Berry Smoothie with a little carrots and tomatoes for Hot Summer! It's tangy.

Please do not be put off by the carrots and tomatoes, you cannot taste it at all!
Wow, out of all the smoothies I made, this is probably one of my favourites. I was so shocked that this tasted so good with carrots and tomatoes, as I never imagined it would be so great and fruity! I totally recommend anyone to give it a go!
It will give you a kick!

Tangy Berrie Smoothie with a Kick
1/2 cup baby carrots
1/2 large orange (including the peel)
1/2 red delicious apple
3 cups frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and red grapes
1/2 tomato
1 tablespoon chia seeds
5 blocks ice
1/2 cup water
Freeze a container of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and grapes in the freezer.
Chop the apple and orange in chunks. Be sure to leave the peel of the orange in, as that’s what gives it the awesome zesty kick! It’s also important that you wash the orange and apple with special vegetable wash to remove a lot of the pesticides.
Add all the ingredients except for the ice blocks and water into the blender (I use Vitamix).
Use a food tamper to press it down so that all parts can be blended. Lastly, add the ice and water, then blend again until everything is smooth.

Tangy Berrie Smoothie with a Kick

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• ½ cup baby carrots
• ½ large orange (including the peel)
• ½ red delicious apple
• 3 cups frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and red grapes
• ½ tomato
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 5 blocks ice
• ½ cup water

Instructions

1. Freeze a container of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and grapes in the freezer.
2. Chop the apple and orange in chunks. Be sure to leave the peel of the orange in, as that’s what gives it the awesome zesty kick! It’s also important that you wash the orange and apple with special vegetable wash to remove a lot of the pesticides.
3. Add all the ingredients except for the ice blocks and water into the blender (I use Vitamix).
4. Use a food tamper to press it down so that all parts can be blended. Lastly, add the ice and water, then blend again until everything is smooth.

Savory Vegan Eggplant Tomato Burger

I would almost call this “The best vegan burger I’ve ever put in my mouth” but then again, it would be weird calling a burger that. Seriously, I hold 100% to that, because this is seriously the best tasting thing I’ve had in a while! I don’t know what, it’s the combination, I say. The sweetness!
I think a huge part of it has to do with Rao’s Arrabiata sauce just fitting in perfectly, so if you can get your hands on that, you must use it here. Otherwise, it simply won’t be the same.

Today’s a sad day for me, because I’m getting BRACES. I shouldn’t say sad, but more like – life won’t be the same afterwards, because there’s a bunch of foods I won’t be able to eat, or if I wanted eat this burger, I’d have to throw it in the blender or something (just kidding, why would you blend a burger?!) but chop it in tiny pieces. Not only that, I’d have to brush my teeth after every meal, which is going to be a huge challenge. Let’s see how long I can keep that up! No, I MUST do it, MUUUST!
So anyway, back to appreciating biting into a whole burger one last time.

OH MAN this was good. Seriously, I don’t know why though because eggplants and bell peppers are something I can get sick of easily, especially bell peppers, they’re nice but definitely not a “favourite food” but made this way, they are simply the best tasting things ever. I think this has taught me that sometimes, it’s not about what food you’re eating, but the combination.
This kind of reminds me that when you’re eating bananas on its own, they taste like bananas, but freeze and blend them, they’re like ICE CREAM and even banana haters may like it.
So anyway, if you’re making this, make enough for two, or ten!Not exactly, haha. But you get my point. You would probably want more, and MORE, and MORE AND MORE! My recipe is only enough for one burger, and one person!

Savory Vegan Eggplant Tomato Burger
2 slices large, round eggplant
2 slices red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced red onion
2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
A sprinkle of fennel seeds
1 whole wheat burger bun (or 1/3 whole grain bun)
1 tablespoon high quality pasta sauce (I used Rao’s Arrabbiata)
1 purple/Boston lettuce leaf
1 slice tomato
A sprinkle of pepper
Chop two slices of eggplant (not too thin or thick), two slices of red bell pepper and about 1/2 cup of red onions.
Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).

