Sweet!!

Just thought I would share this article from Yahoo about various sweeteners (which ones are good and which are bad):

http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/RH/the-4-best-and-3-worst-sweeteners-to-have-in-your-kitchen

I know I need to swear off Diet Coke and my diet sweet tea, but I do enjoy them occasionally. Sweeteners I use at home are stevia and raw honey, so at least I'm good to go there! Hope this information is useful!

Island Chik'n and Rice with Peas

I got the idea for this meal from a Publix Aprons recipe. The recipe calls for sweet Thai chili sauce, but I didn't have any. What I did have was a peach, honeydew, and some honey, which I thought might make a yummy glaze!

As much as I didn't want to, I used the Quorn Chik'n Cutlets for this recipe. It really is the best alternative to chicken, even if it does use egg whites. So for now at least I am going to live with it!

I sprayed the cutlets with olive oil using my Misto and place them on the grill to start cooking one side. I also started the yellow rice and put the peach and honeydew in the food processor, then transferred the puree to a skillet over medium heat to see if I could get more of a glaze consistency. It thickened a little, but it really looked like applesauce. I also added a little honey in there.

I took the skillet out to the grill and flipped the chik'n over and spooned a little of the fruit glaze on, spreading it over the pieces. Then I went back inside to check on the rice. After the yellow rice cooked for about 16 minutes I removed the lid and added some jerk seasoning, garlic salt, and Adobo, and then added some frozen peas, mixed well, and put the lid back on. At this point I also raised the temp back up to medium.

I went back to flip the chik'n, added more glaze, and then went back in to stir the rice, cover, and turn off the stove. The rice was done!

All that was left was the chik'n, which I flipped over and added a squeeze of lime. Another flip, another squeeze of lime and it was time for dinner.

The chik'n was good, but the rice was AWESOME!! I think next time I will grill the chik'n, but maybe add some savory seasonings and then coat with the glaze in the skillet. We topped the rice with a little cilantro and topped the chik'n with some green onions. Definitely want to give this one another shot sometime! It was good, but I think it has the potential to be a favorite!

Pasta with veggies

Also known as the "we need to go shopping - what can I throw together from what we have" pasta. This is something I throw together when I didn't plan on what to cook. It's just spaghetti noodles with some sauteed veggies. I start with some olive oil and toss in some squash and zucchini (because it takes a while to cook). Season with garlic powder, sea salt, and lemon juice. I like to let them get golden brown before adding in some diced garlic and tomatoes. After straining the spaghetti noodles, I'll toss them in the pan with the veggies and add a little butter and some parmesan cheese. If I have any fresh herbs I'll toss them in, or maybe some dry oregano. Ooh, and capers if I have any of those! Everything is better with capers! : )

Just like regular spaghetti, you can't really mess this up. It's just butter noodles... with a few things added so you can call it dinner! This picture is from another night when I made this, and I added some garlic bread and my vegan version of Capri Salad on the side.

Chik'n Avocado Tacos

Ever since going to Tacolu at Jax Beach, I have become obsessed with avocado tacos!! Just a couple slices of avocado, some lime juice, lettuce and tomato is all you really need! Oh, and I read that if you leave the skin on and just cut out the avocado slices that the rest of the avocado will keep for up to 5 days! Good to know!

I decided to step things up one day and made chik'n and avocado tacos. Now, I'm not a big fan of fake chik'n. Even Gardein, which I love so much, just has a weird taste. So if I make it, it's usually a recipe that I can cover up with a lot of other flavors.

Then I tried Quorn, and their chik'n cutlets are so juicy and delicious! The only thing is... they are made with egg whites! So, NOT vegan, NOT okay for a Daniel Fast, and just plain weird! I actually can't stand eggs and prefer not to eat them, so I am torn on this one. I didn't read the label until after I bought the cutlets, so we'll see if I buy it again. It's delicious, but I'm not happy that it's made with egg. Seems to defeat the purpose of vegetarian cooking.

These tacos include alfalfa sprouts, field greens, avocado, Quorn chik'n cutlets, and tomato/cucumber salsa with garlic lime sauce. I cooked the cutlets in the microwave before tossing around with some olive oil, lime juice, and Adobo in a frying pan.

Hummus with raw veggies

We are hummus addicts in our house! I used to make hummus from scratch (and mine was pretty awesome) but the garlic hummus by Sabra is like crack to us! And only that kind! We've bought some of the others and don't even like them. The garlic one is just delish!

Whenever I'm hungry I usually grab a piece of wheat pita and some hummus, but I had some leftover broccoli chopped up from what I didn't use in my salad yesterday, so I dipped that in the hummus. Yum! I decided to make a little plate with some tomato, squash, zucchini, bell pepper and more broccoli! It was such a great little lunch! I really wish I had some carrots (which I always love with hummus) but at least I found out that just about any veggie goes well with it! I think my favorite was the bell pepper, followed by the broccoli. I threw the tomatoes in there because when I make hummus I like to put it in a large bowl with some olive oil in the center and line it with slices of tomato. Put some hummus and tomato on top of a piece of pita - AHHH!

I think I may be in love with hummus! : )

Enchilada Bake

Since we've been gone for almost the ENTIRE month of August, we don't have much in the pantry right now. But instead of ordering something or going out to eat, I decided to see what I could throw together. We had some flour tortillas, so I decided to do an enchilada bake.

I usually make an enchilada bake with corn tortillas, so this is the first time I've made it with flour ones. I have to say, it turned out so much better! I also used fewer ingredients than usual and less sauce because I was limited by what was in the pantry. No green chilies this time and no black beans. Instead I use spicy fat free refried beans, and I think that is part of why this enchilada bake is better than any other one I've made!

I started off by spraying a casserole dish and just placing two tortillas on the bottom (which covered most of it). Usually I would use 4.

Then I started boiling some water for my brown rice while I put a little olive oil in the pan for my Boca crumbles. I used taco seasoning on the crumbles and cooked about 10 minutes. I added a little water to help dissolve the taco seasoning and a little more olive oil as needed. When it was done, I set it aside in a bowl and added more olive oil to the pan and tossed in some frozen corn, seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, and some "slap yo mamma" Cajun seasoning. Once this was sizzling I added in the brown rice and cooked it all together, seasoning with the above spices as needed and finally adding in a little enchilada sauce.

While the rice was cooking, I rinsed out the pot I used for the rice and put my refried beans in there with a little water and some fresh lime juice. Because they were spicy refried beans, I didn't need to season them.

My oven was already heated to 400, so I assembled my enchilada bake with the rice/corn layer first, then the Boca crumbles, followed by the refried beans, and topped with flour tortillas. I covered and baked for 20 minutes, then topped with the rest of the enchilada sauce and baked uncovered for another 10 minutes.

Usually I would top with some soy cheese and green onions, but I didn't have any. However, I don't think this really needs anything else. It's really good as it is! I'll see if I can get a pic of it later to post on here (because I KNOW I will be having another helping after Matt gets home!). : )

MIA

Sorry I have been so MIA lately! June has been an insane month! It started with a trip to Atlanta to shoot two Indian weddings with my friend Rupa. Then I was home for a few days before flying out to Los Angeles to meet with some of our vendors, potential clients, and to attend the baby shower of one of our 2010 couples! Then we spent a week in Jamaica shooting another wedding, and we just got back on Sunday. Matt left Monday for San Diego, and tomorrow we are both flying to San Francisco for a wedding and to celebrate the 4th of July!

Whew!

The insanity ends there (at least for now). After this trip, we'll be home for the rest of July and I am so anxious to cook again! It's very hard to stick to eat well when you can't cook. Restaurants don't really have healthy options. The portions are large and they use a lot of butter and oil in the dishes. Eating vegan is almost impossible and even finding vegetarian options can be a challenge.

