Here’s the recipe, running out for an event, but wanted to share this with you guys. Always Set the Table with Love.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup cornstarch, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup onions, minced
•. 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 large orange, zest only
• 1/4 cup orange juice, from zested orange
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoon sweet chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• vegetable oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
1 In a bowl, whisk together the water, 1/3 cup of corn starch, the flour, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Set aside.
2 In a sauce pan, over medium heat, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, minced garlic, ginger and onions, orange zest and juice, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a slight boil.
3 Stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of water until dissolved. Whisk into the sauce and reduce heat to a very lower simmer.
4 Next, heat the vegetable oil in a deep saucepan to 375 degrees.
5 Coat each cauliflower floret in the flour mixture.
6 Carefully place each floret into the hot oil. Fry each piece until golden brown – about 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet.
7. Toss the cauliflower in the sauce mixture, pour into a bowl and spoon the remaining thick, hot sauce over top. Garnish with some cilantro or sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions, (optional).
Valentine’s Day is all about making that special someone in your life feel appreciated and loved. My favorite way of expressing my love is through food. However, not everyone wants to be in the kitchen cooking up a five course meal all day.
No worries I have a beautiful salad you can prepare in under 20 minutes and your love will be very impressed. This recipe uses peaches , but you can easily substitute them for pears. You can have this salad as a main course or serve along side a piece of grilled salmon.
No matter how you decide to serve it, remember to always Set the Table with Love.💕💕💕
Arugula Salad with Sautéed Peaches, Honey Harissa Almonds, Fresh Burrata topped with Organic Waikiki Honey
Add enough arugula on to a beautiful serving dish, set aside.
Add oil to a sauté pan on medium heat. Once heated add sliced peaches, drizzle 1 tbsp of the honey over them and stir until they are coated with the honey and a pinch of sea salt . Sauté for 2 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. Using the same pan on medium heat, add your almonds, the rest of the honey, harissa and sea salt to the pan and stir constantly, until the almonds are covered completely, about a minute. Remove from heat, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Take your Burrata and put it in the middle of your bed of arugula, open it up with a knife gently in the middle, to expose the curd, add the Organic Waikiki Honey in the middle of opened Burrata. Next add the peaches on top of the bed of arugula, then add the almonds all around, creating a beautiful salad, drizzle the entire salad with olive oil and balsamic glaze.
So this blog will be short and really naturally and organically sweet, LOL, school just started back, and we are off to get school supplies for my son. In honor of school starting back up, I decided to do a 30 day cleanse. I will try my best to post some of my detox recipes for this cleanse, but you can find some amazing cleansing recipes already here on the blog. Okay, so what are you doing with this cleanse, Lisa?
Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake
Well here is an example, I am eating a vegan, gluten free, no processed sugar diet, well no white sugar or grains, no honey, no maple syrup or agave, just coconut sugar. No alcohol, so enjoyed my sangria week. LOL. No yeast based products. But I will have dessert, and yes it will go under this cleanse. Since we are on desserts, here’s my Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake, now I am eating this for breakfast, but it’s so delicious you may want to call it dessert. It’s super simple. Enjoy and keep a look out for some more of my 30 day cleanse yummies.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups quick rolled oats, certified gluten-free, if possible
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon clove
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups lightly packed shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnut halves (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F and lightly greased brownie dish. I used an 8″x 8″ 2in. rectangular casserole dish.
In a medium saucepan, add the non dairy milk and salt to a boil. Add quick rolled oats and the remaining ingredients, except the raisins and walnuts. Lower the heat, cook for 3 minutes, add the raisins and walnuts. Stir. If it’s too thick, add a little more non dairy milk. Add the mixture into the greased casserole dish smooth out with a spoon.
Sprinkle on a little coconut and coconut sugar, as garnished.
Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden along edge. The oatmeal may look wet in some places, that’s okay, it will firm up.
