Tag Archives: giveaway

Here’s To Our Well-Being

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Lately I ‘ve been reflecting on various things in my life, almost as if I’m finally realizing everything that’s been going on over the past half year. That could also be because the calendar year is ending. Either way, I’ll be going to Florida this week for a bit (but not disappearing) and I’m taking it as time to work on balancing myself as I decided to go off the pill again, and to spend the holidays with my family of course! This time, however, I’m going to incorporate holistic medicine into my life. After all, I am studying to be a holistic health coach! Last time I went off the pill I just went off without doing anything about my hormone levels. I think even just getting them tested would help guide me towards how I should approach my health. So far I’ve been incorporating gentle hatha yoga into my nightly routine to help lower my stress. Since I stopped the pill I’ve been feeling physical anxiety. I remember that happening last time, so I’m trying to manage that and think positive. Think positive.

The other night when I was meditating… laying on the hardwood floor with my eyes closed, emptying my mind, being in that exact moment… and when I disconnected from all the light-speed thoughts that go through my mind, my heart started to open up. I connected with a sense of freedom, potential, breathing out anything holding me back–the unforgiving thoughts that frequent my mind too often.

I came up with a simple pesto recipe awhile ago and it’s a refreshing one… much like my outlook on life right now. Being refreshed is empowering to me. It reminds me that I have the ability to change. With that here’s the recipe:

This particular pesto has parsley, which I’m learning to appreciate. I also used plenty of cracked black pepper and lemon zest.

Parsley, Lemon & Walnuts Pesto

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh Italian parsley (the flat-leaf kind)
  • 1 small garlic clove, chopped
  • 1/2 cup black-pepper walnuts, toasted
  • 2-3 tbl nutritional yeast
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1-2 tbl fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4-1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
  1. Pulse parsley, garlic, walnuts, nutritional yeast, zest and lemon juice in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
  2. Drizzle remaining olive oil and process until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

To be enjoyed with most things.

Along the lines of personal wellness, I think it’d be great to share this giveaway with you guys!

Robin McGraw, two-time #1 New York Times best-selling author, television personality, wellness enthusiast and wife of talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw, has joined OpenSky.com as their newest Insider.  Robin, a powerful advocate for healthy-living for women of all ages, is passionate about living a healthy balanced life full of family, friends, and new adventures.

And the timing to host this giveaway couldn’t be better.

Robin recently launched her healthy living shop on OpenSky offering new tools for health, wellness and beauty to help you live a radiant, meaningful life filled with the things you love and the necessary tools to take care of yourself.  Some of her must-haves include the Rescue Remedy Stress Relief by Bach and the Big Boss Juicer.

Now what’s the giveaway I’m talking about? OpenSky is offering one of my readers a $25 OpenSky credit to shop Robin’s collections.  Here’s a little info about OpenSky if you haven’t heard of it yet.

It is a social shopping site that helps people discover, buy and share unique goods that match their individual taste. Users can connect to friends and industry insiders in Food, Style, Beauty, Healthy Living, Electronics and Home Décor for exclusive information, advice and insider product recommendations.  Insiders include Robin McGraw, Bobby Flay, Molly Sims, Tracy Anderson and Bethenny Frankel.

So they cater to all sorts of interests! Wondering how can you enter?

  1. Well first off, join OpenSky! This is so they can place a credit into the selected winner’s account + the curated shop concept is neat!
  2. Check out Robin’s shop and tell me something you’d like to get (don’t worry you’re not jinxing your chances!).

Also, there is another way to get more than one chance in the drawing hat!

Bonus: tweet “Check out @opensky healthy living giveaway on @BehindFoods blog http://wp.me/p2lrwA-1Tn“, and be sure to share it on here so it gets counted by the random selector.

The contest ends Monday Dec. 17, 2012 so make sure to enter before then.

Best of luck!I’m excited to be sharing this giveaway!

“Summer Beauty Foods” Release & Perricone MD Giveaway

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Hi everyone!

Today I have something special in mind. I’ve been feeling like I’ve been all over the place, mostly in mind… a lot has been going on which is why I haven’t written a post in awhile. I had actually been wanting to write something around the time when I was traveling around, and had finally settled back into New York. Now that I’ve been back, and being the introvert that I am… along with the start of the fall season I’ve been giving myself some extra TLC. Whether it’s an aromatic foot soak for ten minutes, lighting a candle, or swinging my hair around to some music.

This time of year always reminds me of how we pull out vegetables, and that this is also the time we go back to our roots. During these transition times I like to simplify things so I can hear my body better. What’s it trying to say?

Honey is my candy?

Now let’s hop back to Florida… early August.

Remember back when I was instructing a workshop called “Beauty On A Plate”?

That particular afternoon started off with a lovely bouquet of flowers.

And in the spirit of antioxidants we opened a couple bottles of pomegranate wine… made from pomegranates!

A bit of prep work…

For some of them it was their first time cutting asparagus, and as an instructor it always helps when people share things like that. I love helping people learn how to do things, and have them leave feeling more confident. Now what was on this three-course menu?

Continue reading →

What Is Toe Foo?: Giveaway!