Mix the three in a large bowl and add the extra light olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and fennel seeds. Give it a good stir and make sure the spices marinate all the vegetables.
Place them in an oven tray without overlapping and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the eggplants and onions are soft.
Meanwhile, prepare the bread or bun by cutting it in the middle so the bun splits in two and put it in the toaster oven or oven for a few minutes until the edges have browned. Also, prepare the sliced tomatoes and pasta sauce.
Once the veggies are ready, lay the bread out on the table.

Assembling the Burger: First, add the lettuce leaves, then an eggplant, tomato slice, pepper slice, some onions, another eggplant slice, another bell pepper slice and top it off with any remaining onions. Finally, add the pasta sauce and some pepper, and close the burger.

Of course, you can assemble it in any order you want, because it really doesn’t matter which goes first. Though I will say that having the lettuce in the bottom does make things much easier.
Note: This burger tastes better if it’s warm, so don’t let it cool down too much. You may also want to warm up the sauce.

Print

Savory Vegan Eggplant Tomato Burger

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• 2 slices large, round eggplant
• 2 slices red bell pepper
• ½ cup sliced red onion
• 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
• A sprinkle of fennel seeds
• 1 whole wheat burger bun (or ⅓ whole grain bun)
• 1 tablespoon high quality pasta sauce (I used Rao’s Arrabbiata)
• 1 purple/Boston lettuce leaf
• 1 slice tomato
• A sprinkle of pepper

Instructions

1. Chop two slices of eggplant (not too thin or thick), two slices of red bell pepper and about ½ cup of red onions.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
3. Mix the three in a large bowl and add the extra light olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and fennel seeds. Give it a good stir and make sure the spices marinate all the vegetables.
4. Place them in an oven tray without overlapping and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the eggplants and onions are soft.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the bread or bun by cutting it in the middle so the bun splits in two and put it in the toaster oven or oven for a few minutes until the edges have browned. Also, prepare the sliced tomatoes and pasta sauce.
6. Once the veggies are ready, lay the bread out on the table.
7. Assembling the Burger: First, add the lettuce leaves, then an eggplant, tomato slice, pepper slice, some onions, another eggplant slice, another bell pepper slice and top it off with any remaining onions. Finally, add the pasta sauce and some pepper, and close the burger.
8. Of course, you can assemble it in any order you want, because it really doesn’t matter which goes first. Though I will say that having the lettuce in the bottom does make things much easier.
9. Note: This burger tastes better if it’s warm, so don’t let it cool down too much. You may also want to warm up the sauce.

Rainbow Juice. Three blends, one glass.

Rainbow Juice. Three blends, one glass.

1 - Beet Ginger
2 - Green Apple + Lemon + Celery or Cucumber + Ginger
3 - Carrot Ginger

Rainbow Juice Recipe: 1/3 beet/ginger juice + 1/3 carrot/ginger juice + 1/3 green apple-celery-lemon-ginger-cayenne juice. Swirl well. Add splashes of coconut water to make the flavor less bold (if desired). Serve over purified water ice cubes. Serve with a glass straw if you have one.

Juice Fasting. I have done a few "juice fast" posts here on HHL. Like this one. You know those super trendy 1-3 day (or more!) juice diets. Just juice. Chew-foods and fiber not allowed! I must say that one day of juice fasting does make me feel cleansed on a whole new level. But as you can read from my juicing diaries in the posts. Juice fasting is really a challenge for me - and I know I'm not alone. It takes a lot of will power, inner motivation and means to succeed on a fast. Not to mention a lot of juice! If you do a "program" from a company they fasts can be quite expensive if you need shipping included. (You also need fridge space for all those pre-made juices!)

