WIAW #28 The Weekend Edition

Hi friends,

Welcome to another edition of What I Ate Wednesday!  This week I decided to do things a little differently.  Instead of showing you my Tuesday eats like I normally do, I've decided to show you what I ate on Sunday.  To be honest, my weekly eats are slightly boring (not to me, but you're probably sick of looking at the same ol' food) and not very pretty to look at since I use containers and not dishes to bring my food to work.  Plus, it's always fun to shake things up a bit.  So without further ado, I give you my Sunday eats.

Breakfast:

   I had originally planned on making pancakes for breakfast but I got an enormous craving for something mint chocolatey.  I made this smoothie which turned out to be so thick I poured it in a bowl and ate it with a spoon.  Loved it!  I'll post the recipe tomorrow. 

   To go along with my smoothie I had one of these raw coconut macaroons that I had made the day before.  They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!  And they only get better with age. ;)

Lunch:

Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day so I took advantage of it and went out for a super long walk.  I love that the weather is warming up and everyone is out!  When I came back in I made this kale salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, and organic edamame (I love edamame!).  I dressed it with lemon and sprinkled some nutritional yeast on top (after the photo was taken, of course).

Dinner:

I made this Epic Sweet Potato Lasagne that I wrote about in yesterday's post, and invited my sister over for dinner.  We had it with a side salad of swiss chard, peppers, apples and my mustard vinaigrette.  Oh so yummy and second's were definitely had by both of us.  I said it yesterday and I'll say it again: You have to make this Lasagne!  You will not be disappointed, I promise.

Snack:

I ended the day with my fave snack:  Apples with cinnamon and a squirt of lemon.  I'm a little obsessed with this and eat it everyday! 

Throughout the day I also had several glasses of lemon water and a mug or two of tea.  I'm still not drinking coffee (will this cleanse ever end?) but I'm counting down the days until it becomes my daily obsession again.


I absolutely love Sunday food, don't you?  It's so nice to be able to take your time and make every meal with love.  I get that from my mom.  She would spend the entire weekend in the kitchen cooking just because she wanted to and because she loved to feed her family.  We all used to sneak tastes of whatever she was making, not being able to wait for the meal to be ready.  That's one of the things I'm looking forward to when I go and visit my parents this summer... Mom's cooking!  Can't wait.

Love,
Ves xx

WIAW # 27 and Wacky Weather!

Hi Friends!

Can you believe it's already Wednesday?  I feel like I say that almost every time I write a WIAW post, but seriously, after a holiday Monday I really can't believe it's already the middle of the week!  Trust me, I'm not complaining.  I love when my work week goes by quickly.  What I don't love?  This weather!  What is up with it?  It's sunny and mild out one minute, and snowing the next!  I wore a spring coat all weekend and then had to bundle up in my winter coat complete with hat, mitts, and warm boots.  I am so over winter!

  I'm not here to complain, though, I'm here to talk about food.  Tuesday's food to be exact.  Check it out...

My Morning...

As usual, I started my morning off with some room temp. water with lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  My Green Smoothie (spinach, mango, banana, oats, flax seed, almond milk) had to be bottled up and taken to-go because I ran out of time in the morning.  Don't worry, I slurped it up as soon as I got to work.  On my way to work I kept warm with some Chai tea.  I'm a little bit obsessed with this tea at the moment and can't seem to get enough of it.  Not too obsessed, though, that I don't secretly wish it were coffee!  I still have a week or so left of my liver detox, but as soon as I'm done I plan on guzzling a barrel of coffee.  On second thought that might just undo all the good I did with the detox... oh well.

Lunch...

For lunch I had a kale salad with tomatoes and avocado dressed with lemon juice and nutritional yeast.  I added a pinch of cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick.  When I popped home quickly in the middle of the day, I made a Gingerbread tea (another obsession!), and snapped this picture to show just how wacky the weather has been.  Mother nature has a wicked sense of humor.  (I don't find her funny.)

Afternoon snack...

When I have a sweet tooth my favorite thing lately is to cut up apples and sprinkle them with a bit of cinnamon and a touch of lemon juice.  Love it!  And since I eat them so often at work, the children have started asking for cinnamon on their apples.  Too cute.  Whatever makes them eat more fruit is fine by me!  I had the apples around 2:30 and then a green smoothie around 4:30.

