Going Raw!

Would you believe this yummy looking "chocolate cake" is totally a raw food item?
Latley I've been seeking a cleaner way to eat. In my quest to lose a few pounds, Ive been juicing and blending raw fruit smoothies in place of meals. It is also a great time for not turning on the oven because of the heat wave here.

So, even though I have been trying out this awesome way of eating,(or drinking) I still managed to find something to ease my sugar cravings on this path of a raw food lifestyle.

I did some research and found a recipe for this "cake" made from walnuts , dates, raw cocoa with a raw cashew cream "frosting." I added a bit of shredded, unsweetened coconut to the cream frosting so that it tasted alot like a german chocolate cake! The addition of a few well placed fresh blueberries made it really pretty.

I am hoping to continue with the raw food plan as I incorporate more fresh vegetables and fruits into my daily fare. I will be posting some of the new recipes I find and create that seem cool. However, most of what I am doing is pretty basic, like the green juices and smoothies but I am pretty sure that there will always be some raw desert I will fall for to share with you again! They say; It's progress, not perfection!

Brunch

I started my morning out with a juicy bowl of fresh berries and pineapple,but a little later couldn't wait to try to make "Pasta Fresco."

I saw an episode of a cooking show where they made the pasta dish and I had to try it out. I love simple meals and with the recent heat wave it seemed like the perfect dish to recreate.

Just a few ingredients like, whole wheat angle hair pasta and fresh ones like Italian parsley, basil, garlic and skinned tomatoes. The whole thing was tossed together with an extra healthy dose of organic extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and course sea salt.

Wild Blackberries Again

downsized_0514001531.jpg, originally uploaded by metoday.

I couldn't resist posting more photos of my wild blackberries. These gorgeous berries call to me each time I'm out on our property. I've picked so many of them but it seems like each time I return, new ripe ones relaced the ones I plucked last week. I feel a sense of responsibility to not let any go to waste. I am sure the birds, snakes and any other local wild creatures have had a fair amount of them, but still I can't seem to leave without an attempt to collect as many as possible in one day. Needless to say, I've learned a thing or two about berry picking:

1. do not pick without well fitted gloves. ( my hands are super scratched up from the last gathering without them, and stained from the juice.)
2. bring a tear-proof bag; (I lost many a berry from my first attempt with a plastic bag)
3. take time to stretch before; (my back hurt from the constant bending without taking a break.I was real focused!)
4. take time to enjoy a few right off the vine without feeling guilty and chastising said boyfriend for eating them like that and "wasting them." After all its suppose to be "fun". I know I get obsessed easily.)

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downsized_0509001658.jpg, originally uploaded by metoday.

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downsized_0514001531.jpg, originally uploaded by metoday.

Mocha Banana Bread

I followed this recipe for "Mocha Banana Muffins" from a "Girl Goes Vegan" post.(Thank You!) I usually don't have the patience for muffins, (spooning batter one by one into the little cups...) and I couldn't find the muffin baking pan so the recipe became "Mocha Banana Bread."

This fat-free bread was extremely moist and delicious. Who can pass on chocolate-chip banana bread with the added grown-up flavor of mocha/coffee? Not me!

I had two slices of this yummy bread while sitting outside by our river. Nothing is as relaxing as watching the river go by with all the birds, turtles and an occasional gator sighting, while enjoying vegan baked goods and coffee. ( I'm trying to quit the coffee...)

Here's a photo of the turtle I saw today in "our" river.

Happy Meal!

Often, I like to make what I call a "happy meal." No, not the high fat, heart sabotaging meal that a popular fast food establishment calls "happy", but a quick and simple lunch that just looks happy. Also from what I understand this meal of mine is very good for my heart, skin and other things, and its so delicious that it really does make me joyous.

Who can't see the pretty color green against the little red cherry tomatoes and be happy? Or is it just me that finds vegan food beautiful, so much so that I love taking pictures of it? O.k., I know I am a bit weird but I'm sure there are others like me out there somewhere...I hope.

For this basic vegetable soup, I threw together fresh, organic produce and seasoned with a vegan bouillon and organic dried herbs. The whole grain sandwich slices were toasted and then smothered with ripe avocado slices, sprinkled with garlic powder and lemon-pepper then topped with the tomatoes.

I'm looking forward to summer and all the local fresh produce options and all the ways I can incorporate them into my diet. How about you?

Wild Blackberry Cobbler

Once again, I'm posting a desert dish! This time though it's extra special... I picked these wild blackberries in the field in front of the home we are building. Amazing! These little morsels grow everywhere in this field. Most of them were still unripe, but I managed to get a bag full of the ones that were black and sweet. I can't wait until this Sunday when we will go back to work on the property and I'll gather much more, for sure!!

Now, what will I make with the next batch? I will probably just use them on top of my granola and eaten straight out of the field...then hopefully, wash and freeze for later use someday.

For the cobbler, I washed and cleaned the berries, then in a medium size bowl added cornstarch, agave syrup, and some raw vegan sugar, and set aside.

