The Real Meal Salad By HLife Photography
When a salad is 80% of your meal – a portion from which we are expected to get loads of vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, phytonutrients, a variety of amino acids and good fats – a few leaves with two wheels of veggies on top just won’t cut it. My expectations are higher, and I aim to succeed in nourishing my body with the proper nutrients in order to maintain my optimal physical health. One of my pet peeves is what I call “petty” salads. This is the salad that is mostly made up of some leaves (for fluff), a couple of tomato wheels (if we are lucky to get more than one), a cucumber slice and one thin ring of onion chopped in half, or maybe a couple of carrot shavings. Not only is this a weak attempt at a salad, it is unfortunately a sad reality that most of us get served when out to dinner at a restaurant (or let’s be honest, at many persons’ dining tables). That needs to change. Although my salads are always nutrient dense, in this hearty, real meal salad, I decided to focus on antioxidant count, protein density and iron absorption in particular. Let’s do this. more …
Smoothie by HLife Photography
When we talk about a powerful nutrient-dense meal to start out your day energy-fueled and mentally prepared, we call upon: Our ultimate smoothie. And, yes, this smoothie is also the perfect replenish-and-repair drink to have after a great workout, filled with nourishment for your body and mind. Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the one that will kick start, support and carry out the performance of your mind and body, this ultimate smoothie is the perfect candidate for the job. In the morning, we must be sure to provide our mind and body with enough of the right nutrients to generate cellular energy, handle stress, and ensure efficient work performance, communication and understanding with the external and your own internal world. So, the focus of this smoothie is cellular and brain (mind) nutrition. Let’s get started: more …
Quinoa Shitake Sushi by HLife Photography
I love sushi, but as a vegan and holistic health consultant, it’s very important for me to eat clean/fresh/whole organic produce, a balanced meal, and no added sugar. With all of these requirements, my choices out there are slim. There are not many restaurant options to accommodate vegan raw sushi that tastes great, offers a balanced roll with a good source of protein, complex carbs, good fats – and ORGANIC ingredients. I can think of three places in Los Angeles (1 raw, two vegan), but all three have only one or two choices, and protein density is questionable. It’s not like we can say “hey guys, let’s go out for some great organic-vegan sushi!” Remember: We always want to eat a balanced meal, so we can create cellular energy and not have cravings or sleepy-times in the middle of the day. more …
Raw Granola by HLife Photography
Breakfast is the most important meal that get your day started. We always have a very nutrient-dense vegan-raw smoothie in the morning, but we also need variety. Cereal in a box with “fortified” synthetic stuff (or granola with added sugar) makes me think of Soilent Green. Has anyone seen that movie? Well, not on my clock will I ever consider breakfast, something that hasn’t been freshly prepared by my hands or feed my unborn children jokes like sugar-coated breakfast from a cardboard container.
I can live without the cereal and milk combo for breakfast forever because I believe the body needs more nutrients than the few contained in that to create cellular energy for the day. That is also why I don’t drink – or need – coffee. But my husband, from time to time, has these mental associations of cereal/milk breakfast (from childhood, I guess, and he doesn’t drink cow’s milk, ’cause he is a human, not a calf) and I have to give him a nutritionally dense alternative to prevent him from coming home with some box of cereal and vegan milk (also from a box). Box, box, box… CRAZY. SAY “YES” TO WHOLE, FRESH FOODS. The best foods for human consumption hands down are living foods. In the morning, we need a balanced blend of complex carbohydrates, quality protein, and good fats in order to make cellular energy, combined with plenty of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, etc. So I came up with a Rawnola (raw granola) that meets our nutritional requirements optimally, and that also happens to be gluten-free and delicious. It’s very easy to make, as long as you have a dehydrator and food processor (standard equipment for a vegan-raw kitchen). more …
Vegan Chocolate Pudding by Jesse Wight
Chocolate and cacao are usually associated with love. This choco-love pudding is perfect not just for a V-day celebration, but for celebrating LOVE every day! I’m not so much into sweets, but every once in a while I enjoy a good, not-too-sweet, vegan/non-refined sugar and always-smooth texture cacao anything. more …
Vegan Raw Yam Nut Burger by HLife Photography
The all-American favorite: The burger. In Peru, I was brought up eating meals that almost always consisted of soup, salad, and some sort of entree (usually accompanied by rice) that was not encased in bread – and I loved it. I married an amazing American man who is not into grilling (one of the reasons why he is perfect for me), but he does like a mean ole sandwich (or vegan burger) with the works from time to time. He used to want to buy those veggie burgers that come in a box, but after tasting these raw yam-nut burgers, his answer to boxed burgers was: “Never again.” more …
Quinoa Vegetable Soup by Jesse Wight
I think we can finally say winter is officially here, at least in Los Angeles. It’s been so cold – and wet, which makes it even more cold – that a warm, mineral and fiber-dense veggie soup is in order. Not only that, but it has come to my attention that not many people know how to make an amazing veggie soup without sauteing and using stock, which to me sounds so bonkers. I grew up sipping on soups even in the summer. You heard it, the summer. If anyone goes to my grandma’s house for a meal, I can guarantee that there will be some sort of soup before the entree, in the menu for the evening and sometimes even for lunch. My mom became such a pro at soups, not only because they mentally transported her back to her moms’ house in Peru and made her feel warm and cozy inside, but also ’cause veggie soups are rich in minerals and fiber and are easily digestible, and she used them as part of detoxes and as a healing food if anyone got sick. So, as my best friend, spiritual guide, and progenitor, she passed on the soup-making knowledge – and guess what? IT’S THE EASIEST EVER!!!!!! more …
Vegan Asparagus & Crimini Mushroom Risotto by Jesse Wight
When you are vegan, creative, and grew up eating nothing but amazingly flavorful dishes, your home becomes the best restaurant ever. My husband and I LOVE Italian food and our Italian vegan dishes are super delicious but also healthy, because there is no mucous-causing, villi-blocking, cancer-causing dairy present here. Risotto is one of my husband’s favorite Italian dishes, so my challenge was to make a spectacular vegan-raw version of this dish for his birthday. more …
