Flax Seed Chips and Salsa!

This was one of the best weekends ever!!! But when I get super tired from not sleeping and traveling I want greasy gross food but the problem is it always makes me feel terrible!! (especially now that I am so clean) But I still want that munchy goodness. So last night I had these fabulous Flax Seed Chips from Caravan of Dreams and made myself “chips” and salsa, one of my all time favorite comfort foods!

I forgot to take a picture as I just wanted to eat my chips, but I had to share this! All I had was chips and salsa, this picture is from another blog taken at Caravan of Dreams of their Live Nachos (DELICIOUS!!) but those are same the fabulous chips I used.

June 2009 Vegan Culinary Experience: The Great Vegan Picnic!

I love The Vegan Culinary Experience monthlies! They are so awesome. Not only are the chock full of fabulous themed recipes but they also include the nutritional facts, sometimes how to make recipes raw, low fat versions, complimentary food and drinks as well as awesome facts about each dish. SO cool! The June 2009 magazine has a Vegan Picnic theme. ENJOY!!!

My 100% Raw Month

As you know, I love my everyday Green Juice and I also love to juice feast/fast. I am just finishing up another 9 day long juice fast and as always loved it! I found myself wanting to munch a little bit, but other than that, totally painless. I was never hungry, just had the desire to snack. Since buying the dehydrator we have not turned it off so there are always delicious munchies around and they are so tempting! But I kept with it and when it ends, I am going to have a delicious smoothie for lunch from FreeFoods, Mathew Kenney’s midtown restaurant. Then a big, tasty avocado salad for dinner. I am so excited!

This month has been a big experiment for me. For the last 2 years or so I have mostly eaten “raw til dinner” – sometimes raw all day, but most nights I would have something cooked. I noticed this really wasn’t working for me and I wanted to try something new. So when I finished my last juice fast I went all raw for this whole month and ended with this juice fast. It was one of the best months ever!! I felt amazing and my body and mind were really happy. I knew I was on the right path. So although I don’t want to be too rigid in my life, I will continue to eat primarily raw. And when my body or mind really wants something else I will allow that. I want to always listen to my body. I am such a foodie I don’t think I could give up all other foods forever, so I will still have a treat every once in a while. I am very excited about this primarily raw diet. I do not remember a time when my body has felt so good and my mind has been so clear. My dreams are super vivid and I know it is because I am not weighed down by the heavy foods that I always ate at night.

Raw foods and juices are just so amazing! I love that they are totally unprocessed and full of life force and enzymes. Plus you can be super creative with them which is always fun for me.

I will still be cooking many vegan, vegetarian and meat meals for my amazing husband but also many, many raw ones. My husband likes raw food too, but not every night. This is not a problem for me as I love to be in the kitchen and there is nothing better than preparing my wonderful husband a meal full of my love!

Just a side note…A funny question that I have been getting my entire life (I have been a vegetarian since I was 7, so this is not unfamiliar territory at all!) has been, “Where do you get your protein?”. So ironic that people think you need to get protein from animal tissue. Greens are actually one of the best sources of instantly absorbable and alkaline proteins! Greens are loaded with amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Cows eat grass in order to get all these nutrients, but we can just cut the cows out altogether and eat it ourselves. More importantly, as I am sure you have heard since it has been talked about so much these days, is that cows are rarely grass-fed anymore. So the once upon a time benefit of getting these phyto-nutrients from your meat is far reduced.

Turkey Piccata & Vegan Cauliflower and Swiss Chard over Mushroom Couscous

Michael and I made dinner together tonight which was so fun! Thank goodness he was there to help out because my fingers were covered in dredging flour. Plus with him sauteing the turkey, I was able to dredge the pieces at the same time. This would have taken so much longer if I was doing both since there were so many pieces of turkey! I know this is strange, but I loved seeing how these little pieces of turkey became these really wide and flat pieces after pounding. So cool! There is a ton of butter in this dish, but it does serve 4-6 people and every once in a while it is ok to splurge like that! Plus the shallot sauce looked so good! They were so pink and smelled so good!

turkey

Turkey Piccata

Adapted from Alton Brown’s Recipe
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 1 whole turkey breast, approximately 2-3 pounds
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F, or turn your warming drawer on.

Cut the turkey breast crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Place pieces of turkey, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt the meat lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound to no less than 1/8 inch thickness.

Season both sides of meat with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour. Shake off the excess flour. Set aside.

In a large saute pan over medium to medium high heat, heat olive oil and 4 tablespoons butter. Once hot, but not yet smoking, brown turkey scaloppine quickly, about 1 minute on each side, and remove to an ovenproof platter. Place in oven to keep warm. I love my warming drawer for times like these, so that is where my turkey went.

