Tag Archives: vegan

Kale, Apple & Ginger Juice

Posted on by

4

Kale, Apple & Ginger Juice | So... Let's Hang Out

You know it’s spring when…

You wake drowsily at 9:00am because you were forced to take a powerful antihistamine the night before. You took this antihistamine because of all of the mosquito bites that you have managed to acquire. They itch. You have a particularly gnarly one on your stomach, which proves curious since you don’t remember wearing anything resembling a crop-top. You’ve been spending a lot of time outside. Even at night. This is where all of those rosy mosquito bites came from.  It’s been sunshine on sunshine on sunshine. You’ve been sporting a tank top and frolicking in the outdoors despite your allergies. Your eyes are swelling slightly? You can’t breathe? We should probably go inside…BUT IT’S JUST SO GOSH DARN SUNNY! Your body craves this wicked vitamin D festival, so you ignore your allergies, eat some local honey, inhale some prescription nose spray and get real about eye-drops. You start scoping out and trying to guesstimate how much of your backyard your next door neighbors can see through their kitchen window. Obviously this is because you would like to read a good book while wearing your birthday suit. You surmise the neighbors can see way too much. You also surmise that they’ve already seen way too much. Why did you not check this out before you decided to go out into the yard in your underpants (MULTIPLE times)? Not sure. Oh well. You find yourself out at farmer’s markets. You find yourself paying $7.50 for a green juice. You know this is expensive, but you can’t help it. It looks so good. You suck down $7.50 worth of fruits and veggies in a flash. You try to be mad about the price, but you can’t because it tastes too good, although once it is gone you find yourself tinged with a bit of regret. You have an awesome juicer. You could have made three green juices at that price. Sheesh. Also, you should put sunscreen on your husband’s neck, it’s about to burn. This is our real life.

Kale, Apple & Ginger Juice | So... Let's Hang Out

Spring is MADE for green juice. I will admit to you in the last weeks of winter my juicer took a nap. Something about rain and having to wear a sweater inside made it hard for me to want to spend a chunk of time making a cold glass of veggies. I made lots of soup. I baked too many cookies.  But, Friends! I am so jazzed on juice and smoothies right now (oh, and cocktails too). The sun is back, the flowers are blooming (just ask that tickle in your nose!) and it’s time to flood our bodies with things that are good and green. It might also be time to plant a tree in front of the neighbors kitchen window. Just sayin’.

I try to get creative with my juicing, especially when it’s a recipe I share with all of you lovelies  I realized in all of the juice recipes I have shared with you , I have never shared my go to green drink. This juice is something I could drink every single day. It’s simple, delicious and packed with tons of nutrition! Plus, I tend to have all of these ingredients on hand in my fridge. That is always a plus, right? Affirmative.

Kale, Apple & Ginger Juice | So... Let's Hang Out

I hope you are enjoying all the loveliness of spring with 100% less mosquito bites! Dust of your juicers… ready…set…GO!  xoxo

Print
Kale, Apple & Ginger Juice

Yield: 4 cups of juice

Ingredients

  • 1 English cucumber, peeled
  • 1 Meyer lemon, peeled
  • 1 bunch of celery
  • 2 Gala apples, chopped
  • 1 inch of ginger root
  • 8 Lacinato kale leaves
  • 1-2 Romaine hearts

Instructions

  1. Wash and prep all of your fruits and veggies.
  2. Run them through the juicer.
  3. Enjoy immediately or bottle it up for later. Store in an airtight container such as a mason jar for up to 48 hours. Try to fill your mason jars as close to the top as possible so that there is the least amount of air between your juice and the tight fitting lid.
  4. Enjoy!
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://soletshangout.com/kale-apple-ginger-juice/

Raw Kale Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing

Posted on by

5

Raw Kale Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing | So... Let's Hang Out

I like kale. I like it in a salad. I like it in a quiche. I like it in my dip. I find ways to put it into most everything. Remember that Shepherd’s Pie we made? I totally kale-d you. I just made a verb out of kale, and although that might be taking things too far, we’re going to run with it. Prepare to be kale-d.

