Ingredients:
6 servings

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup pickled onions
• 2 cups brussel sprouts, cut in quarters
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large beet, chopped
• 1 bag Maria’s Noodles Teff Fusilli
• 1 jar (270g) Sugo all’Arrabbiata

Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Add mushrooms and garlic an cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until golden. Remove from heat. Add pickled onions, brussels sprouts, tomatoes and beets.

To prepare pasta, follow directions on the package. For Teff Fusilli, it only takes 5-8 minutes to cook.  Bring 4.5 litres of water to boil. Reduce heat to medium, add pasta and cook 5-8 minutes stirring frequently. Rinse with warm water.

Add pasta to vegetable mixture, add 1 jar Suga all’Arrabbiata (my fav!!), toss until well coated.  Heat through and serve.

What I have discovered is if I have a raw vegan treat, i.e. gluten free, refined sugar free, processed-food free (i.e. no gluten substitutes), then I am A-ok!! Yeah!!  And even if I do get myself into a place where I want to have more than I should (t’ya like that ever happens ), I don’t get the grumpy, lethargic and yukky feeling!  Gotta love that!!

So this has led me to creating several chewy recipes (i.e. Cocoa Chews, Cashew Cranberry Chews, etc.) as I love the oooey-goey texture of these types of treats.  Well, last night that sweet tooth returned so I whipped these up lickedy-split in less than 5 minutes.  Yup, another easy peasy Catherine special .

I hope you enjoy as much as I do (did! HA!).  Feel free to leave a comment to let me know what your favourite treats are!!

Ingredients:
Makes about 25-30 small balls

• 1-1.5 cup raw cashews
• 6-8 medjool dates, pitted
• 8-10 dried apricots (remember whey you buy dried fruit it should be brown and NOT orange (or whatever colour is the natural fruit colour), if they are orange that means sulphites have been added to preserve the colour!! Sulphites not good!!)
• 2-3 tbsp agave

In Cuisinart add 1 cup cashews, 3-4 dates and 4-5 apricots.  Pulse until mixed but still chunky – add more cashews/dates/apricots until you get the consistency/proportion that you like best – I like more goey so tend to add more dates/apricots, but I think it’s important to adjust for your own tastes!  Add agave at end and use only enough to make ‘dough’ more sticky.  Form into tiny balls. Store in the fridge or freezer, although I prefer the freezer as it gives the balls a more ooey-gooey texture.  Also, they will keep longer in the freezer and you can easily grab one or two (maybe 3 ) for a quick daily snack. Enjoy!!

http://virtualveganpotluck.com/may-2013/get-out-the-vote/

Reblogged from Almost Raw Vegan:

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I often have an urge for something with a chewy texture and a little sweet during the day.  With regular sweets, i.e. sweets made with flour, eggs, butter I feel too "heavy" and it just doesn't agree with me.  Not to mention the fact that I get a bit of the "addictive" nature when I eat anything with flour.

The great news?  

Read more… 282 more words

Ingredients:
1.5 litire (3 servings of 500ml each)

• 3 cups water
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup black berries
• 1/4 cup raw almonds (soaked overnight)
• 2 tbsp flaxseed, ground
• 3 big handfuls spinach

Add all ingredients to the blender. Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy. To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach and if you are looking for a blender visit my post on Choosing a Blender for some ideas that will fit any budget. Enjoy!!

This is the 3rd Virtual Vegan Potluck which includes over 168 participants from across the globe – Canada (yeah!! where I live!), Denmark (yeah!! My heritage/roots, where I use to live & where all my extended family still lives!!), South Africa (yeah!! where I lived as a kid!), Belgium, USA, Japan, India, UK, Australia, Poland, and more!! Can you believe it? 168 vegan recipes at your finger tips!! Now, THAT is amazing!!

My easy-peasy contribution is this wonderful refreshing Citrus Glow Smoothie, perfect to start your morning.  Those who follow me at my blog, on Facebook or Twitter will know I’m addicted to my morning smoothies. There are so many great reasons for following an Almost Raw Vegan Food Pyramid and eating raw foods - and one of the easiest ways to add more vegetables and fruits to your diet is adding a Green Smoothie recipes to your day.

This Citrus Glow Smoothie is chocked full of nutrients.  It is very high in vitamins A & C, high in dietary fiber, iron and potassium, a great source of calcium and so much more!  Plus the citrus helps the body absorb the iron in the pumpkin seeds. The cucumber is oh-so-hydrating and great for your skin. Oh and don’t forget the amazing boost of plant-based protein!! Look at that, 9.5g of protein in one serving!

