om nom nom

chocolate banana peanut butter coconut smoothie

/ Brienna / 2 Comments

I thought my husband would like this combo, so I threw some stuff together in my Vitamix as an experiment, and wow, it was really tasty!

Here’s the recipe:

chocolate banana peanut butter coconut smoothie
serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vanilla light soy milk or any non-dairy milk (even water could work, if you want cut down the calories)
  • 2 scoops Vega Energizing Smoothie in Choc-a-lot flavor
  • 1 Banana
  • 1 generous scoop peanut butter (I used homemade peanut butter, another great thing you can make with a Vitamix!)
  • 4-5 coconut water ice cubes (just freeze coconut water in your ice-cube trays to make)
  • Roasted coconut flakes

Directions

  • Combine all ingredients except the roasted coconut flakes in a blender, and blend until creamy and smooth.
  • Pour into 2 large smoothie glasses and top with roasted coconut flakes.

nacho cheese kale and avocado salad

/ Brienna / 1 Comment

The photo (which has since been lost) is really terrible but I wanted to share. Kale, avocado and white beans topped with nacho cheese dressing, pumpkin seeds, almonds, pistachios and some “salad booster” which I think is primarily spirulina and chia seeds. I am in love with nacho “cheese” kale chips lately and I thought using the leftover “cheese” to make a salad dressing was pretty clever. And it was super yummy!

Oh and that’s a chocolate-peanut butter-banana-coconut smoothie on the side. 🙂

What a Jerky!!

/ Brienna / 2 Comments

I really wanted to share an awesome vegan recipe this week. I’ve tried to converge on a theme for my blog, and originally I was thinking “running & reading” but there was something missing. I love food, and for whatever reason, I’m addicted to taking photos of food. So, now you will start seeing more posts related to vegetarian and/or vegan food and, more generally, animal rights. (I’ll post more about that later.)

Anyway, turns out I don’t have a good recipe to share this week, but I do have an awesome vegan food product to share. This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive any food for free (unfortunately).

Since becoming vegetarian, I have found that a lot of fake meat products are really, well, gross. Part of being vegetarian is about NOT wanting to eat meat, but there are still some things that I miss. One of these things is jerky. I was picky about it then, and it turns out I’m still picky about it now.

Prior to this morning, I had only tried one brand of vegan jerky, Primal Strips. Then, this morning I received a box of assorted goodies that I ordered from Spencer’s Market. Inside was a package of Ned’s Spicy Chipotle Jerky from Morels the Vegan Butcher. It looked so tasty, I decided to open it immediately and try just a bite. Well, five minutes later, the entire package was gone.

I am in love. The slogan on the package sums it up well, “What a Jerky!!” It tastes great, it’s got the right texture, but I don’t ever have to worry about gristle or it being undercooked (ick). It’s got some kick, and if you know me, you know how I like my spicy food! The only thing that would make it better would be non-GMO soy beans. (I’ve already contacted Morels through the website to ask. See update @ end for their reply!)

Primal Strips aren’t even in the same class as Ned’s. I’ve tried a few flavors from Primal and can’t say that I would buy it again. It’s wet and slimy, and tastes like fake meat. Ned’s, however, might even fool some non-veg folks. I’ll find out when I get some more (which, of course, I’ve already ordered).

I regret not getting any close up photos of the jerky itself, but well, you’ll have to forgive me. I was too busy eating it to think about photos.

Update: I got an email back that says the jerky is GMO free! Here’s what it said:

Hello there!

The soy curls we use to make the jerky are made with NON-GMO soybeans, you can read more about them here :LINK

The jerky is marinated with Braggs Liquid Aminos which also source from NON-GMO soy beans and can be read more about here :LINK

Let me know if you have any further questions, thanks so much!

-TVB

Sunday brunch! Vegan and Gluten Free Apple Crumble!

/ Brienna / 2 Comments

I recently discovered The Healthy Apple and couldn’t wait to try some of the recipes.  So, as a treat this weekend, I made brunch for my husband.  Here’s a photo:

Apple Crumble

And here’s the recipe.  The only modification I made was to substitute agave for the stevia since that’s what I had on hand.

When I make it again, I think it needs to cook longer (and I need to use a smaller pan).  Some of the apple pieces had a nice tender, apple pie yumminess, but a lot of the pieces were still hard and kinda crispy.  I might also add a touch more OJ and/or some coconut oil.

Enjoy!