Chapter 4: Appetizers
In the Appetizers chapter, you’ll learn how to make a great first impression. They say first impressions are everything, after all. If that’s the case, you’ll want to impress your loved ones with healthy and delicious starters. Whether you’re breaking out your special serving dishes or just making yourself a midday snack, these recipes will nourish your soul and provide key vitamins and minerals.
Hemp Seed Hummus
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 6–8
2 cups cooked chickpeas
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup water, or more, as needed
2 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Method
- Slice garlic and combine all ingredients in blender.
- Blend until smooth, adding more olive oil and/or water as needed.
- Garnish with more hemp seeds and serve with your favorite vegetables.
Superfood Guacamole
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 5–6
3 avocados
1 small red onion
1 jalapeño pepper
Juice of 3 limes
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup chia seeds, soaked
Sea salt, to taste
Method
- Halve and score avocadoes and scoop out into bowl.
- Finely dice red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro and add to bowl.
- Add lime juice, soaked chia seeds, and sea salt.
- Mash all ingredients until creamy with small chunks.
- Serve with your favorite vegetables or corn tortilla chips.
Carrot-Ginger Soup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 4
6–7 large carrots
1 medium onion
½-inch knob of ginger
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tbsps extra virgin coconut oil
Sea salt, to taste
Method
- Wash and pat dry carrots and ginger.
- Chop carrots and onions.
- Grate ginger.
- Bring coconut oil to medium heat in medium-large pot.
- Sauté onions until translucent but not browned.
- Add ginger and sea salt and cook for another two minutes.
- Add carrots and cook for five minutes.
- Cover with three cups water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until carrots are tender and soup is fragrant.
- Turn off heat, let sit for 10–15 minutes to cool.
- Then transfer soup to blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You could also use an immersion blender directly in the pot.
Options
- Garnish with cilantro
- Add 1 teaspoon curry powder or cinnamon
- For a creamier version, add ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk to blender
Peach Salsa with Jicama Chips
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 6–8
3 large jicama roots
3 peaches
2 medium heirloom tomatoes
1 medium red onion
1 jalapeño
Juice of 5 limes
¼ cup minced cilantro
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Wash and pat dry peaches, tomatoes, jalapeño, limes, and cilantro.
- De-pit peaches and chop peaches and tomatoes.
- Mince onion, jalapeño, and cilantro.
- Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well.
- Transfer to container or glass jar and refrigerate for 15 minutes or longer to allow flavors to combine.
- When ready to serve, peel and slice jicama root thin, squeeze on lime, and serve with salsa.
Traditional Bulgarian Salad
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 4–6
1 English cucumber
5 tomatoes
3 green onions, sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup ume plum vinegar or red wine vinegar
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, taste
½ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Method
- Wash and pat dry cucumber, tomatoes, and parsley. If not organic or if you prefer a milder flavor, peel cucumbers.
- Slice the cucumber into rounds. Dice tomatoes, green onions, and parsley.
- Transfer all ingredients to large bowl and toss with olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper.
- If desired, top with feta cheese and serve.