11.29.2012

Brazil Nut Sushi


 Brazil Nut Sushi

Ingredients:

3 handfuls Brazil nuts
4 sun dried toms in oil or soak if dried
tsp fresh dill
salt & pepper - pinch each
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
tom slices
cucumber slices
1/2 clove garlic

1 nori sheet

* organic when possible *



















A quick way to get your savory and tart fix that will deliver amazing nutrition and great taste.

As I always say...... YUM!

xoxoxo















11.28.2012

week 1 vegan Miles

 Miles eating his vegan dinner!

So far he seems to love his food and has the same healthy look. It has only been a week and we are watching him closely. It has been a full week and his breath has improved!!
He is going to the bathroom more but that may be because of the water and fiber content in veggies.



I have been making a stew of root veggies with brown rice, lentils, banana, and whatever needs to be eaten in the fridge.

I no longer waste any of my vegetables....it's awesome!

He has probiotics, vegepet supplements, also, coconut oil, blue green algae, ground flax, and nutritional yeast.

It  makes me jealous!

He goes to the vet next month so we will see what she has to say.

*************************************************************
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Tofurkey day!!

Much love and gratitude

xoxo



11.19.2012

my little man.....a vegan?



The time has come where I can no longer stand buying dog food from the store.
For the last 3 yrs we have been feeding Miles Primal which is raw organic meat based frozen food.
I am vegan and it just feels wrong to feed him such food.
I can control few things in my life....one is what I eat and the other is what my dog eats!!

Yesterday I ran out of his dog food and the store was closed....thank you Palm Beach....so I had to improvise.

After some research I now know that I need to put supplements, probiotics, and enzymes into his food which is on order.

Until we get them....this is the meal plan.

* all organic ingredients*

Nutritional Yeast


Chick Peas

Quinoa


sprouted almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds


organic egg



steamed  kale, sweet potato, banana, broccoli, asparagus


After steaming the veggies I put everything into a pot with some coconut oil and simmered for another 25 mins. The more it cooks the easier it is to digest.


I have supplements on order from Vegedog and I'm super excited about the possibility of my little love being as cruelty free as I am.

I know.....aren't dogs made to eat meat?

That's what I thought until I read an overwhelming amount of research explaining that dogs, NOT CATS,  are actually Omnivores. This means that they are adaptable to a well balanced plant based diet.

YAY!!

P.S.
I know the egg is not vegan, but, it was in the fridge so I added it.

It is only Day 2 of this adventure so we will see where it goes.

xoxoxo









attitude of Gratitude!

Here we are....holidays in full swing!

I love this time of year.
Not only do we get to celebrate with family and friends the wonderful and maybe trying times we have had this year, but, it is a phenomenal reminder of what we hope to set as intentions for the next.

The title of my blog, GRATITUDE, says a lot about where my energy lies.
I am forever in awe of the amazing people I am lucky enough to call family and friends. I look to them as teachers and confidants and reminders of what I want my life to encompass.

As I dive deeper into this world of social media and make these surface cyberspace connections, I really do learn a lot from these far off people who inspire my new adventures and thoughts.

I am grateful for so many aspects of life and try to remain in this space of gratitude as much as possible! There are always little forks in the road which make the journey that much more exciting, hard, and meaningful.

Thank you for being a part of this exchange of the little and large things that inspire our lives.


Wishing you and every being a loving and peaceFULL holiday.

Have you ever had a meatless Thanksgiving?
It's awesome! Maybe give it a try.
I had to go there!!

Much love and GRATITUDE ALLWAYS

xoxoxo

11.16.2012

Persimmon & Squash Salad

Fall is here!

I love going into the market and seeing all of the fall produce.

squash
cranberries
asparagus
persimmon
pomegranate
pumpkin

I saw organic persimmons and I had to grab some....not knowing what I was going to do with them.