So, yesterday I had some ladies over for a luncheon. It is one I have been wanting to do for awhile. Life can get very busy and we can run from one thing to the next, but the busyness of life has to take a back burner sometimes, so you can connect and show appreciation to those in your life, that support you and just maybe need a little bit of encouragement. The best way I know I how to do that is to cook for people. It truly is my love language.
Ginger Peach and Green Apple Sangria CrumbleGinger Peach and Green Apple Sangria CrumbleGinger Peach and Green Apple Sangria Crumble
I have been in this mood for foods from Spain, one of my favorite things is Paella, so I made a vegan version of this dish for my friends and they loved it. I also paired it with this wonderfully refreshing sangria. I love using seasonal food, so I made a Ginger Peach and Green Apple sangria. I am a Georgia girl, so honey, we got peaches. It was a hit, but you know after you make the sangria, you are left with all this aromatic wine infused fruit.
I looked at my happy guest and said, Girls I need to do something with this fruit. Maybe some wine infused chutney or a preserve? I did not do anything of that, I wanted dessert, so this crumble was born.
It is delicious, sweet, tart, you taste the ginger, the peaches, the green apples, and a touch of the wine flavor comes through beautifully. I was so surprised how good it turned out. Well, enough of that babbling, here’s the sangria and crumble recipe. Enjoy and take a pause from the busyness and Set the Table with Love for those beautiful souls in your own life.
Ingredients
1 bottle Pinot Grigio,
2 cups of Rosé (optional), I had it, so I used it. You can add 1 cup go Grand Marnier
Bottle of gingerale
5 medium peaches, sliced
3 medium green apples, sliced
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger)
handful of ice
Instructions
Stir all ingredients together. Chill until you’re ready to serve!
Sangria Ginger Peach and Green Apple Crumble
Preheat the oven 350.
Ingredients:
Super Simple!
In a buttered greased baking dish, add all the fruit. Add 2 tbsp of gluten free flour to the fruit. Add 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon , 1 tsp ginger powder and pinch of salt. Toss gently.
Crumble:
1 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup gluten free flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, oatmeal, cinnamon and butter in the bowl ,work the mixture with your hands or you can use an electric blender with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute or crumble with your hands, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.
Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.
Vegan Quinoa Protein Bowl with Roasted Thai Peanut Butter flavored Chickpeas, Brussels Sprouts, Tomatoes, Carrots and Peppers
I love peanut butter. I can eat it by the spoonfuls, but the best part about eating peanut butter for me is, the high plant based protein and antioxidants it has in it. Yay me. Good for my body and my skin. I actually came across an amazing peanut butter a few weeks ago, when I was being interviewed by Mara Davis, television and radio personality, also GURU of all that is too know about food and where to get it. She is the host of Atlanta Eats radio and television show. I absolutely love this woman, she knows food and she makes me laugh until my ribs crack.
Well as we were having our interview at Krog Street Market, here in Atlanta, she took me to Natures Garden Express and turned me on to this amazing peanut butter, Georgia Grinders. The owner Michael at Nature’s Garden Express was generous enough to give me a jar to take home and try. I have been hooked ever since. This recipe came about when I was just craving a spoonful of their peanut butter. A quick note here: if you are allergic to peanut butter you can substitute another nut butter of your liking. This recipe is super simple, loaded with vitamins, vegan based protein, lots of flavor. You get protein everywhere in this dish, the chick peas, the quinoa , the peanut and a little here in the brussels sprouts.
Thai Peanut Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 1″ piece ginger, peeled
1 1/2 cup Georgia Grinders peanut butter
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoon (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons srirachi sauce
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
Vegan Quinoa Protein Bowl with Roasted Thai Peanut Butter flavored Chickpeas, Brussels Sprouts, Tomatoes, Carrots and Peppers
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat 400
Add ginger into a blender and blend until finely chopped. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, srirachi sauce, coconut oil, and blend. ADD A LITTLE WARM WATER IF IT IS TOO THICK, until smooth. DO AHEAD: Peanut sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
Set a side some of the sauce for garnish. Add the remaining sauce over chick peas that have been drained and rinsed. Toss the chickpeas in the sauce until they are covered completely. Place the chickpeas on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, spread them out, so each one can roast properly. Roast for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Once they are roasted remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled use a fork to separate them from one another. Set a side.
