Our trip to Philippines and California

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I’m back!

Sorry it has been a while since my last post.  I have been on a 3 month vacation.  We went to the Philippines and California to visit family.  We had a wonderful time and I wanted to share some photos with you all.

Photos of the Philippines.

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Spending Christmas in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

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Waiting for my dad to ask one of the workers to find us some coconut hearts.

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coconut hearts

BM
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treehouse on my uncle’s lot

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Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

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camias

My child, my father and his pet cows.

 
s 070Sunrise Mansion
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
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Langonan River

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huge jackfruit

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Nagtabon Beach
Palawan, Philippines

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My favorite fruit: star apple

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Prisoner at Iwahig Prison Farm making a wood-burning piece of art.

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sunrise

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Delicious Filipino vegan food!

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Mangosteen, lansones, chico, mangoes and rambutan.

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3rd zipline in a week!  With my sister and nephew.
Dumaguette, Philippines

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I love mangosteen!

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Sabang, Puerto Princesa City, Philippines

Underground River
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines

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A bear cat.
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Mango smoothie

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Riding my first zipline in Irawan, Puerto Princesa City.
The longest zipline in Asia.

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2nd zipline at Sabang by the Underground River

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A butterfly laying her eggs.

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another beautiful sunset…
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
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Island hopping and lagoon touring.
El Nido, Palawan

Island hopping in El Nido

Island hopping in El Nido

Island hopping in El Nido
El Nido

El Nido

 

Kayaking in El Nido lagoons

Kayaking in El Nido lagoons

Exploring cavesIsland hopping in El Nido, Palawan

Exploring caves
Island hopping in El Nido, Palawan

The Alternative Restaurant, El Nido(known for awesome vegan banana heart curry)

The Alternative Restaurant, El Nido
(known for awesome vegan banana heart curry)

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Dos Palmas Island, Palawan, Philippines

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Dos Palmas, Palawan

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Sheridan, Sabang, Palawan

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Here are some photos from our California trip!

My favorite restaurant, NATIVE FOODS CAFE.

NATIVE FOODS CAFE, Los Angeles, California

The Loving Hut Cafe
San Diego, CA

Temecula, CA

Mission Beach, California

Mission Beach, California

Pumpkin, Wheat Berry, and Lentil Curry Soup

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I used a little bit of chopped parsley for garnish.

I just love pumpkin but I don’t really like buying them in a can, so I was really excited to see organic pie pumpkin at the local health food store.

I ended up purchasing more pumpkins that I needed for a pumpkin pie, so I decided to make soup perfect for the fall weather that is warming, comforting, filling, and delicious.  I just love the combination of pumpkin chunks with wheat berries.  My family and I really enjoyed this soup!

Ingredients:

  • 1 organic pie pumpkin (peeled and cut into cubes)
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 8 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1.5 inches of ginger (finely minced)
  • 2 medium-sized potatoes (cut into cubes)
  • 1.5 cups of wheat berry (soaked over night)
  • 1 cup of red lentils
  • 9 cups of water
  • 2 oz. of red curry paste or 3 t0 4 tablespoons of curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon of garam masala
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 3 to 5 tablespoons of Mrs. Dash’s Salt-free Seasoning
  • Liquid aminos for added taste (note if you don’t have this, you may add a little bit of sea salt)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions:

  1. Boil wheat berries for 20 minutes, drain, and set aside.
  2. While your wheat berries are boiling, prepare your veggies.
  3. Heat oil in a large soup pot.
  4. Add onions, garlic, ginger, curry, and garam masala.
  5. After the onions are a little transparent, add pumpkin, potatoes, wheat berries, red lentils, coconut milk, water and Mrs. Dash’s seasoning into the pot.
  6. Simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.
  7. Add salt or liquid aminos a little bit at a time.
  8. Serve with delicious freshly baked bread.  Note: the bread in the above picture may look a bit different from the one from my recent post because I used whole wheat flour mixed with bread flour.
  9. Enjoy!

Aunt Ivy’s Everything Coconutty Salad

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My little sister Ivy introduced this salad to me in 2008 and I have loved it ever since.  Not only it wonderfully colorful, it is also packed with an explosion of flavors and a variety of textures.  It is so delicious that my 4-year-old child had 3 bowls full of it the other night!  She said, “I love Aunt Ivy’s salad!”

I am glad my sister made this for me years ago because I would have never thought of mixing coconut, onion, and raisins together.  But it totally works!

