Tasty Vegan Dessert

Last night I made a really tasty Vegan Dessert. It was a Chocolate Mousse Pie. I must say that it was better today after chilling in the refrigerator over night. Yummy!!! Here you go.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup chopped dates

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup almonds

1/3 cup cashews

1/2 t vanilla extract

Mousse:

1 package of Silken Lite Extra Firm Tofu

2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder

1 t vanilla extract

1/3 cup 100% Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar (I used Agave)

Other:

2 ripe bananas (sliced lengthwise)

For the Mousse, blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender and set aside. You can also eat this alone if you don't want to make the pie, just chill it before serving.

Directions:

Make the crust by putting all the crust ingredients in a food processor or blender until it is a sticky consistency. Then press it into a pie pan. Place the sliced bananas over the crust and press down the edges covering the entire bottom. Pour the Mousse over top and finally chill in the refrigerator. Wahlah! It is really tasty. I have done a similar Mousse that tasted even better but can't seem to find the recipe at the moment. This one is pretty good though. Enjoy!

My New Company

Today, I had the pleasure of going to a little Q & A session with the founder and CEO of my new company. It was really great to see him speak and hear of all the great things the company is already doing for the health and the environment but to also hear of his visions for the future. I feel so fortunate to be a part the efforts to make a difference in the health and well-being of people all over the country and, maybe one day, all over the world. It was neat to hear how 30years ago at the age of 24 he started up a little health food store that had to close down, opened another one after that and is now a very successful founder of an incredible, large, and still growing company. Everyone there (all employees) seemed so happy to be working for them and he spoke about all that the company has to offer his employees as far as health, benefits and education go. It made me sooo excited to be a part of a company that truely takes care of it's employees but also reaches out to the consumers as well. One of the biggest initiatives is now to help educate consumers and, really the world, that food is medicine. Health starts with food. It can make a difference in preventing diseases and obesity. It can save lives. I am so proud and happy to be a part of this revolution.

New Arrival

After talking to my sister last night right after her water broke, I didn't have a very good night sleep. I woke up every hour or so and rolled over to make sure I didn't miss a call or a text while I was sleeping. No news came and I got up, went for a run, and headed to work at 10:30 still so curious as to what was going on at that very moment. Then about 11:30 my mom called with the news. Jenny had her baby girl and was doing great. The tears welled up in my eyes and I was excited, happy, and sad all in one. Wishing so much that I could be there. Good thing I was soooo busy at work so I didn't have much time to think to much about not being there. Then I was able to talk to Jen on my lunch break and know that she was doing great. She told me of the sereal experience she had and how beautiful her baby girl was. I am so proud of her and can't wait to meet my new little neice, Ainsley Rae.

On another quick note...I just got home from going to a show where the band, Stars of Track and Field, played. A friend of mine is the drummer. It was fun to see him and hang out for a little bit. I am now another step closer to building a social life here in Chicago ;)

Unpacking, family, black bean burgers, church and back to work

I am finally officially unpacked but still have couple items to organize. I now feel a bit more settled in. Friday was spent putting things away, cleaning the condo, running errands, a little cooking and some much needed time lying around. Saturday I went out to my cousin Toby’s home in the suburbs and spent the day with him, his wife Shelly, and their two daughters Alexa and Madison. It was great. I really enjoy spending time with them and it’s especially great cause Shelly is as much into health food as I am. We have some great visits. Toby and the kids aren’t quite as excited all the time nor do they get to excited when they hear her and I making dinner menu plans they have to try. BUT last night they really enjoyed what we put together. I have been wanting to try a good veggie burger for a long time so I found one in the Vegetarian Times magazine that turned out really good. Everyone really liked them. We served them with some baked sweet potato fries and it hit the spot. They didn’t hold together as well as I would have liked so I would have to experiment with them a bit more but would definitely make them again.
Here is the recipe if you are interested….

Black Bean and Walnut Burgers

Ingredient List
Serves 8
2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained well
2 tsp. ground cumin
3 tsp. chili powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped red onion
3 Tbs. canned corn
1/3 cup cornmeal
guacamole, for topping
chunky salsa, for topping

Directions
Purée 2 1/2 cups beans with cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper until smooth. Add rice, walnuts, onion, corn and remaining beans, and pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. (Mixture should be stiff but not dry.) Add 2 to 3 Tbs. water to moisten, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill, if making ahead.
Divide mixture into 8 burgers. Dredge burgers in cornmeal. Chill 30 minutes (unless mixture has been made earlier and chilled).
Coat nonstick pan or grill with cooking spray. Cook burgers over medium heat 4 minutes. Flip, and cook 4 minutes more, or until heated through.
Really recommend topping the burger with guacamole and salsa instead of your regular ketchup and mustard. Adding a little canned jalapeño to the mixture might be good as well. Enjoy!