So, this salad was my attempt at trying to recreate a salad that I splurged on at a restaurant over the weekend. The original recipe had a creamy tahini and peanut dressing. Can we just talk about tahini for a moment? I like the taste of it. I can never remember to purchase it. EVER. This is the reason that I never make my own hummus, or if I do, it ends up tasting like it’s missing something. This would be because it IS missing something. It’s missing the tahini I can never remember to buy. EVERRRRRR.

Needless to say, there was no tahini in my cupboards. There was also no peanut butter in my fridge. Peanuts are not on the paleo approved lists of foods(since they are technically a legume), so for the last 26 days, I have been grooving on almond butter (unless, of course, I am out at a restaurant and ordering salads that are slathered in peanut butter. Flexible morals.). Without the two basic ingredients that I knew for certain to have been in my weekend salad splurge, there was only one thing to do. Improvise. It worked out. I ate a lot of this salad. I ate the leftovers for breakfast. It worked out just fine indeed.

Raw Kale Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing | So... Let's Hang OutSee how creamy that almond dressing is? Delicious. Let’s mix it with the kale. You are going to use your hands so that you can massage the dressing into the kale leaves and mix it in really well. This will be a little bit messy, I am not going to lie to you. My insider tip would be to remove your wedding ring or other jewelry. I did not do this. My diamond is tinged with a delicious film of dried almond paste.

Raw Kale Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing | So... Let's Hang OutOnce you massage it in, you will get this. Yum.

Raw Kale Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing | So... Let's Hang OutNow, simply add all of your toppings! BAM! You just got kale-ed. (Yup. Still happening.)

Raw Kale Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing | So... Let's Hang OutI got fancy and served mine up with a half of an avocado. You will not regret it.

Raw Kale Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing | So... Let's Hang Out

Hope your day is kaletastic! Kalerific? Kaletacular? Too far? Noted. Have an awesome Wednesday, Friend!

Print
Raw Kale Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing

Ingredients

    Kale Salad
  • 1 bag of prewashed dinosaur kale (or two bunches, washed and de-stemmed)
  • 1/2 cup of scallions, diced
  • A handful of mint leaves, thinly chopped
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds (without shells)
  • Avocado, optional
    • Creamy Almond Dressing
  • 3 tbs almond butter
  • 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp raw honey (use maple syrup to make vegan)
  • 1 1/2 tbs gluten-free soy sauce (use coconut aminos to make it paleo)
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 small cloves of garlic, peeled
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • water, as needed

Instructions

  1. In a blender, combine all of the ingredients for your salad dressing. Blend on high until the mixture comes together and becomes creamy.
  2. If your dressing is too thick, you can add a little bit of water and process again. I would add a very small bit of water (1/2 a tbs) at a time to make sure that you do not water it down too much.
  3. After your dressing has come together, set it aside.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together your kale and your dressing. Using your hands, massage it into the leaves until the dressing is mixed thoroughly throughout.
  5. Once your dressing if mixed into the kale leaves, you can add your toppings.
  6. Serve with a couple of slices of fresh avocado. This salad can be served right away, or stored for a couple of days in the fridge. Since the base is kale and not lettuce, it will not wilt in the same way,Enjoy!
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://soletshangout.com/raw-kale-salad-with-creamy-almond-dressing/

Dandelion Green Juice

Posted on by

8

Dandelion Green Juice | So...Let's Hang Out

Hello, Spring. You snuck up on me. I think I blinked and you showed up with your blue skies and your green hills and your different shades of wildflowers. I am totally not complaining. Look at the glorious view from our hike this weekend. It feels nice to have sunshine on my pale and wintered shoulders. Thank you for the tan lines. I can now pass as someone who spends time outside. I no longer look like that kid from The Secret Garden who was not allowed to leave his room. Cheers. You’re a good friend.

So...Let's Hang OutBesides tanned shoulders, I also got a wicked case of spring allergies. I always forget that spring goes hand in hand with sneezing. Delightful. I like to keep my allergies on their toes. One of the ways that I do this is through juicing. Are you surprised? You don’t look surprised. Maybe I should stop being so predictable. Would you like me to tap dance while talking about juicing? Add a little flair. Maybe some jazz hands. No problem. Let’s talk about the awesomeness that is dandelion greens.

