Healthy Holiday Eating

'Tis the season for family gatherings, traveling, holiday baking, and going out to eat. Fear not, all these festivities can be a part of your healthy lifestyle. Each one of these challenges can be overcome with a plan and a little self control. Keep in mind that it's holiday season and you don't have to be perfect. For me, it wouldn't be Christmas without cream of crab soup, but I know that I have to eat it in moderation with other, healthier items.

First diet saboteur is the family gathering. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not eat my aunt's juicy golden turkey with a shimmery waterfall of silky gravy goodness poured over the top on Thanksgiving, but I knew that if I ate it, I would be really, really sick. The best way to tackle the family gathering is to bring something healthy to share with everyone else. I brought roasted sweet potatoes, herb roasted veggies, vegan green bean casserole, and homemade cranberry sauce. This way when I smelled that turkey cooking, I had something yummy to eat instead. Plus bringing a dish to share with your family can help them try some healthy food.

The next challenge of holiday season is traveling. However you plan on getting to see your loved ones (or getting away for them), the most important part of staying healthy while you're away from home is to be prepared! I always bring a couple healthy snacks with me when I fly, so I'm not starving when I get to my layover in Atlanta. Or a raging bitch ready to eat a small child by the time I get to Florida and finally see my family. When I finally get to wherever I'm going, my family is usually pretty good about eating healthy, we just eat allllll the time. Too much healthy food is still too much food. But the biggest problem when I travel is the drinking. The Tolson clan is known to sling a few back. I do my best to keep a healthy eating plan and just sum the drinking up to "It's ok I'm on vacation." I try to help cook a few meals while I'm there, incorporating my own healthy recipes and techniques. It's fun to cook with my mom and bond with everyone while we cook, plus I know that I'm making healthy meals for everyone I love. Speaking of, I'm sad that I won't be able to see everyone this Christmas, but I will be there soon!!! Miss you all!

The holiday baking can sometimes get out of hand too. My mom makes so many holiday cookies, it would make your head spin. And considering my standard batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies makes six dozen, there are so many sweets around my house when I start to bake. The way I prevent eating the entire batch and going into a diabetic coma is to wrap up at least half of my cookies as soon as they cool. Last year I got some cute little boxes and filled them up to give as gifts. Last time I made my pumpkin cookies, I wrapped up half on a platter and brought them into work. Not only did I get rid of half my cookies, but I got a lot more visitors at my desk that day.

The easiest task to overcome during holiday season is going out to eat. Between stopping to eat while you're shopping, catching up with friends that are in town, and entertaining family, a lot of restaurant eating happens this time of year. The good news is, there are almost always some healthy options when you are eating out. And if there isn't anything you see on the menu, ask the waiter and they can usually accommodate you. Today, I went to the Vietnamese restaurant by my house and ordered the vegetarian pho, but they use chicken broth in all their soup. I asked if they could use water instead, but the manager insisted on making me some vegetable broth! They were so nice! A lot of restaurants will make me a vegetarian version of whatever I order. You can make most dishes healthier by asking for a whole grain version or no cheese or cooked dry (without the oil or butter). Just keep in mind that when you go out, you want to choose a healthy option. Don't think that you have to splurge every time you go out.

Hope these are some helpful healthy tips for you! Happy Holidays to you all! <3

The Best Banana Bread Ever

I had some very ripe bananas sitting on the counter and was about to freeze them to make my banana ice cream (see earlier post!), but my brother suggested I make banana bread. What a genius idea!!!! It's too cold out for ice cream anyway. Banana bread always reminds me of my mom. I don't think she ever made it too terribly often, but banana bread is one of those things that just always reminds you of moms. And seriously, who doesn't loooooove banana bread?!?! I'm just so excited I can't even stand it. My mouth was watering waiting for it to come out of the oven. 

Normally when I start to come up with a recipe, I'll do a little research and look at other people's recipes and go through my many cookbooks, try to figure out how I can make it healthier, and decide on a plan of action, and then midway through, throw it all out the window and just make it up as I go. Today was no exception. But here's what I eventually did.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 vegan sugar
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce
3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp each nutmeg and cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the vegan butter, sugars and the applesauce. Melt the coconut oil over very low heat, so it isn't hot enough to melt the sugar but liquid enough to use. Add this to the butter and sugar. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Combine and then add the remaining ingredients until everything is well incorporated. Put the batter into an oiled cake pan and bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

If you're feeling extra indulgent (which for some reason, I always am), you can make a struesel topping. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 tbsp vegan butter, 1 tbsp flour and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Stir in some more walnuts and sprinkle on top of the bread batter before you put it in the oven.

This bread came out so moist and yummy, and I'm going to have to try really hard not to eat the whole loaf right now.

Yummmm

My first piece. Going back for seconds now.

What I really love about banana bread is that it tastes like cake, but you can eat it for breakfast. It's like starting the day with dessert. Nothing wrong with that ;)

Fast Food

It's no secret that most of us are so busy it makes our heads spin. Sometimes healthy eating can take a back seat behind work and school and family and friends and whatever else we have to do. That's what today's post is for. With a little planning and very little time, you can make lots of healthy meals fast.

I'm not really a huge fan of convenience foods like frozen meals and packaged products, but I do like to make my own so I can have good food fast that you can control the ingredients and flavors of a lot better.

First off, it's important to plan ahead so you're never left with no healthy options. Every two weeks or so when I go grocery shopping, I spend a few hours and make a ton of food that I can freeze for those nights when all you can do is heat something up. I like to make giant pots of marinara sauce and soup and then freeze them in smaller containers.

Here are some of my greatest go-to super fast meals:
Sweet potato and black bean burgers. This recipe is posted under my Fourth of July post. I make a giant batch that makes about 12 burgers. They freeze really well and then you can just pop them in the oven and eat them anytime!

Veggie loaded marinara. I throw in mushrooms and zucchini and spinach and whatever else is in my fridge and always have a container in the fridge. This way, all I need for dinner is to boil some whole wheat pasta and eat!

Also with your marinara you can make lasagna and freeze that right in the baking dish and bake when you're ready. You can do this with mac and cheese or baked ziti or any kind of baked pasta dish.

Vegetable soup. Usually I make this to use up any veggies that I have and maybe add some barley or rice or pasta in too. It's a great way to use up whatever you have on hand and sneak veggies in for picky eaters. Plus you can freeze and defrost a little at a time whenever you need a quick meal.

Sweet potato lentil soup. I've posted this recipe before and it's sooooo good. The ultimate comfort food for me. Plus it uses ingredients I always have on hand. Again, it's something that freezes well.

Veggie stir fry. I make this like four or five times a week. It's so easy to just throw some frozen and chopped veggies into a pan and put that over some brown rice or udon noodles. This literally takes less than 10 minutes from freezer to table. And it's versatile enough to cater to your tastes and what you have.

Wraps and sandwiches. My new favorite go to is avocado, spinach, tomatoes and cucumbers on a whole wheat tortilla with balsamic vinegarette.

Burritos! Who doesn't love burritos?! Just throw some precooked beans, rice and whatever else in a tortilla with some salsa and boom. Dinner.

