Skinny Pasta- Simple and Delicious!

Sometimes you just want a great big bowl of pasta.    With bikini season right around the corner, do you exercise portion control and eat half serving?  Do you ignore your craving and have another salad?  Or . . . do you try shirataki pasta?  Shirataki has a firmer texture than wheat based pastas.  It also has a strong odor that requires the pasta to be rinsed before using.  But if you can create a recipe that works with shirataki’s unusual texture and flavor, you may just be able to have keep your figure and eat pasta too!

For this dish we started at the local farmer's market, where we found asparagus and mushrooms fresh from the garden.  We sauteed these with onions and garlic, and then infused the whole dish with a rich sauce made with miso and sherry.  Top it off with a bit of fresh rosemary and thyme and you have a dish that will keep your taste buds happy (and your waste-line slim!) 

Shirataki Pasta with Seared Asparagus

Serves: 2

Shirataki Pasta with Seared Asparagus, Mushrooms, Rosemary and Thyme

Ingredients:

·      ¼ cup Sherry

·      1 ½ tablespoons Miso

·      1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

·      1 tablespoon Agave

·      1 package shirataki noodles, such as Nasoya

·      ½ onion, julienned in ¼ in slices

·      ½ pound asparagus (~12 spears), ends snapped off, cut along bias in 2 inch pieces

·      6 oz button mushrooms (~12 small to medium), ¼ inch slices

·      2 large cloves garlic, very thin slices

·      1 sprig rosemary, removed from stalk, chopped finely

·      1 sprig thyme Leaves, removed from stalk, chopped finely (plus extra for garnish)

Sauteed Onions, Garlic, Mushrooms

Method:

1. Blend miso, olive oil, sherry, lemon, agave in blender 
2. Rinse shirataki multiple times then place in pot of boiling water 
3. In 12 inch skillet, either spray with pam or coat with oil and heat to medium-low, add onion and sautee until starting to brown (about 7 minutes) 
4. Add garlic, turn heat to low and cook until garlic just starting to brown (about 3 minutes, be careful not to burn garlic!) 
5. Add mushrooms, cook until juice from mushrooms has been released into pan and then cooked out so that pan is again dry (about 5-8 minutes)
6.  Drain water from shirataki and allow noodles to cook on low heat to boil off remaining water 
7. Push mushrooms and onions to side of pan, add asparagus.  Turn heat to medium high and cook for 4 minutes, without stirring, until underside browns
8. Add shirataki and blended miso mixture, cook until miso mixture darkens and reduces
   

   

   Nutrition Facts (Recipe yields 2 bowls):
   Shirataki Pasta with Seared Asparagus

  ~Grace

 

 

 

Brad's 7 Day Raw Challenge: Day 3 - New Recipe! Mango-Almond Stir-Fry.

It’s Day 3 of our challenge and day 1 of my new and hopefully improved diet routine. No need for chit chat today. Let’s get rawkin’!

Early Morning Routine:

Once again, I’m starting my mornings off with a nice glass of lemon water. It’s a great way to hydrate the body, flush toxins out and get your metabolism jump started. 

I also did a few stretches. I’m hoping to add a small 10 minute yoga routine in the morning to get my body rolling.

Breakfast:

No smoothies. Yep. I decided I will keep that for post workout. I’m hoping my change from NOT eating anything to eating a smoothie loaded with carbs, protein and fats after my workouts will help with recovery time. The change is also to help with the discomfort I have been getting lately with drinking smoothies at 6am in the morning. Instead of gradually increasing my meals from light to heavy, I’ve been starting off with heavy and ending with little to nothing. So far the change has made a significant difference. My stomach is emptying faster and my digestive system seems to be more relaxed and not so overworked.  

Today for breakfast I switched my daily morning smoothie for a mono meal. If you have never heard of a mono meal, it is simply a meal consisting of only one type of food. Eating a mono meal, specifically in the morning time, allows your body to slowly break the overnight fast of detoxing and cleansing so that it can start focusing on digesting the foods you have eaten to help fuel you throughout the day.  If you throw a smoothie loaded with 10-12 ingredients into your body first thing when you wake up, your body automatically goes into overdrive as it works to break down and separate the nutrients from each food type to be further digested and absorbed. With a mono meal, your body only needs to focus on digesting one type of food. It’s quicker and gentler on your system. 

Think about it. You don’t like to be aggressively woken up do you? Don’t you prefer a gentle shake until you are able to slowly and gradually wake up? Well, you’re body and digestive system prefers the same. 

 My mono breakfast was a beautiful bowl of farm fresh strawberries; some tart, some sweet, some firm, some soft, all juicy and bright! It was the perfect start to my morning. Not too heavy just purely satisfying.

Mid-Morning:

I enjoyed a lukewarm mug of green tea with raw honey to sweeten. I love cool green tea. It’s a really refreshing drink that way.

Lunch

Oooh am I excited about this one!  My cravings for stir-fry combined with a taste for a mango dressing recipe I ran across led to this crazy concoction: Cauliflower “Stir-Fried” Rice with Mango-Almond Stir-Fry Sauce. Sweet, fruity, savory, salty, tangy and a pinch spicy…it had to work! And it did! 

