Tuesday, August 05, 2014

One Juice, Two Juice, Red Juice, Green Juice

 It’s an unfortunate week when your juicer and blender both decide to croak when you really want to use them.  Last week I had such an itch to make a smoothie then when I went to turn the blender on, but it was broken, so I had to settle for some water.  Then yesterday I decided to use my juicer.  Well, It was dead too! What?  After all the nonsense I was on a mission to have a smoothie, so I ran out and picked up a new blender and juicer.  And let me tell you, when I got home, that smoothie tasted incredible.

Going along with my last post about buying seasonal, farmers markets are also a wonderful place to get seasonal fruits and veggies for smoothies and juices.  I have always been a fan of smoothies and juicing fresh fruits and vegetables.  Since I got my new blender and juicer yesterday, I have an urge to blend and juice everything in the house.  I guess it’s not a bad thing.

I know the concept of juice cleanses and juice diets are a bit of a “taboo” topic right now.  So I’m just clarifying, I am not a nutritionist or an expert juicer I just find the juices delicious. I don’t juice to lose weight, I make them to help maintain my healthy lifestyle and help me get all the nutrients my vegetarian body needs.  Juicing provides the body with the most optimum and easy to ingest nutrients with minimal waste from the fruit or vegetable.  And they taste really good!

I love a good green smoothie or juice in the morning to prepare me for the day or a yummy fruit smoothie for an afternoon snack.  I think it is important to understand that juicing can be fun and it doesn’t have to be a diet.  Juicing is a great way that I use to help satisfy hunger and have a yummy snack during the day. 
Here are a few of my favorite juices and smoothies.  I will probably be making all of these really soon! J


Morning Green Smoothie
Total time: 10 mins          Serves 2
Ingredients
·         2 ripe medium bananas
·         1 ripe apple or pear
·         2 cups of chopped kale leaves
·         ½ cup organic orange juice
·         1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed
·         A handful of ice cubes
Place bananas, apple (or pear), kale, orange juice, flaxseeds, and ice cubes in blender.  Pulse a few times, then puree until smooth.  Enjoy!



Power Carrot Orange Juice
Total time: 15 mins          Serves 2
Ingredients
·         1 medium orange, peeled and wedged
·         1 medium apple, wedged
·         1 medium yellow tomato, wedged
·         4 large carrots, peeled
First process the tomato, then orange, then apple, and finally the carrots through the juicer.  Pour over ice if desired, serve immediately.



Avo-Berry Smoothie
Total time: 5 mins            Serves 2
Ingredients
·         1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
·         ¾ cup organic orange juice
·         ¾ cup strawberries
·         ½ cup raspberries
·         A handful of ice cubes
Blend the avocado, organic orange juice, strawberries, raspberries, and ice cubes until smooth.  Enjoy!



I hope you liked the recipes and decide to give them a try! Using seasonal goods from the farmers market to make juices and smoothies is a great way to get your fruit and vegetable servings if you aren’t a vegetarian.  If you are, they taste delicious and absorb very useful nutrients into body faster than just eating the fruit or vegetable. 

Go Green and Stay Keen, 

Julie

Friday, August 01, 2014

Seasons Change, So Should Your Food

I love shopping at the farmers market for fresh fruits and vegetables.  It is the perfect place to buy seasonal fresh foods.  The seasons changing set a natural backdrop for what we should be eating.  With fall approaching…well kind of, it’s just my favorite season, I thought I would share how I try to eat seasonally and a few of my fall favorites.  Who is ready for some apple cider and scarfs?


Fall is one of my favorite seasons, the rich trending colors and the unexplainable feeling of warmth makes it my favorite season.  Although San Francisco doesn't have that much of a change from summer to fall, you can still find seasonal foods and cook with the fresh harvests of the season.

It is hard know what foods are in season if you go to a grocery store.  Pesticides, chemicals, and means of transportation allow you to find any fruit or vegetable available the throughout the year.  To truly know what is seasonal I go to the local farmers market.  It is great, you can see what the farmers are growing and harvesting.  CUESA.org is a great website to see what fruits, vegetables, and herbs are in season in the San Francisco area.  CUESA (Center of Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) is a great organization that works to cultivate sustainable food systems through the operation of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and its educational programs.
When I go to the farmers market, whether it is for the restaurant or for my personal consumption, I take pride in knowing where my food came from and how it was grown.  I like to ask the farmer questions about the food and how they grow it.  It’s nice getting to know them a little bit before you purchase.  I find it rewarding when I understand the relationship that the food has beyond just filling our stomachs.  When I know where my ingredients came from, I can embrace the passion that went into growing them and express that passion when cooking them.

