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All the nights of dancing didn't do much for my figure in Buenos Aires... When it came to an asado, I didn't hold back.
This particular night, we enjoyed four different salads, roasted red bell peppers, steak ribs, another cut of meat that I forget the name of, and chicken. (and cheese and eggs and wine.. for everyone else)
salad 1. cherry tomatoes and pesto
salad 2. shredded carrots, hearts of palm, lemon, oil, and salt
salad 3. arugula, oil, and salt
salad 4. lettuce, onions, oil, lemon, and salt
Can't tell you what he did with the meat, but oh my god.. I wish I could.
So the last time I posted something new, I was getting ready to go back to Buenos Aires. Hope you weren't expecting me to keep up the blog while I was enjoying some summer weather in February :)
I've also been cooking a lot of my older recipes, so I don't have as much new material for the blog. But I have a file full of pictures, and I'm going to start chipping away at them... I just hope I can remember the recipes :)
Ready? Here we go.
I got a juicer, as a gift.. thank you (you know who you are).
The juicer is perfect for when I go out of town because I can juice all the produce left in my fridge and not let anything go to waste. I've been going out of town a lot.. so the little juicer has proved it's worth already.
When I'm not making random I'm-leaving-town juices, I like to make a version of Main Squeeze's "ginger tonic."
Celery
Apple
Lemon
Ginger
Carrot
I'm not going to put amounts, because I change it up depending on my mood. Don't be afraid. There's no wrong way. :)
Sometimes I add other things.. like kale, parsley, beets, oranges, or pineapple. Anything goes...
truffles.
equal parts:
-honey (or agave)
-almond/peanut butter
-cocoa powder
ok, a little extra cocoa powder.
put mix in fridge. then, after some time, roll.
in: coconut, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, and cacao nibs
keep in fridge. devour.
Just days after returning from the southern hemisphere.. I was in a nostalgic mood, and concocted this salad with my aunt Allie. One thing I found interesting was, in Argentina, carrots were almost always eaten in the grated form, and usually in a salad. They were always very finely grated there.. and it makes me want to get a special blade for my food processor.
Here's what we threw together:
We had no hearts of palm, but we had artichoke hearts.. and quartered them
Grated carrots
Random salad mix from the fridge, which included celery and little broccoli trees
Sprouts of some kind
And an avocado that was too mushy to cut, so we each got a half to spoon ourselves.
Dressing: Olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and a pinch of salt
My aunt's kitchen is a fun place.. later that night I got to help as she made some salve for her organic and super healing skin care line, madre tierra. It's still in the works - as far as getting products on shelves in different shops - but if you're interested in ordering things from her, just contact her through the website :)
Back in LA.. I visited Juicy Ladies in Woodland Hills and got a piece of truffle cake that lasted me 4 days. Ok 3 days. Ok.. 2 1/2 days. All girls exaggerate.
This amazing treat made by Cru contains: organic raw cocoa powder, organic raw agave nectar, organic raw coconut butter, organic raw almonds, organic spices, and Celtic sea salt.
Sorry it's not a full restaurant review - I didn't actually get to go to the restaurant. Maybe next time I'm in LA.. I'll try anyway. Not much left to say... Was it as good as it looks? Yup.
In the beginning of my 1 month in Argentina, it was a little difficult adjusting to the food situation. Luckily, I stayed in a nice apartment with a usable kitchen. The vegetables all tasted different, of course.. and so did the olive oil, the salt.. and even the different water made me miss the taste of home. I got over it, don't worry :) But when I found this little place downtown during my first week there, I was so excited! I think I missed organic-y people.
PuraVida Juice Bar is on Reconquista, at Tucumán. They serve salads, sandwiches, wraps, muffins, juices, smoothies, and wheatgrass. I enjoyed their Todo Verde Salad: organic mixed greens, avocado, parsley, alfalfa sprouts, green onion, celery, and cucumber, with a tahini based dressing. And, the drink I went back for, a few different times, was the anti-resfrío: made with pineapple, apple, ginger, and wheatgrass.
I'm no scientist - but I'm pretty sure wheatgrass is gluten free. Incase you were wondering.
