Extraordinary Beet and Avocado Soup

It is hard to imagine as I sipped my cup of Beet and Avocado soup tonight that something so delicious could be so healthy, and so pleasing to the eye and palatte at the same time. I have made so many disappointing recipes from Vegetarian and Vegan cookbooks, but when I came across Bill's Cookbook and found the recipes to be truly thrilling to the taste buds, I wanted the world to know about it.

My husband, Sam and I met Bill and his wife, Debra, quite by accident. Having read Blind Courage, the story of Bill's through-hike of the Appalacian Trail, and having seen his photograph on the cover, we immediately recognized him walking along at the Common Ground Fair in Unity Maine. We approached Bill and his seeing eye dog, not knowing what his response would be. Bill gave us a warm handshake and a broad smile and spoke at length with us in his lingering Louisiana accent. We loved him from the start, as well as, his precious wife, Debra. We have become close friends over the past ten years.

When Sam was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer last winter, Bill was one of the first people I called. His extensive training and knowledge of diet as it relates to disease, was what I wanted to learn about. His recommendations are what lead me to make a one year commitment to cooking all the recipes in his book. Sam was a heavy meat and cheese eater and milk drinker. I am happy to say that we gave up our meat and potato diet and replaced it with a plant based diet. The results are nothing less than astounding and we've thoroughly enjoyed the ride and that is what is unique about Bill's recipes.

Let me give you some recipe reviews to make my point:

1. Beet and Avocado Soup, pg 18, rated V++. Can you imagine that by blending rice milk and avocado and adding chopped beets, cucumber, dill and seasonings that you would ever come up with a luscious, pink soup that you can't get enough of?

2. Apple Cherry Crunch, pg 172, rated V++. This desert makes your taste buds dance without sugar or salt. Amazing

3. Lentils Creole, pg 110, Rated V++. This spicy dish fills the kitchen with wonderful aromas and satisfies the tummy like your favorite, comfort food. I served it with Naan bread and a salad.

4. Almond milk, pg 1, rated V++. This amazed me. You can make 2 quarts of Almond milk for the price of one cup of almonds. It is also an extremely simple recipe and let me tell you the taste of homemade is far superior to what you can buy.

5. Tahini Salad Dressing, pg 187, also rated V++. This dressing takes the "boring" out of salads. It gives the greens an intriguing, middleeastern flavor. You can buy Tahini at Whole Foods, as well as, the Braggs Liquid Aminos that the recipe calls for.

Stay tuned for some wonderful appetizers coming your way.................