Aged Nut Cheese for the Connoisseur

Someone once told me that they couldn't go vegan because they were so romantically enlaced with the pungent and cultured companion that is a stinky wedge of blue cheese.

I understood. After all, I'd had my years with blue and a vibrant glass of red and yes, they were earth-shattering moments.

Later I found myself over a Dr. Cow nut cheese plate at Cocoa V. And then, more Dr. Cow appeared on my plates at Pure Food and Wine. I was wholly swept away by nut cheese and have been ever since.

It was then that I discovered that a vegan "blue" cheese does exist, Dr. Cow's Blue Green Algae Cheese, aged for 3 months, has that memorable tang of blue. These 100% dairy free, gluten free, soy free, organic vegan cheeses are made with acidophilus and Himalayan salt to culture the cheese in the similar process that dairy cheese undergoes. Smoky, mild, spicy, creamy, or firm, even cream cheese, Dr. Cow's has it:  the tightly-wrapped cheese was shipped to my Philadelphia apartment within 24 hours and arrived with a cold pack to ensure that the product was kept cool. 



This is the blue that gets me now. The Aged Cashew Cheese next to it is a mellow, well-rounded counterpart that can be accompanied by virtually anything. The Blue Green Algae is a bit racier. I like both with Rosemary Quackers or crumbled into a salad. Or set up an amazing spread next time you have friends over for a vegan wine and cheese with these beautiful artisan cheeses that pair wonderfully with wine and beer.

Mean Green Curry

Being a curry-loving couple, we have learned to prepare a delicious curry in a short amount of time. We usually have the ingredients on hand and Josh is not shy when it comes to arriving from work with cans of coconut milk in his laptop bag.

Making curry does not translate to hours of slaving over a mass of spices and coaxing veggies into submission. Unless you insist on making your own curry paste, of course.

Our curry did not carry heat, but was still intricately spiced. The rich sauce gave in to the rice, turning it almost risotto-like in texture. This mean green curry is a generous lover.

Mean Green Curry

1 can of coconut milk
1 tbsp green curry paste
1 tsp soy sauce
1.5 tsp black pepper, ground
1 tsp cardamom seeds, ground

half a spanish onion chopped big
half a head of cauliflower
a few small potatoes

Cook the coconut milk, curry paste, soy sauce, and spices on medium for about 5 minutes. Stir. Add the veggies and cook for another 15, stirring occasionally. Serve over brown rice.

Serves 4.

Pure Barre Philadelphia.

No, it's not a nutrition bar. It's not a cocktail club that emphasizes natural ingredients. Pure Barre is a total body technique that combines barre work, pilates, and weights.  There are locations throughout the country, and most recently, a studio opened on 17th and Walnut  in Philadelphia.

I'm always studying different fitness techniques because once you adjust to a routine, tossing in a rogue workout to keep your body guessing is the way to consistent improvement.  You name it, I've probably taken a class for it.

So when I read about Pure Barre, I was intrigued by how sound similar it sounded to Lithe Method, a technique that I have nothing but serious admiration for. I am very pleased with my current fitness schedule but I figured dropping in on a class at PB didn't mean I wasn't loyal or satisfied with Lithe or my gym. I wanted to experience it.

The studio is smartly designed, spotless, and the branding is clear but not invasive. Whereas Lithe is cool and serene with pale blues and international music, PB fills its studio with high energy pop and dance tunes and embraces a fiery red. There is a carpet on the main floor and socks are required during the workout. Mirrors and barres are off to one wall, with windows facing 17th Street to the other.

I wasn't happy about the carpet and socks, and found myself yearning for the lovely floor and my bare feet over at Lithe. But I did get a serious session in and found myself working every little muscle in my body. Let's just say, my bum hurt the next day. There is a lot of pilates involved here, so it will help you with flexibility, and stretching is stressed at several points of the workout. I learned some killer stretches that I will definitely make a habit out of doing. Most of the workout on the floor or at the barre, so there isn't any jumping or leaping around. Think tight, focused movement.