Baked potatoes, either sweet potatoes or white. Fill with beans and veggies, and top with salsa. These also freeze well after you've baked them.

Poached egg sandwich. I've been eating eggs lately, which is weird for me, but I can't get enough of my newest creation. Some wilted spinach, tomatoes and sliced avocado on an English muffin with a poached egg. Not my usual vegan fare, but so yummy! Kind of like eggs benedict, but healthier and easier. And it takes like 2 minutes to make!

Look at that breakfast!

So there you have it! Some very easy healthy meals. No excuses not to eat healthy!

Hungry Holidays

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for so long. I've been a busy little bee lately. I promise I won't be so long between posts anymore. To make up for it, I'm going to tell you about my Thanksgiving and share my recipes with you! I know it's late, but trust me, it's worth it.

Thanksgiving was a little crazy this year. We wanted to do a work dinner on Wednesday so my very generous boss bought all the ingredients and I started cooking up a storm. Since my boss is allergic to dairy, all our dishes were vegan except the turkey and gravy. And of course, I made it all from scratch. I also made double of everything so he had enough for the fam the next day. Then I made more for dinner with my family! It was a three day cooking extravaganza.

Here's what I made:
Rosemary and apricot glazed turkey with gravy
Whole wheat cranberry and apple stuffing
Orange scented cranberries
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Spicy roasted sweet potatoes
Green bean casserole with caramelized onions
Herb roasted veggies

Rosemary and Apricot Glazed Turkey
I didn't eat this but I was told it was amazing and juicy and tender.
25 lb. turkey
1 cup vegan butter
4 tbsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
1/2 cup water
1 orange
2 onions
4 stalks celery
4 carrots
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the onions into quarters and the celery and onions into big chunks. Cut the orange in half. Line the bottom of a giant roasting pan with the carrots and celery and 1 of the onions. Place the turkey on the top of the veggies and stuff the inside with the orange and the rest of the onion. Combine the butter with 2 tbsp of the rosemary. Rub the butter mixture under and on top of the skin all over the turkey, and some on the inside too. In a small saucepan, heat the preserves with the water, the remaining rosemary, and the salt and pepper. Set aside. Tightly cover the turkey with foil and cook for about 4 1/2 to 5 hours, basting every 30 minutes or so. When the turkey is almost done, remove the foil and pour the glaze all over the turkey and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Ta da! Perfect turkey.

To make the gravy, in a large pot, melt 1/4 cup vegan butter and combine with 1/4 cup flour. Cook this for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth. Whisk this thoroughly to avoid lumps. You can stop right here for vegetarians or you can add the drippings from the turkey. Simmer over medium heat until this thickens up.

Whole Wheat Cranberry Apple Stuffing
This stuffing is moist and flavorful and low in fat! Much healthier than the boxed versions.
1 loaf whole wheat bread, toasted and cubed
2 apples, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts
2 tsp dried sage
salt and pepper

In a large pan, sautee the apples, celery, carrots, onions, and garlic in the vegetable oil until soft and translucent. In an oven-safe bowl, add the bread and sauteed veggies. Add the cranberries, walnuts and the spices. Pour the broth over the stuffing and mix everything thoroughly. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 until the top gets brown and crispy.

Orange Scented Cranberries
By far the easiest, but most impressive dish I made.
1 bag of fresh cranberries
juice and zest of 1 orange
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Boil all the ingredients in a large pot for 10 minutes until the berries begin to burst. Take the berries off the heat and chill until you're ready to eat. Seriously. That's it!!

Green Bean Casserole
2 bags frozen green beans (you could totally use fresh, but this way is much easier)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or any other dairy free milk you like)
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp vegan butter
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper

In a sautee pan, heat 2 tbsp of the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until caramelized, about 30 minutes. In a large, separate pot, heat the remaining oil and sautee the mushrooms and garlic. Set aside. In that same pot, heat the butter and flour for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the broth and the milk and whisk thoroughly. Cook this for 10-15 minutes until it gets really thick. Add the mushrooms and garlic back in. Place the green beans into a casserole dish. Pour the mushroom mixture over the top and stir. Arrange the caramelized onions over the top and bake for 30 minutes until heated through. You can add those crunchy onions on top if you want too.

The rest of the recipes were pretty simple so I won't post them here. I think that was enough for one post.

The whole spread

We had a really big table

Carving the turkey!

After dinner, a little debauchery began.

I hope you all enjoyed the recipes! Hopefully you can use them this holiday season. Look out for new posts soon! :)

Cleaning Out the Pantry

It's finally fall and time for some warm, comforting recipes. I have been craving pasta like nobody's business lately. And today I was on the last little bit of my groceries and was trying to use up what I have in the pantry. While digging around in the depths of my pantry, one of my bags of beans ripped and spilled alllllll over the kitchen. There will be black beans hiding in the crevices of the kitchen for days. It was great to clean up. Anyway, I decided to make two giant pots of food so I don't have to cook the rest of the week. I had some tomatoes and some pumpkin and some coconut milk so I made pumpkin chili and tomato cream sauce.

My pumpkin chili is perfect for fall. It has all kinds of fall flavors and it's a really pretty orangeish red color. Plus it's really healthy and full of vitamins! The pumpkin adds really earthy flavor and the beans add lots of protein and heartiness. Aaaand you can make it in the crockpot! So here's my first recipe :)

Three Bean Pumpkin Chili
32 oz. tomatoes (Try to use tomatoes from a jar or a box, or fresh!, rather than from a can so you can avoide BPA in your food)
14 oz. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!!)
1 small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup corn
1 cup each kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp each cayenne pepper, dried oregano, and chili powder
1/2 tsp each black pepper and salt

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sautee the onions and garlic in the oil until it's translucent. Transfer the onions and garlic to the crockpot and add the rest of the ingredients. Turn the crockpot on high and cook for three hours. So yummy! I had some over a tofu hot dog and it was bomb. You can feel free to add some ground beef or turkey or some shredded chicken if you're into that.

Recipe number two was to satisfy my pasta craving. I used the rest of the tomatoes and made a marinara sauce but decided that wasn't good enough. This is a healthier, vegan version of a tomato cream sauce. It was fast and easy to make and was so good! Here's recipe number two!

Vegan Tomato Cream Sauce
32 oz. tomatoes
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp each basil, oregano, black pepper, and parsley
1/2 tsp salt

Sautee the onions and garlic in the oil over medium heat in a large pan until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer over medium low heat for about an hour until the sauce has reduced a little bit. Serve over some whole wheat pasta.

Steamy and delicious!

The Politics of Health

I don't know if many of you have realized, buttttttttt it's election season. Are you as tired as I am of political calls, debates and candidate bashing?? I'm very hesitant to write a political blog because I really am not here to argue about politics with anyone (ahem, Jordan). I'm not here to tell anyone how to vote, because honestly, I still don't know who I'm going to vote for. I think all politicians are lying weasel scumbags, and that it's really the lesser of two evils in any election.

