B7DRC Day 4 - the July Edition

It’s Day 4 and as you may notice, as much as I like to make my own recipes, I also love to test other recipes as well. I enjoy taking different recipes of the same type of food (e.g. chili) and test them to discover which one is the best in terms of taste, texture and similarity to the “cooked” version. So it’s probably no surprise to find me testing recipes this summer for a couple of well-known chefs/bloggers as they work on their new cookbooks. I’ve been having a blast, with tons of recipes to still test and all I can do is share pics. So expect more mystery food porn pics to come…and not all of them are raw, but all of them ARE vegan and insanely mouthwatering!

Early Morning:

Today my jar holds water, lemon and mint!

Breakfast:

I love apples, especially when smothered in Nutiva’s coconut manna or some type of nut butter or baked into a delicious, homemade pie. They’re usually at their best during the fall when they are in season, but I love the cold, crisp, juiciness of an apple during the summer as well.  Plus, it’s loaded with fiber, a nutrient most people do not get enough of. So eat an apple! Eat lots of apples!

Snack:

Another simple, yet delicious salad! My favorite type of food is Mexican food. Tacos, enchilada, chips and guacamole, I love it all and I can eat it almost every day! So it doesn’t shock me that I end up making at least one, if not two, Mexican-style salads or meals a week. 

As I was making last night’s dinner, the sight of corn, tomatoes, green onions and avocados automatically made me think a simple Mexican salad is a must make for a next day meal. The only problem was I was craving for guac as a dressing and didn’t feel like putting all the effort into making guac out of ¼ of an avocado. So I took the ingredients, blended them together and made a guacamole salad dressing! It’s not as perfect as guacamole, but it served its purpose of tasting gosh darn similar.

Simple Mexican Salad with Guacamole Dressing

Recipe by Beth Mickens

Serves 1

For the salad:

• 2 cups of romaine lettuce, shredded
• ½ corn cob
• 3 Tbsp of red bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ green onion, sliced
• Chopped cilantro, to garnish
• Sprouts, as a garnish (optional)
• Raw pumpkin seeds, as a garnish (optional)

For the dressing:

• ¼ avocado, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp of red onion
• 1/8 tsp of garlic
• ½-1 lime, juiced
• Handful of cilantro (about 2-3 Tbsp)
• Salt, to taste
• 2-4Tbsp of water, to blend

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender, starting with the lowest amounts and blend until smooth.
2. Adjust amounts according to taste and consistency preferences. I preferred mine a bit thick.

To Assemble:

1. Uniquely plate the lettuce, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers and green onions.
2. Add a dollop or three of the dressing into the middle of your salad
3. Top with chopped cilantro, sprouts and/or pumpkin seeds
4. Serve immediately or make the night before for a yummy salad for the following day.

Lunch:

I’m having dessert for lunch today! It’s Blueberry Cobbler…in smoothie form! It’s sweet, creamy and nutty with a lovely berrylicious base and loaded with greens! It’s perfect if you’re craving for something sweet yet healthy. 

Blueberry Cobbler

Recipe adapted from Simple Green Smoothies

 Makes 16 ounces

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup raw almond milk (the original recipe calls for coconut milk)
• 1 Tbsp shredded coconut or coconut oil (depending on how much coconut flavor you want)
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 banana
• 1 Tbsp flax
• Sprinkle of cinnamon

1. Blend and enjoy!

Snack:

Mmmmmm! Remember I mentioned previously that I have been doing some awesome recipe testing? Well this is one of them which comes from Jonie Marie Newman, author of several cookbooks including  “Home-Cooked Vegan Comfort Food” and “The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet” and owner of the blog, "Just the Food".  She’s in the process of writing a new book and asked for volunteers to test some of the recipes that may be featured in the book. Of course, I jumped on board and was thrilled when she accepted my  offer to assist. The recipes I have tested so far have been amazingly delish, I cannot wait to make more! 

This simple dessert is loaded with flavor. It’s obvious that this sweet treat is a chia pudding, but what makes it the best chia pudding I have ever had must remain a mystery. All I have to say is I am going to BEG to share this recipe once her book is released because it is a must try. I rarely make the same dish twice and this I have made 4 times already! It’s THAT good.

