Purple Smoothie Recipe

 

A few days ago I posted a purple smoothie to my Instagram account.  I enjoyed it so much I wanted to post it here as well. I picked up the organic purple kale at my local farmers market and used organic frozen blueberries.  For the toppings I used raw white mulberries and hemp seeds.   I recently discovered mulberries and love how they are sweet, chewy and crunchy.  I also love adding hemp seeds to my smoothies for a nutty flavor and added protein. This smoothie was a delicious start to my day.

Serves 2

2 cups filtered water

1 ripe banana

1 cup frozen blueberries

4-5 stalks purple kale

Toppings:

Raw hemp seeds

Raw dried white mulberries

Using a high-speed blender, blend the water, banana, blueberries, and purple kale until smooth.  Top with hemp seeds and mulberries.

If you don't have a high-speed blender, blend purple kale with water first to break down the kale.  Then add banana and blueberries and continue blending until smooth.

Enjoy!

My Daily Breakfast - Green Smoothies

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that I'm really into making green smoothies for breakfast.  I like to post pictures of the different smoothie combinations I make.  Smoothies are a quick breakfast and are perfect for taking with you on your way to work.  My basic smoothie always contains a banana, one or two other fruits, kale and almond milk or water.  Lately I've been adding celery and/or parsley for more nutrients.  If the fruits are not sweet enough, I like adding a pitted medjool date for sweetness.

A high-speed blender is important in breaking down the kale stems and achieving a super smooth smoothie.  If you don't have a high-speed blender you can still make smoothies but I would suggest blending the greens with the liquid first.

Below is my basic smoothie recipe:
Yield 40 oz or 2 servings

• 2 cups filtered water or almond milk
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of one or two different types of fruit (for example mango & pineapple, blueberries & mango, blueberries & strawberries, apple & pear....possibilities are endless!)  In the photo I used just mango.  Frozen fruits are okay too.
• 5 kale stalks (or 2 cups spinach)
• Few ice cubes if not using frozen fruit
• 1/2 celery (optional)
• handful parsley  (optional)
• chia seeds 
• hemp seeds

If using high-speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.  If not using high-speed blender, blend greens with liquid first then add rest of ingredients and blend until smooth.  Top with chia seeds and hemp seeds.  Enjoy!

Tofu Omelet

My all-time favorite type of food is brunch food.  I love cooking waffles, pancakes, scrambles - basically anything related to brunch.  One thing I loved to eat before going vegan was eggs.  Now I cook tofu omelets and scrambles and it looks and tastes just like the real thing!  What I love about omelets and scrambles is that you can basically fill it with any veggies you have in your fridge.  The day I made this I happened to have oyster mushrooms from the farmer's market so I decided to use it for the filling.  The possibilities are endless for fillings such as bell peppers, green onions, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, etc.  Makes 2 large servings.

Filling

1 clove garlic minced
1/2 onion diced
1 cup mushrooms chopped (I used oyster mushrooms)
1 small tomato seeded and diced
2 handfuls of chopped kale (Stems removed.  I save the stems for juice or smoothies)
1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp of tamari (or soy sauce or liquid aminos)
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
salt and pepper

1. Heat skillet to medium heat
2. Add thin layer of water* to pan and saute garlic and onion until translucent
3. Add mushrooms and saute for few more minutes until soft (continue to add more water if needed to prevent from sticking to pan)
4. Add chopped kale and saute for few more minutes until wilted
5. Add tomato and saute a minute longer
6. Season with nutritional yeast, tamari, smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste and continue to saute for another minute until flavors blend
7. Remove from heat and set aside

* I used water to saute with to decrease the fat but you may use cooking spray or oil if you prefer

Omelet

1 14oz package of tofu
1 tbsp non-dairy milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp tamari (or soy sauce or liquid aminos)
1/4 paprika
black salt (black salt is actually pink and is found at Indian grocery stores. It is the secret to make it taste like egg. If you don't have black salt, regular salt will do but it won't be the same)
Pepper

1. In food processor blend tofu, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, onion powder, cumin, turmeric, tamari, and paprika until smooth.
2. Add black salt and pepper to taste and blend again.
3. In skillet melt 1-2 tablespoons oil or vegan butter over medium heat
4. Spread half of tofu mixture into center of skillet and spread out evenly.  Watch for bubbles and cracks and smooth cracks over with more tofu mixture.
5. Let the tofu mixture fry for 8 minutes or longer and lift edges up with spatula to see if golden and crispy on the bottom side
6. Once bottom of tofu mixture is golden and crispy spread half of your cooked vegetables on one side of the omelet in an even layer.
7. Next gently use your spatula to flip the empty side of the omelet over to the other side with the fillings.  I notice using 2 spatulas at this point makes it easier to flip the other side over without breaking.
8. Gently move to a plate.  You can place in warm oven (200 degrees) while you cook the second omelet.
9. Top with fresh ground pepper and serve!  I usually like to eat my omelet with roasted potatoes and ketchup.