Dinner...

I had a meeting after work and didn't get home until 9pm.  The thought of putting any kind of effort into dinner just did not appeal to me.  Instead, I toasted up a couple of slices of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread, added some nut butter and a side of sliced apples.  I was so exhausted I devoured this while relaxing in bed!  My little Patchie girl came by to inspect the goodies and seemed very interested in the almond milk.  Too bad I didn't share any with her.

So there you have it, my WIAW goodies from Tuesday.  Thanks as always to the lovely Jenn over at Peas and Crayons for hosting this fab link-up party.

Til next time...
Happy Middle of the Week Day!

Love,
Ves xx

Apple Buttah Jeans...

Ha!  Sorry.  Anytime I say Apple Butter out loud or in my head, I immediately start singing,"Apple bottom jeans... boots with the furrrr..."!  Anyone else?  No.  Just me?  Okay.... Well, I bet you're singing it now!  Ha.
As promised, I want to share my super simple and super yummy method for making Apple Butter.  I'm sure if you Google it you will get tons of different ideas (man I love Google) but this is my no-fuss way.  In the future, I would like to try making it using a Slow Cooker.  I don't have one right now, but the idea of "setting it and forgetting it" is very appealing to me.  

Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Start out by making applesauce (click here for the full recipe)

Add your chopped apples to a pot with a bit of water.
You can leave the peel on because that's where all the nutrients are... 

plus we'll make sure to smooth it out later!

After about 20 minutes or so mash up your apples.

Add the mashed apples to your blender.  You may want to do this in a couple of batches depending on the kind of blender you have.  Process until it's smooth - about a couple minutes.

At this point you will have super smooth applesauce.  Add this back to your pot, turn the heat down to med-low or low and let it simmer for about an hour or so.  Make sure to stir it constantly so it doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the pot.

The apple butter is done when it's reached your desired thickness.

I don't know about you, but I always add too much water to my apples when I'm making applesauce.  I don't see this as a bad thing, though.  This liquid is super delicious - it's a mixture of water, cinnamon and the juice from the apples.  I save this and use it the next day as the liquid in my smoothie or to cook up some oats.  I love it!

In this batch of Apple Butter I used:
5lbs of apples (a mixture of Fuji and Gala)
3/4 cup of water
1-2 tsps of cinnamon
 (This made about 2 cups of Apple Butter)

I don't use sugar in my apple sauce or my apple butter and I think it tastes WAY better than store bought.  I actually never really ate the store bought varieties of either but ever since I've tried the homemade versions I find myself making them at least twice a month.  I love using applesauce in my baked goods or adding it to my smoothies but, once in a while I just like to eat it straight from the jar!  Ha.

Let me know if you guys make this!

Happy Monday!

Love,
Ves xx

Apple Cinnamon Oat Bran!

   Hi Friends!

Here is a quickie recipe that I have been enjoying for breakfast for the past couple of weeks.  I'm really loving my oat bran in the morning after my green juice and my favorite way to have it is with apples.

Here's my super simple recipe:

Apple Cinnamon Oat Bran
Serves 1
Ingredients:

1 cup water
1/3 cup oat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 apple, chopped
1 tbsp raisins
pinch sea salt
Optional Ingredients:
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp ground chia seeds

Directions:
In a small sauce pan bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
Whisk in the oat bran, turn the heat down and simmer for a minute.
Add cinnamon, apples, and raisins.  Stir and cook for a minute more.
Add the flax and chia seeds, if using, and remove from heat.
Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Love,
Ves xx

Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

   Hi Friends!

   Well it's back to the grind after a fabulous weekend of warm weather, Fall cleaning, lots of laughs and a Breaking Amish marathon.  My sister somehow coerced me into that last one but we manged to turn it into a mini party so I didn't mind.  The show is definitely entertaining, but not something I would have chosen to watch on my own.

   Anyway, I promised that I would share with you some of the health benefits of including Apple Cider Vinegar into your daily diet.  Read on for the different ways to use it and why you'd want to.  I'll also post a few links at the bottom for further reading, including one that also lists some risks in taking ACV.  I'm not a doctor so I don't want to recommend that you add anything to your diet unless you are well informed.  I am constantly reading and researching different health claims and then immediately trying them on myself, so you can definitely learn from my mistakes!  Ha.

 What kind of ACV should I buy?

