Melon Seed Milk Recipe Vegan Non Dairy

What I eat in a day High Carb Vegan

Blog number 3 (I think) on What I eat in a day :)

Most of my food made it in the photos :)

Good morning Beautiful Yogis. The day here was bright and sunny. Sofie loves 15 minutes of sunbathing in the morning. She gets her vit D :) One other thing Sofie LOVES is kumquats (always cut and deseeded). I can't take a kumquat photo without her getting her little self ready to jack me out of my kumquat :)

My day started with Some Reishi "Coffee" Reishi Coffee Recipe Video HERE
BTW I have been getting a lot of questions in regards to knee pain. This recipe nourishes the kidneys which govern the knees in Chinese Medicine. Generally kidneys and knee pain is almost always related. So definitely check it out and if you can source the herbs indulge in its grounding, nourishing, earthy goodness.
I added cardamom and ginger to make it easy on the digestion. Rehmannia can be a bit heavy as its prepared traditionally in a reduction of wine and black bean juice. This is a deeply rebuilding herb that supports vitality and fertility, it can regulate the menstrual cycle and reduce inflammation.

Rehmannia, Reishi mushroom, astragalus, cardamom, ginger brew

After I left it simmering for a while I was ready to enjoy a few mugs.

Reishi coffee with hazelnut stevia and Dream Blends Hazelnut Cashew milk

The first brew is always bitter and intense and I have to add vegan milk to it. The subsequent brews are milder and I have them with no add ins.
I was working while drinking my reishi so an hour or two later I made some GREEN COFFEE as I was quitting black coffee.

Kumquats, Persimmons and Green Coffee with non dairy milk

Notice Sofie in the background. You couldn't script this if you tried to haha

FOR MY TAKE ON GREEN COFFEE, HOW TO QUIT COFFEE, HOW TO PREPARE IT AND THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF GREEN COFFEE YOU CAN CLICK here

Later on I had some baby bananas.

I am not sure why I prefer them over regular bananas but the taste is pretty close. The baby bananas seem to have a lower water content and taste more like banana bread, banana dessert or something. Also they are less hybridized.

On some days I have 5 of them (we split with Sofie of course) on others 15. Depends what quantity makes me feel satiated for the moment.

A big baby banana - size reference (Yes!! She thinks she is getting sum lol) 

I worked on a L Handstand & Legs Routine for 20 minutes. This workout was very intense and a ton of fun for the advanced yogis. I am hoping to shoot it this week and upload it as soon as I can. Then I made some of the celery lime drink from my chaturanga challenge class, the link to the class is here. A few of you asked for the ingredients so I remembered to photograph them.  If you want to join the chaturanga challenge this is the link to the video. There is nothing more important for arm balances than mastering chaturanga dandasana perfectly.

Cilantro or parsley, celery, jalapeno, lemon, garlic(optional) and some savory and other dried spices.  Blend with water!

A few hours later I had some of this stevia sweetened sparkling water.

SPREE with vitamin B12

Followed by some more Kumquats

Kumquats

This is how much she loves kumquats! She is all business around them.

Oh but she wants them!

She actually knows to never grab anything from the table, trash or grocery bags! Phew! 

Dinner time. As usual I had raw and steamed/roasted veggies and dip. Salad and dressing.

I made the best salad dressing ever! This was an incredible combination of flavors. I combined tangerines, kumquats, wasabi, chipotle, sesame seeds, tofu, flax seed, ginger, pomegranate seeds and a few more ingredients to make something that tastes out of this world. Recipe here

Some veggies and dip

Pumkin tofu dip

As a rule adding mashed pumpkin, peanut butter, carrots, tofu and sesame seed to dips makes them amazing. This dip was made with pumpkin, tofu, chipotle, cinnamon and a few other ingredients.

Sauteed (no oil) carrots for dipping. Glazed in orange, pomegranate molases base.

