Recipe: Vegan Almond Pesto W/ Baby Greens

April 1, 2014

i love pesto in all forms and on almost anything. and since spring is here, anything fresh & green is highly appealing to my taste buds.

here's a super simple recipe for pesto, but with the health factor cranked up a notch...

what you need:

1 1/2C packed basil leaves

1 1/2C packed baby greens (i used a mix that had baby spinach, baby swiss chard & baby kale)

1/2C unsalted almonds (you can also sub for cashews, walnuts, pine nuts, etc if you want)

1/2C nutritional yeast (sub for parmesan if you're not into making it vegan)

1/2 avocado

3 cloves garlic

juice of 1/2 lemon & the zest

1/3C evoo

1/3C reserved pasta water
(if you're not making pasta, then use more olive oil or regular water)

S&P

what to do:

cook some pasta

scoop out a cup full of pasta water from the pot after pasta is done cooking

reserve 1C of baby greens for later

blend all other ingredients together in a blender or food processor, but slowly adding the evoo & pasta water in equal parts little by little until you reach the consistency you want

pour pesto over cooked pasta

chop additional baby greens & toss in raw with the pasta

options are endless for this pesto or any leftover you might have: pour over roasted or grilled veggies, add to eggs, spread on toast or in a sandwich - almost anything!

10 minutes
serves 6-8

do you have a favorite pesto recipe? i'd love to hear in the COMMENTS below...

Recipe: Sunshine Turmeric Juice

March 13, 2014

this electric orange juice is one mega thirst-quenching drink.

turmeric is best known as the root ingredient to make curry, but it's uses don't stop there.

it has anti-inflammatory properties that are said to aid in cancer prevention, relieve arthritis & help your brain, liver & cardiovascular system.

you can add turmeric to smoothies & juices just as you would ginger for a slightly less spicy flavor. mix & match the veggies & fruits you use, anything goes!

what you need:

3 inch nub of turmeric root

4 clementines

3 carrots

juice of 1 lemon

3C water

what to do:

peel the turmeric, carrots, & clementines

add all ingredients to blender & blend

sift through a fine mesh strainer if you choose to make it more juice-like

& enjoy!

makes 40oz
5 minutes
fridge life 48-72 hours

do you have a turmeric recipe you love? please share in the COMMENTS below...

Recipe: Walnut Milk

March 6, 2014

if you liked the first recipe posted on BE WELL, almond milk, you will definitely love this walnut milk! this recipe can be made with cashews, hemp hearts & whatever else you can dream up. AND you don't even have to strain it!

i made this one a bit on the sweeter side, so feel free to tone down the dates & maple syrup if you like.

what you need:

1C walnuts (soak overnight or for a couple hours if you can, but not necessary)

4C water

4 pitted medjool dates

1t good maple syrup

1/2t vanilla

few dashes of cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

what to do:

blend all ingredients together in a high-speed blender (vitamix, blendtec, etc work well)

that's it!

use in cereal, oatmeal, sip it, etc.

store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge. it will naturally separate, so just give it a good shake before using.

makes 40oz
5 minutes
fridge life 3-5 days

if you try this recipe or another nut milk let me know in the COMMENTS below!

Recipe: Vegan Cheesy Popcorn (Off The Cob!)

February 21, 2014

if you're lucky enough to find some dried corn on the cob, grab it. i can't say i have ever see any at the grocery store, but you can find it at farmer's markets, or in my case, through a local CSA (community supported agriculture or "farm share").

fresh popcorn like this is crunchy & so flavorful. it makes the movie theater stuff taste like styrofoam.

even better, add this vegan cheesy topping for the ultimate addictive popcorn snack.

what you need:

dried corn on the cob

coconut oil

nutritional yeast

sea salt

garlic powder

pepper

what to do:

cut off any dead kernels on the end of the cob

take off any of the husk that might be remaining

put in a paper bag & fold over the top

pop in the microwave for 1-3mins. take it out & check on it every minute to make sure it's not burning or over cooking. if you stop hearing popping, that means its done

(mine started smoking a couple times because the end had some dead kernels, so keep an eye on the microwave!)

while it's in the microwave, heat some coconut oil in a pot

once it's all popped, toss in the popcorn & stir around to lightly coat

add nutritional yeast, sea salt, garlic powder & a little bit of pepper

start light with the toppings & add more to your liking

add more nutritional yeast if you would like more of the cheesy flavor

note: i'm sure this would work great in a pot on the stove if you were using loose kernels

5 minutes
serves 1-4, depends how much you want to share

have you tried this recipe? let me know how you think it stands up to the regular stuff in the COMMENTS below...

Recipe: Wheat Berry, Apple, Cranberry & Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash

February 17, 2014

this recipe looks like it has a lot of steps, but it really is pretty easy.

you can even try substituting the wheat berries for quinoa, brown rice or farro. and the stuffing can include any veggies you like. use what's in your kitchen!

i will say... use your judgement / preference on the measurements, i'm not so good at that.

what you need:

2 acorn squash

1C wheat berries (similar to brown rice or farro)

1 apple

1/2C dried cranberries

1/2C almonds, chopped

6 handfuls of baby kale (or any dark leafy greens)

1/2 onion

2 garlic cloves

3C water

coconut oil