My 1st Chia Smoothie

Alright, dudes. I decided to try adding chia seeds to a smoothie. It's supposed to add protein and essential fatty acids, so I thought, "Eh, why not?"

It turned out quite well and way more filling than I would've thought. I read that there are 3 ways to add chia to your smoothies:

• soak the seeds in liquid a few minutes to let it gel up and soften the seeds
• grind the seeds in a coffee grinder
• or add them straight when you start blending in the, well, blender

I took the soaking route. I was not wanting to have crunchy whole seeds in my smoothie. I soaked 1 TB of chia seeds in 1/2 cup of coconut milk for about 6 minutes while I was gathering the other ingredients. According to MyFitnessPal, this smoothie is 203 calories.

Here's what I used in my smoothie:

• 1 TB organic chia seeds
• 1/2 cup Silk coconut milk
• 1/4 cup organic blueberries
• 1/4 cup carrot (1 smallish carrot)
•  1/4 cup fresh pineapple
• 1/2 small banana
• handful of ice
• 1/4 cup water

Here's what I did:

1. Mix the seeds and coconut milk together in a small bowl and let sit at least 5 minutes for the seeds to soften and gel up.
2. Add all of the ingredients into the blender and blend on high until smooth. Leave out the water if you prefer a thick smoothie. 

Smoothie from My Garden

Okay, so the title of this post is a tad misleading. It's not 100% from my garden, but it is mostly stuff I grew. I grew the carrots, kale, and strawberries, but not the orange or banana. Sorry, but the harsh Michigan winters prohibit such fruits. That is your geography/science lesson for the day. This smoothie is seriously awesome. It tastes like magic. Or maybe it's just that I haven't made a smoothie in weeks. Whatever the case, it is still pretty damn yummy...and (gasp) good for you!

What you need:

• 1 banana
• 1 small seedless orange, peeled
• about 6 strawberries (average sized)
• about 6 smallish kale leaves with the thick stems removed
• 2 small carrots or 1 medium
• a few bits of ice

What you do:

1. Do I really need to tell you how to throw everything in the blender and blend the shit out of it? Nah. I didn't think so.

Fluorescent Green Smoothie!

I'm back on a smoothie kick lately. I can't stop. Whenever I look at produce, I start imagining them swirling around in my Vita-Mix. Alas, I was low on produce when I made this one. It's simple and delicious...and very green.

What's in it?

• 2 big handfuls of kale (just 1 if you have Hulk hands)
• 1 kiwi (peeled)
• 1 banana
• 1 orange
• a smidge of water and some ice

Look how easy that is! And, when you use ripe fruits, you don't need to add any sweeteners. Ripe fruit is sweeter fruit. 

KROB Smoothie

KROB smoothie. What the hell is a KROB? It's a healthy-ass, delicious vegan smoothie full of awesome!

K-ale (from my garden, and it was actually purple kale)

R-aspberry

O-range

B-anana

Now you get it. And now you should make it. It is supremely delicious.

• 1packed cup kale
• 1 big handful raspberries
• juice of 2 oranges
• 1 ripe banana
• ice (optional)

Want to know more about the health benefits of kale? Click here for more info. Want awesome "EAT MORE KALE" gear,like tees and bumperstickers? Then you definitely want to click here. I have the shirt and get so many questions about it.

Not a Green Smoothie

 

 

There are days that I crave a massive breakfast complete with vegan sausage, pancakes and veg. Today was not that day. I craved some green smoothie...like, hardcore. Sadly, I failed at replenishing my produce because I worked all weekend. Working Sunday (my normal grocery day) threw off my whole veg game. I know, I know...I'm rambling. What the hell was I saying? Oh, yeah. So, I wanted a green smoothie, but I had no greens, thus I made a fruit-ish smoothie instead. I pretty much never make non-green-smoothies. They feel too desserty instead of breakfasty. Yes, those are words. In a crunch, this smoothie will at least get some fruit and veg into your face. It tasted pretty sweet, but was still pretty filling. I recommend it. Fo sho. If you have a little lime on-hand, I bet the smoothie would benefit from a little squeeze.

