Raw recipe: Bloody "Green" Smoothie with pears

Merry Christmas! I hope you spent a nice dinner yesterday and that you don't have an overdose of relatives and hugs yet (we still have to celebrate New Year, remember?). 

Usually I do, but because this year I am not going to Russia for holidays  at least I will safe myself the relatives who think that I am some kind of teddy bear which can be squashed, squeezed and hugged while I am trying to breath and not to bring up all the food I have eaten. It is already a problem to see friends and family when you are in Russia because every time you pay a visit (even if you told them you only have fifty minutes!) they set a table full of pancakes, tea and all kind of sweet and savory treats. So imagine in Christmas....

I remember that my godfather, for who a stack of pancakes is a required element in case of visitors, was almost shocked when I told him that I didn't eat eggs or milk anymore (being a vegan in Russia, where sour cream and butter are as essential as water, is something worse than being an alien).I think that this hospitality with friends and relatives contrasts with the coldness and indifference that Russian people show with strangers (and I don't mean foreigners: I mean other Russian people)

Because I am sure that we all have indulged ourselves more than we should last night, I thought it would be better to post something light (I have a recipe for the coffee brownies I cooked for our Christmas table, but I decided I'm going to save it for later).  I have posted a couple of green smoothie recipes before (see Basic green smoothie and Chocolate green smoothie), but because there are endless combination I feel like I could post dozens of them! 

For today's smoothie you will need a juicer (trying to squeeze a beetroot with a lemon-squeezer can be quite unproductive) as well as a blender, but I suppose it's not a big deal (because you must have a juicer! If not, now you know what you should ask for Christmas next year). The process is simple: make the juice, add it to the blender, put first the veggies (cabbage in this case, but you can use spinach or kale) in small amounts and don't add the fruit until it is all completely blended, playing with the proportions until you like the taste. If you are not used to eat greens this way, I would recommend adding more fruit than veggies, but it's up to you.

Have you realized that every day more and more people have green smoothies? It's not only the green smoothies: all the raw movement is trendy, and I think it's great. I especially like the approach of Gena of Choosing Raw: she is what people call "high raw", because she also eat cooked food. I would not be able to go 100% raw, and I would not  like either. I think there are some nutrients we can't get only from raw food and we shouldn't be extremist. In this sense, Gena`s principle is wise: listen to your body. If it's snowing outside and you feel like having a soup, and not kale salad....do it! 

I also read in his blog about food combining, and this is the reason why this time I didn't add nuts. She also posted a raw Christmas menu (I know it's a little bit late, but you can use it for New Year)

Bloody "Green" Smoothie with pears Recipe form: ~ original recipe ~ Serves: about 1 liter This makes about one liter of green smoothie. I don't have any problem with eating it whole on the morning, but most of the people have stomachs that can't hold so much food, especially if you are not used to raw food. So consider halving the amounts or be aware that you will have some leftovers (although if you can eat it all...great! You will have your vitamin and minerals dose for the whole day). I added pear, but you can try with apple too, or even orange. You can also play with the consistency: I like my smoothies rather thick, so they can hold the pieces of fruit or whatever I add after blending. I don't recommend adding water: juicing more of the fruit (or adding some extra) instead of blending it will work much better because you won't lose any flavor. Juice of : 1 beetroot, small 1 pear, medium 3 carrots 1/2 cucumber 1/2 lemon 5 dried figs  1 pear 3 or 4 leafs of cabbage a handful of parsley 1 tsp of tahini 1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds For decoration: 1/2 avocado another pear Put the four first ingredients in the juicer. Add the lemon juice (I do it with a lemon-squeezer) Put all the juices in the blender. Add the dried figs. Pulse. Add the parsley. Pulse again. Add first the cabbage and at the end the pear, roughly chopped and seeded.  **I discovered than adding first the harder ingredients (like the figs or the greens, which have a lot of cellulose) makes a better blended and smooth....smoothie (doesn't it sound redundant?) Greens are great, and despite what people think they are tasty, but I don't like finding pieces of cabbage in my smoothies.  Add the tahini and the ground flaxseeds. Blend and taste it. If it is too strong, add extra fruit or a sweeter of your choice. Chop the reserved pear and half of an avocado in little pieces. Add it after blending. If you don't like "chunky" smoothies, you can blend it too. 4) Enjoy your delicious AND healthy treat :)

