In the future posts regarding my health and wellness adventures, culinary and otherwise, can be found at orbitingvegan.blogspot.com
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Thanks,
Michael.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Stepping Up Wellness: Day 6
Yesterday began around 8:00 am with a different variation on the green smoothie, this version included dill, no berries, bananas and kale(or whatever other miscellaneous greens happen to be lying around the house.) Yummy, and the extra banana really balances out the kale. I\'m also discovering that it\'s helpful to increase the amount of ice or water to roughly double the recommended amount, unless you want a very thick consistency.
Lunches in general have been leftover portions of previous experiments, which is why, in general, I\'m not mentioning them much. Fr supper, I made a cold butternut squash soup with a raw vegan "sour cream," which was undoubtedly the shining star of yesterday\'s culinary endeavors. Made from soaked cashews, probiotics, miso, and lemon, this stuff is out of this world. Once again, I suggest increasing the nuts by about double to get a thicker, stiffer consistency closer to actual sour cream.
Again, the taste is not what the name would suggest. But it does add the same property of a creamy yet skill pungent addition to a soup or dip, and while distinct from its dairy predecessor, the flavor is exquisite. 2 cups of nuts will easily give you a quality pint of this stuff to keep in the fridge. I added a healthy dollop to my butternut soup.
In the works is a raw lasagna, raw sweet potato gnocchi ( as soon as I track down some Irish moss and a decent dehydrator,) and avocado chocolate mousse. Here\'s a pic of last night\'s soup. I will try to be better at including more visuals.
Lunches in general have been leftover portions of previous experiments, which is why, in general, I\'m not mentioning them much. Fr supper, I made a cold butternut squash soup with a raw vegan "sour cream," which was undoubtedly the shining star of yesterday\'s culinary endeavors. Made from soaked cashews, probiotics, miso, and lemon, this stuff is out of this world. Once again, I suggest increasing the nuts by about double to get a thicker, stiffer consistency closer to actual sour cream.
Again, the taste is not what the name would suggest. But it does add the same property of a creamy yet skill pungent addition to a soup or dip, and while distinct from its dairy predecessor, the flavor is exquisite. 2 cups of nuts will easily give you a quality pint of this stuff to keep in the fridge. I added a healthy dollop to my butternut soup.
In the works is a raw lasagna, raw sweet potato gnocchi ( as soon as I track down some Irish moss and a decent dehydrator,) and avocado chocolate mousse. Here\'s a pic of last night\'s soup. I will try to be better at including more visuals.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Stepping Up Wellness: Day 5
Morning world! I forgot to mention my morning smoothie of two days ago, cantaloupe and romaine! Delicious, although I did add a banana for some extra flavor, it was delicious and sweet(for those of you who don\'t relish the taste of puréed leafy greens.)
Yesterday\'s smoothie was my first original creation, ie leftovers. Pretty much everything I didn\'t use up making something else over the last several days. Half an avocado, the inside part of a romaine heart, parsley, leftover cantaloupe, half a cucumber, and a little lemon, just in case. Lemon can make just about anything drinkable.
However, the result was surprisingly creamy and delicious, and the avocado lent a full bodied nutty flavor to the mix. I may have lucked out on this one though, but in the interest of conservation, "leftover smoothie" will be a regular morning drink.
Dinner was a creamy hot tomato soup made in the vitamix, served over a little quinoa. This was literally a couple tomatoes, a couple of red peppers, lemon juice, almond butter and a pinch of Himalayan salt. Hot, creamy and delicious, and frankly, inexpensive! The whole thing probably cost less than $10, and would easily serve 4 people.
Total weight loss is around 12 pounds at this point, not that continued weight loss is the goal. Went back to my yoga class last night, did some great core strengthening and inversion practice ( still a long way from standing on my head, but my shoulder stand is decidedly more vertical than it used to be.)
Menu for the rest of the day is up in the air, so I\'m open to suggestion, if either of you have a delicious recipe to share, please post it in the comment section.
Ps..I haven\'t been posting actual recipes becauseI am unsure of copyright legalities, am I safe as long as I give credit? I\'ll have to ask my lawyer friends.
Yesterday\'s smoothie was my first original creation, ie leftovers. Pretty much everything I didn\'t use up making something else over the last several days. Half an avocado, the inside part of a romaine heart, parsley, leftover cantaloupe, half a cucumber, and a little lemon, just in case. Lemon can make just about anything drinkable.
However, the result was surprisingly creamy and delicious, and the avocado lent a full bodied nutty flavor to the mix. I may have lucked out on this one though, but in the interest of conservation, "leftover smoothie" will be a regular morning drink.
Dinner was a creamy hot tomato soup made in the vitamix, served over a little quinoa. This was literally a couple tomatoes, a couple of red peppers, lemon juice, almond butter and a pinch of Himalayan salt. Hot, creamy and delicious, and frankly, inexpensive! The whole thing probably cost less than $10, and would easily serve 4 people.
