Thyme Bomb

Going Alkaline.

2011-06-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be my DAY ONE of following Dr. Robert Young's program The pH Miracle which is a program focused on having the body be completely alkaline.

If you are anything like I was a few weeks ago, you might be wondering what exactly that means: to have the body be alkaline. I'm learning as I go along but have recently finished Dr. Young's book titled The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health which sheds scientific and biological light on this question.

Essentially-to be alkaline is to be in opposition of acidic-which is very, very bad. Living in an acidic environment has a slew (and I mean MASS PILE) of symptoms including far too many of which I've been living with on a daily basis. The body is not meant to be acidic and it is acid in the body which is the livelihood of disease and discomfort. Symptoms are not only physical, but are deeply rooted within the emotion being as well.

Last week I had a microscopy done which examined my blood cells on a live and dried basis. I've been feeling terrible for awhile now and regardless of the time I've spent ( 6 months) dieting (hay weight watchers) and exercising (I have now become quite the little runner. Something I NEVER thought I'd be able to do) I've still been feeling terrible and my weight does not want to some off. Which is rather troublesome considering this is the hardest struggle I've been battling all my life. And you know, I so badly want to come out of this victorious with my health in hand radiating everything alkaline!
My live and dried blood cells spoke volumes about the environment of my body. My temple. Although I have been a vegetarian since the age of 11 (more than half my life!) and have made several healthy changes to my lifestyle-I still have a lot of "renovations" to do from the inside out.
For example: due to my style of vegetarianism I have not been a regular consumer of cheese for about 2 years. I would eat cheese on occasion, feeling sinful during the act. And I would pay for it in aches and pains up to several days later. Well my blood work was very telling of what a terrible thing cheese is to the body-as we could SEE the effects of cheese build up IN MY BLOOD. A green gooey cloud amongst my blood cells. I wondered HOW COULD I HAVE A BUILD UP OF CHEESE IN MY BLOOD! WHEN I DON'T EAT IT EVERYDAY?! WHEN IT IS A CRIME I COMMIT ON A RARE BASIS?!
The Answer Is: Because our bodies are not meant to eat it-and my body is in desperate need of cleansing and healing.
This was not the only alarming result of my blood work-oh no it wasn't! My blood showed a VAST amount of Candida and sugar! So much dang sugar that some of my cells had given up on life and had mutated into sugar crystals. My blood also showed that my bowels are incredibly stressed out, which was no surprise to me. My poop dramatics were enough to tell me long ago that there was something very wrong going on within my body.

My Symptoms Include:

shortness of breathe

bloating

lightheadedness

dizziness (everyday. For unexplained reasons..since my blood work from an MD showed I was deficient in nothing)

heart palpation's

fatigue (understatement.)

constipation

unexplained anxiety

unexplained depression (I live an incredibly happy life..which makes my next symptom even more frustrating..)

low libido :(

reoccurring yeast issues

irritability

poor memory

sleepy after meals

low immune system resulting in frequent colds or infections (I've recently had my tonsils removed THANKFULLY!)

emotional and spiritual disconnection

Generally having one hell of a time getting involved with life.

The list could go on but that is it to sum.

So WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THIS!?
Well....

For my first month I am on a STRICT (read:awesomely heartbreaking) regimen which is to cleanse my body.

I am eating:

leafy greens

all colors of bell peppers

lemons

limes

avocados

tomatos

white grapefruit (which is impossible to find around here..)

and more leafy greens.

I am not eating:

Everything else. Including all fruit, dairy products (already practice this minus my sinning with cheese), meats (no problem), nuts (was getting tired of pooping out whole nuts anyway), anything fermented including mushrooms, pickles, miso and tempeh. ZERO carbs (not even the ones I can have in a few months like buckwheat) ZERO sugar.

Everyday I:

Am required to drink 6 liters of water in total. 3 of which are going to be GREEN DRINKS which consist of a variety of Dr. Young's supplements.

Am required to sweat in order to cleanse my body and restore my lymphnodic system

Eat my 'dang greens

Stay away from everything I cannot eat

Test my pH levels in the am and pm to see how acidic my body is

I'm excited to start my journey into an Alkaline body. Although I know that my first month is going to be painful, I am truly looking forward to feeling better.

Relevent Now More Than Ever Before.

2011-06-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

It's been well over two years since I first started this blog. Nearly two years have elapsed since my last post-which was about soy yogurt;which by the way I am still eating. Everyday, religiously...in a smoothie with my organic gluten free hemp protein and some frozen berries. I am oh-so-lucky to have a work environment with a fabulous top of the line VITAMIX. So I have the luxury of having my noon smoothie once a day. Often with a serving of matcha thrown in the mix. MATCHA I owe you an entire rant about this stone ground fine substance.