The first school term is over, and now I have a five days long break to recover from that horrible invention called exam. Well, actually not: we must give the first draft of a fifty pages long (very important) project we are supposed to have begun in summer. I still have wrote twenty pages so far.

So, instead of apologizing for being during almost a month in hiatus, I think you will appreciate something more….ehm, useful than my excuses and complains about how difficult is a student’s life and blah blah.

Do you like Photoshop? I must confess that I hated it for a long time; it was too complicated, too heavy, with too many things I didn’t understand and I didn’t need. I was already happy with my lighter and less fussy Paint Shop Pro. I suppose I was on safe ground and I just didn’t want to leave it. Now I discovered many of Photoshop’s advantages and I cou ldn’t live without it.  One of the things I learnt some days ago is how to use actions. For example, this one gives to your photo a fresh and original comic style. Compare.

Photoshop is wonderful. We know that. But some people make the mistake of thinking that it can transform a disastrous photo in a wonderful one. First of all, I would recommend shooting in RAW format whenever possible because it gives you much more control over the photo (because the data lost is minimum). Second, NO flash please; natural light is the best you can use, but sometimes is not enough. To solve this problem I use a homemade reflector. Actually, just a cardboard with some silver paper glued on it.

And the difference can be substantial. Look at this two photos I took for my previous Cauliflower and green peas dry curry post: in the first one a reflector was used; in the second, not.

And you? Do you love it? Or its huge amount of tools scares you? Do you prefer using natural light or you are lucky and have one of those powerful external flashes (which have nothing to do with the flash included in the camera)?

I have got into the habit of doing everything with music….I even study and do homework with music! Because listening to the same songs one time and another is boring, I had to look for something new (I know it is supposed to be a vegan food blog and has nothing to do with music, but I just wanted to share it with you), and I found it: Evans Blue and Sick Puppies (no Lady Ga Ga for me, please). In case someone is interested, here is two of the songs I have been listening the most (I have just discovered that an embedded music player is trickier than I thought)

Cold (but I'm still here) (Evans Blue) -->

You're going down (Sick Puppies)-->

Ok, what I suppose you were looking for when you entered in a food blog: the recipe. By the way, this recipe is my December’s contribution to Tried&Tasted event (originally created by Zlamushka) which featured one blog every month; this time Closet Cooking by Kevin was chosen as the featured blog and Salt to Taste by Hema as the hostess. You just have to choose one of the many recipes from Kevin’s blog and send the information to Hema. You can use this logo, which I was pleased to design (you know that I am crazy about graphic design) and link it to Salt to Taste blog entry about the event. It would be also nice if you could give me credit and link to this blog too.

Feel free to use this logo (I am the official T&T designer…yay!),but it would be nice if you linked back to Tales of a Spoon ;) It’s the only thing that I ask in return.

