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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

More amazing recipes!

I've found a ton of amazing recipes at KrisCarr.com.  Everything from smoothies to soups and salads, entrees and of course, desserts!  While you're at her site, please read Kris' incredible story of living with a very rare and incurable stage 4 cancer.  We could all learn a thing or two from her about living our lives to the fullest.


7 Best Anti-Aging Foods

Check out FitLife.TV's 7 Best Anti-Aging Foods
I am going to try this super easy blueberry smoothie tonight!

And here's our version...

Sunday, January 27, 2013

What to buy organic

EWG's 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce


Zucchini Soft Taco

Zucchini Soft Taco

Cold Ingredients:
Whole wheat tortillas
Spring mix
Baby Spinach
Tomatoes, sliced
Avocado, sliced
(Use any variation of vegetables that you want!)

Cooked Ingredients:
 1/2 Onion
2 Cloves Minced Garlic 
2 Medium Zucchini
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano (or Italian Seasoning)
1/8 teaspoon Chili Powder or Chipotle Powder (optional)

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil  over medium heat until softened.  Add zucchini, paprika, oregano and chili powder/chipotle powder.  Saute for 5 minutes, flipping zucchini until both sides are evenly browned.

Distribute zucchini mix over a tortilla, and top with cold ingredients.  Wrap up and enjoy!

This is a FAST, EASY recipe and makes approximately 6 wraps.  Judd likes to take one or two to work the following day by wrapping them individually in aluminum foil.  Then, he puts them on his dashboard to warm up!  See picture below:



   







New blog section!

Hi all!  We hope you've had a great weekend.  Judd just prepared a quick new meal, Zucchini Soft Taco's, so I'm making this a short post (I will post a picture and the recipe later.  They're delish!).

We just wanted to bring to your attention that we've added a new section to our Blog, titled "Vegan Pantry Essentials".  Again, these items are not just for Vegans!  We have found that the reason most people grab the fast food and junk food is because "traditional diet foods" lack flavor and are BOR-ING!!!  Not true with our meals...we love what we eat because it tastes delicious AND it is good for you.  Having a pantry stocked with essential healthy, flavorful ingredients is the easiest way to stay on track and by-pass the junk food.

We've started the section with one of our favorites, Nutritional Yeast Flakes, and will be adding new things daily.  We hope this helps you out the next time you're at the grocery store.

~Kris

Friday, January 25, 2013

10 Fascinating Facts About Cows Milk

10 Fascinating Facts About Cows Milk


Nutritional Yeast Flakes

For the Vegan Pantry:

Not to be confused with brewer's yeast, nutritional yeast has a roasted, nutty, cheese-like flavor.  It is a good source of amino acids and B vitamins*, and most brands are naturally gluten-free.  You can find nutritional yeast flakes in the bulk aisle in most natural food markets.  Some brands such as Bob's Red Mill, KAL, and Bragg can also be purchased online.  (See the link below to purchase Bob's on Amazon.com.)

We like to sprinkle it on pasta dishes in place of Parmesan cheese.  Another favorite use is to add a few tablespoons to melted margerine and a sprinkle of garlic salt, and drizzle over steamed broccoli.

*The recommended daily intake of Vitamin B12 for healthy adult men and women is 2.4 mcg.
In natural foods, vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and other dairy products. But that doesn’t mean animal products are necessarily the best source of this essential vitamin.
Although it is not found naturally in most plant foods, some brands of nutritional yeast contain vitamin B12, and it is widely added to many breakfast cereals and fortified nut milk.  

Penne alla Vodka

Penne alla Vodka with the Best Garlic Bread in the World!




This recipe is straight out of one of our favorite cookbooks, Choe's Kitchen.

1 pound penne
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus extra for chiffonade garnish (to cut an herb or vegetable in chiffonade, first stack the leaves as evenly as you can.  Roll the stack tightly so it resembles a cigar.  Slice the roll crosswise into very thin slices, and pull apart the slices into strips.)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vodka  (Note from Kris: I just purchased one of those tiny little airplane sized bottles of vodka.)
1/4 cup raw cashews (If you are not using a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, soak the cashews overnight or boil them for 10 minutes and drain.)
1 cup water

Bring large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.  Add penne and cook according to package.  Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic an cook about 1 minute.  Stir in crushed tomatoes and basil.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine cashews and water in a blender.  Process on high until very smooth, about 2 minutes.  Stir cashew cream into the tomato sauce and turn off heat.  Adjust seasoning to taste and toss with hot pasta.  Garnish with basil and serve immediately.

The Best Garlic Bread in the World! recipe:

1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 baguette
Dried or fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to broil.

Combine margarine, nutritional yeast, and garlic in a small microwave-safe bowl or sauce pan.  Heat over low heat until the margarine is melted.  Stir until combined.

Slice the baguette in half horizontally and place each half, cut side up, on a baking sheet.  Spread the garlic mixture over each half.  You may not need to use all of the garlic mixture.  You can refrigerate or freeze any leftover garlic mixtures for another use.  Sprinkle parsley over each half and broil for about a minute or two, checking very frequently until lightly browned.  Keep your eyes on the garlic bread, it can burn very quickly!

Hummus Recipe


I made this recipe the other day in my Vitamix, and I promise you, it was better than any I've purchased from the grocery store.  I did 2 things slightly different; instead of the raw sesame seeds, I used a heaping tablespoon of Sesame Tahini.  I also topped the hummus off with diced roasted red bell peppers (from a jar).  You can find Tahini in most grocery stores.  This is the brand I use:  

A link to some great recipes...

While looking at The No-Meat Athlete's website, I found a link to a treasury of delicious recipes I'm going to try.  I need as many smoothie recipes as I can get my hands on!  Judd makes a lot of "green" smoothies, but I just can't get past the color.   I love green veggies, I'm just not a fan (yet) of drinking them.  I prefer my smoothies to be pretty and pink!  Lol.  Anyway, here's the link.  Let me know if you try any of them, and I will do the same!  Vegetarian Recipes for Athletes

~Kris





Vitamix

Some of you know that we recently purchased a Vitamix, and we absolutely love, love, love it.  They are a bit expensive, but definitely worth it.  We'll be sharing lots of recipes with you that we've made using the Vitamix; however, you can modify lots of them to make using your blender or food processor.  If, like us, you've been considering purchasing a Vitamix but are put off by the price, consider using QVC to purchase one!  During the holidays, we took advantage of their 5-Easy Payment Plan.  $100 a month for 5 months was easier on the pocket than paying for it all at once, and it was interest free!  If you follow QVC on Facebook or get their iPhone app, you can be on the look-out for this special offer to come around again.  It seems as though they do it ever couple of months.  Even now, they have a 3-payment plan:  Vitamix on QVC.

By the way, I made hummus the other day in the Vitamix.  It was better than store bought and half the price. With that being said, it will eventually pay for itself!  :)  I'll post the recipe later today.

Happy Friday!

~Kris

We're back!

Well, it has been nearly 2 years since we've updated our blog and boy, we're ashamed!!  I just got off the phone with one of my dearest friends, Jan Wikstrom, who is on the path to better eating habits and she has inspired me to get back to work on this blog.  You don't have to be vegetarian or vegan to enjoy our recipes...they are more about having fun with cooking food that tastes great and that happen to be good for you.  In fact, I'm going to ask Jan, who is not a vegetarian, to share some of her favorite new recipes with us so that we can share them with you.  Happy cooking, and even happier eating!

See you soon,
Kris