Dandelion Green Juice | So...Let's Hang Out

They are so good for you, it’s stupid. I love a workhorse of a veggie. They are loaded with calcium, iron, tons of minerals, and a surprising amount of protein. They are great detoxing greens! I have found them to be really helpful in the fight against my spring allergy ickiness. The greens have a spicy and peppery taste which reminds me a little bit of arrugula. The sweetness of the apple and the tartness of the lemon help to balance out the spiciness of the greens. I also added in a nice handful of fresh parsley which is another amazing dextoxing ingredient. I am not fooling around with this cup of juice. It is some serious stuff.

Dandelion Green Juice | So...Let's Hang Out

If you are a beginning juicer and are not used to the taste of green juice, I would either cut the amount of dandelion greens in half , or add in a nice big pear to the mix. I promise you wont regret it. Drinking up a big cup of greens always makes me feel like dancing. Jazz hands for days!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Happy Spring! Let’s punch those allergies in the face. Hard. xo

Print
Dandelion Green Juice

Ingredients

  • 2 cucumbers, peeled
  • 2 pink lady apples, chopped
  • 1 lemon, peeled
  • 1/2 bunch of dandelion greens
  • 2 romaine hearts
  • 1 large handful of parsley

Instructions

  1. Wash and prep all of your fruits and veggies.
  2. Run them through the juicer.
  3. Drink immediately or store in airtight containers such as mason jars for up to 48 hours.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://soletshangout.com/dandelion-juice/
v

Banana Nut Granola With Quinoa

Posted on by

3

Banana Nut Granola With Quinoa | So...Let's Hang Out

I am in the weeds, Friends. I will admit this to you wholeheartedly. I am truly behind. My kitchen has taken a backseat to life lately. Surely you understand this. I can’t be the only one who gets overwhelmed by life and ends up drinking one kind of smoothie, slapping ham on toast and eating handfuls of spinach straight out of the bag. This is a thing right? Besides baking different variations of this bread to cart off to my family, I have not exactly flexed the muscles in my food brain. It’s losing muscle mass. It’s sitting there in a smoothie rut. Flabby. We can’t have this, right? Let’s tell my food brain to wake up and go for a walk.

On Tuesday morning this is exactly what I did. I sprung out of bed and decided it was time to create something that was not toast. Also, my husband had been not so subtly hinting  for a couple of weeks that he would be utterly thrilled if I would replenish the granola stash. While we were grocery shopping he decided he might get some sort of sugary cereal, I told him I didn’t like his moves, he told me that if I made granola he wouldn’t even be considering it. Touche. Point taken. There was also a week where the empty granola canister kept appearing on the counter magically as if to say “GRANOLA! NOW!” I am not sure how it got there. I did not put it there. I don’t think the cat or the dog have the dexterity to grab the canister from out of the pantry and place it on the counter. This only leaves one human. I am not going to point fingers, but I will give you a hint…I am married to him.

Banana Nut Granola With Quinoa | So...Let's Hang Out

So here we go. I put quinoa in your granola. Sure, I have made you granola before, but this one has a little something extra. I got this magical idea from my friend Meg’s wonderful blog. If you have never had quinoa in your granola I can tell you right now it will completely blow your mind! It’s wonderfully crunchy and will not get soggy if you let it sit. Say you take your bowl of granola and milk into the office and end up getting distracted by half an hour of cute internet cat videos. Your granola will survive this. I promise. Not that I would know anything about getting distracted by a half an hour worth of cute internet cat videos. That would be weird.

Banana Nut Granola With Quinoa | So...Let's Hang Out

Besides the awesome crunchy quinoa, I have a list of other all star ingredients that are coming to bat in this breakfast. We have raw almonds for even more protein. Raisins add a layer of sweetness along with a little bit of maple syrup. Of course, I couldn’t resist throwing some coconut into the mix. I am only human. There are whole roasted flax seeds and a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds. You can’t get mad at either of those power houses. And in my opinion, the real show-stopper in this recipe is the addition of freeze-dried bananas! Do you remember Lucky Charms? Of course you do. Remember those tiny little marshmallows? That is what these bananas feel like. It’s the healthy version of a tiny little marshmallow treat. Get on board. It’s good.

Banana Nut Granola With Quinoa | So...Let's Hang Out

When my husband came home, he opened the pantry for a snack. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw the canister full of this tasty granola. He lit up like a glow worm. I think I even got a hug and a kiss. He really likes granola. I really like him.

