Happy Drink

At an organic restaurant near us they have a lot of smoothies and such but they also make a great latte, which is normally why we go. One day though hubs was getting coffee and I wasn't in the mood so I tried something called happy drink. And then I fell in love with it! So I tried to make something similar but with a twist, I'm happy (haha) with the results

Orange Ginger Mango Smoothie:
enough for 2 servings (we do it for breakfast)

1-2 tsp ginger: you can add more or less per your tastebuds
1 orange; peeled and pulled into its slices
1 1/2 cups frozen mangos
1 cup frozen strawberries
2/3 carrot juice
few drops of lime juice
1 tbs chia seeds

1   throw it all in a blender and viola

another great one that I've been making in advance and then freezing in serving sizes is a

Fig Banana Smoothie:

1 frozen banana
3-5 dried figs; soaked in water overnight
1/2 cup milk
1 cup water
1 tbs chia seeds
dash of cinnamon

1   soak chia seeds in water for 15 minutes
2   throw it all in a blender and enjoy


Pomegranate Almond Smoothie:

1 cup pom juice
3/4 cup milk
2-4 ice cubes
1 frozen banana
3 tbs almonds
1 tsp honey

1   throw it all in a blender and enjoy, make sure the almonds are well grinded into small pieces



We just grab a frozen one take it to work and eat it with a spoon. It is alway still totally frozen after my half hour commute. Also since it takes awhile to eat I don't snack up until lunch.

Raw Brownies

Hooray for no bake brownies.
They remind me of the little debbie brownies with the nuts sprinkled on top!
Only with less bad things in them :)

In Seattle there are a lot of vegans and baking for them is something I find intriguing. These are super easy and simple but I wanted to start out with something I knew would go well. Start out with a positive on the vegan baking end :)

Raw brownies:

2 cups walnuts
1 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups dates; pitted and halved (soft ones)
pinch of salt
1 cup almonds
optional: 1/2 tsp powdered vanilla beans
              3 tbs cocoa nibs

1   grind up walnuts, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla  in food processor
2   place in about 5 dates at a time and pulse until all dates are incorporated
3   plop dough in an 8x8 dish
4   put almonds in food processor and roughly chop
5   pour almonds and cocoa nibs into dish with dough
6   mix it all together well
7   then smash it down evenly into the dish
8   cover and refrigerate, serve

keeps best in fridge, for about a week and a half

Josh loved these! Plus no baking time is totally awesome

Pistachio Gelato- Dreaming of Italy

We're still dreaming of Italy and of pistachio gelato! So I made us our own batch of it to delve into while we flip through our photos. Not as good but a fantastic substitute!

Pistachio Paste:
8 oz shelled pistachios
1 cup sugar
2 tsp olive oil
3-4 drops almond extract
pinch of salt
9-10 tbs water

1   bring a small saucepan of water to a boil
2   place pistachios in to blanch them for 1-1 1/2 mintues
3   strain them and then start taking the skins off the pistachios
(took me about an hour, just jammed to some music, kind of theraputic)
4    place pistachios, sugar, olive oil, salt, and 1 tbs water into food processor
5    mix until desired consistency then add almond extract and pulse again
6    pour in 1 tbs at a time until it is a paste consistency

(You will only use about 1/2 the paste you make the rest can make another batch of gelato, spread on toast, I'm going to make a buttercream frosting with some)

Gelato Base:
from here

2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbs cornstarch

1    mix 1/4 cup milk with the cornstarch to make a slurry, set aside
2    in a saucepan bring milk and sugar almost to a boil
3    when it is about to boil whisk in the slurry
4    let it simmer for 3 minutes
5    remove from heat and pour into a bowl
6    cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight




Pistachio Gelato:

Gelato Base
Scant 1 cup of Pistachio paste
few drops of lemon juice

1   mix together chilled gelato base, pistachio paste, and lemon juice
2   follow ice cream makers instructions
3   place in freezer to firm up for a few hours

eat it and pretend you're back in Italy :)

This is cheesecake heaven - Yogurt Rosewater Cheesecake

I like cheesecake but I've never loved it. It seems a little heavy and I've always imagined it should feel like a cloud in your mouth and that you should never feel bad after eating it. This cheesecake is my heaven cheesecake!

 Also it didn't crack and the top was totally smooth, I was so giddy!

