What's in the CSA box

I've recently started getting CSA boxes. CSA—or community sponsored agriculture—is this nifty idea whereby you buy a subscription from a local farm (or in my case, from a local online grocer that buys from local farms) and each week you get a box of veggies that are freshly picked and in season. The subscription ensures that farmers have a regular outlet for their product, and that you are always supplied with lots of fresh veggies. Veggies that are in season and local have a much higher nutritional content than veggies that have been shipped in from out of town. For more on that phenomenon, see my recent article in Austin Fit Magazine.

For me, getting this box every week is like Christmas. Full of pretty colors, interesting new things to try, lots of possibilities for interesting and healthy meals. I originally was a little phobic about whether I'd be able to eat all my veggies within a week, but I have to say I've done pretty well. Which means my body has also done pretty well.

Anyway, I've decided to take a page out of Food Craft and take photos of my CSA box ingredients, along with my ideas for what to do with them. So, without further ado...

Strawberries!
Straight from Poteet, Texas, these guys are beautiful, fat, and sweet. Strawberries tend to go bad quickly, so I'm trying to eat them in the next couple of days. So far I've been cutting them up and enjoying them on my morning cereal. I've also dipped one (or two) in the leftover icing from those cupcakes I made the other day.

Lettuce
I will admit, when I first saw this peaking at me in the box, I thought it was kale, and I was really excited. I realized as soon as I pulled it out of the box that it was a head of lettuce, and although that's not as exciting to me as kale, I'll still make some good salads. I also imagine I'll use this for my "Happiness Bowl" from Radiance 4 Life (sadly, this recipe is not posted online, which is really unfortunate for you. You should totally buy this book just for the recipe).

Green Onions
I've never seen green onions quite so fat and delicious as these. I plan to put some of these bad boys in my aforementioned Happiness Bowl, and I am also contemplating making spring rolls (which is a great way to use up a lot of veggies). I also feel like I need to sautée the bulbs and put them in something...again, probably the Happiness Bowl.

Swiss Chard
I've already eaten about half of this, and it's only been two days. How, do you ask? In my green smoothies! I love them, especially after a workout. Easy to consume and a natural energy boost. If I want to get in extra protein after a workout, then I just add a few tablespoons of hemp protein powder.

Radishes
Here's where I'd love your input. I am not all that crazy about radishes. Perhaps that's because I've never known how to cook and eat them. I've typically had them cut up in salad, and I find them bitter and boring. I remember in my college course, "Business in the French Speaking World," we learned that the French like to eat raw radishes with butter. That's not really an option for me either. So I'd love your suggestions, if you have them.  And if I find a recipe I like, I'll post it here.

Texas Grapefruit
I have an ongoing love affair with this fruit. When I was a kid, the only way I could tolerate grapefruit was with a whole bunch of sugar poured on top. Texas grapefruits, eaten in season, are the sweetest treat around. I could easily eat two in a day (and I have). Needless to say, I was pretty happy to see that there are still some Texas grapefruits to be had. I'll be eating my two grapefruits with my breakfast for the next few days (or for a snack, if the spirit moves me).

Broccoli
A nice big bag o' broccoli accompanied my box this week. I'll probably steam it, sautée it, or try out a recipe from Delicious Vitality that I just found. 

Garlic
I think the real question here is, "What won't I use this for?" Also, it's kind of cool to see what garlic looks like in its entirety, as opposed to the pristine white bulbs we buy in the grocery store.

Turnip
Once again, I'll be soliciting your advice on what to do with turnips. I've never cooked them before. I think I've had these before in roasted form, so I'll probably do that again, unless anyone else has other suggestions?









So: There you have it! This week's CSA box from Greenling. If I manage to eat most of this by next week, I'd say I'm doing pretty well. Stay tuned for an update (and hopefully some recipes!)...

Chocolate Cake for Easter

This Chocolate Decadence Cake is the first vegan recipe I ever made (yes, I know, it's shocking that my willingness to venture into vegan cooking was based on rich chocolate cake and not on kale). It's still my favorite vegan chocolate cake recipe. It's super moist and rich, the coconut oil gives it a unique flavor, and the icing is to-die-for. I mean, TO-DIE-FOR, as in you would be willing to envelop yourself in it and drown in chocolate deliciousness. In fact, you should probably make two batches of icing: One that you will likely eat while you're waiting for the cake to bake, and the other to actually frost the cake with.

