Vegan Blueberry Curly Kale Smoothie | Guest Post by Shell Harris of Smoothieweb.com

Many feel intimidated putting vegetables like kale or spinach (or broccoli) in their smoothies because it seems like a strange thing to drink…Well, I think this smoothie will change your mind! The delicious blueberry flavors completely mask the taste of the kale and even the avocado, which means if you close your eyes, you would not even notice all the nutritional goodness that is in there!

Give it a go and I guarantee you will be throwing vegetables in your smoothies left right and center.

Blueberry Curly Kale Smoothie

Ingredients

  • ¼ Cup Kale
  • ½ Cup Frozen Blueberries
  •  ¾ Cup Coconut Water
  • ½ Avocado
  • ¼ Cup Ice

Preparation

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and mix on a pulsating high speed until completely mixed and thick.

*You may need to remove thick kale stalks before adding to your blender!

Why These Ingredients

Using ice in this smoothie helps to thin down the consistency as the kale and avocado act as thickeners and using ice in addition to frozen blueberries helps to chill it to the perfect drinking temperature for a better flavor (trust me). Also, using coconut water in this smoothie removes the lactose from conventional recipes and makes it suitable for those with intolerances or living a vegan/dairy-free lifestyle.

Nutritional Info

Calories: 230 | Fat: 7g | Protein: 6g | Sodium: 40mg | Sugar: 31g | Fiber: 9g

Benefits

  • Vitamin K is for kale! Ok maybe not, but it does contain a large amount that can reduce the risks of some cancers and has even been linked to the reduction of suffering for those with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to this, kale is high in iron and is recommended by nutritionists to treat those who suffer from deficiencies and their effects.
  • Avocados actually have a high potassium content than bananas but many don’t realize! Potassium can help to reduce your likelihood of having a stroke, heart attack and even kidney failure.
  • In addition potassium can contribute to reducing high blood pressure and maintaining a healthy heart. In addition, the “flesh” of an avocado is high in healthy protein and monounsaturated (healthy) fats, which can be particularly beneficial for vegetarians or those who are looking to increase their protein consumption without the aid of meat.

Shell Harris is the founder of http://www.SmoothieWeb.com, the web’s largest resource for smoothie recipes. His first book, 101 Skinny Smoothies for Weight Loss and Detox is his first book supporting one of his passions (smoothies). His other interests include top 10 lists at http://www.Toptenz.net – and vintage posters and jack russell dogs.You can find more delicious and healthy recipes at smoothieweb.com

Debunking The 6 Most Common Arguments Against Veganism | Guest Post by David

There are many excuses people use to continue eating meat. For example, they may use the excuse “Vegans don’t get enough protein?” or “Vegans don’t actually live longer”. However, as you know, these arguments are weak and not backed by peer-reviewed research. In this post, we’re going to debunk the 6 most common arguments against veganism.

#1. Vegan Diets Are Dangerous For Children

Why it’s False: Many people think that vegan diets are somehow “dangerous” for children. Some even go as far as to say that vegan parents are bad for not feeding their children meat. However, there’s no evidence to support this myth. In fact, the American Dietetic Association has publicly stated that vegan diets are “nutritionally adequate” for any stage of life (including children and infants). Also, let’s not forget that that approximately 33% of children in the United States are overweight or obese. If more children were vegan, this number would likely be a lot lower.

#2: Vegan Diets Lack Protein

Why it’s False: The average adult needs a minimum of 45 grams of protein per day to stay healthy and maintain their muscle mass. Fortunately, vegan diets easily surpass this number. For example, look at the amount of protein in black beans. A single cup of black beans contains a whopping 39 grams of protein. That’s nearly all your recommended daily intake in a single serving of food. It’s incredibly easy to meet your protein needs on a vegan diet. Even foods like broccoli and bananas contain protein.

#3: Vegan Diets Lack Flavor and Variety

Why it’s False: Some people don’t want to go vegan because they don’t want to give up their favorite foods. They think that vegan diets are boring and lack flavor. But if you’re a vegan, you know that this is far from the truth! Today, vegan restaurants are more abundant than ever. There are also many YouTube channels dedicated to teaching people how to cook vegan meals. It’s a myth that vegan diets lack flavor and variety. To prove it, here’s a list of tasty vegan recipes without oil.

