On to happier things!

I really did abandon this poor blog, and what a depressing two final posts to end it on! Well, I just wanted to drop in and assure the few people who may be stumbling upon this blog, that my life really did return to balance. I'm not exactly a raw foodist or vegan, but I am eating well and loving my life. I am currently blogging at www.tessonja.blogspot.com. There I write about my current adventures, mostly revolving around being a new mommy. But there are also things for you foodies, too! At this moment, I am on a gluten and dairy free elimination diet to see if it clears up my five month old daughter's skin problems. In the future, I may link up the recipe posts here, but for now, check out that blog, especially the 'recipes' tab!

Thanks!

Woah, new post finally! Green smoothie goodness!!!

Hey hey hey there, long time no write! I have abandoned my poor food blogs, but the weirdest thing happened today: I made something healthy that I was EXCITED about and had the urge to share! Wow!

Anyhow, my life has been wild. I don't really want to go into details, but let me just say I am not exactly the healthiest right now in terms of diet. I've been drinking a bit (ok, a lot...more than I'd like to be), I'm not currently vegan OR vegetarian (but I DO still enjoy vegan meals, and many of my meals are vegetarian), a lot of my meals are eaten on the run/for convenience, and a lot of my dinners come from the freezer aisle.

I am, however, aware of what is and isn't good for me. Does that make it better? I don't know. All I know is that I haven't been sick since November (and that was brought on by nothing else but stress), and I'd like to keep it that way. So there are a few principles I like to maintain consistently. And the easiest health principle I've been able to keep over the past few crazy newly-single months is this: eat yo greens!!!

Greens are soooo good for you. Green plants in general contain a lot of good shit. I'm not about to get into any specifics, just trust me or go do some research. Anyhow, you should enjoy rich leafy greens like spinach, kale, romaine, or other power packed greenies like broccoli and asparagus. Personally, I like to have a daily salad. Yeah, the rest of my diet is kinda partying in the shitter but at least I feel good about those daily salads.

I used to concoct these amazing, giant, overflowing salads with homemade dressings and blah blah blah but for some reason, at this time of my life, I like to keep it simple. Usually I'll just throw together salad greens, pomegranate seeds (pre-packaged, of course, from my job at Trader Joe's), crumbled goat cheese, and balsamic vinegar. I change it up a bit, but not for long.

Unfortunately, I get BORED of salads in general on occasion. But I know they are good for me. So how do I get my greens?

Green smoothies, fool! They are sooo easy and are actually super delicious. And cheap! You can pretty much make magic out of any combination of leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard, romaine), fruit, and water or juice. Here's what I had today:

Big handfuls of spinach (filled about 3/4 of the blender)

About one cup of frozen berry mix

One banana

Water (filled after the above is already in the blender, until it reaches the 1 cup line)

BLEND! Add more water if necessary!

And for an extra treat, I topped it off with some soy whipped cream. Necessary? No. Delicious? Yes!

Now go make your own!

P.S. Wanna know what I've been working on lately? Visit my horrible, depressing yet thoughtful 'words' blog: tessonjaswords.blogspot.com

abandoning my poor blog

So it is apparent I am currently abandoning my food blogs for the time being. My life has taken a complete 360 and I am just not focused on making food or even thinking about food like I used to. Much is due to the many life changes I have gone through in the past few months.

Most influential was the ending of a near-7 year relationship with my boyfriend. I left the relationship for many, many reasons and will not get too far into it here. It was a good choice that probably should have been made a lot sooner, and I am really happy with my decision. This event did, however, turn my life on its head. Being with someone that long can really make you lose a part of yourself, or at least repress it. There are so many complicated elements that make up who I am. The person I was becoming with him was great, for the most part; I was a good, accepting girlfriend, I was interested in health, I was eating well, vegan for two years, non-drinker for two years.

I started to feel other parts of myself coming out, though. First I broke being vegan (again and again), then I started drinking again. I broke up with the boyfriend and just...well, I can't really explained what happened. Everything I knew about my life just exploded, and I was the one who detonated the bomb. And it was great.

Where does this leave me now? Honestly, I am not interested in health and diet the way I was a few months ago. This sounds terrible, I know, but I'm just being honest. Haha, not that many people read this, or anything. Anyhow, detaching myself from the situation, I would say that I am destroying everything that I was for the past 7 years, starting new, figuring out who I am, who I want to be. I'm being reckless, I am having fun, I am eating like a 21 year old frat boy, I am staying up late. It may not be the best 'cleansing' but it is what I am doing nonetheless and I feel good about it.

