The Fiber of My Life

I went into ATTACK mode!

2013-01-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

On Friday he said, "I feel kind of lousy. Scratchy throat and a headache." Oh no! That is what everyone has been saying lately, and then they are sick for 7 - 10 days! . . . . . . No, we aren't playing that game!

So, it was time to open up my arsenal of remedies, and attack this "bug" before it took any kind of a hold on my sweet husband.

In October of 2011 I got sick (so click that link!). My good friend Kat Conrad showed up at my door at 9:00 at night with a little brown bag of goodies to make me well. And it worked. We haven't needed this cure since that time, but it was time to pull it out again and nip this bug in the bud.

Juicing is key to the cure. Into the juice - in the little 2 ounce container - drops of black elderberry, echinacea goldenseal, and an oregano oil blend - and swig it down like a shot. (Thanks for that tip, Denise!) Whoa, the cayenne in the oregano is enough to kill anything! I did it too. Preventive maintenance! We upped our vitamin C and D, added several doses of oil of oregano to the day, breathed steam filled with eucalyptus, drank lots of water, tea, and he stayed home and rested Saturday and Sunday.

And in my nurturing mode, I found delight by setting up camp in the kitchen. Beside the smoothies and juices, a few good meals were in order.

A quinoa concoction with a citrus salad was my favorite on Saturday. I liked the salad the best. Assorted lettuces with avocado, oranges and kiwi. The dressing was made from orange juice, avocado and agave whisked together. Refreshing and full of vitamin C!

From this month's issue of Vegetarian Magazine, the Moroccan Potato, Carrot, and Chickpea Stew was a change of pace for us. We do not often have potatoes and these were quite tasty in this recipe. And those spices and raisins, oh my! (I love trying new recipes!)

And he wanted his favorite, Red Lentil and Squash Curry Stew. This is a standard in our house. It is a recipe by Angela Liddon, of Oh She Glows. You really must check out her website! She has amazing recipes.

This blog could not be complete without a picture of the wonderful ingredients of one of our juices. I love pictures of fruits and vegetables. Natures beauties!

Here's the spinach, oranges, grapefruit and lemon that made one of our healing juices. A mega blast of vitamin C (attack!!!). And it tasted so good!

Here is what it all looked like on the way into the juicer! And this is what it looked like afterwards.

Of course a dessert was in order too. Some comfort food! I tried a new recipe for Chocolate Pudding. It has hemp seeds and cacao in it which are amazing super foods! This is a recipe, Chocolate Avocado Pudding, that was on Jason Wrobel's show, How to live to 100. I usually make Raw Intentions' Chocolate Avocado Pudding - it's in her latest eBook by the way - but out of curiosity decided to try Jason's. I am not sure which one I like the best. Jason's is more like a milk chocolate pudding, whereas, Raw Intention's is definitely in the rich dark chocolate category. I wouldn't turn either one of them down!

Well, I think this is a sweet way to end this blog.

Oh, and that bug . . . the attack is paying off. We are winning that battle.

(P.S It feels good to do a blog again!)

I LOVE chips!

2012-08-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have finally perfected sweet potato chips! Well, at least I just had a very successful batch! The main problem with these chips is they don't last long! And it is not due to their shelf life, but because we eat them so fast! I love sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are power-packed with all kinds of wonderful nutrients!

Sweet potato chips are really easy to make, once you get the mistakes out of the way. I have made these a number of times and have learned something each time. I think the biggest lesson I learned is to make sure to cut them almost paper thin. I was slicing them too thick, and marinating them too long. They just never got crispy no matter how long I dehydrated them.

So this is what I now do. Peel the sweet potato. Using a mandolin, make thin slices of the sweet potato. As thin as you can.

Next decide what you want to put on the sweet potato. I use Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar as a base and then add a seasoning. (Thank you Raw Intentions for this tip!) I have added Himalayan salt and cayenne pepper, or cinnamon. Put the vinegar in a zip lock bag and then add whatever seasoning you want.

Add the sweet potatoes and shake them in the bag enough to just coat the potatoes. This is a quick in and out of the bag affair. Previously I was doing this stage in a bowl and letting the potatoes sit in the liquid for 30 minutes or so, and it just made them too wet and the dehydrating process took way too long and was not successful.

As soon as the potatoes are coated, begin placing them on the dehydrator screen. Put them as close to each other as you can to fit as many as possible on a tray. They will shrink 50% or more in size during the drying process.

I was dehydrating the potatoes at 105 degrees. This last batch - the first successful one - I dehydrated the potatoes at 115 degrees. I don't know if that was the key to success, or the fact that I sliced them thinner, or that I didn't soak them, or if it was a combination of all those things? Speaking of dehydrators, I use a 5 draw Excalibur. I love it! My next one will be a nine draw Excalibur!

The drying time will definitely vary. This batch took less than 24 hours to get to a nice crispy state. I start checking them after 12 hours or so. I can always tell how many times I check them because half a tray might be gone before they are even ready!!

Once they are ready, put them in a plastic container. I am not really sure what their shelf life would be because we have never had any left after a day or two!

So, if sweet potatoes work this well, I wonder if I can be as lucky with zucchini? As I write this, my zucchini experiment is in the dehydrator. I used my new favorite, golden zucchini from the Farmer's Market to make these chips. I did it the exact same way as the sweet potato method. I sliced the zucchini on my mandolin as thin as possible.