However, there are a few very important health related issues coming up in this election that I think people should be informed about. These are just issues that are personally important to me, and I understand that what I think is important may not matter to anyone else. The only thing that is important is that you vote and you make it an informed vote and stay true to what matters to you. No one who doesn't vote should be able to bitch about anything, ever. If you don't put your two cents in now, you don't get to later. Feel free to disagree with anything I have to say, but don't get nasty okayyyyy?!

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. First and foremost, for all my California voters out there, you've probably heard about Prop 37. In the food blogger and health food world, this is probably the biggest deal of anything going on. Prop 37, or "The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act," would basically require genetically modified food products to be labeled and would not allow these products to be advertised as "natural." All it is, is something that would allow consumers to know what they are consuming. It's common sense that this should be mandatory. However, there are some very big opponents of this proposition. Monsanto is a biotech company that was one of the first producers of very dangerous pesticides that are now banned in the U.S. They are also the largest financial contributer to the opposition of Prop 37. Recent studies have shown that rats that consume genetically modified food are more likely to develop cancers and die prematurely. GMOs go almost unregulated in the United States, despite the unknown side effects of these products.

The next issue is one that is very important to most of my friends, being that a lot of you are soon to be entering the health care field. And even if you're not, it's an issue that will affect everyone. Recent polls show that health care is the second most important issue for voters in this election (behind the economy and jobs). The two main presidential candidates differ in their opinions on every aspect of health care. The main component of the difference of opinions is the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Most people think that it is a law requiring everyone to have health insurance, and while true, that this is part of the Affordable Care Act, there are also other provisions that this act would mandate. It would require restaurants to publish caloric and nutritional information on their menus. It would also allow biologic drug manufacturers 12 years of production before generic versions can be developed. These two points, along with a few others were effective immediately. Other initiatives that would become effective over time, are contain provisions to not deny people health insurance coverage based on previous conditions and not require these people to pay higher premiums. Another aspect of this act would be the contraceptive mandate that would require insurance plans to cover many preventative treatments like mammograms and colonoscopies without a copay or deductible. This act also increases Medicaid eligibility and fines individuals and companies that do not have or do not provide health insurance. Keep in mind that this has already passed, and some of these things are already taking effect, while others are scheduled to take effect over the next few years; the issue is not whether or not this will pass after the upcoming election, but whether or not this will be repealed after the election. Since it is such a large overhaul to our existing health care system, there are obviously many controversies within the many aspects of this act, including funding of this system.

(Danielle, you should probably stop reading right here.)

The last thing I want to bring up is (okay ready for the eye roll) the environment. While I think it's great that we are importing less fossil fuels, I think we should be USING less fossil fuels. The United States uses more oil than any other country in the world, and argue if you will, but global warming IS happening. Every step of oil usage is a drain to our planet. Extracting it, transporting it, and then burning it. All bad. And while people may think natural gas is a healthier alternative for our environment, the effects of fracking can be devastating. It would be really awesome if we could explore some green energy sources, and reduce our energy consumption. We only have only planet and it would be cool if we didn't destroy it. Reduce, reuse, recycle. ;)

I know that there are some pretty serious issues going on in this country and to many people, the ones I've outlined here don't even make the top 10, but they are what's really important and interesting to me and most relevant to this blog. These are issues that will affect not only us, but every generation after us. I want my children and grandchildren to live in a safe, clean, healthy world, not some polluted, GMO-filled, cancer cesspool. I just want to emphasize that we are only given one body and one planet, and we should do our best to invest in and protect what we have and try not to fuck it up too badly.

Now enough with the politics, let's make some food!! :)

Pumpkin Cookies OMG.

There is nothing I love more about fall than pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I wait all year for them to start appearing in the grocery store. Every once in awhile you can catch them during the summer but the cinnamony-pumpkiny-chocolatey goodness is just not the same when it's hot out. So this week, in honor of the most perfect weather to ever hit Las Vegas, I decided to veganize them. I mayyyy have gone a little overboard because I made 6 dozen cookies. 6 dozen. 84 cookies. Good thing I've been working out a lot. What am I going to do with all these cookies?! Anyway, they are delicious and cakey and fluffy and exactly what I was craving. Here's my recipe for heavenly fall cookies. :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups brown rice syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!!!)
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used safflower oil)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup vegan butter, melted (you can substitute the coconut oil and the vegan butter for more oil, but I like the flavor of this combo)
1 bag vegan chocolate chips (Ghiradelli chocolate chips are vegan!!)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the syrup, oil and butter in a really big bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The batter will be very wet. Scoop out about a tablespoon of dough per cookie onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes until cooked through. (P.S. Vegan cookie dough means you can safely eat it raw. You're welcome.)

Seriously, try not to eat them. 

Enjoy with a (soy) pumpkin spice latte, or my favorite, a soy chai. Yummm. Happy October everyone!!

Best Day of My Life.

If you know anything about me at all, you know I have a huuuuuuuge Jason Mraz obsession. I love love love Jason. I even have a Jason Mraz tattoo.

Smilers never lose and frowners never win, so let the sun shine in :)

Let me just break down the reasons I am a Mraz Maniac. First of all, he is so talented and witty and funny. His music can put me in a good mood no matter what. His voice makes my knees weak. He is a vegan!! (and I recently read an article where he said that being a vegan makes him better in bed! :o !!!) He lives on an avocado farm (and I love guacamole) in San Diego (one of my favorite places). He is a total hippie and cares about the environment and saving the planet and all that good stuff. But most importantly, and the biggest reason I love me some Mraz, is that he is exactly as awesome up close and in person as he is on stage and in videos and anywhere else you see him publicly.

Last year, my aunt and I drove 5 hours to and from San Diego just to go to his concert and turn right back around and come home. I thought that day was magical because I got to meet Toca, his drummer for that tour.

I know it's blurry, but it's what I've got.

Well yesterday, I topped the magic of that day. I went to Jason's concert here (yay!!! Thank you for coming to Vegas!!!!), and it was aMRAZing!!!!!!! I had much better seats this time (thanks Deedee!).

Anyway, aside from the spectacular performance, I got to meet Jason (and some other band members)!!!!!! 

Pinch me. That really happened.

Me and Mona Tavakoli

Praying that I can have his children??

By far, greatest thing that could ever happen to me. I'm still shocked that it did. I'm literally the happiest person on the planet. Anyway, I just wanted to share with you all my aMRAZing, perfect, spectacular, happiest day ever. 

"I've got peace in my heart, got peace in my soul, wherever I'm going, I'm already home." <3

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies!!

The best part of baking vegan treats is that you can lick the spoon (ok and the bowl) and not get sick from salmonella or other weird things. So today, on my favorite day of the week, while watching Lifetime movies (seriously, who comes up with these plot lines?!), I decided to make oatmeal cookies! They are super delicious and pretty healthy too. They are similar to the recipe in Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, but I made a lot of alterations. Here's my recipe! :)

Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup oil (I used half coconut oil and half Earth Balance, melted, but any oil will work)
1/4 cup chopped nuts, I used almonds
1/2 cup dried fruit, I used 1/4 cup each dried cherries and golden raisins

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and combine thoroughly. The dough will be very wet. Stir in the fruit and nuts, and roll the dough into 1 inch balls (I just dropped mine in a little circle-like blob). Bake for 9-11 minutes. It makes about 28 delicious cookies!

