Garden Smoothie

-
After enjoying our friend Judi's "momba" smoothies so many times, we finally bought a good (Ninja) blender so we could make our own. Dr. Gregor has some videos about research that shows you get all the benefits of the kale and berries in blended form, but that's not true for all fruits. And Larry notes that they taste better than they look :)

Ingredients
banana
carrots (1 or 2 small/medium)
kale (5-10 leaves)
oranges (1 or 2, peeled)
apple or pear (1, cored)
almond milk (maybe a cup?)
frozen berries of your choice (maybe a cup?)

Instructions
Put everything in a powerful blender and pulse until mixed. I tend to mix everything but the frozen berries, and then add the berries at the end. Sometimes they come out green (if I go heavy on the kale and lighter on the berries), and sometimes they come out more purple (if I go heavy on blueberries).

Makes 2-3 glasses, and keeps fine in the fridge until the next day if you can't drink it all.


And with even more frozen blueberries... purple!


Popular posts from this blog

Blood Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

-
Image
Shelley Million gave us a blood orange cake when we made a backyard visit in March, and it was divine! I asked Larry what he wanted for his birthday, and he said this cake. Shelley made it with regular oranges and without the topping, and we had lots of oranges on our tree, so I did the same - except I made the topping and used a few blood oranges there, figuring I'd make it extra pretty for the birthday boy. I also doubled the recipe to make 2 rounds since we had 2 birthday parties, but 1 round is plenty for one group. (Also, our tree's oranges are HUGE, and blood oranges at the store were much smaller, so I used fewer oranges; adjust depending on your orange size.)  Ingredients (Makes one tall round; double for 2 rounds) zest from 2 oranges 1/2 C orange juice (from the 2 oranges) 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing 1 1/2 cups flour 2/3 cup dark cocoa powder, unsweetened 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/4 C sugar 1 C water 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar topping: 1 C powd
Read more

Za’atar Roasted Tofu with Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Tahini

-
Image
Judy and Robert made a variation of this delicious NYTimes recipe for Za’atar Roasted Tofu With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Lemony Tahini for lunch before we enjoyed a beautiful hike through redwoods at Robert's Regional Recreation Area . Below is a variation close to what they made, and I want to replicate! Ingredients 14 oz firm tofu, drained 1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (can also try butternut squash) 1 (8-ounce) bag leafy greens, such as baby spinach, baby kale, arugula, or mixed greens Salt and pepper Marinade: 3 garlic cloves, diced 2 lemons 2T oil 1 1/2 T za’atar dry spice mix  1 tsp dried oregano or marjoram 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 T soy sauce (for 2nd half of marinade, used on tofu) Dressing: 1/4 C tahini 1 T honey 2T water Farro, barley, wild rice medley, or other grain, for serving Instructions Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the drained tofu into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Combine the chickpeas and tomatoes on a half
Read more

Zucchini Mushroom Quiche with Red Pepper Relish

-
Image
Our neighbor Elsa gave us 4 beautiful fresh leeks from her garden. I had been planning to make my chickpea tart , but then I found a mushroom leek quiche in Vegan Comfort Classics that looked worth a try! Here's my slightly adapted version, using zucchinis and mushroom. The red pepper relish is amazing on crackers or anything else you might serve a chutney with.  If you don't have time to make the relish, cranberry sauce or mango chutney is pretty good with the quiche. The Parm is totally optional; I've made this several times and don't usually bother with it anymore. Ingredients 1 large or 2 medium pie crusts; I like Wholly Wholesome or an easy  whole wheat pie crust Veggie saute: 2 T canola oil 2 C leeks or onion, diced 1-2 C mushrooms, sliced 2 C zucchini or broccoli, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp sage (or 1T fresh) 1 tsp tarragon Tofu mix: 2 12-oz silken tofu 1/4 C nutritional yeast 1/3 C chickpea flour 1 T white v
Read more