What I used:

• 1 ripe banana
• 5 big strawberries, green tops removed
• 1 large carrot, peeled, or about 8 baby carrots
• some water...maybe 1/3 cup
• a scoop of ice

Just blend the shit out of this. Drink it down. Easy.

Peanut Butter Banana Green Smoothie

Look carefully at the jar. POWDERED PEANUT BUTTER. I know you're thinking, "What the fuck, Chickpea?" And, dear readers, I was right there with you. My auntie brought this to me from her health food store and I was an instant skeptic, as I often tend to be. But, I decided to give it the ol' college try. I have to say, I'm quite impressed. Though, I have only tried it on a spoon (yummy and it cakes to your roof) and in this smoothie. I have to tell you, I am really quite impressed. I absolutely LOVE it in my smoothie. It gave the smoothie a bit of peanutty flavor without all the oil and fat of jarred peanut butter. Here's what the back of the PB2 jar says:

So, here's how I made my smoothie of excellentness:

• 1 carrot
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 big handful of red grapes
• 1 big handful of baby kale
• 1 big handful of baby spinach
• 3 TB orange juice
• 2 TB powdered peanut butter (PB2 is the kind I used)
• some ice

Blend that shit up and drink it down.You can thank me later.

Another ugly smoothie...

When you mix a lot of colors, you end up with brown. And that's exactly what happened with today's smoothie. It turned a sickly brownish-green. I had odds and ends in my fridge that needed to be used, so I threw them all together. It still tasted terrific, though, so I'm not complaining. If you can get past the color, you'll dig the flavors.

This recipe makes 2 large smoohies.

• 1 huge handful of kale
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 honeycrisp apple
• 1/2 ripe banana (if you like a really banana-y smoothie, use a whole one)
• half a handful of blueberries
• handful of raspberries
• 1/4 cup POM pomegranate-cranberry juice
• 2-3 TB orange juice
• ice

Blend, duh.

The Ugly Smoothie

I was really craving a smoothie this morning, as I do most mornings. So, I got adventurous and just threw a bunch of stuff in my VitaMix. It turned out quite ugly (brown-ish green), but it did taste pretty good. Just don't look at it when you drink it. Hey, remember those old Cocoa Wheats commercials where the kids wore blindfolds and bags on their heads because the food was so ugly? No? Perhaps this will refresh your memory:



Yeah. So. There you go. 1989. Awkward and strange.

Ugly smoothie ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot
• 1 cup kale
• 1/2 large red apple
• 2 small blood oranges
• 1 small banana
• 1-2 TB ground flax
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice
• a few pieces of ice

I assume you know how to put this in a blender and blend the shit out of it. It's easy. Enjoy. Or not. Whatever you do, don't look at it.

Kickass Kale Kiwi Smoothie

 

I have to say that I have never been a kale lover. I keep trying it and I never seem to like how it turns out. Anyway, I bought some a couple days ago to give it another shot. I was going to try mixing it into some of my super tasty OMG Hashbrowns recipe, but inspiration struck and I added them to my smoothie instead! I was shocked at how awesome it turned out.

I usually add fruit juice to my smoothies, but I have been using almond milk lately. To my surprise, I stumbled on this super awesome new milk at the grocery store. It's a coconut milk and almond milk blend and it rocks my socks so hardcore!!

Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about! I'm in serious love with it. Anywhoooo, give it a shot if you see it. It's comes in sweetened and unsweetened varieties, but I prefer the sweetened for my smoothies. Yum! Now, on to the smoothie.

What I used:

• 1 cup kale
• 1 small banana
• 2 kiwi, ends cut off (I always leave the skin on, but you don't have to)
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/2 cup almond-coconut milk
• handful of ice

What I did:

1. Threw it into my VitaMix and blended it. Duh. 

It makes 2 smallish smoothies or 1 very large one.