Next I mixed together 2 cups of w.w.pastry flour, 1 tsp. alum.-free baking powder, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, 1/2 cup of raw sugar. Then made a hole in the center and added 1/4 cup of canola oil, about 1/2 cup water and a dash of vanilla extract. Mixing quickly and just well enough to moisten flour completely, I set that aside too.

Finally after spraying a square glass baking dish with organic Pam, I added the berry mixture and crumbled the dough mixture on top. I dotted with a few tsp. of "Earths Balance" margarine, and baked @350*degrees for about 40 minutes. Yum!

Rosemary Roasted Beets

downsized_0503001934.jpg, originally uploaded by metoday.

One of my favorite meals is simple fare. Fresh corn on the cob, rosemary roasted beets, avocado salad, yellow squash and a slice or two (or three) of warm, crusty garlic bread. I never realized how much I liked beets, until having them this way... basted with olive oil, then sprinkled with coarse sea salt and fresh rosemary. Yum. I recently spent some time at my Father and step-mother's home, and she prepared this delicious meal. She told me that eating freshly prepared vegetables and salads makes up most of her and my Father's diet staples. Living in the "always humid" conditions that Florida offers, I believe this way of eating is best!

I enjoyed my time with them immensely as well as my meals too! I developed a new "addiction" also...fresh cut pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, all mixed up with a good amount of soy yogurt and a drizzle of honey. We had it for breakfast on Sunday morning, sitting out by the pool that overlooks a small lake. In between bites of this delicious-ness, we watched the great blue heron, and other local birds enjoying their morning meal. Like I said, it was a great time and I've been having that fruit dish every morning since.

Chocolaty Chip Date Bars

One of my favorite Christmas baking treats happens to be Date Bars. Even though the Xmas season is the farthest thing on my mind now, I had some chopped dates in my pantry that I wanted to use. I decided on baking my favorite Christmas Vegan Date Bars. In the Christmas version, these delicious bars are very basic, a rolled oat cookie crust with a thick gooey date filling. Sometimes with nuts or coconut. Since, I prefer to save that kind of recipe exclusively for the X-mas season...(I really am sentimental and traditional when it comes to food and certain holidays,) and there is never a "wrong" time in my book to use chocolate chips in baking, I made this family favorite recipe but with a few changes.

The end result was a delightful, anytime, chocolaty, moist and utterly delicious vegan Date Bar, with a new name.

In fact, no one really knew that they were eating my Christmas Vegan Date Bars, apparently I layed the chocolate chips on pretty thick so they seemed more like Choc.Chip Oatmeal Bars instead! However, let's not underestimate the goodness of dates in a vegan diet. Those little morsels are plenty good for you with necessary fibre, potassium and even calcium! (One serving about 1/2 cup of dates provides 484 mg. of potassium, 35 mg. of calcium, 55 mg. of phosphorus and 71 g. of fiber, to start with among other nutrients.)

The cool thing about these Bars, I'm discovering, is that they are highly adaptable to any time of year with the addition of a few ingredients. I am thinking of adding some fresh cherries or raspberries in the filling in the summer, I'll keep you posted! (recipe posted in side bar)

Enchiladas!

Tonight I made these amazing Mexican Enchiladas. I whipped them up in no time. I used organic homemade corn tortillas, tomato sauce with cummin and spices. The filling was easy as I used my hand held mixer to mash up some dark red kidney beans, (organic, of course) then "re-fried" them in a skillet without any oil. (The liquid from the beans kept it moist) I assembled the enchiladas by wrapping them burrito style and then layering them in a square baking dish. I poured the tomato sauce on top along with a cashew-"cheese" melty sauce and black olives.

A little later in the evening I had a craving for something sweet, and these cookies came to mind. Chocolate-Raspberry Chewy Cookies from the Veganomicon Cookbook (page 234.) I love that cookbook! This is the second time that I have made them, but this time I only baked a few and froze the rest of the leftover dough to keep me from over-indulging! I still ate too many!!!!

Vegan Lemon Bars

So the day finally came! I have been longing to create vegan lemon bars, like the ones I use to scarf down at Starbucks. I Googled "vegan lemon bars" and think I took the simplest recipe I could find. The bars came out great as per my boyfriends comments, (he is usually brutally honest.) Of course, I loved them but being the critical foodie that I am, I believe that I could have made them better. I used fresh lemons and zest, which I feel, gave it a bit of an aftertaste as the lemons were not organic, and even though I scrubbed them thoroughly, the zest from them was a bit waxy tasting. There are a few more left in the pan, we ate several last night, but I am soon on to try it again only this time without the zest, and only try the organic lemons. It's crazy, but I can really taste the difference between regular and organic foods now. I eat almost 60 to 70% organic at home.

