Carrot & Kale Smoothie

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

I’m always trying to figure out ways to use the pulp that’s left over after making a juice. It feels like such a waste to dispose of all of that healthy fiber. Without a food dehydrator to use the pulp and create chips or crackers, there’s  a few alternative, interesting options like making a dips and spreads, or adding some of the pulp to your smoothies. I choose to try the smoothie route. Recently, I had made carrot juice so there was a TON of extra pulp waiting to be used in my fridge.  I pulled it out to make this absolutely delicious and filling breakfast smoothie!

By adding in carrot pulp it gave the smoothie a lot of substance and that teamed with the creamy avocado, will provide you with enough energy to last well past the lunch hour. This green smoothie is packed full of good fats, dark leafy greens and a little bit of sweetness to add to its allure. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients (serves 2): 

  • 3-5 stalks kale
  • 1 banana
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 1/2 cup carrot pulp
  • coconut water (or your favorite liquid, orange juice?)
  • optional: ice cubes

Directions:

  1. Blend. Drink throughout your morning. Love it up.

I will say that it helps to have a VitaMix (pictured below) when blending things like kale and carrot in a smoothie. This blender can make any fibrous green, veggie or fruit completely disappear, because honestly, no one likes to chew their smoothie. It’s a steep investment running you anywhere from $250 to around $600, but it’s well worth it!

Posted in Beverages, Breakfast/Brunch, Cleasning Food, Raw, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegitarian | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Double Time – Avocado Smoothie & Green Juice

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

Double Time – Avocado Smoothie & Green Juice

The driving situation in LA is known to be pretty horrendous mot days. As I live in Brentwood and teach in Venice and Santa Monica, I’ve realized that staying on the West side is safe and generally traffic free during the day. Even in the “safe zone” it takes a good 30 minutes to get from Brentwood to Venice, so I normally pack up breakfast and lunch so that I don’t have to worry about coming back to my place half-way through the day to refuel.

Most of my classes start at 9AM and practice directly afterwards from 11-2ish. When practicing yoga, it’s best to have a slightly empty belly, otherwise you can feel heavy and sluggish, and even a bit uncomfortable. So, my magic combination to give me energy first thing in the morning is the avocado smoothie for breakfast before/as I teach, followed by green juice after class and before my own yoga practice. This leaves me with enough physical energy, and a semi-empty belly for my own practice.

To all of you busy little worker bees out there, consider packing your breakfast or lunch as well. I like to use old glass jars from almond butter or honey that I’ve rinsed out. They are easy to carry with you and the perfect size for a morning smoothie or some green juice!

Ingredients:

Avocado Smoothie (To be made in a blender)

  • 1 large avocado
  • 2 large handfuls of spinach
  • 10-12 raw, sprouted & peeled almonds
  • 4 strawberries, with greens
  • splash of coconut water or OJ

Green Juice (To be made in a juicer)

  • 4-5 stalks of kale, rinsed
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • fresh ginger, thumbnail sized piece
  • 2-4 stalks celery
Posted in Beverages, Breakfast/Brunch, Cleasning Food, Juices, Raw, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegitarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strong to The Finnish, ‘Cause I Eats Me Spinach?

Posted on January 19, 2012 by

It’s time for Popeye to step-aside and set down his old can of spinach, beets are in the house! Sorry to burst your bubble sailor man, but beet greens actually have a higher iron content than spinach greens do. This high iron content regenerates red blood cells helping them to supply greater quantities of fresh oxygen to the body…however beet greens do tend to be much more bitter in taste then spinach leaves. It’s for this reason that I juice my beets and their greens, adding in a bit of ginger to cut the tartness but keep all the healthy blood building benefits. I don’t want y’all to feel like I’m bashing spinach here, because I LOVE SPINACH and actually put a large handful in this juice, but more so I’m trying to highlight the amazing health benefits of beets and beet greens.

Both beet roots and beet greens are also powerful cleansers (note to all you Hiking Yogi’s cleansing with me right now!) They are high in vitamins A, B2, B6 and C and are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorous and sodium.

Lastly, If you haven’t already skipped ahead to the recipe, I want to point out that my green straw pictured above is actually GREEN! What I mean by that is, it’s compostable. If you use straws or other accoutrements when cooking/serving, try to consider our environment and the amount of waste you’re producing! Ahimsa, baby. All the time.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 medium red beet with greens
  • 4-6 carrots
  • large hunk of ginger (size of your thumbnail)
  • small bunch of spinach

Directions:

  1. Juice.
  2. Drink.
  3. Love.

For your viewing pleasure…!!

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Spicy Coconut-Lime Cauliflower Rice (Vegan)

Posted on January 18, 2012 by

Also posted in elephant journal.

I’ve been wanting to try out cauliflower as rice now for a while, and it turned out better than expected! The cauliflower basically takes on the flavor of anything you cook it with, so one can only imagine the possibilities here. You could use this as rice inside of a burrito, with your favorite stir-fry dish, as a side on Thanksgiving…you name it!