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Some of you have asked me in the past what I stock my kitchen with.

Whatchu keep in your house?

It’s hard to answer that question without making a very long list because, frankly, I have a lot of things. Whenever I move, it is guaranteed that the majority of boxes are things for the kitchen. But I thought that this time I would feature something that I have had an off and on relationship with–tofu. When I first became a vegetarian, tofu was the first thing I started to incorporate into my diet. And like so many, I totally sucked at preparing it. After awhile, my passion for vegetarian cooking took me to the realm beyond tofu, veggie burgers, and hummus. So tofu was not on my grocery list for awhile, partly because I had also heard and read about it being “bad” for you, and that it could cause men to start buying training bras.

Nowadays it is back on my weekly grocery list, and I eat it consistently but not for every meal. My taste buds belong to a Gemini for sure because repeating things in the same day is not interesting to them. One thing that I do stress though, through all what you hear and read out there about tofu: if you’re going to buy it, buy organic. If you read the ingredients to a lot of pre-made food like chocolate, frozen meals, and sauces–there are traces of soy in them. It’s a crop that the government subsidizes and growing it organically is not an investment for them.

Here are some ways I’ve been enjoying tofu recently…

Continue reading →

Getting to Know…?

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I enjoyed reading the ways that everyone gets to know the places they visit. A few of my favorite ways is by going on outdoor runs, trying the local food, walking around, taking public transportation if it’s there, talking to people, and going to places like galleries, neighborhoods, and parks. Sometimes if I’m lucky there are festivities going on during my visit!

Every major city seems to have a neighborhood with a high population of people from another country.

Whether it’s a Chinatown, Little Italy, or Little Havana.

I’m always curious about any places Dim Sum.
Later on we headed on over to Yorkville Ave.
A sign for desserts caught my mothers eye, and we walked into the lushest dessert place I’ve been to yet.
You can get ‘Fondue To Go’ if you so desire.

Toronto’s MoRoCo is a place for lovers of chocolate, and those who don’t mind in indulging. This place was very unique and eclectic, being influenced by French sipping chocolate, edgy glamour, and European salons. There’s a boutique where you can get truffles, chocolates bars, gourmet s’mores, other chocolate treats, macarons, and even frozen yogurt!

Or you can sit in the patio or the indoor lounge, and order from the menu.

Perhaps the service was having an off night because it took them quite awhile to get to us, and finally when they did they weren’t very accommodating. We still wanted to enjoy one of their treats though…

So we decided to get a frozen yogurt and Ginger Rocks to go.

We split a ‘twist’ of chocolate and original frozen yogurt topped with caramelized pecans, milk chocolate chai sauce, and strawberries. The Ginger Rocks are these incredible little bites of crystalized ginger covered in 62% dark chocolate and dusted with icing sugar. Sadly they were all out of their macarons, but maybe I’ll find my way back there to see if they have them again.

The next day we ventured out of Toronto to another part of Canada…
Don’t go over the Niagara Falls!
Then a rainbow decided to come out in celebration of New York’s recent decision to allow same-sex marriage.
Woo hoo!
Eventually we headed back and our tummies were knocking on our doors telling us it was dinner time.
My mom said this was a Thai restaurant, but when we got there we found out it was a sushi place.

I am not the biggest fan of sushi, but I didn’t want to rain on my mom’s seafood parade.

I did find something on the menu, and I do like seaweed salads!

After our little bite to eat we went to another grocery store called Fortino’s. I continue to be amazed by Canada’s grocery stores. Perhaps that is a strange thing to be amazed by, but as a lover of food and cooking… well it’s not so strange afterall. I found some of your recommendations like the Liberté yogurt, President’s Choice, Taste of Nature bars, and some other finds.

How I know I’m in Canada… Vega everywhere I go!
I got the Liberté plain organic yogurt…

And oh my goodness! It was so creamy and full of flavor. It tasted similar to one of my favorite yogurts: the honey flavored Greek Gods. But this was plain, less sweet, and not Greek. I’m pretty sure they sell this brand of yogurt in the states, so I will definitely be making this my staple yogurt. We just got this container yesterday and we’re almost done with it. It’s that good!

I’ve enjoyed this straight out of the container and here with raw multi-grain hot cereal, mango, dried figs, almond butter, and cinnamon.

By the way, the grocery store I went to in my last post was Highland Farms. They have a great selection of cheeses, breads, vegetarian items, and produce from around the world. This is one of those places that just has so many things that it will take you awhile to peruse through everything.

I had mentioned that one of the ways that I like to get to know a place is by trying out the local food. Recently, I was contacted by a rep over at Restaurant.com. I’m sure that many of you have heard of this site, and may have even taken advantage of their great offers.

I was given the opportunity to host a giveaway for four Restaurant.com $25 gift certificates for the Washington D.C. area. You can click over here to see what restaurants are on their list.

Now I know that not all of my readers are from the D.C. area, but if you are or if you plan on going there then this giveaway is right up your alley! Here’s what you have to do to enter:

1. Browse through the Washington D.C. restaurant guide, and let me know which restaurant you’d like to go to.

2. If you have a blog you can mention this giveaway in a post.

3.  Share this give away on Twitter: “Win a Restaurant.com $25 Gift Certificate for the D.C. area from @mixoparthenos over at  http://wp.me/puETn-1yH!”