Cook 1 cup of quinoa, brown rice or your favorite gluten free grain. Add the grain to the base of the bowl and top with your chickpeas and favorite vegetable toppings. Here I sautéed some brussels sprouts with garlic, lemon juice and a little sea salt in a non stick pan. I added tomatoes, carrot, red bell peppers and the sautéed brussels sprouts. I garnished with a little parsley, cilantro would be the best option, but I am without a car since it is in the shop, so parsley made it on this dish today.
The point here is being created and eating as much as the rainbow as possible.
You can add other raw vegetables here for example, cauliflower, yellow squash, avocado would have been a good options as well. Eating healthy is about creativity and exploration.
I love my friends. I am even so grateful that God put some incredible women in my life. I have women that have been in my life for over 3 decades. They have celebrated life with me and some of my most tragic times. These ladies have loved me unconditionally. They understand me and allow me to just be Lisa, without depends. I am so grateful for that more than anything.
We all wrote a blessing on this card for her.
Yesterday I was able to throw a birthday brunch for one of those beautiful souls, Dee Armstead. I met Dee when we both were going through a very hard time in our lives, we both had lost our moms and we were there for each other. We kept each other afloat. She loves me for me, she builds me up and never tears me down. This is 14 year friendship and I can honestly say these words about her.
Dee is the fabulous one in the linen pants
Dee is a big giver. When I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday and she said, Lisa I want to do something that will inspire and empower women. This is her gift, Dee inspires others, so I want this to be really special. So, I decided to do one of my Coming Home to You workshop brunches. I filled the whole entire brunch and exercises with positive affirmations, deep breathing technique , meditation and a lifestyle behavioral coaching exercise. The ladies were very inspired and the best part, my Dee was happy and pleased with the outcome.
God is amazing in how he works. There were many components in planning such a brunch, because it is not just about beautiful table settings and food, but helping people move passed the things that get in the way of connecting again themselves and what is next in there lives.
Follow your Dreams
Dee trust me, she never once asked me, what I was planning. This is how you now it is God, she closed it out with a speech of gratitude and gave each of her guest, a beautiful frame with the most inspiring words that went along side the workshop’s entire message. “Allow ALL life to move though you, let go of fear and embrace love.”
One of the best things I got a chance to teach my granddaughter how to Set the Table with Love. She pressed napkins, linens, we made floral arrangements, and made the prettiest table settings. We had a blast.
Coming Home to You Birthday Luncheon Homemade Floral Arrangement adds a special touch.
Thanks Dee for being one of my dearest friends and allowing your light to ignite my light within. Love you.
The menu was vegetarian. I wanted to share recipes with everyone that was simple, easy, delicious and healthy . The chai muffins were gluten free and one of my favorite recipes, we served the muffins with a simple ginger and cardamom butter.
The menu included:
Blueberry and Lemon scones with lemon sugar
Chai Muffins made by my bestie, Kristina Millsaps
Frittata Muffins with cheddar cheese and parmesan
Roasted Asparagus with parsley and parmesan
Roasted Potatoes with herbs and parmesan
Strawberry Basil Rosé Lemonade punch
Chocolate Oolong Tea
Coffee
Guests Favorite:
I want to share with you one of the recipes that was one the favorites. I will share the other recipes, including that incredible punch later this week. Enjoy this one.
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus
A bunch of parsley leaves
Fine sea salt, ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan shavings
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400.
Trim away the bottom third of each asparagus stalk.
Put the asparagus on a cookie sheet with parchment paper, top with parsley. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until slightly tender, about 10 -15 minutes. Just before serving, add shaved parmesan.
Breakfast is served and packed with over 15 grams of vegan plant based protein. I love a good breakfast in the morning to get me started with my day. Today I wanted something sweet, dense nutritious and easy to make. So, I made this Raw Apple Cinnamon Balls, but felt they needed something extra special. What is more special than apple butter. This is my raw chunky version of the traditional apple butter, which is not butter at all, but slow cooked apples with spices.
