Smoothies...

I am addicted to smoothies. I have been since high school. Boy, do I love them. They are so flexible. They can be super healthy as meal replacements,  a little sweeter as a dessert treat, or simply a great recovery drink after an intense workout. Over the years, I have modified many of my smoothies to attempt to make them lower calorie, higher protein, etc. I am adamantly opposed to adding sugar or any type (yes, that includes agave nectar, honey, syrup) to my smoothies, because I 100% believe that fruits, veggies, a little juice, coconut or almond milk will satisfy any craving. As you can see, I believe hardcore in my smoothies! :)

In college, I used to sneak every possible vegetable and fruit into my smoothies to make up for the immense lack of nutrition in our cafeteria. I have become famous for my several cups of spinach in one serving, and Joel wouldn't touch most of my smoothies for that shear fact. But it worked great for me!

I also like smoothies because I can buy larger amounts of frozen fruit for a smaller amount of money and have it at my fingers anytime without having to worry about shelf life. If you don't care for milk or yogurt in your smoothies, be intentional about adding a protein such as 1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter. Protein always needs to be present.

For each of these smoothies, combine all ingredients in the blender and pour the liquids over to soften the contents.

Berry Smoothie (serves 2):
1 cup almond/coconut/soy/regular milk
1/2 cup water or 100% orange juice
1 banana
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 T flaxseed
2 cups frozen berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
2 carrots
1 cup spinach

Citrus Smoothie (serves 2):
1 grapefruit, peeled of course
1 orange, peel this too
1-2 carrots
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 cup 100% orange juice

Veggie Power (serves 2):
1 cup 100% orange juice
3 cups spinach
2 T flaxseed
1/2 cup yogurt (yes, vegan yogurt exists!)
2-3 carrots

Dessert Smoothie (Serves 2):
1 cup vanilla sweetened soy milk/ almond milk
2 T unsweetened cocoa
1 T flaxseed
1 T almond butter
1 Frozen Banana
1/2 cup frozen berries

Portabello Burgers

Last night, portabello "burgers" were on the menu. Whole Foods has an incredible recipe log with all types of fantastic meals. I recently discovered their "special diets" category that provides a lot of vegan recipes. I have always been a decently creative cook, but I have found myself stumped a few times when trying to adapt or recreate meals to meet the vegan requirements as well as fill my sweet husband's stomach up! So, when I saw the idea of portabello "burgers" I loved it!

Needless to say, these were FANTASTIC and extremely filling. Since we don't have a grill at our apartment, I improvised through broiling. It worked so well. I marinated the mushrooms and pineapple for 3 hours before cooking them. Broccoli and homemade french fries complemented our meal, and we had an almond butter, chocolate shake for dessert!

What you need:

2 portabello mushrooms

Fresh pineapple and remaining juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon ginger

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2  whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Place mushrooms and sliced pineapple in a large, oven-safe dish. Pour marinade over mushrooms and pineapple. Allow it to marinate for 2-3 hours and flip the mushrooms occasionally.

Preheat broiler to high. Pour off marinade into a saucepan and bring to boil. Mix cornstarch and water in a bowl; combine cornstarch mixture and marinade in saucepan and return to boil while stirring. Allow to boil for 1 minute. Set aside. Place pan with mushrooms and pineapple in oven. Broil for 5 minutes on each side and then 2 minutes more each side.

Serve with pineapple and sauce on a wheat bun.

Sweet Corn Soup

Yesterday, we had a spectacular soup for dinner.  I was recently introduced to Naturally Ella which has quickly become my new most read blog. My sweet friend Laura mentioned she had seen a corn soup posted, and I automatically knew it was going into the meal plan for this week (especially because corn and squash are a great deal). I followed this vegetable broth recipe and prepped it ahead of time. It turned out wonderfully, and I am looking forward to it become a staple in our household! Sadly, my precious husband wasn't at home for me to take pictures (iphone takes the best), so just check out this blog post. I did not use the diced pepper. I made cinnamon oat muffins to go with it! Joel and I both enjoyed the soup. It's definitely a keeper.

Apple Crisp for Two

So, one of the most important things about me is that I love sweets. I dream of creating incredible desserts on a regular basis. This whole vegan attempted transition makes one of my deep loves one of my deepest challenges. No eggs?! No milk?! No cream cheese?! Oh no...

I'm still sorting out what my decision concerning desserts will be. Since desserts are treats, I have thought that maybe it would be ok to enjoy them a few times a month just like we've agreed to eat "normal" meals a few times a month. But in the meanwhile, I made this incredible apple crisp the other day that would be a wonderful treat with a cup of coffee.I do have a chocolate mousse made from avocados on the agenda soon. So, who knows, I may fall in love with creating vegan desserts!