Fall makes me want to cook warm delicious food nonstop.  When I think of fall I immediately think about apples, pumpkins, and warm spices; coincidentally they are in season too.  One of my favorite desert snacks for fall are Ginger Baked apples.  It is so good, seasonal, and the whole family loves them.  I found the recipe last fall at herbazest.com .  I’m pretty sure I made them at least once a week.  Fall cooking is one of my favorites, check out my Pinterest board for all my favorite recipes.  I promise they are so good; they won’t disappoint you!



What makes eating healthy even more enjoyable is participating in seasonal harvests.  You can appreciate your food and knowing where it came from.  Going to a farmers market isn’t like going to a grocery store, it is an experience like no other.  Check out your local farmers market and share what seasonal fruits and vegetables you find!
Happy almost fall,

Go Green and Staying Keen,

Julie

Friday, July 18, 2014

Learning never ends

Even when you think you know it all…there are always new things to learn and innovative ways to be creative with your food.  I have been a vegetarian for more than five years and still feel like I keep learning new ways to cook and incorporate different ingredients into recipes.  Everyone at the restaurant is so knowledgeable and happy to share ideas and experiences to all that want to listen.  Working at a vegetarian restaurant has catapulted my learning into something even more than I thought possible.  It is definitely what makes working there so great!  


My brilliant chef has not only been my herb garden instigator, but also been my personal cookbook the past couple months.  He is always suggesting new ways to make dishes and how to add a little “pizazz” to an old recipe.  Somehow he can concoct a fresh recipe out of ingredients you would never thought about putting together.  His enthusiasm for vegetarian cuisine is great for our restaurant’s morale, the patrons who come here, and most importantly their taste buds.
As the manager, I have to learned to wear many hats; public relations, human resources, customer service, contracting food and so many more. I have also learned about sourcing food and what to look out for when purchasing goods.  Our restaurant always strives to yield fresh and original blends of ingredients in every dish.  I enjoy purchasing from local farmers that do not process their products.  By buying straight from the farmers you can be assured they have not be cross contaminated any of the products with meat; which is extremely important in our restaurant.  We purchase a few ingredients from a restaurant distributor, but we always make sure that it has been certified as vegetarian by the American Vegetarian Association.
Farmers Market- Meeting with local farmers

The knowledge I have obtained about foods and herbs from working in the restaurant is abundant.  I have a better understanding of ingredients and how they work in to create an unforgettable favor.  I have learned even more about how different types of foods yield important nutrients that are important in a vegetarian diet. Don’t worry I will post be posting my experiences with you, my friends, and family.
Oh, the things I have learned…J I never expected to learn how to order ingredients for a restaurant or working directly with patrons to create new dishes that appeal to them.  I am proud of how far I’ve come and what still lies in front of me.  I hope I never stop learning! 

Go Green and Keep Staying Keen!

Julie

Tuesday, July 08, 2014

To Grow, or Not to Grow

To be or not to be…To grow to not to grow, that is the question; I may not be Shakespeare but I am contemplating a very important question.  Should I plant an herb garden at home?  My fabulous chef at the restaurant was kind enough to bring me some of his fresh basil and cilantro from his garden and got my herb garden bug acting up again.  There is just something different when you use fresh herbs from the garden or ones from the store.
I always try using fresh ingredients and herbs whenever I can.  I have tried growing herbs at home before but most of them have never really turned out to much.  I would love to say I have a green thumb…but I don’t…not yet at least!   Last year, I bought a couple different types of herb seeds from the store and put some effort into planting them.  Four little sprouts came up and the other seeds must have disappeared into the soil. I really want to try it my herb garden again soon!



I notice a much more distinct and potent taste from fresh herbs.  When I use herbs from a garden in my food, it just tastes better…simple as that!  You are eating a natural product that you created from a simple seed. I love buying local and I know I could go to the farmers market to get my herb fix, but having your own garden at your cooking disposal is so much nicer.
There are so many pros of growing your own herb garden, it’s hard not start growing one.  I have to be doing something wrong when planting the seeds or I just have a brown thumb…the opposite of a green thumb.  I really want to try growing one again, so I did a little research and on almost every site I visited it said how easy it is to grow one.  Maybe if I think positive thoughts and sprinkle a little veggie love on them when I plant them, they will grow.
When I decide to grow my herb garden, what herbs should I plant? And how can I help each one of them grow?  Basil, chives, dill, mint, oregano…? Sunlight, shade, water, little water, inside or outside…?   There are so many options for growing it makes it even harder to decide.  I know that having my own herb garden would be so convenient and make my food even more delicious, I just need to get them to grow.
I clearly have a lot of questions about growing an herb garden.  This is something that I will probably end up doing, so I just want to make sure I understand it all so I don’t get disappointed again.