You'll want to look for a good quality raw organic version with "the mother".  This is a cloudy film at the bottom of the bottle which occurs naturally as strand-like enzymes of connected protein molecules.  Just shake before using.  I use Bragg's Organic Raw ACV.

What are some of the Internal Benefits?

• It aids in weight loss by breaking down fats so that your body can use them rather than store them.
• Can help regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol.
• ACV is rich in enzymes and potassium
• Promotes digestion and PH balance
• Helps reduce sinus infections and sore throats.
• Improves bowel irregularity and can be a natural cure for constipation.

*Start with 1-2 teaspoons of ACV diluted in about 8-10oz of filtered water and work your way up to 1-2 tablespoons.  This can be taken first thing in the morning, afternoon and evening.  For weight loss it is best to drink a glass before each meal.

What are some of the External Benefits?

• ACV can help to clear up skin.  Use it as a toner after washing your face before bed and in the morning.  Dilute one part ACV with two parts water and apply with a cotton ball or pad.
• May ease a sunburn - fill a bath with warm water and a cup of ACV and soak for ten minutes.
• It adds healthy body and shine to your hair.  Use it as a rinse after you shampoo.  Dilute 1tbs of ACV with a cup of water and add it to an empty shampoo bottle.
• Soothes tight and aching joints and sore muscles from exercise - rub a little ACV on the sore spots.

If you are interested in learning more, here are a few other sites to check out:

Benefits and Risks of ACV - Web MD
ACV Health Benefits - Home Remedies Web
Raw ACV and Ab Definition - Tosca Reno

**Don't use the ACV without diluting it first.  I did this both on my skin, and in drink form.  Apparently it's not very good and can have adverse effects if you don't dilute it first.  This is why you should research more before you dive in!  When I used to drink it on a regular basis I always added it to a glass of water, this time around I thought it would work better with a straight "shot".  Whoops.  Oh well, no harm done!  Ha.

Have a wonderful Monday!
Love,
Ves xx

It's Smells Like Fall! Vegan MoFo #20

   Hi Friends!

   It's finally Friday and I for one couldn't be happier!  This week seems to have dragged on and that's probably thanks to all of the after work commitments I've had.  Plus, they've been doing road work at my apartment complex for the past couple of weeks so we've been moved around a lot (parking-wise) depending on what side they're working on.  Last night they finished paving the rest of the parking lot ending at the front entrance.  We weren't even able to get into the complex so I parked across the street and to be honest, I didn't really mind.  Winter is coming and I'd rather it be over with now then having to go through this and snow (yikes). 

   Well, this morning I woke up to an early Christmas because when I looked outside my window everything was finished!  The lines were painted on the ground dividing all of the spaces and so were the numbers and letters indicating individual spaces.  There were even some cars parked in the spaces.  I was so excited and a little confused.  Didn't I come home late last night to a blocked entrance?  When did they finish and how did those people park already?  (I was up at 6:15am) I honestly really didn't care, though, and when I saw my 'Super' this morning I shared my enthusiasm with him.  Other tenants must have been giving him grief because he said that he wished everyone shared my attitude.  Too bad.  I love our new roadways.  Bye-bye potholes!  Oh, and lines we can actually see.  Yay!  Everything looks so new and pretty!

   But you're not reading this to hear about my parking lot, right?  You want to know what the last recipe for Apple week is!  Well, I won't keep you in suspense much longer.  I was thinking of making muffins, or cupcakes or turnovers but, I decided to make baked apples for the last recipe because I've never actually had them.  Can you believe that?  Anyway, I set out searching for some inspiration on the interweb and noticed that almost every recipe stuffs the apples with tons of sugar.  I decided to add oats to mine so that I didn't have to use as much sugar.

Here's the Recipe:

Baked Cinnamon Spice Apples
Ingredients
2 apples (Gala, Honeycrisp, Red Relicious)
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
Filling Ingredients
2 Tbsp oats
1 Tbsp pecans, chopped
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash sea salt

1/2 tsp Earth Balance butter, divided

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Core apples and scoop out seeds.

Peel skin in a swirl-like pattern using a vegetable peeler. 
Place apples in a baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice.
Mix filling ingredients together in a small bowl and fill the apples with the mixture.  Top each with a 1/4 tsp of Earth Balance.

