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!