and rinsed well
7 C Water
1 T Olive Oil
1 C Carrots - diced
1 C Celery- diced
2 Bay Leaves 
2 Better than Chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 t Celery Salt
1 to 2 t Smoked Paprika
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper

Combine the peas, water, oil, carrots, celery and bay leaves in a large soup pot. Slowly bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. If the peas and vegetables are soft, add the remaining ingredients and simmer for another half an hour. If the peas are still tough simmer them until they are soft, then add the remaining ingredients. Some people like to puree the soup in a blender when finished. I like to take a large spoon and simply mash some of the peas and veggies against the side of the pot, leaving some chunks of both to give a more complex texture to the soup. Do whichever you prefer and enjoy!

Portobellos & Noodles with Green Beans

4 large portobello mushroom caps
6 cloves of garlic
4 T olive oil
1 T Montreal Steak seasoning
1T tamari
2 T AP flour
2 cups vegetable broth
Braggs Amino seasoning or Tamari
red wine
salt

1 Bag Whole Wheat Noodles - cooked according to package directions

Marinate the portobellos for 1 - 12 hours in 3 minced cloves of garlic, 2 T olive oil, Montreal seasoning and tamari. Drain  before cooking.
In a skillet over med high heat - sear the portobellos on each side. Pour 2 T of the broth over the mushrooms and reduce to low heat. Cover and simmer slowly while you prepare the sauce and noodles.
To make the sauce heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add remaining minced garlic (3 cloves) when garlic is clear, reduce heat to med low and  add flour whisking continually slowly add the vegetable broth, Braggs or Tamari to taste and a splash of red wine let simmer about 10 minutes. Slice the mushrooms (while in the pans - or take them out slice and return them to the pan) Cover the mushrooms with the sauce. Serve over cooked noodles.

Green Beans
1 pound of trimmed, washed green beans
1 clove of minced garlic
3 T olive oil
1/4 fresh lemon

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over med high heat, add garlic and beans. Keep tossing the green beans for 2-3 minutes. Squeeze juice from fresh lemon over green beans. Reduce to low, let cook until bright green, but still crisp (2-3 minutes) Serve warm or at room temperature.