today's smoothie and homemade green powder

one of my most favorite summer green smoothies - purslane, kale, cucumber, pear, banana, blueberry and chia seeds.

come winter, we're really going to miss those fresh, local organic greens in our smoothies, so i'm preparing the next best thing - homemade green powder.

carmella introduced us to this brilliant concept last fall - simply wash and dehydrate your surplus of greens, then process into a fine powder.

store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place. add one or more teaspoons to smoothies, juices or fruit roll-ups for a boost of green nutrition.

four excalibur dehydrator screens of kale yielded about 3/4 cup green powder. my goal is to fill at least two pint-sized jars before winter's sting. we shall see!

homemade vegetable broth powder

when you make a lot of soup, the cost for healthy bouillon cubes can get expensive. the cartons of vegetable stock are even pricier, and i noticed that the powder sold in bulk at the health food store contains some questionable ingredients. (corn syrup solids and autolyzed yeast extract?)

so i decided to make my own broth powder. there are several methods for making homemade stock, but i was sold on the dehydration method. adding more veggies to vegetable soup? i like it! plus we already had all the vegetables, herbs and the dehydrator.

not going to lie though, slicing all those veggies as thin as i could get them (so they would dry more quickly) was a bit of work for one cup of powder. but the broth is so wholesome and clean! plus my mandolin slicer made the work a little easier, and dare i say sort of fun?

the bell pepper, yellow squash and red onion were from the csa. the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs grew in our garden. i used green and purple basil, oregano and thyme, and later added rosemary and parsley. also, i used some store-bought organic produce, because what's veggie broth without carrots and celery?

the recipe i loosely followed suggested adding a good amount of arrowroot starch. that would really bulk up the powder, but would also thicken our soups, which i don't always want, so i left it out. i also didn't add salt because i like to season as i go to avoid adding too much.

the dried veggies were stored in an air-tight bag a few days until i was ready to process them in the vitamix. they smelled sooo good, i kept opening the bag for a little sniff!

all in all, i say the dehydrated vegetable broth powder is delicious and worth the effort. it'll feel good to know i'm adding local organic nutrition to our soups in the dead of winter, if i can make it last that long. maybe i should make another batch...anyone want to come help me slice veggies?=)

xoxoxo

squash and greens

two words: delicious. nutritious.

roasted veggies over herbed cole slaw

quinoa with butternut squash and greens

black bean burrito on sprouted grain tortillas
salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette

escarole soup with kabocha squash and chick peas

john and i have been enjoying winter squash and greens almost every evening. during the day, we like to drink our greens. trips to animo juice, an organic cafe a few towns over are so colorful this time of year.

we usually order a juice and a wheat grass shot. the juice below is called garden state and was made from carrot, greens, apple and lemon. i forgot what john had, but it was yummy and contained spirulina.

green smoothies at home haven't been too exciting. (i miss my berry smoothies!)

blub blub

=)

*

so what are your plans for the weekend?

i have an idea for the mommies that read my bloggie:

make food with your kiddies!

this is a great time of year to make soup or baked goodies. my friend made pumpkin bread from scratch with her 2 and 3 year-old and said they had an absolute blast! it's a cute way to spend time with your children and celebrate natural foods, while teaching them the important skill of preparing their own food.

roasting pumpkin seeds is a fun activity for the kids, and you could puree the pumpkin for all kinds of yummy treats like pie or cookies.

here's an easy and deliciously rich peanut butter cookie recipe from pam i recently tried that would be perfect for the little ones - only 3 ingredients!
 

note: i recommend using unsweetened peanut butter or less sugar

if you have a blender and a dehydrator, you could make some apple cinnamon fruit roll-ups.

with homemade green powder for added nutrition

you can see the little green specks, but the taste is masked by sweet apple and cinnamon. a nice idea for the pickier eaters to get their greens in!

just some ideas. i'd love for you to share yours in the comments!

also, what were some things you loved doing with your family as a child?

i was reminded of how special it was to eat dinner with my family every night by this article. stephanie nielson is truly inspiring.

have a wonderful weekend!

