Post-Cinco de Mayo: Mango Acai Margarita Smoothie and Mexican Quinoa Kale Salad

Happy post-CINCO de MAYO! How many of you celebrated yesterday with margaritas, Dos Equis and your favorite Mexican inspired food!? I know I did!! As much as I desired a margarita beer blend and some veggie tacos, I opted to stay in and make my own delicious treats.

As much as I craved that Beergarita, I just knew beer spelled one thing: major tummy ache. So instead, I made a Mango Acai Margarita Smoothie. It was tart, slightly sweet, salty and oh so refreshing…oh and sans the tummy ache…an absolutely PERFECT start to Cinco de Mayo!

Mango Acai Margarita Smoothie

By Beth Mickens

• 1 heaping cup mango, frozen
• 2 packs of Sambazon’s Original Acai Smoothie Packs, mostly thawed
• ½ large banana, frozen
• ½ large lime, peeled
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of agave, more if you want it sweeter
• ½-1 cup water
• Slice of lime
• Salt and sugar

1. In a high speed blender add the lime, Sambazon acai packs, mango, banana, salt, agave and water.  Tequila and Triple Sec are optional, but doable J
2. Blend on high until smooth and frosty.
3. On a plate, combine equal amounts of salt and sugar. Rub the outside rom of a mason jar with a cut lime. Dip into sugar/salt mix. Pour smoothie into jar. Garnish with a lime slice and a pinch of salt.

As for dinner…

This year I’ve been obsessed with kale salads so I figured today was the perfect day to combine my absolute love and obsession with Mexican food with this super powerful leafy green. 

Now if you love Mexican food there’s no doubts you’re probably in love with Guacamole, right!? Or obsessed, if you’re like me and love it so much you’ll eat it straight with a spoon, or a fork, or a finger, heck, who’s asking. Then I thought, wouldn't a guacamole like dressing be perfect for a massaged kale salad - It’s creamy, tangy, salty and full of robust flavors that will perfectly compliment the bland yet bold cruciferous taste of kale. Add some veggies and a raw cashew Sour Cream and you are ready to sit back and enjoy your Cinco de Mayo healthfully…okay, sort of healthfully. Think, counters alcohol and sugar ;)

Mexican Quinoa Kale Salad with Cashew Sour Cream

“Guacamole” Dressing

•  ½ avocado
• 2-3 tsp of white onion, grated (about 1/8 of a large onion)
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of grated garlic (optional)
• ½ lime, juiced or 1 Tbsp lime juice
• Salt, to taste

1. In a small bowl or on a clean cutting board, mash the avocado til no longer chunky. Add the onion and garlic, starting with the least amount listed, and mix into the mashed avocado.
2. Add the lime juice and a pinch of salt and mix into the avocado mix until combined and smooth.
3. Season and add additional ingredients based on desired taste. Remember, you want the dressing to be strong because it’s going to lightly dress each and every nook and cranny of the kale salad. In this situation, bold is best. If it’s a bit runny too, no worries. We want that!
4. Set aside ‘til ready to use. 

Cashew Sour Cream

This recipe is very flexible based on your tastes and desires. You can add more lemon juice, more apple cider vinegar, some sweetener, no sweetener…it really does depend on taste. I don’t recall what sour cream tastes like because I never really liked it until now. So mix it up if you want. This is the blend I prefer most.

• ¼ cup cashews, soaked overnight and drained
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• ½ Tbsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 teaspoon of agave
• Pinch of salt

1. Blend til smooth adding as much water as needed until desired consistency is reached. This will make it drizzable. If you want something thicker, add a little less water.

Quinoa Kale Salad

• 4 packed cups of green kale, chopped (I find green kale to be easier to massage and wilt than red/purple kale, which is tougher and a bit stronger in taste)
• Lime
• Salt
• 3 Tbsp of cooked and cool quinoa
• ¼ teaspoon of cumin
• 2 Tbsp of chopped red bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp of corn kernels
• 2 Tbsp of quartered grape or cherry tomatoes (around 6-8 tomatoes)
• 1 Tbsp of chopped green onions
• 1 Tbsp of chopped white onions
• 2 tbsp of cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp of sprouted, salted pepitas

1. In a large bowl, add the kale, a squeeze of lime juice, and pinch of salt. Begin to massage the kale until it starts to wilt. Add 2 Tbsp of “guacamole” dressing and massage until the kale is soft and fully wilted.
2. Add the remaining dressing and lightly massage until the kale and dressing are thoroughly mixed together.
3. Next, add the quinoa and cumin and gently toss to combine.
4. Add the remaining veggies and toss gently to combine.
5. Plate and top with a drizzle of cashew sour cream, some sprouts and pepitas.  

  
Enjoy!

So, I wanna know how did YOU celebrate Cinco de mayo!?

*Beth*

Next year, Creamy Coconut Ceviche and Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita Frosty!? Yes, yes I think so.

Dinner Partying- Feastly Style!

Anya’s Russian Feast

One of my favorite activities since moving to Washington, DC has been attending underground dining events.  Last night I participated in a Feastly dinner hosted by the talented Anya Kroupnik.  The dishes for this feast were inspired by Anya’s Russian heritage and she tied the menu together with a very Russian ingredient:  beets.  I never liked beets until I recently attended another Feastly event where another popular Feastly hostess, Grace Lichaa, prepared them perfectly.  I couldn’t stop eating them! 

We got the party started the right way:  with beet-infused vodka shots!  These were slightly sweet due to the beet sugar, and had a very mild beet flavor.  We chased them with "Zakuski," Russian for "little bites," which included pickled garlic, cucumbers, and tomatoes. 

The first course was a creamy beet soup topped with crunchy cucumbers, dill, and coconut milk.  (This is Anya’s husband’s favorite dish she makes): 

"Not Your Babushka's Borscht"

Other guests at the dinner admitted they also never cared for beets before coming to this dinner.  After trying this soup, however everyone requested seconds and thirds- no one could get enough!

We then moved on to a traditional Russian potato and marinated mushroom medley seasoned with sunflower oil.  This was accompanied by Vinigret, colorful beet salad mixed with potatoes, peas, carrots, and onions:

"Vinigret"

Again, I couldn’t stop munching on these beets!   I should have saved room however, because Anya followed this with a new recipe she created for the event:  a Sweet Beet Tart with Caramelized Onions and Pomegranate Molasses:

"Rustic Beet & Onion Tart"

After all this, we had a Russian chocolate black bread spread with Russian jams such as plum-butter, and topped fresh berries and coconut milk.  Wow.  This was a legitimate feast, all dishes were vegan, and the Feastly price was only $30 per person.   I can’t begin to express how great a deal this is, and as a bonus you meet a room full of fascinating people!

Do you want to try beets prepared so perfectly that you can't stop eating them?  Of course you do!  Lucky for you, Grace Lichaa will soon be selling her pickled beets at the Dupont Farmer’s Market starting in June.  

For those of you who have never tried Feastly, here’s the link:  http://eatfeastly.com/

Come out to a dinner- maybe I’ll see you there!

p.s.  I know you were hoping I would post a crazy Russian/Ukrainian Dinner video.  You weren't?  Here's one anyway:  

You are welcome.


~Grace

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!?
 

Baltimore Vegfest, 2013 = Raw Challenge Fail

As you know, I committed to following Brad’s Raw Challenge for this month until…I realized…the 3^rd Annual Baltimore Vegfest was on Saturday! I have been to every single one so far and I love just supporting this event and watching it as it grows. I also love the fact it gives me an excuse to travel to Maryland!  

We had arrived just in time to grab our goodie bags filled with, well, vegan goodies! Veggie Bouillans, gluten-free onion crackers by Mary’s Gone Crackers, AloDrink, samples of Lush and Parma and oooh a Twilight candy bar by Go Max Go! Lots of yummy goodies!

Then we set out to explore. After a glance, I was surprised to see that the Vegfest had seemed to have shrunk. Maybe it was the location which seemed a bit more spacious? Or maybe there really were less vendors this time around. Whatever it was, it definitely didn’t prevent it from being enjoyable, especially with the beautiful weather! 

*UPDATE* This year has been the largest yet for the Baltimore Vegfest! With over 2,000 people and 12 more vendors than last year, my eyes were clearly mistaken. It's so exciting to hear that this event is growing!

