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13
Sep

Tomato, Basil Basmati Rice

I figured it was about time for another recipe… Its been a few weeks since the last one. With all the catch-up posts I need to do: Colorado, working out, growing my own wheat grass, even Remie’s Wedding back in July! I really wish I had more time! But, you do what you can and enjoy as you go!

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So the dish we are making is very refreshing and light! I’ll give you a super quick back story on where this sweet little dish came from. My older brother Daniel’s girlfriend Paula, is/was in school to become a nutritionist (WooHoo! Go Paula!!). For one of her classes the students were required to make dishes, each week focusing on a different theme (this meat, that grain, that type of dish, this type of sauce, etc.). I want to say that this dish came from the best themed week there could be! Vegetarian Week! Winking smile  
Paula sent me every recipe that came from that class, and out of the few I tried, this one was especially amazing!! I wanted to share with all of you here, as I don’t think anyone will mind (or even know, hehe!). Thank you, Paula!

So here it is! Brown Rice, Tomato and Basil Salad  

ingredients:
2  cups water
1 cup long-grain basmati brown rice
½ teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 vine tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

IMG_2590Preparation:
Bring 2 cups water, along with the rice and salt, to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 40 minutes.

 

IMG_2613After 40 minutes, move the saucepan off the heat, fluff the rice, and re-cover until ready to use. Ideally, use after 5-10 minutes.

Whisk vinegar and sugar in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Pour over rice.

 

 

IMG_2592Add tomatoes and basil and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

 

*Note: I tried this dish with normal brown rice and it wasn’t so great. The Basmati rice seems to hold a bit more stiffness to the cooked grain and not wind up as mushy as the brown rice turned out. Maybe if you attempted, you’d have better luck, but from my experience, the basmati is a must. Find it in the bulk section at your local Whole Foods or Fresh Market.

Here are some super sweet action shots! (Not really, but they’re fun anyway!!)

Chop! Chop! chop! Wisk! Wisk! Wisk!

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NOM! NOM! NOM!
I’m such a nerd! ;)

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I really hope you enjoy this super magnifico dish! I’ve made it several times for get togethers and everyone that tried was a fan! The basil and white wine vinegar are the flavors that stand out in

this dish, and they are oh-so-perfect together! Enjoy!

Happy Day, Everyone!!! Smooches! Snuggles!! And Love Bubbles!!!

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27
Aug

Broccoli Crunch!

Remember how I told you I stumbled across a dish in the grocery store that looked so amazing but wasn’t vegan friendly in the slightest (Bacon Bits Galore, bleh!)? WELL, here is my version of the dish that I created that turned out better than I could have hoped for! Its so simple and very delicious!

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Here is the Broccoli Crunch recipe, as promised!

1/2 bunch of broccoli, chopped in bite-sized bits (I prefer teeny tiny bits!)
1 handful of nuts of your choice (sunflower or walnuts <—My Fav!)
1 handful of raisins
2 globs of vegan mayo (to taste! and by glob, I mean hefty spoon full, lol)
Many squirts of Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, (I‘d say 4 Tbsps. but taste as you go!)
1/2 white onion, chopped in tiny pieces
A pinch of Sea Salt

Ok! I know this ingredient list and the proportion instructions is quite vague, BUT its really one of those dishes where you add the ingredients in to the amount to which you prefer! Like I’m a HUGE fan of having raisins in this dish so I kept finding myself adding more and more! Also, the walnuts I used added a satisfying crunch that I couldn’t get enough of so I kept breaking up more walnuts and tossing the pieces in! This whole dish is based off of your taste and texture preference, but honestly, the more the merrier in this situation! It all tastes so good together! IMG_2344

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  I thought you might like a picture of what I used for my dressing so here is a picture. I added a bit of salt to balance out the sweet and it worked out perfectly! 

With the ingredient list all you need to do is chop chop chop the broccoli and onions, crunch crunch crunch up the walnuts, and toss everything in a big bowl.

After that, glob and squirt in the dressing and mayo and stir stir stir until everything is well mixed and coated!

 

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AND THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!!

