AMAZING CONCOCTIONS-Coconut Water and Cleansinng Pineapple Cucumber

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING CONCOCTIONS!
Well, my favourite thing is to drink the juice version, chilled. It’s seriously got such an amazing taste that you would not even believe it’s made out of cucumbers. I remember about a year ago, I winced at the thought of adding cucumber to a smoothie, now I believe it’s the greatest idea just because it tastes so refreshing and amazing. You seriously need to TRY IT OUT to know what I mean.
I was inspired to make this because I drank a juice exactly like this in LA at Juice Crafters. I just loved it so much I had to try and make it. Though I don’t have a juicer, the blended version is great enough.

Cleansing Pineapple Cucumber and Coconut Water
1 1/2 cup pure coconut water
1 cup chopped pineapples
1 medium cucumber
Optional additions: Mint, lemon juice.

Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend until it’s completely smooth and then pour it in a glass to drink. You may want to wait for about 30 minutes for the thick part to foam at the top. If you scoop it out, you end up with juice underneath.

Cleansing Pineapple Cucumber and Coconut Water

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• 1½ cup pure coconut water
• 1 cup chopped pineapples
• 1 medium cucumber

Instructions

1. Optional additions: Mint, lemon juice.
2. Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend until it’s completely smooth and then pour it in a glass to drink. You may want to wait for about 30 minutes for the thick part to foam at the top. If you scoop it out, you end up with juice underneath.

Green Smoothie Cool Drinks

 
Refreshing Green Smoothie
4 cups frozen mixed green grapes, pineapples, green apples and pears.
3 cups kale, baby spinach and lettuce leaves
1 cup cucumber and broccoli stems
1 cup cold water or ice blocks (if you want it very cold/icy)
Freeze four cups of mixed green grapes, pineapple pieces, green apples (chopped up) and pears overnight.

Wash the vegetables to remove any dirt or other unwanted substance. If you have a high powered blender like Vitamix, add all the ingredients in and push down with the food tamper, or add the frozen parts first and blend, then add the vegetables and water/ice.
Give the smoothie a great, huge blend until everything is completely smooth.

Green Smoothie Cool Drinks

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• 4 cups frozen mixed green grapes, pineapples, green apples and pears.
• 3 cups kale, baby spinach and lettuce leaves
• 1 cup cucumber and broccoli stems
• 1 cup cold water or ice blocks (if you want it very cold/icy)

Instructions

1. Freeze four cups of mixed green grapes, pineapple pieces, green apples (chopped up) and pears overnight.
2. Wash the vegetables to remove any dirt or other unwanted substance. If you have a high powered blender like Vitamix, add all the ingredients in and push down with the food tamper, or add the frozen parts first and blend, then add the vegetables and water/ice.
3. Give the smoothie a great, huge blend until everything is completely smooth.

Garlic Tahini Sauce combine with Yellow Squash, Rice Millet Bowl with Broccolini

I’ve been inspired by just about any delicious vegan meal that I’ve come across, and my LA trip back in August was definitely one of the most awesome things that has happened to me.
I was lucky to visit Cafe Gratitude for an afternoon, a wonderful place for vegan foods. Seriously, that place is so good, you just have to go there if you’re in the area. It makes vegan food taste like heaven!

There, I ordered a bowl with veggies and a really thick, creamy sauce. I managed to figure out that it was a garlic tahini sauce (I think) and tried making it a few months ago, though it was too thick then.
So, this is my second time making it, and this is a wonderful way to eat your green veggies!

I decided to cook the broccolini and squash because my stomach just reacts badly to undercooked vegetables like this, but if you want to try it raw, by all means do so! (Can’t guarantee perfect results though).
Also, if you’re not a sprout type of person, you can totally not use it.

When you’re making this, I recommend that you make the rice first, then veggies and garlic sauce last, because it’s the one that takes the shortest time to cook. Rice can take ages, particularly brown rice. By soaking it for a couple of hours, you’re shortening the time it takes to cook by about 10 minutes.

Rice Millet Bowl with Broccolini, Yellow Squash and Garlic Tahini Sauce
Rice
1 cup jasmine brown rice (or regular)
1/2 cup millets
1 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Veggies
6 broccolini spears
1 small yellow squash
1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
2 sprigs cilantro
A small handful of pea shoots or sunflower sprouts
Garlic Tahini Sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup & 1 tablespoon water (divided*)
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan/sea salt
1 garlic clove
1-2 sprigs parsley
To make the Rice: In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, millets, water, olive oil, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir it a little and leave it soaking for about 2 hours.

Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil, which can take up to 6 minutes, then turn the heat to medium low (3 -4) and simmer for about 18-20 minutes.
To make the Veggies: Chop the broccolini into small pieces, and the yellow squash in very thin circles (chop them in half if they’re too big).

Place them in a large bowl, and start boiling some water. Once the water is bubbling away, take it off the stove and pour it over the broccolini and squash. Leave it sitting for about a minute, and then drain the water out.
Add a tablespoon of extra light olive oil in the frying pan and turn the heat to medium high (5-6).
Add the broccolini and squash and let it cook for about 6-7 minutes, constantly stirring. Turn the heat off and add the cilantro.
To make the Garlic Tahini Sauce: Combine all the ingredients except the one tablespoon of water in a high speed blender and blend until everything is completely smooth. Add the final tablespoon of water and stir it for a few seconds.

Assemble (makes 2 bowls): Add the rice first, then top it with the veggies, and place some pea shoots beside the veggies on top, then drizzle with the sauce.

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Rice Millet Bowl with Broccolini, Yellow Squash and Garlic Tahini Sauce

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

Rice

• 1 cup jasmine brown rice (or regular)
• ½ cup millets
• 1½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Veggies

• 6 broccolini spears
• 1 small yellow squash
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
• A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
• 2 sprigs cilantro
• A small handful of pea shoots or sunflower sprouts

Garlic Tahini Sauce

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame tahini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ⅓ cup & 1 tablespoon water (divided*)
• ¼ teaspoon Himalayan/sea salt
• 1 garlic clove
• 1-2 sprigs parsley

Instructions

1. To make the Rice: In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, millets, water, olive oil, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir it a little and leave it soaking for about 2 hours.
2. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil, which can take up to 6 minutes, then turn the heat to medium low (3 -4) and simmer for about 18-20 minutes.
3. To make the Veggies: Chop the broccolini into small pieces, and the yellow squash in very thin circles (chop them in half if they’re too big).
4. Place them in a large bowl, and start boiling some water. Once the water is bubbling away, take it off the stove and pour it over the broccolini and squash. Leave it sitting for about a minute, and then drain the water out.
5. Add a tablespoon of extra light olive oil in the frying pan and turn the heat to medium high (5-6).
6. Add the broccolini and squash and let it cook for about 6-7 minutes, constantly stirring. Turn the heat off and add the cilantro.
7. To make the Garlic Tahini Sauce: Combine all the ingredients except the one tablespoon of water in a high speed blender and blend until everything is completely smooth. Add the final tablespoon of water and stir it for a few seconds.
8. Assemble (makes 2 bowls): Add the rice first, then top it with the veggies, and place some pea shoots beside the veggies on top, then drizzle with the sauce.

Summertime Reboot Salad: Kale + Sweet Corn - Great for Summer!!

I think I inspired myself on this one. After writing up my 15 Fave Salad Dressings post I found myself craving .. salad! And since my fridge produce drawer was overflowing with summer goodies, I knew I had to whip something up.

This Summertime Reboot Salad features marinated kale, crisp, sweet, lightly cooked summer corn, vibrant red bell peppers, sweet white onion, some carrots, cabbage and a generous handful of finely chopped flat leaf parsley. The dressing contains all my favorite flavors: white miso (rich in probiotics!), tamari, tahini, grade B maple syrup, a splash of rice vinegar and my own custom blend of spices to accent these delicious summertime-infused flavors. Plus, I folded in a generous amount or raw organic hemp seeds to add fiber, protein and omega fatty acids.

Make-Ahead. Or not. I love this salad because you can make it during the day (whenever you have 15 minutes to spare to whip it up) - then just stick it in your fridge and it will be ready to pull and serve at dinnertime. Some salads will wilt in the fridge, but hearty kale leaves, moisture-absorbing hemp seeds and crunchy onion and peppers hold up very well in the fridge.

Or you can eat it right away. It tastes amazing within seconds of tossing the ingredients together.

This salad will remind you how yummy simple veggies can be when properly seasoned and prepped with some TLC.

Craving a delicious salad to reboot your body and make you just feel amazing? Lets go..