Ingredients:
Makes 1.5 litres (2 servings)

• 3 cups water
• 3 large oranges, peel removed and chopped
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• 2-3 big handfuls spinach

Add all ingredients to the blender. Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy. To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach and if you are looking for a blender visit my post on Choosing a Blender for some ideas that will fit any budget. Enjoy!!

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That’s it, that’s all for my easy-peasy contribution to the May 2013 Virtual Vegan Potluck!!  Be sure to use the GoBACK and GoFORWARD buttons to scroll through all the other amazing recipes. Enjoy!!

We Go Authentic

Gormandize with Us!

Here are just a few of my favourite ingredients for keeping my immune system in top form!

Blueberries are known for their antiviral and antibacterial properties and are valuable in fighting infections.

All citrus fruits are packed with Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. Other great sources for Vitamin C in the fruit world including pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe, papaya and guava. But it doesn’t stop there!  The vegetable world also includes great sources of Vitamin C including brussels sprouts, tomatoes, bell peppers, kale and broccoli.

Green Tea is full of antioxidants to help boost your immune system. Use green tea as the liquid – for example make 2 cups of green tea using four tea bags and let it cool before adding to the blender.

Goji berries are rich in antioxidants and will give your immune system a powerful boost. They will also give you an energy boost

Carrots are packed with vitamin A, vital for immune function and eye health as well as healthy skin. They also contain loads of beta carotene, a powerful phytonutrient that boosts the immune system.

Spinach is a nutrient-filled vegetable that can increase the functioning of your immune system, with all the amazing nutrient filled benefits including vitamin A & C, lutein, iron, chlorophyll and folate.

Raw Pumpkin Seeds offer lots vitamins including vitamins A, B6, C and E and beta carotene. The list goes on! Pumpkin seeds helps enhance your immune system, and protects against colds, flu and infections.

Refreshing Immune Boost

The combination of citrus, goji berries and spinach fill your body with antioxidants and Vitamin C.

• 3 cups water or green tea
• 3 oranges, peel removed
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2-3 big handfuls spinach

Add all ingredients to the blender.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy. To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

Ruby Tuesday Booster

This smoothie is chocked full of Vitamins A & C and antioxidants and will keep your immune system in top form

• 3 cups water or green tea
• 1 large beet
• 2 apples
• 3 carrots
• 1/2 lemon, peel removed
• 2 hot peppers
• beet greens

Add all ingredients to the blender.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy. To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

Blueberry, Banana, Goji Berry Booster

• 3-4 cups water or green tea
• 1 banana
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup goji berries
• 1 broccoli stalk
• 2-3 tbsp dulse (start with less if you are new to dulse)
• 3 big handfuls spinach

Add all ingredients to the blender.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy. To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

Orange & Goji Berry Booster

• 2 cups water
• 2 oranges, peel removed
• handful goji berries
• 2 big handfuls spinach

Add all ingredients to the blender.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy.  To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

The best part? The ingredients for the pasta are nothing other than red lentils! How great is that?

Ingredients:
Yield: 6 servings

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 small onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 large red pepper, sliced in slivers
• 1 small yellow pepper, sliced in slivers
• 1 small handful snow peas
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 -10 oz jar Sugo all’arrabbiata (my fav spicy pasta sauce)
• 1/2 package Maria’s Noodles Red Lentil Fusilli

Add water to large pot.  Heat to boiling.  Add pasta, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-8 minutes.  Remove from heat, rinse well and set aside.

Add sesame oil to large fry pan or wok.  Heat over medium-high heat.  Add onions and garlic and heat until softened and lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.  Add pepper and snow peas and heat through.  Add tomatoes and avocado and stir well.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and stir well.  Add pasta sauce and mix well together.

Add pasta to vegetable mixture, stir well.  Heat through.

Serve and enjoy!!

Click HERE to see YouTube Video

Well, we were fortunate enough to escape for a week this winter!!  A week of sun, sand!! Yipppee!!  But mostly, a week without snow, no cold, no shovelling, no fireplaces, no boots, no winter coats, no brushing snow off the car, no winter!!  Yeah!!

We enjoyed lots of sun, sand, tons of fresh fruits & vegetables, lots of D-vitamin, and mostly lots of rest and relaxation!!

Take a look at My YouTube VIDEO premiere at Iberostar Grand Bavaro!!  It’s perfect for ARVs like you and me. I can’t wait to go back

Ola!!

