Vegan MoFo Day 9: Tabbouleh

I have never been a big fan of tabbouleh before as I'm not into parsley very much. Parsley and cilantro have an intense flavour BUT are super good for you. So I now force myself to eat and cook with it as they add awesome notes and vitamins to a dish. A couple weeks back it was my good friend Eduardo's birthday and my friend Dean thew a surprise birthday for him. He made a gorgeous spread of appetizers which I'm pretty pissed that I didn't take a snap shot of that cuz seriously it was rather impressive. Dean was so sweet and made sure there were some vegan items on the table so that I could snack as well. 

Like I said, tabbouleh was never a fave but Dean's looked so good and it was all homemade so I HAD to try it. OMG. Best tabbouleh. Hands down. I told him immediately that I need to have the recipe. 

Tabbouleh

Ingredients

1 cup Bulgar wheat, cooked and chilled

1 cup lemon juice (abt 3 lemons)

1 bunch parsley

4 medium tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Mince the parsley in a food processor.

2. Combine all ingredients in bowl, season to taste

3. ENJOY!

Dean's tabbouleh

I have to say, it was freaking delish! It was my first time ever making tabbouleh but I think I did a pretty good job but Dean's was still way better. I really want him to try it and give me some pointers. He has mastered it for sure. :)

Birthday cake

The coolest birthday cake I've ever seen! 

Birthday man, Eduardo

Oh Eduardo, so gorgeous. He's also a chef. I'm hoping we can get in the kitchen and make some magic together......I meant cooking you perverts! lol We plan on making some cactus tacos! YUM! I've never had cactus before. I'm pretty much game to try almost anything once! Sounds cool.

Peace

xoxo

K

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

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

Restaurant Review: Roaming Dragon Food Truck

After seeing a friends picture of one of the veggie wraps at Roaming Dragon it was imperative that I visit them and fast. lol And boy was it delish!!! Roaming Dragon is a Pan Asian food truck that serves some seriously yummy and creative dishes. They opened their "doors" in June 2010 and have already been featured on Eat Street!

I ordered 2 dishes cuz well, that's what I do, I eat. A lot. It was WAY too much food but I wanted to try more dishes and 2 is all I can handle without having to waste lots. And that is just wrong, sacrilege.  Good thing one was a salad. :)

Roaming Dragon 'chop' Salad

"Suichoy & Purple cabbage, Thai basil, mint, goji berries, coconut & pineapple, peanuts, pickled green mango, tossed with garlic-cilantro vinaigrette." This was a nice, fresh tasting salad. Duh, all salad should taste fresh. Lol But I mean that it's not bogged down by a really overpowering dressing. The dressing is light but flavourful. It is coated just the right enough that you taste it and it enhances the natural flavours of the veggies themselves. It also has peanuts, YUM. I also liked the basil leaves. I usually never eat them because they are so strong and overpowering, but I just felt like the basil went so well with the salad that I gobbled it up. Perfection. Plus fresh basil is super good for you. As are all fresh herbs.

Malaysian Lime-Chili Tofu Grilled Burrito

"Asian harvest slaw, peanut sauce, pickled purple cabbage & red onion, carrots & shitake mushroom, sweet soy, rolled in a flour tortilla." This was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! Omg. The sauce, holy smokes. I REALLY enjoyed it. I didn't waste one drop of it. lol The sauce doesn't sound like anything special, "sweet soy" just sounds like a sweet soy sauce, but don't let that fool you kids, this sauce is super yummy. And peanut sauce. There are so many flavours in this Asian burrito that I just couldn't handle it. 

GET SOME!!

Run to Burrard and Robson and hit up the Roaming Dragon food truck. I'm sure the non-veggie dishes are just as amazing. I know you can add tuna to the salad, but obvs I did not. And I'm pretty sure they have a new veggie wrap, but I didn't see it on the menu. I just heard via FB.....

I'm off to Kelowna for the weekend. My friend is getting married. Its gonna be fun! And super hot. Which is awesome of course, but I'm kinda sad I'm leaving Vancouver when its so nice out. We get so few of these days.  I have of course checked out some veggie spots to eat at and prepped some snacks.

I'll post the recipe for that Mexican quinoa salad tomorrow. Its yummy! So as you can see I've got strawberries, grapefruit, carrots, hummus, almonds, Mexican quinoa salad and a couple clif bars. Plus there will be water and my Vega One. :)

Peace

xoxo

K

Avocado Kale Salad

It being summer and all.....well somewhere in the world, salads are an every day occurrence. I am no rabbit food eater by any means, my salads are baddass and hearty. Elaine Benice would DIE for my big salads. No joke. lol The one I made the other day was pretty phenomenal. The avocado made it kinda creamy and the lemon made it zesty! 