#4: Eating Vegan is Too Expensive

Why it’s False: Despite popular belief, being a vegan isn’t any more expensive than being a meat eater. If anything, it’s cheaper since you’re cutting out meat (which is one of the most expensive food items at grocery stores). The cheapest foods at grocery stores are vegan-friendly: rice, beans, oats, legumes, potatoes, etc. You can easily meet all your caloric and nutritional needs for as little as $5/day. Also, vegan directs indirectly save you money because you won’t spend as much on medical bills over the long run compared to the average meat eater.

#5: It’s Impossible to Build Muscle on a Vegan Diet

Why it’s False: Patrik Baboumian is a German strongman competitor who holds various records in powerlifting. And guess what? His diet is 100% plant-based. This automatically debunks the notion that vegans can’t build muscle. If you consume protein-rich foods like beans, oats, and brown rice, you can build just as much muscle as someone who eats meat. You could even argue that building muscle on a vegan diet is healthier since you’re avoiding dangerous saturated fat and cholesterol.

#6: Vegan Diets Lack Calcium

Why it’s False: The final myth that we’re going to debunk is the myth that vegans don’t get enough calcium. Today’s society has an unhealthy obsession with cow’s milk. They believe that cow’s milk is the best and only source of calcium. But if you look at your options objectively, you’ll see that cow’s milk is a poor source of calcium. For example, a single cup of cow’s milk contains about 300 milligrams of calcium (of which only 30% is absorbed by the body). A single cup of almond milk contains 50% more calcium and has the added benefit of containing no saturated fat or cholesterol. Obviously, if you want to be healthy, vegan calcium sources are the way to go.

Conclusion

As you can see, all the major arguments against veganism aren’t backed any real evidence. There are thousands of peer-reviewed, evidence-based research papers showing how vegan diets are healthier than animal-based diets in every way. The next time a meat eater presents one of these arguments to you, politely refer them to this article.

Granola Cookies

Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies | Granola Cookies (Day 3)

Our Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies countdown continues for the third day with my Granola Cookies. These cookies are very close to my heart as they are one of the very first gluten free recipes that I ever created. That’s right. Before I was the gluten free chef, I was a lowly single transplant living in Nashville, TN learning the ropes as a new teacher and figuring out to afford a gluten free diet out of my tiny kitchen. These cookies were the result of literally what I had in my cabinet and fridge at the time and a longing for a sweet treat. They were a fan favorite at the (now defunct)  theglutenfreechefbakery and here on the blog.

Granola Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup corn starch
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup rice milk or almond milk
1 egg
1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips (preferably Enjoy life brand)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup golden raisins

Preparation

  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix rolled oats and cornstarch in a medium bowl.
  2. In a small saucepan on low heat, combine brown sugar, cane sugar, vanilla, honey and rice milk. Stir sugar mixture until completely combined.
  3. Combine sugar mixture with dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in egg, chocolate chips, coconut, and golden raisins. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill cookie dough for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Remove from chiller and drop dough by rounded spoonful’s on a prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle each with sea salt. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Makes about one dozen.

 

Twelve Days of Gluten Free Cookies | Grain Free Double Chocolate Cookies (Day 1)

Happy Wednesday

I’m in shock that we are midway through the last month of 2016. In celebration of this milestone and the fact that Christmas is just 12 days away, we are bringing back our twelve days of gluten free cookies series.

How does it work?

Every day for the next twelve days we will feature a gluten free cookie recipe. Many of them will be originals but a few will be pinterest favorites and a few tried and true classics featured here on the blog or in my personal recipe collection. As far as I’m concerned, cookies make life sweeter and better. I’ve blogged about my love of eating cookies (notably chocolate chip) and it’s my hope that you like, love, share, and most importantly bake the cookies that made this year’s countdown.

Grain-Free Double Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugars .in stand mixer or using a hand mixer
  3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
  4. Mix together the soda, salt, and cocoa and add to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined. Fold in in the chocolate chips and nuts.
  5. Bake for about 10 minutes on a silpac

Vanilla Coconut Strawberry Cupcakes (VEGAN)

Happy Tuesday everyone~ Hopefully you are all enjoying this summertastic weather. Temperatures are well into the 90’s here in Rochester and like any good chef I continue to bake despite the heat. These Vanilla Coconut Strawberry Cupcakes are so light, so fresh, and so simple to make that you won’t mind the extra heat from the oven. Even better, these cupcakes are vegan and perfect for strawberry season. I even have a Facebook LIVE video embedded in this post to show you how it easy it is to make. Naturally, I promised this recipe last week but my beautiful crazy busy life life (per usual) got in the way of those plans.