Glazed carrots (orange juice, pomegranate molases glaze)

Tofu tomato carrot dip with sumac and raw brussel sprouts

I ended up eating around 1500 calories and around 15% of the calories from fat. Why I don't eat more calories? I have changed how I train in the past 4 years quite a bit. I think I mentioned in my BIO that I used to teach up to 20 classes a week. Most of which were power yoga classes lasting an hour and a half. So I know quite a bit about being very physically active. I am a person that needs balance in certain areas of my life. Yes, certain areas only. Knowledge is off limits. There! I allow myself to be on the extreme side. Overall I follow what I consider for me a middle path. So if I eat 3000 calories as promoted by many health gurus then I will have to exercise more which is not optimal for me. I prefer to exercise enough to be fit, strong, flexible and balanced and that's not that much exercise. :) 

Why I dont believe in low sugar, low carb diets - that's a future post. I have eaten the same way pretty much since the age of 15. Meaning mostly fruits and veggies with some other additions such as beans, grains, nuts and seeds. Superfoods to me are a fad. Herbs however are Natures Superfoods! As far as dry powdered superfoods most of them are not bad for you but extremely overprised and of average health promoting efficacy compared to the local varieties of FRESH veggies and fruit in your area. Herbs however are a truly powerful medicine. I turn to Nature when I need to heal. I love herbs more than I love yoga. Sorry Yoga you are still my second biggest love :P Yoga is a way to connect with the human soul. Herbs are a way to connect with the soul of Mother Nature. They are the expression of her genius. 

Time to walk the little monkey! 

Best salad dressing ever! Tangerine, wasabi, chipotle, sesame, ginger

Best salad dressing ever! Super Healthy too. 

The ingredients are not traditional and you can either get them at various ethnic stores or online. I have been using a lot of dried pomegranate seeds lately. This is not the same variety of pomegranates that we normally find fresh in grocery stores. It's used in indian and a persian cuisine. The seeds are dried from a sour type of pomegranates. The antioxidant content is at the top of the charts. It's surprisingly higher than acai and goji berries! It also makes for a great salad dressing ingredient. VERY HEALTHY!

Another unusual ingredient is the wasabi powder. The one I used is from Penzey's. I randomly walked into their store in Santa Monica and got a few things that are hard to come by. Needless to say a Japanese ingredient. 

Chipotle - dried smoked mexican hot peppers. I get them at health food stores, online or mexican stores. They add a smokey flavor to any dish. They can be mild or hot. 

Aleppo pepper is a type of mild, sweet, oily pepper. It's rich and bright in color. It comes from Aleppo, Syria. It's superior to any pepper I have ever tried. I randomly bought it at an Armenian store not thinking much of it. It turns out it is the most gourmet mild hot pepper out there. Its a bit salty and oily. I am pretty sure it's from the way they process it. It's flavorful and sweet with a slowly building heat. It is not a must but if you happen to see it in your store definitely try it out. It creates a great presentation when sprinkled over zucchini "fries", potatoes, salads, etc.

Kumquats can be substituted for oranges and orange zest.

Jamaican Jerk is a combination of ginger, brown mustard seeds, onion, allspice, garlic, paprica, thyme, fennel seeds, black pepper, red pepper, cloves. OPTIONAL

Tofu can be substituted for boiled garbanzo beans. Tofu gives it a nice creamy consistency. 

Ingredients

1-3 tangerine

3-4 carrots

200 grams (organic) tofu

4-5 kumquats

a  slice of fresh ginger

chipotle or hot peppers to taste

a dash of ceylon cinnamon

2 tbsp (freshly) roasted sesame seeds

tamari sauce or soy sauce to taste 

stevia (optional) or (palm, cane) sugar

1 clove of garlic

2 tbsp pomegrante seeds

1-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp flax seed

a dash of jamaican jerk spice

2-3 tbsp of aleppo pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon of wasabi powder

water to achieve desired consistency

Blend in a high power blender. If you don't have a high power blender make sure you grind the sesame and flax first. Boil the carrots so they blend to a smooth consistency. 

DRIED POMEGRANATE SEEDS

Dried Pomegranate Seeds

Green coffee brew for creative focus, quitting coffee, super antioxidants and weight loss

I have been getting raw green coffee for years so that I can roast my own fresh coffee fresh. Roasted coffee has a very short shelf life. The oils contained in coffee become rancid about 5 days after roasting and a lot of the health benefits of coffee are diminished. Plus nothing tastes (smells) better than a freshly roasted and brewed cup of coffee. My approach to drinking coffee is to drink it on a regular basis for a few months (drinking one cup a day) and then go off of it for a while. I do enjoy it every so often and I do not buy into the two extreme camps one saying coffee is the worst and the other saying it's totally healthy. Coffee can stress your adrenals if consumed in excess. If used consciously it can increase your athletic performance, help with creative ideas and and cognitive function, decrease joint inflammation, etc. That being said I am going to discuss the best way to quit coffee that I found or how to go get off of coffee without the withdrawals.

