Strawberry Kale Smoothie Recipe

Strawberry Kale Smoothie

Here is a new Green Smoothie that I whipped up this morning:

1 Cup Organic Apple Juice

1 Cup Filtered Water

1 Ripe Organic Banana

1 Rounded Cup Organic Strawberries

5 Leaves Organic Kale, Rinsed and Ripped Up

1 Organic Orange, Peeled, Seeds Removed

Place all in blender, blend 1-2 Minutes - add a bit more water if the blender needs a little help doing it's work.

Any blender will do the trick - however if you start to blend daily as I have been doing, you may wish to look into some high powered blenders. I have begun researching the Vita-Mix brand and will blog about what I wind up purchasing to use here at www.AnnaVedaKitchen.com

Snacking away on some Planet Organic Goji Berry Chocolates (http://www.foodofthegoddess.com/)

and sipping this smoothie, I have to share that I have been feeling very energetic since I started taking the Green Smoothies 1 week ago. My skin has been very clear, smooth, and this is the first day in many where I felt no asthmatic issues rise up - even though it is pouring and damp, grey (New England's finest blend of grey, chilly & rainy).

On another note - I will be blending up some aromatherapy oils this week - so stay tuned for those recipes as well, they may even help boost your mood/induce restful sleep.

We will also be modifying the website to share interviews with individuals working in the health/wellness sector. Yoga instructors, health food store proprietors, raw food specialists, skincare advisors & various others will share their insight/advice regarding feeling well. If you wish to share info with us email info@annaveda.com and let us know what is working for you/your clientelle.

Happy New Year Sugar Free Vegan Brownies

Scoop The AnnaVeda Kitchen Guard Cat

Sugar Free Vegan Brownies

Happy New Year everyone, let's make it a healthy one - and none of that one-month-long-resolution eating well malarchy. Here we are in CT on a freezing cold winter's day, working on promoting Very Good Vegan - lo and behold my Sugar Free Vegan Brownies.
After a busy December filled with all sorts of Vegan baked goods (ie: I took the chocolate layer cake from the cover of the Dec. '08 issue of Bon Appetit magazine and created an AWESOME Vegan version) it is time to cut out a bit of the sweet stuff. Give the body time to process, re-adjust and bounce back, if you will...So here you have it, my crack at a sugar-free baked Vegan treat. Not very sweet - beware - however, the dark chocolatey goodness just washes over you and provides something akin to a warm-allover inner sunshine feeling.

8 0z Sugar Free Organic Applesauce
1 Mashed Organic Banana
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1 Tbsp Flax (Ground)
6 Tbsp Water
1 Cup Whole Wheat Organic Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract (High Quality Bourbon)
3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Chopped Vegan Dark Chocolate (Coarse Chunks)

Spray a 9" pan with some canola, line with parchment, hit the parchment with an additional squirt of canola.

In a stand mixer, mash one very ripe banana, add the flax, water, canola, vanilla, applesauce, blend on low speed to combine.

Add all of the dry ingredients and blend just until combined. You may also do all of this by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon if you prefer...

Pour batter and spread it into your prepared pan - bake for 28 minutes at 350 degrees, check it out around 24 minutes with a bamboo skewer or wooden toothpick, when it comes out clean you are all set.

Let cool and use a knife which has been run under very hot water, then dried to cut into very small squares, you may wrap these and refrigerate up to 4 days. Try to give some away and introduce your friends and colleagues to Vegan Sugar Free baking - just give everyone a heads up about the sugar free part...

Ayurvedic Tip Of the Week:

Sip hot water with a squirt lemon juice from a large mug throughout the day all winter long. This helps to keep your system calm, grounded and the lemon gives you some much needed vitamin C. You may fill a large container and take this with you as you travel to and from work, etc. Avoid cold beverages, and say no to ice cubes as they slow dow the digestive process.

Tiny Chocolate Creme Filled Vegan Cookies

These are the same Vegan cookies as the large version I made last week, except I reduced the cookie's diameter to approximately 1.5". The filling - ahh yes, the vanilla creme filling; this time I used my snazzy Mechanical Pastry Bag from Williams-Sonoma and gave the edges of the filling that really neat bakery ribbing. In other news, our color print ad announcing Very Good Vegan Volume One in VegNews magazine is set to hit sometime soon- http://www.vegnews.com/ to visit their awesome site. This is our first Vegan Instructional Cooking DVD that is on sale now on our sites http://www.annaveda.com/, http://www.annavedakitchen.com/, and http://www.verygoodvegan.com/.

There has been a lot of buzz about the Very Good Vegan DVD at local health food shops, and yoga studios. The DVD is also available at shops in Westerly, RI, Stonington, CT, and Mystic, CT - listed on our website. Very Good Vegan Volume One is shipping for free on our sites, spread the word. Yes, we will also gift wrap if you like.

Vegan Chocolate Creme Filled Sandwich Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Creme Filled Sandwich Cookies

Similar in texture and taste (less the toxic store bought aftertaste) to a childhood favorite of mine, these cookies absolutely rock. The chocolate discs are mottled with crunchy turbinado sugar, yet the cookies themselves are tender and moist. The creme filling is the only truly naughty component because it contains confectioner's sugar. If you are interested in this vegan cookie recipe - email us info@annaveda.com
By the way FREE shipping is available right inow on our Very Good Vegan Volume 1 DVD.
Visit www.VeryGoodVegan.com to order