Without a doubt I lost track of time. But certainly not heart. I have been continuing my veghead journey still and am oh-so-fortunate to share it with my favorite person in the world. Since my last post I have met the most beautifully open minded human I could have ever stumbled upon. James is my partner through this journey called life and we are so blessed to share our lives with each other. ok almost done with the mushy goodness.

He is relevant to this blog and to my journey because he is the personification of hope for our modern day society. He is bonafide proof that absolutely anybody can enrich their life through a plant-based diet and consciously green mind.

He was the meat and potato eating, beer drinking "blue collared" heteronormative drum banging metal head (joethrasher.com) who never in a million years thought he would become a vegetarian.
That is of course until he fell hopelessly in love with a veghead girl (MOI!) who just happened to be incredibly savvy in the kitchen.
It is 100% true that you can win over the heart of a man (or woman) through their stomach. He began to feel the difference as toxins left his body and were replaced with energy and wholeness.He sought out the basic 101 of our commercial food industry which sealed the deal for him and his journey into vegetarianism.

His awakening is due to a mind which was already open and thirsty for truth. It is a sad fact that this mindset is not the norm amongst the masses. Most are happy to eat their shitty A&W CHUBBY CHICKEN burgers,thankful that factory farms do not have glass windows. Because if so were the case then they would be forced to cut out the crap, get involved with their universe and have some creative fun in the kitchen. (It really is that easy.)

We live in a society of fear and laziness, so counterproductive that we're missing out on our full potential. That is our ability to function as a harmonious collective. A HUMANE existence, not restrictively a HUMAN one.

The expectation of my role at work is to be a source of knowledge and communication to the customer, to facilitate in them a desire to understand their bodies with love. To feel a connection between themselves and our planet deeply rooted in ritual. I get to meet a lot of people in a day. I have many conversations with strangers about health and wellness and I often learn a lot on the subject from them. (I am also at times completely flabbergasted by some perceptions of truth-but we've got lots of time and blogspace in the future for such tales.)
Dialogue is key here, and we've got to use every ample opportunity to speak the truth.

MEAT EATING IS NOT FUNCTIONAL.

Over the past two years I have met a number of new vegheads whose journeys into a plant-based diet are not unlike those of my partner's. I strongly believe that not only should we all be eating this way, but we are all completely capable of doing so. Regardless of lifestyle. Regardless of status quo. Regardless of how much a pound of carrots costs in comparison to a pound of ground beef.

The original purpose behinde ThymeBomb is still as relevant NOW than it was when I first created this blog. I look forward to sharing and learning more through this fourm.
I hope you stay with me.

Sol Cuisine Making a Superior Soy Yogurt!

2009-09-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that generally, I think all soy yogurt tastes disgusting. In fact, if I wasn't trying to keep this blog PG *Waves at her Mother from cyberspace* I'd give you a perfect vulgar description of what the texture and tastes reminds me of. But we'll all just have to use our imaginations.

In the past, I've had to mask the taste of soy yogurt in smoothies which makes it very much edible. However during my summer stay in Montreal I found Solgurt and can say with totally honesty that it is by far the best tasting yogurt I've ever had PERIOD. The problem I ran into when I was eating dairy was that yogurt would coat my broncular tubes and leave me with nasty congestion and fits of dry coughing.

Unlike other soy yogurts I've tried, the texture of Solgurt is thick and creamy like a dessert. It was not watery at all! The color was more white than an off beige-grey color and THE TASTE was heavenly. I experienced the low-fat vanilla, but they also come in lowfat blueberry and strawberry as well as natural unsweetned.

The only downside to this product compared to others, is on a caloric level. It is much higher in calories than any other soy yogurt I've tried (for a flavored option.) For 3/4 of a cup of low-fat vanilla it's 170 calories, 3 grams of fat (fair enough), 31 grams of carbs, 5 grams of sugar and 22 grams of sugar! No wonder it tastes like dessert! Having said this, the product is all 100% certified organic and if you're concerned about these stats I can tell you that the Natural Unsweetened option is a mere 110 calories in comparison and contains only 4 grams of sugar for every 3/4 cup.

If I can find this product in Ottawa (which I will report back on) it will be made a regular staple in my fridge. In conjunction with the amazing taste, the fact that this yogurt contains 7 active pro biotic cultures and pre-biotic- Inulin as well as being kosher, certified organic and gluten free!

Creamy Broccoli & Spicy Veggie Rice.