A single class is $23, but they were offering a special of $100 for a full month. I prefer to take it class by class, however, because of my weirdo schedule. I like the variety that Lithe offers, and pretty much everything else. I honestly wish I could justify taking more classes, but right now I have a gym membership and try to use that 2-3 times a week and fit in 1-2 classes at Lithe Rittenhouse or Lithe in Liberties Walk. Lithe classes are $20 each or monthly unlimited at $200.

I would recommend Pure Barre if you like pilates and floorwork. While there are different routines, there is only the one class that has a full body focus.

If you want to target arms or legs or have a preference on where you specialize and want a variety of class offerings, I would go with Lithe Method.

The bottom line is, that either route you take, your bottom will look all the better for it.

Footloose. Going Barefoot with Vibram Five Fingers.

Over the past week and a half, we have started acclimating to Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes and have some mixed reviews.

Him: I've noticed that my calves ache post-run. As soon as I feel uncomfortable, I stop running because I want to gradually adjust to these shoes. It's still early on and it is normal muscle soreness that goes away after a day. Lifting weight in these is a better experience than with regular sneakers. They are incredibly comfortable shoes.

Her: I work out barefoot often - yoga, Lithe Method on hard floor, at home on my mat and on our flooring. We do a lot of hops and foot raises in Lithe and at first my calves would scream after a class there. Over the course of time, I have adjusted to this type of workout and it has strengthened my feet and legs considerably. After my first run in these, I felt like I wasn't running right and called Josh over to assess my foot strike and he told me I was fine. It still felt weird to me and I kept my run to half a mile. Since then, I am back to my normal warm-up run and it feels more natural. I still worry that I am going to hurt myself somehow but my feet and legs feel fine and the rest of my workout is smoother. No bulk or imbalance.

Pros: 

-No more expensive than a regular sneaker, although one of the pricier "minimalist" style running shoes out there, which tend to be a bit cheaper.

-More harmonious floor work. I am able to complete many of my favorite exercises without my stiff, unyielding, bulky Easytone sneakers getting in the way.

-Weight lighting is easier because you can evenly distribute the weight without automatically leaning forward because of your sneaker. Because of the free toe movement, you can keep your weight balanced naturally. There is more stability during overhead presses.

-Balance. I have even noticed an improvement in balance in these shoes during my routine, not just in lifting weight. 

-Stronger legs/feet and more natural running with your feet underneath you instead of in front of you.

-No socks! Were you about to buy new socks? I was and I hate socks. Now I don't have to think about that just yet.

Cons:

-You have to clean Vibrams in the washing machine every week or so and air dry. Unless you want to be that smelly person at the gym and create a welcoming ground for bacteria and fungi. At least you are washing less socks...

-You should build up to running in these. Because our feet/ankles were already conditioned, we started out with a half mile run on our first go, and are now running one mile runs to be careful. I usually don't run more than two miles every other day and we are not long distance runners, so we are not anticipating any injuries. If you are a serious runner, I would do further research and come up with a plan to ease into barefoot running.

-Your husband might try to wear them to dinner because they are so comfortable. I talked mine out of it.

-You will find running awkward at first and even dislike the experience until your body adjusts and re-learns form. 

Overall, I am glad we gave the Vibrams a shot and we are both curious to see how the shoes are over a longer period of time. It will be an ongoing battle to keep my husband from wearing them every day.

Cookin' with Daiya: Potato-Basil-Tomato Cheesy Pie.

Late last year I tried Daiya vegan cheese for the first time when Whole Foods started offering vegan pizza slices. You can read my review here. My consensus was there was way too much Daiya on the pizza and it was a bit oily, but it melted perfectly and was not bad at all.

Daiya pizza on a whole wheat crust was going to happen. I finally bought a bag of Daiya shredded mozzarella from Whole Foods, some organic tomato basil sauce, and a basil plant from the Farmer's that hasn't died yet. I got around to making a homemade whole wheat crust.

