Green Smoothie

When IIN posted a link of summer smoothies I couldn't wait to try some! First on my list was Beauty That Moves-Green Smoothie.

If you are looking for a refreshing drink or something a little sweeter this smoothie is perfect! (Its great for kids too! They will never taste the Kale)

Plus the added hemp seeds are a great way to increase protein and did you know hemp seeds contain all 10 essential amino acids?

(Sorry for my walls, the backsplash is coming today!)

Recipe (serves 1)

3 kale leaves (destemmed and washed)

1 cup of frozen fruit (I used pineapple, mango and strawberries)

1 frozen banana

1 TB hemp seeds

1 1/4 cup of almond milk

1/2 cup of H2O

1/2 tsp honey or maple syrup to taste

If you haven't tried drinking from a glass straw, you must! Also these glass jars I picked up from Michael's for $1 are perfect for any smoothie or layered salad you pack for lunch.

Green Overnights

Photo source: Oh She Glows

Have you ever heard of vegan overnights for breakfast? Its kind of like a no cook oatmeal. I have made these before but they never turned out well, so when Oh She Glows posted a new recipe, I had try again. And the second time was a charm :)

The night before mix in a blender a handful of spinach or a small handful of kale, 1 large ripe banana, 1.5 TB chia seeds (these are necessary to make the recipe thicken) and 1 cup of almond milk. I also added some maple syrup to sweeten. You could also try honey or stevia.

In a separate bowl add 1/3 uncooked rolled oats and top with the smoothie mix (above). Stir together until combined and place in the frig (you do not need to cover).

When you wake up give the vegan overnights a stir and enjoy. Feel free to add granola or fruit too!

This recipe is perfect for the mornings that you need to rush out the door.

Spicy "Tuna" Rolls and Kale Salad

So this week was all about cooking for me. I was addicted to vegan, vegetarian and healthy living blogs looking for the perfect dish. I made this dinner earlier in the week from Detoxinista and I was blow away with how refreshing and delicious it tasted. It would also make the perfect appetizer for any dinner party.

Directions

1. Roast Peppers (cut off the 4 sides of a pepper and place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with alumium foil. Broil for 10 minutes then immediately place in a large zip lock bag for 20 minutes. Once the peppers are cooled, and the skins have been easily removed, slice the peppers into long strips, and toss them with a bit of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. These will become your “spicy tuna” slices!
2. Prepare your sushi “rice.” The recipe called for Jicama but I choose to use a Turnip which turned out great! Simply peel it, chop it, and pulse it in a food processor. Then transfer to a thin towel, and squeeze all the moisture out.
3. Thinnly slice your choice of vegetable fillings- I used cucumber, carrots and avocado– but you can use whatever you like. 
4.  Now its time to roll. Using Toasted Nori make sure the lines are vertical when you place them on your sushi rolling mat. Then add your rice, filling the bottom third of the sheet.Followed by your sliced veggies of choice and "tuna", keeping them in the middle of the rice.
5. Now begin to roll, starting from the bottom edge where your rice and veggies are, and tightly roll away from yourself, making sure the edges get tucked evenly into the roll. Roll the nori into a long cigar-like shape, leaving a bit of an edge at the end.Then dip your finger in water, to moisten the end, and roll up the rest! The moistened edge will help “seal” the roll.
6. Using a very sharp knife, gently cut the roll into 8 even pieces.

Massaged Kale Salad- quick mix of avocado, fresh ginger and garlic, Nama Shoyu (soy sauce), lemon juice, and scallions, then massaged it all in so that the kale would wilt a bit.

Vegan Tortilla Soup

Source photo and recipe: Oh She Glows

Don't let the word vegan turn you off, this soup is delicious and extremely filling. Its the perfect transition into fall and will become a staple in our home! Adding these ingredients to your next shopping list is a must :)
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 ear fresh corn
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
3 tbsp ground cumin
One 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can chopped green chili peppers, drained (optional)
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
1.5-2 cups cooked black beans (or beans of choice)
salt & pepper & crushed red chili pepper, to taste
Fresh lime juice, to garnish on top
Non-Dairy Cheese (I use Daiya cheese), for sprinkling
Chopped avocado, for garnish
Tortilla sticks (flour tortillas, olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, to taste)

1. In a large pot over medium to low heat, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Preheat oven on medium broil setting.
2. Meanwhile, chop the peppers, zucchini, green onion, and remove corn from cob (I take a chef’s knife and slice down the 4 sides). Add the veggies into the pot and sauté for another 5-10 minutes.
3. Add in the crushed tomatoes, cumin, broth, and chia seeds. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Simmer on low-medium heat for 25-30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make your tortilla strips. Slice flour tortillas into 2 inch strips (see below). Place in a small bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle on garlic powder and chili powder (to taste) and mix well with hands. Place on a lined baking sheet and broil for up to 3 minutes on medium. Watch very carefully. When golden, remove from oven.
**I added the beans during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
5. After the soup simmers, ladle into bowls, and top with chopped avocado, fresh lime juice, cheese, green onion, and tortilla strips. Serve immediately. Keeps in fridge for up to 5 days or can be frozen for 1 month.

