Nutritional Knits

Review: Vega Vibrancy Bars

At the end of last year I was contacted by Kelly from Sequel Naturals who wanted to know if I would be interested in reviewing some of Vega's new Vibrancy Bars.  Since I'm a fan of all thing Brendan Brazier I decided to give them a try. 

In case you don't know, Brendan Brazier is a Ironman triathlete.  And he's a vegan.  His book, The Thrive Diet, was one of the first nutrition books I read.  It really hooked me into reading more about the acidity and alkalinity in our bodies.  I was intrigued to learn how drastically we can improve our bodies by what we eat.  If you haven't read it and you are interested in nutrition then I highly recommend you pick it up.

If you are familiar with Vega's products then you will not be surprised by my review.  Their products are the real deal - whole foods sweetened by natural ingredients with the focus first and foremost on packing a nutritional punch.  Their bars do not taste like candy bars - they taste like health food bars.

The bar comes in three flavors: Wholesome Original, Chocolate Decadence and Green Synergy.  All three flavors seem to have the same base, with a few ingredients added to the particular flavors/focus of the bar.  The Green Synergy bar has Vega Green Food Blend added to it, while the Chocolate flavor lists 70% cocoa dark chocolate. 

The Green Synergy bar tastes the way you would think it tastes: green.  It's not a bad taste, but I never would have guessed that dates would be listed as the second ingredient.  The Chocolate Decadence doesn't really taste like chocolate but like the Original flavor with a hint of cocoa added.  All three of the flavors have the Vega Antioxidant EFA Oil added to them and that is the underlying flavor of all three bars.   Again, if you are familiar with Vega then you won't be surprised by that.  What did surprise me was how disappointed I was when I realized I ate all my samples.  That is when I realized how much I liked them.  I like their healthy flavor, the size of the bar and the fat content per bar.  I love reading the list of ingredients, knowing how healthy the bars are and that I'm eating sprouted foods and healthy oils.

Don't be scared to try these bars because of their green flavor.  I plan on adding them to my meal plans on the days that I am in school and only have a 10 minute break to eat.

Other reasons to try the Vega Vibrancy Bar:

• Vegan
• Gluten Free
• Dairy Free
• 95% organic ingredients
• 85% of ingredients are raw
• Highly alkaline forming
• High in those healthy Omegas!!

At approximately 9g of fat (omegas!) and 200 calories these bars are a great post-workout snack or on-the-fly treat in between meals.

The nutritional data for all three flavors can be found here. 

Please Note: I received no payment in exchange for this review.

 

Time to bust out the Post -its!

I've got some new books to read and cook from!!

You can always tell when I find a good resourceful book:

..and in case you're wondering what books these are.  You can see the titles here.

Raw Kale & Shiitake Salad

Recipe from Elana's Pantry.

I've been wanting to try a massaged kale recipe for some time and this particular one really jumped out at me.  Elana has a beautiful site with lots of recipes.  I suggest you take a cruise over there and check them out - they aren't all vegan or raw but they are gluten free, 

My husband eats a pretty healthy version of the Standard American Diet (SAD) so I don't try to force anything on him.  Often I'll leave leftovers of some raw veggie dish out and he'll pick at it while cooking his own meat and veggies supper.  I had my serving of this dish and when I went back into the kitchen he had finished the leftovers (quite a bit).  I'm pretty sure that was the first time he's had raw kale and I'm ABSOLUTELY sure that was the first time he has tried umeboshi vinegar.  His take on it?  "Really good" was how he described it - which I figured since he the bowl was empty.

This recipe was easy and delicious. I used dinasour (lacto) kale and was really happy with it.  I didn't have any sesame oil (I'm not a fan) so I sprinkled some black sesame seeds on top.  I also added a splash of fresh lemon juice and black pepper and then marinated the shiitake's in it before mixing it all together.  I had it along some some take-home sushi but I think this would have been a great side dish to the maple grilled salmon from the previous post.

raw kale salad topped w/ black sesame seeds

Overall, this recipe easy, delicious and had my husband eating raw kale - it will most definitely stay in my repertoire.  You can find the recipe here.

