Recipe: Sprouting Quinoa

I love to sprout things in my kitchen.  One thing that I was new to was quinoa.  Turns out it was the easiest one I've ever sprouted!  Delicious and nutritious too.  Try your hand at sprouting, it's super fun!

Instructions for sprouting quinoa:

Place 2/3 c. quinoa in a tight mesh strainer.

Rinse quinoa to remove any dust or debris on the seed.

Transfer rinsed seed to a bowl and cover with water.

Soak for 30 minutes.

Drain and rinse the seed, then let sit for 8 to 12 hours. I use a tight mesh strainer over another bowl to catch any dripping. I also cover with damp paper towel because it is so hot where we live. 

Rinse the seed every 8 to 12 hours thereafter.

If you rinse every 8 hours the sprouts should be ready by the 3rd rinse.  (24 hours)  Taste at every rinse to see how you prefer them. You could consume them on the first rinse if you liked the taste.

You can store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

See www.sproutpeople.org for much more detailed instructions.

Happy Sprouting :)
-Shelly <3

Watch the YouTube Video here.

Recipe: Squash Spaghetti

Pasta was one of my biggest obsessions before becoming vegan. I thought that I could eat and eat and eat it all.  Boy was I wrong. It left me feeling bloated and in a massive food coma. Spaghetti was one of my favorites. I love the rich tomato and basil flavoring. 
This recipe will surely hit those tastes buds.

Enjoy!
-Britnee <3

Ingredients:

2-3 zucchini squash

1 chopped tomato (remove seeds)

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 red bell pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh basil or 1 tsp dried

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1/4 tsp salt

dash of pepper

To make your noodles you can peel the zucchini into thin strips or use a slicer. Make your noodles and set aside in a large bowl. Take remaining ingredients and add into VitaMix or food processor and blend. Have a little extra water handy in case you need to add it for consistency. Mix the marinara with your noodles and serve. Garnish with fresh basil if desired. 

Enjoy!

-Britnee

Watch the YouTube video here.

Recipe: Carob Covered Bananas

These carob covered bananas are soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. They are awesome and ready in under 10 minutes.  Give em' a try, you'll be happy you did!

 Carob Peanut Butter Sauce

1/4 c carob

1/4 c  agave

1/2 c melted coconut oil

1/2 c peanut butter (or nut or seed butter of your choice)

pinch of kosher salt

 Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk till smooth.

Toppings

coconut flakescoconut flakes

pecans

walnuts...you get the picture :)

Next take a banana and drizzle with carob peanut butter sauce. Sprinkle your choice of topping on the bananas and place in freezer for around 10 minutes or enough time for the sauce to become hard and crunchy.  Enjoy!

Watch the YouTube video here.

Recipe: Turtles

These chocolatey turtles will cure any sweet tooth! They are super sweet and delicious! You may want to eat them all so pace your self. 

Enjoy!
-Shelly <3 

Ingredients:

Turtles

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut butter

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 1/2 cup pecans

Stir well together. Drop spoon fulls onto parchment paper or into a non stick sprayed ice tray.

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup cacao

1/2 agave

1/4 coconut oil

1 tbsp coconut butter

Whisk together and drizzle on top of the turtle. Place in freezer for 30 minutes or until hardened. Store in fridge or freezer.

 Watch the YouTube video here.

Recipe: Chia Cinnamon Pudding

Sweet tooth craving? This chia pudding will satisfy that urge with its sweet, creamy goodness! This super simple recipe will make complex desserts a thing of the past.  Chia is a great source of omega 3. By weight chia seeds contain more omega 3 than salmon!

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut milk

3 pitted dates

1 inch of vanilla bean or splash of vanilla extract

1 tsp Cinnamon

pinch of salt 

4 tbsp chia seeds

Blend all ingredients except for the chia seeds in the VitaMix. Pour mixture into bowl and stir in chia seeds. Place bowl in the refrigerator for an hour or until the mixture has set,  stirring every once in a while.  Serve and enjoy.