2009-08-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

I've been out of town this summer and have found myself creating meals from basic foods-because I am running low on funds and not in my own properly stocked kitchen. Two days into my summer vacation I stocked up on whole grains (pasta, rice) and a lot of frozen veggies. This meal proves that as long as you have a basic whole grain, fiber and some sort of seasoning-you can make an excellent tasting meal for yourself while you're away from home.

Rice:

1/2 cup whole wheat (brown) rice. I'm a fan of Uncle Ben-because he's super easy. I NEVER add the salt or "butter" to the rice..there's totally no need for it.

1- 1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup frozen veggies

"Middle Eastern Spice" (I found this in the Beau's cupboard-it's a mixture of curry, turmeric and cordiner.)

Black Pepper

Montreal Steak Spice *it's vegan-shut up! Not just for steaks!*

Bring to a boil and let simmer covered on medium-low heat, stir every now and then. About 5 minutes into the simmer process, add 2 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce.

Creamy Broccoli

1-2 cups frozen broccoli

2 generous tbsp of organic peanut butter

3-4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce * If you've got BRAGGS-use it in replacement of the soy sauce and add according to taste*

3-4 tbsp orange juice

garlic powder to taste

While the broccoli is being steamed, combine the remaining ingredients into a saucepan on medium heat, starting with the peanut butter. Add steamed broccoli and toss to coat!

Easy 3 a.m. Veg Muffins

2009-08-07T15:25:00.001-07:00

I am the first to scoff at muffin mix from a box. It's true, I much prefer to do any kind of baking from scratch and encourage people to dirty their hands and create from raw ingredients. However, my friend is not of the same mentality. The man likes his muffins, and he can pop them out "fuss free" when the mix comes from a bag. 3am, a few mornings ago the baking bug nibbled away at our insides! With our pre-packaged muffin mix in tow, we set out to bake.

Most mixes (pancakes,cookies,muffins,cakes) are already vegan-it's the eggs you are instructed to add that makes the muffins non-veg. Easy solution: add 1tbsp of unsweetned applesauce for every one egg the box requires. For a personal twist, I threw in some oatmeal and crunchy cereal. The nice thing about these mixes is that they are mostly fool-proof!

So have fun and add in some nuts,dried fruit or morphine. ..Kidding about the morphine. Just make sure to READ the label on your mix to make sure the dry ingredients are AOK.

My veg muffins are in the blue silicon tray! FDA approved silicon cookware is a blessing! Easy to clean, less likely to burn the bottom of your baked goods AND you use a LOT less fat in your baking because you do not have to coat the pan with oil before you bake. I run a little grapeseed oil through just incase-but it is not a must. I use a silicon pan for my loafs and they come out perfect everytime!

NomNom!

Just Click the Damn Link...

2009-06-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

For a VERY imporant news UPDATE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ7J7UjsRqg&feature=related

Green Your Sex Life

2009-05-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

From Dreamscapes' Green Business Partnership -

You can recycle your bottles, cans, and paper products. Now you can recycle your old sex toys!

Recycling Your Sex ToysFinally, there’s an environmentally friendly way to dispose of used or broken vibrators, dildos, plugs, or any other sex toy you may have. Our Sex Toy Recycling program offers you a way to recycle sex toys that you no longer want or use.

It is Simple and EasySimply drop your clean used toy(s) in the mail, when we receive it in our warehouse we will have it cleaned and disassembled. The rubber, silicone, hard plastics, metal, e-waste and motors will be sent to recycling facilities that process the materials for reuse. Did you leave the batteries in? Don’t worry, we dispose of them responsibly..

Help Your PlanetNow, when you get rid of that old, broken or unused sex toy, you will be helping our environment. You can feel good that you have done one more thing to cut consumer waste, reduce landfills and help eliminate the toxic chemicals that seep into our soil and ground water.
Be Rewarded For Your Good DeedNot only do we make recycling your sex toys simple, we also offer a reward as an incentive.

For every package of toys you send in to be recycled, you will receive a $10 gift card to use at one of our affiliate partners as well free shipping when applicable on your next order. So the more you recycle, the more you can play. Going green has never been this much fun!

http://recyclemysextoy.com/

Grocery Shop Pick!

2009-05-06T15:40:00.001-07:00

Yay! I found this fabulous things today while stocking up. Mixed Pepper Strips mmM 2/4$ dollars.

Sushi Go- Ottawa Byward Market

2009-05-04T21:15:00.001-07:00

It's not a lie nor a secret: I am a huge lush for sushi.

When I was working in the Byward Market I would go to this place often for my fix, especially since their prices are outstanding. For example 6 small avocado rolls is 2.50, TOTALLY worth it when you see the CHUNKS of avocado.

