Green Smoothie Challenge Day 2 & WIAW

Green Smoothie Challenge: Prep
Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 0.5
Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 1

Yesterday was Day 2 of the our Green Smoothie Challenge it was full of lots of good food! Check out what I ate, including two new smoothie recipes!

For breakfast I made a Blueberry Peach Green Smoothie, which is sort of a combination of the Blueberry Vanilla and the Spotted Peach.

My smoothie was followed by a cup of rooibos tea, and later on by some more vanilla rooibos tea.

Blueberry Peach Green Smoothie
1/2 cup greens puree (or 2 cups packed greens)
1/2 a banana
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 tbsp hemp protein powder
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup water
6 drops liquid vanilla stevia

Just put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

After being out in the damp foggy air without a proper jacket (my own fault) I was way too cold to have something cold for lunch, so I made a quick stir-fry. It included broccoli, bok choy, orange pepper, edamame, garlic, red pepper flakes, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, and a spoonful of leftover Gomae sauce on top.

Around 2:30, after Jem got home from school and had finished lunch, we went for a 1 hour walk through some trails by our house. I’m loving the cool & sunny fall weather!

After our walk I had another little portion of Gomae, and some more vanilla rooibos tea.

For dinner we made Hot & Sour Soup. We were really looking forward to trying this one and it definitely lived up to our expectations. I actually said while we were having it that it was the best thing I had eaten in at least 3 days. I’m looking forward to leftovers today!

We did make a few little changes to the soup.
– We used cremini mushrooms instead of shitake mushrooms.
– We used red pepper flakes instead of cayenne powder.
– We used medium-firm tofu instead of extra-firm. It falls apart a little in soup, but we like the softer texture.
– We also left out the scallions but added one diced carrot and a bunch of bok choy. (We added the stalks in with everything else and added the greens in with 4 minutes remaining.)

It was also really nice how easy this soup was to make. Just throw everything in a pot, bring to a boil, turn down and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Easy peasy.

After dinner I made some more Greens Puree, this time with one large package of baby spinach, one huge head of romaine lettuce, and 1 1/2 cups water. All set for another few days of smoothies! I’m finding it really handy having this in the fridge for green smoothies. My blender likes it better than the Frozen Greens Cubes, and it does make for a smoother texture.

Jem and I were craving some sweet snackage so we came up with this minty chocolate smoothie, based on the Chocolate Covered Blues Smoothie, to help us get to bedtime. It definitely did the trick. This makes 4 cups, but is a thicker smoothie (more stuff and less liquid) so we split it between us.

Minty Chocolate Covered Blues Smoothie (Yields 2 servings)
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 handful fresh mint leaves
1/2 a banana
2/3 cup greens puree (or 2 cups spinach)
2 tbsp hemp protein powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp carob powder
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup water
Vanilla stevia to taste

I also had a cup of ginger mint tea to warm me up a bit after the smoothie.

Water Intake Today: 12 cups!

As you can tell from today’s log, Jem ate the same thing as me for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and evening snack. She had her Gomae in the mid-morning, rather than the afternoon, along with some citrus mint tea.

Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 3

I’ve also shared this post with What I Ate Wednesday #144.

Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 1

Green Smoothie Challenge: Preparation
Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 0.5

Yesterday was the first full day of our Green Smoothie Challenge, and it went surprisingly well. I did have a slight headache throughout the day but other then that I felt good.

I also have two of my own recipes to share with you: Italian White Beans and Gomae. Enjoy!

I think the hardest part for both Jem and I is going to be staying warm. The weather’s pretty cold and damp around here, making the idea of a ice-cold smoothie less than desirable (especially when you have to have it before the sun comes up or the heat comes on) and we sure were looking forward to a big bowl of hot soup for dinner. We have been combatting the cold with lots of hot herbal tea, which does help some. Putting stevia in the tea also helps combat our sweet-tooths’ cravings.

The past couple days I’ve been having one smoothie for breakfast, a salad and soup for lunch and dinner, and then another smoothie in the evening. The evening is when Jem and I both crave snacks and sweets the most, so sipping on a semi-sweet smoothie at this point really helps.

Just a reminder that you can find more info and all the recipes mentioned below (unless I give a different link) here.

What I Ate (Monday October 21)
I started the day with 2 cups of lemon water, then made a Tropical Colada Smoothie. I used 1/2 cup of our Greens Puree in place of the spinach, used only 1/2 of a banana, and left out the coconut. I don’t have a cup big enough for these smoothies, so I put half of it in the freezer for about 45 minutes, while I drank the other half. This made the frozen half like a slushy by the time I  ate it so I used a spoon, and enjoyed it even more than the first.

Mid-morning I snacked on a little bit of hummus with cucumber and carrots.

