Endive Salad with Orange-Mustard Dressing

Something quite interesting is going on in my house. My 16 month old son has this fascination with books. He is always with a book, 'reading' in some corner, flipping through pages and it goes on for minutes at a time. He even 'reads' off his diaper box ...anything that has words. I hope this stays long after he starts really reading. Anyway just wanted to share that with you.. here is a collage of the times I've had the camera near.

ENDIVE FACTS:

 I remember when I first found out about this beautiful-looking greens. I use them in my smoothies, juice it and eat is as a salad. Some people find it slightly bitter but I don't. I have never been the kind to shy away from something because of taste especially if I know it's beneficial to my health. Did you know that when compared to other green leafy vegetables endive is the richest source of Vitamin A? and if you remember from your nutrition class in school vit. A is particularly important for eyesight and good vision. Endive is also a great source of dietary fiber, magnesium, Vitamin E, C & K, Thaimin, folate, calcium, Iron, zinc and a host of other minerals.

Other health benefits of endive include clearing up the skin of acne, in combination with parsley and celery in juices it's a great blood tonic for those who are anaemic. Endive is also a very low calorie (it has just 1 calorie per leaf) food so it is great for those who want to lose weight to eat it as often as they can. It also relieves constipation because it is high in dietary fiber and helps to clean the liver and gall bladder. Now, do you see why I love this vegetable?


ENDIVE SALAD WITH ORANGE-MUSTARD DRESSING


Ingredients:

I head/bunch of endive, wash, fixed and set aside
1 granny smith apple, 1/2 apple julienned and 1/2 sliced

Mix together julienned apples and endive and put in a bowl. Place sliced apples over salad.

Orange-Mustard Dressing:

2 oranges, peeled and halved
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp fresh parsley
1tsp dry mustard powder
2 medjhool dates

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Dress salad with about 4 tbsp of orange-mustard dressing and save the rest in a tight-lid container and put in the fridge.

photo by Nina Lakota

My daughter likes to take pictures of me during my workouts. Someday I will be able to use just my upper body strength to do a pull-up, for now I am quite content with one leg on a stool.

Remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

Strawberry-banana Chocolate Mousse Pie (Raw-Vegan)

I NEED A VACATION...can someone give me a round trip ticket to India? I am a die-hard Bollywood fan, NO ONE DOES LOVE/ROMANCE like Bollywood. Those who haven't discovered the beauty of great Bollywood films don't know what they've been missing (I may be a little bias because I have been watching these movies since I was a child, so please forgive me). Seriously, if you can look past the subtitles, and the bursting-into-song parts, no I take that back, the music in the movie is usually as important as the story line. It works great for me because I love musicals (check), I am a sucker for good romance (Check) and I am very intuitive and philosophical (Check, check). I learned about love from Bollywood movies, that love is patient and that love doesn't mean sex and that true love never dies...so many teenagers could learn a lot from that these days...anyway, here are 10 of my favorites (excluding my favorite 80's gems like 'Ye vada raha' aka 'The Promise', 'Disco Dancer' etc)

1. Jodha Akbar (I say the world can keep Romeo and Juliet, I have Jodha Akbar)
2. Taare Zameen par (If this movie doesn't touch you then you are dead inside, a ghost actually lol)
3. My name is Khan ( ABSOLUTELY MIND-BLOWINGLY HEART-WRENCHING movie, of course it has Shahrukh Khan & Kajol, only one of the best jodi (pairs) in Bollywood)
4. Devdas.......
5. Kuch Kuch Hota hai (my daughter's favorite movie: the title song will stay in your head forever...with my favorite actor Shahrukh Khan)

