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

VEGAN: ROASTED CAULIFLOWER W/TUMERIC, CUMIN & CURRY

Written by contributor Yumi Payne of Nastukashii.

 

Here's a side dish that has wonderful flavors to wake the palate!  This recipe is from chef Sera Pelle who is also consulting chef at the gastropub Mohawk Bend in Echo Park.  They have a variety of vegan dishes on the menu which are delicious. She also has a one-acre plot of land at home where she grows her own produce.  Jealous!

 

VEGAN ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH TUMERIC

 

 

I adapted the recipe to use olive oil instead of safflower and added a bit of curry to the mix.  

 

 

Try this dish with Sera's Coconut Jasmine Rice or Red Cabbage Salad with Fennel, Orange & Pepitas.

Enjoy!

ROASTED VEGETABLE + PEPITA SALAD WITH CRANBERRY QUINOA

Written by contributor Yumi Payne of Nastukashii.

Hello to all 'A Simply Raw Life' readers!  Thank you for stopping in.  I'm sure you've been enjoying all of the posts here as I have.  It's definitely sparked a lot of inspiration and motivation.

This salad has kind of a mouthful of a title, but I like getting an idea of what's in a dish by just knowing it's name.

Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite things to nibble on.   One of my go to side dishes is roasted carrots in olive oil & fennel seeds.  Super tasty.  Here, I added a few more things to go with...

Quinoa, nuts and seeds are always a tasty and filling addition to any salad.  All measurements are approximate.  Go with what balance you would prefer and have fun with it!

ROASTED VEGETABLE + PEPITA SALAD WITH CRANBERRY QUINOA

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen carrots - sliced

1/2 red onion - sliced

1 red bell pepper - sliced

extra virgin olive oil

1-1/2 tbsp fennel seeds

salt & pepper to taste

2 medium sized zucchinis - sliced

a few dashes of chili powder

1/2 cup roasted salted pepita seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

mixed greens

Preheat oven to 425F.  In large bowl, combine carrots, red onion, bell pepper.  Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat vegetables after they are tossed. Add fennel seeds, then sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste. On rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper,  spread out vegetables in even layer.   Roast in the oven for approximately 40-45 minutes or until edges have browned a bit.  

While veggies are roasting, cook quinoa per directions on bag or box.  Remove from pot.  Add a cranberries. Allow to cool.  Then, heat grill pan over medium-high heat with about a tbsp of olive oil.  Add sliced zucchini pieces in one layer.  Add salt & pepper and chili powder to taste.  Grill in pan until tender.  Remove from pan. Allow to cool.  

After vegetables are done roasting, allow to slightly cool.  In large serving bowl, add mixed salad greens, quinoa/cranberries, pepita seeds, zucchini, and roasted vegetables.  

Toss and enjoy with salad dressing of choice.

Thank you to A Simply Raw Life for having me over!

FARM TO TABLE: SUMMER SALSA WITH PEACHES

This salsa was delicious!  My sister gave me some tomatoes and cucumber from her garden the other day.  I was thinking....what can I make with these.  Ah yes, a peach salsa to snack on!  Super easy and so yummy!   Here's a pic from my Instagram of the garden picked veggies from my sister.  She has become quite the gardener.

I really like this version because it's a bit different from the traditional salsa and the peaches add that slight sweetness to make it a fun summer snack.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tomatoes, chopped
1 green heirloom tomato, chopped
1 small cucumber, chopped (I used 1/2 of this one)
1/2 red onion chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 peaches, pitted, peeled and chopped
2 limes, juice of
1 Jalapeno, diced - optional
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Mix all the vegetable and fruit ingredients together in a large bowl.  Squeeze in the lime juice.  Mix in  the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with your favorite chips or crackers and dig in!


Hope your summer is going well!

Enjoy!



Photo taken with iPhone4, plates from Ikea, paper from Michaels

SUMMER PEACH SALAD WITH PEPITAS

Summer is rolling quickly past us here in Los Angeles.  I am a bit sad by it because the weather in Southern California is quite nice year round.  It's hot where we live in the summer, but we can drive 20 minutes to be near the beach and have fabulous weather.  I've been eating a lot of peaches for breakfast, raw or in smoothies this summer, but I thought what about in a salad?  I've seen a few recipes that use nectarines and so I thought, why not, let's try it! 

PEACH SALAD WITH PEPITAS

1 package arugula salad mix (spring mix or baby greens will works too)
1 organic cucumber (I made strips with my vegetable peeler to change it up)
1-2 organic roma tomatos, to your liking
1/4-1/2 chopped red onion to your liking (you can also use green onion)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
2 peaches, sliced
1/2 cup Pepitas, or more if you'd like

DRESSING:

Creamy Cucumber Avocado Dressing - find the recipe HERE

Mix all the salad ingredients in a big bowl, plate, drizzle on the dressing and serve.

This salad is so refreshing!
I hope to do one more peach recipe tomorrow to get ready for the long weekend.


Enjoy!


Photo: Taken by Felicia using iPhone 4, Summer Peach Salad, Creamy Avocado Cumumber Dressing, Plate from Ikea, paper from Michaels.

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!