Gluten Free Vegan Living

I get really frustrated when I go to a restaurant and order a salad — knowing it will be gluten free and vegan — and the waitress comes back with a plate full of lettuce and maybe a carrot or cucumber on the side!  That is NOT a salad!!  How come no one tells them that Salads are Not Just Lettuce??

I am the Salad Queen — I love salads!!  I’ve incorporated dozens of ways to make a salad with LOTS of different ingredients.  Check out some of my salad recipes here:

• Best Vegan Chef Salad
• Spring Veggie Salad
• Sweet Kale Salad (using Smart Salad Sweet Kale Salad Kit)
• Gluten Free Pasta Salad
• Vegan Taco Salad
• Sunshine Salad
• Creamy Coconut Waldorf Salad
• Quinoa Tabouli Salad
• Mexican Style ‘Cowboy Caviar’ (a type of salad)

Salads can be made with lots of different ingredients that most people just don’t think of using.  Most of my salads are a meal within themselves!  Just by adding a few ‘extras’ you can have a satisfying meal too!  Check out the following tips to round out your salads:

• Add beans:  My favorite is black beans, but you can use chickpeas or any of your favorite beans.  I have even added a can of Amy’s Black Bean Chili to my salads for a Mexi-Tex flavor.
• Add grains:  My Quinoa Tabouli Salad is a perfect example of a grain salad — but you can also use rice or any whole grain in your salad.
• Add starches:  White potatoes come to mind  — you can also try sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, and red potatoes.
• Add fruit:  I frequently add raisins to my salads, but craisins, apples, pears, grapes …. or your favorite fruit will work well.
• Add pasta:  Gluten free pasta is a good filler for any salad. Just makes sure you have plenty of veggies so the pasta does not overpower the veggies.

Last, but not least, your salad dressing can make a big different in the tastes of your salad.  I am pretty plain, myself, as use one basic dressing — but there are a number of good salad dressings and dressing recipes out there to chose from.  Here are my two favorites: Gluten Free Vegan Salad Dressings

What ‘secret’ ingredient to you use in your salads??  Share with us!!

Looking for a wonderful Mother’s Day dessert! How about Coconut Cream Chocolate Gateau? (In case you are not familiar with the word Gateau, it is German word for a rich or fancy cake.)

You probably will not believe me when I tell you that not only is this cake makes from all raw ingredients, it is also a cakes full of healthy ingredients.

The original recipe is from Pamela Vinten’s and is included in her “Amazing Gluten-Free Chocolate” ebook.

If you like this recipe, you will love  Pamela Vinten’s “Amazing Gluten-Free Chocolate” ebook.  Not only are ALL her recipes Gluten Free and (mostly) vegan, they are also raw and healthy!!

Here are some of the wonderful features you will find in her ebook:

–Pam’s recipes do not contain any grains at all .. . They are all totally gluten free

–None of Pam’s recipes use processed foods…. In fact they only use natural whole foods as mother nature intended

–None of the recipes include Milk, so avoids the problem of lactose or casein intolerance often associated with celiac disease.

–The recipes are high in anti-oxidants to support good health

–The raw chocolate in each recipe is sweetened with agave or maple syrup. (Or you can use coconut nectar)

–Many recipes use coconut oil which has earned the title “the healthiest oil on the planet” and it is also “fat burning”

Check out the “Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate ebook (and enjoy guilt free desserts)!!

Since I am a big salad eater, I have lots of Raw Food in my diet.  But lately, I have become more interested in Raw Food especially due to some new found friends on facebook:  Raw Food Wild Diet.

So …… What About Raw Food?  Let me tell you what I have found ….

Raw Food is food that is uncooked and unprocessed — “live” or “living” food — plant food.  Eating your food raw preserves the naturally occurring enzymes that aid in digestion, but once the food is cooked (over 118ºF or 48ºC), these enzymes are destroyed.

