Mellow Monday

Dan had another day off today so we pretty much just relaxed. I've been a non-coffee drinker for 3 years but I just returned to the dark side. Coffee can stress your adrenal glands and hinder the absorption of nutrients. However, I recently started to seriously crave it. I blame the cold weather. I'm not a fan of early morning dog walks so a coffee run has made it more appealing. Along with the coffee I picked up a RAW granola bar from TWO MOMS IN THE RAW. Now... a lot of people assume that raw vegan food is purely bird food. I totally disagree. However, this Gluten-free and Organic bar visually epitomizes the stereotype. But... it's delicious. It has soaked and dehydrated grains, seeds, dried fruit and cinnamon. The texture is chewy and crunchy. Dan and I both agreed that it was pretty tasty.

Hugh should have his own blog because he is freakishly amazing, but here is a quick introduction.

Hugh-man is a 3 year old lab, collie and schnauzer mix...we think. He is originally from Texas. Dan and I adopted him in August. He is so well behaved that I'm pretty convinced he's an old man trapped in a dog suit. We're pretty obsessed.


After the three of us took an afternoon walk we returned home for a snack. I make sure to eat raw greens on a daily basis so I made a salad with arugula, one whole avocado, half a red grapefruit, 2 ribs of celery, a pinch of cayenne, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil and RAW apple cider vinegar.

Avocados are a great source of protein, healthy fat, potassium and vitamin E. Grapefruit is cleansing, aiding in digestion. It's also high in vitamin C (great for colds). Raw Apple Cider Vinegar has healing and cleansing properties.

For dinner I made an Asian inspired dish with brown rice and lightly sauteed veggies


INGREDIENTS


-Short Grain Brown Rice, 1 cup
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp
-Garlic, 1 clove, chopped
-Yellow onion, 1 each small, sliced
-Ginger, chopped, 1 tsp
-Shiitake Mushrooms, 1 cup, sliced
-Napa Cabbage, 2 cup, chopped
-Kale, 5 leaves, chopped
-Red Chili flakes, pinch
-Sea Salt, to taste

PROCEDURE


RICE
1. Place rice in a small pot.
2. Cover Rice with 2 cups of water
3. Add pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive oil
4. Bring rice to a boil. Then reduce heat to low. 
5. Cover with lid and let simmer
6. Rice is ready once water has evaporated


VEGGIES
1. Add 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to an enameled cast-iron pot
2. Heat on medium until oil is warm- NOT smoking
3. Add chopped garlic, ginger and onion. Sautee until onion 
    becomes soft and translucent.
4. Add a pinch of salt and red chili flakes
5. Add sliced mushrooms. Mix until soft
5. Add chopped kale. Mix until soft
6. Add chopped cabbage. Mix until soft
7. Salt to taste before serving

Cooking Time: 40 minutes