=)

hemp heart patties

last night we tried the hemp veggie burgers and they were delicious. and johnny boy agreed. yay!=)

as mentioned previously, the original recipe from delightfully raw calls for irish moss paste to bind the patty all together. since i was out of irish moss, i thought that psyllium powder mixed in water would do the job, and it worked, phew! i also used flax in place of chia seeds because i am out of them too, and i changed the seasonings, having recently discovered the joy of cumin + coriander.

these burger patties may seem like a lot of work, and i'm going to be honest and say they kind of are, because of some extra steps. but these steps keep the patties easy to digest, so you put in a little extra kitchen effort to give your body a boost and your tummy a rest. not a bad payoff, eh?

hemp heart patties
adapted from carmella's hemp veggie burgers

makes 6 burgers

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked
1/2 cup raw walnuts, soaked
1 T psyllium powder
1/4 cup water
1 T flax, ground
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/3 cup chopped button mushroom
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp chipotle powder


1. soak sunflower seeds and walnuts in cool water for at least four hours, or overnight.

2. mix psyllium powder and ground flax in water. this will form a gel to bind the patty.

3. process the soaked sunflower seeds, walnuts, gel mixture, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth. you will need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. transfer the mixture to a bowl.

4. add the rest of the ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.

5. drop a little less than 1/2 cup of batter onto a teflex sheet and form into patties (or drop into cookie cutter for shapes). dehydrate at 110 degrees for 2 hours. flip onto mesh and continue dehydrating until patty is firm but moist in the center (at least five hours).

these burgers are raw, so they're not the kind of veggie burger you'd want on a bun. that's why i called them patties and placed them on a bed of mixed greens with a creamy chiptole dressing. they would also be nice in a green bun like collard or romaine.

creamy chipotle dressing

1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
1 T lemon juice
few pinches chipotle powder, to taste

blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

tonight i came home to the smell of dinner cooking in the crock-pot. that magnificant chili made my whole day. it had the perfect amount of heat with one large jalapeno, but i have to say it was pretty spicy! i modified the recipe to include the heat factor, and i also added carrot.

john loved the chili too! woohoo! two for two.=)

i hope you're having a great week! stay warm, my fellow freezing cold friends!

xoxoxo

hearty mac and cheeze

angela from oh she glows posted a wonderful recipe for butternut squash mac 'n cheeze last year, and john and i have enjoyed it a few times since. this time i didn't have dijon mustard or almond milk, so minor adjustments were made, highlighted in green. click here for the original recipe.

hearty mac and cheeze sauce
(adapted from angela's butternut squash mac 'n cheeze)

1 C mashed butternut squash
2 T earth balance vegan butter
3/4 C filtered water
1 T arrowroot powder
1 T fresh lemon juice 
6 T nutritional yeast (or more to taste)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper, to taste
extra virgin olive oil

1. preheat oven to 425F. peel, seed and cube butternut squash. in a glass casserole dish, lightly coat squash with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast for 40 minutes.

2. meanwhile, prepare sauce in a pot over the stove. add butter over low-medium heat. in a bowl, whisk water and arrowroot. pour into saucepan, then stir in lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and seasonings to taste. whisk sauce until thickened (about 5 to 7 minutes).

3. add to cooked pasta of choice. optional: to make the dish extra hearty, add vegetables like green beans, peas or kale, or top with my personal favorite, stewed tomatoes.

squash gut smoothie and some garden shots

i've been seeing bloggers cleverly use their squash innards to make shakes and pumpkin lattes. since i like squash seeds for their taste and nutrition, i decided to try them in a green smoothie.

the verdict - very, very good.

my smoothie consisted of the guts from one butternut squash (the seeds and stringy stuff), two frozen bananas, two small carrots, a few leaves each kale and swiss chard, and enough water to blend until smooth in our vitamix. it served me and john, who also thought it was very good.

despite some frosty nights, our plots at the community garden are still producing the greens. i've exceeded my goal of two pints of green powder last night when i packed a third pint.

we're also picking sugar snap and shelling peas,

and 36 of 45 garlic cloves i planted mid-october have sprouted. i'd love this time of year if it weren't so chilly!

i leave you with some fiery flowers and wishes for a wonderful (and warm) week!