Everyone knows I kill plants. even mint. twice. but the basil baby is still alive and it's not fake. We had to make this pizza before it could abandon us as bad plant parents.We sliced up some tomatoes and thin chips of potato.I sprinkled the Daiya gingerly over the pie, ever hesitant.

It turned out gooey and melty and there was just enough cheese to cling to some of the potatoes. The wheat crust was hearty and thick, so I would try a thin crust next time by splitting my dough ball in two. We both agreed that Daiya was a nice change on a pizza, but I do like using cashew cheese (thanks to Lauren) or skipping the cheese route and going tomato pie style. We will keep this in mind for future melting purposes.

Veg Out: City Tap House

There was a new dress to wear, a new movie to see, and a new bar to try.

The dress: The Mink Pink "Waisting Away" number that I mused about last week. [image via shopbop.com]

The movie: Inception. I'd rather not review it. I feel like I made the whole thing up in my head.

The spot: City Tap House at the Radian. A very handsome interior (for a college campus bar) greeted us as we stepped out of the elevator.

I felt inches taller in the body-skimming dress. It shielded me from the hostile sun and the cutout waist let just enough air tickle my skin to have a cooling effect. In this case, more is more, and my partner certainly thought so.



Usually when you look up in a bar from your drink, nothing good can come from it. I always appreciate an interesting ceiling, and City Tap House is wearing all of the right clothing. They seem to have invested a great deal in the design and layout, and it shows. Even the bathrooms were well above par for what I was expecting.  It made the 90's covers during the open mic session seem that much more out of place.



Josh was able to try PBC's Pennsylvania Pale Ale and some very tasty wheat beer. I had a glass of white wine. As a pre-movie drinking option, this is brilliant. The space is enormous, guaranteeing a seat at the extensive wraparound bar or at the outdoor patio. The taps are plentiful and there is enough to choose from that you could skip the movie. There are beer flights, too, and that's always a good show.



I knew what I was getting even before we stepped inside, because I had a hummus kind of feeling. A sign of a good bar is how seriously they take their hummus plate. There is a small falafel joint named Hummus next door to the Radian, and they make a swell enough version that I had initially suggested we grab a bite there.

But I'm glad we gave City Tap House a go. My plate was large enough for two, with grilled zucchini and cucumber, a punchy serving of quinoa, and some of the finer housemade bread that I've had with a hummus plate. Some parts soft and pillowy, other bites crisp and crackered. You get the pita and cracker experience all in one.

The Seitan Saute was a poorly presented showing of wheat gluten, a natural ingredient that I will defend to my death. More than half the time it is prepared incorrectly. It should be seared on high heat. If you cook it on a lower heat for a longer time, it will never achieve the sumptuous texture that is intended for it. If you do choose to simmer your seitan, you will need Awesome Sauce.

Instead, we had a sugary Chinese-takeout-inspired glaze. Our very attentive server took it back and listened to our feedback with patience. Josh ordered one of the pizzas instead, because they offered a wheat crust and the pies being served around us looked quite appealing. While the Tartufo pie was an improvement over the seitan,  we could not detect the wheat crust.

We liked our drinks and my plate, as well as the atmosphere, and it's always fun to trek around University City in skyscraper wedges and high digit temps.

Hey Bartender

I have to admit. Raw bars aren't my favorite thing. I usually prefer to make them rather than spend money on them, but at the end of the day, the texture isn't the most satisfying snack. There's no crunch of a handful of nuts or kale chips, there's no cooling smoothie intensity, or the wonder that is the piece of ripe fruit waiting for you. To settle for a bar is a busy person's plight.

There are bars that I gladly reach for, like the Laras and the Clifs and the Kinds. I wanted to break out of my bar comfort zone and while in the pharmacy the other day, I saw that CVS of all places now has a shelf for raw snacks. I picked up a Macro Bar (they had some tempting flavors). I also found this Just Great Stuff bar in the Dreaded Deli the other day. Josh and I both got a flavor to try.