But soon I'll be able to put some healthy stuff into my body! Just being home for 3 days I've lost 5 lbs (that is, the 5lbs I gained from traveling). Going to need to detox in July for sure!

"Beefless" Kabobs

I made these for the first time last week, but since I made them AGAIN tonight I thought I'd finally post them!

As you can imagine, these are not really made with beef! They're Gardein vegan "beefless" tips, and they are probably my favorite product from them! They just have a great flavor, and with the sunny weather we're doing a lot of grilling lately, so I thought "Hey, these would be great on a kabob!" They seriously rock!



I put the beefless tips into a bowl and seasoned them with Bragg Liquid Aminos (similar to soy sauce, but with less sodium) and some garlic powder, and pepper and then cooked them in a pan with some olive oil according to the directions on the package. Then I put them on skewers with some veggies and tossed them on the grill. Since they are already cooked you're just cooking the veggies and getting that grill flavor on the beefless tips.

We served some grilled asparagus and corn on the cob on the side. With corn in season, we're having it just about every day (or at least every day that we grill). LOVE some grilled corn!

Veggie Turmeric Quinoa

This is yet another Beauty Detox Solution recipe! I've been wanting to try this for a while, but I keep forgetting to buy quinoa since I have never bought or eaten it before. Well, until tonight, that is!

This is so easy to make that I'm not even going to go get the book to tell you the recipe. : )

Start by soaking the quinoa for 24 hours, and then rinsing well. Cook the quinoa by boiling the water, mixing in the quinoa and reducing to let it simmer and soak up all the liquid. Or you can walk away and forget it and let it keep boiling like I did. Still turned out fine! LOL!

Then heat a little coconut oil in a skillet and saute a small diced onion. Add seasoning (sea salt, curry, turmeric - I also added pepper, Adobo and coriander). I then tossed in some chopped cauliflower, fresh corn off the cob, and diced red bell pepper. Then I probably put a pound more curry and the other seasonings on it and continued to cook and let everything mix together. After the veggies are cooked, add the quinoa in and mix it all well. We topped with fresh parsley, but I thought it took away from the other flavors. Matt liked the cauliflower, but I thought it would be better without it. Then again, I'm not a fan of cauliflower!

Oh... I also added some fresh squeezed lemon over the whole thing before serving. I think this really added to the flavor. Lime may have tasted even better.

This is a tasty, quick meal. If you don't walk away from the quinoa while it's cooking you can chop up all your veggies and get those started and probably cook this in under 20 minutes.

This makes it all worthwhile!

God is good! My hubby went to the doctor today and received some great news. Since we started our lifestyle change and have cut out meat and dairy from our diet, Matt's cholesterol has gone down 100 points!! It was dangerously high before, and now it's at a healthy level. But 100 points in just a matter of a few months by nourishing our bodies with the right food is just amazing to me! He has also lost 25lbs (I've lost 15lbs, but he works out more than I do). : )

People always look at us like we're crazy when they hear that we don't eat meat, and now I have some concrete facts that support that the lifestyle we have chosen is making a positive difference in our lives! We're done traveling (at least for the rest of this month) so I'm going to be trying out some new recipes this week. Can't wait to share them!

Orange Chik'n with Kale and Brown Rice

I like Gardein products, so I was thrilled when I found their Crispy Chik'n at Whole Foods. I'd never seen that one before, AND they were on sale, so I stocked up! The Crispy Chik'n comes with a mandarin orange sauce, but I made my own sauce since I had oranges that needed to be used.

The recipe comes from 101 Cookbooks. The recipe is for orange pan glazed tempeh, though I made this sauce with tofu before and fell in love. It's easy to make and delicious (and probably much healthier than Chinese take out!).

The recipe below is the one from 101 Cookbooks, but since I never make anything exactly as the recipe says I thought I should make some notes. I didn't have tamari or soy sauce, so I used Bragg Liquid Aminos (another soy based sauce that is lower in sodium). I didn't have lime, so I used lemon. And I didn't have any cilantro (or ANY fresh herbs) so I used some dried parsley. I also didn't have maple syrup, so I used honey. Personally, I think some green onions would have been nice on here. Oh, and definitely scoop some sauce onto the brown rice. I can't get enough of it!! Another thing... I chopped up the ginger and just tossed it all in instead of squeezing the juice out.

Orange Sauce
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3-4 large juicy oranges)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce)
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
roughly 10 ounces of tempeh (or extra-firm tofu)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lime
a handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves

Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Squeeze the grated ginger over the bowl to extract the juices, then discard the pulp. Add the tamari, mirin, and maple syrup, ground coriander, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.

After you cook your tempeh, tofu, or in this case crispy chik'n, remove the protein from the pan and add the orange sauce mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes. You want to get it to reduce to a glaze. Once I noticed that the bottom of the sauce was thickening, I added the chik'n and that helped it glaze up nicely. Just thinking about it is making me crave it! It's absolutely delicious, and you'll be surprised to find just how easy it is!

Raw Cacao Truffles

I made this sweet treat a few weeks ago but never got around to blogging about it. I didn't make the recipe exactly like this. I had macadamia nuts, so I used those instead of almonds. I also had carob powder so I used that instead of cacao powder. I didn't have dates, but I had raisins. And instead of maple syrup I use raw honey. I'm guessing that it would have been better with the right ingredients because I prefer all of those to what I had, but it still turned out pretty good. Matt didn't like it as much as I did, but I thought it was a nice treat that I didn't have to feel guilty about!



This recipe came from The Beauty Detox Solution:

Ingredients
2 cups ground raw almonds
3/4 cup raw cacao powder
6 dates, pitted
1/2 cup raisins
1 tbs coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
3 tbs cold, filtered water

Optional - 1 cup shredded coconut flakes and 3 tbs maple syrup


The recipe recommends soaking the almonds for 24 hours, rinsing and drying them in a dehydrator. I didn't do all that because 1) it was a last minute decision because I was craving a treat and 2) I don't have a dehydrator.

Grind up everything in the food processor (adding water last and only as much as you need). Roll the mix into a ball and roll the truffle in the coconut. Allow to harden for at least 2 hours.

Lesson Learned

This past weekend was a serious test for us, and I have to say we failed miserably! We went to visit our friends in Charlotte and totally indulged in just about everything that was put in front of us. I even had a small meat taco (I blame it on all the wine lol). Cupcakes. More wine. More cupcakes. I'm not even a big fan of cupcakes (too much sugar makes me feel icky), but if you put it in front of me I'm going to eat it. Then later I will regret it. Every day I made poor choices, and every night I felt terrible (physically and mentally) for doing it. Yet I did it again the next day.

My punishment... I gained almost 8lbs! In one weekend! My friend asked if I had a good time, and I said yes, but man I am paying for that good time now!

But also my friend pointed out that the weight I gained is a good reason to get back on track. And I have to agree! I'm glad that we did it. I know now that if I don't have a plan for food when I'm traveling or visiting with friends I'm going to just eat whatever I am offered. I also know that you can gain weight VERY easily. In fact, I told Matt that I thought I gained about 8lbs after our weekend. When we got home, I jumped on the scale and told him yep, I was about right. I don't think he believed me until he jumped on the scale and found he had gained 6-7lbs!

Fortunately, I've already shed about 6lbs back off. We've been eating really light. Dinner has been salads full of fresh ingredients and homemade dressing (made with little or no oil). I did a pretty intense workout the night we got home (cardio and toning) and today I did some more toning. I think every part of my body hurts! Figures that the ONE week I don't schedule an appointment with our chiropractor is the week that I really need it! I tried to stretch a lot today but there are places that hurt that I didn't even know existed! LOL!