week of meals

source

at the start of the week, i like to jot down meal ideas and carry them with me in my little binder. the list changes with produce availability and what i'm in the mood for, but it's always there for reference. here is my list for this week:

dinner

• vegan minestrone soup with salad
• vegetable stir-fry with white rice
• lentil and potato soup
• raw pizza with salad
• persian tah dig

it's freezing cold out (snowing as i type this), so soup is on the menu twice this week. when i make soup, i try to double or even triple the recipe so i can freeze the rest in jars for those days when i just don't feel like cooking. they also make great quick lunches for when i'm babysitting.
edit: when freezing in glass jars, leave at least an inch headspace to prevent cracking.

white rice is easy to digest and when i cook it, i make extra for another meal. this saves time and energy. that is why i'm trying persian tah dig this week - to use up the leftover rice, and also to use up the big bag of organic potatoes i bought. (persian tah dig, i just learned, is an iranian dish with rice and potatoes.) i'm going to add turmeric since i'm always looking for ways to get it in.

i bought a big bag of russet potatoes with the vow to use every last spud. (too many times they spoil before i get to use them all). chopped potatoes made their way into the minestrone soup and next week i'm thinking of making baked potatoes loaded with veggies.

back to the rice - cooking rice used to intimidate me until i found this perfect white rice recipe.

perfect white rice (pressure-cooked)

2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups water
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

rinse rice well. in a pressure cooker with the lid locked, bring all ingredients to pressure and cook for 7 minutes, turning the heat down to medium. then turn the heat off and let the pot sit for 15 minutes. do not open the lid. the rice will continue to cook in the pot. open lid carefully after 15 minutes and fluff with a fork.

with my stir-fries, i just saute an assortment of vegetables with soy sauce and oil, then add the cooked rice to heat it. stir-fries are so simple and they make my favorite kind of leftovers. some veggies i've used in my stir-fries are: broccoli, bok choy, bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, peas, green beans, cabbage and zucchini or yellow squash. 

over the weekend i began to sprout mung beans. they'll make a nice raw element for our stir-fry. i may also sprinkle some on our raw pizza, soup and salads. sprouting beans and seeds is so easy and a great way to grow some of our own food during the winter months. see my tutorial here.


lunch: 

• leftover soup
• nori wraps with avocado
• mashed avocado and toast
• smoothies with green powder
• red lentils with nutritional yeast 

my favorite quick lunch right now is simply sliced avocado wrapped up in a nori sheet. so easy, yummy, and nutritious to boot! i just got the idea to add the mung bean sprouts to them, too!

red lentils are also great when you're short on time because they cook up so quickly. i just place about a quarter cup red lentils in a pot with about a half cup water and boil a few minutes until they're tender. with a little olive oil or butter, nutritional yeast flakes and salt, they're divine!

snacks:

• carrot curry flax crackers with hummus
• dehydrated mangoes
• coconut yogurt
• steamed non-gmo edamame
• fresh fruit (bananas, apples, oranges, pinapple)

as i mentioned last night, i made a sweet and savory flax cracker with carrot, curry and raisins. flax crackers are my go-to because they're easy for me to make and i like that they're high in omega-3's. i just happened to come across an article today that said eating the flax seeds provides much more nutrition than the flaxseed oil supplements. i also enjoy their crunchiness, though the seeds sticking to my teeth are still very annoying. they're worth it though.

carrot curry flax crackers with raisins

1 cup raw flax seeds
3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 raw shelled hemp seeds
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup shredded carrot (about 2 carrots)
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (more or less to taste)
1/4 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar (optional)
1/2 tsp bragg's liquid aminos (optional)

place seeds and raisins in a large bowl with enough water to cover and let them soak for about an hour. add carrot and seasonings and stir. if the batter seems too stiff, mix in a little bit more water.

spread batter over two teflex sheets and dehydrate at 115 degrees until dry, flipping halfway onto mesh screens. if you don't have a dehydrator, these could probably be baked in the oven on the lowest temperature with the oven door cracked, but keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

so there you have it - a week full of animal-friendly meals. (i left out breakfast because i usually just eat a banana.) this post was fun to put together and i got even more ideas as i was writing, so i will definitely try to do this again! what are you excited about making this week?

long time no post

can you believe it's been two months since my last post? did anyone even notice? haha! amazingly this blog still gets visits everyday so i thought i'd share a little update.

the garden is still thriving and buzzing with bees. the harvests have slowed but we're finally getting plum tomatoes that somehow avoided the blossom rot. i've been warming them in the dehydrator to make sun-dried tomatoes and filling the extra trays with herbs and kale for green powder.