Each of these counts as an entry so please make sure to notify if me if you share this on Twitter. Thanks and best of luck! The giveaway ends next friday 8 July, 2011 at midnight. Remember I have FOUR of these to give away!

And if this giveaway may not be for a part of the states that’s on your radar, keep in mind that they offer discounts on over 15,000 restaurants across the states. So you can check out what they have available near you.

"Must Have Been Something I Ate" Vega Book Giveaway!

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I thought I’d surprise you all today with a special post. It won’t be about my last days in Richmond. That’ll come soon though! However, for today’s post I’ve got something wonderful in store for you. You’ll see…

First off, my blog is now available to download as an app for the Android, which you can check out over here.

Recently, I was contacted by Sequel Naturals on behalf of Vega to be apart of the launch of Peggy Kotsopoulos’s book “Must Have Been Something I Ate”. At first I was reminded of my mini-crush on Brendan Brazier–creator of Vega. After I snapped back to reality I read that the book is about the mind, body, and food connection. My interest was peaked! As some of you may know I am very much interested in Ayurveda, and the whole philosophy of seeing the “whole” as something made up lots of connections. I started perusing through the book when it came in the mail, and I read it more in depth afterwards. While reading this book I came to an important decision. A few days ago I decided to go off birth control. I had been thinking about it for awhile, but reading this book just made something click. I am the kind of person who finds acceptance in things and has faith in positivity. I feel like this is a step I’m taking towards feeling whole and true to myself. A way of me showing myself that I trust my body.

They sent me a copy of the book along with some Vega products that are called for in some recipes.

This book has so much useful information, and you don’t feel like you’re being preached at or bombarded with “you should do this, you should do that” lines. She has such an easy going style of writing, and just tells you straight up about the wonders of how the body works in relation to food and lifestyle. Peggy also throws in some humorous relatable examples to help better explain the concepts. There’s one line that she repeats a few times in the book that I love, “your body craves nutrients, not calories.” Of course our bodies do need “calories”, but that’s not a fun way to think of food. It’s just so amazing when you think of  foods as nourishing your body.

For instance, it’s neat that I can get my daily dose of selenium by eating 1-2 brazil nuts, rather than a pill.

Peggy discusses the connections between food with mood, weight, beauty, and overall health. Then at the end you can put your knowledge to use and choose which of her recipes you want to make! Or you can skip ahead and be enticed by the tasty looking pictures.

I’ve already made a couple of her recipes already, but I’ve got many more that I want to make–recipes I will definitely be posting about.

Chai Tea Latte
A delicious way to calm the nerves.

I thought of Natalie as I was sipping this since she loves almond butter and cups of cafe au lait.

I also made the Creamy Broccoli Soup.

This soup is packed with so much flavor! It’s because most of the ingredients are raw except for broccoli, which is lightly steamed so its nutritional benefits are fully reaped. I didn’t know that broccoli had the ability to alter the metabolism of estrogen. In turn aiding in the detoxification of the excesses of this hormone–what I am paying attention to now that I decided to go off the pill. Anyway, back to the recipe! It’s amazing how creamy it is as well, but with no cream? Here’s the reason why this soup is so flavorful and tasty: broccoli, celery, yellow onion, garlic, fresh ginger, lemon juice, dried oregano, black pepper, sea salt, veggie stock, olive oil, and avocado. I went ahead and topped it with Peggy’s recommendations: pumpkin seeds, cubed avocado, arame, dulse, and cayenne.

I love that her recipes aren’t intimidating, and come with a little tidbit to how your body will thank you for this food.

Vega Book Giveaway: Must Have Been Something I Ate, by Peggy Kotsopoulos.

Now one lucky reader will win a new copy of this incredible book! And even if you may not win, you should still check it out.

Okay, okay so here’s how to enter:

1. Leave a comment below and tell me something you eat that makes you feel good!

2. Become a fan of Vega on Facebook, and comment back here letting me know.

3. Share this give away on Twitter: “Win a copy of “Must Have Been Something I Ate” Book from @mixoparthenos over at  http://t.co/DbC!” or something along those lines.

4. You can also post about this giveaway on your blog, and like the above just comment on here letting me know.

Since each way to enter is a separate entry, make sure to comment for each entry. The contest goes till 11 pm EST on June 19th, 2011, and it is only open to U.S. residents. Best of luck!

Simplicity in Nature

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I noticed that a lot of new people have been leaving comments, so I just wanted to say hello and thank you for stopping by! You know one of the  things that I really enjoy about blogging? Is that we each get to read about all of the things we appreciate, and how beautiful it is to see how others views the world.

Don’t forget to vote for the RVA Internet Awards. I was actually nominated for the Best Blog category, so exciting! Check out some of the comment threads while you’re over there.

What could this be?

Earlier this week I made Root Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie. When I first stumbled upon this recipe I marveled at all of the wonderful rustic ingredients, and how comforting this sounded. This is a vegetarian version, and the “crust” is made out of a sweet and russet potato mash. However, instead of using flour for the vegetable mix I used cornmeal. I thought it would give the recipe a more “down-home” taste.