Around 1pm, I had a big salad for lunch that included romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, carrots, zucchini, cucumber, artichoke hearts, Italian White Beans, and Tahini Cream Dressing. I love this simple salad dressing; tahini and lemon is always a winning combination!

Italian White Beans
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through and most of the liquid is gone.

I actually made this salad too big. I couldn’t even finish the whole thing!

During the afternoon I had 2 cups of rooibos tea with vanilla stevia and another 2 cups of water.

For dinner, Jem and I had about 2 cups of the Cheezy-Smokey-Spicy Black Bean Soup, and a small serving of home-made Gomae. This gomae isn’t made from freshly roasted sesame seeds like is traditional, but it is much simpler, and every bit as tasty. No, the challenge doesn’t really allow for sauces like this on the unlimited steamed vegetables, but we decided since we didn’t use our allotted 1/4 cup of salad dressing on our lunch salad, that this would be okay.

I did end up pureeing the soup again to get a smoother texture and I enjoyed it much more than the other day.

Gomae (Serves 4 as a Side)
2 large bunches spinach, rinsed
3 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp coconut sugar or 5 drops liquid stevia
2-3 tbsp warm water

Note: If I hadn’t made this for the Challenge, I would have also added 1 tsp of sesame oil to the sauce, for a stronger sesame flavour.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the spinach to the pot and let cook it cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a colander and rinse it with cold water. Over the sink or a bowl, press on the spinach to release excess water, then let it sit while you prepare the sauce.

For the sauce, just mix all the ingredients together in a blender or by hand. Press on the spinach once more to release any more liquid, place some spinach in a small bowl, and drizzle with 1-2 tbsp of the sauce. Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds if desired.

After dinner I got on the elliptical for the second night in a row! I did a 30 minute program and then 10 minutes of stretching.

Later on, I added the second half of my Apple Pie Smoothie (from Day 0.5) into the blender and blended it up with 1 cup of frozen blueberries and 4 drops of vanilla stevia. Yum!

Jenn and I ate pretty much the exact same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but she had a different smoothie in the evening: the Blueberry Vanilla Smoothie. She used 1/2 cup Greens Puree in place of the greens, used vanilla stevia, and left out the water and ice to get a thicker texture (which we both feel makes the smoothie feel more like a milkshake/dessert).

P.S. – Between all the herbal tea and water I drank, I made it up to 11 cups of water again! (Not including anything in the smoothies or other food.)

See you tomorrow!

Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 2

What I Ate Wednesday #143

Welcome to another edition of What I Ate Wednesday!

I have more random vegan eats, as per usual. You can check out everyone else’s What I Ate Wednesday posts here. Enjoy!

Salad: Baby spinach, quinoa, a Baked Falafel Burger, orange pepper, broccoli sprouts, Sriracha, and thinned lemon dill hummus.

A Chickpea Flour Omelette with orange pepper, spinach, black olives, mushrooms, and Daiys wedge cheddar.

So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Yogurt with frozen blueberries (thawed by the time I ate this), chia seeds, cinnamon, and raw cacao nibs.

Salad: Baby spinach, orange pepper, cucumber, a Perfect Veggie Burger, lemon dill hummus, and Sriracha.

Ryvita with tahini and fig jam.

A Field Roast Frankfurter, cucumbers, orange pepper, and lemon tahini dip (just tahini, lemon juice, water).

Mocha Vega Smoothie – frozen blueberries, 3 greens cubes, 1 scoop Chocolate Vega One, 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder, almond milk, cold coffee.

 

Oatmeal with chia seeds, cinnamon, ginger, chopped dates, and peanut butter.

 

Warm taco-spiced lentils and quinoa with artichoke hearts, raw cucumbers and red pepper.

You May Also Enjoy:
What I Ate Wednesday #138
What I Ate Wednesday #137
What I Ate Wednesday #136: Vegan In Victoria

Vegan Eats World: Classic Sesame Noodles

Vegan MoFo 2013 – Post #5

Last night I finally made my first recipe from Vegan Eats World! Kind of. Jem and I used the sauce for the Classic Sesame Noodles (page 137), but swapped the marinated cucumbers and lettuce that are part of the dish, for some cooked snap peas, baby bok choy, and mushrooms.

The only minor changes I made to the sauce, were to use coconut sugar in place of the dark brown sugar, and ground ginger in place of fresh.

We cooked some soba noodles according to the package, quickly sautéed them with  the veggies and a little sesame oil, then mixed in some sesame sauce. We also added some roasted sesame seeds and Sriracha to our bowls. So good! If there had been leftovers, I would happily eat the same thing again tonight. I’m such a sucker for a good Asian noodle dish! Luckily, there was quite a bit of sauce leftover (just no noodles or veggies). However, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it. Stay tuned.

Have you tried any recipes from Vegan Eats World?
Please share.

