BeKind Butters. Peanut Butter Packed with...Chia?

I'm an occasional Opensky shopper. When I spotted a chia-infused peanut butter sampler pack on sale, called BeKind Butter from Chia Charger, I ordered it without even thinking. Two of my favorite pantry ingredients, joining forces to become the ultimate power couple?  I know you're thinking, I could have accidentally spilled some chia seeds into my nut butter and continued on brilliantly from there...so why does a company need to sell me on this idea?

1) It's pretty good and has lots of chia packed into each bite

2) Sales benefit charity

3) The varieties are intriguing

4) I was out of nut butter. This rarely happens.

The BeKind Butter Taste Test...

The sampler pack included 3 flavors.

Gator Grit: Super chunky peanut butter with 2x the chia seeds (also available in smooth)
Manhattan Mud: Smooth Peanut butter blended with vegan dark chocolate
Buffalo Dirt: Smooth peanut butter made with real coffee

From left:  Gator Grit, Manhattan Mud,  Buffalo Dirt

The chia butters are much thicker and chunkier than most butters. The texture actually benefits from the chia, and I liked the satisfying crunch of the seeds in each bite.  These butters are not sweetened (there is a flavor available with agave nectar but I like my nut butter unsweetened). Expect a roasted, savory flavor, even from the chocolate variety.

Gator Grit was the winner for me. Chunky with bits of peanuts, it tasted fresh and "refreshingly plain". Yes, sometimes you just want peanut butter to taste like peanut butter.

Manhattan Mud has a subtle cocoa flavor, but I would have gone darker. I expected it to be a blend of peanuts and almonds like it shows on Opensky, but the ingredient list had peanuts only. Very similar to the Gator Grit, just not as chunky.  And not sweet at all, which is rare for a chocolate nut butter.

The Buffalo Dirt is certainly the most interesting of the three, with that familiar coffee flavor tucked in, slightly bitter, but pleasant. I could see this working really well for a tiramisu-style stuffed french toast or dessert.

Nutritionally, the nut butters fall in the same calorie/fat range as most others, but of course, you get powerful chia seed Omega-3s and fiber. You can order all 3 for $26 at Opensky. 

As for me, I prefer my nut butter raw rather than roasted, but I'm looking forward to baking with these butters. If you're a chia lover and normally buy roasted, then you'll likely be a big fan.

Cacao-Covered Peanut Butter & Jelly Shake

Doesn't it sound devastating?

I assure you, it does a body good.

Energy in a glass. Sandwich in a straw. Cacao in an instant.

This makes 1 large shake (1.5 tall Collins glasses) and is incredibly filling - undoubtedly my most satisfying smoothie/shake yet. I almost couldn't finish. But I persevered.

Cacao-Covered Peanut Butter & Jelly Shake

1.5 cups almond milk

1 cup frozen berries (organic blueberry & organic raspberry here)

1/2 frozen banana

1.5 tbsp cacao powder

1 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

couple drops of stevia extract

Blend, baby, blend. Top with a dollop of PB.

Cold. Creamy. Fruity. Choco-fied. 

South Carolina Barbecue Tofu Sandwich: A Recipe from Spork Foods!

My cravings tend to sway more towards green juice than barbecue sauce, but let me tell you: I am all about the finger-lickin' good right now. That's because I've found a sauce recipe that is worth its salt. This craveable South Carolina-style sauce recipe comes from the Spork-Fed cookbook. We made the oh-so-soulful sandwich last week and then we added leftover sauce to mini tofu tacos over the weekend. Well, I will be making a bigger batch of sauce next time around, because it went FAST.

Lucky day. The Spork Foods sisters were kind enough to give me permission to share the recipe with you.

I highly recommend the book (other fave recipes of mine include the quinoa fennel white bean salad and the glazed tempeh) but if you need more convincing? Give this a whirl...