This is what came to be:

Organic Persimmon & Acorn Squash Salad

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash ( or any kind you like)
1 persimmon
2 small heads butter lettuce
1 small yellow tomato
1 tsp dulse flakes
ground blk pepper and salt to taste
soaked and dehydrated assorted nuts
( soak a mix of nuts and seeds overnight and dehydrate for 10 hrs on 110 degrees:
almonds, walnuts, pumpkin, sunflower seeds)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
evoo ( light sprinkle)

* organic when possible *

- cut and clean squash
- season with a little salt and pepper
- bake @ 400 until tender- about 25 mins

- wash and chop greens
-chop persimmon & tomato
-remove skin from squash when done

assemble....
all ingredients in a bowl
and enjoy the colors and taste of this Fall season!







Health benefits of persimmon fruit

  • The fruit is low in calories (provides 70 calories/100g) and fats but is rich source of dietary fiber.
  • Persimmons contain health benefiting phyto-nutrients flavonoid poly-phenolic anti-oxidants likecatechins and gallocatechins as well as important anti-tumor compound betulinic acid. Catechins are known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic (prevents bleeding from small blood vessels) properties.
  • Fresh permissions contain anti-oxidant compounds like vitamin-A, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zea-xanthin and cryptoxanthin. Together, these compounds functions as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
  • Zea-xanthin, an important dietary carotenoid, selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions; thus, helps prevent "Age-related macular related macular disease"(ARMD) in the elderly.
  • They are also a very good source of vitamin-C, another powerful antioxidant (especially native Chinese and American persimmons; provide 80% of DRI). Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.
  • The fruit is good in many valuable B-complex vitamins such as folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), thiamin...etc. These vitamins act as co-factors for numerous metabolic enzymatic functions in the body.
  • Fresh Persimmon fruits also contain healthy amounts of minerals like potassium, manganese (15% of DRI), copper (12% of DRI), and phosphorus. Manganese is a co-factor for the enzyme, superoxide dismutase, which is a very powerful free radical scavenger. Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as cofactors for this enzyme are manganese, and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.

    -http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/persimmon-fruit.html


xoxo



11.12.2012

Mac n Cheeze & Tomato Soup

Mac n Cheeze & Tomato Soup

There is one thing that I have yet to discover in the vegan world......good cheese!!

It is one of those irreplaceable things.

We still try to make those yummy comfort foods taste amazing and as planet friendly as possible.

This Mac n Cheeze recipe I borrowed from Angel.....check it out on her blog.

To pair with this great recipe we made a tomato soup.

Tomato Soup
Ingredients:

Put into Vitamix

1 can roasted tomatoes (organic & bpa free)
1 red bell pepper
sundried tomatoes packed in oil- add oil as well
2 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion
 1 tsp dried Italian herb blend

* organic when possible *

Blend for about 5 mins until steamy.




Comfort food at its finest!!

The holidays are creeping closer and closer!

Have fun, stay healthy, xoxoxo



11.01.2012

Hearty Pureed Soup





 Brisk day....hearty pureed soup!



We might be the luckiest people in the world living here in South Florida. This week has been amazing!!

My heart goes out to those up north who haven't experienced the same.

INGREDIENTS:

1 onion chopped
3 med carrots chopped
3 stalks celery
handful fresh herbs ( I used dill & parsley)
1 inch fresh ginger minced
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 lemon juiced
salt
pepper
cayenne
coriander
paprika
2 boxes or bags frozen squash
low sodium veggie broth
plain almond milk
* ORGANIC when possible*

It seems like a lot......but I promise it's easy!





1st....
- add coconut oil to pot with onions 

-saute until slightly translucent

-add carrots, celery, garlic, ginger

- saute for about 8 mins or until just tender

- then add squash- it tends to be more tender when frozen
( you can always use fresh and add it with the other veggies)




-add veggie stock as needed so it is a little moist in the pan about 1/2 c

-add spices to your taste!

- let simmer for about 5 mins




* remember- ginger will add a little kick*

- pour about 1/2 c almond milk



- add the fresh herbs, and lemon to taste
( the lemon gives it the perfect essence of freshness)



- put it in a blender and puree





I added sprouted mung beans, broccoli sprouts, and nutritional yeast for a little crunch.

Avocado or diced red pepper would be awesome as well!
*****************************************************




xoxo