Eat more Kale.

 I love Kale. I think Kale loves me too. I just feel great after eating it. I'm always craving it, even for breakfast! Funny how just a few months ago I only craved waffles and pancakes and greasy breakfast meats when I awoke. Now all I want to do is start and end my day with greens! So I thought it would be nice to go over with you a few things about kale. Surprisingly kale is a foreign item to most people. They think of it only as a garnish used on plates and most people I tell are often surprised to hear I eat it so often.

Kale is available year round but is especially good in the winter because the cold makes it sweeter. Kale comes in bunches of long, dark green leaves. The most common variety is curly around the edges.

Buying

Buy kale that is kept in a chilled display case or on ice. Kale will wilt and become bitter if left in a warm place for a long period of time. Look for fresh, green leaves. They should not be yellow, brown, or wilted. Choose the smaller, more tender leaves over the large, coarser ones. In the spring and summer, get some young kale at your farmer's markets that can be tossed raw into salads (or grow it yourself).

Storage

Place unwashed kale in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator for up to a week. For extended preservation, wash and dry kale well. Mince or chop by hand or in a food processor. Place kale in a bag or container and freeze. Minced, frozen kale can be used just like raw kale since it thaws almost instantly.

Preparation

Even organic kale should be washed as it may have dirt or grit stuck to the leaves. 

Break or cut off tough stems. Smaller leaves and smooth varieties have thin ribs that can be chopped and cooked with the leaves.

Kale can be steamed, blanched, boiled, braised, stir-fried, or sautéed. It doesn't need to be cooked long—just until it's wilted and tender. Usually 5 to 10 minutes is enough depending on how small you chop it and how thick the leaves are. Kale cooks down significantly. Figure about two cups cooked for every pound of raw kale.

Now to the fun stuff - Nutritional facts!

Did you know that kale contains more carotenoids (anticancer agents) than any other green vegetable?

Our own bodies can fight off cancer through enzyme production in the liver, but those enzymes aren't released without a little help. Kale produces sulforaphane, and this natural cancer-fighter signals the liver to produce these cancer-fighting enzymes. These are fantastic health benefits! Eating regular servings of kale is a great way to help prevent and lower your risk of getting colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate, and breast cancer.

Even a half cup of kale a day will give you cancer-blocking benefits!

Kale is greatly rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Kale is rich in Vitamin C not to mention the much needed fiber so lacking in the daily diet of processed food eating Americans. The "Icing on the Kale" are the natural occurring all important phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which research suggests may protect against cancer. Let's not forget the all important antioxidant Vitamin E. 

Slow the Hands of Time

Just one cup of kale per week is enough to protect the body against diseases caused by aging, and it can literally slow the hands of time. The fountain of youth may not contain water, but it may actually be a garden filled with greens. Whether you grow your own kale or buy it from the produce section of your local grocer, the health benefits of kale are priceless, and this amazing vegetable can help you live a longer, healthier life.

Something I have been pondering myself------> Is it more healthy to eat raw kale rather then cooked?

You will want to eat kale both raw and cooked. Some of the carotenoids are destroyed during heating, but cooking also makes more carotene available for bodily use. Some vegetables are actually more nourishing if lightly cooked. Heat will break down the nutrient inhibitors in them, making the nutrients more available to the gut for absorption. These include cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage and are neutralized with light cooking, as well as some leafy greens, like spinach, kale, chard and collard greens which contain oxalic acid which reduce the absorption of calcium and can irritate the intestines. So steaming these veggies lightly without overcooking is the way to go.

Lately I have been craving lightly steamed (only a minute or two) kale, rather then raw kale salad, like I was having in the summer. Now that the cooler weather is here, its natural for your body to crave warming foods. Don't be afraid to quickly steam things - but only a short time! You still want to preserve  all the nutrients you can.

Kale Recipes

(some vegan, some not)

Tuscan Kale Soup

Tuscan Kale Caesar Slaw

Wilted Kale and Roasted-Potato Winter Salad

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad

Winter Pasta  (using kale to make pesto)

Bobby Flay's Simple Sauteed Kale 

Try making up your own recipe...

These flavors match perfectly with Kale:

Apples 

Balsamic Vinegar 

Bragg Liquid Aminos, or Tamari 

Cheese, non-dairy 

Cream, non-dairy 

Extra-virgin olive oil 

Garlic 

Lemon 

Nutritional Yeast 

Nuts (especially Pine Nuts and Walnuts) 

Onions 

Potatoes 

Tahini

Happy Fall recipes!