Avocado Kale Salad

Ingredients

1/2 head kale, chopped

3 handfuls spinach

1 avocado

1 carrot, sliced or shredded

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp hemp seeds

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Directions:

Wash your hands. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Massage and mix until fully combined. Make sure your avocado is ripe otherwise it won't break up and coat the leaves. Will take 1-2 minutes.

Plant based heaven

I served mine with sauteed garlic mushrooms, tempeh bacon, sprouted mixed beans, and 3 slices of smoked tofu. Obviously you can tell I'm a pig. LOL I eat a lot, but its all good stuff. With the leftovers I basically combined all of the above into a big container and ate it for lunch the next day. Along with some boiled sweet potatoes. :)

For my garlic mushrooms, I saute them without oil, just a tiny splash of water then a pinch of sea salt and garlic powder. My sprouted mixed beans are by TruRoots Organics. The sprouted bean trio. They cook up in 15 mins and then I just tossed them in some Jerk sauce. As for the smoked tofu and tempeh bacon, I just popped it in the oven for 20ish minutes. No seasoning or sauce. None needed.  

Jerk

I have to say, it was a thoroughly satisfying dinner. I am actually gonna make the salad again tomorrow night. It was so freaking yummy. But I'm gonna add some alfalfa or broccoli sprouts too. 

This weekend I was FINALLY able to bring my friend Sean to the Loving Hut Express food truck on Davie and Pacific. I've been talking about these burgers forever. I CANNOT get enough of them. They are just SO tasty. Sean thought he was going to be a tad disappointed because of how much I talked them up but boy did he like them! I got the Crispy Chick'N and he got the BBQ Onion Ring Cheeseburger. They are my faves so I thought we should get one of each and share bites. Check out their menu here. And go visit them at Davie and Pacific.

I've done a couple reviews though, so check em both out. Here and here.

I would have snapped a shot of us eating our delicacies but we were a tad hung over. So here's one of us all pretty before going out to our friends theme party on Saturday. We were a Prince and Prince-mess. We had a whole back story but its not PG13. 

Prince and Prince-mess

Peace

xoxo

K

Super Food Green Salad with Tahini Dressing

I was just whipping up a quick salad for lunch the other day, nothing special. When all of a sudden it turned into the most delish, creamy dressing I've made yet!! OMG I could not get enough of this Tahini dressing. Its a spin off of an earlier one that I created, which you can check out here.  I added a few extra things to make it even better!

And I didn't even take a pic of the finished product cuz I gobbled it up so fast. But here's the recipe anyways.

Tahini Dressing

Ingredients

1/4 cup raw tahini

1/4 cup water

1 lemon

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp Gluten Free Tamari

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Adjust spices if you want it hotter or not at all. This wasn't spicy at all. Well, according to me. :)

This is the tahini I used. You can definitely use a roasted version. But this is the BEST tahini I've ever tried. SO good!

For the salad part, I wanted to do a lot of green leafy veggies, but didn't want them to be raw. So I steamed them for 4 minutes. Should have been 3 but it was still good. But a little crunch would have been better.

Super Food Green Salad

Ingredients

1 head broccoli, chopped

1/2 bunch kale, chopped

6 cups spinach

1 cup shelled edamame

2 green onions

10 mushrooms, sliced

2 cups black beans

Hemp seeds

Sunflower seeds

Directions:

Steam broccoli, kale and spinach for 4 minutes. If using frozen edamame (like most) then throw those in there too. Let cool before adding the remaining ingredients. I put mine in a big bowl and into the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Once cooled, toss with dressing and remaining ingredients. ENJOY!!

This will make a lot. Enough for a couple salads or a side to any meal for 4 people. I ate mine for lunch and with my dinner. Its creamy and satisfying. :)

Here was a little snack I ate the other day. Like I've said before, I often boil up a couple different types of legumes at the beginning of the week so I can easily incorporate them into my meals. I had this as a late night snack the other night and it packed a good protein punch and satisfied me.

It is 1 cup of black beans, sprinkle of Daiya cheese, some guacamole and salsa. Of course hot sauce. That goes without saying. lol

Peace

xoxo

K

Vegucation: Salads and Smoothies OH my!

Smoothies are an awesome way to get a lot of nutrients and fiber in one glass. I love smoothies. I pretty have one every day. And lately I've been a little obsessive with it. I have at least one, but sometimes 2 smoothies a day. They are really easy on the digestive system. Some other benefits of drinking smoothies are:

• Provides a huge amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
• Contains fiber for awesome digestion
• Provides the body with instant energy
• Protects the immune system
• Hydrates you
• Easy to make
• Easy to take on the go
• Add hemp, flax, chia, for protein, omegas, fiber, iron.....
• Add spirulina or chlorella for protein, chlorophyll and other awesomeness
• Add protein powder or shake mix (Vega)

Nuff said.