Ta-Da!!! Heavenly. 

My Favorite Hippie Places in Vegas!

I have officially embraced my hippieness. I am a full-fledged, kombucha-drinking, vegetarian, hot yoga, Jason Mraz- loving hippie. Las Vegas is not a typical hippie epicenter, however, it is diverse enough to supply a couple of awesome places that I loooooove. Here are my absolute favorite hippie places in a very non-hippie city. 

My favorite place in the city is my kitchen, but to be there, I have to make a couple other stops first.

For grocery shopping, I love Sunflower Market and Trader Joe's. They have healthy products that are really affordable. I love Sunflower Market for the variety of bulk foods. They also have a lot of exotic flavors. I like Trader Joe's because of their selection of organic products. Plus they have a lot of healthy prepared and frozen foods for easy meals. Every once in awhile I want a really obscure product or some kind of organic vegetable that's hard to find, I'll go to my favorite place in the world, Whole Foods. I love it. It's expensive, otherwise I would shop there all the time. I love the food bar too ($5.99 on Wednesdays!!!!). Plus they sell desserts from one of my favorite restaurants, which leads me to...

The Red Velvet Cafe!!! Everything they have, they can make in a vegan version, but it's not their lunch that I love. It's their cookies!! All of their desserts (including the cookies sent from heaven) are vegan and less than 200 calories. The chocolate chip heaven cookies are fluffy little balls of buttery amazingness and are only 27 calories! 27 calories!!!!! Really!! I don't know how they do it. I'm baffled. I've tried recreating them at home, and I can't. Their too perfect. Their cakes are amazing too. All whole wheat and delicious. 

My new favorite vegan restaurant is Pura Vida. Chef Mayra makes amazing Cuban/Caribbean fusion vegan food that is to die for. I've eaten there twice and both times were spectacular. The appetizers, meals, desserts and drinks are soooo tasty. So happy to be introduced to this place!!!

Firefly is my very favorite restaurant in the world. They don't have a lot of vegan options, but they have sangria, and really, what else do you need??

And the most inappropriately named restaurant in Vegas (Ok, that's not true)... Pho Kim Long. 24 hour pho is the best thing ever. Everyone always tells me I have the most colorful pho they've ever seen. A lot of places don't have vegan pho, but they do and it's amazing. Plus, they have really good pad thai. 

After all that eating, some calories will need to be burned. This is where Vegas Hot! comes in. I've become so obsessed with hot yoga, I can't even tell you. I feel so energized and refreshed after. Plus I'm super flexible now. ;) (Sorry Mom) Plus they have a little vegan cafe downstairs with fresh coconuts and yummy smoothies!

Also if you're a regular reader (then I love you), you know how much I love running, so I love this running trail right by my house that leads to a park by Mountain's Edge. I like hiking so I can run up this little hill and go for a little hike that overlooks the city. When I have a little more time, I love to go to Mount Charleston and Red Rock. It's perfect weather for Mount Charleston right now. It's a lovely Wednesday tradition. :)

World Market is where I go to explore and find exotic little trinkets and all kinds of stuff. They have everything you can possibly imagine. They have cute little dishes and jewelry plus wine and all kinds of foreign food items. So fun to just peruse the aisles and hang out. 

Ok, this one's a little stereotypical so roll your eyes now. Herbally Grounded is a really cool specialty store that I go to when I can't find what I need anywhere else. They have this whole wall of random teas in giant canisters. They have every health food item you could possibly imagine. It's awesome!!!

My last favorite place is Dead Poet Bookstore. It's an adorable little used bookstore with books overflowing over every shelf from floor to ceiling just waiting to be read. There aren't really a lot of bookstores left here, which is why I love this one so much. There are little hidden treasures around each corner and table. I love reading, and I love discovering little random books. 

So those are the places you can find me when I'm not at work or asleep or doing something productive. I hope I don't have any stalkers that read this... ;)

Flirting With a Plant-Based Diet

If you're a regular reader (thank you!!!!!!), you know that I haven't always been a vegetarian. For those of you that are interested in this kind of diet, it can be a difficult transition, especially if you aren't used to preparing your own meals. But fear not!! I'm here to help :)

The easiest way to transition to a plant-based diet is to start small, and cut out one thing at a time. The first time I thought about trying a vegan diet, I jumped into it full on. It took a little adjusting and a lot of experimentation with some unfamiliar ingredients, but I had a lot of free time, so it wasn't too difficult. You can read my earlier posts to see why I fell off the wagon, but I had some life catastrophes and eventually got it together enough to focus on my health again. 

This time when I wanted to move towards a vegan diet, I started slow. I started by eliminating meat, then seafood, then eggs, then dairy, and eventually all the small products that you don't realize aren't vegan like gelatin, red food dye, etc. Right now I'm working on giving up dairy which isn't too hard except for cheese (I just love cheese!!) and hidden dairy in prepared foods. I'm accomplishing this by not allowing any animal products into my kitchen. If they aren't around me to eat, then I won't be able to eat them unless I'm out somewhere. But sometimes you really just crave these foods. There are some really awesome alternatives out there for those of you trying to transition to a veggie diet or just trying to cut back on animal products, or even those of you that just want to give Meatless Mondays a shot. Here are some of my favorite. Keep in mind that, while these are good substitutes, they aren't going to taste exactly like the real thing. You have to let them be their own ingredient and embrace the delicious flavors they bring to the table.

Meat Substitutes

Tofu- The most familiar kind of meat substitute is honestly not my favorite. I find it a little bland and a weird kind of texture. However, if you press out some of the moisture and marinate and bake it, it firms up a little and tastes better. I find it better as an ingredient in dishes, rather than the star of the show. 

Seitan strips- These are strips of wheat gluten, that when cooked (like in the stir-fry I made today) tastes similar to beef.

Tempeh- This is a fermented soy product that has a nutty, smokey flavor. Really good for barbecue substitutes. 

Eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms- These veggies have a meatier texture and can really stand up to the pressure of being a main course. I slice eggplant and zucchini really thick and grill it like you would a steak, or sautee them for fajitas. Mushrooms are good grilled for burgers or sauteed as a substitute for beef. 

Beans- Full of protein, and endless in varieties, beans add bulk and substance to any dish. 

Veggie burgers, hot dogs, crumbles, and more- A few brands like Morning Star, Gardenburger, Boca, and Amy's make really good veggie burgers, hot dogs, vegetarian frozen meals and all kinds of stuff! I have a box or two of veggie burgers and a pack of Smart Dogs on hand for meal emergencies, but I really prefer to make my own if I have time (check out my previous posts for a really yummy sweet potato and black bean burger!!). 

Lentils, quinoa, and other grains- Lentils and grains can add bulk to soups, salads and really any dish. Plus they are full of protein!

Egg Substitutes

Tofu- Tofu has a really eggy consistency to me which makes it perfect for a breakfast scramble. It is also an awesome substitute in baked goods and desserts.