For me, juice fasting beyond 1-2 full days is not really for me. I have no doubt that there are benefits - especially for people who may not eat a clean diet. But since I generally eat a clean, healthy diet - that is always vegan/plant-based. Juicing on a more moderate level suites me more.

Sidenotes: OK, now I do love juice fasts on some levels. People like Joe Cross in Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead inspire me so much. And I love that juicing brought him so much wellness success. And I hear about others who do week-long fasts and love it! But again, everyone is different. Juicing may save your health or it may not be for you. (The Fat, Sick Nearly Dead documentary is amazing! Must see. Another must see documentary: BLACKFISH. Wow. That one is in theaters now. Go go go.)

OK back to it..

But obviously from this post: I LOVE JUICING. I love one juice in the morning or as an afternoon pick-me-up or I even love adding fresh pressed juice (like carrot juice) as a liquid base in smoothies. I also love my own style of juice fasting as a weekly or bi-weekly wellness habit. So, what works for me? I call my juicing habit a half day cleanse. (Full details + how-to below!) These are the ingredients I use in my Rainbow Juice as part of my cleanse..

Ingredient Benefits:

Beet - Beets blend up looking beautiful. Dark "rosy cheeks, red lips" pink! Beauty-food beets. Fresh, raw beet juice is a deep purple-red color. Beet juice is very sweet and actually very light and appealing despite what pre connotations people may have about beets. Most people have only tasted roasted or cooked beets which have quite a different more woody, earthy flavor. Raw beets are similar to carrots in a way! I always say that it would be what vampires would chug if they were vegan :) Beets are well known to be a blood strengthener. Beet juice contains vitamin C, a large amount of folate, vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin and a hefty amount of minerals including potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, copper and a hint of selenium. Talk about a power-packed superfood! Tip: If you are new to beet juice start off by adding just a splash to your juice blends. Once you acquire a taste for this sweet juice and how it makes you feel, you will probably crave it!

Carrot - Carrots juice up super sweet and almost creamy in a lovely desirable way. Carrot pairs perfectly with ginger. (It also goes well with coconut! Fresh raw coconut meat or coconut water.) Carrot also tastes amazing served over ice with a splash of fresh orange juice. Carrot juice is quite sweet, so be aware of that when you drink it if you are sensitive to sugars (even natural ones!) Carrot is famously rich in vitamin A. It also contains thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, manganese, vitamin C and potassium.

Ginger - Warming, spicy and very stimulating. Ginger is also well known for its digestion enhancing properties and may even help with nausea or an upset stomach. I adore adding heaps of ginger to my juices. It really sharpens and tones all the other fruit and veggie flavors in the blend.

Green Apple - I love juicing green apples due to their tart perky flavor and vibrant sweetness. Apples contain vitamins A, C, B6, K, potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese and even a hint of iron, calcium, phosphorus and more.

Celery - This low sugar, mildly flavored veggie juices like a dream due to its high water content. Celery juice contains potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, riboflavin, calcium and magnesium.

Cayenne - Spicy, stimulating and warming, cayenne helps to perk up your system and provide a spicy accent. Some studies have even shown that spicy foods helps boost your metabolism temporarily.

Coconut Water - Rich in electrolytes including potassium, coconut water is a low calorie, sweet tasting beverage that comes from fresh/raw young green coconuts. Coconut water is a great source of magnesium, manganese and more. You can buy coconut water at most grocery stores. If you can find whole coconuts with the tops cut off, go for those!

Kathy's Half Day Juice Cleanse.

Remember those "half days" back in school? They were always super awesome, yes? Home by lunchtime and ready for some sunshine or lounge time or a few hours to get ahead on schoolwork. Well a half day juice cleanse is kinda like that! You were expecting a lengthy full day of juicing, but surprise! you can get some pretty effective results in my half-day model. Actual "half" day depends on how you look at it because the numbers show your body gets just under a full 24 hours of digestion resting + juice cleansing!..

