Stuffed mushrooms and Butternut squash soup (The Thanksgiving Post)

Ok you guys. I'm just going to say the thing that a blogger is never supposed to say: I've been struggling to get myself to sit down and write this post. I thought about why I was getting writer's block so consistently about this particular topic and it's obvious really; Thanksgiving was never my holiday.

Even before I swore off turkey and got involved with an industry that worships Black Friday, I never looked forward to the day. So when I only had one day off to join in the festivities, I decided to skip it. But I didn't boycott Turkey Day all together; instead, I made plans to spend the prior weekend with my mom and dad.

Just before our weekend of thanks, I scoured the internet for some new vegan recipes that would be fitting for the occasion. Knowing that mama D was going to be the one in the kitchen, I got a little ambitious and sent her some dish ideas that caught my eye. We decided to go with two recipes, (since it would only be the three of us eating and the two of us cooking) stuffed mushrooms and a butternut squash soup.

When Saturday rolled around and I finally completed my journey up north, we wasted no time and immediately proceeded to the kitchen to prepare our mini feast. We started by opening a bottle of Prosecco, naturally. From there, it quickly turned into me watching my mom cook everything while I took forever to peel the outside layer of all the mushrooms. I was so focused on gossiping and polishing off the last glass of wine, I was hardly paying attention to what my mom was doing at the stove. And because of that, I have zero tips on how to make these dishes! All I can give is the recipes we (she) followed and the links to the original websites. But I can give you insight on how much we all enjoyed them. The mushrooms were the best part but they only yielded 3 mushrooms each for the 3 of us so I would double (or triple) the recipe if making for a larger crowd. The soup was delicious and very fall appropriate. It was rich and filling so we had no problem having it for the main course.

There is one more thing you should know before I get to the ingredients... mama D doesn't use measuring utensils. That's right she falls under the stereotypical Italian cook category of "eyeing everything." Unfortunately I am still tied at the waist with my measuring cup and don't quite know the conversions of cups to handfuls.


Nonetheless, here's what we used (estimated.)

Stuffed mushrooms:

• 16 oz white button mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium sized onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup homemade breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbs ground flaxseed
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• dash of fresh parsley and ground black pepper

Originally from homemadelevity.com, I do remember switching out and leaving out a few ingredients. The original recipes called for nutritional yeast and vegan cream cheese. But since I forgot the n.y. in NYC we left it out and swapped the cream cheese for homemade breadcrumbs to cut back on the processed ingredients. We also added flaxseed meal to help binde the filling.  

Starting by preheating the oven to 375, we got down to business and divided the tasks. As I hinted at before, I had the job of removing the stems from the mushrooms and peeling the outside layers off. We did this instead of washing them because mushrooms will retain water even when just a little wet. After setting the mushroom tops aside (fully intact), I chopped the stems and sautéed them in olive oil with the onion and garlic. Just as the garlic turned brown, we stirred in the vinegar and soy sauce, allowing them to cook another 3 minutes. Last step was to add the baby spinach and continue cooking until they were fully wilted.

Mama D then transferred the sautéed mixture to a large bowl, adding the breadcrumbs, cayenne pepper, parsley, black pepper, and flaxseed for binding. She mixed the ingreedience until fully combined. In the meantime, I got the mushroom caps ready by turning them top-side down and aligning them in a baking dish. We added a heaping spoonful of the filling into each mushroom cap (allowing it to mound slightly) and baked for 30 minutes.

While all of this was going on, my mom was also making a butternut squash soup that I did not take part in. See, I'm still an amateur and definitely can't cook two things at once! But she is a pro, and I've seen her make dinner for dozens before. I actually just got off the phone with her to refresh what was done since I was mentally absent for this recipe. Therefore, I will relay you to thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com for the inside look, but below is mama D's version after a short game of telephone:

Butternut squash soup:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 15 oz cans pureed organic butternut squash
• 1 1/2 cups red lentils
• 2 tsp fresh or dried sage
• 32 oz vegetable broth
• 20 oz (2 1/2 cups) water
• 2 vegan bullion cube
• salt and pepper to taste 

We totally cheated with this recipe because it originally called for fresh butternut squash. But because we didn't have all day and the canned version was organic, we took the easy way out. While I didn't have the originator's version to compare it to, it turned out amazing and we don't plan on adding another 40 minutes of prep time the next time we try it. My advice is, if you can find it, go for the canned version. 

This was what she did:
In a large pot, she sautéed the onion with olive oil. Then, she added the vegetable broth, bullion cube, and spices to the pot. Immediately following, she added the red lentils and let them cook about 10 minutes. Last to be added was the butternut squash. She let the soup continue to cook another 20 minutes (about 35 all together) and let cool slightly before blending with a hand motor.

