Picnic in the Park: vegan, gluten free salads

Every Tuesday for the rest of the summer there will be outdoor movies playing at Stanley Park. I LOVE to go watch these. The actual movie doesn't necessarily matter, its just the experience that I like. Its outdoor, different from the usual ways we watch movies and if you're on a date then its kinda romantical.

I whipped up a few salads to take down with us. I love having a picnic. I think its cute. :) It can get pretty chilly at night so bring extra blankets, a sweater, snacks and bevvies. 

Asian Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped, boiled

1.5 cups cooked edamame

1.5 cups corn

Handful Thai basil

1 cup creamy coconut dressing

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl and serve.

Creamy Coconut Dressing

Ingredients

1 small can low fat coconut milk (160ml, Organic)

6 tbsp stone ground mustard (Organic)

1 tsp Sriracha

1 tsp tahini (raw, Organic)

3 tbsp organic shredded coconut

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well combined. Season to taste.

I made this dressing before, which you can find here. This time I added some organic shredded coconut. That's the only difference.

SO yummy!!! 

I also put together a quinoa salad. There is no recipe for it. Just quinoa, sprouted mixed beans, carrot, celery, a little grape seed oil, sesame oil, splash of soy sauce, garlic powder, chili powder, chili flakes, 1 lemon juiced and some apple cider vinegar. I think that's it. And no idea on quantities. I was just throwing stuff in and tasting. Seeing how it all worked. It turned out yummy even though there is quite the mix of seasonings in there. 

Then I made my Avocado Kale salad. Which you can get the recipe here. The only difference is the fixings. I didn't use carrots, celery or mustard cuz they are in the other ones. All the rest is the same, which a few handfuls of grape tomatoes. I like making this one cuz you get to massage the kale. Its fun making food with your hands like that. I washed of course. 

Oh yah, I put a container of broccoli sprouts in it too. 

 There is also some hummus and rice crackers. 

My plate! Super nutritious and satisfying dinner. Lots of protein and fats to keep you full.

Lots of boys to snuggle with. ;)

This week was Zoolander. Which I haven't seen in years. So funny! Next week is Spaceballs. I'm pretty sure I've seen it but totally don't remember. Should be fun!

Check out the link for the movies here. Its a great time.

Peace

xoxo

K

Mexican Quinoa Salad

I'm in sunny, hot Kelowna right now and of course I needed to get together some snacks for the road. Kevin and I hit the road around 2pm on Friday afternoon, luggage in the trunk and snacks in the back seat. Being so organized and vegan, I'm always prepared for a trip or outing of any kind. I look up places to eat, check out local stores and bring snacks. Invite a vegan on your road trip and I assure you won't be disappointed or hungry. lol

I showed this picture yesterday but here it is again. There's carrots, hummus, strawberries, grapefruit, almonds, clif bars and a Mexican quinoa salad. For which I will give you the recipe for. Other than the black beans and lime, I just used whatever I had in the fridge. I don't have a lot of veggies left cuz I've been going away so much (3rd wknd in a row) so I just wanted to use what's left. 

Mexican Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package

1 can black beans, small

1 cup corn

1-2 carrots, diced bite size

3 celery, chopped bite size

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!!! Season to taste. Add some chili flakes and cilantro if you like. Cilantro would be amazing in this dish. 

Yummy! It was nice and light. The dressing was really fresh. Cilantro would be perfect but I didn't have any and am away so yah know. 

Hope you all have an awesome weekend! Mine has started off amazing. The drive was gorgeous. I think I got some sun on the drive and went to a great vegan Chinese restaurant in town. 

Peace

xoxo

K

Chipotle Coconut Quinoa Salad

This week I went to a potluck with a few of the girls from a group I'm a part of on facebook. Great group of women and it was really cool to be able to meet some of them. We don't all live in town but 4 of us were able to make it to the potluck. It was non-stop chatter about nutrition, life, goals and more. So great to talk with some like minded people. We all brought a dish but I will just share my recipe.

