Super Supper!

I had a great day in my kitchen trying out new recipes, with an ending result of a super supper!

Portobello Burgers, made in the dehydrator were awesome, and the recipe for Thousand Island Dressing was like the icing on the cake!  I fixed Dick's like a hamburger,

and I had my burger on top of a salad.

It was so good, I actually licked the plate! 

This was a great new raw recipe, especially the salad dressing.

Lentils Masala with Quinoa was the perfect hot side to the burger on this cold snowy night.  It has a spice in it that I had never used before -  Garam Masala.  It added a lovely sweet taste.

My husband was impressed with both of these dishes.

I was a bit disappointed with the Coconut Almond Cherry Bars.  The ingredients were great, but it came out just a bit too dry, so they did not set up well.  Too crumbly.  Next time I will know better.

My favorite was the burger and the dressing.

It was a super day, and ended with a super supper!

Raw Divas have great jugs!!

The Raw Divas have great jugs! Mine just came a few days ago.  

It holds 32 ounces of green gold!!  I love the words too.

The Raw Divas have a great website that you might want to visit. 

You will find the Green Smoothie Queen there!

In the jug is my smoothie for today: bananas, mango, pears, parsley, kale, coconut juice, crushed ice and water to get to the consistency I like, and various supplements.

I am drinking it as I stand in the window and watch the snow fall, the birds scurry to and from the feeders, and the geese floating on the lake.  

Ah, glorious vacation.  Day one!

Corn on the cob in the winter??

Thursday night I got two ears of corn in my veggie bag at Anner's, Tulsa Food Coop, and thought it a bit odd in the middle of the winter.  I am not a big fan of corn, so I wasn't too impressed.  Then along came Anner's recipes and I thought, "Hmmmm, Broccoli Corn Slaw, might be pretty good."

So outside as snowflakes fell, I had a summer moment in my kitchen husking corn!! This was a really easy recipe and we really enjoyed it.

Combine 1 cup of broccoli, cut into small florets, corn kernels from two ears of corn and a half cup chopped onion in a bowl. Mix together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/4th teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8th teaspoon of white pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, stir, and mix with vegetables.  Refrigerate 15 minutes or more before serving.

I didn't have the white pepper or the pepper flakes, but this was still very tasty.  Next time I might go a little heavier with the oregano. I am anxious to see if it taste even better the next day.

Veggie Bath

Ha, I bet you thought I was now taking a bath with my vegetables when you saw the title!

I learned how to wash vegetables in a most efficient way recently, watching a YouTube that I can't find now!  It is really a terrific method, and it is amazing how much dirt you can have on your greens!

First, fill a bowl with clean water.  I put a big bowl in one of my sinks.  Then put your greens in the "bath" bowl. Swish the greens, or whatever the vegetable is, around with both hands.

Then remove the greens to a colander, which I have in my other sink.  Do not dump the water and greens into the colander because the dirt that is in the water will stay with the greens. Just move the greens with your hands.

Once the greens are moved to the colander, dump the dirty water from the bath bowl,  rinse them in the colander, and then return them to a clean bowl of "bath" water.  Repeat this action until the water in the bath bowl is clean.  Usually three or four times. 

Check out how much dirt is left in the bowl!

The two pictures below are from the first bath of organic parsley!

Can you believe how much dirt there is!  Just rinsing really doesn't get all the dirt off.  I took what I thought was already clean curly kale from the refrigerator and with this method there was still dirt!

Now put your greens or whatever, in a salad spinner.  Boy, does this save on the paper towels!! If you don't have one, it is a great investment!

Once dry, I put them in a zip lock bag and get as much air out as possible, and then put it in the refrigerator.  It makes it really nice when I am ready to use it by saving prep time, and it also stays fresh much longer.

So, the bottom line is: try a veggie bath!

Jicama Anyone?

Jicama.  (Hic-a-ma) Funny word. I love saying it!

Until recently I never even heard of it. At Whole Foods, where I went to buy it, I didn't even say it right when I asked the clerk where to find it.  I didn't even know what it looked like!

So here it is:

For more information and nutritional value, click here.

I used it to make a recipe from Matthew Kenney's book Everyday Raw, that I bought at his restaurant in Oklahoma City, 105degrees. I'm not sure why I picked this recipe?? Probably because I had never had jicama and I was curious what it tasted like??? The jicama has a flavor somewhat like turnip and rutabaga.  It is also referred to as the Mexican Potato.  The recipe is called potato salad.   It is all raw and I really liked it.

Another great use is for a jicama and apple slaw.  This is one of my new favorites. In a food processor, shred/grate a jicama and an apple, add a little honey and some fresh chopped mint, mix well, and refrigerate a few hours.  This is a great side dish.

Dare to Believe

This is the cover and part of the inside page to a little book I found when cleaning out my pantry.  I stopped what I was doing and sat down and read it.  I added my little wish to it for you! I will share more of the pages in later posts.

I love the word believe. 

1-1-11

A New Day.  A New Month.  A New Year.

Ah, the possibilites!

Today is the first day of "Resolve to Evolve" at the Raw Food Rehab community, of which I am a member. I am excited to find a community that truly helps me to achieve "an amazing new lifestyle, full of possibilities for lasting weight loss, regeneration and healing."  The last 6 months of 2010 were an incredible time of transformation for me: weight loss, new energy, new foods, and feeling great. I can't wait to see what 2011 will bring!!

So, today began as usual with a green smoothie, but, notice it isn't green!!! It was quite good though.  Here is what went into it:
2 large pears
1 avocado
1/2 a cucumber
handful of parsley
1 stalk of celery
a   tablespoon of cacao, maca and chia seeds
coconut juice, water and crushed ice
I really liked it, but my husband needed some bananas added to it.

This was my "at home day" that I have been longing for for days!  Projects, organize, de-clutter, were on tap. The pantry got an amazing re-do, cabinets reorganized, a box of things to give away, and lots of throw away.  It feels so good! (Speaking of throw away, someone stole our city trash bin!)

To all who read this, I wish you a new year filled with good health, happiness, love, peace, laughter, and an abundance of all of God's greatest gifts.

Happy New Year!