Banana Nut Granola With Quinoa | So...Let's Hang Out

Enjoy getting your crunch on! :)

Print
Banana Nut Granola With Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups gluten-free oats (I got mine from trader joes)
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 1/4 cup roasted whole flax seeds
  • 1 cup large unsweetened coconut shreds
  • 2 tbs chia seeds
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 cups freeze dried bananas
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl add your quinoa, oats, nuts, seeds, and spices.
  4. Heat up your coconut oil until it is liquid and add it into the bowl along with your maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
  5. Stir the mixture until everything is completely combined and coated with the coconut oil and maple syrup mixture.
  6. Spread the mixture out evenly onto your parchment lined baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 20-30 minutes checking and stirring the mixture every 10 minutes, You need to make sure to check it and stir it up so that it does not start to burn.
  8. You granola is done when the nuts and oats are all toasted a nice golden brown.
  9. Add in your raisins and your freeze dried banana. Stir it into the already baked granola so it is distributed evenly throughout.
  10. Let your granola cool for 15 minutes or so before putting into an air tight container. You can store it this way for several weeks.
  11. Enjoy!
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://soletshangout.com/banana-nut-granola-with-quinoa/

(Inspired by Beard and Bonnet)

The Greeña Colada Smoothie

Posted on by

5

The Greeña Colada Smoothie | So... Let's Hang Out

I am slutty for coconut.

You guys have probably figured this out by now. I can put it in a salad, I will sprinkle it on your donuts, and I will most certainly use it to make nutella. There is simply no shame in my game.

However, I have not publicly declared my love for pineapple. This is a love that  runs deep through my Hawaiian veins. It is some serious affection. I will eat it until the acid makes my tongue start to burn.I have vivid memories of sitting with my Papa in his kitchen and having him sprinkle salt on pieces of freshly cut pineapple, and then, as he would say, “we went eat it up.”  He is a good eating partner. I remember being small and always placing myself strategically near him if he was eating something like poi with dried shrimp or was cutting up a fresh tuna into sashimi. I am no fool. I would bat my big eyes, reach out my chubby kid hands, and a piece of fresh sashimi always seemed to land in my finger tips. I knew how to work that glorious system. Honestly, I think he just loves to share the things that he loves with me. It was a source of pride for him to see his tiny granddaughter developing a serious taste for all of the flavors he had grown up with on the islands.

You are probably not at all shocked when I tell you that I could drink piña coladas for days. I know, I know…pick your jaw up from the floor.

The first time I had a real piña colada I was far too young. I was visiting Hawaii with my family. My older cousin and I were lounging by the pool working on our tans. We ordered a couple of  piña coladas thinking that the dude working the pool area would know for a fact that we were just a couple of tweens and would leave out the rum. When the drinks came, I was so hot from letting my body bake out in the sun that I drank that thing like it was a Jamba Juice. My cousin was a little bit more dainty with her piña colada-ing. I was already finished with mine when she looked over at me with big eyes and said “Gina. This has alcohol in it.” I didn’t believe it, until I stood up. Oh, there you go. The pool was moving funny. I laid back down and took an extended rum-soaked pool nap on one of the lounge chairs. I think my cousin, being the older and savvier one, skipped the rum-drenched nap and ordered another. Well played, cuz.

The morals of this story are obviously: do not accidentally get drunk on family vacations and if you do, wear sunscreen because you will likely end up falling asleep on your stomach somewhere in the outdoors. Salt your pineapple if you want to consume close to a whole fruit by yourself without burning your tongue off. Sashimi is amazing but not as amazing as the grandfathers that share it with you! And last but not least, coconut belongs pretty much everywhere.

What I have for you today is a combination of all of the things I love, giving you tons of island flavor, and ditching the rum. I even threw in cups and cups of spinach! See that vibrant green color? Amazing. It is a smoothie that would be perfect to enjoy in the morning before work. You can pretend that there is rum in it if that would make your commute seem somehow easier. Just sip on it and let the island music play in your head. You are in a two piece. You have abs. You look like magic. You have a tan, but totally managed to get it without the skin cancer risk. You have no worries. It’s just you and a greeña colada.