Chipotle Coconut Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

2 cups quinoa

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 green onions, chopped

Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 cup low fat coconut milk

3 dry chipotle peppers, soaked

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup water

Optional topping: Hemp seeds

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to package. Spread out in a pan or big bowl to cool. To cool faster, put in fridge.

2. Dressing: Put tahini and chipotle peppers in a food processor and processor for 15 seconds. Add all remaining dressing ingredients and process until smooth.

3. Combine quinoa, veggies and dressing until well mixed. Serve immediately. If not serving right away, don't mix in the dressing until ready to serve. Sprinkle hemp seeds on top for added protein.

I picked up this tahini recently for the first time and LOVED it. Never used this brand before. Love that its raw too.

Chipotle Coconut Dressing

The dressing was delish. Very creamy.

All ready for the potluck!

So in the potluck we had a sweet potato black bean salad, basil quinoa veggie salad and stuffed Belgium endives. So yummy!! Potlucks are so awesome!!! Not everyone was vegan but we all brought vegan dishes. Which worked out great for me and Abigail as we were the vegans. Yah! Love not being the only one. LOL

Well I gotta get out for a big run and workout. Its my last workout in my 20's so I gotta make it count! LOL I'm thinking I'll run a 10km then head over to the Y and bang out a good upper body workout. My legs and bum are pretty freaking sore from the other days workout. And yesterdays 8km run. Then I gotta get ready for tonight! Its my big bday party! Woot woot! Dirty thirties here I come!

Peace

xoxo

K

Indian spiced lentils with quinoa, kale and swiss chard

I set out last night to make this recipe I got from the Vegetarian Times "Eat to Beat Inflammation" book but, well it didn't turn out that way. I always change recipes to fit my taste or what I have in the cupboard, but this time I didn't have anything. So I guess this dish was Vegetarian Times inspired. Lol

Indian Spiced Lentils with quinoa, kale and swiss chard
Ingredients
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp fenugreek
2 inch piece ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 red onion, sliced
1 cup green lentils, cooked
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 cup veggie stock
5 cups kale, bite size
2 cups swiss chard, bite size
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin

Directions
1. Dry roast the fennel and fenugreek for about 1-2 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent burning. Add the minced garlic and ginger. Pour in 1/4 cup water to prevent sticking. Cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add a little more water if needed.
3. Stir in the lentils, quinoa, and veggie stock. Cook for 5 minutes then add the kale and swiss chard. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining spices and stir until well combine. Add any additional spices to taste.

I served mine with steamed gai lan (Chinese broccoli).

It was so tasty and yummy. And obvs healthy. Duh. Its how I roll. Most of the time that is. 

I started a cleanse today. I am doing it with a friend and then I convinced 3 ladies at work to do it with me. Day 1 has begin. Only 11 more to go. We're doing the Wild Rose cleanse. Its not officially vegan but whatevs. I've never said I was perfect. I just like this one. It promotes a healthy lifestyle and doesn't have any weird chemicals in them. SO far its going good. There was a little complaining from the ladies this morning because they didn't like the smell of the pills and concoction. lol

Today I started my day with a quinoa dish. I cooked the quinoa normally, add a few tbsp's of roasted acorn squash, mashed that in REAL good, then added some hemp seeds, sunflower seeds and cinnamon. It was good! Not amazing. Oh yah, I threw in some frozen mixed berries. I enjoyed it though. For a mid morning snack I had some natural almonds. Not roasted or salted. For lunch I made a big spinach salad with purple cabbage, half a red pepper and juice from a lime with a side of steamed gai lan.

I also roasted up some Brussel sprouts and made a celery radish salad. Which was YUMMY!!!


Celery Radish Salad
Ingredients
3 celery stalks, chopped on an angle
6 radishes, sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 lemon
salt and pepper

Directions
Combine all ingredients and eat!

Super easy and quick to make. And did you know that celery has the same sodium balance as your body? Cool little fun fact for yah.

