living vegan

Gluten Free Book Review: Blend: Artisanal Smoothies for Food Lover’s (REPOST)

May 22, 2018 — 2 Comments

Spring is finally here in Rochester, NY and I’m breaking out the summer fruits and my tried and true e-copy of Faith Gorsky & Alyssa Brantley ‘s Blend: Artisanal Smoothies for Food Lover’s . This is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time

The moment I learned about the release of Faith Gorsky & Alyssa Brantley ‘s Blend series I knew that these e-cookbooks would become part of my collection. Already an avid follower of Faith’s stunning food blog: An Edible Mosaic the combination of artisanal, fresh, natural and whole ingredients mixed with stunning food photography and meticulously crafted flavor combinations delighted the foodie in me.

 Blend: The Basics

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Blend: Artisanal Smoothies for Food Lover’s

For several years now , I have been dipping and dabbling in fresh/organic smoothie creations as well as raw juices. Since being diagnosed with several chronic illnesses including IBS and celiac disease for several years now; simple, fresh, whole and organic juice and smoothie blends have become regular part of my diet.

Blend: The Basics is a well crafted smoothie how to guide. In an easy to read user friendly fashion Alyssa and Faith give you a college 101 smoothie crash course. In this first book you learn how to select the freshest most succulent fruit to give you the highest quality smoothie, how to wash your fruit, prepare your fruit, flash freeze your fruit, and cut your fruit. This is in the first six pages alone. You learn how to prepare in advance and create individual smoothie kits so that you always have the ingredients ready and on hand to make the perfect smoothie in just five short minutes. Who knew that there was such an art and science to smoothie building? But make no mistake, this science course is simple yet fun to learn and you will find yourself immersed and taking notes as you read through this well written tutorial.

Blend: Artisanal Smoothies for Food Lover’s Summer Volume 1 is the second part of the series and really where the real fun begins. Four sections of mouth watering, expertly photographed smoothie blends fill your screen in this section. The recipes that were built using Faith and Alyssa’s expert advice are there in all their glory for you to re-create. The recipes are divided by type: Indulgence, Fruit, Green, and Coffee + Tea. It took me a day or so just to decide where I wanted to begin and once I started, I was instantly addicted re-creating each of their recipes day after day over a two week time span. Just when I thought I had found my favorite the next smoothie I would try trumped the flavor of the last.

(kiwi lime+kale)

These chefs spared no expense when it came to building these recipes. Their time, attention to detail and flavor combinations is displayed upon first sip of each one of these smoothies. It is evident that they built their recipes from the ground up so to speak and the depth and richness of each taste titillate your tastebuds and tickles your senses. This being done using simple, sensible, and everyday ingredients found in most food markets across the country. Their emphasis on fresh, whole, and seasonal ingredients speak to the type of chefs they are and was a welcome point as I read each recipe.

The Blend series are an excellent addition to the collection of any novice or expert foodie or smoothie maker with just enough information to keep an expert interested but not too much to overwhelm the novice. Most recipes contain six ingredients or less with three directions or less; and if you follow the guidelines presented in Part I you reduce your prep time to even less.I have made it my mission to try every single smoothie in the book and with six down I am well on my way. Blend is a must have collection for anyone interested in improving the quality of their smoothie creations or for the casual cook looking to try something new. Either way this is one collection you don’t want to miss.

For more information on how to purchase your copies of Blend: The Basics & Blend: Artisanal Smoothies for Food Lover’s visit Faith’s blog An Edible Mosaic & Alyssa over at Everyday Maven

Rating 5/5

5 Reasons You Should Be Using Argan Oil Everyday 

April 10, 2018 — Leave a comment

I was put onto Argan Oil two years ago while listening to one of my favorite podcasts (The Friend Zone) where resident natural life guru Francheska Medina talked about the oil’s gentle cleansing, moisturizing, and healing benefits; making it the perfect replacement for harsh and toxic chemically laden facial scrubs.

I know you’re probably thinking ” Oil as a cleanser” how odd. But I promise you need to be adding argan oil to your daily hygiene and beauty repertoire. Here are five reasons why.