This here is:

#31Vegetarian FutoMaki: cucumber,avocado, red bell pepper, marinated shiitake mushrooms and sesame seeds.
AND
#46 Vegetarian Spring Maki: rice-paper, lettuce, carrot, avocado, cucumber, red bell pepper, rice and sesame seeds.

The service is fast, clean and the sushi is VERY fresh and made for you on the spot while you wait.You can take out or there is a small dine-in area which is being expanded soon to a full dine-in experience.

So if you're ever in the Byward Market with a few coins in your change purse and a MEAN craving for sushi, please stop by Sushi Go and get hooked.

48 ByWard Market
613 244-1616
www.sushigoexpress.com

White Zinfandel

2009-04-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

Introducing Naked Grape Red Wine Spritzers!

Naked Grape is a popular unoaked Ontario wine and has just introduced spritzers to their line-up of all star wines. I was lucky to sample some before it hit shelves on Friday (at your nearest Wine Rack) and was VERY impressed. It is BEST served over ice-or frozen cranberries!

Now let's have a wee discussion, while we're talking about alcohol. I love it. But not all alcohol is vegan or vegetarian friendly- many beers and wines are filtered through animal bone, or literally have fish guts, fish eggs or chicken pieces added to the wine or beer for flavor. Companies can add these ingredients to their alcohol without having to publish *contains flesh* on the label of the bottle. Why? I don't know, but it's legal and is so the case. There are lots of great vegan wine/beer directories on the Internet, and I shall provide some links before we part.

Now I don't drink beer, do not like it. Too much yeast, carbs..all for a bad buzz-but most German beers are vegan safe. STAY AWAY FROM BRITISH BEER unless you want some chicken nibblets up in your hangover.

Anyway, moving back to the wine. It's good, go drink some-rich in antioxidants and turns you into a really hot Tori Amos singing Lush.

CHEERS!

For a listing of vegan alcohol visit: www.barnivore.com

BROWNIE TIME!

2009-04-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

MmmMmm.

There are so many wonderful vegan brownie recipes out there, and hopefully this one is able to compete in the running. These brownies are moist, dense and chewy so don't expect hardcore fluffy crumble-in-your-mouth kind of wonder. This is a re-worked recipe I found on VegWeb.

I have to say these were a HIT in the household and I too enjoyed them. For icing I used the chocolate icing from HIAV, which I will post as well and hope that I am not in any violation of copyright laws. *HAAY SARAH KRAMER*

What You'll Need:
2 cups flour. 1 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugah ("sugar" for all you non-gangsters reading this,)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/2 extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 very large bar of 80% dark chocolate.

Directions:

1) Over low heat, boil water and add 1/2 cup of flour stirring constantly. You want a thin glue paste mixture. Remove from heat and LET IT COOL.

2) Add sugah, vanilla, cocoa, oil and salt. Then add the remaining flour-water mixture. Stir.
3) Add the rest of the 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder and melted dark chocolate.

4) Then, you're going to get a dough that should look like this and be very hard to do anything with other than stick it into a greased pan. So do just that. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let these babies cool for a good 40 minutes before you put on the icing, trust me-it'll be worth it.

How It All Vegan's: Chocolate Icing pg 149

What You'll Need:

1 cup cold water (I really hope I don't need to tell you it should be filtered water. Common people, GET WITH THE TIMES and INVEST IN A WATER FILTER! Ick)

5 tbsp white flour
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 tsp organic vanilla
6 tbsp Earth Balance
3 tbsp cocoa powder

On medium heat combine water and flour until it's a thin gluey paste like your brownies were. Remove from heat and cool in fridge. It's best to make your icing BEFORE or DURING your brownie process. I had my favorite dinner guest hook up the icing while I made the brownies so it worked out great. If you're alone and cooking these babies up-make your icing before you do anything else..you really want it to cool. In a medium bowl combine raw cane sugar, vanilla, Earth Balance, and cocoa powder until mixed. Add the cooled flour mixture to this and whisk together until there are no lumps, bumps or clumps. Stick in the fridge until your brownies are cooked and cooled.

A Brief Intermission JUST To Say:

2009-04-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

ALWAYS WEAR OVEN MITS, AND NEVER DEAL WITH HOT COCONUT OIL WHILE TALKING ON THE PHONE!!!

Spiced Quinoa with Red Peppers in a Curried Apple Dressing

2009-04-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

Had I SO much parsley left from the falafels I had made a few posts ago and really, really needed to use it up. I also had my favorite dinner guest over, and wanted to create a warm meal for the Mrs. when she came on over to my humble home for eats and beats (MUSIC! Not smack-downs..fyi.)

