Raw Recipe: Mock Pina Colada

I love Pina Coladas... and with this easy recipe, delicious raw vegan virgin Pina Coladas are a breeze!

Ingredients:
1/3 of a large pineapple, chopped
1 cup 100% coconut water
1 banana
Ice and water to fill blender or mute strong taste
Optional: one date or touch of raw agave.

Blend! I usually like to add a bunch of ice, and I find in this recipe it didn't affect the flavour at all!
Enjoy :)

Recipe: Easy Garlic Dill Dressing/Sauce

So, I was looking for a quick, easy and delicious vegan sauce. I also found out it was a good warm dressing.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Vegan Margarine (Earth Balance is what I used)
2 teaspoons of Nutritional Yeast (or more if you want it cheezier!)
1 tsp of Dill (I love my dill)
2/4 tsp of powdered Garlic
2/3 tsp of Almond Milk


Method:
I honestly just microwaved mine for some quick! Mix and enjoy! As you see above, I put it on brown rice pasta for lunch, but I did it on a cucumber slaw salad for dinner and it was sooo good.

Easy and yummy! Sometimes, that's very much needed.

Review: The Naam

When my friend from Boston came, I really wanted to take her to veg places I had never been as well, acting as a vegan tourist in my own city. There are so many great places in parts of the city I don't usually hang out in, so I thought this was an great opportunity to head out there and grab some delicious vegan grub.

It was late and cold, so what better place to get some veg food than at the Naam restaurant. I've spoken to both Leila and Glen, the owners, before, and I figured if the restaurant was even a half as fabulous as they are, then it must be fantastic.

Located in the prestigious Kitsilano area of Vancouver, BC, the Naam is the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the city, with an expected number of people lined up outside every night.

I've been meaning to go here for awhile, so I was glad that when we were hanging out at Calhoun's (a 24 hours cafe one street over), that I thought of the idea to head over to the Naam for dinner. Looking at the menu online makes me drool.

After waiting in the line for less than 20 minutes, my friend and I got a great spot by the window. I
already had looked at the menu prior so I knew what I wanted to order. The waitress and hostess was super nice, and although extremely loud, the Naam has a great atmosphere.

For an appetizer, my friend and I attempted to order a vegan poutine. And although an interesting take, it wasn't the traditional poutine I was hoping for (pictured above right). Soft potato wedges with melted mozza daiya, with a side of the signature miso gravy. I wasn't the biggest fan of the gravy, but I'm always a fan of daiya.

I was in the mood for some kind of ramen, so I ordered the Asian Noodle Bowl. Packed with deep fried tofu, bean sprouts, mushrooms, red pepper, broccoli, and ramen noodles, the dish was everything I was hoping it to be. Filling, flavourful, and not at all too salty. I have this horrible habit of often ordering the worst thing on a great menu, but this was definitely not the case. A 5 out of 5 for the Noodle Bowl.
The menu stretches far beyond though, with everything from Burritos and burgers, to shakes and cakes, everything containing egg and dairy is clearing marked, and practically everything can be made vegan.

Their signature dessert is their apple pie... so I wasn't going to leave without trying it. Although stuffed, it was totally worth it to get the pie. Warm and crunchy with full almonds and a side of coconut ice-cream, this apple pie is a magnificent treasure served in an un-traditional fashion - baked in it's own mini casserole dish.


Oh. Did I mention they're open 24 hours? Yea. This succulent menu is available even at 2 in the morning.
I love the Naam, and can't wait to go there once again. A Vancouver Vegan MUST.

Recipe: Hummus Zucchini Tofu Scramble

My very first vegan dish I made was a tofu scramble... but since then I've traveled around the US, and have had my share of scrambles. I finally bought some ground veggie from Yves, and thought I'd make an improvement to my first dish. It's easy, and oh, so good.

