Just my corner of the world to talk about vegan food, health and life in general

tahini-dill pasta salad

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Well hello everyone. Yes, I’m back and much sooner than I expected! You all were just so supportive of my fatigue and general blahness- thank you for all your kind words, encouragement and advice. I’m still about the same, although mentally and emotionally feeling better, and you all were a part of that so thank you!. It’s the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada (or May 2-4 as we like to call it) coming up and since you were all so wonderful I felt inspired and decided to type up this post for a pasta salad I made a little while ago.

Pasta salad is the perfect summer dish. It is made ahead of time and you can do it in the evening or early morning when it’s cooler out to save you from slaving over a hot stove in the middle of the day. Plus, it’s a dish that just screams picnic or barbeque, really any summer gathering! Definitely May 2-4 material!

This pasta salad was more of an accident than anything. I had a craving for tahini and decided to whip up some tahini sauce for lunch. Spotted some fresh dill in the fridge so I threw that in! Seeing as I’m trying to increase the amount of iron I’m taking in (last doctor’s appointment revealed stats still aren’t great, so another month of intense iron pills for me, YAY), I’ve been incorporating more legumes into my diet. So I decided chickpeas would be a fantastic vehicle for the sauce. But wait! I needed some veggies too- what goes great with tahini and dill? Well tomatoes and cucumbers of course! I mixed in all up and it tasted great! The only problem was, there was a lot of sauce covering those chickpeas and vegetables and while I appreciated the sauciness (I’m a saucy lady dontcha know), it needed something to pull it all together. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it- pasta! So I cooked up some pasta, threw it in will the chickpeas and let it chill. Finished with fresh ground pepper and red pepper flakes, I had a delicious and fresh pasta salad that would rival any mayo-based pasta salad out there!

This pasta salad is light and oh so springy thanks to the lemon and dill and the chickpeas and brown rice pasta ensure it has some staying power. Served up with some steamed kale, this meal covers all your bases, including being happy and satisfied :)

Tahini-Dill Pasta Salad (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free)

Serves 4 as a main, or 6-8 as a side.

Dressing:

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp coconut aminos (or Bragg’s, soy sauce, nama shoyu, etc.)
2-3 tbsp chopped dill

Salad:

1 1/3 cup dry brown rice macaroni (or other bite-sized pasta), cooked according to package directions
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well (or 1 1/2 cups cooked from dry chickpeas)
1 very large tomato (or 2 small), chopped small
1/2 a large cucumber, chopped small
lots of fresh ground pepper
3 generous pinches red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions and set aside to cool.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together until emulsified and set aside.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix.

Put in the fridge for 30 minutes or until chilled. It’s best when left for a few hours so all the flavours can meld together!

Garnish with a sprig of dill and squeeze of lime and you’re all set. Dig in!

Hope you all have a lovely long weekend (or regular one for all my other readers)! I’ll be working Saturday and Monday, but at least I get a bit of time-and-a-half pay out of it ;)

I am submitting this post to Allergy-Friendly Fridays, Foodie Friday and Wellness Weekends!

post-cleanse wrap-up and an uninspired wiaw

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Peas and Crayons

Good Wednesday morning everyone!

Firstly, just want to say a huuuuge THANK YOU to Annie at An Unrefined Vegan and all the other wonderful blogger participants for the Virtual Vegan Potluck. I discovered new blogs and have so man recipes I want to try I just don’t know where I’ll find the time! I’m so glad it was such a success and I already can’t wait until the next one. If you missed the action, check it out here (for my post) or here (for the beginning of the chain).

I have to admit I have been feeling less than stellar the last few days- I feel completely worn out as if I hadn’t slept in days. But I have, so I don’t know what’s happening. In truth it’s been lingering for a couple weeks and exercise has completely fallen to the wayside. I’ve had a couple days where I feel energized, and I took advantage and had a good sweat, but other than that, it’s been low energy and time spent on the couch. I hope this lifts soon because I miss exercising! I also miss feeling inspired, which I haven’t lately. So my eats unfortunately haven’t been super interesting.