You May Also Enjoy:
Crispy Kale and Mushroom Fried Rice

Spicy Peanut Portobello Kale Rice Bowl

Butternut Squash Miso Noodle Soup with Kale and Edamame

Nacho Cheez White Bean Spread

Yesterday when I started hearing things about it being National Grilled Cheese Day (in the U.S. I’m assuming) I knew exactly why I’d been craving a grilled cheese for two days, and exactly what I should have for lunch! The only problem: I didn’t have any Daiya on hand. Or hummus. Or avocado. Nothing creamy, rich, and even remotely cheesy! Major problem! Until I realized how quick I could make a cheesy hummus with canned beans and nutritional yeast!

This Nacho Cheez White Bean Spread is what I came up with. Spread thickly between 2 slices of whole grain bread this made for a great grilled ‘cheese’. Totally satisfied my craving! Plus, it is super quick to throw together, uses ingredients you most likely already have on hand, and unlike any store-bought vegan cheese, is oil free (tahini doesn’t count). This spread is also soy free, and gluten free (as long as your mustard is).

Nacho Cheez White Bean Spread (Yields 2 cups)
1 19 oz can white kidney beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp prepared Dijon mustard
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
Salt & pepper to taste

Just blend together all ingredients in a food processor, blender, or with a hand/stick blender. You may need to add a little more water for it to blend smoothly, but you want the result to be a thick spreadable consistency.

This spread is nice and cheesy with some smokiness and spiciness. You could definitely add some more spices to round out the ‘nacho’ flavour, but the two spices do the trick if you want to get a quick cheesy fix. And if you don’t have smoked paprika (though you really should) just use regular paprika. You won’t get the smoky flavour, but it should still taste great.

Obviously you don’t just have to use this spread for grilled cheese. I made a quesadilla with it for lunch today, with just some parsley and pickled jalapeños, and I’ll be using it as a veggie dip for the next couple days.

I’ve shared this post with Healthy Vegan Friday #38, Gluten Free Fridays #35, and Wellness Weekends (Apr11-15).

You May Also Enjoy:

Butternut Squash Black Bean Burritos

Smoked Paprika Lentils

Cheezy Tahini Sauce (On Kale Millet Croquettes)

 

 

Kale-Millet Croquettes with Cheezy Tahini Sauce

Vegan MoFo 2012 Post #13

These croquettes are made by forming cooked kale and millet into little cushions, and lightly panfrying or baking them. They are tender with some chewiness from the kale. I flavoured them with garlic, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. While these are good on their own, they are best when paired with a creamy brightly flavoured sauce, like my Cheezy Tahini Sauce.

The kale-millet mixture must be fully cooled before you form them into croquettes. If you cook the kale-millet mixture a day in advance, then it will only take about 20 minutes to finish preparing the dish.

Kale-Millet Croquettes (Adapted from Veganomicon‘s Broccoli-Millet Croquettes)
1 tsp olive oil, plus extra for panfrying
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup millet
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 bunch kale

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Saute the garlic in the olive oil for 30 seconds then add the red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, sea salt, and millet. Stir constantly for about 3 minutes. Add the water or vegetable broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower to a simmer and cook for 17 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the millet is cooking, prepare the kale. Tear the kale leaves off of the thick centre stems and discard these stems (or clean them and save for veggie broth). Thoroughly wash kale and pat or spin off any excess water. Very finely chop the kale leaves. You can do this by hand, in a few batches or by pulsing in a food processor. Try not to leave any larger pieces as they will cause the croquettes to fall apart.

When millet has cooked for the 17 minutes, uncover the pot and stir in the kale. Cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring often. All or most of the water should be absorbed at this point. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and leave for another 10-15 minutes. It is very important that the millet be well cooked otherwise the croquettes could fall apart. It should be mushy and clumping together.

When millet-kale mixture is well cooked, transfer to a sealable container and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Seal and move to the fridge to cool the rest of the way, about 45 minutes or overnight.

Once cooled, tightly form the millet into golfball-size balls. Press between your hands to slightly flatten and pat the sides in to form tire-shaped croquettes. You should get about 16 croquettes.

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry croquettes in batches, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until they are lightly browned.

These can also be baked in the oven, and I actually enjoyed them better done that way. Just put the croquettes onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes. You don’t need to flip them. When baked the whole outside of the croquette gets golden brown and crispy, while the inside stays moist.

Enjoy!

I had mine with roasted yams, and smothered in Cheezy Tahini Sauce. The sweet creaminess of the roasted yams was the perfect complement to this dish. I devoured my dinner in about 2 seconds!

Cheezy Tahini Sauce
1/2 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water

Place all ingredients in a blender or small bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Sauce will thicken when refrigerated, but you can bring to room temperature or heat before serving.

This post has been submitted to Healthy Vegan Friday #13 and will be submitted to  Meatless Mondays A-Z for Kale.