Watch the YouTube Video here.

Recipe: Coconut Mocha Coffee

Ingredients:

Coffee

1 cup  coffee

3 cups of water

Add ingredients into a large mason jar and let sit over night, shaking every once in a while. After the coffee has "brewed" use another mason jar with a coffee filter rubber banded at the opening to strain your coffee.

                                                   

                                                      Watch the YouTube Video Here.

                                                                                

                                                              

Coconut Mocha Coffee

1/2 cup cold "brewed" coffee

1 1/2 cups coconut milk (use Shelly's recipe or use a store bought coconut milk.  Either vanilla flavored or add your own vanilla.  Just a smidge should do it.)

1 tbsp cacao

2 tbsp agave

pinch of salt

Place all ingredients into Vitamix and blend, takes a couple minutes. Pour over ice and serve.

Enjoy!

-Shelly

YUM!!!

Recipe: Raw Vegan Mayonnaise 

This is a great replacement base for lots of salads!  Hope you like it! Check out our Deviled Cucumber Recipe.

1 cup cashews (try to soak for about an hour, then rinse)

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

water if needed

Simply place everything in blender and blend till smooth.  Add water when needed to move the mixture along. 

Enjoy!
- Britnee

                                                         Watch the YouTube video here.

Recipe: Deviled Cucumbers

This recipe reminds me of deviled eggs. I love the rich creaminess, and the fresh crunchiness these deviled cucumber have. You can serve these boat style like I have done or slice them into segments. 

Ingredients:

1 peeled cucumber

2 stalks of chopped celery

1/2 cup raw vegan mayonnaise 

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1-2 tbsp dried dill/fresh dill (if you are using fresh, you will probably use more)

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

Slice your peeled  cucumber length wise. Gut the cumber, removing all seeds and place in a small bowl. Mash up the cucumber seeds and remove the excess moisture. You can take a paper towel and blot to achieve this. Add the remaining ingredients to your small bowl of cucumber seeds and mix. Take your mixture and fill your cucumbers. Garnish with paprika if desired and serve.

Enjoy!

- Britnee

Watch the YouTube video here.

Raw Vegan Ranch Dressing

Who says vegan salad dressings are boring? Obviously they have not tried this amazingly flavorful raw ranch dressing. This dressing is packed with spices that will make your taste buds tingle. Once you add this to your favorite salad, you will come back for seconds. Get your greens on and top it with this amazing ranch dressing.

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews (soaking optional)
1 cup water (start with 1/2 cup and slowly add in more until you reach desired consistency)

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp agave

1-2 clove garlic

1 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dill

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp basil

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup parsley

1/2 tsp dill

Blend all ingredients except for the last three, (olive oil, dill, and parsley).  As the ingredients become well blended slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once the mixture is completely blended turn off the VitaMix. Add dill and parsley and give it a quick pulse.  Pour on your favorite salad and indulge.

Enjoy!

- Shelly

Watch the YouTube video here.

Recipe: Berrylicious Smoothie

Smoothie time!!!!! I love smoothies!!!! I love how simple and easy smoothies are to make. Just throw all the ingredients into a Vita Mix and blend. Smoothies are great to take for lunches, and fast to make when you are running behind schedule and don't have time to make something. Don't forget all that nutritional value you will be consuming. Try out this berry packed smoothie.

Ingredients:

1 young thai coconut water and meat

1-2 cups spinach

2 bananas

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 cup frozen raspberries

Place all ingredients into Vita Mix and blend away!

Enjoy!

-Britnee

Watch the YouTube video here!

Sprouting 101

Why should you sprout? There are lots of reasons to start sprouting. Sprouts carry plenty of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and enzymes, all necessary for the body to function optimally.  In addition to these nutrients, sprouts deliver them in a form that is easily digested and assimilated.  In fact, they improve the efficiency of digestion. Sprouts are also deliciously fresh and colorful! Sprouts are very inexpensive, always fresh, and have the potential to help solve hunger and malnutrition problems in our communities. Sprouts are rich in nutrients, affordable, and easy to transport before sprouting.  If you are interested in purchasing sprouts take a look at our Amazon store.