Vanilla Coconut  Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut flour
1 cup all-purpose gluten free flour blend
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon rice beverage
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon golden flaxseed meal
1/3 cup applesauce

1/2 lb fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed and diced

Preparation

 

STEP I:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line (12 count) cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.

STEP 2:

Pour rice beverage, flaxseed meal, and apple cider vinegar into a cup, let set for 5 minutes.

 

STEP 3:

Using a stand or hand mixer (on high speed) cream sugar, coconut oil, almond extract, and applesauce about one minute until fluffy. Lightly fold in diced strawberries without mashing into batter.

 

STEP 4:

Fill cupcake pans with one standard cookie scoop of batter.

STEP 5:

Bake about 20-25 minutes (350 degrees) until toothpick comes out clean.

STEP 6:

After about 20 minutes (350 degrees) remove cupcakes from the oven. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy your cupcakes!

Coconut Creme Icing recipe coming later this week .

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcalvin.eaton.14%2Fvideos%2F10101744817972835%2F&show_text=0&width=400

Enjoylife Food’s Ancient Grain Brownie Mix | Product Review

This review is long overdue. Enjoylife Foods sent me samples of their new line of Ancient Grain baking mixes many many moons ago. As an avid Enjoylife fan and partner I can assure you that my crazy, hectic life is the culprit and not a subpar product on the part of Enjoylife. In fact, I have a batch of Ancient Grain Brownies in my convection oven as I type.

It’s Sunday and after a super long and productive day, I was craving something chocolate. Mentally I was going to whip up a one bowl chocolate cake but upon opening my pantry, I spotted the brownie box and without a second guess whipped out a glass baking dish, sprayed it with baking spray and was dumping the mix into a bowl.

As second nature as it is for me to bake from scratch, some days, a mix is really all I can muster. It’s times like these that make Enjoylife’s new mixes so wonderful. Like every other Enjoylife product, the brownie mix is free of the three most common food allergens : milk, soy, nut, and of course gluten/wheat. All you need to add is water and oil, stir, pour, and bake. Literally taking less than two minutes from bowl to pan. I mean how on earth can you beat that.

I was sold on the brownies when I first tried them. They are super moist. Uber chocolatey, rich, decadent and contain a healthy dose of added probiotics and 5 grams of protein per serving. Now you can feel sinless while enjoying a normally sinful dessert. With this batch, I added my own cup of chopped pecans and of course will serve with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream. Because well, I want my brownie and ice cream too.

Head over to Enjoylife Foods online to purchase a few boxes of this Amazing brownie mix and a few others while you are at it. The Ancient Grain line comes with: Muffin Mix, All Purpose Flour, Pancake/Waffle/ and Pizza Crust.

Rating: 5/5

 

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies w/Flaked Sea Salt

This past Sunday I was craving something chocolatey and sweet so I did what any normal foodie would do, go to Google and type in chocolate, sweet (and coconut). Cookies of course popped up and I immediately tastespotted these babies over on Something Swanky. Thirty minutes later and these cookies were cooling on my counter. Since they are made with coconut oil, they take longer to cool and set than  “normal” gluten free cookies but that’s nothing that the freezer can’t fix. These cookies are more than amazing and my addition of flaked sea salt and Enjoy Life chocolate chunks (instead of chips) make them all the more decadent. I have a freezer full of cookie dough balls at the ready. Get into the recipe below.

Salted Coconut-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup coconut oil, softened

½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cup gluten free all-purpose flour blend
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chunks

Maldon flaked sea salt

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Using a hand mixer cream together the softened coconut oil, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract until creamy, light, and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
  3. Mix in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, and beat until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
  4. Scoop cookie dough on to sil mat 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each with flaked sea salt Bake for 9 minutes until the edges are set.
  5. Cookies will need to remain on mat for at least 30 minutes since coconut oil will take time to set or you can place in freezer for 15-20 minutes
  6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe originally found on Something Swanky