Vitamina de Abacate

This smoothie was made with avocado, lime juice, frozen banana, non-dairy milk, spirulina, and stevia

This avocado smoothie is such a treat! My recipe is based on the one that my dad used to make for me growing up. He fell in love with it in Brazil, there they call it vitamina de abacate. There are a few different ways it can be made so I'll share some different options. 

First peel a banana, slice it up and place it in a small Tupperware container and freeze it. I usually keep several bananas in the freezer because I use them in smoothies. If the banana isn't frozen the texture of the smoothie will be goopy instead of creamy. (picture from google images)

slice an avocado and add it to the blender. (picture from google images)

Squeeze in lime or lemon juice. I usually use a lime but a lemon will also work

Scoop a teaspoon of spirulina. A handful of spinach or kale can also be used. 

Add 8 oz of yogurt for a thick smoothie or 8 oz of milk for a thin smoothie. I like both ways, it just depends on what I feel like at the time I am making it. 

I use Bellwether Farms sheep milk yogurt since I am sensitive to cows milk. Goat milk yogurt has too strong of a flavor for me. For milk I use my own nut milks since I am allergic to cow's. Even when I make a smoothie using yogurt I add a little milk as well, otherwise it won't blend.

 

 Delicious!

After I blend the smoothie I taste it. Sometimes I add a few drops of stevia. Usually the banana makes it sweet enough, however now and then it needs a little something extra. Raw honey or turbinado can also be used. 

Vitamina de Abacate (Avocado Smoothie, serves 2)

1 frozen ripe banana, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 avocado

Juice of 1 lime or lemon (optional)

2 cups plain full fat yogurt or milk of your choice

1 tsp spirulina or 1 handful of spinach/kale

A few drops of stevia or 2 medjool dates

Peel, slice, and freeze 1 ripe banana. Add the banana and the rest of the ingredients (except for the sweetener) to the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Depending on the size of the banana and avocado it may need a little extra milk to help it blend. Taste to see if it needs sweetener. If it does add a few drops of stevia or a tsp of raw honey and blend one more time. Pour into two 12 oz glasses and enjoy!

I posted this on Kelly the Kitchen Kop's blog for her Real Food Wednesday post! Check it out to see other blogger's recipes for real food!

Chicken and Rice with a Tropical Twist

I have been going to Bill the Butcher to get quality meat. Their meat is different from what you will buy at any ol grocery store, just read their following statement.

"Bill the Butcher believes in supporting sustainable farming practices and working with local farmers and ranchers who raise beef, pork and poultry without hormones, steroids and genetically modified feed. We also feature open pastured organic and natural grass fed beef that has not been artificially and intentionally fattened on corn. This gentle and natural diet creates meat that is high in Omega 3 and 6 essential oils and is far healthier than traditional beef raised in a feedlot."


I can feel the difference as well. Last year I was vegan. Before that I tried to eat healthy but knew something was off. (Have you ever realized that the typical low fat diet is a high sugar diet?) After I read the China Study I went vegan. Then my body went really out of whack and I found out I have food intolerances to a lot of vegan food. I have been doing more research and have started to follow a traditional food diet (with a few alterations) and I am noticing a difference. 


In September I will be taking an 8 month course through the Nutritional Therapy Association. They use Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon in their teachings so in a year I will have a lot more knowledge than I do now. I am constantly reading and doing research on my own when it comes to nutrition and I am excited to finally have experts give me some guidance. 

I cooked chicken with fresh pineapple, rice, and other veggies to make this fun dinner!

I doubled the recipe so I had to combine everything in a large mixing bowl. Brown rice, sautéed onions, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, chicken broth, and red pepper flakes all mixed together.

 Caramelized fresh pineapple

 I cut the pineapple in half and scooped out the fruit. It was trickier than I thought it was going to be. The first half I scooped out I completely destroyed. I was smarter with the second one. I cut it up before trying to scoop

I topped it off with chopped up cilantro but didn't get a final picture of it because we were hungry. There is more filling than the pineapple can hold so it was served in another dish.