The process is a simple one.

1.  Place 1 tbsp of alfalfa sprouts inside a mason jar that has a lid with a sprouting screen or some sort of mesh barrier for draining.

2.  Rinse seeds off a few times by covering them with water and then draining to make sure and remove any dust.

3.  After cleansing the seeds, cover the seeds with water.  Let sit on counter for 8-12 hours. Rinse the seeds in the morning a couple of times to make sure they are nice and clean.

4.  Day one thru completion, rinse and drain seeds 2-3 times a day.  Make sure the jar is placed upside down to allow for proper drainage.  It should take from 5-8 days for the sprouts to be ready.  It will depend mostly on how warm it is in your location.  

5.  When the sprouts are ready to be harvested, pour into a large bowl and fill with water.  Separate the hulls from the sprouts by swishing them around in the water and draining off the hulls.  Be careful not to lose too many sprouts!  

Watch the video below to see the entire process from start to finish.

 Watch the YouTube video here.

 

Recipe: Mango Sushi

Who loves mango? Who loves sushi? This girl!!!! Why not combine the two. That is exactly what I did for this recipe and I really admire this pairing. The texture of the mango kind of reminds me of fish, but tastes way better. Nori sheets are used in this recipe, which is dehydrated seaweed. Nori is full of vitamins and minerals including; iodine, magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron, and folic acid. With all that nutritional value how can you pass this recipe up!

Ingredients:

1 sheet of nori

1 ripe mango

1/2 carrot

1/2 cucumber 

1/2 avocado

1/2 cup sprouts

Slice mango, carrot, cucumber, and avocado into lengthy strips. Layer all remaining ingredients on to one end of the nori sheet. Roll up the nori and dab a small amount of water along the edge to seal up the roll.  Cut into small sections with serenaded knife. Serve as is or with a side of nama shoyu for dipping.

Enjoy!

- Britnee

Watch the YouTube video here. 

 

Recipe: Peanut butter freezer fudge

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup agave 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup cacao

Nuts of your choice in amount of your choice

pinch of salt

Stir together first 4 ingredients. Add  in cacao and a pinch of salt. Whisk together till smooth.  Line a standard loaf pan with aluminum foil making sure to smooth the corners. Apply coconut oil or coconut oil spray to the foil lining the bottom of pan for easy removal. Pour in mixture and top with nuts of your choice. Place in freezer until hardened. Remove fudge from pan.  Separate aluminum from the fudge and cut fudge in small pieces. Store in freezer or fridge to prevent melting.

Enjoy!

- Shelly

Watch the YouTube video here.

Recipe: Zesty Corn Salad

Time to shuck some corn! It is corn season so let the corn recipes begin! This is a light and easy summer dish, perfect to serve at gatherings or to top a salad with. The orange juice dressing really gives it a nice zesty twist that everyone will enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 ears of corn

1 orange juiced

1 sliced avocado

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

salt to taste

Whisk together the juice of the orange and apple cider vinegar which will be your dressing for the salad. Combine all other ingredients into medium sized bowl and mix in dressing, Top with avocado and serve. 

Enjoy!

- Britnee

Watch the YouTube video here.

What is a Raw Food Diet?

The raw food diet consists primarily of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The food we consumes is unprocessed, uncooked, whole living foods. Most of our food is eaten raw in it's natural form. However a small portion of the food we consume is dehydrated, anywhere between 104 and 118 degrees. Heating food above this temperature will kill the enzymes present. Enzymes are the life force of our food, helping us to digest food and absorb nutrients. By consuming cooked food it is forcing your body to work harder and produce it's own enzymes. Why not eat these healthy foods that already have the needed enzymes present rather than making your body work double time. Below is a raw food pyramid as well as a video of us discussing what raw food is to us. Check them out! :)

Watch the YouTube video here.