Don’t worry though, I have lots of tasty recipes coming up! They were all just created pre-lethargy ;)

I feel I should insert here- I do not think this is the result of my cleanse at all! In fact post-cleanse there is a part of me that feels fantastic…

Post-Cleanse Thoughts

It was such a rewarding, positive and fun experience that left me feeling ready for the warmer months! I don’t feel as weighed down anymore and feel like my digestive system has been given lots of rest resulting in a little less tummy-trouble than usual! And as I discussed before the experiments with other detoxing practices such as dry skin brushing, yoga, getting a full 8 hours sleep, meditation, positive affirmations, deep breathing etc. were all very rewarding and I plan on incorporating those more fully into my daily life. There are quite a few items there that I never mentioned on the blog, but that’s because I want to wait until I have a more solid practice and understanding of them before I share my thoughts! I truly do feel I have come out of the cleanse healthier, detoxified and more positive!

Some changes I noticed:

Softer skin- I think this is the result of both the dry skin brushing and an emphasis on healthy fats
Stronger nails- I used to have very brittle nails that peeled and that barely grew! Now they are strong I can actually grow them past the slightest little white line :)
Fewer breakouts- I tend to have pretty good skin, but I noticed that after the initial outpouring of toxins from my body I got fewer breakouts and those I got healed faster!
Increased regularity- I’m sure I don’t been to get too into detail with this, you all get it!
A more positive outlook: I worked hard on self-love and gratitude throughout the cleanse and I have definitely noticed increased kindness towards myself and others.
Fewer afternoon slumps- since giving up coffee and drastically reducing my intake of caffeine I notice I don’t get that loss of energy in the afternoons
Cravings for raw foods- I genuinely crave raw fruits and vegetables now, anything with high water content. While I still crave sweets (didn’t cure myself of that!), I find fruits and much less-sweetened treats satisfy that craving. I relied primarily on stevia and dates throughout my cleanse and I think this is something I’ll continue

Stay tuned for more on my cleanse- I have a post coming up that I think will really show you all just how much I gained!

Jumping back to the last few days, I think my exhaustion is sprouting from somewhere else. And those iron tablets I’ve been taking just aren’t the little energy bullets they once were. Ah well. I will continue to listen to my body, get lots of rest and hopefully emerge from this soon!

And of course, now that my cleanse is over, I am reintroducing foods such as soy and sweeteners. I am trying to eat mostly according to the cleanse principles though because I loved the way I felt eating that way! Still lots of raw foods, not nearly as much soy or sugar and lots of psuedograins, nuts and seeds. I think I’ve found a way of eating that my body really loves!

So here is this week’s WIAW!

Breakfast

A blueberry-pomegranate smoothie which followed lemon water!

Snack

An apple with a raw nut butter I concocted. It’s delish let me tell you…. ;)

Lunch

This is actually a picture of when I made this up for dinner the night before. I packaged half of it up for leftovers but this photo was nicer. It’s tons of steamed and raw vegetables with an avocado “sauce/spread” that I make up all the time. I spread it on toast, put in on pasta, dip veggies into it. It’s fantastic. I finally got around to measuring the basic ingredients so I could share it with you. Scroll to the bottom to find it!

Snacks

A terrible looking, but delicious green smoothie! This one has 1/2 a frozen banana, an orange, spinach, raspberries, spirulina, hemp seeds, coconut water, walnut milk, vanilla and ice. Topped with a little blueberry swirl and puffed millet.

A couple of these coconut butter-covered goji-berry bites. They are pretty good, but not quite blog-worthy.

Dinner

A snack plate type thing. Chopper red pepper, pickles, sauerkraut, more of the avocado dip and a teff flour tortilla. I bought the tortillas ages ago in Quebec but hadn’t tried them yet. I like them a lot more than brown rice flour ones. These are actually pliable and don’t break when you try and roll them! This was followed by another goji-bite and some tea!

Avocado “Everything” Spread (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Raw)

I call this an “everything” spread because it’s good on everything! In it’s most basic version (*starred ingredients only) I love it spread on toast (my mom says it reminds her of eggs on toast), but it’s also great as a dip, on veggies, on pasta, etc. Sometimes I like to jazz it up a little by adding the rest of the ingredients. It’s so easy to throw together too and there are so many ways you could vary it!