I will never buy a popsicle ever again. The thought just seems so silly.
2 peaches
1/2 cup coconut milk
tiny pinch salt
normal pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp honey, or other sweetener
blueberries
Blend peaches, coconut milk, salt, nutmeg, and honey together. Put a few blueberries in your popsicle molds, then fill with the peach mixture. Freeze and enjoy.
If you don't have an ice cream maker yet.. what are you waiting for? It's summer time and you should be eating healthy and easy to make ice cream with your friends and family!
Here's my kiwi lime sherbet:
5 ripe kiwis, peeled
2 frozen bananas, peeled and chopped (the frozen part probably isn't necessary)
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used 1/2 cup hemp milk, and 1/4 cup coconut)
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp honey (or vegan sweetener of choice)
Blend all ingredients, then put in your pre frozen ice cream maker. Enjoy in 30 minutes!
Did I mention that you should get an ice cream maker? They're like, 30 bucks.
I'm almost finished with the posts from my trip. Here is the breakfast I ate while in Chicago.
Lydia's Organics Apricot Sun cereal, made of: sprouted buckwheat, apples, sprouted sunflower seeds, coconut, apricots, and agave nectar. All Lydia's Organics products are gluten free, raw, organic, and vegan. She has some great products on her website.. which also means - some good inspiration if you own a dehydrator :)
The fancy granola was initially a little expensive, but because it nourished me at least 6 times while I was traveling, it was well worth the cost. I pared it with some vanilla Tempt hemp milk. When I'm at home I make my own - but I don't bring my immersion blender with me on the road. Hmm.. that's actually not a bad idea.
It just so happens that in Minneapolis lives one of the allergic hedonist's biggest fans! Since I was randomly in her town, my friends and I decided to surprise her and her family with a dinner party! (We set it all up before hand with her husband of course) My friends in the 1st photo (Jenn, Erin, myself, and Parker - the photographer) showed up with bags of groceries and an ice cream maker and introduced ourselves at the front door.
Once all the introductions were made, and the hand painted aprons bestowed, 14 hands got to work in the kitchen making swordfish kabobs, wild rice with almonds and currants (I started soaking the rice that morning), and a Minneapolis inspired dessert, Mini-Raw-Ha's.
We made the same kabobs that I made on my camping trip (but oh so comfortable this time!) Swordfish marinated in wine and honey, with mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and red onion.
For the wild rice:
2 cups rice
4 cups water
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
a bunch of herbs, fresh or dried.
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup currants
Soak the rice in 4 cups of warm water plus the lemon juice for 7 hours in a pot. Then bring to a boil, skim the top, reduce heat and stir in the salt, oil, and some of the herbs. Without removing lid, cook over lowest possible heat for about 45 minutes. Once the rice is done, add some more fresh herbs, and toss in the almonds and the currents. Done :)
A few days before the big surprise, Parker took Jenn and I to see the Minnehaha Falls. That is pretty much the only connection between the Mini-Raw-Ha's and Minneapolis, other than the fact that we created it there :)
A Mini-Raw-Ha is a single serving dessert. (I guess a Raw-Ha would be the same thing but in a pie dish, that people would share) So, begin with little bowls, or coffee cups, or ramekins. Then add the crust (coarsely processed dates, walnuts, and coconut flakes) to the bottom of the dish. The next layer is thinly sliced apples (as many as you want) sprinkled with ground nutmeg.
Ice cream is next: We had two frozen ice cream maker bowls (thanks to Parker's mom!) and made two different flavors.
1. cinnamon honey ice cream: 1 can whole coconut milk, 1 banana, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla.
2. chocolate mint ice cream: 1 can whole coconut milk, 1 banana, 1/4-1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp vanilla, handful of fresh mint leaves finely chopped.
Place ingredients in a blender or food processor then follow your ice cream maker's instructions.
Lastly, we topped the Mini-Raw-Ha's with blueberries. Have fun making this recipe your own raw dessert by adding, subtracting, multiplying, or completely changing the layers. Desserts prepared in personal sized dishes are great, because then you don't have to worry about someone else (I'll use myself as an example) taking more than their fair share :)
Enjoy! And thank you to Cathy and her family for letting us into their home and sharing this amazing meal with us, and to Parker for the b-e-a-utiful photos!
