Easy Peasy Coconut Chocolate Smoothie

I am excited to share with you a dairy-free, guilt-free smoothie that will satisfy any sweet tooth before you call it a night (or even to start the day). I simply call it my Coconut Chocolate Smoothie. This recipe will make about 2 servings (unless you want to drink it all by yourself as I often do).

1.5 cups Larissa's homemade (or store bought if you must) almond milk (I posted the recipe back on May 9th)
1.5 cups coconut milk
1 heaping TBLS raw cacao powder (I found some at W.F.)
1 1/2 frozen bananas
handful of ice

Throw all ingredients in blender and blend to desired consistency. You may add more liquid or less depending on the thickness desired. Enjoy!!

**If you don't have any coconut milk on hand or don't want to use it, just substitute more almond milk..then it would just be a Chocolate Smoothie. If you love coconut (as I do) then don't skip out on the coconut milk.

Crunchy Kale Salad

I cannot tell you how much I value Pinterest. My girlfriend Erin had tried to get me on Pinterest for a while. I kept telling her that the last thing I had time for was Pinterest. Well, I finally caved in and am so glad I did. Although I spend WAY TOO MUCH time on it, I have found so many great things that I hope to try eventually some day (it may even be 10 years from now :-) ). I was browsing through the recipes (so I can bring them to you), and found a beautiful looking kale salad pinned from www.userealbutter.com. I HAD to try it and it was soooo delish, I had to share it with you. I changed up the recipe just a little to make it more to my personal taste so I encourage you to also change it up for your tastebuds too.

This salad isn't totally raw but as I've stated before, not everything I eat is totally raw. However as you can see, this salad has A LOT of raw veggies in it.

Crunchy Kale Salad

2 cups kale, sliced thinly
1 cup green cabbage, shredded
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
1 cup broccoli slaw (I have only found broccoli slaw at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup carrots, shredded (because the broccoli slaw doesn't have enough carrots for me)
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and juliened
1 1/2 oz box raisins (the small snack size)
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped (or cranberries)
1 cup dry roasted almonds, coarsly chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl (that's easy enough, right?) :-)

Dressing

Juice from 1 orange
1/2-1 TBLS maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it)
3 TBLS tahini
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp xanthan gum (I like my dressing a little thicker. If you don't like it thick, then omit the xanthan gum)
1/2 cup EVOO or other favorite oil


Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl (or you can blend them in a food processor). Slowly whisk in (or blend in) the EVOO in a light stream until all oil is incorporated and dressing is emulsified.

Add as much of the dressing to the salad as you'd like. I actually added ALL of the dressing and realized I probably could have gotten away with using half the dressing. The nice thing about this salad is that you can dress it and stick it in the fridge for a few days. It doesn't wilt quickly because you are using sturdier greens.

Here was my dinner for tonight:

I enjoyed a heaping serving of Crunchy Kale Salad with a Quinoa/Cauliflower Timbale. Mmmmmm....

 

 

What is the Dirty Dozen???

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone! I wanted to take this opportunity and talk a little bit about a topic that EVERYONE (well, maybe not EVERYONE) seems to have questions about...organic produce vs conventional produce.

I could write an entire dissertation on the topic (which would probably bore you) but I'm going to share with you the best resource I have found. The list you should be consulting when buying organic produce is called the "Dirty Dozen". It was composed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). This is a list that recommends which produce should be purchased as organic.You can actually download the "Dirty Dozen" app on your iPhone or iPad (which is very handy to have when you are in the grocery store). If you don't have access to the app go to: www.ewg.org/foodnews. You can actually download a PDF version of the guide. Here is a quick list:

1. Apples
2. Strawberries
3. Grapes
4. Celery
5. Peaches
6. Spinach
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Nectarines-imported
9. Cucumbers
10. Potatoes
11. Cherry tomatoes
12. Hot peppers

Now, for my humble opinion. I tend to stick to this list pretty rigidly. My general rule of thumb is that if I am going to eat the skin off a piece of fruit or a vegetable, I buy it organic. If I am going to peel the skin off and throw it away, I don't worry about buying it organic. Now, not everyone can afford organic produce...I get that. If you can't splurge on organic, don't let that prevent you from eating your fruits and veggies. The opinion of the (EWG) is that consuming conventionally-grown produce is better than not consuming any produce at all.