I saw someone on TV swirl the apple peel once and I remember thinking it was so fancy!

Pour apple cider mixture into bottom of dish and cover with a lid or foil.
Bake 25 minutes.
Remove foil, baste apples with pan juices and bake, uncovered, for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until apples are tender but not mushy.

Serve warm or room temperature.

   While these are baking it smells like fall all throughout the house.  Even if I decided that I didn't like this dish I would continue to make it just for that scent.  Luckily, I do actually like this yummy dessert so I'll be sure to make this again.  Next time I'll make sure to have some Almond Dream Vanilla ice cream around so that I can have it with the baked apple.  Yum!

Happy Friday everyone!
Love,
Ves xx

Apple Slaw with Maple Vinaigrette - Vegan MoFo #19

   Hi Friends!

   I hope you're enjoying Apple Week because I sure am!  Like I said, I really love apples but I never think to cook with them so I'm really glad that I decided to feature them this week.  Today's recipe is a fun fresh dish that would be a perfect addition to a heavier meal.  I'm thinking of making it for Thanksgiving next month.  I'm referring to American Thanksgiving, of course.  Oh, um, if you don't already know, I'm American so I celebrate both Canadian and American Thanksgivings.  It's how I roll. ;)

Apple Slaw with Maple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
2 carrots, julienned
1/2 small red cabbage, cored and sliced into small strips
1 large apple, julienned
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup broccoli slaw, optional

Directions
Chop and julienne the ingredients and add them to a large bowl.

I used the julienne attachment to my mandoline and ended up with this:

Oops!

So then I decided to rely on my mad knife skills (ha, yeah right!) and julienne the veggies and apples myself:

Much better.

Maple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
scant 1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp maple syrup
sea salt to taste

Directions
Shake all ingredients up in a jar or, process them in your blender or, whisk them in a bowl - adding the oil in slowly at the end.

   I use the vegetable stock in this recipe as a kind of filler so I don't have to add as much oil.  I thank my mom for sharing this tip with me a year or so ago.  I think she may have gotten it off the Food Network or something?  Or maybe it's her own tip?  Even so, I love the idea.  I enjoy oil in my dressings but let's be honest, most recipes and those chef's on T.V., always suggest that you add way too much.  This is a great way of enjoying the flavor that oil gives without all of the fat.

   You'll have some dressing leftover which will make a really nice vinaigrette for a green salad or as a really yummy marinade. 

   Like I said, this is a really fresh and delicious salad.  Wrap it up and let it sit for about a half hour or longer to let the ingredients marry.  The salad will taste it's best if you let it sit.  And notice how I used the word 'marry' - I've been watching way too much food T.V. lately!  Ha.  

Enjoy!

Love,

Ves xx

Ps: sorry it was just a quicky recipe post... it's been one of those weeks.

WIAW # 18, a Soup Recipe and Vegan MoFo #18 Oh, My!

Hi Friends!

This post is coming to you a little a lot late in the day and I have zero energy to be witty or clever or anything for that matter.  Today was super full with work (picture day!) and then an after work function, so I had no time for cooking let alone blogging.  Unfortunately this means that tomorrow's post will be a bit behind.  Sheesh!  I need to learn how to write 8 posts in one day!  Anyway, enough about my complaining, let's get to the good stuff!
Here's a day in the life of my eats... aka What I Ate Wednesday... aka what I ate at some point this week but, not necessarily on a Wednesday... aka what I ate to semi-cleanse from all of the really heavy meals I've been eating thanks to Thanksgiving and Birthday's... aka too many aka's!

Let's move on...

{First thing}: As always, I have a glass of water with lemon and cayenne pepper plus a probiotic or two for good measure!; {pre-breakfast}: Green Juice with celery, cucumber, romaine and lemon; COFFEE; {Breakfast}: Like most mornings I enjoyed a delicious Green Smoothie with romaine, celery, cucumber, mango and banana; {Lunch}: Salad!- mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes, chopped veggies, lemon, nooch and a touch of mustard; {Dinner}: RAW wraps with veggies and homemade hummus plus a salad; {Dessert}: Apple Pie Pudding and a coffee.


As always, thanks to Jenn of Peas and Crayons for hosting this link-up party!

And now for the recipe...

