protein party

this bowl is packed full of protein for your muscles! it has banana, nut butter, goji berries, coconut, and cacao nibs. it's terrific for after a workout, or whenever you want a filling, super healthy snack or meal.

i believe the perfect post-workout food is a green smoothie (greens, fruit and water/nut milk) with hemp seeds or some other high-protein food added. That being said, you need a variety of protein in your diet, just as you need a variety of all foods so you can get the most out of the nutritional landscape surrounding us.

after my workout today (and said green hemp smoothie) i did a few things around the house and on the computer but then started to get hungry again. i decided to make a healthier version of oatmeal. NOT that oatmeal isn't healthy. i've always loved it, personally. but i try to keep gluten out of my diet when i can, and use the most nutritious whole grains possible. thus, my "oatmeal" today had millet quinoa.

or maybe couscous... honestly i can't tell the difference because i don't use grains that much and the jar wasn't labelled. but you get the point. when i first got into raw food i was a whole lot stricter than i am now. i realize i can't eat 100% raw all the time and i am now quite comfortable with that reality. i also believe that eating mostly raw with some lightly cooked veggies and whole grains is probably more ideal for my body than eating all raw.

many hard core raw foodists suffer omega-3 deficiencies after some time, but whole grains such as quinoa, millet, barley, couscous, etc. are rich in omega-3's (as well as other vital nutrients that can be in short supply in a raw food diet). read this book for more info on this topic. another option is to simply sprout these grains instead of cooking them. in any case - my health is my primary concern, not the percentage of raw food i eat. so go couscous! ... or millet. i dunno (nope, apparently it was quinoa. thank you, knowledgeable readers.)

whole grain protein bowl: serves one

1/3 cup whole grains (like millet, couscous, quinoa, oat groats, etc.) cooked in 2/3 cup water
1 sliced banana
1 tablespoon nut butter
1 tablespoon raw sweetener (or throw in some dates or raisins)
2 tablespoons dried goji berries
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
3 tablespoons dried coconut chunks 

throw it all together and eat it up! 

vegan feast

a few weeks ago one of my best friends, amanda, asked if i would be willing to cook a vegan dinner for her and her family. duh! so last night i did.

we made pad thai with mushrooms and red onion; a quinoa salad with baked rosemary eggplant, tomatoes, cucumber and roasted peppers; pan-fried tofu with a peanut sauce; and a blueberry vanilla cheesecake for dessert.

i brought strawberries, raspberries and cherries from the farmers market. they were so juicy and delicious. we put some on the cheesecake but i ate most of them for my dinner. amanda's family was a little confused as to why i had spent hours cooking an amazing vegan feast but then didn't eat any of it... being raw can be like that. anyway i did have some quinoa salad and it was SO GOOD. amanda and i are great team-mates.

as usual, every recipe was improvised BUT i will try to recall what we did, so i can share the deliciousness with you. amanda's family said it was super amazing, and her grandpa told me the cheesecake may be the best dessert he's ever had!

quinoa salad with tomatoes, cucumber, baked rosemary eggplant and roasted red peppers: serves 6-8

salad:
2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 eggplant
1 cucumber
4 tomatoes
3 roasted red peppers
handful fresh mint leaves
 
peanut sauce: 
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced and crushed
4 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon each chili and cayenne powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar/agave syrup or other sweetener

follow the quinoa's cooking instructions, then leave it somewhere to cool down.
for the eggplant, slice into circles and put on a baking sheet. rub with olive oil, some salt and lots of chopped rosemary. bake it for about 20-30 minutes until the slices are  "mushy" and have soaked up the oil. chop the cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper, mint and eggplant slices and add to the quinoa.

for the peanut sauce, blend all ingredients until smooth. done! serve with peanut sauce.

blueberry cheesecake: makes 1 pie

crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract

filling:
2 packages silken tofu
3 bananas
2 tablespoon melted coconut oil
2 cups raw cashews (preferably soaked for a few hours)
1/4 cup agave/maple syrup/honey
1/2 cup dates
3/4 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

topping:
2 cups berries
3 tablespoons maple syrup/honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

for the crust: put all the nuts into your food processor and pule until they're crumb-sized. add all other ingredients and pulse until it sticks together. press into the bottom of a pie pan and refrigerate.
to make the filling, blend all ingredients until smooth. taste it and see if you want to change anything. when it's the way you like spoon it into the pie pan and refrigerate for 3 hours or until it's set. for the topping, mix all ingredients together gently and let sit in the sun or somewhere warm for an hour to let the juices out. you might have some filling left over by the way, but this is not a bad thing.

we used the same peanut sauce recipe (with a bit of added spice and soy sauce) to pan fry the tofu with and that turned out awesome, if not a little messy.

for the pad thai, you can just google vegan pad thai and use any of those recipes - there's some good lookin' ones out there. we added chives, carrots and mushrooms and onions sauteed with basil, salt and pepper. not exactly traditional but apparently it was well-received!

everybody wanted seconds of every thing, and her aunt and grandparents took leftovers home. it was a ton of fun and i want to do it again soon! making food for people is so rewarding and enjoyable for me.

Quinoa Spring Salad

photo credit: alive magazine

Recipe from Vive le Vegan!

My mother was visiting from Newfoundland when I was testing this recipe. She was thrilled to be my “taste tester,” and this dish became one of her favorites! It’s a breeze to make, especially if you cook the quinoa in advance, and it has fabulous flavors and textures. Mom returned home with this recipe in hand, along with my scribbles on how to pronounce “quinoa” (remember, “keen-wa,” Mom!).

1⁄2 cup frozen green peas (plus 2 cups boiling water to soak peas)
3 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
3⁄4 - 1 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped (roughly 2 medium or 11⁄2 large peppers), or raw red bell peppers, finely chopped
1⁄4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1⁄3 - 1⁄2 cup cucumber, seeds removed and diced (peeling optional)
1⁄3 cup green pistachios or toasted pine nuts (see Cooking Notes, p.<>),
or combination
1⁄4 cup hemp seed nuts (or more, if desired)
2 - 4 tbsp cilantro, parsley, or basil, chopped
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
3 1⁄2 - 4 tbsp Simple Cider Vinaigrette, p. 57 of Vive (also below) (or more, if desired) (see note)

In a bowl, soak the frozen peas in the boiling water. Let sit until the peas have warmed through. Drain peas and pat dry. In a large bowl, combine the peas with the remaining ingredients. Toss through to mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container.

Makes 5-6 servings as a side dish.

Notes:
1) This vinaigrette works well with this salad because it’s not overly complicated with too many flavors, and has a good amount of vinegar that works well here. You can use another vinaigrette of choice if you like, however, or even some olive oil and lemon juice, along with a little extra sea salt.

Simple Cider Vinaigrette
Every time I make this recipe, I think “Simple Simon” … all those nursery rhymes! That aside, a vinaigrette cannot get much simpler than this, using very basic pantry items. It has a stronger vinegar flavor than some of my other vinaigrette recipes, and is excellent tossed with a simple salad of mixed greens and cherry tomatoes!

1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1⁄2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1⁄2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1⁄4 cup + 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or less/more if desired)

With a handblender or in a blender, combine all the ingredients except the oil and purée. Continue blending and drizzle in the oil. Season to taste with additional sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.