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

Not Your Average Lasagne!

Hi Friends!

I have a really special recipe to share with you today.  But before I do, I just want to say that I have absolutely nothing against pasta.  I swear.  I love pasta, I really do.  I just don't eat it very often.  Like almost never.  When I do have it, I like it to be whole grain, spelt or brown rice.  Anything but white.  Why?  Because it tastes better (IMO) has a nicer texture, and packs a stronger nutritional punch compared to el blanco.  That being said, I LOVE when vegetables replace pasta in traditional dishes.

You've seen my raw pasta and lasagne dishes here, here, and here.  But this is a baked dish that uses sweet potatoes (quite possibly my favorite veg) as the 'noodles'.  How brilliant is that?  You could almost call it a Mousaka except that the flavors most definitely scream Lasagne.  This recipe is by Miriam who has a website called Mouthwatering Vegan Recipes.  And yes, this recipe was absolutely mouthwatering!  It was slightly sweet from the potatoes, creamy from the 'cheese' sauce and savory from the bolognese sauce.  I made it on Sunday and served it to my carnivorous sister who after one bite said that I HAD to make it at our next family gathering.  She also said that I would have to double the recipe because everyone would want seconds and possibly thirds!  Woohoo!  Score another one for vegan food!  We even decided that my brother would love it.  Did you read that, bro?  You.Will.Love.This.  For reals.

I didn't make any huge alterations to the recipe so I will post the link below.  The only change I really made was to switch out olive oil for coconut oil.  I prefer to only cook with coconut oil because it has a higher smoke point than other oils.  This allowis it to stay stable at higher temps and not become damaged.  Plus, it's better for my skin, and if it's better for my skin then it's better for me!

Next time I would also try baking the zucchini instead of frying them.  The result would be similar but would require much less oil.  Translation: less oil = less fat!  I don't care if it's a "good fat", it's still fat.  Everything in moderation, right?  

Also, the recipe calls for two sweet potatoes but I would definitely use three next time.  I think that Miriam was able to slice her sweet potatoes much thinner than I was so that's probably why it worked for her.  Unfortunately, my mandolin does not have a thickness setting like some do.  If you are able to slice them super thin then you may be able to get away with using two as well. I had enough for two full layers and then I had to really spread them out to cover the top layer. 

 

This dish was beyond delicious and will definitely impress any non-vegan (or anyone, really!).  Promise me that you will make this SOON.  Here is the link to the recipe:
Epic Sweet Potato Lasagne

Enjoy!

Love,
Ves xx

Happy Birthday to Me(!) and RAW Pasta - Vegan MoFo # 11

  Hi Friends!

  I have a quickie recipe for you today using this weeks awesome ingredient: ZUCCHINI!  This one is a 'RAW Pasta' type recipe and super summery.   The ingredients are fresh and definitely no-fuss.  I'll also share other ways that you can enjoy zucchini in pasta-type dishes.
Read On...

Summery Zucchini Pasta with Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 zucchini squash, shaved thinly lengthwise with a mandoline or vegetable peeler
2 yellow summer squash, shaved thinly lengthwise with a mandoline or vegetable peeler
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
5 sundried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and thinly sliced
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
1 teaspoon finely chopped oregano

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

The Ingredients

Directions:

In a large bowl, gently toss together all the ingredients. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately. 

More RAW Pasta...

   

   I love that zucchini can be enjoyed this way especially because I love vegetables way more than I love pasta.  Pasta was never a staple at our house growing up, so I don't eat it that often.  But, I love that I get to enjoy fresh tomato based sauces on top of veggies!  And ladies, you'll get to slash the calories and carbs (if you care) without sacrificing flavor!  Bonus!

I'm off to enjoy my birthday festivities!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Love,
Ves xx

WIAW #8 - The Totally Raw Edition

   Hello all!  I hope you enjoyed yesterday's Raw Lasagne recipe.  Today's episode of WIAW will feature more of my raw eats.  It's too hot to cook around here, plus I love the way I feel when I eat all raw all day. 
So here is a break down of my eats (from last Thursday - ha!)...

{Water with a squirt of lemon (always!)}

{Green Juice! Cucumber, celery, kale, lemon}

{Coffee - Black please!  I always have at least a cup of coffee unless I am on a juice cleanse.  I love my coffee!}

{"Green Smoothie" with blueberries and banana!}

{Veggies and raw hummus.  This is a recycled photo - I have a recipe for Raw Hummus here}

{Salad - romaine, tomatoes, onions and cucumber}

{Another smoothie- I needed a little extra fuel while studying!}

{Dinner - my raw lasagne}

   So there you have it, my raw eats last week!  Who said eating vegetables has to be boring? Mmm!  I hope you guys are able to stay cool in this insane heat we're having here in lovely Hamilton.  Stay hydrated!

Happy What I ate Wednesday!  And thanks to Jenn for hosting!

Love,
Ves xx

Quickie Recipe: Tomato and Spinach Lasagne

   Have a craving for lasagne but don't feel like boiling a bunch of noodles and turning on the oven?  Don't worry, I've got you covered.  Enjoy this raw and totally delicious recipe without breaking a sweat!