I hope that Matt and I have learned something from this weekend. If we are going to be strong about our choice to live a better lifestyle then we're going to have to support each other! One of us has to say to put the cupcake down! : )

Grilled Flatbread

My new "I didn't plan dinner and I want to make something fast" meal is grilled flatbread! It's so easy and so good! Just whole wheat flour and water, kneaded well and rolled into a ball to set for 20 minutes (or more). Then I roll it out and cook it on the grill (which I describe in this post). While you're waiting for it to set you can chop up ingredients for a salad and prep your flatbread toppings.

This time I chopped up a lot of garlic into a small dish with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some oregano and let it sit to soak up the garlic goodness. After the first side of the flatbread cooked, I spread the garlic oil on and topped with spinach, tomato, onion, and grated soy cheese. It's just like pizza. You can't really mess it up! Add a big salad to it and call it dinner! That's what we did! : )

Stir Fry

I didn't do much planning for dinner last week, so I just tossed some quick meals together. I asked Matt what he wanted for dinner on Friday, and he said Chinese. Rather than order take out, I decided to just make stir fry at home.

I heated some coconut oil in the wok and added in some ginger and garlic. Then I added a Japanese blend of frozen veggies and started cooking them. Once they were cooked most of the way, I added some kale. For the sauce, I just took a couple teaspoons of corn starch and added a little water and some Bragg Liquid Aminos (a soy product that tastes similar to soy sauce but without added sodium). Then we put everything on top of brown rice. Matt must have liked it, because when we were planning meals for next week he wanted to make it again!

Vegan Fettucine Alfredo

We made some fettucine noodles a while ago and put them in the freezer, so this week when I didn't have a plan for dinner I decided to use them.

For the sauce, I started with some olive oil and garlic and then added in some silken tofu. I cooked the tofu for a while trying to break it up as much as I could before adding some grated soy cheese and almond milk. Looking back, I wish I'd tossed the tofu and grated soy cheese into the food processor to get a nice, smooth consistency.

While I was making the sauce, I steamed some kale and added it to the pasta. I also topped it with fresh parsley. Matt really loved it, and while it didn't taste as good as my non-vegan alfredo sauce, it was pretty rockin' for a vegan version! And it was a pretty quick meal. Everything was done in about 15 minutes!

Open Faced AvoBeauty Sandwich

Make this! You will thank me for it!

Another recipe from The Beauty Detox Solution. Served with salad with Oil Free Red Pepper and Cilantro Dressing.

1 slice gluten-free millet bread or another gluten-free bread
Stone-ground mustard
1/2 avocado, sliced
2-3 thin tomato slices
Cayenne pepper
Sea salt
Clover sprouts (or other sprouts)
Probiotic & Enzyme Salad (another recipe in the book, but I didn't use it)

Oil-Free Red Pepper and Cilantro Dressing

New favorite dressing EVER! It's so good that when I go to lunch with my friend tomorrow I am actually skipping the restaurant's dressing and bringing this with me! Yummmmmm!

Okay, I have to admit that I used a green bell pepper for the recipe. And I skipped the miso because Native Sun isn't open on Sundays and Publix didn't have it. Oh, and I definitely double up on the garlic. One clove? Are you kidding me?? LOL!

But here is the recipe as suggested in The Beauty Detox Solution:

1/2 red pepper, seeded and cored
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 small tomato
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbs filtered water
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp organic, unpasteurized miso paste
1 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar


I am going to somehow have to force myself not to make this for every salad or else I am going to get sick of it! Just blend everything together. You can store for up to 2 days in the fridge.

Macadamia Nut and Sundried Tomato Mash

Another great recipe from The Beauty Detox Solution. I can't recommend this book enough!!

We ate this on top of some romaine leaves, but I actually think it would have been better just on top of our salad. If you love sundried tomatoes (which I DO) then you'll enjoy this!

1 cup raw mac. nuts (soak 2 hrs and then rinse well)
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbs finely chopped parsley
Black pepper

She suggests starting with the mac. nuts and lemon juice in the food processor, then adding the sundried tomatoes and sea salt. Then mix in the parsley. I did it this way, but I think you could easily just toss it all in together and it would come out fine.

Oil-Free/Balsamic-Free Italian Vinaigrette Dressing

Finding a good salad dressing that is actually HEALTHY is such a challenge. It's sad just how unhealthy salads can be when we pile on things like cheese and fat. Really, we should just go ahead and get a sandwich and fries instead.

But that's the biggest reason why I bought "The Beauty Detox Solution." I saw the dressing recipes and I was sold! Kimberly Snyder has some fantastic recipes, and this one was so savory I scarfed down my salad faster than I could say the name of the dressing!

No blender is needed, either! Just mix together some apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard (I used spicy brown), sea salt, Italian seasoning, and a little water and mix together. That's it! Yes, it's a little watery, but you won't be lacking any flavor. Trust me on that one!

Glowing Green Smoothie

This recipe comes from the book "The Beauty Detox Solution" by Kimberly Snyder. It's packed with great information and recipes, and since I need to lose just a little more weight for my goal dress to fit perfect I've decided to follow her program for the next few weeks!

We hit the farmer's market today to pick up most of what we needed, since most of the recipes are raw. I couldn't wait to begin, so as soon as we got home and put groceries away I decided to make this Glowing Green Smoothie that I've been so anxious to try! I have to say, it is FABULOUS! It's very refreshing and light, and I'm already thinking of how great one of these will be after an early morning run!

Since I don't have a Vita Mix, I decided to make this in my food processor because it's much more powerful than the blender we have. It worked out great, and I'm starting to wonder if I even need a Vita Mix at all! All I did was start off with my greens and slowly added in all the other ingredients, and only added a touch of water as needed until everything was pretty well blended. Toward the end I finished adding the water.

I also took the blended mix and put it into a pitcher with some ice so it would be nice and cool. It was so tasty that I had a 2nd glass, and even Matt enjoyed it! I'm definitely looking forward to having this for breakfast all week!



Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce
Bunch of spinach
3-4 stalks of celery
1 apple (cored)
1 pear (cored)
1 banana
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Optional: cilantro and parsley

Wheat Gnocchi with Kale

Toward the end of the week I don't really plan what to cook because I try to use up whatever is in the fridge. I also don't always feel like spending an hour on cooking, so this is a good, quick dinner that takes less than 10 minutes!

I used the gnocchi that comes packaged in the store, and it cooks in about 3 minutes. I also steamed some kale. While these two were cooking, I took a frying pan and put some vegan "butter" with some fresh garlic and turned it on medium high. After the gnocchi finished, I added it to the pan with the butter and let it cook for about 2 minutes before adding the kale to the mix. Right at the end I added some grated soy cheese and mixed it all together before putting it on the plate. So quick and easy!

Pan Fried Shirataki, Veggies, and Grilled Flatbread

This meal was a little bit of everything. I knew I wanted to make shirtaki, and my idea was to pan fry it. My thought was to make it like a potato pancake and cut it up into quarters, but I couldn't get it to stick together. So instead I tossed it around with some Bragg Liquid Aminos, and it was still really good!

I also needed some veggies, so at Matt's request I grilled some squash and zucchini and then also steamed some kale. Matt also wanted to try grilling the flatbread, so I put some foil on the grill, sprayed it with olive oil, and put two long pieces of dough on it. After grilling a few minutes, I flipped it over, added olive oil and garlic, soy cheese, and some red onion and continued to cook a few more minutes. Surprisingly, the grilled flatbread turned out much softer than when I made it in the oven.