Ground flax seeds- Mix ground flax seeds with water to create an egg substitute in baked goods.

Dairy Substitutes

Soy, coconut, hemp, rice and nut milks- I personally use almond or coconut milk in my kitchen, but there are a ton of varieties available now. Try out a couple and pick your favorite! They also make these in to ice cream and coffee creamer. This is the easiest dairy item to substitute for me.

Vegan cheeses- My favorite brands are Veggie Slices and Daiya. There are a bunch of varieties and flavors available, even at the regular grocery store. They are usually soy or nut based.

Nutritional yeast- Nutritional yeast is kind of powdery and flaky and can be used to make cheesy, creamy sauces. 

Vegan butter- My favorite brand is Earth Balance. It tastes just like real butter to me.

Coconut oil- Earth Balance is pretty expensive so a lot of times, I will use coconut oil instead. It is solid at room temperature so it subs 1:1 in baked goods. 

Applesauce- Sounds weird, but it can substitute for butter when you're baking. I usually do half applesauce and half fat, like coconut oil or vegan butter to keep it moist. 

There are a lot of other easy swaps out there too, and don't be afraid to create your own dishes! I make a ton of meals that don't require substitutes because they are delicious and satisfying on their own. Experimenting and trying new ingredients is half the fun (and eating your experiments is the other half!). Once you try these fun new ingredients, you'll see how easy it is to eliminate animal foods from your meals. Let me know what you try and how you like it. I love getting your feedback. :)

I Love Lentils

I had the perfect Sunday today. I came home from work last night, made a little midnight snack, took a bubble bath and read until the sun came up. I got to sleep in today, and when I woke up I cleaned up the house a little and went grocery shopping. If you read my last post, you can see that I've been a little grocery deprived, but I definitely made up for it today. I now have enough groceries to last the next month or two. I have a new rule that if I really want to cook more vegan recipes and eat less dairy, then I probably shouldn't bring animal products into my house. Then I won't be tempted to eat them.

Yeah, a little overboard.

Anyway, I had to put these groceries to good use so I got started prepping my veggies and packing everything up in the fridge and started brainstorming new recipes. I turned up my Jason Mraz playlist (I am so excited to see him on October 7th I can't even stand it!!) and got to cooking for the rest of the afternoon. I bought a huge bag of lentils today, and I was really craving hummus so I made some lentil hummus. Then I thought back to my year in Reno and remembered this really yummy lentil loaf that I made. It was like meatloaf, but with lentils instead of meat. It wasn't a vegan recipe, so I pretty much just made something up until I got the flavor and consistency I wanted today. Here's what I came up with. Pretty tasty if you ask me.

Zucchini Lentil Loaf
2 cups dry green lentils
5 cups water
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 zucchini, diced
1 cups diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped kale (you could use spinach too)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley, and basil

For the glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, cook the lentils in the water over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, until they're tender. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the oil over medium high heat, and add the onions, garlic, zucchini, and kale. Cook until the veggies are tender, and the kale has wilted down a little bit. Add the veggies to the lentils, and puree a third of the mixture (I used an immersion blender, but a food processor or regular blender would work fine too). Combine with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Spread the mixture in a large casserole dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until it is firm. After 20 minutes of cooking, top with the glaze and bake for another 10 minutes.

This was seriously delicious.

If you're not a vegetarian, meatloaf is a great way to sneak veggies into your food. When I used to cook for my little brother every night at our old apartment, he would turn his nose up at anything remotely healthy, so I had to get stealthy. I just started pureeing veggies and putting them into everything he ate. The greatest victory came when I made a batch of meatballs that used about a half a pound of meat and about 2 pounds of veggies, full of spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes. He told me they were the best meatballs he had ever tasted. Boom. Trickery. Some of my favorite sneaky combinations are turkey meatloaf with apples and dried cranberries, pumpkin puree stirred into tomato sauces, zucchini and mushroom mixed in to meatloaf or meatballs, and chopped spinach stirred into lasagna filling. Carrots, celery and onions can sneak into just about anything too.

My lentil hummus was much more simple. I pureed 1 1/2 cups cooked green lentils with 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup roasted red peppers the juice of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper, while streaming in 1/3 cup olive oil. I can't wait to spread it on some pita bread. Nomnomnomnom

Baking on a Budget

Sorry it's been so long since a post! Life has been a little crazy, and I've definitely been slacking on my blogging/ updating my page, but I promise I'll be better!

So, I'm kind of broke right now (I know, tell me you're shocked). So I had to go grocery shopping for the week, and somehow, I bought enough groceries for five days with (get this) twenty dollars!!!! I was pretty impressed with myself. I had a lot of staples like rice, pasta, and beans on hand, so that helped. I got home from the store and assessed the situation. I ran through my ingredients in my pantry and figured out how to make enough meals for five days. I do have to eat oatmeal for a five days in a row (which is fine because I love oatmeal). I also made vegetable soup, tofu tuna salad, marinara sauce, spicy black bean spread for sandwiches, black beans, rice, stir fred veggies, chocolate crackle cookies, and banana ice cream.

That's seaweed and miso! (Don't tell my brother!!!)

Veggie sandwich with black bean spread

Tofu tuna!

Black bean spread

Those are a couple of the things I made. I'm pretty excited that I can eat for $4 a day this week!

So I'm going to share my recipe for the tofu tuna. I went to an awesome place last week (Pura Vida!) that made a really yummy vegan tuna melt, so I kind of wanted to recreate that. For the record, hers was much better, but mine was pretty tasty. 

Tofu Tuna Salad

1 8 oz. package extra firm tofu

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp vegannaise

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp relish

1/2 stalk celery, diced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Combine the oil, salt and pepper and pour over the tofu on a cookie sheet. Bake until the tofu gets really firm, about 20 minutes. Let the tofu cool and chop it up into smaller pieces. Combine with the remaining ingredients and serve!!

Seriously Satisfying Snacks

Well today I got home from work with the intention of doing laundry and cleaning my house. Instead, I threw a load of laundry in and fell asleep at 6 pm. I woke up at 2 am, wide awake with a hungry tummy. I didn't want a full meal because it's 2 am (not that I have and resemblance of a normal sleep schedule), but I'm watching the Food Network and catching up on my fellow food bloggers for the week, so I couldn't ignore my hunger. I decided this was the perfect opportunity for a new post! So I'm compiling a list of my favorite healthy snacks. Here it is :)

A perfect snack is about 200 calories. Enough to hold you over without tying you down. So keep that in mind when you are portioning your munchies.

Salty Snacks
Popcorn (currently munching on) - I make my own, rather than buying the microwave kind. I try not to use the microwave anyway, but microwave popcorn has some nasty chemicals to make it pop in that little bag. Plus, popping your own kernels is cheaper, and you can make it healthier. Without all the added butter, oil and salt, it can be a really low calorie treat. Just heat a teaspoon of oil in a large pan with a lid. Rinse and drain your kernels, and add enough to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. Keep the lid on and turn the heat to high. Shake the pan every minute or so while the popcorn begins to pop. When it stops popping, turn the heat off and add your favorite flavors. I add parsley, cayenne, black pepper, and a little seasoning salt.

