Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta

I've only been posting the recipes that are out-of-this-world good.  I make new things all the time that are tasty but only a few make it to this blog.  This is fantastic!!

Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta

2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano (I used fresh because I had some)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped cilantro (I probably used a bit more because I LOVE cilantro)
1/4 c. fresh parsley (I just used a sprinkle of dried parsley)
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and cubed
some kind of baguette, ciabatta bread or something of the sort (I actually ate it with chips because I didn't have any bread:P)

Combine lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, oregano, and black pepper in small bowl.  Whisk in oil, then stir in cilantro and parsley.  Fold in avocado cubes.  Spoon avocado mixture onto bread.

Roasted Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

I wish I had taken a picture of this meal.  This is definitely, hands down, one of our FAVS!!  It was soooooo good!!  It took a little more time to make, although I took a walk why the vegetables were roasting, but it was so worth it! 

Roasted Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

Tomatillo Sauce

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husks removed (in my local grocery store they were found by the tomatoes.  They are green and look like a tomatoe but they have a husk. They taste very different than tomatoes so I don't think substituting would work well, although they still would have been good with just salsa on the top, the tomatillo sauce is what made this recipe so delicious)
3 small jalapenos (I used the kind in a jar, but I'm sure fresh would be great.  I happen to like the tang of the jar.)
1 c. chopped cilantro
2/3 cup vegetable broth
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Enchiladas

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
2 medium sized red bell peppers, halved and cut into small wedges or slices
1 large red onion, cut into small wedges
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin (I used a lot more:)
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
12, 6-inch corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (I like cheese so I used a lot more of this too:)

1) To make sauce:  Cook tomatillos in pot of boiling water 3-4 minutes or until soft (like a ripe plum). Drain.
2) Puree jalapenos in food processor.  Add rest of sauce ingredients and process until smooth (I processed until it looked like chunky taco sauce). Set aside.
3) To make enchiladas:  Preheat oven to 400F. Coat roasting pan and 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
4) Toss together squash, peppers, onion, oil, cumin, coriander, and salt in roasting pan.  Bake 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until browned.  Stir in garlic.  Reduce oven to 350.
5) Warm tortillas one by one in large skillet over medium heat.  Spoon 1/2 c vegetables down center of each.  Top with 1 tbsp of cheese (I probably did like 3).  Roll and set seam side down in baking dish.
6) Pour 2 cups sauce over enchiladas.  Bake 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake 10 minutes.
7) Warm remaining sauce in skillet over low heat (I skipped this, I thought the sauce was great just the way it was).  To serve:  Place two enchiladas on each plate and drizzzle with warm tomatillo sauce.

I fed 7 people with one pan but if I would have made two pans they would have all got eaten, so next time I will be making two pans.  This is one of the few things that I have made where, hands down, EVERYONE raved about them!  My daughter generally doesn't care much for squash but she LOVED this recipe!  They've all asked me to make it again soon!

Green Smoothies

This is a recipe that many people have been asking me to post.  This is something we make just about every day in this house, usually as an afternoon snack.  I got this recipe (the basics) from a raw food workshop that I went to but I've changed it up a bit.  It is yummmy and there is not one person in this family that doesn't ask me to make them daily (including Rylee who doesn't eat anything that is green), so here is my version:

Green Smoothie

big handful of spinach
couple leaves of kale, de-stemmed (if you blend with stems it will be stringy)
one banana
one apple, peeled
one pear
two oranges, juiced (I just use a simple hand juicer)
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
1/2-1 inch cube of ginger, chopped up in a couple of pieces
2-4 Tbsp honey
1/2 c-1 c. water
12-15 ice cubes

Blend up in blender until smooth.  Enjoy!!

I'm always fascinated with how my body goes in these cycles of ebbs and flows. I'm pretty in tune with my body and constantly tweak my diet so I give my body what it needs.

I started this blog when I decided to give veganism a try for one month. That month turned into a six month relationship with veganism and for my son it lasted for two years. In that time I learned a lot about what foods make me feel good and what foods don't. My son learned to stick with his convictions towards the food industry- for him it was more about ethics and animal rights. He also learned that his body wasn't getting all that it needed with a vegan diet, especially as an athlete. He was having to take lots of supplements. I personally feel that if you have to fill your body with a bunch of synthetic supplements that you need to change your diet so your body gets what it needs from food. I also decided that there are certain things that I enjoy too much to give up, mainly wine and cheese. Those two things alone give me a lot of pleasure and I want them in my life:) So neither of us are vegan anymore.