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I know you can’t SEE how wonderful this truly is in real life, but WOW, I promise, it wont disappoint! ::I’d totally be drooling on myself if I opened my mouth right now::

I chowed down on this for dinner that night, lunch the next day, and then dinner again that night. I know, over kill, right?! But no!!! This stuff is SO GOOD! I couldn’t get tired of it. The crunch, the sweetness, and the fact that I getting my broccoli fill was all I needed to hunker down and zone in to my food for a moment of extreme joy and appreciation! LOL, seriously! It’s satisfying! If you give this one a whirl, leave me a comment and let me know how you like it!

So, question of the day! Is there a household recipe that was inspired by something you saw somewhere and then went home and recreated ?!

SmileSmileSmileSmile

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09
Aug

General Tso’s Tofu and Mock Chicken

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Tell me this doesn’t completely set your salivary glands on overdrive!!! Bet ya cant! Winking smile This dish is SO delicious! General Tso’s Tofu has been a favorite dish of mine for a few years now and the spicy flavors, the sauce drenched broccoli, and fried tofu chunks get my mouthwatering big time!! Ding! Pavlov’s Dogs Style! Mega Yum!

Let me fill you in with a little back story on my survival strategy as a brand new vegetarian back in the day (3 years, 6 months, 11 days, 21 hours and still going strong! WooHoo!) Eat More…

CHINESE FOOD!!

Yup! Not the healthiest way to go, but it worked for me. When I first stumbled into my animal free lifestyle, I had no other choice but to cut out animal protein cold-turkey and become an over night tofu-ivore! I was terrified of tofu as every time I had ever tried it before it wasn’t the best experience. “Ew, a spongy, tasteless, mushy block… that I was suppose to eat…?! Bleh, no thanks!” BUT I was lucky enough to discover a China Star restaurant right across the street from my neighborhood that knew how to prepare tofu really well, and with a $4.25 combo dish, they couldn’t stop me (or I guess it was me who couldn’t stop me!)! It was General Tso’s Tofu, Sweet and Sour Tofu, Hot and Spicy Tofu, Tofu and Broccoli in Garlic Sauce, Tofu Buddhist Delight! Anything I used to order that had meat in it I’d just sub out for the tofu and go to town. Surprisingly enough the tofu flavor and texture was satisfy and a great substitute! I’m not saying that it tasted anything like chicken or beef, but it was so good on its own for what it was, and I loved it! And craved it! And it saved me in the beginning by helping me transition from being a full on 3-animal-protein-meals-a-day omnivore, to cutting out chicken, beef, pork, and turkey completely. BAM! Never again!

I was probably ordering Chinese food every other week, or maybe even once a week for while there, but it was because I had no idea what I was doing as a new veg-head and with no veggie friendly friends to turn to, Chinese food did the trick. It worked for me. I subbed out the white rice for the brown and called it a day. Those Chinese food days are long gone for me and are but a distant memory as I moved back home, became obsessed with learning about my body and a healthier lifestyle, and said “Sayonara college take-out days!”

But, its still nice to splurge every once and again!

So, in honor of my Chinese food love affair I made homemade General Tso’s Tofu/Mock Chicken! And of course, I thought  I’d share! Smile

Here goes! You will need:

  1 box extra firm tofu OR 1 bag Morning Star Chicken’ Strips
  1 eggs worth of Egg Replacer
  5 tablespoons water
  1 cup cornstarch
  olive oil for frying
  1 bunch green onions, chopped
  2 tablespoon minced ginger
  2 tablespoon minced garlic
  1 1/3 cup vegetable stock
  1/4 cup sugar
  2 tablespoons soy sauce
  2 tablespoon white vinegar
  red pepper, to taste
  1 bunch steamed broccoli

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1. Mix 1 eggs  worth of the egg replacer with 3 tablespoons water and whisk.  Dip, roll, and coat the tofu or Mock Chicken’ strips in the egg replacer mixture.  Remove from the bowl and roll the “egg” soaked chunks into a plate of cornstarch and make sure to coat completely. Set aside.

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2. Heat olive oil in pan and fry tofu and/or mock chicken’ pieces until golden and slightly crispy. Get rid of the used oil. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a pan on medium heat.  Add chopped green onions, minced ginger, and minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. 

