Posts by admin:
- 1 to 2 different fruits
- one leafy green ( I alternate between spinach and kale)
- non-dairy milk
- water
- flaxseed oil (wonderful source of Omega-6 and -9 essential fatty acids, see here for more info)
- protein powder (I use Metagenics or Peaceful Planet powder)
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2 cups kale
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1/2 avocado
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1 cup frozen peaches
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2 Tbsp goji berries
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1 tsp maca powder
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1 Tbsp flaxseed oil
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1/2 cup water
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1/2 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk
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1 Tbsp maple syrup
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3/4 cup canned pumpkin
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1 cup So Delicious Coconut milk, or non-dairy milk
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1/2 cup water
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protein powder
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2 cups packed spinach
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1 Tbsp flaxseed oil
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1/2 banana
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1 tsp cinnamon
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1/4 tsp nutmeg
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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Blend and enjoy!
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup water
- protein powder
- flaxseed oil
- 2 cup spinach
- 1 kiwi
Vegan MoFo is here! {Hello Green Smoothie!}
November 1st, 2010
Even though I write very frequently, this will be a challenge to post daily about something so I decided that even of I do not have a new recipe to post I at least want to feature something new Monday through Friday. Starting today until November 30th, I will post a new Green Smoothie recipe.
Green Smoothies are such a great and easy way to get your greens on. All the essential vitamins can be in one smoothie of your choice. You might look at the color and kind of cringe (which Ryan does) and forget about trying this, but I VERY much look forward having my green smoothie daily. After my workout, I immediately go to my blender (I use a Vitamix) and choose
The protein powder and the fruit definitely mask the flavor of the greens. Spinach is milder in flavor and is perfect for beginners. 2-3 cups of packed spinach is wonderful and even a banana masks that flavor too. A banana can mask any unwanted flavor, seriously.
Leafy greens are tremendously important to ingest on a weekly basis. It is idealt to consume leafy greens 4 to 5 times a week. Vegan food in general is not always healthy if you a newbie is focusing on substituting non-vegan foods with vegan substitutes, like pizza. Vegan pizza with vegan cheese can still have lots of calories. Focusing on foods like these during the week with no vegetables is not healthy even so. If vegetables are an issue with you vegans and non-vegans, smoothies are the PERFECT way to add greens to your daily meal.
Kale is another leafy green I also like using. Before getting my Vitamix, my regular blender would not blend this veggie up too well. It definitely made my drinking pleasure NOT to pleasurable. When the time came where I could invest in one of those high-powered babies, I jumped at it. Kale never tasted so good! The high-powered blender blends it SO smoothly that I hardly know I am drinking it. I remove the leaf from the stem, wash it and then place it in the blender.
I read a little more about kale and wanted to let you know that according to Bon Appetit, “Kale is a hearty winter green, and is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K; it also contains impressive amounts of calcium, fiber, and antioxidants. Eating kale may support eye, liver, bone, and digestive health, as well as build up the immune system and help protect against certain kinds of cancer.” Who doesn’t want this protection?
Here is my smoothie for the day:
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Pumpkin Recipes Galore! {Share Your Fav Vegan Pumpkin Recipes}
October 28th, 2010I see the edge of the week almost here and I am happy. Even though it has been an awesome week it is always nice to have a weekend for some downtime! This has not been a hectic week like it had been a few months ago or even last week. Every time we hit performance week, it gets a little stressful around here.
Speaking of performances, our recording of the performance came in and I got to hear all of it. The recording was fantastic and the chorale itself was fabulous. I wish we could have gotten a second concert into the schedule but maybe as the chorale becomes a little more popular will there be more funds for something like this. At least we have two performances for our Christmas program. We start working on that music today! 🙂 Here is a clip of the last movement. I will be in a duet the first part and then I go solo towards the end. Enjoy!
Last night I was thinking it was time to feature pumpkin recipes since November is coming up. I would also LOVE to feature vegan, raw, and gluten-free recipes on my blog on November 1, so please leave me your link for your favorite recipe and I will feature them here.
