Pear and Parsley Spiked Green Smoothie...

I know, two smoothie recipes in as many days? How original, but really this smoothie is freaking fantastic and I thought that since it’s January and everyone’s cleansing it might be appreciated. As I said the other day, part of my goal for this year is to make sure I start every day off right, that means getting my exercise in first thing, and then enjoying a refreshing nutrient packed smoothie for breakfast. I have no rules as far as what kind of smoothie to have for breakfast, it doesn’t have to be a green smoothie or a veggie cocktail, just as long as it’s healthful, and loaded with nutrition. Since I get bored with drinking the same smoothie each day I’ve been treating myself to three different concoctions. My Strawberry Sunshine Beet Blast, a Tropical Avocado Smoothie, and this delicious Pear and Parsley Spiked Green Smoothie. It was extremely refreshing and revitalizing after my hard workout yesterday morning.

The Pear, Parsley, Cucumber and Coconut Water are what make this smoothie particularly refreshing. Both Pears and Cucumbers are loaded with beneficial antioxidants, and both are anti-inflammatory as well. The added bonus of throwing them into your smoothie is that their calorie content is relatively low for the nutrient boost they provide. Parsley also is a wonderfully healing herb, with vibrant color and great flavor it also boasts an amazing amount of Vitamin K, as well as being a rich source of antioxidant nutrients. It also provides you with a good dose of Vitamin A and C, and only has 1 Calorie per Tablespoon how awesome is that? Then you have the coconut water. There is a lot of buzz and hype about coconut water, particularly over the past couple of years as more and more companies began producing and selling it commercially to capitalize on it's popularity. Some people claim it's a miracle food, while skeptics say it's a scam. I personally don't drink coconut water because it's popular, I drink it because it's damn delicious, and while i'm not a food scientist, or doctor I can personally attest to the fact that after I drink it I do feel more energized and definitely more refreshed. It's certainly true that Coconut water is full of electrolytes - which are great to consume if you've just had an intense work out - it's also a great source of potassium - far better then say a banana, - but whether any of the other health claims are true only time will tell. In the meantime i'm going to keep drinking because it's delicious, and also very low in calories. Roughly 45 calories per 8oz provided you're buying pure, natural, no sugar added coconut water.

From the very first sip you take from this smoothie you just know you're drinking something that tastes great, and is great for you, and once you know that, it makes it so damn easy to keep going. Enjoy!

Pear and Parsley Spiked Green Smoothie 

1 Pink Lady Apple
1 Large Banana
1 Large Anjou Pear
! C Kale
½ Large Cucumber
A pinch of Fresh Parsley (or more to taste)
1 tsp Spirulina
½ C Coconut Water
1/4 C Orange Juice (or as much as ½ C if you want the smoothie a bit thinner)
4-5 Ice Cubes (Optional)

- Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend on high for 60-90 seconds until completely smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy after a good workout!

Green Salad with Crumbled Chèvre, and Walnuts in a Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette

One thing I really wanted to do for Christmas was utilize some of the delicious sounding recipes from Miyoko Schinner’s book “Artisan Vegan Cheese.” For me, holiday celebrations are the best and most practical time for me to make recipes like this. Since these recipes always tend to make a lot, and since my husband was never a fan of dairy cheese - and thus not a fan of vegan cheese either - it’s far to much for me to make these recipes just for myself. I’d never be able to eat it all, and truth be told I wouldn’t want to eat an entire pound of cheese anyway, even if it is vegan cheese.

There are so many great sounding recipes in this book that I really wanted to try that it was really difficult to try and decide what ones I wanted to make first. I thought long and hard about what would make a great party cheese plate, and then thought about what kind of cheese I’d like to eat. Eventually I settled on three cheeses in particular but for now I’m only going to talk about the Chèvre. Back when I was still a dairy eater, I loved goat cheese, and so this recipe really intrigued me. Overall I think it turned out really well, although next time I think I’ll use a bit less lemon juice and age it a tad less as well because it came out tasting very tart, and overall it was very strong. At the party I served it on a platter with crackers along with the Aged Cheddar - also from the book - and a Raw Christmas Cheese Ball - More on this later - that I made and It went over really well, even with the omnivores who thought it was delicious, and couldn’t believe that I’d actually made it from scratch.

The problem came after Christmas was over and I realized I still had half a brick of Chèvre left in my fridge. I’m not the cheese and crackers type really, so I’m not about to sit around and eat it all up in that way, and it’s been so long since I’ve had any use for cheese of any kind that I wasn’t quite sure what else to do with it. Eventually I decided on giving half of what I had left to my dear twin brother E, because I knew he would enjoy it. As it turns out he did enjoy it, and he gave me a great idea for how to use up the rest of what I had left. Crumbled on top of salad with walnuts, and a Dijon Vinaigrette. Of course! And how simple, I can’t believe it hadn’t occurred to me.

So a couple of days ago I got thee to my kitchen and threw together this super tasty and ridiculously simple salad.