I grabbed the Macro Bar on my way out the door for an afternoon film shoot. I knew I wouldn't be eating lunch until at least 2 pm, and this held me over quite well. It was Almond Butter with Carob and while it didn't have much texture, the lightly sweetened bar was a nice fix. Given that it didn't have much fiber or protein, I wasn't expecting it to sustain me for long, but it did.

The Just Great Stuff bars are more similar to the Jocalat line from Larabar. 1 bar is a full serving of fruit and you can definitely taste it. They also make a greens bar which got a thumbs up from Josh.

If I was eating an entirely raw diet, I would probably make a habit out of the Macro Bars, just because they are a bit bigger and seem more satisfying than the smaller Just Great Stuff bars. Because I'm already in a serious relationship with Lara and  Clif, I will probably only see Mac on occasion. When I get bored. The Tahini Date flavor sounds like it needs a calendar commitment.

Mega Dose

Bursts of jewel tones. A dash of neutrals. This is what complete meals are made of.

Last weekend's falafel salad bowl from Maoz on South Street. We discovered that Bodhi Coffee in Headhouse Square was closed and were unable to secure our weekly bag of Stumptown beans, but we had a terrific lunch with pickled eggplant and bouquets of cauliflower.

At Wednesday's blogger meetup at Farmicia, many of us chose the Mega Dose of Vegetables and Grains, which is always a stimulating mixed bag, especially if you have attention deficit disorder when it comes to cleaning your plate or finishing your drink, like I do. I ordered two different drinks and then switched to wine after abandoning both. My Curiositini was not something I'd normally order, but it had cilantro and cucumber and gin, which I think all pair together nicely. Does not count as a vegetable.

Being around other bloggers feels kind of soothing.

My pumpkin chia smoothie allowed me to fill out my fruit and veggie high week. I miss pumpkin in July and want to make it a year-round thing.

Pumpkin Chia Smoothie

1/3 cup pumpkin
1 cup almond milk
1/2 frozen banana (I cut mine into chunks and then freeze them in bags so I have banana ice cubes ready to go)
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp chia seeds
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
pinch of sea salt

Blend. Do 3 plank pushups and it should be ready. Satisfies 1.

Potatoes. 2 Ways.

The potatoes were looking so fine at the market that even though my head said to go with summery produce, we stuck by our roots and compromised with a mixed green salad.

We made potatoes two ways:

1) crisp, matchstick sweet potato fries baked with a spice blend of cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and a heavy sprinkle of diced jalapeno.

2) fat fingerlings boiled, flattened, and then pan-fried with a similar spice blend that featured dill and a mustard dipping sauce made from Vegenaise, dijon mustard, and hot sauce to break it down.

Goodies

We work hard. We play hard. We defy nature. And then we pull her aside and whisper in her ear until she reconsiders.



When I'm not jumping around like a maniac, I fall right back into the arms of baking.

 

Orange chocolate cupcake from Sweet Freedom Bakery

The process of creating something, even if it's simple and has a shelf life, is good for me. I like to bake because I know what's going into something and want it to meet my specifications.

My vegan spelt cinnamon buns are a treat that turns out criminally good every time. I always change up the filling to see if I've still got what it takes. Sauteed apples gave this batch its juice.

It's not a big secret. I start with the Vegan Brunch recipe and basically use 1/4 cup of both sugars and skip the frosting. I use spelt flour. The filling is usually fresh fruit to add back some sweetness. To even out the loss of sugar, I also bring the oil down to a 1/4 cup. I use coconut oil instead of canola. It give these buns extra moisture.For my next interpretation I will try the recipe using coconut sugar.

One day I am going to make them for Ciara for inspiring this post.




And maybe this dress.

Experimental.

How to throw back a late Friday afternoon slipping into a Friday evening? We purchased Vibram Five Finger sneakers, and then tried on wigs at a wig shop on Chestnut Street. I've always wanted to do that.

