Meatless Monday - Hot n Sour Soup

How about that?  TWO posts on Meatless Monday!  

Dinner tonight for me. 

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks.  If you don't have it, you should look into adding it into your library.  It's on page 58.


Here is the final result.

For the record, I left out the scallions and the peas because I simply did not have them.

Next time I want to try it with fresh Shitake Mushroom over the dried.  I think its just a personal texture thing with fresh versus dried.  Overall still good.  Lancer said it smelled good when he got home from school but was not brave to try it.  I want to try it with other vegetables next time, just don't know which ones yet.
Maybe a bit of shredded carrot, white onion and tofu next time. Maybe a mixture of mushrooms as well.  I am not a big Seitan fan but wanted to try it out.

I love her book and if you like it as well, check out Robin's website by clicking HERE.

Sincerely,
Crystal T.

Meatless Monday - Pasta & Pesto

I found this photo from an old sd card that I took with my camera.  I can't remember if I posted this or not, so sorry if its a duplication.

One night for dinner I decided I wanted pasta.  So while I was making traditional spaghetti for the boys I decided to make myself a meatless version of pasta.  I was in the mood for a pesto.  I had a lot of the normal things that goes into a pesto...basil, olive oil, pine nuts but wanted something more than just that.  I added about a cup of spinach to the mix with extra two cloves of garlic (yes I love garlic!).  I had some marinated kale from earlier in the day that was still soaking in the lemon juice.  I put the extra lemon juice into the pesto sauce and blended it into my Vitamix.  I kept the kale out for added texture to the dish.

After the pasta was cooked, I mixed in the pesto and stirred it up until well coated.  Then added the Kale and also some Whole Foods 365 line of their Vegetarian Shredded Parmesan Cheese.  Topped with Fresh cracked black pepper and dinner was served with a side of hot crusty garlic bread.

I love it when a plan comes together.  I have made this several times as pasta is a staple with the boys and kale is one of mine!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Mabon Bounty

A few weeks ago, my friend Tiff shared her bounty with me from her share of her CSA.  She had plenty to share and gave me all of this bounty.

She baked a few loaves of bread and gifted me with one of them as well.  That loaf did not even make it until the next day...it was devoured during that night's meal.  In the photo above we have cucumbers, cantaloupe, green onions, green beans, the bread, a lot of kale, lettuce leaves, onions, chard, dill, and basil.

Then she gave me all these tomatoes as well!

This ended up being my dinner that evening.  I made a massaged Kale salad using a honey ginger balsamic vinegar.  I then made a tomato, basil, onion with mozzarella pearl salad, cucumbers with fresh cracked pepper, and then garlic green beans finished off with a rice pilaf mix the boys love.  The first three items were of course raw.  The green beans I needed to cook.  I did not like their taste raw.

I am so grateful to have people like Tiff in my life.  She is a good friend to me and I appreciate everything she has done for me and my family.  I am definitely blessed to have met her.  Thank you Tiff if you are reading this.  Please know your friendship is cherished, even if I don't express it enough.

This Mabon I am so grateful for many things in my life, especially being ALIVE!  I hope you have a wonderful Mabon and Harvest!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Vegan MoFo Coming to the Cauldron !!!

This year I plan on participating in Vegan MoFo.  Well considering that I am still trying to keep up with the Pagan Blog Project, I will be "inspired" by Vegan MoFo.

During the month of October, I plan to post at least 20 entries devoted to Vegan Food.  Not vegetarian, but Vegan.  This means I am going to have at least 20 meals that will include nothing from animal. As of today I still currently use Honey (my major vice) and occasionally use milk and cheese.  I know my downfall will be the use of honey in my tea...so that is why I am going to be influenced by Vegan MoFo.  I won't be focusing on the drinks, just the food I eat.  I am taking little steps here....

What this means is hopefully there will be more posts about food should that be the reason you visit this blog.
Every Monday in October, I will post about the meals I eat that are not only Meatless, but now for October, also Vegan.  This is going to give me a crash course in what Vegan is and also reading more food labels!

So if anyone knows which brands are Vegan, please by all means, comment below and let me know your favorites so I can start the planning process for October meal planning!

If you want to know more about Vegan MoFo, please visit their website by clicking HERE.

If you know what Vegan MoFo is all about and wish to formally participate, you can do so by going HERE.

Preparing for Cooler Months - Menu Planning

I know its only just barely into August, but this is the time when I begin my yearly DEEP cleaning up until snow hits the ground.  I will be opening up the windows as much as possible to let the fresh air in and the old out.  I will also begin to dwindle my pantry to use what goods are in it now so that nothing expires and goes to waste. 