I bought rosewater a few months ago but hadn't found anything to do with it and this was a perfect way to kick off my infatuation with it. I was impressed by how little it took for it to have an impact in the flavor. Now I want to make happy spring rosewater cookies and citrus and rosewater hot buns, mmmm

based off of this recipe

Crust:

1 cup hazelnuts; lightly toasted

3 tbs raw sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1   pour hazelnuts, sugar and flour into a food processor and crunch it all up unitl it is a mealy texture

2   pour in the coconut oil and pulse it all together
3   lightly grease a springform pan and push the crust dough evenly along the bottom
4   refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour

Filling:
1 package cream cheese, 8 oz.
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs honey

1 container plain greek yogurt, 5-6 oz

1 tsp rosewater
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 eggs, room temp

1    preheat oven to 320 degrees F
2    beat the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar and honey together, about 3 minutes
3    beat in the yogurt, rosewater, lemon juice, vanilla unitl smooth
4    beat in the eggs 1 at a time
5    then beat entire mixture for a few minutes
6    pour on top of chilled crust
7    put water into another cake pan, about 1/2" and place in bottom rack in oven
      to prevent cheesecake from cracking

8    bake for 55-60 minutes

9    refrigerate, uncovered, for a minimum of 6 hours, best if overnight

Toppings:
3/4 cup heavy cream
a few drops of rosewater
a few drops of almond flavoring

handful of sweet dark cherries

1    whisk the heavy cream until it is light and fluffy

2    whisk in the rosewater and almond

3    top slices of cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream and some cherries

Joshua made an amazing lunch for us that Sunday too, look how awesome it all looks. He impressed me!

Our friends helped us enjoy it and one helped us figure out we could call it a parfait and then eat as much of it as we wanted because parfaits are good for you  :)

We spend the evening throwing frisbees and footballs and eating cheesecake in the park as the sun went down. It was a fantastic way to end the weekend!

Butternut Squash Soup

Love butternut squash! Still learning how to use it but I've really enjoyed all of them so far.

Even on pizza!

But since I've recieved Rhonda, the blender/food processor,

I thought I'd finally give butternut squash soup a go.

Butternut Squash Soup:
serves 6

from this book

1 tbs butter

1/2 onion; chopped

2 cloves garlic; minced

medium-large butternut squash; seeded and cut into cubes

2 granny smith apples; cored and cubed

2" piece of ginger; grated

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp pepper

2 cups vegetable broth

about 2 1/2 cups water

parmesan cheese to garnish with

1     in a medium pot melt the butter and throw in the onion and garlic,

       cook until soft (not browned)

2     add squash and cook until soft, about 10 minutes

3     add apples, ginger, salt, cumin, coriander, cayenne, pepper, broth

4     then add just enough water to cover the rest

5     bring to a boil

6     reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes

7     remove from heat and pour in 1/3 of mixture into blender, puree, pour into another pot

8     repeat with 1/2 the remaining, and then the rest

9     heat the soup back up over low heat

10   serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled overtop

Homeade Hummus, 2 ways

I like hummus, but now I love it because when you make it yourself you can add in extra olives or make a batch with absolutely anything I want.
Plus I swear it tastes better because I made it from scratch ;)

But did you know Tahini is stocked by the peanut butter? I looked in 3 stores by the spices and finally realized I didn't really know what it was- it's ground sesame seeds into a paste. Who knew?

Artichoke Heart Hummus:

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 can artichoke hearts
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice

1   throw it all into a food processor, blend it all together- HUMMUS

Kalamata Olives:

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
10-15 kalamata olives

2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice

1   throw it all into a food processor, blend it all together- HUMMUS

see how easy flavor variety is- so exciting!

I went there- Kale Smoothie

I know I know EEEWWWW.
But I had some leftover kale so I thought I'd be all Northwesty and give it a try for breakfast one morning.
Turning on the blender in the morning made me feel like a go-getter- in movies and such all the athletes and pretty people always make shakes after working our and such, I channeled them to get past the fact that I was going to drink a smoothie with kale in it.


It actually turned out really good. Also liked that I could drink my breakfast while getting ready for work. Smoothies always put me off, they use so much fruit for so little yeild and I just don't understand. But this one, I can get behind. I like that is uses only frozen fruit which is much easier to have on hand.

 I may even take a cue from my friend Jessica who always used to make a batch of them and freeze them. By the time she got to school they were ready to drink. She always swore it was so so easy and for the first time I believe her.

so here it is a kale berry smoothie for 1

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 banana (I used a frozen one)
1/2 cup frozen berries (I used blueberries)
1/2 cup kale
1 tbs ground flax seed (optional)

1   throw it all in a blender and blend it!
then be afraid to try it because it has kale in it but drink it anyway and actually truly enjoy it

ah 1 step another reason I'm now on the smoothie for breakfast train, easier than instant oatmeal.

Still can't believe how much I loved this, and no you can't really taste the kale, but you get all it's benefits :)
Also much less likely to buy a vanilla latte in the morning because I already drank something

my eyes are opened world

Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

I'm having far too much fun with Rhonda. Her and I are bonding big time. It's not the season for pesto but hey I just now got a food processor so I was definatley going to make it anyway.