Print
The Greeña Colada Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut milk (I used lite coconut milk)
  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh ripe pineapple, chopped
  • 3-4 cups of spinach
  • Ice

Instructions

  1. Add all of you ingredients into your blender and mix on high until everything is combined and smooth.
  2. If you want your smoothie to be a little bit thicker, add more ice and blend on high again.
  3. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://soletshangout.com/the-greena-colada-smoothie/

Carrot, Apple & Ginger Juice

Posted on by

8

Carrot, Apple & Ginger Juice | So... Let's Hang Out

It’s juice time again.

I like ‘em real thick and juicy.

That actually does not pertain to how I feel about my juice, I have just been listening to a lot of 90′s music lately. Like…a lot. Like…I might have spent over an hour looking up music videos from the 90′s on YouTube last Friday. No big deal. Subsequently, I have had the song Baby Got Back stuck in my head for days. This only becomes awkward when you start singing it subconsciously in the checkout line at the grocery store. The woman in front of you turns around after you get to the “L.A. face with a Oakland Booty” part of the tune. You make eye contact. You stop singing. You think about winking at her but realize that just perpetuates the weirdness. Don’t make it weirder. It’s too late, you already winked. She probably thinks you’re hitting on her. Oh man, you can’t recover from this one.  Not. At. All. You could try to explain that you have just been listening to a whole lot of 90′s music lately, and you were not singing the song directly to her. You could try to explain that you sometimes just wink in awkward situations, or you could lie and say you had something in your eye. The explanation of your behavior will only make things weirder. You grab your groceries and pretend like you forgot something in the produce section. You wait until this person leaves and find another check out line. Whew. Yikes. Get out of there.

So, besides being the town creep, I have managed to make some juice today in the privacy of my own kitchen. My own kitchen is safe. I can sing at the top of my lungs. I can wink freely. It’s a good place.

In other less painfully awkward news…

I have been nominated for The Best Food Photography On A Blog category in this years The Homies blogging contest. Isn’t that neat?  If you are a So…Let’s Hang Out fan you can pop on over to The Kitchn and vote! It only takes a minute!  It’s a fabulous collection of food bloggers that are nominated, if you pop over there you might find some really cool new bloggers to add to your blog reading list!  The link is below. Vote away, Friends! I heart you.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE! 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled juicing recipe…

This juice is a sweet treat! Look at all these pretty ingredients!

Carrot, Apple & Ginger Juice | So... Let's Hang Out

Cucumber and romaine serve as a nice base to all of the sweetness from the apples and the carrots. The lemon brings some brightness and acidity and the ginger gives it a nice flavor. It’s not the greenest of juices, but it is still packed with a lot of valuable nutrients. Yum. Did you know that carrots are good for calming your nerves? I just love veggies.

Hope you are having the juiciest of days! Wink, wink!

Carrot, Apple & Ginger Juice | So... Let's Hang Out

Print
Carrot, Apple & Ginger Juice

Ingredients

  • 4 carrots
  • 3 small Pink Lady apples, chopped
  • 1 Meyer lemon, peeled
  • 1 English cucumber, peeled
  • 1 head of Romaine lettuce
  • 1 inch piece of ginger root

Instructions

  1. Wash and prepare all of your veggies.
  2. Juice all of the veggies in accordance with your juicer's settings.
  3. Drink immediately, or put in an airtight container such as a mason jar and store in the fridge for later. You should drink your juice within 48 hours in order to get the most benefit from all of the nutrients. Make sure to store your juice with as little air as possible in your jars (so fill them close to the top!) so that the nutrients do not break down too quickly! Happy Juicing!
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://soletshangout.com/carrot-apple-ginger-juice/

Lime And Coconut Green Smoothie

Posted on by

10

limeandcoconutsmoothie-8359BLOG

 

It’s been cold and damp outside  for a long time now.

Our backyard is in a perpetual state of wetness. The earth is cold and crumbly. The rain stopped a while back, but the mud just hasn’t recovered.

I’m painfully aware of the state of my backyard because I have a puppy and a white carpet.

Perhaps it was after this morning’s shenanigans where my muddy dog came tearing past me into the house, running laps and dodging my attempted side tackles, leaving a trail of her dirty feet like a horrifying dance-step diagram, that I really started longing for warmer and drier days.  She is currently on time out. She seems pleased with herself as usual.