I used Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar in a plastic Zip Lock bag with Himalayan Salt, Oregano and Basil.

I'll let you know how these turn out!!

Energy Bars . . . or are they?

2012-08-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

I make my own energy bar. I haven't found one to buy that I like, and at least by making them myself, I am sure of what is in them! My bars are filled with great superfoods, tastes great and are so easy to make.

This is how easy it is to make them.

Here are the ingredients:

Coconut, goji berries, hemp seeds, cacao, chia seeds, maca, walnuts, and dates

Add the dates to a food processor

and pulse until there are large chunks.

Add the remaining ingredients

and pulse it until it sticks together when pinched.

Dump mixture onto parchment or wax paper and make a ball, then flatten the ball.

Place another piece of parchment or wax paper on top, and using a glass or rolling pin, flatten it to your desired thickness. Mine are about a half inch thick.

Using a large knife, square off the edges

and then cut into bars.

I like to top the bars off with coconut, nuts or hemp seeds.

Now just separate each bar

and wrap them individually. Store them in the freezer

and a quick energy bar, or treat, is ready when you are!

These bars are full of amazing ingredients. Superfoods.

Check out the phenomenal properties of each one.

There were lots of links to pick from when looking for the benefits and nutritional value of these foods. Do your own research. You might be surprised.

Yes, they are full of energizing nutrients, but they do taste so good! So that brings me back to the original question . . .

are they an energy bar, or a treat? What do you think?

Raw Soup Away from Home

2012-03-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

I sure wish I had a blender and a juicer at work. Oh how nice that would be! It would make lunch time so fun. I especially like raw soups and I could just whip them right up on the spot. But, since that isn't the case, it requires improvising.

Remember my post, Afternoon Delight, where I talked about being organized and bagging up veggies to juice or to use for soup? Well, it actually works quite well. Here is how I can have raw soup away from home.

Before I left home I got out my handy bag of veggies that were all combined and cut, and dumped them in the blender. Next all the pre-measured spices got added, a little Tahiti and water and in less than three minutes I had Green Bandito Soup. This soup recipe is from my friend Kat. You can check her website to get it. Oh my, it smelled so good! It was all I could do not to eat it for breakfast!!

It filled two mason jars, one for today and one for tomorrow (or maybe even tonight!).

I added some mung bean sprouts and an avocado to my jar of soup and packed it all together in my lunch box.

About 45 minutes before lunch I filled a Tupperware container with hot water. The hot water spout from our coffee maker really came in handy for this. Instant hot water! I changed the water one more time half way through and by lunch time the soup was perfect. Warmer than room temperature, but not so hot that the amazing enzymes from the vegetables and greens would be destroyed.

I added the soup to a bowl, garnished it with sprouts, chopped avocado and pepper, and lunch was ready.

Simple pure food in the bowl,

followed by extraordinary nutrients doing magic in my body!

Not Butternut Squash Soup and Broccoli Sprout Salad

2012-03-11T23:08:00.001-05:00

Today was a day of improvising. I started out in the sewing room. I am still working on that dang roman shade. I was all set to make a big dent in the project until I realized the fabric glue required a drying time of 24 hours. OK. So I glued on the trim, set it all to the side, and I made two pillows for a friend.

My plan was to make Red Lentil and Curry Butternut Squash Stew. That was my husband’s request and what he thought he was going to get when he got home! But alas, we were out of squash! So time to improvise, again! He loves quinoa and beans, so based on that, the following soup happened!

Although he says he likes the Red Lentil and Curry Butternut Squash soup better, he had no problems having a second good size helping of this soup! I liked it too, and it was a pretty fast throw together soup! Very thick and hearty.

This is how I made Not Butternut Squash Soup:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 small zucchini, chopped
1 ½ boxes vegetable broth (6 cups)
½ cup quinoa, uncooked
½ lentils, uncooked
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ - ¾ tsp curry powder
¼ - ½ tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper
Sprinkle of ground nutmeg
3 cups baby spinach leaves (or kale would be good too!)

Directions: Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the chopped onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Stir often. Add the chopped carrots, chopped zucchini, and minced garlic, and continue to sauté, covered, stirring often for about 10-15 minutes. Enough so the vegetables are almost, but not quite done.

Add vegetable broth, quinoa, lentils, tomatoes, black beans, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the spinach and cover. Simmer on low for about 15-30 minutes. Makes about 10 cups.

A day just isn't complete without a salad. I wanted to use my sprouts and my broccoli. I couldn't find any recipes for that combination, so time to improvise again, and Broccoli Sprout Salad was born.

Broccoli Sprout Salad

The ingredients are rough because I did not measure! Exactness is definitely not crucial with this salad.

Chop and add to a large bowl:

½ red pepper
2-3 green onions
1 carrot
½ cucumber
1 c broccoli florets (little pieces)
1 tomato
2-3 c sprouts (mine were a combination of mung beans and lentils)
¼ c sliced almonds

Stir it all together

Dressing

1 avocado diced
1 lemon
Sweetener (optional: agave or honey)
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic powder
Cumin
Cayenne Pepper

Dice the avocado and place in a medium bowl. Add the juice of a lemon. Add some olive oil – maybe a tablespoon or so – and the rest of the seasonings.