I love recipes with delicious hidden surprises!

Stuffed pastas, pies, dumplings, you name it.

So flavorful that it had me scooping up every last bit.
Breakfast… on-the-go

Awhile back I bookmarked some recipes from Martha Stewart’s quick and easy breakfast ideas. The banana-oat smoothie is basically like a bowl of oats, but in smoothie form. I also added almond butter and chia seeds to the mix.

Sliced almonds for the final touch.
My breakfast sometimes likes to smile back at me.

This was also another recipe I bookmarked from the quick and easy breakfast ideas: whole-grain toast bagel with yogurt and pistachios.

My lovely roommate read my mind and gave me a jar of honey from the area where she’s from!
While I was having this dainty breakfast, lavender honey crossed my mind.

Lavender honey on toast with pistachios would’ve been a breakfast fit for the Greek gods.

Aren’t pistachios beautiful?

They have the same vibrant green of a perfect avocado, then some painter must’ve dabbed pinks on their skins.

Delicate candies
Pistachios were still on my mind.
And so was lavender.

Awhile back I was browsing through recipes, wondering how I could use my package of coconut cream. I found a recipe for Vanilla Coconut Cream Candy on Tropical Traditions‘ abundant recipe site. You can make it vegan by using agave or maple syrup instead of honey. Actually, when I make this again I want to use pecans and maple syrup. Perhaps, I’ll add a splash of bourbon as well. This recipe was quite simple. The only ingredients I used were coconut cream, pistachios, honey, vanilla extract, and lavender. I added the lavender as an aromatic and delightful touch. Now I have lavender and honey in one beautiful candy. Perhaps these could’ve been enjoyed by Aphrodite herself.

Not as sophisticated as a Greek goddess, but something that can make anyone smile nonetheless–marshmallows!

I remember when I was younger I’d sleep over at a friend’s house and we had a wide selection of cereals to have at breakfast.

These are Marshmallow Oaties!

I was recently sent Three Sisters Cereal, which some of you may have heard of, to try and review. Did you know that their cereal is made using renewable wind energy? That’s pretty awesome if you ask me! Their motto is: natural, sensible, and sustainable cereals. They don’t include unnecessary additives in their cereals to get colors or taste. There are some ingredients in some packaged foods that are questionable, and I know they don’t need to be on the ingredient list so I like how Three Sisters Cereal doesn’t do that. A company with a conscience… I like that. Anyway, their flavors remind me of cereals that any kid, or big kid for that matter, would love! Flavors like Honey Oaties, Cinnamon Sweets, and Graham Crackerz. I got to try the Marshmallow Oaties, Sweet Wheats, and Honey Oaties. These were all so tasty and I felt like a little kid again.

Honey Oaties: These reminded me so much of Honey Nut Cheerios, but had a more wholesome aftertaste . Honey covered O’s are a classic. Crunch, crunch, munch. In fact, I brought a jar of Honey Oaties with me to munch on as I went about town. Whose baby am I? My mom will answer that for us.

Marshmallow Oaties: I went after Lucky’s charms! “Hearts, Stars, and Horseshoes, Clovers, and Blue Moons, Pots of Gold, and Rainbows, and me Red Balloons.” Well, this wasn’t a bowl of Lucky Charms, but it brought me back to when I’d eat bowls filled with colorful marshmallows. It’s got these neat shapes, and those little marshmallows we all love.

Sweet Wheat: Letting them soak in a bowl of milk is what I like to do with shredded wheat cereals. The frosting for the Sweet Wheats wasn’t as thick and sugary as other similar cereals I’ve tried. I enjoyed this since too much sugar, especially in the morning, can give me a headache. If you like denser and grainier tasting cereals then this is a good bet.

“Donation of $1.00 for every cereal package sold in April will support emergency relief work by Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee; Whole Foods Market to support with in-store effort.” to support relief efforts in Haiti.

Would you like a chance to be a big kid too?

You can win a month-supply of Three Sister’s Cereal in the form of four freebie coupons! Please note that you can only find their cereals at Whole Foods Markets. Here’s what you can do to enter:

1. Visit the Three Sisters Cereal website and let me know the name of a product you’d like to try.

2. Link back to this giveaway on your next post, and please make sure to comment letting me know you did so.

The giveaway ends Friday February 11, 2011 at midnight EST.

Warm Days Ahead

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There is so much to catch up on, but I think I know where I want to start for this post. Hmm… let’s see what part shall I rewind back to next? Aha!

In December I ended up going to Florida at the last minute!

My lovely mother really spoiled me this time. I think I barely cooked while I was there, which is unusual!

 

Have any of you tried cranberry beans?

It was my first time trying them, and I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the the shells were.

 

My mom's special recipe for the cranberry beans and eggplant, and I roasted some kabocha with brown sugar, spices, and coconut oil.

I’m going to share her recipe with you. First she sautés some chopped onions and garlic. Then add diced tomatoes and sauté for a bit. Add some bay leaves, the beans, sea salt, and pepper. Then cook it all in almond milk until the beans are thoroughly cooked. Lastly, garnish with cilantro!