Toasted chickpeas - A toasty, tasty, crunchy, protein packed little snack. Either rinse and drain a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or soak dried beans overnight in water. Toss with a tsp of oil and whatever flavors you like. Spread your beans over a cookie sheet and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, turning a few times so they don't stick.

Kale chips - Seriously good. Break up a bunch of kale into bite size pieces and toss with a tsp of oil and a pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 10 minutes until crispy and toasty. I've heard you can do this with other greens, but I've only used kale.

Hummus with fresh veggies - You can buy hummus or make your own. The great thing about hummus is that you can make it have whatever flavor you're in the mood for. The basic recipe is just 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (either canned or homemade), juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp tahini (I've left this out if I don't have it), 4 tbsp olive oil. Blend and add whatever flavors you want. For a classic hummus, add a little salt, cumin, and black pepper.

Also try snacking on toasted nuts, chips and salsa (or guacamole!!!!!!), whole grain crackers,

Sweet Eats
Fruit with peanut butter yogurt dip - Mix 2 cups vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt with 1 cup peanut butter and a little pinch of cinnamon. Serve with sliced apples, bananas, strawberries, or spread over rice cakes.

Banana ice cream - New healthy obsession. See my previous post for this recipe. It also works with peaches and strawberries. I'm trying blueberries next.

Chocolate dipped bananas - Self explanatory. Yummmmmmm

Homemade trail mix - Combine your favorite dried fruit with nuts and maybe some chocolate chips if you're feeling indulgent.

Mix some chia seeds with a cup of almond milk and refrigerate overnight for a vegan kind of pudding.

Google "Chocolate Covered Katie" and make and of her recipes. Everything I've made so far is amazing.

Banana Ice Cream and Strawberry Sauce

It's a quick and easy, but delicious, post today. There's a recent craze in the healthy blogging world. Banana ice cream. It's got one ingredient. Bananas. It's delicious and it's guilt free. It satisfies the sweet tooth for only about 100 calories. It takes a little planning but it's worth it. I like that it's all fruit, but it actually tastes like a decadent dessert.

 I had some overly ripe bananas that needed to be used so I broke 2 of them into large pieces and stuck them in the freezer. I also had some strawberries that I had to eat so I trimmed those up and stuck them in the freezer too. I left them overnight, and today, while watching Sex and the City (thanks Danielle for my fabulous birthday present!!), I got a craving for ice cream. I remembered the new hype and I broke out the food processor. I threw a banana in there and and turned that bad boy on. At first it looked a little weird, like peas when you're making dough, but after about four minutes, it turned into a creamy soft serve kind of consistency. I put it in the freezer for a little bit while I used up those strawberries, about two cups of them. I added them to a small pot with a quarter cup of water. I also added a tsp of lemon zest (My new microplane is the coolest kitchen gadget ever!! Thanks Mom!). I Heated the strawberries through until they softened up, just about 5 minutes. Then I blended the mixture until it was smooth and topped my ice cream with it. Yum!

Bomb. Dot. Com. 

Now, I think I'll have to come up with some vanilla cupcake recipes to use up the rest of that strawberry sauce. Or maybe chocolate. Or something fruity?? I don't know, but it's experiment time!!!!

"Cream" of Asparagus Soup

I gave up on my juice cleanse. I wasn't hungry, I didn't even want food, but I was at work for so long that there was no way I had enough time to go home and make juice four or five times a day. I wish I could have stayed on it, but it did put me back on track to my healthy eating.

A few weeks ago when I made asparagus for a dinner party, I saved the trimmed ends and froze them and saved them to make some yummy cream of asparagus soup!! A healthy, dairy-free version of course. :)

Vegan Cream of Asparagus Soup
Trimmed ends of two bunches of asparagus
1 quart vegetable stock
3 cups almond milk
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 potato, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp vegan butter (or oil)
3 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp black pepepr
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Sautee the onion and garlic in the oil. Transfer that to a large soup pot. In the pan that you sauteed the onion in, cook the butter and flour together for about 2 minutes. Add to the soup pot. Add all the other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the soup until it's creamy (I used an immersion blender).

Yummy!! 

Birthday Detox

If you know me well at all, you know how important my birthday is. Actually it's like a birthmonth. A whole 31 days dedicated to me. I usually take this opportunity to indulge at every possible occasion. Ah mimosas for breakfast?? Why not, it's my birthday. Four pieces of cake?? Might as well, it's my birthday. Fifteen pounds of sushi?? Screw it, it's my birthday. Seven shots of Patron XO (Do you know how many calories are in there?!)?? Of course, it's my birthday. Also things like: I don't feel like working out, it's my birthday. Or I don't want to go for a run, it's my birthday. Needless to say, birthday month has not been good to my skinny jeans. That's why twice a year, usually right after my birthday and right after the holidays, I do a juice cleanse/ detox. whatever you want to call it. Really, I don't do it so much to lose weight (although that part is awesome), but it gives me a little recharge and sets me back on track with my diet and makes me feel lighter and cleaner.

I did a lot of research on juice cleanses when I first started doing them about 2 and a half years ago. A lot of people don't think they're a good idea and think that you won't be eating enough calories in the day. I think if it's not for very long, it's not so bad, and there are a lot of other supporters too. The one that I started doing at first was a progressive cleanse which kind of eased you into it. You started off with one week of really healthy, whole foods. Nothing processed or fried or overly sweet or salty, just natural, healthy food. The next three days were just eating bland, soft foods like oatmeal, overly steamed vegetables, and broth based soups. Then for seven days, there is a series of six juices that you drink each day.  This was really hard for me because by the time I got through the first week and a half, I was already so bored that I really wanted food. I could only ever get through three or four days of the juice before I broke down and ate real food. I never actually was hungry, but I craved actually chewing food and eating. I also didn't like that it was the same six juices every day. It just got boring.

This time I started doing things differently. Rather than preparing for a week, I jumped right in and started with the juice right away. I already eat pretty healthy anyway, so that first week the only thing that's different from what I usually do is eliminating alcohol. This time, I went to the grocery store and I picked out fruits and veggies that looked yummy and fresh, rather than using the same ones everyday, I can switch up which ones I want. I'm also allowing myself to eat a couple pieces of fruit each day to not completely deprive myself and help me stick to it longer. I decided to add some natural peanut butter and unsweetened almond milk to my morning blend of banana and kale juice too since I've been working out a lot, and I don't want to pass out in hot yoga from not enough calories or protein or fat. The last thing that I've been doing a little differently is starting out each day with a big mug of warm water and lemon. It helps detoxify the body and alkalize your body. Sounds weird that lemon actually alkalizes, but it does. I do this pretty often anyway.

