Pretty High Raw Food Intake (w/ A Cooked Vegan Recipe!) - Pregnancy Food Journal

Tuesday's food. I've included some details of a recipe for something cooked (gasp!) - lol. I wanted to share it because it's so darn good. It's a huge crowd pleaser for everyone, every time I make it. So, if you're looking for a quick, easy recipe to share with meat eaters... this is a totally satisfying and fun vegan option.

On to my day of food!

Savory Breakfast - Hearty Buckwheat Biscuit and Dilly Orange Coleslaw
You've seen me write about "Crunchy Buckwheat Biscuits" lately and I've decided to change the name to "Hearty Buckwheat Biscuits" because although they can be crunchy, it really depends on the length of time in the dehydrator. This last batch I let dry a little less than normal and they had crunchy elements to them but also chewy-ish hearty elements, too. "Hearty" seems a perfect description. And, let me tell you... they're soooo good. I love them! To tell you the truth, every time I opened the refrigerator and saw my glass container with them inside, I actually smiled because I couldn't wait to eat one. It's going to be featured in my upcoming book, and I was trying to wait to share the recipe with everyone, but it just seems kind of mean (lol) that I keep telling you about them without giving you the recipe (not to mention, I've received oodles of emails requesting it). Therefore! I'm going to share it in my next email newsletter (spring edition). Be sure to sign up at KristensRaw.com if you haven't already.

I also had Dilly Orange Coleslaw. It's a new recipe and oh-my-goodness-gracious, this recipe is sooo great, too! My husband told me about four times as he ate his first serving of it, "Kristen, this is really good. Like, I mean really good. You said we were having coleslaw and I was cool with that, but I didn't expect this!" It's filled with different textures, gorgeous colors, and it has a light creaminess to give it some oompf and is also mega juicy with every bite. Hhmmm... YUM!

Snack
~ Kaia Foods Cocoa Bliss granola with 1-Minute Almond Milk - To make the 1-Minute Almond Milk, I simply blended a tablespoon of Artisana's raw almond butter with a cup of water. (It makes two servings when used for granola.) Voila!
~ 3 teaspoons of sprouted sunflower seeds from Kaia Foods

Lunch
~ Hearty Buckwheat Biscuit topped with Rejuvenative's Sea Vegetable Garden Kim-Chi
~ Large salad of romaine, cucumber, orange bell pepper, broccoli sprouts, and Kaia Sunflower Seeds topped with a dressing of Himalayan crystal salt, black pepper, 2 teaspoons raw olive oil, and Coconut Secret's Raw coconut vinegar (I love this stuff! It really brightens up a salad)
~ Raw Chocolate (1 small piece)
~ Herbal tea

Dinner - Vegan Chicken Ratatouille 

Okay, here is the cooked vegan recipe that pleases all crowds. For the most part I consider myself High Raw, although there are some days that I'm all raw. That being said, when I do eat some cooked foods, I sometimes make it a point to consume some of the foods deemed "healthy" when cooked, i.e. tomatoes, cruciferous, etc. There are people who say those foods are better eaten slightly cooked because the cooking releases some nutrients otherwise not as easily available. Therefore, although it destroys many other nutrients to cook the food, I know that I'm at least getting some nutrition from these choices of cooked foods. And, as always, I make every attempt to buy organic or non-gmo. 

So, for those of you still reading...
I make a quick ratatouille sauce where I heat a pot to medium heat and drizzle a bit of olive oil in it. After about 30-60 seconds, I add 2 cloves of chopped organic garlic and saute for a minute. Then, I add 4-5 medium organic chopped tomatoes and get them cooking for about 5 minutes or so (I have not timed this all, so these are approximations). I add Himalayan crystal salt, black pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, couple dashes of cinnamon, and a dash of vanilla extract. I don't have exact measurements for the salt and pepper, just do it to taste. For the basil, oregano and onion powder, I don't measure that either, but I put in a decent amount to get some aroma and flavor. My advice is to start small and build from there. Then, I add 1 chopped organic zucchini. Continue cooking a couple of minutes. If it starts to boil, I reduce the heat to a lower setting. Then, I add about 1/3-1/2 bunch of kale (mostly destemmed and then chopped). I cook this for a couple of minutes. 

At about the point of making the sauce where I put in the zucchini, I get out a saute pan. I set it to medium heat. After about 30 seconds of heating up, I add a little olive oil, coconut oil, or canola oil for cooking the faux chicken breasts. I take a package of Gardein Chick'n Scallopini Breasts (available in the freezer aisle of Whole Foods Market) and I saute them for 2 minutes on one side (at this point is when I add the kale to the sauce pot mentioned above). I flip the breasts and continue cooking another 2 minutes (now the kale has had time to cook a bit). 

I take an 8X8 glass baking dish and put the 4 faux chicken breasts in it. I pour the sauce on top. Then, I sprinkle Daiya cheese on top (the white version) and put it under the broiler to melt the cheese for a couple of minutes. All done! This makes 2-4 servings depending on whether you're hungry for 1 or 2 faux chicken breasts. Sometimes we make it 4 servings and have it alongside a huge organic salad. Ummm.... how's my cooked recipe writing - lol! Not used to doing that.

So... ingredient shopping list for Vegan Chicken Ratatouille:
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4-5 medium tomatoes
1 zucchini
1/3-1/2 bunch kale
salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract
Gardein Chick'n Scallopini
Daiya Cheese (I buy mine from Whole Foods Market)

Dessert - Cherry Chocolate Bomb Shake!
As many of you know, this recipe is the bomb and I can't seem to get enough of it - so I have it a lot! (I'm OK with that though.) ;)