Here are the pumpkin recipes I have enjoyed this past month. I looked through my archives and recipes and realized I had never cooked so much with pumpkin as I have this year. The blog world is sure an inspiration! Enjoying the fruits and vegetables that are in season provided by God is wonderful. Taking advantage of it is even better!
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Caramelized Red Onion, Spinach, and Pumpkin Hummus Pizza on Rosemary Crust
October 27th, 2010
Yesterday was a whirlwind on events! Well, I am talking about the weather that we had and that stretched from Michigan down to Texas. What a crazy system! Holland’s schools closed and tornado warnings rang clearly. You know what I saw? I saw lots of wind and some rain but nothing bad like I heard from other places. The sun finally came out in the afternoon which made me smile because the weather is almost reminding me of Houston’s volatile weather. 🙂
Yesterday I had 2 green monster smoothies since it was a 2-workout day! I try to fit those in if I can. I have energy through-out the day.
My first smoothie was a mango smoothie with spinach, flaxseed oil, protein powder and a banana. Later in the day I received one of my favorite magazines in the mail and felt inspired to make this:
After a full work day I decided to plan dinner and then leave it sitting while I ran to my zumba class. Can I tell you again how much I ENJOY zumba???? I cannot get enough! I even am planning on getting certified because I want other people to share in this fun fitness that works the whole body. I have people that do not go because they think they will not get the workout they need but that is a bunch of silly talk. Look at how I ended up after my workout yesterday!
It was SOOO hot in the studio so on top of a great workout I also got a little dizzy from the lack of circulating air. I have been harboring a small migraine because of the intense workout but it was SO worth it people! Try it at your local gym if you have not. I love music and this is a great way to enjoy popular music.
When I got home, I had this waiting for me:
A Rosemary pizza crust fully risen and ready to punch! 🙂 I have been wanting pizza for a while, actually since reading everyone’s pizza posts for Foodbuzz’s Project Food Blog. I finally had a night to myself to focus on a recipe that had been brewing in the deep recesses of my brain. 🙂 I had been imagining a pumpkin hummus for a long time and decided to make a gourmet vegan pizza of my own. Boy was I a happy vegan!
Even though I am a traditional marinara user for pizzas I decided this would be a whole new take. The flavors melded perfectly together and I was on cloud 9 because I realized I really did not need Daiya cheese to make a typical pizza. There are so many options and I am going to make sure I try them. Enjoy this with a HUGE green salad!
Caramelized Red Onion, Spinach, and Pumpkin Hummus Pizza on Rosemary Crust
Print recipe
Crust (adapted from OhSheGlows recipe)
1 cup white bread flour+ ¾ cup flour, divided
¾ tsp kosher salt
1.5 tsp white sugar
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped finely
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 & ¼ tsp pizza yeast or instant yeast
3 Tablespoons oil
2/3 cup very warm water (not lukewarm)
More flour for surface when kneading
In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup of flour, salt, sugar, rosemary, yeast. Stir well. Now quickly add in 2/3 cup of very warm water along with your 3 tbsp of oil. Stir well.
It will be very wet and sticky at this point. Now add in ¾-1 cup more of flour, gradually, as you stir. Once all the flour is in, grab the dough and place on floured surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding flour if it gets tacky. After 5 minutes the dough should be smooth and not sticky. Form into a ball and place in a large, oiled bowl.
Cover the ball with a bit of oil so it doesn’t dry out. Now cover the bowl and let it rise for 1.5 hours. You can punch out the air once half way through. Cooking time will vary but my pizza took 14-15 mins at 500F.
Pumpkin Hummus
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons raw Tahini paste
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
In a food processor, add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. The hummus should not be to salty since the parmesan cheeze will add some salt to the whole pizza.
Caramelized Red Onions an Spinach
1 red onion, sliced thinly
3 cups packed spinach
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
In a medium skillet, add 1 1/2 Tablespoons oil on medium heat and add red onion and cook until the onion is transparent and caramelized, 10 minutes. Add the spinach, the rest of the oil, and the spices.
Vegan Parmesan Cheeze
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 cup raw walnuts
1/2 Tbsp sea salt
In a food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Makes 1 cup.
Assembly
Remove pizza dough from bowl and flatten dough with fingers as you hold it. Place it on a greased 14-inch pizza pan. Spread the dough evenly.