It was at 8:30 this morning, on my hands and knees, cleaning up a trail of muddy paw prints, I started fantasizing about luxuriating out in the sunshine and sipping on mojitos and  piña coladas.

Don’t worry, this story does not take a weirdly uncomfortable and depressing turn. There was no early morning  solo drinking (However, if you are on a beach somewhere ordering booze for breakfast, can you please have some for me? Thank you.). I created you a healthy smoothie that mimics some of the tropical flavors of my favorite vacation drinks. There is lime and plenty of coconut flavor with some sweetness from a nicely frozen banana. I made it green because who are we kidding, we could all use more greens in our diet. A smoothie is a sneaky way of putting a couple of cups of spinach in your body without realizing it.  Hooray!

I hope you enjoy this hydrating and refreshing powerhouse!  I also hope that you are not chasing a wild-eyed, muddy-pawed animal around your carpeted living room. It’s rough. Don’t worry though, this smoothie will help. xo

limeandcoconutsmoothie-8366blog

Print
Lime and Coconut Green Smoothie

Ingredients

  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 2 cups of spinach
  • Ice (if you like your smoothie a little thicker)

Instructions

  1. Juice your lime and measure out all of your other ingredients.
  2. Layer them together in your blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Garnish your glass with a little extra lime if you so desire.
  4. Bottoms up.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://soletshangout.com/lime-and-coconut-green-smoothie/

Killer Cabbage Juice | Juice Of The Week

Posted on by

14

killercabbage-7425blog

I got ballsy.

I juiced a cabbage.

If you had told me last year that I would be juicing pretty much anything and everything, I would have told you to back off and stop making weird predictions. Also, out of all the things you could predict with your psychic gift, you should give me something juicier than becoming a juicer. Maybe tell me that I am coming into a fortune, or that I will have really great hair for all of 2013. Tell me that my dog will be perfectly trained and stop trying to gorge herself on the cat-box  Tell me that Pajama Jeans are now finally in fashion for reals and I should really just woman-up and buy them. I would welcome any of these predictions.

I am constantly doing highly scientific research google searching new vegetables and fruits to juice according to their benefit on the body. It turns out red cabbage is really good for you. It is packed with vitamin A , C and vitamin E, which helps boost your immunity! Who else has been feeling this pesky cold and flu season? I feel like I am perpetually on the precipice of getting sick. We need all the help we can get. If it takes juicing a cabbage, I am so on board.

I will not lie to you (do I ever?), I was expecting this juice to be funky. You have smelled cabbage. It smells sulfurous. People usually shred it into salads or drench it in mayo to make a slaw. I was just going to extract this sulfurous juice and pour it down my gullet. There would be no mayonnaise or no flavor-concealing, Asian-inspired salad dressings.  I braced myself and just bit the bullet. Anything for vitamins. Down the hatch it went.

Turns out I was just being a real drama queen. Not only is this juice pretty (I mean, look at that color! BAM!) It is totally delicious. I should really stop being such a baby.

Here is your cast of characters for this killer cabbage juice:

killercabbage-7416blog

This recipe will make about a pint and a half of liquid love.

Ingredients:

1 large English cucumber, peeled

1/2 of a medium red cabbage

1-2 D’Anjou pears

2 meyer lemons

1 inch piece of ginger

Wash, prep, cut into manageable juice-able pieces and send them all down your juicer.

Bottle the juice up in airtight containers or better yet enjoy it right away! Don’t wait more than 48 hours to enjoy your fresh juice!

Have a great day, Friends! xo

Spinach, Chocolate & Peanut Butter Smoothie

Posted on by

7

Spinach, Chocolate & Peanut Butter Smoothie | So... Let's Hang Out

I woke up this morning determined to move my body.

Yesterday, I made biscuits. I ate three of them. No big deal. No regrets. They were buttery and warm and delicious, but today I need to move.

I put on my stretchy pants, my sneakers, and a nice long sleeve shirt and headed out the door.

I then headed right back in the door. IT’S SOOOO COLD.

