Green Juicing

A snapshot of my favorite green juice.

Want to know more about juicing?

Check out my guest post at Badger Girl's Healthy Blogger Thursday. :)

Tomatolove: Gazpacho

The oh-so-long summer days have begun

and my body has been craving my favorite summer drink.

GAZPACHO. 

Mmmm, cold soup of fresh veggies.

Sounds crazy, but oh-so-refreshingly healthy.

It'll put a skip in your step

once you find your favorite combo of veggies.

When I spent my summers in Spain,

I used to drink at least one cup of gazpacho every day,
my source of nourishment.

The secret to a good gazpacho (in my opinion)
is to add a touch of fruit to it.
I'm all about the subtle sweet. Wink wink. ;)

Gazpacho

6 roma tomatoes

1 green bell pepper

3 stalks of celery

3 inches of cucumber

1/2 sliced onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 apple or 1 cup pineapple  

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp vinegar (optional)

sea salt (to taste)

Directions:

Put all of the veggies and 1 piece of fruit (apple or pineapple) into the food processor and puree until creamy. Add in extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and sea salt and puree once more. Serve cold.

To note: if you would like the deep red color of traditional gazpacho, add in a touch of tomato paste or tomato juice.

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July is #tomatolove month!

Please join in on the #tomatolove fun by linking up any tomato recipe from the month of July 2012. Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #tomatolove event! The twitter hashtag is #tomatolove :).

Cohosted by:

Badger Girl Learns to Cook
Cheap Ethnic Eatz
Mis Pensamientos
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
Oh Cake
Pippi's in the Kitchen Again
Queen's Notebook
Rico Sin Azucar
Teaspoon of Spice
That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
Vegan Yack Attack
Vegetarian Mamma
You Made That?

Ice Cream Love Bloghop: Banana Yogurt Popsicles

I have some big news for you all.

I have officially changed my diet from vegan to vegetarian 

in the past 4 months due to my health

and it's probably one of the best choices I've made.

Due to my candida, I was struggling to find quality sources

of protein  in the vegan diet
that weren't packed with carbs/sugar

and my body was slowly getting worse. 

I started eating a variety of fish, seafood, eggs, and greek yogurt,

along with tons of greens, nuts and seeds (of course!)

and it's done my body some good.

I am finally on the upswing in terms of my health,

my candida is finally cleared (yippee!),

my digestion improving slowly,

and my food sensitivities one by one dissipating.

More than the diet change,

I attribute this to God and prayer, most of all.

He is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals.

A pastor prayed for me when I was at my lowest point,

and ever since,

my stomach just started to "work"

Power of prayer.

Wow. 

Miracles are possible. :)
I am filled with so much more faith, hope, and joy. 

Banana Yogurt Popsicles

2 frozen bananas 

1 cup greek yogurt

optional: sweetener of choice

Directions:

1. Peel the bananas and freeze them for about 1 hour. 

2. Puree frozen bananas in the food processor until smooth.

3. Add in greek yogurt and blend. 

4. Add in your choice of sweetener (I didn't use any btw).

5. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 4 hours or more. 

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June is #icecreamlove month!

Please join in on the #icecreamlove fun by linking up any ice cream recipe from the month of June OR July 2012. Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #icecreamlove event! The twitter hashtag is #icecreamlove :).

Cohosted by:
Astig Vegan
Baker Street
Baking and Cooking, a Tale of Two Loves
BigFatBaker
Bon à croquer
Cake balls, cookies and more
Cheap Ethnic Eatz
Georgiescakes
Hobby And More
Mis Pensamientos
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
Pippi's in the Kitchen Again
Queen's Notebook
Rico sin Azúcar
Simply Reem
Soni’s Food for Thought
That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
The Spicy RD
Vegetarian Mamma
You Made That?

Pastalove: Tahini Quinoa Pasta Salad

April was a whirlwind, wasn't it?

Spent most of the month enjoying the spring season

sans the internet.

Needed some time away from the flurry of social media

to enjoy the little things in life.

Went on some long walks, read a few books, spent time with my loves... 

It's been a good month,

still getting myself back into the swing of things.

I shall dive back in soon enough!

I've been in love with tahini lately.

I've been tossing it with a handful of greens, stirfry meals,

you name it. 

It goes well with everything!

I tossed some GF quinoa pasta 

with tahini and garlic,

on top of a power greens mix.

It's been awhile since I've had pasta,

but it's #pastalove month. 