6. Kabhi Alveda Na Kehna (aka Never say goodbye, a little controversial but yes, one of my favorite, starring Shahrukh and my favorite actress Rani Mukerji)
7. Jab we met (I am ashamed to say I have watched this movie more than 7 times and will still watch it again and again...need I say more?)
8. 3 Idiots (Brilliant movie, well it has the amazing Aamir Khan who also did a fantastic job in n# 9 on the line
9. Ghajini (Not for the faint of heart, a little violence but goodness, I sat there for a good 10 minutes long after it was over just thinking...)
10. Rab ne bana di jodi ( If you haven't met King khan aka SRK aka Shahrukh Khan...he is the best all his movies ROCK and this movie is EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL)

I still have so many to fit in the top 10, like 'Billu' and 'Swades' and 'Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham' 'Om Shanti Om', 'Sawaariya' and the list goes on..... hahahahahaha is that even possible?


All this talk of great movies is making me hungry now, are you hungry? I made a chocolate mousse pie yesterday and my daughter literally drank it ...

Strawberry.Banana.Chocolate Mousse Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup pecans
1/3 cup mixture of walnuts, hazelnuts
4 Tbsp coconut flakes
1/3 cup raisin + 3 medjhool dates (add dates until it gets sticky enough to form a dough)
2 Tbsp almond flour
pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until sticky. Press into a 13 inch pan and put aside

Chocolate Mousse:


12 oz fresh strawberries, sliced
5 bananas, sliced, divided (save two sliced bananas for layering crust)
3 Haas avocado
1/2 cup maple syrup, grade B (or agave nectar)
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp cacao powder

Blend in a food processor 3 avocado, 3 bananas, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 2 tsp vanilla and 4 Tbsp cacao powder until smooth and set aside. Layer the crust of pie with the strawberries and banana slices.

Evenly pour chocolate mousse over fruit layer, cover with foil and place in the freezer for about an hour. It will still be gooey unless you choose to keep yours longer. I love mine gooey..yummmmmy!!!

Remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

THE BEST DARN RAW-VEGAN CHEESE CAKE EVER!

I didn't wake up thinking today was the day I was going to create 'THE BEST DARN RAW-VEGAN CHEESE CAKE EVER" but that's what my picky 8 year old, Nina, says it is. She almost ate all of the 'cheesecake' filing before it got into the pan. I was nervous and excited at the same time though, my fingers were crossed the whole time because I didn't want to waste all the expensive ingredients I used, yeah!

Raw-Vegan Hawaiian Cheesecake

THE BEST DARN RAW-VEGAN CHEESECAKE EVER! (I was told to name it that)

Cashews

Macadamia Nuts

Crust

Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup almond flour/meal
4 medjhool dates

I used my fingers this time and just mashed it all together until it formed a sticky dough, I just didn't want use the food processor yet until the 'cheese' filling.

Cheesecake Filling:

2/3 cup macadamia nuts, soaked overnight and rinsed
2 cups cashews, soaked overnight
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup pineapples
1/2 cup mango
Juice from 2 large lemons or 1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup + Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (I use grade B maple syrup)
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp water
16 oz fresh strawberries, sliced and set aside

Blend all ingredients except the fresh strawberries in a food processor with an 'S' blade until smooth. Pour half the filling over the crust and then layer with some fresh strawberries until whole surface is covered. Pour the rest of the filling over the strawberries and place your cheesecake in the freezer for about 2 hours until firm. Take out of the freezer, slice, drizzle with some chocolate sauce and enjoy. My daughter liked hers straight out of the freezer but I let mine sit for about 15 to 20 minutes before eating, I like it that way.

Chocolate sauce:

1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cacao powder

Mix all ingredients well in a cup  and drizzle over cheesecake.


Remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

FUTURE MOVIE DIRECTOR?

 DELICIOUS BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE:

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 ripe bananas
2 large handfuls spinach
1 + 1/2 cup of water
Juice of half a lemon

Blend all ingredients  until smooth and enjoy!