I think we will be making the soup again as part of Christmas dinner so I'll try to lay off the wine and get back to you with any details if necessary ;)

***christmas update!! If you can, use fresh sage. We used fresh sage the second time around and it came out even better!***

Carrot Muffins

I know what you're thinking... another muffin post? Yes I'll admit that I haven't ventured far from the tin when it comes to baking, but I'm just starting to master the craft! I mean, I am still relying on others for recipes and tips, but I think I'm finally starting to measure up! But I can't take the credit for how this batch turned out; I owe it all to www.ohmyveggies.com. Their spiced carrot muffin recipe is on point and I didn't have to (or want to) substitute anything. Believe me, you're going to want to try these.

Here's what their recipe called for:

• 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (ok, I did actually substitute this with whole wheat)
• 1 cup rolled oats (additional for topping)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (liquefied)
• 2 cups grated carrots (about 3 medium sized carrots)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

I was originally looking for a carrot apple muffin recipe but when I saw this one already called for coconut oil and flax-egg (flaxseed + water) I decided to settle on just carrot. It also called for a 12 cup standard sized muffin tin. I recently purchased a 12 cup but I'm not sure if it's standard sized because I had extra batter at the end of filling number 12. Either way, the instructions yielded perfectly cooked, yet extremely moist muffins.

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin
• In a small bowl, mix the flaxseed and water
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
• In a medium size bowl, mix the remaining ingredients (coconut oil, almond milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, carrots, and flax-egg. Reminder: the liquids need to be room temp or warmer to keep the coconut oil from solidifying.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
• The recipe called to divide the batter between muffin tin cups, just over 1/3 full. However, I filled mine up to the top and nothing exploded. (And I still had left over batter! What gives?)
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, every oven is a little different. Insert a toothpick into the center to test if it comes back clean. If so, remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Between my sweet-tooth and Patrick's need to eat everything, they're practically already gone. If you want to prove to someone that vegan baked goods can be delicious, choose this recipe.

Spaghetti Squash

Fall inspiration has struck again and it turns out pumpkin isn't the only gourd in town. After days of skeptically watching spaghetti squash recipes and how-tos flood my Pinterest feed, I finally took the plunge.

It was a last minute decision at the grocery store. In fact, I had totally different intentions on what I would be making on one of fall's first jacket-worthy day's. Nonetheless, I decided to take the $5.83 gamble and give it a try. It was actually comical when I got home and started to begin prepping because I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be to cut through the outer skin. I must have gone through at least 4 different knives! If my mom were there watching me, she would've had a heart attack and swooped in before I "lost a finger."




(Instructions)
After I finally split it in half (long ways, btw) it was smooth sailing. I scooped out the seeds/stringy stuff and hollowed out the middle. I decided to try a tip I grabbed from thekitchn.com- turn the squash face side down on a baking dish and add a little water to the pan to prevent the squash from drying out. It worked out perfectly for me; after 40 minutes in the oven on 400 degrees and about 10 minutes of cooling time, I was able to easily scrape out the noodle-like squash.
I tried preparing it two ways: with a red sauce, and sautéed in a pan with olive oil, garlic, and spices (parsley, oregano, black pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper.) I was really impressed with how good it was with the red sauce. The squash flavor is pretty mild and whatever you pare it with will end up being the star of the show.

Now it might just be my inner Italian talking, but don't expect it to replace your craving for spaghetti because it definitely tastes like squash. BUT - if you don't go into it expecting your dish to taste exactly like angel hair, and you are open to the fact that it is not made of gluten, you will love it. Well, at least I did :)

Pumpkin Pie bites

I had every intention of writing this post with a huge red flag and a don't-try-this-at-home subtext. Honestly, I'm still not sure if I want to encourage anyone to try it out or not lol. I mean, this recipe yields a delicious guilt free pumpkin dessert (and who doesn't love pumpkin,) but they just aren't visually pleasing. Lets face it, they have a lot of personality, but she's never going to win any beauty pageants.

I found this recipe for "paleo pumpkin pie cupcakes" with a coconut whipped topping - sounds delicious right? Well they looked even better on my Pinterest board so yesterday I decided to try them out. Right off the bat it confused me; they were labeled as paleo but the instructions called for 20 to 25 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees- HUH? Nonetheless, I was craving pumpkin and I already bought all the ingredients so I went for it. But I quickly started having doubts again before I was done using the food processer. The batter was really loose and even my non-experienced gut knew that wasn't good in the baking world. That wasn't the only thing that unnerved me. I checked out the comments on the website to see how other people were faring in hopes to get some reassurance, but some of the posts were extremely negative. Still, I moved forward and continued to follow the recipe word for word.