If you are going to consume the skin along with the flesh of the conventional fruit/veggie, just make sure to use one of those veggie washes sold in stores or you can make your own using a mixture of water and 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Soak your produce for at least 30 mins and then rinse.

I hope this post helps you make better decisions when it comes to purchasing produce for your family. Any question, please feel free to post a comment on my blog or hit me up on FB. My next post will be a delicious recipe for a Crunchy Kale Salad that I adapted from www.userealbutter.com. See you then!

Fabulous Raw Chili Recipe

I absolutely had to share this raw chili recipe with all of you as it includes SO MANY delicious and flavorful raw veggies. It was so good that I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing!!!! I found the recipe on Pinterest. Here is the link:
http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2012/11/raw-vegetable-chili-with-taco-nut-meat.html

I did however change it up a little bit. You can either follow it step-by-step from the website or use my suggestions or use a combo of both.

I used all of the ingredients from the list but instead of using corn off a cob (I don't enjoy spending time slicing corn off a cob), I used 1 cup frozen Whole Foods brand corn, thawed. I think it tastes just like fresh corn and it's always handy. I don't suggest using canned corn because it never tastes fresh and usually has added salt.

The original recipe says to dice ALL the veggies and put half of them in the food processor. I did it differently. I cut all the veggies into big chunks first and added all the onion and garlic to the food processor. Then I added half of the other ingredients except the corn and roughly pureed them. Here are my reasons why: 1) I love onion and garlic but eating them completely raw without pureeing them first didn't sound appetizing to me and 2) I wanted to see and taste all the corn in its whole state so I didn't add it to the food processor.

Next, I then diced the other half of the remaining veggies that weren't thrown into the food processor. I didn't see any reason to dice ALL the veggies first since half of them were going to be pureed anyway; seemed like a waste of time.

Finally, I added the pureed veggies to the diced veggies (and corn) as the recipe instructs. I didn't eat the chili right away. I let it sit in the fridge overnight in order to give the flavors a chance to develop.

I almost followed the recipe for the "meat" (I just can't help myself) but added a few dashes of hot pepper sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder. I used button mushrooms because I didn't want mushrooms that were too overpowering in flavor. If you do dairy, I bet queso fresco would be delicious sprinkled on top. Here was the finished product that I enjoyed for dinner tonight...I hope you enjoy it too:

Note: If the idea of "taco nut meat" does not sound appetizing to you (although it tastes fantastic), I don't see why you can't use ground turkey instead.

 

Guacamole Wrap

Happy Mother's Day to all the tireless moms out there who never get a day off or if you do you're wondering what the kids are getting themselves into!! :-) Here is our Mother's Day candid shot...it is so hard to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time!! I couldn't stop laughing as my hubby was getting more and more irritated with us!!

After a VERY heavy Mother's Day brunch (I was full all day so I know my digestive system was like "what the heck, Larissa??!!"), I decided to make a Guacamole Wrap for dinner. It is super easy to make as long as you have the Guacamole already done. I found the basic recipe from one of my favorite books, The Fresh Energy Cookbook by Rose & Choi but of course added my own spin.

2 sprouted grain wraps or tortillas
1 tomato, sliced thinly
1 cup shredded carrots
a few thin slices of red onion or 1 sliced green onion
4 large lettuce leaves
Handful fresh cilantro
1 cup Guacamole (recipe follows)

Spread a half cup guacamole on each wrap/tortilla. Place 2 lettuce leaves on one side of each wrap/tortilla followed by half of the tomato, carrots, onions, and cilantro. Roll starting from the filled side of the wrap/tortilla folding in the ends to create a burrito. Cut on the diagonal and enjoy!!