Reduce the heat to low and add the shallots to the pan. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until they begin to turn translucent. Add wine and lemon juice to the pan and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if necessary. Pour sauce over turkey, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Cauliflower and Swiss Chard over Mushroom Couscous

This could definitely be a vegan entree. It looked really good! Plus I was happy to serve something so healthy next to the turkey.  To me there is nothing like fresh herbs, so if you have them available I would suggest that.
Serves 2 entrees or 4 appetizer dishes

Ingredients
1 bunch of red swiss chard, chopped
2 cups of cauliflower florets
1/2 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup dry whole wheat couscous
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, or fresh
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, ground or fresh
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste

Preparation
Put red swiss chard, cauliflower and olive oil into a pot with a lid and cook on medium heat until swiss chard is cooked down and cauliflower has softened slightly. Add sage, tarragon, lemon juice and any salt. Turn off and let sit covered.

Bring water and mushrooms to a boil, turn off heat, and add dried couscous. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve cauliflower and swiss chard over couscous.

Two-for-one Mondays at Babycakes!

This was posted on the SuperVegan New York City Events Calendar: Two-for-one Mondays at Babycakes, Recurring Event!!  

Event Description: Two for one at Babycakes until they run out of stock for the day!

cookbookcover-smallmenu-cupcakes

Green Goddess Pasta

I love making delicious comfort food that is also super healthy! There was such a great smell to this dish, I knew the flavors would rock! Michael confirmed this as well since he was the one eating it! I love all things Kale so it was so great to add this to the pasta for that healthy, tasty punch. Plus Broccoli, olive oil and garlic; such a good combo! The pasta I used is so fun and colorful, anyone would love it!

pastaGreen Goddess Pasta

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch

serves 6

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
6 tablespoons vegan or organic dairy butter (I prefer to use organic butter rather than vegan because of all the processed ingredients, but you could probably substitute oil instead to keep this vegan, or use vegan butter of course 🙂 )
3 quarts water
about 6 teaspoons fine sea salt
12 ouces whole wheat or brown rice elbow macaroni (I used Eden Organic Vegetable Shells Golden Amber Durum Wheat Pasta)
2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise ad cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-sized florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 bunch (about 4 ounces) kale, cut into 1/2 inch long strips
1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup pine nuts

Preparation

  1. In a 1 quart saucepan over low heat, combine the garlic and coconut oil ad cook, swirling occasional, until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
  2. Remove from the heat, add the butter,  swirling until it melts and set aside.
  3. In a -6 quart stockpot over high heat, combine the water with about 1 1/2 tablespoons salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until about 1 minute shy of being done.
  4. Stir in the zucchini, broccoli, and kale. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked , about 1 minute.
  5. Drain the pasta mixture, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water.
  6. Return the mixture to the pot and stir in the garlic butter, pepper, 3 tablespoons f the pine nuts, and the remainging  teaspoon of salt, garlic and onion pepper.
  7. Transfer the pasta to plates or a platter, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon of pine nuts and serve

Chicken Breasts Provençal with Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Broccoli

I don’t eat chicken of course, but these are all flavors I love and I knew it would be a big hit! It smelled great as it was cooking and I was right, Michael loved it!

I love the technique of blanching tomatoes and peeling them. I learned this a while back in a cooking class at the The Natural Gourmet Institute and thought it was so cool that the 10-30 seconds the tomatoes spend in the water makes it so easy to peel them.

The Broccoli was great too! I steam broccoli most of the time, but Michael really enjoyed the crunch of the roasted Broccoli. It was insanely easy to cut up the broccoli and put in the oven. Such a great idea!

chicken and brocChicken Breasts Provençal

 Adapted from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes
  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons anchovy paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 10 pitted brine-cured black olives, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon finely shredded basil
Preparation
  1. Core tomatoes and cut a shallow X in bottom of each, then blanch in a medium pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel, seed, and finely chop.
  2. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
  3. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook chicken, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, covered. (I have a wonderful warming drawer that is so perfect for this!)
  4. Add garlic and anchovy paste to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Stir in tomatoes, stock, and olives and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened into a sauce, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in butter and any juices from platter.
  5. Add chicken and simmer until just heated through, about 1 minute. Serve sprinkled with basil.

Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Broccoli

Makes 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper (depending on how much you like spice, this dish is not very spicy, so feel free to use more!)
Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli with 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

High Raw: A Simple Approach to Health, Eating, and Saving the Planet

High Raw: A Simple Approach to Health, Eating and Saving the Planet

 

High Raw: A Simple Approach to Health, Eating, and Saving the Planet  by Kevin Gianni

Check this out! The whole book in PDF form is on-line just click on the title!  There are great tips on how to become High Raw or to at least incorporate more of a raw diet & lifestyle (fitness, nutrition and spiritual) into your life while keeping it simple and convenient to help you stick with it for the long haul. You can also sign up for his newsletters here.

The Five Principles of High Raw:

  • Principle #1: Eat Real Food & Think Like A Raw Foodist
  • Principle #2: Make Your Health Your TOP Priority
  • Principle #3: Know Your Body
  • Principle #4: Educate Yourself
  • Principle #5: Take Action!