South Carolina Barbecue Tofu Sandwich

Barbecue Sauce Ingredients:


1 tbsp neutral tasting high-heat oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 1/2 small cans (about 3/4 cup) tomato paste
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup evaporated brown sugar
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sea salt, plus dash
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper, plus dash
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 tbsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, plus to taste
1/2 cup water


1 14 oz block extra-firm tofu
4-6 whole grain burger buns or dinner rolls

To make barbecue sauce, put a large (6-quart) pot over medium heat and add 1 tbsp oil, onion and garlic, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

Add tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, black pepper, allspice, celery seed, mustard powder and cayenne. Add water. Cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The longer the sauce is cooked, the better the flavor.

Preheat a large saute pan or grill pan and add remaining oil. Cut tofu into 1/4-inch slices. Place tofu in pan and sprinkle with a dash of sea salt and black pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes on first side until well browned. Flip and coat tofu with barbecue sauce. Cook for additional 5-7 minutes, flipping tofu over gently, until it looks well coated and is heated through.

Serve warm on a toasted whole grain bun or roll with all of the fixin's!

(Posted with permission from Spork Foods)

Spork Foods is a Los Angeles-based gourmet vegan food company owned and operated by sisters Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg. They offer live cooking classes in Los Angeles at Spork Foods, online vegan cooking classes at www.sporkonline.com, one-on-one in-home healthy pantry makeovers, and recipe development/trainings for chefs, food companies and colleges. Their cookbook, Spork-Fed, is currently in stores, with a foreword by fellow fans and sisters, Emily and Zooey Deschanel.

Party Food.

All of those years of watching my mother prep for parties, lingering over the details, with platters and trays arranged ever so slightly, her beloved folders of clippings from home magazines with table displays and themes for just about any occasion.

Appetizers, canapes, hors d'oeuvres, crudites. There is nothing more I love about a cocktail party than preparing and arranging those little bites. 

These are the days of hummus, which is no stranger to my countertop, but if I have the time, I want to do it right. I want to think that mom and grandma are counting on me to serve a proper spread. Even if it has evolved beyond fancy crackers and cheese and things with toothpicks to reflect a modern vegan influence.

Don't fret, there are still toothpicks.

Teriyaki Tempeh Rollups, Sriracha Mayo, Veggies, Toothpicks!

Here are my tips for party eats that impress:

Big flavor. Since you only get a bite or two to make a statement, make a big one. Spice it up (even people who are sensitive to heat will be okay with just a bite or two of something particularly fierce). Just enough to wake them up, without being overwhelming.

Components. It's all about the details, so flavor-packed slaws, zingy sauces, and crunchy garnishes are what make an appetizer special. You can prep these ahead of time for quick assembly before guests arrive.

Go fresh. While it may take more time to knock out your own mini flax tortillas from scratch (see below), the flavor will justify the work and your guests will appreciate that you sweat a little for them. Not to mention how fun they are to make and how freakishly cute they are. Same thing with spreads. It's fine to serve hummus but make it yourself and make it special. Why pay $5.99 for hummus when your recipe is better? Kimberly Snyder's Zucchini Hummus is a refreshing change. And that homemade BBQ sauce? People will talk about it for years.

Recognizing when shortcuts are okay. There are a few exceptions. If I have time to make my own dehydrated crackers or macaroons for dessert, then fine, but these things can take several hours, so buy them if you must. I like Hail Merry's or Greenwood Kitchen's macaroons for a crowd-pleasing cookie platter. Greenwood Kitchen also makes tasty raw crackers. For tempeh, sometimes only Rhapsody (which is pre-cooked and delicious) will do, and everyone knows that Vegenaise is an incredible sauce base (mix it with Sriracha for a spicy mayo or Dijon mustard for a mustard sauce). I also like tahini mixed with miso and orange juice for a nice dipping sauce.

Finger-friendly. This is a no-brainer, but obviously you want to keep things small and chop things accordingly. This means that you should get a little crazy slicing your veggies because nobody wants giant hunks of carrot in their wrap that get in the way of conversation.

And As Always, Please Don't Serve Food in a Martini Glass. Really. Don't be that person.

BBQ Tofu Tacos, Tex Mex Slaw, Homemade Flax Tortillas

Smoked Mushroom Crostini, White Bean Puree, Sauerkraut, Mustard Cream

(inspired by Vedge's Happy Hour Menu)

Softie.