Stir it all up and add it to the veggies.

That’s it!

My lemon was rather big and the lemon juice was quite overpowering so I added some agave to take a bit of the tartness away – and not enough because my husband still thought it was too tart! I thought it was just right, so I ate his!

It is a wonderfully crunchy salad with lots of flavor. I love sprouts and this was a perfect way to use them. If you have never sprouted mung beans or lentils before, it is really easy to do. They are a powerhouse of nutrition, and way better than any you can buy. Watch this great little video on YouTube that shows how to make a sprouting jar, and also how to sprout. The same procedure shown on the video for the alfalfa sprouts would apply to mung beans and lentils. I use the plastic netting from the bags of limes or lemons for the screen. You could always improvise with anything that would work!!

So after some minor improvising, everything turned out OK. Like the saying goes, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

I could also say, "when you are out of butternut squash, make not butternut squash soup" or "when your sprouts and broccoli want to get together, make broccoli sprout salad."

(Does that even make sense? I can tell I lost that hour of sleep with the time change! Yikes!)

Wrapping Romaine . . .

2012-03-05T19:37:00.000-06:00

. . . around veggies is one of my favorite things to do with a nice leaf of romaine lettuce. I think I even like it that way better than in a salad. It makes raw food fast food.

Now just look at my lunch. Yes, it is just all over the place in the picture, but the point is, it was quick, delicious and nutritious!

As you can see I have a little baggie of carrots and red peppers, and there is also a cucumber hiding on the far right, and of course the romaine lettuce. The little containers are filled with two kinds of deliciousness, eggless egg salad (now how crazy is that!) and red pepper cheese. I put all of this in a big plastic bag and put it together on my plate. Can't get a lunch at work much fresher than that!!

Lay the lettuce leaf out, spread it with the eggless egg salad, layer red peppers, cucumber strips and fold it up, and there you have it, a great wrap! It's easy to change up what is in the wrap too. The carrots made for great dipping in the red pepper cheese (which by the way I could actually just eat with a spoon - I like it that much!!). It really was a very satisfying lunch.

Did you catch what I said, "eggless egg salad?" Are you the least bit curious as to what that is all about? This stuff tastes just like egg salad but has absolutely no eggs, and no dairy of any kind, in it. It is also great on crackers, with veggies, or on your finger (well, I don't know how your finger tastes, but it is great on my finger!).

All you have to do is combine all this stuff.

First chop up the celery, red pepper and green onions, and put it in a bowl with the Bubbies.

Then blend, really blend, the rest of the stuff together

until it is really smooth, and yellow. Then add it to the bowl

and mix it all together really well, and there you have it: eggless egg salad!

And just as a side note, absolutely none of this went to waste thanks to my handy rubber tongue!

I have used lots of spreads in a romaine wrap: hummus, guacamole, ranch dip. And filled them with everything from veggies to beans and even a quinoa combination. Think of it as the bread to your sandwich! Give it a try!

Well, as they say in show business, "That's a wrap!"

Are you a nutritarian?

2012-02-28T07:00:00.003-06:00

I love leftovers. It makes fixing a meal so fast! The Quinoa, Kale and Sweet Potato Salad from yesterday made a nice addition to a quick throw together salad.

I combined spinach, cucumbers, red onions, avocado, mango, slivered almonds, and dried cranberries, tossed it with a dressing made from the other half of the avocado, apple cider vinegar, and a splash of honey, and then sprinkled it all with gomasio (I love that stuff!). Some leftover hummus and carrots, and a couple of olives, rounded out the square plate. Definitely an oral exercise with all that chewing! The point: it was fast and delicious! Oh, and healthy!

Speaking of healthy, I watched Dr. Joel Fuhrman's, Eating Like a Nutritarian, this past weekend. (Thanks to my sweet husband for buying it for me!) It is full of good information and the major part of it is filmed in a Whole Foods. I learned a few chopping tips. The onion one really worked. I really admire this doctor. He played a big role in my health journey. His book Eat to Live was life changing for me. He coined the word nutritarian. Do you know what that word means? Do you know if you are a nutritarian?

Another one of my favorite documentaries, FoodMatters, has a blog on their website. They post some really good discussions, publications, and articles. Today I linked to them through Facebook to read the article: The Best and Worse Foods for your Heart. It is written by a doctor. Heart disease is an epidemic these days. The statistics are staggering. I know too many people dealing with heart disease. The article is really a quick read. Take a second and check out the link. Do it for you.

Oh, and by the way, I am, and love being, a nutritarian.

All in a day!

2012-02-26T22:42:00.002-06:00

This was the first time to make this amazing dish. My sister-in-law, Pauline, sent me a link to the recipe. It comes from The Bojon Gourmet website (bojon is no job backwards - thus the site) and although it took quite a bit of time to make it, it was definitely worth it! It is Quinoa, Kale and Sweet Potato Salad. The nice part is it made quite a bit so we can have it several times.

These simple ingredients, all put together, sure turned out pretty in that dish at the top of this post.

That was just the beginning of creating today. Well, of course the first creation was a smoothie. What else is new, right! Today I made one a bit out of character for us. It had a banana, apple, lots of spinach, parsley, almond milk, coconut water, cacao, carob, flax and spirulina. Green chocolate! But it works!