1 avocado, mashed*
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp nutritional yeast*
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp lemon juice/lime juice/apple cider vinegar, etc.
couple pinched red pepper flakes*
salt and pepper to taste*

Mix it all up in a bowl and serve! It’s great with fresh herbs tossed in it as well. Feel free to mix up the seasonings to your taste. This is just the most basic way I do it!

**UPDATED to include variations based on my own and others’ ideas!

Possible variations:

mustard (dijon, honey, etc.)
add a sweetener like dates or agave
fresh herbs like dill, parsley or coriander
add water or non dairy milk to make a dressing
let your imagination run wild! Coconut? Sundried tomatoes? Go for it!

And that concludes this WIAW. Thanks for Jenn at Peas and Crayons again for hosting!

…

I’ll just apologize in advance if I blog a little less often while I try and sort out this energy thing. Even writing this post took a huge amount of effort. I’m hoping to keep writing because I love it but I also recognize that I need rest. Thanks in advance for being understanding :)

Have a good rest of the week everyone!

happy mother’s day and a round-up!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there! And of course a special happy mother’s day to my own Mom :). She is an incredibly supportive, kind and generous person who puts up with my moodiness and indecisiveness and supports me in all my choices whether it’s trying out new health practices (like going plant-based!) or moving across the world for a year. Thanks and love you Maman*!

And don’t worry Papa, you are very loved as well :)

*For all non-French speakers out there this is Mom and Dad in French ;)

Before I forget a few quick things:

Thank you to all of you who stopped by for the Virtual Vegan Potluck yesterday! If you missed my post click here. I made a raw strawberry cream cake and you definitely want to see it ;). Make sure you check out all the other delicious contributions! And a big thank you to Annie at An Unrefined Vegan for organizing it! I discovered a ton of new blogs that I know I’m going to love. Thanks for bringing us together :)
I added a My Kitchen page to the blog a while ago to show you all what I like to keep in my fridge. It really helps to have a well stocked pantry to make healthy eating easy and enjoyable! I never pointed it out so I thought I’d do that now…
More recently I added a Health & Wellness page where I’m putting any posts I write that relate to health and wellness specifically like dry skin brushing or my cleanse. I’ve decided not to include any of the posts where I discuss the health benefits of certain foods or ingredients, since that might clutter things up a bit (I discuss why I love ingredients all the time!). To find that information, just reference the individual recipes! Also be on the look out for a “Resources” and a “Blog Love” page. I’ll post those soon, hopefully.
I reorganized my Recipes page a little to make it a little easier to find specific recipes. Any suggestions you guys have would be greatly appreciated!

While I don’t have a specific recipe to share with you all, I thought I’d highlight some tasty treats that would be great to make for your mom today, or any other day you just feel like treating her.

Wake her up with breakfast in bed with…

German Chocolate Pancakes

Raw Cinnamon Rolls

Serve it with…

a Healthy Peppermint Mocha

For lunch perhaps…

a Pizza with Polenta Crust

or Sweet Potato Fries with Raw Cashew Tomato Dip?

Make sure she doesn’t go hungry with…

Lemon-Coconut Hemp Seed Bites

or an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Green Smoothie

Let her put her feet up while you make dinner. Maybe…

Zucchini-Quinoa-Tofu Lasagna

Chipotle Tempeh Burgers

or even….

Pasta with Kale Avocado Pesto

Finally, end the day with a special dessert to make her feel extra special. How about some…

quick and easy Chocolate Raspberry Pudding/Mousse

Hemp Seed Fudge Bites (my first recipe on the veggie nook!)

or an extra special…

Raw Strawberry Cream Cake?

For more ideas, check out my Recipe page!

Enjoy your special day Moms! You deserve it :)

virtual vegan potluck: raw strawberry cream cake at last!

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Guess what today is everyone? It’s finally here: the Virtual Vegan Potluck! A day where 66 bloggers (I think I counted right?) are coming together to link up recipes for 8 different courses for a virtual vegan feast! Here is the lovely organizer’s, Ann, little blurb on it:

Bringing vegan food bloggers together to share a virtual potluck, linked by a blog circle – and our love of cooking, eating and sharing. Participating bloggers will post recipes – from appetizers to desserts – and photos on the day of the event. Non-vegans welcome as long as they prepare a cruelty- and animal-free dish.

