FARM TO TABLE: EASY CHOPPED SALAD WITH PURPLE BEANS, BROCCOLI, CARROTS AND TAHINI DRESSING

 
This is the second year my sister and her sister-in-law Jean-Marie (who are both contributors on this blog) coordinated our annual Seedling Swap this year.  I LOVE this annual swap.  Last year my garden didn't do so well.  I didn't plan the location of my garden well.  I am happy to report, however, that this year, my garden is doing pretty well.

The basics for a seedling swap is to send out seeds to all the participants to plant and grow at their homes.  And when the seedlings are ready, we all get together to swap them. A gardening party! Each person is in charge of about two varieties of seedlings.   Check out our seedling swap blog HERE. 

friends at the seedling swap

seedlings to be traded

my seedling stash

 My sister got the seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and you can find them at www.rareseeds.com.  They are fabulous!  They have an amazing selection of unusual vegetables and fruit seeds.  All of their seeds are non-hybrid, non-GMO, non-treated and non-patented.    If you are going to grow  your own garden, definitely check them out.

This year I decided to do a potted garden on my patio, so that I remember to pay more attention to it and nurture it.  So far so good.  I had my first harvest of purple beans yesterday.

my patio garden early on

my little gardener watering our tomatoes

harvested purple beans

the gorgeous color of the purple beans... apologize for the blurriness

The color of these beans are amazing.  I decided to make a simple salad with it -   A super simple chopped salad with purple beans, broccoli and carrots topped with a simple tahini dressing.  So delicious!

 

EASY CHOPPED SALAD WITH PURPLE BEANS, BROCCOLI AND CARROTS

Equal amounts of:
Chopped purple beans (if you don't have purple beans you can use green beans or haricot verts)
Chopped broccoli
Chopped carrots
Optional chopped jicama and chopped red or golden beets
Handful of sliced almonds

TAHINI DRESSING

1/4 cup tahini
1 tablespoon white miso
1-1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup water
chopped cilantro optional
dash of tamari or soy sauce optional

Wisk all the indgredients for the dressing in a mason jar or bowl.

Toss all the ingredients except the almonds for the salad together in a medium bowl.  Plate the salad and then top with the almonds and dress as desired.

Voila!


Here are some snap shots of  my gal pal's gardens post seedling swap...  Happy gardening!

my sister's garden

more of my garden basil and tomatillos

garden of my friend Deniz

garden of my friend Britney

 Also, check out Britney's blog post about gardening with her daughter on Family Sponge.  Click HERE to go to the blog post.

Happy Wednesday!

TROPICAL CHOPPED SALAD WITH PINAPPLES AND AVOCADOS

 

 

I am really loving this salad right now.  I know, I know, I say this with almost everything that I post.  But, his is one of my really one of my favorite salads right now.  It's sweet and savory... what a great combination and super easy to boot!  It's perfect for this really hot weather we are having right now.

 

 

TROPICAL CHOPPED SALAD WITH PINEAPPLES AND AVOCADOS

 

Equal amounts of:

Chopped and jicama

Chopped pineapple

Chopped spinach

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped avocado

 

About half the amount of chopped red onion and chopped cilantro

 

Lots of lemon juice and sea salt to taste

 

Toss everything together in a bowl and its ready to serve.  So easy and delicious. 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Join the discussion!

 

Do you have a favorite tropical salad recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below.   Links are welcome.

 

 

 

 



RAW KETCHUP

 

Yup you read right... You may think that you don't need to make raw ketchup, but let me tell you, this ketchup tastes so fresh and zesty it's better than any bottled ketchup you've ever tasted. You can really taste every ingredient.

I was inspired by a recipe over at Pure Mamas...  My son LOVES ketchup! (What four year old doesn't?) So when I saw a recipe for raw ketchup on Julie's blog I had to try it! My recipe is an adaptation of hers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Thanks Julie!



 

RAW KETCHUP

1-1/2 cups chopped organic red tomatoes
1 cup dried tomatoes
1 clove garlic {or 1 tsp garlic powder}
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon raw honey or raw agave
Pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a blender until it is as smooth as possible.  Place in an air tight container. Keeps in fridge for 5 days.
We ate ours with baked sweet potato fries.  If you want to go raw, why not try it with slice jicama?  So yum!

Enjoy!