Tomato and Spinach Lasagne

Tomato Sauce

2 tomatoes, diced
5 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 2 hours
1/2 small red onion 
1 tbl lemon juice
2 tbl olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

Place all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth.

*Spinach Pesto
1 cup tightly packed spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1 tbl lemon juice
1 tbl olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

*I'm not a fan of traditional pesto so I like to have more spinach than basil in mine.  I also leave out the pine nuts.  ** Parsley would be really nice in this as well.

Place all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth.

Lasagne Ingredients
1 zucchini
1 large tomato
Tomato Sauce
Spinach Pesto

Directions:
1. Cut the ends off of the zucchini and peel (optional).  Using a mandoline slice the zucchini lengthwise into long thin strips. Cut them in half horizontally to make shorter strips.
2. For the bottom layer - place 3 zucchini strips lengthwise on a plate slightly overlapping each other. Place another layer of zucchini over this going in the opposite direction. Spread a layer of sliced tomato over the zucchini and cover with a layer of tomato sauce and spinach pesto sauce.
3. Repeat once more with zucchini (this time only the 3 strips), tomato sauce, tomato slices, and pesto and garnish with some basil or a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, hemp seeds or nutritional yeast.

If you peel the zucchini the 'noodles' will look a bit more real.

But I think it looks delicious either way!

By the way, my sister -who is a total carnivore- absolutely loved this dish!

Enjoy!

Love,

Ves xx

It's (R)awesome!

   I apologize for the silence around here but I've been busy working and enjoying the gorgeous weather we've been having!  (Excluding last week's intense heat wave).  I've also been busy reading anything and everything I can get my hands/eyes on that has to do with good things for me (and you!).
   I've actually been feeling kind of sluggish lately which I know is partly due to this crazy heat but I also think it has to do with what I'm eating.  I kind of feel bad for my poor body cause I've been putting it through a lot of changes this year.  And, even though they were all good changes, I'm pretty sure my body is probably yelling "just make up your mind already!"  Or maybe not?  Ha!
   About two months ago I joined an intense (more like psychotic) boot camp type program.  It's 45 minutes of insanity 3-4 times a week plus kickboxing and cardio on the 'off' days.  Yikes!  Anyway, when you sign up you get to attend a Nutritional Seminar.  At the seminar we were told that we HAD to eat every 3 to 4 hours and each meal HAD to include 1 protein, 1 fat, and 1 carb.  The carb of course being in the form of mostly veggies and some fruit for at least the first three weeks.  It basically boils down to five or more meals a day, depending on when you wake up.  The protein is the size of the palm of your hand, the fat is a tablespoon (nuts, nut butters, seeds, good oils, etc), and the carbs are one or two fistfuls depending on what you are having.  I lasted about three weeks eating like this until I had had enough.  Maybe if I were a body builder I would need that much protein and fats but, for someone who rarely eats "meat" (animal or otherwise), this was too much for me.  I felt like all I ever ate was tofu this or tofu that, and then soy hotdog this and soy burger that.  Soy, soy, soy!  Ugh!  Once in a while is fine, but this was everyday.  And then if I wasn't eating soy protein I was drinking it with a vegetarian protein shake.  Anyway, I've decided that I don't feel my best when I eat like that.  I love my fruits and veggies too much to make them an afterthought in my meals.  BUT, I do enjoy eating mini meals throughout the day because It makes me feel lighter.  I slowly started adding things back in my diet and taking out some of the protein.  I was still feeling kind of off so I decided to eat less of the grains and beans as well.  I'm definitely feeling better.
   I've also been eating more raw food lately, and I don't know if that's because it's so hot outside but it's what I've been craving.  Last week I ate about 80% raw with maybe a cooked veggie or grain at dinner (and some pretzels for snacking!).  The cooked food has been making me feel kind of blah and heavy lately so I'm loving the raw right now.  I'm also learning a lot because when I get something in my head I have to soak up every last bit of information that I can.  And I have to say, raw food is pretty fascinating and unbelievably good for you!  So far my meals have consisted of smoothies and salads, which isn't much different then how I was eating before, but the ingredients have changed a bit.  My salads have been (thankfully) free of any kind of soy protein (sorry, I need a break!) but are full of yummy greens and seeds, and nuts and of course, nutritional yeast (yum!).  My smoothies are my favorite because I pack them full of yummy fruit combos, greens and superfoods (more on those later) all in one.  Next up I'd love to try juicing but I don't currently own a juicer.  However, my totally fabulous Aunt owns one and she may just find me on her doorstep one of these days with a basket full of fruits and veg!  (Thanks in advance Aunt V, cause I know you're reading this and I know you'll let me use it! :D)
    Anyway, I wanted to share with you the yummy dinner I made for myself tonight.  It was super nutritious, delicious and raw!  It filled me up but not in a sluggish kind of way.

Tomato and Spinach Lasagne

Yum!

Have a totally RAWesome weekend!

Love,

Ves