I went for long raven locks with bangs and considered the name of Bianca. They make you buy a 2 dollar cap and then you get to try on whatever you fancy.

We imagined an early evening drink. Happy hour at Adsum sounded like an idea with some merit. Still blonde and pixie-ish, I sipped a Poppy Doble and Josh drank the Unholy Water. We shared some Logical Consequence that was a slap of sense with dill-infused absinthe. We picked bar manager Preston Eckman's brain for a while and it was a pleasure. I would drink all three happily, should the occasion present itself.

We are kind of like bartender groupies. But only the talented ones who will all be away in New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail this week.

If you need a stiff one this week, well, good luck finding someone who will satisfy you.

 White rum, maraschino, fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice, orgeat (almond syrup) and poppy seeds

The Kool-aid infused watermelon sounded too refreshing to be true. There's no actual Kool-aid in this $3 plate, and every bite one must pinch themselves and remain aware that they are not on a porch on a hot day in the 80's.

With the fun and games out of the way, we got down to business over some midsummer appetizers a few blocks away at Horizons. There were a couple of dishes that we could have tried at Adsum, but we are always in the mood for Rich and Kate's hyper-seasonal highlights. We drank water, and plenty of it.

Then we walked all the way home. We have fallen into the habit of walking from one side of town to the other, especially on nights of fine solids and liquids. We were tempted to put on our new soles, but waited until we got home.

Expect Part 1 of our Vibram Five Fingers experience later this week, after we sober up and hit the ground running.

Sookie Juice

I lovingly refer to Sook Hee's Produce at the Comcast Center as Sookie's. It's the juice bar where your juiceologist is teeming with excitement over making your juice and giving you samples of the goods while you debate what your fruit/veg combo will be. Apple-carrot-ginger it is, but what if we put blueberries in that?

While not a combo I'd normally recommend, it's a virtuous drink with no added sugar. The juice shots we sampled were delicious as well.

Sook Hee's can turn out rave-worthy juices because they have some good-looking produce, from the exotic roots that aren't always easy to find, to some organics, and conveniently cut fruits to take back to the office with you. All of it is reasonably priced.

The other draw is the vegetable wraps on the sandwich menu, including a Thai style wrap, hummus and sprouts, and the tofu or avocado summer rolls. Decision time.

Buttered.

Better Butter found its way into my kitchen. The other butters got all oily with jealousy. They knew that BB was lower in fat and lighter in calories (about 100 calories and 7-8 grams of fat per 2 tbsp).

Still, that didn't influence my buying decision. I like my high fat nut butter collections because they are satisfying and energizing and I only add a spoonful or two as part of my daily diet. Usually a tablespoon if I have muesli or oatmeal, a generous spread on a slice of spelt toast, a tbsp in a smoothie, or my favorite way - a dried fig covered in peanut butter. I don't really count it, but I estimate that I go through 3 jars every 2-3 months. If I have almond butter on Monday, I'll probably have cashew butter on Tuesday. I also destroy many pounds of nuts in addition to my nut buttering, with some help from Josh.

We attribute much of our health to the bulk of nut and nut-based items that we consume. It's amazing how my skin has changed since I upped my intake.

Better Butter isn't just nuts, however, it contains added fruit. The local butter makers claim that they have reinvented peanut butter with their all natural spread.

They offer two flavors. The Nutty Chocolate Chip is vegan and dairy/soy/gluten free. The Honeynut Banana is not vegan but still dairy/soy/gluten free. I got the chocolate one and it beats the pants off of Nutella, which is pretty terrible for you. I can't even eat Nutella straight without wanting to run around in circles.

What I liked about it was the flavor rather than the nutritionals, although you could easily have the full serving and not feel the peanut butter guilt that sometimes creeps in when you find yourself digging into the jar at off times. You wouldn't do that, though, would you?

It had a fudgy texture and reminded me of brownie batter. Brownie batter that you could spread on a sandwich and feel good about feeding your children/self? Affirmative. 