In an effort to be more organized this week, I also made one of our new favorite soups: Red Lentil and Curry Squash Stew. It is from Oh She Glows. I may have even posted this soup in a previous blog??? It's a great make ahead for lunches - or even dinner. I have added a few of my own touches to this recipe and it is rapidly becoming one of my husband's favorites. It doesn't take too many ingredients . . .

to make this fantastic stew!!

After all this work in the kitchen, there was no more procrastinating, it was time to have a reunion with my sewing machine. In an effort to do some updating around the house, I have been fabric shopping. The two big projects: a new roman shade for the living room and a fabric headboard for our bedroom. I dread the roman shade. I swore I wouldn't make another one, but here we go again (thanks Paula for your suggestion - I think!!) . I know I will be really glad when it's done, but it is just a big job. The headboard, I can't wait to do that, but I have not found the perfect fabric yet. So today, to see if I could still sew, I made a table runner and two place-mats.

The sewing machine and I actually got along great! I do enjoy sewing, but knitting seems to have overtaken that hobby. Speaking of knitting, I managed to knit a few more rows on my pink project.

To round out the day, we went to Raw Intentions Kitchen, to do some brainstorming with a bunch of the Raw Intentions groupies. It is pretty exciting being a part of this endeavor! My primary job is the photography. Denise calls me the Rawtograher! But . . . I got so wrapped up in the conversation, that I completely forgot to take pictures tonight!! At least someone thought to take one.

Thanks Kaytee for a great shot of the sushi. It was great, wasn't it?

So today was quite a fiber day . . . from food, to fabric to yarn!

Yes, all in a day!!

Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't . . .

2012-02-17T08:00:00.003-06:00

I came home from work really dragging. I am not sure where my energy is going, but the last few days I have really had that afternoon slump.

The cure . . . juice!

Apple, broccoli stems, parsley, lemon, cucumber and celery,

all run through the juicer,

and out comes green energizing juice.

This is what really works.

Instant energy.

A wonderful green happy hour.

Now, for what doesn't work . . .

This is an avocado sauce:

garlic, lemon juice and avocado made in the food processor.

This is spelt spaghetti.

Put the two together,

add some fresh ground pepper and grated lemon,

and this is what you get...

This is a recipe from Oh She Glows, and I have to admit it is the first one of her recipes that I didn't like. It wasn't awful. We did eat it. However, I won't be making it again.

So, sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't.

15 minute Creamy Avocado Pasta, sorry Angela, it doesn't.

I was watching them . . .

2012-02-12T21:36:00.001-06:00

. . . and I think they were watching me!

I spent my day in the kitchen. As you may know, it is one of my favorite things to do. Today, however, I was mesmerized and distracted by all the activity in my back yard. Between the birds and ducks on the lake, there was always something to watch. And I swear, they were watching me too!

You can't tell me he isn't looking at me!

Then he sent his woman over to check me out too!

And I just know all the mourning doves were trying to figure out what I was doing in the kitchen today. They looked in from the tree branches, and then gathered around the watering hole to compare notes.

I think they were all talking about me because the kitchen gets so messy.

I can't help it. It just happens!

In spite of all their distractions, I did get the macaroons made and put in the dehydrator, and the mint chocolate squares came out quite well too!

I am still not sure why there was so much action outside today. Maybe it has something to do with the storm that is supposedly approaching. We had an unusual amount of mallards on the lake today, the regular ducks and geese hung around the whole day and seemed to be swimming in circles.

It seems a bit ironic for this robin, (isn't a robin a sign of spring?) to be getting a drink at a watering hole that is coated in ice.

A mourning dove sat by the fountain for a really long time. Maybe that one is the guard?

Eventually it got dark. I closed the shades so we couldn't see each other any more. I ended the day in the kitchen making a really great soup. I must have had something once that had curry in it that I didn't like, so I have avoided curry dishes since. But for some reason this Red Lentil and Squash Curry Stew appealed to me and I decided to make it. What a hit. My husband and I both loved it. We even had seconds (and I was considering thirds but controlled myself!)! I did cut the amount of curry in half, and I doubled the amount of greens (spinach and kale), but otherwise, made the recipe as directed. This will be a do-over in our house. I visit Oh She Glows often to check out her recipes.

Guess what I am having for lunch tomorrow!

A Soup and Salad Day

2012-02-10T14:50:00.004-06:00

How many times have you gone to a restaurant and had soup and salad? It is a pretty common lunch, especially for us gals. Mom and I order soup and salad often. So it just seemed fitting to have soup and salad today right here in my own kitchen when Mom decided to come over.

Today is a dark gray and bone chilling day.

Looking out the window just makes me want to stay in.

So . . . to offset the dreariness of outdoors, lunch need to be bright and cheery . . . like spring.

Green!!!

Perfect day to make Denise's Broccoli Salad and my new favorite soup. I created this soup, Apple Spinach Avocado Soup, a few days ago by rummaging in the refrigerator. I even impressed myself with the results!

This salad tastes just like the original Broccoli Salad of days gone by, but without all the "bad" stuff. No dairy in this one, no sugar and no bacon. Yet it tastes the same! My chef friend is so talented when it comes to creating nutrient packed healthy raw recipes. This one gets a gold star! My Mom liked it so much I had to send half of it home with her!