 

Raw Star Cafe

rawstar

Raw Star Cafe 687 Washington Ave. (between St. Marks & Prospect)  Brooklyn 718-975-0304 menu

Delicious Raw vegan Caribbean food in a great atmosphere with super friendly people. My husband and I both completely loved this place! We went last weekend for the first time although I have wanted to go since it opened in June 2008. It is a totally laid back Caribbean vibed place that has great food and amazingly friendly service. I felt like I was on vacation and I could have hung out there all day if it wasn’t so gorgeous outside! The space is really tiny but cozy in a good way. The place, the waiter and chef really give off such a friendly vibe that even all the customers are feeling at home and super friendly with each other.

The ambiance is important of course but you are there to eat, and mmmmm, the food is soooo good there! All time favorite of both my husband and I was the Curried Plantains. I have dreamed about them since 🙂 We also loved the Hi Green Salad, so divine! We started out with the Spinach Cheese Puffs which were fun! The nut loaf was yummy and the lasagna had just come out of the dehydrator and was so warm and soft that I thought it was cooked! (of course it wasn’t) Melt in your mouth goodness! The Pineapple Mango Chutney was also amazing! We were there for lunch so we passed on dessert, but I want to try them all! I am actually really looking forward to trying all the dishes there! Plus they have a brunch that looks divine!! I am already planning my next visit back.

One of the best parts is that the cost is very reasonable. The menu does not change for lunch or dinner, so apps will run you around $6 and entrees $7-13. And most of the entrées come with a salad and a side! This is a great deal for such a fabulous experience and delicious organic raw food.

Update: Since I wrote this review I have already been back 2 other times and this place just gets better and better!! I always get the Hi Green Salad and the Curried Plantains because they are just sooo good!! But I have had many of the other entrees and tried some of my friend’s entrees as well. The Spinach Pie was yummy, The Curry Tempeh with Tamarind Sauce was super good (I am totally getting this again next time!),  Stuffed Bell Pepper was great and had some really nice spice, the Pistachio and Pine Nut Pesto was some of the best pesto ever and they really were generous with the portion and the Nappa Sandwich was a little messy but super deelish! I will try the desserts and brunch soon I am sure! Love this place 🙂

rawstar2

Rawstar Vegan Live Cuisine on Urbanspoon

Raw Eggplant Pizzas and BBQ Chicken with Collard Greens and Crushed Sweet Potato

So not only do I have the best husband but he is also so supportive of all my experimenting in the kitchen and my raw food diet. Only a few short weeks ago he bought me the best dehydrator ever, the Excalibur!!! We have been having so much fun! We dehydrated 2 different kind of mangoes, bananas, kiwis, pineapple, apples and strawberries. I even made fruit roll ups, sweet potato chips (BBQ and regular!) and kale chips (my favorite!!) last week, so Delicious and fun! So here is my first attempt at dinner in the Excalibur and it was super yummy!

Raw Eggplant Pizzas/Bruchetta eggplant pizza

  • 1 large eggpant  sliced 1/4″ thick (I did not peal it, but think I should have)
  • 1/2 cup nut cheese*
  • tomato slices 1/4″ thick
  • oregano and paprika

Spread tablespoon of cheese on each eggplant slice and then top with the tomato slices. Sprinkle oregano and paprika on top.
Place them in the dehydrator for 10 hours on until dry (most likely 8-10 hours), but still pliable.

* For the cheese I used the Pignoli “Ricotta” from the Zucchini-and-Green-Zebra-Tomato Lasagna with Basil-Pistachio Pesto Recipe from Pure Food and Wine

  • 2 cups raw pignoli nuts, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional; available in health food stores)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons filtered water

Place the pignoli nuts, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times, until thoroughly combined, Gradually add the water and process until the texture becomes fluffy, like ricotta

BBQ Chicken with Collard Greens and Crushed Sweet Potatobbq chicken

This recipe is adapted from the The Hearst Corporation’s Cafe57 off the The Daily Green website. This was pretty much the worst written recipe I have ever seen so I had to rewrite it for you! haha  I liked the take on a healthy southern recipe. It is great comfort food without all the grease and dairy! Enjoy!

SERVINGS
6-8

INGREDIENTS
6-4 ounce pieces of chicken breast
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
2 bunches collard greens, washed and rough chopped
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup nonfat milk (I used plain soymilk instead)
1 tablespoon honey (I used around 4-5 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. In a 4 quart saucepot, saute half of the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the cayenne, chili powder (I used crushed red pepper instead), ketchup, red wine vinegar and molasses and whisk to incorporate. Simmer for 10 minutes and cool. (by accident I dumped the entire crushed red pepper jar into the pot! I am not one to measure exact, unless baking. So I added much more of everything so it was not too overwhelming, but it was still a SPICY BBQ Sauce!)
  3. Boil the diced sweet potatoes until tender. Drain the potatoes and return to pan. Pour the non-fat milk/soymilk into the pan and mash the potatoes, but keep some texture. Add the honey and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Lay the chicken pieces on a baking sheet in a flat layer. Brush with the BBQ sauce on both sides and place in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes or until done.
  5. While the chicken is baking, saute the remaining onion and garlic in a 12″ pan for 2-3 minutes. Add the collard greens and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the white wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. I also added a little lemon juice.

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