Delicata Squash Potluck

On November 18 at work we had a Delicata Squash Potluck or Extravaganza if you may. Everyone brought a dish made with Delicata Squash. It was super yum and super cool to see all the different variations. And for me since I eat so much squash and Delicata squash in particular, nice to have new ideas on how to make them.

I'll start you off with some food porn:

Almost all the dishes

Fresh veggies, Delicata Squash Hummus and Delicata/Apple Chutney

Delicata Squash patties, Roasted Delicata and Delicata and Apple Pilaf

My plate! (Round 1)

Delicata Squash patties in action

SO we had:

- Delicata Squash patties: Delicata squash, garlic and bread crumbs pan fried in olive oil

- Delicata Squash hummus: Roasted delicata squash and hummus mixed together and served with fresh veggies, Belgium endive and bread

- Roasted Delicata Squash: Roasted upside down for 40 minutes

- Garlic and Parsley Delicata Squash: Roasted, chopped and pan fried in garlic and parsley

- Delicata squash and apple chutney: Delicata squash, royal gala apple, nutmeg, ginger, veggie broth, onions all in a crockpot then pureed

- Delicata and Apple pilaf: recipe below (mine FYI)

Delicata Squash and Apple Pilaf

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice, dry

1 Macintosh apple, cored and seeded

1 Delicata Squash, roasted and chopped

4 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package.

2. Add pumpkin seeds to a wok and pan fry until toasted.

3. Add squash and apple, cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add rice, spices and water. Cook until mixed thoroughly, about 5 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

Try this squash! I've talked about it before. Tastes like a sweet potato with better nutrition and WAY less calories but JUST as filling. And as you can see, its very versatile.

Peace

xoxo

K

Tahini Dressing

In the veggie world, Tahini is used a lot. Tahini is a paste of ground sesame. Its delicious. Most people know it as being an ingredient in hummus. I have some in my cupboard at all times because I often make hummus myself but have never ventured in using it in salad dressings......until that is when I picked up a couple of salads from Capers on Saturday. I got a kale salad with Tahini dressing, OMG was it ever tasty! I have tried to recreate something similar even though I didn't have all the ingredients. It turned out pretty tasty.

Tahini dressing

1/4 cup tahini

1/2 lemon

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup water

1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more water if its too thick. 

TIP: If you have nutritional yeast, add a tablespoon. It will add a nice flavour to the dressing, make it creamier and "cheesy".

I put this over my salad on Saturday and now today. Super yum! Tahini has omega's, fiber, protein, vitamins, lots of goodness to make it a powerhouse seed. Its quite high in calcium content actually.....in a quarter cup it has 35% of your daily intake of calcium! Sesame seeds that make up tahini provide a massive amount of 1,160 mg of calcium/100 g serving!  That's about 10x the amount of calcium vs. milk for the same serving size.  Cow's milk provides roughly 118 mg of calcium/100 g. Crazy right?

I then sprinkled some hemp seeds and black and white sesame seeds on top. No osteoporosis for this gal. My salad had sui choy, spinach, kale, mandarin oranges, cucumber and broccoli. Mmmmmm

I do have some restaurant reviews and recipes for yah, but I forgot to bring my camera cable thingy. So you will have to wait until tomorrow for that. I wanted to get in some posts this weekend but it was Super hectic. And this week is insane too! Its funny how some weeks can fill up so far in advance and others I'm all spontaneous. It gets like that as the holidays get closer. Sigh, Christmas is almost here again. I'm just not ready.....nor in the spirit. Lol

Peace

xoxo

K

Restaurant Review: Organic Lives

Steve and I went to Organic Lives last night. Its my 2nd or 3rd time eating there and always thought that I didn't like it THAT much. I am partial to Gorilla Food. BUT this time I fell in love. That place is so damn good!

Tapas Platter

Nut cheeses, veggie crackers, sesame cracker, stuffed mushrooms, tapenade and zucchini hummus served with cucumber and watermelon radishes (so pretty and SO tasty).

Pad Thai

With kelp noodles (Phe-nom) and veggies with a savory dressing and nuts.