Reblogged from Almost Raw Vegan:

In my humble opinion, I believe it's best to buy organic fruits & veggies when possible and I also believe it's best to buy local.  Local and organic, that's what I say!

Think of it this way, would you rather eat nice plump, fully ripened fruits & veggies that were picked at the peak of ripeness just a few days before you buy them at your local farmers market?

Read more… 359 more words

If you aren’t there yet, don’t fret, before you know it your taste buds will adjust and your body will start to crave green GREEN smoothies !! No really! trust me, it comes with time and your body will absolutely love you once you start including more and more greens!

Today’s smoothie is very high source of dietary fiber, iron, potassium and Vitamin A & C.  It’s also a great source of calcium and vitamin B6 and as you will see below it also has high protein of 16.2 g per 500ml serving!!

Ingredients:
Yield 3 x 500ml servings

• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• 3-4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 broccoli stalk, chopped
• 1-2 lemons, rind removed (the lemon helps “cut” the green taste, start with one lemon and add the second one if you really like that lemony flavour)
• 2 inches of fresh ginger root
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 2-3 VERY Big handfuls of spinach

Add all ingredients to the blender.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy.  To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

As a mini-day-cleanse I would enjoy the full batch (1.5 litires) myself during the morning/afternoon and then have a great big green salad with lots of greens (kale, spinach and/or romaine), sprouts, fresh veggies, a drizzle of olive oil and juice of 1/2 lemon for dinner!!  Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmm easy-peasy mini-day-cleanse!

Yes, it is high in fat as a result of the nuts & hemp seed but in moderations it’s all healthy and when you are enjoying a day of smoothies, it really hits the spot and gives real satisfaction plus it gives you a great boost of protein (8.3 g/serving) and energy with the medjool dates.

You will notice that I don’t suggest using a nut bag to remove the pulp!  I find with the soaked cashews and my Vitamix this smoothie becomes very creamy and there is no pulp to remove and it’s just perfect as it is!!  Oh, you can also use less water and perhaps reduce dates/vanilla and make more of a “cream” that is great as a cream substitute in your coffee or even as a topping for something like Cacao-Avocado Pudding!!  The possibilities are endless!! Mmmm!! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
Yields 4 servings of 250ml each

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup cashews, soaked for 2.5 hrs and rinsed well
• 3 Tbsp hempseed
• 3 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla (you can use less, I just LOVE vanilla)

Add all ingredients to your Vitamix blender.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy.

Starting the week with an ever so green smoothie….Mmmmmmm, love my green smoothies.

This one is chocked full of nutrients – a high source of calcium, potassium and B6, super high in Vitamins A & C as well as iron and dietary fiber.  And of course not too shabby in the protein levels!!  All in all a wonderful vitamin and mineral boost for your body!

Ingredients:
Yield:  2 servings of 1 litre / 4 cups each

• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 apples, chopped
• 2 lemons, rind removed and quartered
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1/2 bunch kale (I used red kale today)
• 1 small handful spinach

Add all ingredients to the blender in the order listed.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy.  To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

(1.5 litres/1.5 servings)

• 3 cups water
• 1 banana
• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 tbsp Chia Seed [279756]
• 1 (88 g) broccoli stem (cup,+chopped)
• 1/3 cucumber
• 2 cups kale

Add all ingredients to the blender in the order listed.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  If it’s too thick add more water to taste. And remember if you are planning to add to jars for later use, the blueberries and chia seed will thicken with time, so you may want to add a little more water and make a thinner consistency. Blend on high until smooth and frothy.  To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

It’s funny how things come to you sometimes, isn’t it?

It was the first week in March and into my mailbox came a new post from Beauty with Magdalena.  You remember Magdalena don’t you? Magdalena is the owner of Woman Divine and I wrote about My Experience with Woman Divine last September where I had an AMAZING facial treatment.  Ok, if you haven’t visited Woman Divine you will definitely want to!

So, in came a new post from Magdalena and she wrote about her experience with a juice cleanse, but not just any juice cleanse, it was Flexi Lexi’s Juice Cleanse.

I read with great interest as just that morning I said to myself  ”Spring is coming and perhaps it’s time for a cleanse of some type” and with that I had a new lead to investigate.  I touched base with Magdalena and she had nothing but great things to say about Alexa and the program. I know one of the things that interested me was that Flexi Lexi juices were delivered directly to your door!  Yeahhhh, not only would I get a juice cleanse but I would get a break from food prep!! Just what I wanted.