The balls are loaded with hemp seeds, gluten free oats and anti inflammatory spices like cinnamon and ginger. They are a great way to fuel your busy day with a natural sweet treat.
Raw Apple Cinnamon BallsRaw Apple Cinnamon Balls
Ingredients:
For the balls
1 1 /2 cups gluten free rolled oats ( 1 cup to make flour and 1/2 cup or more for texture at the end of the processing)
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped gala apples
1 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons of grated ginger
pinch of sea salt to taste
RAW Apple Cinnamon Balls with a RAW Apple Butter
For the Raw Apple Butter:
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon of the Raw Apple Cinnamon Ball mixture ( 1 tbsp of distilled or purified water)
1 tablespoon coconut oil, softened but not melted
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of sea salt to taste
Directions
In your food processor, grind 1 cup of oats until you have a flour and then set aside. Add the raisins and the apples to the food processor and process until it’s smooth, and then add the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
Process until thoroughly combined and then add the remaining oats to mixture. Pulse. Remove from the processor and place an a large bowl. Look at the texture, if it is too sticky add Add ¼ cup of the gluten free oats, a little at a time and stir it all together until well incorporated into the mixture. You do not want a stick or too dry mixture. You want the balls to feel like soft play doh. Roll tightly into balls. You’ll have to squeeze them together to get them to stick and make a nice round ball. For the Raw Apple Butter : Add the raisins, one tablespoon of the apple cinnamon ball mixture and the water to a processor. Process until you a have smooth chancy mixture. Add the remaining ingredients. Once processed, stir everything together and add the butter to a nice bowl to serve along side your Raw Apple Cinnamon balls. This butter is also great on cinnamon raisin toast in the morning as well with a cup of tea.
I enjoy creating different recipes. This week I have been playing with eating the primary colors. Yes, weird, but it make cooking and creating so much more adventures. It is not as easy as you think. I was going through the produce section of the grocery store yesterday trying to look for red vegetables to make a salad, that taste good. I came up with the Red Cabbage Salad that is sweet, crunchy, peppery from the red radish and it also has a little kick from the ginger. It is very different, almost reminds me of a coleslaw. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I made a big bowl and ate it all. LOL.
RAW Red Cabbage Salad with a Plum Ginger Dressing
Red Cabbage Salad
Ingredients:
3/4 pound red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
2 med. organic red apples, chopped
2 med. red plums, chopped
1/2 cup red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup red dried cranberries, diced, small
3/4 cup radishes, sliced
sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Add the shredded cabbage to a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Add dressing just before serving or you can allow this dressing to marinate through the veggies to make an awesome coleslaw.
Plum Ginger Dressing
Ingredients:
2 large plums, pitted and chopped
2 tbsp. orange juice
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. organic honey
1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce, gluten free
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
salt to taste, optional
Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process. Drizzle over salad and serve.
Last night I was on a conference call talking about how you can transition over to a more plant based vegan protein diet. I am a kidney transplant survivor . I was born with damaged kidneys and I know how animal protein can be very harsh on the kidneys, not to mention on our environment and our over all well being. First, let me put it out there my eating habits is about nutrition and well being. I eat for my health and my survival as a kidney transplant recipient. I eat out of respect for my husband risking is life and donating his kidney to me. If you have ever donated your kidney to anyone you know this is a big risk of your own well being and life, so Thank you very much for your BIG HEARTS!
My journey is to continue to incorporate healthy choices into my diet and to inspire others to do the same. I am not a label. I am a woman eating as consciously as possible. Now, with that being said, here is some information that may encourage you to eat a more plant based diet.
~ Too much protein is linked to high cholesterol, fluid imbalances in the body, osteoporosis, heart disease and cancers such as renal cancer.