This morning I went to my new church right before work. I really enjoy it there and hope to start getting in with the music program and helping lead the music. I really miss singing and need to get back into it again. God gave me the talent for a reason so I better start using it and look forward to it :) I felt a bit lonley today so I was so glad I had a place to go and feel loved and comforted even though I walked in alone. Afterward I went straight to work and before I knew it I was getting home around 8 tonight. It was soo busy and hectic but things are going great. Lots to do still and many "firsts" ly ahead but that's how it goes in a new job especially when it is one I am helping to create.

Another day in the life.....

Chicago on my walk home tonight.....The Sears Tower roof has green lights in honor of St Patrick's Day

As I ly in bed reflecting on my day, I notice how strange it is to once again have a set work schedule; to go to the same place for 8-10 hours 5 days a week; to get home in the evening, make dinner, maybe visit a little, clean up and get ready for bed only to do it all over the next day. THEN I realize...I have the coolest job in the world :) I walk around the store thinking....this my job :) Besides all the planning and organizing and all the new stuff right now, I get to try new recipes, make up new recipes, talk to people about my passion, and walk around checking out all the items in the store that interest me. Not many people can say they TRUELY enjoy their jobs but I can.
The vegan diet is still going strong as of Day10. I am really enjoying all the beans, grains, nuts, fruits and veggies. BUT, I actually accidently had a cupcake today that had butter and milk in it! I was mad cause it was the company that the store uses for many of there vegan cakes and I wasn't paying attention when they brought a bunch of them for the staff to eat up. I just assumed it was the vegan ones and decided to split one with my co-worker. I was wrong...it was just gluten free and not vegan. The crazy thing is that I actually felt it. I am allergic to dairy (even though I still at it sometimes) and because I have completely cut it out for the last week and a half I defintely had a reaction to it. I got an instance headache, my nasel passages burned and by the end of the day my stomach was definitely off and I had a sore throat. I really do love how you can notice how things really effect your body though. It is a great example of how diet can be medicinal. Anyway,
I haven't tried any new GREAT recipes but have plans for some stuff soon. Tomorrow I am making Seitan Fajitas. Seitan is a meat substitute made from Wheat gluten. I have used it before and actually liked it. I'm not a big fan of using substitute meat products cause I can do with out it but sometimes it isn't bad. There is a recipe that I am going to try in a couple days. I have to tweek it a little bit first to make it a bit healthier and make sure it tastes good. It is a lentil, sweet potatoe, and rhubarb curry dish. Rhubarb is just coming into season and lentils and sweet potatoe are always a good choice. I'm really excited and will update you and post the recipe if it is worthy :)

A New Road Traveled

Last night I arrived in Minneapolis around 10:30 and was picked up by one of my mom’s best friends. We went back to her place and visited for about an hour before I was off to bed and up again at 8, only to hop in my car and head back to Chicago. Although it was a quick visit it was very nice to see her and her husband since it has been a very long time. The drive took about 7 hours and never did I feel like I knew where the heck I was. I called and caught up with some friends I haven’t talked to for a while, listened to the radio, and day dreamed about my future as I made my way across the Midwest countryside. From Minnesota I passed through Wisconsin driving by all sorts of Cheese factory billboard’s, Cheese restaurant signs and a random HUGE Gentlemen’s Club sign (Cruisin' Chubbies) that made me giggle after the intial shock wore off (Ich weiss, oder? Very tasteful! Not!). It was a bummer that it was actually a pretty gloomy rainy day otherwise I may have stopped in a few areas to roam around. I even disappointedly missed taking a picture of the “Entering Illinios” sign and almost turned around to go back out and re-enter just so I could capture it. After passing through and PAYING 4 TOLLS, ahhh, I hit the city traffic and creeped my way into Chicago. Today marked my first time driving in the Midwest, on a new chunk of Interstate and finally through my new home town. A new road traveled. LOVE IT! I made it back just in time to go to church at 5 and afterward drove through downtown, picked up some groceries and loaded all my belongs from the car up to the apartment. Time to finish getting settled in my new room now that I almost everything I own with me. Back to work in the morn.

Day 6 - Vegan - KALE BUTTER

I'm on day 6 of the vegan diet and things are going great. Not really that hard for me at all expect a few cravings here and there. Will be a little bummed I can't have my guiness on St Patty's day but I will survive :) I'm feeling great once I passed a couple detox days and cut out some of the soy that was put in some of the recipes. WAY too much soy for me. WAY to much soy for anyone probably. Another thing I have noticed as well is that my skin is alot smoother and shinier. Kinda funny cause the other day I got told by two customers that I have beautiful skin. Never heard that one before. Interesting but not surprising that eating a better diet improves the skin especially when you cut out dairy and excess sugar and eat alot of veggies.
New recipe: A few days ago, I experimented with a recipe for a Kale Butter for St. Patricks Day weekend and it is delicious. It is a great substitute for butter on crackers, toast, pitas, wraps and would be fun for kiddos on pancakes. It is very simple and a great way to get some more healthy greens into your diet. It is a really cool green color too.