So I have to tell you guys about the latest cookbook I'm totally digging right now. 

Yup. 1000 recipes my friends. The soup section is pretty impressive and with the cold season approaching, this is exactly what I'm looking for. Tonight I made my first hearty soup from this book. 

Curried Butternut & Red Lentil Soup with Chard

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tblsp minced fresh ginger

1 Tblsp curry powder

1 (14.5 oz) can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup red lentils, picked over, rinsed, and drained

5 cups of vegetable broth

salt and fresh ground pepper

3 cups of chopped stemmed Swiss or Rainbow Chard

Preheat oven to 350. Peel squash and cut in half. Scoop seeds out and place face down on sheet pan. Cook in oven for ten minutes or so, just to get soft enough to dice. 

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, squash and garlic. Cover and cook until softened, about ten minutes. Stir in ginger and curry powder, then tomatoes, lentils, broth, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer, uncovered until lentils and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes. 

About 15 minutes before serving, stir in chard.  

This was so good! I would of never thought to mix these flavors and ingredients. They complimented each other so well. True to the description in the cookbook itself, the complexity of flavors tastes like it took hours to cook but it was very easy and quick! I've got a keeper...

Here is one of my own recipes: simple. autumnal. and filling. 

Quinoa & Sweet Potatoes with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

1 cup of cooked Quinoa

1/2 cup of cubed cooked sweet potatoes

handful fresh sage leaves

1/4 cup Earth Balance or any vegan butter

1-2 tsp of agave

Melt butter in pan and add chopped sage leaves and agave nectar and saute for 5 min or until fragrant. Pour over quinoa and diced sweet potatoes and mix well.

Leftovers for lunch next day with added Kale!

Today was a jam filled day of household chores so I had a hearty breakfast to go along with it. 

Sunshine Breakfast Patty on romaine leaves with tahini, kraut and topped with salsa. 

I have been wanting to start a workout routine and today was kick start day!

I followed this DVD I just bought and it totally kicked my butt. I couldn't even get through more then a 1/4 of it. Its meant to give you fast results (what I like to see!) with free weights, so it was pretty intense. Baby-steps. I know one day I will be able to get through the whole thing in a breeze!

I made a potent protein shake after to fuel the muscles I had just burned. 

Almond Milk
Sunwarrior Protein powder -Vanilla
Maca Powder
Raw multi-vitamin
Bee Pollen
2 tsp of Chlorella powder

For lunch I had leftovers from last nights Kelp Noodle Pad Thai with Broccoli

mmmmm...kelp.

Juice of the week!

5 Carrots 

2 Nectarines

2 apples

1 lemon

inch or two of fresh ginger

Tomorrow is Sunday - you know what that means! It's relaxin' day!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

xo

Green Energy Bar Recipe

Hello Everyone!

Tonight as promised, I am reviewing my next recipe from Thrive Foods Cookbook.

Eggplant Rolatini 

 The filling that was used was made from a mixture of lentils, tahini, miso, fresh herbs, coconut butter, and garlic. This was really good. The dish as a whole? Ehh. I wasn't too happy with it. It was a lot of work and I was expecting more. I didn't like the sauce, it was thick, sweet and just not for me. This will not be a keeper. 

The side of broccoli rabe was amazing though! 

Green Energy Bars with Chlorella

 This my friends, is a keeper for sure!

Adapted from: The Idiots Guide to Eating Raw

1/4 c almonds, soaked an hour and drained

1 cup of dates, soaked an hour

1/4 c sunflower seeds, soaked an hour and drained

1/4 c goji berries

1/4 c raw cacao nibs or cacao powder

1/4 c of almond butter or tahini

1/2 c raisins, soaked in 1 c water

1 1/2 tsp of carob powder or cacao powder

2 tsp Chlorella powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

shredded coconut (optional)

 Place almonds and dates in a food processor fitted with an S blade. Process until small chunks. Add to large bowl along with rest of ingredients. Mix well with hands for a few minutes. 

If dehydrating, flatten onto a Teflex sheet about 1/4 inch thick and dehydrate at 110 for 12 to 15 hours. 

Flip halfway through and remove the Teflex.

If not dehydrating, form into 2 inch balls and roll in shredded coconut to cover. Chill for at least 30 minutes. 

