Super Easy Banana Smoothie & Black Bean Puree

I had leftover cilantro salsa from yesterday's tacos, so I threw it in the frying pan with 1/2 can of black beans and veggies.

To accompany the tacos, I turned the other 1/2 can of black beans into a puree by processing them with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp paprika, dash cayenne, dash cracked black pepper, dash garlic powder, dash cumin.

Then, I made the easiest and creamiest banana smoothie ever. I remember when I was younger and my friends and I would go to this smoothie place on the outskirts of town and the servers would look at me like I was insane when I requested "just bananas". They fools, homie.

Easy Banana Smoothie

1 large banana

1 1/2 cup of ice

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (mine is only 35 calories per cup)

1/2 cup orange juice

Extras:

You could toss in a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter (for protein), some strawberries, or 6 oz of soy yogurt. I find that the simple combo of almond milk and bananas makes for the best smoothie/milkshake. The unsweetened milk is the best because it has a simple smooth flavor, much like mellow bananas themselves.

Okay, now off to dinner to try a new restaurant & some Jameson.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Cilantro-Lime Tofu Tacos! (quick dinners)

I just got back from my latin dance class... and of course I had to come home immediately after and have tacos and beer! This is a quick dish you can cook up in less than twenty minutes.

Cilantro-Lime Tofu Tacos

Taco filling:
(1) I used pre-cut supermarket veggies (onions and peppers), sauteed them in an 1 tbsp of sesame oil (sesame oil doesn't change its molecular structure when heated to high temperatures, thus it stays safe for your heart!). Sautee for about 7 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
(2) Add one 12oz package of firm cubed tofu into the pan, smash with a fork

(3) Top with 8 oz of cilantro-lime salsa. I used Frontera brand, they're great. It's got roasted tomatillo & green pepper. This flavoring will give the tofu a more "chickeny" taste, there's also a great cumin & tomato variety that will give the tofu the "ground beef" flavor we all love in tacos!

(4) Cook for 7 minutes, remove from heat.

Guacamole:

I also whipped up a quick guacamole with an avocado, 1/2 white onion, 1/2 tsp garlic, pinch salt, pinch cracked black pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice. Throw in the food processor and you're done.

Other toppings:

store-bought fresh salsa

1/2 can of corn, seasoned with a bit of cracked pepper and lime juice

Tortillas:

2 low-carb whole wheat tortillas, burnt over the grill (you could just use your stove too!)


PS. Bud and Bud-Light are vegan-friendly beers!

Raw Vegan Tacos, Guacamole, "Sour Cream," and "Refried Beans"

Today I felt like I was in the zone, and finally got to try a recipe from my Raw Vegan idol The Sunny Raw Kitchen. The woman who runs it, Carmella, is so inspiring to me. She is so innovative with her raw foods and one day I hope I can be if not as talented, at least as dedicated as she is! ALSO she is from CANADA. Home of Wolverine.

So, I have a gushing crush. I know you still have N'SYNC in your iTunes. I'd say we're about even. Let's get to this stupendous 4-part recipe.

Raw Vegan Tacos, "Sour Cream," "Refried Beans," and Guacamole
original recipe here

Taco "Meat"
4 cups carrot, grated (a 1lb bag)
1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked
1/2 red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt

"Sour Cream"
1 1/2 cup cashews (soaked)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 tsp apple cider vinegar

"Refried Beans"
2 1/2 cups sunflower seeds (soaked)
1/2 yellow onion
2 tsp chili powder
2 1/2 cumin
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cashew butter
3/4 cup water

Guacamole!
2 avocados
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt


-This whole recipe is RAW so that's why you can't put beans in the "refried beans." Hey, no one pays you to ask questions. This recipe yields a LOT of healthy food, definitely enough for a week for me. I cheated a little and used 100% pure white corn tortillas instead of raw dehydrated tortillas. So this raw vegan until the tortillas.

-First things first: make the 'meat.' I grated all my carrots in the food processor, set them aside. Then I processed all the other ingredients together, including the soaked sundried tomatoes. Mix the carrots and sundried tomato mixture together by hand. This tastes EXACTLY like ground beef taco meat- really cool.