KALE BUTTER

1 bunch of Kale
3/4-1 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup water
salt to taste

Pull the large backbones off the Kale and steam for about 5 minutes. Then put it in the blender with the walnuts and the water from the steamed Kale (this adds the extra nutrients back that the Kale lost when steaming). Blend to desired consistency and enjoy. Makes about 1 1/2 cups and keeps in the fridge a couple days.

On my way to Minneapolis

Well, my car made it's way from Scobey to Minneapolis so I am taking a quick trip to get it this weekend. I hop the train at 2:15 this afternoon and get there around 10:30 tonight. Then it's a 7 1/2 hour drive back to Chicago tomorrow. Fun way to spend a weekend right? I figured I would get it done with early and it will be nice to have my car for any trips out to the suburbs to see my cousins. Otherwise I don't really need it since I can walk to work.
Work is going great. I really love it. I walk around the store sometimes and think to myself happily...."this is my job". Besides work though my social life is minimal if any but I know that will come with time. I am sooo excited to explore the city and see all that it has to offer. I love it so far. I have gone running a couple times on the trails next to the lake and it is awesome. The weather is starting to get warmer so it can only get better :)

Day 1 - Vegan - Sweet Potato Lasagna

So as a nutritionist and one who gives advice on eating styles or provides information, part of the job takes research. One of the best forms of research is putting yourself in others shoes and experiencing things that others will go through. So one of the books that is featured at our store suggests moving toward a vegan way of eating to help prevent or reverse many of the top killers in the US cancer and heart disease. I read the book and do agree with many of it’s ideas and ways of eating. The most predominant aspect is the fact that we should all be eating “Plant Strong”. It suggests a 4 week trial on a vegan diet because of the damaging affects of eating a high dairy and meat diet. It gives a structure, recipes, and shopping list on how you can do it and enjoy it. I decided to give it a try. I figured I’m already about 85-90% vegan so it couldn’t be too hard. What a better way than this to be able to help customers find some of the suggested products (cause I’ll have to find them), to experience some of the benefits first hand, and to experiment with some of the great recipes. So, today is “vegan” day one. I had a great breakfast of a combination of cereals, almond milk, and fruit piled in a large bowl and a bean pita with veggies for lunch. Tonight I tried my first big recipe: Sweet Potato/Veggie Lasagna. It was soooo beautiful even before putting it in the oven and tasted great.
Here is the recipe in case you thought you might like to try it out :)

Sweet Potato and Veggie Lasagna

1 onion, chopped
1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 package Silken Lite tofu
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon rosemary
2-28oz cans chunky tomato sauce
1 box whole grain lasagna noodles
16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
4 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat oven to 400º. Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liq­uid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl. Drain the tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.
To Assemble:
Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dress­ing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.
Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

My new life in Chicago

After one week down from work I am starting to become accustomed to the fact I am now a Chicago resident. I walk 18 minutes to work Sunday through Thursday from my beautiful apartment overlooking the city. I have mostly unpacked my three bags, stocked my fridge and cupboard with groceries, opened a new bank account, and went for my first Chicago run along the lake past the aquarium, museum, and Navy Pier. After a few days of paperwork and company info at work I was finally able to start some brainstorming and theme planning for the coming weeks. By next weekend I will be hitting the floor and really starting the position. Right now it is a bit of a brain ache but it feels really good to be back in learning and teaching mode and I have even been cooking alot more which is definitely great. Today I went out to the suburbs and spent the day with my cousins and their families. We had a great time. It was sooo great to meet a few of them for the first time and also become reacquainted with the others. So nice to have family near by. This morning as I walked to the train and listened to my music, with the sun shining down on me and the cool air brushing my cheeks, I felt really happy. I thought to myself...despite the sometimes lonely feelings, the still often ache of missing being near my dear friend Caro, and the mundane tasks that come with moving to a new city....this is gonna be great. I LIVE IN CHICAGO! so cool :)

Welcome back to Full Time work :)

Well, I officially started my new job yesterday. Not super exciting mostly because the first few days is always admin, paperwork, learning about the company, and all sorts of other materials. My head last night was a little inflated from all the info and of course I wanted more and wanted to know it ALL right now. Lots to take in. This morning was an all store team meeting for the couple hundred employees and they went over all the stuff that the company gets involved in throughout the year. Pretty amazing company. Very exciting. Made me very excited to be a part of it and anxious to get more involved. This job is gonna be awesome. (Once I get my feet on the ground and running of course.) It's gonna be alot of prep work and structure building as a new position but I think I'm up for the challenge :)