If you have not visited my friend's website, Raw Intentions, you should really check it out. If you follow my blog you will know I refer to her (Denise Madeja) often. This is a person who has had a huge impact on my life, as well as many others. She does an excellent newsletter where I have been educated in a number of ways on a number of topics, plus she always has a recipe to share! Here is the newsletter where she shared her Broccoli Salad recipe. Check it out and get on her mailing list.

Really, do it! Now!

My soup - now how is that for green - is so quick and easy. And thanks to my high powered blender, it even heats it up! It only takes a few ingredients: spinach, apple, avocado, salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a squeeze of a lemon, and hot water. If anyone wants the actual recipe I am happy to share.

Now, put it all together, and this is what you get:

A lovely mother and daughter lunch!

What do you want to do for supper?

2012-01-25T07:00:00.005-06:00

That is one of my husband's standard questions when he calls me at work each day.

Sometimes I am one step ahead of him and I ask the question first, but usually he wins, and asks it first.

The question has lots of possible answers. The main answer is "EAT," but my usual reply is, "I don't know, I'll think of something." Which also means, I have no idea what I am going to make, or what we are going to eat.

In the days of meat, I always had to have a plan for dinner. Once the meat was decided upon the rest of the meal just fell into place. If I forgot to defrost meat, well, that meant we had to eat out! Meat was the controlling factor in those days. Boy, I don't miss that!

When I got home I was really tired, so I was in the mood for easy. And easy it was.

Here it is in the salad bowl.

I love the colors and textures and the way it reflects the light.

And here it is on the plate. Where's my fork?

I almost forgot to add this.

I love this on salads.

It is a great combination of flavors and adds that final touch to a salad.

There, now that is what we are doing for supper!

We are eating an amazing unplanned salad!

So what is it that is piled on that plate?

It is whatever I found in the refrigerator that appealed to me!

fresh assorted greens

tomatoes

cucumber

red peppers

red onion

grated carrots and red cabbage

corn

black beans

avocado

and of course that sprinkle of gamosio

No recipe is necessary to create the perfect salad.

I have lots of perfect salads that are all different!

Oh, and it was coated with an easy dressing.

No real recipe for that either, but way better than bottled dressing.

This salad was dressed with olive oil, apple cider vinegar,

honey, salt, garlic powder and cumin.

Perfect.

There is another plate that looks just like this one!!

Can you tell we liked it.

Sunday Paper and Oatmeal

2011-10-30T10:03:00.001-05:00

It is a beautiful calm sight out my kitchen window. The sun is shining and the fall colors reflecting in the lake are so pretty. The geese and ducks just float by like they don't have a care in the world. I find it so relaxing to just gaze out this window. It has been such a great weekend with friends, a festival, and a new restaurant. I love days that I don't have to get up and rush out the door. They are few and far between so it is delightful when the opportunity comes along to take it slow.

I decided while eating my oatmeal, drinking a Teeccino and reading the paper, it was time to blog.

This mornings paper had a great article in it: 5 myths about healthy eating. I thought it was quite good and worth the read. In the article, myth #3, eating healthy is too expensive, it states: "A dinner of hot dogs and Devil Dogs is undeniable cheap. But a bowl of beans and rice with a banana on the side is cheaper. . . . Preparing a big pot of lentils for the week may not be glamorous, but it's much cheaper and not much more time-consuming than cooking up frozen pizza or mac and cheese." Now that is food for thought. Check out the article.

So, about that oatmeal. Did I mention it is a raw oatmeal, and a true convenience food! Anyone who knows how to measure ingredients can make this. Even the kids! I am so hooked on it. I found the recipe on a fabulous website, Oh She Glows, which I now visit everyday! I have changed her recipe up a bit, but I must give credit to Angela for her brilliant creation. Here is a link to her Easy Vegan Overnight Oats.

This is my version. I make enough at a time for two mornings. My husband and I don't eat a large portion because our smoothie is the REAL breakfast for us, but we really enjoy this and it is packed with some great nutrition.

This is a picture of the morning after. Last night I combined in a bowl:

1 mashed banana
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cups almond milk
4 Tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
sprinkled cinnamon (sorry didn't measure!)
raisins (sorry again I didn't measure!)

Stir it all until it is well combined and just cover it and put it in the refrigerator overnight. (that is when the chia seeds do their magic!!)

Today we added some dried cranberries, maple syrup (not too much) and a splash of almond milk.

At first I though raw uncooked oatmeal would be gross, but I was truly, and pleasantly surprised! I actually like it better. It isn't pasty like cooked oatmeal can get. The texture and flavor is excellent. Find out for yourself and try it! If you are not familiar with chia seeds, do some research. These seeds are a nutritional powerhouse all by themselves. Here's a link to get you started: Ten Benefits from this Power Food and Brain Food.

Now, out to enjoy this amazing day!

It happened again!

2011-09-19T06:40:00.000-05:00

Everything started jumping in the dish again. It must be a Sunday afternoon thing?? It's a good thing. Just look how it all united and came together:

It was quite yummy. I got to use several of my favorite gadgets too. So here is how it all happen.

First there was the line-up on the chopping block.

Then the zuchinni and butternut squash begged for the spiralizer, (they must have seen this video on YouTube).