Cauliflower is a cruciferous veggie (liver-loving) which promotes detoxification in the body and is especially wonderful to eat in the winter months. It’s also packed full of antioxidants which, if we’re being honest here, we all could use a bit more of on a daily basis!  Here is a bit more info, if you’re curious!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Head Cauliflower, rinsed and cut into florets
  • 1 Lime, Juiced
  • 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
  • Fresh Springs of Mint
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • Hunk of fresh ginger (thumbnail sized piece)
  • 1 Tbsp Raw Honey
  • Lime Zest for Garnish

Directions: 

  1. Mix Cauliflower florets in a food processor until pieces are small and rice sized. Don’t over mix as the cauliflower can get mushy!
  2. Blend the lime juice,  coconut oil, honey, ginger and chili powder in a high-speed blender.
  3. Soak the cauliflower rice with the lime sauce for about 10 minutes while
  4. Eat it raw or heat it up in a pan with some additional coconut oil and chili powder. Top with lime zest. Yowza…this stuff is delicious!
Posted in Cleasning Food, Main Course, Raw, Vegan, Vegitarian | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scenes From MLK Weekend & Yoga Journal Conference

Posted on January 17, 2012 by

Posted in Scenes From The Weekend | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Apple Mint & Spirulina Smoothie

Posted on January 12, 2012 by

Left over mint = fun smoothie experiment. This one is sweet, filling and absolutley delish! I used spirulina which is one of the BEST super foods and is easily added to smoothies due to it’s powder like consistancey.

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that’s found in warm, alkaline fresh bodies of water. The name spirulina comes from the Latin word for helix or spiral for its configuration forming swirling, microscopic strands. This stuff is said to be the ”food of the future” because of its amazing ability to create high-quality concentrated food more efficiently than any other algae. It’s 65 – 71% COMPLETE protein, with all the essential amino acids in perfect balance. Just to compare (for all you beef eaters out there), beef is only 22% protein. Cover that in A-1 sauce and eat it!

In addition, Spirulina is one of the very few plant sources of vitamin B12, usually found only in animal tissues (due to contamination from feeces and soil). YUCK. I would rather not, thank you. A teaspoon of Spirulina has about 21/2 times the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin B12 and contains over twice the amount of this vitamin found in an equivalent serving of liver. Who wants to eat liver anyway?

Ingredients:

Directions: 

  1. Blend. Enjoy. immediately. 
Posted in Beverages, Breakfast/Brunch, Cleasning Food, Raw, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegitarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Awe, NUTS!

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Pistachio Mint Falafel Balls

Monday evening I had a lovely lady guest over for a girls evening which was reason enough for me to cook! I’ll admit, sometimes I tend to go slightly overboard when having house guests to cook for as most evenings I generally fend for myself. Preparing healthy and delicious meals for one is fine, but when I get to share them with others, my excitement tends to get the best of me and I turn into a vegan version of Betty Crocker.

This time around, our menu consisted of pistachio mint falafel balls over a salad of mixed greens and kale with avocado and carrots and topped with a lemon, cashew dressing. I also served a side of coconut-chili-lime cauliflower rice (that recipe is in my queue).

I’m constantly in search of food that is not only tasty, but good for you and pistachios fit the bill! They are packed full of vitamins including copper, manganese, and phosphorus. They’re also an excellent source of vitamin B6, containing 20% of the Daily Value per serving! A serving of pistachio nuts also has about 3 grams of dietary fiber, or around 12% of the Daily Value. This is twice the fiber in an ounce of walnuts, and about the same amount as in a serving of oatmeal.

Hey y’all mowing down those Fiber One bars…I’ve got a better idea!

Ingredients: 

Falafel

  • 1 Cup Pistachios (shelled, I also used roasted and salted)
  • 1/4 cup almonds (raw)
  • 2 Cups Garbanzo Beans
  • 8 – 10 Fresh Springs of Mint
  • 3/4 Cup Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
  • 3 Scallions
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Cumin

Lemon Cashew Dressing:

  • 1/2 Cup Cashews, soaked
  • 2 Lemons, Juiced
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 1/4 Cup Tahini
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Mix all the falafel ingredients in a food processor until ingredients stick together loosely (you’re looking for a rough consistency)
  3. Make around 28-20 falafel balls with your hands and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper
  4. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the balls every 5 minutes to get an even golden brown color.
  5. Blend the lemon cashew dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy and smooth. Add more water to get desired consistency.
  6. Place falafel balls on top of a salad, our use large lettuce leafs to create a wrap. Top with lemon cashew dressing and your favorite fixin’s!
Posted in Appetizers, Cleasning Food, Main Course, Munchies, Salads, Sauces, Dips and Dressings, Vegan, Vegitarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment