Three Kids and Fridge Full of Veggies: 2 Weeks of Photos: Work and Home Delights!

One of my last entries, I talked about the learning process of going vegan and raw while integrating that learning process into every day simple tasks. Tasks such as making a healthy lunch to eat at work to resist the temptations of unhealthy food like french fries!!

So the day after I made that post, this was my lunch. Sprouted grain tortillas slightly toasted, with homemade raw vegan pesto, tomatoes, mushrooms, sprouts, and some raw sun-dried botija olives. When I ate them at work I was so happy with myself and I wished I had brought enough for everyone! There was also some leftover pasta alla marinara that I ate.

They were so delicious that I made them again a few days later... But for dinner:

Orange juice beer??

That same night I wanted a citrusy kind of ale but only managed to get some Blue Moon (Not so tasty from a bottle, I recommend getting it draft only!!) I am a huge fan of any beer that can be paired with citrus such as orange, lemon and lime. So, I cut up some grapefruit, blood orange, regular orange, and lemon, put it in a glass and poured some Blue Moon. The fruit was tasty but like I said, draft is better. I thought I would share it anyway. Beer and fruit is the best!!

Spicy Bean Soup. A perfect match for a pepperjack Daiya grilled cheeze

The next day I was craving a spicy bean soup so inspired by the canned mediterranean soup that I buy from Whole Foods, I made my own! Black beans boiled with onions, garlic, Better than Bouillon vegetable base, El Pato Jalapeno tomato sauce, tomato sauce, chipotle to taste, salt and pepper to taste, red bell peppers, carrots, corn, a little bit of frozen veggies for color (I didn't have extra corn or green beans), and mushrooms! I was shocked how well I made it. There was a lot of flavor. A bit of a spicy kick and a little smokiness. I took some leftovers to my future mother-in-law.

For breakfast

I used another recipe from my Carol Alt book Eating in the Raw, under breakfast cereals. David Wolfe's Basic Breakfast Granola . It was okay. Not amazing but edible. I probably won't be making this again but it was a tasty morning treat before heading off to work.

Recipe:

2 cups raw almonds, soaked for 8 hours and drained

1/2 cup raisins

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Raw honey to taste

1 tablespoon distilled water (optional)

Place the softened almonds, raisins, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a blender, and chop until crumbly. Add honey and a drizzle of distilled water.

I topped it off with "Juliano's Whipped Cream". Juliano, Raw: The Uncook Book.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups raw germinated walnuts, cashews, or nuts of your choice. (I used cashews)

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons dates, chopped

a few drops of almond extract (optional)

In a blender, combine the nuts, orange juice, dates, and, if you wish, a few drops of almond extract. Blend, and using a rubber scraper, scrape the sides to help the cream blend. Stop and check for sweetness and consistency; add more chopped dates if the cream needs sweetness; add more water if the cream is still too stiff. Continue blending until fluffy and smooth. Use immediately.

That same day I made a cashew cheeze!

Vegan Cashew Cheese

Ingredients:

2/3 cup cashews (raw is best, roasted is still great, and try flavored cashews too)

1/2 cup water (or slightly more)

1/4 cup red bell pepper (raw or roasted)

1/4 small red onion (if you're cooking for a date, or more otherwise!)

1/4 cup yeast flakes

2 garlic cloves

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (on the health food isle everywhere, or use lite soy sauce)

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sea salt (optional) if the cashews are unsalted

Put everything in a food processor and blend it until it's creamy. If it's too thick, add more water. If it's too watery, add more cashews. It should have a Cream of Wheat-like consistency, or just a bit thicker.

So for lunch...

So my lunch was made from my raw "meat": walnuts, sunflower seeds, sun-dried tomatoes, onions and spices (Cayenne, salt and pepper..) A pretty good combo so I put them on a sandwich with sprouted grain bread, topped with tomatoes and sprouts. I really enjoyed my lunch that day!! On the side some leftover sauteed asparagus.

Now on to my reuben craze!!!

Here is a photo of what I needed for a vegan reuben sandwich. Sprouted rye bread toasted with Earth Balance vegan butter, smokey tempeh "fakin bacon", sauerkraut, I can't use swiss so I just used some vegan american cheese. Then I made my own 1000 island with vegenaise, ketchup and sweet relish.