That is one of my most favorite tools. I used the ribbon tool to get thin slices of the butternut squash and then cut them into smaller chunks. I then salted the squash and set it aside for 10 minutes or so to "wilt" and then rinsed it. This is the first time I have used butternut squash raw, and I must say it won't be the last time. I really liked it.

Ok, so next the garlic and onion jumped into the, hmmmm . . . I call it the pull string chopper but I don't know exactly what it is called . . . a chopper I guess. Four pulls of the string and it is all chopped. I love it!

The cucumber, orange bell pepper and the tomato went under the knife with the avocado, and joined the onion, garlic, corn, zucchini and butternut squash in the bowl. From the refrigerator I heard the purple hulled peas begging to join the gang, so what could I do but agree. So much color.

I think the real reason for all these veggies deciding to jump into the dish is that they wanted to wear the wonderful dressing that appeared in our refrigerator. It was unfortunately (fortunate for me though!!) left behind by Dianna at our raw pot luck. It is an amazing dressing that she made full of wonderful ingredients from Alissa Cohen's book, Living on Live Foods.

It was a match made in heaven!

Eating in the Moment

2011-09-14T19:40:00.001-05:00

Today was a busy day. It's unreal how hard I can work on a vacation day! But I definitely had a vacation day lunch!

This is a piece of Chocolate Ganache Tart that we brought home from Matthew Kenney's OKC yesterday, after having an incredible dinner. It made for a fabulous lunch!

And then along came dinner. Sometimes I just love how it can all comes together in the dish. No recipe. Just grab a bit of this and a bit of that and holy cow (hmmmm, funny phrase, holy cow, for a vegan to pick!), it comes out great!

This has as much taste as it does color! Here's what jumped into the dish:

a wonderful combination of greens from Natural Farms coop
a handful of raw hulled purple beans (I think that is what they were called) from the farmer's market this morning
chopped tomatoes and red onions, also from the farmer's market today
chopped cucumber
fresh corn off the cob
and some really ripe avocado

For the dressing I took some of the avocado and mashed it, added some chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lemon, a splash of olive oil and apple cider vinegar, and then a dash of cumin and Himalayan salt.

It came out so good I figured I better blog it so I don't forget what I made!!

I do love it when food just jumps into a dish!

A Sweet Start

2011-08-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

My husband and I have different tastes when it comes to smoothies, juices and the raw food world! So today's smoothie was made especially for him. A sweet start to the day with my sweetie! For me it was like starting the day with dessert!

So for those of you out there with a sweet tooth, give this one a try!

Sweet Saturday Start

2 cups nut milk
2 bananas (frozen chunks if possible)
1 Tbl. cacao
1 Tbl. carob
1-2 Tbl almond butter
1 Tbl. maca
1 Tbl. spirulina
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups spinach
crushed ice

I put it all in my Blendtec, selected beverage, then the XL Smoothie setting, and the blender does it all!

This is a powerhouse of nutrition along with a sweet taste that will energize us all morning. Which is a really good thing because now it is time to get to work in the yard!

I hope your Saturday is as sweet as mine!

A lovely weekend!

2011-08-21T21:17:00.000-05:00

What a great weekend this was.

Friday night we had dinner at Cafe Samana with Brian and Megan. I think Megan and I will be great foodie friends! Then Megan and I headed to Whole Foods for a raw food class with Denise of Raw Intentions. Great tasting do-able recipes and always a new tidbit to learn.

Saturday morning we headed to the Farmer's Market and to Natural Farms to pick up our co-op share. I love pictures of fruit and vegetables. The colors are amazing. This is a picture of my "pharmacy!"

I picked up Mom and we headed out for a delightful afternoon. We went to lunch at Dilly Deli and Mom loved the activity of the area, checked out the Gadget Company, a stop at Mecca Coffee for gadgets, and then Stitches for buttons and a new pattern.

Then . . . yes! time to play in the kitchen!

I love my new Matthew Kenney book, Everyday Raw Express, and picked his Zucchini and Avocado Tartar to be my first creation.

This is a nice combination of ingredients and makes a nice presentation when put in a tube so it is plated like a round column. And it tastes great. Thanks MK for another great recipe!

This basil is just beautiful and makes my kitchen smell great. Pretty as a picture!

Next, Watermelon Mango Soup. This is one of my weekend favorites.

Great summer raw soup. Anything with watermelon in it is good to me! I just love watermelon any way I can get it! So this soup is already on my favorite list. Thanks Denise!

A red cabbage in the refrigerator was jumping out of it's skin just asking to become a slaw. So how could I not??

Simple easy slaw with red cabbage, carrots, and red peppers. Slaw goes with anything!! Which brings me to the next picture, my dinner!

What a great meal to end a great day!!!

Of course the weekend wouldn't be complete without at least one dessert. But two. . . whewhooo! Both are courtesy of Raw Intention classes at Whole Foods.

First up, Chocolate Mint Ice Cream. OMG . . . need I say more?

This is my second time to make this. Last time I just left the whole batch in a bowl in the freezer. It was so rock hard that I actually broke a knife trying to dish it out! So this time after making it in the ice cream maker, I put the remaining ice cream in a muffin pan, froze it, then removed the individual servings onto a plate to store in the freezer. This is very rich and a small serving is more than enough. I loved it with a fresh strawberry. This is a dessert worthy for company.