Green Salad with Crumbled Chèvre, and Walnuts in a Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette

1 C Baby Spinach
1 C Chopped Romaine Lettice
1 Ripe Anjou Pear sliced thin
½ C Dried Cranberries
1 Large Ripe Tomato Diced
½ C Raw Walnuts
1/4 C Sliced Green Onions
1/3 C Crumbled Vegan Chèvre (Preferably homemade using the Artisan Vegan Cheese Recipe!)

Dressing 

1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 ½  Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Hemp Seed Oil
1-2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp Water
Sea salt and Black Pepper to taste

- Combine all salad ingredients - except Chèvre -  in a bowl and mix thoroughly to combine. Top with crumbled Chèvre.

- Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Roughly 1 minute. Taste and adjust flavor as needed.

- Drizzle dressing over salad and enjoy!

The Rejuvenator...

It’s an absolutely gorgeous day in Chicagoland today. Sunny, and warm with a nice breeze. My favorite kind of day and I’ve been taking advantage of it by spending time outside walking and hooping, and by having all the shades and windows open while I’ve been in. It’s amazing just how good a little sunshine and exercise can make you feel!

Now I don’t know about you but I know when the seasons begin to change I begin to change with them. My habits, my food choices, my overall routine - it all shifts. During the cold winter months this usually means I eat hardier heavier fare, exercise less and stay indoors more. Something I always feel good about in the beginning because who doesn’t like to laze about a bit after the long hot sweaty months? Truth is though, I hate being cooped up indoors, I hate the stale re-circulated air, and I hate not being able to go for long walks or ride my bike. Then of course there’s the food, now as much as I love stews, soups, chilies, pasta, baked goods, sweets and creamy gooey comfort food goodness there always comes a point where I feel enough is enough. By the time Spring rolls around all I want to do is run, and eat salad. Even if I haven’t gained any weight over the winter - which I usually don’t - I always feel heavier, bogged down, and just generally sick of spirt I suppose. Which is exactly how I was feeling last Friday after a week long adventure in cooking Latin food. It was so good - mouth watering good, and it was so much fun to begin learning a new cuisine but by the end of the week I just wanted to die. I was so stuffed, so tired, so clogged up; everything about my body and my spirt felt out of whack, they were no longer working in harmony with one another, and I felt awful.

The only way I know how to remedy this is to get myself back to basics. Get off the sugar, get off the starch, get off the corn, soy and wheat. Get myself back into a routine of green smoothies, salads, and a lot more fresh raw produce. Cutting all that out and just eating and living simply is the best way to flush out the body and restore balance to both your physical and spiritual self. After only two days I’m feeling better, healthier, lighter, happier and more positive then I have in months. It’s a wonderful feeling, and so I wanted to share with you the smoothie I made Saturday morning to get myself back on track. It’s so delicious and invigorating that I drank the entire blender full in about twenty minutes, and felt fantastic all day. My sugar cravings diminished and my belly stayed full all afternoon without making me feel like death, not to mention I felt less tired and more energized.

I highly recommend you kick off the new season with a cleanse of your own, and include this refreshing, rejuvenating drink!

Happy Spring!

The Rejuvenator

2 Cara Cara Oranges***
3-4 Large Kale Leaves
1 D’Anjou Pear
1 Banana
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 tsp Spirulina
2 C water
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 packets stevia
3-4 sprigs Fresh Mint

- Peel oranges, and remove as much pith (the white skin covering the fruit) as possible.

- Place all ingredients except Stevia in a high-speed blender and blend on high for 60 seconds or until well blended and completely smooth. Taste for sweetness and add stevia to taste.

*** Note - You could use Navel Oranges if you don’t have Cara Cara, however the Cara Cara oranges add a really unique and delicious flavor to this smoothie that Navels will not. Cara Cara’s are a favorite of mine, and for good reason, so I highly recommend you try them if you can find them at your local grocer or farmer’s market. ***

Orange Sunshine Beta Booster...

Because sometimes you just need a little Beta-Carotene. If you’re anything like me then by now you’re so ‘over’ the holiday’s. You’re in a junk food funk courtesy of the holiday season. You’re stuffed and bloated and sick to death of fat, and sugar and can’t even look at another piece of bread. You’ve been consuming chocolate via IV and are pretty close to slipping into that post Christmas food coma thanks to all those leftovers stinking up your fridge. You’re desperate to claw yourself out of this mess and wonder how you even fell victim to it in the first place. Maybe you’re now faced with battling the holiday bulge, but you know that New Year’s is just around the corner and so you won’t be able to stick to any kind of healthy eating plan despite your best intentions.

It’s okay, take a long slow breath and fear not. Just because you can’t commit yourself to going back to your healthy ways right this minute doesn’t mean you can’t at least prepare your body for what will eventually come right? As much as I want to start to detox now, I know that with my husband’s birthday and New Years fast approaching I will not be able to stave off the sweets, bypass the fats, and break away from the delicious seduction of gluten and soy.

While I may not be able to steer clear of these temptations at a New Year’s party, a family dinner, or a birthday outing I am capable of making good choices the rest of the week, and so are you. Don’t think that just because you ate a piece of cake at a party last night that gives you free licence to eat cookies, pie and potato chips for breakfast this morning. Don’t fall into that trap of saying "oh well I ate junk yesterday so I may as well continue till the New Year." It’s a poor excuse. You’re giving up control and letting yourself go because it’s ‘easy’ but choosing health is easy too, it just takes a few moments of consideration rather then a mindless grab for the chips that are sitting on the counter.

