Perfect Ginger Tea

Perfect Ginger Tea

Serves 2

Buy some fresh, organic ginger, cut a chunk off about 1 inch by 1 inch to start.  Peel the skin and grate the ginger.  Boil 2 cups water and place ginger in a teapot, cover with water and let seep 5 minutes.  If you do not have a grater, slice the ginger thinly and crush a little bit before placing in the pot.  

To find your perfect cup of tea, taste it after seeping for 5 minutes.  If you want a stronger taste, add some more and let seep a couple minutes.  I usually use a piece about 1 inch wide by 1 1/2 inches long because I like the flavor to be more pronounced.  

When seeping tea, cover the entire teapot with kitchen towels to keep the heat in and ensure your cup will be hot when it's ready!

Fresh ginger tea is a lot more sweet than store bought teabags.  It is wonderful after meals to promote digestion and when you are sick to give your immune system a boost.  You can use the ginger for two pots of tea (4 cups) afterwards, you will need to add some more ginger because the flavor will not be strong.

Enjoy :)

Breakfast

Best cashew mac and cheese

Recipe here.  Substitute grapeseed oil with melted coconut oil, and reduce the nutritional yeast to only 3 TBSP.  This is really the best.  I used macaroni made from rice so it was gluten free, although I did toast some organic bread crumbs for the top but this is not necessary.

Stir fry some green onions, broccoli and mushrooms in coconut oil until tender.  Chop some tomatoes and throw them in just long enough to heat.

Mix it all together and serve over red and green leaf lettuce and parsley!

You can also substitute cooked pasta for cooked rice and its equally amazing.  The rice alternative would be so good in a tortilla!  This is such a good meal, add more nutritional yeast for a more cheesy flavor, less for a more alfredo flavor.

N.E.R.D. -Life as a fish

Carob "Chocolate milk"

Carob "Chocolate Milk"

Serves 1

1 cup fresh almond milk

1 tsp agave

1 TBSP carob powder

a drop of vanilla extract

Mix all the wet ingredients together.  Place carob powder in a saucepan and add almond milk, whisking the whole time.  Whisk until smooth and no lumps (carob powder mixes a whole lot easier than cocoa powder which usually leaves lumps).  Heat over medium heat until hot, stirring the whole time to prevent milk from burning and changing the taste.

Delicious on a gloomy day like today :)  I think this will replace my morning coffee from now on!

Baked sweet potato fries

Slice some sweet potatoes (or yams, there is a difference but either will work great) into fries or thin chunks like I did, coat with melted coconut oil, sunflower oil or olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes until done.  You can also fry these in a frying pan.

Slice some yellow and green bell peppers, along with onion, sprinkle a little garlic powder, salt and pepper and fry in coconut oil for a couple minutes until tender.

Simple but delicious!

Bok choy soup!

Bok Choy Soup

3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups bok shoy, cut into chunks

2 green onions, chopped

handful of sliced mushrooms

salt, garlic powder, pepper and spice to taste

Boil 4 cups water, throw everything in and let simmer 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Meanwhile, boil some water in a separate pot and cook some spaghetti noodles (I prefer gluten free so I use Rizopia.)

When the noodles are tender, drain and return to the pot with some apple cider vinegar and let the noodles cook a little longer in the vinegar.  Add the noodles to the soup as serving!

Creamy pasta salad- easy

This is so good and only a few simple ingredients; sprouted lentils, almond milk and some spices!  All I did was boil sprouted lentils in water for 5 minutes, drain and turn into a food processor.  Add garlic powder, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast (optional) to taste.  Blend adding almond milk until you reach desired consistency (you want it to be a little thick but creamy enough to mix with salad.  Pour over rice pasta and you're done, simple as that!

You can also heat this up again after you mix it with pasta and it makes a great side dish!  

Alternatively, add only a small amount of almond milk to keep the sauce thick and you can use it as an amazing bean dip over chips or toast.....yum!!

For a classic pasta salad, mix the lentil sauce above with a cup of cooked and drained green peas, some chopped some celery, red onion, carrot and bell peppers and toss with macaroni noodles.  Let chill in the fridge an hour or so until ready to serve.  Optional- throw in some sliced vegan ham and cubed vegan cheese.