First stop were a few samples from Dandies and Tofurkey. Vegan junk food at its best. Dandies makes some amazing marshmallows that resemble the real thing in both texture and taste. They melt down well too. I’ve used them to make vegan rice krispy treats and s’mores. So good! The Tofurkey was good as well, but in all honesty, I’m not a huge fan of meat substitutes.

Five minutes in and we come across this cutie. If I didn’t live in an apartment I would have immediately adopted and brought home this beauty. McKitty was so sweet and friendly. I literally fell in love but knew I just couldn’t take him. He was being fostered by AARF, Animals Allie Rescues. I’m pretty positive he found a new home that day! This is a great org who looks for people to either foster or adopt pets, so if you’re looking for a new animal to love, please check them out and adapt first! 

As we continued our journey I was immediately stopped by a scent I recognized way to well: Barbecue  - and not just ANY barbecue, Land of Kush barbecue. If you have never heard of Land of Kush then you are seriously missing out on some of the absolute best vegan soul food around. From collards, to mac n’ cheese to barbecue soy ribs, your plate will look just as good as, if not better, your mama’s plate when dining at Nani’s house. I kid you not…I know I said I’m not a meat sub fan, and I’m not, but Land of Kush has some barbecue that is hard to resist. The smell alone is mouth watering. Plus, you know it’s good when your non-vegan mom and husband BOTH ask for it.  So for them, I took some to go. 

Next stop was Mira’s Homemade Granola. I only got to try one flavor, Double Nut, but I recognized the main ingredient, buckwheat. For some reason, I have grown to dislike buckwheat – not sure why truthfully. However, the granola can’t be judged by my dislikes. In my opinion, it was still flavorful and full of crunch. They are raw which is a super plus and a great product to introduce to the growing community of raw foodists. 

Looking for more raw goodies I came across a lady selling...what is that? Yes, JUICE! Raw, freshly made JUICE! Finally I scored! The lady who owns the company, Jukai Juice, along with her sweet son greeted us and offered us two flavors: The Hulk with kale, pineapple, green apple, lemon and ginger or the Honey Pi with Honeydew Orange Pineapple Lemon and Ginger. Of course, I opted for the Hulk since greens ALWAYS come first. :) The taste was phenomenal! Sweet, citrusy and very refreshing. I didn’t realize I had drank it all before it was too late. I could have gone for more but I knew I didn't need to. 

And then there were donuts…kale donuts that is. With a gluten-free option. By A, B, C Vegan. If you’re a bit skeptical, don’t feel bad because so was I. However, when we tasted them we have to say they weren’t all that bad. We ended up trying a gluten-free glazed baked donut. While it was grainy as most gluten-free baked goods are, it was also moist – a plus. Not sure if the moisture came from the baking or from the glaze, but it was moist. The glaze was a bit too sweet for me, but it worked well with the cake donut. All in all, a good recipe AND a unique one at that. Who would have thought of adding Kale to a donut!?

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And then there were truffles….oh creamy chocolaty truffles. These I had to literally walk away from because I could have eaten myself out of Vegfest stuffed with chocolate truffles. Truffles by Emily sold four different vegan flavors: Duke of Earl, Pistachio Pomegranate, Coconut Almond and Lavender. We opted for the Pistachio Pom to split as we attempted to save room for our trip to a vegan restaurant. The truffle literally made me roll my eyes back and say OMG. The texture was super smooth and creamy which was well complimented by the crunchy, salty pistachios. The flavor was simply sweet, a bit salty, nutty with a hint of tangy fruit from the pomegranate. Now, I could be bias seeing as I am a major truffle lover, but these truffles were very well balanced in both texture and flavor. A must try if you can!

We did stop by a few vendors and took a few extra pic... 

Since Vegfest literally took us, oh, I think an hour!? We decided to head out to explore Roots Market and Great Sage. While my friend had been to both places once, I have not so I was beyond excited to finally be able to visit this fabulous shopping center. 

Roots Market is an organic grocery located in Clarksville, MD. It is like a Whole Foods, but in my opinion, better! It carries only the best products! Look at all the goodies I grabbed! I am particularly excited about my purchase of cacao butter for only 12.99. A steal! 