RAW BANANA CREAM PARFAIT WITH MACADAMIA NUT CRUMBLE

Seriously... I mean seriously!  When I went to a raw food party my friend had with Stacy Stowers we devoured a raw banana cream pie that we so delicious.  Way better than any I had before I went mostly plant based and raw.  I mean, you can just taste the creaminess and the freshness of the dessert.  I also had a friend at work taste test this who is neither vegan nor raw, but she does eat both occasionally and she LOVED it!  Next time I will make this into a pie or cheese cake form, but for now, these were delicious and easy to put together.  Raw desserts are really my absolute favorite thing.

Some people have commented to me that there are too many nuts in raw desserts, but if you take a look at the measurements, there really is not much more than you would use in many other regular desserts.  The ingredients are fresh with no processed sugar added.  Pure love, if you ask me.  This dessert is a must! 

RAW BANANA CREAM PARFAIT WITH MACADAMIA NUT CRUMBLE

Crumble

1 cup macadamia nuts

1 cup dried, shredded coconut

8 medjool dates, room tempurature, pitted

Filling

1-1/2 cup cashews, soaked 8-12 hours, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup raw agave or liquid sweetener of choice

1/2 cup coconut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup coconut water from a young Thai coconut

1 cup packed coconut meat from a young Thai coconut

1 medium bananas, sliced (approximately 3 cups)

1 lemon, juice of

For the crumble, put the macadamia nuts and coconut into the food processor and process until it resembles crumbs.  Then add in the dates and process until the dates are well combined into the nut mixture and crumbly.  

For the filling, place all the ingredients except the bananas and lemon juice into a high speed blender.  Blend until smooth.  You will need to use the plunger or spoon and a little patience to get the mixture moving but it's well worth the effort... Transfer the mixture into a bowl.

Slice the bananas and toss them with the lemon juice and drain, then fold them into the banana cream mixture.

To assemble, place a layer of the crumble in the bottom of the glass, then the cream mixture, then more crumble.  Top with more shredded coconut and nuts and and a little sweet syrup, if you so desire.  I only used one layer of cream since the glasses I used were on the larger size, but if you use skinny glasses you can definitely construct several layers to build your parfait.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

Bon Apetit!

 

CHINESE NO CHICKEN SALAD WITH MANDARINS AND CILANTRO

Growing up Chinese Chicken Salad was a staple in our house.  It's such a refreshing zesty salad, what's not to love.  My sister over at Natsukashii, posted a fabulous salad recipe back in 2010 and we have been making this for our families and dinner parties ever since.  I real crowd pleaser.  Her version includes chicken and dried crunchy noodles.  I love adding in the noodles from time to time, but if you want to keep it raw, leave the noodles out (and obviously the chicken :)  ).  This recipe is so simple, you won't know what to do with yourself.

CHINESE NO CHICKEN SALAD WITH MANDARINS AND CILANTRO

1 head of shredded cabbage

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

6-8 stalks of green onions, chopped,

1 large cucumber, sliced thin and small

1-1/2 cups manadrins

1/2 cup rice vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Sesame seeds

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and season with the rice vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper when ready to serve.  Easy as 1-2-3.

Enjoy!

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite refreshing Asian salad recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

HAPPY SHAKE FOR A HAPPY MONDAY ... SUPER GREEN SMOOTIHIE

Happy Monday!  I had a fabulous weekend and I hope you did too.  A few months ago a read an article on The Chalboard Mag about a Raw  Food Nanny named Stacy Stowers.  I thought, what a great job she has!  She travels to families' homes to help them learn the basic of raw cuisine.  Fast forward 5-6 months later, I get a chance to meet her!  Jean-Marie met her through a friend and Stacy came out to Jean-Marie's for a one week stay and we had a raw food party Friday night.  So much fun!

I want to share with you her amazing Happy Shake.  It's perfect for this month of January when many of us are doing a 30 Day Green Smoothie Challenge with Simple Green Smoothies. It's the ultimate green smoothie if you ask me.

Here's a copy of the recipe she shares on her site.

HAPPY SHAKE

Step # 1 Liquid Base. Melody starts with 1/2 cup water. Step # 2 4 cups of loosely packed spinach.....save the kale for a nice kale salad. Step # 3 A Good FAT. You need the good fat for metabolizing the spinach and keeping you satisfied for hours. You may choose from 1 Tbs. coconut oil, 1 Tbs. hemp seed or 1 raw egg. (you may want to start with a bit less water if using an egg) Step # 4 THE HAPPY PART........1 Tbs. Maca for stamina, endurance and mental clarity. 1 Tbs. Raw Cacao for that HAPPY BLISS feeling. ~ with Melody Miles. A great option for some additional alkalizing GREENS.....add 1 Tbs. Vitamineral Green Step # 5 DO NOT add fruit yet...... Blend all ingredients into your "green sludge". Step # 6. Now add 2 cups frozen fruit (1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries & 1/2 cup frozen banana pictured here) to your "green sludge". BLUEberries+GREEN "sludge" = Chocolate BROWN! A NOTE on Super Foods ... Super Foods like Maca and Cacao are very powerful foods. These foods border medicine. This is a good time to do your own research on these two amazing foods. Start in small doses and listen to your body.