I checked my phone. It said that it was 27 degrees. Yikes. I live in California. I am not prepared for this. I looked at our front steps. They were completely iced over. Glimmering at me as if to say: “I dare you to try not to break your neck on me, Klutz.” Geez, my front steps have a really bad attitude in the morning. They are totally not morning steps.

Obviously we needed to modify. I opened our coat closet and got out the biggest, puffiest coat I could find.

It’s white and stretches down to my mid-thigh. There is fur that lines the hood. It’s cute, but It is not what I would call exercise wear.

I braved the front steps and totally did not break my neck. This was a good start. I admired the thick coat of frost on my car and my shiny front lawn. It looks bedazzled when the sun hits it just right. And off I went…

If you live in my town, you might have seen me this morning. I was the woman clad in a semi dressy fur-lined coat, jogging the streets. Fancy as hell.  Eskimo street couture. After I jogged a few miles and I could no longer feel the tip of my nose or the sides of my face, I decided it was game over.

I came home and whipped up this tasty smoothie.

Today, in place of your weekly juicing recipe, we are going to do a little blending. Sometimes it is nice to have a breakfast smoothie or two (or three, or four, or nine) in your recipe arsenal. Juicing is beyond awesome, but can be time consuming. If you want something quick that is both nutritious, filling and packed with fiber, a smoothie is just perfect. Plus, though this particular smoothie is green, it tastes like chocolate and peanut butter. Who can get mad at that? Not I, friends, not I.  I’ve also added some secret and sneaky powerhouse ingredients.  You get some serious omega-3′s with the addition of flax seed meal and some chia seeds. Did I mention fiber? Yeah. You are going to be fiber-licious. Okay. I’ll stop talking now.

Ingredients:

3 cups spinach

1/2 of a frozen banana

1 tbs peanut butter

1 tbs flax seed meal

1 tbs chia seeds

1 1/3 cup chocolate almond milk

Load all of your ingredients into your blender and blend away!  Simple, simple, simple.

Spinach, Chocolate & Peanut Butter Smoothie | So... Let's Hang Out

Enjoy! xo

Wilted Kale & Coconut Salad

Posted on by

12

Wilted Kale & Coconut Salad | Soletshangout.com

 

If you are anything like me, you most likely took a fork to the brownie pan yesterday.

You were amped. There was a sugar-mania in which you scrubbed your shower and your entire bathroom area. Jeez, you are efficient! You started laundry. By the time the dryer beeped you developed a case of what I like to refer to as “the sugar sweats.” Your feverish mania starts to break. You start to crash. Things get real. You need a nap. You know you did it to yourself. Those brownies deserved it. It’s the holidays. You take the laundry out. You start by folding all the towels. Gosh, that laundry is warm. Maybe you will just lay in it for a minute. You wake up thirty minutes later in a pile of clean laundry. Your cat is on your chest, looking pleased with herself. You realize you left your puppy in the living room with your Christmas tree…oy.

If you are anything like me, today you need to eat a whole bunch of kale and drink a whole bunch of water.

Lately, (when I am not shoving brownies down my gullet) I cannot get enough kale in my body. I suppose there could be worse addictions. I have recently discovered the magic that happens when you wilt these beautiful greens in the oven. Not quite raw, not quite kale chips. The heat draws out their natural salt, and the spines get soft and easy to eat. It takes ten minutes, and is a very easy way to gobble up a whole bunch of yummy greens.

This is not a meal that will leave you face down in a pile of warm laundry. Promise.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of curly leaf kale

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/3 cup raw walnuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Olive oil

 

Wash, dry and chop your kale. I just happened to use a bag of Trader Joe’s curly leaf kale that was already washed and prepped. Yay! I recommend those bags.

Place your kale on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Lightly salt the leaves. Massage the kale with your hands in order to distribute the oil and salt evenly.

Bake your kale at 350 for 10 minutes, or until the kale is gently wilted. You do not want it to be as crispy as kale chips. Although, kale chips are totally delicious.

While your kale is getting its wilt on, heat a pan over low heat.

Add your walnuts and your coconut to the pan.  Lightly toast them. Both your coconut and your walnuts will become fragrant as the oils are released, and they will both get some light color.

Once you kale is out of the oven, add it to a bowl. Top your kale with the coconut and walnut mixture. Add in your cranberries.

Lightly drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

Voila!

Have a healthy day, Friends!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...