Orange Ginger Smoothie

kale
1 1/2 c filtered water
2 oranges
1/2 inch ginger
2 dates, soaked for 3-4 hours
1/2 c frozen pineapple
1 banana
1 c mixed berries
Fill blender jar to top with kale. Add water and banana. Blend. Add remaining ingredients and blend again. Mmmm!

Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Don't these look AMAZING? Well, they taste amazing as well! Here is the lowdown:

Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

1 1/3 c raw cashews

2/3 c regular oats

4 T raw agave nectar

2 T maple syrup

2 t vanilla extract

1/2 c chocolate chips

Blend first two ingredients until they are consistency of flour. Add the next 3 ingredients and blend until dough consistency. Spoon into a bowl and mix in chocolate chips. Roll into bites and put in your fridge. Or freezer. :)

We ran out of chocolate chips, so we added raisins instead and 1/2 t cinnamon. Then we rolled in shredded coconut. 

Compliments of my bestie who directed me to Averie Cooks

Love this website, except that she uses a lot of refined sugars in some of her desserts. But some of the stuff looks absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! I also love her policy of not spending a lot of time in the kitchen. :) Wahoo!!! My kind of woman! 

Almonaise & Potato Salad

My kids were fighting over the last little bit of this new potato salad. Apparently this was a keeper. It all started with a new recipe: Almonaise. This can be used in place of Mayonnaise. I really liked it! Then you pair it with some more nummies and use it as a "dressing" over a potato salad. I made my potato salad a little differently, with lots of raw vegetables. Everyone looked at is a bit nervously, until they took a bite. That was the end of any hesitation. A perfect salad on a warm day!

Almonaise
1/2 c raw almonds, soaked overnight and drained. Rinse well and drain again. (These are now sprouted!)
Next, grab your high-powered blender and add the following:
1/2 c water
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 T raw apple cider vinegar
2 t agave nectar
1/2 t ground mustard
1/2 t sea salt
Add the almonds last and press the "sauces" button (or blend until smooth). 
Run cycle again and pour in 1/2 c cold pressed extra virgin olive oil while the cycle runs. Store in fridge for up to 1 week.
I doubled this so that I would have more for sandwiches, tuna salad, etc)


Sauce for Potato Salad
Blend the following in the blender:

1/4 c water
1/2 c raw cashews
1/8 c apple cider vinegar

1 T Agave

½  t paprika
1 t sea salt (or more to taste)

Fold in the Almonaise, and the sauce is done!

Potato Salad

Scrub & boil 3 lb organic potatoes. Chop (leaving on skins if you like) into bite size pieces. Put in large bowl and add the following:

3/4 c frozen peas

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 colored pepper, diced small

2-3 dill pickles, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

Anything else you might like! Fresh herbs (ribboned basil, cilantro, fresh dill, chives would be soooo yummmm!)

I added sprouted sunflower seeds and about 3/4 c cooked quinoa. The kids loved it! (Rinse and cook quinoa-1 part quinoa to 2 parts water-with 1/2 t of vegetable broth powder. Store in fridge to throw into salads or whatever!)

Fold in the sauce and let chill in the fridge for several hours. 

Sprouting

Say what? Yep, sprouting. Okay, before you skip to the next entry, hear me out. I have never liked sprouts, but then I learned about the explosive nutrients of sprouts and I began introducing small portions of sprouts. Now, my kids will eat sprouts! Example: sprouted wheat has 28% more Vit B1, 315% more B2, 66% more B3, 65% more B5, 278% more folic acid, and the list goes on. Why is this important? According to research done by Dr. William Peavy:

Enzymes are the vitality sustaining all of our body’s processes. Without enzymes, we die. Thus, enzyme depletion causes aging, slowing cellular processes and cellular reproduction and causing cells to be susceptible to free-radical damage. We age as the body becomes unable to replace old cells with healthy new ones. This applies to immune cells, too. Enzyme depletion is why immunity decreases with age: immune cells aren’t regenerating quickly enough to protect the body from disease. Staying young and healthy (regardless of how many years you’ve been alive) is simply a matter of keeping enzyme activity maximized in your body. Sprouts do precisely that, and they are the closest thing we have to a“fountain of youth!” 

So, while being "young & beautiful" isn't at the top of my list, it's a definite PLUS! Sprouting activates the enzymes in a plant so that it produces the vitamins that it needs for it's own growth. We simply start that process and then WE reap the benefits of those amazing enzymes! These nutrients cannot be replicated by any synthetic supplement. So, I'm going to teach you how to sprout!
This picture is after about 36 hours of sprouting in the great, humid state of Tennessee!!! See those tails???

These seeds are a mixture of red clover & alfalfa seeds.

I filled this jar only 1/4 inch (maybe less) full of the seeds, and then filled it up the rest of the way with filtered water. Let it soak over night.
The next morning, drain, rinse and then drain again. Put on a sprouting lid and turn on it's side.
It needs to be rinsed twice a day (I usually do it in the morning and at night) and rotated some during the day (1-2 times).
In Tennessee, it only takes about 2 1/2 days from start to finish to completely fill a quart jar with these puppies! Awesome, huh? Drier climates, it takes a little longer, maybe 3 or 4 days. Serve on salads, wraps, 1-2 T in homemade salad dressings, wherever! If you don't like the taste, you can put them in all kinds of things where you can hide the flavor!

Raw sunflower seeds are another super easy one. Simple soak in filtered water overnight, drain and they are sprouted at that point! We put on our granola, on salads, in sandwiches, wherever!

Lasagna & Spaghetti? Yes, please...

Birthday time, and the kids requested Spaghetti & Meatballs. Again? I kinda whined on the inside....yep. Again. So, I suggested that we try some Lentil Meatballs this time, using their favorite Lentil Burger recipe, and they nearly jumped out of their skin with excitement. And it worked! It was so delicious!
So, for Meatballs, take this recipe, and instead of making patties, make balls. Cook for a little less time and voila!

The sauce I used was the following:
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
10 large button mushrooms, chopped or sliced
1 cup grated carrot
2-3 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 quart diced tomatoes
1/3 cup spaghetti sauce mix
2-3 cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste

In a large pot, lightly saute chopped veggies in olive oil add garlic and saute a bit longer. Add remaining ingredients.  Slowly bring to a simmer stirring frequently.  Add any wanted seasonings to taste

4 tsp. vegetable broth powder

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. crushed fennel

1 tsp. sea salt or to taste

1/2 tsp. pepper

Simmer at least 1 hour. Add meatballs and gentle stir. Serve over your favorite pasta.

 

 

Save 2-3 cups sauce prior to adding the meatballs for lasagna later in the week, or to freeze for later.

Lasagna

15 sprigs fresh parsley, take leaves off and finely chop

1/4 lb fresh spinach, finely chopped

3 c ricotta cheese

16 oz Italian cheese mix (mozzerella, asiago, romano, provolone)

3/4 c Parmesan

2 t dried basil (or finely chopped fresh basil)

2 t oregano

1 t fennel

1 t sea salt

1/2 t fresh pepper

9 lasagna noodles, cooked

Sauce

Mix together all ingredients except noodles & sauce. Place 3 noodles in sprayed 9x13 pan. Top with 1/2 cheese mix. Top with 3 more noodles and rest of cheese mix. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes covered in foil. Sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan and bake uncovered for 15-20 more minutes until bubbly. :)