Meltaway Peppermint Patties

26 May 2010 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Desserts and Treats, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I love Coconut, Chocolate and Mint! YUM!!!!! If you are not into mint just leave it out and enjoy the chocolate coconut goodness! This was super simple and fast to make and more importantly to enjoy!! Love that! Keep these babies cold and they are perfect for these already super hot summer days!

Meltaway Peppermint Patties
recipe adapted from Elaina Love

Mint layer:
3 cups dry, raw shredded coconut
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. mint extract or 3 drops peppermint essential oil

Chocolate or carob layer:
3 cups dry, raw shredded coconut
1/3 cup maple syrup or date paste (made by blending dates and water)
1/8 cup organic cocoa powder or raw carob powder (add until mixture reaches desired color)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. Celtic sea salt

1: Blend the first 3 cups of coconut in a dry blender on low speed with the lid off. Use a spatula to keep things moving until it becomes the consistency of butter. Make sure you do not blend so long as to separate all the oil from the coconut. This step is tricky, and takes a good blender like a Vitamix. If you don’t have a Vitamix, you can still do this step, although you may need to separate the coconut into 2 batches.

2: Remove the coconut and put in a mixing bowl. Add the sweetener and mint extract. use a spatula to mix well. Set aside.

3: Blend the coconut for the chocolate layer. Mix the coconut by hand with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

4: Separate the chocolate mixture into 2 halves. Take one half, and press it into the bottom of a 4 x 4 baking dish or Tupperware. Put it in the freezer for 5 minutes until it is solid.

5: Remove your dish from the freezer and add all of the mint layer. Place in the freezer again for a couple of minutes.

6: Add the second half of the chocolate mixture to the top of the mint layer. Freeze again until solid or refrigerate.

7: Pop the meltaways out of the container by twisting or using a spatula to pry up. Place on a cutting board and cut your candies into whatever shape you like using a sharp, thin knife. Enjoy and store in the refrigerator.

1st night back in NYC – YUM

25 May 2010 5 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , ,

I was telling you about all the amazing food we had up at Omega…. the glorious salad bar and always yummy cooked vegan meals, amazing breads with earth balance or pb&j! Cooked Kale at every meal and the list goes on. Plus we can’t forget the AMAZING vegan brownies and peanut butter cookies at the Cafe. ahhhhh good life & good food!!

We didn’t want my first night back in NYC to disappoint and it was perfect, of course 🙂 So fun celebrating with my amazing husband!! It was gorgeous so we wanted outdoor seating (and there is not a lot of vegan choices with outside eating) so we headed over the Life Cafe 343 E 10th St @ Ave. B (212) 477-9001 (so appropriate since David Life, co-founder of Jivamutki Yoga was also the co-founder of Life Cafe!) After yesterday’s post I was soooo excited to have the PHILLY SEITAN STEAK (VEGAN) Thin slices of seitan, sauteed onions, garlic, mushroom, miso sauce & soy cheese (casein-free) served on a baguette YUM!!!!!! I also had the organic side salad and was pretty impressed, exactly what I needed.

(Prema, this is right by your house, you neeeeeed to eat this sandwich 🙂 )

After dinner we strolled over to Lula’s Sweet Apothecary 516 E 6th St (btwn Ave A & Ave B) (646) 912-4549 for their famous and deeeeelish Cake Batter VEGAN Soft Serve! OH MY YUM! I always love this, but every time we have it, it seems to taste even more amazing! haha We were so lucky that they now have their Soft Serve Monday hours, since they are normally closed on Mondays. Love it!!!!

Perfect End to the Perfect Evening 🙂

Cake Batter Ice Cream -- photo from http://www.theurbanhousewife.com

Vegan Sausage & Peppers

24 May 2010 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , ,

I’m BAAAAACK!!!! Jivamukti Teacher Training was one of the MOST amazing experiences of my whole life. I feel so blessed to have gone through it and spent a month with so many beautiful Holy Beings!!

Up at Omega we all ate so well, it was deelish, vegan-scrumptious and abundant! If you have an opportunity to visit for an R&R weekend or any of their fabulous programs, I highly recommend it!!

This dish that I made (before I left for TT) reminds me of the Cheezesteak with Peppers and Onions at Omega. I love my version but next time I am going to make a cheeze sauce to go with as well! YUM!!!!

This is a dish my mom always made with meat growing up. I never ate it because I haven’t eaten meat since before I was 7 years old – but I knew how much everyone adored it so I set out to make the vegan version. YUM!!! I love sautéed onions, vegan sausage and peppers, so really I knew I could not go wrong! This is a great dish for vegans and for meat-eaters alike. Field Roast and Tofurkey sausage are so scrumptious that I am sure most people will love them!

Vegan Sausage & Peppers

  • 1 package of either Field Roast or Tofurkey Italian sausage (or your fave vegan brand)
  • cooking spray
  • 2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • salt to taste
  1. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove from skillet, and slice.
  2. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and stir in the onion and garlic, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in red bell pepper and green bell pepper, season with basil, and oregano and add white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender.
  3. Return sliced sausage to skillet with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through.

Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training

01 May 2010 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights

Sorry to be MIA, but I am away at the most amazing Yoga Teacher Training ever!! I didn’t mention it but I went through a 200 hour Vinyasa Teacher training in January which was really great. AND Now I am at my beloved Jivamukti Teacher Training in gorgeous Rhinebeck, NY for the month. The schedule leaves almost zero time for personal stuff so I won’t be updating till after I get home. But I couldn’t resist letting  you all know about how fabulous my training is and how AMAZING the vegan deliciousness is at Omega Institute, so blessed and yummmmmmm!!!

I feel so lucky to be in the most beautiful location and learning from such amazing teachers!

See you all when I get back 🙂 Have the most wonderful month of love, light and lots of sunshine!

Sharon Gannon and David Life - our wonderful teaches and founders of Jivamutki Yoga

Banana French Toast

22 Apr 2010 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

These were amazing! The banana was thick enough to really coat and soak the bread. It also gave the french toast the most deelish flavor. I highly recommend this!

Banana French Toast
Makes 4 slices

2 medium bananas
2/3 cup soymilk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices whole-wheat bread
1 vegetable oil spray

Blend bananas, soymilk, syrup, and cinnamon until smooth. Pour into a flat, shallow dish and soak bread slices 1 minute on each side. Transfer carefully to a vegetable oil sprayed skillet. Cook first side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook second side until browned.

Recipe from Food for Life, by Neal Barnard, M.D.

Complimentary 5-day Membership to The Sports Club/LA or Reebok Sports Club/NY!

21 Apr 2010 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in In the News, New York Highlights Tags: , ,

Complimentary 5-day Membership to The Sports Club/LA or Reebok Sports Club/NY!

SO fabulous!! I have only been to Reebok and it was amazing! I def. want to check out The Sports Club/LA too!! ENJOY 🙂

Club Features

  • State-of-the-art Cardiovascular and Weight Training options
  • Expert Private Training
  • Award Winning Group Exercise Classes
  • Nutritional Counseling
  • Restaurant and Café
  • Full-Service Spa
  • Hair Salon
  • Basketball, Squash, Volleyball and Soccer
  • Advanced Mind Body including; Yoga, Pilates and Gyrotonic
  • Industry leading Pilates Program
  • Engaging Childcare Programs
  • Social Activities and Events
  • See more of the Club online

Teriyaki Chicken

20 Apr 2010 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking Tags: , ,

Just because you do not have a lot of time to prepare a great dinner doesn’t mean you can’t have one. All you have to do is plan a little. I love marinating because it is super simple to put together and toss in the fridge. When I come back to it, whether it is a few hours later or the next day it is ready to cook and off to the table in 15 minutes. How can you go wrong? Love that! I use foodsaver bags, but you can easily use a gallon ziplock or a bowl/plastic wrap combo. It is so simple, just pour the ingredients into the bag or bowl,shake or whisk around, add chicken and chill 🙂

I love these flavors and have made this before with tofu, so I was sure it would work great for chicken. It did 🙂 Michael really enjoyed it!

Teriyaki Chicken
4 servings

5 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon white wine
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a gallon ziplock, foodsaver bag or bowl mix together all the ingredients except the chicken. Add the chicken and marinate, turning or shaking the bag for 20 minutes – overnight.

Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken (reserving marinade) and cook turning once for 15 or so minutes until cooked through. While chicken is cooking reduce marinade in a small pan. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, brush reduced marinade on chicken. Serve and Enjoy!

Double Broccoli Quinoa

19 Apr 2010 5 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

OMG! We loved this! Broccoli Pesto – Genius!! I always love quinoa but this was a really exciting and super deelish way to have it. Such a creamy and well seasoned dish! I know we will have this again soon.

Let me know if you get to try this and what you think! ENJOY!!

Double Broccoli Quinoa
Recipe adapted from 101cookbooks

3 cups cooked quinoa
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems
3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup cheddar vegan cheese (preferably daiya)
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil

  1. Heat the quinoa and set aside.
  2. Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.
  3. To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, vegan cheese, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until smooth.
  4. Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds.

Serves 4 – 6.

Pesto in the Vita-Mix

Terri deliciousness!

15 Apr 2010 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in In the News, New York Highlights Tags: , , , , , ,

Terri 64 West 23rd Street NYC

We were SO excited to get to try out Terri, the new all vegan sandwich and juice shop! It was AMAZING!! Every bite was so enjoyable and moan-worthy hahaha

Michael and I shared the Meatball Parm sandwich, Bacon Cheddar Chicken Ranch sandwich and the Butterfinger Shake.  All Vegan and All Amazing!!  There are just a few bar stools and a counter to dine but of course you can take your lunch to go and head to Madison Square Park close by. The peeps behind the counter were super friendly and so nice! It was also so fabulous to have this $3 off any sandwich or wrap coupon! (expires 4/31) I know we will be back soon to try the rest of the menu!! Enjoy!

Garbanzo Guacamole

13 Apr 2010 6 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is a lower fat mix of hummus and guacamole. Not exactly guacamole and not exactly hummus. But whatever it is, it’s deelish!! We ate this with yummy multi-grain pita chips. A most enjoyable snack or meal.

Garbanzo Guacamole

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium sweet or red onion, chopped
1/2 small avocado, peeled and chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 scallions,  thinly sliced
1 tablespoon canned chopped green chilies
salt to taste

Place garbanzo beans, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor. Pulse chop until chopped but still chunky. Add onion and avocado and process again until well combined. Empty into a bowl and add tomato, green onions, and chilies. Mix well. Enjoy!!

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