What you need:

3-4 organic apples, sliced and diced (I used gala for their sweetness)
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a pie or 8x8 pan and set aside.
Cut up apples and place in a bowl. Pour vanilla, orange juice, and lemon juice over apples and stir well. Combine oats, brown sugar, almonds. cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
Combine apple and oat mixtures and stir well. Pour into pan.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with a cup of coffee.

Holy Guacamole!

Avocados. These fruits truly are in my top ten favorite foods, and since attempting this new lifestyle, I have inhaled well over a dozen of these in the last two weeks. Not only are these green fruits loaded with monounsaturated fat, but they are stuffed with tons of essential nutrients including vitamins and fiber. Check out some info. I have tons of recipes I could share with you that involve avocados (including chocolate mousse that is on my to do list), but for today, in honor of lazy Sundays, I give you Holy Guacamole!

What you need:

2 ripe avocados
1/2 lime
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. of favorite salsa (or chop a tomato and 1/2 onion)
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin

Cut avocados and remove their pits. Scoop the flesh out of the peel with a spoon and drop into a medium sized bowl. Mince garlic cloves, toss into bowl along with the handful of whole cilantro leaves. Squeeze juice from lime over the ingredients in the bowl. Spoon salsa, or tomatoes and onions, into bowl. Add seasonings and spices. Mash or stir until the mix is slightly chunky. Serve with black or refried beans, cilantro brown rice, and chips. 

Coconut Curry Tofu

Everyone makes lifestyle changes at one point or another. Whether for the good or for the bad, these changes can greatly influence our health. With a background in health promotion and an absolute obsession with developing healthier recipes, my diet is constantly seeing little transformations. The more I read, eat, and exercise,  the more I learn the significance of how my nutrition impacts my energy level.

Joel and I recently agreed to work toward a fairly significant lifestyle change. For me, this decision has been a long time coming, starting back in college, and leading me to the point where we currently are. We have made a decision to become home-based vegans. Simply put, we are giving up animal products at home, but have the freedom to eat them when we go on dates or are eating at another home. Our soul purpose for pursuing a vegan lifestyle is for health reasons. I am a firm believer in everything in moderation, so since eating out is already a treat, we have chosen to have the flexibility to eat what we want to eat on dates. In the same sense, we don't want to impose our diet on folks who extend hospitality to us. We want to enjoy whatever is served to us.

Since it would be a drastic change for my dear husband, I have intentionally been cutting back on meats, eggs, cheese, etc since January. I guess my initial movement toward veganism began with reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and Food Matters. I have tossed the idea of vegetarianism around for years, and I have never been a huge animal product consumer. But vegetarianism doesn't take the cake for me (no humor intended). In the food area, I wanted to make certain my diet followed suit with what I believe about nutrition, not just a trend. With the exception of baking being my favorite hobby, this whole giving up animal products has not been hard on me. (I have already been planning quite a slew of dessert recipes that meet the vegan standard.)

Since reading the above listed books, I have discussed many times with Joel my deep concern for the way we eat, and how greatly it impacts our bodies. Now don't be confused, on the outset, Joel and my daily diets are fairly healthy, and we already consume quite a significant amount of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes. But I knew it was time to make a lifestyle decision. The straw broke the camel's back when we watched the documentary Forks over Knives. I never thought Joel would ask me so many questions about veganism. At the point that we watched this documentary, I had only been eating meat and dairy 1-2 times a week. For me, becoming a vegan was the next step. I was sold after watching Forks over Knives. For Joel, he was sold after learning that beer is still allowed as a vegan.

So, here we are. We chose to start cutting back on meat a few weeks ago, but I do still have some meat in the freezer, dairy in the fridge, and honey in the jar and these need to be finished first. So, we are portioning our meat appropriately and eating vegan 4 or so times a week until our animal products are all gone.

This blog is an opportunity for me to share recipes as well as offer health advice and wellness information.

Coconut Curry Tofu

(adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-curry-tofu/ )

1 package firm or extra firm organic tofu cut into chunks

1 14 oz. can coconut milk

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon chili sauce (I used sweet and sour)

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon dry ginger

1 cup chopped tomatoes

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 zucchini

2 handfuls dry roasted peanuts

Combine coconut milk, soy sauce, chili sauce, crushed red pepper, garlic, curry powder and dried ginger in a frying pan or wok and bring to a boil. Allow for sauce to thicken. Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes, tofu, mushrooms, and zucchini. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add fresh basil and peanuts. Serve over brown jasmine rice.