FARM TO TABLE

Eating a more plant based diet definitely has it's rewards.  One of them being, a healthy and happy you!  If you have ever had the opportunity to grow your own garden, you know that this has it's rewards as well.  Watching your seeds sprout, tending to the seedlings and then harvesting the fruits is a really fulfilling experience.  And let me tell you, there is nothing like tasting a freshly picked sun ripened tomato straight from the vine.  

 

Yum!

 

Spring is just around the corner, and if you haven't yet, now is the perfect opportunity to start thinking about planning a vegetable garden of your own.  Whether you live in a house with a yard (front, side or back) or in an apartment with a balcony (ready for some potted tomatoes, peppers or herbs), a garden is something that is within your reach.  We started with just a seriously tiny sliver of a spot and reaped enough harvest to feed many families!  Why not give your inner green thumb a go?  :)  Plus, it is a fun family project and a great learning experience for the kiddies (and adults alike).  To see their faces light up when their seedlings start to produce and when harvest time arrives, priceless!

If you have always thought about starting one and are still on the fence, here is a list of reasons why it is something worth considering - 12 Important Reasons to Have a Home Vegetable Garden (via localblu)

Here are some shot of our vegetable garden over the last few years...

 Green Onions
 

 Tomatoes
 

 

 Chinese Long Beans
 

Variety of Herbs

 

Cucumbers

 

Tomatillos

Radishes

 

Squash and Lemon Cucumbers

More to come on easy steps in starting a garden.... Hope you start one this spring! 

xo Yumi

TOFU TACOS WITH AN ASIAN KICK

I don't know if this is true where you live, but here in Los Angeles, the food truck craze is still in full swing.  We have a small main street in our town and every Friday night, they line up on both sides of the street for about 3 blocks.  It's a lot of fun to go there and hang out with friends, but it's not always easy to find vegan or raw cuisine.  I had some really great tofu tacos at the Kogi Truck before. They make fusion Korean BBQ food, so I thought I'd make these for my husband since he LOVES tacos.  They were a hit!

Makes 3 tacos as seen above.

 

TOFU TACOS

TOFU MIXTURE

1 8z block of tofu, cut into small cubes

1 table spoon sesame oil

2 table spoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

2 stalks green onion, chopped

1 teaspoon raw agave nectar 

Chilli Flakes or top the tacos with your favorite hot sauce.  

EVERYTHING ELSE

Corn tortilla

Shredded kale (you can also use lettuce or cabbage)

Tomatoes, chopped

Raw corn kernels

Shredded carrots

Yellow peppers sliced

Guacamole

Heat sesame oil in a small sauce pan, and saute the tofu with all the ingredients for the tofu mixture on medium high until browned.

Warm up your tortillas. I like to warm them over the open flame on the stove.  Fill the tortillas with even amounts of the tofu. Fill with all the veggies and top with your favorite guacamole and hot sauce.  Thai Sriracha would work perfectly too!

Love these tacos.

Enjoy!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH POTATO SALAD

 

 

 

I don't know about you, but I grew up eating potato salad.  My mom, even though she is from Japan and only came here in her early twenties, perfected, in my opinion her potato salad recipe. It was the best!  She even created her own potato salad recipe using Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), which my sister and I love!

 

I've been craving potato salad so I decided to make a butternut squash potato salad and added in a little green.  It was delicious!  I used my Raw Mayonaise recipe to bring it all together.   Here it goes, I got all the ingredients at Trader Joes too.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH POTATO SALAD

1/2 pound Butternut squash , steamed and cubed

1/2 pound Baby Potatoes - I used Dutch Yellow and left the skin on, steamed and cubed

1/2 organic broccoli crown, flash blanched

1/2 red onion chopped

1 avocado cubed

1 tablespoon dill

Raw Mayo to your liking but not too much, I used about 4 tablespoons

Sea Salt and black pepper to taste.

Give the avocado and lemon or lime bath to help with the blackening of the avocado.  Then, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and serve.  This salad is best eaten fresh.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

Check out the health benefits of butternut squash from Whole Living:

NUTRITION BREAKDOWN

Per 1 cup cooked, approximately 205 grams

Calories: 82 kcal

Fat: 0.2 g

Vitamin A: 1,144 mcg = 163 percent* of DRI**

Vitamin B6: 0.3 mg = 20 percent of DRI

Vitamin C: 31 mg = 41 percent of DRI

Folate: 39 mcg = 10 percent of DRI

Potassium: 582 mg = 12 percent of DRI

* Percentages are for women 31 to 50 years old who are not pregnant

** DRI, Dietary Reference Intake, is based on National Academy of Sciences' Dietary Reference Intakes, 1997 to 2004

Enjoy.



TGIF! And Currently Reading...

TGIF Ya'll!

I am still fine tuning the blog, but I wanted to leave you with some eye candy on this very fine Friday.  I am currently drooling over this cook book by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis ~ Raw Food Real World.   The recipes are just fabulous! The ones I have tried came out tasting so good.  I've put my own twist on some of them too.  I will be posting these recipes real soon.  But in the meantime, check out some shots from the book. What great photos!

King Oyster Mushroom and Dried Cherry Tomato Fettuccini

Summer Rolls with Green Papaya

Eating raw or even healthy can get a bit boring, and if you don't spice up the menu with flavor it's easy to get off track.  I love the recipes in this book for the very fact that Matthew and Sarma really take eating raw to the next level.  The flavors they mix into the foods are so wonderful! 

Spicy Thai Vegetable Wrap

Tomato Tartare

Zucchini and Green Zebra Tomato Lasagne

This weekend I will working on a page that will note staples and every day items you should keep on hand in your pantry.  Have a wonderful weekend!

GREETINGS: MY FOOD REVOLUTION

Ta-dah!

I am excited to write my first post for A Simply Raw Life!  I am really excited to be able to jounal my thoughts, recipes and happenings that revolve around food, which is a HUGE part of my life.  One of the recipes that got me started on this food revolution is a Raw Peach Cobbler recipe from Just Glowing with Health.  I went crazy with it and have adapted it into my everyday meals.  The "crust" of the Raw Peach Cobbler recipe has become something I eat almost every day with my favorite fruit.  I even use it on desserts!  I've made a couple versions of this which I will detail below.  This Crumble is so delicious, I hope you love it just as much as I do.

RAW ALMOND, COCONUT & DATE CRUMBLE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup raw dried coconut

6-12 dates

Add all the ingredients into a food processor and mix together.

Spoon onto your favorite fruit and add a drizzle of raw honey or raw agave to add some gooey sweetness.

Here's a slightly different version for those who want something a little sweeter and not so "raw".

ALMOND, COCONUT & DATE CRUMBLE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup bakers coconut

6-12 dates

Add all the ingredients into a food processor and mix together.

The baker's coconut is sweetened, however, you still can add a drizzle of agave or honey to make it just that much more sweeter.

Dates have become one of my new best friends.  It's a super food that is a force to be reckoned with even though it is small in size.

Check out the nutritioinal information on dates HERE.



Here are a couple more photos of the crumble on various dishes I have eaten...

with pears and blueberries



with peaches, blueberries and ice cream