Oh by the way, Here's what they called for:
-1 can pumpkin
-2 ripe bananas
-1/2 cup coconut sugar
-1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp ginger
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1/4 tsp sea salt

And for the whip topping:
-1 can full fat coconut milk
-2 Tbsp maple syrup
-1tsp vanilla beans

The instructions for the "cupcake" were very easy: 1) Preheat the oven to 350. 2) Line a 12 cup tin with liners 3) Throw all the ingredients in a food processer. 4) Once completely blended, pour the batter into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes. * I baked for 35 minutes and it was completely necessary.

When I pulled them out of the oven, they looked like they dropped a little but they made my whole apartment smell like fall and that won me over. The instructions stated that the consistency is best if put in the fridge right away after baking so I did so after sneaking one :). Then today when I pulled them out of the fridge, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the tip was totally valid. They were more stable and I was able to peal the liners right off. They were by no means a cupcake, but they were a dynamite bite of pumpkin pie. Seriously, so freaking good!

And then, I made the mistake of trying to make the whipped topping. What a mistake. First off, her instructions were kind of confusing. I honestly don't know if I was supposed to use the whole can of coconut milk or just the "fatty white top" that she described. (If you ask me, the whole can was fatty and white?) And then I really messed it up by using 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract instead of 1tsp of vanilla bean - it tasted like alcohol. Not to mention, I couldn't get it to be thick and fluffy like in the original picture. All in all, the topping was a huge fail.

Looking back at everything, I would definitely try these again (without the topping.) But honestly it's the furthest thing from a cupcake... it really is pie filling. I might even like to find a nice crust recipe to pair it back to. I'll let you know how it goes!

My Sad excuse for a whipped topping!

Vegan Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Hey Everyone, grab your pumpkin spice soy latte... it's that time of year again! That's right, it's Long-Sleeve-Sweaters-Hocus-Pocus-Pumpkin-Flavored-Everything Season!

Being inspired by the start of the fall season, I went on a search for a great sounding and looking pumpkin muffin recipe. After looking through blog after blog, I decided to go back to one of the first recipes I stumbled upon on minimalistbaker.com. The recipe mixed two of my favorite fall flavors: apple and pumpkin. I modified a few things to cut out the vegan butter and white flour, so I was a little nervous because everyone knows baking can be ingredient-specific. Thankfully my first batch came out looking and tasting great!

Ingredients:
Apple sauté:
-1 Tbsp coconut oil
-2 granny smith apples (peeled and diced)
-dusting of cinnamon

Muffin mixture:
-1 flax-egg (1Tbsp ground flaxseed + 2.5Tbsp water)
-3/4 cup pumpkin puree
-1 cup almond milk (room temp)
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-2 Tbsp coconut oil (liquefied)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/3 cup oats

Instructions:
-Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and coat the muffin tin with a thin layer of coconut oil (or you could use paper liners)

-I started out by sautéing the apples in a pan with coconut oil and a dusting of cinnamon. After they turned brown and got a little soft, I turned off the heat and set them aside.

-Next I made the flax-egg by mixing the flax meal and water in a large bowl. In the same bowl, I added the pumpkin puree, almond milk, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. (Remember: all the liquids should be at room temperature to insure the coconut oil doesn't solidify.)

-In a separate bowl, I mixed the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Then I poured the dry mix in with the wet ingredients in small increments while continuing to stir. Lastly, mix in the apples and oats and spoon into the muffin tin. I topped them off with a sprinkle of oats.

*The recipe I followed yielded 12 muffins at 20 minutes baking time, but I only had a 6 cup muffin tin which required a full 25 minutes to fully bake.

I'm so excited to share my version of this recipe because I'm still a newbie in the baker's world. Nevertheless, I am proud to say these muffins are sure to please even your biggest critics- vegan or not!

Blueberry Muffins

Three times a charm? In this case, twice was a charm and three times was an adventure! I tried three separate variations of vegan blueberry muffin recipes that were inspired by a recipe I found on egglesscooking.com. This was my first attempt baking with vegan ingredients and it certainly won't be the last- I've officially caught the bug.