I spent a lot of time cooking for the ex over the past few years, and now that it's over, and I am no longer a devoted little 'housewife' my desire to cook for myself has come to a complete standstill, in fact, I despise cooking these days. It's odd, because I used to find such joy in creating delicious meals, even when I was just cooking vegan stuff for me. Hmm, not quite sure what that's all about. I hope my joy of cooking returns eventually because I do still want to be healthy. My current diet consists of soup, salad, coffee, mac n cheese, or pizza for the most part. Oh, and beer. And mexican food and margaritas.

So my raw food journey has come to an end, at least for now. Maybe it will continue again if the desire returns.

I do, however, still have the passion to blog...I find something exciting or thrilling or therapeutic about sharing part of my life in a semi-public manner...so I will be expressing my current interests: words. I've written a lot of poetry in my life, although not so much during my last relationship. And I've been writing again, in addition to going through my old poems. I'm not very good or talented, but there's something about it that I like. So my new blog will share poems and short essays, old and new. I feel a little nervous and vulnerable about it, but drawn to it at the same time. We'll see how it goes...

new blog: Words

bye for now!

Raw recipes: kelp noodles and green dessert!

Here are some YUMMY raw recipes! First we got kelp noodles. Kelp noodles can be found online but I got mine at Madison Market in Seattle. They have a completely neutral taste and remind me of thin rice noodles or angel hair pasta. Here is the recipe I'm bringing for lunch at work this week:

Kelp Noodles, Veggies, and Green Sauce!

Kelp Noodles:

Open package of kelp noodles, rinse, and drain. You can also toss in some lemon juice to help them soften up, but they will soften more once they are in the green sauce.


Veggies:

1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 red bell pepper
A couple large handfuls green beans

Chop zucchini and squash. Julienne red bell pepper. Cut ends off of green beans and then cut each in half.

Green Sauce: (This recipe was adapted from the Creamy Italian Dressing recipe in Rawvolution by Matt Amsden...mine just has WAY more basil! This dressing is the #1 favorite of everyone who I've served it to! It is so versatile! Use it on salad, pasta, steamed veggies, raw zucchini noodles. Brian loves it drizzled over baked chicken and rice.)

3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1-2 cups tightly packed fresh basil (depending on how much you like basil; I usually start with one cup, then add a few more stalks of basil until the sauce is very green and has a tangy pesto flavor)
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh oregano
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup raw pine nuts

Blend!

Now, you can either toss all of the ingredients together now and serve, or store them separately. I've chosen to store separately because this makes a LARGE serving, and I intend to eat this for lunch throughout the week. If you choose to serve the full serving at once, marinade the kelp noodles in the green sauce for about 30 minutes or more to help them soften. Then top with veggies and a drizzle of more green sauce!

If you want to make individual servings, portion out the desired amount of kelp noodles and toss with green sauce. (If you are taking this to work and are letting it sit, then the noodles will be soft by lunch. If you are just eating an individual serving immediately, make sure you let the noodles marinate for at least 30 minutes.) Then top with a couple handfuls of the veggies. Drizzle with more green sauce if desired. Store the leftover green sauce in a container in the fridge. Store the chopped veggies in the fridge as well. Store the kelp noodles in a container filled with water in the fridge. All of these should last a few days. This is only day one for me, so I can't tell you exactly how long they truly last. Should serve about 4, I'm guessing.

Also, I have yet to take pictures of this, but hopefully I will get a chance before I eat it all!


And here's recipe #2: Eat Your Greens...for dessert!

Green smoothie Popsicles!

This recipe is so simple it's more of an idea than a recipe. But you heard me! If green smoothies are so good for you, what better dessert could there be? Get some Popsicle molds, or use a few cups with spoons as the stick. Fill them with your favorite green smoothie recipe (see my previous posts here and here for ideas) and freeze overnight or until solid. YUM!

That's all for now!

Two Green Smoothies of the week!

I know I haven't posted ANYTHING on here in a long time, but to be honest, I just haven't been making anything unique lately. But I'm going back on green smoothies (thanks to my discount and easy access to inexpensive produce provided by my new job at Trader Joe's!), and these are the two I'm drinking this week:

*These measurements are approximate, as I pretty much just eyeball it. Each recipe serves 1 (if using a large glass) or two (if using two small glasses)

Tropical
-Two large handfulls of Spinach (fills about 1/3 the bottom of the blender)
-1/2 cup frozen mango
-1/2 cup frozen pineapple
-1 ripe banana
-1/2 container (3 oz) peach (or other) flavored soy yogurt (optional)
-water (just enough to get it blending, usually to the 1 cup line on the blender. Add more as needed to get it to blend smooth)

BLEND and enjoy!