A big shout out to Ann at An Unrefined Vegan for organizing this event. She has put so much time into it and it is such a fantastic way to connect bloggers and readers from all over the world to share food when otherwise we would not be able too. You rock Ann!

This potluck acts as a sort of chain where there is a beginning and an end, starting with appetizers and finishing with desserts. If this is your first stop make sure to scroll to the end of the post to find links to the beginning of the potluck, the post before mine and the one that follows!

Now for my contribution, those of you who know me well, could probably predict what I was contributing. Dessert of course. What else? I think though next time I will challenge myself to contribute something savoury. I mean there is obviously going to be a next time and I’m sure it will be even bigger and better!

This was a long awaited recipe, I got so many requests for it following this teaser post, that I almost felt bad for not immediately sharing it with you. But I knew I wanted to save it for this blog event because it deserves a special recipe. And this, my friends, is a very special recipe.

I made this cake for my mom’s birthday at the end of April, when I was still knee deep in the first week of my cleanse. This meant no added sweeteners except stevia and dates, no soy, no grains, no chocolate. Bonus points if I made the cake raw as well, since high raw was/is the name of the game! This meant most traditional cakes were simply not an option. Even most raw cakes posed a bit of a problem, requiring agave as a sweetener. Sure I could have made my mom something more traditional, but then I wouldn’t get to enjoy it and where’s the fun in that?? I was determined to make my mom a cake she would love and that I could eat, and all my hard work and planning paid off.

This cake was inspired by the Raw Cashew Dreamcake from Sarah at My New Roots. I had to play around with proportions since I was making a larger cake as well as substitute for the raw honey she used as the sweetener. I also wanted to challenge myself to lighten up this cake a bit. Yes a complete cake made with cashews and coconut oil would be absolutely fantastic, but was there a way to lighten it up just a bit, maybe even sneak in some extra fruits and veggies? Wait a second who am I asking here, of course there was! And the results are amazing :)

Raw Strawberry Cream Cake (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Raw)

This cake DOES NOT taste like it fits within my cleanse principles. It is rich, creamy, sweet, decadent and so special tasting. The crust adds an earthy sweetness and crunch to the cake which has 2 layers: one akin to a cheesecake, the next a strawberry cheesecake. Topped with strawberry coulis it is the perfect cake for a celebration, be it a birthday or potluck!

This can be enjoyed completely frozen for an more ice cream cake type dessert, or my preferred method, thawed from frozen, but still chilled, as a “cheesecake”. It’s all up to you!

Crust:

3/4 cup almonds
3/4 cup medjool dates
1/4 tsp sea salt

Cake:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked
juice of 2 lemons
1 frozen banana, sliced before freezing
1 peeled, roughly chopped zucchini
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
10 drops vanilla stevia
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen (thawed if using frozen)

Strawberry Coulis:

1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen (thawed if using frozen)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 medjool date, soaked and pitted

For the crust, pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely ground then add the dates and sea salt and process until the mixture will stick together when you press it. Press the mixture into an 8-inch spring-form pan and place in the refrigerator while you make the filling

First, pulse the chopped zucchini in the food processor until finely shredded. Next add the rest of the crust ingredients except the coconut oil and the strawberries. Start running the food processor and while it’s going slowly poor the coconut oil in and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Take the spring-form pan out of the fridge and pour about 1/2 – 2/3 of the mixture into the pan. Just eye-ball it, it doesn’t matter too much! Smooth it out and put it back in the fridge. Take the remaining cashew mixture and process it with the 1 cup of strawberries until smooth. Carefully pour this mixture into the pan and spread until even, being careful not to let the layers mix as you do this. Put in the cake in the freezer for45min-1hr to firm up or for longer for an “ice cream” cake.

To make the coulis, just blend up the 3 ingredients until smooth.

Take the cake out of the freezer a few minutes before serving so it thaws a bit. If it’s been in the freezer for longer and is completely frozen, make sure you give it a good amount of time to thaw if you want a cheesecake-like cake. Remove the side from the spring-form pan, slice and serve with a spoonful of strawberry coulis on top!

Store in the fridge or freezer for up to a week, if it lasts that long!