I was adventurous with the substitutions starting from my first batch. The recipe I found online called for bleached all-purpose flour, canola oil, and rice milk. I went for a healthier twist and used whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and almond milk instead. Coconut oil is tricky because it becomes a liquid at 76 degrees so it needs to be heated in order to mix it with the other wet ingredients. What I totally spaced on was once it hit the cold almond milk, the oil started to solidify! So I needed to heat the wet ingredients as well to keep the batter clump-free. The original also called for baking soda, apple cider vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon zest and, of course, blueberries; I chose to stick with these ingredients but I did mess with some of the measurements. The original recipe called for 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar and I tried cutting it down to 1/2 cup. Also, I accidently put in a Tablespoon of baking soda instead of a teaspoon... (I know, rookie mistake #2.) They came out looking nice but they had an awful aftertaste that was definitely caused from the baking soda OD. Still proud of myself, I called my mom and bragged about how they "at least didn't fall apart!" That's when she suggested I try using baking powder.

Since the market had offered a special on blueberries and I had another carton of them anyway, I went ahead and tried again. This time, along with my mother's suggestion, I made a few ingredient, measurement, and prep changes. Here is what I used for the take two:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 lemons for lemon zest
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups blueberries

After preheating the oven to 375, I combined the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Next, I liquefied the oil and heated the almond milk. Using a separate large bowl, I mixed the oil, milk, sugar and apple cider vinegar. Then, I added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combined without over stirring. Lastly, I mixed in the blueberries and poured the batter into the muffin tin. They were perfect after 25 minutes in the oven! I let them cool on a wire rack as long as I could but devoured one almost immediately.

Today I took it one step further and tried the same recipe but made it gluten free by substituting 2 cups of oat flour for the wheat flour. I knew it was going to be a stretch, but honestly, they came out OK! Oat flour is always going to be a bit more fragile and with no egg for binding, I knew they would be more delicate, but they were tasty! I recommend letting these cool in the muffin tin rather than a wire rack- it will help them keep their shape. I still enjoyed recipe #2 (the whole wheat version with baking powder) the best, but if you're gluten free, these are worth trying! 

Gluten Free and Vegan: Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

I just made the most delicious breakfast! Not only are these pancakes vegan, but they're gluten free too! And the best part? They're better than buttermilk! This recipe is an original and I got a little adventurous. Feel free to substitute, but if you want super fluffy pancakes that wont weigh you down, try to follow it to a T.

Here's what I used:

• 2 cups oat flour
• 1 Tablespoon cane sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon iodized salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 cups almond milk
• 3 Tablespoons coconut oil  
• 2 large bananas, sliced
• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions:
I mixed the dry ingredients first in a large bowl and then added the almond milk and coconut oil after warming to liquefy. (If using coconut oil, remember to warm the almond milk also to keep the oil from solidifying) After letting the batter rest 5-10 minutes, I added the banana slices and chocolate chips.

I chose to play it safe and make one pancake at a time because oat flour is a little more delicate than wheat flour batter. Just like regular pancakes, they were ready to flip after getting golden brown on the sides. However, the batter won't bubble as much as you might be used to seeing so keep a close watch. I kept them over a low heat so they needed a few minutes to cook through.

Side Note:
I have been substituting coconut oil for vegetable and olive oils in my recipes (including this one) because the body recognizes it as a sugar rather than a fat. I'm sharing this fun fact because sugars burn quickly as apposed to fats which are the last thing in the body to burn and are normally stored. Some coconut oils are going to have a stronger taste than others (the more natural brands will give more coconut taste than expeller pressed.)  Not to worry though; in this recipe, the coconut oil adds a nice "buttery" flavor  and texture.


This recipe will yield about 4 servings. Enjoy, Friends!

Grilled Strawberries, Yum!

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I went camping in Lake George, NY. We're regulars at the Hearthstone Campground which neighbors Bayfront Cottages, a spot my family has been going to every year for as long as I can remember.


Everyone knows that the best part of camping is the campfire- and even more specifically, the food that you prepare on the campfire. This year, of course, I had to come prepared to camp vegan style. My favorite way to prepare veggies is to grill them so it wasn't so difficult to plan for lunches and dinners. However, when it cam time to roast the marshmallows, I was slightly disappointed. I hate to admit it, but the thought did cross my mind to sneak one or two. But there was no need. I had just seen a post on Pinterest about grilled fruit and I was pretty curious. I had heard of grilling pineapple before, especially with a ham, but this board had everything from bananas to kiwis so I thought it was worth getting creative!

 

Luckily, we had packed strawberries so they got to be our guinea pig. We picked up a disposable grill grate that we propped right on top of our campfire and placed thinly sliced strawberry pieces on top. It wasn't long before we had to flip them and in a matter of minutes they were ready to be taken off the fire. I let them cool a bit but they smelt so good they were still steaming when I took the first bite! It was just like pie filling, sugary and warm. I was no longer craving s'mores and could only focus on making the next batch! I can't wait to go camping again so I can try different fruits!

