teriyaki sprouted almonds!

good luck trying not to eat these all before you take them out of the dehydrator!

what i did:
sprouted 1 cup of raw almonds (soaked in filtered on counter for 8-12 hours, rinsing a couple times a day and letting sit for another 8 or so hours without soaking water)

i blended the following to marinate the almonds in before dehydrating for a good day or so:
*a nub of ginger
*a splash of braggs (possibly?)
*a spoon of brown rice/soy miso
*a clove of garlic
*a couple dates with probably 2 tablespoons of filtered water (or more?) to soak them a bit - i figure the dehydrator is going to suck all the liquid out anyway, i don't need to stress about too much liquid!

these are uber inspired by the teriyaki sprouted almonds from organic lives - they use a sprouted chickpea miso (swoon!) and i'm sure there are other magical ingredients (*note - upon checking my link to buy them, i see they use lemon juice and himalayan salt also! yum!). but really, start with some garlic and ginger, two "can do no wrong" ingredients, and you won't go wrong! enjoy! ^_^

hair product detox!

yesterday i was lamenting that my hair seemed to be greasy or heavy even right after a wash! i don't know what the deal is, i don't use or put anything on or in my hair except shampoo, but i'm grateful for stumbling across myhealthygreenfamily's post, washing my hair with baking soda.
last night, i followed her directions - 1 tablespoon baking soda mixed in 1 cup water to lather into hair and wash out and then 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar in 1 cup water for a rinse. i didn't need probably even half as much but i did the whole cup anyways.
my hair felt squeaky clean in the shower and i'm over the moon to have it super clean feeling and soft again!
i'm curious how it will feel tomorrow! it feels lighter again - in colour and weight! it's no longer dulled by shampoo build-up? it feels like when i get out of the salon chair after a wash and cut! oh and when i used to have my hair dyed - it always felt so great after that, those first couple days! (fyi, i stopped dyeing my hair a couple years ago while taking my clean sweep of chemicals out of my life)
i probably should have taken a picture of it at its weirdest and heaviest but here is today:

my happy hair!

maybe this isn't a big deal to you, but it's a huge relief to me!

i am annoyed that i still have 1/2 full bottles of my shampoo (a couple different kinds by avalon organics). can it be that i'm sick of them and so is my head? having short, fine hair like me means it takes FOREVER to go through a bottle so i think my next one(s) are going to be small bottles of super simple shampoos (organic and minus the dirty dozen, obviously) but maybe i will even start making something myself!

is there anything cleaning-related that baking soda and vinegar isn't good for? just curious!

post-yoga fruity greens with jon!

i forgot to take a photo until near the very end. i also forgot to practice yoga for 6 months!? what was i thinking? gotta get back into that routine. thank you, jon, for taking me as your birthday guest!!! i am dreaming up something indonesian-inspired for a birthday dessert for you! ^_^
anyways... this smoothie comes courtesy of 2 cups of filtered water, 6 kale leaves, 1 pear, 2 yellow plums, 2 dates, 2 dried figs and 2 frozen bananas. sweet with amazing texture!

i am currently drinking a smoothie of frozen banana, one pear (my favourite right now!), a sprinkle of mesquite and lucuma and cinnamon and a spoon of hemp seeds and spatone liquid iron with some filtered water. delicious!

a trio of smoothies.

3 cups of water, 2 apples and 2 pears and the greens (and stems) from one bunch of beets made 3 portions of this not-so-green green smoothie!

the tops of a bunch of carrots,  3 cups of water, 1 plum and a couple handfuls of frozen plums, 1 sprig of mint and 1 apple made up this smoothie for 3! 

a few leaves of kale shy of a bunch, the juice of 4-5 oranges (about 2.5 cups) and 2 frozen bananas created 3 cups of  my favourite green smoothie this week! fresh orange juice? swoon!

chipolte coconut lettuce wraps!

tonight's dinner is a natalia kw recipe i got in a vegnews email 2 days ago:

chipolte coconut lettuce wraps!

Smoky chipotle and crispy coconut bring fresh lettuce wraps to a flavorful new level. Creamy avocado and peppercorn ranch dressing add plenty of rich satisfaction.