Julie's Cheesy Broccoli Bowl

The yumminess in front is a Sunshine burger wrapped in a just barely blanched collard green, topped with avocado and mango peach salsa.  The yumminess in the back is Julie's Cheesy Broccoli Bowl.  I found Julie via the Vega community website.  That is a great page with lots of nutritional experts, athletes and fun video blogs (vlogs).  I've enjoyed watching Lyzabeth Lopez training vlogs.

Here is the recipe with my modifications. 

INGREDIENTS:
a few shakes of wheat-free tamari
1 Tbsp raw tahini
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp paprika (I used half-sharp, yum!)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1½ tsp lemon juice
3 cups finely chopped fresh broccoli florets
1 or 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
water, if needed

Mix the nutritional yeast, paprika, and garlic powder together. Stir in the tahini , tamari, lemon juice, and coconut oil and whisk thoroughly with a small fork. If a thinner sauce is desired, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time. This was pretty thick but I thawed out my frozen broccoli by dumping it in the leftover collard water that was still on the stove.  The water wasn't on, but it was still warm and thawed out the broccoli.  Then I drained the broccoli and tossed wih the sauce.  The water in the broccoli helped thin the sauce out a bit.

This supposedly last in the frige a couple of days but I wouldn't know because I ate it in one sitting.  OH! and it also supposedly serves 2.  Again, I ate it all. Good stuff!

Here is the link to her original recipe.  Go check out Julie's site.  She's super cute and has all kinds of great nutritional tips.

Farmers Market haul, and a recipe

click to embiggen

I scored big time at the farmers market on Saturday.  See those collards?? They are huge!!  I brought the bread (in the front) to my MIL's beach house for breakfast toast and the other is for me.  And it's just about gone.  The fruit wasn't as sweet as I would have hoped but it's local and that makes me happy.  Also pictured there is (left to right) arugula, collards, kale, black leaf lettuce, bread, garlic scapes (see them??), cherries, strawberries and bread.

I get so excited when I see garlic scapes! I love the garlicky chive flavor and put them in everything (my apologies in advance to my co-workers and my husband for my breath, haha).  Tonight I sauteed up some garlic scapes, carrots and zucchini in sunflower oil - very lightly -just to take out the garlic punch and then I threw a scoop of cooked quinoa in to soak up all the garlicky goodness.  That will be my post-workout dinner tomorrow night.

Lunch tomorrow will be some really fresh zucchini hummus over arugula and lettuce topped with sprouts.  You can make hummus out of anything but this zucchini hummus is fresh and summery, flavored with basil and lemon.  If you don't have garlic scapes then you can use garlic, scallions, shallots - whatever floats your zucchini boat.

Zucchini Hummus

2 zucc's, chopped up
1 T raw tahini
5 large basil leaves
juice of 1/2 lemon
handful of raw cashews (makes it creamy)
two garlic scapes, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Throw it all in the food processor and let it whirl!  Taste for seasonings, whirl until almost smooth.  It will be a beautiful light green color.  I love to use fresh hummus over my salads instead of salad dressing.

Enjoy!

Sometimes my husband thinks I'm insane.

soaking nuts to use for 'taco meat'

...and I honestly don't blame him. 

ll

RAWberts Organic Cafe, Beverly MA

I've been wanting to try out Rawberts Organic Cafe for quite some time now but like so many things in my life the idea got pushed to the back of my brain and I forgot about it.  Until last week when Stacey blogged about her visit to Rawberts.  After reading how much she loved it I knew I had to go. 

My friend (and fellow health & food enthusiast) Fiona and I have been trying to get together lately and I figured why not try out Rawberts??  So today we met up at the restaurant and had a delicious raw lunch.  We (er, I) definitely ordered too much food but it was so hard to decide because everything looked so good.  The special for the day was nut-free "meat"balls with fresh tomato sauce over zucchini ribbon noodles.  The table next to us got it and it looked -and smelled- delicious and fresh. I wanted something I can't make at home so I ordered the Guac Tacos (Corn/Golden Flax Dehydrated Taco Shells w/ Cashew Sour Cream & Hot Sauce) which were delicious! Fresh and light and the taco shells were crunchy.  You know its a good taco if you are too busy eating it to notice that you are making an absolute mess of yourself, ha!  Fiona ordered the Pure Pad Thai which was sweet and spicy and just creamy enough with loads of fresh juilanned veggies.