3. Add vegetable stock, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and red pepper. 

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4. Mix 4 tablespoons water with 2 tablespoon cornstarch (stir stir stir!) and pour into sauce mixture.  Add fried tofu, Mock Chicken’ and the steamed broccoli and coat everything evenly. AND SERVE!
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We served ours over brown rice and ate it with chop sticks and Abita beer! Winking smile
YumYumYum! We had so much left over I made Daniel take the entire thing home so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat any more!!

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TRY THIS RECIPE OUT! You will LOVE it!!! Its easy easy to make and so satisfying!! Even meat eaters will dig this one, BIG TIME! ENJOY!! Let me know how it goes of you test this one out!!

Have a lovely day!

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03
Aug

Homemade Dairy Free Soft Serve Ice-cream!

This is my favorite desert!! Easy Easy Easy!!! I love recipes that require four ingredients or less and this one is just that and so simple to make. It’s healthy for your body (nutrition power punch!), healthy for the planet (we’re leaving the animals frolicking in greener pastures for this dish!) and healthy for your heart (who doesn’t get excited over a guilt-free bowl of yummy ice-cream!?)! This is my banana soft serve ice-cream!

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I made this when I got home from work today, as  it was 104 degrees outside and I was craving something to cool me down and satisfy my sweet tooth! This is my go-to recipe when I have ice-cream on the brain but still want to try and keep things healthy and nurturing! (I know this looks a little melted… and that’s because it is!! LOL! After I made this I had the bright idea that I should probably be sharing this in a new post for you guys, so I was running all over my house trying to figure out where I last placed my camera, and when I got back to it, the heat had already had its way with my ice-cream… Ek!! Oh well, it still hit the spot!)

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All you need is:

-2 Frozen Bananas
-Soy Milk (or almond is good too!)
-Cinnamon
-Stevia
(And sometimes vanilla extract, but I was out!)

Basically you just place the frozen banana into your blender, pour in enough non-dairy milk to cover the blades, give the cinnamon a few shakes, and use a tiny bit of stevia (about 2 pinches) and BLEND!!

Let the blender do its magic for a few moments but be sure to keep an eye on it as it shouldn’t take longer than a minute!

I wish I would have snapped a photo of what this looks like when its finished blending in the blender as it looks really neat. All you’re looking for is that there are no clumps and that the mixture has formed an almost solid smooth looking swirl design in the bottom of your blender.

Just scoop the glob out into a bowl! Add any extra toppings if you’d like (Mmmm, Blueberries! And Walnuts! And Coconut! Oh My!). And enjoy!!! This always makes a ton so there will be more than enough to share. I usually only put a tiny dent in my serving as it seems my eyes are ALWAYS bigger than my stomach when I make this!

Bonus: The sweet cinnamon-y flavors remind me of Christmas!

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*Oh! And just so you know, I’ve made this many many times with only frozen banana and enough water to cover the blades and its comes out delicious! Especially if you’re a banana fan! Maybe if you add in a few drops of honey it’ll add in a bit more sweetness, but yes, banana and water have worked for me many of times! You’d be surprised at the sweetness of a lone blended banana! Winking smile 

*Today I’m grateful for sweet surprise notes from loved ones, cute workout gear (I just got some and man is it good for motivation!), and coming home to 2 excited puppies and a nice book to snuggle up with! Have a beautiful day!!

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25
Jul

Mexican Bean Salad!

I’ve recently come cross the most amazing dish and I would love to share this with everyone! Its so light and refreshing! And so very yummy! Addicting almost!

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I was looking for a new recipe that was light and healthy and something that I could keep in the fridge that was easy enough for me to just grab and go. Plugged in “Top Vegan Recipes” in Google, and voila! Mexican Bean Salad! There were several “top” dishes, but out of them all this was the only one that caught my eye enough to give it a try.

And I’m so glad that I did! I loved everything about this dish! The flavors are perfect together and the lightness of the entire salad is so perfect and appealing. You feel GOOD after eating this!

Here goes:

In a large bowl mix together:

1 can each of black beans,
1 can kidney beans,
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed!

Chop and add

1 green bell pepper,
1 red bell pepper,
1 purple onion,
1 10 oz. pack of frozen corn. Set aside!

Look how pretty! Its like a veg food rainbow!! Ooooooo! Aaahhhhhhh!!!