We also spoiled ourselves with various chocolates!

I also finished up a jar of almond butter while I was down there.

And finishing up a jar translates to OIAJ.

I like to make the oatmeal in a pot and spoon it into the jar little by little while stirring so the nut butter is distributed evenly throughout–not just at the bottom.

And I finished another jar--this one being the cashew-macadamia nut butter I made for my mom last Christmas.

She obviously doesn’t use nut butters as much as I do! I don’t think it would take me a year to finish a jar.

Oh, look! And I found some of the royal crown jewels!

This cous cous dish was a team effort between me and my mom.

The cous cous was cooked in vegetable broth and ghee giving it so much more flavor. Seriously, ghee is a staple in my kitchen. When that was done cooking we threw in some chopped red onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and other random veggies. Stir in some lemon juice, olive oil, spices (curry, cumin, and paprika), and salt to taste. Before you’re all done you can add some diced avocado and cilantro for that last touch of flavor. Cous cous is such a versatile grain to work with. You can make it sweet or savory. Cook it in juices, milks, or broths. Mix in whatever you’d like and voilà! A tasty dish.

While I was in Florida I was in the mood for colorful salads.

In Virginia I’m usually in the mood for soups. I know that’s usually weather related though. Anyhow, this salad was incredibly tasty! I tossed sweet potatoes, apples, brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and onions in a mix of coconut oil, honey, and cinnamon. Then I roasted them till they were done, and tossed them over a bed of Tuscan kale, letting the kale wilt from the warmth of the other veggies and fruits. To seal the deal I topped it off with pomegranate arils, and the beans my mother had made bandeja paisa style (cooked with plantains) and vegetarian friendly!

I also made a few dishes with fava beans--roasting them was my favorite!

Egyptian style!

I made Ful Medames, a traditional breakfast in Egypt. Actually, fava beans are eaten at all times of the day over there, and it’s said that even the pharaohs enjoyed these beans.

I was also in the mood for spiced mashed sweet potatoes with coconut milk while I was down there.

Christmas entailed high raw vegan goodies!

My step-dad loves peanut butter and raw vegan treats, so this seemed like a great gift for him!

I took Ani Phyo’s oatmeal raisin cookie recipe to another level by adding peanut butter. The idea for adding the nut butter came from Laury’s adapted recipe for no-bake oatmeal cookies. Here’s the recipe for the cookies I made for my step-dad!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Cookes (High Raw Vegan)

1 cup raw or old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates

1/2 cup raisins

2 Tbl Creamy  peanut butter (creamy is better for binding)

1. Process the oats and cinnamon in a food processor into small pieces.

2. Add dates and process till it’s mixed well. Throw in the raisins and pulse.

3. Place in a bowl and mix the peanut butter in with the batter.

4. Now roll them into balls and enjoy!

Easy, right?

 

We were invited to dinner on Christmas Eve!

They had us over for Christmas dinner last year too.

The delicious feast made completely out of scratch!

The chef!

I brought over this dish: pan-fried chickpea, sweet yellow onion, and pomegranate salad.

Remember “The Flexitarian Cookbook” I mentioned in a previous post? Well, this was another delicious recipe from that cookbook! Everyone at the dinner loved it, and the lovely host even asked me to share the recipe. Now that says something, doesn’t it?

Natural beauty

I’ll be dedicating a full post to “The Flexitarian Cookbook” featuring more recipes, and a review!

On Christmas morning my mom was greeted by some flowers that are just as refreshing as she is.

My step-dad was greeted by something he could thoroughly enjoy (and hopefully share, please)!

And I was greeted with a special sweater!

It makes me think of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.

My step-dad had the same idea!

He made me raw vegan treats with figs, dates, walnuts, and gingerbread spices–very yummy!

Matilda guarded the tree.

My mom had picked this up at the health food store... interesting!

When I saw this it seemed familiar, and that’s because Katie once featured their pasta made out of black beans.

Makes one look forward to dinner.

I served the mung bean fettucine with a semi-homemade tomato sauce and parmesan.

This was actually yummy and had an interesting texture! I was very much pleasantly surprised.

And I ended my Florida "tour" with a bang!

We love you, World!

Don’t forget to participate in my giveaway, in case you haven’t already or you missed it! Click here to check it out. You have until Tuesday to participate, so my fingers are crossed for you!

A Friend is One of the Best Things You Can Be, cont'd.

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I’m still feeling the warm welcome back and I love it! I had missed blogging and reading about all of you! Each of you has your own style of writing and I almost get the sense that some of you are right there in front of me–in person, obviously not on a screen haha. Anyway,  keeping with the spirit of the last post I’m going to flash back to wonderful times with friends, and what that entailed!

When my mom came to visit, it involved special breakfasts like these...

A bowl of oatmeal topped with beautiful berries, Futter’s hazelnut butter, thick and creamy coconut milk, and the jewel of it all–Coconut Bliss’s Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge. If you haven’t eaten ice cream for breakfast, then I highly recommend you do. In fact…

You should also try ice cream in your hot chocolate... with sprinkles to boot!