We also orded appetizers.  I ordered the Spring Rolls (with dehydrated coconut flax wraps) and Fiona went the smarter route and ordered a side of falafal which she said was delicious.  My spring rolls were good - very large! but a bit too sweet for my taste.  I think my next visit will include an elixer instead of an appetizer.

As you can see the food was presented beautifully.  Someone in that kitchen was very proud of what they were sending out to the tables - as they should be.  At the end of the meal I went the piggy route and ordered a slice of their Black Forrest cake (pie?): choco-nut crust, layer of raw chocolate, layer of strawberries then topped with a layer of carob mousse (or something like that).  Unfortunately I wasn't so blown away by it as I would have hoped.  The strawberries were frozen and the carob wasn't carob-y enough for me. Next time I'll take home a vegan pumpkin whoopie pie instead. Heh.

They also had a lot of take out and juice/smoothie business. I also saw a few patrons leaving with a straw tucked into a fresh young coconut. Oh! and the dessert take out case looked de-lish!  Fi and I have already talked about headed back up there and I know that Krista wants to try it too so I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures and info about this great restaurant.

You can see more pictures here. If you live in this state - I highly recommend that you take a ride up to Beverly and visit Rawberts Organic Cafe!!

Spicy Salad Greens w/Summer Berry Dressing

Adapted from Jenny Ross's
Compressed Summer Berry Salad (dressing only).

Berry Dressing
1/4 C strawberries
1 C cashews + 1T sunflower seeds (original recipe called for one cup of pine nuts)
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 C young coconut water (fresh is best but you can use packaged)
1/2 tsp vinegar (apple cider or red wine)
1 T agave nectar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
pinch of salt

Let the cashews soak in the coconut water for 10 min's to 1/2 hour (not necessary, but the long soak helps make them creamier).  Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor.  Test seasonings.

Chill, then devour.  

Best served over spicy greens and sliced berries.

Good Fats: Weight Gain Myths, Cholesterol, and Alkalizing Foods.

I've been plagued with a sinus headache for a week so posting anything comprehensive is beyond what I can do right now.  Instead, I'm just going to link you to this really well-written post with so much great information in it.  It covers so many nutritional bases and myths.

Here is a snippet from Gena's post:

To dispel the “fat myth,” we need a two-pronged attack plan. We need to address the health angle (“are raw fats ‘bad’ for me?”) and the cosmetic angle (“will eating raw, plant-based fats make me gain weight?”). Let’s start with the health angle.

All fats are not created equal. I cannot stress this enough! When you’re wondering whether or not something is “fattening” or “bad for you,” it’s not the quantity of fat in the food you need to worry about, but rather what kind of fat it is. Raw, plant-based fats (avos, young coconuts, nuts, and raw, cold-pressed oils) are the “good fats” we hear so much about: mono-unsaturated fats (avos), Omega-3 fatty acids (flax and hemp), and polyunsaturated fats (e.g., walnuts). They contain antioxidants, oils that help joints, nerves, and bones, properties that help to lower the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol, and proven effects on lowering high blood pressure. They also help us to feel sated, to digest fat-soluble vitamins (A,K, D and E), and they promote brain function.

Do yourself a favor and go read it: Question of the Week: The Truth About Raw Fats. 

..

Spicy Coconut Sauce (BEST sauce ever!)

Ever see those young coconuts at the grocery store? They are white and have a pointy top.  I've always wanted to hack into one of those suckers but never knew how.  Then Choosing Raw posted this tutorial showcasing how easy (and fun!) it is to open a young coconut.  Of course, once I had the thing open I didn't know what to do with it... use it in a smoothie? Raw pudding? After a quick Google search I ended up at the Raw Freedom Community site with a recipe for Spicy Peanut Coconut noodles and I knew I had my recipe.