Advice about herb gardens are more than welcome!  I will keep you updated on any good advice I receive, so maybe you can have a successful garden too!

Go Green and Help Me Stay Keen,

Julie

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Restaurant dreams do come true

I LOVE MY NEW JOB!  Sorry it has been such a long time since the last post, I have been consumed by my new passion... working at a wonderful vegetarian restaurant as manager.  The past month at the restaurant has been such a learning and growing experience.  I have reignited my love for the restaurant industry and can’t wait to continue learning and growing. 



Starting work at a new restaurant is always exciting and a little bit nerve-wracking.  I had to get used to the way things are done and get the flow of the restaurant down.  It feels so great being back in the industry.  I love that I am constantly around new interesting people excited to be at a wonderful restaurant.   

Each day is a new adventure.  Working at a vegetarian restaurant is very different from when I was working at a chain restaurant during my college years.  The people coming into my new restaurant have an idea of what they are going to get food wise, and are excited to chat with others that have similar views.  It is also refreshing seeing people come in that are not vegetarians that are eager to try something new.  When I make my rounds through the dining room making sure everyone’s meals are good, it never fails, someone stops me and wants to share their story.  It is rewarding know that this restaurant does not only have good food, but also good company.

Since I started, my family and a few friends have been able to stop for dinner and, from what they tell me, had an unexpected wonderful vegetarian experience.  Like I´ve wrote before, people often underestimate how much variety vegetarians have to eat.  I love seeing the amazement on the face on non-vegetarians when they see how many options there are and how delicious and fulfilling the food is.  I try to make sure everybody leaves the restaurant happy, pleased with the service, and with a full belly of course.



One of the wonderful sandwiches at the restaurant

I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with.  I love asking questions and learning about the herbs and spices the chef uses to add a different zest to each dish.  I have taken quite a few notes… I want to pretend I’m Chef Julie at home. :)


If you would have asked me 3 years ago where I saw myself today, I would have never imagined I would be living out a lifelong dream working at a great vegetarian restaurant.

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

Friday, May 02, 2014

A new Veggie Journey

Looking back a couple months ago, I would have never thought I would be in the position I am today.

Yesterday I was offered a managerial position at a fabulous vegetarian restaurant near my neighborhood.

This morning, after discussing it with my family, I have decided to take on this new chapter of my vegetarian life. Unexpected moments like this make each day of my life something to look forward to.

Okay, now let’s rewind a little bit to where the seed of this fabulous opportunity was planted.  Last year I was at the World Veg Fest, one of the best events put on by the San Francisco Vegetarian Society, I met a brilliant woman very similar to myself.  She too, decided at a more mature age to become a vegetarian primarily because of her love for animals.  It also just so happened she owned a vegetarian restaurant near my neighborhood.  I had worked at a restaurant and always dreamed of managing or opening my own.  We got to chatting and it turned out we had a lot more in common than I expect.



We chatted all weekend at the fest.  She gave me some good cooking advice, ingredient suggestions, and we also exchanged different recipe ideas.  We had an instant connection from our vegetarian background to working in the restaurant industry, I knew she was a new vegetarian friend I wanted to align myself with.

Throughout the year I visited her restaurant quite a few times…maybe a little more times than I should have, but it is so delicious I couldn’t resist.  We also met up for coffee regularly and exchanged ideas on the latest veggie gossip…ha :)

Now we speed up to yesterday afternoon, I was having coffee with my dear friend just like any other day.  We were chatting about the days when I worked at a restaurant while in college.  She was oddly interested and asking a lot of questions about how quickly I rose in the ranks to become head waitress and assisted in small managerial tasks.  I assumed she was just comparing me to someone else who worked in her restaurant.  She began asking if I had spare time and if I was still interested in pursuing a manager position at a restaurant.  She explained she was looking for help in her restaurant because it was expanding so quickly and becoming very popular.  She continued to propose that I join her restaurant’s team and assist in managing her vegetarian restaurant!!

I was speechless!  It had always been a dream of mine managing or owning my own restaurant and now it could be a reality for me!  Dreams really do come true!  I was so excited I wanted to accept the position right away, but I knew I had to talk with my family about it this next venture.

Later in the day I discussed the proposal with my husband and he was all for this incredible opportunity.  It didn’t take much more discussing or contemplating until I decided to call my friend and accept the offer!  I found out I get to begin the next chapter of my veggie journey NEXT WEEK!  Words cannot describe how thrilled I am to start.

