Hey everyone!
This blog will soon be redirecting to my updated website: Health Through Indulgence.
It should shortly be changing over, but if you find yourself here and wondering why I haven't been Vegan MoFo posting too much these past few days, it's because I'm updating here.
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you love the new site as much as I do!
Lots of Love,
Marlena
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Zucchini Puttanesca and Pumpkin Pie Brownies
I've figured out my favorite new way to enjoy leftover pasta sauce:
Yesterday I picked up a zucchini (with the intention of using it as a base for salad dressing), black olives, and sun dried tomatoes.
Instead of a salad dressing, I created my new favorite tomato based sauce.
Zucchini Puttanesca
1 cup leftover pasta sauce
5 sun dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped
1 cup diced tomato
3 tsp capers
1/2 cup black olives, pitted, rinsed, and chopped
light sprinkling of crushed red pepper (optional)
Mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl and spoon on top of spiralized zucchini pasta, or whole grain pasta.
Usually I shy away from saltier ingredients such as sundried tomatoes, olives, and capers. Despite how much I love their flavors, they are just too salty for my liking, and despite my ultra hydrating diet, I am left thirsty after eating, which I loathe. Using the fresh tomato and zucchini pasta really kept this dish light and hydrating for me. I wasn't thirsty at all after eating.
Look at all of that sauce! This was a deeply satisfying meal.
Enrico and I also enjoyed an awesome new dessert: Pumpkin Pie Brownies!! I got this recipe directly from Post Punk Kitchen (the ladies behind Vegan MoFo), and it was delicious. I made a few modifications to make this recipe healthier and lighter. I'll share them with you:
I replaced white flour with equal parts quinoa and millet flour
I replaced white sugar with a lesser amount of unrefined sugar and vanilla stevia
I didn't use arrowroot or cornstach
I used coconut oil instead of canola oil
The pumpkin pie brownies were fantastic. The next time I make them, I plan on doubling the pumpkin mixture, and halving the brownie mixture. The brownies were this incredibly fudge-like chocolaty amazingness, but since I was more in the mood for pumpkin than chocolate, this recipe didn't quite satisfy my craving the way I thought it would.
My favorite all time brownies are my recipe for raw brownies. They are sweet, dense, chocolaty, and gooey. All of the lovely things that every brownie should be! It's been a while since I've made them, but I'll make sure to post them before the end of Vegan MoFo. :)
Have an awesome Tuesday!
Love,
Marlena
Yesterday I picked up a zucchini (with the intention of using it as a base for salad dressing), black olives, and sun dried tomatoes.
Instead of a salad dressing, I created my new favorite tomato based sauce.
Zucchini Puttanesca
1 cup leftover pasta sauce
5 sun dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped
1 cup diced tomato
3 tsp capers
1/2 cup black olives, pitted, rinsed, and chopped
light sprinkling of crushed red pepper (optional)
Mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl and spoon on top of spiralized zucchini pasta, or whole grain pasta.
Usually I shy away from saltier ingredients such as sundried tomatoes, olives, and capers. Despite how much I love their flavors, they are just too salty for my liking, and despite my ultra hydrating diet, I am left thirsty after eating, which I loathe. Using the fresh tomato and zucchini pasta really kept this dish light and hydrating for me. I wasn't thirsty at all after eating.
Look at all of that sauce! This was a deeply satisfying meal.
Enrico and I also enjoyed an awesome new dessert: Pumpkin Pie Brownies!! I got this recipe directly from Post Punk Kitchen (the ladies behind Vegan MoFo), and it was delicious. I made a few modifications to make this recipe healthier and lighter. I'll share them with you:
I replaced white flour with equal parts quinoa and millet flour
I replaced white sugar with a lesser amount of unrefined sugar and vanilla stevia
I didn't use arrowroot or cornstach
I used coconut oil instead of canola oil
The pumpkin pie brownies were fantastic. The next time I make them, I plan on doubling the pumpkin mixture, and halving the brownie mixture. The brownies were this incredibly fudge-like chocolaty amazingness, but since I was more in the mood for pumpkin than chocolate, this recipe didn't quite satisfy my craving the way I thought it would.
My favorite all time brownies are my recipe for raw brownies. They are sweet, dense, chocolaty, and gooey. All of the lovely things that every brownie should be! It's been a while since I've made them, but I'll make sure to post them before the end of Vegan MoFo. :)
Have an awesome Tuesday!
Love,
Marlena
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Cabbage and Carrot Collard Wraps with a Spicy, Tangy Avocado Spread
Hey everyone!
I've been having so much fun with my vegetable creations. At the farmer's market on Tuesday I picked up some really beautiful collard leaves and decided I'd make some collard wraps.
