Join me for Merienda: V,GF- Simple Smoothie of Deliciousness: Chocolate, Banana and Blueberry with some added benefits =)

Well, it's almost the end of February and I wanted to make sure to post this month, instead of letting it slip by once again. It's still bitterly cold out and I've been making a lot of stews and soups, but I felt like going contrary to this trend and post a recipe for a smoothie today. 

Honestly, smoothie recipes are simple. You just put all of the ingredients into a blender and let it run, until well blended. So, I'm sure that you've got a few standards in your pocket already, but if you feel like giving this one a go; then by all means, have at it! 

One of the simplest versions of this smoothie involves 5 ingredients:

Frozen Organic Bananas

Tumaco Cocoa Powder

Coconut Milk/Almond Milk or any Vegan milk of your choice

Organic Flax Meal

Organic Agave Nectar or a few Organic Dates (to sweeten)

This photo just looks weird, but here are some of the ingredients waiting in the Nutribullet container to go swimming with Coconut Milk.

However this version includes frozen blueberries because it's winter and we need a bit more boost of those antioxdiants and anthocyanins to bolster our immune system. You could also add in a bit of ginger into this and that would really add some punch to it.

So here is the 'official,' recipe for this version:

V, GF- Chocolate, Banana and Blueberry Smoothie

1 Frozen Organic Banana

A Handful of Frozen Blueberries

*3 Heaping Teaspoons of Tumaco Cocoa Powder (any good quality Cocoa powder will do)

1 Cup of Coconut Milk or any Vegan Milk of your choice (water will do, but it won't be the same!)

1 Tablespoon of Organic Flax meal

1 Tablespoon of Organic Agave Nectar or 2-3 Organic Dates

*You can substitute Carob powder, but you may want to add less than 3 heaping teaspoons, as Carob tends to have a sweeter taste.

I use a Nutribullet; so I just make sure that the liquid doesn't surpass the 'Max,' line. Make sure that your lid is on tightly before you blend; or else you'll have a mess to clean up ;p

I pulse it a few times before letting it run continuously for about 20-30 seconds. 

It's a very satisfying smoothie in my opinion; so it's a nice treat to both your tastebuds and your body, as it supplies healthy nutrients, good fiber amongst many other benefits.

You can even take this smoothie and freeze it into popsicles, for a frostier treat.

All blended up and ready to be savored.

I think that I may still post a recipe for a Ginger Tea, that I make, but we'll see. It's getting down to -8F over here; so it depends on how thawed out, I'll be tomorrow.

Thanks to my brother for this awesome magnet. It's what we do!

Mabuhay!  To your Health!  Cheers!

Love,

Jessica

Join me for Merienda: Organic Carrot and Ginger Soup

Hello again,

It's been another stretch and so much has happened since the last post. I'm planning on a post about the Philippines, but for now it'll resides in my handwritten notes. Just be patient and it'll come =)

I've made this version of carrot and ginger soup a couple of times now. As almost all of the cooking and meals happen in my kitchen it was just out of happenstance. I think what prompted to me make soup was not only the chillier temperature outside, but also because my little niece was over for the weekend. Two of her favorite foods are noodles and soup. I remember that when she was maybe 8 months old how she loved eating the Veggie Curry that I had made. She didn't start getting to be a pickier eater until the last year, but you just have to keep on presenting different types of foods to children and just ask them to try it. They may not like it at first, but a few tries down the line they may enjoy it.  

This is a very easy and quick recipe as long as you do the prep work ahead of time. To speed up the cooking time as well as a means to retain almost all of the nutrients of the organic carrots; I steam them. I also do not peel the carrots (as long as they're organic) I just wash them very well. If you do this one day ahead it gives you one less thing to worry about. I haven't had a chance to substitute the carrots for other root vegetables, but I'm sure that parsnips, rutabagas, yams, sweet potatoes, squash would work just fine.

This could also potentially be a nice soup to bring to a potluck or for the holidays, but you don't need any special occasion to ever enjoy a great dish or meal =)

The swirl of paprika on top makes this bowl of soup look like one of our planets in the solar system. Can you guess which one? =)

                            

Organic Carrot and Ginger Soup- V,DF,GF

Ingredients:

3-5 Organic Carrots chopped into 2 inch lengths (pre-steamed)

2-3 Tb Canola or Safflower Oil

1-2 Tb of Organic Ginger minced

1 1/2 - 2 Stalks of Organic Celery diced

1/2 of an Organic Red Onion diced

4-6 Cloves of Organic Garlic minced

1 Organic Bay Leaf

A pinch of Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Organic Turmeric

1/2 tsp Organic Paprika

1 tsp of either Shawarma spice or Poultry spice

A Tiny pinch of Nutmeg (Optional)

1 Cube of Organic Vegetable Bouillion or 1C of homemade vegetable stock

3 C of Filtered Water

1/4 C of Organic Almond or Rice Milk

Freshly Ground Black Pepper and Himalayan Sea Salt to taste

 Equipment needed:

A medium sized pot

Wooden spoon

Blender

Serves 4-6 people (depending on how big of a serving you give them ;p

Do you notice what's missing from this plate?

I had some fresh turmeric; so I thought I would give it a photo shoot =)

Method:

Add oil to the pot and saute the onions,ginger,celery,garlic with the bay leaf until you smell the onions,see the celery becoming transparent and the garlic becoming a bit golden. Add in the bay leaf, cumin seeds,turmeric,paprika,shawarma or poultry spice, vegetable bouillon cube and stir until you hear and smell the cumin popping and spices blooming (about 4-5 minutes depending on your stove-top, mine is electric so it may take longer than somebody's gas stove-top). You can now add in your filtered water and stir and bring it to a boil. You should make sure to give it a taste and add in a bit of salt if needed. Let it simmer for 5 minutes and then add in your steamed carrots and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Take it off the burner and let it cool a minute or two and then add your soup to a blender, adding in the carrot pieces and other solids before the liquid being very careful not to burn yourself. Remember to pour away from yourself, not toward =) I recommend holding the top of the blender with a dish towel before blending it until smooth. Carefully empty the soup back into the pot and use the almond or rice milk to rinse the blender and add it into the rest of the soup. You can add more or less depending on if you want the consistency to be thicker or thinner. Taste the soup again and adjust your seasonings. I would add in your tiny dash of nutmeg in at this point and stir it in and let it sit a minute. 

If you wanted a smoother soup you could always run it through a sieve, but I think that the soup is fine unfiltered. I would describe this soup as having a velvety body and is quite substantial. This type of soup is really good on a cold day. The ginger and spices make it a  bone and soul warming soup =)  Inversely, this is also a good soup to eat chilled and in the summer time it is very refreshing.

This soup will also hold up well in the freezer. If you intend to freeze it; I would first freeze it into single portions and then tightly seal them in zip-top bags or vacuum seal them. To thaw, simply refrigerate until you're ready to use and then reheat.

Soup's on!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and that you all have nice holidays with your loved ones.


Wishing you good health and happiness!


Love,
Jessica