 

 

Vegetable Tacos

As of late, I've been on a serious Mexican kick. Maybe it's the fact that I walk by a Chipotle everyday to and from work, but I can't get enough! Inspired by Chipotle's peppers and onions option, I decided to try making my own meatless tacos.

Here's what I gathered:

• 2 large bell peppers (any color)
• 1 small red onion
• 1 small tomato
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of pinto beans
• 2 avocados
• 1/2 jalapeno
• 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of a lime wedge
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• Box of hard taco shells (also good with soft shells)
   

To start, I chopped the peppers and most of the onion (saving some for the guacamole) into long slices. I chose to sauté them in coconut oil for a short period of time - maybe 7 to 8 minutes. As my grandma would put it, I like them to be al dente ;) but I also like the onion to be slightly browned.

While that's going on, I make the guacamole. I'm still experimenting with my guac recipe and there are a bunch of variations. Personally, I like to keep the tomatoes out of the equation and add them later to the completed dish. I do, however, mix in everything else with the mashed up avacado- garlic, the remaining onion, jalapeno, and cilantro; all minced. I'll top it off with lime juice and viola! (does Italian hand gesture.)  

The last step is to dice the tomato, heat up the beans, and get the shells ready to be stuffed! This recipe would also be great over a bowl of brown rice if you wanted to ditch the shells or change it up for leftovers.

If anyone tries this recipe out, let me know what you think! My boyfriend's parents tried it and loved it so much they made it for dinner twice in a row. It's easy and quick, but beware: it does leave a pile of dishes in the sink.

Sacred Chow

Happy Sunday! I just got home from a fun filled day with my roommate and am enjoying a homemade cold pressed juice! It's made up of beet, beet greens, kale, and carrots - all organic of course!

 

She obliged me by joining me for brunch at Sacred Chow, a vegan restaurant in Greenwich Village. Neither of us had ever been, but we both were willing to make the trip to try out a new spot. I'll speak for us both when I say we were satisfied with our protein-packed vegan dishes. I had the Nama Gori Kale "Caesar" Salad and Cait had the Tapas Nama Gori. I had every intention of eating a ridiculously large waffle or stacks on stacks of pancakes, but I couldn't resist a vegan Caesar dressing! If anyone has a recipe I would love to try it out. 

Two thumbs up for Sacred chow...It was a cute hole in the wall that's prices didn't make me want to cringe. They had us waiting awhile, but they made up for it with their delicious sangria!

Veghetti :)

I've been reading this book titled Voices of the Food Revolution which covers everything from how to heal your body to solving world poverty all with the choices we make at the grocery store. It really has some fascinating facts about the wonders of nature and some scary ones about the food industry. The author, John Robbins, goes through a series of interviews with world renown PhDs and food activists such as Colin Campbell. He also put in interviews with best selling authors, one of which is Rory Freedman, the author of the book Skinny Bitch. I never had interest in reading it before, (I expected it to just be another diet book that glorified body image) but after reading her interview, I've placed it on the top of my reading list!

In the interview, Rory said something that really caught my attention. She said "You will never meet a more food-obsessed group of humans than vegans. Nobody talks about food, likes food, or spends more time eating food, comparing food, dreaming about food, and planning food." It just hit home so much for me because before I went vegan, I NEVER cooked. I mean the most I would do is boil water for noodles - maybe. What's more, I NEVER put so much thought into what my next meal is going to be. Now, I'll think about what I'm going to eat for lunch while I'm making breakfast! I mean look at me... I started a blog about food. Can you get any more obsessed? To tell you the truth, I was never excited to make anything or try anything new for that matter until I went vegan.


This week, my obsession has been with my new toy, the Paderno Spiralizer. It turns veggies into spirals! I'm talking zucchini and squash pasta folks, and it is delicious! After cranking the veg through, I just tossed the spirals on a pan with a little bit of EVOO, garnished it with some black pepper and parsley, and topped it off with olives to add some salt. It doesn't need to stay long or it will get too mushy so it's a quick meal. I no longer will be reaching for the Barilla; now I crave veghetti!

Pineapple Shake

I’m so excited that the health and nutrition changes that I’ve made are starting to rub off on the people around me. One person in particular is my mother. Don’t get me wrong, my parents were always fit and ate “right.” As a kid, my mom fed my brother and I home cooked meals, never gave us fast food, and I never had fruit rollups as a snack - that’s for sure. But, now our definition of the words “eating right” are changing.

Just outside of my hometown is an all-organic health food store that offers everything from aloe vera to zucchini. My dad would occasionally take me there as a kid and I would rummage for snacks while he stocked up on vitamins. Now, my mom does her weekly shopping there and has made some new acquaintances. (Which means… you guessed it, new recipes!) One woman gave her a recipe for a pineapple shake that is jam-packed with detoxing ingredients that will make your taste buds smile.  As delish and nutrish as this shake is, it needs some serious prep time. Since we were both interested, my mom and I decided to make a project out of it and do it together.

