Sprouted Bean Experiment Concluded!

The other day I started some beans sprouting and this is what happened:


4 days ago I soaked a cup of white beans for 24 hrs. Then I put them in a jar with a draining lid and set them up to sprout. Three days and many rinsings later they were starting to show little tails!



















I rinsed them one last time and then cooked them in broth until they were soft and all the liquid was gone. I had to keep adding water. It was just like cooking regular beans, no different.

My conclusion about sprouted beans? I will continue to do it. They were delicious. I appreciate that when germinated they are much easier to digest. They take just as long to cook and I didn't really taste any difference. I think from now on I will soak for one day and germinate for one day, shortening it from a four to a two day process. We have beans about twice a week, with a two day soak I won't have to have multiple jars germinating just to keep us in beans. My kitchen isn't that big and I don't feel like branching out right now. Master bathroom with the skylight, I'm talking to you.

Last night's dinner was delicious. I made whole wheat tortillas, I made a wonderful salsa from tomato, onion, corn, garlic and lime juice.
















I cooked up some brown and wild rice, steamed about 2 cups of spinach leaves in broth with minced onion and made cashew sour cream.

Burrito night.














Roll your own :)



Today for lunch I sauteed some collard greens and minced onion in a 1/2 cup juice from the salsa. When the collard is thoroughly wilted and the onions are translucent I added a tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder and stirred it in until all dissolved. I added another 1/4 cup of water and let it simmer until the liquid was almost gone.

I served it over wild and brown rice with a scoop of "refried" sprouted beans.














When I say "refried" I mean re-heated with a little bit of water.


Today's smoothie was different.
2 Banana
1 big handful dried mint
1/4 cup Dried Kelp
3 tbs flax seed
Plenty of water














MMM-mm-Minty! It smelled just like summer time. I brought a bunch from the old house and planted it here. I sure hope it grows big. I'd like to plant more around the house but I need this bush to grow so I can make more bushes.

Today's Green Smoothie, Glass Dharma, Buckwheat Sprouts

Banana
Apple
Flaxseed
Red lettuce
Buckwheat sprouts
Renew Me!
Water
Blend it up in the Vitamix


I was worried about storing the glass straws. I want to use them every day but I don't want them in the way where they might get broken, right?

This is where I've decided to keep the Glass Dharma Straws














Simply standing up in a glass in the cupboard.

Leave me a comment and tell me how you store your straws. Oh, and did you get a little brush with yours? I love that little brush. It hangs right by the sink for easy access.

















It's snowing!













This is today's smoothie photo. The photo above is yesterday's smoothie.


Buckwheat Sprouts, 4 days.















Buckwheat sprouts nutritional info:
Vitamins A, B, C and E
Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium
All Amino Acids
Protein: 15%

The sprout people can tell you better than I can how to sprout buckwheat groats.

I hope you have a wonderful, happy day! Stay warm and stay vegan!

Green Smoothie For Breakfast

A large green smoothie is a great way to start a raw day. You are already 1/3 of the way to 100% :D

Sprouted Fennel seeds and Granny Smith apple.
















Today's smoothie was simple and good.

A handful of collard greens
















A broken up banana
















an apple, seeds left in, stem took out, cut in 8 pieces
















a shot glass full of flaxseed
















'Bout a 1/4 cup of sprouted fennel


















2 tbs Renew Me!

















Some pure water.
















Our well water is fantastic. Ice cold, pure, no chlorine. I feel blessed every time I take a drink of water.


Blend in the Vita-mix




















Pose...
















Have a great day!

If you don't have a high speed blender grind the seeds first. You can put them dry in the blender or use a coffee or herb grinder.

The 'sleeves' I'm wearing in the photos were a gift of sox from Connie that I made into fingerless gloves and the Ed Hardy glasses (a whole set of 4!) were from Katrina. Thanks, ladies!

Today's Green Smoothie for late lunch

1 very ripe avocado
2 very ripe banana
1 tbs lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 large handful of kale
2 tbs flax seeds
Fermented cashew milk. (usually i only put fruit and seeds in my smoothies but the jar was almost empty so I half filled it with water shook that up and poured it in the blender. Nothing goes to waste around here)

Sweet, creamy with a hint of garlic and a little tangy. This was surprisingly good.

The Fruity Trinity 3,2,1 Smoothie

Today's Smoothie!

















3 very ripe bananas
2 granny smith apples, chopped
1 orange (juice and pulp only)
1 head of celery
1 clove garlic
2 tbs flaxseed
2 tbs Renewme!
2 cups or more of water

Put it all in the blender and blend well.

This is a very creamy smoothie that utilizes the fruity trinity of banana, apple, orange. On the sweet side with just a hint of garlic.

I'm eating more raw garlic these days to try and help boost my immunity. The man had the flu or some kind of stomach bug but I will remain healthy.