Pineapple Chicken and Rice

1 cup brown rice. Soaked, drained, and cooked

1/2 onion, chopped

1 Tbs fresh grated ginger

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup peas

1 organic chicken breast

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 fresh pineapple + 1 can of pineapple

1/4 cup Pineapple juice

 sesame oil

fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Soak the brown rice for 24 hours in water and 1 tsp of vinegar. This will reduce the phytic acid making it easier to digest and allowing more vitamins/minerals to be absorbed. Drain and rinse the rice and cook in 2 cups of water with a tsp of olive oil.
2. Drizzle the chicken breast with some sesame oil and pineapple juice. Wrap it in tinfoil and bake it at 350 for 20-30 minutes until it's 160 degrees and no longer pink in the center.
3. While the chicken and rice are cooking prep all the veggies. Chop the onion, chop the pepper,  mince the garlic, slice up the pineapple, chop of the cilantro,  and set the peas out to thaw.
4. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in some sesame oil. Set aside.
5. Sauté the red bell pepper for  2 minutes but don't overcook it. It should still be firm. Set aside.
6. Sauté the pineapple so the sides get caramelized.
7. When the rice is done mix in all the sautéed veggies and thawed out peas. Add the red pepper flakes, chicken broth, and pineapple juice.
8. Shred the chicken and mix it in as well. Fill the empty pineapple with the chicken-veggie-rice mixture and top with cilantro. The extra filling can be served in a separate dish.      

Spirulina Berry Smoothie

I've been adding 1 tsp of Spirulina to my smoothies these days. It is full of protein, iron, vitamins, antioxidants, and important fatty acids. You can learn more about the health properties here. 

 In this smoothie I used a banana, frozen mixed berries, spirulina, non diary milk, and a little lemon juice. 

 It's super tasty and is even husband approved in the taste test. Trust me, he has no problem telling me that some of my creations just aren't gonna work....This one passed the test!

 The berries hide the spirulina, but it's in there I promise! 

 

Banana Chocolate Cream Pie

There is a pie that I have been drooling over for quite a while now. My birthday was on Saturday so I knew it would be the perfect dessert to celebrate with. I used the recipe from The Spunky Coconut she creates gluten free, casein free, and sugar free recipes that are absolutely delicious. I have made several of her dishes and haven't been disappointed yet.

 mixing up flax meal, coconut oil, applesauce, and honey for the crust

 blended walnuts and coconut flour are also mixed in

 The pie dough is ready!

 press it into the pie pan

 bake it up

 blend cocoa powder, dates, banana's, and chia seeds together

 Let it chill for several hours and add the birthday candles

 Make a wish

Dig in! I received a whip cream dispenser for Christmas and if I put canned coconut milk in it I get whipped coconut cream! It all tasted so good! 

Muesli

I have been getting gluten free oats and making muesli. Living Young has some great info about properly prepared grains. When I made muesli in the past I never soaked my oats but after reading about the health benefits I have changed my ways!

 I soak the oats in water and fresh lemon juice overnight, then drain it in the morning

Scoop some of the soaked/drained oats into a bowl and add banana slices 

Next I warm up some frozen berries and place them on top 

Then I pour in some cashew milk 

Sometimes I add 3 drops of stevia and give it a couple of stirs. For those of you who enjoy your milk turning pink from those artificial breakfast cereals, you are lucky you will get the same result without the ill effects. 

Muesli

Soak 1 cup of gf oats in 2 cups of water with fresh lemon, orange, or apple juice. 

In the morning drain the oats and scoop some oats into a bowl. 

Add toppings that you like: fruit, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, or nut butters

Pour non-dairy milk over the top and enjoy!

Stevia

I get a lot of questions about stevia. What is it? Why do you use it? Is it better than sugar? Well I love Kelly's blog and she made a short video about stevia that I thought was great so I wanted to share it. 

Curried Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

I have made this dish vegan with roasted chickpeas but I have also roasted organic free range chicken. Both ways are delicious and I am sure both ways will be made again.

 I found the recipe at A Good Appetite  they make theirs in a crock pot (which I've done). However this last time I baked the potatoes and cooked everything separately. Both ways taste great!

 I put the curry on top of spinach for dinner, but I prefer the spinach chopped and mixed in better

For lunch the next day I chopped up the spinach and mixed it in. I like the texture better this way. 

Ingredients

1 c dry black beans

1 small onion ,chopped

1 clove garlic minced

2 T curry powder

2 c chicken or veggie broth

3-4 sweet potatoes

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup raisins

3 c spinach, chopped

1/2 cup coconut milk (whole fat cream from a can)

Adding roasted chickpeas or chicken is optional

Directions

Soak and Cook the black beans. Other wise use 2 cans of black beans that have been rinsed and drained.
Bake 4 sweet potatoes on the oven at 400 degrees for 1 1/2 hours while the beans cook.

Once the sweet potatoes are done, caramelize the  onion and garlic in a large pot. Take the skin off of the sweet potatoes, chop them up and add them to the large pot.

Mix in the black beans, curry powder, broth, cayenne pepper,  raisins, chopped spinach, and coconut milk. Simmer for 15 minutes.