Total weight loss is around 12 pounds at this point, not that continued weight loss is the goal. Went back to my yoga class last night, did some great core strengthening and inversion practice ( still a long way from standing on my head, but my shoulder stand is decidedly more vertical than it used to be.)
Menu for the rest of the day is up in the air, so I\'m open to suggestion, if either of you have a delicious recipe to share, please post it in the comment section.
Ps..I haven\'t been posting actual recipes becauseI am unsure of copyright legalities, am I safe as long as I give credit? I\'ll have to ask my lawyer friends.
Update: Raw Almond Cheese
Ok. Could have been worse. Tastes good, yielded about 2 cups, recipe said 6-8. I think quite honestly the house was too cold while the almond mixture was rising and aerating. Recipe also said to keep it in a warm place, so perhaps this is a dish best prepared when the ambient temp is a little warmer.
I spiced it up with lemon juice, basil, garlic and a little salt, and the consistency is remarkably similar to a ricotta cheese, even if the overall flavor is not quite there. However, this is the sort of food that is generally part of soma larger dish, and I don\'t think the absence of real dairy will be noticeable in a raw lasagna with a really flavorful marinara.
Pics will be forthcoming.
I spiced it up with lemon juice, basil, garlic and a little salt, and the consistency is remarkably similar to a ricotta cheese, even if the overall flavor is not quite there. However, this is the sort of food that is generally part of soma larger dish, and I don\'t think the absence of real dairy will be noticeable in a raw lasagna with a really flavorful marinara.
Pics will be forthcoming.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Stepping Up Wellness: Day 3
Hi All,
Ok yesterday was a busy day on the wellness front, and I\'m envisioning Monday as an important day for gathering each week going forward. I will report on excursions, findings, special deals (for the inner bargain queen within us all,) and whatever else seems relevant. More often than not I may include the irrelevant, and quite possibly the irreverent, as well.
First stop, Target to make productive use of a Christmas gift card. What I did find was a set of super sharp Japanese kitchen knives for under $60, which, in defiance of all logic, cost $30 more on amazon.com. Also, picked up a KitchenAid brand ceramic knife, reports will be forthcoming on how they handle and which ones become favorites. Thus far, I can report that both the ceramic, and the stainless all purpose knives are outperforming anything I\'ve used in my kitchen before.
Looked for paint strainers at Target but eventually had to give up and go to Lowe\'s(scored quart sized strainers with elastic edges, which make fantastic substitutes for expensive nut milk bags, for around 98 cents a package. Looked for glass jars at Lowe\'s but had to go to AC Moore, where I\'m sure I paid a premium. Where are the best deals on canning jars?
Then it was off to Whole Foods, for fresh produce, protein powder, raw cacao, and Spike seasoning. Best store around. I love my local health food store, but sometimes I just can\'t justify the cost of a $20 jar of almond butter, when a weekly trip to Milford can probably save me 20-40% on the same items.
After a refueling stop at Jamba Juice, it was home to make some raw gazpacho. There is some debate on what constitutes "real" gazpacho, mainly between Spanish style and Mexican. I feel strongly that Mexican style gazpacho can be accurately described with one word: salsa. If you\'re basing your feelings on gazpacho based on the Mexican style, I urge you to try Spanish style. It is a rich purée of tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, and traditionally, bread. Refreshing and crisp on a summers day, but just as tasty in the winter. The raw version is surprisingly similar in flavor and consistency to the real thing, although a bit more pungent. If you like pungent, this is for you. Cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, parsley, onion, garlic, blended in the vitamix to within an inch of its life with Spike seasoning and balsamic vinegar. Unbelievable!!! Even my sister the Spanglophile would be impressed with this one.
Ok yesterday was a busy day on the wellness front, and I\'m envisioning Monday as an important day for gathering each week going forward. I will report on excursions, findings, special deals (for the inner bargain queen within us all,) and whatever else seems relevant. More often than not I may include the irrelevant, and quite possibly the irreverent, as well.
First stop, Target to make productive use of a Christmas gift card. What I did find was a set of super sharp Japanese kitchen knives for under $60, which, in defiance of all logic, cost $30 more on amazon.com. Also, picked up a KitchenAid brand ceramic knife, reports will be forthcoming on how they handle and which ones become favorites. Thus far, I can report that both the ceramic, and the stainless all purpose knives are outperforming anything I\'ve used in my kitchen before.
Looked for paint strainers at Target but eventually had to give up and go to Lowe\'s(scored quart sized strainers with elastic edges, which make fantastic substitutes for expensive nut milk bags, for around 98 cents a package. Looked for glass jars at Lowe\'s but had to go to AC Moore, where I\'m sure I paid a premium. Where are the best deals on canning jars?
Then it was off to Whole Foods, for fresh produce, protein powder, raw cacao, and Spike seasoning. Best store around. I love my local health food store, but sometimes I just can\'t justify the cost of a $20 jar of almond butter, when a weekly trip to Milford can probably save me 20-40% on the same items.
