Pineapple, Kale and Avocado Smoothie + My Favorite Vegetarian Times Recipes for Meatless Monday

What an incredible weekend I had! I volunteered at the I CAN DO IT Conference in Toronto and was truly inspired and motivated by amazing spiritual teachers like Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Cheryl Richardson, Carolyn Myss….and the list goes on! I will definitely be sharing what I learned and what inspired me at a later time and blog, but for now, I’ve got to get to some meatless Monday recipes to feed your hungry bellies! On that note, you’ll have to forgive me as my weekend was so packed that I did not have an opportunity to make any original meatless recipes to share….SO….I’m sharing with you today a quick green smoothie recipe that gets me charged up in the morning (yes….this one is an original recipe!) plus a few links to some of my favorite meatless recipes from vegetarian times. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Monday!

Pineapple Kale Avocado Smoothie

This smoothie is super refreshing! Don’t be turned off by the vibrant green hue. The bitterness of the kale is balanced by the sweetness of pineapple, and it all blends together beautifully with creamy avocado! Minerals, vitamins, fats, antioxidants, enzymes- what more could you ask for!?! Drink up!

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh chopped pineapple
2-3 large kale leaves, de-stemmed
half an avocado
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 cups water
3-4 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender.

Now for some delicious Vegetarian Times recipes that I’m sure you’ll love!

This recipe is loaded with veggies! Feel free to swap out the white rice for brown basmati.
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/paella-primavera/

This guacamole recipe has a sweet twist with fresh oranges! It works perfect with homemade tortilla chips or as a healthful side dish.
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/guacamole-reinvented/

A delicious sweet treat! If you want to take it up a notch like I did and make the ingredients in this recipe extra healthy, I suggest you use Bob Red Mills gluten free all purpose flour, replace the cocoa powder with raw cacao powder, MOST DEFINITELY replace the margarine with coconut oil or organic butter, try organic cane sugar or coconut sugar in place of regular sugar and you’ll have a healthier cookie full of better quality ingredients.  http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/chocolate-espresso-oatmeal-cookies/

Enjoy the recipes!

Health & Abundance,
Samantha 🙂

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Pineapple Edamame Rice & Deliciously Sweet Thumbprint Cookies for Meatless Monday

Happy Monday Meatless followers! I hope my recipes are keeping you interested and nourished! I’ve got two yummy recipes that are definitely at the top of my list, and I’m sure you will enjoy them just as much as I do! I’ve adapted both recipes from the Whole Foods market cookbook, made my own little tweaks, and I must say; I think I made them even BETTER!

Pineapple is definitely one of my favorite fruits. Aside from being amazingly juicy, it contains a natural enzyme called bromelain, which is typically extracted from the stem of the fruit, as well as the juice. Most digestive enzyme formulas contain bromelain in their ingredient list. Bromelain is known as a proteolytic enzyme, which means it is helpful at breaking down and digesting proteins. This meal is bursting with incredible fresh summer flavor. It contains the perfect zing, from fresh ginger and a healthy dose of monounsaturated fat from avocado. It’s also a great way to use up left over brown rice.

Pineapple Edamame Rice

Ingredients

3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
2 tablespoons brown rice miso or light yellow miso
4 cups cooked brown rice (long grain rice or quinoa would work well too!)
2 cups shelled edamame

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh pineapple

1 avocado, chopped

1/4 cup chopped mint

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

In a large, deep skillet, bring broth and ginger to a simmer over medium high heat; simmer for 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and whisk in miso. Return to heat, add rice, edamame and pineapple, toss gently and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is hot throughout, 3 to 5 minutes more. Stir in cilantro, mint, avocado and serve.

These sweet treats are fun to make and are quite versatile! You can use any flavor jam you like, or for extra sweetness, use organic chocolate wafers or chocolate chips in place of jam. This recipe, unlike the original one, contains no butter, no eggs, and has a healthy dose of fiber!

Jam Filled Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup almonds or pecans
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Fruit juice sweetened jam (I love Crofters strawberry or apricot jam!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put almonds and oats into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and add flour, oil, syrup and salt. Stir to combine well. Roll walnut-sized balls of the dough in the palm of your hand to form each cookie, then arrange on 2 large baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Press your thumb gently down into the center of each cookie to make an indentation. Spoon a teaspoon of jam into each indentation.

Bake cookies until golden brown and just firm around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to let cool completely, then serve immediately or store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container.

Hope you enjoy these Meatless Monday recipes!

 

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Sweet Beets & Greens PLUS a Delicious Dessert!

Meatless Mondays week 7! Let’s cook up some beets! I find that this amazing veggie gets left behind because it takes long to cook, but it must not be forgotten!! Beets are loaded with potassium and folate, great for your liver and are super blood purifiers! This simple recipe is delicious and makes the perfect summer side dish!

Sweet Beets & Greens

Ingredients

6 medium whole beets (about 2 bunches), greens removed and set aside
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbsp water
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
Beet greens, washed and coarsely chopped
Dash salt & pepper
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Scrub beets well & steam them whole over boiling water for 30 minutes. Large beets may need 40 minutes. Once steamed, run beets under cold water and gently peel off the skins. Chop beets into bite sized chunks and place in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, 2 tbsps olive oil, salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon juice. Pour the mixture over the beets and set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chopped greens and cover. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, until greens are wilted. Add the beets and heat through for a minute. Serve immediately.

And for dessert….. Grilled Pineapple with Maple Syrup

Pineapples are incredibly refreshing! Not only do I enjoy adding this sweet fruit to my morning smoothie to reap the benefits of the protein digesting enzyme bromelain; but I truly enjoy pineapples as a sweet dessert treat! Plus, pineapples are loaded with vitamin C and manganese!

Ingredients

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3 to 1/2 inch rings
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp cane sugar
2-3 tbsp grade B maple syrup

Directions

In a bowl, mix together cinnamon and cane sugar. Sprinkle pineapple slices (both sides) with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Grill each side for approx. 2 minutes. Arrange slices on a platter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Happy Healthy Monday!
Enjoy!

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