And lastly, I made a Chocolate Chia Pudding. It is like a chocolate tapioca. Chia gels when added to liquid and has a wonderful consistency. Chia seeds are amazing. They are a nutritional powerhouse with a lengthy list of benefits: Omega 3, fiber, antioxidant and rich in essential fatty acids. Click this link for the real scoop on chia seeds. I love them. I put them in smoothies, make a "cereal" out of them, crackers, and now chocolate pudding!

Man I love raw food . . .

And, RAWking in the kitchen!

What's for supper?

2011-04-26T06:54:00.000-05:00

. . . sometimes I really don't know. Then I open the refrigerator and it just happens. A little of this and a little of that and before I know it, I am eating!

Check it out . . .

Bok choy leaves from the Farmer's Market rolled and sliced thinly

Fresh greens from Anner's - our local co-op

A tablespoon or two of hemp seeds

Lentils - cooked previously and chilled

Corn - organic defrosted frozen corn left over from the salsa recipe

Radish - from the Farmer's Market thinly sliced

Red onion - chopped

Basil, cinnamon basil, mint and parsley from the back yard

A handful of cilantro - chopped

Tomato - chopped

English cucumber - from the co-op - diced

Avocado diced

Orange - thinly sliced segments

Alfalfa sprouts

I was really delighted with the outcome of my dressing. I zested the orange and juiced the half I didn't put in the salad. Then I added a big hunk of very ripe avocado and smashed it all together. It was like paste at that point. In went a little salt, pepper and olive oil, mixed it well and it was ready to toss with the salad.

It was just an amazing salad.

Amazing enough I decided I better put it in my blog so when I forget what was in it, I can find it here and recreate it! I have no idea what the amounts were, but that doesn't matter because half the time I don't measure anyhow!

It is even pretty!

Nori at noon!

2011-02-09T20:18:00.000-06:00

Today, while keeping out of the storm, I made my very first Nori rolls. I had never even eaten Nori before, let alone made something out of them.

So here are the filler ingredients

First a layer of the grated cauliflower, a layer of carrots, zucchini slices, red peppers, and avocado

then roll it all up and slice

I took all the leftover filler and combined it with a little nama shoyu and um plum vinegar and used it as a "rice" side, made a dipping sauce, added the nori roll slices to the plate, and lunch on a snowy day was born!!

Rapping Romaine!

2011-02-06T06:20:00.003-06:00

I love it when it just all comes together. I stood looking in the refrigerator wondering what to make when the light bulb came on! My light bulb, not the refrigerator bulb!

I grabbed a carrot, parsnip, celery stalk and a red pepper. I ran it all through the food processor and then added some chopped cilantro and squeezed half a lemon over it all. This is what I call wrap stuffing. Pretty, huh.

I make this kind of combination often, and it varies every time depending on what I find in refrigerator!

Now more items from the refigerator.

Nice big romaine lettuce leaves, guacamole, sliced avocado, cucumber spears, sliced tomatoes, bean sprouts, and my thousand island dressing. Now that dressing is a great recipe and a staple in my refrigerator - we use it as a dip, a spread or a dressing. It's great. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Ok, so first spread the guacamole on the romaine. Then add the cucumber slices, avocado and tomato slices.

Top it off with the wrap stuffing, sprouts and then drizzel with the dressing.

Now roll it all up and have at it!

Now if all else fails, and you get tired of rapping, it can be an un-rapped romaine rap!

It all ends up in the same place, right!

The Blizzard Aftermath

2011-02-02T11:35:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, February 2, 2011. Groundhog Day. No shadow - early Spring. Ha, hard to imagine that as we look out our windows.

It is currently 4 degrees with a wind chill of -11 degrees. The sun is out and the sky is a beautiful blue. Our lake is frozen and the geese are skating today. The birds and squirrels are quite busy as I write this. The snow is undisturbed and reflects the shadows from the trees, the glistening ice crystals from the sun's reflection, and creates an artist's canvas.

I gazed out my kitchen window watching all the activity for a long time. Notice how cool the shadows are on the snow. The ice on the water reflects the blue sky so beautifully. It is so very peaceful.

Today's smoothie was almost like a milk shake. I had some almond milk so decided to use it up. In the blender I put:

frozen banana slices
almond milk
a pear
spoonful of cacao and maca
sprig of parsley
spinach
crushed ice and water

For those of you who don't really like the heavy green taste, this one would be good for you. Plus the benefits from the maca and the cacao are really great.

We have watched the TV for quite a while this morning. The Channel 6 helicopter has been showing video of the area. I have never seen anything quite like this here in Oklahoma, except maybe our December ice storm a few years ago. Everything is shut down. Highways remain closed and cluttered with vehicles, schools, businesses, and even Woodland Hills mall closed! Big semi trucks are stranded and lined up for miles on the turnpike both east and west of the city since yesterday. It looks like someone has been playing with matchbox cars when the helicopter flies over.

Check out some of the video on our local station:

My husband decided he would shovel the driveway, a little bit at a time. So I bundled up too and went outside. Not to shovel, but to take a few pictures. I was not out there very long, maybe 5 minutes, and my face was so cold I came back in. The wind chill is a minus 11, which is only a few degrees colder than what we expect to wake up to tomorrow morning. Then the actual temperature is predicted to be minus 8!! Crazy!