I'm pretty stoked about the cleanse and that I'm doing it with so many ppl. We can all support each other and share food. LOL Mostly the food part though. :)

Peace

xoxo

K

A quicky is all you need

Sometimes a quicky is all you need. They can be very satisfying, fulfilling, and fun! So I def recommend them when time is tight. Sometimes you need a quicky in the morning, at lunch, or in this case it was dinner. Lol I needed a quicky on Friday night after the gym and before heading out for the night. Ha. I whipped up this little number which was super nutritious and filling and kept me going all night. 

Quicky Quinoa

Ingredients

1 cup dry red quinoa

1 cup mixed beans

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 tsp dry veggie stock

1/2 tsp cumin

pepper

3-3.5 cups water

Toppings

green onion

jalapeno

Directions:

Add the quinoa, water, carrots and beans to a pot and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed. The quinoa should be soft but a little crunchier than white quinoa. Add the seasonings and serve. Top with green onion and fresh jalapeno.

I served my quicky quinoa along side some steamed veggies and smoked tofu sandwiches. I picked up some awesome non-gmo and organic smoked tofu, pan fried it with no oil then made little sandwiches with hummus, green onion and jalapeno. I just steamed some bok choy for about 3 minutes for some added veggies.

This is what I got:

 I just drizzed a little dijon on my bok choy. Me loves mustard.

 This was a little lunch I picked up from the good ole Whole Foods. I got a ABC juice (apple, beet, carrot), a raw kale tahini salad and I tossed in a little cucumber and hummus and a cup of my leftover quinoa. YUM!

And here is another Whole Foods meal. I picked up a burrito bowl with my friend Laura for our Bachelor Mondays. I LOVE the burrito bar from WF. Seriously, its the bomb! And if you're veggie, they got bbq'd tofu! BAM! This sucker is loaded with brown rice, corn, black beans, bbq tofu, roasted veggies, guacamole, 2 kinds of salsa, green onions, tomatoes and lettuce. LIKE WOAH. 

Check it out!

PS: SO I'm thinking about adding posts where I talk about particular veggies/fruits/legumes/grains/nuts/seeds/etc and their nutritional components and such. What's their goodness quotient and such. You likey that idea? Yah, I think it'll be beneficial to ppl. I always get asked about a particular food, maybe that will be my wknd posts since I never do them. lol 

Peace

xoxo

K

Mexican fried quinoa with lentils

What a fun weekend!!! It was also super relaxing. I was slightly under the weather, I think I was only at 95% so I took it easy Friday night and just worked out then watched some of season 2 of Sons of Anarchy. Love that show. Its so baddass.

Saturday morning was glorious. I slept in and woke up to sunshine! I read a bit of my 'Wheat Belly' book then took off for a run. I ran 10km on Friday night so I opted for just an 8kmer. Was amazing!! So gorgeous. I stopped to take photos so many times. Here's a couple.

Coal Harbour

Seawall near Lionsgate Bridge

Seawall near Lionsgate Bridge

Isn't Vancouver so beautiful? Love it. It was rather chilly but totally worth it. Then I went to the gym to do my Tough Mudder workout and a bit more. I even got in a couple naps this weekend! That never happens. Lol Have you been to the Waldorf? I went for the first time on Saturday. I figured the whole time we'd just be making fun of hipsters but that didn't happen. We had SO much fun! Went out with some new friends, invited some others, good times! We were so lost in our own bubble that I forgot to make fun of the hipsters. Lol Damn. ;) Had the WORST hangover I've had in a while actually. Sigh. It made me miss my superbowl party. (sad face) and now I sound all raspy. Lol

Mexican Fried Quinoa with Lentils
1 can brown lentils
1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package
1 jalapeno
1 cup corn
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp garlic powder

Toppings:
daiya
salsa
hot sauce

Directions:
Pan fry the onion in a pan with 1/4 cup water until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients other than the quinoa and cook for 10 minutes. Add the quinoa and add any more seasoning if needed. Melt some daiya on top and put salsa and hot sauce and BAM!