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In a small bowl, whisk together:

1/2 cup olive oil,
1/2 cup red wine vinegar,
2 Tbsp. lime juice,
1 Tbsp. lemon juice,
2 Tbsp. sugar,
1 tsp. salt,
1/2 tsp. minced garlic,
1/4 cup chopped cilantro,
1/2 tsp. cumin,
1/2 Tbsp. black pepper.
Add hot sauce (I used the roster sauce, yum!) and chili powder to taste!

Look how gorgeous! Would you ever think food could look so pretty and uplifting?! I love it!

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This recipe makes a HUGE bowl of this stuff! I wish I would have snapped a photo of my holding the bowl so you could see how large it actually is! I was feeding off this dish for a few days and It tasted wonderful every time!

*Today I am grateful for telephones, as I was able to catch up with a good friend that I miss that is living in Cali and also my brother Daniel in Colorado! Daniel has been gone for about a month now! Can you believe it?! I miss him and his girlfriend Paula already! Hmm, I’ve always wanted to visit Colorado! I think its about time I mark that one off the “Will Do” list! Winking smile 

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18
Jul

Easy Avocado, Tomato, Onion Salad

This is a salad that I just threw together that came out absolutely delicious and surprisingly satisfying. It consists of 1 onion, 1 avocado, and 1 tomato. This makes enough for 2 people to have a nice lite meal.

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Basically you just chop everything in tiny bite sized pieces.

I used my go-to dressing that is tasty and actually quite good for you. Its 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp. Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, and 8 squirts Braggs Amino Acids. I just eye-ball the measurements and add each to taste. This dressing is quite strong so a little goes a long way.

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I hope you give this one a try, as its very simple to make and is packed with a ton of wonderful vitamins and minerals! It’ll give your body an extra boost of happy! Red heart 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So, since this post is pretty short, I thought I’d add in a bit of brain splewdge on where I am at right now in my little world, in reference to mental clarity and life in general…

…

Um, on second thought… Lets not over think it…!

Silly me! Smile with tongue out

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!! I’ll fill you in on how mine went in an upcoming post. I’ll give you a teaser though, it has to do with growing my own wheat grass and also an at home intense yoga meditation retreat!!! WooHoo!! It was a perfect weekend! My brain feels so refreshed!

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11
Jul

How To Make Healthy Chocolate Pudding

This is a recipe that I had heard about from a few different health food resources and after getting my newest issue of Whole Living in the mail and seeing it once again, I thought it was about time to give this a try. Plus, you can’t beat easy AND healthy, especially if it involves chocolate! Yum!

Here is all you need:

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You start by setting up your food processer and adding in 1 tsp. vanilla extract

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6 Tbsp. cocoa powder, 1/4 cup raw honey, and 3 small avocados (or 1 1/2 half large)

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And puree those yummies until it is smooth!

I know this picture doesn’t look all that smooth, but it was fine! Not clumpy and everything was blended well!

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To serve, just sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on top and voila! And YES, the salt does make a difference! Don’t ask me to explain how, but try with and without and you’ll see for yourself.

Surprisingly, this came out very light and fluffy with just the right amount of chocolate and sweetness! Delicious! I wasn’t sure about this recipe because off all the avocado, but it came out really well.

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I paired this with the Easy Healthy Strawberry Bars I had made 30 minutes before and it was the perfect combination. I even had it the following morning for breakfast! Yum!

*Today I am grateful for sweet berries, tasty chocolate, and having my own space to make my own lovely food!

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10
Jul

How To Make Easy & Healthy Strawberry Bars

This recipe is so easy and really fun to make! If you have kids, give this one a whirl! I think they’d love it!

You only need 4 basic ingredients:

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Start with 1 and 1/2 cups pitted dates. I used the SunSweet brand, as its all they had at my local Winn-Dixie, and it worked perfectly! (Just make sure you remove the stems, because there were quite a few left in the bag.) Add them all into the food processor.

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Next, add 1/4 cup of raw, unsalted cashews. I’m sure you can substitute other types of nuts, but cashews are always my go-to, as I usually have them on hand in my pantry.

Next, you’re going to add 2 Tbsp. whole rolled oats (got mine at Whole Foods, bulk bin) and a pinch of sea salt. Pulse and process this mixture until everything is well chopped and mixed. This will be your crust, so make sure its nice and sticky and most large pieces have been chopped up.