No secret that I am having a sordid affair with the vegan soft serve at Pure Fare. It's made from rotating nut milks whipped up in-house - so it changes every week. Sometimes it's wickedly creamy and reminiscent of my dream dessert (the cashew-and-coconut-based sundaes at Pure Food & Wine) and other days it's lighter and refreshing.  I think my favorite incarnation has been the peanut version a few weeks back. I could not believe how decadent it tasted. No weird ingredients...just clean, not-too-sweet flavors.

Spooning. 

On February 1st, I'll be doing it up sundae-style once again at Pure Fare's Soft Serve and Butterfly Brittle Event at 8pm. Check out the details and consider joining me for the splendor:

http://www.facebook.com/events/289074007808169/

Spiced Carrot Cake Smoothie. And...he got in!

No more waiting. If you remember my post back in October, I have been waiting for a major decision regarding our future.

He's in! Mr. Vedge has been accepted into Cornell's hospitality program, which starts this May. We're moving to freeze-your-ass-off land (Ithaca, upstate NY) for one year! But, hey Philly, we'll be back...this is our home and this is where we want to own our first business together.

With both of our families here, we'll still be visiting Philly often, and you can expect me to be checking out the vegan eats here whenever I do. I plan to pile in as many trips to Vedge and other local haunts as possible on my weekends here, and of course you know that I'll always have recipes for you, new product reviews, and yes, the yoga scene in veggie-plenty Ithaca is quite something.

On with the smoothie...

Walnut-Lentil Pate

Walnuts. You can always find raw walnuts in my stash. They are known to relieve stress, high in Omega-3's, and I just plain enjoy them in salads and spreads. Lately I have been soaking them prior to use, because soaking stimulates the germination process, increasing the vitamin content and making them easier to digest. (I've been reading too much of this book lately). More importantly, walnuts are a prime ingredient in carrot cake...

Spiced Carrot Cake Smoothie

• 2 cups almond milk
• 1 banana, frozen in chunks
• 1/2 cup carrot, shredded (add more if you like!)
• 3 tbsp raw walnuts, soaked in water for 4 hours or overnight
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 1 heaping tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of sea salt


Drain and rinse your soaked walnuts. Shred your carrot. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. You may have to blend longer than usual until nuts are smooth, depending on your blender.

Makes 1 large smoothie.

Drinkable carrot cake...Be sure to taste before pouring into glass to check that the texture is smooth and frothy, the nuts should blend very easily into this. I think they give it some body and richness. This is more of a creamy nut milk (because that's  mostly what it is) with a nice veggie bonus thrown into the mix.

A.M. Smoothies...I used to struggle with smoothies in the morning because I felt like I needed a warm breakfast. Now, I'm out of my oatmeal habit and in the game with energizing, cleansing green smoothies or chia seed smoothies that stick with me (if I still feel hungry I usually munch on a piece of sprouted toast later on). I still love my oatmeal but nothing wakes you up faster than introducing a lively glass of hydrating greens.

Hydros: New Side Fill Filtering Water Bottle.

I've toted my Hydros bottle around all year to workouts and to different cities (watch my video review here) and fallen in love with its ability to save me money on pricey bottles of fancy water and instantly filter water from any sink. Initially, there were a few things that I wasn't so keen on: Chugging straight from the neck of the bottle gets a bit messy if you're in the middle of an intense session. Twisting off the cap took longer than necessary. There was no handle on the bottle, so carrying it around in my tiny fairy hands was a precursor to my imminent carpal tunnel.

Okay, really, I was quite happy with my bottle. It did its job and the water tasted great. But could it get better? I accidentally cracked my bottle against the door of my lobby and sent it flying across the room during one disastrous afternoon.

My Hydros bottle cracked. It had been through a lot but there was no way it was surviving a hit from the incredibly thick glass on that door. I nearly sobbed. But the kind folks over at Hydros assured me that there was a new side fill bottle that happened to be coming out that week. Full disclosure, they offered to replace my broken one. Their customer service has been excellent since the first day I communicated with them and this week, two sleek new bottles showed up.

Looks. Because you don't want to carry around a water bottle that looks like something you used in third grade, right? I liked the slightly different look of the newer BPA-free 16-ounce bottles, with colored caps and clear plastic bodies. There is a useful handle on the side which makes it much easier to carry around.