My friend from elementary school, Jenn, and I picked a place we had never been before and decided to meet there. This is how the Minneapolis trip was started. I have to say, that Minneapolis is the cat's meow. With an awesome art museum, food co-ops, lakes, nice summer weather, and a live tango band to dance to every week!! If it just didn't get so cold there.. hmm. (I learned that Minneapolis has two seasons: winter and road construction. There's your joke for the day.. but.. it's not really a joke.)
Anyway, one place I visited 3 times was a building called the Ecopolitan. It's full of natural doctors and massage therapists, and on the main level is a raw food restaurant. The first time I went there with a large group of friends, Jenn and I split a freaking amazing salad made with kale, kiwi, red cabbage, tomato, fresh basil, sprouted quinoa, raisins, and a tahini-garlic dressing.
We also got the flaxeed tostadas made with: flaxseed-sunflower shells with lentil “taco meat”, greens, marinated mushrooms, onion, olives, cilantro, cashew “sour cream,” & hot sauce. And it was served with salsa & guacamole. I couldn't help myself from getting a dessert to go as well.. I got a slice of coconut creme pie. It's just too exciting when I can actually eat dessert at a restaurant and feel good afterwards. I recommend checking out their website and visiting their restaurant if you're in the area, or at least downloading their menu and trying to make some of their dishes at home :)
My photos from the first meal didn't turn out so well, but the 2nd time I went there, I visited their juice bar and my friends and I got the "orange dream" (orange, carrot, and ginger) and "sweet beet" (beet, carrot, apple, kale, and ginger). mmm
The THIRD time I went back was by myself to get breakfast.. I got the "rawnola" made of crunchy cinnamon spouted and dehydrated buckwheat groats, with strawberries, pineapple, apple, cherries, dates, raisins, all topped with a date syrup and served with freshly made coconut milk. It was delicious, organic, $6. How? I don't know.
My boyfriend took me out to a fancy restaurant before I left for my trip.. and instead of being sad when it came time for dessert, because I can't enjoy anything on the menu, we just left and strolled down to the root cellar (our local store where you can buy local produce when you don't wake up in time for the farmer's market).
We enjoyed blueberries, apples, little plums, and strawberries.. outside on a bench. :) Life is good.
Hey everyone! Sorry for the big break in posts.. I was on vacation again. Poor me, I know. But before I write about what I ate on my trip - I have to play a little catch up. Here was a meal a friend and I made before I left. I was trying to use up the produce I still had, and in this case - it was a zucchini somewhere between the size of my calf and my thigh. I remember making this recipe once last summer, pre-blog-life.. so I knew I had to make it again to share with you.
The recipe is from one of Williams-Sonoma cookbooks (but I left out the cheese...) The process on this one is slightly tedious.. but worth it! And if you make extra, it keeps in the fridge :) I ate raw zucchini linguini with 4 different toppings over the four days it took me to finish it all. Note: The process goes faster with a friend you need to catch up with.. so.. invite one? When I tasted the finished product, I was immediately brought back to Italy. I lived there for four months, and it was before I knew about all my allergies (thank God).. But since I haven't been able to have dairy, wheat, or even wine, it's been hard to recreate the Italy taste. Garlic, basil, olive oil, and a good tomato will do the trick.
Ingredients:
zucchini, 2 lbs
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
ripe tomatoes, 2 lbs total weight, diced (there's a photo coming up of what a tomato should look like on the inside)
garlic, 2 cloves (because I was making a huge amount.. I probably added more than what the recipe suggested)
fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons (I just used a handful from my herb garden.. the recipe says "leaves from 1/2 a bunch" What? Oh yeah.. basil comes from the grocery store.. I forgot.)
olive oil, 3 tbsp (I hate saying extra virgin.. you know what I mean)
parmesan cheese, small chunk (get permission from your body first, mine says "no.")
Ready?
Using a vegetable peeler, cut zucchini lengthwise into slices about 1/8th inch thick. Carefully place slices in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt, and toss gently to coat. Line your workspace with cloth towels and transfer the salted zucchini slices, arranging them in a single layer, and let them stand for 20 minutes.
