Pineapple Sorbet

I like to keep it really simple most days, and Wednesday posts is where I really want to showcase how eating very simply can be amazingly delicious and satisfying.

I was looking through my list of recipes that we're already photographed and realized I didn't really have anything that would fit that mission. Until I dug through some realllllllyyy old pictures I had taken in Toronto when I had no idea what taking a good food pic meant!

It's great to really see the progress I've made over the last 9 months though.

This pineapple treat could not be easier to make. It requires a bit of pre-planning to cut and prep the pineapple for freezing (or you can just buy it frozen). But other than that, all you need is a good blender or food processor and you are set. 

Did you know that its takes about 2 years for a pineapple to grow to maturity?

This is the type of recipe that really got me into raw foods in the first place. The ease in which you can make a wide variety of frozen treats is astounding. The variety is limitless and you can have ice cream for breakfast. Score!!

Sorbet has always been one of my favorite frozen treats and while you can find plenty of vegan choices at the grocer store, many of them have dairy and/or gelatin of all things. Not to mention preservatives and all those nasties. So why not whip up a little pineapple goodness in the comfort of your own kitchen?

Pineapple Sorbet

- 1-2 large ripe pineapples, cut into chunks and frozen overnight

This is as simple and delicious as can be. Dump all your pineapple into your food processor with the S blade. Process until smooth.

Note: You may want to let the pineapple defrost a bit before processing, it’ll make it easier and faster.

Enjoy!

Mango Chutney

Mango season is upon us!

To me, this is a truly epic time of year, seeing as mangoes are one of my most favorite staple fruits that are only amazing a few times a year. (Not to mention so much more affordable!)

However, there comes a time where they aren't so great, a bad batch or you cut them before they are actually ripe because you;re just TOO excited to get in on the mango goodness.

This is where Mango Chutney comes to the rescue. We we're a little too excited and jumped the ship on waiting for the mangoes to be be truly in season down here. So it resulted in a few not so great mangoes that neither of us wanted to eat raw. It's not that they were bad per say, they just lacked the amazing mango-ness that we expected and we're less sweet than expected.

This recipe is super easy to make and delicious as a condiment on pretty much anything. We had it that night along with some simple Thai Yellow Curry with rice. I also love it on baked potatoes or quinoa.

Mango Chutney

Fixings:

- 1.5 cups diced onion
- 5-6 mangoes, diced or sliced
- 1 cup pineapple, diced
- 1 generous cup raw sugar
- ¾ cup vinegar
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp fresh turmeric, minced very well.

In a large pot, cook the onion with some water until translucent. Add in all the spices and cook for about 2 minutes, or until you can smell the spicyness. 

Add in the mangoes and pineapple and let cook for a few minutes to mingle the flavors. Add in the sugar and vinegar. Cook for about 30 mins stirring often to prevent burning. You'll know when it's ready from the thick jam like texture of it all. Let it cool and put in in a sealed glass jar in the fridge.

Not sure how long it lasts, cause here it's always devoured within a few days. 

Enjoy!

Vegan MoFo 2013: Thirsty Thursday's presents The Green Smoothie

So I totally went MIA and all. I caught what they call the MoFo flu, or at least that's what I'm calling it! I was too busy with too little organization and just derailed a little on the postings. I also had a week of clean super simple to the basics eating where nothing that involved more than a blender or boiling water was used.

But hey, the blender got good use for smoothies, which I tend to have everyday lately. My usually combo is bananas, greens and some coconut sugar, but today we had some awesome ripe pineapple that I just had to use, well really this one is mostly my partner's making but I did have some input.

I like to get in as many tender leafy greens as possible, it makes such a difference in how I feel and in my training regiment. on a day to day basis, I try to get in at least a pound of greens, up to two. This may seem like a lot, but really all it takes is a large smoothie and a decent sized salad and I attain my goal easily. Plus, greens go well with any starch, especially baby spinach.

The blast of nutrients you get from consuming greens will make your body hum with happiness. Seriously. I used to be really picky with them, until I started making green smoothies, where you don't really taste them at all if that's a block. Then came the awesome salads, once I went 80/10/10 I discovered how to make awesome dressing and combos that worked for me without added a ton of fat or oils to my daily diet. AND then I started making green juices, which are next level, although I haven't made much of them in the past few months after doing a green juice cleanse in the spring.

All this to say, eat your greens, it's not that hard and you'll feel awesome.

Pineapple Green Madness

Ingredients:

(Serves 1)

- 1 pineapple, cut in pieces.

- 2-3 bananas

- 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar

- 1 cup of water

- 2 large handfuls of spinach or half a bunch of kale.

Put all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth.

Drink it up!

Enjoy.