Comfort Yo Self with Risotto

October 27, 2014October 31, 2014Leave a comment

I’m in the process of packing up my entire childhood, my whole life and moving. It’s such a process because you go through a few things, reminisce on a few photos, read old love notes, and laugh at the things you thought you needed but really don’t. Isn’t it amazing how that works? You hold onto things you think you would need but you really don’t need them at all. How profound is that? As I pack and sort through the last 25 years of my life, I realize how important it is to simplify. To live simply is to live abundantly. Hashtag, just saying (#justsaying).

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Lentil Soup 2 Ways

October 20, 2014October 31, 20141 Comment

Winter decided to say hello a little early this morning. I am not ready to welcome the chilly mornings and bitter evenings. But I am ready to welcome winter’s bounty of seasonal eating. I am back to creating delicious soups and stews to keep the winter chill at bay and my body nice, cozy and comforted.

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Sugar Free for 80 Days

October 5, 2014Leave a comment

For my birthday this year I decided to buy Sarah Wilson’s book, I Quit Sugar. Honestly, I never really thought anything of the amount of sugar I was eating because let’s be honest, the white refined crap wasn’t in my diet in the first place. I had no idea what I was getting into and what it really entailed. Little did I know, sugar is lurking EVERYWHERE. Okay, I actually knew that sugar is hidden in everything, what I didn’t know what the culprit was fructose. No…not high fructose corn syrup (which is an abomination, but we knew that already).

I had no idea that all the fruit and some of those awesome healthy treats (you know, bananas and raw honey- YUM) I was eating was actually keeping me sluggish, moody and tired. But of course I didn’t realize this until I decided to give it up for 8 weeks, which ultimately turned into an 80 day cleanse.

Before I go into detail about my journey, let me tell you I decided to start this challenge a few days after my birthday so I was detoxing BIG time off of the cakes, treats, chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Did I mention that I LOVE chocolate? For heaven’s sake, my boyfriend baked me a double chocolate double layered cake. I was so dedicated to this challenge I didn’t even have a second slice. Needless to say, Matthew was not too thrilled. Sorry babe!

The way Sarah Wilson’s program works is it starts with awareness and a ton of information.

I have to admit, the first week, which included cutting down sugar (I mean fructose) was hard. I LOVE fruit. Absolutely could not see myself without it. I was drinking a green smoothie for breakfast almost every morning. I really had no idea that I was basically living off of fructose. Fruit for breakfast, raisins for a snack, a nibble of dark chocolate here and there and sweetened almond milk in my tea or coffee. Cutting out was hard. But one of the principles that I learned while studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition was that you must crowd out the bad stuff with good stuff.

I started to introduce more hearty breakfasts into the mix (since that’s a favorite for me) and started to find alternative snacks. I would start my day with rice millet toast with avocado, a drizzle of olive oil, Herbamare, red chili flakes, garlic powder, and turmeric. I was surprisingly full after one piece of toast but if I would have a green smoothie for breakfast I would be hungry almost instantaneously (and that is RIDICULOUS).

After realizing that I can actually survive and feel light, fit, clear and healthy with a piece of avocado toast for breakfast I started to really dive deeper into this journey. My body started to speak to me. How weird is that?! Yes! I said SPEAK to me. I have been vegan for 2 years and a lifelong vegetarian but once I started to pay closer attention to the sugar I was consuming I started to feel the urge to eat dairy. How weird is that?!

Our body’s are much smarter than we are. We just need to take a moment to listen and feel. You will be surprised how beneficial it is to tune in to what your body really wants.

After a few weeks, recognizing how different I felt without sugar was simple. I actually didn’t miss it. Okay, maybe I missed chocolate but other than that I was able to really, truly recognize what is was my body REALLY wanted. I needed more grounding foods, some dairy here and there and to actually eat more wholesome foods.

So what’s my point?

1. Sugar is in everything. But the main culprit is fructose (surprisingly in fruit). Read more here. We should only really be consuming under 25g a day. Did you know one soy chai latte at Starbucks can have about 46g of sugar per serving?!