I posted here about sprouting lentils with a jar and since found an easier way; sprouting in a strainer.  Same idea as the jar method but a lot simpler when it comes to rinsing and draining.  Rinse some lentils and soak overnight, in the morning turn it into a strainer and rinse well.  Place the strainer over a large bowl to keep the bottom up to drain (see picture), and secure a piece of cheesecloth to cover the top.  Rinse again at night and in the morning, (or every 8 hours- returning strainer over bowl and securing cheesecloth back in place every time) and you will have sprouts by lunchtime the second day or earlier, but I like to let them sprout 2 days until I dig in.   

No bake chocolate date balls

Same idea as chocolate-coconut "LARA Bars", throw it all in the food processor and roll in balls!  And (the best) coconut water smoothie, just frozen bananas and c2o!

Apple pie turnovers

from here.

I used about 2 1/2 apples, a bunch of cinnamon, squeeze of half small lemon and about 4 tbsp agave instead of stevia (enough to coat all the apples and a little extra).  I brushed the tops with the leftover agave-cinnamon mix and sprinkled natural sugar on the tops.  Bake about 20 mins until bottoms are brown and juice is starting to ooze out, let cool on a plate and enjoy with black coffee!  

This video explains folding fillo great! (no need to cut it, just follow directions in recipe)  Fillo is really tricky, make sure to keep a damp clean towel over what you aren't using because it dries out FAST.  Be very careful not to rip but if you do you can patch it with some olive oil and extra fillo.  When you get your fillo ready to fold according to the recipe, you will see there is two ways you can choose to fold it.  One way will give you a long skinny sheet, one will give you a fat sheet.  I chose the long skinny way and made mine a bit smaller, thus making more, but I think the fat way would be easier, just not as crispy.  If this doesn't make sense, disregard entirely and fold anyway your heart desires.  It really doesn't matter, it won't last long anyways!!  These are so good!

Let it strengthen you...

You want it-you get it

Been thinking a lot about how to attract more money into my life and become financially independent and usually I focus on all the obstacles and then I wonder why what I want doesn't come.  If you are focused on the "reality" or what you don't have, you bring more of what you don't have.  Abraham Hicks always says, focus on what feels good and it will come, its the law (of attraction that is...)  So instead of seeing the small amount of money I have and all the possessions I want that I don't have I am giving my attention to thoughts that make me feel good.. like where I picture myself in 5 years;

Living in Hawaii 10 steps from the most beautiful beach you'll ever see.  I have huge backyard organic garden and all my favorite fruits and vegetables are a simple pluck away.  It's 530am, I'm laying on a day-bed in the backyard reading Walden for the hundredth time and drinking a cup of freshly ground coffee.  The breeze is warm and the sun is starting to peak out of the horizon.  I can smell the homemade bread baking in the oven, it's almost time for breakfast; toast with avocado and tomato and a fruit salad on the side, all from the garden, of course.  

There is a very Zen quality to my home, from the decorations and furniture to the overall atmosphere.  There is my room, a guest room, an office, a sewing/art room, a library and the usual living, dining and kitchen areas.  The main rooms have large balconies and panoramic views of the ocean.  Although there is a library, there are books strewed throughout the house along with fruits and flowers.  

I start my days early so I can fit in all I enjoy; Work-overseeing my businesses and creating new ones.  Learning new things daily-whether it be classes I've always wanted to take, a trip to the library to research something new, or reading a book about finance.  Pleasure-creating art, hanging out with friends, going out to eat, taking naps.  Exercise (also pleasure)- running, hiking, surfing and trying new things like kite surfing, exploring a new area of town on foot.  Cooking/baking-trying a new recipe, cooking everything from scratch, preserving fruits and veggies for later use, making jams, breads and spices.  Meditation/Yoga- at least once a day to clear the mind and get in touch with my inner being.  Blissful sleep-I don't need much, but a couple hours of restful sleep to prepare for the day ahead while practicing lucid dreaming, never waste a second of the day :) 

I am able to have these things and the opportunity to make my own schedule because I am financially independent and the money is flowing to me.  I am a powerful magnet to my desires.

I believe in the law of attraction-you want it you get it- as long as you keep your focus on it.  When you focus on what feels good to you it has to come.  I love to write in great detail what I want my life to be, or rather what I know it will be and what I can't wait to enjoy!  I know one day I will be living my dream and it brings me the happiest feeling so I know I'm focusing in the right direction.  

What's with the egg, you ask?  This morning I went for a run and was focusing exactly on this thought and my eye caught on a little pink easter egg sitting by itself on the sidewalk, with nothing else but a one dollar bill inside.  I take this as a good omen of the money to come if I keep my attention on what I want, instead of what I don't have.

