Simple Recipes and Awaiting a Special Visitor!

The sun is shining but there is definitely still a chill in the air! I am getting so excited for the warmer weather, which will bring warmth, and an abundance of fresh local veggies, yum!

I made this very simple vegetable couscous stuffed red bell pepper for lunch the other day, it was nice and light.

I wrote the recipe on a scrap piece of paper and of course now I can't find it:( If it turns up I'll post it.

I have been blending galore! It's so fun to make simple smoothies, they are quick and delicious! I was craving a strawberry milkshake the other day and feeling inspired by the young coconuts that I purchased. Coconut water is one of my all time favourite things on this planet, it's so refreshing, ahhhh. I'm sure that you could always use soaked cashews or macadamia nuts in place of the coconut meat, though I haven't tried it yet. You may also need a little extra coconut water.

Strawberry Milkshake
Serves 1-2
1 1/2 cups coconut water
1 1/2 cups strawberries (frozen or fresh)
1 1/2 cups coconut meat
4-5 medjool dates
1-2 tablespoons of agave (optional)

Blend until smooth and serve!

Another coconut inspired recipe. This cream turned out sooo yummy!

Red & White Parfait
Serves 1-2
White Coconut Cream
1 1/4 cup coconut meat
3/4 cup coconut water
3 tablespoons of hemp seeds
3 tablespoons of agave
1 vanilla bean, scraped
2 tablespoons of finely grated cacao butter

Blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate or freeze until it firms up.

Red Super Syrup
3/4 cup raspberries
2 tablespoons of goji berries, soaked (about 15 min) and drained
3 tablespoons of agave
1 vanilla bean, scraped

Blend until smooth.
Layer coconut cream, then syrup then fresh raspberries, repeat. Top with raspberries, goji berries and hemp seeds. Enjoy!

One thing about my style of creating food is that I am not really a fan of oil, for multiple reasons. I have recently been trying to avoid it or use it minimally. I find many raw gourmet recipes call for heaps of oil, especially in soup, yuk!

B and I seem to be into pasta lately...I think it's the texture of the noodles. I made this marinara sauce with what I had in my raw kitchen. I would have loved to use some fresh herbs but unfortunately there were non in my friggy, plus I can't find organic herbs lately other then parsley and cilantro.

Sexy Pasta with Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce
Serves 2
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of sundried tomatoes, packed (soaked for about 15-20 min and drained)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon agave
2 teaspoons of nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt (I only used pinch because we are cutting back on salt)
good pinch of chili powder

I like to rub the dried herbs between my hands before placing then in the blender...it helps release their natural oils. Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. If you have a less powerful blender you may need a few teaspoons of the sundried tomato soaking water to help blend the ingredients.
Pour over zucchini noodles and serve.

Guess who's coming to town...nope, it's not Santa Claus!
My mommy is coming for a visit tomorrow, and she is staying over until Monday, yay! We need to get all the quality time in together before our big move out west! She is also coming over Easter Monday for a sleep over and I will plan a special, nontraditional yummy menu. This weekend we will probably keep things simple, but I do want to make a raw dessert for her because she loves them :) Brent, my mom and I are probably going to all just hang out together, talk, watch movies and tour around town. On Monday I will bring my mama to the thrift store in search of some treasures...I LOVE thrift shopping!

In need of a house cleaning!
As I had mentioned I am working on tweaking my diet. I want to include more greens, sprouts, more fruit, more sea vegetables, more fermented foods and algae. I will continue to limit my salt and raw gourmet foods, keeping them for special occasions. I really feel like I need to detox, and a juice fast seems like a perfect fit. The plan is to explore my first mini juice fast mid April. Any suggestions, tips or experience that anyone would be willing to share is greatly appreciated.