Kiwi Smoothies are Rad

Smoothies. Who doesn't love 'em? Well, my dears, I have been in kind of a smoothie rut lately. I've been less than creative with my green smoothies, so I decided to shake things up a bit. I found a great deal on kiwis yesterday, so I bought 8 of them for $2.00. I couldn't resist their furry brown goodness. And, to top it off, kiwi are crazy good for you. Don't believe me? Click here for more info. So, yeah, I bought 8 kiwifruits on a whim. A damn tasty whim, if I do say so myself. What's a chickpea to do with 8 kiwi? Make a smoothie...though I didn't use 8, just 2. Forgive me for misleading you. Now make the smoothie already.

Makes 1 smoothie.

• 2 peeled kiwi (mine were partially peeled because I like the skin)
• 1 smallish ripe banana
• 1 small carrot
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup almond milk
• a small scoop of ice

Blend all that tasty shit together and you have a wicked tasty smoothie.

I must say, though, that I was a little disappointed that the smoothie wasn't the mega-vibrant green of the inside of a kiwi. I blame myself for adding carrot and banana. But the taste more than makes up for it.

Smoothie of The Day

Mmmm! While I was away on vacation I had smoothie withdrawal, so of course, I had to make an awesome one today to make up for it. Fortunately I remembered to make a trek to the grocery store yesterday to stock back up, otherwise yesterday's Hearty Minestrone Soup wouldn't have been possible...nor would today's smoothie. This is one of the best that I've had in quite a while. Maybe I was in a smoothie rut pre-vacation. Whatever. Here's what I used:

• 1 small banana
• 1/2 of a giant HoneyCrisp apple (skin and core left intact)
• 1 tangerine
• 1 small carrot
• 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice
• 1 small scoop of ice

Blend until nice and smooth. Enjoy.

In case you're curious, here's what I made this day last year:
Penne alla Vodka! <---Click to check out the recipe.

The view from my back porch this morning. Cold and foggy. I love it!

Crazy Carrot Smoothie - Vegan MoFo #15

I'm finally using up the rest of those carrots leftover from my pal's bridal shower! WOOOOOO! Who would've thought that people would go nuts over the broccoli and cauli and cukes, but not carrots? Well, whatever. I used a boat-load to make this smoothie. You can see how thick it is - it's holding up my glass straw without any help! I dig them nice and thick. Hence the glass straw (they don't collapse like crummy plastic ones). Anywhooooo...

This smoothie is probably one of the best. Then again, I love carrots in smoothies. And cakes. And roasted. And in salads. And dipped in hummus. And by themselves. So, it may be carrot overload for the orange veggie haters out there. Anyway, here goes.

Makes 1 large smoothie.
You need: 

• 2 huge carrots
• 1 red apple (I use Ida Red)
• 1 banana
• 1 scoop ice
• a little juice, water, or almond milk (I used a splash of cranberry juice)

 What you do:

1. Blend it all together, duh. Then it'll look like this:

So, there you have it. Make it. Enjoy it's carroty goodness.

Meg's Rainbow Smoothie

Remember a few days ago when I said I try to eat a rainbow? Well, this is the rainbow smoothie for your drinking pleasure. Sure, it looks brown here, but wait... It has 6 colors inside!
RED: 1 small apple
ORANGE: 1 carrot
YELLOW: 1/2 Peach, 1/2 banana
GREEN: a huge handful of baby spinach
 BLUE: 1/4 cup blueberries
BROWN: 1 TB ground flax, 3 TB almond milk

Just blend it all together (with a few pieces of ice) until silky smooth in your blender. If it's too thick, add some water or more almond milk. If you have a high-power blender, you probably won't need to add the extra liquid. Whomever invented the Vita-Mix deserves many, many high-fives! I bought mine last November as a less expensive refurb model from their website and I couldn't be happier. I use it a minimum of 5 times a week. Anywhoooo...

How's that for eating a rainbow for breakfast? I know, I'm missing purple, but I think I did darn good even without it. If I'd had some raspberries, I'd have been spot-on. But, I just want to show you how easy it is to eat a wide array of colors. Even if the rest of your day is monochromatic, at least you got a nice mix for breakfast. It's not always easy to get your full spectrum of colors, especially when they aren't in season. So, I'm taking full advantage now and stocking up my freezer for the months ahead. Off-season produce can be prohibitively expensive at the grocery store, so if you have the space, start stocking up and freezing what you can. Frozen fruit, in particular, makes excellent smoothies, pies, even muffins and pancakes.

