This Kale Salad is cra cra

i'm kind of freaking out on how good this salad is

i have loved the kale ceasar salad from Counter Culture, craved the avocado kale salad from Wholefoods raw bar, but had not attempted my own, daunted by the massaging the kale step of the process. This recipe doesn't say to do that but i did anyway as i have heard it's what makes raw kale soft and more palatable (massaging with the dressing)

This salad takes the cake. Spicy roasted chickpeas, ceasary tangy cashew based dressing, avocado.

Roasted Spiced Chickpeas over Kale with Ceaser Dressing

definitely a keeper

raw bok choy & apple salad & more

Like i said in my last post i was getting a little tired of cooking bok choy, and in light of the Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse i'm on i was thrilled to find this Bok Choy Apple Salad recipe

It is SO freakin good. Crisp, tangy, sweet, fresh, crunchy & easy :)

Also cooked my collards with the muli colored carrots in this super simple recipe [Collards & Carrots]- i just used Earth Balance instead of butter. I could have eaten a huge bowl of this as my entire meal but i shared it with a friend and ate it with a slice of toast spread with Grandma's Hummus - the best hummus in Austin!

Otherwise have been enjoying my green juices & fresh salads using Kale, mushrooms & carrots

still to come Roasted chick pea & kale salad

Spring Cleansing - Greenling local box 3/10/11

so i'm on week 2 of the 21 day cleanse from Crazy Sexy Diet - feeling good, happy, energetic and still jonesing for coffee. 
It's convenient that this box is so full of greens!
So here's the list

Tomatoes
Bibb Lettuce
Spring Onions
Green Kale
Strawberries
Navel ORanges
Collards
Bok Choy
Multi Colored Carrots
Mushrooms

On this cleanse i am juicing and making green smoothies daily, so i know it's a bit boring but that's where a lot of the greens are going, kale juice & collard smoothies - delish
Even my 9 year old son likes Green Smoothies!

I've been really into kale & mushrooms lately, sauteing them  - so i think i will try this recipe for Braised Kale, Potato & Mushrooms

I also have a can of lovely chickpeas in the pantry so my do this recipe also or instead  - Roasted Chickpeas over Kale with Ceasar Dressing - roasted chickpeas are deeelish

This Collard & Carrot recipe will be perfect - minus the butter

Bok Choy - again! this time gonna try it raw - in this Bok Choy & Apple Salad

Lettuce in salads!
Oranges...just to eat
Tomatoes in salad and on top of Toast & Hummus, or in baked tofu sandwiches, with the lettuce & onions.

Mushrooms FTW and more...

I think one of the best things i made out of this box was this Creamy Mushroom Fetuccini with the Cremini Mushrooms:

And this divine Pizza that Also had some of the spinach & the leek! I sauted the mushroom & leek before putting it on. easy peasy

Here are two salads, the first one is a basic one where i used the avocado and the carrots, the second is spinach salad with strawberries & avocado!



Look at the purple carrot!



The strawberries were sooooo good.

I used some cilantro to make pico de gallo which i ate with one of the avocados & chips
Our guinea pig Drizzle loves cilantro so much that i keep giving bunches to him :)

Hmmm Sicilian Collards w/pine nuts & raisins from The Kind Diet! I paired it with marinated baked tofu. I think this is one of the best things i've made.

I decided to start a 21 day "adventure" cleanse as layed out in Kris Carr'sCrazy Sexy Diet book, on March 1st. As i'm already vegan i just have to eliminate coffee, sugar & gluten, and eat more raw veg & have green juice daily! So my next meals will be guided by those guidelines!
I still have stuff left to cook so another post will come!