Berry
-Two large handfulls of Spinach
-1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (cherries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries)
-1/2 cup frozen strawberries
-1 ripe banana
-1/2 container (3 oz) berry (or other) flavored soy yogurt (optional)
-water (see above for measurement)

BLEND!!!

My stomach is growling now! Time for curry and brown rice for dinner!

Some Raw Recipes!

Lately I've been getting sick of vegan comfort food and have been craving lighter, wholesome, raw foods. (Read all about it on my Raw Food Journey blog if it tickles your fancy.) Here's some recipes to share of what I've been eating:

Green Smoothie of the week:

4-6 leaves kale, de-stemmed
1 cup frozen mango and berry fruit mix
1 cup frozen banana or 1 fresh banana
water

I place the ingredients in a blender, starting with the kale, and then slowly add filtered water until it just about reaches the 1 cup mark on the blender (you only need enough the liquify the kale a bit, which will then liquify the rest). Blend until smooth!

When I'm not drinking my green smoothie, I'm making my boyfriend's favorite smoothie, which is adapted from the Acai Smoothie recipe in Eat Drink and be Vegan by Dreena Burton:

1 1/2 cups Living Harvest chocolate flavored hempmilk
1/2 cup frozen bananas or one fresh banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 packet Sambazon Acai frozen pulp

Blend! Serves two.

I experimented with Raw Ranch Dressing this week! Yum! I think fresh herbs would taste best but I only had dried...and it still tasted yummy! I tossed it with fresh greens, cucumber, tomato, carrot, and avocado.

Raw Ranch Dressing from Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet

1 cup soaked (for 2 hrs) raw cashews
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh basil (1 tsp dried)
1 tbsp fresh dill (1 tsp dried)

Blend cashews, water, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a blender until smooth and creamy. Add the basil and dill and pulse briefly until mixed.



I also had a couple nights of zucchini pasta! Zucchini pasta is one of my favorite raw dishes, and it's also one of the easiest. All you need is a spiralizer; and if you don't have one of those, just slice long ribbons of zucchini with a vegetable peeler to make "fettuccine" noodles that taste just as good. After I spiralize my zucchini, I like to let the noodles soften a bit so they become more "noodly." I place them in a strainer and cover them with a light layer of sea salt, mix well, and then set aside while I make the sauce. (I thought I remember reading this technique somewhere so one day I just decided to try it, but I haven't been able to find the reference...but it really does seem to work!) After I make the sauce, I mix a tablespoon or so into my noodles to help them soften even more. When you do this, you will notice a bit of liquid draining out of the strainer. It is from the zucchini softening and releasing water. Have you ever noticed how soggy your plate gets when you eat zucchini pasta? Ok, maybe it's just me, but either way, this technique has improved my "noodles" and the physical presentation greatly! They look better and taste way better! Anyhow, after I get the right texture, I put the noodles on the plate and cover with my sauce of choice!



Yesterday I topped my zucchini noodles with warm, bottled marinara sauce. Today, I had an ALL RAW dinner; I tossed my noodles with Raw Pesto and chopped tomato!

Easy Raw Pesto (adapted from Raw Food Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose)

1 cup (packed) basil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
pinch of salt or to taste

Pulse in food processor until well chopped and combined. Serves 1 (or two if you don't love basil as much as me!)

Although I am in the middle of recovering from a cold (surely caused by over-eating so much over the past weekend...too much vegan cake!) I am feeling better now that I am making healthier food choices and incorporating more raw food and green smoothies into my day!

Easy Vegan Phyllo Comfort Food Recipes!

I created magic with phyllo dough in my kitchen this weekend! All I can say is YUM!!!!

Starting out new to the world of vegan cooking, I was intimidated by recipes using phyllo dough. Whenever I would stumble upon one in one of my cookbooks, I would salivate over the mental (or physical) picture of the enticing treat, and then quickly flip the page, assuming all the while that phyllo was hard to find and difficult to work with. Then last year, feeling adventurous, I attempted the Baklava recipe in Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's "The Joy of Vegan Baking" (pg. 162). It turned out to be both easy and delicious! Afterward, ideas for more possible recipes involving phyllo dough flooded my mind. With the leftover phyllo, I created my vision of the ultimate vegan comfort food: Vegan Ham, Cheddar, and Broccoli Phyllo Casserole. It was an amazing, delicious success! Unfortunately, I've never been able to officially share this recipe because I didn't record the process or measurements.

