Sunrise Smoothie

On a school day or a busy weekend, I need something quick, easy & healthy that will give me energy to get through the morning. Especially when I have a test at school and two shifts per day at work over the the weekend. We have always been big smoothie fans at my house, probably because we have a fantastic Vitamix a la 1993. Thanks to this resource, as well as our stash of frozen bananas and constant supply of 8+ quarts of local peaches, I was able to whip up a sweet smoothie in a matter of minutes.

This easy smoothie is perfect for people with food allergies - no dairy, no nuts, no soy, no gluten...and it's raw, too. So toast to good health and enjoy one while the peaches are ripe.

SUNRISE SMOOTHIE
This healthy smoothie (190 calories, 0g fat) is a great start to your day. Makes one large smoothie.

• 1 peach, washed & skin left on
• 1 frozen banana
• juice of 1 orange (about ½ cup)
• a handful of ice cubes (if you want a thinner or colder smoothie)

Pulse in a high-power blender until desired consistency is reached. Enjoy immediately.

Friday Cat Blogging: In the Backyard

Pudding Obsessions

JUNGLE PUDDING

This delectable, summery pudding is very easy to make. It is also an easy recipe to adjust for your own palette. Yields 2-3 servings.

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 ripe and flavorful mango (this is important!)
• juice of 1 lime or 1 lemon
• juice of 1 orange

Puree all ingredients in a powerful blender until the mixture is a thick and homogeneous. Garnish with fresh mint (pictured) or slices of citrus.

I am submitting "Pudding on Blue" to DMBLGIT August 2008. Remember, you can always click on the photos to see them in larger format on Flickr. I had a lot of fun photographing this pudding.

Italian-Inspired Pink Gazpacho

OK, I'm not stupid - I know gazpacho is from Spain. But this was a spur-of-the-moment kind of soup, something that I threw together on Sunday night when I realized that I didn't have anything planned for Monday's lunch. It's easy, tasty, and I used what I had on hand. (Basil from the garden, a can of beans in the back of the pantry, and an enormous pile of fresh tomatoes from the Farmer's Market.) Next time I will sprout dried beans for a lunch that is 100% raw.

I enjoyed this gazpacho with a slice of Ezekiel bread for dipping as well as a salad with red bell peppers and soaked almonds.

PINK GAZPACHO

This simple soup is great on a hot summer afternoon. Serves one.

• ½ cup cannellini beans
• ¼ cup water
• 2 small, juicy tomatoes
• 4 good-sized leaves of fresh basil
• ½ tsp. black pepper (or more)
• salt, to taste

Puree all ingredients in a high-speed blender or Vitamix. Chill over night.

My First Day (The Raw Vegan Way)

A great first day and a great lunch. I got a new, bento-like lunchbox that I just love. It fits in my locker (always a plus) and it is a good size for me. For lunch today, I had romaine leaves topped with fresh figs (right) and a raw avocado-fig tartlet (left, recipe below.) It was very tasty. I froze the tartlet over night so that it would defrost before lunch without getting soggy.

I am going to a friend's party tonight & I work both jobs this weekend, so I will catch up on comments as soon as I can. What did you have for lunch today?

AVOCADO-FIG TARTLET
A flavorful, creamy raw tartlet. Makes one tartlet.

CRUST

• ½ cup of walnuts, soaked for 6-8 hours & dried over night
• 3-4 dried Black Mission figs

Pulse the walnuts and dried figs in a food processor until the mixture is sticky and forms a ball easily. Cover a tartlet pan with waxed paper and press the crust mixture into the pan, distributing evenly along the bottom and sides.

FILLING

• ½ an avocado
• 5 fresh figs
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. stevia extract

Put the avocado and figs in a food processor and pulse ingredients together until the consistency is even and creamy.

TO ASSEMBLE
Scoop filling in to crust and smooth the top. You can pipe the top if you want a fancier look. Store in the refrigerator for no longer than two days.

New Brighton, PA

It was so good to see my grandparents. It had been less than a year but we were long overdue.