Sweet potato pancakes Original recipe form: Closet Cooking Serves: four large pancakes and lots of small one (sorry, I couldn’t count them because I ate them to quickly) I don’t know why it didn’t try it before, because the combination is perfect. The sweet potato makes the pancakes dense, giving them a sweet (and unmistakable) flavor. The original recipe had eggs and buttermilk in it, so I had to change some things in order to veganize it:  I used soymilk with vinegar instead of buttermilk (tofu would have worked too. Check Go Dairy free for more buttermilk vegan alternatives), ground flaxseeds instead of the egg and olive oil instead of melted butter. I reduced the amount of sugar, used only whole wheat flour and finally did small pancakes instead of big ones. I froze most of them to enjoy them for breakfast during the next weeks. -1 cup whole wheat flour -1 tsp baking powder -2 Tbsp brown sugar -1 tsp cinnamon -½ tsp nutmeg -1 cup vegetable milk + 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar -½ cup cooked & mashed sweet potatoes (about one small potato) -1 Tbsp olive oil -1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds + 2 Tbsp water -½ tsp salt Cook ahead the sweet potatoes; I baked them because I love the flavor of the charred skin, which I left for the texture. Mix the milk and the apple cider vinegar (you can also use lemon juice) and leave it to stand for ten minutes. In another small bowl mix as well the ground flaxseeds and the water and do the same. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, spices, salt, sugar) in one bowl and the wet ingredients (butter milk alternative, flaxseeds, sweet potatoes and oil) in another. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones slowly, mixing well but do not overmixing. I recommend using a non stick saucepan and no oil at all. You can make a few big pancakes or a lot of small ones; I did the last. The mixture must be dense  but not too much, so you can pour them easily. Cook them on a medium heat and wait until some air bubbles appear on one side before flipping. Serve with some jam, tahini, lemon juice, or margarine and sugar. I ate them with the compote de pommes my French partner gave as a present when I did the students exchange.  Magnifique !They freeze very well and can be kept for several month (but I doubt if they are going to last you so long….)

Vietnamese Dessert Pudding with White Beans and Sticky Rice in Coconut Milk

It seems like I’m not the only one who has got a food blogger’s block, judging by the last post of The Sophisticated Gourmet (who despite having a food blogger’s block, has cooked some New York-style bagels that look more than appetizing). I suppose it has something to do with my lack of time (and creativity). School is absorbing all my time and energy like a sponge! So it’s logical: if I don’t cook anything blog-worthy, how can I write a good post?

Today’s recipe is  Che Dau Trang and, and it iss my contribution to the october’s Tried&Tasted, the blog event created by Zlamushka. This month the featured blog is Wandering Chopsticks (what a lovely name!), and the hostess is Trupti of Trupti’s Food Corner.  Wandering Chopsticks is a food blog specialized in Vietnamese dishes, although there is plenty of non-Asian dishes too. Among the dozens (or maybe hundreds? The recipe index is vast!) of recipes, I decided to try this, the Vietnamese Dessert Pudding with White Beans and Sticky Rice in Coconut Milk, or Che Dau Trang (Ok. I think I will follow calling it just rice& beans dessert pudding)

Vietnamese Dessert Pudding with White Beans and Sticky Rice in Coconut Milk I won’t copy the recipe here again: you can get it here. Actually, I cooked this many weeks ago….and now I regret it. Why? Because I bought coconut milk for the first time in my life a week ago. And I don’t know why I haven’t done it before because I loved it! Taking advantage of my visit to Barcelona, I stopped by the Asian supermarket and bought a couple of cartons of coconut milk. I have drunk my morning coffee (I think I am becoming a caffeine addict) with coconut milk since then. It adds a delicate and slightly creamy touch that I love. Why I am talking about that now? Because my coconut milk pudding…was without coconut milk. Yeah, I cooked it with soy milk, and I would not recommend you doing the same. It tastes great anyway (I ate the full pot in two days), but it will curdle. So if you have coconut milk, use it. I have also used brown rice instead of glutinous rice. I don’t know if glutinous brown rice exists, but I have only seen white glutinous rice. Because I try to avoid anything refined, I opted for the brown variety. I reduced the amount of sugar. The original recipe called for ½ cup, but I added only 2 tbsp, and it was enough for me. The verdict: I sincerely liked the dish, even with soy milk and with non-glutinous rice. I suppose you can eat it like a dessert, but I think it would be a wonderful breakfast. Actually, this was the way I ate it. It is an easy and tasty way to combine grains and beans in the same dish (and get complete protein) without resorting to the typical rice and lentils combo.