What are your dreams and goals?  Write them in as much detail as possible and envision yourself living this dream daily.  This is a good first step towards your goals.  After you know what you want, decide how you'll get there.  Write out a step by step plan, in as much detail as possible, and STICK WITH IT.  You only have to decide, and then follow through and you can have anything you want.

Mixed berry ice cream

I made this for breakfast this morning, it's so easy.  I used a cup frozen sliced bananas, a cup mixed berries (mine were raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and cherries) and about 2 tsp water.   Just blended it all in the food processor and you're done!  No sweetener or anything artificial needed.  You can switch berries out for any fruit and if it's hard to blend, add more water one teaspoon at a time!

Frozen fruit is so good to snack on straight out of the bag, I just figured this out.  I never really thought about it but I tried it the other day and I was amazed.  Sounds silly, but you probably will be too.  The flavors are so much more....pronounced.  My favorites are pineapple chunks and raspberries.

Blueberry muffins

You might recognize this post from the other week, since then we worked on the recipe a little to make it better and here are the results.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

mine made 12 big muffins and 22 small!  This recipe goes a long way!

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour or oat or all purpose

1/3 cup raw agave nectar +more for the tops of muffins

1/4 cup flax whisked in 2/3 cup water and let sit for 5 minutes (or egg replacer for 4 eggs.  Check out this for some ideas.)

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted over low heat

1TBSP vanilla (optional, I ran out and they were still good!)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 325 F

Mix dry in large mixing bowl: flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt.

Mix wet in medium mixing bowl: whisk eggs and let sit, then add agave, coconut oil and vanilla.

Pour wet mixture over dry, stir together with a large mixing spoon, then gently fold in blueberries.

Fill big silicone muffin cups 1/2 full with batter, small ones 3/4 full.

For extra sweetness, after you fill the muffin cups, drizzle agave on the tops straight from the bottle.

Bake 15 minutes, or until brown on top and toothpick comes out clean.  (Mine took 25 minutes and then I turned the heat down to 250 and cooked 10 more minutes to cook the middles some more.  You can tell if the middles are done or not by carefully-they will be hot!!- flipping a muffin over and out of the silicone and looking at the bottom, if they are NOT done, there with be a darker ring in the middle bottom of the muffin.  Also, if the muffin falls apart, the middle is not done.  Alternatively, break one open and if it's really gooey then cook it some more on 250 degrees but keep in mind the middle will look moist until it is completely cooled, don't confuse moist with gooey.  It shouldn't take more than 40 minutes total in the oven!)  

These are extra amazing the next day, make them at night and eat for breakfast with black coffee.  (I like the big ones best!)

Cabbage rolls with the best rice ever

Not kidding, best rice you'll ever have.  The rolls were equally amazing.  I was totally psyched about this one because I made it all from scratch using nothing but my own ideas.. who knew that was possible?

Serves 2

First things first, the rice.  

I have dreams about this rice...  Seriously, it's the perfect middle eastern type of dish that everyone will enjoy.  Would go perfect with any meal! 

1 cup jasmine rice

1 1/2 - 2 cups water, enough to cover rice and go 1/2 inch above.  Trick- put your finger in the pan pointing straight down and resting on top of the rice.  If the water line comes up to that first crease in your finger above your nail, you're good)

1/3 cup raisins (or more :)

1 heaping tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp coconut oil

Mix everything in a saucepan or rice pan and bring to a boil, let boil 3-4 minutes and mix, mix, mix.  Turn heat to low and just when it settles down mix again then let simmer until done, don't touch or mix it after this!  The only exception is grabbing some rice from the outer edges to taste test to see if it's done.  The smell alone will make you want to gobble it down right away, uncooked rice and all.

 Stir fried veggies

2 chopped garlic cloves

1/3 cup chopped onions

1 portabella mushroom, chopped, or 1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 of a green, red and yellow bell pepper, chopped in large chunks

1/2 cup lentil sprouts

2 TBSP coconut oil

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 TBSP coconut oil over low heat and add onions and garlic.  Let this slowwwwlllyyy cook until browning, 6-10 mins.  Add mushroom and cook 4 minutes.  Add the last TBSP coconut oil and bell peppers.  Once the bell peppers get soft, about 5 mins, turn up the heat to medium and toss in the sprouts and cook 3-4 minutes just to heat and maybe brown a little, adding more coconut oil if needed.   Add salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin and garlic and toss to combine. 

