Beet Leaf Smoothie

I've been in the experimenting mood trying some new greens, and a new one is beet tops.  The taste really isn't overpowering, I'm not really tasting anything distinguishing as they mix together with all my ingredients.  This one is a nice sweet tasting treat!

When I make my smoothies, I really don't measure much but the chia, hemp and flax.
Here is a guesstimate of my Beet Leaf Smoothie!

2 cups coconut water
1 cup filtered water
6-10 leaves from raw organic beets
2 c fresh spinach leaves
3 stalks celery, flower tops included
1/2 small lemon, peeled
1 small green apple
2 c frozen blueberries
1 c frozen pineapple
2 tbsp hemp seed
1 tbsp chia seed

I always load my liquids first, then greens and heavy pieces on top to help weigh it all down for a nice smooth blending. Using my vitamin, I turn the dial to smoothie and let it run it's automated course. Otherwise, start at 1 and slowly increase to 10 speed. Turn on high for 40-minutes.  If you have a regular blender, blend greens with liquids first, then add lemon and apple with dry ingredients, then add frozen.  Seems to blend easier that way, from my experience.

Enjoy!

Beet Salad

I made this salad two nights in a row.  My hubster and my son loved it, I loved it more!  Being the RAW eater that I am, this was the most delish salad I've made, since last week :)

This yumminess has arugula, mixed greens, walnuts, pine nuts, sweet kumato tomatoes, and some goat cheese.  Yes, as a RAW eater I can consume cheese now and then, this is my one of choice.  I don't eat other cheeses any longer, even though I was addicted!  My taste buds changed and I no longer desire it.  The natural enzymes in a goat are closer to those in humans, making digestion much better.  Much of the RAW way of eating is about digestion. You can find more of this in The Beauty Detox Foods book. This book is my Goddess! (I do not receive any compensation for mentioning this book.  All comments are personal.) Anyway, do you know what I call this a beet salad? Duhhh, because I top it with beets.  Oh my gosh, if you love beets like we do, eat them on your salad. The benefits of beets are great. Beets are rich in antioxidants, calcium, iron and magnesium, fiber and high in vitamins A and C. (Refer to Beauty Detox for more information.) Yummy, yummy goodness. Nothing fancy to this salad in way of measurements. Just add the greens and other ingredients as desired, depending on the number of people you are serving. You can add any dressing to this.  I cheat  and do the lazy move by using a healthy vinaigrette. But if you really love beets, you can use this beet dressing. 

Happy Tuesday!

Mean green salads!

Happy Friday Peeps! 

Salads are such a refreshing meal to have for lunch or dinner, don't you think?  Especially on a hot and humid day.  I like it different, not too plain or traditional.  The hubster loves when I make a good, fulfilling salad.

This salad was a light one, having baby spinach, baby kale, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, and some pine nuts. (I put some kind of nut in every salad.) The carrots took on the color of the beets that I used in the dressing.  It had a nice soft sweetness to it.  This dressing is called Magenta Goddess Dressing (beet dressing).  Again, I took the recipe from my Beauty Detox Recipes book.

Here are the ingredients of the dressing:

2/3  c water
  1   very small clove garlic
  2   Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2  tsp sea salt
  1   tsp low sodium tamari*
1/2  tsp powdered stevia  (to sweeten, if desired)
3/4  chopped raw beets
1/3  c almond butter (raw or un-roasted)

Use any combination of dark and light leafy greens for your salad.
Yields about 1 3/4 cups

Directions:
Place all the ingredients, except for the almond butter, in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Then add the almond butter and blend again.

* For those of you that do not know what tamari is, it is very similar to soy sauce.  Both are made from fermented soybeans, only tamari doesn't contain the wheat that soy sauce would.  Tamari is also less salty and gluten free.

This next very yummy salad, is made up of different greens and veggies with a healthy store bought dressing.  No measurements, just toss it all in to your desired amount and enjoy!

These were my ingredients:
2 small cooked beets, cubed
1 medium avocado, cubed
1 small red pepper
1 small orange pepper
1 handful of pin nuts
1 handful of walnuts, broken to smaller pieces

Baby Kale
Baby Spinach
Romaine

This is the dressing:

One of my favorites.  All natural, no sugar, no MSG.  Personally, I don't like putting too much dressing on.  I prefer a light coat with just a hint of dressing.

The avocado added a nice texture to the salad once you put the dressing on and tossed.  A big dish of this, and you have a nice filling salad to enjoy alone, or perhaps with a glass of wine :)

Try one of these salads and let me know what you think.  Or, if you tweaked it with your own special ingredients.  Tweaking always turns out best!

What ingredients are in your favorite salad?