This Morning’s smoothie before workout – try it for a pick me up in the afternoon or dessert!

Place in a blender:

1 cup frozen blueberries

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 tsp. vita green or other vegan protein powder (optional)

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. liquid stevia

I procured this cute wall art for my Berkeley vegan but I thought it apropos to post since I have been sharing photos and recipes for two days and today I will divulge the secret to Spinach Pesto, also from Michelle’s book (see Sunday’s post).

Pulsing garlic, fresh baby spinach, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, olive oil and walnuts is all you need to do to have a quick green sauce that would marry well with tomatoes, pasta and vegan parmesan or atop a pizza crust or even on some lemon seitan or tofu. This item would make a great hostess gift for the holidays all dolled up in a short mason jar wrapped with raffia and a homemade label. Just remember to refrigerate.

Again, if you would like specific amounts, e-mail or contact me.

Roasted Beet Burgers from Michelle and Josh’s book (see yesterday) was ten times more delicious than I expected. But next time, I will add 1 tablespoon of flax mixed into 3 tablespoons of water (basically a vegan “egg”) so the mixture doesn’t fall apart. Some patties were fine but about 1/3 of them crumbled upon transporting them onto a platter.

Basically, beets are roasted, combined with mushrooms, onion, garlic, olive oil, tamari and thyme and then baked together till crispy. Then, in a food processor, add brown rice, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to the roasted veggies and whir together. Form patties and cook in a skillet. I love that Michelle always reminds that a cast iron pan is ideal. Can’t wait to try cornbread. For the full and detailed recipe, email me.

Beet Mixture spread on a parchment lined baking sheet

Roasted Beet/Mushroom/Rice mixture after being food processed.

Ten Patties waiting for oil sprayed cast iron pan to heat up.

Weekends are a great time to whip up new and favorite recipes to have on hand for the rest of the week.

OMG! These “croutons” are grain/gluten free and vegan plus delicious!

Adapted from the cookbook, “oh she glows” by Angela Liddon

I omitted the oil and since I didn’t have the almonds she lists in her ingredients list, I used what nuts/seeds I had to equal a cup. Simply outstanding! Been popping them not just in my salads but in my mouth and this is a total keeper recipe.

Nutty Herbed Croutons – adapted from oh she glows

Combine 1 Tbs. ground flaxseed

mixed with 3 Tbs. water, stir and let sit for 15 min.

Preheat oven to 300. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

In a food processor, pulse

2 cloves of garlic and mince.

Add 1 cup of nuts (I used a mixture of Brazil nuts, walnuts, pistachios and sunflower seeds) and process until coarsely or finely chopped (I prefer coarse chop cause I like the crunch).

Add 2 Tbs. chopped sweet onion,

2 Tbs. fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried,

2 Tbs. fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried,

1 Tbs. fresh thyme or ½ tsp. dried,

1 Tbs. fresh rosemary or ½ tsp. dried,

½ tsp. dried oregano,

¼ tsp. fine grain sea salt and the flaxseed gel into the processor and whir until a sticky ball of dough forms.

Take a ½ tsp. spoon and portion out the dough with your fingers in haphazard shapes onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, flip each “crouton” with a fork, spoon or tongs and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until golden.

Let them cool so they can get crispier for @ 10 minutes and enjoy or let them cool completely and store in an airtight glass container. They will stay fresh for @ 3 weeks if they last that long.

Monday morning is yoga day and after one hour of practice, we have tea. This week I served some vegan granola with beet red hibiscus tea and we all felt better and more focused, ready to take on the week. That’s why I love Monday morning yoga. My yogini goddesses all walk out with their heads high and their minds and bodies cleansed.

Adapted from Deb Gleason’s Superfood Dark Chocolate Granola.

Chocolate Granola

All ingredients are organic

3 cups Trader Jo’s Multigrain Hot Cereal (rye, barley, oats and wheat) or plain ole rolled oats

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup sliced almonds or chopped nuts of choice

¼ cup whole chia seeds

¼ cup raw cacao nibs

¼ cup hemp hearts or seeds

2 Tbs. raw cacao powder

¼ tsp. Himalayan pink sea salt

3 Tbs. cold pressed coconut oil

½ cup maple syrup or raw agave syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix cereal, coconut, nuts, seeds, nibs, powder and salt.

Melt the oil if it has hardened. Add syrup and extract to oil and blend well. Add to the large bowl of cereal and stir until well combined and fully coated.

Spread the granola evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, stir and bake for 10 more minutes.

Allow the granola to cool fully and store in airtight containers.

I added almond/coconut milk to ½ cup for breakfast and sprinkled it on top of coconut vanilla ice cream for dessert. All these ingredients are super healthy and found online or Mother’s Market or Whole Foods.