"Peachy Keen" Smoothie

This smoothie is pure deliciousness! Enjoy!

3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen cherries
1 ripe banana
3 dates (pitted) or giant squeeze of honey
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup canned coconut milk, full fat or light
1/2 cup almond milk or dairy milk
Ice cubes, if desired
1 large handful of spinach, optional

Put all ingredients into a high power blender and blend until smooth. Drink immediately. Makes two smoothies.

Honey Lime Green Smoothie

Oh boy is this smoothie delicious! I was actually shocked at how lip-smacking good this odd-seeming smoothie actually tasted. It was sweet and a little bit tart; it's so very healthy and so very yummy - the perfect combination!!! Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups of cubed honey dew melon
2 peeled kiwis
1 ripe banana
10 mint leaves
1 to 2 limes (enough to give about 3 Tbl of juice)
2 GIANT handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup almond milk or low-fat milk
Ice, if desired

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Add ice if needed for desired coldness. Drink immediately.

This smoothie makes two large smoothies.

Italian Roasted Mushrooms and Vegetables

This scrumptious recipe comes from the blog Jo Cooks.  It was extremely easy to put together. I served it alongside some brown rice and with a side salad. It made a delicious vegetarian meal. These roasted veggies would also make a terrific side dish and would be super served at a Thanksgiving feast!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned
• 2 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 2 cups cocktail tomatoes
• 12 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
2. In a bowl add all the mushrooms, veggies and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil then add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and toss until well combined.
3. Dump the veggies to a baking sheet and place in the preheat oven. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until mushrooms are golden brown and cauliflower is fork tender.
4. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving. <I served with a side of rice and a side salad>

Weeknight Crock Pot Sausage & Spinach Stew

My friend, Amne, shared this easy crock pot recipe with me. It's one of her family's favorite recipes and it's a snap to make. She serves it over cooked rice or pasta. Add a simple side salad and a piece of good crusty bread and dinner is served! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 links of pork or chicken Italian sausage, sliced  (you can leave on the casing)
1 tsp olive oil
28 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
8 oz block of cream cheese, cut into chunks
Quart of chicken or vegetable broth
10 oz bag loose leaf frozen spinach

Parmesan cheese for serving
Cooked pasta or rice for serving

Directions:

Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high heat.  Add olive oil to skillet.  Add sliced sausage pieces to the hot skillet and brown on both sides.

Power on a large crock pot. You can either cook this dish on low for 8 hours or high for four hours, your choice. Add cooked sausage slices, fire roasted tomatoes, cream cheese chunks, and enough broth to cover the ingredients in the crock pot (you may not use the whole quart). Add the bag of loose leaf frozen spinach and give everything a good stir.

Once your crock pot has completed its cooking cycle serve stew over cooked rice or pasta. Season with salt & pepper. Add shredded Parmesan if you like. Enjoy!

Hallelujah Sweet Potato Slaw

I found this delicious, raw, vegan recipe in a fabulous book called The Hallelujah Diet by George Malkmus.  I wanted to make it right away because I absolutely LOVE shredded RAW sweet potatoes. Yes, I said raw, and yes, you need to just trust me on this one and try it for yourself.

This salad was so refreshing and sweet. It would be a beautiful thing to bring to a summer potluck. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 cups RAW sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded <I only used two sweet potatoes>
• 1 medium sweet apple, peeled and chopped fine  <Use a crunchy apple, like a Honeycrisp or Pink Lady>
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped <I used more because I love the crunch>
• 1/4 cup organic raisins or chopped dates <I used dates>
• Holiday Slaw Dressing (recipe below)
  

Directions:

Salad:
In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, apple, pineapple, raisins or dates and pecans. Prepare the Holiday Slaw Dressing. Combine with salad, mix well and place in refrigerator. Let salad chill in the fridge and serve cold. 


Holiday Slaw Dressing:

• 1/2 cup vegenaise <I used mayonnaise; but if you use mayonnaise, the salad will not be vegan anymore>
• 1-2 Tbl raw, unfiltered honey
• 2 Tbl lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Combine ingredients into a shaker cup and shake thoroughly, or place in a bowl and whip with a wire whisk until well blended.

 

Raw Brownie Energy Bars

The name of these bars do them zero justice - they should be called "Oh-My-Gosh-Are-You-Kidding-Me-I-Cannot-Believe-These-Are-Raw-And-Healthy-Because-They-Taste-Like-Heaven Bars". Yeah, that does them a little more justice. The recipe comes from Yummy Mummy Kitchen and my socks were actually blown off at how tasty and sweetly satisfying these healthy little "brownies" are. Click on her blog link to see some beautiful pictures she took of these bars. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!!!

Here is the recipe STRAIGHT from the Yummy Mummy Kitchen blog:

• 2 cups nuts (use a combination of almonds, peanuts, and walnuts)
• 1 1/4 cups pitted Medjool dates
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan salt
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon hemp hearts (optional)
• 1/4 cup crisp puffed quinoa or rice cereal <I used Rice Krispies>
• 2 tablespoons walnut pieces
• 2 tablespoons chocolate chips (vegan/gf if needed) 

Instructions

1. Place nuts, dates, oil, cocoa, salt, and hemp hearts into a food processor. Blend until coarsely  ground. Add the syrup and continue to blend until the mixture holds together when pressed. Pulse in the cereal just to combine.
2. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Transfer the bar mixture from the food processor to the pan and press firmly and evenly in. Press walnuts and chocolate chips into the top. 
3. Refrigerate until completely chilled and firm, about an hour. Cut into bars or small bite-sized squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Bites with Nuts & Fruit

 
These little chocolatey bites were super easy to throw together! All you need are some chocolate chips and your favorite nuts & dried fruits (and a microwave and some parchment paper). I used about 3/4 cup of Enjoy Life semi sweet chocolate chunks and it made 12 circles. So, just eyeball everything and make as many or as few as you'd like! Enjoy!

~ 3/4 to 1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
The following are suggestions:
raw almonds
raw cashews
raw hazelnuts
raw walnuts
dried cherries
dried cranberries
dried apricots
dried figs
raisins
hemp seeds

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe dish in the microwave on high for 1 minutes. Remove dish and stir. Put dish back in the microwave for another 20 to 30 seconds and stir until completely smooth.

Using a teaspoon size spoon, spoon melted chocolate onto parchment paper that is on a cutting board. Just let the chocolate drop into a nice circle shape.

 

Add the nuts and fruits to each circle any way you like. 

                           

Place the chocolate bites in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm them up. Once firm, remove from parchment and place in a tupperware container. Keep bites in the fridge or freezer because they melt easily. Enjoy!!