These were so yummy! I was so surprised at how good they turned out. I ate a bunch of them directly out of the dehydrator, and the cacao nibs inside were melty and the raisins made these bars chewy and really a delight to eat.  Plus I'm sneaking in chlorella where I can't even taste it! Score!

 Shake of the week:

Almond Milk

Maqui Berry Powder

one banana

handful of frozen mixed berries

Maca Powder

Chia seeds

I have been craving buffalo sauce. I used to indulge in buffalo wings all the time and didn't think anything else would satisfy that craving. That is until I tried this little gem of yumminess. mmmmm....buffalo. 

Thats it for now! Thinking up a new informational or inspirational post for next time. Any topics you would like to hear about?

xo

New Recipes

Last week was my birthday which turned into a week of celebrations. Guess that makes it my birthweek! I went out to yummy dinners with friends and family. My two besties brought me to my favorite Vegan restaurant, Good Karma. We munched on Raw Nachos and I of course indulged in a Love Bowl, as usual. My girlfriend who eats raw too made me Raw Chocolate Mint Cupcakes - how cute are these? I love mint and chocolate together! She also put together a little gift basket full of raw goodies which was  perfect for me. My family even bought me Hail Merry's Raw Tarts to sing happy birthday to me. The Meyer Lemon Tart was delicious and reminded me of my favorite key lime pie growing up. 

I've been so thankful for everyone being so accommodating to my new lifestyle. It means so much to me to have that kind of support.

So I made my first two recipes from Brendan Brazier's new cookbook Thrive Foods.

First was the Chia Breakfast Pudding...very good. Reminded me of Cream of Wheat. It called for water but next time I will use milk to make it even creamier. It was a very quick and simple recipe which I like! I felt so energized too after eating this. Definitely incorporating more chia seeds into my diet, most likely throwing them into my shakes.

Zucchini Ribbons with Lemon Pepper Cream Sauce

This was a great dish but a little heavy for my liking. If you are a fan of Alfredo sauce, this recipe is for you! The flavors were very rich and the leeks really made it. There is only enough zucchini ribbons I can eat in one sitting.... I think this sauce would be great over pasta as an alternative.

I've been trying to find a good Vegan Cornbread Recipe and I think I finally succeeded. I love me some good cornbread, but without all the sugar, dairy and eggs!

3/4 cup any milk (I used Hemp Milk)

1 cup of flour (I used oat flour)

1 cup + 2 tbls cornmeal

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Then add liquids. Fold until it forms a nice batter. You want it to remain watery and not too thick. Pour batter 3/4 full into buttered muffin tins.

Bake 30 min or until golden around edges. 

enjoy!

Fall is here, which means ooey-gooey Grilled Cheeses!

I was craving grilled cheese last night reallllly bad. Oh my, this hit the spot! To make a proper grilled cheese you need bread, which for me is hard to come across with all the restrictions I have. Even gluten free kinds contain things I can't have, so I make sacrifices now and then. My all time favorite Gluten free bread is Udi's, which can be found at the regular supermarket and at Trader Joes! It contains egg whites and I have eliminated all eggs from my diet but for these situations when I need to satisfy a craving, I give in. I'm allergic to egg yolks, so egg whites are technically safe for me. 

I layered Daiya Cheddar cheese, sliced tomato, Fakin Bacon Tempeh Strips and Kale in between the Udi's. I also picked up a soup from Whole Foods soup bar which happened to be Vegan - Split Pea. Don't tell my grandma but it was pretty darn close to being as good as hers! 

Whole foods was having a sale on my favorite Pro-biotic drink - 2 for $4 so I stocked up! 

My favorite flavor is Mango Coconut. Coconut I think is second runner up. Its tough because I love every flavor! I cannot wait till more flavors are offered. If you haven't tried them, please do, because probiotics are our friends!

Quintessence Good Eats! 

(currently my favorite raw restaurant in NYC)

Chia Breakfast Vanilla Pudding with raisins, walnuts and berries. 

All-American Double stack burger, with mustard, ketchup and pickles. OMG. Yum.

....and my favorite: Bagel with scallion cream cheese and a sliced tomato. 

Today I found out some bad news folks. This bagel, in which I am so in love with, is made from sprouted Kamut. Kamut is a form of wheat berry. Its more easily digestible, almost similar to spelt, but I'm very disappointed to find out I've been consuming wheat when I've been so careful not to. (no wonder it was so chewy and delicious!)   :( 

One last thing before I go -

My mom's new puppy we picked up on Sunday!!!

