Hump Day Foodie Guest Post

Welcome to Wednesday! It's officially hump day, whether we like it or not.


Today Katie, from Making Food And Other Stuff, was amazing enough to write a guest post for RunLoriRun. Katie, besides making crazy good lookin' foods, spends her time many crafty items she sells here, is working on her PhD in Biology (wow), and is just a great person to know (in the blog sort of way). She's one of the nicest, most creative, and witty writers I've met.

And onto the good stuff...

Guest post?!?!  Really, are you sure?!?  That was my reaction when Lori contacted me about writing this post.  I am both honored and scared.  Will her readers like me?  Can I be my usual, sarcastic self?  Do I need to “keep it clean”? 

Well, I’ve come to realization that writing without sarcasm is nearly impossible, and certainly not fun for me.  So, you guys get the real Katie, no holds barred.

I like food.  I like to eat.  I like to eat food.  (Not to be confused with eating dirt, which I also do fairly consistently when hiking, biking, backpacking, skiing, etc.  I am a big-time klutz.)  My food, however normal it may be in blog-land, is not seen the same way in my family.  Here’s how things play out (repeatedly):

Family member (FM): “What is that?!?!”  (This is usually said in not so much a curious way, as a you’re-not-really-going-to-ingest-that sort of way.)

Me: *Rolls eyes in exasperation*  Kale (deadpan)

FM: What the hell is kale?

Me: It’s this.  (Holding up a leaf of kale)

FM: Yeah, but what is it?

Me:  It’s kind of like spinach.

FM: Oh.  (Walks away, uninterested.)

However, I have spread the love of healthy eating to some members of my family (or at least that’s what they tell me to shut me up).  In fact, I even got one of my brothers to eat a green smoothie (with copious fruit and yogurt included)!  A couple of them have even bought and made spaghetti squash of their own accord! 

Speaking of green smoothies, I have become a HUGE fan.  I admit that I was completely skeptical of those who espoused the green smoothie/monster as being an essential life-force (I am paraphrasing) and giver of energy.  But I can honestly say (and I am scientist, people, so my word means something) that...well, I like ‘em.  I’m not sure that I’d be willing to testify in a court of law that they give me extra energy, but they taste mighty good, and come summer, you better believe I will be making them multiple times a day.  Already I make them at least once, usually twice a day. 

I have two basic formulas:

1.     Morning smoothie formula:

·      ½ banana

·      Protein powder

·      Spirulena

·      Chia seeds

·      Some other kind of fruit

·      Celery or carrot

·      Greens (kale, spinach, romaine, etc.)

·      Lots of ice and water (a couple cups of water and 6-8 cubes)

·      Guar and Xanthan gums

This “formula” (told you I’m a scientist) makes about 2 big 12 ounce glasses full.  Nice and thick-like.

If I remember correctly, this one was banana, celery, spinach, mixed frozen berries, and the other usual suspects.  The spirulena makes it this awesome green color.

2.     Nighttime smoothie/pudding formula:

·      ½ -1 whole avocado (depending on how hungry I am)

·      Greens (kale, spinach, romaine, etc)

·      cocoa powder

·      Some kind of sweet root veggie (butternut squash, beets, kabocha, etc.)

This might be the grossest looking green smoothie photo ever posted on the internet.  And it tasted phenomenal.  It was kale, steamed butternut squash, avocado and carob powder.  Topped with maple syrup, cinnamon, and seeds.

Looks can be deceiving, kids.  If I saw someone eating either of these a couple years ago, I would never have guessed that they are not only good, but also sweet.  I am now wise to the ways of the green smoothie/pudding and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thanks Katie!

The new, the informed, and the old

What do you think of the new look? Spiffy? Well, don't get used to it because it's going to be changing a lot in the next few weeks, but hopefully days.