Even though we just threw together a bunch of things for dinner Matt said it was one of his favorite meals! Somehow it all worked together!

Veggie Flatbread

After watching an episode of my favorite Food Network show "Down Home With The Neelys" I have been anxious to make a delicious veggie flatbread. The Neelys used dough from the store, but I decided to make it at home. The challenge - we only have whole wheat flour, we aren't eating eggs, and, oh yeah, I didn't have any yeast! So I made the dough out of nothing more than wheat flour and water and hoped for the best!

Fortunately, it worked out for the crispy flatbread that I was going for!

I took about a baseball sized piece of dough and let it sit for a couple hours. Then I rolled it out and cooked it in the oven at 375 until it was cooked a little. After that, I added olive oil, garlic, and oregano and then topped with fresh basil, soy cheese, and slices of squash, zucchini, and red onion. I cooked for about 10 minutes, and then toward the end I added some kale that had been tossed in olive oil and more garlic to the top and cooked for another minute or two. We sprinkled it with grated soy cheese and it was great!

Minty Fresh Salad Dressing

I got the recipe for this dressing from The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder. The dressings were the main reason I bought the book, because they all sound fantastic! This was my first one, and I was very pleased with how tasty and refreshing it was!

1/2 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

Blend all the ingredients until smooth. I add a little more lemon juice and also half of an avocado (the other half I diced and put into the salad). I will definitely make this again!



Minty Fresh Salad Dressing pictured with Tempeh Banh Mi

Tempeh Banh Mi

I got the recipe for this Banh Mi from Guy Fieri's show on Food Network. Of course, he made his with pork or something, so I tried a vegan version using 3 grain tempeh. Sadly, BOTH of our propane tanks went out on our grill, so I had to finish cooking the tempeh in the oven. I think it would have been better on the grill and if I had made the slices a little thinner. Matt really wants me to try it next time with pan fried tofu that is then cooked with the marinade (it will thicken into a nice sauce). So I think I know one thing I'll be making next week! : )

Start with the marinade:
Sesame oil
siracha
brown sugar
hoisin sauce
soy sauce
fresh sliced ginger (no need to peel)
chopped garlic

Toss everything into a bag to marinate the tempeh (or tofu, portabello, etc.) for at least an hour

Grill until cooked. Save marinade and put in a pan and simmer to use as a sauce (put it on after the first side has finished grilling).

These are all your toppings. Build it according to your taste!

Julienne carrot and daikon

Make pickled cucumbers (Sesame oil, siracha, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce)
**I had a hard time not eating all the cucumbers! They were so tasty after marinating for a while!

Cilantro, mint

Lettuce

Veganaise, hoisin sauce, siracha, sesame oil

Hoagie rolls



Tempeh Banh Mi served with salad with Minty Fresh Salad Dressing

TLT?

I'm becoming a big fan of tempeh, so I decided to give this a try. Though I was never a huge fan of bacon, the idea of having a vegan version of a BLT sounded good! I mean, who can resist that awesome picture on the package? Doesn't it make you want one? Never shop hungry, I guess!

I made these for lunch and they were fantastic! They just cook in the frying pan like bacon and I toasted some whole wheat bread and put some Boston lettuce and tomato on it with a little brown mustard, and voila! A refreshing lunch! Matt really loved it, too. In fact, I made him one to take for lunch yesterday.

Pad Thai with Tofu

Okay, so I used a sauce packet from the Asian market for this recipe, but I am excited that I was able to have rice noodles again! And I tossed in some kale just to add some color to it! So crazy easy. It's like the Thai version of spaghetti. Always good for those nights when you didn't really plan ahead and need a quick, yummy dinner! : )

Leggo My Mango

So, I am a bit sad. I've been eating a lot of mangoes lately and I had a reaction to them. My lips got really irritated and now they are dry. It finally occurred to me that it must be because of the mangoes because my lips and tongue tingle a little when I eat them. I love mangoes, so my heart started to break a little at this realization! I love the texture and the smooth sweetness of this tropical fruit!

Fortunately, it looks like I was just eating them improperly, so I thought it was worth sharing off the blog. I would just wash them and cut slices and bite the fruit off the skin, but apparently it's the skin that is causing my reaction. So I thought I would share this information just in case anyone else had the same problem. You can find out more information at http://www.allergy-details.com/allergy-c/mango-allergy/.

Lettuce Wraps (Cooked Version)

Ever since we made our first lettuce wraps, we were hooked! But so far we've only made them raw, and though I really love all the crisp, fresh veggies in a lemon/ginger/soy sauce, I really wanted to try making a cooked version!

I took a little coconut oil and heated it on medium high. I had already soaked some raw cashews, so I rinsed and dried them and chopped them up and tossed them in the wok. Then I added some chopped mushrooms and cooked for a minute or two. Then I added a small, finely diced carrot and cooked for another minute or two. Then I tossed in some bean sprouts and cooked for another minute. Then I put in about two teaspoons of hoisin sauce, 1/4 fresh squeezed lemon and about a teaspoon of soy sauce. Then I seasoned with salt and some Asian spice that I have (it's a blend of a bunch of spices). I also tossed in some minced garlic at some point. I wish I had added ginger (note for next time!).

I put everything on top of some living lettuce (which looks like Boston lettuce) and a little bed of alfalfa sprouts (Matt's suggestion). I topped each lettuce wrap with just a little flax seed. I think next time I would cut up some limes and let everyone squeeze some onto the wraps before eating them. But I was out of limes, so I couldn't try it. It was very different from the raw version, and I'm not sure which one I like better. I love them both!

Pan Fried Tomatoes with Herb Cheez

It's so nice to be back home where I can actually cook again! Yes!!!

At some point during my trip I decided that I wanted to try making some tomatoes breaded in panko, so I sliced up an heirloom tomato and sprayed them with olive oil and put them in a bowl of panko and shook them around to coat. Tossed in a pan with some coconut oil and browned them.

Then I made some soft herb cheez. This is another idea that popped into my head, so I had fun experimenting! I took a clove of garlic and a little sea salt and ground it up into a paste with my mortar and pestle. Then I added a slice of firm tofu, some chopped up cilantro and basil and ground all of it together. Then I added just a little pepper, because I was worried it wouldn't have any flavor. Boy, was I wrong! I mean, fresh garlic, cilantro, and basil - how could it not be full of flavor?

I took my fake cheese and put a little on top of each tomato and garnished with a sprig of cilantro (because my presentation was pretty lame). But what it lacked in appearance, it made up for in taste! Such a yummy little snack, and I'm kinda glad Matt wasn't here because I didn't want to share! LOL! But I could easily see doing this with some zucchini or even eggplant. Zucchini would probably be perfect, because it would hold up better than the tomato. I may try the cheez on top of raw tomato slices, too. But this is great as a snack or an appetizer!

India Grill

Since it was supposed to rain in Vancouver yesterday, we decided not to take our chances with the outdoor festival and instead went to Bellingham, WA for the day. We were hoping to go to a nice little vegan place I read about on Yelp, but sadly it looks like they have gone out of business. : (

But we found an Indian restaurant that was open, so we went there. We went with the buffet which had some palak channa (spinach and chick peas) and aloo matar (potato and peas). The other dish was lentils and beans, which I put on top of my rice. I'm not sure what it was called, but I just called it all delicious! I love Indian food!

Loving Hut Seattle

When my friend Kristen decided to go vegan, she started raving about this Orlando restaurant called Loving Hut. I finally got a chance to go with her when I went down there for a photography workshop about a year ago, and now I'm hooked! It's exciting to have a place where you can eat ANYTHING off the menu!