The fruit and veggies that I bought are: kale, cucumbers, watermelon, celery, carrots, lemon, lime, strawberries, apples, bananas, grapes and ginger. It's important to buy organic produce. Since you're detoxing, you don't want to fill your body with more chemicals. Especially because you can include the rinds and skins when you juice them, and most of these foods are on the dirty dozen list of foods that have high levels of chemical pesticides. You can combine them in your juices in any combination you like. I made kale, cucumber, celery and strawberry yesterday. Today I made watermelon and lime, definitely one of my favorite ones. I also really like carrot, apple and ginger.

I'm on day two of my cleanse, and so far, so good. I don't feel deprived at all. I've been eating so much, and so much rich food for the past two weeks, that I've really been craving clean, healthy food, so this is perfect for me. I'm going to try to stick to it for at least a week, so we'll see how that goes. I feel so much better already. I'll give you a full update in a week!! :)

Green and Clean!

A few weeks ago, I shared my homemade bath products (http://naturallyhealthyplease.blogspot.com/2012/06/why-i-went-through-can-of-dry-shampoo.html) with you guys and I think it's time for a little update. 

With the homemade shampoo being a disastrous failure, I've stuck to baking soda as shampoo and vinegar as conditioner. Once every week or two, I use this really awesome shampoo, Jason's volumizing lavender. It smells sooooo good and there's no sodium lauryl sulfate. I'm obsessed with it. It's expensive, so that's why I only use it every once in awhile. I usually use it after I've slept with coconut oil in my hair. I need a little more heavy duty shampoo than just the baking soda, then my hair is soooo soft and smells really good. It's the little things, you know?? I stopped using the conditioner I made as a leave in conditioner because it went bad fast and it just took to much effort to keep making it. I find that I don't really need it anyway. I also got myself a natural bristle brush. It distributes the oils in your hair evenly so my hair has been super shiny and soft!

As for Dr. Bronner's soap, I don't know if I got a bad batch or what, but it left a kind of residue in my shower and my skin started to break out a little. I've read all kinds of reviews and talked to a bunch of people that use it and haven't heard any similar complaints. I think maybe I need to dilute it or something, or maybe I'll try the peppermint one. Everyone seems to use that one. Still, I couldn't use it anymore, but I found an awesome second choice. I've been using African black soap, and it cleared my skin right up! It's also great for cleaning. I would prefer to use something that's made a little closer to home (which is why I want Dr. Bronner's to work so bad!), but this is so amazing right now. 

For my face, I'm using just the honey, and maybe once a week, I'll add some baking soda to it. I'm still using all my other products, and I love them!! They last a long time and they are much, much cheaper than buying products. The toothpaste especially has been awesome! My pearly whites are much brighter!

As for cleaning my house, I've been making an effort to be greener. The number one product I use for cleaning is plain old baking soda. I just sprinkle a little bit over whatever surface I'm cleaning and scrub it with a wet rag. It does a pretty fantastic job. For windows and mirrors, a little diluted vinegar works wonders. It makes everything bright and shiny. You can replace that nasty, chemical, artificially blue Windex with this. I started using the African black soap to clean my shower, and it did an amazing job. Plus it smells really good!! I'll probably keep using baking soda to clean it every week, and just use the black soap every once in awhile so I don't waste it. At $1 for a box of baking soda, you can't really find a cheaper way to clean! Apparently, you can dilute Dr. Bronner's soap and use it for all kinds of household cleaning, so I'll be trying that! 

I'm much happier knowing that my house and my shower are greener and cleaner. There are no yucky chemicals going down my drain, and nothing that is going to put my health (or my pet's health!!) at danger in our cleaning supplies. I'm becoming more and more of a hippie everyday. ;)

I'm also making a vow not to buy anymore dangerous make-up or products that are tested on animals. I'm going to finish using what I do have, but some of my favorite brands are cruelty free and that's what I'll be using from now on (like Bare Minerals and Aveda). Here's a list of companies that don't test on animals! http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdonttest.pdf

That's all for now, but if you're reading and you have something you want to learn more about, let me know!! I would love to teach you all new, healthy things! :)

Birthday Feast

Sorry about the week-long hiatus, but I was busy celebrating my birthday!!! First of all, thank you to everyone who made my day (Ok, week) so special. You are all amazing! :) There's nothing that makes me happier than cooking for people (except maybe anything Mexican), so the day before my birthday, I threw a little dinner party (and I made Mexican food). I cooked the most delicious Mexican feast ever (Ok, maybe not the most delicious because it wasn't my mom's guac, but it was pretty tasty). I tried to make a lot ahead of time, but I still ended up being an hour late with all my food (worth the wait). My mom is a really amazing cook and she makes a similar feast for parties (she just made a delicious looking salsa bar for her friend's wedding).

We go to Cabo a lot, and when we go, we eat at Felix's restaurant. It is the best food I've ever had. Ever. They are famous for their margaritas, their salsa bar with 30 different kinds of salsa, and their carnitas. Spencer, the owner, is a cool old hippie from California. He sends a newsletter out with some of his recipes and my mom has recreated them. She showed me her magical ways and we've each added our own twists to Spencer's classics. I'm not going to share the carnitas recipe because it's definitely not a health food, and then it wouldn't be so awesome when I make it. :) I'm also not going to share my mom's famous guacamole recipe because it's hers and it's awesome and I'm going to be a little selfish and keep it to myself. But I will share a couple of the recipes I made. The sweet potato recipe is already posted so check out my previous posts!! Here's what I did: Carnitas, Chicken and Steak Fajitas, Mexican Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Homemade Refried Beans, Black Beans, Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa, Smokey Jalapeno Salsa, Creamy Cucumber Salsa, and Guacamole. I also made some sauteed veggies and brown rice.

Chicken Fajitas

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (I used a mix of thighs and breasts)

Juice of 2 limes

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a container and let the chicken marinate for at least 1 hour, but up to 6 hours. When you're ready to cook, grill the chicken until it's cooked through. Mine took about 5 minutes on each side on a hot grill pan. Let the chicken cool and slice it thin. Serve with sauteed bell peppers and onions. 

Refried Beans

1 lb dry pinto beans

1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks

1 large onion, cut into chunks

5 cloves garlic, halved

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil or vegan butter

Overnight, soak the beans in enough water to cover. The next day, drain and rinse the beans. Add all the ingredients to a large pot and add enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook until the beans are tender, about an hour. Puree the beans in a food processor. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the beans to the pan and cook for 10 minutes until some of the moisture has evaporated. Add additional seasoning if needed. 

Roasted Jalapeno Salsa

This one is adapted from Spencer's recipe. I just made mine a little healthier. 

1 cup lowfat sour cream

2 1/2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt

3 jalapenos 

1 onion

1 head garlic, unpeeled

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the onion and wrap in foil with 1 tbsp of the oil. Wrap the garlic in oil with the other tbsp of the oil. Roast the garlic and onions for 10 minutes, until they are soft. Meanwhile, turn on a burner on the stove to high, and CAREFULLY, using tongs, blacken the skins of the jalapenos. Let them cool for a minute, then, running them under cold water, peel the skins off, leaving the soft flesh. Depending on how spicy you want yours, you can remove the seeds. If you want it spicier, leave them in. I usually remove half the seeds. They peel out really easily if you just run the back of your knife along the inside. Put this in a food processor with the onion and garlic. The garlic can be easily squeezed out of the skin right into the food processor. Add the salt and blend until creamy. Combine with the sour cream and yogurt. My favorite dip of all time. 