Guacamole (makes 1 cup/store for no more than 3 days):
2 ripe avocados
1/2 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp seasoned salt or sea salt (depending on your taste)
1 lime, squeezed

Mash avocado to the consistency you prefer; I prefer my guac a little chunky. Mix in the powders, salt and most of the lime. I save a little lime juice to squeeze on top of the guac before storing in the fridge so it doesn't turn brown. You can also add chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro but I leave mine plain because I usually add those ingredients when making my wrap and the hubby doesn't like onions (crazy, huh?).   :-)

My Almond Milk Recipe

I am not one to crave a tall glass of milk. In fact, everyone in my household drinks the stuff except me. The only occasion you would ever find me drinking milk would be on some cereal which I hardly ever eat now that I drink my green smoothies in the morning. However, I do get a craving for a bowl of cereal every once in a while (maybe once every 3 months) before I go to bed. I used to use milk on those occasions but not anymore once I discovered how absolutely DELICIOUS homemade almond milk is. The store bought variety doesn't even come close.

I have received a few requests for my recipe, which I posted on FB a while back. Here it is:

Makes 3 cups almond milk
1 cup raw almonds (soaked overnight or at least for 8 hrs)
3 cups water (or 2 cups water/1 cup coconut water if you want some coconut flavor)
5 dates (I use the Medjool variety), pitted
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
couple pinches of nutmeg

1. After soaking the almonds, give them a good rinse and put in blender. I use my Vitamix but you can probably use any old blender. Just don't expect it to grind the pulp as well as the Vitamix.
2. Add your water/coconut water and blend on the highest possible speed for a couple minutes.
3. Strain you milk either using a nut milk bag which you can buy at www.rawglow.com or use a fine mesh sieve/cheesecloth.
4. After straining, pour milk back into the blender. Discard the almond pulp. Add your dates and blend for about another minute (the timing really depends on the strength of your blender). Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend on low for a few seconds to mix the spices with the milk.
5. I then like to strain it one more time to get rid of the date pulp and froth but you don't have to.
6. Chill and enjoy. I bought a really cute milk bottle from Cost Plus.

**Note: Please experiment with the amount of your spices/dates. The measurements I gave you are what makes the perfect milk for me personally. I provided those measurements to you as a base.

Did you fall off the wagon?

Good evening everyone! I know it has been a while since my last post, but things have been hectic over here. My son Alexander turned 1 on May 4th. I had been preoccupied with planning his party which of course was a little over the top for a one year old party, but it has been such a turning point for us. Alexander was born 5 weeks premature and had open heart surgery when he was 2 months old. There were some moments when we weren't sure he was going to make it so him turning 1 was a HUGE deal for everyone involved. :-)

I have to admit that I have not been eating very well these past 2 weeks since my last post. The party food certainly did not help; tri-tip sammies, Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad, Cowboy Caviar, Strawberry Spinach Salad with LOTS of cheese, cupcakes, and homemade Rocky Road Marshmallow Pops.

I am here to let you know that it is OK to fall off the wagon on occasion. Don't be discouraged if that happens to you...it happens to everyone (and if anyone tells you differently, they are lying!). The tricky part (and the most important part) is getting back on. You get to a certain point where you say to yourself, "ok, I've been eating like crap for a few days/weeks now and I haven't been feeling too hot. Time to get back on the wagon and start feeling vibrant again!!"
It may take some of us more time than others to come to that realization, but just remember how awesome you felt when you were eating the right foods. Who cares if it has been a while...GET BACK ON THE WAGON.

Stay tuned later in the week as I share with you a couple of easy recipes that will help you get back on the wagon: a Raw Guacamole Wrap and a Soba Noodle Salad. I CANNOT wait to share these with you!