You can totally stop here and eat the veggies and rice together without cabbage...  I was tempted to do this because both dishes are amazing but I'm so happy I followed through with a cabbage roll, it was NOT disappointing!

Cashew pesto

I've never had pesto but my sister insist I made it so lets just stick with it..

3/4 cup raw cashews

1 TBSP garlic powder or 1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup parsley, just the leaves-not the stems

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

drizzle agave

1/4 cup water +more if needed to reach creamy consistency

Blend everything in a food processor until creamy.  If too thick, add a tiny bit water.

Put it all together

Steam the cabbage;  I used savoy cabbage and the leaves are rather small but I wanted to try something new.  Heat about 2 cups water to a boil and place a colander (strainer) on top of the pot and pop in the first 4 leaves of savoy cabbage from the head (they're the biggest, obviously.  If using regular cabbage, 4 medium leaves will do.)  Prop a large frying pan on top of the colander to use as a lid to keep the steam in.  Be careful when making your own steamer, I've had mine fall a couple times and it's not fun.  Also, the colander handles will become very hot so use mitts if handling!

After 5 minutes, your cabbage should be fairly soft.  You just want it soft enough to fold without breaking so 5 minutes should be perfect.  Take the leaves out with tongs (they're hot!) and set on a plate to cool.  When cool enough to handle, pat dry with a clean towel and slice the hard core down and off the leaves.  You don't want to cut it all the way off because you'll be left with a hole, just shave it off with a sharp knife.

Spoon some pesto on the leaf.  You only need a little to fill these or you might end up over stuffing and having a hard time trying to close the rolls without everything falling out.

Spoon some veggies and a little more pesto on top.

Wrapping- pull the bottom and top of the roll up first and hold tight while you fold the sides over, one at a time.

Flip it over on a plate (or bowl if yours are falling apart :p ), spoon some pesto and serve with a big side of the best rice you'll ever make..

Babycakes bakery- literally stopped traffic..

Walking traffic at least... 

Went to Babycakes on Larchmont Blvd the other day and had the best coffee cake donut (go get it now!), a wonderbun and as always, a cup of amazing coffee.  The bakery is pretty small so we decided to sit outside and I swear, every single person walking by, stopped and stared.  Half of them actually stopped and backtracked into the shop to get something for themselves.  It was the best breakfast and I can totally see why people stopped.

Babycakes is vegan, soy free and mostly gluten free.  They have a couple cookbooks- you should check out on their website or the bookstore.  The Babycakes in downtown LA serves the wonderbuns with brownie in the middle and it's to die for.

Abraham Speaks: Finding My Core Beliefs

Baked portabella mushroom casserole

This was so easy and so good.  Basically, I just chopped the stem and scooped out the inside of the portabella mushroom and tossed it in a casserole dish with lots of red bell peppers and whatever I had in the fridge and made this casserole from before and baked it 10 mins to firm it up a little.  After 10 minutes, I scooped some into raw portabella mushrooms brushed with olive oil and baked 20-30 mins or so until the casserole was done and the mushroom was baked through.  Serve with a tomato and onion salad, drizzle of balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs and green onions.

Banana soft serve with chocolate fudge syrup

Banana soft serve

In the food processor, combine 1 cup sliced FROZEN banans and 1/4 cup fresh almond milk and process until ice cream!

Chocolate fudge syrup

Combine 1 TBSP raw carob powder and 2 TBSP raw agave nectar in a bowl.  Mix with a fork until well combined.  At first, it will seem like they will never combine, but stir for a little and it will soon turn to syrup!  This is sweet so you don't need a lot!  If it's too thick, add a little more agave.  The way it hardens when placed on the ice cream is amazing.  Brings you back to childhood and hot fudge sundays.

I found these banana split pictures I must have forgotten to post, and I don't remember exactly how I made it.  I think for the wafer on bottom I just blended some bananas with a TBSP agave, spread it thick on a parchment lined baking sheet and "dehydrated" it in my oven on the lowest setting for a couple hours or until hard (taste like an ice cream cone!)  For the strawberry puree I dried out some sliced strawberries in the oven on the lowest setting until the middles were soft but the outsides were dry and blended it in the processor.  Place the wafers on bottom, split a banana and spread banana soft serve on it.  top with fresh cut strawberries and berries, strawberry pure and chocolate fudge syrup.  I just remembered, there is also cashew whipped cream on there, recipe here.  Lots of steps but it was worth it, and the huge stomach ache afterwards...