I do this once every week because it makes me feel amazing and I really actually enjoy it. As opposed to the overnight/multi-day juice fasts. I like that I am flushing my body with nutrient-dense juice for a good 16-20 hours. (If my last meal was at 9pm the day before and I juice fast until 4pm the next day that is a good 19 hours!) During that time I am letting my digestive system rest (which is one of the benefits of longer term juice fasts.) Even in my half day cleanse I can feel a difference and notice my body detoxing on a moderate level. Along with the juice, I am sure to drink plenty of alkaline water throughout the day and I also include my Goji-Berry Lemon Cayenne Maple Tea (only I strain the berries instead of chewing them). So here is how to do it..

Ingredients:

3+ lbs organic carrots
3-4 organic beets (medium)
1 bunch organic celery (or 2 organic cucumbers)
1 large organic green apple
2-3 organic lemons
16-20 ounces coconut water
cayenne
raw ginger root
optional: 2-3 Brazil nuts or brown rice cakes (for a chew-craving)
*tip: always try to use organic produce when juicing.

3-4 16oz. glass bottles for storing your juice for the day. (If you do not have bottles, you can use large glasses and secure with some plastic wrap.

Step 1: Upon rising. Drink a small glass of lemon water or my lemon tea. This will warm and wake your digestive system a bit.

Step 2: Start juicing for the day. First juice carrots + 1 Tbsp of ginger. Keep juicing your carrots until you get about 16 ounces of carrot ginger juice. Pour the carrot juice into bottles.

Step 3: Juice your beets also with ginger. Pour into a bottle.

Step 4: Juice 1 green apple + 1 bunch of celery (or cucumbers) + ginger and add 1 lemon (squeezed not juiced). Pour into a bottle.

Tip: Add ginger + cayenne (and lemon!) to taste for all blends! You may want super spicy juice or just moderately spicy juice. You can add lemon juice to any blend you'd like if desired.

Step 5: Now you should have (estimate) 3-4 separate 12oz. bottles of juice. You can drink these separately throughout the day or do what I do and make "Rainbow Juice" (recipe at top of post)

Step 6: Drink 12+ ounces of rainbow juice (or separate flavors) every 2 hours (or when ever you want more - just be sure to ration your juice so you do not run out.) Drink water and/or coconut water between juices. If you get hungry for some chew foods, munch on a few Brazil nuts (selenium!) or a brown rice cake. You could also munch a few walnuts or eat a spoonful of almond or peanut butter.

Step 7: Be sure to clean your juicer after juicing! Store bottles in the fridge, sealed to reduce oxygen.

Step 8: So, if you wake at 9am and drink your first juice at 10am, your second juice will be at noon and you third at around 2pm. And your last juice should be around 3 or 4pm. This way you will be ready to enjoy a healthy vegan dinner by around 6-7pm. If you are hungry around 4pm you can eat a light snack to tide you over until dinner time. Some rice cakes with almond butter and banana, or maybe a smoothie to continue your easy digestion mode! Actually, a smoothie is a perfect way to break a juice fast because while it contains fiber, it eases you back into fiber by letting you consume it in a processed, liquid state!

And congrats! You completed a juice cleanse!

Modify it: Need to tweak you juice

-> More greens: add a handful of your favorite greens like spinach, kale or chard to any of your juices.
-> More sweet: try adding more apple to your juices - although beet and carrot are also very sweet. You can also try adding orange, grapes, pear or pineapple! So many "sweet" healthy options for juicing.
-> Less sweet: You can always modify you juice by using more neutral ingredients like cucumber and celery. These high water content, low sugar content ingredients will turn down the sweet flavor. You can also add purified water to any juice blend to further reduce the sweet.
-> More spice: Add more ginger and cayenne. Adventurous juicers can even add a clove of raw garlic!

Tools: Juicer - Yup, you do need a juicer to juice. Here are three that I have owned and love..

