Vegan Buffalo Chik'n Wrap

Ingredients:

• your favorite brand of tortilla
• shredded lettuce--toss the lettuce in some vegan ranch dressing ( I like the Follow Your Heart brand)
• blue cheese or vegan blue cheese (try Soy Bleu)
• Quorn Buffalo Chik'n Bites If you cannot find these, use your favorite vegan nuggets and toss a serving into 1/4 cup of your favorite hot wing sauce. I like Franks)

Pop it like it's HOT! :-)

Kale Yes!

Kale can be a bit boring by itself no matter how well you season it. This recipe is anything but boring! It is colorful, tasty, and most of all, healthy.

This recipe is simple:

• kale (any variety)
• red cabbage
• candied pecans
• dried cranberries
• salt, pepper,and cumin to taste
• a drizzle of agave nectar

Saute kale and cabbage in a tiny bit of olive oil or coconut oil until they are slightly wilted. (4-5 minutes). Add in seasonings.

Add  the candied pecans, dried cranberries, and agave in the last minute or 2.

Enjoy!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Boom Chicka Pop.

Recently, I subscribed to the Vegan Cuts monthly subscription box and silly me, I forgot to blog my first unboxing. I will definitely not forget next time! I have to say, I was really impressed by the products that I received and will definitely continue to pay for my monthly subscription. One of the products that I received in the box was a little bag of popcorn called Boom Chicka Pop--Sea Salt. I ate it in 5 seconds and went and bought a giant one as you can see in my pic.

Holy cow this stuff is damn good and addicting. It has just the right amount of salt and it is nice and crunchy unlike other store bought bagged popcorn that seem to lose their crunch factor. It really reminds me of homemade popcorn that you would make in a dutch oven pot on the stove.

The best thing about this popcorn is it is only 35 calories a cup and contains three simple ingredients: popcorn, sea salt, and sunflower oil. YUM!

Let me know how you like it!

RECIPE: Yellow Curry with Quorn Chik'n Cutlets

I absolutely love curry. Last night I made this delicious dish using the Quorn brand  Chik'n Cutlets and it was so good. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 small yellow onion. 
• 1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
• 1 stalk of lemongrass finely chopped (you can use frozen if you can't find fresh)
• 1/4 cup of fresh basil cut into chiffonade form (add the last minute of cooking)
• 3 tablespoons of yellow curry powder ( I use the Fresh and Easy Curry Powder but use any brand that you like)
• 4 Thawed Quorn Cutlets sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large potato cut into 1 inch cubes parboiled for 7-10 minutes
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 tsp of dried chili flakes
• 1 inch portion of fresh ginger finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsps salt
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp of turmeric

Preparation

1.  Slice the onion and saute it with the Quorn cutlets in the olive oil.
2.  As they are sauteing, add your spices and aromatics. (salt, chili flakes, ginger, lemongrass, curry powder, coriander, cumin, garlic, turmeric, and sugar)
3. Saute until slightly browned.
4. Add the coconut milk and stir.
5. Add your water to get it to the desired thickness.
6. Add your potatoes and cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. The last minute add in your fresh basil.
8. If you feel that the consistency is too thick, you can always add a bit of water.

Serve and enjoy with a scoop of basmati rice!

Note: I made a curry chicken salad today using the leftovers and it was awesome!

Product Review: Just Pure Foods Pesto Zucchini Chips

These days, you can find kale chips at just about any supermarket. Due to the popularity of these, it seems that the market is beginning to expand to other dehydrated veggies. Just Pure Foods has a definite edge on these healthy snacks. Recently, I tried the Pesto Zucchini Chips while I was on vacation in Kauai.

Here is a breakdown of the product:

• Flavor: Distinct pesto flavor. Garlic and basil are prominent flavors.
• Texture: Not as crunchy as kale chips. A little bit of crunch but mostly kind of chewy.
• Price: About 7.00 for the bag pictured above. This might seems expensive, but it is justifiable considering the ingredients and the process of dehydration that they must go through to be made.
• Packaging: Has a resealable bag.
• Pros: Gluten-free, vegan, organic, not that many calories(150) if you want to eat the entire bag.
• Cons: You might be disappointed with the texture as they are not really as crunchy as you might wish for them to be.

Product Review: Vega Savi Seeds

If you are not familiar with the brand VEGA, it is a plant-based nutritional company developed by Ironman competitor Brendan Brazier when he felt that he was not getting the right fuel to sustain him during competition.

So here is my opinion on the products. While they may contain a sick amount of plant-based nutrients, they are all seriously lacking in flavor, or have very strange texture and flavor. I have tried the bars, shakes, and Savi seeds and I can honestly say, I have not enjoyed one of the products.

This makes me sad because I kept trying different flavors and products thinking that I would find at least one that I enjoy--and to no avail, I have been left with disappointment. Additionally, these products are really pricey. For example, a large tub of the shake will run you about 70.00.

Recently, on a quest to find a Vega product that I might enjoy, I tried the Vega Karmalized Savi Seeds. Vega touts these seeds as having, "...17 times more Omega-3 per ounce than wild Sockeye salmon these amazing seeds on their own are the richest plant-based source of Omega-3 on the planet!" While this may be true, let me tell you about the taste and texture. The taste is VERY earthy. It has elements of grass, dirt, and pine needles. The texture does not have the oily fattiness most of us enjoy when we eats nuts or seeds (no jokes please lol). The seeds are very dry and grainy.

If you are still interested in trying these, you can begin with a small bag that will cost you about 2.99 ( or 3.99 if you buy them in Kauai lol). If you want to go really all out, you can buy the large package for about 32.99. Personally, I do not think that they are worth the money, but you can judge for yourself. Let me know your thoughts on Vega products.

RECIPE: Mango Tango Salsa

Holy crap it is HOT outside! I can't think of a better way to cool down than to eat some fresh homemade mango salsa, chips, and wash it all down with a frosty glass of beer.

I don't know about you, but every time I buy store-bought mango salsa, it never seems like the mangos were ripe enough when they made it. When mangos are not fully ripened, they have a bit of a sour and flat flavor. Ripe mangoes should be a bit soft to the touch--kind of like a ripe avocado and they should almost have the texture of a ripe peach when you eat them. So here is my recipe! This would be great to share with friends on the 4th of July!

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

• 1 large extra ripe mango diced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 tbs of finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tbs of finely minced red onion
• 1 small finely minced jalapeno (take out the seeds and the white membrane for a more mild heat intensity)
• 1 tbs finely minced red bell pepper
• 1 tsp of organic agave (do not substitute with honey--you want the sweetness to have a neutral flavor).

Product(s) Used

• Whole Foods Organic Blue Agave Sweetener