Meet Lilly. 

Isn't she precious?

Stay tuned for more recipes out of Thrive Foods Cookbook. Up next is the Eggplant Rolatini and Wild Rice with Kabocha Squash and Sage Butter. 

I'm also in the process of making green energy bars with Chlorella. 

ut-oh a flare!

Sorry I have not posted in a little bit! I visited my younger brother in Richmond this past weekend. It was a great getaway and my first experience being away from my home fridge since being on this diet. I will admit, it was taxing trying to pack everything I needed and trying to limit the supply I brought. I was only there two and half days but I seemed to think I needed a lot. I prepared a big serving of quinoa and sauteed garlic kale and steamed broccoli. I also had a container full of fixings to make salad boats. Lots of snacks were packed too!

I knew we would be going to dinner both nights. I was so so surprised at how accommodating the restaurants were. Both had a gluten free/vegan menu to offer. I'm learning that most restaurants are accepting that there is a huge venue of gluten free folks and offering specialties to cater to us. Don't be afraid to ask before you sit down if they can accommodate you!

I also found the BEST Whole Foods I have ever visited in Short Pump, VA. Wow, the store blew my local Whole Foods out of the water with their stocked shelves, abundance of colorful produce and products I've never seen. I found a few things I'm excited to share with you! I got a little too excited for the huge salad bar and loaded up a bit too much on crunchy roughage stuff (not good for my intestines in large amounts!!)

Salad bar yumminess

Warm food from Whole Foods bar (I had tofu- don't tell.)

I ended up flaring very badly coming home from Richmond on Sunday and into Tuesday morning. It could be a million different reasons why I flared and what's most aggravating about them is that they come on so severe, so sudden and without warning. This is the FIRST flare ever I came out of within a few days. Typically they last at least a week, mostly having an ER visit for pain management.

Why I think I flared:

• Consumed a lot of hard nuts/seeds
• ate raw cabbage - not fermented (used to never be able to eat this, don't know why I even attempted)
• eating out (not 100% positive how food is being prepared)
• travel (a big onset for me)
• stress (was stressing over stupid little things - when will I learn?)
• stopped Turmeric (anti-inflammatory) for a good week because I ran out
• not getting enough sleep

Making this list is a big learning process for me on how to avoid flares.

 Richmond finds:

I absolutely LOVE popcorn. Its really hard to digest and hard for Crohnie's with our delicate intestinal linings so I avoid it at all cost. I found this Corn-free popcorn made of popped Sorghum. I was sooo excited. It tastes just like the real thing. I don't think I will be consuming it in large amounts because although there are no hulls, they still seem "rough" to be eating. If you must satisfy your popcorn craving these are safer then the real thing!

Kernels are teeny tiny and very cute. 

Excited to see new brand of Coconut water but was a big disappointment. Stay away - this tasted like dirty socks. I almost spit it out! I'm on a Chia kick lately. I haven't tried this yet but will let you know when I do!

picked up fresh organic watermelon and mixed berries. 

Forgot how much I love Hemp milk - made cereal out of berries and some Granola mix I picked up. 

this was so good in the mornings - and I snuck some in for dessert one night too!

For breakfast I sauteed sliced tomatoes with olive oil and added my already made quinoa and kale. Delicious! 

Big salad on car ride home from Richmond. Homemade dressing made from Hummus, Braggs Liquid Amino's, water, olive oil, and chipotle spice. 

This  was my arsenal against my flare:
I always go on strict liquid diet because nothing can make it through the inflamed intestine (which is cause of the pain) I loaded up on Coconut water and fresh pressed juices from Liqueteria and also bought a Carrot Ginger Soup for when I could eat soft foods. I also made a vegetable broth that I let simmer with kombu, miso, lemon and garlic cloves.  I bought more Turmeric and also bought Boswellia (another anti-inflammatory herb) Calming tea along with cups of Chamomile always help me when my body is in freak-out flare mode. 

 Yesterday was my 29th birthday...Yay! Due to me being sick I had to reschedule some plans but I still went out last night with someone special and got these beautiful earrings! I absolutely adore them.

I bought some yummy new products at a natural food store I found in the city so I will be reviewing them in the next few days! 

Stay posted xoxo