Deconstructed Buddha Bowls: Simple Techniques to Stellar Plant Based Bowls

If you've followed me on Instagram, Facebook or even this blog for any length of time, you're well aware of my love for healthy plant based food.  As someone who grew up very sick, in hospitals, and suffered from a lot of digestive malaise, discovering food as medicine and whole foods detoxing has really provided me not just with the healing i was searching for, but gave me the permission and passion to share what helped me in an effort to educate others.  It's actually how this blog was born almost 10 years back.

Many of the older recipes on this blog were created after taking my first raw foods certification course and studying for my Holistic Health Practitioner's and Nutrition Counselor's certifications.  As a matter of fact, i'm not even sure if Facebook was in existence then, and surely Instagram was not around yet.  Over the years as social media became more popular i've spent much of my time sharing recipes on social and educating in my online formats, through my virtual programs, and social communities i've cultivated rather than here on my blog.  I've even put together four ebooks and a clean eating grocery list, including my newest Buddha Bowl ebook full of recipes and my Plant Based Slim Down Ebook which i followed to a T last month when i dropped 6.75 inches and almost 5 lbs in 42 days.  I never intended to publish and sell my ebooks, rather they have always just been a resource for my clients/challengers who invest in their health and commit to any one of my programs.  They were created to simply share what worked for me, and offer a step by step guide, meal plan, and recipe selection for those who wanted to follow my exact same plan and get the results i was getting.

After many requests at where you can find my ebooks and recipes i made sure they were all housed in one simple place for you to access.  While you can scroll down to see a deconstructed buddha bowl, my food prep for it, and how fast it is to eat healthy, if you want all of my exact recipes, eating regime, and my slim down plan, you can click HERE to get started on your program.  As mentioned above all four of my most sought-after ebooks and slim down programs come with your commitment to one of my virtual programs.  You invest one time and you get EVERYTHING including my coaching and online communities for eternity.  Pretty Badass right?  I sure think so!  After being on the hunt myself for optimal health, weight loss, and healing, and purchasing every program out there, i wanted to make sure i could offer my clients something that was personal, community driven, had every resource you need and most importantly gave you a coach that could help you customize your plan and a program that WORKS.  Fact was, i spent hand over fist on programs and did my research before launching my first program and what i found was a lot of people selling the next 'best' program, with very little support or follow through, and an auto-responder that got me no where or a 'coach' that didn't show up for me when i had a Question.  Get excited for what you get in my All Access Member Program....Check it all out HERE.

DECONSTRUCTED BUDDHA BOWLS

I'm a girl who LOVES to eat out of bowls.  Maybe because i love to get every little bite on my plate, and bowls make it so much easier to do that, or maybe it's because i like saucy things and bowls are such great containers for sauce, but either way this girl is all about BOWL EATING.  So the first thing you'll need for your meal is a badass big bowl.  The white ones i use are from Target.  They are bigger than a normal salad bowl, slightly smaller than a serving bowl, and perfect to spread out my veggies so my bowls are picture perfect!

Next, if you're a busy woman, you might want to consider doing some food prep for the week or half week so that you're bowls can literally be thrown together in under 2 minutes.  I steam most of my veggies so depending on how busy my week looks or if i'm traveling, sometimes i do a good amount of prep, sometimes i do it right before i make my food, but i will admit, having your buddha bowl content prepped before hand makes it so easy and fast to get your bowl made before your hangry girl mouth has a moment to be noshing on something else that's faster to grab and less vibrant for your body, mind, and soul.  Generally when i prep i zoodle zucchini with a julienne peeler, noodle carrots with a basic veggie peeler, grate beets or chop small for fast steaming, slice sweet potatoes, chop mushrooms, de-stem/clean/and steam my kale or other greens, and i always keep the insides of my zoodled zuchs for my superfood smoothies to thicken them up, and save the inside of my carrots for noshing with dips.