I was working with ingredients that I had on hand so I substituted a few items: I didn't have any shoyu so I used regular soy sauce (note: I much prefer shoyu), I omitted the galangal and just used a ton of fresh grated ginger (use your microplan zester to grate the peeled ginger - so easy!), crushed red pepper instead of fresh chiles (didn't have them on hand or I would have used fresh), and raw cashews instead of the peanuts (again, didn't have peanuts on hand).

Also note, this make a ton of sauce - about 4 cups.  If you halve the recipe then you can freeze the leftover coconut meat and leftover coconut water together to use later in another recipe (or a smoothie!). 

Spicy Peanut Coconut Sauce
based on this recipe from Carmella (sauce only)

1 fresh young coconut (you'll get about 1/2 cup coconut meat and 1 cup coconut water)
2 cups cashews, soaked (I got impatient and only soaked them for 1 hr)
1/4 C shoyu (can be eliminated to be wheat free, but add salt to taste)
1-2 inch knob of ginger, grated (I like it spicy)
3/4 cup raw maple almond butter* or your favorite unsalted nut butter
2 T crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cloves garlic
1/4 C cold water
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Add all the ingredients above in a high-speed blender or a food processor until smooth.  Taste to check the seasonings and add more ginger, pepper and garlic to taste.

I served mine cold with cooked whole wheat spaghetti, chopped raw zucchini and baby peas.  Other ideas would be to toss it with shredded raw veggies and mung bean sprouts.  Or on a hot day serve it chilled with cold soba noodles and snow peas.

Top with cilantro and fresh lime juice to taste and enjoy!!

*maple almond butter: 2C raw almonds ground in the food processor until paste-like consistency, then add 1 tsp coconut oil (melted) and 3 tsp of maple syrup.

RAWdiggity.

Lately I've been trying (and enjoying) a lot of raw dishes.  There are so many great raw recipes out there available via the internet.  Many raw foodies use a lot of nuts and seeds so I've been trying to alternate my dishes between nut and nut-free just to get a variety of fats.  Another popular ingredient is avocado.  And tahini.  Lots of fat but if you are eating all veggies, non-processed foods then the amount of fat is fine.

I've particularity enjoyed raw foods when breaking a fast.  The flavors are so fresh and delicious.  So far this week I've had: 

Raw veggie wrap ups:

Raw broccoli spread in collards with shredded carrots, red peppers and salad greens (this spread was nut-free).  I loved this wrap.  I had never had collard greens and was afraid they would be bitter but I did not find the collard greens bitter at all.  I liked the thick sturdy texture of them.  I did drop them into hot water for a few seconds to make them a bit more pliable and it brightened the color up as well.  The sweet red pepper really worked nicely with the flavor of the collards.  This was so delicious - a definite keeper!

Raw "lasagna":

Raw lasagna (zucchini slices, stacked with raw tomato sauce, avocado, spinach pesto).  This was ok, I wouldn't make it again.  I certainly wouldn't  consider it lasagna. I eat cooked foods so if I want lasagna, I'll have it with cooked sauce and past  (no cheese of course).

This, however, was delicious:

Raw zucchini, carrots and red pepper tossed with raw Alfredo sauce from this website (what a great resource).  I used my new spiralizer for the zucchini, which was fun and made a nice texture.  I also left out the miso and added a bit of tahini and extra garlic.  It was good and I'll thin the rest out and use it as salad dressing.  With the raw dish I also had a Sunburger topped with salsa and wrapped in a collard leave.  I don't like "soy" based burgers - they give me wicked heartburn so this one (made of brown rice and sunflower seeds) really appealed to me.  This was ok but something was waaaaaaaay to salty - not sure if it was the salsa or the burger.  Plus the burger was mushy in the middle. 

Tomorrow for lunch I'll have salad with broccoli pate and thinned out alfredo sauce as my dressing. I'm really enjoying all these raw veggies and my new discovery of collard greens.