SuperAngel - such DRY pulp! There is so little pulp with this machine that you really do not waste much food unlike most juicers where you feel like you have so much pulp/fiber left. I bought this juicer as a big investment purchase about four years ago and this juicer is still one of my favorite appliances.
Breville Compact - Perfect for small spaces. This juicer takes up a small amount of counter space and juices super fast. Downside: a lot of wet pulp, but if you find ways to use the pulp, that is helpful. This juicer is best for hard produce (carrots, apples, beets..) Love the wide mouth.
Breville Multi-Speed - a bit more versatile since you can do a lower speed than the compact one speed. A bit better with leafy greens than a one speed/high speed juicer.

Citrus Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

Citrus Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots, where have you been all my life? These golden rods coated in sticky, glossy, maple-citrus sweetness do not taste like vegetables. They taste like CANDY. No really, I should've lobbied to have these babies passed out on skewers at Halloween, rather than waiting for Thanksgiving to roll around to serve these. These long skinny carrots have crispy blackened edges and tender insides that melt in your mouth and not on your fork.

And this recipe is super simple. So grab a bunch of carrots at the store, or better yet, the farmer's market, and glaze some carrots today! You will feel oh so sassy and gourmet with this platter on your table. And when holiday dinner tables need to be set, you can pull this recipe out of thin air and look like a kitchen whiz.

Kids, adults and picky eaters of all sorts will fall in love at first golden bite. Make these just once and you will forever be a roasted + glazed carrot fan. Everyone who tries these will want to finish all their veggies. Have I convinced you yet?

And a bonus side dish recipe that pairs perfectly as a base layer for these carrots: Tahini lemon short grained brown rice...

The inspiration..

Stemmed local, organic carrots..

Chop chop, and ready for glazing + roasting..

These carrots will be on my holiday table(s) this year..


And I'm pretty sure there will NOT be leftovers.

Over rice..

In a flash, your carrots go from au natural to totally sassy + glazed.

Glam carrots.

Rice too. This simple short grained brown rice (short grained is my fave!) acts as the perfect bedding for your glossy sweet carrots. The diced carrots in the rice add a subtle sweetness that compliments the savory, nutty tahini and lively lemon juice.

Carrots are rich in vitamin A and some studies have shown that cooking foods like carrots may help release some of the vitamin A to make it more easily absorbed by your body. While cooking will reduce the amount of vitamin C in most veggies, for carrots , it may help increase vitamin A. So there is a trade off.

Nutritional estimate per recipe - carrots:

Citrus Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots
makes one small platter

1 bunch of stemmed carrots (about 7-8 medium - not large - carrots) - stems removed, halved (long strips)
2 Tbsp grade B maple syrup
2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp coarse pink salt
1/8 tsp fine black pepper
1 satsuma or tangerine (2 round slices with peel, the rest juiced + pinch of zest)

Extra glazed: for bolder carrots, you can add an extra splash of EVOO + maple syrup. You will get more sticky pourable glaze for serving this way.

Directions:

1. Wash and scrub carrots. Remove stems and slice down the center into long strips. Extra large carrots can be sliced into quarters. Skinny carrots may be kept whole.

2. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Place carrots in a dish - I used a bread loaf pan. Add the maple syrup, citrus juice, 2 citrus slices and zest, oil, salt and pepper. Toss carrots well so the coating is evenly distributed. Lightly grease a shallow baking pan or foil liner on a cookie baking sheet. Pour carrots into baking dish so that all carrots are single layered. Pour leftover glaze liquid over top carrots. Roast carrots with the two citrus slices.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for five minutes, then turn oven to broil for two minutes. Turn back down to 400 and flip carrots. Bake for another five minutes at 400 and then broil again for two minutes. Edges of a few carrots should be slightly blackened. Remove from oven, transfer to serving platter, be sure to pour excess baking dish liquid over top carrots, and serve warm.