A few things that generally make their way into my buddha bowls:  

-Bragg's nooch (nutritional yeast) - important for B12 for those of you who are vegan

-Rawmesan (a common topper on my bowls) - you can make it with nooch, nuts, and sea salt 

-Coconut Aminos (similar to soy sauce/tamari but gluten and soy free)

-Seeds (hemp, pumpkin, or other such toppings)

-Tahini (sometimes made into a dressing with lemon and coconut aminos and spices)

-All the STEAMED veggies (i cook most all of my veggies for easier digestibility // steam or grill)

-Avocado

From there you can get super creative using my buddha bowl recipe ebook and slim down guide, and either master the recipes in there or start to create your own.  I guarantee your mouth, heart, and tummy will be happy.  Those of you who don't follow a grain free lifestyle, add some quinoa or rice, and those of you who love your proteins, add some fish, eggs, or other humanely raised and clean source of protein.  I'm not a big fan of Soy Foods, but if you choose soy, always look for GMO and organic!

So You're Cleansing: Refreshing Pear & Avocado Salad & Many More

Here we go again!  I'm leading a cleanse at Core Power and i've decided to clean up my act with the group.  Good Lord - Lock the Wine and Chocolate Up & Hide the Key!  A girlfriend asked me today to post what i've been eating to give her some ideas and inspire her to get back on track so here is a little looksie at what Miss M's been noshing on since Friday and some of my personal fave's that i'll probably be nibbling on throughout the week.

Yesterday's lunch from some organic cabbage a student brought me:

Simple, seasonal, and flavorful, Pears add a sweet touch and avocado a rich texture to this filling entree salad.

Refreshing Pear & Avocado Salad (measurements are approximate)

1 pear chopped
1/4 ripe bacon avocado chopped
1 Tbsp sliced almonds
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
2 handfuls of mixed greens chopped
1 cup chopped purple cabbage

Dressing:
1 Tbsp Tahini
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 lemon squeezed
a few shakes of onion powder
a small shake of garlic powder

Today's Lunch was a Burrito inside a Big chard leaf.  Inside was:

homemade guacamole
sprout salad
chopped hard boiled egg
pinto beans

Lately for breakfast i've been enjoying muesli hot and cold.  Start with a raw unsalted organic trail mix or a few handfuls of nuts/seeds/dried fruits/flax seeds, add 1/2 a chopped apple and 1/2 a chopped banana.  Top with cinnamon and almond milk.  I like to put the whole thing in a pot and heat it up on colder mornings.

Other Breakfast ideas:

The Chelater - Detox Smoothie

Chia Bowl with Homemade Almond Milk and Seasonal Fruits

and muesli with pear or apple

A warm bowl of amaranth without maple syrup

Overnight Oats

Something more savory....

Hara Mara inspired skinny dip for veggies

Something with beets for sure since they cleanse the liver

Rawk N'Rolls ALWAYS!

ohhh, southwestern salad could be good too, but leave the corn out!

AND of course something sweet...

Probably some banana fro yo made with hempseeds instead of almond butter

Maybe some cashew cookies??? YES, cleanse approved - just don't go overboard on eating them!

Cobbler sans agave...i'll use dates instead

And you thought cleansing would be bland and boring!!!!!  I hope to prove you wrong!  

Powered By Veggies & Pumped Up Plyo

Next weekend will be my first get-away of 2012.  Packing my 'kini, sunnies, flip flops, and nook and off i go to sayulita, mexico for a yoga retreat at haramara.  You may remember my visit last year where i learned to make birdseed granola and muy caliente chili oil, along with my first zipline expedition, some great sunny rays, yoga classes galore, and great friends.  I'll once again be helping out on the retreat, so my days will be balanced with sunshine, yoga, meditation, great eats, a little teaching, adjusting, and ahhhhh rising and sleeping by sunlight/moonlight in open pallapas with complete disconnection from internet/computer and my phone.  oh-so-peaceful!  The way life should be!

