Radish & Avocado on Toast.

May 15, 2013 //
2

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A favorite snack of mine is avocado on toast. I bought these beautiful local radishes today and added them for a nice crunch. Salt & pepper (I used pink peppercorns) is really all you need to add. Perfection!

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One of my goals since moving to Vermont was to become as self-sustaining as possible. We’ve come pretty far in the past few years and I’m proud of the progress. We don’t rely on oil, electric or propane for heat or hot water which was a big step. We’re also going to convert a lot of things to solar power slowly but surely. It’s tough, especially living outside of town, to get these things done on our own but with time and hard work we will persevere.

A big part of becoming self-sustaining is our food. I hope to produce enough from my farm this year to be able to can and freeze things. I aim on having to spend as little as possible at the grocery store and keeping what I do need to buy as local as I can. We have enough hens to provide ourselves with eggs everyday as well as giving to our neighbors and friends. I haven’t had eggs since going vegan over six months ago but I think I will bring them back into my diet eventually. A friend pointed out to me that it was kind of funny that I didn’t eat my own hens eggs anymore…I realized it did sound kind of silly when I said it out loud.

I didn’t cross over to being vegan with the intentions of doing it strictly forever. I wanted to use the basis of veganism for a guide on shaping and enforcing my beliefs. I did it mainly for my love of supporting local, humane farming and animal rights. I learned a lot about plant based living and I am very grateful to the people that inspired me and gave me amazing recipes. I don’t ever see myself eating dairy or meat or seafood again. I will consider eating eggs if I can figure out what it could replace, nutritionally speaking, from what I’m eating now. I’ll have to do some research on that…there’s nothing better than being able to feed yourself from your own backyard!

I planted a ton of beets, radishes, carrots and spinach the past few days. All things that will keep well in the fridge! I freeze spinach to use for smoothies because I know it doesn’t have a long life in the fridge. I’m hoping to be able to grow potatoes this season as well. Potatoes are a great source of vitamin c & b6, potassium, manganese and when stored properly they can last a long time.

I’m going to plant corn, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, swiss chard and all my herbs in the next week or so.

My blueberry, raspberry & blackberry bushes should be arriving soon and that will be another great project…I can’t wait!

…and possibly cherry trees next year. I was thinking about it this year but didn’t want to overwhelm myself. I have a place designated for them but I’m trying to decide which kind of fruit tree we can reap the most benefits from.

I added inversions to my yoga practice last year and I am completely addicted. It is truly liberating. There’s nothing like spending time upside-down!
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Categories Farm to Table, Localvore, Raw Foods

Roasted Chickpeas with Mint & Lemon.

May 13, 2013 //
0

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Ever since my daughter was old enough to tell me what she wants to eat, chickpeas were a main staple snack. Plain with some lemon, mashed and fried into patties or roasted with smoked paprika: she’ll take them in any form. They’re quick and healthy and not too messy to grab on the go.

I had a bunch of fresh mint from my garden and decided to roast some chickpeas for lunch today.

Preheat your oven to 400.
Toss cooked and rinsed chickpeas with olive, grapeseed or coconut oil.
Choose your favorite spices; I used smoked paprika, salt, cumin, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder.
Make sure the chickpeas are evenly coated.
Pour onto a baking sheet.
Roast for 30-35 minutes, giving a toss halfway through.
I like to eat these with fresh mint, a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of agave.

Enjoy!

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Categories Vegan Recipe

Squash Mac & Cheese. [and peas]

May 12, 2013 //
1

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I was really in the mood for mac & cheese today. In lieu of buying a frozen Amy’s rice mac & non-dairy cheese and going to town…I saw I had a kabocha squash and some frozen peas and I came up with this. Of course staying true to my edible bowl theme as well.