2. Fruit is not the culprit but there are some fruits that have higher fructose than others (bananas and mangoes, dried fruit)

3. Your brain is less foggy, your skin is clear, you become more energetic. Without over consuming fruits and sweeteners you can actually do wonders for your energy, your skin and your overall well-being.

4. You may begin to recognize what your body truly needs. For me, I really needed to add a little bit of dairy (full fat greek yogurt, full fat cheese on occasion) and adding more healthy fats to my diet.

5. Your tastebuds will be extremely sensitive and that’s a good thing. I can taste almost every single flavor in my food now which makes it that much more of an enjoyable experience. I LOVE cooking and eating so it’s truly important to SAVOR every last bit.

I have since allowed a little sweetness in my life. I really missed pineapple, bananas and various fruits but I am more aware than ever.

If you are looking to reset and understand your body more, I really recommend giving this a try. But please do read Sarah’s book and check out her website for incredible support and yummy recipes.

Have you tried to quit sugar? I’d love to hear about your journey!

Peace, love, and no beef!

Guramrit

Simple, Sexy, Summertime Farro

September 7, 2014Leave a comment

I’m in denial that summer is coming to a close. Seriously? Who decided it could end? Nooooo I’m not ready (yes, read that in a Kevin Hart voice, laugh, then keep reading).

Just because the seasons are changing doesn’t mean I have to let go of the awesomeness that the summer brings in terms of food. So I decided to come up with a simple, delicious and amazingly sexy farro dish to soothe my dissatisfaction. The best part about this dish is you can eat it ALL the time, regardless of the season. But I’m pretty sure you want to make the most out of your bounty of heirloom tomatoes right about now. So, let’s get cracking!

What You Need:

1 cup cooked farro (follow the package instructions, rinse and set aside)
2 persian cucumbers, cubed
1 cup of tomato, diced
1/2 cup of radishes, diced
1 can of organic garbanzo beans, rinsed
1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Optional: Sheep’s Milk Feta Cheese, crumbled

How You Make It:

Combine all ingredients in a large serving bowl. Season as needed.
Enjoy

Yes, it really is all that simple.

Do you have any recipe ideas that use farro? I would love to know!

Peace, love, no beef!

Guramrit

From Sunday Funday Dinner to Super Leftover Meatless Monday

February 26, 2013Leave a comment

After a beautiful Sunday service at Unity of New York I began to crave something new. Yes, this is possible. I wanted to create something I haven’t created before (and add my own spin of course). After much contemplation I decided to make a veggie paella. Traditionally paella is made with seafood and poultry or other meat products but it is chock full of veggies and made with smoked paprika, short grained rice and saffron. I found a fabulous recipe on Tienda.com which I ultimately revamped and made my own to cater to the picky-ness of my household. Here is this delectable recipe:

What you need:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced (a lot of garlic but I LOVE GARLIC)
1 large yellow bell pepper (or any other color)
2 tablespoons of smoked paprika (or regular if you can’t find smoked)
2 zucchini, cubed
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (I didn’t seed or peel, I love the liquid)
1 cup chopped Tuscan kale
2 cups frozen peas
3 cups of vegetable broth/stock (keep warm)
1 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lemon
5-10 strands of saffron
1 1/2 cups of short grained rice (you can use arborio, bomba, brown, or calaspara rice)
Salt and pepper to taste

How you make it:
1. In a large pan (if you have a rice pan, use that) heat the oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and bell pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until translucent (or tender). Add smoked paprika, saffron, zucchini and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes (raise heat to medium for this).

2. Stir in rice and stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat back to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

3. Once most of the liquid is absorbed toss in the kale, peas, half of the cilantro and stir.

4. The paella is ready when the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. If you like the crunchy rice at the bottom, turn up the heat to high for just about a minute. Once you smell the toasting of the rice, shut the heat, add the lemon juice and serve.

I ate this for dinner last night and tonight! I served it with fresh tomatoes and avocado today. Delish!