Super Greens and Beans Stew

Need comfort on a cold day? Need another reason to get in the kitchen? Want a way to get your greens in without the hassle? Your search ends here. This simply delicious and delightful stew will not only ease those cold weather blues but also satisfy your need for greens! Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself! [P.S. This recipe comes with leftovers, so be prepared for a few days of stewy goodness!]

What you need:

2 cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1 32 oz carton of vegetable broth/stock

1/4 cup white wine [cooking wine works as well]

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper [I like it spicy!]

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

2 cups fresh kale, roughly chopped

2 cups rainbow chard, roughly chopped

1 15 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes [San Marzano is the best!]

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How You Make It:

1. In a large pot, heat oil and saute onions until soft. Add garlic, red pepper, rosemary, basil and oregano and pinch or two of salt. Stir in the kale and swiss chard. Stir until kale and chard look slightly wilted.

2. Add in broth, tomatoes and beans. Add 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and stir.

3. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add white wine and reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Season with salt, pepper and serve with bruschetta or garlic bread.

Veggie Power

Getting in all of your veggies especially in the winter time seems to be a challenge. I am trying to at least eat some raw veggies here and there to maintain balance within my body. I have noticed quite a difference when eating raw vegetables as opposed to cooked. Though I do not have any intention to eat a completely raw vegan diet, I do plan on incorporating some raw food dietary practices.

As I mentioned earlier on in the week, I am participating in Elf for health, a 6 week challenge to keep me on track for the holidays. The support is phenomenal and my elf finally got in touch with me! YAY! One of the challenges this week was to incorporate veggies into every meal. I completely failed breakfast. It’s hard for me to associate breakfast with anything other than fruit. But I do plan on making a nice tofu scramble this weekend! Since I missed breakfast I made sure I noshed on some sugar snap peas, carrots and celery throughout the day. Surprisingly enough, I felt calmer, more content and more focused.

Who knew veggies could have such power? Well, I kinda did. But you’d be surprised how hard it is to really pay attention to the amount of veggies you are consuming. Have you really stopped to think about how many servings you are ACTUALLY getting each day?

Even a vegan, like myself, can dive off the deep end and eat complete junk. Hey, momentary lapses of judgment are all part of being human. We live in a society where junk food surrounds us and lingers around every corner. And let’s face it, sometimes that chocolate chip cookie really doesn’t seem all that bad. 

I try my best to avoid diving off into that end of the pool because I know how it impacts my health. I may be a little uptight about my dietary lifestyle but that is because I know what my body needs to feel lively, healthy and satisfied. But giving in on a rare moment is A-OKAY! [And besides, it keeps you from binging later on. Your hips will thank you later ;)]

Peace, love and no beef here!

Guramrit

What are you doing to make sure you get your veggies in today?

Green Goddess Pasta (Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch)

Hello beautiful beloved ones!

I had to share this phenomenal recipe with you. In all honesty, this may probably be up on my list with my favorite pasta recipes. This dish was full of flavor and color with different textures to satisfy the palate. I made a few swaps to the recipe (as usual, DUH!) and cranked up the flavor by adding in thyme, organic extra virgin olive oil, baby sweet peas and took out the kale and zucchini (since I didn’t have any on hand). I promise you this recipe is super easy and it’s great to take to work or school for lunch the next day (if there are any leftovers).

Green Goddess Pasta

Serves 4

What you need:
5 cloves garlic, minced (set one clove aside for sautéing veggies)
4 tablespoons refined organic extra virgin olive oil (set one tablespoon aside for sautéing veggies)
6 tablespoons vegan butter
3 quarts water
About 5 teaspoons fine sea salt
8 ounces whole wheat or brown rice elbow macaroni (I used brown rice spinach spaghetti)
1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-sized florets (about 2-1⁄2 cups)
1⁄2 bag frozen baby sweet peas
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
1⁄4 cup pine nuts (pan roasted, roast with no oil in a small sauté pan until slightly brown and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside).
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed

How you make it:
In a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, combine the garlic, thyme, and olive oil and cook, swirling occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter, swirling until it melts, and set aside.

In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over high heat, combine the water with about
1-1⁄2 tablespoons salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to the package directions until about 1 minute shy of being done.

In a sautee pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and one clove of garlic. Let the garlic get fragrant then add broccoli. Add baby peas at the end. Cook until veggies are tender.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1⁄2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and stir in the veggies, garlic butter, pepper, 3 tablespoons of the roasted pine nuts, and the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt. Transfer the pasta to plates or a platter, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon of pine nuts, and serve. For a little extra garnish, add a handful of pea sprouts. Delish!

Peace, love and green goddess pasta for all!

Guramrit

Just a little food porn for your Sunday funday. The moral of this story? Eat more greens! Yum!

Pardon My Slack: A Mini Update

Wow I can’t believe it’s December already! It seems as thought November flew right on by bringing and taking Thanksgiving away ever so quickly. The past few weeks have been hectic but pleasant. The joyfulness of the season and the culinary delights have kept me, well, delightful (for the most part).

The day after Thanksgiving my favorite fitness instructor, whom I have taken classes (Zumba, Pilates, Total Body Conditioning, etc.) with for nearly 3 years took another job and left me. Needless to say, I felt and still feel abandoned, maybe a little depressed. I found that my instructor motivated me to stay fit and active and kept me sane. But the moment she told me she was leaving (which I could feel coming) I could feel myself shrivel. NOOOO! Now what am I supposed to do? This past week I didn’t want to go to the actual gym. I decided to work out at home this week, which for me isn’t the same. I truly enjoy those workouts with a group and an instructor I can trust to push me to get results.

I realized that my instructor leaving actually has pushed me even more to want to get my Zumba certification. I even bought the Zumba Exhiliarate DVDs with toning sticks, which has been on my wish list FOREVER! I am pushing myself to quit making excuses. Excuses don’t get us anywhere but at the same time, I am allowing myself to rest. Lately I have felt super tired and those extra hours of sleep have really done me justice.

I am really looking forward to keeping fit for Christmas and the rest of the year. Lets face it, I’m just a tad bit of a sucker with the compliments regarding my toned and slim vegan body. Did I mention I’m on Month 3 of veganism? Even the biggest cheese lover can go vegan (if that’s something you’re willing to try!).

Well ladies and gents, that is all for now.
Peace, love and no beef (or cheese),

Guramrit

P.S. By the way did I mention I recently was accepted as a Sweat Pink ambassador? This community of amazingly strong and motivated women will keep me motivated as I recover from my favorite fitness instructor abandonment.

P.P.S. I’d love to hear from you lovely readers! What are you doing to keep yourself fit, motivated and healthy this holiday season?