It’ll melt into your cup of hot chocolate, making it creamier and even more delicious!

When Maya had come to visit she left me with a jar of peanut butter, and I had OIAJ!

So thank you, Maya! Note: if the container is plastic the oats aren’t actually cooked in the jar. This may seem obvious but you never know who may think otherwise.

I went to my first wedding shower for a dear friend of mine.

Check out her bridal “throne”.

There was even a cake decorating contest, which was so much fun.

Behold, our beautiful creation!

Afterwards my mother and I met up with some good friends for wine, laughs, and...

Being up to no good!

The next morning I went on a walk with my beautiful mother in a quaint neighborhood along the James River.

Lucky for my mother, Virginia was experiencing unusually warm weather when she came to visit me back in November. She’s a big baby when it comes to cold weather, but it’s kind of adorable and funny to see her bundle up when it’s in the low 60′s

Holding my little naked nugget (she had gone to the groomers).

Once my mom left I felt a little empty because I’m so close to her. There have also been some very shaky things going on with my family, and during that time I remember they were really in a dark place. When my mom came to visit I just wanted her to know that there are people in this world that will love her no matter what. I wanted to show her what it felt like to have someone care for you, and not have constant strife. It was heartbreaking to send her off because I knew what she would be going back to, and all I could do was wish that she’d be okay.

But life went on...

and I had to let myself just enjoy the moment. Do you ever get like that? Where something seems so all encompassing that it’s hard to step outside of it? One thing I’ve really experienced through these tough times is that I can step outside of it. I just have to let myself. It sounds easy, but the build up to that moment where you let go… is hard. But once you do it, it’s so freeing.

Plus, I had nice little reminders of my mom, like her new found love for goat cheese; pictured here with some jam on a bagel.

Goat cheese works just as well as cream cheese… if not better! The other half of the bagel had butter, lots of brown sugar, and cinnamon!

I’ve said it before, but I like to surround my self with things that do something for my soul. Whether it’s the music I listen to, the way I walk, the food I eat, the people I call friends, the strangers I say hello to, the outfit (or costume) I decide to wear on any given day. Lighting a candle because it fits my mood, sitting in a chair with a book because I plan on falling asleep, or looking at something someone else seems to notice. Appreciating the things that sometimes have nothing to do with me. When I first heard this quote by Nancy Stark Smith something in me just clicked, “the earth is bigger than you, so you might as well coordinate with it.“

In this case, the power lies in the homemade relish to make a sandwich extra special!

In Katharina fashion, I took this beautiful and delicious sandwich with me to class, and I thought to myself "I would."

The recipe is “The Veganomicon’s” Roasted Eggplant Muffuletta Sandwich with the addition of smoked gouda… making this not vegan. Seriously though, this sandwich was hitting every inch of my tongue’s palate making fireworks go off. Since the recipe calls to let the sandwich sit for awhile (overnight if you have time), it allows all of the flavors from the relish and roasted veggies to soak in. This is why leftover’s usually taste so great!

Before we knew it, Christmas was already on its way and we put up an Adventskalendar!

We split a yummy milk chocolate every day to countdown till the 24th!

I felt like a little kid again, knocking on my roommate’s door splitting the chocolate with her. Or when she’d peek in to give me the other half on a given day. It’s such a wonderful thing that this little lady is in my life. We had met in a yoga class a couple years back, and who would’ve thought we’d end up living together! She’s such a special person in this world, and someone I feel at harmony with. I’m so lucky to have her just a few steps away, and honored that she sees the same in me.

We all know that food can be comforting as well... corn and sweet potato soup.

I got out my book filled with hundreds of soup recipes to soothe some winter blues. Soups just seem to be the ultimate comfort food during the winter. It turned out looking a bit greenish-brown, but that’s just because of the vegetable bouillon. Anyway, the point is that it was yummy, especially because I love corn and sweet potatoes! The texture from pureeing half of it and mixing in the rest of the vegetable chunks was satisfying as well.

Warm sandwiches are what it's all about.

A chickpea cutlet, goat cheese, green pepper jelly, roasted red-peppers, and wilted greens sandwiched between two slices of toasted whole-grain bread. This sandwich was so good that I exclaimed to my friend in class that she should have a bite! That way someone else would understand why I was making “mmmm” sounds while eating.

I also went to a restaurant downtown that I never heard of before called LuLu's.

The restaurant played off of Richmond’s architecture and city skyline, which I thought was really neat. And who wouldn’t love a place called LuLu’s? If you’re in the area you should definitely check them out. They’ve got a wonderful menu with so many choices, it’s incredible. They’ve got dishes from Moroccan-spiced grilled quail, mezze platters, to arancini.

Notice the letters are actually buildings.

I wanted something comforting for that chilly night, so I ordered the tomato soup with a grilled pimento cheese sandwich.