The mango sauce is mildly sweet and tangy with a slight hint of spicy umami savoriness. The almond butter rounds out the sauce giving it body and a smooth mouthfeel. The sauce perfectly complements the mild, fresh, crunchy veggies in this dish giving you a feeling of complete satisfaction, even if you were craving the cooked version. Trust me. With this dish, you won’t miss it.

Raw Cauliflower Stir Fry with Mango-Almond Stir Fry Sauce

Recipe by Beth Mickens

Serves 1 bowl

Mango-Almond Stir-Fry Sauce

• 1/3 cup ripe, sweet mango (Haitian or Champagne mangoes works perfectly!)
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp nama shoyu or tamari
• 1 ½ tsp of lime juice
• 1 heaping tsp of raw almond butter
• 2 Tbsp of water
• Pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne
• Pinch of salt

1. Place all the ingredients into a small blender, aka bullet, or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency. You’re looking for a thick, but pourable sauce that will well coat the veggies.
3. Set aside

Vegetable Stir-Fried Cauliflower Rice

• 1 ½ cups of cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp of each:
• Mushrooms
• Red bell pepper
• Carrots
• Sugar snap peas
• Zucchini
• Any other veggies you can think of or prefer
• 1 green onion, sliced
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 avocado, sliced, for garnish
• 1 Tbsp of chopped cilantro, for garnish

1. In a small food processor, blend the cauliflower florets until finely chopped and it resembles a coarse grain similar to rice. You should yield about 1 cup.
2. Pour the cauli rice into a medium bowl and add the remaining veggies. Toss to combine.
3. Season lightly with salt.
4. Pour the veggie stir-fry into serving bowl.
5. Drizzle with the mango-almond stir fry sauce.
6. Top with slices of avocado and garnish with cilantro.
7. Serve.

It tastes just as great next day, room temp or cold.

NOTE: You can also toss the veggies in the sauce before serving. It was prettier poured :)

Enjoy! 

If you make this dish PLEASE send me your feedback! This “chef” thrives off of constructive criticism. I request it.

Snacks: 

The new change in my eating routine left my belly craving for more, lighter foods. So I enjoyed this perfectly sweet, savory and crunchy raw Cherry Walnut Crunch bar by Thunderbird Energetica and a banana before working out!

Dinner:

Another fabulous smoothie by Kobi Kenzo, revised to my needs of course. 

Ch-Chi-Chia

Adopted from Kobi Kenzo

Makes 16 oz 

• 2 handfuls of spinach or preferred greens
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds
• 1 tbsp of raw almond butter
• 1 small or ½ large frozen banana
• 1 cup raw almond milk
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp of hemp seeds
• 1 Tbsp of Sunwarrior’s Vanilla protein powder
• Turmeric, aloe vera (optional)

Blend away!

This was shockingly tasty despite my bias expectations. Anything with JUST banana is always icky to me but this…this was good. Really good!

I have to say, I feel tons better this go around. I think this new eating routine is going to be a positive one.  I can’t wait to see the results. In the meantime, I’ll continue to listen to my body..and you should too.

Good Night Rawkstars!

For my friends in Australia who love to cook; want to learn and be an expert!? The Melbourne cooking classes are available in sit-down and hands-on formats with intimate classes being the norm. Click Here for more info!!

Thank you, Trupp Cooking, for contacting me and providing me more info on your classes! Wish I lived in Australia!

* Beth *

Mom’s Secret to Perfect Cocktails

Mom's Secret to Perfect Cocktails

My Mother is an inspiration for natural foods and clean eating.  She instilled in her children the practice of creating recipes with minimal additives.  For Mother’s Day, she asked that we all come home to spend the day with her and we all enjoyed sushi with her famous mixed drinks. Since I’ve been spoiled with my mother’s bright, crisp cocktails, I’m always disappointed when I go out and pay $12 for a drink only to find it tastes heavy or thick.  How does Mom always get her drinks so perfect?

Secret #1:  Tonic Water

To quote my mother, grocery store tonic water is “garbage.”  Most brands contain ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup or saccharin.   However, my mom makes her drinks without these unhealthy ingredients.  Her tonic water of choice is Fever Tree, which uses small specialist suppliers to obtain natural ingredients of the highest quality.   Fever-Tree continually wins taste awards and is the tonic water chosen by most top restaurants in the world. Their Naturally Light Indian Tonic Water is spectacular and provides the ultimate Gin and Tonic experience.

Hendricks and Fever Tree G&T

Ingredients:

• 1 part Hendrick’s Gin
•  2 parts Fever Tree Naturally Light Indian Tonic Water
• Cucumber spears

Method:

1. In chilled glass, pour gin over ice and,mix well
2. Add tonic water, mix lightly
3. Garnish with cucumber

Natural G&T

Secret #2:  Sweet & Sour Mix 

Did you know that the drinks you order out might not be vegan?  Daily’s Sweet and Sour Drink Mix contains nonfat milk solids.  Other popular brands contain yellow food coloring, artificial flavors, and of course, high fructose corn syrup.  Want a better option? Try Ripe BarJuice’s Agave Lemon Sour.  Its ingredients:  water, fresh pressed lemon juice, organic agave nectar.  That’s it.  With a mixer this natural it’s no wonder Mom’s Vodka Collins taste so fresh!