It occurred to me that I remembered seeing Alexa Spas the owner of Flexi Lexi which specializes in Culinary Nutrition & Juice Cleansing on CTV Ottawa Morning Live show some time ago, so I googled again and found a clip that was only a couple of weeks old called Juicing Trends with Alexa Spas!! How exciting!! I was sold!

I emailed her and later that day she sent me a summary of the service with some great insights including:

• Why Juice Cleanse?
• Benefits of Juice Cleansing
• Pre-Cleanse
• The Juices
• The Program
• Enhancing your Cleanse
• Post-Cleanse

I was so pumped!!  So I booked myself to start the following week – ok she is in hot demand – so if you are interested make sure you book with her sooner vs. later!

The night before you start your cleanse she delivers the juices to your door, all 18 of them – 6 each day for 3 days – all nicely packaged in 500ml mason jars. So colourful, so beautiful, so healthy!!

You drink the juices in the prescribed order and have one every 2-3 hours – she numbers them to make it easy and you are free to drink as much water or herbal tea as you like during the day.

Here’s the low down on the juices:

1. Energize with kale, spinach, cucumber, parsley, celery, apple, lemon
2. Sassy with grapefruit, orange, lemon, spirulina
3. Immune with carrot, apple, beet, lemon, ginger
4. Satisfy with almond, hemp, dates, cinnamon, vanilla, h2o
5. Digest with pineapple, apple, mint & ginger
6. Detox with parsley, cilantro, apple, lemon

So I started Day 1 not knowing what to expect.  Would I be hungry? Would I get so hungry that I would cheat?

I’m happy to say I was completely satisfied for ALL 3 Days!!  Yes, really!!  Juicing doesn’t mean you ‘starve’ your body, it’s really the opposite.  With juicing you are feeding your body a mega dose of nutrients in a format that goes directly into your system and at the same time gives your digestive system a break and allows your body to focus on “cleaning itself up”!!  For myself, since my eating is pretty clean, I did not experience any detox symptoms at all, instead I enjoyed a wonderful spring refresh!

So, if you are looking for an easy-peasy juice cleanse to refresh or reset your body and want to enjoy the bonus of having someone else do the work for you and gives you a break in the kitchen then Flexi Lexi’s 3-Day Juice Cleanse is the way to go. Without a doubt!!  Alexa has a really great thing going!!

Thanks a million Alexa, your juice cleanse was just what I needed. I feel amazing and I’m all ready for spring now.  I love it!!

Flexi Lexi

Ingredients:
2 servings of 1 litre each

• 3-4 cups water
• 1 banana
• 2 cups strawberries
• 1/4 cup raw almonds (soak overnight)
• 1 avocado
• 2 Medjool dates, pitted
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 4 leaves kale (remove stalk)

Start with 3 cups water and add all remaining ingredients to the blender.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  If it’s too thick add more water to taste. Blend on high until smooth and frothy.  To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

Reblogged from Vedged Out:

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Vegan Margherita Pizza

If you don't want to make a pizza from scratch, then use bottled pizza sauce, and a pre-bought crust, but whatever you do, Please make the fresh Moxarella Cheese. It's nearly instant.

Homemade Vegan Moxarella, without any artificial anything. It browns and stretches.

Individual Pizzas Make Everyone Happy!

Vegan Margherita Pizzas 

This Recipe Makes 4 individual pizzas. …

Read more… 604 more words

Ingredients:
Makes 2 litres (2 servings)

• 3 cups water
• 3 oranges, peeled and quartered
• 2 beets, chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 5 large kale leaves
• 10 ice cubes (optional)

Add all ingredients to the blender except ice cubes.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy.  I added ice cubes after it’s blended just to cool down a bit.  You could also skip this step and just return to the fridge before serving. To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.

Ingredients:
1 serving

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup uncooked oats
• 1 tbsp dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Add blueberries to bowl, top with oats.  Sprinkle cranberries & pumpkin seeds on top.  Pour almond milk overtop. Enjoy!!

Nutritionally this smoothie offers high dietary fiber and high potassium.  As well it’s very very high in vitamin A and C as well it’s a good source for vitamin B6, calcium and iron.  All in all, lots of nutrients!  Not to mention there’s 5.5 grams in protein

Ingredients:
makes 1.5 litres (2 servings – although I often have both servings myself which keeps me going through the morning)

• 3 cups water
• 2 mangos, seeded
• 1 bunch kale (or for a milder taste you could use spinach)

Add all ingredients to the blender.  Blend on low speed and gradually increase speed.  Blend on high until smooth and frothy.  To learn more about how I create smoothies visit My Smoothie Approach.