Even if you're not a Veg*an, you can still get almost a full day's servings of fruit and veg with a big homemade smoothie. The (mostly worthless, corporate-interest-run) USDA says that women need 4 cups of produce/day, while men need 5. This smoothie easily makes 2 cups. So, you're at least off to a good start. Make the smoothie already. It's damn tasty, easy to make, has a LOT of fiber and your body will say thank you. Do I really have to keep working to convince you? Sheesh. Cut a chickpea some slack, dude.

**And if you are looking for awesome smoothie straws like I use, look no further than Strawesome. They make the BEST eco-friendly, reusable glass straws. They come in all different sizes, some specifically for smoothies. I bought mine a few months ago and use them pretty much every single day. They're made of the same glass as pyrex, so they are safe and sturdy. I've dropped mine on the kitchen floor more than once, and have yet to break any. To top it off, they're dishwasher safe and made in the USA in my home state of Michigan. You can also find them on twitter under username @BeStrawesome

Green Day...the food, not the band + Dog Blankie

I completely forgot to do my St. Patrick's Day post last month of all the green food I ate that day! I was emptying out the SD card for my camera this morning and stumbled upon my green food photos. So, Better late than never...or whatever. If you don't like it, well, too bad because here they are.

Breakfast: Green Smoothie
Ingredients:

• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 banana
• 1/4 cup fresh pineapple
• 1 clementine orange
• 1 small apple
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice
• 2 TB flax meal
• ice, if you want some

Method:
Put everything in the blender (I so LOVE my Vita-Mix for smoothies) and blend until well combined.

Lunch: Chickpea Salad SandwichIngredients:

• 1/2 cup (slightly heaping) cooked chickpeas
• 1 TB + 1 tsp Vegenaise mayo
• 2 tsp mustard (yellow, spicy brown or dijon are all tasty here)
• 2-3 TB raw onion
• 1 heaping TB nooch
• 1 TB dill relish
• 1 TB unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tsp Braggs Aminos
• Green food coloring

Method:
Put all ingredients in a food processor and whir a few times, until combined. I like mine chunky, but you can puree if you want. It's your sandwich, after all.

Dinner: Green Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli and Chickpea Patties
The chickpea patties are just the chickpea cutlet recipe from Veganomicon, made into thicker patties instead of cutlets. I always add more garlic and some steak sauce to this recipe. The Mashed potatoes are easy:  green food coloring, Earth Balance, almond milk and salt. And, well, if I have to describe how to steam veggies, you may be a hopeless case.

So, there you go. My St. Patrick's Day green meals. Late, but oh well.

As for my Eco-Craft I started a last week, I am almost done! Check it out :)

Banana Nut Pancakes

I have really been addicted to making pancakes lately, and really, who the hell doesn't love pancakes? They're so easy and so tasty, and leftovers heat up nicely in the microwave. You can use any fruit you have laying around, I guess, but an overripe banana add sweetness without having to add additional sugar. Plus, I am always looking for recipes to use up the bananas I forget to eat. Additionally, I had a handful of walnuts that were close to their expiration date, too, so I used them up. Thus, Banana Walnut Pancakes were born! I will definitely make these tasty babies again soon. They taste a bit like banana nut bread in pancake form...YUM! You can't resist. Really, you can't. I've embedded this page with hypnotic messages that you can't ignore. Muahaahaaaaaa! My evil plan is coming together nicely.

As always, they are probably tasty drizzled in maple syrup, but I am not much of a sweet breakfast kind of girl. So, I just slather on a little (or maybe a lot) of Earth Balance and chow down. You may do whatever you want. I guess. But, just so you know, if you ask me I will tell you that my way is best. Because it is.