Make your own Protein Powder

A reader mentioned they were looking for a protein powder thats not processed or full or sugar, so I was inspired to find a solution.  And lets be honest if you are new to protein powder the aisle is confusing and the tubs are expensive. So here is a great homemade protein powder (also vegan) recipe from a fellow blogger Daily Garnish.

Ingredients:

•2 cups hemp protein powder
•1 cup PB2 powder
•1 cup ground flax
•1/3 cup maca powder
•2 tbsp + 2 tsp chlorella powder
•4 tsp spirulina
•4 tsp cinnamon
•1 tsp (concentrated) stevia

 

Building the Protein Powder Base

1. First up, add the flax to the food processor and give it a few pumps. Flax tends to get clumpy, and you want to make sure it’s smooth when the rest of the ingredients are added.
2. Next, dump all the rest of the ingredients into your food processor.
3. Add the final product to a sealable tub, and DONE– you’ve just created your own super food protein powder blend!
4. The serving size for this mix is 1/4 cup, this powder recipe will yield a total of 18 quarter-cup servings, so you don’t have to do this very often!
    

This blogger also providers her favorite smoothie to add this protein powder to...

• 1 banana
• 1 cup of frozen fruit – they chose blueberries, strawberries, and mango
•  Add 1/4 cup of your new protein powerhouse blend
• A squirt of agave to sweeten
• Add one half-cup of almond milk and then top off with enough water to cover the ingredients.  Time to BLEND!
• While the mixture is blending, drop a handful of spinach into the top of the blender removing the glass piece.

 **If you are interested in other protein powders click here  

 

 

Grow Bottles

I love these!!!! These tiny planters from http://www.pottingshedcreations.com/  are made from recycles wine bottles. You can grow fresh culinary herbs  like mint, basil and oregano indoors year-round. Once the herbs are ready to harvest in 4-8 weeks, simply wash your bottle, rinse the clay pebbels and replant with another variety of herb.

Healthy butter option

I grew up with a younger brother who was allergic to all dairy products (among other things) so he had to use margarine. Yuck! I hate the taste of margarine, and was always a butter girl.

Over the past years as I have becoming more conscious of what I put in my and I have tried to eliminate dairy. (Remember what you put in your body affects everything from your mood, to your mental clarity to how you physically feel). I have read/heard about earth balance over and over but was hesitant to give it a try. Could this vegan buttery spread really taste like butter....... YES IT DOES!!! It really tastes like butter even my husband and mother (my hardest critic) approved this product.

This product is 100% natural and rich in Omega 3's. It is free of GMO's, trans fats, hydrogenated oil and artifical ingredients of any kind.

You can find this product at most grocery stores, they also sell a Soy Free version.

Forks over Knives

This new movie speaks for itself. Please take a second and click on the image above, as the trailer alone is extremely POWERFUL!

New Find Kocbocha Squash!

This sweet starchy , Japanese favorite is like the butternut squash cousin but way cooler. Its tastes AMAZING and is a great potato swap. A 3oz serving (about 3/4 cup of cubes) is 30 calories, 0g fat, 7g carbs, 1g fiber and 1g protein. You can find it at select grocery stores and Asian markets. Try it in your favorite Butternut Squash recipes.

Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams

First of all I am not sure I can even tell the difference between a sweet potato and a yam, aren't they the same thing? I just read an article from self.com about the difference between the two and I was shocked! The sweet potato which is related to the morning glory, is lower in calories, has a lower glycemic load and is much higher in beta carotene compared to the yam which belongs to the lily family. As the sweet potato is considered to be moderately anti- inflammatory a serving of yams is moderately inflammatory. Although the yam does have a few redeeming qualities like higher levels of vitamin C and folate the sweet potato is a better bet, nutritionally.


But don't panic as the US tends to use the terms "yam" and "sweet potato" interchangeably and the odds are that anything you bought from an American market was probably from the sweet potato family. To find a true yam you'll probably have to go to an international market that carries a lot of African or Caribbean foods. True Yams are quite larger than sweet potatoes and can be up to the length of someones arm, as they are usually cut into smaller chunks.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serves- almost 2 dozen

Cook time- 10 to 12 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

vegan chocolate or carob chips- put in as many as you like

1 cup raw sugar (turbinado)

1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine spread (can find a Trader Joe's)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup of water

Directions:

VERY IMPORTANT- make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they are not all at room temperature but it works much better if they are. Also while you are pre-heating the oven set the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get slightly pre-heated. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon (if you choose). Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium bowl mix vegan sugar and vegan margarine. Mix it well. Add the vanilla then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. Spoon onto ungreased cooking sheets, put them in the oven and bake for 10 mins.

The cookies are done when they are a little bit softer than you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool.

Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.

I haven't tired these cookies yet but my friend shared this recipe with me and said they are delicious!

Enjoy!!