The SECRET is in the raw unroasted green coffee bean itself.
There is very little information on the internet regarding green coffee. Recently there has been a buzz about the weight loss benefits of green coffee extract so we hear the word a lot but you still don't see green coffee beans being sold anywhere.
I like to experiment with all things natural and I always have a big bag of green beans laying around so a few years ago I decided to try green coffee in its unroasted form. I tried to grind the beans at first. Umm...but those little green babies would break even a Vitamix. They are as hard as a rocks! They would for sure break your coffee grinder. The only thing I could do is soak them and boil them for quite a while. The resulting brew tastes nothing like coffee.

The brew left overnight turns bright green almost fluorescent green

The deep green color of the first brew of the pale green raw coffee beans.

The coffee beans themselves in their raw form are pale green. Where is this rich green color coming from?

Raw green unroasted coffee beans brew/drink

 The color is deep to bright green with a somewhat vegetal, green taste. The consistency is thick and almost reminiscent of celery juice. Its hard to describe. Has something in common with green tea but personally I like it much better. Actually I love it. As far as some of its health benefit claims it is said to block dietary fat absorption and to raise metabolism and to burn of fat deposits at a faster rate. I don't know about these sort of claims. As you may suspect I don't believe in magic pills. Well... I am an herbalist so technically I DO believe NATURE is magical and herbs that come from it are miraculous "potions":) But nothing, nothing, nothing can substitute for a healthy diet, fitness and state of mind other than your actual lifestyle. I am not drinking it for weight loss purposes. As a matter of fact I am 100% sure all the big buzz weight loss supplements are more of a problem than a solution. The type of thinking that we can take a pill for an ailment is just not in accordance with nature. There are true remedies in nature and there is true healing through certain natural practices such as fasting, diet and movement. If you have a chronic condition you absolutely must adjust your lifestyle and habits. This is your body telling you that it doesn't like something that you are doing or being exposed to. Always change, always learn, always evolve! In this line of thinking I don't particularly believe that caffeine helps with weight loss. Caffeine supplements are definitely harmful. But if you are still looking for the magic pill there are some vegetables that really help with weight loss. Read my article on testosterone, estrogen, cabbage, weight loss, inflammation  HERE and my more detailed article on the healing powers of the cruciferous vegetables HERE

Rare coffee that is honey processed with some of the cherry fruit dehydrated on the bean. So the resulting brew is smooth and sweet reminiscent of honey. 

Actually in some coffee producing countries such as Yemen prize the coffee cherry much more than the coffee bean (the seed). The fruit (the cherry) has much higher nutritional and healing benefits. 

So how do I use green coffee. I soak it and then simmer it for at least 20 minutes. Soaking is not required, but it will save you time. I use anywhere from 5-30 beans. Usually around 20 beans which is minimal. If you do not drink any caffeine I do not recommend you try this now. If you decide to try it brew around 5 beans. Unroasted coffee is much smaller in size than roasted coffee is. I keep adding water to the pot as I am drinking it and I continue brewing it. An interesting observation - these 20 tiny beans never stop giving off a rich, thick, green brew. This is a testimonial to their huge antioxidant content. The taste is unusual but very good. I don't even put nut milk or sweeteners in it. That's how much I enjoy it. It does give me a mild caffeine stimulation. Not quite the same as I get from roasted coffee. It's much more pleasant. There is no caffeine rush and no crash. And the stimulation is very focused yet calm. To be quite honest with you I get very creative from it. It's very stimulating.

OK now to the genius discovery of mine. 

HOW TO QUIT COFFEE PAINLESSLY. 

I understand that coffee is a ritualistic, shamanic drink and has been used for centuries for ceremonies, meditation and creating connection to higher consciousness. Nowadays humanity is definitely not treating it as the sacred drink it once was. It's pretty much an abused plant, sprayed with too many pesticides, grown in conditions and habitats that are not natural to the plant (often not shade grown). It's over-planted, over-consumed, burnt, packaged and stored until all the aromatic oils have deteriorated. 

It was actually not meant to be consumed on a daily basis. It is a very potent elixir and it should be respected and treated as a powerful medicine gifted to us by the Earth. It became a popular drink at the beginning of the industrial revolution and the corporate 9-5 structure that our society imposes upon us. The big coffee companies have taken advantage of the indigenous populations in the coffee growing regions around the world and have used it to contribute to our wage slave mentality and work structure. Not to mention that it is one of the heaviest sprayed crops in the world and the second most traded commodity after crude oil. 