Before making the shake, we made our own Brazil nut milk which was delicious on it’s own! To make it we used:

1 1/4 cups raw brazil nuts
3 cups water
3 large pitted dates
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

 

A little bit of prep is needed for the nut milk; we first soaked the brazil nuts in water for an hour. After draining and rinsing the nuts, we blended them with the remaining ingredients on high for 5 minutes. Last step is to strain the milk by poring through a muslin bag or nut milk bag (which my mom so graciously purchased for me to try it out. Thanks mom!)

After the milk strained, giving us about 3 cups, we pored it back into the blender with the following ingredients:

2 cups of frozen pineapple (cut into chunks)
2 frozen bananas (cut into chunks)
1 avocado
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Juice of one lime

I know it seems extensive, but every step is worth it. This refreshing drink is a great jump start to the day as a breakfast and also makes for a great snack in between meals. I can’t wait for New York to get just a few degrees warmer so I can sip a glass outside!

Creating Recipes! - Black Bean and Lentil "Burgers" and a Red Lentil Dip

Last night after work, I met up with a friend of mine who is really into cooking and baking. She isn’t vegan, but she eats pretty healthy and knows a lot about nutrition. Actually, she’s lactose intolerant so most of her recipes are already nondairy- I just needed to find a way around the eggs. She keeps a chicken scratch journal of recipes that is honestly a gold mine. It’s full of yummy dish ideas that she copied from the internet or just jotted down from memory. Some are even original creations that are just waiting to be tested. I was really interested in her lentil and black bean “burger” recipe. This was one that she came up with herself so I was thrilled to debut it with her!

 

Her recipe called for the following:

 

1 can black beans drained

1 cup red lentils

1/2 red onion

3 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno pepper

2 tsp chili pepper

1 tsp iodized salt

1 tbsp ground pepper

1/2 cup of oat flour

 

She started by boiling the lentils in water. (It’s a one cup of lentils to two cups of water ratio.) After the lentils were completely cooked and the water was all soaked up, she threw them into the food processer with the spices (chili pepper, salt, and ground pepper.) In the meantime, I mashed the black beans with a fork to keep some of the texture. After mashing, we combined the lentils and beans. Next to go into the food processer was the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Once pureed, we added it to the mixture. Lastly we added the oat flour for thickness and to keep it a patty rather than a sloppy joe. All that was left to do was form the mixture into individual patties and cook them! We threw the burgers on the stove top with a little bit of olive oil and gave it 4-5 minutes for both sides. Voila! Our homemade creations were ready to eat!

I garnished my burgers with some fresh kale (rather than a bun) and topped it with some of her homemade sweat tomato sauce. Don’t ask me what’s in it yet because I don’t know, but it was amazing so I’m on a mission to find out and recreate it!

I was inspired by my friend’s ability to come up with such an awesome dish! I’ve tweaked recipes before, but I’ve never started from scratch! On a whim, I decided to throw some ingredients of my own together for dinner tonight and made a lentil dip! Any one tired of hummus?

I used only a few ingredients:

1 cup of red lentils

1 tsp iodized salt (less if desired)

1/4 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cumin

Ground pepper to taste
Dusting of cayenne pepper

Just like in the first recipe, I boiled the lentils in water. After they were fully cooked, I threw them in the food processer with the remaining ingredients. I didn’t add any oil because I wanted to keep it clean and light. I served it warm with carrots and crackers but I think celery would go great with this dip as well. I think next time, I might try it as a spread for a sandwich and see how it goes with some avocado and sprouts ;). I didn’t get a chance to try it cold yet, but I really enjoyed it warm!  

Kale Chips

For a while now, I've been hearing people rave about how easy kale chips are to make and how delicious they are. It took me up until now to try making a batch mostly because my first and only experience was with store bought kale chips that were kind of disappointing. In fact, the bag is still sitting on a shelf in my pantry. Nonetheless, all the good gab made me want to give khips a second chance- only this time, I'd make it fresh. 

First things first- they came out amazing! Kale chips really are delish and I was way wrong with my first impression. HOWEVER, they are not as easy to make as I was let on. There are only three ingredients, but the prep is important in order to make a successful batch.