The wraps came out great, and they featured this super yummy avocado spread:
Spicy, Tangy Avocado Spread
2 avocados
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp nama shoyu or soy sauce
1 tsp maple extract
a few little squirts of liquid stevia (optional)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
Blend all ingredients together until smooth. You'll be left with a delicious spread that also works great as a salad dressing!
Here is how I assembled my wraps:
Cut and discard the stem of the collard, you won't want to eat it! Spread desired amount of avocado spread on the top half of the leaf, and top with your desired raw vegetables. I topped mine with chopped cabbage, carrot, cilantro and basil.
The next step is to turn the collard/vegetable pile into a wrap. Take the base of the collard and fold it over the vegetable pile, and then roll the collard in from the side. They will look like this:
 |
| I used the remaining avocado spread as my salad dressing. It was perfect! |
You could slice the top part of the collards off so that they look a bit neater, but I like eating them this way, so there is plenty of room for lots of veggies and avocado spread.
As I write this, I am realizing that my tutorial skills need improvement. I think I see a collard wrap video in the near future.
Sometimes I feel like playing with food comes so naturally to me, that I don't always pay attention to details like how I wrap my collards, or how long I bake my cookies.
I promise to work on it. ;)
Have you signed up for my latest freebie? If you're interested in learning about 5 ways to make raw foods work for you click here to register!
Lots of Love,
Marlena
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal Cookies
So, I baked.
I know I said to expect veggies, not cookies from me, but yesterday I felt like baking. The cool fall weather does this to me. I'm not complaining, I actually really, really love turning the oven on when there is a bit of a chill in the air.
There is something really special about enjoying a cookie warm, out of the oven. It can't be beat, and you can't experience that with any other type of food.
For the past couple of months, I have really enjoying baking with oats, so I used oats in this recipe. I also used my favorite sweetener in baked things: maple syrup, along with my favorite spice blend: pumpkin pie spice!
The end result of all of these favorites was a really awesome, easy to throw together quickly, whole grain, vegan cookie.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal Cookies (makes about 8-10 cookies)
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pure maple extract
1/4 cup whole spelt flour
3/4 cup oats, lightly pulsed in a blender (you don't want to turn it into complete flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Beat the wet ingredients with a hand mixer until it is creamy.
Stir this in with the dry ingredients.
Your mixture will look rather crumbly, like this:
Please forgive my ipod photos, my camera will be making a reappearance today, for sure!
On a non-cookie note, I'm happy to mention that Casey and I are running a free teleclass on 5 ways to make the raw food diet work for you!
You can sign up here (make sure you scroll down to find this particular telelcass) to get in on the call or to register for free audio recording.
This call will provide you with a unique way to approach raw foods. Our approach is not all or nothing, it is a balanced, grounding, and uplifting way to bring your body back to wholeness with natural foods.
I'm really hoping you'll join us!
Lots of Love,
Marlena
I know I said to expect veggies, not cookies from me, but yesterday I felt like baking. The cool fall weather does this to me. I'm not complaining, I actually really, really love turning the oven on when there is a bit of a chill in the air.
There is something really special about enjoying a cookie warm, out of the oven. It can't be beat, and you can't experience that with any other type of food.
For the past couple of months, I have really enjoying baking with oats, so I used oats in this recipe. I also used my favorite sweetener in baked things: maple syrup, along with my favorite spice blend: pumpkin pie spice!
The end result of all of these favorites was a really awesome, easy to throw together quickly, whole grain, vegan cookie.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal Cookies (makes about 8-10 cookies)
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pure maple extract
1/4 cup whole spelt flour
3/4 cup oats, lightly pulsed in a blender (you don't want to turn it into complete flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Beat the wet ingredients with a hand mixer until it is creamy.
Stir this in with the dry ingredients.
Your mixture will look rather crumbly, like this:
But have no worries, when you press this dough together, it sticks nicely. The cookies will stay together rather well, even without any egg or egg substitute!
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes (yes, I actually timed these guys!). They will flatten a bit as they bake.
After 10-12 minutes, remove from the oven, and let them sit on the cookie sheet for about 3-5 minutes. Once you can move them without them falling apart, you'll know for sure that they are complete!
Please forgive my ipod photos, my camera will be making a reappearance today, for sure!
On a non-cookie note, I'm happy to mention that Casey and I are running a free teleclass on 5 ways to make the raw food diet work for you!
You can sign up here (make sure you scroll down to find this particular telelcass) to get in on the call or to register for free audio recording.
This call will provide you with a unique way to approach raw foods. Our approach is not all or nothing, it is a balanced, grounding, and uplifting way to bring your body back to wholeness with natural foods.
I'm really hoping you'll join us!