Every morning I have a smoothie for breaky and then at lunch I eat a big salad. When I say big....I mean HUGE. Its jam packed.

K's Big Salad
Ingredients
Lettuce - spinach, romaine, kale
Cucumber
Carrot
Celery
Boiled yams
Spiced chickpeas
Black beans
Baked tofu
Avocado
Hemp seeds

That's just what's been in my salads for the last few days. A mixture of those ingredients. I'm no dainty salad eater. My salads have to be full of diversity and bulk. There are so many other options too. If I had some almonds or cashews I'd throw them in too. Peppers, tomatoes, fruit, sunflower seeds, corn......endless.

YUM! Look at that lunch! BAM. Smoothie, big salad, peeled orange, apple, and lemon mustard dressing. Yup. I'm healthy. lol Oh a big bottle of water. Easier to track and make sure I'm getting enough.

I honestly don't know who wouldn't be happy with that lunch? It was awesome FYI. I have been feeling totally amazing since I started doing this daily. At least one smoothie and one big salad a day. Ups the raw portion of my diet up. Which has amazing benefits and provides way more nutrients by not heating them. I love cooked food don't get me wrong. But when I have a higher proportion of raw foods in my diet, I feel better. More energetic. My dinners are always cooked though.

Go-to Smoothie

Ingredients

1-1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

1 banana

2 handfuls spinach

1 scoop Vega (protein powder)

1 tsp ground flax seeds

1/2 lemon, juiced

2-3 cups water (adjust to your taste)

Other mainstay additions:

spirulina

hemp seeds

chia seeds

lime

almond milk

Sorry I haven't posted a new dinner recipe but I haven't been cooking this week other than these salads and smooties. But I shall tomorrow, don't fret. ;)

Peace

xoxo

K

Food Prep Sundays! Get fresh.

I love food prep Sundays. They make me feel so healthy, in control and organized. This week I took a different approach. I'm really big into smoothies and salads right now. I pretty much always have at least one smoothie a day but lately I've been having more. With the weather getting warmer and the sun shining, I feel like I need more raw foods. So this week I bought lots of lettuce and salad fixin's.

Instead of rice and quinoa, I made cauliflower rice. You can get that recipe here. This time I didn't add the onion, but only because I was lazy to chop it. lol But I also added garlic instead cuz I wanted to test out my new garlic mincer thing. I'll tell yah about it later.

I cooked up 2 cups of dried chickpeas and baked some tofu for added bites of protein and fiber for my salads. To 'beef' them up, if you will.  I also peeled 2 oranges and a grapefruit, washed an apple and made my morning smoothie in advance (So I could go for a run before I leave for the day). On Saturday I made a big crockpot full of refried beans as well.

Woot woot! I'm all set to take on this week. :)

My salad is SO good! I made 2 HUGE ones and ate one on Sunday.

Spinach Tornado Salad

Ingredients

2 cups packed spinach

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 1/2  cup chopped celery

1 carrot, sliced

1 green onion

1 cup chickpeas (see recipe below)

1/2 cucumber, chopped

Baked tofu

1/4 avocado

Dressing:

half a lemon, juiced

3 tbsp mustard

sriracha

Directions:

Combine all salad dressing ingredients together and mix until smooth. Pour over salad and toss. :)

This was the biggest salad EVER! I ate half for lunch and half for dinner. It sure was amazing though.

You can't even see all the goodness that is in there. It is jam packed full of variety so that this salad is NOT boring and would fill up anyone. :)

I was cooking a bunch of chickpeas to just have on hand and maybe whip up a chickpea spinach curry but that didn't feel right. I knew I needed another protein source for my salad so what better way than to throw on some chickpeas! I didn't want just plain ones so I jazzed them up a bit.

Spiced Chickpeas
Ingredients
3.5 cups chickpeas
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili flakes
Sprinkle garlic powder
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp Vega EFA Oil

Directions:
Toss all ingredients together until well combined. Add to salads for protein and fibre.

I also sliced up a package of tofu, sprinkled garlic powder and lemon-pepper seasoning and baked at 375 for 25 minutes. I then chopped this tofu up and added it to my salads. I also snacked on a couple slices. Mmmmmm. :)

Its kinda nice to have beans and tofu like this all ready to go. Makes it easier to snack on healthy food. I like to just throw these onto salads or just eating them on their own.

Do you do Food Prep Sunday's as well?

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

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

Daily eats

I thought I would share a little bit of what I eat on a daily basis again. My birthday is coming up, I've got a lot of races to train for and I just like to be as healthy and fit as I can. We only have one life to live (LOL) so lets live it the best way possible!