Some fun interview news: I will be a guest on Marilu Henner's AWESOME radio show next Friday - August 2nd. You can listen online. The show repeats all day long so you can listen at any hour you choose. If you listen live you can call in to chat with Marilu or ask guests questions. I have been listening to her show all week and just love it. Her show discusses "life through the prism of health." --> MariluShow.com

Reboot Salad. This is one of those big bowl salads that you really have to chew, digest and let absorb slowly into your body. In other words, do not eat a giant bowl of this stuff and head out for a five mile run. But all the goodness in these greens, veggies, seeds and corn is going to make you feel amazing. Salad glow you can call it.

To make this salad a meal, try adding some tempeh croutons or miso-dipped tempeh logs on top. Fold in a handful of beans or cooked grains like barley, quinoa or farro to the salad. Or add a dollop of hummus on the side. Or serve with my super fast chipotle sweet potato soup. You could also add a side of rice or a side baked sweet potato just to round things out a bit. Or add a side of sprouted grain toast slathered in vegan mayo if you crave. These spunky, green, sweet, miso, tamari, tahini, maple flavors go with so. many. foods. - you can really embrace the versatility of this recipe. Serve as a side or entree salad.

Corn Nutrition: Even though corn is incredibly sweet, it is still incredibly healthy. One ear of corn has around 75 calories, 1g fat, 3g protein and 2-3g fiber. It contains some vitamin C, thiamin, folate, phosphorus, magnesium and more.

..but really, the best part is how sweet and delicious corn is.

How to Eat Summer Corn. Did you know that you totally can eat corn right from the stalk - raw? Yup. It is pretty yummy that way. Crisp, juicy and sweet. It is an odd texture and taste the first time you try it, but then once the sweet fresh flavor registers on your taste buds you will be loving it! OK, or not. Fresh corn is a unique taste and I'm guessing some of you may prefer the cooked version. But at least give it a try! One tip: wash your corn very very well if eating raw. (Just like any veggie really.)

I personally like my corn "lightly cooked" So instead of boiling until the kernels are deep golden yellow, I boil for a very brief 2-3 minutes. This softens the corn and cooks a bit, but still retains that lovely fresh summer flavor.

You can use raw, cooked or slightly cooked corn in this salad. Actually grilled or roasted corn would be amazing too.

Starting the dressing:

Summertime Reboot Salad: Kale + Sweet Corn
vegan, serves 4

2 ears of summer corn
4-6 cups kale, washed and finely chopped (remove thick stems)
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 small white or sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red cabbage
1/3 cup raw organic hemp seeds

Sweet Miso Tahini Dressing:
2 Tbsp white miso paste
1 1/2 Tbsp tahini
1 1/2 Tbsp grade B maple syrup
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp tamari
1-2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or unseasoned rice vinegar can also be used)
spices:
pinch of fine black pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
pinch of cayenne

This salad would be amazing with miso-dipped tempeh logs

Directions:

1. Boil water in a large pot. When water is boiling, drop corn and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the color darkens a bit. (You can cook shorter or simply serve corn raw if you'd like.) Pull corn from pot and set aside to cook a bit.

2. In a large salad tossing bowl, add all the dressing ingredients (including spices) and with a spoon start whipping until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

3. Prep your veggies. Wash/dry kale and remove tough stems. Chop finely. Also finely chop the flat leaf parsley. Chop onion and bell pepper. Chop cabbage and carrots (if adding). Add all prepped veggies to large salad bowl with the dressing in it.

4. Toss the veggies with the dressing very well. Toss for a few minutes until the veggies have absorbed much dressing and the kale has wilted down a bit. (If you'd like to add more or different veggies, go for it.)

5. Grab your corn and carefully slice off the kernels and add directly to the salad bowl. I usually use a bread knife and hold the corn cob carefully with a paper towel so it doesn't slip. Add both cobs - about 1 1/2 cups of kernels.

6. Toss the warm corn with the salad. This will further wilt and marinate the veggies.

7. Add in the hemp seeds and toss.

8. Do a taste test. You can alter the flavor if desired. Add more rice vinegar for a wetter, tangier flavor, more oil for a richer texture or more miso, tamari or table salt for more salt. You can also add more veggies if the dressing as is is too strong for you. Just add in another handful of chopped kale or other veggies and toss.

Serve right away (slightly warm) or allow to marinate and chill in the fridge for up to 8 hours. If storing in the fridge over 8 hours you may want to add dressing later and just set prepped veggies in the fridge covered.