I love this photo :) It was taken during the party we did in the beach to say goodbye to Summer and Summer holidays. I have not posted it until today because although we began school a month ago, the weather has been abnormally hot during all September and part of October, so nobody had the feeling that it was fall….until a couple of days ago. I was freezing yestarday while waitng for the bust! So, see you next year, summer :) Me with two of my friends (I'm the one in the middle)

 

Crème of buckwheat & useful links for bloggers and designers

A buckwheat fan? A buckwheat hater who regret his aversion to it and want to get on the right track? (you will discover below why buckwheat is so good for you) Someone interested in design or sources of tips for bloggers? Then, go on reading!

 During the last days, I discovered that almost everything can be thrown in the blender and transformed in your dinner (or lunch, or breakfast) in just 5 minutes. Well, maybe not 5 in some cases….have you ever tried to remove all the seeds of a bunch of grapes? Or of almost half of a watermelon? . Some of the combinations tasted OK, some tasted not as OK, I directly throw to the rubbish bin one of them, and a few of them were just luscious, though I should not say it because it’s my own creation. But on second thoughts, would you try them if I say that they are inedible?

Do you like buckwheat? I love it. I mean, I adore it. I could survive only on buckwheat. Ok, ok. Maybe not only on buckwheat, but almost. Give me some soy milk and olive oil and then I really won’t need anything else. After getting my dental braces, it came as a complete shock to me. No buckwheat? Impossible! Only almost a week after it I got the brilliant idea (because it is brilliant, you can’t deny that) to put it all in the blender, oil and milk included. And voilà….when I tasted it, I thought I was in the heaven. Or more exactly, it was like a piece of heaven in a bowl. It had an incredibly rich texture, with that nutty and deep flavor that buckwheat has, but light, puffy and creamy. Like if it has whipped cream in it (but it didn’t!).

I adore design almost as much as buckwheat (and that means really a lot). How many of you like design? I would like to know it, because I am thinking about including some design tips in the blog too. I know that I am not a wizard with it, but I get by (I think that I did a good job with the current design, for instance). But the most important is that love it. Yeah, as much as food (but maybe not as much as buckwheat). I could include at least some links to websites that really can give you good advises, because I am afraid that the most skilful of you could even teach me (I have seen incredible designs out there). What do you think about? Any HTML/PHP/CSS/Dreamweaver/Photoshop fan out there? To start with, here is some links that can be useful to any blogger or designer [see links below]

And talking about the blog content, what would you like to see in the blog? What kind of recipes? More baked goods? Healthy recipes? Gluten free recipes? Maybe more traditional Russian or Spanish dishes? In relation to the design (and maybe blogging) tips I mentioned, what kind of information would be useful for you? I would like to be able to help with food styling and photography, but I still have to learn. Nevertheless, I always can concentrate for you the advices of the masters.  I really appreciate your feedback!

I am leaving to Moscow today, at 7PM, but I won’t arrive at Sheremetevo (one of the Moscow’s airport, that is in detriment of the newer Domodeedovo. Can you believe that no trains arrive to Sheremetevo?) until….5AM! Oh, sleepless nights, how I hate you. I will take my beloved camera with me as hand luggage, so if I am lucky enough (and I don’t fall asleep while I am waiting for my next plane), I will try to do some photos in the Rome airport, where I have to change. I hope I will be able to post some photos during my travel, but if not, see you after on 26th August.