The differences that Kev has experienced are amazing! Just adding eggs to his diet has made him stronger, less sick (something he has struggled with for three years), and is taking incredible amounts of time off of his swim races.

Tristan also informed me a few days ago that he is not vegetarian any more. He does not want to search meat out to eat but if someone cooks it for him, mainly when he is at a friend's house, he will eat it. I love that my kids are able to make those decisions for themselves and we honor and support those things the best we can. Being that his dad eats meat he won't have to look far if he really wants it.

Over the last couple of months I've been learning more about diet and nutrition; for me it is an ongoing quest, a sort of passion. My body is once again going through a cycle where it is craving something more. Over the last 15 years of being "vegetarian" about 7 of those years have been pescetarian, meaning I ate seafood during those years. It's been a year here and there, as I really just try and listen to what my body needs. I'm once again feeling like I need to add seafood to my diet (it's been four years since I last ate fish). One of the reasons, having nothing to do with how I feel, is that we are trying to move towards a more self-sustainable lifestyle, at least with the food part. Within a few years I would like to be able to only depend on the grocery store for grains and legumes and an occasional treat. Salmon is a readily available food source for us and extremely easy to get for pennies.

I may change the blog name, we'll see. I don't want to misrepresent. I will still mostly be posting vegan recipes, as vegan dinner meals are still more frequent than vegetarian meals but I want to concentrate on HEALTH! I want to start posting more tidbits on research and share more about general health and I want to post on my slow transformation to self-sustainability. I have always had a hard time with the vegan and raw food culture, mostly because they seem to be so black and white: if you don't eat this way you will die or get cancer! I think there needs to be balance in one's life; it's like Kevin from Alaska Center of Acupuncture said to me this week, "It's about what we eat six days out of the week that matter." You could say it's what you eat most of the time that matters.

So stay tuned! I really want to concentrate on this blog v. my regular one, simply because I have FB to update everyone on my life:)

Portobella Mushroom Bake

These were delicious! The recipe suggests serving them with rice and a side of wilted greens. Kev and I enjoyed them on a bun, as a burger, with slices of avocado. I broiled a little bit of mozarella cheese over mine as well.

Portobella Mushroom Bake

1/2 c. almonds

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. Braggs

1/4-1/2 c. water

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I minced mine)

1 tsp. dried rosemary (I used fresh herbs, yummy!!)

1 tsp. oregano

4 larger Portobella mushrooms, stems removed

1 medium onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor, blend the almonds until powdered. Add oil, Braggs, water, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and oregano, and blend until well combined. In a large baking dish, place mushrooms upside down and top with onions (I coated tops with olive oil as well). Pour sauce over top and bake for about 25 minutes.

Coconut Spiced Vegetables

I made this tonight; it was really yummy but not "out of this world" yummy. I will definitely add it to my list of favorites though and make it on occasion. When I made it I tripled the recipe and if I make it again I will add triple more the amount of Asian Chili Sauce.

Coconut Spiced Vegetables

1/4 c. almonds
1-2 tsp. asian chili sauce
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. Braggs (can substitute soy sauce)
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil

1 carrot, chopped
1 c. cauliflower, chopped
1 c. broccoli, chopped
6 mushrooms, chopped
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
1 c. chinese cabbage, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

In a blender or food processor, blend together the almonds, chili sauce, coriander, ginger, onion, and Braggs. In a large saucepan on medium heat, saute the almond mixture in oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, and 1/2 the coconut milk and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, cabbage, and red pepper, turn off heat, and let sit covered for 5 minutes.

I just realized as I was typing the instructions that I actually sauted the vegetables for 3-4 minutes prior, not the almond mixture. Maybe sauteing the almond mixture first will bring out more flavor:) This was a pretty quick meal, only took me about 20-30 minutes from start to finish. All the kids said the same thing, "It was pretty good." So not, OMG that was so awesome!! But a winner:)

California Chop Chop Salad

This is definitely one of my absolute FAVORITES!! I haven't made it in a long time and had kind of forgotten about it. It's back out now.............yuummmyyy!

California Chop Chop Salad:

3/4 c. canned garbanzo beans
1/2 c. small pitted olives
1 medium avocado, chopped (I usually add more because this is my favorite part of the salad)
1 medium tomato, chopped
1- 6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped- RESERVE THE MARINADE JUICE
3 oz cheddar cheese or mozarella cheese, cubed (I don't add this)

Dressing:
Mix the reserved artichoke marinade with the same amount of balsamic vinegar

Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar mixture.

You can serve on top of lettuce too:)