Summer recap

I had some fun last few weeks of Summer. Lots of friends, food and good times. Sad it's officially over but it will always be in my heart, lol. Here's some snap shots of the last bit of Summer:

Mongrillian - Duncan

Keith's, kale salad and a hammock

Vegan Banh Mi from Whole Foods

Veggie burger on Wreck Beach

Toppings galore!

Family supper

Sol Cuisine burger with peach salsa

Gorgeous birthday cake

YUM

Birthday boy, Eduardo

There you have it! Fun times. More to be had, just now I'll be wearing a scarf. lol. I'm actually really excited to cook some Fall food. I baked an avocado the other day and I'm feeling like it might be a new fave! Stay tuned for some reviews. I checked out Acorn recently.

Peace

xoxo

K

Chickpea patties and Superfood Salad

Lately I've really been trying to up my protein rich food intake. I've been way more active than usual. Been doing way longer workouts with greater intensity and weight training a lot more. I have always done some but my focus and heart always belonged to running. I have been increasing that as well, which is why my total workout time has increased a lot. So with all this new muscle I'm trying to grow, I need to ensure I have adequate protein intake. I started taking my protein shake an extra time per day and eating more beans and legumes every day. And more nuts and seeds. Predominantly almonds, flax and hemp seeds. Along with more quinoa.

You saw the other day that I started measuring out a cup in each tupperware so that I can at least get an estimate of what I'm eating each day. And then I make a couple cups of chickpeas or black beans that I can just throw into a salad or whatever I'm eating for an extra punch of protein. Over the last week it's been chickpeas. I decided to mash em up and make some patties. Mmmm.

Chickpea Patties
Ingredients
2 cups chickpeas, mashed
1/2 white onion, minced
1 cup brown rice (cooked)
1 carrot, shredded
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup rolled oats, ground

Directions
TIP: to cut down on prep time, I pulsed the chickpeas, carrot, garlic, ginger, almonds and rolled oats in my food processor. Will give the patties a smoother texture and stick together better. I did not do them all at once though. I did them all separately except for the garlic and ginger.

Saute the onion in 1/4 cup water for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, carrots and almonds; saute for 5 minutes. Add more water if needed, 1/4 cup or 1/2 ladle at a time. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool down before forming into patties.

Form into patties and put on parchment paper or a greased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Flip after 15 minutes.

Serve with mango salsa and side salad. I served mine with a kale spinach salad

Kale Salad
Ingredients
1/2 head kale
2 cups packed spinach
2 tsp hemp seeds
1 lemon, juiced
1 avocado

Directions
Massage avocado onion kale and spinach until fully mashed and combined,. Add lemon and hemp seeds. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

This dinner is PACKED with protein and antioxidants. There is so much goodness in this meal to nourish your body and repair those sore muscles. Next time I will add the "flax egg" to make the patties stick together more. They were actually pretty good, but a little flax never hurt NObody. lol And I would add alfalfa or broccoli sprouts to the salad. More protein. :)

You could also put this in a bun and have a little veggie burger, but I'm foregoing bread for a while. i gotta eat extra clean for the next few months. Summer is coming but more importantly the Spartan race and Tough Mudder!!! Hence the working out more and needing more protein.

Eat clean, train mean, get lean!!!

Peace

xoxo

K

A Mexican Fiesta: Chipotle burrito bowl, salsa and guacamole

I am addicted to the burrito bar at Whole Foods on Robson Street. I think about it all the time. So I figured it was about high time that I recreate it so that I can satisfy my craving without breaking the bank. It can turn into an expensive habit you know. Lol

I'll start with the salsa and guacamole, the toppings and make my way to the bowl itself.

Salsa

Ingredients

2 lg tomatoes

1/4 red onion, diced small

1 red pepper

1 jalapeno, minced

1 handful cilantro, minced

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Slice the tomatoes like you would to put on a sandwich or burger. Then dice into small, even cubes.

2. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly, taste and add any additional seasonings to your tastes.

3. Enjoy. Seriously. :)

Guacamole

Ingredients

1 avocado

1 jalapeno

1/4 red onion

1/2 lime, juiced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp sea salt

Directions

Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Enjoy.