Functionality. The side fill filter was created to fit in most sinks. While I haven't had much of an issue filling my bottle, there are some tiny sinks out there that you just can't fit the bottle in. I spent a few minutes of confusion trying to figure out how to get the plastic off of my filter and how to unscrew the top, but after that I was good to go.

This filter lasts three months instead of two. While it says this bottle filters in 20 seconds, it actually takes longer in my sink because I have to use a low stream of water to keep it from overflowing. So around 30-45 seconds total for my sink, but not a big deal.

At first, the sliding top seemed stiff but after using it for a few hours it loosened up.

I was skeptical about the tiny drink spout at the top and tested it during a sweaty yoga practice. The small spout was a breeze to drink from, allowing me to actually intake more water with one quick sip, without any precious water splashing onto my face.

Bonus Feel-Good Points. Each purchase provides clean drinking water to one individual for an entire year.

Cost. $23.99 per bottle and $23.99 for a 3-pack of replacement filters. 9 months of water for $47.98? Compare that to a daily $2 water habit.

Bottom Line. This is a very efficient bottle with some great improvements over the original. If I had an original I would definitely upgrade after using this. After a few days with my old Lululemon bottle while waiting for my new bottle to arrive, I think self-filtering bottles are the way to go.

Hot Grains: Coconut Millet Pudding.

Millet...I occasionally add millet to pancake batter for added texture, but I had never tried cooking this highly nutritious and alkalinizing grain that is rich in B-6. After enjoying it as part of my combination plate at Angelica Kitchen last week, I was hooked.

A life-changing, world-rocking elevator stop between rice pudding and bread pudding, I adapted this recipe from the back of an Arrowhead Mills package. For breakfast, try my recipe as is, with sliced banana or fruit and a splash of almond or coconut milk. To serve it for dessert, try a dollop of whipped coconut cream or coconut ice cream.

Coconut Millet Pudding

1.5 cups almond milk (would work well with coconut milk)
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup millet
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp sea salt

Heat almond milk until scalding, then add rest of ingredients. Transfer mixture to 3 well oiled ramekins or small baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Makes 3 servings.

...With goji and blueberries, golden raisins, and extra cinnamon!

Tata Harper Skincare. My Take.

When it comes to skincare, I believe that less is more. By less I mean ingredients. No toxins or crazy chemicals in my cleanser or moisturizer. The simpler, the better. I often just cleanse my face with a few drops of inexpensive almond oil, followed by a warm washcloth.

Some favorite natural product lines include Sprout Wellness and Dr. Alkaitis. A trusted friend recently turned me on to Tata Harper (who has blown up the wellness blog scene all year) and I was lucky enough to receive the Starter Kit over the holidays.

Simpler? Not quite...but these decadent-smelling serums and spritzes and creams were worth the few extra steps!

I had been lusting after the Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser. But is it really worth the change? It smelled like flowers, made my skin feel softer than a baby's, and I could feel it working. My skin didn't feel stripped, just gently clean. 

Two moisturizers were included in the set. Overdoing it? No way...I loved the Rebuilding Moisturizer for the day and the Reparative Moisturizer for night. You cannot skip moisturizer after cleaning. It is the most important thing and if I only have time for one thing in my routine, it is moisturizer.

There is also a Hydrating Floral Essence that is refreshing but probably not a necessity for me. You are supposed to spritz it on after the cleanser, followed by the Rejuvenating Serum. I like the serum, which is supposed to approve both appearance and tone, but at $150, I don't think I will be rushing to order it.

After a few days of morning and nightly use, I am noticing brighter, tighter-feeling skin and cleaner pores. It's not a huge difference but I think if you were to compare your skin after a few weeks, you would see results.

You can definitely feel the ingredients "working" but in a gentle way. The kit also comes with a mask, which I tried yesterday. It is clear and dries very quickly, so it's less messy than most masks. I actually prefer the Dr. Alkaitis mask because it has more exfoliating action. 

I will be stocking up on the Regenerating Cleanser and the moisturizers for the New Year. Tata turned me into a believer.