First things first: the winner of last week’s mini-giveaway is Carrie over at Moves ‘N Munchies! Email your mailing address to almostveganchef AT gmail DOT com, and I’ll get your signed book mailed out to you ASAP.
That reminds me, as well, that I’ve changed my blog URL to almostveganchef.com. I’ve been meaning to for awhile now, but I finally did it! Don’t worry, though; any and all links to almostveganblog.com are still valid, so no need to update bookmarks or anything like that. Just thought I’d mention the snazzy new name.
Today I’ve got a simple little raw bisque for you. It was 84 degrees in Kansas City yesterday, so I found myself in the mood for a refreshing raw soup. Based off what I had on hand, I came up with this creamy, paprika-laced red bell pepper bisque, along with a lightning-quick parsley-pistachio pistou (which is simply the French word for a pine-nut-less pesto) to dollop on top. As usual, you’ll find all manner of substitution options below.
From Practically Raw: Flexible Raw Recipes Anyone Can Make by Amber Shea Crawley, (c) 2012. Used by permission.
Per serving: 249 calories, 18.4g fat (3g sat), 16.5g carbs, 6g fiber, 8g proteinIngredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ cup raw pistachios, soaked
- ¼ cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1 small or ½ large ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
- ½ cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ¼ cup dry raw pistachios
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/8 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- I like to make the pistou first: combine the parsley, pistachios, nutritional yeast, and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor. (A mini one works best here). Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil, and process until the mixture is finely chopped. Set aside.
- To make the bisque, combine all ingredients except avocado in a high-speed blender.
- Blend to combine, add the avocado, and blend again until very smooth.
- You can either serve the bisque room-temperature, or chill it for a few hours before serving, or even gently warm it on the stove over low heat or in a dehydrator. Top each serving of soup with ¼ of the reserved pistou.
Notes
SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS:
- Coconut milk, soymilk, or another unsweetened nondairy milk in place of almond milk
- Vegetable broth in place of filtered water (if using broth, decrease sea salt to ½ tsp)
- ¼ cup chopped red onion in place of shallot
- Yellow or orange bell peppers in place of red
- Any small, hot pepper in place of serrano
- Additional cashews in place of pistachios (in the bisque)
- Walnuts or almonds in place of pistachios (in the pistou)
- Fresh cilantro in place of flat-leaf parsley
I also added some freshly ground black pepper.
The nutty, herby pistou gives the bisque just the right amount of texture. This smooth soup makes a great pre-dinner appetizer or a perfect light lunch. Enjoy!
Lovely soup! I wish it WERE that warm here in MI! So ready for it to be warm!!!
The nice weather is just around the corner!
this looks so yummy!!! i also LOVE how you put substitution options after each recipe. this is wonderful for me because sometimes, as a busy mama, it is difficult to sometimes think up alternatives in a recipe. i guess my creative side is sometimes too tired to think. so, thank you!!!
I’m so glad you enjoy and appreciate the substitution options, Kelly. Thanks!
I love this recipe! It sounds so refreshing and light. I love me some pistachios, so I perked right up when I read the title. Congrats on your name change, Chef Amber Shea!
Pistachios are SO underappreciated, don’t you think?
Thanks for the congrats!
Oooh that looks delicious. I, too love anything with pistachios in….so good
I do too!
That soup looks yummy I love pistachios!
Me too!
Ohmygoooosh this looks good! I love any soup ever (ok almost) and this looks like it’d be so hearty and delish! I’ll take a bowl please! haha
xoXOxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons
::hands you a bowl:: Hehe
I didn’t know that a pistou was a pine nut-less pesto! P.S.: parsley-pistachio pistou is a nice tongue twister
You learn something new every day!
I am normally not a soup fan but this actually looks and sounds delicious!!! I am going to make it!!!
I’m not big on raw soups myself, but even so, I love this one!
This looks great. I love the contrast of the orange and green. It looks so yummy. I soups and pesto. I will give this a try for sure.
Thanks! I like the color contrast too.
oops, supposed to say love soups and pesto.:)
Hehe, I got the gist
oh hooray!!!! im emailing you now!!! i love love love the look of this soup!
Congrats!
Oh Amber, this is stunning! Funnily enough, just last night I was pondering trying a raw soup soon! My smoothies haven’t been as good lately as I’ve been unable to stock up on bananas (they cost $13 a kilo at the moment, which I refuse to kowtow to), so my VM baby has been crying out for something tasty to cuddle. Capsicum (bell pepper, sorry) is something I never grew up eating as mum’s allergic, but I do love me some pistachios
P.S. I had noticed the new blog url! Congratulations! Just the next step to world domination, clearly
I’ve heard about the insane prices of bananas down there right now; what is UP with that?!
I feel bad complaining because it’s a result of all the cyclones and flooding Queensland experienced recently. Probably shouldn’t whinge when people lost their homes and even lives…
Oh…yikes
I didn’t even think of that. You’re right, the priciest bananas are worth far less than lives lost.
I only wish it was that warm up here in the mitten (michigan). Looks like the perfect warm weather soup
It’ll be warm soon!
Raw soup is something that I haven’t tried yet. Yours sure looks good, but I can’t get over the fact that it’s not hot soup.
) I’ll have to try it soon though!
I know what you mean, Michelle! You can certainly warm it up on the stove before eating it
this looks so good and I don’t even love raw soup. i trust you since you are not a huge greens gal.
someone asked me about raw schools and I gave them your blog site to check out. her name is emily and she may have some questions for you.
Thanks for sending Emily my way!
Looks sooooo yummy! I love red pepper and pistaccio! funny, i am using both of those ingredients today, the pistaccios for some falafel and red pepper for a “roasted” red pepper cream cheese to stuff some marinated eggplant strips
Can’t wait to see your recipe book- it’s going to be great!
They do go really well together!
Hi Amber, I might just have a light lunch tomorrow with this soup.
Thanks for sharing the recipe, and yes, you did a good work by putting some subsitution options if some of the ingredients are not available. 
You are most welcome! Let me know how you like the soup.
that looks so beautiful, i love the color. sounds yummy too! i would have to warm it up though, not much into cool soups :p i bet it tastes amazing!
I usually do warm up even my raw soups, at least a tad. Nothing wrong with that!
84 degrees? It snowed here yesterday…
I love your presentation and layout of recipes, and the substitutions underneath. I think it’s a great way to present this kind of cuisine. I have some recipe book-writing ideas that I’d love to brainstorm with you sometime: trying to catch up after a two-day roadtrip and was already swamped, but shall try to email you at some point soon!
love
Ela
Let me know when you want to brainstorm! I’m game, for sure.
What a beautiful, colorful bisque! Thank you for the awesome recipe! You should definitely include this in your menu when you open your raw foods restaurant!
Hehe, thanks River! I may just have to do that
Like your new blog header!!!
Aw thanks! You noticed
Callie from Rawxy designed it for me; she’s great.
awesome!! I love hers too!!!
Agreed
Oooooooh yum yum yum! Sounds and looks incredible. The colors, the texture, the easiness and the ingredients. Wonderful, my friend.
Congrats on the chef addition to your url! You deserve it.
Aw, thanks Lori!
This looks great! I’ve never had soup with pistachios in it but I have this one bookmarked!
Great! Let me know how you like it
This looks SO good. Definitely bookmarking!
Hehe, yay!
Sounds great!! Does this freeze well?
To be honest, I haven’t tried! I’d hesitate to freeze it, though, because it might separate thanks to the avocado.