-Let that sit and absorb flavor for at least an hour. Carmella's recipe says to stick this in the dehydrator for about a half hour after you let it sit, - but I didn't find that completely necessary.

-Next, make the "Sour Cream" - simply combine all the ingredients in the processor and then let it sit in the refridgerator until serving time. Tastes effing exactly like sour cream.

-Next, make the "Refried beans." Drain the sunflower seeds, and combine all ingredients in the processor. You're going to want to leave this mixture not completely "creamy" like with the Sour Cream, leave it piecey. I let this sit in the dehydrator for a half hour before I ate and it gave it a cool texture. But it's not necessary - especially for the lazy among us (usually me).

-Next, make the guac! It's a totaly bitch cutting up everything- but it really makes you (me) happy to see the bright colors of the carrots, the green avocado, the tomato, the bright olive of the cumin, the fragrant cilantro. Man, it could only get better if Wolverine were here to help me cook.

-Luckily, I had someone even better than Wolverine to be my cooking assisant - my amazing sister, who deals with my constant whining and one-track mind, and takes awesome pictures. Thanks, Knoxville.

 

-Okay so mix the gauc with a potato masher or your fist or someone you hate's fucking face. It doesn't really matter, it'll probably always come out the same, unless you use the last version in which case you might also have tears and blood inside your mix.

-Let that sit in the fridge until you're ready to eat.

- I really felt accomplished and like an 1800s pioneer woman after making all of this from scratch. Oregon Trail, represent.

You have just died of dysentery.

Raw Vegan Mexican Crackers

I know you're asking yourself, "What exactly constitutes a Mexican cracker?" You're probably not asking yourself that, but if you were, here is your answer: how the fuck do I know. I just added lots of hot spices, snapped my fingers in the air a couple times, waved around a sombrero and did other stereotypical Mexican things until they turned out right. This is another mix-and-match recipe from different places on the web that I forget. So kill me. You can't I'm already dead.

This recipe is sort of complicated because you need to use a dehydrator. I know: ain't no fun if the homies can't have none. So that's why I think you can cook these in an oven at a low temp (prob 120 degrees) as well. If you cook them above 120, they won't be "raw" vegan. For those of you that don't know, "raw" vegan just means "extra anal-retentive" vegan (that's what she said). It's believed according to that ideology that if food is cooked about 120 degrees, it loses some/all of its nutritional value.

Raw Vegan Mexican Crackers

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds, shelled, unsalted

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup flax seeds

3 tomatoes of your choosing, hooray

1 jalapeno

1 red bell pepper

3 sundried tomatoes

1 Cubanelle pepper
rosemary to taste (or whatever spice you like, I think rosemary is good for this recipe)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder

-Okay number one: Put the sunflower seeds, cashews (bless you), flax seeds, and almonds in the food processor and grind them into a paste.

-Next, empty the nut paste into a bowl for later use. Now, cut the tomatoes in half, seed those bitches, and chop. After that, chop the Cubanelle pepper. If you can't find a Cubanelle, stop caring so much and use something else. Also chop the red bell pepper and put this all into the food processor.

-Add the spices and rosemary next. I think the rosemary makes the recipe, but since when do you care what I think? Blend this homie like there's no tomorrow.

Next: add the nut paste to the vegetable mixture, and process it all together. I know the nuts look like a mixture between baby throw up and dog shit, but I promise it's going to be really really good. I know it's hard to believe. What are you, a cynic? That's my job.

-Now that everything is blended, it's time to put it in the dehydrator. I tried to put everything on wax paper and make it look nice, but I have no motor skills so it ended up looking like I was channeling Arnie from Benny and Joon. So instead, I just slapped them onto the dehydrator into some semblance of a square shape.

-Leave them in the dehydrator for 2 days. This time is really according to the qualty of your machine. I had to leave them in this long because they ended up being so thick (that's what she said).

-So, I checked the clock and it's been thirty years. That must mean the crackers are done! And it was worth the wait, the divorce, and all the arthritis. Look at how delicious and spicy they are! You were getting fat and depressed from your no pre-nup settlement arguments, but now you can eat a whole box of crackers and not feel guilty about it! You might even look so good that you'll temporarily blind your soon-to-be ex and be able to get the Corvette out of it, after all! Nom nom nom fragrant goodness.