Green Smoothie {Healthy, gluten-free and Vegan}

 Many of us are becoming more conscious of what we're putting in our bodies every day. With all of the genetically modified foods, chemical treatments and other scary things out there, I'm not surprised. But, it can be hard to find the time and energy to make sure we're purchasing healthy ingredients and making healthy food. That's where this green smoothie comes in - its a great way to start your day and you can feel good knowing that everything that goes into it is good for you and will give you that kick of energy to start the day. Its quick and easy and you can pre portion out the fruit and veggies a few days in advance so all you do is dump in blender and go! Plus, you won't have to worry about getting enough fruit and veggie servings for the day, this one's packed full of whole fruits and veggies!!

The reason I'm sharing this recipe with you is because of my mom. My mom has been struggling with some serious health issues for the past few years and nothing seems to help her much... not the most expensive medicine, expensive doctors or expensive supplements. But a friend of hers recommended that she try going vegan for a while and see if it helps. She thought "what do I have to lose". She has been drinking variations of this smoothie as part of a vegan diet for the past few months and over those month's we've seen a huge transformation in her. No, she's not cured, but she is feeling much better and most days she can get up and walk around and has way more energy than she did before. She asked if I would share this recipe on my blog for anyone out there looking for a healthy and delicious (if you can get over the colour!!) breakfast or snack.  So of course I agreed to share with you. Hope you enjoy!

Green Smoothie {Healthy, gluten-free and Vegan}

Recipe from my Mom

Ingredients:

• 1 organic banana (make sure its ripe, because you need the sweetness and flavour)
• 1 organic ambrosia apple, cored and roughly chopped
• juice of one organic lemon
• 2 cups roughly torn organic greens (kale, lettuce, swiss chard, or any combination of them)
• 2 cups cold water

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender (vita-mix is best, but any blender will do). Blend all ingredients until smooth and vibrant green (colour will vary depending on mixture of greens used in smoothie). Makes two large servings. Store leftovers in the fridge for later.



 You can mix it up a number of different ways to give yourself some variety - vary the type of greens you use (for some crazy colour try some organic purple kale!!), you can put pear in instead of apple, or any other fruit you want! If you find this isn't quite sweet enough for you, try sweetening it with a couple teaspoons of agave syrup. And a little trick to get over the green colour of the smoothie - drink it out of a travel mug through a straw!

Do you have a favorite vegan recipe? Would you like it featured on my blog? Send me an email with the recipe (don't forget to include the source of the recipe) and a photo from last time you made it and I will most definitely feature it on my blog. Can't wait to hear from you.

Happy Cooking my Friends! Stay healthy!

Kale Chips {Gluten Free, Healthy}

Kale Chips. Ew gross!!! Thats what I initially thought when people started talking about these things. Then we went over to my good friend D's place for dinner and she had made these to serve to us along with some other delicious menu items. Not one to be rude and not try something when a guest in someone's house, I of course had to give these a try. To my surprise, they were delicious and addictive! Since then I've been craving these all the time. Who knew they were so easy to make?!

I decided to look into the health benefits of kale since I'd heard it was very good for you. Here's what Web MD says about the health benefits of kale:

"One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.
Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.
Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw."

Since kale is so good for you, you should make these - they taste so good and have many health benefits. You can do all kinds of variations to this recipe depending on your tastes and preferences. But this is a good starting place - basic, quick and flavourful.

Kale Chips
Recipe by Erin (me!)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch curly green kale, trimmed into bite size pieces (discard the tough stems)
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
• kosher salt
• cayenne pepper
• freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Wash kale pieces, then spin in a salad spinner until dry. Place kale pieces into a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and then toss and scrunch leaves with your hands to make sure they are evenly coated with the oil.
3. Spread kale chips onto a large cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with kosher salt (about 1 - 1 1/2 tsp should do it), and cayenne pepper (no more than 1/2 tsp). Then sprinkle with a small amount of parmesan cheese (about 2 - 4 tbsp).
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir the chips. Return to the oven and bake another 10 - 12 minutes until chips are crispy. Watch them carefully toward the end as they tend to burn quickly.

Enjoy these! This is one time when its okay to eat the whole batch. :D

This post has been linked up with Mouthwatering Mondays over at the Sweet Spot. Head on over to check out what other delicious treats bloggers have cooked up this week.
Happy Cooking my Friends!