Squash Mac & Cheese:

1 c uncooked pasta
3/4 c of roasted squash, acorn, butternut, kabocha, or any similar type
1/4 c earth balance or butter of your choice
1/4 c veggie stock
3 T nutritional yeast
1/3 c peas (fresh or frozen, just have them ready to eat once you start cooking)
1 t smoked paprika
1 t fresh chopped thyme
1/8 t red pepper flakes (optional)

Get your squash roasted first.
I cut a kabocha in half, scraped out the seeds (saved them for later!) and roasted it in the oven for about 40 minutes. I poured an inch of veggie stock in the bottom of a glass baking dish so that the squash would steam with some flavor. Done when a fork can easily pierce through.
Scoop out your squash and mash until smooth.
Save 3/4 c of squash and do what you will with the rest (eat it…?)
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Add your pasta, reduce heat and cook accordingly until al dente.
*Drain pasta (never rinse) and add to a large bowl.
Add in squash, butter and stock.
Stir to combine.
Add nutritional yeast, thyme and peas. Stir gently.
Sprinkle red pepper and smoked paprika on top.

*Alternatively you could heat the stock, butter and roasted squash together in a saucepan so that it becomes a sauce. Bring it to a simmer, not boiling. Boiling will make it too thick. I would recommend under cooking the pasta by a minute and then adding it the the hot saucepan to soak up the broth and cook fully. It might take a little extra effort but it’s the best way to cook pasta.

Enjoy!

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Categories Vegan Recipe

May 11, 2013 //
0

My mom just gave me a food dehydrator that she’s had sitting in my parents basement for twenty years.

I just opened up a whole new freakin world of recipes. So excited!

Also, I’ve been organizing the content on here so if things seem to look different lately, you’re not imagining it.

Happy spring cleaning!

Categories Uncategorized

Raw Chocolate Fudge.

May 10, 2013 //
1

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Because everybody needs chocolate sometimes, right?

Super easy, mostly raw, chocolatey fudge.

I decided to make my own nut butter for this, which you don’t have to do but I never tried to make nut butter in my ninja blender and I wanted to test it out. It worked great, took a long time, maybe 10 minutes of continuous blending but it worked. I’m trying to figure out if it’s cheaper to make my own nut butters at home. Nuts are expensive regardless of what form you buy them in. I bought a pound of raw, organic cashews for $12. So figure I ended up with about 2 cups of cashew butter by the end…a jar of cashew butter costs…$15? I guess it’s not a huge difference but good to know how easy it was.

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Ingredients:

1 c nut butter, I used cashews because I think they make the creamiest butter and won’t overpower any other flavors
1/3 c unrefined coconut oil
1/4 c maple syrup or for completely raw use agave
1/4 c cocoa powder or carob powder
Pinch of salt

First decide whether you want to make your own nut butter or buy it. If you’re going to make it yourself, you’ll need one cup of nut butter for the fudge so keep that in mind. I made more because I know I’ll use it in other things. 2 cups of cashews yields approximately 1 cup of cashew butter.

Blend 1 cup of nut butter with 1/3 c unrefined coconut oil. These will mix better if they are both at room temperature.
Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients.
Use a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap or cupcake molds (to make it easier to remove once frozen) and scrape your mixture in. Flatten out with the back of a spoon if necessary. I always press in a couple walnuts or chocolate chips for added texture.
Freeze for at least an hour before serving. The fudge will not need much time to defrost before eating, it stays fairly soft.
Keep leftovers plastic wrapped and frozen for best results.
Enjoy!

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Categories Raw Foods, Vegan Recipe

Green Up.

May 8, 2013 //
0

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Green Up Day in Vermont was this past Saturday. Although I admittedly spend a lot of my time greening up everywhere I go, it’s nice to see so many people making an effort together cooperatively. It’s a day for picking up trash, planting flowers and taking a moment to enjoy the earth.

Last year the green up committee did one of the most beautiful things. They planted one hundred or so daffodils cascading across a small field on the side of one of the main roads. It was such an unexpected surprise this spring when they all bloomed! I loved it.

This is my favorite green juice.

Bok choy- I know it might sound like a weird choice for juice but it has a slightly bitter, peppery flavor that actual lends well to the sweet fruit.

Pineapple- my sweet element.