I hope you all enjoyed feasting your eyes on my potluck contribution. Now, do yourself a favour and go and check out all the other recipes that are contributed! For your convenience, we have some handy buttons you can click:

to the recipe before mine at The Veg Bar

to the next lovely dessert recipe at Veggie 4 a Year

Or go to the beginning at Vegan Bloggers Unite and enjoy the entire feast! (Make sure you see all of them no matter what order you follow)

Enjoy the rest of the festivities and have a lovely weekend!

raw banana granola- no oil, no sugar, no grains!

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Good day all! Another rainy, cloudy day here in Kingston! But that’s all right, I am armed with my book (go read the Song of Fire and Ice series if you haven’t already, do it!) and DVDs of Smallville. Today is going to be a-okay!

Today I’m going to share my raw granola recipe that I dreamed up a couple weeks ago and first showed you here. This was my first big success with the dehydrator. I honestly could not stop eating this stuff it’s so good, and with no added sugar and no oil, it’s no problem that I couldn’t! This granola doesn’t have any grains either and relies entirely on buckwheat (a psuedograin) and raw nuts and seeds). This means it’s great for those on a grain-free diet and is packed with loads of nutrition! It was perfect on it’s own with almond milk, with berries, on top of smoothies, on top of puddings…basically on top of anything :) You could probably also try baking this, and I’ve left a guess as to what those directions would be at the end.

This recipe is very forgiving. It could be modified to suit your tastes or whatever nuts/seeds you have on hand. Just keep the proportions the same and you should be good!

Raw Banana Granola with No Added Sugar or Oil! (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Raw)

The flavour of the banana is very prevalent and combined with the dates this granola is just sweet enough. Lots of crunch from the buckwheat nuts and seeds and loads of clumps, just as granola should have!

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup pitted medjool dates
1 tsp vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract)
pinch of sea salt
1 banana, mashed
8 drops vanilla stevia
2 tsp water or more (if needed)
3/4 cup buckwheat groats, soaked 1 hour

Pulse the first 8 ingredients in a food processor until desired consistency is reached (add vanilla extract with the banana if not using the powder). I did it until the nuts were chopped fairly small with some larger chunks and the dates were in small pieces. Like this picture:

Empty the mixture into a large bowl.

Mash the banana in a small bowl and mix with the stevia and vanilla extract if using,

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and add the buckwheat groats and mix until well combined and sticky. Add the water as needed to get everything full incorporated and coated.

Place on teflex or parchment paper lined dehydrator sheets in a thin layer. Dehydrate at 105°F for 3 hours. Carefully flip the granola over. Doing so will break it up a bit but that’s ok, helps create the chunks! Dehydrate for another 9 hours or until dry and crunchy.

Alternatively you could try baking it at around 250 for an hour or 350 for around 25-30 min. If anyone does try this please let me know what worked for you!

Serve with fruit, almond milk, or whatever you choose. It’s bound to be tasty. Especially if you eat it with an awesome spoon….

got it for my dad for Christmas. Love it!

I’m submitting this recipe to Allergy Free Wednesdays, Allergy Friendly Fridays and Wellness Weekends!

Before I go 2 shout outs and heartfelt thanks to give! Thank you to Dudette who nominated me for the Sunshine Award! Thank you so much my dear :)

Now I have to answer you 7 questions about myself :)

1. Favorite color? green, dark purple and charcoal
2. Favorite animal? dogs, especially huskies
3. Favorite number? 4
4. Favorite non-alcoholic drink? water is the best, but green tea is a winner too
5. Prefer Facebook or Twitter? Facebook I guess for keeping in touch with people. But I’m really starting to love this Twitter thing…
6. My passion? healthy food, cooking, eating ;), traveling, reading and yoga!
7. Prefer getting or giving presents? I like both- it’s fun to be surprised yourself and to make other people happy!
8. Favorite pattern? Not sure. I think the pattern on the sides of my blog is pretty cool though.
9. Favorite day of the week? Days I don’t work, get to cook a good breakfast where I can drink my tea outside and listen to the birds. It’s the simple things that do it for me :)
10. Favorite flower? Roses. Sounds typical girl I know, but I love the way they die- so dramatic!