Has anyone read this article by Dr. Mercola, Beward of the Agave Nectar Heath Food Fraud???? If not, read it. Especially if you consume agave nectar. Now, I don't want to get into all the hype. I don't want to get on board with a food frenzy, but if this article is grounded on facts, then agave syrup is worse than high fructose corn syrups. Um, is anyone else a little grossed out by this claim?

Just food for thought (yes, pun intended)... The media does a great job at letting us know what is good for us and what is bad. Thanks Media! So, what do you think of this claim? Personally, I do not consume large amounts of agave but I used to. I guess the sugar solution is to use whole fruits for a sugar source, if you need the sugar, that is.

And enough of that.

Short post today, folks. Lots to do and lots to sort out in my head. I'm struggling here with some internal issues but hopefully, I'm out of the rut soon. Actually very soon because today is my boyfriend's 26th birthday (Hi Oldie!). Happy Birthday, Sascha!

Raw cupcakes made by Shannon Marie

from Rawdorable

(no, it's just one of her pictures... not lucky enough to actually have one...)

Shannon Marie, you rock with your cupcakes!

Weekend Recap

I did quite a bit this weekend and none of it involved writing a blog. But in lieu of not posting a day's recap, I hope you checked out Friday's guest post by Michelle and Lori from Pure2Raw.com. They shared an awesome recipe using some fermented coconut kefir, Pure2Raw Recipe: Lime Creamy Sauce. Mmmmmmm.

But, since I did not blog this weekend, what did I get done? 

Well, I had a pancake Saturday. While searching aimlessly amongst my favorite blogs for a breakfast item, I remembered a fantastic looking pancake recipe that Heather featured last week. Straight from Heather's blog to mine, or actually my stomach, Spice Coconut Macaroon Pancakes.

And I think that my pictures are Heather worthy. Kinda similar? Topped with tahini, coconut butter, and maple syrup. Decadent, I know.

Apparently I was not the only one craving some raw cookie dough, raw chocolate chip cookie dough by Miss Averie, that is. Averie's recipe is simple, quick, and tastes amazingly good. I however, having to always change something in a recipe, probably put her recipe to shame.

Her recipe calls for a blend of a few key ingredients, one of which is cashews. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against cashews but I was looking for a low fat, lower cal dessert. All I had in the fridge for a "filler" was boiled chickpeas. I know, I know. You're probably thinking to yourself right now, Chickpeas? That sounds disgusting. And I'm not going to lie to you and tell you they were fantastic. I don't recommend using chickpeas in replace of cashews for a sweet creation.

In my defense, my reasoning for swapping ingredients: I figured they kind of have the same texture if ground up and maybe the other ingredients will mask the flavor. Not so much. Although they weren't horrible in the "dough" form, I decided to bake them as you would a cookie. Let's just say, dough form is much better.

They looked so pretty... but, the lesson learned here: Sometimes you just have to stick to the original. Haha! Who am I kidding? That's just silly talk. (although then I would have had some amazing raw cookies...)

More things I made included filling in the raised garden bed with top soil. We're just waiting on the little sprouts to get a bit stronger and then we're planting those bad boys.

I also made lunch for the boyfriend and I after working hard all morning with the garden.

Hers.

(Pure2Raw flatbread, avocado, kim chi, zucchini slices, tomatoes with pepper, and feta cheese topped spicy mustard)

His.

Manwich of avocadoes, lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, spicy mustard, and lots of deli meat)

That's my man...

What did you do this weekend?

Did you enjoy the sun?

Bye, bye for now!

Fantastic Friday's Guest Post

Happy Fantastic Friday! I love Fridays.

Since I had read so much about coconut kefir lately from various blogs, thought I'd join the kefir train and make some of my own. Making coconut kefir is the easiest thing ever. One version that brought me great results, includes opening a can of coconut milk, opening a packet of kefir starter (mine from Whole Foods), and mixing them together in a glass jar. Add a little water, mix again, then set on the counter for 24 hours. Wala! You're in business. Coconut kefir is a fermented mixture of coconut. It's kind of like yogurt or sour cream. It's creamy and sour and tastes great in sweet or savory dishes.