So stop with the excuses, take back control and realize that while you may not be perfect for the next week, you can still do good for yourself, by choosing health when and where you can, until you’re ready to re-commit. I find breakfast to be the easiest time to choose health during the holiday season, because so often it is the one time of the day that we’re alone. Free of temptation, and free of influence it doesn’t take much to throw some good nutritious food into the Vitamix and start your day off right. That’s what I did this morning and I got a nice little boost from it.

Now as much as I love me some greens, and especially a green smoothie sometimes you just want a little something different. As far as nutrition is concerned greens are paramount but that doesn’t mean you should neglect all the other delicious plant foods out there. After all we should be eating all the colors of the rainbow, yet very often I find the majority of people eat a very muted color palate. Not this smoothie however. It is bright, bold and beautiful and packed with all kinds of healthful nutrients. So stop making excuses for yourself and give it a try today!

Orange Sunshine Beta Booster

2 C Chopped Peeled Carrots
2-4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2-3 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
1 Piece Fresh Ginger
1 Pink Lady Apple (or other tart apple such as Granny Smith)
1 D’Anjou Pear
1 Banana
2 C Purified Water
1-2 Packets Stevia (to taste, optional)

- Place all ingredients except stevia into highspeed blender and blend on high for roughly 1 minute or until everything is well combined and smooth. Add in stevia blend a few seconds until incorporated, then pour into glasses and enjoy!

*** Note - If you want a little extra fiber you don’t need to peel your carrots. However if you want to eat the peel then make sure you are using Organic carrots and wash them well to remove any dirt. ***

Morning Apple Blaster Smoothie...

Not being much of a breakfast person smoothies have always been my go-to morning meal. In the past they’ve usually consisted of fruit, and soy milk, but over the past few months I’ve been leaning more and more towards the ‘Green Smoothies’ they’re delicious, and loaded with healthful nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. For a while there I was making ‘kitchen sink’ smoothies, meaning they usually consisted of at least a little of every kind of fruit and vegetable I had in the house. Lately however I’ve been favoring a more simple approach. I made this one the other morning and loved the result!

Morning Apple Blaster Smoothie

1 Organic Granny Smith Apple (if not organic remove peel)
1 Organic D’Anjou Pear (if not organic remove peel)
2-3 Small Leaves Kale
1/4 cup water Or Apple Juice (or enough to cover the blades of a vitamix, or more to thin if desired)
1 Packet Stevia (Optional)

- Blend fruit, kale, and water on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute until everything is smooth. Taste for sweetness and if it’s not sweet enough for your taste add Stevia.

Not at all a bad way to start your day. Especially one of those lovely warm summer mornings when you have some liesure time to just sit by the window and watch the world outside. Listen to some good music, read a good book... those are my favorite kind of mornings. Enjoy!

Grilled Pear, Walnut, and Cabbage Salad

Grilled Pears are a revelation! I honestly can’t believe I’ve never had them before; but perhaps I should back track. Last week the weather was hot, sunny and beautiful. It was mid afternoon, I’d just come home from a swim and I was jonesing for a salad. Not just any salad mind you, I wasn’t interested in simply tossing some lettuce and sliced veggies into a bowl with a simple oil and vinegar dressing. I wasn’t a decadent salad, a scrumptious salad, a salad that begged to be ‘presented’ a salad that would have me gleefully sated all the rest of the day, and most importantly a salad that would impress my husband.

I pulled out the latest addition to my cookbook collection, Vegan Yum Yum, by Lauren Ulm, and gave it a quick flip through. Generally when I get a new cookbook I like to cook exclusively from it for a week or two to get a feel for it, and so far I’d only cooked one thing out of it. Her salad section isn’t very large, but what really jumped out at me that day was the Grilled Pear, Walnut, and Cabbage Salad. I did a quick check of the ingredients. Cabbage I had because I’d purchased a head on a whim a few days before. Walnuts I had in the pantry of course, and I had two pears left that I’d picked up the week before and needed to use quickly before they went off. Happily I set to work.

The salad itself isn’t complicated, it’s just that there are quite a few steps and it takes a good 30 minutes at least to complete them all. From whisking together the dressing, to preparing and grilling the pears, to sauteeing the walnuts. Once the whole thing comes together however it’s like flavor exploded in your mouth. My very first though was "How had I never eaten grilled pears before?" they’re so simple, yet delicious, and who would have thought they’d be great paired with simple green cabbage and walnuts? Really aside from poppy seeds and the dressing there wasn’t much to it, but man was it good. I ate two large bowls full, and it left me feeling exactly as I’d hoped it would. Delectably stuffed!

I highly recommend giving grilled pairs a try. It’s simple. You can marinate them if you want in a sweet salty sauce of your choosing. A few minutes should do, then grill them for about 2 minutes a side on medium heat just until they’re a bit golden and have grill marks across their flesh. Do it and I assure you, you will not be sorry!