This recipe will make about ten 4-inch pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 tsp (heaping) cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• a shake or two of nutmeg
• 1 over-ripe banana
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I toasted mine in the oven for about 10 minutes @ 350 degrees F)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
•  Ener-G egg replaceer totaling 1 egg, mixed and ready to be used
• cooking spray or a bit of Earth Balance to grease the pan

Method:

1. Mix your flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, mix your milk, oil, vanilla, and egg replacer well.
3. Mash your banana very well with a fork and add to your wet bowl. Mix well.
4. Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredient bowl. I used a whisk to combine until there were no dry powders visible. Be careful not to overmix or else your pancakes will not poof up when you cook them. Your batter should be kind of lumpy.
5. Fold in your walnuts.
6. Heat a non-stick skillet/frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes before adding batter. Spray with your cooking spray or a drop few small dabs of Earth Balance where you will be pouring your batter.
7. Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour your batter onto the hot pan. Once the batter starts to get medium-sized bubbles in their middles (about 3-4 minutes), gently use your spatula to flip the pancakes over. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until the bottoms are browned to your liking.
8. Serve the pancakes up with some butter and maple syrup (if you must). 

If you use maple syrup, let me know what you think of it. Also, I'd like to know: do you smother with syrup or just drizzle some on top? I'm inexperienced in such syrupy matters.

Pineapple Smoothies & the New Vita-Mix -- Vegan MOFO #17

Alright.  I've been eyeing the Vita-Mix for about 2 years.  I really wanted one, especially for smoothies.  The local shop charges $5.00 for a smoothie, and it can be pretty expensive if you want to customize or add any mix-ins, like nuts.  So, I got a different blender in the meantime, which subsequently can barely chop ice, let alone make a smoothie that's (ahem) smooth.  I started doing more research (read: asking my Twitter pals and watching endless videos online) and finally decided to take the plunge.  I ordered a factory refurbished model through the Vita-Mix website under "online specials."  The refurb still comes with a 7 year manufacturer warranty, which is excellent because my old blender had a 6-month limited warranty.  The mixers are expensive, but I've had mine for a day and a half and I'm already in love and made 2 wonderful smoothies.  Just so you know, Vita-Mix isn't sponsoring me or anything.  I paid for the mixer myself and this mini review is from the heart.

So, here's my first smoothie recipe.  I warn you in advance, it is a bit tart which is how I love them.  But feel free to add some sweetener of your choice.  I you are using frozen fruit, you don't need to add the ice.  I used fresh fruit this time, so I added ice.  This recipe makes 2 medium-large glasses full.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
• 1/2 banana
• 1-2 TB fresh lime juice
• about 8 fresh cranberries
• 1 1/4 cups ice
• 1/2 cup water

Blend on high until nice and smooth.

Banana Bread Success!

So, this morning I decided that I really needed to use up some bananas that were quickly turning too ripe to eat.  I was torn between making banana waffles in my amazing new waffle maker or making a simple banana bread.  Since I decided to start trying more things with my cooking, I went for the bread, which I have never made before.  It actually turned out amazingly well.  As soon as it was done, I sliced off a steaming hot chunk and slathered a little Earth Balance butter on it.  It was divine!  This recipe has been added to my permanent collection.

Here is my recipe:

Click Here to Print This Recipe
Ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized ripe bananas
• 4 TB melted Earth Balance, 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used unbleached all-purpose flour)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg replacement (I use Ener-G)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ground cinnamon to taste (I used approx. 1/4-1/3) tsp.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mash bananas in a mixing bowl with a fork or potato masher.
3. Add all other ingredients, mixing well with wooden spoon or spatula.
4. Butter/lightly oil the loaf pan.
5. Pour into loaf pan and bake approximately 55 minutes (or until outside is brown and a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean).
6. The end.  Eat it! *
   

*Because I don't know if you've made bread before, here is what I did as soon as I got it out of the oven: I ran a thin silicone spatula around the inside of the loaf pan to make sure the bread wasn't stuck.  Then I flipped the pan on its side and the bread slid right out onto a cutting board.  I let it cool about 20ish minutes and then covered it with saran wrap to keep moist.