You may be wondering where you can get these ingredients.  I found these at my local Whole Foods Store.

And finally, here are some some Instagram pics of the raw cooking 101 session and raw food party where we were showing off our tastings of the Happy Shake.

Christine, Jean-Marie, Me and Stacy

When you have a chance, please try the Happy Shake.  You will feel energized!  It's oh so good!



Have a great Monday!

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite green smoothie recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

VEGAN BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES + VEGAN BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Ever since my friend Christine and I took our hubbies to eat dinner at Mohawk Bend, I have been craving the Buffalo  Style Cauliflower with vegan blue cheese dressing we had there.  It was out of this world!  Who says vegan food is boring?  Definitely not.  This dish will satisfy your craving for something super flavorful and savory.  I got my inspiration from 86 Lemons.  The recipe is super easy. I'll definitely be making this again.

VEGAN BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES

 

1 cup almond milk

1 cup flour - you can use any kind of flour, even gluten free 

2 tsp garlic powder

1-1/2 head of cauliflower cut up into bite size pieces

1 cup buffalo sauce*

1 tablespoon olive oil

* I used Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce.  You should check the ingredients on the brand you want to use to be sure its vegan.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Combine the flour, garlic powder and almond milk in a bowl and mix well. Dip a few pieces of the cauliflower at a time into the bowl.  Cover the cauliflower with the batter, shake off the excess batter and place on a prepared baking dish or cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how soft you want the cauliflower to be.

Combine the buffalo sauce and oil in a measuring cup and pour it over the baked cauliflower and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Now its ready to serve with the Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing...

VEGAN BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

 

1/4 block of firm or extra firm organic sprouted tofu

dash of garlic powder or 1 clove minced garlic

3/4 cup Veganaise - I used reduced fat Veganaise

1 teaspoon tahini

1 lemon, juice of - use to your taste.  If you want it less tart, use less, more tart, use more

1 table spoon apple cider vinegar

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined then crumble in the tofu to give it that blue cheese texture. Voila!!

I am really loving this dish.  Yum!

Join the discussion!

Do you have a spicy buffalo sauce recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

HUFFINGTON POST: HUFFPOST TASTE + MATCHA GREEN TEA LATTE

 

 

 

 

I am back into the swing of things now after a week out of the country and trying to get over my jet lag.  Things are different in China... you cannot use Facebook or Blog sites like Blogger on any computer there.  It was  a great work trip, but it is definitely good to be home, back to familiar things.

I feel like it has been ages since I have posted and I do apologize.

Matcha Green Tea Latte

What a great surprise to find my Matcha Green Tea Latte Recipe on the Huffinton Post Taste section when I arrived home!  Check out their article on Immune Boosting Foods: 14 Healthy Recipes.  The Matcha Green Tea Latte Recipe is #14. 

 

If you missed it before, here it is.  I could really use one right now.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and have a great week!

 

xo

 

 

 

 



DAY 2: MOSTLY RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

Day 2: Mostly raw food challenge

It's been one day and I feel really good! The first day is always the hardest. But I stuck to my guns especially since I was going to have to tell you all what I am eating. LOL! 

My husband is doing the food challenge too and he said he felt so good all day. He had to take a class and he said he stayed focused the whole time. I agree with him, I already feel more focused and my body seems really happy with what's taking place thus far. 

So, here's what I ate: 
Breakfast: Kale Coconut Smoothie
Snack: same smoothie from breakfast
Lunch: Asian Salad with seasoned rice vinegar & toasted sesame oil ( the easiest and best dressing ever) 
Snack: nuts, dates, and an apple
Snack: Ginger Veggie Smoothie
Dinner: Veggie stir-fry with steamed organic red rice

Kale Coconut Smoothie

2 handfuls of kale
1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
Juice from 1 lemon
1 or 2 dates depending on how sweet you want it or how sweet your bananas are
2 bananas
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
1/4 cup frozen peas

Directions: blend kale and liquids first. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend till smooth.

