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Question of the Day:
Do you prefer blending or juicing?
Which greens are you incorporating into your green drinks these days?
All Love,
Juliane
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Sweet & Tangy Power Green Juice
I've begun my Raw journey!
Several years ago I began experimenting as a vegetarian purely out of love for animals. One need only adore a pet of their own for that to turn into compassion for all animals. That's what happened for me. I became unable to hold dually in my conscience, that it's ok to eat one animal so long as I never knew it personally/it came from XYZ species, while simultaneously loving another animal as a member of my family.
I hold no judgement against meat eaters as it's woven into the fabric of our conditioning. We're raised eating, wearing & using animal products in more ways than we probably realize. Even despite my own internal conflicts over the issue, I've waffled back and forth between vegetarian/flexetarian over the years, rationalizing, since my husband was a carnivore, preparing a couple of meat dishes a week, though I'd use only humanely raised/organic products religiously.
Recently, however, after reading several fascinating nutrition books, I learned the amazing benefits of a raw foods vegetarian diet. What we've been conditioned to believe our bodies require nutritionally in order to thrive is quite upside down. A vegetarian/raw foods diet has been linked to a whole host of benefits including greater energy, radiant skin, reduced risk of disease and better digestion. Research and real life experiences have also shown that a person can prevent a body's healthy cells from turning into malignant cancererous cells by consuming mostly a vegetarian, raw food diet of whole, organic foods!
When I shared what I'd learned with Jim, I was thrilled when he decided he too wanted transition to a vegetarian, mostly Raw Vegan food diet. The timing was perfect! After just 2 weeks of phasing ourselves into this new lifestyle, we're already feeling and seeing the results. Jim, for example, is experiencing a much higher level of performance during his boxing workouts!
Uncooking, or eating Raw involves a lot of new techniques and some new tools- though the investment is negligible compared to health related expenses down the road. We'd already been making a delicious green smoothie daily for the past year (yes, we love it that much!) in our Vitamix, so we were off to a fab start. My 1st two equipment investments so far on our Raw journey are my spiralizer, for making vegetable pasta, and a Juicer. Love them both!
Originally, I'd planned to share my Raw Vegan recipe for Pasta Alfredo today, but I've received so many requests for this Power Green Juice that I decided to share it first. Again, this is NOT the same recipe as the green smoothie I've shared previously. Juicing is very different from blending as it immediately delivers a degree of enzymes/nutrition/benefits we'd never actually be able to consume in even one day. Jim and I noticed after our first Power Green Juice we experienced an awesome sustained rush of energy, not unlike what follows a cup of coffee, just without the jitters and subsequent crash.
Please enjoy Sweet & Tangy Power Green Juice. I am thrilled about it, as until now, I've never been able to drink more than a few sips of green juice, from even the best juicing companies. Sweet & Tangy Green Drink has a wonderful tang of ginger and lemon, sweetness from apples & zip from the fennel… and there's something about that fabulous sustained energy rush… it becomes addictive! It's already one of our daily staples.
Sweet & Tangy Power Green Juice
Recipe for Sweet & Tangy Power Green Juice (Serves 2)
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Sweet & Tangy Power Green Juice
You may also enjoy: Until Next Time Nantucket Part I or Grapefruit, Avocado & Kalamata Salad
Pesto has always been a special favorite of mine… as though its ingredients were terribly rare or difficult to prepare… it's that luxuriously delicious. Fortunately, as pre-packaged versions don't at all measure up to homemade, it's quite simple to make. Pesto can be customized to whatever is in season- or growing in your garden as the case is with me- nothing needs to be measured precisely… all you need is a trusty food processor and you're ready to go.
Last weekend Jim harvested a TON of fresh spinach from our garden, half of which I boxed into leftover stay-fresh spinach boxes I'd saved from the market (for our delicious morning green smoothie) the other half I made into an amazing Spring Garden Spinach & Chive Pesto. I absolutely LOVE spinach pesto -even better than basil or arugula versions. I made a large enough batch that we couldn't use it all immediately so I froze the bulk in ice-cube trays then popped the cubes into a ziplock freezer baggie. Great trick! Now we have Spring Pesto on hand whenever we need it- which er, seems to be every day suddenly…
Slathered on sandwiches
Tossed with a beautiful gluten free pasta
Starring in a potato salad
Smeared on gluten free toast/crackers
Tossed with grilled vegetables…
Jim… I think it's time to harvest the rest of that spinach! We're already running low on our Spring Pesto supply:)
Below, I thought I'd share a few bonus snaps (please click them to enlarge for better, larger view) from the garden which is more and more breathtaking by the day! We've been enjoying collard greens, spinach, radishes and herbs so far this Spring with lots more on the way… purple potatoes, fingerlings, peas, carrots, beets, squash, melon, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers & eggplant! My husband has created the most magnificent world of beauty just outside our kitchen door.
Spring Garden Spinach & Chive Pesto frozen in ice-cube trays & popped into a freezer baggie!
Spring Garden Spinach & Chive Pesto
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Enjoy!
The Land of Spinach
Deep within the Land of Spinach
Empty Spinach rows following Jim's record holding Spinach harvest… no worries, there is more growing to the right of this photo.
"Big Red", Jim's trusty wheelbarrow
Beet Greens
The Land of Beets
Deep within the Land of Carrots
Purple Potato Blossoms ~ yes, the potatoes will be purple too!
Baby Peppers growing up near the gorgeous Land of Beets
The Land of Swiss Chard
Sun-drenched Pea
What are your favorite Springtime veggies?
Are you growing anything edible in your yard this year?
Cozy Tuscan White Bean & Veggie Soup
There's nothing better than cozying up to a bowl of steaming, healthy goodness on a chilly winter day. My favorite Tuscan White Bean & Veggie Soup will warm your insides, leaving you well nourished and happy! This garlicky, tomato-based bowl of hearty veggies & cannellini beans is enlivened with bright green wilted spinach and a dusting of Pecorino Romano dotted with truffle oil. A simple dish you can rely on when you want simple, healthy, comfort to warm your soul!
Recipe for Tuscan White Bean & Veggie Soup
Ingredients
Method
Enjoy!
Tuscan White Bean & Veggie Soup
The first day of spring (March 20th) is only two weeks away!
(Surely Old Man Winter must be looking forward to a good loooooong rest following the blockbuster of snow, ice and below freezing temperatures he produced for us this year.)
Miraculously, the ground has finally thawed and the soil is now workable…the equivalent of a personalized invitation to my nature loving husband to go outside and get dirty preparing our two small gardens…tilling, removing moss and rocks, carefully creating neat rows and planting our spring veggies: Rainbow Chard, Peas, Spinach, Radishes, Russian Fingerling & Yukon Potatoes, Beets, Turnips and a few herbs.
The fruits of our gardens will be available in 8 or more weeks (depending on the weather). At which point we arrive to my part in the equation. And while, yes, a simple drizzle of olive oil and sea salt are often best with these fresh jewels of the earth, I'll be sure to share a couple of my favorite recipes honoring my sweet gardener.
Do you have any gardening plans this year? I'd love to hear about them!
A caddy-corner view of the freshly tilled and planted gardens through the sweet pea trellises.
