Green Smoothie Goodness

Over the past couple of weeks I have been on a cleanse. I know when most people hear the word "cleanse" they picture a week of only drinking juice with cayenne pepper and maple syrup. I'm not on that type of cleanse... thank goodness. The yoga cleanse I have been living by is a basic, whole food, plant based eating plan. A delicious green smoothie in the morning, a yummy salad for lunch and a hearty soup for dinner. When I first started this cleanse I thought I would get so sick of drinking the same smoothies everyday, but instead I have found LOVE in this smoothie!

Green Smoothie Goodness: Ingredients to mix in a blender: -1 Banana -5 Strawberries (can substitute with other seasonal fruit, i.e. 1 peach or 1/2 cup raspberries) -1 cup almond milk -1/4 cup almonds -1 Tbs. flaxseeds (buy them whole, the ground flaxseeds loose their nutritional value after about 2 days of being ground) -1 scoop greens formula (I use the Garden of Life Superfood)

An adventure with Spaghetti Squash

Throughout the past couple months I have seen so many delicious looking recipes made with Spaghetti Squash, and this introduction mostly came about due to my mild Pinterest obsession! Anyhow, I have had such a blast trying out new recipes and creating some of my own that I wanted to share them with you.

What a wonderful invention God made in the spaghetti squash! A veggie that can substitute pasta, Thank you. The basics to cooking spaghetti squash are actually pretty simple. How to Prepare Spaghetti Squash: 1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees 2. Cut the squash in half length-wise (hot dog style, if you will) 3. Remove seeds with a spoon 4. Lay the two halves of the squash face-side down on a cookie sheet 5. Bake for 40 minutes When the squash is done remove from the oven, flip center side up, and let cool for 10 minutes. Now the fun part begins. Have a medium size bowl ready for your "noodles" then take a fork and start to scoop out the inside of the squash. You will shout with joy when little noodles are formed, at least I did!

Now that you have the spaghetti squash noodles we can get to the yummy recipes!

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai (Vegetarian/ Vegan Option): Ingredients: Serves 4 3 Tbs. Coconut Oil 1/4 cup Almonds or Peanuts, crushed 1/4 cup Green Onion, chopped 1 Egg (vegan: omit) 1/2 cup bean sprouts Spaghetti Squash noodles (yield from one squash) 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Peanut Sauce Use 2 Tbs. coconut oil to coat a large skillet add in your almonds to one side of the pan and 1/2 the green onion to the other side. Let cook for about 3 minutes. While everything is cooking in the large skillet fry the egg (or just fry the egg white for a healthier option) in a small skillet using 1 Tbs. coconut oil to coat the pan. Once the mixture in the large skillet is lightly browned add in the bean sprouts, prepared spaghetti squash noodles, fried egg, and peanut sauce. Toss in the skillet until thoroughly mixed. Remove from pan and let cool for about 5 minutes. Top with the rest of the green onions and serve. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Italienne (Vegan): Ingredients: Serves 4 2 Tbs. Coconut Oil 1/2 Cup Yellow Onion, diced 2 Tbs. Minced Garlic 3 Large Handfuls Spinach 2 Plum Roma Tomato, diced Spaghetti Squash Noodles (yield from one squash) 2 Tsp. Black Pepper 1 Tsp. Sea Salt 1/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese (shredded, vegan option: sub Daiy cheese) Coat a large skillet with the coconut oil (or coconut oil spray) and add the yellow onion and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until the onion softens and turns lightly brown, usually about 3-4 minutes. Add in the spinach, tomatoes, prepared spaghetti squash noodles, salt, and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes until the spinach is reduced. Once finished, divide into bowls and top with mozzarella cheese. I also suggest putting some garlic bread in the oven and serving as an opened face sandwich. Yummy! All in all, my adventures with spaghetti squash have been quite rewarding and I look forward to more fun. And how great that both of these dishes that are so delectable can technically be called salads!

Graveyards, Eyeballs and HaloWEENIES!

October lent itself to a number of different opportunities for me to cook. And cook I did! It was such a blast making yummy food and incorporating a Halloween theme into the delicious dishes.

My first attempt at Halloween Cuisine came when I decided to throw a small dinner party at my apartment. After milling around the grocery store for WAY too long I finally decided to do a main course of vegetarian chili and appetizers of chips and dip and mozzarella balls.

I didn't get a good picture of the chili, but I topped each bowl with a crescent roll that was formed into a spooky looking Frankenstein/Ghoul face. Super easy to do... buy crescent rolls, flatten out the dough and form it into faces (you can cut out holes for the eyes and then use the dough balls as ears). The main course was definitely a hit.



The chips and dip needed a pick me up so I decided to do a layered dip and turn it into a spooky graveyard. I made my own guacamole and salsa and then purchased sour cream, spinach, and cheddar cheese. I made the layers and topped the mix with torn up spinach leaves to resemble grass. I then cut up pieces of pita bread into tombstone shapes and placed them on top. Very cute and very spooky. The mozzarella "eyeballs" were surprisingly easy and quick to make. I bought mozzarella balls from the olive bar at the local market and picked up some black olives as well. I cut little slices into the mozzarella balls and chopped off small circles of the black olives to resemble pupils. I just had to squeeze the circles into the cheese and the creepy creations came to life! Overall the dinner part was quite a success.

I also made an appetizer for a fun and spooky gathering at a friends house. HaloWEENIES! All you need to make these fun guys are 1 pack of little smokies, 1 pack of crescent rolls, and mustard. Cut the crescent rolls into strips and wind them around the little smokey. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove, and dot the mustard to make the mummy eyes. They are darling and delicious.


The Halloween fun is over, but Turkey time is just around the corner!