Masala Dosa

With a veggie pate inside wrapped with something veggie, can't remember and this item isn't on their online menu. Its changed I guess. Served with a coconut chutney and a raisin chutney. AMAZING!

Spicy Masala Soup

This came with Steve's Masala Dosa. I was surprised by the spiciness of the soup and dosa. I love how Organic Lives has spicy food. Gorilla Food doesn't. I LOVE spicy food! I like it HOT!

French Macaroon

A raw dessert sweetened with maple syrup. It was so amazing. I could not believe how much this changed my life. LOL Steve also got a chocolate macaroon but we were too busy taking pics of my reaction when I ate it to take a lone pic. HA

It was seriously so wonderful. Both desserts. I took a HUGE breath in. OMG I just love chocolate. AND organic raw chocolate with no processed sugar or anything is pretty much where its at. I've tried other raw desserts before and never cared for them but these macaroons are SOOOOOOOOOOO good.

It was Steve's first time there, but he's been to Gorilla Food a bunch of times. That's our usge spot. So it was cool to hear what he thought of this place. My opinion obviously changed And he really loved it all too.

Check it out! Raw vegan food is pretty amazing, you feel so energized after. 

Peace

xoxo

K

30 Day Health Challenge: Day 17

I'm still alive!! I've made it through 2.5 days eating nothing but raw foods. And not just any raw foods like nuts and seeds, but JUST fruits and veggies. Tonight I shall have some nuts or seeds. I must. I must. I need.....

My dins last night. Plus 4 mandarin oranges. I actually didn't finish the green smoothie. I was not interested. I'd already had like 4. The smoothie contained: half a banana, apple, veggie pulp (kale, carrots and cucumber), a fresh lime, 1 tsp spirulina and lots of water. I'm not into eating my smoothies, I like to drink them, so I add water until its drinkable. 

I felt REALLY good yesterday and had so much energy. My mood was crazy good too. I feel like when I first went vegan. SO when I'm done with this whole cleanse thing, I'm def going to incorporate A LOT more raw foods into my diet. I feel so light and energetic. It must be right if it feels good, right? LOL Right. 

I'm REALLY excited to go to Organic Lives. Its a raw vegan restaurant. Which means they don't cook anything over 118 degrees and there's no wheat, dairy, meat, or any other animal product, obvs. I've been there twice before and have looked at the menu about 6 times in the last 2 days trying to figure out what I want. Mostly because I'm stoked to eat something other than salad and smoothies. LOL I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the Pad Thai and hopefully Steve will want to share the Tapas Platter cuz it sounds Phe-Nom. 

So after today, I'm going to start eating 1 hot meal a day for the remaining 4 days of the cleanse. Then its done! Monday is the last day. Woot woot! I don't think it should be so difficult. I have some meals planned that are out, but I can just use those as my hot meal and make my smoothies and salads for the other times.

After I'm done, I might try to continue on with this whole green smoothie/salad thing. Have the smoothie for breaky and salad for lunch. But add things like nuts/beans/tofu to it to bulk it up and add protein and fat. I find when I don't eat enough fat that I'm SOOOO cold. Like crazy cold. 

I wanna make my meals a bit more simple. Cut back on salt. I don't use much at all, but being Japanese and all I use a lot of soy sauce. I've been checking out this guy on Facebook these days, and he has this album called "My simple recipes". Very easy, simple and nutritious meals. I should give one a try.....

Now doesn't that look good?
2 bean Mexican Delight

- 2 Large Bags Success Instant Rice
- 1 Can Eden Foods Pinto Beans
- 1 Can Eden Foods Black Beans
- 2 lb Bag Frozen Peppers and Onions
(I just found a great version of this as BJ's)
- 1 lb Bag Mixed Veggies (corn, peas, carrots, string beans)
- Salsa (Home made)

Instead of using the "boil in the bag" method today, I opened the bags of rice and put them in a pot with water. Brought to a boil and cooked for 10 minutes. I rinsed the beans and added them to the rice after about 5 minutes. While this was cooking, I steamed the veggies in another pot. When the rice was done, so was the veggies. I drained any extra water from both and then I served it up as above.