In an attempt to not scare the natives my first time in a bikini this year, this pasty white girl has been working extra hard to melt off any extras.  Unfortunately there isn't much i can do for this white skin until i arrive there, but i'm sure one day in and i'll already have a golden glow!  I've been juicing daily 30 oz of juice, drinking protein green smoothies packed with spinach, chia, and vegan protein powder, and eating mad amounts of raw veggies and lots of parsely and cilantro.  I also started the INSANITY dvd workout series crazy cardio and plyo and busted out my old Turbo Jam dvd's (i love the ones using the swiss ball, which i've once again blown up).  Apparently, the hard work is paying off!  I've lost a few lbs, i'm feeling good with what i'm putting in my body, working out hard, and just yesterday i had a few students comment that i was looking really good.  oh yeah!  i'll take it!  Hard work does pay off!

Here's a glimpse at what this chick-a-dee has been eating:

juicing 1 head celery, 2 cukes, 1 apple, 4 lemons, cilantro, parsley, romaine

vrrrm, vrrrm, grrrr, grrr, grind, squeeze

and i get 30 oz of liquid gold to drink each day

cabbage, celery, shredded steamed yellow beet, cilantro, parsley, tahini, ACV, onion and garlic powder

cabbage, cuke, celery, tahini, ACV, onion & garlic powder, and Living Intentions Ayurvedic chili Blend of sprouted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.  These are delicious salad toppers!

another 30 oz's of juice: 1 head celery, one massive cucmber, 1 large lemon, 1 fuji apple, lots of parsley

I am seriously flushing the system.  I think limiting salt is HUGE for me.  I'm such a salter and tend to use tamari often.

I've been making my protein shakes with:


1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk
the remainder of the 1 cup of liquid is pure water
1 Tbsp chia
2-3 inch piece of frozen banana
a few fistfuls of organic spinach or chard from the garden
some ice
and a scoop of protein powder (i use sun warrior and vega or combine the two since the Vega Endurance Line chocolate i have has a butt-load of sodium i only use a half scoop).

As a little treat this morning i also made home-made protein bars.  Wait for it.......

i'll publish the recipe next friday.  There are 15 grams of protein in each bar, and they are low sugar, low carb, and depending how you cut them (i cut 6 large bars) they'll  have under 11 grams of fat and 250 calories (thats making 6 big bars) or halve that and make 12 smaller bars at 125 calories each and 5 grams fat.

I had to leave you hanging with a little something to hold you over until i get back from me-hi-co!

I hope this inspires you to dust off your juicer, pull out your old workout dvd's, and get off your duff!  I'm telling you....give it a week or two and you'll see AND FEEL the difference....and so will those around you!

Simply Delicious: Fall Fruit Salad

Sometimes the best tasting foods are the ones that require the smallest effort, letting the flavors of the foods speak for themselves.  A quick stop at the farmer's market this morning yielded me some beautiful produce, and here is what it turned into.

1 persimmon sliced thin
1/4 champagne mango chopped
1 guava, skinned and seeded, flesh chopped
a couple handfuls pomegranite arils

toss together lightly in a bowl and enjoy the delicious bright flavors.

Raw Garlic Ranch Dressing: A Pleasing Way To Dress Up Your Greens

If you aren't an at home salad dressing maker already, you will be after you learn a few tricks of the trade.  These tips will help you ditch the store bought dressings and opt for a healthy home version.  The secret to a great vinagarette is using HIGH quality olive oil and mixing 1 part vinegar to 2 or 3 parts oil.  There are lots of different vinegars.  Champagne vinegar is light and makes a good dressing when put with olive oil and fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro.  Rice Vinegar can be bought seasoned (sweetened) and can make a nice light vinegar for salads that contain fruit.  Most everyone has used balsamic, rich and slightly sweet, and you can buy it in white if you don't want to turn the contents of your salad a brownish shade.  And let's not forget Lemon!  It's the single best item in your kitchen to dress your salads, add pizazz to your veggies, and sip on in hot water as a digestive aide.

