Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

I can't remember the last time I had a calzone. They are delicious! This recipe was inspired from Leafy Greens and Me...I could barely wait to get this one underway. I've had a few of these the last few days trying to get good pictures...what a tough job right! :) What I really loved about this is the roasted garlic cream sauce....roasted garlic is amazing and actually mellows out after roasting leaving wonderful mild flavors, a little nutty, sweet, almost caramel like. I added some miso to the garlic sauce, giving it that little extra something. Miso is a staple in my refrigerator and lasts up to a year, you can find more uses for miso by searching my site in the box on the right or by scrolling down to the ingredients list. I have a couple recipes that you might enjoy. Be sure to pick up some miso and get this calzone into your life, and if you don't have miso this will still be a great roasted garlic cream sauce!

• 1 1b. whole wheat/grain pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's), divided into 4 sections
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut somewhat small
• four large leaves of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped or left somewhat whole (I used curly kale) or a bundle of spinach
• large handful cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• olive oil, to brush on top of calzone
• himalayan salt and cracked pepper to taste
• cornmeal for dusting the pizza wheel

• 1 cup cashews, soaked for at least two hours or over night
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup water, if you soaked the cashew for two hours use 1 cup, if soaked overnight use 1/2 cup water
• 1 head garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons white miso
• juice of 1 lemon
• himalayan salt & pepper to taste

I would love to see your masterpieces! #thesimpleveganista

One delicious bite after another!

These were such a hit when I shared my 'Follow My Kitchen' photo on Facebook that I wanted to put the recipe together for everyone to have. And it comes at a good time too, I think people right now are looking for some Superbowl snack idea's....this is a great snack for the line up. Not only are they super healthy but they're refreshing, filling, easy and fun to make! And so colorful too....just lovely. All these vibrant colors are good for you...full of antioxidents, nutrients, fiber and yes, even protein! Fresh and raw is a beautiful way to eat. At least half of our daily food consumption should be raw foods for optimal health, not always easy, but hopefully this will be a fun way to add some rawness to your life. Your mind, body and soul will thank you!

What you'll need

Kale Pesto

Amounts for the vegetables will vary on how many your making, use your best judgement on how much you will need. If you can't find sprouts or micro greens, try using cilantro or fresh basil leaves. 

For the kale pesto, place ingredients into food processor and process until desired consistency. Taste for seasoning. 

Lay your zucchini flat on a hard surface, layer with the pesto, make a sprouts and veggies mound on one end. Roll into a wrap and stick with a toothpick in the center. Top with mineral salt & cracked pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Notes: 

Enjoy!

I've been playing around a couple times with this pear tart and finally decided I like the simplicity of these ingredients. I actually started with apples like this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but decided to try pears and it came out pretty good. I love tarts and do crave them every once in awhile so this hit the spot. Not too overly sweet with nice flavors from the glaze. This would be nice with some walnut pieces too. I had a little extra glaze left over and could have glazed some walnut pieces and sprinkled them on top too, but next time. :)

In this recipe, I'm using a store bought pastry puff but please feel free to make your own. I haven't attempted that yet but will try later with another tart no doubt. I was happy to see that Pepperidge Farm's carries a plant based pastry puff. Let me say that I don't recommend eating this stuff all the time, and homemade is better if you do, but every once in awhile is ok, especially if your in a pinch and need a pastry puff. Now to find an organic store bought pastry puff, that will be a keeper!

So easy to put together. I just laid the thawed unfolded pastry puff straight onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (still waiting for my silpat), no flour on the bottom needed. I didn't even roll the dough...just unfolded and placed on the paper. Core your pears, I used a metal teaspoon (shown above) to core mine. Thinly slice your pears, I leave the skin on for a rustic appeal and because I just like it like that, but you can peel your if you like. Sprinkle a layer of corn starch on the pastry puff, about 1 teaspoon or so, this will help soak up some moisture. (You may be fine skipping this step, my oven is tilted and the juices flow down to the edge keeping it too moist so this step helps me. I also tried coating the pears with corn starch but didn't like the crustiness it left on them after cooking.) Lay your pears slices down leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch along the edges. You can see in the photo directly above that the pears were too close to the edge at the top portion of the picture, luckily I noticed and fixed it before putting it in the oven so the pastry puffed up nicely around all edges. Next, add glaze and a light sprinkling of coconut sugar, bake for 50 minutes...let cool a few minutes and enjoy...(you don't need to move it to to a wired rack to cool, I did this just to have a cleaner photo)

Pear Mosaic Tart with Cinnamon Maple Glaze

Adapted from this recipe at Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or use a silpat, place thawed pastry puff on top. Cover the pastry puff with a light kitchen towel so it doesn't dry out, set aside away from the oven heat.

