Praline Pumpkin Pie - and being thankful for good friends & coconut milk.

         Thanksgiving was celebrated early by my friends and I this weekend, when we got together to enjoy each others company - to laugh, drink, and eat - before our short but much needed Thanksgiving break. One night I made croissants from scratch, which was both time consuming and rewarding, and will receive its own post once I really get the process down. Last night I made pumpkin pie - a classic. We had such a feast, I was overwhelmed with how much tasty, high quality food I was eating, and how many wonderful people I was surrounded by. 

 

It's fall, and all i can drink is tea.

        I love smoothies during the summer, when tank tops and shorts are the normal wear. But when fall comes around, I want to bundle with scarves upon sweaters, mittens, and beanies. (I live on the central coast, what am I talking about?) Well at least I think it's cold outside, and all I want is hot coffee and tea. Enter in the hot, steaming elixir, which is like a smoothie-tea infusion... that sometimes tastes like coffee?

Raw Yogurt! Dairy Free, of course

This may sound ridiculous, coming from a vegan, but I'm losing my interest in grains. It's not that I don't like the taste or the texture, it's that I don't like how they make me feel. Even gluten free grains, although not as harsh on my stomach, give me this uncomfortable airy feeling if I eat too much of them.

I've had digestive issues for the past couple years and I've never had the time to really let my system relax and figure out what foods I'm sensitive to (if any). So now that I have a free summer, where I don't have to run for school or stress myself out with tons of work, I'm experimenting. It's been less than a week, but I've been avoiding soy, gluten, peanuts, and most grains, with the exception of nama shoyu(soy and wheat) and miso(soy). Both are fermented and much more easily digestible than they would be normally. So guess what? No bloating. Minimal discomfort. I hope i'm not jinxing myself, because for the past couple days I've felt pretty damn good.

So, what have I been eating? I have Ani Phyo's Raw Food Essentials to thank. I've been eating pancakes, crepes, sandwiches on awesome flatbreads. And, the reason for the post, my own raw cashew yogurt.

After a Long Hiatus...

I haven't posted in a while! I thought I would post more when school ended (thank god) because I would have more free time, but while I was in the kitchen a lot more, I didn't feel I was creating anything that was my own. I was using a lot of other people's recipes- check out the recipe I used to make zucchini muffins. Soo good.

However how I'm looking back and realizing there have been some things that I've created and evolved enough to call my own that I'd like to share.

1.) Is the most simple way to have a nutrient packed breakfast. Or snack. Or dessert.

Chia Pudding 


You will need

3 tbs chia seeds
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (any flavor)
1 tbs cinnamon
3-6 drops of liquid vanilla stevia

Mix all of the ingredients together either the night before or at least half an hour before you were planning to eat it. Don't use sweetened almond milk, because sugar sucks. Although if you do, at least the cinnamon will help your blood sugar levels : )

You might want to mix the pudding a couple of times because sometimes the chia seeds will sort of clump together and won't absorb all of the milk.

Mix in raisins, cacao nibs, banana, peaches, berries, nuts, or whatever else you can think of to add. Enjoy!

Raw Post-Run Pudding

Spring is here! The weather is warm, hot tea has turned to iced tea, and I no longer feel the need to wrap myself in a scarf and long coat before venturing outside. I absolutely love warm weather, and everything associated with it.

I've been trying to get back into running. The cold weather mixed with quitting track and getting a part time job on top of my grades had just about soaked up every ounce of desire I had to hit the trails. I've also been trying to eat more healthy. More fruits and veggies, less heavy cooked and processed foods. So far so good, I've been enjoying lots of fresh juices and smoothies every day, as well as doing more yoga and getting more runs in.

So, where is the damn recipe? A long run generally leaves me willing to eat anything in sight. I usually try to get some protein, because my diet is probably not very high in it, as well as some good fats and carbs. You know, a good balance. On the way home I usually brain storm in my head exactly what I want to eat, so that I don't eat the entire kitchen when I get home. A vamped up version of the classic banana-avocado-cacao pudding, this is loaded with the good stuff.

Raw Post-Run Pudding

makes a pretty big portion

1/2 avocado

1 frozen banana

1 ripe banana

1 tbls cacao powder

1/3 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tbls hemp protein powder

1 tsp almond butter

a teeny dash of sea salt

1.) Blend the avocado and frozen banana in a food processor.

2.) When the mixture is smooth, add the ripe banana.

3.) Add everything else and blend well.

4.) Feel free to top with bee pollen, granola, coconut, or just eat as is!