After months and months of debating on whether we should get a juicer or not I finally decided it was time. After checking reviews I decided to go with the Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice Fountain . I am so excited. It comes on Friday and I can’t wait to start using it.
Now I really need some good juice recipes so I think this calls for a giveaway contest! If you would like to win a Gnu Bar, a bag of Sharkies and a bag Funky Monkey then please comment below with your favourite juice recipe and for a second chance at winning enter a recipe that uses the juice pulp! The contest will close on October 2nd by Noon (I moved it up because I have another one ending around the same time- sorry!). Also there will be two winners!
Calling all you raw foodist (and all the other foodies) out there if you haven’t tried this yet you must! These salad dressing is delicious, raw, no added sugars and only 5 calories a serving! There are 6 flavors for you to try (I was lucky enough to try the Carrot Ginger, Tomato Provencal, Cucumber Mint and Sweet Onion Basil which were all delicious- here is a little bit about each as state on the Zukay site:
Carrot Ginger – Like the famous Japanese dressing!
Tomato Provencal – A wonderful Mediterranean mix of tomatoes, kalamata olives and herbs de Provence!
Cucumber Mint – The fresh taste of summer!
Tomato Pepper Pesto – The classic taste of fresh basil, pine nuts and tomatoes!
Sweet Onion Basil – A savory and smoky addition to any salad or marinade!
Red Pepper Cilantro – The fresh and zesty taste of red bell peppers
They are so versitle as well- you can put them on greens or use them as dressing on sandwich and they go great on zucchini noodles. Also make sure to try their delcious salsas. Zukay also makes relish as well however I have yet to find it in stores in my area but hope to try it soon.
For dinner last night I made kasha (buckwheat groats) for the first time and served with steamed broccoli, sautéed summer squash and a butternut squash & red lentil dahl. I am now in love with kasha it is so good. It is also great because it is so quick to make only takes about 15 min. My parents came over and they enjoyed the meal and I can’t wait to make it again.
Kasha
Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8
• 3 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups buckwheat groats (also known as kasha)
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
1. In a large straight-sided skillet with a lid, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add groats to skillet, and increase the heat to high and cook about 2 minutes. Add stock, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, until tender and all of the liquid has absorbed, 10-15 minutes.
Recipe for Butternut squash and red lentil dahl
□ 1 can of organic butternut squash
□ 1 and ½ cups red lentils, rinsed and checked over
□ 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
□ 1T ground cumin
□ 1 tsp turmeric
□ A small stick of cinnamon
□ 4 cups hot vegetable stock
□ 2 red onions, thinly sliced
□ 2-3 T olive oil
□ 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
□ 1T chili flakes
□ 2 t lemon juice
□ ¼ cup sour supreme
□ 2T chili sauce
Put the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, lentils and hot water into a saucepan. Grate the ginger straight into the pan.
Simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the onions. Cook the onions on a med-low until golden and caramelized.
Once the lentils have absorbed all of the water remove the cinnamon stick and discard.
Stir the squash, sour supreme, chili sauce and lemon juice into the lentils and simmer on low for 10 min
Add the garlic and chili flakes to the onions and cook on a low heat for another 10 minutes. Add the onion mixture to the dahl, reserving some for garnish.
Remember when you were a kid and how much you loved gummy bears and then you became more aware of what gelatin is- and the desire to eat gummy chews was challenged by knowing what you were eating was actually an animal product. Now you have the ability to have you gummies and eat them to with Surf Snacks line of vegetarian gummy products.
Although they do have some products that include gelatin they have a great variety of vegetarian gummies such as Gummy Swirls, Fruity Bears, Sour Worms and Sour Berry Bears. All of these are delicious, however my favourite are the sour worms! Another great feature to these gummy candies are that they are organically sweetened and are free of artificial colors and sweeteners- which can give all you parents out there a piece of mind when you kids are eating them. What’s not to love about a product that is free of corn syrup and GMOs, has natural colors and flavors, is 100% of your daily vitamin c and TASTE GREAT?
French Meadow Bakery was kind enough to send me some products to sample and I am now in love with their products. I received the Hemp Tortillas, Our Daily Bread, and Hemp Bagels. Although all the products were good, my favorite was the bagels. They were just the right size and tasted great with tofu cream cheese. These little bagels were hearty and filling. The bread was great as well, just pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds and then toast until lightly browned. They make great toast for breakfasts or sandwiches, especially Tofurky. Lastly, you can’t go wrong with some sauteed veggies, black beans and salsa stuffed into one to French Meadow’s Hemp Tortillas. At this point you should be jumping off your couch and running to the store and checking the freezer section for these products. If you don’t see them then head straight to customer service and request that they carry them!
Yogavive has created one of the best snacks- healthy, sweet, and satisfying. Yogavive’s Yogachips are everything a great snack can be and are delicious. My hubby and I tired the original, cinnamon, peach,and caramel. They were all delicious, unfortunately I didn’t get to try the caramel or original but my husband assures me that they were good. With only 35 calories a bag you don’t have to feel guilty when satisfying your sweet tooth. They also would be a great snack for kids, they have fun appealing packaging and what kid doesn’t love apples and chips – and mom’s can be happy they are filling up on apple chips instead of the potato sort. So give these yummy treats a try.
Tonight I was actually back to my old self and ready to do some major dinner cooking. I got home from work and I decided to make some perogies out Japanese yam and purple potatoes served with sauteed spinach and a red wine mushroom sauce.
(i know you’re thinking that’s supposed to be good – trust me delicious)
The dough consisted of:
2 cups self rising flour
1/3 cup water
3 T olive oil
1 t salt
Mix together until formed into a ball. I used my Kitchen Aid mixer to do all the work for me. Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 15 min to an hour.
For the potaotes:
2 small puprle potatoes
1 large Japanese yam
3 T soy milk
1t Montreal Chicken Spice
2T nutritional yeast
Cut the potatoes into small chunks and boil, cook until they fall apart when pricked by a fork. Blend together with soy milk, montreal chicken spice and nutritional yeast. Allow to cool for a moment.
When ready to make the perogies: take a golf ball size of dough and roll out. Put about a tablespoon of potatoes in and fold over pressing down and the sealing with a fork. To a sauce pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/3 cup water, allow to heat up and then add the perogies (you may need to add only a few at a time). Cover the pan and allow to steam for 3-5 minutes then uncover and flip until the water evaporates and the perogies brown slightly. Make sure to move them around some as they may stick a little. This recipe makes about 12 large perogies.
For the cabbage:
1 small head of green cabbage
1/2 large onion
1T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Sautee on high for 2-4 minutes. Lower the heat and cook at medium for 10 min. Set to the side.
For the Mushroom Sauce:
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 large onion minced
8oz mixture of mushrooms (I used button and cremini)
1T Earth Balance
1/4 C Red Wine
1 C Vegetable Stock
1T cornstarch plus 2T broth whisked together
salt and pepper to taste
Sautee mushrooms, onions, and garlic on med-high for 5-7 min then turn down to medium for 10 minutes. Add the wine and allow to reduce for 10 minutes then add the remaining ingredients. Allow to thicken.
Place the cabbage in the center of the plate, place 3 perogies around the cabbage and top with the mushroom sauce.