I've been using mine for both dessert and dinners. Some examples of usages is topping your giant vegan chickpea burrito.

It was alright...

Dessertish coconut kefir idea: Chocolate "Cheesecake" Filling

Coconut kefir, carob powder, chocolate protein powder, vanilla extract, few drops of Stevia, and carob chips.

Eat as is. This is really, really good stuff.

Thanks to Michelle and Lori at Pure2Raw.com, you get another recipe using coconut kefir! They were kind enough to write a guest blog for RunLoriRun and I couldn't be more honored that they excepted!

Take it away Michelle and Lori (great name, huh?!)!

Hello Run Lori Run readers. We are Lori and Michelle also known as the Pure2Raw Twins. We are the creators and writers for our blog Pure2Raw. We are so honored to be a guest post on Lori’s blog. Lori is a dear friend of ours here in the blog world and can’t wait for the day that we can actually meet in person.

Today we are going to share a simple recipe that we created. This recipe has few ingredients and is great over any dish especially vegetables ;)

Pure2Raw Recipe: Lime Creamy Sauce

*now this recipe is lime flavored which we absolutely love – so if you are not a lime fan just use lemon or apple cider vinegar

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked
• 1/2 cup coconut kefir or yogurt of your choice
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• Zest and juice of two limes

Directions:

Blend everything together in blender or food processor. Add water if you would like sauce to be thinner.

We like ours on the thick side ;)

And pour over any vegetable, grains, dish of your choice. We love this sauce because it really combines majority of our favorite ingredients like kefir, pumpkin seeds, garlic and lime!

Perfect pairing with broccoli in our opinion

You could really have fun with this sauce. Be creative by adding in different spices to jazz it up. Or throw in some nutritional yeast to help provide a more ‘cheezy’ flavor.

Thanks again to Lori for allowing us to share this easy and delicious recipe with your readers.  We hope everyone likes it!

Thanks The Twins

Thanks again Michelle and Lori for such a great guest post and recipe! Looks delicious!

Happy Friday everyone! What are your plans for the weekend???

Lovely Limoncello Cake

A few months back, when lemons were abundant around my house, Mama Samaan (my boyfriend's mother) juiced a lot of them and made her own limoncello. Since then we have partaken in the sweet lemony liqueur but only a few times. Usually we drink it as an after dinner digestif with dinner parties and special meals.

As I was doing some spring cleaning of the refrigerator, I found the limoncello bottle. That, lemons, and freshly made almond pulp (from making almond milk), I knew what had to be done.

Raw Limoncello Cake

Based from a recipe for Raw Lemon Poppy Seed Cake from Sweet Gratitude, the raw limoncello cake was born.

Limoncello Cake

• 1 1/2 cups almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup agave
• taste and add more agave or Stevia to sweeten to your liking
• handful of raisins or other fruit of choice

In a cake mixer (for texture purposes), combine all ingredients and beat until combined. This could take a few minutes. Heating the coconut oil is helpful for this process. Mixture should be a cake-like consistency, but a little more moist.
When fully combined, scoop batter into a spring form pan and set in fridge or freezer to set.

Moving onto the frosting...

Limoncello Frosting

• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2- 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 oz limoncello liquor (more if you're feeling in the limoncello mood)
• dash of salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk (I used homemade coconut kefir to make the frosting taste sour with a cream cheese tang)
• 1/3 cup agave
• 1 tbsp lecithin

Blend all except for the lecithin, avocado, and coconut oil. When fully blended, add in the last three ingredients and blend again. Taste frosting (best step of all). Adjust to your liking of sweeteness and texture. Add more coconut oil and/or lecithin if too runny. To my cake batter and frosting, I added a splash of lemon extract, just for a more pronounced lemon flavor.