Doesn't look pretty but it was good!

Great, gluten free, satisfying meal right there.

It has all the right components of a good meal. It was satisfying and healthy. Lots of protein plus lots of salsa and hot sauce for a kick.

Peace

xoxo

K

Easy appetizers and Vegan Brownies!!!

I needed to bring a small dish/appy to a girlfriends house on the weekend and needed something quick. This salad is so easy to make and has 2 of my fave ingredients: quinoa and black beans. YUM.

Mexican Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
2 cups dry quinoa, cooked according to package
1 can black beans
1 jalapeno, minced
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 lime, juiced
2 carrots, chopped finely
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper

Directions:
Let the quinoa cool. I popped mine in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to cool it off faster. Combine all ingredients and add any more seasonings if you need it.

DELISH!

 My friend Bre made these cute little appies! Pita bread, hummus, falafel, tomato, cucumber and avocado!!! LOVE this idea. They were super yummy and look fancy to boot.

A little pick me up. 

Vegan brownie!!!!!!!

My gf Jessica made these kick ass vegan fudge brownies! omg. Obvs I got the recipe from her, because well, these need to be in my belly more often. Even though I'm training hard right now. Sigh. Maybe after. lol But sharing is caring, so here's the recipe folks!

Vegan Fudge Brownies

yields 12 squares

1 1/2 cups (360mL) unbleached flour
1/2 cup (120mL) cocoa
1 1/2 cups (360mL) brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp (7.5mL) baking soda
3/4 tsp (4mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5mL) salt
3/4 cup (180mL) soy milk
3/4 cup (180mL) coffee
1/3 cup (80mL) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (120mL) walnuts, roasted & chopped
1/2 cup (120mL) carob chips

glaze
7oz (210g) dark, belgian chocolate
5oz (150g) vegan margarine

1.) Pre-heat oven to 325 F. Prepare a 9"x 9" pan by greasing it and then lining it with parchment paper.

2.) Sift together the flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the coffee, soy milk and vegetable oil. Combine the wet and dry mixes and stir well. Stir in walnuts into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle the top with carob chips, and bake for 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Coool the cake on a wire rack.

3.) When the cake is cool, prepare the glaze. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and vegan margarine. Whisk together very thouroughly to get a smooth, rather than a streaky finish. Pour the warm glaze over the cake, smoothing it out over the surface. Place the pan in the fridge to set. Divide the pan of brownies into 12 squares and enjoy!

I def recommend making these delish brownies. Looking at the recipe the only thing I'd change would be I'd use almond milk. Just cause that's the one I love.....Oh man, now I want a brownie!

Must resist. I've started a new training program. I'm doing the official Tough Mudder workout and its hard! I love it to death but man. I gotta keep my diet in check! And I need a new protein powder. I'm a HUGE vega fan. Love all their products but I'd thought I'd check out a different one. Switch it up a bit. Hmmm, so far the consensus from my fellow vegan pals on FB and Instagram say Sun Warrior. We shall see.....

Peace

xoxo

K

New use for muffin tins! Quinoa bean cakes.

I did a little experimentation in my kitchen last night trying to come up with something tasty and crafty. I use quinoa quite a bit. I love it. Super nutrient packed and full of protein. I was going to make little quinoa and chickpea patties but I didn't have any chickpeas. Fret not, I used fava beans instead. A white, broad bean. I don't like to pan fry food in oil, I usually cook with very little oil. I was planning on baking these suckers and then it came to me. USE MUFFIN TINS! Yes. Its just logical. lol

I came up with this little gem. One thing that I will do next time though is up the flax seed mixture so it stays binds better. I def didn't use enough. I'll give you my recipe that I made last night and then give you a recommendation on the amount to use. 

Quinoa Bean Cakes

Ingredients

2 cups dry quinoa, cooked according to package

1 can fava beans

1 inch piece ginger

3 garlic cloves

1/2 onion

2 carrots

1 lemon

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp corriander

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup almond milk

Flax seed mixture

3 tsp ground flax seed

1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Process carrots, ginger, garlic, fava beans and onion in a food processor.  Make sure the beans get mashed. My food processor is small so I did the beans on their own. 