energy elixir

as i said on my facebook, i was feeling a bit drained yesterday after my weekend. but today i got TONS of sleep (maybe too much - i just kept sleeping because my dreams were so enthralling...) then had a great workout and drank a gorgeous pink jar of juice.

yum yum. i'll give you the recipe in a minute (or - due to the magical nature of the internet and time-space continuum - you may just scroll down.) last night i felt like just having juice today to get my energy back and guess what. it's already returned! all it took was some deep sleep, weight-lifting, and the elixir of living fruits and vegetables. i made a glass for mom too, since she was in desperate need of some nourishment after a busy day of random errands like getting a bunch of knives sharpened.

oh! just remembered something. heard of global girl? well if not - check her out. she just did a raw vegan dessert round-up for her fave recipes; one of them is mine. yes, i am indeed tooting my own horn. if you've got a problem with that - well you can DRINK MY JUICE!

oh wait, you should do that anyway. 

everything awesome life juice: serves two

2 carrots

3 tomatoes

2 apples

1 cucumber

3 slices of pineapple

4 beets

chunk of ginger

lemon

2 bell peppers

i think that's all i put in there... 

wash, slice, peel, chop and cut as needed. throw it all in the juicer! not literally, that would be messy. drink!

oh one more thing. PLEASE take a listen to this amazing woman. she is a visionary in my opinion. her albums are "projects" and she makes a video for each song. you can watch them all in a particular order and it becomes an emotional journey. she keeps you guessing. it's beautiful. 

pasta with cashew sauce & avocado

Raw pasta is so satisfying. You think you won't be full after eating it, but you always are! Well, maybe I shouldn't use the word "full" in it's conventional way. I mean you feel like you don't need to eat anything else. You feel satisfied! Probably because of all the fiber and water in veggies, plus the delicious sauce on the noodles.

The second easiest way to make raw pasta is on the mandoline, which I've been doing since I went vegan. It works well enough, but it wasn't made for making raw noodles. The EASIEST way to make raw pasta? With a Spirooli. Guess what.

I HAVE ONE NOW! Thanks to my lovely and too-nice vegan, non-biologial sista, Eva.

She is the most compassionate, caring and selfless person I know. So of course, she spends way too much money on other people. Me included. She justified buying this wonderful new toy as a "late Christmas present". Who am I to deny her generosity!? I'll take a free Spirooli any way I can. The first thing I made was pretty simple and also simply delicious.

I made pasta out of carrots, put on some creamy cashew sauce and sliced avocado REALLY thin to add to it. The spiral slicer worked great! I'm gonna be eating so much zucchini pasta from now on.

Sorry, salad.

Carrot Pasta with Creamy Cashew Sauce & Avocado Slices: makes one serving

Sauce:

2 Tb cashew butter

1 t miso

1 Tb tamari

4 Tb water

1 clove garlic

Pinch of salt & pepper

1 Tb nutritional yeast

1 Tb hemp seeds

Pasta & Avocado Slices:

3 carrots, peeled (you could also use zucchini or any other long and wide veggie)

Slightly pre-ripe Avocado

Blend all sauce ingredients - except hemp seeds - together until smooth and creamy. If it's too thick - add more water, tamari or agave. If it's too watery, add more cashew butter or miso. Then stir in hemp seeds.

To make the pasta, slice the carrots on a mandoline, or in your Spirooli! Mix in the sauce. 

To make the avocado slices, cut the avocado in half the non-symmetrical way. This is probably the direction you usually don't cut it in. Then peel off the skin. Now just slice the avocado on your mandoline or with a sharp knife. Plate as you like! I added some hot sauce on the bottom.

In other news: my friend Alex wants me to mention how insanely attractive he is. Now you know.

Also: I'm leaving for Mexico SOON, people! So stoked. I'll post more about it tomorrow.
Until then, enjoy your pasta! Have the best day ever.