superfood green smoothie

I love smoothies- for one, they’re delicious, but they’re also a great way to pack a bunch of nutritional ingredients into your diet in a jiffy! Plus they’re oh so refreshing any time of year. My superfood green smoothie boasts an exceptionally healthy profile thanks to fresh greens & spirulina, chia & flax seeds, plus fresh ginger & medjool dates, among other things. It not only tastes delicious, but is uber nourishing for your body as well. It’s perfect for those days when you feel you need some extra “health” in your life- maybe you’ve been noshing on a bit too much sourdough bread or pasta, and need to up your greens game, stat! Not to mention, it’s a great way to sneak veggies into your toddler’s diet if they’ve started to become a bit, ahem, particular…. Superfood smoothie to the rescue! I find smoothie recipes to be pretty forgiving, so feel free to make swaps and use what you have on hand. This one gets the majority of its sweetness from fresh fruit, but feel free to add a couple medjool dates or a spoonful of honey if you prefer things a bit sweeter. If I want to up my protein game, adding a serving of Sakara Organic Protein & Greens Super Powder to my smoothie to really kick things up a notch. I like my smoothies on the thicker side, where you could eat it out of a bowl with a spoon if you feel so inclined. But my husband, on the other hand, prefers a much thinner, easy-drinking smoothie, so feel free to add as much liquid as you prefer to get to your desired consistency. I’m happy to say that this smoothie satisfies not only myself, but also my husband AND baby! Winning! If you’re jonesing for more smoothies, definitely try my matcha coconut smoothie and turmeric sunrise smoothie as well! Enjoy :)

Superfood Green Smoothie:

  • 1.5 cups frozen banana slices

  • 1.5 cups frozen pineapple chunks

  • 2 cups almond milk (add more as needed)

  • 1 cup coconut water (or water)

  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt (or coconut yogurt)

  • 2 cup fresh or frozen greens (spinach or kale)

  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen veggies (cucumber, cauliflower, carrot)

  • 1-2 tbsp nut butter (I like Nuttzo!)

  • 2 tbsp chia, flax, and/or hemp seeds (mix it up!)

  • 1 small nub fresh ginger, peeled

  • 1 tsp spirulina, optional

  • 1 serving protein powder (I like Sakara!), optional

  • 2 medjool dates (pitted) or 1 tbsp raw honey

  • ice, optional

To make your smoothies, add all ingredients to your blender (a high-powered Vitamix works best!) and blend away! Add protein powder for an extra protein boost, and extra dates/honey if you prefer a sweeter smoothie. More milk or water can be added to thin the smoothie to your desired consistency. Makes 2-3 smoothies. Enjoy!

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jajaja

New York City- the land of endless food options. There's literally something for everyone here, which great, but there's also a lot of average places to filter through to find the true gems. When it comes to vegan restaurants, it seems like there's a new place at every corner, but many of them serve standard veggie cuisine (think fresh, seasonally-inspired American eats). Jajaja thinks outside the box, by creating a vegan menu full of unique and flavorful Mexican dishes. I stopped by with my vegan bestie Stephanie (of Ripe Cuisine) on her recent trip to NYC, and we noshed on some seriously delicious eats. Their taco menu offers some classics like housemade "chorizo" and heart of palm "carnitas", but also gets creative with mezcal mushrooms and chayote "fish" tacos! I love that they make their own tortillas, and infused them with vibrants colors and flavors like turmeric and blueberries! I also highly recommend the Sikil Pak, a Mayan pumpkin seed dip served with plantain chips that was so up my alley and totally addicting! Please excuse the poor lighting, but the restaurant is a bit dark with a fun, nightlife vibe to it (and since it's right in the middle of the Lower East Side, why not?!). Click through the pics to read more about our tasty meal. We have a return trip planned for a fun dinner for Steph's 30th birthday, and I'm already counting down the days!

fennel seed, flax & raisin bread

 
fennel flax raisin bread5.jpg
 

My husband and I were recently gifted a sourdough starter from a good friend of ours. There is not much better than freshly baked bread in my opinion, so we have had some fun experimenting with various flours and mix-ins. My husband is definitely the better bread-baker, as he has had some prior experience, but I'm watching and learning as he goes. Baking bread is such a science, from the exact proportions of ingredients to proofing time, but it's a great feeling to pull the final product out of the oven. We like the rustic shape and uniform crust it gets from baking in our beautiful Staub cast iron pans. This bread uses a mix of bread flour and whole wheat graham flour, which adds a nice whole grain touch, but keeps it from being too dense and hearty. We mixed plump raisins in to the dough, and coated the top in fennel and flax seeds. If you want to make your own sourdough bread, but are unsure where to start, The Clever Carrot provides an in-depth, step-by-step tutorial that proved very helpful for us.

Sourdough Bread:

  • 150g active sourdough starter

  • 250g water

  • 25g olive oil

  • 250g bread flour

  • 250g whole wheat graham flour

  • 10g sea salt

  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds

  • 1 tbsp flax seeds

  • 1/3 cup raisins

  • extra flour or cornmeal, for dusting

To make the dough, combine the starter, water, olive oil and both flours in a bowl. Mix everything together by hand until just combined, and then set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Dissolve the salt in 1/2 tsp water, and fold it well into the dough mix. Re-form the dough into a rough ball. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Leave it in a warm spot to rise until it has doubled in size, which may take several hours.

While the dough is fermenting, you may stretch and fold it over itself a few times to strengthen the dough, and in turn increase the total volume of the bread. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat this process until you have come full circle. Do every 30 minutes for 2 hours. 

To cut and shape the dough, lightly flour one half of a clean surface (counter top, pastry slab, cutting board), and leave the other half clean. Remove the dough from the bowl, and place onto the floured section so that it does not stick.

To shape the dough, move it to the clean section of your surface. Fold the dough, side by side, over itself into the center. At this time, add the raisins so that they get fully incorporated. Flip the dough over and place it seam side down. Gently form your hands along the sides of the dough and rotate it until you are satisfied with its shape. Carefully coat the top of the bread with a mix of flax and fennel seeds.

Coat the bottom of your Staub pan (or dutch oven) with cornmeal or flour. Place the dough inside for a second shorter rise, about 1-2 hours, or until it looks slightly puffy.

Preheat your oven to 450F. Right before you're ready to bake your bread, make a shallow slash about 2 inches long in the center of the dough with a knife. Cover your dough with the lid, and place the pot into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the lid, and continue to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until a nice golden brown crust has formed. Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door, and leave the bread . This allows the moisture to escape, leaving your bread with a crisp crust. If you prefer to take the internal temperature of your bread, it should read about 205F.

Remove the bread from the oven, take it out of the pot, and allow it to cool for at least an hour before slicing. Now enjoy the results of all your hard work!

*Adapted from Sourdough Bread by The Clever Carrot.

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