Don't Know Where To Start

I feel like I have dozens of things to blog about, from recipes and photos, to guest posts, to testing, to momma business.  Most of my days are so non-stop that despite having plenty of ideas and inspiration to write about, it's often a challenge to plunk my butt down to type out my thoughts!

With all that, today I'll start with appreciation.  Gratitude to you kind people that left encouraging comments on my last post, and also on facebook, to keep my spirits up about my place in this world of vegan cookery.  Reading your heartfelt sentiments helped me put perspective on the matter.  And, in my heart of hearts, I fully realize that in these moments of disappointment, it is very much my 'ego' speaking (those of you that have read Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth will immediately understand).  At the center of what I do is my love of making good vegan food, my curiosity and quest to develop new and exciting recipes, and to share these creations with my family, friends, and you.  So, to those of you that expressed support, both through written notes and/or also with votes for me as an 'other' in the VegNews survey... thank you.

Okay, on to some food!  Not knowing where to begin, I'll start with the most recent photo I have, of a 'Kaleslaw' with Curried Almond Dressing.  The slaw is a combination of julienned kale leaves, grated carrot, julienned fennel and apple, and a sprinkling of raisins and chopped almonds.  The dressing is a raw dressing that I came up with months and months ago.  When designing this slaw I realized it was the perfect slaw dressing - bonus!  I have never been fond of traditional coleslaw.  Never been partial to green or red cabbage, raw or cooked.  With this, I'm meeting coleslaw halfway... we are now playing nice.

Regular consumption of nutrient-dense whole foods supports cellular regeneration, which rebuilds new body tissue.  This process is vital for every aspect of health and vitality.  (Source: The Thrive Diet, Brendan Brazier)

Refreshing Greens

I start almost every morning with a green smoothie. Typically in the winter months, I opt for a heartier, non-dairy milk based smoothie... but, this smoothie has been part of the daily routine for many months now. And I'm still not tired of it!

I posted earlier about a green smoothie recipe that is in ed&bv. This one is slightly different, though has many of the same ingredients. The first of which is kale! As I mentioned before, other greens like spinach and chard are very healthy, but the iron and calcium are not nearly as well absorbed. With kale, our bodies can suck up that calcium and iron!! My favorite kale to use is black kale, sometimes called dinosaur kale (since the leaves have a rather reptilian resemblance!), but you can use any variety of kale you like.

Remove the leaves from the stalks. I do this by holding the stalk in one hand, and running my fingers along each side of the stalk to strip it. Add the leafy greens to the bottom of your blender (I use this KitchenAid), and discard the stalks. The other ingredients I regularly use are fresh pineapple, frozen mango, and frozen banana. I buy 1-2 fresh pineapples a week and when ripe, remove peel and cut in chunks and store refrigerated in an airtight container for daily smoothies. The pineapple brightens the flavor and gives a tropical tang, and the mango and banana lend sweetness to the mix - and also a creamy texture. I've been using frozen mangoes, since it makes for quick smoothie prep, and the frozen fruit helps the texture. As for the frozen bananas, I always have ziploc baggies of sliced overripe bananas in the freezer - buy a swack of nanners and get your freezer stocked up!

All you need to do is load in those fruits on top of the kale, and then add a small amount of water to get the blending going - start with a little and then add more if needed. You'll quickly determine how much you'll need each time. Sometimes I add fresh orange juice (one or two oranges) into the blender - particularly if I don't have much pineapple left. Also, typically I add about 1/2 tsp of spirulina powder (for 2 decent size smoothies). Sometimes I add extra spirulina, though not much more since the taste can be overpowering, personally. But, if you enjoy the taste - add more - it's very good for you!

Give the lot a good whiz, until it is smoooooth. You can also use a handblender, as you see in my previous post, though it requires a little more assistance from you! So, if you have a good blender, put it to work! And, then, enjoy your refreshing greens (your body will thank you)!

Drink Your Greens Smoothie

We know it. We should eat our greens, every day if possible. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, and most of us don't eat enough of them. Are you one of these people? Well, try drinking your greens instead of eating them!

I've gone waaaay too far, right? 'Out there?!' In fact, that's just what my husband said several months ago: "What?! Dreena, you've gone too far this time. There's no way I'm drinking kale in my smoothie. Forget it. Drop it. I go along with lots of things, but this time just forget it."
Yup. That was the reaction. Later in the week, I snuck a few leaves into his morning smoothie. Not this exact recipe, but a regular smoothie I make for him with rice/soy milk, frozen bananas (lots of them), and some brown rice protein powder. He drank it, and said nothing. Then, through the summer on hot days I made this Drink Your Greens Smoothie from ED&BV. He liked it - a lot - and then a few weeks ago while drinking his morning smoothie (with kale) again he said "by the way, did you add that kale smoothie thing to your new book, 'cause these smoothies are really good". um, yeah. oh, and btw hubby: hoo-ahh!

So, here's the thing about drinking your greens. Whether you use this refreshing all-fruit/veg-based recipe, or add kale to your own fave smoothie, there are a couple of MUSTS to follow:

1. Add enough frozen banana and/or other sweeter fruits to balance the bitterness of the greens. If the smoothie is thick enough and sweet enough - trust me, you won't taste the kale. Make sure your frozen banana is very ripe, otherwise it's just not very sweet. I buy lots o' bananas, let them go overripe, then peel, slice, and into a ziploc bag in the freezer they go. I know some of you out there don't like bananas. I have no words. Ok, well I do, I mean... I'm not super excited to eat a banana on its own... but bananas in smoothies? Schlurrrp, love 'em!

2. Blend that kale to smithereens! Really, this is key. You must blend/pulverize for a couple of minutes until the kale is not just in little bits - but until it is just flecking your smoothie with green color. I find the frozen banana helps my immersion blender cut through the kale. Blend, blend, blend. And just when you think you've blended enough, blend some more! Yes, it will sound like you are doing kitchen renovations. No matter - just blend. If there are little bits of leaves still in there that you can chew... you need to blend it further. It's for the sake of a great smoothie, man!

3. Take a little taste. If you need more frozen banana or need to thin it, do so. Once you've made enough of these (again, whether with this recipe or just adding to your own smoothies), you'll be able to skip this step. You'll just have a sense that your smoothie is wicked good.

Do you need a high-powered blender like a Vitamix for this smoothie? No. I don't have one (though I'd like one)! But, I use my immersion blender, and start it off on slow speed just to cut through the nanners, and then I pump it up on high speed and whiz like crazy.

Now that summer has passed and it's chillier, I opt for adding kale to our rice/soy-milk based smoothies instead of this fruit-based smoothie. But, I'm telling you, I do this every day. It's one of the easiest ways to get the greens in our diet - try it with your kids. Unfortunately, my kids still aren't into smoothies in general. I know. What's with my munchkins?! But, if your kids like smoothies - try this!!

Finally, why do I keep talking about kale - and not spinach or swiss chard? I'm not dissing spinach or swiss chard, or other greens... it's just that kale is more nutritious in that the iron and calcium are better absorbed by our bodies (see p. 100 & 109 - Becoming Vegan). Ok, and because I have a soft spot for kale... it's a misunderstood vegetable. Often left to wilt next to spinach and swiss chard. So sad. Support your kale, people.

I buy a bunch of kale about twice a week - sometimes more if I'm also sauteing it or using it in other recipes. Give it a wash and shake/spin the excess water off. Pop it in a ziploc bag with a paper towel to catch the excess moisture. Then, it's ready to use fresh and clean every day.

Now, go eat, DRINK, and be vegan!