For this I’m not going to nominate the 10-12 bloggers as I’m supposed to (who needs rules psssh) but I will nominate and say a special hello to the lovely Ali and Jef at the bear and the blackberry. Their blog makes me laugh so hard I cry! Delicious looking food too!

And thank you to Heather at Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes for the Versatile Blogger Award. Love you girl! You have stellar photography and food that makes me wish they had invented technology that would allow me to reach through my computer screen and grab a bite :)

I’m supposed to tell you 7 random things about myself for this one, but I think the above questions should suffice don’t you??

That’s it for me today! Enjoy your next couple of days and come back here on Saturday- I’ll be participating in a super-special blogger event. There’s lots of good food to be seen I promise you!

wiaw- the final cleanse week and some kitchari

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Happy Wednesday everyone! I’m happy so many of you enjoyed my post yesterday on dry skin brushing! I hope I got a couple new converts out of it ;)

I had a day off yesterday which was really nice, even though it was raining. It seems like we always have completely gorgeous weather right up until my days off. But that’s ok. I enjoyed listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, read my book, drank tea and cooked up a storm :). I even tried my hand at making coconut yogurt which was an adventure! I’ll let you all know how it turns out.

So today is another What I Ate Wednesday, the last one of my cleanse. In case you don’t remember, last week I started incorporating grains again (although to be honest I only ate them once) as well as tea and chocolate (or more specifically cacao powder, no actual chocolate) and this week unrefined sweeteners such as agave. I think I missed agave most of all! I’m so glad to have it back, although in sparing amounts. I am still in a cleanse after all!

You’ll probably notice (or maybe you won’t) that yesterday had more cooked foods than other cleanse days but I’m okay with that. I was craving really warming foods yesterday with the weather and just decided to go with it. They were still really nourishing meals that I feel good about. There are raw components in every meal and snack though so that’s something!

I’ll finish up this post with a recipe for kitchari, an Indian staple that I have found to be really helpful and nourishing during the cleanse. It makes a lot of food so it was great for leftovers on evenings I didn’t want to cook anything up!

Once again, thank you to Jenn over at Peas and Crayons for hosting this blog party! Head over to her blog for even more delicious eats!

WIAW #10

Breakfast

First up was my usual warm water with lemon that I sipped on. About an hour later I made breakfast which was amazingly delicious. My first time having oats since I started the cleanse!

Banana and Coconut Creamed Pie Oats to be exact! I tried something new with them- I soaked the oats overnight to help the phytic acid be released. Many grains and legumes contain this compound which blocks our absorption of many of the nutrients and can make us feel bloated. I actually found this to work really well and will be doing this from now on. This breakfast was the perfect way to reintroduce oats back into to my life :)

Followed this with some Dandy Blend as per usual (recycled photo). Enjoyed it every bit as much as usual too!

Lunch

Lunch was a recipe I got from Ricki over at Diet, Desserts and Dogs. Her Quick and Easy, High Protein, Single-Serve Breakfast Pancakes were awesome! I used buckwheat, some unflavoured hemp, pea and brown rice protein powder, almond butter, almond milk and 5 drops stevia. These were grain-free and sugar-free! I topped them with Artisana Cacao Bliss, which has a little agave in it and some coconut flakes. It was amazing. I suggest you all try these pancakes out!

mmm melty

Snack

I found this little baby at the grocery store last week on sale! Since it’s all the rage on the blogosphere I decided to pick some up and try it, but since it has agave in it, I had to wait till this week. But oh boy is it good. Tastes so tasty, not too sweet and perfectly crunchy. Now I know why everyone is obsessed. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for more sales on the other flavours!

Today I had my Love Grown granola with some leftover whipped topping from breakfast and some berries. Mmmmmm

Some Pu-Er tea in my new mug. I haven’t had Pu-Er in ages but it’s really one of my favourites. Very earthy.

Thought this picture was cool- you can see the tea all swirly around my robot as it infuses. Not sure if you can see it on the blog here, hopefully it translates!

Dinner

At dinner I was feeling pretty guilty about my lack of vegetables from the rest of the day. I guess that’s what happens when you have pancakes for lunch. Ah well. I loaded up with them for dinner to make up for it! Had some kitchari with kale (massaged with hemp oil, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Simple but good). Snack was a repeat of berries, granola and whip so no photo.