This is what is was like all day yesterday!  I'm glad I made this soup!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
3 apples, sweet variety, peeled and chopped
a few tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
pinch of sea salt
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and chopped
a little extra olive oil for sautéeing
3 cups vegetable stock

Directions:
1) Toss squash and apples with enough olive oil to coat, stir in salt and seasonings. Roast at 375 degrees until tender, about 30 minutes, stir halfway through cooking time.
2) Sauté onions in olive oil until very soft (about 5 minutes).
3) Add vegetable stock to onions, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Stir in roasted squash and apple. Mash with a potato masher or an immersion blender until desired texture is reached. Simmer a few minutes until thick and bubbly. Taste, and add salt if needed. Garnish with roasted seeds for added crunch.

Ready for the oven!

Simmering on the stove.

I love this handy blender! 

I left some chunks in my soup because I was going for a more rustic feel.  If you'd like you can always put this soup in your blender to make it super smooth.

Ready to eat!  Is it a surprise that I plated the soup over a plate of arugula?  I doubt it!

So there you have it!  WIAW and a super yummy and "fall-like" soup.
Enjoy!

Love,
Ves xx

Apple Pie Pudding - Vegan MoFo #17

   Hi Friends!

   I hope you guys enjoyed the super simple Applesauce recipe from yesterday.  On a day like today, when it's gray and raining, that applesauce would be perfect warmed up with a cup of vanilla chai tea and maybe an oatmeal cookie fresh from the oven.  Note to self:  Never write about food when you're hungry. Anyway, I think that today's recipe would be perfect as well so let's get to it.
   I think that today's recipe would be perfect as well, so let's get to it.  I call this recipe Apple Pie Pudding but it originally started out as a smoothie.  I actually really love it thick like this and I eat it with a spoon instead of trying to slurp it up with a straw.

Apple Pie Pudding
Ingredients
1 cup Almond Milk
1 cup Applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp ground chia seeds

Directions
Add all of the ingredients into your blender, starting with the wet, and process until smooth (about a minute or two).

 Thanks to the chia and flax seeds, this will thicken the longer it sits.  I like to stick mine in the fridge for about 20 minutes to let it thicken up even more.  But it's delicious when enjoyed immediately, too.  Keep in mind that my applesauce is a bit thicker than the commercial applesauce that you find in the store, so adjust your ingredients accordingly.  Maybe use less of the wet ingredients and keep the dry ingredients the same.

Enjoy!

Love,

Ves xx

Homemade Applesauce - Vegan MoFo #16

   Hi Friends!

   I hope everyone had a lovely and relaxing/productive weekend.  We sure did, and the weather we had was perfect for a fall weekend- some rain, some sun, a little chill, and then a little warmth.  Perfect!
   And because it was such a perfect Fall weekend I decided that I would play around with some apple recipes.  This week in Vegan MoFoland we're talking APPLES! 

Farmer's Market Apples

  I love anything to do with apples and my favorite kind is the Honey Crisp.  I can't get enough of it.  When my parents were in town visiting, my mom had brought some jars of Homemade Applesauce that she had made.  I'm not a huge applesauce fan but I absolutely loved hers.  So, one day we bought a bunch of apples from the farmers market and made a batch for me to have.  The process was super simple - and I have a feeling that I'll be making it a lot during the cooler months.

Read on for the recipe...

Farmer's Market Applesauce (unsweetened)
Ingredients
Apples! (we used about 9 or 10), *peeled and chopped
1 cup of water
A few teaspoons cinnamon, optional
*You can leave the peel on for a rustic applesauce (we did!)

Directions
Chop and peel (or not) your apples and place them in a large pot.  Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot and set it on the stove to medium heat.  Add the cinnamon and the sweetener of your choice (if your making it sweet).
Cook for 20 minutes.
You may want to adjust the heat depending on your pot and the type of stove you have.  We ended up turning it down to med-low halfway through.  Check your water level every so often and give the apples a stir to ensure that they are not sticking to the bottom. 

The apples will start to soften and break down.  After about 20 minutes turn the burner off and give your apples a mash with a fork or potato masher.

While the applesauce is still hot add it to your canning jars.

How it all began:  Jars of applesauce that my mom made and brought over on her visit to share with us.

And voila!  You have yourself some rockin' applesauce!  Stay tuned for tomorrow's post when I use the applesauce in a super simple and tasty dessert drink.

Happy Monday!
Love,

Ves xx