I've been on a bit of a smoothie kick these days. I love smoothies. They are a great way to get a lot of nutrition is the most easily digestible way. The food is already ground up all tiny and smooth so that your body can digest it efficiently. It gives your digestive track a little bit of a break. We all know how important breaks are.

I started my day with this yummy smoothie. Its kinda my go to.

Mixed berries, banana, vega whole health optimizer berry flavour(or vega one or your choice of protein powder), 1 tsp spirulina powder, half a lemon and water.

To mix it up I'll add hemp seeds, chia seeds, carrots, spinach, kale, dulse flakes, fresh juice, almond milk or coconut milk. But this is my usual formula. Great for breakfast and also great after a workout. One of the best ways to recover after a workout. The fruit gives you immediate energy to your tired muscles and the protein and chlorophyll starts repairing and making your muscles strong.

Later for dinner I had this awesome combo of big salad, big smoothie.

The smoothie was the same as the morning but minus the spirulina and I added hemp seeds and dulse flakes. The salad was the BOMB!!! Omg. I had about 2 tbsp's of leftover homemade guacamole so I massaged it into some spinach and kale then topped that with dulse flakes, hemp seeds and sesame flavoured tempeh strips!!! WINNING!!! Seriously, I'm making this again today. Although all my guac is gone so I guess I'll have to make more. Poor me. Lol

If you know me at all you know I couldn't just eat that for dinner alone. I'm kinda a pig. Me loves me food. LOL so later I threw together a little quinoa sprouted bean dish. All I did was make a cup of quinoa and a cup of TruRoots Organic Sprouted Bean Trio with some veggie stock, garlic powder and chili powder then topped it with some hot sauce. Nice and simple. No measurements. Just freestyle.

It was light, nutritious and protein packed. Sprouted beans are awesome as they are extremely digestible and much faster to make. You don't need to do any presoaking. Yah! Ready in 15 minutes! :)

I also had a Simply Bar. lol Did you check out the review I did on them? Check it out here.

Eat clean, train mean, get lean!

Peace

xoxo

K

Vegan Pinto Beans

I picked up a bunch of dried beans and other legumes recently for my cleanse and because I'm trying to eat less canned food. I've been cutting it back for quite some time but I still use it as its so darn convenient. BUT this week, I cooked some pinto beans and lentils and just popped them in the fridge so that when it came time for meal prep I had some beans ready to go!

I usually only use pinto beans when I make my refried beans (which I totally need to make again soon) but this time I wanted to use them differently. I created a delish meal that I completed with some brown rice that I had leftover. The whole thing took less than 20 minutes to make. So a little planning can go a long way. 

Vegan Pinto Beans

Ingredients

1 cup dry pinto beans, cooked

1/2 head kale, in bite sized pieces

1 lg tomato, diced

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 lime, juiced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili flakes

1/2 cup veggie stock

Directions:

Pan fry the onions and garlic in a ladle full of water for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 10 minutes. Serve on top of brown rice. 

It was super yummy and full of awesome nutrients. It has A LOT of fiber in it among other things such as protein, iron, molybdenum, etc. Its quite the little powerhouse. Lol

I had a cup of these pinto beans for lunch today and paired it with a salad. I made a quickie salad with spinach, half a red pepper, cucumber, and celery with half a lemon juiced over top. Sprinkled with hemp seeds. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Did I tell you that if you pair celery and cucumber it makes a complete protein? And remember that food pairing doesn't have to be in the same meal, just the same day. Celery has 18 amino acids and the same sodium balance as your body! Cool!

I'm so big on salads right now. I was on a green smoothie kick for a while but salads took over. I try to eat them every day. And I pretty much do. I love incorporating as much raw foods as I can into my day. I always feel the best when I eat a lot of them. Not 100% raw by any means, Just a lot of salads, raw fruits and veggies and some raw nuts and seeds. 

Last night I FINALLY got my hair did! I am loving it! I feel like a new woman. Its funny how something like a hair cut can make you feel so amazing. I get the same feeling when I get new undies. Lol

Black is back!

Its black again and I got some swoopy bangs too! I missed having bangs. I thought I wanted to get rid of them so I grew them out, but nope, I did not. Love having them back. And its so shiny and rich. You can't tell that well in the pic, but believe me, its luxurious. HAHA

Great way to start the weekend! And I'm feeling AMAZING on this cleanse! I did ALMOST wanna cheat last night, but I held strong. I feel so energetic and happy. Its pretty close to the way I felt when I first went vegan. So energetic, full of life and feel so light. Not bogged down by over processed foods. Love it!

I'm stoked for tonight. Going for a workout, swim, make dins and play some scrabble and banana grams with my friend Mike! I know, we're nerds. But I love scrabble and banana grams is gonna be a new fave I think. 

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