2. Mix together all the ingredients except for the flax seed mixture. Add any additional spices to your taste.

3. If using whole flax seeds, grind them in a blender before adding the water. Blend until gelatinous. Believe me, it'll happen. About 30 seconds to 1 minute.

4. Combine the flax mixture with the quinoa mixture and ball up and put in a lightly greased muffin tin. Press down.

5. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Before baking

After baking

Roasted veggies

 The veggies are: Zucchini, red pepper, red onion, lemon, garlic, sea salt and basil.

Dinner for 2!

Looks so good right? I totally just had an eye-gasm. This is some good food porn for your hungry eyes.

Food porn

So although they did fall apart a little, I found out that if you let them rest for a bit they stick together better. But who are we kidding, I can't wait to eat. lol Next time I would do another 2 tsp's of flax seed and 1 cup of water. Same process.

What I didn't show were all the bottles of wine me and Jimmy consumed. Jeez, polished off 3! Oops. Made for a rough morning. lol Had a real tough go of it. I saw this video today and thought it was hilarious. 

I say quite a bit of those. I thought shit girls say was AWESOME. Laughed my butt off, but all the others were just ok. This is the only other one that made me laugh. The ending is perfect. HA. 

Hope everyone has a kick ass weekend. Mine is jammed packed as usual but I'm hoping to be able to get to the gluten free expo on Sunday at the Croatian Cultural Center. Entry is by donation to the food bank. Cool!

Peace

xoxo

K

The Master Wrapper

I'm really into wraps right now. I've always liked them for sure. But the last 2 weeks have been wrap-tastic. Collard greens are what I've been using mostly but I've dabbled in some rice paper and lettuce wraps too so that I don't get bored. I put anything and everything in them from tofu to apples and sprouts to cucumbers and avocado to tempeh. Whatevs. I even put a recipe that I tested that I thought was a fail in it because I couldn't bare to waste all those precious veggies.

I got the recipe from VEGA. The company of Brendan Brazier, my vegan god. I thought it looked and sounded wonderful. Used some colourful ingredients and ones that I love, like dijon mustard. But I really wasn't feeling the flavour and I don't like it when a food dyes everything else the same colour, like beets. I rarely use beets even though they are super tasty. You can get the recipe here if you're interested. I changed a couple of things. I didn't use oil or have any chickpeas but other than that I followed it. 

SOOOO, to not waste it I threw it into my rice paper wraps and romaine lettuce wraps along with some other veggies and it was great! Actually I liked it quite a bit like that, just not on its own. Weird. 

Romaine lettuce wraps and sriracha

Refreshing like this. And nice and light. 

The next few photo's are of my dinner last night. I was running late to meet my friend Steve and he kindly gave me an extra 15 minutes so I could eat dinner. Lol. I threw these together really  fast and pan fried some tofu with soy sauce and put that on top of some quinoa for a quick dinner. The wraps all have various ingredients but I find with the rice paper ones is to not soak them for long. Just soak until they are soft, like 30 seconds. And lay down a piece of lettuce so your filling doesn't poke holes in the paper. 

Rice paper wraps

Fillings that I've been using are carrots, sprouts, tofu, avocado, stir fried veggies, red pepper, cucumber, hummus, and jalapenos. Not all at once.

The dip is just low sodium soy sauce and sriracha

Green smoothie and berry smoothie

 The green one has spirulina, hemp seeds, spinach, half a banana, lime, water and carrot. The berry one has half a banana, spinach, lime and water.

Winterized

Its so effin cold in Vancouver right now. There's barely any snow but was like -7 this morning. Felt like -10 though. Even with my ear muffs, leg warmers, boots with the fur and parka I was still freezing. But its supposed to get in the pluses tomorrow. Lets hope they're right. I'm just not built for this kinda weather. Lol

Tonight I'm experimenting with something that may or may not work out. There's a gluten free expo this Sunday from 11-4pm that I might try to check out. You can see the deets here. I'm very interested in going gluten free. I always feel better when I am. And I am for the most part. I don't eat bread very much and I almost never eat pasta or noodles anymore. Usually when I do eat noodles its rice or buckwheat noodles. 