Yet what i love even more than making a vinagarette is making creamy raw salad dressings.  Num Num.  Back when i bought dressings at the market i had a slight addiction to Annie's Goddess dressing.  I can remember opening the cap just to run my finger along the inner rim and get a taste of the numminess inside.  The first raw dressing i learned to make tasted so much like the Goddess Dressing that i abandoned Annie's, started making all my own dressings, and haven't looked back since.  It seems to be one of the more frequently used bases to many raw dressing recipes: a combo of tahini, EVOO, garlic, tamari, apple cider vinegar, and lemon.  All creamy raw dressings seem to start with either a base of tahini or cashews (often soaked to up the creaminess factor).

Tonight i adapted Matt Amsden's ranch dressing with the offerings of my pantry.  What i love about this dressing is that it doesn't include any oil, so all the fat is from whole unrefined foods....gotta love that!  Here's the recipe as i made it:

3/4 cup coconut water
Juice from one very juicy lemon
1-2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 to 1 1/4 cups raw cashew pieces (use as many as you need to achieve desired thickness)
2 large cloves of garlic
a few shakes of onion powder
a few shakes from an italian seasonings mix

Put all in your vitamix or high speed blender and blend away.

Market To Table Cooking Class & 5 Easy Recipes

cups culinary space la jolla

This sunday i went to a rocking market to table culinary class at Cups.  Local San Diegans you might know Cups for it's cupcakes, but tucked away on the back side down a nondescript alley and behind a big wrought iron cupcake gate lies this little mecca for the aspiring chef (or for anyone that wants to learn how to get savvy in the kitch.)  Jesus Gonzales is the creative director at Cups, the former head chef at rancho la puerta, and was our mastermind for the day.  I had already known about Jesus since he was the chef that prepared our dishes during beaming cleanse.

The group took a gander through the local farmers market where we picked up any produce we wanted to cook with or learn to cook with.  A few assistants and a few bag fulls later we were in the kitch where Jesus put us all to work.  We each had a task or two to create our lunch together.  And even though there were a lot of cooks in the kitchen we seamlessly put together an AWESOME lunch, thankfully without any band-aids, first aid kits, or the like necessary.

Here's what we dined on and a few of the recipes.  Everything was easy to do and so delicious!

this is the dish i made!

Kale Salad:

one bunch kale

one avocado

one asian pear

1 tsp EVOO

2 lemons

s/p

sprouts
broccoli stems (optional)

nuts and seeds (walnuts and pepitas)

a basic kale salad requires you to de stem the kale to take out bitterness, stack the leaves and chiffonate/slice ribbon like (thin).  Toss into a large bowl with juice from one lemon, 1 tsp EVOO, and a dash of salt.  Massage the heck outta the greens until they look wilted/slightly cooked.  Really give em' a good squeezin'.  Toss into the salad whatever add ins you like.  We did sliced asian pear, chopped avocado, onion and sunflower sprouts, pumpkin seeds and walnuts, and sliced broccoli stems: peel the stem of broccoli  and slice at an 1/8 inch intervals at a diagonal.  I added the juice from the additional lemon to prevent the asian pear and the avo from browning.

Muesli Stuffed Nectarines:

1 cup each of walnuts and almonds (pulse in a food processor to break down significantly)

Toss this with:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 can of coconut milk (full fat)

1-2 Tbsp of coconut sugar (or sweetener of choice like agave, stevia, honey)

cinnamon to taste

This would make an awesome overnights oats dish, or would be great on fruit salad, a yogurt parfait, with almond milk, or stuffed into any halved pitted fruits. Jesus uses coconut sugar since it has a lower Glycemic Index.