Ingredients: dry roasted peanuts, pumpkin, agave nectar, cocoa,
canola oil, chocolate chips (cane juice, chocolate liquor, non-dairy
cocoa butter), sea salt


The shelf life is pretty short and it needs to be refrigerated due to the fresh ingredients used. I will have no problem finishing this by its August date, believe me. I've got eyes for the banana flavor now, too.

You can purchase it at Almanac Market or Green Aisle Grocery, 'cause they both know what's up.

Stuffed.

A few months ago we made a pact: We were going to start cooking Indian. Our kitchen was going to smell like a curry house at least once a week. The spice cupboard was going to get some new inhabitants. Black cumin. Black cardamom. Black salt. Tamarind. Oh, and some Citric Acid. The citric acid was on sale. Had to have it.

We needed a book to make it all happen. Our first read, Pure & Simple Homemade Vegetarian Cuisine, left us in the cold. Turns out we needed a pressure cooker for most of the recipes, as well as ghee, and loads of cheese, yogurt, and dairy exhaustion. There weren't many recipes that didn't require serious frying and fritteration, and these intricate, multi-step recipes would turn dinner into an all-day excursion.

Then Josh's Amazon account had a suggestion (don't you love how Amazon knows you better than you know yourself?) The Indian Vegan Kitchen. We also became the owners of a pressure cooker.

The next day, the book arrived (don't you love Amazon Prime?).

After power yoga yesterday, I was feeling a bit more Indian-inspired. Josh promised to make me the Stuffed Eggplant dish along with Flaxseed Roti. I met him after class at the Reading Terminal and we secured some key ingredients: soy flour. green chile. eggplant and other veg. I also picked out some rose water for a future recipe from the book.

All of the recipes in the book are nutritious and rely on a variety of spices with very little oil. Canola or vegetable oil are used to replace the ghee in many of the recipes. The nutrition information per serving is included and I was shocked at how light and low sodium your traditional Indian foods can be prepared.

The roti took about 20 minutes to prepare and was less greasy than a regular flatbread from our favorite takeout joint.



The Stuffed Eggplant took about 30 minutes of prep and 30 minutes to cook everything (all in the same pan) and was full of fresh peas, carrots, potatoes, eggplant, green chile, tomato, and spices. I love eggplant so much and this was tender and filling. You can also serve it over rice, but we kept it light.

I know how hard it is to find vegan Indian food in the city, so picking up this book could be a great move if you've ever wanted to try aloo-tikki chaat with soy yogurt.

Veg Out: Cooperage

I passed by Cooperage at the Curtis Center to have a peek at their bar and decided to pick up lunch from their cafe next to the bar/restaurant. I saw the hummus lettuce wraps and thought they could be interesting, but upon closer inspection, it didn't look like much. I added a fruit salad to my selection that had blueberries, pineapple, and melon. It was a backup plan - if lunch wasn't up to par, at least the blueberries should be excellent? There was a mozzarella baguette available and a couscous salad as the other quick veggie options. The fried green tomato sandwich on the menu sounded enticing but I was in a hurry.

The good news is that there's an effort to offer a raw-ish dish. I had a high intensity interval training class scheduled for that afternoon, so a lunch that would provide energy and not give me a food coma was ideal. 

The scant lettuce leaves were not quite enough to make work of the three mounds of hummus, which were all the same flavor. A trio of different spreads would have been interesting. The real downfall was the raw red and green peppers, which almost never taste good. Raw onions, too. Lettuce wraps can be great, until they start tasting like crudite wrapped in crudite.  I'd swap these out for some cucumber and tomato, and add shredded carrots or shredded beets. The goat cheese and fig dressing were fine, but you wouldn't even need cheese here if you included some tabbouleh.

I'll be making some hummus wraps this week to console myself. 