The truth is we eat too much protein. The average adult woman only needs about 46 grams of protein and the average adult man needs about 56 grams. But the great news is that you can get your intake of protein through a vegan or vegetarian diet, but just substituting your regular meals with more vegan based meals. Try it out one meal at at time. You will not regret it.
This salad I made today is loaded with vegan based protein and lots good stuff for your body. VEGAN BASED PROTEIN FOODS CAN BE DELICIOUS!
RAW AND VEGAN Kale and Red Quinoa Salad with Sprouted Watermelon Seeds
I going to break down the protein for you in this salad
Kale ~ 1 cup 2.9 g
Red Quinoa cooked ~ 8.1 g
Sprouted watermelon seeds by Go Raw Foods 1 oz, ~ 11 g
So a big bowl of this salad with 1 oz of Sprouted watermelon seeds = 22 g vegan protein
YOU ARE HALF WAY THERE Ladies! 🙂
Well here is the recipe:
RAW AND VEGAN Kale and Red Quinoa Salad with Sprouted Watermelon Seeds
Ingredients :
4 cups of Kale chopped
1 cup cranberries
1 cup of cooked red quinoa ( follow the directions on the box)
1/2 cup of grated carrots
1/2 cup of lime juice
2 tbsp organic honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1- 2 oz. sprouted watermelon seeds as a garnish
Directions:
Cook the quinoa according to the directions and add the grated carrots in at the end of the cooking process and set a side.
Add the kale and all the other remaining ingredients in a large bowl, EXCEPT THE WATERMELON SEEDS. Massage the kale until it covered well with the olive oil. I like to massage mines until withers just a little. Add the quinoa, carrots and toss gently until everything is mixed together. Top the salad with 1- 2 oz of the watermelon seeds or as many as you like. Serve and Enjoy your VEGAN energy for the day.
I love going to the grocery store and picking up ingredients you don’t’ find in a typical American household, like japanese radishes, lychee fruit, dandelion leaves and yes Napa cabbage, to just name a few. I picked up these beautiful napa cabbages at my local grocery with no real idea what to do with them. I love to chopped them up in my healing broths, but not this time. I had something hardy, crunchy and so fulfilling for these guys. Raw Napa Cabbage Tacos. Yes!! Who doesn’t love a good taco? Raise your hand. Okay, maybe one person, put your hand down. LOL. 🙂
Here’s a simple start to your mind going wild with possibilities for this recipe. Enjoy. Oh yes, please Set the Table with Love.
RAW Napa Cabbage Tacos with an Avocado Ginger Lime Sauce, alfalfa sprouts, poblano peppers, green apples, red cabbages, organic raw corn, red bell peppers, cilantro and mangos.
Raw Napa Cabbage Tacos with an Avocado, Ginger and Lime Sauce.
( you can use more of each ingredient if you like, fill those cabbages up)
2 large Napa Cabbage leaves, cleaned
1 cup alfafa sprouts
1/2 cup chopped poblano peppers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped organic green apples
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
1/2 cup raw organic corn
1/2 cup chopped avocados
1/2 cup chopped mangos
1/2 cup of sliced red cabbages
sea salt, ginger powder and cayenne powder to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients on the side on a platter and season them to taste. Start making your sauce.
RAW Napa Cabbage Tacos with an Avocado Ginger Lime Sauce, alfalfa sprouts, poblano peppers, green apples, red cabbages, organic raw corn, red bell peppers, cilantro and mangos.
Avocado, Ginger and Lime sauce
1/3 cup water or more, if needed
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 avocado
1 clove garlic
1 tsp organic honey
1 tsp. powder ginger
cayenne pepper to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend thoroughly. Taste and more water or spices if needed. You want a sauce that is easy to pour over your tacos. I had to add a little more water, but starting out with less is better. You can always add more later.
Assembly:
Place your cabbage on a nice plate. Add your sprouts first, spread them out, add the other ingredients as you like. I added my soft ingredients like my mangos and avocado last so they would not get mushy under the rest of the vegetables. Drizzle your Avocado, Ginger and Lime sauce on top of your Napa Cabbage Tacos and enjoy.