One of the things I like to do is to prepare a monthly menu so it takes the hassle out of planning and preparing meals in the last minute and not having all the items I need to make the meal I plan to.
With the colder months coming one thing I look forward to each and every year is utilizing my slow cooker. 

Last year when I began the shift going Vegetarian, one of the first books I picked up was this one.

So I decided to try one of the soup recipes....

Potatoes

Corn

Yellow pepper

Diced Tomato

Salt and Pepper to taste

I used the whole box, but think it only called for a few cups.

Green onion on top.

I really liked this soup.  Think next time I will take out the yellow pepper.  The one I used seemed to be really spicy instead of sweet.  There was so much soup left over that I decided to blend it and put it into the containers that I normally use for my Gumbo when my sister or mother make it for me.  They freeze into single servings for later use. 

I plan to make more recipes from this in the future this fall...Its going to be one of my go to books this year.

Blessed Be,
Crystal T.

Meatless Monday

So last night I made the hubby spaghetti.  Since I have changed my eating habits this past year, I don't really care for it anymore.  Definitely don't miss the ground beef.  So this is what I made myself.

What is it exactly?

Well it is my version of a RAW spaghetti.  Yep that's right, everything on this plate is RAW.
Now it is not necessarily completely Vegetarian.  I am still learning the lines on what is and isn't Vegetarian.  It does have "real" cheese on top.  It's a shaved Raw Parmasan I found at Whole Foods last weekend when I went shopping with one of my friends.

The pasta is a spiralized Zuchinni.  The sauce is roma tomato, basil, carrot, brocolli, Celtic Sea Salt, onion, garlic, and black pepper.  I also added a few brocolli pieces to give it a "meatball effect" and added more shredded carrot to the center of the dish just because there was a tiny bit left. Also on the very top are a few pieces of zuchinni slices that did not get spiralized as well.

This was really good.  It's a take on one of the first raw food classes I took last year.  I added more veggies to the sauce.  I am really beginning to like this way of eating, I feel so much more better when I eat closer to Raw.  Closer to Gaia's Bounty!

Blessed Be,
Crystal T.

Meatless Monday - Raw Food Favorites

So today for Meatless Monday, I am not going to be focusing on food itself.  I will however be focusing on a few of the people behind the food that make it fun, healthy, and keep me inspired to eat it. 

When I first set out on a path last October (I think, when I actually started to begin eating this way) one of the first places I found was Raw Food Rehab.  Here is a website that is sort of set up in a virtual "Rehab meets Mansion" center.  Their forums are comprised of various places you would see in your home such as the Kitchen for recipes, the Loo for "potty" talk (physically about what goes on in the bathroom, LOL), The Garden, The Tool Shed, plus many other wonderful rooms.  Many of the ammenities are completely free and she also offers other services where an additional charge is necessary to participate.

Creator/Founder Penni Shelton is a remarkable lady.  Penni has her own YouTube Channel (click HERE to watch) which I recommend if you are new to Raw Food, you will want to definitely subscribe to Raw Food Rehab's website (why not it is totally free to join and you have access to so much information) and also subscribe to her YouTube channel as well.  At these two sources they both will surely help the newcomer to Raw Food, just like its helped me so much.  If it were not for Penni's wonderful and informative videos I would most likely have not even tried attempting to eat a Raw Food menu or attempt to even give it a whirl.  Her archived videos of Foodie Friday's gave me the opportunity to see how easy it is to create a beautiful meal out of raw food.  Seeing what the food could look like motivated me to even attempt a few of my first recipes and I fell in love with raw food.  Penni does not look down on you if you are not 100% raw just that you are trying to eat healthy and incorporate some raw food in your life because it is good for you.

One day while visiting RFR, I came across a video that Penni did with a woman named Dara Dubinet.  Clicking Dara's name will take you to her YouTube Channel.  There is not a day that I don't watch a video by Dara.  I have started to watch her videos from the beginning.  With over 500 videos on her channel, you too can have a daily dose of Dara who will inspire you to "Get Your Greens On" as she has inspired me to do so.

Lauren from the blog "Ginger is the New Pink" is another inspiration.  She documents her life with eating raw food, healing from Chron's Disease, and daily life in general.  She is another inspiration that led me to believe I can do this!  I don't have Chron's but someone dear to me does.  Battling Kidney Disease and Lupus wanting to heal myself with Food is something we both share.  She has introduced me to products I normally would not have tried if not for her review of them.  From cookbooks, Daiya Cheese, Hail Mary's, beauty products and Dharma Straws plus many many more.  I check in to read her blog often to see what's new out there that makes life a little easier.  If I am in the mood to look at food in photos (I really hate the term "food porn") I will usually go to her website for inspiration of what I could make for dinner. 