Raising the Salad Bar, Part II

If salad nirvana is what you're after and you can't stomach another bad away-from-home salad, you realize that making it yourself is the only way. For all of you wild lunchers, you can check my original Raising the Salad Bar post for where to get a good one.

I want to share two salads that are refreshingly different and are a way to showcase those summer ingredients you've been fetching. They're also meal-type salads with a satisfying balance of protein and fiber. The key thing to remember when selecting your ingredients is to go for the best produce (obviously if it was picked that morning, it is going to taste magical and not need loads of dressing to mask any flaws).

I know, it shouldn't need telling. But so many places screw up the simple science that is salad-assembling that I feel it needs to be stressed.

AC 360 Salad

I named this salad after Anderson Cooper's show because he looks like he is a clean eater and it's a pairing of avocado and cashew cheese. The raw crackers add a nice nutty crunch as well as some additional nutrients. It's so simple

1/4 sliced avocado
2 tbsp of homemade cashew cheese
Bed of salad greens (I used a spring mix)
Microgreens
Handful of raw crackers, broken up over salad (I used One Lucky Duck Rosemary Quackers, but locally you could try Brad's Raw Chips which I have also found are tasty in salads)
Sprinkle of sunflower or flaxseeds
Goddess dressing (recipe here)

The Vegan's Cobb Salad

I swear by Soyboy Smoked Tofu if you want a sandwich-ready tofu that you will enjoy eating cold. It's amazing on spelt bread with Vegenaise and bibb lettuce, but I also love it in this salad and I've been known to sneak a piece of it to snack on straight. That's how smoky and satisfying it is. This is a cool, crisp salad with a hot tofu element. The figs add a juicy burst of summer and finding a great tomato is essential. This salad is a rare combination of ingredients at their finest, as we sourced everything except the tofu from the Farmer's Market.

1/4 of Soyboy smoked tofu package, per salad, chopped and pan-fried again
1 fresh fig, quartered
1/2 tomato, chopped (heirloom if you can find it)
1/2 baby cucumber, chopped (we found mini white cukes)
Half small head of Bibb lettuce, shredded
Microgreens
Agave dijon dressing (recipe here)

A salad experience is complete with a rustic homemade bread. I love Metropolitan's spelt loaf so much that I wanted to try my own and I found a recipe that only takes an hour to bake with five minutes prep.

I halved the Spelt Bread recipe and made 1 loaf, with almond milk and millet instead of sunflower. The millet crunch is like therapy. It also makes your kitchen smell like popcorn. This bread is dangerously good and stupid easy. It will be very hard to purchase bread when I know how quickly I can produce something this excellent.

Cabinet Fever

You never know what you'll find in our cabinets.

Sometimes it's Kashi, Pennsylvania in there. There are always 4 -5 organic cereals. Before I bore you...

Bear Naked granola is one of my go to crunch toppings - especially the new Peak Flax variety. They recently came out with Trail Mix, or as applies to us here in Philadelphia, City Mix. The snack that gets you to Center City and back again. I saw three varieties and chose the Pecan Apple Flax guy.

The Pink Dolphin market carries the oddest things and among them, I spotted the Sweet & Sara Brown Rice Crispy treat for any vegans that have been missing their childhood a bit lately. Like everything that Sweet & Sara make, it is so much better than the original.



Some other goods I like to keep behind closed doors:

One Lucky Duck Crispies

And of course, OLD Quackers

Overnight Crepes

I was skimming through Ani Phyo's Raw Food Essentials and came across a super simple raw crepe recipe. If you don't have the book, try the recipe for apple crepes posted at the Daily Raw Cafe blog. I made the banana crepes (2 bananas and nix the agave, same recipe). I dehydrated them the night before and we woke up to breakfast with no work and no mess.

The window for luscious-tasting berries is now, so that is what we filled them with. My most-used appliance is the blender at this point, and the lemon cashew cream that accompanies these crepes is just as easy to prepare.  I also made this the night before. We filled the crepes with both the cream and the berries. You can drizzle with some syrup or agave.