What is Argan Oil

Argan oil is a plant oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree  that is native to Morocco. In Morocco, argan oil is used to dip bread in at breakfast or to drizzle on couscous or pasta. It is also used for cosmetic purposes here in the United States. Argan oil is rich with vitamin A and vitamin E. It is also packed with antioxidants, omega-6 fatty acids and linoleic acid. Research shows that when applied to skin, argan oil benefits include easing inflammation while moisturizing the skin.

5 Reasons You Should Use Argan Oil Daily

1. Works wonders for your hair

Argan oil benefits the hair unlike anything else. It is non-greasy and gets rid of split ends in a jiff. It also coats the air and protects it against the heat of curlers, hair dryers, and even flat irons! It does all these things together while promoting a healthy, vibrant shine.

2. Your skin will love you forever

From moisturizing, to toning, to exfoliating argan oil is a one stop shop when it comes to daily skin care.

Argan oil is a one stop shop when it comes to daily skin care.

Need a nighttime moisterizer? Apply one drop to your face, using a tapping motion, from the bridge of your nose to your temple and back again. Then apply a drop beneath your eyes with the same gentle tapping. The vitamin A and vitamin E can help to reduce fine wrinkles and keep this delicate area moisturized.

A DIY all natural toner. For an all-over glow, add 2–4 drops to 8 ounces of your favorite toner

Exfoliate the dead skin away. Just mix 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with a couple of drops of argan oil in your hand. Rub into your face in a circular motion for two to four minutes; pay special attention to acne-prone areas and areas that are dry. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.Regular exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while giving you a younger, fresher complexion. With the aid of the brown sugar, the argan oil’s nutrients are more readily absorbed into your skin.

3. Internal Medicine

Argan oil can taken internally as a medicine for healthy digestion and to reap its’ super antioxidant benefits. The dosage of argan oil for internal usage is 1-2 tablespoon a day. To fully feel the benefits argan oil, consume 1 tablespoon in the morning, and 1 tablespoon at night.

4. You’ll be toxin free

Let’s be honest; most skin and beauty products even those claiming to be natural are riddled with all sorts of toxic harmful chemicals. Replacing even one or two of those products with organic argan oil get you one step closer to being toxic free for life.

5. You’ll save a ton of money

One drop makes a world of difference. And since you only need a few drops in most cases you’ll save a lot of cold hard cash that you would normally use on bath, body, or skin care.

Learn more about argan oil at one of the links listed below:

Sources: Diamond Herbs | Dr. Axe | Wikipedia

Vegan Baked Macaroni & Cheese | Living Vegan

February 6, 2018 — 1 Comment

It’s taken me months to find the time to share this amazing Vegan Macaroni & Cheese recipe with you. Created last year, this mac & cheese became one of the most popular dishes that I created for 540WMain Learning Academy’s monthly vegan pop up dinners. My goal was to create a vegan version of this classic American “main” dish as a side.

Feedback was so positive that I made it a staple for the newly created Vegan Cheese Making Class also at 540WMain. I’m elated to finally finally share this recipe with the world. Get into the recipe below.

Vegan Baked Macaroni & “Cheese”

Ingredients

  • 3 yams, peeled and steamed soft
  • 2 stalks celery
  • scallion
    3 cups non-dairy milk
  • 2 cups veggie broth
  • ¼ cup just mayo
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup (1 stick) vegan margarine
  • ¼ cup almond meal
  • ¼ cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup Dijon mustard
    3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
    2 teaspoons tumeric
    1 teaspoon cumin
  • cooking spray

Preparation

  1. Wash and scrub yams, cut in half, cover with foil and bake on 400 degree F for 50-60 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool completely before moving on.
  2. Meanwhile, bring 5-6 cups water to boil. Add pasta, a pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside in large mixing bowl.
  3. In a food processor blend yams with milk until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Coat a cast iron skillet with cooking spray, add celery and scallion and sauté on medium heat until tender. Add margarine, almond meal, vinegar, just mayo, mustard, garlic, cumin, and tumeric and stir until margarine is completely melted. Add in puree yam mixture. Pour this sauté mixture over macaroni along with veggie stock. Stir in yeast and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Grease a 6×9 pirex dish and add macaroni mixture. Bake on 400 for 15 minutes until bubbly. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Vegan Chocolate Muffins | Living Vegan

October 20, 2017 — Leave a comment

As promised in last night’s Facebook live, I’m sharing one of my very secret gluten free recipes from my long delayed cookbook project. These Vegan Chocolate Muffins are super simple to make and since they are created especially for the food processor you can have them whipped up in a jiff with minimal mess. They make the perfect breakfast and the addition of applesauce make them super moist. I promise you won’t be able to eat just one.