(I had two bowls!!) :)

I would not use instant rice, NEVER. Blasphemy. But I'm gonna eat the shit outta my first hot meal. LOL

Have a loverly day folks

Peace

xoxo

K

30 Day Health Challenge: Day 16

Well.....yesterdays all raw day was successful. With any cleanse or detox, there can be an emotional element as well as the physical detox symptoms. It has not been bad at all for me, mainly because I'm already so healthy but also because when I was feeling snippy and emotional I just put my head down and worked away. The morning was the worst. I was feeling VERY hungry for solid food. Not hungry because I was full but the need for solid food was great. The menu I ate/drank on Tuesday was:

1 cup hot lemon water

3 16-20 ounce smoothies (mixed berries, banana, apple, pear, lime, fresh veggie juice....)

1 apple

1 small salad with lemon dressing (fruit and veg)

1 LARGE salad with lemon dressing (fruit and veg)

4 mandarin oranges

NOTE: when I say lemon dressing, I mean just fresh lemon juice.

Seriously, that was all I ate. AND I got in an hour workout. 50 minutes cardio and 10 minutes abs and stretching.

The point of this cleanse is to remove built up toxins in my body, clear out waste (EW) and to cleanse my palate of sugar and salt. It also helps reduce cravings, detoxifies your liver and colon and reduces weight (if that's what you want). I'm def more of a savory eater. I love salty foods but am totally addicted to sugar. Its crack. I swear. 

Today, I'm gonna try for another raw day again. We'll see how it goes. I'm a little mucusy and a very slight headache (signs of detox) but that is so minimal that I barely can feel it. 

My liquid breaky, smoothie, herbal tea, hot lemon water and water!

Now, I'm not gonna lie here and tell you this is easy. Its really not at all. The first 5 hours of day one was rough. I barely talked at all. My coworkers noticed how quiet I was. If you know me at all, I'm one chatty Cathy over here. After my workout as I was prepping my salad, I was a bit somber. Not because the salad wasn't tasty but because it wasn't hot food.

Dinner is my FAVE meal of the day fo sho. So making some tasty and delish is one of my fave things to do, whether its just for me or if I cook for someone else. SO FUN! My somber attitude towards my salad was def uncalled for, and it was enjoyable and on any other day I wouldn't have felt that way, but a whole day raw is hard. 

The principals of what I wanna do are:

- consume 2-3 16-20 oz smoothies per day

- eat raw for 2 meals a day

- Cook with no added fats, oils, sugar or salt

- last 7 days!

That being said, I never let my diet slow me down. Tomorrow I will be dining out tomorrow night before I see a movie....haven't chosen the restaurant. He's pretty flexible in his eats and is training for a fight this month so eating clean is where he's at so maybe we'll go to a raw vegan place. We usually go to Gorilla Food but it closes at 7pm so Organic Lives is our option. OR I'm thinking Calabash Bistro as a back up plan. I haven't been there since the summer.

Here's the salad I had last night:

Now wish me luck for day 2!!! EEEeeek, and I got some new moves for the gym that I'm stoked to try out.

Peace

xoxo

K

30 Day Health Challenge update

Well, as you can imagine, doing a health challenge in Vegas, is well, challenging. Being the vegan gal that I am, it was to bad, but def not what I had wanted. I indulged a little in foods I wouldn't normally eat. And I did have to eat bread but that's cuz I was drinking and we all know what happens when you don't eat enough when out drinking. 

That all being said, I'm back on track here. I started this morning off with a green smoothie cleanse. Today is a test day, seeing what I can handle. If you know me at all, I love to eat. What I wanted to do is a green smoothie cleanse for 3 days. That's only consuming green smoothies for 3 days straight......not likely. Lol. SO my back up plan is one of 2 options: Option 1: Replace 2 meals a day with green smoothies and eat one cooked meal a day  for 7 days OR Option 2: Eat a raw food diet for 7 days. This doesn't count nuts, seeds, or any oils of any kind and no avocado.

Now that its lunch time, and I'm dying, almost literally. I'm a food fanatic. I'm not sure how people can starve themselves, honestly. Its effin hard. I'm drinking my meals right now and I'm disoriented and down right irritable. Its only been like 5.5 hours. HAHA SOOOO that shows me a bit about what I can handle. So I've decided to modify it a bit. 

