Whenever I go to one of my favourite health food stores in Toronto, Organic Abundance, I not only stock up on wholesome goodies, but also knowledge. They’ve got some wise vegans over there, including one Jennifer Laur.

Jennifer Laur is a raw vegan, and she — like a growing number of peeps from all walks across the globe — are loving this eco-friendly and truly tasty way of life.

Maybe it’s the trademark youthful glow of these raw vegans (Jennifer looks amazing), I’m not sure…. But, I want to get ON THAT! I mean, it makes sense. When you cook something, as the theory goes, you’re killing all its key nourishing enzymes. While I don’t believe one has to go completely raw to reap the benefits, I do think the more raw you eat the better. I certainly feel better since I’ve consciously added more raw into my diet.

So, Gorgeouses, meet Jen. Jen? Meet the Gorgeouses. Jen’s going to help us add more raw into our diets by bringing on the scrumptious recipes now and then. Starting with this delightful raw vegan Caesar Salad. I tried it just tonight. And, while it doesn’t taste EXACTLY like Caesar (I may have used too much lemon juice, and I didn’t have any coconut on hand), I loved it, and, more importantly, my picky little eaters each ate A BOWL of salad drizzled with it. So, there you go. TRY IT!

INGREDIENTS

SALAD

1 head romaine lettuce
1 cucumber, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 large carrot shredded
1/2 cup dried coconut, grated

DRESSING

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced (2 tbsp max, I’d say)
1 tbsp honey (vegans who don’t eat honey can substitute with 1tbsp agave nectar)
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, ground

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the lettuce, cucumber, red pepper, onion, carrot and lettuce in a large bowl.
2. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Pour dressing over salad. Toss well, and serve!

Again, I didn’t have coconut on hand, and I decided to omit the onions. So, I’d say these two items are optional. The shredded carrots, however, are a must. Their juice somehow adds to the richness and texture of the dish. ENJOY! And let us know what you think!

Thank you Jen!

Love!
xo Haley-O

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This salad dressing is my own li’l concoction. I’d forgotten about it for some time. But, today, I decided to make the family a great salad — because, really?, what better way to show your family you love them than make them a fresh salad, especially after DADA took them out for grilled cheese, french fries and popcorn. Ahem.

It is seriously delicious — nutty and tangy — and composed of only a few ingredients. Walnut oil may be an unusual one for you, but it’s a TASTY alternative to flax seed oil for getting your daily dose of omega 3 fatty acids (which, as most of you know, are essential fats — essential to both physical and emotional health).

Check it!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Walnut Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 clove Garlic (minced)
Pepper (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

Put all the ingredients in a bowl, stir, and drizzle on salad. It would be great if you could let it sit for a bit before serving, so the vinaigrette can absorb the garlic flavour, but no biggie.

ENJOY! And let us know what you think!

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It was this lovely salad that inspired me to do something about my diet — which has deteriorated so much since my cleanse ended that I find myself exhausted, shaky, anxious and depleted…. Arugula salad with chopped fennel, orange, walnuts and a tangy dressing of olive oil, freshly squeezed orange juice and basil. So simple, but creative, aesthetically-pleasing and super healthy. My friend set it in front of me after I insisted that she don’t go out of her way — on our pizza playdate — to feed my vegan self…. And, I was inspired. Inspired to cook again (and, thus, to update this blog, finally) and inspired to get back into the kitchen and create. Fennel! She put fennel in the salad!

The next day, I went to the bookstore and finally bought this book I’ve been eyeing a long time: Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet….

Because something had to be done. I mean, the way my body thanked me upon each bite of delightfully bitter arugala, each nutty crunch of walnut, each juicy squish of orange slice? It was like Minden at cookie time….

…THANKFUL. See, I AM a yoga instructor. So, I might be a little more aware of my body than most people. And I totally felt the thanks with every bite. I KNOW my body needs work. It needs help and proper, educated nourishment. If I’m going to be a vegan — which I am, because I love animals beyond the norm — I have to do it right. If I want to live to a ripe old age with healthy bones and peace of mind, I have to do it right.

So, here are some things I’ve learned from the book (my eyes HURT from scanning its pages all day), that I’ll do, or that I’ll do more consistently, to get healthy and stay on the HEALTHY vegan wagon for life (fingers crossed!)….

1. Have I told you about the sweet potatoes? I can’t remember. I buy about four a week — all for me because my kids won’t touch ‘em now, for some reason…. Right when I get home from the grocery store, I take out my sweet potatoes, poke ‘em with a knife several times and stick ‘em in the oven at 400°F. Sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet — loaded with beta carotene, fiber, and so much more. More importantly…, they’re like CANDY. Their juice even oozes out of the holes I poke, and it caramelizes, and I peel it off the baking sheet AND EAT IT — total CANDY. YOU MUST TRY IT….

2. OMEGA 3s. OMG, have I told you about Omega 3s? You need ‘em. Especially if, like me, you’re prone to depression and anxiety (of course, they’re essential for a host of other reasons…). If you don’t eat fish, you must take a supplement. I am now making a concerted effort to get my omegas 3s from walnuts (I make sure my kids eat walnuts), hemp seeds, and a daily dose of Udo’s Choice, which came highly recommended to me by the vitamin person at the health food store…. At first, I thought I had to put a tablespoon into a smoothie every time I wanted to take it. But, yesterday, I realized I could take it no problem mixed in a glass of water. Easy.