Turn the slices over and let stand for another 10 minutes. Then gently rinse under cold running water. Using clean towels pat the slices dry, then arrange them in a loose mound on a serving platter. The zucchini should have gone through a transformation - from slimy to crisp.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes with their juices, garlic, and basil, and toss gently to mix. Stir in 2 tbsp olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over the zucchini and top with a few grinds of pepper. Spoon the tomato mixture evenly over the zucchini, and serve right away.
Hey everyone :)
Right now, I'm in Minneapolis, on another summer trip visiting friends and having adventures :) I'll be back at home in less than a week, so get ready for a flood of posts. But at the moment, it's 2 am on my last night in Minnesota, and I can't fall asleep! I thought I'd at least be productive.. and catch up on a post :)
Here's a photo of the salad I had right before leaving for the megabus. If you don't know about megabus yet, you should. And sorry if it doesn't go to your town - but I made it from Columbia, MO to Chicago to Minneapolis and all the way back for $60. Yeah, I know.
The salad!
Greens (I used a mix of spinach and lettuce)
1/2 avocado, chopped (per person)
3-4 artichoke hearts, quartered (per person)
some wisps of red onion
The dressing!
olive oil + balsamic vinegar, and maybe a little pinch of salt.
enjoy :)
Guess who helped me come up with that name for this banana strawberry popsicle?
My cousin and I ate these for breakfast! What? Popsicles for breakfast! Yes.
Blend:
1-2 bananas
1-2 cups of strawberries
1/2 cup of whole coconut milk
Pour:
into popsicle molds or dixie cups with popsicle sticks
Freeze:
then enjoy!
"Halvah (also known as halwa, halva, halava, helva, etc.) is a broad term used to describe desserts made with a base of flour or nut butter, such as sesame tahini, and sometimes including vegetables (such as carrots) or nuts. It is eaten in India, Central and West Asia, North Africa, the Balkans, and of course, in Israel and in Jewish delis throughout the United States. Each culture has its own halvah, united only by name--which derives from the Arabic word for "sweet"--and the fact that each is a sweetened candy or dessert, often an ancient and beloved recipe."
-Elisheva Margulies
Here's an easy recipe. And by easy, I mean really easy. You might already have everything you need.
1 cup sesame seeds (I used some black sesame seeds too)
1/2 cup tahini
2 tbsp honey (raw)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (or just another 1/2 tsp of vanilla)
Mix all the ingredients except the seeds, then mix the seeds in.
Squish the sticky mix into a small container lined with wax paper. You can make the candies as thick or thin as you like. I recommend somewhere between 1/2 to 1 inch. So - I used a small 6" x 6" tupperware, and the candies were about 1/2" thick.
Chill, then cut, and serve and enjoy :)
For lunch today, I ate this salad. It was made up of whatever I had in the fridge.. of course it helps if you keep healthy and fresh and delicious food in your home. Always.
Salad greens - lettuce, kale, arugula, and swiss chard
Carrot - shredded
Artichoke heart - pulled apart
Red onion - thinly sliced
Cucumber - seeded and diced
Walnuts - chopped
For the dressing.. There are two steps to this if you don't already have Mary's Oil Blend.
Mary's oil blend is a combination of coconut, sesame, and olive oils (in equal parts). The idea comes from Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon's book Eat Fat Lose Fat which stresses that coconut oil be a part of one's diet everyday. So! First, I made a big batch of this oil - with 1 cup of each of the 3 oils. Then I made Sally Fallon's herb dressing: (minus the mustard, because I'm actually allergic to that too..)
1/2 cup Mary's Oil Blend
2 tbsp + 1 tsp raw wine vinegar
1 tbsp flax oil.
(1 tsp Dijon style mustard - if you must)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, oregano, basil, and some rosemary)
Because there's flax oil in this, I recommend storing it in the fridge. Enjoy!
(All of the oils I use are expeller or cold pressed, as well as organic.)
All the nights of dancing didn't do much for my figure in Buenos Aires... When it came to an asado, I didn't hold back.