Caught on tape: Baby Ricky's new line is "...and action!" but when he's standing up he says it with so much enthusiasm that his whole body shakes hahahahaha, he also makes sure he is on his tippy-toes when he screams it. I am hoping to get him on video when he does the 'standing version' one of these days.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

 Baby Ricky's favorite green smoothie. Try it with your kids and let us know if they enjoyed it as well

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
1 cup frozen mango
1 big handful spinach leaves
1/2 to 1 cup of water (I like mine a little on the thick side)

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth.

Feel free to send me pictures of your little ones drinking their favorite green smoothies to bernice4fyr@gmail.com


Rick Lakota's Famous Lasagna

I told you there is usually two kinds of food cooking in my kitchen, well, today was no different. While Rick made some mouth-watering lasagna, I decided to create my own new recipe. And NO, I don't feel restricted because I didn't eat the lasagna...people always ask me that and the truth is, when I decide it is a vegan or raw-vegan day/ week (s) for me, I stick to it. When I do purely raw-vegan, I really don't miss cooked food, amazing how the body can adapt!


Mango-Pesto 'Pasta'

Ingredients

1/2 cup pine nuts
3 cups basil leaves (I used 1 bunch)
2cm ginger root
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup + 2Tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt or salt to taste
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 Tbsp almond butter (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups ripe mango chunks
3 cups of mung beans, rinsed and patted dry

Put all ingredients except the mung beans in a food processor with an 'S' blade and blend until smooth. In a separate bowl toss mung beans with about 4-5 Tbsp of mango pesto (I like mine drenched in the sauce). Save the rest of mango-pesto in tight container and place in the fridge. Garnish with some paprika and serve. YUmmy!

Verdict: I LOVE IT!


My FAVORITE Snack:

Ingredients:

1 granny smith apple, sliced
1 Tbsp almond butter (see brand I use below)

What a lovely GREEN day it's been :)

Remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

"JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY..."

Dora Ako-Bryant

"Just another manic Monday, I wish it were...." Do you know that song? Prince wrote that fabulous song for the Bangles. Hope your Monday is beautiful and bright and that you woke up thinking that it would be your best day yet. My cousin came over for a few days and we had a blast as usual. I did her hair and Nina totally spoiled her with smoothies.

Dora and I

Photo by Nina Lakota

 Nina also got her very first check of $35 from selling her handmade earrings. She also gets orders through her facebook fan page as well--you can see more pictures of her beautiful jewelry there Nina's Facebook Fan Page. I have known from a very young age that this little wonder is an entrepreneur. I will never forget when at 5 years old, she made $60 in just a few hours from selling her paintings at $1 each. She was so enthusiastic, determined and she never let some one's "NO, thank you." stop her from going on to the next person. It was unbelievable to watch... So, if you want beautiful earrings (handmade) you can contact her though my bernice4fyr@gmail.com to  get more information. GO NINA!

Here are some of the tasty smoothies and juices we enjoyed over the past few days:


Nina's Strawberry-mango Smoothie:

Ready to blend

The best part of my little red head's morning is his breakfast smoothie... he stands by me with both arms outstretched  while I'm blending until his cup gets into his little hands

...And he won't drink it without  a straw, learned it from his big sister, Nina

Nina's Strawberry-Mango Smoothie (more like ice cream to me, yummy)

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1 cup soy milk, vanilla flavored (add more milk if needed till consistency suits you)

Nina's Strawberry-banana Smoothie:

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen strawberry

1 banana

1 Tbsp lacuma powder

1/2 cup soy milk, vanilla-flavored (add more milk if needed)

Chocolate Veggie and Fruit Smoothie

you can replace the soy milk with almond milk or water

Ingredient:

1 ripe banana

2 cups frozen strawberries

1 cup soy milk

2 handfuls of spinach leaves

2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

1 tsp cacao powder (option)

Bonus: Manic Monday Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups kale, stems removed
1/2 cup parsley
1 cup spinach
1 cup almond milk
1 cup ice
1 ripe banana
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 cup pineapple chunks
2 cups frozen strawberries

Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend till smooth. YUMMMMMM

Remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!