The Curried Apple Dressing is REALLY good too. I wanted the quinoa to have a nice dressing, and wanted an excuse to use the glass bottle I bought months ago in the summer.

Quinoa, like couscous is a grain and very easy to cook.

What You'll Need: (easily serves four)
3 cloves garlic
1 cup Qunioa
1 Red Pepper RAW
Curry, Thyme, Cayenne Pepper, Turmeric- to taste

1/2-1 cup corn

1 medium onion
1 cup parsley

Get a start cooking the quinoa and garlic together in pot.

How to Cook Quinoa:
I feel very safe telling you that unless you BURN it, quinoa is FOOL proof to make. But it is IMPERATIVE TO RINSE YOUR QUINOA BEFORE YOU COOK IT! SOAK it in some water and strain it a few times while you're getting the kitchen started for this feast. I cook my quinoa by bringing together my water (1 cup for every cup of quinoa) with my spices and garlic. Bring this to a boil-reduce heat, add veggies and cook covered for 10 minutes.

In a food processor combine parsley and 1 medium onion, add to the qunioa-combine your spices&corn and simmer simmer.

Curried Apple Dressing

What You'll Need:
1 sauteed onion until translucent
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp water
Curry-to taste (I'm NOT SHY w/my curry!)
1/2-1 tbsp cilantro
pinch of black pepper

Throw it all together in a food processor and BAM you're good to go! Drizzle a little bit on the quinoa once it's cook to moisten, serve the rest for your guests to put on themselves.

I made this dressing up as I went along and was really, really pleased with it. VERY refreshing-makes about 1 cup. Easily serves two (it was gone after dinner guest and I had dinned, while there was plenty of quinoa leftover)

Heavy Metal Couscous

2009-04-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Finally have the chance to sit down and blog, upload all my pictures (I HAVE been cooking!!)-went to go cook dinner and have managed to burn my hands with HOT coconut oil. OUCH. So I am typing to you know with only my two middle fingers and both thumbs. ALWAYS WEAR OVEN MITTS NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A HURRY YOU'RE IN!

Couscous is a grain and cooks very easily like rice. It is the perfect base to ANY dish and it depends on YOUR TASTE BUDS how you want to dress it up-what you want to make it do. I whipped this baby put when I had to feed some guests and zip across town to see Motley Crue in concert. Hence the name.

Heavy Metal Couscous

What You'll Need:
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 cup water
- 3 carrots
- 1/2-1 cup corn
- 5 cloves garlic
-1/2-1 cup parsley
thyme, tarragon, curry,cloves,salt, black pepper to taste (I forgot to write down my own measurements, did this all to personal taste)
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil

Chop your carrots and boil them in some water so they're soft. Lightly saute diced onions in pan. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil with garlic and other seasonings. Add tender carrots and onion, add couscous, stir everything all together-reduce heat and cover for ten minutes.

Snack Attack!

2009-03-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Whatever you call it: The Snack Bug, Munchies or the straight up craving to indulge-the desire for a serious snack strikes us all from time to time. This Snack Attack happened at 9pm one evening when I came home after work and seriously wanted to stuff my face on something yummy. Well, I hit the JACKPOT with this snack platter which includes my Spicy Sesame Hummus.
I was really hungry and threw this together very fast. You can use whatever veggies or fruits you have hanging around but I dare you to try my green apple, garlic dill pickle and beet combination. Trust my taste buds folks, they'll never lie to you.

Spicy Sesame Hummus
2 cups (or 1 well rinsed can) of chick peas
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1-2 tsp Japanese hot chili sauce
pinch of salt to taste
1/2 tsp lemon juice
dash of cayenne pepper
5 tbsp of water (or however much is needed to thin out paste)

Pasta Date

2009-03-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Mmmm. It's nice to enjoy a later dinner sometimes on a Saturday evening. I've been recovering from a cold, and haven't felt like cooking much lately as I have been eating very lightly. But this evening around 7pm I had a craving for pasta, and made a very lovely and simple dish.

I also enjoyed a nice bottle of white wine with the meal. An Ontario unoaked white wine called Naked Grape. Normally I am a Pino girl, but their Chardonnay hits the spot nicely, and goes well with the asparagus in the dish!

What You'll Need (2 sauce servings, cook pasta accordingly)

1 cup whole wheat fusili
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 zucchini
1 carrot
8-10 pieces of asparagus cut into strips
2-5 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp red chillies

1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
Nutritional Yeast to garnish.

How To:

Boil pasta.
In frying pan, add all of the ingredients and let simmer while pasta cooks, until carrots are soft and tender.

Everything in Moderation...

2009-03-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Helllllllllllllllllo out there!!