Crème of buckwheat Serves 1 Time of preparation: about 10 minutes (plus the 25 min of the buckwheat cooking) From: own recipe I only can say that if you have never tried buckwheat…what are you waiting for??? You would be surprised to know how healthy it is.  Although I have been eating buckwheat all my life (it’s a very common food in Russia), I have always thought that it is a grain. But it’s not! Actually, is “a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel making it a suitable substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens”, according to Whole food. Did you know that one cup of cooked buckwheat covers between 20 and 35% of your daily needs of manganese, tryptophan, magnesium and dietary fiber? Did I tell that all that has got only 154 kcal? A couple of cookies have got more than that! And if you have already tried buckwheat and know about all its goodness, I recommend you try in that way. It will surprise you, I assure you. -1 cup cooked buckwheat * -3/4 cups soymilk (or any other non-dairy milk) -1/4 cup water -a pinch of salt -1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil (or your favorite oil. I think that sesame oil will taste great because of its nuttiness) Mix the soymilk, water and salt in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes if using soy milk, and one minute or two if using any other non-dairy milk. Why? Soy milk can be sometimes difficult to digest, and boiling it helps to prevent difficult digestions. Add the cooked buckwheat and boil another two or three minutes. Let it cool a little bit, and pour it in the blender (or use an immersion blender if it’s the case). Pouring boiling liquids in it can be dangerous, both for you and your blender. Blend it until it has got a creamy texture. If it’s too think, add more water. Add the oil and adjust salt. Serve with extra oil drizzled on top, and if you have some buckwheat left some kernels. *To cook buckwheat, to it according the packaging. If there are not instructions, wash it two or three times, changing the water each time. Cover it with cold water (four or five centimeters above the buckwheat). Add salt. Boil covered for 20-25 minutes. Don’t stir. If there is not enough water, add a little bit more. It’s OK if there is some left even if the buckwheat is done, because I recommend covering it with a cloth (or many) to keep the heat and leave it to stand (at least 10’) It will absorb the water and finish cooking without burning the sauce pan.

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Useful links

For bloggers:

Food blog alliance – Thank to Kalyn for telling me about that site! According to their own description, “here experienced food bloggers share their expertise with the community, by offering tips, tutorials and observations about food blogging. Sort of like a problogger.net but for food bloggers”. There are articles written by so well known bloggers as the authors of The Perfect Pantry, Smitten Kitchen, Simply Recipes or David Lebovitz (you guessed, by Devid Lebovitz. I adore the way he writes! Don’t you?). Some examples of what you can find there is “11 tips to improve your blog writing”  and “guest bloggers: to have or not to have (and how to do it)”  

Problogger – Well, I could not forget about that, right? “This site is dedicated to helping other bloggers learn the skills of blogging, share their own experiences and promote the blogging medium.” Some examples: How to Get In Tune with Your Readers Needs [and Produce Compelling Content] or “How I’m Increasing Reader Engagement on my Blog”;

Expandable Post Summaries on Blogger on Cute Writing - An expandable post summary is what I use on my blog: only a fraction of the post is visualized on the home page. You keep your home page clean and organized, and visitors can select themselves what they want to read, instead of scrolling and scrolling.

Links collections:

Script & Style – “Links to help you grow as a designer and developer”. Lots of great tutorials and articles collected together. Inspiration:The design Inspiration – “The freshest and best quality design inspiration for you daily”

Design flavr – “Daily design and visual art inspiration”ToolsA button Generator – One of the best (and easiest) button generators I have ever seen. Recommended.

Button maker by Adam Kalsey – This generates a tiny buy cute button. Very customizable.

BgPatterns – This tiled backgrounds designer allows you to create them in minutes.

Design (general)

>Bittbox - freebies, tutorials, vectors, Photoshop brushes, textures. Created by Jay Hilgert.

A list Apart - “For people who make websites“ “A List Apart Magazine explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices”

Web designer depot – “Webdesigner Depot is an exciting new platform designed to explore different web and graphic design techniques, great examples and best practices.”

Web designer ledger – “The Web Design Ledger is a publication written by web designers for web designers. The primary purpose of this site is to act as a platform for sharing web design related knowledge and resources. Topics range from design inspiration to tips and tutorials and everything in between.”

This is only an example of my bookmarked design/blogger related websites. I am subscribed to more than twenty!