And now for the recipe!

Red Lentil and Quinoa Kitchari (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Sugar-Free, Corn-Free)

Kitchari is a staple comfort food in India that is considered to be very easy to digest and acts to detoxify the body of toxins. Thus, it is often used in fasts where plain kitchari is the only food consumed for a few days. Traditionally is is prepared with brown basmati rice and mung beans but I decided to mix it up with quinoa and red lentils. Quinoa is a psuedograin thus is fit in with my cleanse principles from the beginning (I ate this a lot in the first 2 weeks) and I happened to have red lentils around the house. They are still both very digestible so I don’t think it was a huge issue. This is also full of cleansing herbs and spices to really get you detoxified! It’s is a filling, hearty and warming dish, great for cooler evenings. It’s also delicious cold, making it a great leftover for warmer days or to bring to work (no microwave needed!).

The ingredients list looks long, but it’s mainly basic spices that most pantries would have. Feel free to substitute for anything you don’t like. These spices and herbs all have healing properties though so do try and include as many as possible.

Makes 6-8 servings, depending on how hungry you are or if you serve with a side.

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 inch piece fresh ginger
1.5 tsp mustard seeds
1.5 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 cup red lentils, soaked for a couple hours to help with digestion, rinsed
1 3/4 cups quinoa, rinsed
3 cups chopped vegetables (choose your favourite- I used zucchini, carrots and green beans)
7 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp agave (1 omitted this in the first few weeks of my cleanse, but if it’s not an issue for you, definitely add it! Honey can be substituted)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
lemon juice and coconut aminos (or Bragg’s or soy sauce) for topping

First prepare all your spices, veggies, quinoa, lentils and water. This will make things a lot easier!

Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add the coconut oil. When melted and the pan is hot, add the ginger, mustard and cumin seeds and the turmeric and cook until lightly brown and fragrant. Add the rest of the spices and cook for 1 more minute. Add the red lentils and quinoa, toss with the spice mixture and cook another minute. Add the water and stir. Turn up the heat to bring to a simmer then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 min. Add the vegetables, put the lid back on and let simmer until all the liquid is absorbed (20-30 min).

When the liquid is absorbed stir in the agave. Then stir in the cilantro. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a little coconut aminos.

Woo, sorry for the long post there! So many pictures- I guess that’s what happens when I have the day off…

Have a good one!

beautifully detoxifying dry skin brushing

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

I only recently started dry skin brushing but I have simply fallen in love with it! It’s such a simple thing, takes only a few minutes out of your day and has some unbelievably amazing benefits associated with it. I think it’s something that everyone would benefit from incorporating into their daily morning routine. I mean why wouldn’t you want to incorporate another detoxifying practice into your life?

First, for those of you who might not be familiar with dry skin brushing, here is a quick run down. It involves using an all-natural fiber brush to gently rub or massage your dry skin. Very simple! No fancy equipment or special knowledge needed here. But that doesn’t mean the results aren’t impressive!

Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing:

Stimulates your lymphatic system: the lymphatic system is very important for detoxifying your body- it delivers important molecules like vitamins and foreign invaders to your lymphatic organs, which act to detoxify the body. This is very important for immunity! Your body needs the opportunity to remove the foreign invaders, but if your lymph system isn’t flowing, then it can’t. The lymph system itself doesn’t actually contain any pumps to move this fluid around- it relies on our own movement thus stimulating it with dry brushing is great for keeping this fluid moving
Detoxifies your skin: did you know your skin is your body’s largest organ, responsible for eliminating 1/4 of the toxins from your body? Dry skin brushing sloughs off dead skin cells allowing toxins to move out of the body through the skin. If toxins are unable to leave through the skin they are either stored in fat cells (contributing to cellulite) or they go back into the blood system, causing havoc and stressing out other detox organs like your kidneys and liver! Under normal conditions, your skin eliminates these toxins naturally but in today’s world we are bombarded with toxins and debris that clogs our skin, rendering the skin inactive. Getting rid of dead skin cells allows your skin to do it’s detoxifying job properly!
Improves skin’s texture and tone: helps with rough patches and reduces and prevents cellulite!
Stimulates hormone and oil-producing glands: unclogging the system allows your skin to produce the oil it needs to stay healthy- soft skin is on it’s way!
Strengthens your immune system (see above note on the lymphatic system)
Stimulates your nervous system: dry skin brushing stimulates nerve endings which activate muscle fibers leading to better muscle tone, and improves blood flow to help with regeneration of skin cells. This means you have more new healthy skin cells!
Gets you glowing: creates changes both internally and externally that improves health and beautifies your skin giving you a healthy glow :)

