Rainbow “Pasta” with an Almond Tumeric Sauce October 6, 2011

This dish was inspired by a dish I had at the Loving Hut in Palo Alto last weekend. They have this raw fettuccini dish that is killer! Here is the description from the website:

 

A raw celery root fettuccine with collard greens,
carrot, tomato, beet, cucumber, bell pepper, pistachio
and almond, in a rich n’ creamy almond sauce

 

So I really wanted to recreate it and let me tell you, this tastes NOTHING like it! It is still good though. Mostly, I just liked the idea of using a bunch of different veggies in a “pasta” shape with a creamy and nutty dressing. For mine I just used veggies I had on hand: Kale, butternut squash, red bell pepper, and zucchini. Celery Root, Kohlrabi, Collard Greens, beets, would all be great to use as “noodles.”

 

 

As for the sauce, I decided to make an almond turmeric sauce. Turmeric has a compound in it called curcumin which has many health properties including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. When combined with black pepper the bio-availability of curcumin increases dramatically making it much more potent as a healing agent.

 

I made a very simple sauce with almond butter, soy sauce, black pepper, raw honey, lime, and turmeric. It was yummy but I will be honest, I think I liked the sauce that Loving Hut used better. I added water to my sauce as well to thin it out and felt it was too watery so the recipe below does not include water. If you find the sauce too thick add water a tablespoon at a time to thin it out.

 

 

I added tempeh that I lightly seared in coconut oil to my salad. It was healthy, light yet filling, and tasty! Enjoy the recipe!

 

Raw Rainbow Pasta with Almond Turmeric Sauce

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Raw

 

Makes 1 Serving

 

two handfuls of chopped kale

1 bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips

1 cup raw butternut squash, spiralized

1 cup raw zucchini, spiralized

 

2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon raw honey (or agave)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic

 

1. Layer the veggies in a large bowl.

2. Blend the almond butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey (or agave), turmeric, pepper, and garlic in a blender until smooth.

3. Pour sauce over veggies. Mix. Enjoy!

Amazing Rainbow Kale Salad September 5, 2011

I hope everyone had an amazing Labor Day weekend! Today I bring you another kale salad! If you have not noticed, I love me some kale salad! It is so yummy and nutritious! This one is packed with a ton of superfoods including sun-dried tomatoes, olives, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds!

 

I use raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds that I sprout by soaking them in water overnight and dry in my dehydrator. But just plain old raw seeds will do or use toasted if you prefer!

 

For the olives, you can use any type you like. I prefer kalamata in this, but green olives, or even black olives would be delish as well.

 

The best part about kale salads is that unlike most salads, it is still good several days later. Because kale is such a tough leaf it actually tastes better when left in the fridge to marinate overnight and does not turn soggy and disgusting like most salads. So when I make this, I made a huge batch and eat it over several days!

 

What were you eating this labor day weekend?

 

Amazing Rainbow Kale Salad

Vegan, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Raw

 

Makes a ton! At least 4 large servings.

 

1 head kale, julienned into thin strips (If using curly kale, remove stems first)

1/2 head of purple cabbage, cut into thin strips

3-4 carrots, shredded

1 cup unsulfured sundried tomatoes, rehydrated in water for at least 4 hours and cut into strips

1 cup chopped olives (I used kalamata)

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon raw agave (vegan) or raw honey (not vegan)

1 teaspoon high mineral salt (smoked salt is awesome it this!)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

 

1. Throw everything in a large bowl and toss to mix well.

2. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the kale and cabbage to soften a bit and the flavors to meld.

3. Enjoy!

Best Massaged Kale Salad ever! August 30, 2011

 

Kale. When I mention this dark leafy green I usually get some sort of wrinkled up sour face staring back at me and a lot of Ewwws and Yucks. This makes me sad. Kale is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. Per weight it has more calcium than milk, more vitamin C than oranges, as much vitamin A as carrots, it is highly inflammatory, more absorbable iron than steak, the list goes on and on and on.