There are several Loving Hut locations throughout the country, all individually owned with their own unique menus but every one is full of vegan, non-GMO deliciousness! We found one on our trip to San Francisco last fall, but we had our heart set on a garlic restaurant (because nothing can compete with a garlic-themed menu!). But I checked to see if Seattle had a Loving Hut, and they did, so we went there for dinner yesterday! Matt had the Crispy Noodles and I had pan fried shirataki. Both were covered with steamed veggies, tofu, and other soy protein. They were brought out separately, and there wasn't much left from Matt's dish when I finally remembered to take a picture. But I did manage to get a picture of my dish, and I'm excited to get back home and make some pan fried shirataki! It's really good stuff!

Hotel Healthy

It's incredibly easy to control what we eat when we cook at home, because we just don't buy bad ingredients! But when we travel, it's another story. We go out to eat a lot, either because we don't have the option of cooking in our room, we're being social, or because we just want to experience the area we're visiting! And food is definitely a part of the experience!

Fortunately, on the West coast people are more health-conscious and earth-friendly, so we can usually find lots of options that fit within our diet. We've already found dozens of vegan restaurants for our fun weekend planned in Seattle and Vancouver this weekend!

But most of the week we've been making food in our room. Matt stocked up on hummus, apples, pears, spinach, tomatoes, bananas, oatmeal, raw honey, sprouts and pita before I got here. A lot of hotel rooms have refrigerators, so this is something we can do anywhere. I've been making my oatmeal for breakfast and Matt comes back to meet me for lunch. Today's lunch is a simple sandwich on flat whole wheat rolls with avocado, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, cherry tomatoes (sliced), and hummus. I stacked it in that order so that the avocado holds the spinach in place, the alfalfa sprouts act as a bed for the tomatoes, and the hummus holds the tomatoes on there. Yum! Served with a side of carrots, it's a yummy and light lunch!

What Is The Daniel Fast?

I just realized that after having this blog up for over a year I've never actually explained what a Daniel Fast is! When people hear that I'm fasting, they often think that I am starving myself, but a Daniel Fast is very practical and really is just eating healthy foods. Our church does the fast for 21 days at the beginning of the year (when most people make New Year's Resolutions to lose weight anyway, so what a perfect time). They actually collaborate with several churches around the world, because amazing things happen when we all come together in prayer and fasting as a group! On an individual level, I can attest that very positive things come from fasting!

The fast is called the Daniel Fast because the practice comes from the Book of Daniel (see how that works! LOL!). When Daniel fasted, he drank only water and ate fruits and vegetables. There are a ton of resources for the fast if you just do a Google search.

So here's a quick rundown of the diet restrictions for the Daniel Fast (from WikiAnswers):

Foods to avoid on the Daniel Fast

All meat and animal products including but not limited to beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and fish.

All dairy products including but not limited to milk, cheese, cream, butter, and eggs.

All sweeteners including but not limited to sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, and cane juice.

All leavened bread including Ezekiel Bread (it contains yeast and honey) and baked goods.

All refined and processed food products including but not limited to artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white rice, white flour, and foods that contain artificial preservatives.

All deep fried foods including but not limited to potato chips, French fries, corn chips.

All solid fats including shortening, margarine, lard and foods high in fat.

Beverages including but not limited to coffee, tea, herbal teas, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and alcohol.


I would encourage anyone to do this fast and see the amazing things that come from it - the physical benefits, the clarity that comes from fasting, and the deep, genuine love and thanksgiving that you feel with fasting and prayer. It's amazing stuff!! : )

The Beauty Detox Solution

I was in Dallas on my way out to Seattle and I had a 4 hour layover. After grabbing some lunch and chatting with a very nice lady from the San Diego area, I still found myself with time to kill before my next flight. So I stopped in a bookstore hoping to find something to keep me entertained on my loooong flight to Seattle. I picked up a book about how Starbucks re-focused their customer experience in order to save the company from a downward spiral, but I put it back down. I wandered through the store, passing fiction, sci-fi, biographies and stopped at the business section. Nothing there appealed to me. I stopped by the life and faith section, and again nothing really stood out.

Then I turned around and found the health/nutrition section. Since I just finished reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's "Eat To Live" and I could hardly put it down, I thought I might find something like it. The first book I saw had a bright green cover and it was facing outward as a featured book. I read the title: "The Detox Beauty Solution." Then I rolled my eyes and looked for a "serious" book. Nothing else sounded very interesting, so I looked back at the bright green cover and picked it up and flipped through it. Toward the back I found some recipes, and after seeing several for non-oil based dressings I decided that alone was worth $16.95. I've been looking for some decent dressing recipes that don't include oil.

With about an hour before my flight, I sat at the gate and opened up my new book. The beginning starts with quotes from some of the celebrities that the author, Kimberly Snyder, has worked with. I noticed that a few of them are very outspoken vegetarians, which is cooler to me than the fact that they are celebs. : )

It wasn't until I read the introduction that anything impressed me. She talked about her experiences, how she went from being thin to gaining a lot of weight, and then how she became fascinated by nutrition. She went on a 3 year trip around the world and learn health and beauty "secrets" from other countries. Personally, I think other countries, particularly in the far east, have it right when it comes to physical, mental, and spiritual health! So she had my attention!

The book echoes much of what is said in "Eat To Live," except that Beauty Detox is more about experience than science and research. She includes case studies from some of her clients (which I skipped over, but some may find it interesting). What I liked is that she not only provided an educational approach, but she followed it up with a practical solution and structured program.

I finished the book long before I made it to Seattle. It's an easy and very interesting read, and I am definitely going to try out some of the recipes. I may even follow the program, even though I'm already over a month into already eating healthy. But tomorrow is the last day of my fast, so maybe I'll try something else over the next month!

Speaking of fasting, I love this quote from "The Beauty Detox Solution:"

"Detoxification also serves to purify the mind, because when our bodies are cleansed, our minds become more clear and we are able to strengthen our focus on what we really want to achieve in our lives."

This is so true! One of the things I am always amazed with when I fast is how much I can connect spiritually and emotionally, which is perfect for prayer and devotion. But I also find that fasting (which is pretty much the same as detoxing, just not as trendy sounding) gives me a greater appreciation of my body of the food that God has provided to nourish us physically.

I've been sharing these thoughts with other women I know who are searching for a healthier lifestyle or are wanting to change their appearance. I think those who seek health will find more success with looking hot than those who are focused on physical goals. When I focused on just losing weight for my wedding, 20-25 lbs in about one year. Now, I consider that successful but I spent thousands of dollars on a structured diet program and a personal trainer. Just by committing to a healthy lifestyle I've lost about 13 pounds in one month. AND I'm eating more! And I'm enjoying what I eat more! That's why I decided to go beyond my fast and commit to a lifestyle change. I am beyond pumped up about it!! Hopefully my experience will be an example for the wonderful women I know who also find themselves wanting to change their health and/or physical appearance. I think they deserve to feel and look amazing, too!

I can't wait to try out some of the recipes in here and share them on the blog!

Back to Nature

Matt and I have been buying this for a while now, and it's one of our favorite snacks! We haven't been eating any lately because it has a ton of sugar, but Publix has them on BOGO right now so I bought like 10 packages! I literally wiped the shelf clean of the cranberry pecan one! We've also tried the chocolate, but neither of us liked it as much. They have some other flavors (I think there's an apple one and some others) but we're hooked on this one! I'm flying out to Seattle right now, so I packed a bag to snack on. This stuff is so good, you'll feel like you're being BAD!

More Pita!

