Makoto

2 weeks ago Adam and I were sitting our pupses (this is my grandma's word for butts) on the beach in Miami. We went to Canyon Ranch Miami for our 'babymoon.' It was a wonderful balance of healthy, relaxing, informative, and fun in the sun with each other. We ate at this 'wow' restaurant that we found on yelp (4.5 stars!) and I dream of the miso sea bass that was cooked and marinated to perfection. Adam had oysters and the spicy tuna crispy rice which I'll be able to eat the next time. We shared the vegan stephen, tamago, Japanese charcoal corn and of course ended with housemade mochi. I can't wait to go back one day with Baby Glick...

Vegan brownies

Who doesn't love baking just so you can eat the dough?! It's been hard to resist the temptation to lick the spoon when baking with eggs-- a no no for pregnant women. So I decided to find egg-less or vegan recipes. I promise you will never know this recipe doesn't have dairy; it's the real deal. I've made them 2 times in a week and I want to share my tweaks with you. Originally the recipe came from the website Oh She Glows. Bravo to them for creating such deliciousness. 

• 1.5 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, whisked
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole almonds, ground into a flour/meal & sifted (OR sub 1.5 cups almond flour)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter substitute
• 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate, divided
• 3/4 cup organic cane sugar (I cut this by a 1/2 cup and it's still sweet enough for me!)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk (I used almond the 1st time, flax the 2nd time-- didn't matter)
• 1 tsp vanilla 

1. Preheat oven to 350F*. Grease a square or circle pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water and set aside.
2. In a blender or processor, process almonds into a meal/flour. Or, use store bought almond meal/flour. In a large bowl, whisk together the two flours, cocoa, salt, soda.
3. In a medium size pot, melt the chocolate and Earth Balance. Once dissolved, add in flax egg, sugar, vanilla, and milk. This can be done in a microwave but we don't have one. Doing it on the stove may take a few minutes more but I think it's well worth it :) 
4. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir well. The mixture will be dry but not to worry keep mixing! Add remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
5. Scoop batter into prepared pan and spread until smooth.
6. Bake for 28-30 minutes and allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1.5 hours. DO NOT REMOVE BROWNIES until completely cool or they will crack apart.

* Adam and I found out our brand new oven is 25 degrees hotter than it says it is. I highly recommend buying a $5 thermometer on amazon so you know exactly the temperature of your oven and can adjust the temp as necessary. Also after doing some testing, convection bake is the way to go. It cooks a lot more evenly. Merely suggestions...

Enjoy! And be sure to save yourself some dough like I do :-)

Find a gluten free AND vegan version here: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/10/19/vegan-brownies-two-ways/#ixzz32IOeMAv9

Caesar Salad Dressing

Last weekend Adam's brother Ben was in town and he made us this dressing. I think I've had caesar salad almost every day since-- it's THAT good! In the picture to the right I added tempeh and avocado. If you don't want to lick your bowl by the end then you've done something wrong! 

Very finely mince 4 garlic cloves and 4 anchovy filets. Mix with 1/2 cup real mayo, 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan reggiano, and the juice from 2 lemons. (Please don't use the store bought kind). Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with more cheese.

*Because there is no raw egg in this recipe, the dressing can keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Nutritious Bars

I've been so excited to wake up and eat new my favorite breakfast thanks to my friend Melinda who sent me these bars. Typically I stay away from buying any sort of bar because I know there are better ways feed my body (and my baby) but these are real ingredients which truly satisfy. The bars are made of almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, coconut, coconut oil, honey, and dried blueberries. The best news is you can order them!!! This is really awesome for us Texarkana folks :) They store in the fridge for 3 weeks and in the freezer for 3 months. Thank you Melinda for another great find! Go to http://nutritiousfamily.com/snack-bars/ to place your breakfast/snack/dessert bars.

Sandwich ideas

Good afternoon! I write to you today with a full belly... not just from the lunch I ate (pic 1) but I have baby news! Adam and I are 4 months pregnant and super excited about this next chapter in our lives. Baby Glick will be making his appearance in September.

So my blog has taken a new direction! I look forward to sharing what I'm eating throughout my pregnancy (the first 3 months weren't so pretty) and one day soon enough I'll be making my own baby food too. I hope to be able to give you a little inspiration along the way whether you're pregnant, have a family, or are just feeding yourself.

When people find out I don't eat meat (and yes this means no chicken) they often ask, 'what do you eat?' Or, 'where do you get your protein?' Today I wanted to showcase a couple of the lunches I have made this week.

The first is what I would call a Mediterranean sandwich... open faced so you can see :)  It's quite simple, very quick, and most importantly delicious! It's hummus, cucumber, avocado, red bell pepper, and feta cheese served with an orange and some seaweed chips. I do admit to eating my fair share of potato chips and tortilla chips this pregnancy and so I decided to branch out and try some new chips to quench my crunchy salty craving. These are high in protein, low in fat, and worth a try. Check out ocean's halo seaweed chips. They have all different flavors.
*This sandwich would be excellent wrapped up in butter lettuce, a pita pocket, or a tortilla as well.

The second sandwich is one of my favorite go-tos. Here we have a mashed avocado spread (just add a little lime or lemon and some salt) with chopped hard boiled egg (two) and some cucumber slices served with an apple and salt and vinegar pop chips. Pop chips make a great alternative to a lot of other chips on the market and I buy the individual packs on amazon to keep my portions in check.
*This sandwich is also awesome on rice cakes if you have a gluten allergy or want a low-carb option.

Hope you enjoy these satisfying sandwiches as much and BG and I do ;)

Oatmeal-walnut-prune cookies

Last night we had Adam's parents over for dinner to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary which was 9/17. Adam has become the head chef our house and I'm mostly in charge of appetizers and dessert. This is what I decided to make for the sweet treat of the night :)

Dry ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat flour, barley flour, brown rice flour, unbleached all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup date sugar (or maple sugar or any sugar of your liking)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Wet ingredients

1/2 cup safflower oil*

1/3 cup maple syrup 

1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp molasses

about 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
about 1/4 cup prunes chopped
I didn't measure the walnuts or plums so do what you think is the right amount...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and mix.
3. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl and mix.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix. Then add the chopped walnuts and prunes.
5. Form into cookies and bake for 10-12 minutes.

*I found the dough to be a bit oily but the cookies turned out perfectly. I do recommend using parchment paper because it makes for an easy clean up!

Juicing

I often get asked the question: 'which is better, juicing or blending?' My answer is I like them both, I think variety is the key, and long as you don't think of juicing as a replacement for veggies and fruit then you are golden! I mean tell me a better way to use your wilted kale?! My new favorite juice is kale + lime + celery + apple.