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Week 2 of cleanse and I've already fallen off the wagon. After 7 days of juicing/eating raw 2 out of 3 meals, I was really hungry by Day 7. I splurged by enjoying Thai food for dinner. That and long days working at the hospital without seeing the sun made it inconvenient to eat fresh fruit and salads this past week. It sort of spiraled me into my old diet which wasn't unhealthy, but you know, I wanted to stick to the cleanse.
So, today, May 8th, I'm back on it. Hopefully, I'll make it past a week this time. Only three more weeks of my "day job"... after that I should have no problem eating fresh and raw frequently.
Besides my post-workout smoothie of banana, spinach, and unsweetened soymilk, I finally had a chance to use up my ripe avocados for a shake. I wanted to sip on something all day until our dinner party tonight. (I'm bringing supplies to make your own brownie fudge sundaes with coconut ice creams, homemade brownies & hot fudge, and my special candied walnuts.)
Here are the ingredients for my avocado shake:
1 ripe organic avocado
1 organic lime
1/2 large organic cucumber
1/2 cup frozen or fresh organic blueberries or any fruit you like
Directions:
- Blend the avocado, lime juice, and cucumber (skinned, but included seeds) together until it becomes a creamy smoothie.
- Add water or coconut water to desired consistency.
- Pour into glass(es).
- Clean out Vitamixer and add blueberries with some water or coconut water.
- Add the blueberry puree to the avocado shake, and gently stir with a spoon until blueberries emerge throughout.
Found this at Essene market at 4th and Bainbridge for my mom. A potted herb plant with locally grown organic herbs. The tag says it's made by Stephen's Plants and Edible Herbs. Herbs included are basil, dill, Egyption onion, lavender, oregano, and rosemary. (Price: $25)
I want one for myself! Contact stephenpickering@comcast.net for your own herb basket.
My other favorite food group (besides dumplings and ramen) is ICE CREAM! I tried making ice cream once before and it failed miserably. It was terribly crystallized from the lack of cream. With a new Vitamixer in hand, I decided to give it another shot.
Result: a little too thick! Fearing it would be too "icey", I didn't add additional nut or coconut milk. I will next time. It could've used some because the ice cream came out a bit thick from the mix of raw cashews and coconut meat. However, It's kicking major butt as a milkshake. The flavor is perfect and it's as creamy as cream!
Ingredients:
3 cups organic raw cashews
2 cups of green tea
1 box of organic creamed coconut (Let's Do Organic makes a great version)
1 cup of organic grade B maple syrup (or preferred sweetener)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 T. organic unsweetened vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped
1 T. organic peppermint extract
1.5 bars of Endangered Species Deep Forrest Mint Chocolate, finely chopped to create flecks in ice cream
Directions:
- Soak raw cashews in water overnight. Enough water to barely cover cashews. (Don't let this sit for more than a day or mold will come a trampling.)
- Cream cashews 1 cup at a time in Vitamixer or blender.
- Add 2 cups of brewed green tea instead of water for added nutritional benefits. Liquid here helps cream the cashews to a smooth consistency. If you don't want to bother with tea, feel free to use water or milk substitute. You can't taste the green tea in the end anyway. It was just handy!
- Throw a box of creamed coconut into the Vitamixer and blend until smooth.
- Add sea salt, vanilla and peppermint extract. You may also use fresh mint instead, but I didn't have any on hand at the time. Plus, I prefer the taste of peppermint over regular mint for ice cream. I bet the local farmer's market has peppermint mint... will check it out.
- Finely chop 1.5 bars (or more if desired) of a mint chocolate bar. I like Endangered Species because it uses unrefined beet sugar and not much sugar compared to other bars, as well as donating to wildlife. I find their chocolate less sweet in general.
- Add chopped chocolate to Vitamixer and pulse a few times. Be careful not to blend all the chocolate into the cream.
- Pour mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacture's instructions.
I left this in the freezer overnight and the ice cream turned into rock. I took the ice cream container and moved it to the fridge to thaw. A day later, it was a creamy soft serve, which is my favorite form of ice cream. Wish I could make some swirls with it. It's a good start, but not perfect yet. I'll make some adjustments and try again soon.
What are your tricks to making creamy vegan ice cream?
Posting a week later because the masticating juicer, although magnificent, takes a bit of time to use. I'm not sure if I want to keep the machine. It seems great for fruit soft serves and making pasta, but I don't have much time to get ready in the mornings (would rather be sleeping), and the masticater doesn't deliver quick juices.
I caved yesterday and bought a Vita-Mixer at Wholefoods where the Vita-Mix guy sold me with an extended warranty and discounted dry blade, neither offered online. Not having to wait for it to be shipped didn't hurt. I already knew what this machine could do, I've been wanting one for 5 years, but couldn't justify spending that much on a blender.
Well, now I have professional reasons to invest in one. It makes creaming nuts and creating raw desserts so much easier and with consistent results. At least that's what I told myself. It will definitely make sticking to my raw/cleanse project much easier!