I'm on a pita kick lately! It's just an easy (and fun) way to make a sandwich! Today's pita was so tasty that I'm making it again tomorrow to bring with us on our 12-13 hour workday! I just tossed a bunch of yummy things into a bowl and mixed it up: spinach (chopped up), bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes (diced), julienne sun dried tomatoes (double sprouts, why not double tomatoes?), soy nuts, flax seeds, tahini and lemon juice. Oh, and green onions. If I had any mushrooms left, I would have added some of those bad boys in there, too! I only used about a tablespoon of tahini and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. It was enough to fill two pita halves. We each ate one of the halves with some honeydew on the side. It was a perfect little lunch! I can't wait to eat it again tomorrow! This may be my new favorite sandwich!

Pita Cheesesteak (Hold the steak!)

Since we're traveling next week, I needed to start using up the food that we have. So I decided to saute some mushrooms and onions and put them in a pita. I added some soy cheese and it reminded me of a Philly cheesesteak (without the steak, of course). I used lemon juice to saute the veggies (trying to use olive oil less and less, when possible). I also made some oven roasted potatoes seasoned with Adobo, rosemary, and salt and pepper. It was pretty good, though I would have liked to skip the soy cheese just because of the fat content, and for what it adds I'm not sure it's worth the extra calories. But Matt loved it, so it's a win! : )

Mediterranean Pita Pocket with Capri Salad #2

Last night I made a simple dinner with just half of a whole wheat pita and a salad. I heated the pita for about 15 seconds in the microwave to soften it up, cut it in half and opened each of the halves. If you don't, it will seal shut when it cools.

I filled each of the pita halves with some homemade hummus, romaine lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, tomatoes, and pepper and salt. That's it! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic, but I'm sure we're going to make some again to bring with us to this weekend's wedding. I'll try to snap a pic then!

I also made my new favorite obsession - my vegan Capri salad! I prefer the avocado over the mozzarella! It's so delicious and just soaks up the balsamic vinegar! This time I used cherry tomatoes (cut in half) and diced the avocado. This picture is actually of my late night snack, so I didn't have any basil left and had to use some basil paste. It worked fine. Seasoned with some salt and pepper, and I could eat this all day every day!

Vegetable Paella with Tofu

I found this recipe in the book "Everything Vegan." There are a ton of great recipes in it, and it may be my new favorite cookbook!

The book recommends cooking this in a wok, which is what I did. I used whole grain rice, and the recipe calls for short grain rice, so I had to cook mine a little longer. The rice was still a little undercooked, but this took such a long time to make that I got tired of waiting. It was still okay. Matt loved it. I'm not even sure if he noticed that the right wasn't perfect! So shhhhh! : )



Ingredients
2 tblsp olive oil
2 7oz packages spicy marinated tofu, diced (I used 1 16-oz pkg)
8oz cremini mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp)
1 cup short grain brown rice
2 1/4 cups water
1/8 tsp saffron, crumbled
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 green onions, thinly sliced

I recommend draining the tofu as much as possible before cooking. You can do this by putting it on a few paper towels for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat the olive oil on med-high heat. After it's hot, add the tofu and saute about 10 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and saute 4-5 minutes. Add carrots, corn, tomatoes, and garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Then add rice and water and stir. After it comes to a boil, reduce heat to med-low and cover, simmering for about 40 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Then add the peas to the top (don't stir). Cook for about 3-5 minutes longer. Add lemon juice, green onions, and salt and pepper.

We didn't have any saffron, so I seasoned it with some Adobo, garlic powder, and curry. We've been eating leftovers, because it makes A LOT. But fortunately, it was pretty tasty!

Oatmeal

This week I decided to buy some oatmeal in case I need a quick snack. I ate a lot of oatmeal when I first tried to go vegetarian over 10 years ago, and since I wasn't doing things right (I HATED most green vegetables back then) I ended up getting sick. Since then, I haven't eaten oatmeal much, but I'm glad to be bringing it back into my diet!

Last night I made oatmeal and topped it with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Today I made it with blueberries, banana and a little raw honey. I didn't add the honey to sweeten it. It may be a crazy idea, but I think raw honey helps with my allergies. And since they are REALLY bad today, I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. So far I haven't sneezed and it has been about an hour. Maybe it's a coincidence, or maybe I figured out a way to stop sneezing without taking allergy medication that will knock me out!! : )

Anyway, it's not an exciting recipe, but I want to remember that there are basic, easy recipes out there that I can make. And since this is my online cookbook of sorts, I'm filing it away with the rest of the recipes!

Caribbean Jerk Wrap with Carrot Raisin Slaw

I got the idea for the Caribbean Jerk Wrap from Native Sun. When we shop there we always get one, and they are sooooo good! Fortunately, they have to list all the ingredients on the label, so they pretty much tell you how to make them!

I made this one just a little different because I had a recipe for the Carrot Raisin Slaw from the book Eat To Live (great read). After making the slaw I realized that it was similar to the ingredients inside the wrap, so I just used that. I made a TON of slaw, so it made sense!

To make the wrap, I seasoned a piece of tempeh with jerk seasoning and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. You can eat it raw, so I wasn't concerned with how long it cooked. I just left it there while I made the slaw. When I took it out, I decided to toss it in the food processor and added some more jerk seasoning, fresh juice from an orange, and some hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce was NOT in the recipe, but molasses and brown sugar was and I thought Hoisin was a better and easier option.

The Carrot Raisin slaw included shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, raisins, apple juice, mustard, lemon juice, and diced apples. The recipe also calls for a baked potato, but I didn't think it sounded good with the rest of the ingredients. Instead, I added some diced honey mango. We served it on the side and inside of the wrap.

So inside the wrap we had the jerk tempeh, the carrot raisin slaw, and some romaine lettuce. Matt said it was better than the one we got at the store. I'm not so sure. I'm pretty sure that Native Sun marinated the tempeh before baking, but I didn't plan ahead. I had some leftovers for lunch today. Definitely going to make this one again! And this was our first time making something with tempeh, which I am not a huge fan of! Yum!

Insalata Caprese

This is one of my favorite salads to make. It's pretty and sooooo tasty! But obviously we can't have mozzarella cheese right now, so I decided to make it with avocado. It has a close texture to fresh mozzarella and also tastes great with balsamic vinegar (I guess that makes this recipe bi-winning!).

You can make this salad a number of ways, but my favorite is to layer it with a slice of tomato, a piece of avocado, and a piece of basil. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar and grind some fresh salt and pepper over the top and enjoy! Make sure to get one piece of each element in every bite.

Ahhh... I'm not sure there is anything better than fresh basil! : D

Zucchini Wraps

I made some zucchini wraps yesterday for lunch. They took a lot of work, but they sure were cute and a nice and light snack. I got the idea from a recipe, but the recipe was just NASTY. The filling was mushrooms and onions with soy sauce and apple cider vinegar. I had some reservations at the thought of those flavors all together, and sadly it was even worse than I imagined! So... I decided to go with some things that I knew would taste good. I filled the zucchini with some alfalfa sprouts, two little strips of zucchini (because I had some left over), two leaves of baby spinach, and a little piece of mushroom. They were wrapped with a string of carrot.

In order to make these wraps, you need to use a mandolin slicer and cut long strips of the zucchini. Then julienne the carrot for the "ties." Then lay everything out on a plate (or paper towel) and lightly salt it. Set aside for a while, and then pat everything dry. The salt will make the zucchini and carrot flexible for rolling/tying.