So whether you are looking to switch up your morning routine or you are thinking of quitting coffee this might be for you :)

Quitting coffee can be quite painful. The side effects of caffeine withdrawal can include headaches, muscle aches, nausea, sleepiness, irritability, fatigue and so forth. 

Well, the great news is green coffee can do the trick of helping you quit your morning habit without the nasty withdrawal symptoms. 

Basically you have to get your hands on some green coffee beans. I recommend the internet for that. Order online on ebay, amazon or from a specialty website.

The day you decide to quit coffee soak your raw coffee beans over night or just boil them a tad longer in the morning. Start with 20-30 beans even more if you are a big coffee addict. And simmer them through the day. Basically try to have a mug every few hours or as soon as you start feeling the symptoms of caffeine withdrawals such as a headache, muscle aches, nausea, etc. If you are leaving the house early you can boil a stronger brew and take it with you as a concentrate to add to your drinks or just to sip through the day.

The next day toss the beans and start over. 

Stop drinking it at around 3-4pm just in case. Overall it shouldn't keep you up because each subsequent brew has less and less caffeine in it since we are simmering the same beans. All of the brews will have a lot of taste and color to them. You should get a nice mild stimulating effect from it. Once you are off black coffee say 5-10 days later you can start reducing the beans. Start brewing 10 beans, then 5 you get the picture. At the end you are off of all caffeine without ever having to deal with the withdrawal symptoms. As a matter of fact green coffee has some great health benefits so all in all it's a good switch. 

I cant find definitive information about the caffeine content in a cup of green coffee. However it seems to be significantly lower in caffeine than brewed black coffee. Also the quality of the caffeine seems superior to me. Meaning I don't get an edgy over-stimulated feeling from it. In terms of relieving coffee withdrawals it seems to have a homeopathic effect.

BTW I got a micro lens for my phone camera and it is amazing! I never really noticed that there is so much detail on a coffee bean. This is how my coffee photo session went. After all I am a yoga teacher, nothing can happen unless a few downward facing dogs were done prior... or during. 

Coffee beans on top are Panama Honey Processed. On the bottom Ethiopia washed organic Limu Kafa

Green coffee brew in the garden

Homemade Flax Milk

I love coconut milk. I prefer it over any other vegan milk. Through the years I have made every nut milk under the stars. Favorite ones were: walnut milk, pistachio milk, cashew milk and tahini milk. Some over the top good ones were the milks I would make from just "rinsing" the blender after making raw bars from pistachios, coconut oil, vanilla, mesquite, mulberries, lucuma, maple syrup etc. So a lot of the mixture would be left in the blender and I would whip up some milk before washing the blender jar. These milks were DECADENT!
I enjoy flax milk but I tend to favor the other ones more. However in order to stay healthy and to lower inflammation in the body we need to keep our ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids at around 1:1 as opposed to 15:1 which is the case in most Western societies. In a study  A ratio of 4:1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total mortality from cardiovascular disease. (Rindfleisch, A., “Inflammation: nutritional, botanical, and mind-body influences,” Southern Medical Journal, 3/1/2005.)
"A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma" 
"Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects" omega 3 to omega 6 ratio, in PubMed

Another shocking fact I recently learned is that vegans had the worst omega 6 to omega 3 ratios due to the overconsumption of plant oils.

One way to improve the ratio is by dropping all the high in Omega 6 oils from your diet such as safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil and soy oil. In addition to that you can add flax, hemp, perilla seed, chia seed and green leafy vegetables to your diet. Neutral oils are coconut, macadamia and olive oil. General rule of thumb, chose the whole food over the extracted oils whenever possible. 

So one way to sneak in more flax seed into our diet is by using 

FLAX MILK

INGREDIENTS:

1/4- 1/3 CUP OF GOLDEN FLAX SEEDS ( if you use flour make sure it's freshly ground because the oils go rancid within a couple of days)
2-4 DATES
1-2 CUPS OF WATER
1-3 CARDAMOM PODS

 OR YOU CAN SKIP THE CARDAMOM AND REPLACE IT WITH VANILLA BEAN

PLACE ALL THE INGREDIENTS IN THE BLENDER AND BLEND AWAY! 
STRAIN THROUGH A STRAINER OR IF YOU PREFER IT COMPLETELY FIBER FREE THROUGH A CHEESECLOTH. 