This makes enough for 2 smoothies one I can enjoy now and the other for a snack. 

Ginger Veggie Smoothie

2 handfuls of spinach
2 carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1 Apple
A chunk of ginger
1 Tablespoons Black strap molasses 
2 Cups water

Directions: add everything to the blender and blend until smooth. If it comes out too thick add more water. It should be smooth and easy to drink. But depending on the size of your carrots or apples that could change how fiberous the drink is. 

I drink a 1/3 now and save the rest for a snack. I get about 3 out of this depending on how hungry I am.

Join the Discussion: 

How was your first day of the food challenge? What is going to be your staple food to get you through? 

RAW CRANBERRY + SWEET CACAO NIB ICEBOX COOKIES



My friend Britney and I usually have this 3 o'clock snack craving everyday.  Not sure why that is but, its there. Does anyone else have that problem?  Maybe we just love food.  But because of that, we are constantly trying to find healthy snacks to keep handy for those occassions.  I LOVE this recipe.  The flavors of the sweet cacao nibs with the cranberries and nuts is just divine.  I shared these with my friend Alicia at work and she loved it!  I have a few taste testers close by and she is one of them.  Thanks Alicia for being a guinea pig for my new recipes!  (And thank you Sydney, Kelsey, Jackie and James for being my other taste testers! ~They live around the corner from me.)



We are all about ridiculously simple recipes here.  We may create a few, slightly more intese recipes, but overall we are all about simplicity and ease.  This recipe only took a few minutes, literally.  I hope you like it as much as I did.  Here it is...



RAW CRANBERRY + SWEET CACAO NIB ICE BOX COOKIES

1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 cup dates
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
1/4 cup sweet cacao nibs
1/4 cup dried cranberries chopped small

Process the nuts in your food processor until finely chopped.  Add in the dates and process until the ingredients are mixed well and it starts to get moist from the dates.  Add in the vanilla and maple syrup or agave and process to combine.  Pour all the ingredients into a bowl and fold in the nibs and cranberries.  Mix with your hands until combined.  Shape the dough into 1-1/2" diameter cookie dough logs and wrap with parchment and saran wrap, then put it in the freezer for 1 hour.   Finally, remove the saran wrap and cut the logs into half inch cookie dough rounds. 

Makes about 2 dozen.

Enjoy!!



Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw chocolate spread recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

YUMMY PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE

Vegan Pumpkin Coffee Cake

 

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Dessert for breakfast?  Yes, please!  Head on over to Family Sponge today to get this delicious Pumpkin Coffee Cake recipe.  It is dairy free, so if you are vegan, you will love this.  This is the perfect sweet treat for your next breakfast guest!  Enjoy!

NO COOK APPLE CRUMBLE

 

I love the fact that in Los Angeles you can drive anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours (depending on where you live) and be at the mountains, the snow, dessert, the beach, wineries, or a farm.  I am bummed I missed out this year, but I've had a couple of my mommy friends who took their kids apple picking, one of them being our lovely contributor Britney.  She took her daughter Zion to Oak Glen Apple Orchard.  Also, my friend Deborah over at My Life At Playtime took her three kids over to Riley's Farm.  Check our her blog post about their excursion HERE.  Looks like so much fun!!

 



 

So, with the fall season fully in swing now here (FINALLY!), I've been wanting to make an apple dessert.  This recipe is so super simple and so delicious and can be eaten several different ways.  For all you raw foodies, this is a raw dessert.  Here's what you do...

 

NO COOK APPLE CRUMBLE

 

For the crumble

 

3/4 cup walnuts

3/4 cup almonds

6 -8 pitted dates

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

In a food processor, chop all ingredients together into a crumbly, but moist texture.  Set aside in a bowl.

 

 

For the apple filling

 

6 large apples, peeled, cored, and quartered

4-6 medjool dates

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Dash of sea salt

In a food processor PULSE 4 of the apples into small chunks and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Process the remaining 2 apples with the dates, cinnamon and salt, until smooth (like applesauce). Mix both together and spread into the bottom of a 9x9" pan and then sprinkle the crumble on top.

 

This crumble by itself can be used to top yogurt, add to your cereal, topped on fresh fruit, topped on icecream... the options are endless.

 

Same goes for the filling.  I was eating the filling by itself last night. So good!  I added some to the overnight oatmeal for my husband.  You can also mix it into your cereal, yogurt or top it on ice cream.  So delicious!

 

Enjoy! 

 



 

 

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite Raw or Vegan Apple Dessert recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.