Just kidding. (not really)

All of that said, I don't really make this cake very often. I think it's been about a year since the last time I made it. This is mainly because 1. I tend to eat it way too quickly, in spite of my resolve, and 2. it contains oil, which I'm trying to greatly reduce in my diet, after reading research from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Perhaps I'll blog about this oil thing at a later date.

So 

Anyway, typically if I'm baking I make things oil free, but yesterday I was in the mood for something really decadent. As I was contemplating where I could go to procure something yummy and vegan (which would have likely led me to the bakery case at Wheatsville), it suddenly it occurred to me that I had all the ingredients on hand to make this cake. Even better, the ingredients in this cake are more high quality and healthier than what I'd probably get in a store-bought vegan cake. Note, I'm not saying HEALTHY...I'm saying HEALTHIER.

The first way it's healthier is that it's made with whole wheat pastry flour. I tend to buy mine in the bulk bin at Wheatsville because it's cheaper, but most health food stores will have it. Using PASTRY flour is key, because even though it is still whole grain, it is so finely milled that your baked goods will still be light—as opposed to using straight-up whole wheat flour, which weighs everything down.

For the cake, I used Spectrum brand coconut oil, although any high quality coconut oil will do. If you're going to use oil, at least use the good stuff. For the icing, I recommend Earth Balance margarine sticks. That tends to be the best tasting/highest quality vegan margarine I can find, and it's trans-fat free (although it's still pure fat, people, so don't go crazy and start spreading it on everything saying, "Hey! It's vegan! That means I can eat as much of it as I want!"). From my own personal experience, I'd recommend using fresh margarine, because after it's been sitting in your refrigerator for awhile, I find it loses its taste. Real butter has always done that for me, too. Maybe I have a refrigerator problem.

I made this recipe into cupcakes, since that gives you an easy portion-controlled size. It also makes it easy to share, which is what I plan to do, so I don't eat them all (note: I have eaten two and given away two so far). I topped mine off with an organic strawberry. Mmm.

Needless to say, this satisfied my chocolate decadence craving yesterday, I saved money by using the ingredients I had on hand, and I'm not too concerned about a once-in-blue-moon splurge such as this, when making these bad boys probably prevented me from getting something much unhealthier.

So go make em', and don't forget to share so you don't eat them all! Because you will want to. Trust me.

I'm back!

Holy crap, it's been a year since I've posted. First, I've decided to change my blog name. I'm not technically unemployed anymore, and I don't want to jinx myself. "Joie de Vegan" came to me today while I was washing dishes. To my disappointment, I saw that there are already a couple of blogs by this name, so I decided to add "Court" to it, et puis voilà: Now it's different and hopefully no one will sue me for copyright infringement.

I started triathlon training last week and have really been increasing my veggies, thanks in no small part to the CSA boxes I recently started getting. My hatred for wasting food has become an extra motivation to eat more greens!

I'm excited for a variety of reasons about my plant-based diet and training:

First, I can't believe the energy and stamina I have. I haven't seriously exercised in over a year, so coming back has been a huff-and-puff challenge. After just a week or so of getting back into the swing of things, I can tell I'm already getting stronger.

Second, I finally feel like the conundrum of always being hungry during tri season (thanks to my increased activity level) has been resolved. The low calorie density and high fiber of plant-based food means I can eat more, feel full, and not gain weight. Win.

Finally, I'm recovering faster. I have had little issue with fatigue or soreness, and that is saying something, given my long-term inactivity. I'm crediting my green smoothies. I CRAVE them after a workout now. The fruit and veggies help reduce inflammation, the hemp protein helps rebuild muscle, and the liquid nature helps the nutrients to be absorbed more rapidly.

So without further ado, here are some of the things I've been eating lately. 

Court's Recovery Smoothie (Recipe courtesy of Radiant Health, Inner Wealth)

Small bunch of kale (about a cup)
1 bag frozen strawberries
2 carrots
1 c fresh squeezed oj (I buy a bottle from Central Market)
1 c water
4 TBS hemp protein powder

Toss together into the Vitamix and ENJOY! You should really make an effort to buy fresh squeezed juice (or make it yourself, if you have a juicer). Way more nutritious than store-bought bottled juice that has been pasteurized and essentially killed off all the nutrients. Just make sure you drink your fresh juice within a few days, since it also will lose nutrients and start growing bacteria after it's been opened. Oh, and you can also omit the hemp protein if you're not drinking it after a workout.