Lots of Love,
Marlena
Monday, October 3, 2011
Cheesy Dijon Turnip Mash
Happy Monday!
I'm back with a new turnip mash for you. This was just as easy as my most recent Sweet Cinnamon Turnip Mash.
I just love turnips, and all root vegetables, really. They are comforting and grounding, which is exactly what I love to have as the weather cools downs. I also love that turnips are a lighter vegetable that digests easily.
For years, turnips seemed unappealing and overall dull to me, and now I've fallen head over heels for them. My words of wisdom for today: never turn your back on a vegetable, just be creative and figure out a delicious way to prepare them.
Now, for my first savory vegetable dessert: Cheesy Dijon Turnip Mash!
1 large turnip (washed, peeled, and chopped into smaller cubes)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (approximately, you can add more or less)
3 tbsp dijon mustard (this can also be adjusted to taste)
a bit of turmeric
Place the chopped turnip in a pot and cover with just enough water so that the cubes are floating a bit. Bring this to a boil. Once the turnips can be pierced with a fork, remove from the heat and let them cool a bit.
Transfer the turnip to a food processor and add the dijon mustard and nutritional yeast. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add turmeric if you'd like to get a beautiful yellow color in this mash.
If you'd like, you could add a tablespoon of coconut oil to this for a little more density and mild flavor, but I found it wasn't necessary.
How is the Dessert Challenge going for you? What creations have you experimented with?
I hope you've enjoyed a turnip or two, sweet or savory, and I hope your week gets off to a good start.
Lots of Love,
Marlena
Sunday, October 2, 2011
My Life as a Vegetarian
My first stab at giving up animal food happened during my first semester at college. I had decided to give up red meat. To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember why, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with my fear of gaining the freshman fifteen.
I never really was big on red meat. I certainly ate my fair share of meatballs and hamburgers, but it never really excited me the way that cookies, big bowls of pasta, or BBQ chicken did. Looking back, it seems that it was a natural and intuitive decision for me to give up red meat before any other animal foods.
Plus, I just love cows and think they’re so gorgeous. I can’t stand the thought of eating them.
About a year later, my family and I found out that my cat was sick and passed away within a few weeks. I had her since I was in third grade, and I was absolutely, totally devastated. It was like losing a best friend. I still get teary eyed when I see pictures of her (as unfriendly as she was to our house guests, she was a sweet pet to me!). This was the first time I really saw an animal in distress, and I just couldn’t bear it. It was absolutely heartbreaking to experience.
This is what piqued my interest in the well being of animals.
After my cat passed away, I gave up all animal foods except for dairy and eggs. Eventually I gave those up, too.
Don’t be fooled: giving up these animal foods did not make my diet healthy. In fact, it was incredibly unhealthy. I ate tons of processed non-organic soy, lots of cereal with soy milk, and refined grain products. The result of this was a lot of weight gain. While following this diet, I actually was at the highest weight I ever was in my entire life!
This showed me that eating nachos and eating bowls of pasta, cereal, and vegan cookies was not what I was looking for! I still felt conflicted, as I didn’t want to consume the flesh of animals anymore, it felt immoral to me. It also felt awful to be in a heavy, bloated body. What’s a girl to do?
I eventually found the world of macrobiotics and whole foods, and finally vegetable juicing and raw foods, which was my saving grace after experiencing horrible allergies and stomach pains once I reached the age of twenty two (which I attribute to lots of drinking, late nights, work I was beginning to loathe, and my overall mainstream American diet that I had consumed my whole life). While the whole foods approach helped to relieve my symptoms, raw green vegetable juices and fresh produce allowed my body to really heal.
Pure, organic, vegan foods have brought me great comfort, peace, and joy throughout the years. While I still consume things like raw goat’s cheese regularly, and organic eggs, wild fish, and cream - based desserts on occasion, I know that my vegetable based meals are the ultimate indulgence for me. I no longer prepare land animal foods in my home for my husband, either, as he is no longer interested in consuming the flesh of animals on a regular basis (Food, INC. really did it for him). Fresh produce is what provides us with the hydration, nutrition, and amazing taste that we need to be eat well and feel satisfied!
It feels right to participate in the Vegan Month of Food, as it’s been ten years since I first dabbled in vegetarianism, I love to cook so much, and I’m always excited to share new ways to prepare vegetables with my readers.
My intention with Vegan MoFo is to illustrate some inventive, fun, nourishing, and beautiful vegan dishes, high quality packaged vegan foods, and spotlight animal rights as much as I can. I have loved animals deeply my entire life and still cannot imagine going a day without their furry companionship. While I know that veganism may not be the answer to all of the world’s problems, I certainly know that more vegetables would do all living beings (human and non-human) a world of good.