I try to make something for lunches that is actually good, like not a sandwich for a few days a week. This was a great one to put in containers and throw in the freezer for next week.

serves 4

9 roma tomatoes; halved
1/4 cup olive oil, plus a few tbs for drizzling
S&P
1/3 cup almonds; toasted
2 cloves garlic
1 cup basil; tightly packed
1 tbs chia seeds (optional, for protein)
cooked pasta

preheat oven to 400 degrees F
1     place almonds on a baking sheet and roast for 6-9 mintues, remove from oven
2     place halved tomatoes on baking sheet, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper and bake 1 hour
3     using the food processor finely chop the almonds, take out and set aside
4     then chop the garlic in the food processor and then add in the basil, and chop
5     add in 1/4 cup oil, chia seeds, and 1 1/2 cups of roma tomatoes (about 7 halves)
6     process it until smooth and then pulse in the almonds, and season with about 1/4
       tsp salt and a few good grinds of pepper
7     serve over pasta of your choice, chop remaining tomatoes and place over top
       and add some basil for garnish

Fried "Rice"- it's Cauliflower!

I love Chinese food, but it always makes me feel icky after I eat it. So I found a recipe for Cauliflower "rice" and was extremely intrigued. So much so that I went home that night and made it.
Joshua saw that I was using cauliflower again and at first complained, and said why not real rice THEN! oh then he tried it and was in love with it. He actually said he liked it better with the cauliflower "rice" than with real. It as awesome because it stuck to all the tofu and veggies and kept the whole dish combined really well instead of seperating, also it was so fluffy, ah it's love. Plus it meant our meal was made entirely of veggies, except the tofu. Also no waiting for a rice cooker to finally finish up!

serves 2, but a whole cauilflower will make enough "rice" for 4 so you can just double everything below
1-2 tbs coconut oil
1/2 package of extra firm tofu, cubed
2 cloves garlic
1/4 medium onion
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups cauliflower rice (see #3)
1 egg
handful green onions, diced
1-2 tbs soy sauce
few tbs of cashews, crunched up

1   heat oil in a skillet and brown both sides of the tofu, you may need to add more oil as you go
2   once tofu is browned (which happens quickly in a cast iron pan) saute garlic,
     onion, carrots, zucchini until they are tender, but not limp 6-8 minutes, add in salt
3   in a food processor chop the cauliflower until it resembles a rice like texture and set aside
4   make room in the skillet for the egg to touch the bottom, crack it in and with a spatula mix it in
5   add in the green onion, and cook until egg is done
6   then add in the "rice" and a tbs or 2 of soy sauce and cook 3-6 minutes, stirring frequently
     so as to cook all the cauliflower
7   serve with cashews dashed on top

Promise this one is going to surprise you!

Tapas kind of date night

We bought dates awhile ago and needed to use them but I also got a blender/food processor (her name is Rhonda) from Joshua for Christmas that I really wanted to use so we just made it a random tapas dinner kind of night.

Although none of it really went together we still had a good time with it.

Hubs was in charge of the drinks and made cactus pear syrup gin drinks.
and I was in charge of the food

which was bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese
5 pieces of bacon; halved crosswise
10 roasted almonds
10 dates; pitted and sliced down one side
about 1/4 cup goat cheese

1     preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2     stuff each date with an almond and goat cheese, pinch closed as best you can
3     wrap each in a 1/2 strip of bacon and place each on baking sheet seam side down
4     place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until bacon is crispy
(at about 10 minutes I drained the bacon fat that had liquified off so that they weren't sitting in it)
5     let cool a little before you serve them, and stick each one with a toothpick, makes them easier to eat

and since it was date night in I made the toothpicks fancy with a little washi tape fringe and my new plates :)
them make me smile

introducing Rhonda!

also I've always wanted to make this but never could until my Christmas present-
Cauliflower soup
from here

hubs claims he doesn't like cauliflower but he has been coming around so I decided to give it a go.
Now it's not a main course just an appetizer that goes well with some good homeade bread to dip it in
which unfortunately as not done cooking until after we finished the soup :)

serves 6

3 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion; chopped
1 head of cauliflower; seperated into florets
salt to taste
5 1/2 cups water; divided

garnish with pepper
a drizzle of good oil, we used shitake mushroom oil YUM
and a few chives

1     in a pot heat the oil and add in the onion
2     heat on low for 15 minutes, don't let the onion brown
3     add in the florets, salt and 1/2 cup water and cover pot
4     turn heat up to medium and stew for 15-20 minutes
5     add 4 1/2 cups of hot water to the soup (I preheated my water in the tea kettle)
6     bring to a low simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered
7     then in 2 batches puree the soup in a blender (it is a beautifully pure white color, Love)
8     return the soup to the pot and let sit for 20 minutes to thicken
9     then stir in another 1/2 cup of water and warm the soup back up
10   serve and garnish with oil, pepper, and chives

it was quite a bit of work for such a simple looking soup but I also thought it turned out really pure and delicious, just light and smooth
and Joshua liked it, yay

Then instead of our bread for dessert friends stopped by with their bread and cheese so we all joined in the tapas dessert portion together :)
It rocked.