Now I will just list a couple other inspirations for you to check out...

Amber Shea Crawley, Author of "Practically Raw"

The Shannon's whose cookbook will be out soon, they have re-written the Betty Crocker Cookbook VEGAN style!  It is available for pre-ordering at their website Meet the Shannons.

Maybe with the upcoming weeks this will be an avenue to not only focus on food, but the people that make them as well.

Many thanks to the people that inspire me to eat better for myself and making the information understandable for a newbie to culinary worlds of Raw, Vegetarian and Vegan fun for a meat-lover like myself.  (For the record, I am not Vegetarian for poticial reasons, but medical ones.  Just look at me like an ex-smoker, I still want to eat meat, I just know its bad for me and a struggle I have to deal with every single day!)

Sincerely,
Crystal

Bay Leaf Cafe - Spearfish, South Dakota

Howdy All,

You might have noticed that my blog has been quiet.  It's because I have been preparing and now completed a trip out West with some of my favorite ladies (Katherine and Dawn). 

During our trip my eating habits were not the greatest...after all I was on vacation.  One of the culinary gems on our trip was that in Spearfish, SD at a small cafe in the downtown area.  It was Vegetarian friendly.  I really enjoyed the food here and wanted to post a short blog about my experience.

The name of the cafe is called the Bay Leaf Cafe.  If you click their name it will take you to their website.  We luckily were able to make it in time to get there for lunch.  I say "in time" because the city was shutting Main Street down to prepare for their "First Fridays" party.  Upon first sight, I did not think it would be a big establishment with such a small storefront.  However, when you walk through their doors, think of the shape of a shoe box, its long but narrow in width.  The walls are filled with art from local artists which entice the patron's eye, while the smells of the place make your tummy grumble even more with hunger. 

I ate the Portabello Sandwich.  It was very good and juicy.  It was a grilled Porta on a bun with Gorganzola Cheese and a side of sweet potato fries.  They also serve a wide array of coffees and liquors as well.  The table's centerpiece was that of a shiny bottle of Sun Wine.  They had pretty colors of blue cobalt, bright sunny yellows, and ruby reds.  I could have bought the wine just for the bottles alone they were so pretty.  One thing I regretted not trying out was their poppyseed bread.  My friends were trying to keep the carbs on the down low, so I did not want to tempt their tummies by adding a big loaf of bread to the table.  I also wish I took a photo of my food, it was just so pretty a presentation!  My stomach took over before my brain could and I inhaled my food.  It was gone before I even thought about taking a photo! 

If I am ever in the area again, I would definitely suggest stopping by there to eat.  Next time I would like to go for dinner.  There was a piano in one of the corners of the building and I think at night they might offer live entertainment. 

Anyways, again, I would highly recommend this restaurant for any Vegetarian, Vegan, or to the traveler that finds themselves in Spearfish, SD in need of a restauarant that can accomodate both the Vegan or Hardcore Carnivore (as they have Elk, Buffalo, and many more options) as well.

Thank you Bay Leaf Cafe for providing me with a wonderful and memorable meal!

Blessed Be,
Crystal T.

A Raw Slaw

Ok so almost every coleslaw is raw....depends if Mayonaise is in it I guess.  I am not a fan of Mayo and decided to come up with my own version instead. Last week wanting something for dinner, I looked in the fridge and used what Veggies I had on hand so they would not spoil on me and more importantly, not waste any food.

There is no exact recipe since I don't really measure anything at this point....guess I should start measuring out stuff.

This is a Raw Slaw made from (approx measurements):

5 Kale Leaves, shredded
1 small baby Bok Choy, chopped
1 Red Delicious Apple, diced
1/2 a Yellow and 1/2 an Orange Bell Pepper, diced
1 small carrot diced

The dressing is made from:
3 TBS Olive Oil
2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
Dash of Salt (Himalayan)
1/2 teaspoon of Kelp Powder (my choice for salt substitute)
Fresh grated Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of Dried Thyme (I powdered it in my Mortar and Pestle)

Whisk the above dressing items together and then pour over the veggies.  Use hands to gently toss the slaw.  I let it sit in the fridge for one hour before eating so the flavors could marry. 

This was surprisingly pretty good.  Not as sweet as I usually like but nice.  Next time I think I might add about 1/4 cup of either Apple Juice or fresh squeezed Orange Juice.  I think it would make it even better.  This also made about 3 servings for me as a side dish.  It would make a very large serving if you ate it as a meal.    Actually, I don't think I could eat the whole thing even if I was starving...this made a large amount of food!