I am still in shock! I am so excited!! I can’t wait to pursue one of my lifelong goals, and be of help to such an incredible friend.  I can’t wait to share my continuing journey with all of you.  It’s going to be an exciting year, I can feel it already!

Happy thoughts and green vibes,

Julie

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Eat like a vegetarian

When I comes to food, vegetarians know how to eat!  It is definitely not all about salads.  I have so many favorite dishes but I have three favorites.  Here are some of my favorite recipes that are tried and true in my household.  They prove that we really do eat like kings.

DISCLAMER:  I don’t like to spend that much time in the kitchen preparing my favorite recipes so, these are delicious, easy, and don’t take that long.  I tried so many new ingredients when I first became a vegetarian, I like to think I have cooking time down to a science. :)

I hope you are as excited as I am to share my favorite recipes with you!

One of my all-time favorite foods are burritos.  I have tried over and over again to find the perfect balance between sweet and savory.  My Black Bean and Guacamole Burritos are, in my opinion, perfect for any occasion.


Black Bean and Guacamole Burritos

Prep time: 15 mins          Cook time: 10 mins          Serves 2

Easy Guacamole Ingredients

  • 2 avocados
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon of red onion, minced
  • 1 small totato, diced
  • 1/2 lime
  • 1/2 lemon
  • salt, to taste.
  • pepper, to taste



Burrito Ingredients

  • 1 large flour tortillas
  • 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1/2 can of black beans
  • 1 bag of chopped lettuce
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tomato
  • 1/4 cup of pepper jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup of monterey jack cheese


Instructions

  1. Remove the avocado from the skin and place into a bowl.
  2. Add garlic, red onion and tomato.  Mash the avocado with the garlic, red onion, and tomato until desired consistency. 
  3. Add lime and lemon and stir. Add salt and pepper until desired taste.
  4. Spread guacamole in the center of the flour tortilla. 
  5. Put the rice, beans, cheese, onion, tomato, and lettuce in the center of each tortilla and roll into a burrito pocket.
  6. Use an indoor grill, panini press, or stove top to heat the burrito until the tortilla is browned on each side.
  7. Serve with remaining guacamole or salsa.



*Photo and primary recipe courtesy of NaturallyElla

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I love sandwiches, and I’m not talking about a lettuce and tomato sandwich you probably assume I eat.   Some days you just crave a good, juicy, delicious sandwich.  I’m talking about something so savory your mouth waters profusely all day just at the thought of it.  My eggplant parmesan hero is my sandwich fix.  It is perfect on those days you just need to indulge a little bit.  I love using eggplant as a main ingredient; it is filling, delicious, and healthy for you!


Eggplant Parmesan Hero

Prep time: 15 mins          Cook time: 15 mins          Serves 4

Eggplant Parmesan Hero Ingredients

  • 1 medium eggplant (about 1 lbs)
  • 1 cup of marinara sauce
  • 1 cup seasoned croutons, crushed
  • 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
  • 4 hero or hoagie buns


Optional Ingredients

  • Oregano
  • Basil


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).  Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Cut eggplant into ¼ inch thick slices.  (If preferred, peal eggplant)
  2. Put marinara sauce into a small bowl.  Place crushed croutons and half the cheese into another dish.
  3. Dip eggplant into marinara sauce, then into the crouton and cheese mixture.  Place coated eggplant on the prepared cooking sheet.
  4. Bake for 15 mins or until the breading is browned and the eggplant is tender.
  5. Heat the remaining marinara sauce.
  6. OPTIONAL- On another baking sheet toast buns for 2 mins until lightly toasted.
  7. Place eggplant on bun, top with warm marinara,  and remaining cheese


Optional- Sprinkle with oregano and/or basil.


***************************************************************************

Since becoming a vegetarian, quinoa has become my best friend.  It works well in so many recipes and is high in protein, which is a major plus!  I love making Greek style quinoa and avocados for dinner when I don’t have that much time.  It is easy to make, quick, and yummy.

Greek Quinoa and Avocados

Prep time: 15 mins          Cook time: 15 mins          Serves 4

Greek Quinoa and Avocado Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded fresh spinach
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few spinach leaves
2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced.
1/3 cup of crumbled feta cheese.

Photo and primary recipe courtesy of bhg.com


Recipes like these go to show that vegetarians know how to cook and eat well.  These three are just a few of my favorites I make at home.  I love trying new recipes and exploring different ingredients.  I hope you will try some and suggest more yummy dishes to make!

Vegetarians unite!!  :)

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

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