Spread the hummus evenly on top of the pizza.
Add the caramelized red onions and spinach. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup with parmesan cheeze.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until crust slightly browned. Cool for a bit and slice.
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Vegetable Sushi Rolls with Dulse Cream Sauce {Gluten-free}
October 26th, 2010
My week has started on the right foot even if it was a Monday! God created days, but not days of the week so I find myself not complaining with the gift of having a job in a day when employment is scarce for many. I have to be thankful for the the things and the people that I have in my life day after day in order not to be weighed down by the sometimes routine of life. Our life here on earth is temporary and fleeting so taking each day into account is so important.
What are you thankful today? Have you called your loved ones lately?
That first step out of my bed yesterday consisted of stumbling into my workout clothes and into a great workout with one of my favorite cardio teachers at the gym. I came home then organized the house a bit and thanked God for produce as I planned my breakfast. I had two friends from Holland send me with these 2 baskets of goodies. What shall I make?? I can’t wait.
After an hour of racquetball with Ryan, I went right to work on dinner since it was 7pm already! Good thing I had been planning the meal all morning. There is a place in town Ryan and I like visiting on Mondays that serves sushi and offeres 25% off the bill. Who can beat that? Well, our dining money was gone based on our budget so I instead of my getting bummed we could not go out for sushi, I decided to make my own.
I have always prepared my veggie rolls but I decided I would create a whole new dish adding protein in a sneaky and healthy way. I had gotten an idea to make Eye of Raw’s Friendly Sushi when I saw it back in April. I was not convinced it was exactly what I wanted to make so I made my own version which was raw and gluten-free except for the cooked rice.
I shredded my favorite vegetables and made a cream sauce blending different nuts and seeds and adding dashi (a type of seaweed) to give the sauce a fishy flavor. Who needs fish when you can get the vitamins in another form? I added the cream to the shredded vegetables which made for a perfect filling to go on top of the rice and seaweed paper.
Now, this probably looks nasty, because at first glance it looks like a glob of red but these are veggies in a cream sauce. These are probably my best sushi rolls I have made yet! I rolled these babies up and sliced them and served them with wheat-free tamari. We lightly dipped each piece in tamari and the flavors were perfect. The rolls were tight and binding and the bites were delicious. I hope you give these a chance because they are healthy, nutritious and packed with iodine! 🙂 Enjoy them with a cup of miso soup.
I have submitted this recipe to the October SOS Kitchen Challenge over at Ricki’s and Kim’s blogs!
Vegetable Sushi Rolls with Dulse Cream Sauce
makes 6 rolls (serves 4)
1 1/2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Brown Rice Syrup
2 Tbsp oil
Filling
2 cups carrots, julienned
1/2 cup beets, julienned
1/2 cucumber, seeded and julienned
1 small red pepper, seeded and julienned
Sauce
1 avocado, pitted
1/2 cup hemp seeds
3 Tbsp tahini paste
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup water or less
2 Tbsp wheat-free tamari
2 Tbsp dulse granules
1 Tbsp brown rice syrup
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp wasabi powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
Cook rice according to packaged directions. Mix the vinegar, syrup, and oil in a small bowl and then pour over the rice after it has finished cooking and mix well. Set aside to cool a bit (15 minutes)
Julienne your vegetables with a mandoline, spiralizer, or food processor with the attachment. Mix vegetables in a medium bowl and set aside.
Using a food processor or high-powered blender (like a Vitamix), add all the ingredients and blend until creamy. Add as much water to make into a thick sauce, not runny.
Add sauce to the vegetables and mix well.
Assembly
1. Take one seaweed sheet and place on a bamboo mat. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup rice to each roll and press evenly and flat on the sheet.
2. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of vegetable mixture to one end of the paper. Fold from one end, using the end of the bamboo mat, rolling over the vegetable mixture, until it resembles a roll and continue rolling until closed. Check out this tutorial.
3. Repeat the process until you finish with 6 rolls. Cut each rolls into 6-7 pieces and serve with wheat-free tamari or soy sauce.
Hey ya’ll! What sushi recipes have you made?? Share them with me!