Using a bundle of curly leafed kale, extra virgin olive oil, and iodized salt, I made two cookie trays worth of kale chips. I first rinsed all of the kale and dried them as much as possible. (The oil wont stick if the leaves are even a little wet.) Next, I cut out the stems using kitchen scissors to get rid of the bitter part of the vegie. After giving them another pat with a dry towel, I coated every inch with a thin layer of EVOO. You don't want them too greasy, but you want the oil to cover the entire leaf. I did it by tossing the kale in a large mixing bowl with my hands. (A basting brush could also work in this situation but I didn't have one. Use what you've got!) Using cookie sheets toped with wax paper, I laid the kale out strategically and pre headed the oven to 300 degrees. Lastly, I toped them off with an even dusting of salt and baked for 10 to 15 minutes.

For a first timer, I think I did pretty well. Some of them came out crispier than others (which I still haven't figured out why...) but I didn't burn them! :) Also, I could have gone a little lighter on the salt. I'm not a huge salt person as it is and sea salt is powerful stuff. After cooling, I was bold enough to bring them with me to a friends house. Within the hour the two of us had killed both batches! They're so guilt free and tasty, not only vegans will be reaching for this snack!

Three Day Juice Cleanse - Day Three!

One of the great things about juicing at home is knowing that your ingredients are organic. Eating organic is always important, but specialists like Gary Null, John Robbins, and just about everyone else emphasize how important it is to use organic fruits and vegies when juicing. Some even suggest not doing it at all if it isn’t organic because you’re just filling your system with pesticides. This is super important too when juicing to detox; we’re trying to get out the toxins, not get more in!  

It’s kind of exciting to mix different flavors and try new vegetables and fruits. Some recipes can be duds and won’t come out as delicious as you’d hope, but sometimes certain combinations can surprise you with a new favorite. One of my favorites is a Bloody Mary inspired juice that I think I perfected this morning. I threw in a handful of cherry tomatoes, two carrots, three celery stalks, a bundle of kale, and four small sized peppers (or one large one,) any color. The red, orange, and yellow ones tend to be sweeter than the green peppers. The cherry tomatoes are sweeter than full sized ones and the peppers added some sweetness too. The celery is salty so together this drink is very satisfying.

The next recipe I tried I was a little apprehensive about. I’ve never been crazy about swiss chard. It has a very strong taste and can be bitter. If you use too much in a juice, every sip kills your throat. BUT, it really is one of the best things for our body so I gave it another chance. I used three large leaves and pared it with one red apple, two kiwis, one lemon, one cucumber, and a handful of alfalfa sprouts. Sprouts are beneficial because they contain a concentrated amount of nutrients in a small amount of food, juiced or not. This juice came out on the sweet side with a small amount of bite. I can’t say it’s my favorite juice, but I can say that it’s the best combination I’ve done with swiss chard! That counts for something right?

The most recent recipe I did was a combination of a juice and a smoothie. First I juiced a large bundle of purple kale. Then I broke out the blender to mix the kale juice with coconut water, coconut meat, and a banana. This juice always comes out amazing to me because I am a huge coconut lover! But, I saved this one for the second half of day three because there is some fiber in this drink from the banana and coconut. I also thought it would be a good transition for tomorrow when I start eating whole foods again. It may be just enough to hold me over tonight. If not, I’ll make a banana, peanut butter, almond milk, and ground flax smoothie.

I’ve always wanted to complete a juice cleanse and now that I know how easy it is, I won’t hesitate to do it again. I know a lot of people have the misconception that juicing is like fasting but on the contrary, your body is getting packed with more nutrients and vitamins than any other diet available. I thought I’d be ending this post with day dreams of tomorrow’s lunch but instead I’m thinking about juicing again for breakfast!

Three Day Juice Cleanse - Day Two

Day two and I'm feeling good! But, today was a test to my will power for sure. While it's a lot harder to get my hands on a fresh juice when I have to work, it's definitely a lot harder to say no to the eat-when-I'm-bored cravings I can have on a day off. That's why I took a train up to Poughkeepsie to meet up with my mom and spend the day with her. She's into juicing as well so I was able to come "home" to a fully stocked fridge which was awesome!

I started the day with a kick. I had baby spinach, ginger, lemon, cucumber, and a dash of cayenne pepper. The spinach and cucumber give a healthy does of vitamin K and spinach is a serious super food. Ginger is shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and can even destroy cancer cells! I love adding lemon to my juice and it's packed with vitamin C and are alkaline-forming. Don't skip on the cayenne - it's not just for taste. It's shown to work as a pain suppressant and a natural morphine. This is a spicy drink and as much as I loved it, it's not sweet at all so it might not be the best option to try during your first juice experience.

The juice isn't exactly filling but it is satisfying - or at least it is for an hour or two. My second juice (created by mom) was more sweet. It was with carrot, apple, sugar snap peas, spearmint leaves, lemon, spinach, and kale. Carrots are antioxidants and have a ton of vitamin A (which is what keeps your vision 20/20.) It also is great for glowing skin and healthy teeth. Apples are laxatives and are great for those who are juicing for weight loss. Kale is another super food. It's high in calcium, vitamin K, and manganese, which all promote bone density. Got Kale?