 

Coconut Vinaigrette dressing:

  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup of raw apple cider vinegar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of coconut nectar or agave (I usually just use a little less than 2, but adjust to your liking)
  • Juice of 1/2 of lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped red onion
  • a few dashes of mesquite powder (optional)
  • salt to taste

Directions:

Place everything in the blender and blend.  Add salt little by little and adjust to your liking.

For the Salad:

  • Mixed greens
  • Red onions (sliced)
  • Apples (chopped)
  • Shredded coconut
  • Cooked quinoa
  • Choice of nuts (I used raw pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds)
  • Raisins

“Make it Possible” ad by Animals Australia

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Hi there!

I just had to share this website with you (http://www.animalsaustralia.org/) because of a video on there that I think people should see.  It is short little video with a cute little pig in a factory farm singing about a “big dream”.

Please click on the URL above or the image below to take you to the video by ANIMALS AUSTRALIA the voice for animals.

“On Tuesday from 7PM on all television stations, one little pig with a big heart, a big voice and a big dream, will take flight on TV screens for the very first time.” (Animals Australia)

“Imagine a world without factory farming”-Animals Australia

 

For FULL VIDEO, Click here.

Baby Bella Sandwich with Spinach Pesto Spread

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Ever since I made the “Creamy Kale Spread by Laws and Wellness”, I have been hooked veggie sandwiches.  I just loved the idea of nut-based spreads!

Today, I wanted to create a sandwich using my pesto recipe which also contains a little bit of nuts (pine), and to make it a bit thicker, I added cashews.  I also wanted to use the baby bella mushrooms and veggies sitting in my fridge and the basil in my garden.  And, this is the outcome:  baby bella sandwich with spinach pesto spread.

This sandwich is very flavorful, light, “meaty” (from the mushrooms), and really healthy.  I just loved the combination of garlic, basil, pine nuts, and mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Pesto Spread:

  • 3 cups of fresh basil
  • 2 cups of spinach
  • 2/3 cup of raw cashews (soaked for a few hours)
  • 1/3 cup of pine nuts
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions for the spread:

  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor.
  2. Blend for a minute or two.

Other ingredients:

  • Red onions (sliced)
  • Tomatoes (sliced)

Baby Bella Mushrooms and Garlic:

  • 16 oz.  of baby bella mushrooms
  • 6 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • salt or pepper or use Mrs. Dash’s No Salt Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions for the mushroom:

  1. Heat olive oil, add garlic, and cook for a little less than a minute.  
  2. Add mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes. 
  3. Toast your bread and build your sandwich.

It was delicious with pickled jalapenos from my backyard.

Aloo Gobi with Tempeh and Quinoa

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Today, I was craving some kind of Indian dish.  So, I looked through my pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what I can throw together.  Then, I remembered a dish that I had a few months ago at an Indian restaurant called “aloo gobi”.  It is a dish made of cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, and spices.   Fortunately, I had some cauliflower and potatoes sitting in my fridge, cayenne peppers in my backyard, and a pantry full of spices.

So, I looked at different recipe sites to see exactly what kind of spices was needed for this dish and apparently there are different ways of cooking it.  So, I kinda just threw in different spices, measured how much I put in, and just taste-tested it to see what I thought tasted good.  I also added some delicious tempeh for texture and extra protein.  (Note: quinoa already has a ton of protein.)

The end result; a very flavorful and healthy meal for my family, aloo gobi served over quinoa.

*My husband and I love hot peppers, so we topped off our aloo gobi with freshly diced cayenne and jalapeno peppers.*

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of cauliflower (cut into florets)
  • 1 large potato (sliced into cubes)
  • 1 12 oz. can of organic diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 1 block of tempeh (sliced into small cubes)
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh ginger (minced)
  • 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 3 teaspoons of garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
  • 1 bunch of cilantro (chopped)
  • 1.5 teaspoons of turmeric
  • sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 cayenne pepper (finely diced) or you can use 1 teaspoon of chili flakes or chili powder (optional)

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil, then add chopped onions and cumin.
  2. Cook until the onions are transparent, and then add garlic and ginger.
  3. Cook for a minute, then add water, hot pepper/chili flakes, turmeric, cilantro, diced tomatoes, tempeh, cauliflower and potatoes.
  4. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes (until potatoes are cooked), then add a little bit of salt based on your taste preference.
  5. Enjoy with rice, quinoa, flat bread, etc.

Creamy Kale Spread by Laws on Wellness

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This is my favorite veggie sandwich right now.  It is a delicious creamy kale spread with other fresh veggies.  I discovered it here on LAWS ON WELLNESS.  (http://lawsonwellness.com)

It is delicious!  It is healthy!  It is awesome!  I suggest you folks try it! :)

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE

(In the sandwiches I made, I omitted the vegan butter, toasted it lightly, and added some sunflower sprouts…which is why mine looks a little different).