When I asked for help on the subject of Raw Food, I was referred to an article on WikiHow.  Following is their 9 tips …

How to Go on a Raw Food Diet

1. Become informed about the raw food diet. Understanding the purpose and philosophy behind the raw food diet is an essential part of becoming an advocate for and ensuring that you are enjoying it, as well as benefiting from it…
2. Find community. … Online forums provide a great resource to meet fellow raw foodists, exchange recipes and have questions answered…
3. Try it. If you’re concerned that you don’t necessarily agree with the rationale for eating raw food all the time, the best advice is to give it a good shot….
4. Acquire the appropriate kitchen equipment. Quality kitchen equipment makes following a raw food diet much easier and less time-consuming.
5. Consider the source of your food. When switching to a raw food diet, the source of your food is important. Organic food is unburdened by the chemicals used for conventional crops…
6. Know which foods form part of a raw food diet. There is a wide range of food available to the raw foodist, … At least 75 percent of food consumed should not be heated over 118ºF or 48ºC….
7. Know how to store foods properly. Raw foods are more susceptible to spoilage and will not keep anywhere near as long as processed foods….
8. Transition. Introduce raw foods slowly into your current diet….
9. Exercise and relax. Optimal health is about being healthy in a well-rounded way.

Since I have new found friends sharing recipes for raw foods, with their permission, I will share some of them here — also, feel free to join the group:  Raw Food Wild Diet.

As you know, I believe in moderation, so although my diet is high in raw foods, it is not 100% raw!  Each person needs to decide what is best for their body and if raw agrees with you, go for it!

Remember last week when we talked about the Raw Food Movement?  Well, I have found another excellent recipe for Raw Blueberry Chocolate Cake (actually, it looks more like pie!) from one of the referenced sites:  Raw Power Australia

Notice the way many of the items are processed — still keeping the “raw” distinction.

Here is the recipe she sent me from her email list:

Sounds incredibly yummy!  Of course, living near the Rocky Mountains, I would use huckleberries rather than blueberries — but then you could probably use all kinds of different fruits or berries to make this dessert.

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Kale is really good for you, so I have included a Recipe for Kale Salad today.  Joanna’s recipe includes a wonderful avocado based salad dressing.

I think if I made this salad, I would add mixed greens in with the Kale.  Kale can be a bit bitter and the greens will mix the flavors.

Creamy Curried Kale Salad: A Raw Food Recipe by Joanna Steven

1 large avocado, ripe
1 t – 1 T lemon juice
1 T curry powder (I used Simply Organic)
1 bunch kale (about 4-6 ounces), de-ribbed and leaves coarsly chopped
1/2 t salt (I used Herbamare)
1 T olive oil
5 large cherry tomatoes, quartered

READ FULL RECIPE

By the way, this is a great website it you like raw foods or want ideas and recipes using raw foods.

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If my last post on Raw Food perked your interest, here is another article on the benefits of Raw and Living Food.  Alissa Cohen, who is interviewed in this article, is a cookbook author and has opened a gourmet raw food restaurant in Boston.  Her Grezzo (which means raw in Italian) Restaurant features 100 percent raw, organic vegan dishes.

Will raw food help you feel better?

Cohen has followed the raw food diet for more than 20 years. “People do it to lose weight and then realize how amazing they feel,” Cohen said.

Many are interested in the lifestyle and diet because of weight loss claims and other health benefits.

Cohen, 40, who has written “Living On Raw Food” and created a DVD on the topic, said many people have the wrong idea of what the diet entails, thinking raw foodists eat raw meat and cold food. But the diet includes unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts and dried fruit.

“I’m not eating things cold out of the refrigerator,” Cohen said. “I make almost every food that I eat, before but it is just not cooked.”

Cohen’s Web site includes a few sample recipes. The living pizza is said to be “better than the real thing.”

READ FULL STORY

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of Cohen’s book, click the link below:

This recipe looks too good to be true! Make sure to use gluten free oats ….

Sometimes there are no words. This was so simple and so delicious I just had to share. Soft, moist and juicy, so close to the real thing. I haven’t made a “crisp …    2 cups walnuts
1 cup almonds
2 cup flaked, raw oats
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted, chopped
1/2 cup agave nectar

READ FULL RECIPE

Personally, I would use coconut nectar rather than agave nectar.  I have heard too many negatives reports on the way agave is processed!

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