So had to try the craze for quinoa pasta.

The texture is not as soft as normal pasta

but the flavor has a subtle taste of corn and the nuttiness of quinoa. 

Definitely satiates and fills you up nicely 

with the extra protein.

A simple and tasty spring salad for ya. :)

Tahini Quinoa Pasta Salad

1/2 cup dry quinoa pasta

2 cups of water

power greens:

baby spinach

baby arugula

baby collards

baby kale

watercress

2 tbsp tahini, no salt

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp EVOO

kosher salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil. Cook quinoa pasta for 8-9 minutes. Then rinse. 

2. Mix tahini, garlic, EVOO, and kosher salt together. Make extra dressing if you would like!

3. Toss power greens with pasta and dressing!

To note: Tahini is sesame seed butter. 

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May is #pastalove month!

Please join in on the #pastalove fun by linking up any pasta recipe from the month of May 2012. Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #pastalove event! The twitter hashtag is #pastalove :).

Cohosted by:

Astig Vegan, Badger Girl Learns to Cook, BigFatBaker, Bon a Croquer, Cake Duchess, Elephant Eats, Hobby and More, Mis Pensamientos, No One likes Crumbley Cookies, Oh Cake, Rico sin Azucar, Simply Reem, Soni's Food for Thought, Teaspoon of Spice, That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!, The Spicy RD, The Wimpy Vegetarian, Vegetarian Mama, You Made That?, Vegan Yack Attack. 

Also, I know I have some active readers who link up every month! If you are interested in hosting the #lovebloghop series or just staying in the loop, join our facebook group.

Berrylove: Blueberry Almond Butter Banana Ice Cream

It's spring and I am loving all the berries in the season.
Oh yes, and the flowers and the sun. Yay!

It's not summer just yet, 

but I've been dreaming of eating a delicious scoop of ice cream.

Anyone else? :)

Frozen bananas, blueberries, and a nice glob of almond butter.

So simple, but so good.

Don't skimp on the almond butter,

that's the best part. :)

Blueberry Almond Butter Banana Ice Cream

2 frozen bananas

1/2 cup blueberries (or any type)

1 tbsp of almond butter

Directions:

1. Peel two ripe bananas, and freeze them in a ziplock bag overnight.

2. Let bananas thaw for 15 minutes at room temperature.

3. Blend in food processor until pureed. 

4. Add in blueberries and almond butter.

5. Blend until mixed well. Put the ice cream in a bowl and freeze for 4 hours. 

6. Serve with your favorite assortment of berries. 

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April is #berrylove month!

Please join in on the #berrylove by linking up any berry recipe from the month of April 2012.  Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #berrylove event! The twitter hashtag is #berrylove. :)

Cohosted by:

A little bit of Everything, Baker Street, Baking and Cooking: A Tale of Two Loves, BigFatBaker, Bon a Croquer, Cake Duchess, Easily Good Eats, Elephant Eats, Georgie Cakes, Hobby and More, Java Cupcake, Mis Pensamientos, No One Likes Crumbley Cookies, Oh Cake, Queen's Notebook, Rico sin Azucar, Simply Reem, Soni's Food for Thought, Teaspoon of Spice, That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!, The Art of Cooking Real Food, The Wimpy Vegetarian, Vegan Yack Attack, Vegetarian Momma. 

Fennel Onion Soup

I spent the first week of spring vacation

sick with the flu.

It wasn't my piece of pie,

but at least now I am feeling better!

The only thing that I could think about eating

when my head was throbbing with a fever

and my throat burning from the coughing

was homemade soup. 

Made this deliciousness from a base of onions and garlic

flavored with fennel leaves. So aromatic, so good.

Threw in all sorts of veggies that were in my fridge too. 

Soup is always the best when feeling not quite up to par. :)

Fennel Onion Soup

1 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup green cabbage, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

3-4 stalks of fennel root, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped 

4-5 florets of cauliflower, chopped 

handful of green leafy veggies

1 tsp kosher salt or to taste

6+ cups of hot water

Directions:

1. Sautee onions with garlic and cabbage until caramelized.  Add in 1 tsp of EVOO and toss for 1 minute.

2. Add in other veggies and toss for 1 minute. 

2. Add in 6+ cups of hot water into the pot.  Let everything simmer for 15 minutes. Add in 1 tsp of kosher salt (or more to taste).

To note: Caramelizing the veggies in the beginning is key to making a good broth! 

What is your go-to soup remedy when you are sick?