This is what I call a sophisticated big kid’s meal, don’t you think? It was so tasty, and it was the first time I ever had this traditional combination! You bet I dipped the grilled cheese in the thick tomato soup. Biting into this sandwich filled with ooey-gooey thick cheese i crispy buttered bread was perfect! Actually, before I ordered the soup I wanted to make sure that it was made with a vegetable broth. The waiter thought I meant to ask the chef what vegetables they had used, and he came back with an answer which was more than what I had asked for, “he made the stock out of the vegetables we had in the house, but he can’t remember which ones”. I guess that means that they make everything out of scratch, which always impresses me.

Everyone was ready to eat and enjoy!

We also ordered some desserts to share: an almond tart with homemade whipped cream.

This heavenly slice of pumpkin roll had me saying, "oh my goodness" multiple times.

It was by far the best dessert I’d had since I could remember!

Baking means sharing in my book!

I made a batch of moist vegan pumpkin chocolate, chocolate chip muffins.

I also went out to eat with one of my closest friends and his incredible mother.

We went to one of my favorite places, Cafe Gutenberg, and I ended up ordering what I had gotten last time because I loved it so much…

The vegan caeser salad made with romaine, hearts of palm, grape tomatoes, grilled tofu, and a lemon-caper dressing.

I saw that they also had rolls made by a local bakery, so I asked if I could have that to go with my salad. The tofu they use is the best in the world, and comes from a local commune called Twin Oaks.

Remember those yummy mozzarella bites I featured awhile ago from Farm Rich?

Not only do these taste good, but they’re made with real cheese. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’re interested in more information about their products like ingredients and methods, you can check out their FAQ site here. Anyway, the people over at Farm Rich kindly gave me another opportunity to try them, and they also sent me a voucher to share with a lucky reader! I also wanted to include some other things, so I thought I’d throw in a voucher for Gardein, and also a mystery prize that I’ll make especially for the winner.

It's giveaway time!

Here’s how you can enter:

1. Go to their site and comment on this post telling me one of their products you’d like to try.

Additional entries (don’t forget to comment on this post telling me you did these things):

2. Follow them on Facebook.

3. Follow them on Twitter.

4. You can also link back to this post on your blog, and make sure to let me know!

Make sure to get your entries in by Tuesday, January 18. Best of luck everyone!

Summer Delights

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22

Why hello there! First off, I’d like to announce the winner of the Kroeger Herb giveaway. Drum roll please… and the winner is Lauren! How exciting! You’ll be contacted ASAP to get your prize to you. Thank you so much to everyone for participating, and especially for sharing the little tidbits you all learned from their site. They were very interesting indeed.

This particular morning called for a special breakfast... for no particular reason, of course.

Usual bowl of oats topped with ground flax, frozen banana slices, a grilled peach, Greek yogurt, and I quickly made a syrup by combining honey with some pomegranate concentrate.

I just wish my breakfasts could last longer.

I was able to put my finger on it... toasted hemp seeds with sea salt taste like popcorn!

I finally got my own copy of "Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners", so of course I tried out another recipe.

The recipe was split mung bean soup, and I served it with rice and some flax oil. It’s important to make sure the balance of cilantro and cumin tastes right! At first I had too little cumin. This soup was actually refreshing, and I would recommend it even during the hot months because it felt very cooling. This was my first time cooking with mung beans, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just knew that this was calming for my dosha, and that it sounded interesting. I already had the mung beans on hand since I read that they were pacifying for pittas and vatas (my combination of doshas). I know I’ve mentioned what doshas are on here before, but it doesn’t hurt to mention it again. “It’s an essential biological energy or structure in Ayurvedic anatomy. There are three primary doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, which sustain all life. They move cyclically on a daily basis, and act as transporters and communicators between the essential tissues, and the bodily wastes. Their balance is a key to health. They also determine our physical constitution at birth.” Very interesting, indeed!

Remember the tin brioche mold?

Well the mystery recipe I had in mind was Ani Phyo’s fig tartlets with almond frangipane kream. I finally got around to making these–and although the crust decided to crumble–I was able to enjoy them for their flavor! I loved the light sweet and saltiness of the crust, the citrusy, crunchy, and sweet fig filling… topped off with the fluffy kream–delicious!

Actually, this was still beautiful to look at.

My new roommate's family visited, and they gave me some vegetables straight from their garden!

Aren’t they sweet? Things with my new roommate are going really well! We’re both very excited to get the apartment straightened up, and it’s nice to see things coming together.

I was also able to replenish my cherry tomato supply at the farmer's market.

No person’s nose could miss their delicious smell. These are seriously bursting with flavor!

I also had a special friend meet up with me at the market... who could it be?

None other than the gorgeous, Rebekah!

Rebekah has an amazing blog filled with such insightful posts. I think communication and provoking thought are important parts of our lives, and she definitely addresses both aspects! When she first walked up to me, I turned around and my breath was taken away; yes, Rebekah is that beautiful! She also has an air about her that just makes her even lovelier.

After talking our heads off for a few hours, I left feeling uplifted; my admiration for her grew as well. She is such a strong young woman, and I can just tell that she is going to achieve her dreams!

Cheers to a friendship that will continue to grow!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It seemed like a lot of people have been enjoying the remnants of summer. I’ve been listening to the cicadas, eating tons of peaches, sleeping with the window open, biking around the city, and admiring the colors of the sunsets when I walk Matilda. I’ve just been trying to be outside as much as possible before it starts to get chilly! How have you been enjoying the wonders that summer offers?

