FOOD! - GREEN SMOOTHIE #1!

Let's keep this short and sweet.  I'm interested in eating healthy and following a mostly vegan diet.  I don't have a lot of time in the mornings as I'm typically rushing around getting children ready for school and preparing for my day - whether it's going to the office, volunteering in one of my children's classrooms or going to the grocery alone!  So - I like to make protein shakes and smoothies to get me through my mornings on the go!  Last Monday, I posted an easy chocolate protein smoothie.  Today, I'm posting A Berry Green Smoothie!

A Berry Green Smoothie

In a 24 oz blender cup add the following:

10 oz bag of frozen organic berries

1 handful of walnuts

1 large Kale leaf, lightly torn and without the stem

1/2 to 1 cup of Almond Milk

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

The addition of leafy greens (spinach, chard, kale, etc) makes a smoothie "green".  Although the smoothie isn't always green in color and you don't even taste the greens!  What a great way to get those very important green leafy vegetables without having to choke down another salad!

I use a lot of Almond Milk these days, but any non-dairy milk would be an acceptable substitute, as would plain old water.  If you aren't concerned about keeping this smoothie vegan, you can add your favorite yogurt or regular milk.  And if everything doesn't seem to blend well enough the first time through, add another 1/4 cup of liquid and blend again.

Have more time of your hands and like buying in bulk?  Purchase your berries separately, wash them and freeze them and add as desired.  I like finding the bags of frozen organic fruits on sale and stocking up - especially when berries are out of season.  Super quick and easy!  The frozen fruit creates a thicker smoothie.  Fresh fruit can be used too, but you may want to add ice and less liquid if a thicker consistency is preferred.  

Feel free to add other fruits, nuts, cocoa powder or protein powder to switch this up!  But overall, this is a solid base for an easy green smoothie.  Enjoy!

FOOD! - BLACK BEAN & KALE BAKED YAMS!

As we are trying to consume less meat, dairy & egg products, I am able to experiment with different foods and recipes!  For this particular dinner, I knew I wanted to use the yams that I already had, but I wanted to make it different.  In searching on-line, I came across one with minimal ingredients, and ingredients that I had already or could easily substitute!  Perfect!  Just what I need, a simple recipe!  Following is my version, which I must say tasted pretty darn good!

Black Bean & Kale Baked Yams
(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients

4 - Medium to Large Organic Yams or Sweet Potatoes
2 - 15oz cans of Organic Black Beans (or approx 3 cups of cooked black beans or 1 cup of dry beans)
About 4 - 6 cups chopped Organic Kale (Spinach or Chard would work well also)
2 - 3 TBSP Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 - Cloves of Organic Garlic pressed or minced
2/3 Cups of Water
Sea Salt and Pepper to your preference

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees.
2. Cut Yams in half lengthwise and place cut side down on lined sheet pan or Demarle Silpat (I love my Demarle cookware!) Poke holes in top side of yams. Cook about 30 mintues or until desired tenderness.
3. While Yams are cooking, chop Kale and prep Garlic.
4. Heat Olive Oil in saucepan, add Garlic and cook until fragrant (usually just a few minutes).
5. Add Kale to Garlic and Olive Oil.  Toss to coat.
6. Add Water, cover saucepan and cook about 5 minutes.
7. Remove cover, toss Kale & Garlic, reduce heat and cook another 15 minutes or until Kale has reached desired tenderness and texture, add more water as needed.
8. Add Black Beans to Kale & Garlic and cook until warmed thoroughly.  Season as needed with Sea Salt and Pepper.
9. When Yams are ready, split down the middle of the cut side and open each half up.
10. Spoon Black Bean, Kale & Garlic mixture onto Yams and serve!
11. No topping is necessary, but if desired, a vegan sour cream does taste good on top (my children liked the added sour cream).

I found the original recipe HERE.  The original called for an avocado dressing, which I omitted because I knew my children would definitely not touch their dinner if it was on there, and I didn't have any avocados!  But I will make this again for myself with the avocado dressing to give it a try!  Enjoy!!!  Be sure to let me know what you think!