I wanted to post a wee blurb, to let you know that I have not neglected the blog. I've been pretty sick the past little while (nothing overly serious, feeling much better now:)) and thusly haven't been cooking much. I've been doing the standard peppermint tea and minced ginger hot tea drink everyday-and that is as creative and hardworking I've been in the kitchen.

I've got a great couscous dish lined up, hot off the press! Stay tuned to get the deets on that.

In the meantime..I bring you, cute puppies.

Pumpkin Seed Milk

2009-02-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) are full of magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, iron, copper, protein, zinc, protein , Vit B and unsaturated fatty acids.

It is recommended that vegans eat at least one tablespoon of raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds a day to get their needed dose of all these nutrients. Pumpkin seeds are also an immunity-boosting food and aid in the reduction of cholesterol.

I have never entertained the idea of pumpkin seed milk before, until last Friday when I met a wonderful and very knowledgeable vegetarian woman who does a lot of vegan baking. She told me that her kids (who are now in their teens) LOVE this milk because it's green. She also told me she uses it in her baking, and that it is fantastic to use when making pancakes. Although I haven't tried using it any baking yet (although I have full intentions of one day making a batch of gooey oatmeal cookies and using this milk in them!) I DID make a smoothie with it this morning and YUMMMY. Nuts, in general are really good for having a lot of protein in them..and wowie am I ever full. I took her basic recipe and added some almond extract-yum-yum!

Pumpkin Seed Milk

What You'll Need:

1 cup organic,raw and unsalted pumpkin seeds.

2 cups water
1 cup apple juice
1/2-1/4 tsp almond extract

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until it's smooth and creamy.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

What? FALAFELS?!

2009-02-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

MmMm

I totally made some falafels the other night from a receipe. They turned out good enough but the receipe needs to be Bombified, so I'll be doing some tweaking of my own.
Look forward to a tasty falafel dish in the future!

Before the baking process...

After the baking process

Red Curry and Coconut Milk with Pineapple.

2009-02-11T06:15:00.001-08:00

I really love curry. I mean, I really love it. Nothing makes me happier these days than a savory dish with coconut milk. This dish was inspired by my love of red curry in a coconut base and my favortie veggies. Out of all the curries, red is my personal favorite. This dish is easy as heck to make, and would be very romantic to cook for your loved one(s) this Saturday. Or, if you're single like me you can cook it for yourself and enjoy it just the same.

What You'll Need:
(makes 4 large servings and 6 small ones, depending on how much rice you cook up and the ratio you use of coconut curry mixture:brown rice.)
2-3 tbsp red curry paste- start with two and add the thrid according to your taste.
1 can lite coconut milk
1 cup crushed pineapple
1 red pepper
water chestnuts
snow peas
baby corn
bean sprouts
2 cups brown rice

Directions:
Prepare your brown rice on the stove.
1)On medium heat, add the coconut milk to your pot, let simmer for a minute or two and then add red curry paste.

2) Add your crushed pineapple ADD the juice, following after the rest of your veggies. Let simmer for an additional 10 minutes, until the rice is done cooking.

3) Serve rice in 1/2 cup or 1 cup servings

4) Pour mixture on top, or serve coconut/curry mixture in a seperate dish per guest and allow them to determine their own ratio!

Broccoli and Apple Spiced Soup

2009-02-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

This recipe happened by accident, as I first attempted to make the “Curried Apple Soup” from Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer’s cookbook How It All Vegan. However the soup took on a life of its own and I decided to scrap the recipe and do my own thing, and it sure tasted great. This is a very hearty soup, perfect for gloomy winter days when all you want is a nice comforting-yet very filling soup. I enjoyed a slice of zucchini loaf with this soup, but it would go great with a winter green salad or simply on its own. Eat up!

What You’ll Need:
(Makes 6 servings)

2 medium Spanish onions
2 Macintosh apples
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
4 cups veggie stock
1 cup yellow and green beans
1 cup broccoli
½ cup brown rice (if you do not want a stew-like soup that is thick and hearty, add ¼ cup)

Directions:
On medium heart in a soup pot, sauté onions and apples until onions are translucent. Then stir in curry powder, add the soy sauce, cayenne and black pepper. Add your veggie stock and veggies and let simmer for ten minutes or until it comes to a strong boil. Add your brown rice, cover and let simmer on medium heat for half an hour. Add half of the mixture to your food processor and return back to pot, stir it in and serve!

Zucchini Loaf!

2009-02-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

Who can resist a zucchini loaf? Rhetorical question!

This loaf is easy to whip up, and can be put together while your favorite homemade soup is cooking on the stove. Zucchini is part of the squash family and is jam-packed with radical fighting vitamins making it a perfect way to enrich your bread with nutrients.