on the food front, i just purchased angela liddon's the oh she glows cookbook and love it. her lentil loaf was great, though i changed some ingredients because i was cooking up pinto beans that day.

i've been slow-cooking dried beans and using them every way i can. the pinto beans made "meat" loaf and a big batch of spanish rice that served up two dinners! today i've got great northern beans in the crock pot and will be making a rosemary white bean soup and white bean wraps with homemade tortillas. the leftover beans go into the freezer and get used in all sorts of things.

if you have animal-friendly recipes, please send them my way! i'm on the search for healthy spins on old favorites but also fresh dishes with great flavor. food to please vegans and non-vegans alike!

i hope everyone is enjoying these last weeks of summer and is looking forward to the foods that come with fall as much as i am...bring on the squash, hearty chunky soups and sweet apples!

xoxoxo

raw pizza three ways

if you've been reading this blog for awhile, you're probably aware of my love for raw pizza. if you're not familiar with raw pizza, let me break it down for you (with links for more information.)

the crust is a mix of zucchini (or any summer squash), sprouted buckwheat groats and flax seed.

the cheese is a delicious blend of soaked cashews, lemon juice and nutritional yeast.

the toppings for raw pizza are endless. this time we went with walnut sausage and basil, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, and rainbow chard with raw tomato sauce, lightly heated in the dehydrator.

why raw? raw or living food is food not heated above 115 degrees, to preserve the live enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals that can otherwise be destroyed or altered when heated. raw food is more nutritionally dense and is generally easier to digest, giving our systems a huge break. although i don't eat an all raw diet, i make it a point to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as i can. it seems the more raw food in my diet, the more energy i have and the better i feel overall. 

as i heard someone say just yesterday, your body is the place you live, take care of it!

(in order to make raw pizza, a dehydrator is needed. i recommend an excalibur 5 or 9-tray system. if you search around you may be able to find a good deal. it will probably run you around $150-200. for us it was a great investment. we make kale chips, cheez-its, fruit roll-ups, eggplant bacon, crepes, crackers, raw lasagna, nori snacks, granola, green powder, buckwheat crunchies...all kinds of things! ours is running right now, making "sun-dried" tomatoes with the surplus of romas.)

enjoy your weekend! i plan to be back soon with a community garden update.

xoxoxo

gifts in jars: homemade tea bags

these gift jars were inspired by a make your own tea-bag tutorial found at a beautiful mess. i made mine a little different and only had to spend five dollars (for the tea bags) to make all six jars!

this project would not have been possible without my wonderful friend, missy. despite being almost eight months pregnant, she sat for hours and sewed fifty tea bags for me without a complaint. she was also taking breaks to go upstairs and fix dinner. whatta mama!=)

missy also provided me fabric scraps for the lids. she makes the sweetest pillow case dresses and i love her choice of floral fabric. the green and turquoise is a vintage scrap my friend carol gave me. (you may recall i used a piece for a three little birds wing).

there are plenty of organic loose leaf tea jars in my pantry to share. the mint and dandelion came from my garden/backyard. the rest i purchase from bulk bins at the local health food store. i swear by herbal teas, especially since discovering plantain tea for my interstitial cystitis flare-ups.

what makes me most happy about these gifts is that they're not only functional and decorative, but so healing! each jar has a mix of:

chamomile tea: a relaxing, soothing tea. helps with sleep disorders, depression, anxiety and panic attacks, migraines, skin conditions, and stomach issues such as menstrual cramps, stomach flu, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome. topically it reduces dark circles under the eyes.

green tea powder: super-rich in antioxidants that combat all types of cancer, bacterial or viral infections and cardiovascular disease. studies suggest that drinking green tea lowers risk of death due to all causes.

nettles: packed with vitamins (especially iron), nettles tea treats a slew of ailments such as anemia, arthritis, rheumatism, respiratory and urinary issues, asthma, and many more.

dandelion: aids digestion and detoxification of the liver. full of other benefits you can read here.

spearmint: a great-tasting tea that also aids digestion and helps to reduce flatulence. thwppp.=)

fyi - the mason jar lids were hot glue-gunned with circles of felt and fabric scraps. if you have any questions on how i made these gift jars, just ask - i'm happy to help!