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Deep Dish Chocolate-Raspberry Oat Bars
October 25th, 2010
Hello my friends! I hope you all had an awesome weekend! I am on a total high from this weekend’s performance because it was absolute perfection! I am so proud of my Ryan because he is the best conductor. I have all the right to be biased because it is so true. Ask around. 🙂
Saturday, the day of the performance, we had a 3 1/2 hour rehearsal period because we had to work with the steel drum band that had traveled from Detroit to perform with us. The rehearsal was smooth and Ryan kept on reminding all the Holland Chorale not to over sing since our performance was that VERY evening. Folks, it was hard not to over sing since we had that steel drum band. It was definitely so beautiful to listen to different instruments. God is wonderful how he allows people to discover uses for instruments. Here is a sample of our rehearsal: (How much ghetto can I get? Silly Youtube tells me it has not been processed but it is! Click here to listen}
Sunday was of course a day of rest since we needed it VERY much. We visited out friends church and worshipped with a huge congregation. Holland is small and there are several churches in the area, but I never thought it would have a choir close to 125 people. Reminds me of my choir back in Texas. We later took a nap and then enjoyed a lovely hike in a new reserve in town. I captured the beautiful colors of the leaves and tried not to inconvenience the friends we were with by taking pictures of every gorgeous leaf I found. What can I say, I love FALL!!!
As soon as I got home last night I baked something right up. Can you tell I missed being in MY kitchen??? I have had several ideas floating through my head working with some freezer jam that I have had in my fridge. I knew I needed to make something delicious and perfect with my favorite beverage. I wanted to make something that was gluten-free but I did not quite get that adventurous since I did not have that much time in the kitchen.
I paired dark chocolate with raspberry and oats and came out with a delicious bar that both Ryan and I speechless as we took turns taking bites. We were watching Everything’s Fine and boy was it FINE! The flavors combined pretty perfect even to the point Ryan asked for seconds. As I look at my kitchen this morning I wonder how I have JUST 3 bars left. Seriously folks. I can’t keep the pan full around here.
This is a good thing! Even though I used 1 cup of oat flour and 1 cup of spelt, if you feel adventurous, you are welcome to try making this with 2 cups of gluten-free oat flour. I will be trying it in the future but I needed to share the recipe ASAP. Enjoy the recipe because they won’t last in your an for long! 🙂
Deep Dish Chocolate-Raspberry Oat Bars
print recipe
makes 9 bars (9×9 glass pan)
Crust
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oat flour
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 chia egg (1 Tbsp ground chia seeds + 4 Tbsp warm water)
or flaxseed egg (1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal + 4 Tbsp warm water)
2 Tablespoons SO Delicious coconut milk
Filling
1 cup raspberry freezer jam or store-bought jam
Topping
3/4 cup gluten-free oats (Bob’s Red Mill)
2 Tbsp Tropical Traditions coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp oat flour
3 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup dark chocolate pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9×9 pan with coconut non-stick spray.
Crust preparation
Mix up your chia egg and set aside for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl mix the spelt and oat flours, baking soda, and salt. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, and coconut milk to the chia egg is and combine well. Add 1/2 cup coconut oil to flour mixture and using a fork or patry cutter, combine the two ingredients until it resembles wet sand. Add the wet ingredients and combine well.
Press dough into the 9×9 dish, allowing the dough to rise above the edges of the pan about 1 inch. This is not a layer, but more a crust to contain the filling.
Add 1 cup of raspberry jam onto the crust and spread evenly.
Topping preparation
In a medium add oats and melted coconut oil and combine well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Add the crumble topping to the raspberry mixture and spread evenly.
Bake for 45 minutes and cool for another 45 minutes. These bars are so good a little warm though. They are even better the NEXT day! I wrapped one up for Ryan for lunch so I know he will like that surprise. 🙂
Note: I have already seen people make comments about how this post is ruined since I used half spelt and half oat flour. I am limiting my gluten and NOT elmininating it. This would be the reason the blog states raw and vegan recipes and not gluten-free. I will be indicating which recipes are specfically are gluten-free for those readers. I am in the process of testing this recipe as completely gluten-free. Thanks! 🙂