Serves 4

What You Need:

For the chipotle coconut:
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon tamari (we used braggs)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle
3/4 cup large coconut flakes

For the ranch dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup hemp seeds
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil

For the lettuce wraps:
8 butter lettuce leaves (we used iceberg lettuce)
3 roma tomatoes, sliced
2 avocados, sliced

we definitely enjoyed the crispy coconut and creamy goodness! but for next time, we wondered about adding another dimension - my dad suggested cilantro, my mom suggested grated carrot or maybe cauliflower florets.

 What You Do:

1. For the chipotle coconut, in a medium bowl, combine coconut oil, tamari, maple syrup, paprika, and chipotle and mix well. Add coconut flakes and toss well to evenly coat.
2. For the ranch dressing, in a high-speed blender, combine lemon juice, water, hemp seeds, garlic, peppercorns, and salt and blend until smooth. While the blender is running, add olive oil and blend.
3. To assemble wraps, lay lettuce leaves on plates. Top with a tablespoon of ranch dressing and layer with tomato and avocado. Divide chipotle coconut among each wrap and serve.

picnic and a movie!

on tuesday, i went to see labyrinth for the first time (surprising, i know!) in stanley park and a bunch of us gathered for a picnic beforehand.
tony found blackberries, janna brought daiya cheese wedges (jack + jalapeno garlic havarti) with mary's crackers and a potato salad, dali brought sesame crackers and hummus, mel and mig brought zucchini brownies (babycakes-inspired), lisa brought her gluten-free brownies, phil brought gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, kip brought a $37 "whole paycheque" salad and i brought a matthew kenny "potato" salad-inspired salad.

i was craving potato salad (which made it incredibly amazing that janna made one!) and i was wanting to try another recipe from everyday raw, so i checked out page 84's "potato salad". though, in my attempt to not go grocery shopping to make sure my fridge was empty of produce before leaving the next day for a few days, i adjusted things a fair bit!

my salad is in the bottom left corner of the picnic spread ^_^

i got that massive avocado (organic!) for $2 at whole paycheque. amazing right? extra amazing is it was perfectly ripe. so i used it for this recipe!

movie picnic salad:

1 mashed big avocado
1.75 cucumbers, diced (i saved 1/4 of one for my smoothie later)
1 diced red pepper
2 sliced and halved radishes
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
a couple bunches of basil and oregano, finely sliced

mixed with a blend of:

2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 teaspoon (or more?) cumin
1 tablespoon (or more?) apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons (or more?) fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon braggs
1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
pinch sea salt
pinch chili powder

i definitely have to try matthew kenney's actual version of potato salad sometime, with jicama and green olives and celery. but this one worked for me. maybe if i did this particular version again, i would add garlic to add a bit more dimension. but really, avocado and cumin and cucumber make everything amazing!!!

everyday raw chili success!

twice in the last 5 days, i have broke into my copy of matthew kenney's everyday raw and made his raw chili. after many ani phyo delicious chilis (most recently, but also here, and here). it's been fun to find another yummy chili that is easy to make, uses "normal" ingredients and has universal appeal.

reading the reviews on amazon, there is a "not for the beginner" and a "meh" as some responses. i can slightly relate, i suppose, as some of the recipes in this book have a few too many steps, ie using (one recipe) with (other recipe) and then make ("this" recipe) for on top. i need to try more recipes from everyday raw before i can entirely disagree with the discouraging reviews, but the chili recipe on page 78 is a definite win! super easy ingredients to have on hand and it turned out beautifully!

first sampling of the chili was at lisa's birthday potluck on saturday - the first potluck i have been at in awhile that had non-vegan dishes present. gasp! it was nice that this chili fit in easily as i don't think it looks super granola-vegan-ish or much unlike a "real" chili.

i love trying new recipes for potlucks. they always seem to turn out amazing and then i also get to try other people's food creations! so much fun!

 and now, tonight, at my parents' place, we super enjoyed our delicious chili outside:

my mom cleared off the outside chairs so we could all enjoy the remaining sun of the day sans spiders. thanks mom! ^_^ 

i love that you don't even notice it's "raw". my parents said it tasted like chili and they both really enjoyed it. yay! i tried to explain why i soaked and sprouted the raw almonds but i'm not so good with such details. i figured it was the best way to make the almonds "alive" again. just like it wouldn't be so helpful to eat seeds you want to grow vegetables from and you wait until they have sprouted into plants, you soak the raw nut to make it into something nutritionally dense and easily digested. is that accurate? anyone?