Dinner:

I debated long and hard on what to make. Everything I wanted to make required the soaked nuts that I accidentally forgot to soak the night before (dope!). I tried to remember what was in my fridge and to no avail, I came up with little to nothing..at least nothing NEW. And then I saw this Summer Reboot Salad posted today by Kathy from the Healthy. Happy. Life. blog and praised her for saving me from an evening of contemplation.

It was simple to make and even easier to devour. The salad is not only loaded with veggies, but it's also loaded with tons of protein. The dressing was strong enough in flavor to compliment the earthiness of the kale with just a dollop.

Sweet, savory, earthy....just what I needed for dinner! It was also a great energy booster! I took a run with my family right afterwards with no cramps and tons of energy to spare afterwards! Woot woot!

I used the exact same recipe, using all raw ingredients for the salad and dressing. For the salad I used broccoli instead of cabbage and for the dressing, hemp oil instead of olive oil, lemon instead of rice vinegar, and raw honey instead of maple syrup. The results, I'm sure, were just as scrumptious!

Dessert:

Well I HAD intended to make raw chocolate banana ice cream BUT my plans changed as I went running with my family instead. Not a huge loss of course :) Instead I devoured the remaining two pieces of my almond butter cups! 

And there slips by another day!

Curious, what's your favorite dessert? I need to make something new :)

*Beth*

Product Review: Kate Bakes - Washington, DC

Many of you know I LOVE to support my locals and even more, LOVE to support new and/or small businesses. Just look at my obsession with DC Food Trucks! I get this odd, yet amazing feeling of success and achievement when I support and promote small businesses that eventually become large and successful. I feel like I did my job...whatever that job may be. So you can probably understand why I am so excited about my next post.  

 

A couple of weeks ago I was blessed with the opportunity to receive some delicious vegan treats in return for my honest review. My family seemed like the perfect set of candidates for a review with a vegan (me) and two omnivores, my husband and my 6 year-old daughter. We love our food and I always rely on their somewhat picky opinions to determine if something vegan friendly can truly succeed by making it past the vegan community and into the hands and mouths of food loving omnivores. Of course, I have to look past their natural dislikes sometimes. After all, our taste buds and palates are all unique. But, I believe the goal of every vegan chef or baker is to make something taste so good, that even non-vegans love it. If you can do that, then you’ve already made it past the toughest barrier. 

KATE BAKE’S

The goodies I received came from DC local, Katelyn Sornik, owner of Kate Bake’s who makes and sells vegan, gluten-free* granola bars. The bars are handmade in small batches and delivered ASAP to ensure that you receive only the highest quality bar available. Made with organic ingredients and with no preservatives, they do perish quickly so freshness is a necessity.

*From the Kate Bake’s website: “I use only certified gluten-free ingredients and dedicated gluten-free equipment, but the kitchen space I share also prepares items containing gluten, however never at the same time the bars are being produced". 

Although taste seems to always be the number one factor to most, I actually care about the ingredients and nutrition more. I was impressed by the small list of ingredients which mainly included almond or sunflower seed butter, agave, rolled oats, coconut, rice cereal, soy protein powder, flaxmeal and spices. Mostly organic and non-GM. The only ingredient I questioned was the soy protein, specifically in terms of being genetically-modified. Kate was very honest and responded that a) to her knowledge, it was non-GMO and b) that while she is working towards becoming completely organic, the soy protein powder she currently used won by landslide in terms of taste against other varieties of protein powders, including organic. Understood! For her honesty, which I was truly appreciative for, I gained more respect and trust for her and her company. 

As for nutritional value, each bar contains around 220 calories of mostly whole grains and protein, with 4 grams of fiber and 7.5 grams of protein in each bar. Each bar also contains anywhere from 15-19 grams of sugar. However, it is either naturally occurring or in the form of agave, which has a low-glycemic index which means no concern for a sugar spike. With this kind of nutritional profile, I immediately deemed these babies highly acceptable to be pre-workout bars. I ate one an hour or so before my intense workout and they kept me full, energized and sustained the entire time. Even better? No tummy issues; something I normally always get when I eat before working out! 

