Sweet Potato Hash

Sweet Potato Hash

2-3 sweet potatoes - peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes

1/2 (each) red, orange and yellow bell peppers - chopped

1/2 red onion - chopped

2-3 vegetarian sausage patties - or 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup vegetable broth

Garlic, minced

Fresh sage

Fresh thyme

Red pepper flakes

Olive oil

Salt + pepper

2-4 eggs 

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet and cook vegetarian sausage patties until browned on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same skillet add 1-2 more tablespoons of olive oil and add sweet potatoes and vegetable broth. Sprinkle with fresh ground sea salt & pepper and 1 leaf of fresh sage. I tore my sage leaf into pieces. Cover sweet potatoes and cook on medium for about 15 minutes, stirring often. 

When potatoes are fork tender add the chopped peppers, onion, minced garlic, fresh thyme, red pepper flakes and more salt & pepper to taste. Turn up heat slightly so the potatoes can get a little crispy. When hash is almost done add the crumbled or chopped vegetarian sausage.

Fry your eggs in some olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and place on top of a pile of sweet potato hash. 

Enjoy!

Brown Bag It - How To Store Your Mushrooms

Mushrooms are nutritious and versatile, we eat them almost everyday in our home. They are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol free, gluten free, low in sodium, and they provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more.

The best way to store your mushrooms to preserve their life is in a brown paper bag. I've been doing this for years and it extends the life of the mushroom by days.

Most people don't realize that consuming spoiled mushrooms can make you very ill. Like all foods, mushrooms can go bad. No matter the variety, it is important to learn the signs that a mushroom has spoiled. 

Look over the mushroom for spots. Patches begin to emerge in shades of dark brown and black when mushrooms are no longer fit for consumption.

Feel the mushrooms for a slimy coating. The top part, also known as the head of the mushroom, is predominately where symptoms of spoilage occur.

Smell the mushrooms for an odor that indicates spoilage. If mushrooms have a smell different than an earthy, natural aroma, throw them away.

Flip a mushroom over and look at the gills. Closed gills indicate mushrooms are young, while open gills signify that mushrooms are older. If the mushroom has shriveled or wet gills, they have spoiled.

Avoid keeping mushrooms in the vegetable drawer in your refrigerator. The vegetable drawer is designed to hold in humidity. Mushrooms will spoil more quickly in humid conditions. Place mushrooms in a brown paper bag and store them between 32 and 36 degrees F.

Quick Mushroom Snacks:

Use raw white button mushrooms. Remove the mushrooms stems and fill with one of the following stuffing's.

Pesto
Hummus
Spinach Dip

Guacamole

Cream Cheese + Salsa

Enjoy!

Make My Day SunCafe

Few things make me giddy. Lunch is one of those things. Okay dinner and dessert too, but you get what I'm saying. 

Most days I drive into Studio City to visit my customers and take them to lunch. Tough job right? Studio City's rapidly growing restaurant row offers many great dining options, but there is one tiny place that is a personal healthy favorite. SunCafe, is an organic, raw food, vegan restaurant.  

I always order the same thing, Biscuits & Gravy and a Pineapple Superfood Shake. Mmmm. So delicious. The Biscuits & Gravy are open-faced whole wheat sliders, with massaged spinach, garlic cauliflower mash, mushroom gravy and a SunChorizo topper.  Really fantastic.

The Pineapple Superfood Shake is made with pineapple, goji, coconut, cashew, and agave. The shake is raw and unbelievable!  

If you were talking to me in person, I would grab your arm to emphasize my delight. Whenever I leave this cafe I always feel happy, nourished and balanced.  

SunCafe also offers classes and raw juice fast cleanse/detox programs.

Here is a link to their site - Sun Cafe

To our health!

My Daily Flu Shot

Winter is approaching and it is important to boost your immune system to avoid getting sick. I believe the best thing one can do to ward off the dreaded cold, is to supplement your body with green plants and vegetables. The optimal way to do this is to drink fresh pressed vegetable juices. The human body is complex and has the power to heal itself if given the right nutrients. Green foods are perhaps the most healing foods on the planet, and the single most important addition to a diet you can make. Green foods are better than a flu shot!

A year ago I went to my health food store and asked them if they had anything I could mix with water that would deliver green nutrients when I didn't have time to juice. Hands down all the employees recommended Vitamineral Green by HealthForce SuperFoods, so I purchased a bottle and have become an unofficial advocate for this powdered green "gold". 

I mix a teaspoon into a glass of water and drink it first thing in the morning with a smile. On the label there is a statement that I have embraced whole heartily, "drink consciously and with positive intent". 

My entire family now drinks it. My sister even mixes it into smoothies for her kids.

Here is a link to the product - Vitamineral Green. 

To our health!

My Happy Halloween

This year we added a new tool to the pumpkin carving station, our power drill. Why not? It's a little loud, but kind of cool. While we were at it, why not add some glitter!

These are Annie's Eats Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. Beware seriously delicious!

I also made caramel apples. Apparently not the best idea in California, even in October. Sounds crazy, but it was over 90 degrees that day. I didn't realize it was so hot in my house, I guess I should have refrigerated these delights. So I ended up calling them "apples in a pool of caramel". 

Have a fun and safe Halloween!!!

Spork-Fed Vegan Cuisine

Spork Foods is a Los Angeles based vegan food company owned and operated by sisters Jenny and Heather Goldberg. I recently had the pleasure of taking their gluten-free, vegan cooking class called "Meat and Potatoes". Located in charming West Hollywood, the studio kitchen space has a modern, yet cozy feel. Students sit around a huge island, where the girls cook and demonstrate their techniques. The classes are presentation style the sister's charm makes you feel like a welcome friend. They go into detail about the products they use and where to find them. Check out the Spork Foods website, you can see the girls in action! Their enthusiasm is contagious www.sporkfoods.com.

The Menu:

Creamed Swiss Chard with Toasted Almonds

Apple Bourbon Braised Tempeh Cutlets

Spicy Oven Fries with Home-made Beet Ketchup

Velvety Chocolate Mousse Pie  

The class was filled with like-minded health conscious people, and at the end everyone sat down family style and enjoyed the foods they prepared for us. It was a lot of fun and I met some really interesting people.

Everything on the menu was delicious, even the beet ketchup. I am not a fan of eating beets, but I know they offer a wide variety of health benefits. They are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may fight cancer. Since I don't like the flavor, I'm always searching for different ways to get beets into my diet. I want the cancer fighting benefits! I will juice beets along with my other vegetables and drink it down as fast as possible. It was fun to discover that I enjoyed beet ketchup. 

At the end of class they give you the recipes to take home. I also purchased their latest cookbook Spork-Fed: Super Fun and Flavorful Vegan Recipes from the Sisters of Spork Foods. The foreword is written by Emily and Zooey Deschanel. Here is a link to their book on Amazon.

"The Spork girls are knowledgeable, creative and fun. Did I say fun? The food is delicious and you always feel entertained after a class. Its like having your own talking, breathing cookbook!"   

—Emily Deschanel- longtime vegan and star of the Fox hit series Bones  

The Spork sisters also have an online cooking class. This is awesome for folks who can't get to Los Angeles in person. Spork online is a membership-based website for anyone who wants to learn how to prepare fun, easy, delicious, vegan recipes. The classes are shot and edited in HD by professional filmmakers to create an entertaining and engaging experience. Once a month a new cooking class, featuring a themed four-course meal, is posted online and available to members. The classes are filmed with an eclectic group of students (including celebrities, authors, activists, farmers, parents, entrepreneurs and more) that spark interesting conversation around the dinner table and offer their own expertise.  Check them out.

To our health!