Delicious Vitality Vegan Mac & Cheese

This recipe is by Alex Jamieson. You may recognize her as the vegan girlfriend (now ex-wife) of Morgan Spurlock from Supersize Me. I recently got her books and have been enjoying her recipes a lot. The nice thing about this recipe is you can make the sauce and serve it over basically anything: pasta, greens, you get the idea. Also, the sauce itself has shiitake mushrooms inside, which, in addition to being really good for you, give it a great flavor. I served it over whole wheat pasta and collard greens with cracked pepper on top, and let me tell you: Yum. It keeps very well, which makes for some quick meals on the go. Just dump into a saucepan, heat, and eat.

Hungarian Chickpeas with Double Garlic Quinoa and Roasted Beets

The first two are classics from Radiant Health, Inner Wealth. I'm trying to do low/no oil, so I omitted it from the Hungarian Chickpeas and greatly reduced it in the Double Garlic Quinoa, using veggie broth as a fill in liquid for sauteeing the garlic. Still tasted good to me. Oh, and I also boiled my quinoa in veggie broth, which I think gives it a really yummy flavor.

The beets came out of my CSA box. I've never been a big fan of beets. Too many memories of my aunt taking them out of a can and putting them on top of her salad with some kind of gross salad dressing, and then trying to make me eat them. But I've decided I can make peace with beets when they are roasted, since they have a nice caramelized flavor. Supposedly beets are good at helping to reduce your sugar cravings, as well. Win. 

Veggie Pizza! 

I love pizza, and I don't mind eating it without cheese. There are some vegan friendly places in Austin (Conan's is one of them), although that gets pricey. I recently discovered these pizza crusts at Wheatsville Co-op, and I love the fact that they are whole grain, contain flax seed, and are low in oil. Basically I threw on the ingredients I had on hand: tomato sauce, mushrooms, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, basil, spinach, and oregano. I also put on a few slices of Dr Cow Tree Nut Cheese. It's made from cashews and is pretty freaking awesome. And when I say it's awesome, I mean it, because I have always been a huge cheese snob and find pretty much every vegan cheese out there to be absolutely disgusting not all that great. This stuff doesn't melt like cheese, but it still adds a nice cheesy flavor. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Quick, easy, and healthy!

I'm really hoping to document my triathlon come-back on a plant-based diet, so hopefully more posts will follow. I'm also trying to take the pressure off of myself to be a perfect writer, so these posts might be random. As long as there are pictures of food, it's ok, right? Right?

No longer unemployed and ready to detoxify!

First, the big news: I have a JOB!!! A full-fledged, full-time job. Even better, the job completely fell into my lap (thanks to the power of visualizing and networking), and they are actually going to modify the original description somewhat to take advantage of my mad writing and editing skillz. Holla!

Anyway, yipes! Has it really been almost a month since I last posted??? Well, what can I say, not only has life gotten in the way, but I also took a little tumble off the healthy eating bandwagon.

Triathlon training season has now officially been kicked off, which has given me a little kick in the pants to jump back into healthy eating. There is nothing worse than trying to move your body (let alone have it perform well) when you're loaded down with oil- and sugar-laden, processed, refined garbage.

However, despite my intent to eat healthy so that my body will perform at its best, getting back into good habits is not that easy. When I am confronted by inner rebellious teenager, I often try to find compromises: What am I WILLING to do?

In this case, I eventually decided that if I was going to eat like crap, the least I could do for myself would be to start my morning off with a glass of lemon water.

I never knew how good lemon water was for the body until I did the Two-Week Detox (well, one week, in my case). I could definitely feel a difference in the way I felt after drinking lemon water, and the more I read about lemons, the more I learned that they have some truly amazing properties.

For example:

• Lemons have an alkalizing effect on the body, helping it to stay in balance, and feel and perform well. Unhealthy processed foods, caffeine, and alcohol make your body acidic, meaning you are more susceptible to getting ill and feeling like crap.
  
• Lemons aid the liver in removing toxins (such as those from junk/fast food).
• Lemons contain Vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium.
  
• Lemons' digestive properties can help with heartburn and bloating

These days, I find that when I have been eating lots of junk food, the idea of lemon water sounds really really good to me. I take this "craving" to be my body's natural way of wanting to detoxify itself.

The recipe (if you want to call it that) is pretty simple: Squeeze half or a whole lemon into 8 or more ounces of lukewarm water, depending on your tolerance for tartness. I've found that my tolerance for more concentrated lemon juice has gotten better over time. Per the recommendation of the Two Week Wellness Solution, I drink it first thing in the morning, before eating my breakfast. That way, it gently "wakes up" my digestive system.

Please note, the lemon juice needs to be fresh—from an actual lemon, not from one of those cute little yellow squeeze bottles at the grocery store. Otherwise, you're cheating yourself out of all the good stuff.

