Moon & Balance

nutrition~vegetarianism~lifestyle

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Back on the West coast...new projects coming... Much love

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Vegan Tacos 3

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Lunch time! I swear I am so dedicated to using dry beans over canned. To me you really can taste the difference. ~Harissa Sage hummus ~ 1 cup soaked, cooked garbanzo beans 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic 1tsp cumin 2tsp Harissa spice 1tsp sea salt 1tsp sage 1/3 cup water Squeeze of lemon or lime Just blend! I don't use Tahini because it is high in fat. Because of the dried beans, lack of tahini and using minimal oil, it is a bit more textured. Also, if you want a different flavor, just lose the Harissa and sage, and replace with whatever you want! My favorites are roasted red pepper, sun dried tomato, spinach, herbs, and even wasabi! Hummus is soooo versatile you can give it whatever flavor you're feeling :-)

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So these guys go by many names ~ cactus pear, tuna, nopal fruit… But they all refer to the fruit that the cactus “Opuntia” produce. You might know it as Prickly Pear.

Both the leaves (nopales or pads) and the fruit provide health benefits but I’m here to talk about the fruits!!! I call them “tuna” as that’s how I was introduced :-)

~ they are high in vitamin C source of magnesium ~ aid in weight loss Help stabilize blood sugar levels ~ source of calcium & even aid in curing a hangover!!!

Plus they are so yummy! I just moved to Florida so I’m so happy to have these around :-)

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Vegan/GlutenFree Pumpkin Pie

For some reason I became inspired to bake a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin. To make it more interesting I decided I wanted it to be vegan! I adapted my recipe from The Minimalist Baker which also happened to be gluten free! Even better :-)

Ingredients 😋 Crust ~ 2 cups pitted & finely chopped dates 2 cups finely chopped unsalted nuts ( I did 1cup macadamia 1cup almonds) 1/4 cup ground oats

I didn’t have access to a food processor but did have a hand chopper so I chopped the nuts in that. If you have a food processor I would recommend using that! But mine turned out just fine this way :-)

~chop the nuts and oats

~chop dates until they are basically a big ball of mush

~mix together until completely combined (I used my CLEAN hands!)

~roll into a ball and spread evenly on a lightly greased pie dish. I made two mini pies cuz I didn’t have a regular sized on hand.

Cover and refrigerate.

For the FILLING…😋 Ingredients ~

1cup FRESH pumpkin. Not canned 1 2/3 cups unswtnd almond milk 4 tbsp cornstarch 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1/3 cup RAW organic sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp sea salt

~ I used a sugar pumpkin and roasted it then literally just mashed it up until it was a purée. I got it as smooth as possible (like I said I didn’t have a food processor) but if you have one, use it :-)

~whisk together dry ingredients

~use a rubber spatula to combine the pumpkin purée with the dry ingredients

~slowly pour in almond milk while whisking

~place over medium heat

You want to heat it until where it bubbles. Keep whisking until it thickens, switch to a spatula cuz it’ll stick to the pot. I cooked mine a total of probably 15 minutes or so. It should be jiggly.

~transfer to a glass bowl and cover with plastic. Make sure the plastic touches the pudding.

Once it’s totally cool (2+ hrs) you can scoop it into your cooled shell (or shells in my case ;) and refrigerate another hour or so.

The pudding set great and the crust held up perfectly.

Hope you guys like it!!! I’m obsessed with it!:-) Xo

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Apple salad w red onion honey & mint

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Spicy pinto beans w micro arugula I love beans!!:-) I use dried although it gets annoying sometimes because the process is so long. I soak them no less than 3 hrs and boil for 1 hr.... After about 45 mins boiling, I add chopped onion , garlic, and about 6-7 dried red chiles. Put the lid back on for 15 more mins. Drain & pour half into a blender. I like to have half purée and some whole beans as well. Remove half the chiles before blending or all of them if you dont like it too hot ;-) I add a lil almond milk in the purée. Topped with microgreens! Im all into these right now. Ill post more about them soon!:-) Xo

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Heirloom tomato gazpacho w avocado sorbet

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Making dressing

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mexican style quinoa w baked tofu

~tri-color quinoa ~black beans ~corn ~broccoli ~jalepeño ~tomato

~pepitas

topped with

~avocado ~baked tofu ~tomatillo salsa

~roasted jalepeño

vegan*

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Kale chips are literally the easiest thing to make! I use only about a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil Rub a little into each leaf and bake at 250 for about 15-20 mins.

Season with whatever you want! I used sea salt, black&red pepper

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Almond Encrusted Tofu ~ Carrot Ginger purée ~ Roasted Beet salad

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Pomegranate seed & macadamia nut topped w organic dark chocolate chips

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My supersweet 100's

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Blueberry Chia smoothie

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Stuffed Squash Blossoms Here's a recipe for squash blossoms that isn't battered & fried! (As squash blossoms often are) I grow squash so I just picked these babies right off the plants! But you can also find them at farmers markets. Ingredients~ ~squash blossoms (I used about 10) ~ricotta cheese ~Brie cheese (cubed small) ~spinach (sautéed) ~candy onions (grilled) ~red pepper flakes ~garlic (roasted) ~tomato (diced) ~basil ~parsley ~salt&pepper to taste All you do is combine ricotta, brie, red pepper flakes, roasted garlic, spinach & onion in a bowl. Carefully stuff the mixture into the cleaned Blossoms (they are very delicate!) Bake for about 10 mins at 350 degrees, just to heat the insides through. I made a nice fresh tomato sauce w the last 4 ingredients, to add some acidity and freshness. You can top yours with whatever you like! Enjoy! :-)

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100% Natural Stevia Sweetener

sugar substitutes are highly processed, and ones like Splenda, equal, sweet & low, etc are completely artificial. You might see packets of stevia “in the raw” or similar products, but they are still highly processed and much different than the natural herb plant.

I decided to plant a stevia plant, and have been experimenting with ways to use these super-sweet leaves.

So far my favorite is “Stevia Syrup” which i guess could be called stevia tea.

What I do is chop approx. a cup of the leaves pretty finely, and put them in about 8oz of boiling water. I simmer it for about 10mins, then steep for about 30 more mins. I let it cool, strain it, and am left with the greenish liquid you see above.

You can use it for baking, smoothies, coffee, tea, juices, etc

Next I will be trying dried leaves ground into a powder—- but for now, this works great!!! And you may notice a bit of a distinctive taste but I love the herbal taste and the great sweetness!