Drinking Smoothies?

Banana-Berry Smoothie Photo: Levi Brown

My March 2012 Coastal Living magazine has a recipe for a Banana-Berry Smoothie that I wanted to try. It's not like I haven't dabbled with making smoothies and other blender concoctions before, but I thought I would try to follow a recipe for once and see if it was better. Of course, I had a banana on hand but it wasn't frozen like the recipe called for and I'm not really sure it was large either. The 1 cup of orange juice called for turned into 1/3, because that is all that was left of last nights 2 quarts after the family siphoned it off. Once again, I was reminded how I NEVER end up following a recipe.

I was so proud I actually had the cup of plain yogurt: and dutifully measured a cup of frozen bluberries into the mix. Feeling guilty for leaving out some orange juice, I added a dollop of the So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk I have been trying to think of creative ways to get rid of --since my adventurous buy turned out not to be so delicious. ("like watery pudding" as my daughter so eloquently put it... though it is good added to hot chocolate).

Leaving out the wheatgerm, I pushed 'liqufye' on the blender and voila- a blue/purple shake that looks nothing in color like the photo above. If you have ever seen any footage about how they get such good food pictures for magazines, you know you are not always looking at how the ACTUAL recipe looks.



Here is whats left of my not as pretty- almost by the recipe smoothie The smoothie did taste pretty good, but I added a splenda which still didn't make it that sweet. I still can't keep myself from thinking that there has to be a smoothie combination out there somewhere that will leave me drooling for more instead of woefully eyeing the last sips telling myself not to waste good food. After all I really love fresh fruit... I just need to tweak the recipe... Can anyone relate?

Veggie Lasagna from Lilac

Ok, so today I was at the market and I said, "Let's make veggie lasagna!".  This occurred when I was passing the Mozzarella cheese.  Here is how I prepared my lasagna:
Layers of

1. pasta noodles
2. chili tomato (canned) blended with fresh parsley and vine-riperned tomatos diced
3. roasted acorn squash
4. sauteed parsnip, carrot, turnip and garlic in grapeseed oil
5. fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
6. basil

Here is the finished product-

Now...it must pass the taste test.  Clearly this is not raw.  And due to the addition of sliced mozarrella, it is not vegan either.  It is a Vegetarian lasagna, low in fat and high in flavor and texture.  I thought about using the lasagna noodles but I don't care for them so I used spiral noodles instead.

Remember to drink water!  Your body needs hydration and it gets that from all the raw fruits and veggies you are supposed to be eating each day.  Don't take for granted that you have taken in enough water...drink more!

Your food has the ability to heal you, so eat well!

Lilac

Lilac's Transforming Food week!

Hi out there!  Lilac Here.  I have really turned things around food-wise the past 7 days.  I have been uber-committed!  Some of the highlights?  Glad you asked:

1.  Winter Veggie Soup
2.  Kale Salad at home
3.  Mango!

Here are some pictures:

I have some great reading to keep my Raw/Vegan passion building and I have a great book on sustainable Farming. By the way...try not to laugh too hard at the Christmas Dishes I am still using in the second week of February!

More later,

Lilac

It's Time for Change

Hello Friends!  I am an emerging Vegan.  I want to eat as much raw food as I can to benefit from all that nutrition in its rawest most natural state possible.  My friend and I are going to be sharing simple food ideas, strategies, celebrations, possibly recipes but that is not really our forte.  We do not profess to be experts or even all that organized about food...but then again, the majority of people just eat whatever comes along!  That is what we want to discuss in this Blog...how and why and when people eat.  Maybe together we can discover patterns that can be adjusted or changed altogether to make us healthier and happier.  Especially when we have celebrations or holidays or parties...these are times when it is really challenging to stand by your commitments if you are dieting or abstaining from certain foods!

Maybe together, by documenting, exploring and collaborating we can discover new ways to use great ingredients.  Everyone is passionate about something when it comes to foods and flavors and eating.  Some people enjoy cooking while others eat out frequently.  Of course those of us who cook often may be doing it because we have families to feed...maybe we prefer to eat out.  But that is exactly why it would be wonderful to make the experience of preparing food, serving it and eating it, more pleasureable!

I would like to introduce you to my partner and myself.  We will be called Hydrangea and Lilac.  I am Lilac, and I will be focusing on the outdoor garden (New England) and organic, vegetarian cooking as well as Raw food.  Hydrangea also gardens (Texas) and will focus on herbs, spices, teas, desserts and other specialties that involve creating the right ambience in your home and at mealtime.