Recipes

Recipes and food tips

  • Recipes

    How to Make Starbucks' Michigan Cherry Oat Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free)

    If you follow my facebook fan page, you know I drink a lot of GTLs (green tea lemonades) from Starbucks in the warmer weather. Sometimes it’s tempting to also grab a yummy pastry– but they are so high in calories and refined sugar! It would likely be momentary satisfaction and lasting regret. When I do eat a pastry, it is usually the Michigan Cherry Oat Bar. It just seems like the healthier option, though I have not really researched this. What I do know, is that most of the most tasty desserts have refined sugar, wheat and butter. I wanted to come up with something made of more natural and…

  • Breakfast Foods

    Apple Walnut Steel Cut Oats

    It’s only Monday morning and I already know this is going to be an extremely busy one! Since I’ve been up rather early this morning, I’m taking a breather and enjoying breakfast in bed and watching a little of Populaire on Netflix. Mondays are a mixture of anxiety and excitement for many because most are looking to accomplish a whole lot, but also sad the weekend has come to an end. As far as health goes, Monday is usually the day people say they will begin eating right. It’s a fresh start! If you follow my Facebook fan page, you know I eat a lot of oatmeal. A few people…

  • Breakfast Foods,  Recipes

    Simple AM Detox Drink

    You may have heard me say this before…ABC: always be cleansing. Sometimes we have a day or two of poor eating habits, not enough sleep, or are very much affected by the environment. There are so many reasons we can benefit from detoxing. I like to keep it simple. Before breakfast, try this. 12oz hot filter water, 1 tbsp lime juice, 2 pinches of cayenne pepper. Add a few lime slices if you like. Lime is acidic, but it is actually alkaline forming in our bodies. Cayenne can soothe a sore throat, calm an upset stomach, and help allergies to name a few!

  • Health,  Recipes

    Foods to Eat for Healthy Hair

    The last video of the healthy hair series is by far the most important. What you put in your body as fuel is more significant than any number of shampoos or techniques to grow longer, healthier hair. Here is a video with my top nutrients for healthier and stronger hair as well as a delicious salad! Salad Ingredients (Serves 2) 1 tangelo (or orange), sectioned and peeled 2-3 cups shredded leafy greens 1 bell pepper, julienned 5-6 basil leaves, cut into ribbons 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 1/4 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped 1/2 avocado, sliced Dressing 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/2 lemon sea salt to…

  • Breakfast Foods,  Recipes

    Blood Orange and Rainbow Chard Smoothie

    Over the last year I have had a surprising amount of people tell me they just can’t get into green smoothies because of the color. I would hate for people to miss out on the nutrients, so I created this delicious drink which has so much rich color added, it masks the green! Before this, I never put rainbow chard in my smoothie. I’m usually partial to baby spinach because it blends up so smoothly. If you haven’t seen it before, it’s a hearty leafy green with red veins and stalks. It is really beautiful! Blood oranges are my currently obsession, so I couldn’t leave those out. To make this…

  • Complete Meals,  Recipes

    Vegan Beet & Lentil Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

    Veggie burgers are pretty easy to come by these days. When I go to the freezer aisle of grocery stores, there are many types and flavors. The only problem is, most of the burgers have soy and gluten, and the ones that do no,  have so little protein they really aren’t offering much nutrition. This latest food project was to make up a flavorful, hearty, and nutrient-dense burger without soy. The main ingredients are just steamed lentils and beets! It’s super easy to make and I found it to be very filling. After practicing a couple of times, I teamed up with my friend Hetal of Prettypolymath and I made…

  • Breakfast Foods,  Health,  Recipes

    The Master Cleanse Green Smoothie

    This morning I woke with the intent to drink my variation of the Master Cleanse– I do warm water, the juice of half a lemon, and two dashes of cayenne. Basically, I leave out the maple syrup. An hour later, I go and enjoy breakfast. The cleansing properties of the lemon, cayenne, and warm water are often enough to help me feel energized, and give myself a little reboot if I ate anything I shouldn’t have. I decided to convert this into a green smoothie, and I’m sharing because it was absolutely delicious! It’s always awesome when you choose function over flavor, but end up with good flavor anyway.  Imagine…

  • Food for Large Groups,  Hosting,  Recipes

    Housewarming Party Menu Items

    Lots of people are moving or have recently moved, so I find that the most common questions I get center around preparation for a housewarming a party. I recently made a video on tips for hosting a dinner party, or you can watch How to Have a Housewarming Party on  a Budget. I’ve put together a list of easy, delicious and healthy housewarming foods that your guests are sure to love! Mix and match 4 to 6 items from this list and you’re off to a great start! Simply click on the photo to link to the recipe.  Mint Berry Sparklers    Fresh Mex Salad    Quinoa & seafood Greek…

  • Recipes

    Tofu Saltado Peruvian Cuisine | Meatless Monday

    A few years ago I went to a Peruvian restaurant in East Los Angeles and was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of vegetarian items. I ordered the tofu saltado, which is traditionally made with chicken (pollo saltado) or beef (lomo saltado). This Peruvian dish is a stir fry influenced by Chinese cuisine done with strips of meat, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and parsley. Since it is already a fusion dish, there’s no rule that I cannot do my own take on it! I first marinated the tofu, and then also I used cilantro because I believe it is a lot more flavorful. It is served with rice, but if this is…

  • Recipes

    How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter with a Food Processor

    The other day I had a complete peanut butter emergency! Not only was I all out, but the nearby stores had the  non-natural kind with hydrogenated fats and additives. Solution? Make it myself! Food processors are so handy. Check out this quick video detailing how to make it in just 6 minutes with roasted peanuts!