1 bean salad.

i hated 3 bean salad growing up, but the other day, i had a craving for it. sort of. no kidney bean desires, but white (cannellini) beans and crunchy vegs of some sort were totally on my radar.

i ended up with a  tangy, creamy, crunchy and soft mix of all things wonderful:

salad:
*cannellini beans, 1 can
*chopped carrot, 1
*quartered sliced cucumber, 1/2
*sliced red cabbage, a couple slices off a whole one
*cubed avocado, 1
*sliced fennel stalk, 1
*minced white onion, 1 sliver off a whole one

dressing:
*a spoon of sprouted chickpea miso
*a little squirt of dijon
*a splash of ACV
*a splash of omega 369 oil blend

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?

green bean + potato salon salad.

i've been wanting to go to my friend's wednesday night salon for what seems like a year now. so i was especially excited when i could go tonight!
i had fresh long long green beans from jon's garden and did some google searches for ideas of what to do with them for a salad to bring.
i found this one on fat-free vegan kitchen which turned out to be perfect! yay!
i'm not sure how closely i followed it - i think i added more potatoes and beans, oh and i added the carrot for a bit more colour, but yum! i guess i swoon over almost anything with fresh basil or lemon or garlic (or all of the above!) so this was a great combo. oh yeah, and the brown rice miso? oh yes!!!

and best part? it was a big hit!! green sauce for the win!!

"le réfrigérateur toute" smoothie

today's smoothie is not mostly greens, but is mostly green.
it is creamy, ever-so-slightly-sweet and filling!

this smoothie is 1/3 a bunch of parsley, a few sprigs of mint, a couple celery stalks, one carrot, one avocado, one pear, one avocado, two dates (i was worried it would taste like salad), and one cup of filtered water. i have enough for 2 smoothie glasses and well, since paul isn't here and it's basically lunch time, they're mine!

p.s. i went to leanne and liam's super busy potluck last night! at any given point, with all the comers and goers, there'd be at LEAST 30 people there! so, lots of vegan treats to try! i at first was avoiding my allergy list foods (gluten, wheat, cashews, peanuts, etc.) which is super tricky at a potluck (with dishes that don't have listed ingredients and way too many people around to try track down who made what) but i soon figured i might as well see what happens. if i ballooned out into a 8 month's pregnant lady like the last time i had green pepper, i would just go home! anyways... i felt fine! and relieved. my naturopath encouraged me during my last appointment, saying i should not worry about having some of these things during my upcoming quebec trip as for one, eating vegan in QC will be hard enough, but also if i am relaxed about it and relaxed in general, food sensitivities shouldn't flare up too harshly. i think after my next liver cleanse, i want to get my allergies tested again. i'm confident that my "avoids" list is going to keep getting smaller!

oh, but back to L+L's... they have these cool plants that don't have roots or soil or a pot? and they are green! what are these things? are they these tillandsia plants?

day 28 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

i was excited to try some new (to me) snacks at whole foods in bellevue today where sarah and i met leanna for lunch. including these raw vanilla coconut ice cream pops! YAY! super good.

when i got home, i made this green smoothie which paul says is his favourite yet! i used the tops of the bunch of rainbow carrots we got from spud when they didn't have the beets i ordered!
oh yeah, the smoothie:
*carrot tops (the greens! of a whole bunch of rainbow carrots! inspiration here)
*2 carrots
*1 pear
*2 navel oranges
*2 blood oranges (small)
*1 frozen banana
*some mint leaves

paul was fine with the pulpy texture because it was thicker. i didn't use ANY water for this one! so pleased i used the greens i don't usually do anything with. next challenge is to use the tops of radishes before they get all wilted and mushy.

zucchini pasta with creamy something sauce!

if i didn't know what was in this, i'd have NO idea. everything blended together so nicely!

i found this recipe for "raw zucchini pasta with carrot-cashew creme sauce". i used only 3 zucchini so i had sauce left over, i didn't use peas or onions or basil, i used chickpea miso, probably 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes and i used the optional roma. and my juicer is still dead and un-replaced, so i vitamixed a few short carrots with a bit of water and it was great!

 and for dessert... frozen banana blended with a little water and strawberries with cacao nibs on top! YES! could've put in the freezer a bit to firm up but we couldn't wait!

korean middle school cafeteria day 15

breakfast... i especially enjoyed the cherry tomatoes this morning. what is going on? i used to gag eating any tomato on its own! though i suppose smaller sizes make it easier. anyways... the usual chia cereal and then some veg crackers (with coconut oil) on the side...












lunch! yay raw veggies! and watermelon! and sprouted almond croutons! (which i had to snack on later! love them!)














dinner? not so exciting. but it's okay. it was enough.