Ingredients:
1/2 package firm tofu (you can press yours, but I just bought some already pressed)
1 package Yves Ground Veggie
1 small zucchini
3/4 tbsp Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (scoop out of the middle to grab all the red peppers)
1 tbsp Earth Balance (I used the Whipped version)
Tumeric
Nutritional Yeast
Sea Salt
Pepper
Tarragon

Method:
In a hot pan, melt the Earth Balance. When almost melted, hand crumble the firm tofu, and throw in the pan. Let it simmer for a bit and put in the ground veggie. Next, add the Tumeric. Slice the zucchini in half, then half again, and slice into chunks. Add into the tofu mix. Scoop in your red pepper hummus, salt, pepper, and tarragon. Let simmer for about 5 minutes while stirring on Medium Heat.
Plate and enjoy!
Ok so this makes a BIG tofu scramble, but it's sooooo good. So it can serve one OR two.

:D There we go!

The Vegan Holiday Contest

I really wanted to do another contest.... since my last one was too specific. It's not easy coming up with a contest idea, so I thought I'd make this one a bit more open. So here we go!

The Vegan Holiday Contest:

I love everything about the holidays, well, if we minus materialism. I love the snow, and the lights that light up downtown in the night. I love drinking warm almond milk hot chocolate by the fire. Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. Setting up the Christmas tree. I love going for walks in the winter air as the sun shines down. I love having people come together. And this year, I can't wait to make a big vegan Christmas dinner (....just for me. My family will still be eating Turkey).



Tell me what your favorite part of the holidays is, and include your favorite holiday vegan recipe/ item - it can be anything from home-made vegan apple pie with coconut ice-cream, or even just soynog. Send your entry to stephaniefalcos@gmail.com.

I want to share the wonderful holiday feeling with everyone! This also will give me the chance to connect with some of you tweeters that I don't hear much from!

The Rules:

Simple enough. One entry per person. You must live in Canada, or the US.


The Prizes:

Each of the 3 winners will receive a lovely vegan gift basket, and the size will depend on the position. If you're raw, I'll make a custom basket full of raw goodies ;)


CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 5th 2011 !!!

Have fun and I can't wait to hear all of your entries :)

Liquid Cleanse - Day Two of Fourteen

Today was a little different in terms of the cleanse. I attended my regular Thursday exercise class, and felt I had to aid my cleanse with a little raw food. I still feel like I'm detoxing, and the green juices and smoothies are definitely doing what I wished them to do - turn me back to raw. Now there's nothing I crave more! And after just one day. I'm going to continue my cleanse more like this I believe. I feel more energetic with one of my meals being actual raw food, and the other two and "snacks" being juices and smoothies. I really do feel out of my rut that I was in for the past two months already. I can't wait to continue!

So yes, I realize this isn't going to be a complete liquid only cleanse, but more of a healthy detox cleanse! I'm feeling great right now :) I think some days I'll do all liquid, and some days with a touch of food for the next 12 days. I think then it will be easier for me to stick to it, as I won't desperately crave foods I'm missing, but rather replacing them with either a juice, or an apple. The fiber is also helping the digestion cleanse as well which I'm happy with!

More to come as the weeks progress!

Liquid Cleanse - Day One of Fourteen

So for the past 2 months, I haven't been feeling my optimum, and I know this is directly linked to my fall off of the raw vegan diet. Don't get me wrong, I love diving into the vegan experiences available here, but in terms of health, I feel like mine has taken a steady curve in the downward direction. I even got sick for the first time in forever.

As much as I've been enjoying myself, I still found myself yearning to go back into raw. For some reason, what before was easy, I now found difficult. I decided a liquid/ juice colon cleanse would be a great way to jumpstart myself back into raw.

DAY ONE:
Today felt pretty great. My body is used to a lot more food lately so I'm feeling a bit tired, and even had a nap. I know this feeling will go away as I continue, so it's alright.
For breakfast I had some carrot juice and kambucha, and I made myself a great green juice for lunch made with apples, celery, red (black) kale, and cucumber. I had a lot of water and tea during the day, and for dinner I had a huge green smoothie with everything from mangoes and apples, to spirulina and chorella. Yum!
Exercise wise, I had bootcamp in the morning, and may do a bit of cardio or step work tonight. They say you shouldn't really exercise while on a cleanse like this, but I just can't stop my usual routine.

So far so good! I'm breaking the fast down into 1 stage of seven days, one stage of 4, and the last stage of 3. The first seven are the real detoxification days, stage 2 will most likely be the struggle stage, and the final stage is the home stretch. I can't wait to feel all the wonderful results on day 14.


I would also like to thank everyone for being so supportive! I know I can do it thanks to all of you.