What You’ll Need
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce

½ cup raw cane sugar

½ cup light olive oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 zucchini, grated

½ cup raisins

¼-1/2 cup of water (I used close to ½ cup of water, my mixture was really dry. You be the judge of your own dough!)

Instructions

- Preheat oven to 350*F-

Using a large baking bowl, combine the first four dry ingredients. Add the apple sauce, raw cane sugar, oil, vinegar and vanilla- mix it all together. GENTLEY stir in your grated zucchini and raisins, DO NOT OVER MIX, just blend it together enough so that the raisins and zucchini are nicely mingled into the dough. At this point you will want to judge the dryness of your dough, add your water. Spoon mixture into a lightly coated bread pan and let bake for 45-50 minutes. Let it cool down for 20 minutes (yes, seriously-20 minutes!) before serving.

Oh-My! Sin-Free Shepard's Pie!!!

2009-02-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

I really love Shepard's Pie!

Growing up as a child, nothing was more of a comfort food than my Dad's homecooked French Canadian Shepard's Pie. I would come home from a long day of elementry school seeing the kitchen in a fog and my Pops looking rather exhausted. This meant one thing: HOME COOKED SHEPARD'S PIE! OH MY! This food is so high among my favorites that it is the exact dish that had converted me back to the dark side two years ago, when my ex's Mother brought out her homestyle French Canadian Shepard's Pie..I could not resist!

Luckily for us all, I have veganized this wonderful comfort food and I promise that it is still jam-packed with flavor and love. AS A MATTER OF FACT, this dish is popular amongst omnivores. It has the Pops seal of approval, and Ma has been known to savor the taste of this dish as well. If you're having to prepare dinner for some omnivores and have no idea what to make for the skeptic meat eater- think about making this dish because it is a crowd pleaser.
You really don't have to be a French Canadian to enjoy making and eating this dish, but it makes the cooking process a bit more fun if you talk to yourself in French while in the kitchen!

MmMM BONJOUR!

What You'll Need: (Serves four hearty portions, and up to six with a side dish)

1 large white onion
2-3 carrots
1 cup corn niblets
1 cup green peas
1/2 package ground soy (St. Yves or PC makes some nice tasty ground soy.)
2-3 tbsp basil
Soy sauce (to taste. I don't measure the amount I use anymore. Start with 3tbsp and see how you feel.)
3 white potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup plain soy milk
2 tbsp Earth Balance
Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350-
1) Peel and put your potatoes on the stove to boil. Ever made mashed potatoes before? This is going to be the topping of our pie. Nothing is worse then undercooked mashed potatoes so it's best to start the boil now.
2) Dice your carrots and onion, in a large skillet add the olive oil with the onion and carrots. Let the mixture cook until onions are translucent and carrots are tender&soft.
3) Add in the corn, peas, basil and soy sauce. Let it cook for no more than 5 minutes, keep stiring mixture to avoiding sticking. Once the mixture is almost done, add in the ground soy and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

4) Once the mixture is ready transfer it to a casserole dish and pack it in tight.

5) Time to mash those potatoes! Add the soymilk and Earth Balance and MASH!MASH!MASH! The ideal here is a lump-free mixture, soft and fluffy like clouds.

6) Add potatoes on top of mixture, pack it neat and compact. Stick in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Everything Zen Salad with "Honey" Mustard Dressing.

2009-02-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

There are some nights when we come home from work or school and our daily demands are not yet done. I whipped this sucker up in no time flat, on a Tuesday night when I had hardly enough time to get dressed and head out the door before my 7:30pm yoga class-and my tummy was demanding to be fed THAT MOMENT.

This salad is quick and easy to prepare, it is by no means "gourmet" for you food snots out there-but dang it tastes GOOD. You can use whatever dressing you can think of, but I was in a hurry and flipping through my cookbooks when I stumbled upon Dreena Burton's (eat,drink & be vegan pg 81)recipe for "Honey" Mustard Dressing. I'll include the recipe for that in this post, as I had never tried to before until this salad and must report that it is very tasty-and I made a few of my own alterations, so my posted version will be that of my change.

Everything Zen Salad

What You'll Need:
1 veggie pattie (I used PC Blue Menue Bean&Lentil pattie. Yummy and full of protein!)

3-4 roman lettuce leaves
Zen Veggies: onions, red peppers, yellow peppers, carrots. (Look for this mixture in the frozen foods section of your grocery store!)