REVIEW

Now on to the yummy flavors. Kate currently sells three different flavors: Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal, Sunflower Butter Raisin, and Chocolate Coffee. While each one is very unique in taste, they all are very similar in texture: moist, crumbly, chewy and slightly crunchy thanks to the rice cereal. I love the texture combination in each bite, especially the chewiness from the oatmeal. As for taste, well, read on.

Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal 

This is definitely banana bread in a bar! The banana and cinnamon both stick out very well and truly shine in every bite. It is very sweet and flavorful. I can definitely see it as a favorite among most, ESPECIALLY the omnis. For me, it’s a tad bit too sweet. However, I bet a slather of peanut butter on top would work perfect and would have me scarfing it down in seconds.  

Sunflower Butter Raisin 

Now, this one I had to get the taste down. I’ve honestly never truly tasted sunflower butter before, which is a shock considering I’m a nut butter addict. Even though this bar seems a bit heavier on the palate due to the robust taste of the sunflower butter in comparison to the almond, I learned that it worked very well for this type of PB&J-esque bar. It has the same strong roasted taste that peanut butter has making it more pronounced and a great contrast to the sweet, tart raisins. This bar was less sweet than the Banana Cinnamon which I preferred. I ended up really liking it the more I ate it and now it has me more interested in sunflower butter as well. If you’re a nut butter addict and love PB&J’s, then this bar is for you.

Chocolate Coffee 

While all three bars are scrumptious in their own special way, I have to admit, this one is by far my favorite. I love the combination of chocolate and coffee. I’ve always been a giant fan of coffee and it’s bitter, slightly salty, robust, toasty, smoky delicious taste. Unfortunately, I’ve had to give it up for the sake of health and not looking overly bloated and feeling like my hearts going to come out of my chest. So you can imagine how excited I was to taste this bar and discover the perfect combination of cocoa and coffee in each and every bite...without the buzz and horrible side effects of caffeine. This bar is also lightly sweet in comparison to the banana, allowing the true flavors of the main ingredients to really shine through. A bar perfect for any cocoa or coffee fan!

The Omni Opinions

I had my daughter and husband try the bars as well. They both didn’t care too much for the Sunflower Raisin, mostly due to the fact it contained raisins - a dried fruit they both dislike. Doesn’t say much about the bar, just about their picky likes and dislikes! The Banana Cinnamon was a hit for both (I figured that considering both are major banana bread fans!). As for the Chocolate Coffee, my husband isn’t a coffee fan so that one to him was “alright”. As for my daughter, she’s still debating back and forth on which one is her favorite between the Banana Cinnamon and Chocolate Coffee. I think last night said it all when I had opened a Chocolate Coffee up only to turn around and find her eating half of it before I could say no…at 8:00pm! Let’s just say it took her a bit longer than normal to fall asleep. However, she's been asking for both to take as a snack for school for three days straight. This I can't complain about! So the Banana Cinnamon and Chocolate Coffee were both winners among my little omni clan. The Sunflower Raisin, I guess is all mine!! 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS and WHERE TO BUY

I think Kate definitely has something going on here! Her unique choice of flavors can accommodate every palate and the bars are nowhere near tasting as if they are “vegan”.  Just homemade goodies made by hand with whole food ingredients. The best part is that they are also gluten-free, a must with the growing community of people with gluten-sensitivities including myself.  I look forward to continuing my support for Kate and her vegan business. I can’t wait to see her grow and prosper.

If your interested in learning more about Kate Bake's or wanting to make an order, check out her website @ http://katebakesbars.webs.com/. If you live far away and are a bit weary about the short shelf life which could mean buying only a few to prevent spoilage and paying for shipping, then no worries! I froze a few to experiment with and I discovered neither texture nor taste were compromised! So buy as many as you want, freeze and thaw before eating. Simple as that!

So I'm curious to know, which flavor would YOU choose!?