YOU CAN ENJOY IT IN RECIPES THAT CALL FOR ALMOND MILK. I STILL PREFER COCONUT MILK IN MY TEA AND COFFEE BUT THIS IS GOOD IN FOOD RECIPES. IF YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE FLAX MILK GOOD ENOUGH TO GO IN COFFEE PLEASE LET ME KNOW. 

TO YOUR HEALTH

NATUREKNOWS

NATURE KNOWS

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VEGAN DINNER

One of my friends sent me a photo of a yummy dinner 

Potato dumplings in a creamy cauliflower and vegan cheese on a bed of mixed mushrooms sauteed with carrots and topped with dried breadcrumbs; chard grass and vegan mozzarella .. yum

VEGAN FOOD ART 

PUMPKIN PEANUT BUTTER DIP

PUMPKIN PEANUT BUTTER DIP

This was beyond delicious. Creamy, sweet, savory. A great dip for raw or pan roasted carrots, apples or any veggies you love.

250 g PUMPKIN CANNED OR ROASTED
2 TBSP PEANUT BUTTER 
COCONUT MILK
YELLOW ONION
1 TBSP MESQUITE POWDER
CHIPOTLE
CEYLON CINNAMON
A touch of tomato sauce 
Optional: a few dates 

BLEND, SERVE, ENJOY!
GREAT AS A DIP FOR CARROTS

THE QUANTITIES ARE REALLY UP TO YOU AND YOUR PREFERENCES

Random info: Ceylon Cinnamon Cinnamomum verum has a much milder and more pleasant and delicate taste than ordinary store bought cinnamon. It is healthier than ordinary cinnamon. Cinnamon is used to lower blood sugar in diabetics, ease arthritis and improve cholesterol.


NAMASTE 

Peanut Butter Carrot Dip Recipe

Making dips and salad dressings is the best way to get your veggies in :)

This one is delicious and easy to make. Serve with raw or steamed veggies.

Ingredients
Raw Carrots
Peanut Butter
Almond Milk
Mesquite Powder
Hot Pepper / Chipotle
Soy Sauce Optional
Onion
Savory
Cinnamon, black Pepper Optional
Hot sauce on top.
Of course you can add all kinds of herbs and spices, sesame oil, coconut butter to this. Also tofu can be added, coconut milk, etc

I served it with lettuce and golden beets.

Peace

Salsa Dressing Dip Recipe

A few of you have been asking me for recipes, meal ideas, daily food menus etc. Here is a random dinner recipe. I am a very simple cook. I enjoy simple fresh foods and sometimes the less complicated the recipe the better it tastes for me. So most of the things I will post will be 5 minute recipes :)

This is a very simple recipe - salsa dip or dressing.
I was busy all day today and didn't have time to go shopping for food so dinner time comes and the fridge is empty. I had tomatoes, a few carrots, frozen veggies and kale. I have already gotten my calories from  a ton of sapote fruit, cherimoyas and bananas today so dinner was light. 
I made this ultra easy simple salsa dressing for my kale and steamed veggies. 
Ingredients for the Salsa Dressing/Dip
Tomatoes
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
White Pepper (Black will work)
Chipotle (Hot pepper would be fine)
A tbsp of Summer Savory (basil will be good)
On top I sprinkles lovage (basically a form of dried celery.  You  can substitute it for parsley, basil, cilantro)
Some almond milk (not sure if it's necessary but it added some creaminess) (Tahini would be great)
Balsamic Vinegar 


I would have added celery and a couple of dates, bell peppers and avocados... even fresh corn if I had any but my fridge was literally empty (this rarely happens around here)  :)

Blend and Serve 

Some hot sauce and mustard can be added.

I avoid adding salt and fat to my foods so there was some in the hot sauce and I left it at that. My taste buds seem to get used to low sodium meals quickly :) 
I also keep my fats at around 5-15% of my total calorie intake so I keep things relatively low in fats and high in carbs :) 

I loved the salsa and will definitely be making it again :)

Bon Appetit 

Dinner Idea: Artichoke with a vegan coconut curry Dip

I made this last night and it was delish!
The dip was made to of organic sprouted tofu, coconut milk, curry or thai seasoning mix, half a blood orange, black pepper, ginger, lemon, onion, garlic, chipotle, hot sauce. (sorry no exact measures) I would have loved lemongrass in it but had to deal without since I ran out of lemongrass.

NAMASTE