Apple- golden delicious are my favorite for juicing; not to sweet and high juice content.

Lime- bright acidity.

Top with fresh mint.

Enjoy!

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Categories Juice!

Best Freakin’ Pancakes Ever. [yup, there's spinach in there!]

May 6, 2013 //
0

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I should probably preface this post by stating that I am not a lover of breakfast things. Breakfast for me ideally is tea and a bunch of fruit or a smoothie/ juice. I’m not a big morning eater. In fact just yesterday I told my mom I didn’t like pancakes and her reply was, “oh I know you don’t like waffles but I thought you were ok with pancakes.” Lol. I guess when I think of pancakes I automatically think of those IHOP kind of pancakes that I had a few times in high school and made me feel like I was going to explode after I ate them. Blegh. Not for me. These pancakes are different.

Anyway…

Omg. Seriously, omg. I needed this today. We traveled over the weekend and today it all caught up with me…I am totally exhausted! I needed a healthy, hearty meal to pick me back up and give my body the energy I need.

I could not have asked for anything better with this lunch. Perfect.

Coincidentally, this is one of those things that everybody will devour, vegan or not.

Spinach pancakes:

3/4 c unsweetened apple sauce
OR
3 eggs
OR
3 flax eggs, which is 3 T ground flax seed mixed with 9 T warm water

1 ripe banana

1-2 handfuls of uncooked spinach

1 c gluten free flour, almond flour or whatever flour you prefer

Blend your spinach and apple sauce (or eggs) together until you have a smoothie consistency.
Add banana and blend well.
Pour your green mixture into a bowl and mix in your flour.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Add a few tablespoons of coconut oil to your skillet when hot.

I use coconut oil because it’s wonderfully flavorless. It will never overpower the flavor of what you’re cooking! If you don’t want to use coconut oil, try earth balance or a cooking spray.

Pour in about 1/3 cup of batter and smooth it out with a spoon to create an even circle. The batter will be fairly thick which is why I smooth it out, otherwise it might get kind of lumpy.

Flip when you see the pancake browned and note that since you have spinach in the mix it will get a nice dark brown color and not be burnt.

Makes 5-6 pancakes.

Serve will fruit, maple syrup or agave and a bit of coconut cream for indulgence. Coconut cream is the cream you see when you open a can of full fat coconut milk. To get the most out of your coconut cream, DON’T SHAKE THE CAN! Let it sit unopened in the fridge over night and you will have a thick layer or cream on top when you open it. Yum.

Enjoy!

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Categories Vegan Recipe

Drink Your Chia!

May 2, 2013 //
1

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I’ll take any excuse I can get to use chia seeds. I love them. One of the only seeds/nuts that our bodies can readily absorb nutrients from without being ground up or soaked first. Good stuff those chia seeds!

I’ve been seeing these chia seed drinks, some with kombucha some without, and they’re pretty expensive. I know, sometimes it’s just out of convenience that we grab ready made drinks or food. But personally, I have no reason to be in a rush, so I can’t justify buying a lot of things like that.

How much does a bag of chia seeds cost? 11-12 bucks? And how much do those drinks cost…4-5 bucks each. You can make one chia drink with 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds…more drinks can be made from one bag of seeds than you could drink in a month!!

If you’re not familiar with the way chia seeds taste, try this on a small scale first. Mix 2 teaspoons of seeds into a cup of water, whisk and wait 15 minutes for them to absorb as much water as possible. It reminds me of the texture of raspberry jam. I love it! Admittedly, it’s a bit strange at first.

To make one drink:

2 cups cold water or coconut water
1 & 1/2 T chia seeds
1 or 2 t maple syrup, agave or sweetener of your liking
A few squeezes of citrus; lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, etc…

Frozen raspberries are my favorite thing to add to this. Just make sure you have a wide straw, like one for bubble tea, so that your straw doesn’t get clogged.

Whisk together all your ingredients (except raspberries, if using).
Let your drink sit and whisk every few minutes until you see your seeds plump up and begin to float around. Usually takes about 20 minutes before you get a gel-like texture.
Enjoy!