The recipe also had a ginger dipping sauce, which included sun dried tomatoes. I started off with the sun dried tomatoes, and then I decided not to ruin them by following the rest of the recipe. Sun dried tomatoes and ginger... not so sure about that one and my instincts were right the first time. So I added some basil, garlic cloves, olive oil, water, and a little sea salt to come up with a nice puree. We spread it on top of the little wraps, and Matt loved it!



I decided to make more for dinner since we had a ton of the sun dried tomato puree left. Instead of the carrot (which was a pain to use) I tried using strips of green onion. They were easier to tie, but they liked to come undone. So carrot is definitely the better thing to use. You just need to be patient. This time I only put mushroom and spinach inside. It was just okay. I found another recipe in one of my new vegan cookbooks that looks promising, so I'll give it another shot. They really are cute! Now if they could just taste good enough to be worth the effort...

Raw Vegan Key Lime Pie

I thought the Raw Vegan Cheesecake was good, but this Key Lime Pie recipe is way better! And I'm actually not a big fan of key lime pie!

Some notes about the recipe. I didn't have any almonds, so I used raw cashews and some peanuts for the crust. I also didn't have raisins (why would I? They are gross!). The crust is still awesome! I'm not sure you can mess this up.

Unless... you don't taste the filling before you put it in the pie. Ours was WAY too tart. I mean pucker your lips and squint your eyes tart! I added some raw honey, but it didn't do the trick and I only had a little left, so I resorted to using a bit of Splenda (bad, I know). But... I saved the pie!

For the "frosting," I used almond milk instead of water and dates instead of honey. I topped the entire pie with some shredded coconut. Heaven in every bite! I'm seriously in love! And I'm beyond excited about it having avocado in it. I just think it's brilliant! This was yet another Raw Guru recipe. I love that site!



Crust:
1 cup almonds
2 cups walnuts
1 cup dates
1/3 cup raisons
2 tbs. orange juice

Filling:
2 big avocados or 3 small ones
juice of 4 limes or 7 keylimes
zest of the limes/keylimes
1/2 cup cashew nuts

Frosting:
1/2 cup almond milk or water
1 cup mac nuts
1/4 cup Cashews
1 vanilla bean scraped (optional)
3 tbs honey or 7-10 dates

Garnish:
Crushed pistachios
lemon wedges
Methods/steps

Preparing crust:
Process all ingredients until crumbly and soft. Press into a 10 inch springform pan and chill

Preparing filling:
Either blend everything in blender until thick and creamy or put through juicer (ie: champion, greenpower)

Preparing frosting:
Put everything in a clean blender and whip it up until nice and smooth. No lumps please.

Assembly:
Take out the chilled crust. spoon the filling on top. Smooth it out with a spatula or spoon. Let chill for 1 hour. Take it out and then pipe or spoon the frosting on top. Garnish with lemon/lime wedges and chopped pistachios. Put in the fridge/freezer for another hour to set and enjoy.

Thoughts

It's late at night, and as usual the quiet leads to a lot of internal conversations with myself. Right now I'm thinking about our fast and how it's changing my life. After over 11 years of wanting to go vegetarian and going back and forth about it, I think it may be time to make a commitment to making a life change. I've been talking it over with Matt and he likes the lifestyle changes we've been making during the fast, but he's not quite convinced about making this long term. I think we may have a compromise - one day a week of allowing seafood into our diet. The biggest challenge to committing to changing to a vegetarian lifestyle is not so much will power (though that is A challenge). The bigger challenge is our schedule. Traveling and long wedding days mean that we eat whatever is accessible. So at least for now, having one day a week where we can allow ourselves some flexibility may be just what we need to get started.

Right now I'm getting a lot of inspiration from Elena Wilkins of Vegalicious.com. I found her site as I was searching for recipes for the Daniel Fast, and I just feel I connect so much with her personal journey with nutrition and health and also her beliefs about natural healing over medicine. For most of my life I have believed in the body's natural ability to heal itself over relying on pills - ESPECIALLY when it comes to pain. So I don't take aspirin when I have a headache (unless I am to the point of wanting to cry). Even when I had my tonsils removed I stopped taking my pain meds after a day or two. We rely so much on pills to cure everything, when the side effects of them are usually worse than the symptoms that they cure. And medicine to relieve pain is the worst, because that pain is there to tell you that something is wrong.

So I'm against the idea of putting toxic things into my body - like tobacco, drugs, medicine - but I have put so much toxic food into my body. My body has been telling me for most of my life that it doesn't like dairy, and while I've removed some dairy from my diet I still include some things. Really, I need to commit to letting it ALL go.

But my reasons for wanting to change my lifestyle are more than physical. After working in food sales and marketing, I just learned entirely too much about what we eat. Every time I have tried to go vegetarian, I've been challenged by people - as if they are personally offended by my decision. But if they knew what they were eating - really knew - I bet some of them would change also. They are offended that I'm eating things that God put on Earth for us to eat (things that they also eat) but yet they think it's perfectly okay to eat a dead carcass?

I feel like God is speaking to me right now, and saying that it's time to make a change. I'm not going to try to convince other people that they should do the same (except for maybe my hubby, because he and I both need a healthier lifestyle). But if this change makes my life better, then I hope someone else will learn from it. Every time I fast, I feel a huge difference in my life - physically, mentally, and spiritually. I have more energy and I'm just generally happy and more at peace with myself. And what's crazy is that during the fast, eating this way is so easy for me. But once the fast is over, I go back to my bad habits. That's why this time we're fasting for almost two months! Two months of creative, healthy recipes should prove that we can change our lives. And I can tell you, we have loved the food we've been eating. In fact, I am MORE satisfied with the food we are eating now than what we were eating before. I can't count the number of times we've regretted eating unhealthy food (and too much of it).

It's just about bedtime. My thoughts are all over the place and what better way to process them than to write about it on my blog? : )

Baja Taco Wraps

After two night of Thai-inspired dishes that were on the sweet side, I was excited to have something savory. Baja Tacos totally hit the spot! They were infused with garlic and cilantro flavor for the "cheese," and smoky flavor for the "meat." I will absolutely be making these again!

Some notes... next time I would leave out the cilantro from the "cheese" part. I love cilantro, but I tasted the mixture before adding it and I think it was better. Maybe I would just garnish the tacos with cilantro next time. Also, I added in some mushrooms just for some added nutrition. It seems like ALL of our raw recipes this week are nothing but nuts! I also used a southwestern pepper spice that I picked up the other day in the "meat" part. Really, you can't mess these up!

I apologize about the presentation. It was an afterthought, and by then I had already plopped most of the stuff on there. So it's not pretty, but I promise it is yummy! : )



This recipe comes from the "We Like It Raw" site. It's a recipe by Ani Phyo, and she's pretty amazing! If you visit her site you can find more of her videos and recipes.

Taco "Meat"
1 cup almonds
1 tblsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp sea salt

"Cheese" Spread
1 1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cashews
2 tblsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/4 cup water, as needed

Top with slices of avocado and tomato (or whatever you prefer).

Raw Pad Thai Salad and Spicy Thai Vegetable Wraps

It only took me one day of eating raw to realize that I needed a BIGGER food processor! So I went out today and bought one, and as I was out and about I also discovered a great little store in Avondale called Green Man Gourmet. They have a great selection of spices!

As I was getting ready to make dinner, I decided to skip ahead to two Thai-inspired recipes that I had planned for later this week. First, I started by making the Spicy Thai Vegetable Wraps that I found on Raw Guru. They weren't very spicy, so next time I may kick up the heat a notch or two. But, regardless, they were amazing! I've never been a fan of collards, but the raw collard leave was a perfect wrap. The soft mango slices inside the wrap mixed with the salty crunch of the raw cashews made things interesting. I was never sure what kind of bite I was going to get!