Pistachio and Goat Cheese Saute'd Figs and Dates:

slice your figs and dates only halfway through (remove the pit from the date).  Stuff with goat cheese and a few pistachios.  Eat as is, or saute in a lightly misted pan to lightly brown.  (some were wrapped in procuitto - should you choose to do this you saute first, then wrap w/ proscuitto, then saute lightly again.)

someone asked me recently how to cook with eggplant..here you go:

Vegetable Terrine:

1 eggplant (pick one that is firm and shiny)

2 large heirloom tomatoes

pesto (see radish greens pesto recipe below)

1 lb. goat cheese (or just more pesto if you are making it non dairy)

Slice tomatoes to about 1/8 inch.  Slice eggplant as thinly as you can.  Heat a DRY pan and cook the eggplant on both sides just until it browns.  Layer your casserole dish first with a layer of sliced tomatoes to fully cover the bottom, sprinkle goat cheese over tomatoes (or pesto), then a layer of eggplant, then a layer of  pesto, repeat until you've used everything, finishing with the eggplant.  Press down on built terrine with another same sized dish.  Place in fridge for an hour (we skipped this step and it was just fine!).  Cut into small squares and pour any sauce over the top (we used tomatillo though i think a marinara would be great...or even just more pesto).  This also would be really great over a bed of greens.

Radish Greens Pesto:

1 cup of walnuts

1 bunch of radish greens (green parts only)

1 avocado

EVOO (about 1/4 cup)

Asiago Cheese or 1/4 cup parmesan
3 garlic cloves

salt/pepper/cayenne to taste

All goes into a food processor.  The avo adds a lot of creaminess so just drizzle the EVOO in as it's processing so you can get to the consistency you like.

This was served on fresh rosemary bread with roasted red pepper and shaved asiago cheese.  It was also the pesto we used in the terrine.

ladies lunching!!!

terrine, broccoli rabe, kale salad, figs and dates, and squash tagine

The next class at Cups will be October 2.  This Farm-to-Table class is hosted by Jesus Gonzalez and Suzie's Farm - my favorite farm here in San Diego!!!

Do you struggle with what to do with the seasonal fresh vegetables you receive in your CSA box, or have you wanted to join one but have worried you won’t know what to do with all the fresh produce once it arrives? Or maybe you marvel at the variety of produce available in local markets and want to cook healthier meals. If so, this is the class for you! This class will feature a box of produce from Suzie’s Farm in San Diego, which the class will utilize to make several tasty dishes. Students are also encouraged to bring along their own CSA boxes or a particular fruit/vegetable that they want to learn how to cook. Recipes will be provided to all participants in this instructional hands-on class with an expert is using the freshest local, seasonal ingredients.

$65. 9am-12pm (Minimum 8, maximum 16)

Living Salad & Beaming Cleanse Day 2

Ingredients for your Living Salad:

a variety of mixed greens, preferably plucked from your garden or from your local farmers market
a bunch of sun grown sprout salad (variety of sprouts: lentil sprouts, alfalfa, clover, broccoli sprouts, etc)
a few Tbsps of sprouted sunflower seeds
1/3 of an avocado sliced

Dressing:
blend half a small chopped pear with a little ACV (about 1 Tbsp), 1-2 Tbsps Balsamic vinegar, and about a tsp EVOO.  Clearly i didn't measure when i threw the items in the blender...so make it so it suits your palette.  If you are on a cleanse i would recommend leaving out the balsamic, or swapping it for a tbsp of lemon.


toss your salad with dressing then top with the avo 

Enjoy outside in the sunshine or under a shady tree.

For those of you following my Beaming Cleanse Journey and would like some juicing ideas here's today's elixers:

Beaming Cleanse Juice #1 kale, celery, cuke, ginger, sprouts, cayenne, and lime

Superfood Smoothie #2  coco water, alkaline water, almond milk, plant protein, mila, and strawberries

Raw Soup #3  green curry soup: spinach, coco water, curry spices, corn, cashews

Beaming Cleane Juice #4  same as number 1 with MSM and e3live

alkalizing the body and taking out all sugar (even fruit) has left me feeling vibrant WITHOUT any cravings!