How to do it:

Directions for dry skin brushing range from very simple to incredibly complicated. Here’s what I’ve been doing:

use a large natural fiber brush (about the size f your hand) with a long handle so you can reach all areas of your body easily. This is the brush I use. You can order it from amazon!
the skin should be dry
do it once a day for a few minutes each time. For complete cellulite removal it is recommended you spend a few minutes on trouble areas alone, so if you have the time, go for it!
always do it before showering so the water can wash away the dry skin cells you’ve loosened
use circular motions, always moving towards the heart to stimulate your lymphatic system
don’t brush too hard. At first, you’ll be really sensitive since your skin isn’t used to it and your brush will be stiff. Brush as hard as you can comfortably stand and you’ll find you can go a bit harder the longer you do it. I’ve only been doing it 3 weeks and can press quite a bit harder than the beginning. You don’t want to turn your skin beet red though so be careful. No skin damage here mmm k?
pay special attention to areas where you have lymph nodes: armpits, behind your knees and elbow creases as well as areas where skin is rough like your knees and elbows
start on the soles of your feet- lots of nerve endings here! Then work your way up each leg and butt cheek. You can spend a little extra time on your thighs if you’d like to help with cellulite. Next do your arms, starting at your hands and working your way up. Then brush up your abdomen (ladies be careful on your chest) and down your back and neck. Here’s a graphic I found that shows the proper directions:

Remember, this is dry skin brushing, not rocket science so don’t make it more complicated than it has to be! Just remember to always move towards the heart and get every inch of the beautiful skin of yours brushed!

My take:

I absolutely loved adding this to my routine. While I have yet to notice some of the benefits such as reduced cellulite, these are changes that require months of continual brushing. In 3 weeks I HAVE noticed improved skin texture and tone though and find I don’t need to use nearly as much moisturizer as before! It seems that through sloughing off dead skin cells and stimulating oil-producing glands, my skin has been able to reach an equilibrium where it no longer needs outside help! Oh and those little bumps you get on the back of your upper arms? They are definitely reduced and I expect with continual brushing they will soon be gone.

One thing I really like about dry skin brushing is that there is really no lifestyle change required to incorporate it. Even people who are adamantly against changing other aspects of their life such as diet, exercise, personal care products etc., can benefit from this exercise without having to give anything up or change their mindset and thinking. Just add it into your daily “getting ready in the morning routine” and you can see amazing benefits. Now I’m not saying that I don’t think diet, exercise and choice in products is important- I think it’s imperative. But it’s always nice to be able to do something to benefit your health that requires very little change or effort don’t you think?

My absolute favourite part? I found this put me more in touch with my body- I got to know it better! And through researching all the benefits of dry skin brushing and taking on the practice of it, the knowledge that I am treating my body with the utmost care and attention is truly rewarding. It has provided me with a deeper respect for the functioning of my body, and my skin in particular and I love that I am nourishing my body in a way to help it take care of me. Engaging in such a simple activity of self-care supports my body so it can support me!

This appreciation for the functioning of my body as well as the care and attention I’m now providing it, increases the love I have for my body. Self-love is incredibly important and the deeper connection to my body that skin brushing has afforded me enhanced my concept of self-worth! Isn’t it wild what a few minutes a day spent with a brush can do?

I hope some of you out there found this helpful and maybe it will inspire some of you to take this on as a regular practice! I’ll update on my experience in a couple months time!

Do any of you dry skin brush on a regular basis? Any experiences you’d like to share?

And quickly before I go! A quick shout out to Terra and Brittany at terra, not terror who nominated me for a Liebster Award and Jennifer at the foodery who nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award!

You ladies are so lovely :) It really means a lot coming from such fantastic women such as yourselves.

Just my corner of the world to talk about vegan food, health and life in general

Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing:

How to do it:

My take:

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