3. KALE. You know I love my kale. From now on, I eat one whole bunch of kale a week — at least. I just stick it in a pot with an inch of water and some chopped portobello mushrooms, cover, and leave it on the stove until it’s just steamed. When it’s ready, I pour on a little tamari (soy sauce) and some olive/canola oil, sprinkle with pine nuts (and maybe a press of garlic), and ENJOY. It’s a really nice dish…. Kale, and all dark leafy greens, are such important non-dairy sources calcium. Indeed, since the Monkey decided she doesn’t love milk, I ask her to eat a little kale whenever I make it. She forces it down — it’s great. Heh. I’ll also puree kale and put it in smoothies, and I’ll puree spinach and put it in my kids’ scrambled GREEN EGGS!

4. FORTIFIED ORANGE JUICE. I love that ORANGE JUICE is now part of my diet. I need it because FORTIFIED orange juice is a valuable source of calcium AND vitamin D — which has been all over the news as a major cancer preventer. If you can’t get into direct sunlight for 15-20 minutes a day, you need to take a D supplement. While I have some D in my multivitamin, it’s not enough in these winter months. PLUS, you need vitamin D to properly absorb calcium. So, HOLLAH to the new orange juices that are adding not only calcium but vitamin D to the mix…. One cup a day! Cheers!

5. LENTILS. I hereby vow to have cooked lentils in my fridge at all times. They’re such a perfect food. Full of fiber, protein and other important stuff. If they’re sitting in my fridge, I can dump ‘em in salads, pasta, on rice…. I feel healthier already!

6. FIGS. I’m also SO pleased to announce that dried figs are now an essential part of my diet. LOVE! One serving (five figs) offers a good source of non-dairy calcium for vegans. We’re supposed to get 6-8 servings of non-dairy calcium daily. So, between this and the kale and the orange juice (and the almond butter and hummus I love, and soy/rice milk), I’m golden.

7. Since we’re on the topic of calcium and bones…. 30 minutes of exercise a day is now MANDATORY. I have to do it…. Must stay strong so I can do this forever (yes, I’m posting it again — must take more yoga pics)….

Think you’ll try any of this? Of course, it’s all great advice for vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike! What do you think?

Off to eat a sweet potato…. And I’m, seriously?, really excited about it.

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This book is ADORABLE. It’s written by Jewish GREAT-GRANDMOTHER. And, even though it calls itself “Kosher,” it’s great for everyone. I mean, I’m not even Kosher, and I LOVE it. It’s seriously PACKED with great information and health tips — and some THUPER sweet poems! And, for you non-vegans out there who would like to incorporate more vegetarian meals into their week (please do!), the book does include a few (free-range!) egg and fish recipes.

The recipes I’ve tried so far have been delish — not only for me, but for my non-veg hubby and kids. Here are two of them that we’ve totally enjoyed.

SUMMER SALAD SUPREME (p. 78)

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2):

2 cups shredded packed romaine lettuce
1 large orange or 2 tangerines, peeled and chopped (1/2-inch pieces)
1 small grapefruit, peeled and chopped (1/2-inch pieces)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp NUTTY-EDITH CRUNCH (this is another great recipe on p. 181 of the book, but I just ground raw almonds and walnuts together in a coffee grinder, and it was WICKED ‘LICIOUS! A kind of paste formed that mixed GORGEOUSLY with the oil and lemon juice….. If you don’t want to do it my way, the author suggests that you use sunflower seeds if you don’t feel like making the NUTTY-EDITH CRUNCH)
1 – 2 tsp flaxseed oil
A small handful of organic golden raisins or dried organic cranberries.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine all the ingredients in medium bowl, toss well, and ENJOY!

BENEFITS (qtd. directly from book):

What’s supreme about this salad? It’s as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot summer day. I eat it all year ’round, whenever I need a light lunch and some vitamin C. Whenever we combine fruit with salad greens, we slow down the absorption of sugars from the fruit into our bodies. This enables us to keep our energy level up longer and prevents us from getting hungry again too soon.

JOKE (qtd. directly from book): “If life hands you a lemon, squeeze it into your salads.”

QUICK APPLE TREAT (p. 224)

INGREDIENTS (Serves 1):

1 medium sweet apple (I might even add some cheaty little blueberries or raisins to this!)
2 tbsp sugar-free jam or organic apple butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel the apple, cut it into 8 or more wedges, and discard core.
2. Place the jam or apple butter in a medium-sized skillet and heat at Medium-High, until bubbly.
3. Stir in the apple slices, turn heat down to LOW, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, turning the apples over once.
4. ENJOY!

BENEFITS (qtd. directly from book):

This takes much less time than making applesauce, baked apples or apple pie and quickly fills a sweet tooth.

Avoid Six White Foods!!!!!
White sugar, White Flour, White Rice, White Chocolate, Salt and Milk.

Cheaty HIGHLY recommends this cookbook if not only because it’s singlehandedly brought me back to WHOLE FOOD — in the real sense of the term. It’s made my kitchen a warm and exciting place to cook in again.

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