Immunity Juice #5  alkaline water, coco water, lemon, ginger, stevia, camu camu, msm

Rawkin Raw Salad:  chopped cabbage, romaine, seeds, sunflower seeds, bell peppers, and a special lemon and camu camu zesty dressing.

2 teas:
purify me:  anise, fennel, ginger, peppermint, honeybush tea
balance tea: rose, vanilla, almond tea
...and i still had my 'harmony tea' left over from yesterday:  chamomile, peppermint, blackberry, cinnamon, ginger, rose, marigold

First drink of the day.  Giving me my morning Buzzzzzz...

Feeling Strong!  I did indulge in half an avocado with a little sea salt last night.  Glad i did.  It took the edge off and allowed me to fall asleep without a grumbling belly.

Grilled Greens? OH YEAH, BABY!

Who'da'thunk you could grill your greens?  We all know you can grill a zucchini, a mushroom, even a tomato.  I guess it makes sense since the Food Network demonstrated that you can grill a pizza...so why not a salad???  I know it sounds bazaar.  A few months back we received an issue of Sunset magazine that highlighted 3 recipes of grilled greens (kale, bok choy, and romaine hearts).  I had never really thought about grilling greens before that, but who am i to not to believe Sunset magazine?  Their recipes have always been a hit at my house.  That night the grill was lit, kale was clipped from the garden, and since there hasn't been a week that we haven't made this AWESOME dish.  If you are like some folks i know whose grandparents forced soggy greens on them and therefore protest eating them now, then this is the recipe to try.  The smokiness and cripsiness the grill gives the kale is INSANE, plus, if you love kale chips you are going to LUUUUURRRRRVVVVEEEE this recipe!  Start with a few bunches of kale since it shrinks up beyond belief when you cook it.  You need about one bunch of kale per person - what a great way to get your fill of green stuff!

Grilled Kale:

Step One:  De-stem the kale.  You can do this by holding the base of the kale stem and pinching your opposite hand at the bottom of the leaf.  Pull away from you to remove the leaf.  Tear the leaves into smaller 1 or 2 inch pieces.  Get rid of the stem, you don't need it for this recipe.

Step Two:  Clean your greens.  Toss into a bowl of water with sea salt to soak/clean/remove hitch-hikers (aka..BUGS!)  Pull the greens from the bowl, rinse, and salad spin to dry

Step Three:  Massage your greens.  Place in a large bowl and add about 1 TBSP of olive oil.  Massage this into all of the leaves so they are coated.  

Step Four:  Grill your greens.  Transfer to a hot grill (using a veggie basket)...you'll mostly likely need to cook in batches.  We cook it on the top shelf, cover and let cook about 5 minutes, checking it to make sure you haven't burned your greens.  Use tongs to push them around and rotate them. 

Step Five:  EAT YOUR GREENS!  Pull off when all are cooked and lightly crispy brown on some of the ends.

While this is delicious on it's own, it's EVEN BETTER with a little dressing.  Here's the BOMB GRILLED KALE DRESSING:

2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp Tahini
1Tsp of honey (to taste)

Drizzle Bomb Dressing over your greens, top with toasted sesame seeds, and eat up.  HOLY GREEN DELICIOUSNESS!

i suggest you cook more than you think you'll need since you'll gobble up the whole lot guiltlessly and then want more!

Light, Refreshing, and Filling: Heavenly Summer Salad

Here's an easy and absolutely fabulous salad that highlights one of summer's refreshing fruits.  This recipe does contain cheese, so feel free to omit the cheese, or use a seed or nut cheese substitution.  HOWEVER, i think it's the little bit of stinky cheese in here that makes this dish so much more yummy!

3 cups loosely packed baby spinach, torn
1 heart romaine chopped
thinly sliced red onion (i used a mandolin)
1 nectarine or peach chopped
optionally 1 pear chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tbsp gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbles

dressing: seasoned rice wine vinegar, EVOO, lemon, sea salt, and cracked pepper corns

Mix the dressing on the side so that you get it to the acidity that you like, then toss with your salad.