Chef AJ’s “Wicked Fudge Sauce”

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Last month, my friend Tara made this delicious dessert for me and a couple of our other friends.  She used Chef AJ’s “Wicked Fudge Sauce” recipe from the book, “Unprocessed: How to achieve vibrant health and your ideal weight”.  And, ever since she made it, I haven’t stopped thinking about it.  So, I made it myself the other day!  It is delicious and so satisfying, not to mention healthy.  This recipe is on page 75 in her book.  But, if you don’t have this book, you can click on the image below if you want to check it out.

With Chef AJ’s permission, I am providing you this super easy recipe from her book!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of raw almond butter
  • 1/2 cup of date syrup (a blend of dates and filtered water….the recipe is also in the book)
  • 1/2 cup of raw cacao powder or carob powder
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk

….And, I just sprinkled a tad bit of coconut on top (optional).

Directions:  Throw everything in a blender or food processor and blend.  If you want to make the sauce thinner, add a little bit more non-dairy milk.

Serve with vegan cookies, bananas, apples, strawberries, etc.

Enjoy!

Here are some of the health benefits of almonds: 

  • High in protein.
  • May help lower cholesterol.
  • May help prevent cancer.
  • Reduce risk of heart attack.

Dr. Greger’s Super Healthy “Kool Aid”

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Sorry about the picture being so blurry.  I used my phone to take it.

Just recently, I watched a video on nutritionfacts.org that discussed antioxidant levels in different beverages.  The “Nutrition Journal” studied 283 different products from Red Bull, lemonade, wine, water, to tea.  The goal was to determine which drink contained the highest amount of antioxidants.   Green tea is known to have very high levels of antioxidants, but this particular study have found that hibiscus tea actually contained the highest amount of antioxidants compared to everything else.  ”In terms of anti-oxidant power, the healthiest thing to drink on planet earth maybe hibiscus tea!” -Michael Greger M.D.,  I was very surprised to find out that hibiscus was even made into tea!  Excited and curious, I purchased a large bag of hibiscus tea.  I followed Dr. Greger’s recipe from the video.  He said it tastes like “Kool Aid”, and I have to admit, it kinda does.

Dr. Greger’s recipe:

  • 1/2 gallon of water
  • 4 bags of hibiscus tea
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • sweetener of choice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a jar or pitcher and place in the refrigerator overnight.  Serve the next day.

Enjoy!

 

Please check out other videos on Nutritionfacts.org.  Lots of information!  One of my favorite videos right now:

“Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death”

(I know this has nothing to do with tea, but I just wanted to share this video with you.)

Asparagus, Tangy Avocado, and Tomato Sandwich

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Everyone in my family loves asparagus which makes me very happy.   Not only is it delicious, it is highly nutritious!

Health Benefits of Asparagus:

So, eat your asparagus!

I usually use asparagus in vegan sushi, stir-fry, or just serve it as a side dish.  But, today I wanted it to be the centerpiece of our meal so I made this sandwich.  In addition to the awesome asparagus, I incorporated some healthy avocados in the mix.  Avocados are considered super fruits.  They help support cardiovascular health, they are anti-inflammatory, and they even help fight off cancer.  To learn more, click here.  So, this sandwich is extremely healthy and filling.  It is refreshing, light, tangy, and crunchy.  Today, I enjoyed it with some grape tomatoes, sweet potato fries, and some jalapenos that I had pickled myself.  It was delicious!

Here is what you will need….

Ingredients:

  • asparagus
  • tomato (sliced)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette
  • celtic salt and pepper
  • whole wheat bread or sprouted grain bread

Tangy Avocado Spread:

  • 2 avocados
  • 3 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
  • 2 tsp liquid aminos (if you don’t have this, use a dash of sea salt)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast

Directions:

  1. Prepare asparagus: remove the bottom fourth of the asparagus.
  2. Heat oil on a skillet then add your asparagus and balsamic vinaigrette.
  3. Cook asparagus for 5-10 minutes in medium to high heat.  Note: I like asparagus crunchy, so I only cook them for 5 minutes.
  4. Add salt and pepper to asparagus.
  5. Place the avocados, minced garlic, liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, and lime juice in a food processor and blend.  You can also just place it in a bowl and smash the avocados and mix.
  6. Toast your bread, then build your sandwich: put avocado spread on bread, add sliced tomatoes, and asparagus.  I used my old George Forman grill as a panini maker instead of a toaster.
  7. Enjoy!