Salsa and guacamole from scratch. Yum

Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Ingredients

2 cups pinto beans

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

2 small sweet potato, chopped

1/2 red onion

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, minced

1 lime, juiced

2 tsp chili pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 cup veggie stock

3 chipotle peppers, minced

brown rice

Directions

Add sweet potatoes, carrots and onions to pan and saute in a little water for 3 minutes, covered. Add beans, corn, chipotle peppers and veggie stock, cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Layer your burrito bowl with brown rice, Chipotle pinto beans, guacamole and salsa and Enjoy!!!

And there you have it! The only thing missing from the bowl that whole foods does is the BBQ tofu. Which I must make next time. I thought I had tofu at home, but I don't even have BBQ sauce anyways. They all have so much sugar. I'll have to be on the hunt for the best one. Any recommendations?

I have been searching for gluten free and/or sugar free chipotle peppers for some time now. They are always canned and filled with sugar and wheat. But I found these puppies at my fave local Asian grocery store, West Valley Produce. If you're a Vancouverite, its on Bute street right about at Davie, across from the liquor store. LOVE this place. Good prices. And they have quite a bit of veggie stuff too and almost all my fave Asian items. I've never heard of Morita Chiles but I love trying new foods so I picked these up too. In fact they had so many different dried peppers I'd never heard of. I'm gonna go get more next time. I have no idea what to do with them but it sure is gonna be fun! lol

Then I picked up a couple cans of black beans. I always like to have them handy for those nights when you've forgotten to soak some beans or just need something quick. What I dislike about canned beans is how much salt is in them. These babies have none! Yup, I said it. NONE.



And they're organic! I actually love this brands coconut milk. They have the tiny little 160ml ones and the 70% less fat versions, which I'm a big fan of.

So get on this burrito bowl folks! Its hot hot hot! Ole! lol

Peace

xoxo

K

Vegucation and Recipe: Black Beans Edition

I thought I'd start talking a bit about the foods that I'm eating and why they are so good for you. Just a little Vegucation PLUS a recipe. Duh. Today is all about black beans. These are my fave bean. I eat them a lot. My second fave is the chickpea. Mmmmm I need to make hummus soon. Yes, that's an idea. Lol

Nutrients (% of Daily values)

Amount: 1 cup

Calories: 227

Dietary fiber: 60% 

Protein: 30%

Iron: 20%

Phosphorus: 24%

B1: 29%

Magnesium: 30%

Molybenum: 172%

Folate: 64%

Health Benefits

In that one cup serving you get about 15 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein! What's great about black beans (and other legumes) is they give you protein AND fiber at the same time. This provides some major benefits to the digestive track and keeps your blood sugar from spiking. Unlike other sugars and fats,  both protein and fiber can move through the digestive tract at a more moderate pace.  This allows for a more agreeable digestion process which will put less of a burden on your system. 

The protein and fiber combination in black beans and other legumes is also a key to their support of blood sugar regulation.  Because it is moving at a slower rate through the digestive system it releases the sugars it converts to at a slower pace, therefore not spiking your blood sugar. Yah!

Its also high in soluble fiber which helps lower cholesterol levels. Which is great as it will help reduce your risk of heart disease. (As long as you eat well and exercise too, its no miracle worker).

ALSO, as if you needed more, it is high in anti-oxidants and has anti-inflammatory phytonutrients which are great to consume because inflammation has been known to be a breeding ground for cancer. Not to say that its going to prevent cancer or anything but a diet high in anti-inflammatory foods will help reduce your risk.

SO there you have it folks. Eat your black beans! They're good for you. And now you know why. Now on to the food porn!!

Mexican Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 can black beans

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 lime, juiced

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 jalapeno, minced

Directions:

Saute the onions and garlic in a pan with 1/4 cup water. Add the black beans after 2 minutes, cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve on top of brown rice! 

Toppings

Diced cucumber

Quickie salsa

Quickie Salsa

Ingredients

2 roma tomatoes, diced small

1 jalapeno

1/4 red onion

lime juice

1/8-1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients and serve!

It was SUPER spicy. The jalapeno was crazy hot. LOL I was sweating. But I love it! I love spicy food. If you are not into hot food, I'd use half the jalapeno in the salsa. The beans were fine though. Or omit it altogether. I can't do hot sauce right now so I gotta start spicing things up with peppers. Mmmmm I ain't complaining!!

Peace

xoxo

K