My friend Steve told me about one of his good buddies blog. Its a health/fitness blog and it looks super awesome! Yah I said super awesome. I'm very excited about checking it out some more. There's some seriously good info on there and I think you should check it out. Click here to see. Good tips on keeping fit, which is good for all you resolutioners. Ha

Peace

xoxo

K

Green Goodness

Even though we still have one more holiday to go doesn't mean we can't get our diets back to normal. I am back drinking green smoothies again. Thankfully. They make me feel so great and energetic. I think I put a good balance of greens and fruit. It looks funny to some people because of the colour but once they taste it, its over. They have fruit in them to make them all sweet and delish. But are chalked full of green veggie goodness. You'll get lots of iron, protein, calcium, folic acid and other vits like vit C and such. Its how I start my day, instead of with tea or coffee or a doughnut. Ick. (ps I do drink coffee and tea a couple times a week, or when I need/want it).

Last night was just me and I wanted to eat something light, healthy but delicious of course. I had some leftover pasta sauce, but there was no way I was making pasta. I opted to make the biggest wok of steamed greens I've ever made. Well maybe. I used pea shoot leaves, spinach, kale, broccoli, snap peas and sui choy. I think that's all of em.....

Yummerly

I tossed all these freshly chopped and washed greens into a HUGE wok with no water, just whatever they have in them and from washing. Covered and steamed for about 5-10 minutes, tossing when I remembered. When done, I tossed in some freshly squeezed lemon juice, gomashio, and a dash of soy sauce. 

Ready for me to devour

Plain quinoa, pan fried tofu and homemade veggie pasta sauce

Just plain quinoa, no flavourings, homemade pasta sauce which you can find here and pan fried tofu. Nuttin fancy. BUT I made it fancy by drizzling BLACK TRUFFLE OIL on top! Yah I did!

Christmas morning tofu scramble

Tofu scramble I made for the fam on xmas morning. Zucchini, mushroom, onion, garlic, turmeric, Italian seasoning, splash of soy sauce and salt and pepper. Sided with real potato hashbrowns and a Mack's Flax piece of toast. 

The feast that my uncle and I prepared vegan and non

Look at all that food. We seriously could not eat it all. Lol

Tonight I'm making Kevin a Christmas dinner because he didn't get one. Poor guy. :( and I invited a couple other lovely friends over too! And Christmas continues! Lol Tofurkey for everyone!

Peace

xoxo

K

Super Avocado Dressing

I have been craving avocado lately but haven't had any ideas on what I would do with it other than eating it on salads or Mexican food, until last night that is. I made this delish dressing that can go on so many things: Drizzled on roasted veggies, salad, brown rice, anything Mexican, quinoa, beans, etc. Could be used as a dip if you add less water.

Super Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
1 avocado
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chili flakes
3/4 cup water (more if you want it more liquidy)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp spirulina

Directions:
Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Add more seasoning if you want or more water, depending on the consistency you desire.

I used this super food dressing to make a super food quinoa salad. Super healthy. Super delish. Super creamy. Lol

Super food quinoa salad
2 cups dry quinoa, cooked according to package
1 cup dry TruRoots Organic Sprouted Bean trio (or any other quick beans, lentils or legumes), cook according to package
1/2 cucumber, chopped
4 tsp pine nuts
3 tsp pumpkin seeds
2 tsp hemp seeds

Directions:
1. Put the pine nuts and pumpkin seeds in a dry pan and toss in garlic powder and half a tsp of Bragg's or soy sauce. Toast until crispy, but don't burn.
2. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.
3. Once chilled, stir in the avocado dressing. Taste and add any seasoning you may need. ENJOY!