Creamy Cucumber Salsa

Also Spencer's, but again a little healthier. I always make it with the creamy jalapeno one because it uses the same ingredients and the coolness goes really well with the spiciness of that one.

1 cup lowfat sour cream

2 1/2 cups non fat Greek yogurt

1 cucumber, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 2 limes

1/2 tsp salt

Combine everything in a large bowl and eat!! Yummmm

I hope you enjoy!! If you love Mexican food as much as I do (which is unlikely), you will love these. Let me know how your recipes come out!!!

Easy Peasy Vegan Peach Cobbler

I am having a grumpy day. Probably because I haven't really slept all weekend and I am exhausted, but I'm very easily agitated today. I decided to fix my mood with a nice long run, some yoga, and a little sweet treat. I had some peaches in the fridge and the rest of my dessert supplies were pretty slim, so peach cobbler it is. I wanted to avoid gorging myself on eight pounds of cobbler while watching Lifetime movies, so I made a single serve cobbler in a coffee mug. Perfection.

Vegan Peach Cobbler
2 cups sliced peaches (1 1/2 - 2 peaches)
1 tsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp + 1 tsp vegan sugar
1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp vegan butter (or coconut oil)
2 tbsp rolled oats
1 tsp slivered almonds
pinch of cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1/2 tsp of the butter in a small pan. Add the peaches, the flour, and 1 tsp of the sugar and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until a syrupy glaze forms. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Place the peaches in a coffee mug, and top with the oatmeal mixture. Bake for 8 minutes or until the top is brown and crispy. Top with some yummy coconut milk ice cream (I'm obsessed with SoDelicious vanilla no sugar added coconut ice cream).

Sorry it's blurry, I couldn't contain myself long enough to take a picture. 

Enjoy your cobbler on the couch with a lifetime movie. Preferably one including a delicious Spanish man (Ay Dios mio, I'm in love). My run and my cobbler helped cheer me up (although I think it was mostly due to Javier Bardem).

Wednesday Dinners are Backkkk

After too long without the famous Wednesday dinners, a reappearance was made!! I love having everyone over to cook for so I was missing my weekly dinner parties. My favorite trait that I inherited from my mom is the inability to just cook for a couple people. We cook for about 20 people every time we make something. No matter how many people I have over, there are always leftovers. Delicious yummy leftovers that last a week. Last night's menu was steak with mushroom wine sauce, garlic and lemon potatoes, caprese salad, and bacon wrapped asparagus. For my vegetarian version, I made grilled eggplant steaks and lemon grilled asparagus. And for dessert, I made a vegan pound cake with sliced strawberries and coconut creme (sorry no pictures of that, it was gone before I could take one). So here are my recipes for the return of Wednesday dinner (p.s. You should probably come to dinner next week for a special birthday edition of Wednesday dinner!!).

London Broil with Mushroom Wine Sauce
1 London broil (you can use any kind of steak you want, but this one cooks quickly and is easier to serve for a crowd)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 onions, sliced thin
2 pounds mushrooms, sliced thin (I just used baby portabella, but whatever looks good at the store will work fine)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bottle red wine
3 tbsp grapeseed oil
Black pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean-up). Rub the steak with the olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary on both sides. Place it on the baking sheet and put it in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it's cooked to your desired doneness (This can be done on the grill too, and it would be better, but I don't have a grill at my house and didn't feel like walking to the pool to use one). For the sauce, heat the grapeseed oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, until they start getting soft. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 10 more minutes, until the sauce reduces. For a creamier sauce, you can add 3 tbsp of (vegan or not) butter at the end. Slice the steak into thin strips and pour the sauce over it. Since I wasn't eating the steak, I made myself some eggplant steaks. I cut an eggplant into 1 inch thick rounds, brushed them with a little olive oil, and put them on my grill pan over high heat for about 3 minutes on each side. I topped these with the mushroom sauce.

I told everyone to make the prettiest plate they could for a picture and this was the winner.

My vegetarian version.

Garlic and Lemon Potatoes
2 pounds mini red potatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 grated frozen lemon (I always keep a lemon or 2 in the freezer and just use my box grater to grate it)
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/2 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the skin off half the potatoes, leave them on the other half. Half or quarter them so they are all about the same size. Put them in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. While they're cooking, use a tsp of the butter to sautee the garlic in a small pan over medium heat. It burns easily so watch it carefully and just cook it about 4 minutes, until it's soft. To check if the potatoes are done, poke them with a fork. If they fall off the fork easily but still keep their shape, they're done. When the potatoes are done, drain them and add the remaining ingredients. I like to keep some texture with mine, so I just mashed them up with a fork (a potato masher is on my birthday wish list).

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
I shared this recipe once before, but it's worth repeating.
1 bundle of fresh asparagus
1 package (about 16 slices) bacon
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp balsamic glaze (I cheated and used store bought, but it's super easy to make. Just take 1 cup balsamic vinegar, and heat it over medium low heat, until it gets thick and syrupy.)

Heat your oven to 350 degrees if it's not already there. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a cooling rack over the top of it. This way, the bacon fat will drain onto the pan and the bacon will stay crispy. To prep the asparagus, cut the woody ends off, about 1 inch from the bottom (Save these to make cream of asparagus soup, recipe to come!) Take 3 spears of the asparagus, and wrap 1 slice of bacon around your little bundle like a corkscrew. Place it on the cooling rack over the cookie sheet. Repeat this until you've used all the bacon. Sprinkle your little bundles with the sugar, cayenne pepper and black pepper, and bake until the bacon is cooked through, about 20 minutes. When it's done, arrange on a plate and drizzle the balsamic glaze over the top. For my asparagus, I just grilled it on my grill pan over high heat for 4 minutes and squeezed some fresh lemon juice over the top. Delish.

Caprese Salad with Avocado
5 ripe avocados, sliced
5 large tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned (or chiffonade if you want to be fancy)
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced into rounds
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic glaze

Simply arrange the tomato, avocado, and mozzarella into rows on a platter. Sprinkle the basil ribbons over the top, then drizzle with the oil and balsamic. That's it! Super easy and really pretty.

Isn't it pretty?!

Vegan Pound Cake
This is probably the easiest recipe I've ever made.
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 14 oz. package soft tofu
1/3 cup vegan butter
1 cup agave
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat your oven to 350 if it's not already there. Lightly grease a cake pan. I used a 10 inch round spring form pan, but I would have liked to use a loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream the tofu, butter, agave, and vanilla together. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I topped mine with fresh sliced strawberries and coconut creme (leave 2 cans of full fat coconut milk in the fridge for a couple hours, separate the butter that forms on top and blend it with 1/4 cup powdered sugar). Bomb.com

Here's the full spread! Heyyyy Lauryn (being a creeeeeep)

So come over next Wednesday for dinner. I'll probably be making Mexican because we all know about my obsession with all things South of the Border. ;)