I hope you enjoy what I have to share this month, and if you have any requests, recipe or otherwise, please send them my way!
Love and Salads,
Marlena
I never really was big on red meat. I certainly ate my fair share of meatballs and hamburgers, but it never really excited me the way that cookies, big bowls of pasta, or BBQ chicken did. Looking back, it seems that it was a natural and intuitive decision for me to give up red meat before any other animal foods.
Plus, I just love cows and think they’re so gorgeous. I can’t stand the thought of eating them.
About a year later, my family and I found out that my cat was sick and passed away within a few weeks. I had her since I was in third grade, and I was absolutely, totally devastated. It was like losing a best friend. I still get teary eyed when I see pictures of her (as unfriendly as she was to our house guests, she was a sweet pet to me!). This was the first time I really saw an animal in distress, and I just couldn’t bear it. It was absolutely heartbreaking to experience.
This is what piqued my interest in the well being of animals.
After my cat passed away, I gave up all animal foods except for dairy and eggs. Eventually I gave those up, too.
Don’t be fooled: giving up these animal foods did not make my diet healthy. In fact, it was incredibly unhealthy. I ate tons of processed non-organic soy, lots of cereal with soy milk, and refined grain products. The result of this was a lot of weight gain. While following this diet, I actually was at the highest weight I ever was in my entire life!
This showed me that eating nachos and eating bowls of pasta, cereal, and vegan cookies was not what I was looking for! I still felt conflicted, as I didn’t want to consume the flesh of animals anymore, it felt immoral to me. It also felt awful to be in a heavy, bloated body. What’s a girl to do?
I eventually found the world of macrobiotics and whole foods, and finally vegetable juicing and raw foods, which was my saving grace after experiencing horrible allergies and stomach pains once I reached the age of twenty two (which I attribute to lots of drinking, late nights, work I was beginning to loathe, and my overall mainstream American diet that I had consumed my whole life). While the whole foods approach helped to relieve my symptoms, raw green vegetable juices and fresh produce allowed my body to really heal.
Pure, organic, vegan foods have brought me great comfort, peace, and joy throughout the years. While I still consume things like raw goat’s cheese regularly, and organic eggs, wild fish, and cream - based desserts on occasion, I know that my vegetable based meals are the ultimate indulgence for me. I no longer prepare land animal foods in my home for my husband, either, as he is no longer interested in consuming the flesh of animals on a regular basis (Food, INC. really did it for him). Fresh produce is what provides us with the hydration, nutrition, and amazing taste that we need to be eat well and feel satisfied!
It feels right to participate in the Vegan Month of Food, as it’s been ten years since I first dabbled in vegetarianism, I love to cook so much, and I’m always excited to share new ways to prepare vegetables with my readers.
My intention with Vegan MoFo is to illustrate some inventive, fun, nourishing, and beautiful vegan dishes, high quality packaged vegan foods, and spotlight animal rights as much as I can. I have loved animals deeply my entire life and still cannot imagine going a day without their furry companionship. While I know that veganism may not be the answer to all of the world’s problems, I certainly know that more vegetables would do all living beings (human and non-human) a world of good.
I hope you enjoy what I have to share this month, and if you have any requests, recipe or otherwise, please send them my way!
Love and Salads,
Marlena
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Vegan MoFo 2011!
Happy Weekend Everyone!
Today I'm really excited to say that I am participating in the 2011 Vegan Month of Food!
What this means is that throughout October, I'll be blogging, a LOT, about vegan food. You can expect about five posts from me per week, on the topic of veganism (this will go quite nicely with the Just Vegetables Dessert Challenge!).
It's important for me to note here that I am not a vegan. My diet is definitely almost entirely vegan with my regular dinners that feature raw goat cheddar, and far less frequently organic eggs, wild fish, or a cream based dessert. However, the foundation of my diet is definitely vegetables!
During the Vegan Month of Food I plan on playing with my food a lot more than usual. My aim is to present you all with some beautiful, nourishing, hydrating, and simple ways to use vegetables. I am always hollering about how much variety there is in the world of plants, so I feel it's time that I show you all how to get creative with them, and make meals that please the palette and leave you thoroughly satiated while delivering the most incredible nourishment nature has to offer.
Don't expect too many baked things such as vegan pies, cakes, and cookies (although I'm sure I'll sneak in a few). I love baking for my husband and family, but this isn't a regular feature of my personal diet. Raw and cooked vegetables are where it's at for me as well as my readers, so that's what I'll be delivering.
I am thoroughly devoted to showing you all how delicious vegetables are, and I really hope that I can bring something to you all that you've never seen or thought of before, that will warm your hearts and satisfy your tummies. We can eat healthfully and indulgently - just wait and see what I've got in store for you! ;)
With Love,
Marlena
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)