Simple Sweet Tahini Dressing

Add some green deliciousness to any meal (hey, even breakfast!) by learning how to whip up this simple (make-ahead approved) recipe for 5-Step Raw Kale Salad.

Go-To Recipe. I make this dish A LOT and love it because once you learn the basics you can change things up by adding in a wide variety of fresh veggies, roasted veggies, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, pickled veggies, beans and other vegan goodies.





Raw Kale Salad. Yup, it still seems to be everywhere I look these days. And just in case you needed a reminder, kale is indeed PACKED with nutrients..

Whenever I think of raw kale salad I think of my friend Gena. You guys may remember a video we did a few years ago..

Gena introduced me to her massaged version of raw kale salad for our 'summer recipes' video shoot. The scene: We were smiling and happily running around doing our video shoot showcasing a few beloved vegan summer recipes when Gena said she would be making a massaged kale salad. I was thrilled because hey, I love raw kale salads! But wait, did she say "massaged" kale salad? I had kinda 'heard about' massaging kale but never seen it first hand. And then suddenly Gena was on camera with me, chattering away in my living room, wrist-deep in her bowl of salad massaging the heck out it! All those veggies and raw kale bits were getting some serious five-star spa-like pampering. If you watch the video you can see I was a little shocked by the hands-on-ed-ness of it. But ya, it tasted AMAZING.

..OK, I get it now! Do you massage your kale? Well I personally do not often do hands-on deep tissue to my raw kale salad leaves. I usually just do a vigorous fluff-n-fold-n-chill approach and let time do the 'softening' work. So I let my dressing-tossed kale sit in the fridge for about 1-8 hours (prep in the AM, eat by dinner) and by then the flavors are infused and the greens softened. Or for crunchy kale, you can eat ASAP.

THE SEED Vegan Experience!! Speaking of Gena, I am super excited that next month Gena and I will be doing a duo presentation on MY favorite topic: vegan smoothies! Demo included! We will be chatting up all things blogging, eating, vegan smoothie-making, Vitamix-loving and anything the audience wants to ask us a la Q&A sesh. This will be my first big presentation at a big "vegan" event so I am excited! I will also be hanging out at a Healthy Happy Life / Finding Vegan booth hopefully handing out recipes cards and maybe a few more goodies to remind people to buy my book 365 Vegan Smoothies which will go on sale shortly after the event. If you are in NYC please come say hi! I'd love to meet you! Buy 50% off tickets while they last!

But enough chatter, lets get kale-ing...

5-Step Kale Salad

Step 1. Wash your fresh kale greens. Run each thick leaf under warm to hot water and massage any grit away. Then refresh the leaves by running them all under ice cold water. (The hot and coldest settings on your tap will work.)

Step 2. Prep your ingredients. Remove the thick vein from your kale leaves and discard. (You could keep this on, but it is quite chewy.) Also prep your other veggies however you'd like. Chop, dice, cube, shred... Add the chopped kale and veggies to a large mixing bowl.

Step 3. Make your dressing. In a small bowl, whisk your dressing together.

Step 4. Toss! Add the dressing to your bowl of veggies and kale and start tossing! You could massage if you'd like :) Fluff and toss until the dressing is well absorbed into the greens and veggies.

Step 5. Chill it! Allow at least an hour for the dressing to really sink into the ingredients. Plus chilling everything makes it refreshing and tasty as a cold salad side. You can even make this salad the night before you serve it. Overnight chilling works! The greens should be eaten within 48 hours though.

Now for the recipe...

5-Step Kale Salad
vegan, makes 6 cups

4 cups chopped raw kale (about 1/2 small bunch)
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1 small avocado, diced
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
2-3 Tbsp seeds or nuts (I added some mineral-rich pepitas)

*you can easily change up the veggie and other add-ins as desired.

Simple Sweet Tahini Dressing
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice + pinch of zest
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
2-3 pinches cayenne
pinch of salt + a few pinches of black pepper

(Make a double batch of dressing if you like your greens more heavily dressed)

Important notes:
* If you want to lighten up the dressing, substitute fresh orange juice for the EVOO.
* You can use raw agave syrup or brown rice syrup in place of maple if desired.
* Add a splash of tamari in place of the salt if you have it on hand!
* Be sure to stir stir stir first if your tahini settled with oil on top!
* Add a splash of apple cider vinegar if you'd like a perkier, more acidic dressing.
* I like to use pink Himalayan salt.
* Freshly finely chopped parsley is a very nice touch for this dressing.