Chocolate Married My Coffee Today

While working hard on my new "back-to-school" group health program, which is so exciting by the way, I decided I needed a little break and something sweet and cool. Nutrasumma Chocolate Pea Protein and Kava instant coffee along with some almond milk and ice came to my rescue. Easy recipe and so delicious:

1 cup almond milk
1 scoop of chocolate pea protein
3 tbsp of instant coffee
1/2 cup ice

Blend all until frothy and smooth, and enjoy 23g of protein. Who needs Starbucks?

I'm diggin' it!

Date with a Green Bean!

If you like fresh dates and figs and want to try something new with a green bean, how about this for a cool spring/summer salad. Keep that snickering to yourself.

6-7 cups fresh or frozen (thawed but still cold) organic green beans
1/2 large purple onion sliced/chopped
1 large avocado sliced/chopped near bite-size
1 large carrot thinly sliced on an angle
2 fresh figs or 2 dates or 1 of each finely chopped
1/4 cup of hemp seeds
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (seasoned if you like)
1/4 cup organic olive oil
2 tblsp brown rice syrup

Mix all in bowl, toss, chill in refrigerator, then serve at your place of choice. Now that's some date!
To find out more about the mighty green bean, or the other ingredients' nutritional value, visit this page.

King What? . . .

That's "Quinoa," and it was king of the hill in my saute pan this morning for breakfast. I have been cooking and eating quinoa over the last two years and still a breakfast scramble with this little seed is one of my favorites. Here's what's in the mix:

1/2 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed in fine mesh strainer; (cook in 1-1/2 cups of water until curly tails pop out—15-20 min. or so, then set aside).

1/4 of large purple onion, chopped
One 1/4" snub of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/8 of a large red bell pepper, chopped
Dash of red chili pepper flakes
1 tbsp. cumin seeds ground with pestle and mortar
2 tsp. turmeric
Sea salt to taste
1 tsp. unrefined coconut oil
Frozen organic spinach

Bring coconut oil to med-high heat; add onions and ginger; sprinkle with salt and saute lightly for a minute.
Add cumin, turmeric,and  chili pepper flakes and saute on med heat another minute or two.
Add frozen spinach and bell pepper; sprinkle with more sea salt, and saute until spinach is defrosted and lightly warmed through. Add the quinoa and mix all together, sauteing for just another half minute.

Serve with a slice of Ezekiel toast with Really Raw Honey, Ghee, or your topping of choice.

To learn more about how this little seed "packs a punch," visit this Whole Foods information page.

Be brave for breakfast and you'll feel like king of the hill!
Veganishta

Sweet Greens Alive!

Happy New Year everyone, and here's what's new and good with me today. I am excited to announce that I have found the perfect school and study program that will enable me to live my dream as a holistic health coach. I've always been interested in healthy eating and natural remedies, not to mention the joy of cooking. Having studied at the largest nutrition school in the world, Institute for Integrative Nutrition® , I am looking forward to working with clients beginning in April. If anyone would like to know more about the program and what I'm learning as well as how I can help you reach your goals for the new year, take a look at my website at www.bonniecrutcher.com

Now for the new food I'm going to talk about today. I experimented the other day with some great organic collards I bought at Whole Foods Market. Instead of boiling them in veggie broth or adding them to beans as I normally have, I decided to cut them up quickly and saute them with a few extra ingredients. Incredible turnout! My mother and I cleaned up the pan that evening. Here is the recipe along with some photos. If you want to try it yourself, you won't be disappointed. The very strange and interesting thing was, that they actually kind of had a "bacony" taste. They were sweet from the delicious dates yet had that tad-bit collard tang of the good 'ol green along with the sweet onion flavor. Happy healthy eating!

Sweet Greens Alive
1 large bunch of collards (organic, of course)
1/2 of a large onion, sliced thinly
6-8 very ripe dates sliced into small pieces (pits out, of course)
3 tbsp. coconut oil for sauteing
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Place 3 tbsp. of coconut oil into hot skillet or wok; add the onions and saute a few minutes until clear and beginning to brown; add the collards and saute quickly a few more minutes; then add the dates and saute for another minute to two. Toss in the pan; serve hot and enjoy.

Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage

Just had to take a couple bites and a pic!

I know it's been quite a while since The Veganishta has posted anything. Luckily today, the "lab bug" struck, and Veganishta went to work in the kitchen.

I had a taste for breakfast sausage, first time in eighteen months, so I set out on the excursion through my fridge. I gathered the leftover roasted carrots, shitake mushrooms, and yellow onions I made last night, along with some black beans and corn. I threw it all in the food processor then boiled some tofu for five minutes then threw that in.

I blended the heck out of it and then added some thyme and fresh ground fennel seed. I thought the fennel would give it that sausage flavor. It worked! A laboratory success in the kitchen this morning allowed me to eat my large breakfast sausage patty on a slice of Ezekiel toast.

I simply love experimenting with veggies, beans, legumes, and grains. I am just so very excited that I had to share this quickly today. I used my phone camera, so lighting and setup is not very professional looking, but you can see how it turned out here.

This sausage patty is now on my list to document the ingredients and recipe that I'll share later on.

I'm Such a Green Goddess

BRING ON THE GREEN
One of my favorite dressings for salads, spinach and vegetables, sometimes pasta too, is Green Goddess. Since becoming veganish, I have not been able to have any but have occasionally bought a bottle for my mother, because she loves it too, and told me so did my grandmother.

Anyway, I finally got down to business and researched a few recipes online. I then attempted to create my own Veganishta version, and I like it a lot. I am going to try experimenting with some different fresh herbs, however, as time goes on. I think I have a pretty good basic recipe down nonetheless.

I've been eating this all week. Here's how I made it:

1 carton silken tofu
3 handfuls of fresh, flat-leaf parsley
1 handful of fresh basil leaves
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil (to desired consistency)
1/8 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 small yellow sweet onion
1 large clove garlic
Sea salt to taste
1/8-1/4 cup brown rice syrup (to desired sweetness and consistency)

Blend all ingredients in food processor, except olive oil and brown rice syrup, until well blended and smooth. Then slowly add the olive oil and brown rice syrup while blending again. Taste, add a little more sea salt if desired. There you have it.

This is my first recipe at this type of dressing. As I said, I am going to experiment with some variations of herbs, etc. I will post again what turns out. Until then, enjoy some greener, very greenish greens loaded with protein!

Getting in the Greens for Lunch

After reading Dr. Joel Furhman's book, Eat to Live, I've committed to eating yet more greens in my diet. I already eat a lot of spinach, romaine, collards, turnip greens, and more, but thought I'd attempt the recommended one pound fresh, one pound cooked. That seems like a lot, but I don't mind the challenge. The only real challenge for me is the additional or longer food prep time. So far, so good for as best as I'm trying. And I do like my green smoothies as well. That helps.

In addition, I have been cutting way back on my olive oil and Earth Balance Butter. I use the butter maybe only once or twice a week and much less of it on toast, etc. I am sauteing most of my recipes now with water, and that has worked out well.

Here's a picture of my lunch bowl (10" diameter; 3" deep) filled with fresh organic romaine lettuce, Tuscan kale, carrot sticks, and topped with one apple chopped. No dressing! The apple took the place of the dressing, as I am also trying to eat more fruit. It is costing a little bit more and a few more trips to the grocery store, but it is worth it. I noticed my fingernails look as though I had a "french manicure" polish done. The tips are very white, and I believe that is a good sign.

Think Green
Veganishta