 

There are so many ways to enjoy kale that it is really easy that it is really easy to incorporate this superfood into your daily diet. Try it in a smoothie, sauté it and toss it in pasta, make pesto, or make a salad like the one above. This salad is so good, I could literally eat it everyday. As it is I eat it at least once a week. The picture above is dinner I had one night last week. I had a huge serving of kale salad along with some brown rice, black beans, salsa, and avocado. Mmmm, just looking at this pictures makes me want to make more kale salad. Guess I know what I am making for dinner tonight!

 

The trick to making raw kale taste good in a salad is to massage it with oil before adding the rest of the ingredients. Massaging the kale with your hands softens it. It can also be a very therapeutic experience as you feel those tough leaves soften and transform, you cannot help but be softened and a little transformed yourself.

 

Best Massaged Kale Salad Ever

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Raw

 

Makes A LOT, enough for 4 servings probably

 

1 head curly kale, de-stemmed and chopped into very thin strips

1/4 cup olive oil

1 package mushrooms of choice (I used baby bella), sliced

1 cup unsulfured sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and sliced into thin strips

1 can organic sliced black olives (I use Trader Joe’s brand)

1/4 cup tamari

Juice from two lemons

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

 

1. Place the kale and olive oil in a very large salad bowl. With your hands massage the kale until well covered, softened, and reduced in size.

2. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat.

3. Serve immediately or let marinate in the fridge 30 minutes to overnight.

My Morning Routine December 14, 2010

Everyone has some type of morning routine, a sequence of events that they repeat most mornings as soon as they wake up. For some people, it is a steaming hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning, others cannot start their day without a shower. For me, it is a smoothie. I start almost every morning with some type of smoothie. The exact ingredients that go into the smoothie vary day to day, but the routine remains the same.

 

Although the exact ingredients that go into my smoothies every morning vary, there are a few staples that I seem to throw in every day. The two most important are some sort of dark leafy green and protein powder. For the dark leafy green, there are several types I like to use. My favorite is dinosaur kale, but I also use spinach, or I buy the package of greens for cooking from Trader Joe’s which includes mustard greens, collard greens, spinach, and some other greens thrown in there. Also, when I am at the farmer’s market sometimes I will ask for the discarded tops from the root vegetables that people buy. they give me carrot, beet, kohlrabi, all kinds of different types of greens. By varying the greens I use in my smoothie I am making sure I get a ton of different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!

 

 

For protein I have several different types I like to use. In smoothies where I use tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple, or citrus fruits, I like to use just plain Nutiva hemp powder mixed with Nutiva hemp seeds. For smoothies with banana, or berries, or anything that goes well with chocolate I use Sunwarrior Protein or Life’s Basics Plant Protein. The Sunwarrior protein is great because it is made from completely raw sprouted brown rice protein, it also has a great texture and taste. Even simply mixed with water, it tastes great! The Life’s Basics plant protein, although not raw, is still my favorite because it is affordable compared to most soy free vegan proteins, it tastes great, it is made of rice, pea, and hemp protein, and includes chia seeds for healthy fats!

 

And of course I cannot forget the most important tool I use for my smoothie making: My blender! I use a Vitamix blender and it is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. It is powerful, durable, and easy to clean. I use if for everything and would highly recommend any household to have one of these in their kitchen!

 

Before saying goodbye, I am going to leave you with a few of my favorite smoothies right now. Happy smoothie making and Happy Holidays!!

For Printable Recipes Click Here.

Cranberry Pomegranate Smoothie

Serves 2

 

2 Scoops Life’s Basic or Sunwarrior Chocolate Protein Powder

2 cups non-dairy milk ( I like using raw almond milk, but you can use soy, rice, or coconut milk, or even soynog would taste great in this!)

1 bunch Kale or other type of leafy green

1 banana

1 cup frozen unsweetened cranberries

1/2 cup frozen pomegranates

 

Directions:

Place protein powder, non-dairy milk, and leafy greens in blender and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Serves 2

 

2 scoops Life’s Basic or Sunwarrior Protein Powder

2 cups non-dairy milk ( I like using raw almond milk, but you can use soy, rice, or coconut milk, or even soynog would taste great in this!)

1 bunch Kale or other type of leafy green

1 can pumpkin

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 packets stevia

1 banana (optional)

 

Directions:

Place protein powder, non-dairy milk, and leafy greens in blender and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour in a glass and enjoy!