Note that this will not be the same consistency as chia pudding, which is much thicker.

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Categories Raw Foods, Vegan Recipe

Back to the Basics. [polenta & lemon roasted vegetables]

April 28, 2013 //
3

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We went hiking yesterday and foraged these beautiful fiddleheads. I wanted to make something to showcase their mild flavor and I thought a bowl of creamy polenta with roasted garlic & lemon veggies would be great.

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Making polenta is undoubtedly a pain (literally) but it’s so worth it in the end. Make sure you have 30-40 minutes free to attend to your stove because you won’t be able to leave your polenta once it starts cooking. Constantly stirring is what keeps it from burning on the bottom. You can roast whatever vegetables you have on hand; I happened to have grape tomatoes and red kale.

Polenta:

6 cups water
1 3/4 c corn meal
2 t salt
1 t dried oregano
3 T vegan butter, I used earth balance
1/4 c nutritional yeast (if you don’t have it, don’t stress. It adds a cheesy flavor.)

Bring water to a boil in a heavy bottomed pot.
Add salt.
Reduce heat to medium.
Slowly pour corn meal in while whisking to prevent clumps.
Add oregano.
Reduce heat to low and begin stirring.
The polenta will take about 35-45 minutes to thicken completely.
Don’t stop stirring!
Keep going…
Taste.
When the polenta starts to pull away from sides of your pot it’s most likely done, or almost done.
Add in butter and nutritional yeast, stir to combine.
Remove from heat and serve.
Any unused portion should be left out to cool and then stored in the refrigerator.

Roasted Veggies:

Preheat oven to 400.
Remove the outermost white skin from a whole head of garlic, leaving the head shape and individual clove skins intact.
Slice off the top 1/2 inch of the head.
Rub with a few teaspoons of olive oil.
Wrap in foil and place in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.
Check garlic at 30 minutes. You’ll see the garlic get soft and golden in color.
Pour a few teaspoons of olive oil on a sheet pan.
Roll some cherry or grape tomatoes around in the oil to cover them and sprinkle with salt.
Place a lemon half, cut side down, on the sheet pan as well.
The juice of the lemon will slowly come out, mixing with the tomatoes and oil.
Roast for 10 minutes, give everything a toss and roast for another 10, or until they are roasted to your liking.
Squeeze the roasted lemon over your veg when you’re done roasting.

To cook fiddleheads:

Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, rinse with cold water. Repeat. This removes some of the bitterness and any debris that is on your fiddleheads.
You can eat them like this or throw them on your roasting pan with the oil and lemon for a few minutes, 3-5 minutes should suffice.

I like to finish this dish with a little balsamic and fresh thyme.

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Categories Farm to Table, Vegan Recipe

Cucumber Aloe Spritzer. [perfect for a hot day.]

April 28, 2013 //
0

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Spring is upon us, with summer fast approaching, and I thought this was right on target. I love DIY beauty stuff. Good thinking Free People blog!

I spend a lot of time outside, all year long, and I know I will appreciate this in the dead heat of summer. I usually just spray myself down with the hose (which is ICE cold well water) or I run down the driveway and jump into our pond (which is actually just as cold spring water, lol).

The combination of all these ingredients, cucumber, lemon, aloe & rosewater, is so perfect. There’s no need to change a thing! Cooling, refreshing, renewing and smells so good.

What you need:

1 cucumber
Squeeze of lemon
1 t aloe vera gel
1 T rosewater
Cheesecloth

Peel your cucumber, chop it and put it in your blender.
Blend on high for one minute.
Pour your mixture into a piece of cheesecloth, laid in a bowl so the cucumber water drips into the bowl when you gather the edges and squeeze.

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Press out as much liquid as you can.
Discard or compost what’s left inside the cheesecloth.
Pour your cucumber water back into the blender with the remaining ingredients and blend.
Add some water if it’s too thick to be sprayed.
Pour your concoction into a spray bottle and store in the fridge.
Will keep for about a week, so use wisely!

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Categories Uncategorized
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