Greenling Local Box 2/24/11 - Vegan Mealplan

I can feel the season changing - Strawberries were in this box! And a Leek, another new veg i have never bought or used

Here's the List:

Strawberries
2 Avocados - thank goodness, been craving them
Spinach
Cilantro - i am guess salsa is in in the cards
Collards
Leek
Crimini Mushrooms
Bok Choy - it's huge
Grapefruits
Multi Colored Carrots - orange & purple

Strawberries will go in breakfast cereal & kid's lunchboxes - I'm sooo excited. I already ate some this morning and they are indeed divine.

Avocados & carrots in a spinach salad - oh and a strawberry or two, spinach strawberry salad is a classic, i think i will make my own balsamic dressing! I also really love avocado spread on toast with a dash of tobasco for a quick lunch or snack.

I really want to try a green smoothie, i have been hearing so much about them so will use some spinach & collards in that...
I think there's enough spinach to make this pasta from the wholefoods The Whole Deal newsletter - Linguini w/Spinach, Artichokes & Red Lentil Sauce - www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2882
There will be some whole wheat fettuccini left from that recipe exaclty enough to use the Cremini Mushrooms in Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine from the Appetite for Reduction cookbook again!

Bok Choy - Ginger Bok Choy & Soba from Appetite for Reduction - i know it's a lot of pasta this week, but i love it and the kids will often try....plus i have found i'm not in love with just sauteed bok choy so want to experiment around

Grapefruits - just enjoy for breakfast

Oh yeah PIZZA - i have some pizza dough i just bought at wholefoods, ready to make, & some Follow Your Heart vegan mozzerella that needs to be used so will throw a few leaves of spinach, a couple of mushrooms and the leek on there. With only one leek there's not enough for the typcial leek potato soup & i'm determined to shop as little as possible to emebellish the local box. I googled leek pizza and found that people sauted it before putting it on pizza - so Yum

Curry Laksa

My final dish from that last box! Using the beautiful bok choy - this is i think a Malaysian Dish veganized in Appetite for Reduction, pad thai nodles, tofu, bok choy, red bell, coconut milk & red curry broth, lime & cilantro to garnish! I was kind of proud

Appetite for deliciousness...

it has taken me forever to use everything! Seems like this box had a TON - it's a good thing i get them every other week I still have the bok choy left (tho it NEEDS to be used tomorrow) and two portabello caps.

So i did roast the fennel - so easy, i ate it with brown rice, a dash of tamari & ume vinegar - simply delicious.

Salads were had with the bib lettuce & the micro greens. I also TWICE used the micro greens in place of lettuce in a vegan "smart bacon" BLT - So i called it a BMGT :). Fun.

Divine Sweet Potato Soup w/Coconut Milk & Quinoa - this was extremely delicious, love all the ingredients so much it couldn't help but be amazing. Quinoa and sweet potatos are such power foods. I ate this for three meals!

The rest of the recipes were from the Appetite for Reduction cookbook - Isa Chandra Moskowitz' new low fat vegan cookbook. Timely for me as i'm strill trying to lose some of the post chemo, post surgery recovery pounds. . Isa is my fave cook book writer - all her books rule.

Pineapple Collards - garlic, ginger, pineapple, red pepper flakes, nice & tangy - I'm a collard fan now. I served them with Blackened Broiled Tofu.

Sweet & Salty Maple Baby Carrots - the carrots that came in the box were pretty small so i figured they would work. This recipe was easy, just roasted, and it was good, a nice change.
The carrots RAW however were - i don't think i've ever eaten a more delish raw carrot. I put them in salads a couple o times.

Portabello Pepper Steak Stew - oh my gosh - this recipe is a definite keeper. Hearty & stewey, it has crushed fennel seeds & thyme which give it such a unique and tasty flavor, and the seitan plus portabello packs in protein. My meat eating weight lifting big guy friend ate two huge servings of this & has instructed me to make it again. A lot of chopping tho. 

The picture of the stew does NOT do it justice.

I don't think i made anything my kids liked, except salads. my son ate some of the mushroom stew, my daughter had a bit and didn't make a face. Oh an my son does love the sandwich. I will keep on though...