But this weekend, I finally did it! Saturday was me and Robin's weekly Vegan Food Party day, and we decided to make the phyllo casserole; this time recording the process, ingredients, and measurements as we went. It turned out to be so delicious that we ate the ENTIRE recipe before I remembered to take a picture! Determined to share this recipe once and for all, picture included, I made the casserole again the following night. I had a ton of leftover phyllo, a whole head of broccoli, and a decent amount of cheese. All I had to buy more of was "ham." I didn't want to make as big of a casserole as the one Robin and I made (since I didn't have quite as much in the way of ingredients as I did the first time around) so I made it into a half-recipe, which is what you see in the pictures. So, finally, success. I recreated the recipe, got a picture, and figured out how to make a quicker, smaller version in the process.

But that's not nearly the end of my Phyllo adventure. Realizing how much phyllo I would still have even after making the second casserole, my mind started getting creative. From my hungry imagination came the idea for: Vegan Spinach, Artichoke, and Cream Cheese Phyllo "Muffins." These I envisioned as a fun appetizer or as a small side to a salad. And, of course, they turned out so amazing that I ate half the recipe all to myself...that's on top of the half of the casserole that I ate!

Neither of these recipes are exactly what I would ever call health food (they are DEFINITELY in the vegan COMFORT FOOD category!) but they do make for a delicious indulgence. And once you see how easy phyllo is to work with, you will love it! And if you are adventurous, you can start making phyllo casseroles and "muffins" with any fillings you desire!

Here are my two vegan phyllo recipes:

Vegan Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli Phyllo Casserole
Servings: 2-4 (or more, if served in small squares for appetizers)


Ingredients:
-1 pkg Phyllo dough, thawed if frozen (you won't use entire package for one recipe)
-1 pkg vegan ham (I use Yves brand), chopped
-3 cups vegan cheese, shredded (I used Vegan Gourmet brand, combination of cheddar and mozzarella)
-1 head broccoli, chopped into bite sized florets
-3-4 Tbsp vegan margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil/spray/butter a 5in x 9in baking dish

In a large mixing bowl, combine ham, cheese, and broccoli until well-mixed.

Cut phyllo dough into appx. 5in x 9in rectangles. Place 7 sheets of dough, one at a time, at the bottom of baking dish and, using a pastry brush, coat each sheet with a thin layer of melted margarine.

Pour half of the ham, cheese, and broccoli mixture over the phyllo. Next, layer four sheets of phyllo dough over the cheese mixture, coating each sheet with margarine. Top that layer of phyllo with the remaining cheese mixture. Top casserole with 7 more sheets of phyllo, again coating each sheet with margarine.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and melted (if using a glass dish that you can actually see through) and the top is golden brown.


Smaller Casserole Variation: (makes 1 HUGE serving, 2 large servings, or 4 small servings)

Follow all of the same instructions as above except use 1 1/2 cups shredded vegan cheese, 1/2 pkg vegan ham, and 1/2 - 1 full head broccoli (I used 1 full head of broccoli); Use 4 sheets of phyllo for each of the three layers, and "butter" every 2 to 4 sheets, to lower fat content, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes.



Vegan Spinach, Artichoke, and Cream Cheese Phyllo "Muffins"
Servings: 6-8 "muffins"


Ingredients:
-1 pkg Phyllo dough, thawed if frozen (you won't use a entire package for one recipe)
-1 8 oz tub vegan cream cheese
-3 cups fresh spinach, divided
-1 13 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
-1 large clove garlic
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp onion powder
-2-3 tbsp vegan margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil 6-8 muffin tins

In food processor, pulse 2 cups of spinach, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and onion powder until spinach is chopped and ingredients are combined. Then add cream cheese, and blend until well-mixed. Transfer mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Add remaining 1 cup of spinach and artichoke hearts (chop any larger segments into bite sized pieces) to cream cheese mixture and mix well to combine.

Cut phyllo into appx. 5in. x 5in. squares (enough to fill a muffin tin completely with about an inch of extra phyllo sticking out).

Place two sheets of phyllo in the muffin tin and, using a pastry brush, coat with a thin layer of melted margarine. Repeat with a 2nd layer of two phyllo sheets and margarine. (It should kinda look like a tulip)

Next, fill with cream cheese mixture.

Fold the extra phyllo dough toward the middle (covering the filling) and coat top with a light layer of margarine.

Repeat with the remaining dough and filling until all the filling is gone (should fill 6-8 muffin tins)

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown

The filling possibilities for both the phyllo casserole and the "muffins" are endless! Use your imagination!
Try:
-Vegan mozzarella, broccoli, mushrooms, onion, and garlic filling
-Tofu, spinach, onion, and garlic filling
-Basil, tofu, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, and kalamata olives filling
-Sweet fillings like fruit for a dessert; apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and agave nectar; blueberries, agave nectar, and vegan cream cheese
-Spelt or whole wheat phyllo dough
-Lowering fat by "buttering" every 2-4 sheets instead of each sheet in the casserole