Let’s Get Toasted

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18

Good morning everyone! I hope you all are doing well in your corners of the world. If not then I’m sending my energy your way. I can’t explain why I’m feeling this way right now, but who’s questioning? Even a completely flat tire on my bike couldn’t get me down. No, instead I was excited that I finally had a reason to replace my old one, and that would just mean a smoother ride. Not to mention, while waiting for my bike to get fixed I learned a few tips from the cute guy fixing it!

She wanted to cuddle longer, but I had to get ready for class!
I had a package of hemp seeds waiting to be used.
Toasting them with a bit of sea salt gave my breakfast sweet and salty flavor a lot of us like.

It tasted so good! After reading about hemp in one of Brendan Brazier’s books, I became even more interested in this fascinating plant. It’s crazy to think of why it was probably made illegal to grow this crop in the United States anyway. Let me just mention that the Rockefellers had a lot to do with this decision, and they are synonymous with crude oil. Henry Ford actually intended for his cars to run off of hemp seed oil. See a connection? Anyway, this plant has a lot of health benefits. It contains the protein, globulin edistin, that’s found in our DNA and it contains the highest amount in the plant kingdom. “More importantly, they are responsible for both the natural and acquired immunity a person has against invading organisms. The body uses globulin proteins to make antibodies which attack infecting agents (antigens) that invade the body. Globulins like gamma globulin are absolutely essential to maintain a healthy immune system. They neutralize alien microorganisms and toxins.“

Trying to figure out which veggies taste good with this ginger vinaigrette.

Do any of you have suggestions? Maybe I should try putting it on some vegetables and grill them!

The other day I checked out this interesting exhibition featuring South African artists.

I haven’t been to this art center since its renovation.

The exhibition made me think of all of the changes South Africa has undergone. Especially because it presented artists from that part of the world from four different generations. It was interesting to see what kind of work came out during the apartheid and after the era. It also made me think about how I would feel if I was living in a country where my ancestors came from, and then my rights were taken away by a group of people that settled there. I find it empowering that despite the circumstances, some people were able to manifest their struggles into something greater by trying to change things. Although some of those tactics were violent, it’s incredible to see a human spirit holding on and not being broken. On a much smaller scale, this is why I think it’s important to hold on to your beliefs, but still keeping an open mind. Knowing where you stand gives you confidence, but being able to listen I think also leads to a better understanding of each other.

I came home and I made a poor man’s paella!

Poor Man’s Paella

(for the spices I didn’t measure, so it’s up to your taste)

1 1/2 cup brown rice

Turmeric, (I used turmeric since I don’t have saffron, but you guys have saffron threads)

Spanish smoked paprika

Ground cumin

Dash cayenne

A couple splashes of hickory smoke sauce

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 cups red kidney beans, cooked

2 3/4 – 3 cups vegetable broth

2 medium zucchini, sliced

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cut into quarters

Extra Virgin olive oil

Sauté onion and garlic in a deep non-stick skillet. Add the rice and turmeric and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add paprika, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes, peppers, and 2 3/4 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, and cook covered for till the rice is cooked.

Check to see if more broth is needed. If it looks dry, add the remaining vegetable broth. Throw in the beans, and place the zucchini on top of the rice and re-cover. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until rice is done. Remove the cover, stir in the peas, and cook uncovered until peas are warm and all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Arrange the artichoke hearts on the top and serve. Add salt at the table, if necessary. **And drizzle on some olive oil at the end.

Makes about 6 servings.

And I tried the pepper one of the vendors at the farmer's market gave me--no turning back!

It actually wasn’t spicy, but maybe it’s because I took the tiniest bite. I’m such a scaredy cat when it comes to spicy things!

I decided to give the hemp protein another go with my oatmeal.

Mixed with honey, peaches, dates, banana, and coconut milk it wasn’t bad!

Oh I will definitely be making more of this dish during the cold seasons!

I kind of followed this recipe for roasted sweet potato salad with warm chutney dressing. I didn’t have pepitas on hand so I used my curried sunflower seeds instead. Oh my goodness this was brimming with flavors from the sweet potato, sweet dried cranberries, onions, the seeds, rosemary, and the dressing of course!

I've also taken some time for personal reading before the semester gets busy!

And Matilda is a smart pup peering over my shoulder.

I think I'm also fascinated by hemp protein's green color!

I think it looks so cool with different berries like blueberries and strawberries, then contrast it with something white like coconut milk. Yeah, this is my thinking process sometimes when I put meals together.

First day of my last year in college, looking like I came straight out of the 70's.

As Conan O'brien would say, "keep cool my babies."

It’s Friday–enjoy!

And don’t forget about your chance at winning some Kroeger Herb goodies!

1. Go to their site and comment on this post telling me something you learned.

Additional entries (don’t forget to comment on this post telling me you did these things):

2. Sign up for their newsletter.

3. Follow them on Facebook.

4. Follow them on Twitter.

Make sure to get your entries in by today, Friday, August 27. Best of luck everyone!