Handful of mushrooms

Prepare your Zen Veggies! For me, this meant that I stuck them in the microwave for three minutes while I let my veggie pattie cook. Prepare your veggie pattie. I fried mine up in a teaspoon of Earth Balance until it was cooked. Do I need to tell you to wash your lettuce and make sure your mushrooms aren't covered in cack? Add Zen mixture to lettuce, crumble veggie pattie and top with mushrooms.

" Honey" Mustard Dressing

What You'll Need:

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp Agave Nectar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

dash of sea salt

1 clove of garlic
4 tbsp light olive oil

Stick all of the ingredients starting first with the garlic clove and minus the olive oil in your food processor (or in my case, my Magic Bullet! LOVE that thing) Blend, and then add in your oil, blend some more.

Factory Farming Menopause

2009-01-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

How Do You Morning? Ready-When-You-Are Berry Oatmeal.

2009-01-18T17:26:00.000-08:00

Breakfast. Yes, we all know how important a good sturdy breakfast is upon awakening. Our first meal of the day can set the entire tone of how our bodies will feel and flourish. A lot of our mornings are wasted on the SNOOZE button, as we rush to brush our teeth, get into some clean panties and head out the door. I dare you to try this quick and easy recipe-it is one that I make the time to enjoy almost every busy weekday morning. Don’t forget to add your favorite tea to the mix. Give yourself the ten minutes it will take to prepare, consume and enjoy this tasty filling way to start your day!

What You’ll Need:
1 package plain oatmeal
½ cup frozen mixed berries

½ cup-1 cup soy milk
1 tbsp agave nectar

Directions:

In this order add oatmeal, mixed berries, soy milk-give is a wee stir and drizzle your agave nectar on top. Microwave for 3 minutes. Eat, enjoy and feel nourished!

Eggplant and Red Pepper Bake

2009-01-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

Bonjourno!

Oh, the wonderful world of blogging. I am so excited to share this blog with all of you. Before we get onto the tasty eggplant bake-I'd like to do somewhat of an introduction of my journey to vegetarianism.
It all started in grade four with a science video presented to us by a substitute teacher, the video was about eco systems or biology..something of the sort. There was a brief but very graphically honest 20 second clip of where and how our hamburgers were made. My relationship with meat changed forever. Flash forward to two years ago when I was introduced to the cooking of my ex's Mother. Homestyle Country cooking ya'll! After six months of smelling and craving the foods placed in front of me during Sunday dinners (and looking down in boredom at my crackers and cream cheese severed to me on my plate) I could not resist, and enjoyed my fair share of meaty foods. Five months ago I started upon my journey of self-cleansing and reflection (*ahem* naturally brought on by a break-up.) and this meant the first thing to go was my consumption of meat. After a week of cooking and eating healthy vegetarian meals again, my body instantly felt at peace-I was home again.
So here I am in the present starting my first ever blog, and I could not be happier to share my cooking and learning experiences with you all. There is so much satisfaction in cooking your own healthy meals. This is a huge learning process for me, as I was not born with a natural knack for gracefully applying myself in the kitchen. However I've got a creative mind and some sensational taste buds, which really-are the two most important things when it comes having a way with food.
Now onto the bake!

Eggplant and Red Pepper Bake (Serves 4)

What You'll Need:

1 eggplant cut into slices. About 1/4-inch thick, but it really depends on your casserole dish.
1 large white onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 red pepper diced

1 zucchinni grated, cut in half lengthwise and diced
4 oz mushrooms. Pre-cut triple washed mushrooms help keep this bake simple
1 cup nutritional yeast
8 oz tomato sauce
3 tbsp Italian Seasoning
*1 cup spelt bread crumbs
* I didn't use any when I cooked this and it still turned out tasty. Bread crumbs are an option if you want to soak up more of the moisture, which will help hold the bake together. If you use bread crumbs, layer them in between the veggies and the tomato sauce.

Directions:
1) Preheat broiler, set oven at 375.
2) Arrange eggplant slices on a baking sheet lightly coated with coconut oil/olive oil. Broil each side for six minutes, turn over and broil for another six minutes.Eggplant is tricky to bake and you really want it to be nice and soft. Perhaps you'll keep it in a few minutes longer depending on your oven.

3) Heat large stir-fry pan coated with coconut oil over medium heat. Add in your onion,mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning. Do not move onto step four until your onions are translucent.

4) Add in zucchini and red peppers, stir into the mixture and let cook for about two minutes.

5) Add veggie mixture to the bottom of your casserole dish,spread tomato sauce on top,spoon out the nutritional yeast and arrange eggplant slices on top. Continue this layering process until all your ingredients are in the casserole dish, with the tomato sauce being on the top visable layer. Sprinkle remaining nutritional yeast to the top of your bake, cover and bake for an hour.

ENJOY!