If you try this, let me know what you think about it!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Meatless Monday - Cashew Cream Sauce

When I first read about this sauce I knew it had potential!  In the past at one of my Raw Food classes at Nourished Body & Soul by Deb K I learned that the cashew is a very versitile nut.  The first time I had it was as a Mock Alfredo Sauce served over Kelp Noodles and I was hooked.  I have not however been brave enough to try it out until I saw this recipe for Cilantro Cashew Cream Sauce and knew instantly I had to try it!

I was in luck, I happened to have all the items in my pantry or fridge as well so I knew it was a sign that I had to make this sauce!  I am not using it for burritos as the recipe's main page is using it.  I decided to use it another way.  I decided to use it on a salad.

First I soaked my cashews like in the original recipe.

I blended them in the vitamix and then added the other ingridients as stated in the original recipe.

This is the amount I recieved...a large mason jar's worth.

Then I prepared my salad by starting out with marinated Kale in lemon juice.  I let it sit for an hour.

Then I used my new Spiralizer for the first time and cut some Zuchinni.

I added half of an avocado.  Then I massaged them all together. 
Next time I plan on adding the avocado before the zuchinni.

Next came for my seasoning..today's choice was Organic Kelp Noodles. 
I have to limit my salt intake and this gives me a nice substitution.

Just for the heck of it, I added black sesame seeds.  Think next time I want to add Poppy Seeds.

For the final product, I also added some more cilantro because the sauce was just not Cilantro enough for me.  I also added sliced strawberries because I was not in the mood for tomatoes.  I also dusted it with the Whole Foods 365 Line of Vegetarian Parmasan cheese (its another one of my staples transitioning). 

 The overall salad was really good.  For my first time experimenting with making a salad out of ingridients I normally don't use together or eat, I think it was a sucess!  I plan on making it again in the future with a few changes.  The Kale with Strawberries were surprisingly good with one another.  I got lucky with the strawberries as they were more sweet than tart.  They complimented one another very well. 

So this was my dinner tonight, what did you eat and how Raw are you today?

Sincerely,
Crystal T.

Live Jolly Foods

For my Meatless Monday entry, I was excited to see that Live Jolly Foods is now available for online ordering!  If you like Raw Food be sure to check them out!  I definitely will!

I first heard about Live Jolly Foods from Lauren at Ginger is the New Pink blog.  After I did a little research I learned that Chef Chris Jolly attended my alma mater LSU  (GEAUX TIGERS!) 

They are also offerring 20% off your first order!  So if you like Kale chips, Flax Seed Crackers, Cookies, Brownies and more, be sure to go check them out at  HERE .  I am trying to figure out what I want to order this week!  I want to make sure I get some goodies for my trip out west this summer to the Medicine Wheel for the Summer Solstice this year with my Coven Sisters.

If you click on their link for their blog you will find a few recipes as well!

Find the Magic in your Meals!

Blessed Be,
Crystal T.

Merging with the Veggie Cauldron

Howdy All!,

Just a quick note that due to my normal crazy hectic life of being a Stay at Home Mom to Shaunessy and Lancer, Pup Moma to our new Chocolate Lab Leia (with potty training there as well), Kidney disease, Lupus, and trying to maintain a great cozy home for my husband.... I simply do not have the energy or time to try to keep up with two blogs.  I either neglect both of them or go thru phases where I tend to favorite one over the other.

So instead of trying to keep the two separate, they are merging.....hopefully this will give me more time to think of what to write about and have a more active blog.

With that said, it is Monday so I am going to post a Meatless Monday Recipe for you.

This is from the Veggie Cauldron, so if you have seen it before, sorry for the duplicate post (and also if I have posted it here as well, I have not gone thru the archives).

So last night I was making pasta for the guys.

I really wanted some pasta for myself so I came up with the above.

I took 1/2 cup of the cooked pasta and then threw it into my wooden bowl. I then added 4 leaves of torn kale, a handful of mung bean sprouts, a handful of parsley, one green onion, one tomato, and two tablespoons of Whole Foods' Vegetarian Shredded Parmasaen Cheese. I also added a bit of leftover ginger dressing I had in the fridge plus a dash of red pepper flake for a bit of heat. It was really good. I did massage the kale beforehand in the juice of 1/2 a lemon and it sat out on the counter for about an hour...that is what I was origianlly planning on eating for dinner, the Kale. I plan on making this again in the near future. Next time I want to see if pineapple juice would break the kale down the same way lemon juice does to see if I can give it even more of a tropical asian flare to it next time. I know that the pasta is not necessary Asian, I just did not want to dirty another pot to cook rice noodles, I got them, but just did not want to cook more than I have too. This combo might also work with my kelp noodles too! (I just thought about that!)