I will close with this last picture. It is of our front door. I don't think we will be coming in that door for a while!

Well, maybe one more picture. Here are the geese sitting on the ice. Napping maybe??

The Blizzard is Over!

2011-02-01T21:12:00.000-06:00

Today's storm broke all the records ever set in Oklahoma. It was fascinating to watch. The snow. The wind blowing the snow. The drifts. The birds and geese trying to fly. I never saw so much snow in my yard ever.

I spent the day in my favorite place - the kitchen! I could watch out the window and not miss a flake, see the latest on the TV, and create, create, create!

First, I made this. It doesn't have a name yet. It was really good.

I shredded a carrot, parsnip, and broccoli in the food processor and put it in a bowl.

Added dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and a chopped apple.

I squeezed half a lemon over everything.

Olive oil, cider vinegar, and honey whisked together with a fork created the dressing. Mixed it all together and refrigerated it until it was time to eat.

I am glad I wrote this down, maybe now I will remember it.

I usually like raw food, but with the cold wind, and snow blowing outside, I decided soup was in order. Especially for my husband, who isn't so raw! I had anticipated this, so I had soaked black beans over night.

I simmered the beans in vegetable broth with a bit of cayenne pepper for about three hours. This is my first bean soup from scratch. (I am not a big fan of beans) In a separate pan I sauted onion, garlic, carrots and celery in coconut oil. Added garlic and cumin. Then added this mixture to the beans. Next I threw in some sun-dried tomatoes and oregano.

It was good, great flavor, but it didn't have enough substance. Too brothy. Maybe I will add more vegetables to it tomorrow??

The snow began to slack off a bit, but the wind really kept blowing. When I look at the drifts in the yard they remind me of sand dunes at the beach or in the desert. It is so clean looking. Pretty.

The drift at our front door is almost as tall as I am. (OK, I know I am not a giant!) I don't think we will be going out this door for a while!

So then I made this:

Ah, now this is my kind of soup. I love pureed soups. This is Puree of Turnip Soup. My Mom will love this one! This recipe is from the Resolve to Evolve book by Penni Shelton. The soup is made from onions, garlic, turnips, and sweet potatoes that have been cooked in a combination of vegetable broth and almond milk, then blended. Great flavor and texture.

And then, before the creative juices dried up today, I made this:

The Chocolate Banana Thing.
(I just made that name up. I thought it wouldn't look good to have two un-named dishes in one post!)

This was easy! I put a couple of frozen bananas in the blender. Let them thaw 5 minutes or so. Added a heaping teaspoon of cacao, vanilla and a squirt of agave and blended until smooth. Topped it off with some cacao nibs and chopped walnuts.

It was a nice end of the day treat!

Tomorrow promises frigid temperatures. Schools and numerous businesses are closed. We won't be leaving our house.

Hmmmm . . . wonder what that means?

A TOUCH OF THE TROPICS IN THE SNOW!

2011-01-20T10:04:00.001-06:00

An at home day! I LOVE at home days!

Snow. Ice. 18 degrees and a wind chill of 1 degree!

Schools closed. Our office officially closed too!

It is a gift of time.

Smoothie time and the thoughts of the tropics came to mind as I gazed out the window at the snow.

I cracked open a Thai Coconut and put all the water and coconut meat into the blender, along with an amazingly ripe, sweet mango. Added to that, a half of an avocado, 1 stalk of celery, a handful of parsley, chia seeds, spirulina and several handfuls of kale.

Then, my new favorite ingredient: freshly grated ginger! Blend! Blend! Blend!

I topped it off with a sprinkle of some organic unsweetened shredded coconut and grated some fresh nutmeg on the top, and there you have it . . .

. . . a touch of the tropics in the middle of winter!

Now to enjoy the gift of this day!

Raw Divas have great jugs!!

2011-01-10T10:06:00.000-06:00

The Raw Divas have great jugs! Mine just came a few days ago.

It holds 32 ounces of green gold!! I love the words too.

The Raw Divas have a great website that you might want to visit.

You will find the Green Smoothie Queen there!

In the jug is my smoothie for today: bananas, mango, pears, parsley, kale, coconut juice, crushed ice and water to get to the consistency I like, and various supplements.

I am drinking it as I stand in the window and watch the snow fall, the birds scurry to and from the feeders, and the geese floating on the lake.

Ah, glorious vacation. Day one!

Corn on the cob in the winter??

2011-01-10T07:54:00.001-06:00

Thursday night I got two ears of corn in my veggie bag at Anner's, Tulsa Food Coop, and thought it a bit odd in the middle of the winter. I am not a big fan of corn, so I wasn't too impressed. Then along came Anner's recipes and I thought, "Hmmmm, Broccoli Corn Slaw, might be pretty good."

So outside as snowflakes fell, I had a summer moment in my kitchen husking corn!! This was a really easy recipe and we really enjoyed it.

Combine 1 cup of broccoli, cut into small florets, corn kernels from two ears of corn and a half cup chopped onion in a bowl. Mix together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/4th teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8th teaspoon of white pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, stir, and mix with vegetables. Refrigerate 15 minutes or more before serving.

I didn't have the white pepper or the pepper flakes, but this was still very tasty. Next time I might go a little heavier with the oregano. I am anxious to see if it taste even better the next day.