For more fun reading about lemon water, check out this and this.

And please bear with me as I attempt to get back onto the blogging band wagon as well as the eating healthy band wagon! I will do my best!

Photo courtesy of this website.

I love cobbler

Several summers ago, I went blackberry picking with my then-boyfriend at a farm located around Elgin, Texas (I'd give you the name but I can't remember it, and a Google search isn't being very helpful, either).

As we wandered through row after row of bushes offering big, fat blackberries for the picking, we got so caught up in filling our cute (but gigantic) baskets that we didn't stop to consider what we were going to do with all of those blackberries once we got them home. It took my getting stung by a bee (they like blackberries, too) to finally snap us out of our blackberry reverie and wake us up to the fact that we had picked a lot more than we could ever eat.

Five-ish pounds of blackberries and am embarrassing amount of money paid to the farmers later, we were back at the house, trying to look up blackberry recipes. Both of us liked the idea of cobbler, but immediately dismissed it as being way too complicated to make, and neither of us particularly wanted to gain 50 lbs from eating it every single day.

If only Tess had already published her book back then, with its recipe for "Ultra Light Blackberry Cobbler." Super easy, super delicious, and a green recipe to boot (for more info about color coding, see this post).

I avoided making this recipe for a long time, mainly because I really love cobbler and was convinced that a "healthy" cobbler could not taste good. But my curiosity finally got the best of me, so I tried it out. And yum!

I think what makes this recipe successful is the fact that blackberries really are the centerpiece here. The doughiness is still there for those of us who love it (I am one of those folks), but there are so many damn blackberries (I'm not complaining) that it balances things out.

The ingredients are really quite simple: Whole wheat pastry flour combined with some baking powder, non-dairy milk, vanilla, and a touch of maple syrup. Once it's all mixed together, pour it into a pie pan, dump 2 cups of blackberries on top, and bake for 45 minutes. I'm not sure how it's possible to make a delicious cobbler without using butter, but somehow Tess managed to find a way. Yum.

I served mine with a little bit of almond-milk vanilla ice cream. It's no Ben & Jerry's, but was actually pretty good, and, more importantly, it didn't make me feel like I needed to go run 3 miles after eating it.

**Note: You really need to use good quality, organic blackberries. This will probably cost you around $4 for a 16-oz bag, but there's no comparison in quality between the frozen HEB version and the really nice organic farm version, in taste, appearance, and pesticide levels. Worth it.

Holy Shiitake (Walnut, and Dried Cranberry Salad) Batman!

Today I've had quite the craving for Wheatsville's popcorn tofu sandwich.

Popcorn whaaaaa?

I know, sounds weird and/or gross, right? Oh, but it's not. It's delicious. Kind of like chicken nuggets. And they put it on this bun with all kinds of veggies and top it with some cashew-tamari dressing, and...damn. It's good.

Probably not the healthiest, though. So, I decided that, to counteract the bad, I would make something good. Really good. And healthy. And that ended up being Shiitake, Walnut, and Dried Cranberry Salad, from Radiant Health, Inner Wealth.

Shiitake mushrooms are crazy good for the immune system and have also been shown to fight cancer. These bad boys are gooood for you. The recipe calls for sautéeing them along with some garlic—yet another powerful immune booster—in a little bit of olive oil. I found some beautiful, local, organic shiitakes at Wheatsville. You can see their happy little sautéed selves in the picture to the right. A few minutes was all it took to get them nice and soft.

After sautéeing, I set the mushrooms and garlic aside and mixed up some red onion, balsamic vinegar, oil, walnuts, cranberries, and the secret ingredient—orange zest—which really gave the finished product a nice, unexpected, pleasant kick. And, by the way, attempting to grate the orange zest with my tiny little grater while avoiding grating my knuckles into the salad firmed up my resolve to finally buy a zester. I would recommend that you do the same.

The recipe calls for baby greens, but I used spinach instead, since I have about 5 million pounds of it that I bought on sale recently. I mixed the spinach and mushrooms with the other magic ingredients, tossed, and...voilà! A healthy side to my popcorn tofu sandwich (which, incidentally, is still probably better for me than a Quarter Pounder with Cheese).

Just to review, this salad gives you a huge bang for your buck, providing immune-boosting, cardiovascular-enhancing, cancer fighting, and anti-inflammatory properties, a big dose of flavanoids, antioxidants, and fiber...and the list goes on (and on...).

Now go out and get ya some.

Easy. Addictive. Eggplant.