Super food salad

Thai Curried Split Pea Soup

 This is the delicious soup that I made the other night. You can get the recipe here.  It was SO good! I love lemongrass. Seriously, it adds so much flavor I can't even handle it. LOL

Banana Chocolate Delight

I eat about 6 times a day, so I need a snack at night. I decided to smoothie it up and made this delish creation.

Banana Chocolate Delight
1 frozen banana
1 cup low fat almond milk
2 tsp natural peanut butter (no sugar or salt added, just nuts)
1 tsp hemp seeds
1/4 tsp stevia
1 tsp cocoa powder
handful of ice

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. I like mine cold so I added more than a handful of ice. Use what you prefer. It made more than I expected so I only had half. But boy was that baby ever satisfying.

Peace

xoxo

K

Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf and Mediterranean Tofu

I had 2 lovely ladies over for dinner last night. My friend Jess moved to Germany a few months back and is in town for Christmas so it was great to see her. And Bre of course. I was unable to make it to a couple of nights out recently and they've never been to my place so it worked out perfectly!

Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf
Ingredients
2 cups quinoa, cooked according to package
1 leek, diced
12 mushrooms (any kind), chopped
2 handfuls spinach
2 stalks kale, use leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp Vegeta (veggie stock powder)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp chili flakes
pepper
1 cup water

Directions
1. Add leeks and garlic to a pan with about 1/4 cup water. Saute until fragrant.
2. Add mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, kale and 1/4 cup water. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients and 1/2 cup of water and cook for 10 minutes. Add more spices if needed.

Mediterranean Tofu (Vegan Express by Nav Atlas)
1 package extra firm tofu
4 roma tomatoes, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon

Directions
1. Bake tofu for 25 minutes at 350. Season with garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
2. Put all other ingredients into a pot or pan and saute on med-low temperature for 10 minutes.
3. Serve on top of the tofu steaks.

This made for a beautiful, protein and fiber packed dinner. A little bit more of a fancier vegan meal. Lol I used Chinese mushrooms in mine. Shiitake would be good too or crimini or portobello, well any really. lol I used dried ones. Remember to soak them for at least 15 minutes before using.

It was SO fun hanging out with these ladies. I haven't done a girls night in so long. Most of my friends are male. lol So having a lot of girl talk was awesome. HILARIOUS and awesome. Some funny stories were exchanged, lots of gossip about boys, and girls for that matter and catching up on what we're all doing at the moment. :)

Peace

xoxo

K

Mexican Beans and Quinoa

I really wanted to test out my new hot sauce. Its the one from Steamrollers, but the black label. Which means extra spicy! Its called Valentina Mexican Hot Sauce. I made another one pot meal......well that's a lie, it was two pots. I love beans and rice meals because they are so easy to make, anyone can do it, and you usually have all the ingredients. Well I do anyways. This time I subbed out the rice and used quinoa for some added protein.

That's me holding it, all proud. I got the big bottle! Cuz I'm a big girl now. ;) That's my family crest too, its Japanese.

Mexican Beans and Quinoa
Ingredients:
2 cups dry quinoa, cooked according to package
1 can black beans
2 celery
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1 cup frozen green beans
1/4 onion
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup salsa
Valentina hot sauce

Directions:
1. Saute the onions in a small amount of water if you are avoiding oil.
2. Add frozen veggies and cook until heated thoroughly.
3. Add remaining ingredients except for salsa and quinoa. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Once quinoa is cooked, add to the pot with the veggies.
5. Stir in salsa and hot sauce to your taste. Enjoy!

Tip: Add a quarter of a sliced avocado on top for some good fat and creamy taste.

For 1

For 2

Vegan brownie bites!!!

My sweet friend Grant picked up some Vegan Brownie Bites from Capers for me as he knows I'm a chocolate fanatic! They were SOOOO good. I had 3! ahh.

He was also telling me about some chocolate peanut butter vegan cookies at Delany's on Denman........I might have to make a trip there after my workout tonight. :)

Peace

xoxo

K