I started making another green juice in the masticater and it was great with the spinach leaves. I could see dry, fibrous spinach pulp coming out of one orifice and a vibrant green juice coming out of another. It clogged when I threw in juicy chunks of pineapple. Note: not good with watery fruits. I transferred the juicy mess into the Vitamixer and threw in a bunch of other random citrus and fruits leftover in the fridge. The combo of sweet fruits and tangy citrus is a match made in heaven. Love, love, love!
Ingredients:
1 cup of organic spinach
1 cup of organic pineapple
1 cup of organic frozen blackberries
1 small organic mango
6 organic key limes
3 organic Meyer lemons
I must be motivated because I woke up earlier to make this drink and to post this for Day 2.
I bought greens last night for today's Green Juice #2, but not really in the mood for veggies at 8am. Decided to make another dumpster drink (whatever I could find in the fridge got thrown in).
Ingredients: (sorry, no precise measurements this morning because I'm running late for work.)
1 pint organic pink grapefruit
1 pint organic papaya
1 organic lime
1 cup of coconut water
- First, pulverize the grapefruit which creates a great deal of liquid and helps blend the remaining ingredients together.
- Squeeze limes into grapefruit liquid. I prefer limes over lemons for flavor and lack of seeds.
- Blend the papaya. Papayas are starchy, so the smoothie becomes rather thick at this point.
- Add coconut water (or filtered water) to your liking to dilute.
This tastes much better than yesterday's Green Juice. It's actually good enough to sell in a juice bar. It was like a lime-ade with papaya. Didn't even notice the grapefruit, it balanced the sweet papayas well. I love lime juice with fruit because it reminds me of Mexico. I promise to make Green Juice #2 after work and before Fusion because I want that chlorophyll. Anyone know how much chlorophyll you need to ingest/day to start making a difference?
My latest favorite Korean eatery is Jong Ka Jib Soft Tofu Restaurant in North Philly. The staff barely speaks English nor do you see many non-Koreans. The interiors are also wonderfully nostalgic of traditional tea houses.
The menu is rather small, which usually means authentic to me. You have a choice of soft tofu stews or korean bbq (no bbq at the table). Prices are very affordable (around $10 or less) with generous portions. The beginning array of little dishes isn't that impressive, but their mushroom tofu stew and stone bowl bibimbap are more flavorful and satisfying than Center City or South Jersey counterparts. There was a variety of Asian mushrooms: oyster, shiitake, and enoki with silken tofu. The bibimbap had a lovely mixture of dark greens, more mushrooms, pickled cucumbers, and sliced nori among other veggies. I only wish they had multi-grain rice as an option, but that's just me.
I ate here often during this past frigid winter. Thanks Jong Ka Jib for keeping my belly warm and happy.
Anyone who knows me knows I have an obsession with dumplings. I was always thrilled to come home from school and find my mom wrapping a gazillion wontons for that evening's dinner. Images of a heaping pile of baby bok choy and a cauldron of broth waiting to bring it all together brings back warm memories. When it was almost time for dinner, my Mom would ask each of us how many we wanted. My Dad: around 50, my older brothers- not far behind, me- about 35. I also remember wanting to eat more, but controlling myself. I couldn't get out of shape for field hockey season! I was in 8th grade. That's the last time I ate my Mom's dumplings before going veg. If there's ever a vegan dumpling entry in a dumpling contest, let me know. I'm so in!
Besides my Pure Sweets project, I've dreamed of opening a DJ'd-dumpling lunch truck. Why stand in line when you can dance while you wait?! Plus, anything resembling street food is my kind of cuisine.
When I read about Rickshaw Dumplings a year ago, I was beyond ecstatic. I can see how someone else is working out a similar concept. Love their brand (and songs on the website "Close to Me" and "If I Ever Feel Better".)
A few weekends ago, I made a detour to their 61 West 23rd locale. It was pretty empty on a Saturday afternoon. The space was long, narrow, and minimalist. The staff were super sweet and accommodating. I had one option: the edamame whole-wheat dumpling. I ordered 6.
Presentation was simple and clean. Their logo is great: memorable and to the point. Only problem with the presentation was that the dumplings needed a layer of parchment or lettuce from sticking to the paper dish. I inevitably ate some cardboard or lost part of the skin to the dish.
For me, I enjoy a dumpling that's enclosed in a thin wrapper. I don't want to be reminded of what a carb-fest dumplings are, the less of a wrapper, the better. Rickshaw's whole-wheat dumpling skin had a wonderful elasticity and just the right amount of thickness.
I'm sorry Rickshaw, but the filling was a let down. I really wanted to love it, because I love what you're doing. It consisted of mashed edamame similar to hummus with a few whole pieces of edamame. Not much flavor. I look forward to some garlic, ginger, green onions, the usual suspects. A difference in texture would've been welcomed, too. I still have hope for you. Please come up with more veg varieties. (I'm also a fan of the catchy t-shirts! Got some for my family.)
In the meantime, I'll be working on my own dumpling recipes with the help of Andrea Nguyen. Her blog, Asian Dumping Tips, and gorgeous book, Asian Dumplings, is my bible for all (edible) things wrapped.