Hello all, and sorry for the lag time in posting. I actually found a job to apply for—wonder of wonders!—and even got a couple of freelance gigs at the end of last week, so the whole making-money thing has taken priority.

It's been a busy several days, and since I know that I am less likely to do major cooking when I have a lot going on, I've fallen back on some staple dishes that are easy and quick to make, but also healthy. Also important for me during this busy time is that I've made these dishes before, which negates the whole I-don't-want-to-try-anything-new--and-have-it-go-wrong-while-I'm-stressed-out factor.

One of these healthy items that is quickly becoming a staple in my diet is eggplant. Specifically, Easy and Addictive Eggplant "Chips". I have always liked the idea of eggplant—it's so pretty!—but I have never been able to make it taste good. Not even when I've covered it with cheese and marinara sauce. During Tess' most recent visit to Austin, she asked whether I had tried this recipe from her book yet. I hadn't, and there were beautiful organic eggplants on sale at Wheatsville...so I got one.

Tess had warned me that they were addictive, and I had laughed, but...she wasn't kidding. The first time I made them, I almost ate the whole pan. It's something about the marinade, full of garlic and onion, and the texture of the eggplant...yeah, they're that good. To remedy this "problem," I have started making only the amount I am going to feel ok about eating. That way, self-control is not required. =)

Texture-wise, contrary to the implication of their name ("Chips"), they are actually soft rather than crisp. They have kind of a caramelized texture. Also, don't make the same mistake that I did the first time I made them: You want to use a cookie sheet that has raised edges—i.e., one that will contain the delicioso marinade liquid and prevent it from spilling off the pan and into your oven. Trust me. (Cleanup on Aisle 5!)

The recipe is simple enough. Preheat the oven to 400 deg, toss together the ingredients of your marinade, and slice your eggplant into "chips." Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet (seriously, one with raised edges!) and pour the marinade on top. Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes, then flip them over and sit for another 5-10 min.

At this point, if you're making a full batch, you will leave the all of the marinade in the pan. But, if you are like me and are making a smaller batch, you can (carefully) pour the excess marinade back into a container to reuse the next day (I'm assuming this is ok, since there are no nasty meat-type bacteria in eggplant and I use it pretty quickly. At least, I haven't died yet from doing so). You'll still want to leave a little marinade in the cookie sheet though, so they can cook in their juices. Pop your large or small batch into the oven, let them cook for 10-15 minutes, take them out and flip them over, then let them cook for another 5 or 10 minutes. Mmmmm....

These taste best when they're fresh and hot out of the oven, of course, but I also have enjoyed eating them cold, on top of salad. That might not be for everyone, I realize...it's a texture thing.

I should also mention that they are considered a "blue" food item. This is a rating system of the recipes from Tess' book, which is super handy to have when you're planning out your meals. "Green" foods are relatively low in calories and fat and can be eaten several times a day; "Blue" foods tend to be higher in fat and calories and, depending on your activity level and weight loss goals (if you have any), should be eaten once, maybe twice a day. "Purple" foods are things like, oh, say, chocolate cake, which definitely are higher in calories, fat, and sugar, and should for sure be eaten in moderation.

One of the things that has been helpful for me to keep in mind, however, is that even the purple foods from this book contain natural or less refined sweeteners, whole ingredients, and healthy fats. They are MUCH healthier (and probably lower in fat/sugar/cals) than the processed, refined garbage that most of us eat on a daily basis. Also keep in mind that it's not a one-size-fits-all approach: As with anything, it's about moderation and balance (my arch nemeses, BTW...). Check out Radiant Health, Inner Wealth, for more info about Tess' color-coded rating system.

Finally, I have to report a triumph: I had dinner last week at Hyde Park Grill. Austinites will automatically know what this place is famous for, but for you sad people who do not live here...they make the BEST french fries. Ever. I don't know what they do to them (nothing healthy), but they are crazy good. And horrible for you. And you get a huge portion of them, with a container of a mayo-based dipping sauce. And, for perhaps the first time ever, I didn't want to eat them. It had nothing to do with sitting on my hands and forcing myself to choose something healthier. I just...didn't want them. I got a vegetable plate instead. WTF?!?!

This experience is starting to prove to me that our taste buds do actually start to adjust, the more we feed ourselves healthy, delicious food. I'm not saying I'll never eat another french fry again, and I actually had a day of pretty unhealthy choices on Sunday (and paid for them later), but to have a moment—even one!—in which I actually WANTED the healthier option was huge. Huge!

Enjoy!

*Top photo taken from Radiant Health, Inner Wealth.