Tofurky Sandwich

Nothing is easier than making a sandwich for lunch, to take with me to work. This smoked flavored Tofurky and avocado on a whole wheat bagel was so good. I actually don't use analog meats that often, but remembered that Tofurky slices were mentioned in one of my newest favorite books..."Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, and decided to try it out. The book is great, written in a straight forward, no bull---- kind of way, in favor of a vegan diet! Turns out they were right, "Tofurky" is great for anyone switching over to a vegan diet, or like myself, a long time vegetarian looking for a quick, easy lunch to-go. Try "Tofurky," it comes in many flavors and is usually available in regular grocery stores. I also highly recomend the book too! (P.S. I do not work for, or have been compensated by "Tofurky" even though that last sentence about it sounds like an advertisement!)

Tomato Bisque

Sundays for me are lazy days and with the outdoors still cool enough, I like to make simple meals that are warm and delicious. This tomato soup is just hearty enough as a meal with garlic toast and possibly a salad. Whats really great about it is that I used organic tomatoes and other organic ingredients. All you need to prepare this amazing soup is a blender, some good tomatoes (organic canned ones will also do), raw cashews and a few other ingredients. I used to like the canned tomato soup, until I really looked at what was in it. So much sodium and high fructose corn syrup, so I decided to make my own, but much better. Today was still a lazy Sunday, so glad, I played outside with the "kids" (Bruiser & Paris our doggies) then came in to curl up to a bowl of this delicious soup and read magazines on the couch. The "Bisque" part is really just a cool way of saying its a "creamy" soup. :) I hope you will try this recipe, it's also great to pack in a thermos for lunch at work. I do, all the time!

No-Brainer

Last night after my Friday night 8:00 PM meeting, it was getting late, and our usual friends declined a dinner out invitation, I had to think fast, (because I was hungry) of what to get at the grocery store in a "minute" and what I could easily prepare at a friends house. Our good friend, Dave, invited us (boyfriend and myself) back to his house for a quick supper and conversation. :) He offered to put a frozen pizza in, and although, I could probably just peel off the top and eat it, I decided to make a run to the local grocery store near him and grab something I could really eat and enjoy. This is what I came up with. Grilled Portabello mushrooms on whole wheat. It didn't take much time, I only needed a fry pan, some canola oil, some sliced onions and a bit of ketchup which he graciously provided! I coated the pan lightly with the oil, then sauteed the mushrooms and onions...in minutes it was done and the clean up was a breeze. We left Dave's house happy and full. (He ate the pizza, boyfriend ate Taco Bell drive through,(I'm working on him!) and I felt good knowing that even in quick times I don't have to compromise my vegan-ism. I've discovered that no matter where I am, theres always an option for me. Also, I thought that since the "no-brainer" supper last night was so good, and I took home what I didn't cook, I'll have it today for lunch, only this time I'll try my "vegenaise" on it.

vegan peach cobbler

vegan peach cobbler, originally uploaded by metoday.

I'm really loving the cold weather we are having here in the south...the "need" for warm comfort foods has compelled me to bake this amazing peach cobbler. The crust or cobbler was so light and flaky, yet made without dairy milk or butter! I'm sure that if my Grandmother were alive today, even she would be impressed with how it came out! Check for recipe in the sidebar.

Cheesecake!!

o.k. so it's not "cheese" cake... and yeah, I'm very much into desserts, as you can see that my first two posts are sweets! Well, anyway this was my first attempt in a very long time to make this rich and velvety vegan cheesecake. I used the Tofutti Brand cream cheese and a block of tofu, and the rest is history. I'll post the recipe on the sidebar later. I'm going to try to keep a list of recipes that I use and post about, on the sidebar for future reference to anyone reading this blog. I have to say that I was really impressed with this recipe and the Tofutti cream cheese really makes a difference in how "realistic" or close to the dairy kind of cheesecake I used to love. It is becoming so easy to make the switch to a dairy-free diet for anyone who still wants to indulge occasionally in these treats. The selection of wholesome dairy-free substitutes is so widely available now. I am really excited about how this cheesecake came out...I shared it with my boyfriend who said it was incredible. I also added a few strawberries on top not shown in picture. Yum!!!

I AM OBSESSED WITH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

020700_1603[00].jpg, originally uploaded by luv4fashion.

I have always loved warm, chewy chocolate chip cookies. These babies are just like the ones I grew up with, only better because they are completely organic and vegan. They are just as delicious as the "other" ones...(TollHouse), and are super easy and quick to make. Recipe to follow...

vegan chocolate chip cookies
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup margarine(Earth Balance)
3/4 cup raw dark sugar or date sugar
3/4 cup light raw sugar
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1/4 ground flax seed + 1/4 cup hot water
12 oz. semi-sweet non-dairy chocolate chips

here's what I do...

Melt the margarine, mix in the sugars, add vanilla, salt and flax seed mixture in a large bowl. Mix well.
Then, throw the flour, sprinkle the baking powder on top of flour in same bowl as wet ingredients. Mix well. On greased baking sheet, bake tablespoon size drops for 10 -12 minutes @350 degrees. Let cool or don't... Enjoy!