After we browsed through the store, filling up on food samples, we finally decided to take a seat and enjoy a light lunch at the GreatSage. 

As I stated, I have never been before, but I follow the Great Sage’s Facebook Page and gawk and drool daily at their photos of their latest and greatest menu items. I was thrilled to finally be able to try something on their menu. First, we ordered drinks, a Ginger Mojito for me. It was bit sweet, but still quite tasty. It was a very well blend between alcohol and brew.

I was even more thrilled to discover they offered two raw dishes: Beet Ravioli and Chocolate Crepes. Of course, we ordered BOTH and shared.

First up, the Beet Ravioli: “marinated beet slices filled with sunflower-cashew cheese, topped with basil pesto and a micro green salad”.  The beets were tender enough to cut, yet still had a slight bite to it. They had a very light, earthy flavor which I can only guess can be thanked to the marinating process. Smart idea to draw out some of that strong earthiness red beets seem to always have when consumed raw. The “cheese” inside was full of flavor, but a bit chunky and tasted more like a pate than a ravioli cheese.  Something smoother, creamier and lighter in flavor may have given the dish the ravioliness we were looking for. The pesto was light and added a nice addition in terms of pleasing every part of the palate. All in all, the dish was full of flavor and beautifully presented.

Then came the chocolate crepes, “chewy crepes filled with a coconut vanilla ‘crème’ topped with a raw chocolate fudge sauce.  At first bite we were both a bit thrown off by the chewy texture of the crepes. Clearly we didn’t read the description! It wasn’t a bad thing at all, just a shock. We had never had raw crepes before and only knew crepes by their non-raw counterparts which are thin, light and only slightly chewy. These crepes were smooth, thick and had quite a chewy bite to them. At first I thought maybe thinner will work, but anything thinner may not have held it’s shape and THAT would have killed presentation. I do have to admit though, they had a dense, cake-like texture that I didn't expect, but very much appreciated for being a raw crepe.  

As for taste, slightly sweet and very chocolaty which worked very well with the sweet, thick, fluffy coconut vanilla ‘crème’. The crème was near perfection in both consistency and taste. I immediately identified the coconut and my friend mentioned a hint of banana. It was seriously finger lickable, which I did not do although I really, really wanted to. The raw fudge sauce was familiar – a possible blend of coconut oil, cacao powder and agave which made it very saucy, with a strong cocoa flavor. It’s a great compliment to the dish for anyone looking to add a bit more sweetness to every bite. I didn’t try it with the mint, which I should have. Overall, a rich, decadent raw dessert that exceeded my expectations. Now let’s get that raw crème stuffed into some strawberries and drizzled with chocolate or mixed in with a berry salad. Yumm!

Between the beautiful weather, supporting my locals at Vegfest, browsing Roots like a kid in a candy shop and enjoying some impressive raw dishes at Great Sage, I have to say my Saturday was VERY well spent. I couldn’t have asked for a better day!

*Beth*

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

Blueberry Hemp Milk Smoothie

So I usually drink a green smoothie every morning as my breakfast, or on the weekends as a snack after my workout.  I usually don't follow a recipe as I have found that a lot of my favorite smoothies are ones that I make up myself.  I do use recipes from Young and Raw's 30 day smoothie challenge but I also tweak these a bit and add or omit certain ingredients.  If you haven't ever heard of Young and Raw or their 30 day Smoothie Challenge you should check it out!

Today was a day that I completely created my own smoothie recipe and it was by far my favorite.  After drinking an entire glass each my boyfriend and I were actually fighting over the leftovers in the blender.  If you would like to try a healthy, green smoothie that tastes like dessert check out this recipe I created today.  You can use this recipe to fool anyone who refuses to eat greens! 

Hemp Milk Creamy Blueberry Smoothie

16 oz hemp milk 

2 Tbs organic chia seeds

2 handfuls of organic kale & organic spinach 

4 organic dates 

1 frozen banana

1/2 - 3/4 cup frozen organic blueberries

6-8 ice cubes

This recipe makes enough for about 2 smoothies with a little left over.  I guarantee that this will be one of the best smoothies you have ever tasted!  Mmmmmmm....

- Kerry