Cashew butter

In a food processor, process raw cashews until creamy.  Scrape down the sides as needed.  I only used about 1 1/2 cups cashews because my processor is small.  This will get creamy quite a bit faster than almond butter because cashews are a lot softer.  It's not as creamy as almond butter, it's a little thicker but still is delicious!

I'm going to make some homemade "LARA Bars" and mix some of this in, or sandwich it between a bar and chocolate...mmmm!

Sprouted lentil salad with coconut oil-balsamic vinegar dressing

Sprouting beans is really simple and totally beneficial.  It brings them back to life (who knows how many months or years they've been sitting around in the bag before you bought them?), makes them easier to digest, less prone to produce gas and packs them full of nutrients and vitamins.  The best part is, you can eat them raw, preserving all these benefits.

All you need to do is choose your favorite beans, rinse them a couple times and soak them overnight (8-12 hrs for lentils, check for your bean here) in filtered water.  In the morning, rinse again and place in a glass jar (or a strainer is easier, if the holes are small enough so nothing falls out, place over a bowl to drain the excess water), cover the opening with a square of cheesecloth.  Turn the jar on it's side and shake a little to distribute lentils evenly.  Place propped up on a bowl or something, so that the opening of the jar is facing down, this is so the water can drain as it sits.  Rinse again before bed and place it back on it's side in the bowl (rinsing should take place every 8-12 hours).  Repeat this the next day and you should have sprouts by dinnertime.  You can leave them longer if you want longer sprouts, I would suggest putting them in the fridge to sprout if it's been more than two days.  You can sprout them up to 6 days.

These are so tasty in a salad or by the handful, but here are some other suggestions;

Blend sprouted lentils with an avocado for a spread, mash into a garden patty, sprinkle with a little garlic powder, salt and pepper for a snack, stir-fry them with some seasonings and veggies, you can also cook these and use them like usual-they will only need 5 minutes of cooking.

More on the benefits of sprouting lentils here.

My salad is packed full of goodies including; yellow squash, white onions, tomatoes, red, orange and green bell peppers, parsley, green onions, arugula, and green and red leaf lettuce.

Coconut oil-balsamic vinegar dressing

serves 1

Simply melt 1 TBSP coconut oil over low heat.  In a small bowl, mix the coconut oil and add 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, dash salt and black pepper and a pinch a cumin.  Whisk with a fork until the oil and vinegar are combined and drizzle over your salad.  

"LARA Bars" or 5 minute raw energy bar recipes

I can't get over how easy these are to make and they are SO GOOD.  You just process dates until they are like a paste, dump it in a mixing bowl, process cashews till they are small chunks (not flour!) and mix it in the bowl with the dates....soooooooooooo simple.  Add anything else to make your favorite flavor!  Place on plastic wrap in a long bar form and smoosh to desired thickness, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple hours.  Depending on how thin you roll it out, it makes 2-4 bars.  Recipes here.  

I tried the "cashew cookie" and I adapted the "chocolate coconut macaroon"- I made the cashew cookie, mixed in about 1 TBSP carob powder and 1 1/2 TBSP shredded coconut and a dash of cinnamon.  Both are amazing, I can't believe it takes literally 5 minutes (maybe less!)

I wish so badly I had chocolate chips to mix into the cashew cookie...mmmmmmmmm!

5 minute no-bake deserts (vegan, raw, gluten free!)

Simple 5 minute recipes from love veggies and yoga (raw and vegan);

peanut butter cookie dough balls

chocolate chip cookie dough balls

donut balls

peanut butter vanilla balls

dark chocolate fudge balls

And extras;

raw strawberry thumbprint cookies

raw chocolate chip cookies

white chocolate cheesecake

chocolate glazed and cinnamon donuts

cacao dipped almond thins

chocolate mousse torte





More amazing raw food recipes!

Out with the old...

I was so surprised to come home to these today!!  My sister knew about my "knife situation" (and probably that I would never do anything about it) and she sent us these babies!

The top two are my old knives.  One is like trying to cut using a pencil...absolutely pointless.  The other my dad found in the garage and you can't even cut an apple with it, it's so dull.

Never actually owned a real knife so it's kind of intimidating, but I'm so grateful!  Makes life a lot easier!!