We were busy. Three days of non-stop visiting, eating and enjoying Beaver Valley.
My favorite places to eat were Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe & Shakespeare's in New Brighton as well as the amazing Cafe Kolache in downtown Beaver. My #1, however, was my Aunt Patty's house. She's a wonderful cook, and she even taught me how to make her famous fudge! She's not a blogger, though...I think I'm the first (and only) in my family :)

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Monaca across from the Beaver Valley Mall and went to the archery club with my grandpap...

We saw lots of Steelers stuff at a sports store in downtown Beaver...

We saw bridge after bridge after bridge...and a train, too...

I never realized what a cool place New Brighton is. I could've spent a couple of weeks there, talking with my grandparents, walking around with my camera, antiquing, sitting on the river and admiring the views and the gaggle of Canadian geese...

Meme + Recipe

RAW PLUM TARTLETS
These delicious treats were inspired by Carmella’s recipe for raw cheesecake. Makes four tartlets, serves 4-8, depending upon the size of your stomach.

CRUST

• 2 cups of pecans, soaked for 6-8 hrs. and dried over night
• 12 Medjool dates, pits removed
• a sprinkle of salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until the nuts are crumbly and the mixture will easily form a small ball. Cover your tartlet pans with saran wrap and press the crust into each pan, taking care to evenly distribute it along the sides and bottom.

CASHEW CREAM

• a scant 3 cups of cashews soaked for 2-4 hrs.
• 3-4T agave nectar
• 2T unsweetened applesauce
• 2T water, more if needed
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Once again, blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. If the mixture will not blend easily, add more water. A heavy-duty blender, such as a Vitamix, would also suffice for this step.

TO ASSEMBLE

• 4-8 ripe plums, depending upon your taste

Scoop the cashew cream into the crusts and smooth gently. Arrange plum slices on top of the tartlets to complete. Store in the refrigerator for no longer than two days.

I have seen this one so many times and as interesting as it is, I'm going to pass on passing it on this time around. But thanks, Bumblebutton, for tagging me!

• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Post the rules on the blog.
• Write six random things about yourself.
• Tag six people at the end of your post.
• Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
• Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six random things...

1. I used to want to be a writer, with my heart and soul. Then our computer hard drive exploded (not really, but it went totally beserk) and all of my stories were gone. Forever. I haven't really written since.
2. I love FiTV. I do the workouts (Shimmy! All Star Workouts!) and I watch the shows, too. (Get Fresh With Sara Snow is my favorite.)
3. I am really bad with book series. I read all of the Harry Potter books except for the last 3/4 of the seventh book. I read the first two books in Scotts Westerfield's Uglies trilogy, was hooked, and forgot about the third book. (Oops!) The only series that I finished was *drum roll* the X-Men movies. My favorites! Also, I adore travel books. I don't really read "teen" books very often anymore because I think "adult" books are much more interesting.
4. I think it might be fun to be a high-fashion model. I think fashion is really interesting and appealing as an art form. (Ditzy models, though? Not for me.)
5. It sound dumb, but I like feeling fancy. Pretty food, expensive things (that I bought on eBay at 75% off retail price, of course) & cashing my paycheck make me feel fancy.
6. I like being considered a "hippie." I take it as a compliment. I know I'm not really a hippie, but at my school, my interest in healthy eating and my eco-mindedness definitely makes me an obvious tree-hugger. And I love that!

Indigo River Jewelry Debut [!]

Pennsylvania was great, and I'm planning a big post about my trip. But first, I had something very important to share with you.

www.IndigoRiverJewelry.etsy.com

Click the link, please.

Clink the link, OK?

Clink the link.

Clink the link now.

Click it. Right. Now.

CLICK THE LINK!

All right, I'm getting a little harsh. But this is my baby. I have been dreaming of selling my jewelry for almost two years now. So here it is, for the world to see. I am proud. I'll post the rest of my current batch later - it is 12:19 PM and I worked today. So, yeah, I'm tired. But I'm excited, too. Enjoy.