Add frosting to the cake top and replace in the refrigerator for at least an hour to set.

Now that your cake is done. Time to eat. This cake is a raw, vegan, and a low sugar version of the standard American cake you may buy or make.

This cake is best served aside a small digestif glass of homemade limoncello. But that's for another post.

Polentoats, invented

Polentoats. Weird, huh?

Polenta cooked with oats. 

But those are plain. They needed a flavor. Something vibrant. Something original. Something... lemony. Yeah.

Lemon Poppy Seed Polentoats

• 1 cup polenta (or cornmeal)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 3 cups water
• dash of salt

Heat all in a saucepan on high until starts to boil. Turn down to low and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.

To make the lemon poppy seed add-in, combine applesauce, fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and a few liquid Stevia drops (or agave). Poppy seeds are optional but fun. Add as much or as little of each ingredient until it tastes perfect to you.

 Mix all the ingredients together then add the polentoats to the party.

Mix again. And top with berries.

I will admit, it's not the prettiest dish but it was definitely good.

Another unpictured idea that I did try with the leftover polentoats was almond butter and coconut butter. 

Very decadent. Yum.

And guess what I got in the mail the other day? Give up? Here's a hint...

Pure2Raw raw flatbreads and sweets from their online store!

They even sent some samples along for the ride.

The flatbreads are delicious. Way worth trying!

And here we have Raw Mint Chip Kremes and Green Cookies.
Beyond good.

I'm in love with these cookies, by the way.
Did you check out my guest post on their blog from yesterday?

Tomorrow you get a recipe for this beauty!

Raw Limoncello Cake
 Gluten, dairy, wheat free, vegan, and raw.
Oh yes I did.

Adios my friends!

Eight steps to building a raised bed garden

This is a how-to post of how to build a raised bed garden. It's completely femalerized, as I am female, and probably not informative what-so-ever. As we discussed yesterday, the boyfriend and I created a garden bed for our future greens. It was A LOT of work but it came out perfect.

But first, a newsworthy mention: I had my first cameo doing a Guest Post over at Pure2Raw.com. Check it out! There's an awesome recipe in there... The Truffaroon.

I hope you enjoy the Eight Step How-To of Building a Raised Bed Garden.

Step One: Go to Home Depot (Uuuuuug)

Let your boyfriend/husband/non-Home-Depot-hater (N.H.D.H.)

pick out all the essential items.

Step Two: Take a picture of the pressure treated lumber that you will be using.

Have the boyfriend/husband/N.H.D.H cut the wood to appropriate footage

Step Three: Start digging.

And dig.

 And dig.

 And dig.

Step Four: Help (and watch, I mean supervise) screwing in the sides of bed into posts.

This is a delicate procedure. Be prepared to operate heavy machinery. Well, a hand drill.

Make sure the sides are level and posts (when set into post holes) are level.

Step Five: After the front and two sides are attached securely, proceed in lifting heavy box frame

into the large hole you have created. 

Make sure the posts fit evenly and level into the deep post holes.

Step Six: Keep reading, as these so called descriptions probably really make no sense. Just go with it.

And make sure your boyfriend/husband/N.H.D.H. fits into his grave garden box.

*Nudity*

Step Seven: Shovel some more dirt into the newly made garden box.

And finally...

Step Eight: Drink a beer while looking like a redneck inside of your level and completed raised bed garden.

Finish the long day of hard work and success with a barbeque!

Sweet potatoes, white potatoes (for the man), onions, tomatoes, and roasting garlic

Lamb burgers with parsley, cilantro, onion, and lots of spices included.

Yes, it's meat. I'm sorry. I'm only human and it was the first meat I'd had in a month. 

And it was good.

I had my fix for another month though. I love my veggie ways too much.

First and last burger for another couple of months, at least.

Done.

Before 

(actually the other side of lawn but it's the same slope)

  

After

 Our new lovely garden bed.

Soon to be filled with dirt and seedlings.

End.