BarJuice & Grey Goose Vodka Collins

Ingredients:

• 1 part Ripe BarJuice Agave Lemon Sour Mix
• 1 part Grey Goose Vodka
• 2 parts club soda
•  Lime wedges

Method:

1. Shake sour mix and vodka with ice and strain into chilled glass filled with ice.
2. Add club soda, mix lightly
3.  Garnish with lime

Organic Vodka Collins

As we’ve said before quality food starts with quality ingredients!  The taste of these cocktails speaks for itself.

Nutrition Facts:

Nutrition Facts: Natural G&T

Nutrition Facts: Organic Vodka Collins

~Grace

Meet Grace, and a new recipe for mock-tuna salad

Meet Grace!

Hi!  My name is Grace.  Kerry and I have been friends since college and recently Beth and I have gotten to know each other as well.  It's wonderful to develop relationships with people who share similar passions and values.  Since I moved to Washington, DC about 6 months ago, I have been following "The Split Plate" and I love the premise of the blog.  Many people in different places in life adopt a whole foods, plant based mindset.  However, the way this mindset is expressed in individuals' lifestyles can look very different from one person to the next, and it should!  This idea of how people express variations of a vegan lifestyle is the basis for "The Split Plate," and I'm excited to be a part of it!

I'd like to give a brief background on how my diet has evolved over the years.  As a child, I never cared for meat, but was required to eat what was on my plate.  When I moved out of the house I gradually began to get rid of meats in my diet.  Even when I lived with my parents I barely ate red meat and that was the first to go.  Red meat consumption has been shown to raise the risk of cancer, and also atherosclerosis and related diseases such as heart disease and stroke so it was easy as a teenager to justify to my family my desire to remove it from my diet.  When I graduated from college and began cooking for myself, I found that since I no longer cooked chicken at home, when I would eat it with others it became more and more unpalatable.  Fish left my diet only last year.  I still eat dairy and eggs occasionally, especially when they are the only option on restaurant menus.  However in my own house I have been making vegan dishes.

Currently i am progressing toward a whole foods, plant based diet.  My current diet still includes preservatives and occasional eggs and dairy, but I am learning, step by step, how to substitute natural, plant based ingredients for these items.  Healthy eating is a journey and I continue to learn more each day!  

Jackfruit and Chickpea Mock Tuna Salad Recipe

Mock Tuna Melt with Daiya

One of the things I love about a plant based diet are the new and exotic ingredients to which I am introduced.  Beth and I learned about jackfruit at the Cookology class we recently attended and I have been obsessed with the ingredient ever since.  A few months ago, I tried Sticky Fingers Bakery's mind-blowing chickpea mock tuna salad (I still dream about it!) Ever since, I've been trying to replicate their recipe. The final recipe I came up with is different (Sticky Fingers' recipe does not include jackfruit) but just as addictively delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 can jackfruit in brine or salt (not syrup)
• 1 sheet nonstick foil
• 1/8 sheet of nori
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 4 spring onions (or equal amount of alternate onion)
• 1 shallot (or equal amount of alternate onion)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 strip celery
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/4 cup dill relish
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 handful parsley or other fresh herbs you have around (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 can chickpeas
• Bread
• Daiya jalapeno garlic havarti wedge, sliced (or alternative flavor)
• Toppings: sprouts, tomato, watercress, avocado or any other as you prefer.

Method

Jackfruit shredded and broiled

1) Jackfruit from a can has a soft consistency and briny flavor. To get rid of the brine, rinse multiple times, soak in water for about 1 hour, then rinse again and drain. To toughen the consistency, broil on non-stick foil at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until jackfruit is dried out and starting to brown around the edges. Mid way through, remove from oven and pull jackfruit apart with 2 forks to attain desired appearance, then return to oven.

2) While jackfruit is browning: crumple nori and add to food processor or blender and blend. Add boiling water and blend.

3) Add spring onion, shallot, garlic, celery and pulse until ingredients are chopped.

4) Add mayonnaise, capers, relish, miso, nutritional yeast, parsley and blend.

5) Add chickpeas and pulse until chickpeas are chopped but not blended.

6) Remove jackfruit from oven, transfer to large bowl and allow to cool. In the meantime, place 2 slices of bread on hot foil, add 1 slice of Daiya on on piece of bread and return to oven just until Daiya melts and browns a bit.

7) Mix chickpea mixture into jackfruit by hand.  Spread 1/2 cup of the mock tuna salad on hot toast with melted Daiya, add preferred toppings, and enjoy!

Mock Tuna Salad

Nutrition Facts for Mock Tuna Salad

 
~Grace