After going "number one" 7 times, we drove to New Paltz where we soon had to stop at Karma, a vegan café, for another juice. I grabbed a quick carrot, parsley, and celery to hold me over and stabilize my pH levels.

We got home just around dinner time and time for, yep you guessed it, another juice. First I took a shot of juiced wheatgrass. It's great mixed in with drinks, but enzymes are best able to absorb this detoxifier when consumed on an empty stomach. It's really sweet but kind of intense so brace yourself. After that I juiced carrot, celery, red/green/yellow pepper, beet, and purple kale. Beets are amazing for liver function and cleansing the blood. They also are very sweet and make any juice taste great.

Don't be discouraged if you make a gross juice. (Sometimes I make some seriously disgusting ones.) But I try to get a variety in and if there's something that you don't really like, try to mask it with a strong fruit or spice. It's really important to drink water in between juices, which I honestly sometimes forget to do. I also like drinking coconut water if I can find one that's not from concentrate. Today my amazing mom sliced open a young coconut for me so I could get the fresh stuff. The work is well worth it because it's so much tastier than the bottled stuff. - Then again, I wasn't the one hacking at it so what do I know.

Three Day Juice Cleanse - Day One

One of the first things I did after deciding to go vegan was buy a juicer. After some extensive research and browsing on Amazon, I decided to go with the Breville. It's price point is doable and it had amazing reviews. I purchased a juicing recipe book on my Kindle and went for it!

Since then, I've read and seen documentaries on the importance of green based juicing and doing a juice cleanse. They all recommend starting slow; Start with a three day cleanse, then try five, and so on. They also recommend not eating any meat or dairy a couple days before as to not put your body into shock (Or else you'll be on the toilet all day!)

It can be difficult (and expensive!) to stay on track while living your everyday lifestyle. You want to consume your juice as soon as possible or within four hours of pressing. The reasoning? The juice starts to oxidize over time causing it to loose vital nutrients. This can be very inconvenient for most because the average work day is 8 to 9 hours. Also, the three meals a day theory is out the window. You should consume about 5 to 6 juices a day during a cleanse. I know... you're getting discouraged now right? Don't. You just have to come up with a plan.

I planed my days to be working today, the first day, and have off for days two and three. What's my plan for day one? Before I leave for work, I will juice twice. One I will consume before leaving and the other I will have after I get to work and settle in. This should hold me over until lunch. For lunch, I will have to go outside and buy a juice. When doing this, you want to go somewhere where they will have fresh pressed juices, not pre bottled. I'll grab two, drink one on the spot and save the other for an hour or two latter. This should be enough for me to make it home and juice again but if not, I'll stop outside to grab one more before heading home.

Hopefully I'll stay strong and wont cave! I'm off to start my first recipe: Spinach, celery, carrot, and green apple. I'll let you know how it goes!

vegetable noodle soup

It's official. I'm totally sick! And I mean stay-home-from-work, lay-in-bed-all-day sick. I really want to reach for the Campbell's can like always, but they put high fructose corn syrup in most of their soups. So instead, I reached for the phone and called my mother. She gave me the recipe to her escarole soup. She used to make this soup for me as a child and I would pick through the greens and only eat the noodles. (Who am I kidding, up until 5 months ago I was doing it.) Needless to say, I cringed a little at the thought of putting escarole in my soup but went for it anyway. (Ahhchooo!)

The ingredients are somewhat interchangeable, but the following made a delish and nutrish soup:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 of a small red onion, cubed
2 stalks celery
2 to 3 carrots (I also include the greens)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 head of escarole, chopped
2 Tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup pasta (your choice)
A pinch of iodized salt (1/4 Tablespoon?)
A few twists of fresh ground pepper
1 bay leaf

Her instructions were simple:
Start out by sautéing the garlic, onion, and celery in EVOO in a large pot. In the time it takes to chop the carrots and parsley, you're ready to toss them in as well. (Cough) Next is the escarole. Add one cup of broth to the pot, stir, and let the ingredients simmer for 10 minutes. In the mean time, put on another pot of water to boil for the pasta.  Lastly, Add the remaining cups of vegetable broth, salt, pepper, and bay leaf and let it come to a gentle boil. After draining the pasta, you're ready to add it to the mix and serve.

This soup did wonders for my throat and I definitely didn't have to choke it down. I will no longer push the escarole aside and maybe next time, I'll try putting the whole head in the mix ;) Thanks again ma.