After a refueling stop at Jamba Juice, it was home to make some raw gazpacho. There is some debate on what constitutes "real" gazpacho, mainly between Spanish style and Mexican. I feel strongly that Mexican style gazpacho can be accurately described with one word: salsa. If you\'re basing your feelings on gazpacho based on the Mexican style, I urge you to try Spanish style. It is a rich purée of tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, and traditionally, bread. Refreshing and crisp on a summers day, but just as tasty in the winter. The raw version is surprisingly similar in flavor and consistency to the real thing, although a bit more pungent. If you like pungent, this is for you. Cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, parsley, onion, garlic, blended in the vitamix to within an inch of its life with Spike seasoning and balsamic vinegar. Unbelievable!!! Even my sister the Spanglophile would be impressed with this one.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Stepping Up Wellness: Raw Cheese
Hello Everyone! Just wanted to share my progress so far on the production of a raw vegan almond cheese that's in the works. This almond puree will sit out for 12 hours before straining, hanging to dry, and seasoning. I'm envisioning raw lasagna later this week, possibly with some italian rawsage!
Also went to Whole Foods in Milford for the first time today. I was accustomed to shopping in their flagship store in Austin, TX, so Milford is a step or two down the ladder, but still a great store!
Stepping Up Wellness: Day 2
Superbowl Sunday! Like many of you, I'm tired of being treated like a social pariah for not liking football, and my general response when asked which team I'd like to win is either, "I only wish both teams could lose," or "I'd be asleep by the end of the first inning." As a pseudo-joke I offer a special discount on massages to individuals who wish to book during "the game." But all kidding aside, I made an exception and watched this year, since of course, the real winner was Madonna's halftime performance. Go Madge!
Getting back on task, yesterday began with a green veggie smoothie, roughly consisting of celery, zucchini, carrot, tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper, and parsley. I threw in some protein powder to keep myself going, and let the Vitamix rip. The end result was a very thick, creamy, if not lukewarm vegetable drink which resembled V8 in flavor, without all the added salt. Would I make it again? Yes, but chances are this is a recipe I will adapt. Also, if you want to try this one, use ICE and not water, because you'll it's definitely a dish best served cold.
Later in the day, it was time for italian style "rawsage." Lettuce and pumpkin seeds comprised the bulk of the "meat," with several spices added in(caraway seeds, basil, etc.) The recipe suggests dehydrating until the edged of the patties become slighty crispy, but if you don't have a dehydrator, you can put them in the oven on very low heat with the door open. If, like me, your oven doesn't heat to temperature below 170F, which is about 50 degrees (or more by some standards) too high to still be considered raw, you can cheat. I turned the heat to 170 just until the oven preheated, turned off the heat, put in my rawsages, and let them stay in there until the oven cooled. Repeat this process a few times, and you'll get the same effect. Fortunately the rawsages don't take a long time to dry out, this would not be a practical method to employ with most dehydration recipes.
Two recipes on tap for today: Simple Cantaloupe smoothie, and raw Gazpacho. I'll be making a pilgrimage to Whole Foods this afternoon for a few essentials, (please guys, can you open up a store in Madison, CT? We're all rich, and ready to spend money in your store, trust me.)
In other news, I've dropped another pound since being back on solid foods, my energy level is way up, and I feel ready to really kick my yoga practice back into gear. Part of that will involve some core training, more on that later.
Getting back on task, yesterday began with a green veggie smoothie, roughly consisting of celery, zucchini, carrot, tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper, and parsley. I threw in some protein powder to keep myself going, and let the Vitamix rip. The end result was a very thick, creamy, if not lukewarm vegetable drink which resembled V8 in flavor, without all the added salt. Would I make it again? Yes, but chances are this is a recipe I will adapt. Also, if you want to try this one, use ICE and not water, because you'll it's definitely a dish best served cold.
Later in the day, it was time for italian style "rawsage." Lettuce and pumpkin seeds comprised the bulk of the "meat," with several spices added in(caraway seeds, basil, etc.) The recipe suggests dehydrating until the edged of the patties become slighty crispy, but if you don't have a dehydrator, you can put them in the oven on very low heat with the door open. If, like me, your oven doesn't heat to temperature below 170F, which is about 50 degrees (or more by some standards) too high to still be considered raw, you can cheat. I turned the heat to 170 just until the oven preheated, turned off the heat, put in my rawsages, and let them stay in there until the oven cooled. Repeat this process a few times, and you'll get the same effect. Fortunately the rawsages don't take a long time to dry out, this would not be a practical method to employ with most dehydration recipes.
Two recipes on tap for today: Simple Cantaloupe smoothie, and raw Gazpacho. I'll be making a pilgrimage to Whole Foods this afternoon for a few essentials, (please guys, can you open up a store in Madison, CT? We're all rich, and ready to spend money in your store, trust me.)
In other news, I've dropped another pound since being back on solid foods, my energy level is way up, and I feel ready to really kick my yoga practice back into gear. Part of that will involve some core training, more on that later.
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