Next, Matt helped make the raw pad Thai salad that I found on About.com, which was very refreshing. I think next time I'd also like to add a little kick to this one. A little bit of the salad and one wrap and I was full! We have tons of stuff left over, so we'll be making more tomorrow night! Yummy!



Easy Raw Pad Thai Salad Recipe
2 zucchinis, sliced into strips with a vegetable peeler
2 large handfuls of bean sprouts, approx 2 cups
3/4 cup chopped nuts (use almonds, peanuts or cashews)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
4 green onions, diced
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
juice from one lime
1 tablespoon raw, cold-pressed olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preparation:
Toss all ingredients together in a bowl until well coated. Add a dash more salt if desired and enjoy!


Spicy Thai Vegetable Wraps
1/2 cup chopped raw Cashews (dehydrated, if preferred)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 tablespoon chipped red chile, seeds included
1 1/2 tablespoons nama shoyu
1 cup raw almond butter
1/2 head savoy cabbage, shredded
6 very large collard green leaves
1 large carrot, cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 large ripe mango, cut lengthwise into strips, about 1/4-inch thick
2 cups bean sprouts
1 handful cilantro leaves
1 handful torn basil leaves
1/2 handful mint leaves (torn or cut if leaves are large)

The site also includes a Tahini dipping sauce, but honestly I don't think the wraps need a dipping sauce. They are packed with sweet, salty, and spicy flavor already!

Falafel Salad

Since we had a ton of falafel left over from last night, I thought I would make a nice salad with Tahini dressing to go with some of the falafel for lunch today. It was delicious, but I can't even finish the whole salad. The falafel are so filling!

Raw Vegan Cheesecake

Up til now, we've only been having fresh fruit for dessert. But to make the challenge of going raw for one week even "sweeter," I decided to try out some recipes for raw desserts. I think I now have my hubby sold on the idea of raw foods!

This recipes was so easy to make! It took a little time, but it was well worth it. My hubby and I both had a second slice of it tonight! I found this recipe on the Gone Raw website and I knew I HAD to make it this week! I may just have to make it EVERY week! Try it... you won't be disappointed!!



Raw Vegan Cheesecake

In this raw food cheesecake, dried coconut is used as the bottom layer (to replace the crumbled graham crackers), macadamia nuts are used for the bulk of the "crust" layer, and cashews make up most of the "cheese" portion.

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer Ingredients:

1/4 cup of dried coconut

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of raw macadamia nuts
1/2 cup of dates
1 pinch of sea salt (optional)

Raw Cashew Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:

3 cups of cashews
3/4 cup of lemon juice
3/4 cup of raw honey (or other raw sweetener)
3/4 cup of coconut oil
1 tablespoon of vanilla

Sauce Ingredients:

2 cups frozen mixed berries (or any frozen fruit)
1/2 cup of dates
Preparation:

Directions:

1. Sprinkle coconut on the bottom of cheesecake pan (or any glass 'baking' dish).
2. Blend crust ingredients (you'll see when it starts to get 'crusty') in food processor and spread on top of coconut layer.
3. Blend filling ingredients in food processor and then spread on top of crust layer.
4. Cool in fridge or freezer to firm up a bit. It took about 45 minutes in the freezer when I prepared it.
5. Blend sauce ingredients in food processor and then spread on top of cheesecake layer.

Raw Falafel and Tabouleh

We started off our raw challenge with something we are very familiar with - falafel and tabouleh! They're both great vegetarian items, but falafel is fried and tabouleh has cous cous in it, so this was our first time trying it RAW!

I wasn't sure what to expect. I saw comments that it's really better than the "cooked" versions, and it took a lot of prep work to make these. Plus the recipes yielded A LOT of food! With so many leftovers, it would have been bad if we didn't like it!

Fortunately, we loved it! Matt said the tabouleh was his favorite, and I really enjoyed the falafel. I would definitely say it had more flavor than regular falafel. You could really taste the ingredients since it wasn't fried. The tabouleh was really interesting because the recipe used cauliflower instead of cous cous. And though I looooove cous cous (and hate cauliflower!), I really didn't miss it in this recipe!

I found both recipes on the Raw Guru website. It's a fantastic resource, though for this recipe it didn't really share any directions. I took all of the ingredients for the falafel and put it in the food processor. Then I formed meatball sized balls and put them in the fridge. For the tabouleh, I put the cauliflower and cilantro in the food processors, but everything else I diced by hand. I would suggest cutting the recipe in half unless you are going to a potluck or family reunion. It's a ton of food!



Falafel
2 portobello mushroom caps - cubed
2 medium carrots - peeled and sliced
1/2 small onion - diced
1 garlic clove - sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw pistachios
3/4 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup sunflower seeds - soaked for at least 30 minutes
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds


Tabouleh
1 large cauliflower head - florets only
3 cups cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely diced
3 cups chopped parsley or cilantro
3 cups tomato - seeded and diced
1/3 cup scallions - thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper


Tahini sauce (we dipped our falafel in this sauce)
1 cup raw Sesame Tahini
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt

Raw Week

Matt and I are so pumped up about our challenge for Week 3 of our fast! When we decided to do the fast, we knew that being vegan for a month (longer for me) wouldn't be so bad. We cook a lot of vegetarian dishes anyway, so we just had to cut out a few more things. So to really push ourselves, we said we would make Week 3 a raw week!

I was so worried about it because we haven't really done this before. And raw recipes aren't that easy. A lot of them have things that I can't pronounce or have even heard of. Fortunately, that helped me eliminate a lot of recipes. I found a few recipes for this week's dinners, and I am so excited about it that I said "Hey, let's start it a day early!"

We hit the farmer's market to get as much off our grocery list as we could. We found most of our ingredients there:



8 zucchini
4 Asian pears
5 avocados
12 limes
10 lemons
1 bag of yellow onions
2 bags of bean sprouts
1 cabbage
10 oranges
1 cauliflower
8 apples
2 containers of blackberries
1 huge piece of ginger (and that was a SMALL one)
5 tomatoes
6 Roma tomatoes
1 huge bag of romaine hears
1 bag of Bosc pears
2 bunches of green onion
1 container of baby spinach
8 cucumbers
2 bunches of cilantro
2 packs of mushrooms
1 pack of baby bella mushrooms
and 12 pints of strawberries

This massive pile of fresh deliciousness only cost us $58! It would have been twice as much if we had gone to Publix.

So we're getting ready for our first night of our raw week, and I've already made a gorgeous vegan raw cheesecake for dessert. I've been tasting some of the ingredients along the way, and I know it's going to rock! I will definitely post some pics and the recipe and report on how it turns out! : )

Zeytinyagli Mantarli Kuskonmaz

Tonight we made a Turkish dish with a name that is much too long for what it is. It's basically sauteed asparagus and mushrooms! But it sure sounds fancy! : )

I got this recipe from Mediterranean Vegan. I know we'll be trying some other recipes from there in the future!

For this one, I added some onion because I had half of one that needed to be used. I also used both fresh squeezed lemon and lemon zest. And before I took the pan off the stove, I added in about 5 drops of soy sauce. It just looked like it could use some! Matt and I both really liked it. He said it was nice and light. It was very easy to throw together. I'm sure we'll make it again sometime!

3 tbsp olive oil
10-12 mushrooms, sliced
1 bundle of asparagus, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tsp lemon zest or lemon juice
2 cups cooked rice (optional)

In a large pan, heat the 3 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushrooms, asparagus, salt, pepper, and lemon zest and sauté for 10 minutes. If you are using rice, add the cooked rice and mix for another 3 minutes. Serve hot or cold.