So mote, it be.
:)

Raw Blended Sun Dried Tomato Soup

Garlic & Sun Dried Tomato Soup

About 3 cups of your favorite leafy green. I used collard and ruby chard.
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
2 tbs onion
1 clove garlic
5-6 sundried tomatoes (not the in oil kind, the dry kind. if you don't have a high speed blender, soak them first)
2 tbs flax seeds (grind them if you don't have a hi-speed blender)
Water to blend

Blend until smooth and a little bit warm.

It's so creamy and garlicy and delicious. The dried tomatoes have a wonderful rich flavor.

I drank the whole thing for lunch but it would easily serve 4 as a soup at your next raw vegan dinner party!

I drank a green smoothie for breakfast

but I didn't take a photo.

I did get the new drive socket for the Vita-mix . I put it on (all by myself, thank you) and the machine works again, success!

Smoothie was 2 big collard leaves, 2 banana, a scoop of raw cranberry sauce (I will post that recipe later) 2 tbs flaxseed and 2 tbs Renewme! blended with water.

I split it with the man. He gets the small half :)

Today's Green Smoothie

Red lettuce and some kale (2 hands full total)
2 bananas
4oz raw cranberries
2 tbs flaxseed
RenewMe!
Water

Blend.














Kitteh



















I've still been drinking green smoothies, just not blogging about them. I need to get in the habit of posting the daily smoothie photos. I think it's a good exercise.
I like to have one every day. It makes me feel grounded. Like, no matter what else happens all day, at least I had my smoothie!

We got a Vita-Mix!

Here it is blending my morning smoothie.














Celery, romaine, flax seeds, garlic, Renewme and Ruth's hemp/maca/e3live.

The man bought this beautiful piece at a restaurants yard sale.














I swear, everything I own is second hand. I think I was conceived in a used car. Just kidding, mom.

This gently used commercial model with the logo of whatever they were selling on the front cost an amazingly low $50. It has a timer but it doesn't have speed control.

I think we are going to be together for a long time.
















This is the computer room. It's a mess now but it's a good size room and I think it could be fixed up nice with a little effort.

















This is the satellite dish that brings me to you and vice versa.
















And last but not least, dinner last night:














Baked hash browns, mixed cooked veges and a raw rainbow chard salad.

Super Green Smoothie Power!

Dandelion
Mint
Watermelon
The usual supplements
1 cup crushed ice

Blend...






Green smoothies make me feel grounded. I love to drink one every day.

Today's Smoothie

1 banana
handful fresh mint
1/2 handful raw almonds
1 tsp raw vanilla powder
2 tbs whole flaxseed
The usual supplements
Water











Dinner last night:














Kale and carrot salad with pickled ginger, Pot 'o beans and leftover pasta.

Green Chocolate Mint Smoothie

I'm out of fruit and I don't feel like cutting worms out of apples this morning so I had a GREENS smoothie. Wild edible greens from the back yard and some greens from the garden.


I picked dandelion, mint, melissa, red lettuce and ruby chard and blended them with water, maple syrup, a handful of cacao nibs (crackao, I heard it called this weekend. 'tis sad but true. I am an addict) and the usual supplements.














Kitteh stalking chocolate smoothie.















It's not too sweet, very chocolatey, slightly bitter and wonderfully minty

Coconut Banana Soft Serve RAW VEGAN Ice Cream Summer Frozen Dessert Idea

This is banana soft serve but I added









The meat and water of 1 young thai coconut
7 dates
1 tsp raw vanilla powder

Talk about creamy. We had it for a late night snack last night but it would be good for lunch, brunch, snack, dessert or even in a smoothie.



Today's smoothie














1 cup banana coconut vegan soft serve
4 leaves curly kale
1 banana
the usual supplements
water

I hope you all had a nice holiday

We went to San Francisco.







Haight St.






The boy is spending the summer with his mother.








More Haight






We will see him again in August. Its going to be very quiet here, I think.

August 2nd we will go down to pick him up and to see a free show at Excelsior park on Jerry Day.

We had a great time. We went camping in Oroville.


This is where we rough it.






























Bagel and seitan grilled over mesquite fire.



















Once we got to San Francisco and got everyone together, we had a barbecue in the park





Sweet potato, onions, small sweet peppers and portobello mushrooms



















In a lettuce leaf.


Here is avocado with tortilla chips. Tortilla chips were my downfall.






I ate pretty high raw while I was there. Next month I will keep track exactly what I eat and of how much I spend on food.




















It was a long drive. I'm glad I wore flip flops.








The man didn't smoke in the car for the whole trip so we stopped at a lot of rest areas. It was a nice trip. No ashes in my eyes. Thank you, Baby.







Shasta with a cloud cap. Sunday afternoon on the way home.
















We drove through a wild fire just outside of Klamath Falls


















And now I am sitting having a smoothie and I'm so happy to be home with my kitty. He's pawing at me so I guess I should go see what he wants.











Smoothie is frozen banana
a plum
4 leaves of rainbow chard
1 granny smith apple
maca
hemp
e3live
chia seeds
flax seeds
If there was anything else in there I don't remember. It was very good.