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Mmmm Summer Rolls!

One of my very favorite things to eat these days is Summer Rolls. I’ll admit I don’t make them too much because the dipping sauce, which is divine, contains a little more fat than I like right now. But every once in a while, you’ve just gotta.

low-fat-high-carb-raw-vegan-summer-rolls

I made them for dinner last night and, as well as being delicious, they are super easy.

You’ll need some spring roll wrappers. I got the biggest rounds they had at the Asian market. They have them in some standard grocery stores, too, but there’s a bigger selection (and bigger wrappers!) at the Asian market. 

Then, you put whatever kind of veggies you want in them. 

This time I had romaine, spinach, carrots, cucumber, tomato and alfalfa sprouts. I will tell you that in my opinion, these guys are NOTHING without the alfalfa sprouts but you decide for yourself. 

You just dip the wrappers into water to soften them up, layer the veggies of your choice inside, and roll them up. Easy peasy!

You will, most definitely,want to dip these in this dipping sauce that I modified from one that Megan Elizabeth shows on her YouTube channel.

I use 2 tablespoons of almond butter, 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar, 1 tsp of Liquid Aminos, 1/4 cup of water and some crushed red pepper for the dipping sauce. I take all of the ingredients and blend them in my little Magic Bullet which does a fabu job of mixing it all up. I have mixed it with a whisk, before I got the Magic Bullet, and it’s a little difficult because the almond butter is very thick. But it can work. 

And that’s all there is too it! A tasty way to eat a bunch of veggies. I can usually eat three of of these and sometimes more if I’m particularly hungry.

Try them, you’ll like them! 🙂

Raw Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

I’m not one of those girls who’s all gaga over pumpkin spice everything. I like the taste but hadn’t had it this year. This morning, I found myself with a banana crisis on my hands. Usually I have the same smoothie for breakfast: bananas, strawberries and spinach. I love it so much I usually have it for lunch! 🙂

raw_pumpkin_smoothie

But I used my last “dead” banana yesterday at lunch time. I have frozen bananas and bananas that aren’t quite ripe yet. So last night I had to figure out what I was going to have for breakfast so I’d be prepared. I had used some of the pumpkin I had in the freezer to make Raw Pumpkin Hummus (amazing!) and thought that pumpkin could be a possibility.

I was nervous to eat a pumpkin raw. Why? I couldn’t tell you. Everthing I’ve tasted raw so far has been delicious. I was so drawn by the hummus recipe that I finally decided to try it. When I got the pumpkin all pureed, I tasted it and was surprised. It was sweet! And yummy. 🙂  I then proceeded to Middle Easternize it. 😉 

So this morning, I decided to make a Raw Pumpkin Spice Smoothie. I used dates, frozen bananas, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Then , after I took a pretty photo of it, I added a half a bag of spinach because I have just got to have it!  The spinach didn’t take away from the deliciosity of the smoothie, it just took away its pumpkiny color. Here I am making up all sorts of words in one paragraph. 😉

raw_pumpkin_smoothie_spinach

So here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it. It is a big YUM! I think quite highly of raw pumpkin now, if you hadn’t guessed. 

 

Raw Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
A raw pumpkin spice offering.
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Ingredients
  1. 10 dates
  2. 2 frozen bananas
  3. 1 cup raw pumpkin
  4. 1 cup water
  5. 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  6. 4 1/2 oz spinach, if desired
Instructions
  1. Add dates, water, bananas into Vitamix. Blend well. Then add pumpkin and spice and blend until combined. If you'd like to add spinach, add enough water to mix it in, approximately 2 cups.
Notes
  1. The spinach doesn't take away from the pumpkin-y taste!
Lauri Rottmayer http://www.rottitude.com/

Cookbook Cook Through – Week 5

After taking a week off for vacation, we came back home and I decided to make Speedy Spicy Stuffed Peppers and Curried Veggie Hash from the Everyday Paleo cookbook.

speedy_spicy_stuffed_pepper

I lost my food processor in between moves but am happy to say that I’ve found it again and I love it. It makes recipes like these super easy.

Both recipes were amazing and we will for sure eat them again. The best thing is they were tasty but the second best thing is that David ate three things he tells me he hates. Now, I’m really into honestly and transparency but I also know that basing your adult taste buds on foods you tasted as a kid can let you out of a WHOLE bunch of good food.

curried_veggie_hash

My mom used to always cook spinach, from a can, in the iron skillet some way. Gah. I didn’t like it. It was slimy and disgusting. But fresh spinach as an adult? I eat it out of the bag like candy.

Anyway…

The first recipe for stuffed peppers, contains yellow squash and the hash recipe contains sweet potato and zucchini.

Four thumbs up on these two recipes. We’ll be eating them again! 🙂

Next week we’re going to try Apple Shallot Pork Chops and Breakfast Paleo Pizza.

 

I may have stomped my foot

Squash is an acquired taste. I have to believe this because I love it now. But I remember a time when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old when I thought it was the worst thing ever put on my plate.

My dad took the whole family to dinner at the house of a business acquaintance.  They had kids that were about our age and I remember having a good time until we sat down for dinner and were served, you’ve got it, squash.

Having never eaten squash before, I took a hesitant bite of it and promptly turned into hell child. “I’m not going to eat this,” firmly stated my dad’s formerly perfect little business bauble. “No way”. I may have stomped my foot. They were embarrassed. They told me that if I didn’t eat my squash I could not have the ice cream and chocolate cake that was on the menu for dessert.

There was no way I was going to prostitute myself for a piece of cake and ice cream by eating that squash. And I didn’t.

Clearly it traumatized me because I remember it like it happened yesterday. Every time I prepare to eat squash. 🙂

But now, I LOVE squash.  Not only is it a great source of all kinds of good nutrition but there are so many delicious ways to prepare it.

Cruising around the internet the other day, I found this recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash. I found the acorn squash on sale for 99 cents at Aldi and so I got one and made this for lunch today. I don’t have a whole lot of spices since my kitchen is packed up and I just seasoned it with ground salt and pepper. But it was delicious! A very good vehicle for pepper.

Chilly day, toasty warm squash. NOM! 🙂

Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe

Serves 4, as a side

Ingredients

• 2 acorn/pepper squash;

• 3 tbsp clarified butter, tallow or coconut oil;

• 2 onions, thinly sliced;

• 3 cloves garlic, minced;

• 1 tsp ground coriander seed;

• ½ tsp nutmeg;

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.

2. Cut each squash in half, but leave the seeds in. Place cut end up on a baking sheet and roast them for about 50 minutes to an hour, long enough so that the flesh is fork tender. Remove once cooked and let cool for several minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over a medium heat, saute the onions in the cooking fat. Cook for close to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and begin to be golden brown.

4. Add the garlic to the skillet, followed by the coriander, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for about 2 minutes.

5. Remove the seeds from the squash and discard. Spoon out the tender flesh and discard the skin. Roughly mash up the squash and add it to the skillet. Mix well. Only leave on heat long enough to blend flavors.