You won’t be able to eat just one

Vegan Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend or regular flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cacao powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

wet
1 + 2/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1+ 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 avocado (peeled & pitted)
1/2 cup EnjoyLife chocolate chips (optional)

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Add all ingredients to food processor (saving the milk as the last ingredient)
  3. Blend until smooth
  4. Scoop into muffin tins
  5. Bake 40 min * For jumbo muffins |Makes 6
  6. Bake 25 min  | For regular muffins | Makes 2 dozen

Why I Went Vegan Part One | Living Vegan

October 18, 2017 — Leave a comment

If you’re an avid reader of blog then you already know that we announced (on yesterday) our brand new Facebook online community called Living Vegan. I am super excited to engage more readers across the country who are currently living a plant-based diet as well as those who may be semi-plant-based, interested in going plant-based, or anywhere in between this spectrum. Veganism and plant based living is still not the norm in our society and the ultimate mission of the platform is to engage, encourage, and support each other throughout the journey.

theglutenfreechef is transitioning as well. Plant-based living has always been close to my heart and as I dive back into the lifestyle, the recipes here will inherently be vegan and plant-based. Guest features, articles, and other content will also skew more and more towards veganism and plant-based living. This is not to say that a meat-inclusive or dairy recipe might not sneak in every now and then, but overall plant-based will become the norm. Does this surprise you?

Does this surprise you?

Don’t be surprised! Even though I am purposefully and explicitly writing more and more about vegan culture this is in no way my first time delving into the lifestyle. I lived a very strict vegan life from 2010-2013 just before moving back to Upstate NY (Rochester) from Nashville and am in a way; returning to my roots so to speak. Therefore, the purpose of this post is to:

  1. Detail my vegan/plant-based journey and give reasons why I am coming back to the vegan lifestyle.
  2. Educate and encourage others to understand that the Living Vegan space here on this platform is not a judgemental nor condescending space of “ You are awful because you are not vegan”.
  3. Quite the contrary, this is a space of understanding, encouragement, motivation, and self-refection to help you appreciate that veganism is not cut and dry. There are many beneficial reasons for moving to a plant-based way of life but there are also many reasons that a person might decide to leave the lifestyle.
  4. Throughout this post and in the future, the mission will be to keep it real, genuine, and highlight that living vegan in a carnivorous world can make it difficult to stay the vegan path. The mantra,  Old habits die hard does not fall on deaf ears in this space.  Most folks living vegan were not raised vegan and popular culture, peer pressure, having a family, and many other factors can sometimes make those of us that choose a vegan lifestyle feel ostracized, isolated, and frustrated to stay the course.

I am here to say I understand the struggle and I am here to show you that I was there, I get you and we are here to support each other during our triumphs and our falls. These are the aspects of vegan culture that I feel are lacking in the “online vegan community”

Bonus Lesson

For me veganism is a journey not a final destination therefore, no one will never be made to feel shame or guilt for falling off the vegan path. Understanding and empathy for everyone’s choices is how we will run the Living Vegan spaces here on the blog and on Facebook.

So without further adieu…

Why Did I Go Vegan

The year was 2009… (Post continues tomorrow) 🙂

Special Announcement | Living Vegan Online Community

October 17, 2017 — 1 Comment

I am pleased to announce our newest Facebook online community

Living Vegan

Living Vegan is a positive Facebook community open to all persons living and interested in adapting a plant based lifestyle.

Curated by (me) Theglutenfreechef and powered by theglutenfreechefblog.com

Moving forward all vegan related recipes, articles, and stories here on the blog will use the Living Vegan hashtag and moniker. 

Interested in joining the Facbook community? Click the button below