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

December 2, 2012Leave a comment

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

Pardon My Slack: A Mini Update

December 2, 2012Leave a comment

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?

Nourish Your Soul With Minestrone

November 3, 2012Leave a comment

This week has been incredibly intense. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. I feel immensely blessed that my family and friends are safe from harm and that we have our home, food and water.

On top of the craziness of this week, it has been COLD. Winter has come early and I am NOT ready. One of the only things I get excited about for the winter is the cooking. Winter time means feeding yourself with comforting foods. BUT! This year I am turning those overly fattening, hibernation-causing, overly-cheesy, super decadent winter foods into healthy, nutritious and DELICIOUS meals. One of the recipes I played with was a minestrone recipe from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust by Ina Garten. Of course, I always turn a recipe into my own to suit my vegan needs. Well, here it is. Enjoy!

What You Need:

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

2 cups (1/2-inch) diced carrots (3 carrots)

2 cups (1/2 inch) diced celery (3 stalks)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 cup of purple kale, chopped (remove the spine and wash thoroughly)

1 large zucchini, sliced into half moons

26 ounces canned tomatoes (1 small can of whole peeled tomatoes, 1 large can roasted diced tomatoes)

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cooked small pasta (you can cook it in the soup!)

8 to 10 ounces of fresh baby spinach (2 big handfuls)

6 cups of vegetable stock

1/2 cup dry white wine (or cooking wine)

2 tablespoons store-bought pesto (I got pesto paste- no cheese!- has more concentrated pesto flavor)

1 bay leaf

Salt, Pepper to taste

How To Make It:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme and cook until vegetables soften. Add zucchini and stir.

2. Add tomatoes, vegetable stock, bay leaf, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil and low the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender. 15 minutes into the simmering process add the kale, let it wilt slightly. Toss in pasta and allow to cook.

3. Disgard the bay leaf. Add the beans and heat through. Toss in spinach and stir in until leaves are wilted. Stir in white wine and pesto. Add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste.

4. Serve with your favorite crostini/bruschetta/croutons and ENJOY!

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

October 23, 2012Leave a comment

T’is the season for pumpkin (and pumpkin flavored everything). I love the comforting aspect of pumpkin. It makes me feel all warm and bubbly as I enjoy the fall and winter months. I combined two recipes and ended up with one amazing batch of pumpkin spice pancakes.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

What You Need:

1 & 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 c. coconut milk (or another nondairy milk)
1/2 cup organic 100% pure pumpkin purée (make sure it’s not pumpkin pie mix)
3 Tbs. maple syrup,(grade A, NO AUNT JEMIMA OR MRS. BUTTERSWORTH) plus extra for serving
Coconut oil

How You Make It:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add the milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and mix well. Add more milk for thinner pancakes, or more flour for thicker ones.

2. In a frying pan, drizzle a little coconut oil. Over medium heat, add batter (I like to use measuring cups- 1/2 cup) and flip when slightly bubbled on one side (about 1-2 minutes depending on your stove) and golden brown underneath. Cook other side until golden brown as well.

3. Serve with maple syrup, a little bit of cinnamon and vegan butter. Enjoy!