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Pour the mixture into a small casserole dish and spread along the entire bottom of the dish.IMG_0780 IMG_0784 

Put aside for now!

Next your going to thinly slice enough strawberries to fill about 1 cup.

Take half of those strawberries and mashmashmash!

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I squished and mashed and squash until I had a pretty liquid but still slightly chunky consistency. And, WOW, do mashed strawberries smell so good! In love

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Next, spread the juice mixture on top of your crust. Take the remaining, un-mashed strawberries and lay them out over the top of the dish.

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And BAM! Amazing! hehehhe! Winking smile

These are so tasty and bright and colorful you’re really going to love this dish!

I set the bars aside in the fridge while I quickly whipped up some chocolate pudding. These 2 dishes together are quite a perfect pair!

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I actually had these for dinner that night and I felt light and fresh and energetic!

Score one for Rachel and feeding her happy body well!

Let me know if you try this and what you think! I know you’ll love it!

*Today I’m grateful for my wonderful taste buds and an active olfactory system (tehe), because I’m be one sad lady if I couldn’t taste or smell those scrumptious strawberries!

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04
Jul

Easy Veggie Sandwich

I thought I’d post one of my go-to sandwich recipes for those of you who would like something easy, tasty, and relatively healthy to add to your recipe book. This recipe was inspired by the mushroom sandwich from the little health store, Another Beautiful Day, located behind my office. I eat there about once a week or 2-3 times a month. One day I watched them preparing mine and I picked up how easily the sandwiches were made. I went home that night and made my own version of their mushroom and super sandwiches (same sandwich, just with or without the mushrooms)!

So, here it is! What you are going to need is: Mushrooms, shredded carrots, guacamole (I use the pre-packed kind or just mash up some avocados), sprouts (I opted out on this particular day because I didn’t have them in the house, but it was still just as yummy), soy sauce, bread, and Slap Yo’ Moma (or Tony’s!). Cheese optional!

Start by slicing up your mushrooms. I like them nice and small, but don’t cut them too tiny because they will shrink when cooked.

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Next, bring some water to a boil, just enough to cover the bottom of your pan. Add in some soy sauce, I start with 2-3 tablespoons and add to taste. Dump in your mushrooms… I used the entire crate, by the way, and this was more than enough to stuff 2 whole sandwiches.

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Let simmer on medium heat for several minutes until the mushrooms look well cooked and have shrunken in size quite a bit.

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I don’t know how, but I seemed to have skipped photographing the next few steps. What you do is toast some bread, spread guacamole on both sides, and load up with carrots and the mushrooms. You can add cheese if you’d like, just place it on top of the freshly cooked mushrooms and the cheese will melt over the entire thing. So yummy. I like to sprinkle Tony’s or Slap Yo’ Mama over the mushrooms once they are on the sandwich, just for a little extra flavor.

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And voilà! Absolutely delicious, easy to make, and filling sandwich!! I know its hard to see in the picture but this puppy is stuffed and nice and oozy. I LOVE somewhat sloppy sandwiches! The juice from the mushrooms make this one a winner! I’ve made this one many many times, for veggie and meat eaters, and both are big fans! Test this one out! You wont be disappointed!

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Enjoy! Winking smile

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30
Jun

And Now for Melanie’s Amazing Punch!

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Melanie’s Punch was a huge hit at the party! I wanted to share (and remember) how to make this  because it was so easy and delicious!

Here’s the “How To”

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1. Cut up and juice an entire sack of lemons! (Or for the second batch we actually used 2 of those artificial lemon juice bottles and it was just as tasty!)

2. Slice 2 large oranges and place in the bowl for decoration! Squeeze the juice out of the end pieces of the oranges and toss those in the garbage.

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3. Slice up a crate of strawberries and add to the mixture for a nice splash of color

4. Open a large can of the pineapple chunks and put the entire thing, juice and all, in the bowl

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5. This is the best part! In goes 1 large bottle of Moscato white wine, 2 bottles of champagne, and 1/2 cup of Triple Sec! Yowza!! Recipe for a Grand Ol’ Time!

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Stir and Enjoy!

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