Prepare your glaze by combining all three ingredients in a small bowl. Stir and stir until the cinnamon finally incorporates into the syrup. Set aside.

Core and slice your pears about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Doesn't have to be exact, in the middle would be great. I just did it by hand and some were thinner and some were thicker. Layer your tart leaving about 1/4 inch along the edges. Using a silicon brush, lightly add the glaze to the pears and a light coat on the edges as well. Finally, sprinkle with a light dusting of coconut sugar.

Bake for 50 minutes turning 180 degrees after 30 minutes. Remove, let cool and enjoy. Serves 4 to 6.

Exercise is vital for a long, healthy, happy and rich life. It helps you sleep, look good, feel good and does absolute miracles for your bod. Trust me. Try to get in 10-30 minutes of exercise per day - you won't regret it. 

Now why am I talking about getting my sweat on? Who cares? Well, I'd like to think you do. Now if you have just worked out and want some delicious, raw, whole food nourishment - try this recipe. The perfect meal to consume right after exercise is a smoothie. Preferably with fruit, dark leafy greens and some kind of protein. I love hemp seeds and several different vegan protein powders. Why? Because your body needs to replenish the calories it just lost, and also repair the muscle tissue that was damaged when you worked out. I know that sounds scary but it's all good. When you eat protein and carbs after a workout, the protein works to repair and improve your muscle - that's how you get guns! The carbs (in fruit) replenish calories lost. Your body can effortlessly take these in when in smoothie form because there's almost no digestion needed - just absorption. I give you a basic post-workout smoothie recipe below, using Vega protein powder. 

I know some raw foodists strongly believe we should not have to use protein powders because we can get all our required protein (which actually isn't that much, contrary to public belief) from entirely whole foods. I don't like to hold convictions for any case, and this one isn't special. Everyone is different - some people do fine without extra protein powder, some don't. I like to use it because it helps me build muscle faster and more efficiently. Also, I don't want to have to eat bowls and bowls of spinach and broccoli all day. 

I am NOT saying you can't get enough protein on a raw vegan diet unless you have protein powders. Definitely not. But if you work out a lot you need to repair your muscle tissue with protein, and the most efficient and convenient way to do that is with protein powder. Also, it's not like it's this terrible over-processed food. You can find loads of excellent brands out there that gently process whole foods into clean and simple powders. Of course, there are also some sketchy GMO soy isolate proteins which I do not recommend. I love Sun Warrior, an all raw powder, and Vega (also it's creator and pro athlete - Brendan Brazier. Read his book, Thrive).

As my blog continues to increase in popularity I am realizing this could become my actual job! I never thought I would be able to do this for a living but if things keep going the way they are, it is a possibility. Of course I am no where near that point yet, but I see an exponential pattern. 

I want to thank all of you for supporting me this entire time and encouraging me to keep growing my website and sharing recipes. You make it worth while! If I can spend my time creating recipes, photographing them and sharing them with you instead of trudging to a conventional job every day - that would be my dream come true. I love what I do on This Rawsome Vegan Life and with your support I hope I will be able to continue doing this for the rest of my days. SO THANK YOU! If you have any problems getting your e-book, please contact me. My email is emilyvoneuw@gmail.com.
Much love! Em

Another soup is born! I love soups...plus it's raining here today and I wanted something easy and warm. I've been on the computer most of the day too setting up my Instagram account and playing with my phone, linking everything together with social media. All that stuff takes time and I'm glad to be done with that. It's time well spent as it's a new experience for me...and your more than welcome to join me if you like to see what else is going on in my kitchen, as well as out and about in the big wide world. This was a perfect soup to accompany the weather and my geek day. It's also great for it's healing, relaxing, warming and flavorful qualities. All the vegetables and spices came together so well. The purplish hue of the broth comes from the purple sweet potato I used. With all this color, you know it's full of nutrients. The sweet potato and sun-dried tomatoes add a nice sweetness to the soup. If you can't find purple potatoes, you can sub with any color you can find. If you don't care for sweet potatoes, use Yukon gold, red or purple or blue potatoes. This is a perfect hearty and nutrient dense soup for those cool afternoon days and chilly nights. It was so good and filling! 

Wherever you sprinkle...Enjoy!