Eat Dance Live

This is not a filler post, I swear! Things have been crazy around here (I totally hear you  Nikki ). I'm finishing classes over the next couple weeks for the rest of my life... no really, I've been in school non-stop since I was in preschool at four. It's kind of a big deal. That and theater rehearsals and dance are taking up most of my nights now, which is awesome, but time consuming. Aaand, word on the street is that I might actually start teaching dance sometime... shh, it's on the down low. So, here's just a few random things I've been collecting over the last little while, that probably has more value than anything I could share with you today! Enjoy. 1. For rough mornings Don't know why it might be emotions or the full moon, but I got about half the sleep I needed last night. Want a guaranteed smile? Seriously,   read this . It worked on me (or maybe I'm just easily amused). 2. For building good habits I've been meani...

I have to start off with a confession: I've never eaten a "real" reuben sandwich. In fact, when I was in high school, I would go with my sister and her boyfriend to their favourite little deli shop near our campus. Every time, I would want to gag at the smell of the reuben they always  ordered. I don't even actually knows what goes in one of those things... sauerkraut, rye bread? That's about it. So, for some reason that still escapes me, I started suddenly having vegan reuben cravings like mad earlier this week. Seriously, I was like a pregnant woman craving ice cream and pickles... I may have spent precious hours of prime thesis proposal writing time scouring Pinterest for options, like  Option #1 : or Option #2 : I looked, I considered, I conquered... I had to try my hand at this. The upside? Since I'd never had one before, there was little chance I'd be disappointed! I knew I wouldn't make a traditional reuben anyway. I wasn't a fan o...

Before I get into the whole tempeh biznazz, if you haven't tried Laury's Vegan Pistachio Almond Ice Cream , stop reading this blog post and go make it, stat: And while I'm not getting to the topic of the day just yet, have you entered my giveaway yet? You've only got a couple more days! Anyhoo, in my constant endeavour to find new ways of preparing vegan protein for my weight-lifting spouse, tempeh is something that comes up every once in a while. Even as a raw foodist, I've already discussed why tempeh is still okay in my books and you'll find quite a few tempeh recipes in my Recipe section... but what to do this time? Since Andrew isn't a huge tempeh fan and he's the one whose going to eat the thing, I found a sneaky tempeh "tuna salad" recipe (cleverly called "Tempuna") in my trusty Green Door cookbook . Since only happy and delicious vegan things come from the Green Door , I knew this would do the trick, and it ...

As you can probably tell by now, I'll admit it: I'm officially obsessed with Turtle Island Foods' Marinated Tempeh Strips. When I first went raw, tempeh was one of the very few non-raw foods I kept on the menu. Why? Mostly because I believe in the power of a healthy and moderate amount of fermented foods. Another lunch, another clever combo of fruits, veggies and protein: Coconut Curry Tempeh w/ Pineapple 1 1/2 C romaine lettuce 1/2 C pineapple, chopped slices of green peppers, chopped 1/4 tomato, chopped 3 strips of coconut curry tempeh pepper, sprinkled over top Just toss the pineapple and lettuce so the lettuce gets kind of dressing-y, and put everything else on top. I'm sure this could be salted to taste, but I didn't really feel the need. Enjoy! Oh, and if you're a running aficionado, definitely check out Jen's awesome giveaway ! Have a great weekend!

So I only realized now that it's really easy to want to eat veggies for lunch if you put them together in the most delicious way possible. Last post, I mentioned that I've been eating fruit for lunch for the past year or so and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. However, I've cleverly tricked myself by eating salads with fruit dressings. Monday's mango cilantro dressing was such a hit that I wanted to try a similar recipe. This is what I came up with as I was salivating in the pool over the thought of lunch (sometimes, it's not the best idea to work out hungry): Tempeh Salad w/ Pear Ginger Dressing 1 1/2 C romaine lettuce, chopped 3 slices of Turtle Island Foods' sesame garlic tempeh 1 pear 1/2 teaspoon of Bragg's Liquid Aminos small chunk of ginger (about 1/2''), chopped sesame seeds, for garnish Puree the pear, Bragg's, and ginger in a blender, toss with romaine lettuce, and top with tempeh and sesame seed...

I almost always eat fruit for lunch (and breakfast too for that matter), and I find it really weird to go any other way. However, I'm trying to increase my veggies to fruit ratio, and lunch seems the perfect opportunity to switch that up. In response to my concerns, the heavens opened up and this amazing recipe was born. There is no need for words, it's super simple and delicious. Tempeh Salad w/ Mango Cilantro Salsa 1 1/2 C of romaine lettuce 3 slices of Turtle Island Foods' coconut curry tempeh 1/2 mango large handful of cilantro pinch of salt All I did was chop up the lettuce, throw the mango, cilantro, salt, and a splash of water in the Vitamix for a couple swirls to make a chunky salsa-ish dressing, toss that all together, and top it with 3 slices of that delicious tempeh. Best lunch ever. On another note, I kind of recipe swapped with Laury this weekend when her hubby's birthday came up and I suggested she make him Vegan Cupcakes Take Ov...

"Where do you get your B12?" The more nutritionally-conscious raw diet skeptics have cleverly replaced the age-old "where do you get your protein?" question with this one. However, as always, I come prepared! While we only need a very small amount of B12 every day, it's vital that we get it so I welcome the question. B12 helps your body convert carbs, fats, and proteins into energy. It helps maintain red and white blood cell health. Finally, it helps form necessary protection around your very important brain nerve cells. Deficiency usually expresses itself in the form of anemia, fatigue, weakness, constipation, inexplicable weight loss, and more dramatic neurological changes like tingling of the extremities, maintaining balance, depression, confusion, dementia, and memory loss. The thing about a B12 deficiency is that for some, it hits them suddenly, but for others it could take up to a period of as long as 20+ years to express (but then the consequences are pre...

Tempeh is one of those foods that's still okay on my list. I make it for Andrew every week, and of course, if I make something, I'm bound to taste if it's okay. Unlike other foods that I don't even allow to pass my lips anymore, tempeh still has benefits I don't mind getting a couple tablespoons of every once in a while. Tempeh has been a staple in Indonesia for over 2000 years. I've tasted all sorts of tempeh, both yummy and totally nasty (Australia, I don't know what's up with you, but you've got to do something about your tempeh). Of course, being made up of soybeans, it's a great meat substitute in terms of protein, and also has a heavier meaty texture that's great for mock dishes. It's made by cooking hulled soybeans, adding in a culturing agent, and incubating them to let them ferment over night until they form a cake. Tempeh is one of the few soy-based foods that actually uses the whole soybean. Fermentation also makes it extra he...

And by that, I mean sushi. If I haven't made it clear yet, I have something of a seaweed addiction. I always have a strong desire to incorporate more of it into my life. To celebrate, my day began and ended with seaweed. Breakfast was yet another spirulina strawberry-banana whip. This one was made by simply blending 1 1/2 frozen bananas in the Vitamix (or any high speed blender), then separately blending 3 frozen strawberries, and topping that magnificent mix in a bowl with 1 heaping teaspoon of spirulina. To end a wonderful day, I have just finished polishing off 1 1/2 rolls of my superfood sushi , one of the first recipes I ever blogged about. To make it more raw, this version had sprouted red quinoa instead of steamed quinoa. The rest was the same, though I did use a couple strips of tempeh as the protein and Braggs instead of soy sauce. I do eat tempeh on rare occasions because live/fermented foods are usually a-okay in my book. I also don't have to go into detail to re-e...