Breaky: Hot lemon water, obvs lots of water and one 16ish ounce green smoothie

"Snack": green tea (wahoo!)

Lunch: 20 ounce green smoothie and salad (no dressing, might squeeze a lemon on it)

Snack: Apple

Dinner: BIG ass salad

Snack: 16 ounce Green smoothie

So far I've done breaky, "snack" and lunch minus the salad, haven't eaten it yet. 

Cleanses are controversial. I'm all for them. I've always done the Wild Rose Cleanse but this time I'm making up my own. Doing juice or smoothie cleanses, or any cleanse really is good to release toxins from the body, clean out your system and colon. Its good if you have really bad habits and wanna jump start a healthy eating pattern. But they are hard. Wild Rose is good because you can eat a lot, but nothing is processed in any way, so no soy sauce, no flours, no prepared dressings or sauces of any kind. You have to make everything from scratch. Chili was my savior when I did that one. 

Now they don't look good or green but that's because I use mixed berries that mess with the green colour. They are actually quite tasty. But VERY vegerific. 

I made veggie juice the night before which consisted of carrots, kale, a pear and cucumber (I think that's it) and then blended that with lime juice, mixed berries, banana, apple, spinach and 2 tsp's a spirulina powder. 

For most sedentary people a cleanse works great because they don't do much physical activity. But me, well I work out a lot. Luckily I did a pretty hefty weight workout last night so tonight I have to go ahead to just do cardio. I'm hoping to bust out an hour like usge but we'll see how my energy level plays out. Go me!

The first 3 days of any change like this is always the toughest. If anyone has quit coffee or cigs then you know what I'm talking about. The detox and cravings are hard to handle. I hope I make it through this day. I apologize in advance if I snap at anyone. LOL for reals.

I've always been so fascinated by a raw foods diet, so I hope I can at least do 2 days raw, even 1 day would be great, 3 would be phe-nom. 7 is not gonna happen but I can do the last 4 days with 1 cooked meal a day or however I modify it. 

Good luck me! Join me if you dare! If you're trying to lose weight, this will def do it! Even just replacing the 2 meals a day with green smoothies will do it.

Peace

xoxo

K

Vegan in Vegas 2011

So y'all know I went down to Vegas for my bestie's wedding. It was obviously VERY fun. In fact, it tops all other trips. Hands down, best time I've had in Vegas. If I ever get married, I would like to do it in Vegas. Fun for everyone!!! 

My friends classed it up by having the ceremony at the Wynn. Which by the way has a vegan menu in EVERY restaurant! Yah! Sadly I only got to try 2 of these. Mostly because I was hung over a lot and also, I love Chipotle and HAD to eat there too. Next time you're in the states, eat there. DO it!

Anyways, I thought I'd do a bunch of food pics to sum up the vegan deliciousness that is Vegas. It is not hard at all to eat vegan in Vegas. I thought it might be, but I was wrong. There is food everywhere and its pretty much the same as here in terms of difficulty. Vancouver is just a bit easier because we have so many Ethnic restaurants like way more Sushi and such.

Now onto the food porn:

Stratta at the Wynn

Whole wheat rotini with Gardein Sausage bolognese

Sea at Bally's (had a pool in the middle you could sit around)

Bangkok Panang Curry with Tofu and Green beans

Terrace Point Cafe at the Wynn

"Cheeseburger" and Fries combo. Supposed to be a chocolate shake but I changed it to a fruit cup

Actually tasted pretty damn close to a cheeseburger! YUMMY

Las Vegas Country Club

Las Vegas Country Club: Stuffed Portobello Mushroom w/ rice and aspara

Chipotle didn't get photographed as I was tooooooo hungry and hung over to take out my camera. And the one buffet didn't either because I didn't want anyone other than Kevin seeing how much I ate. LOL 

This is the bride in her party wedding dress and moi. 

The last song played was "our" song. LOL Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani. There were also numerous others from our history together. haha, we have had many nights out dancing. They are off on their honeymoon in Cabo right now, lucky bums! (which we went to in 2008. lol). The wedding was beautiful!!! Reception was awesome, but the stagette was a night to remember.....or not to remember is more the case. :)

Peace

xoxo

K