Karinna's High Protein Post-Workout Salad Recipe

When I first went Vegan in 2007, I had to break down some of my paradigms.  The word protein was synonymous with meat.  I had to unlearn a lot of myths that I had learned since childhood.   Now, I see food for the nutrient content.  It is quite easy to construct a well-balanced, healthy meal once you realize that everything you need can be found in plant sources without the saturated fat and chemicals found in the typical American diet.  

"But Organic food is expensive."  

Actually, heart disease, diabetes, and organ failure can be even more expensive.

Exercise and eating clean are habits we need in order to live a long and healthy life.  After a rigorous workout, I need some carbs and a good amount of lean protein to recover.

Karinna's High Protein Post Workout Salad

In a large bowl, mix together these power foods!

Kale

Broccoli

Radicchio

Edamame

Pinto Beans

Butter Beans

Avocado

SpicyTomatillo Salsa

Tips:  

I almost never use salad dressing; substitute salsa instead.

Use black beans, garbanzo beans, or any other legume you prefer. 

Add red onion, mushrooms, carrots for a heartier meal.

Enjoy!

Join my 30 Day Vegan Challenge today!

Get Ready for Food Day 2012!

FoodDay.org

Verdelicious.com is joining forces with the Center for Science in the Public Interest!  We will be hosting a Food Day event in Southern California on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Press/Media Contact Here   

To help fund our event and make it a success, we are counting on local businesses, farmers markets, restaurants, health care groups, and private investors.  If you would like to be a part of this healthy food revolution, email us or donate now!  

Our goals are to promote safer and healthier diets, support sustainable organic farms, reduce hunger, reform factory farms to protect the environment, and support fair working conditions for food and farm workers.

Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement toward more healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. Food Day, created by CSPI, is powered by a diverse coalition of food movement leaders, organizations, and people from all walks of life. Food Day takes place annually on October 24 to address issues as varied as health and nutrition, hunger, agricultural policy, animal welfare, and farm worker justice. The ultimate goal of Food Day is to strengthen and unify the food movement in order to improve our nation’s food policies.

The Perfect Breakfast in Bed ♥

I love to start my day with something healthy and nutritious! When I think of a healthy breakfast, I think of oatmeal with berries! Oatmeal is a whole grain which the American Heart Association recommends as a great way to reduce cholesterol. Eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast can increase your longevity and quality of life.

Karinna's Breakfast in Bed Oatmeal ♥

3/4 cup whole rolled Oats

1 1/2 cups fresh filtered water

3/4 cup Rice Milk

2 tablespoons Organic Agave Nectar

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon, powdered

1/2 Banana, sliced

Fresh Berries

Cranberry Raisins

Prepare Oats by soaking in boiling water for 4-5 minutes or microwave if you're short on time. If using microwave, place oats and water in a microwave safe bowl and cook for just under two minutes. Add the Rice Milk, Agave, and Cinnamon and stir. Add fresh fruit and raisins as garnish and place on a tray with a cup of coffee or freshly squeezed orange juice and deliver to your honey in bed and don't forget to Smile!

Enjoy ♥

My Sweet & Creamy Avocado Smoothie

There's something about Avocados that makes me crave them in so many different ways! From guacamole, to tortilla soup, to sandwiches and wraps and even smoothies, they go great with just about anything. Avocados are extremely versatile and very nutritious for your body and skin.

You may not think of adding an avocado to your favorite protein shake, but once you taste this recipe, you'll fall in love! This recipe is low-glycemic and contains cinnamon which helps balance Insulin levels as well.

Karinna's Sweet & Creamy Avocado Smoothie

1 large, ripe Hass Avocado.

8 ounces unsweetened Rice Milk

8 ounces pure Coconut Water

4 tablespoons Organic Blue Agave Nectar or Stevia to taste

2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast flakes

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or 1 fresh Vanilla Bean

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Blend all ingredients on high in a blender until smooth. (If using a fresh Vanilla Bean, slice in half length-wise and scrape out the vanilla bean paste.) Garnish with a berry or fresh orchid. Makes 2 servings.

Coconut water is one of the highest natural sources of Potassium and a great way to hydrate. Fortified Nutritional Yeast flakes provide a vegan source of Vitamin B-12.

Get Creative! Add a banana, kale, vegan raw protein powder, or even toss in some berries for more phyto-power.

Enjoy ♥

Hennessy Privilége Tamarindo - Delicioso!

Tamarindo is such a delicious culinary treat; for years the tender pulp of the Tamarind fruit has been extracted to make desserts, cakes, candies, and Aguas Frescas. Hennessy Privilége mixologists have created this fabulous cocktail infusing the rich flavors of Tamarindo and Cinnamon with the classic french cognac.

Hennessy Privilége Tamarindo

2 oz. Hennessy Privilége

1.5 oz. Simple Syrup (or 3/4 oz. Agave Nectar)

1 oz. Tamarind Purée

Splash fresh Lime juice

2 oz. Club Soda

Garnish: Brown Sugar and Cinammon mixture to rim the glass and Cinnamon Stick

Pour ingredients (except for club soda) into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled glass rimmed with brown sugar and cinnamon, top with the club soda, and garnish with cinnamon stick.

Disfruta! You can see Karinna on her upcoming Cuisine & Cocktails show on the International TVC Network launching Summer 2011!

♥ *Hennessy Privilége Cognac is a Vegan-Friendly spirit ♥

Karinna's Cranberry Kiss

Happy Holidays!
It's the time of year to celebrate and gather with family and friends! This is a fabulous cocktail recipe that will impress all your guests. My cocktail uses the finest ingredients including one of my favorite Champagnes. The only thing you may be missing is the Mistletoe!

Karinna's Cranberry Kiss

Party Recipe: Serves about 10

1 1/2 cups Grand Marnier
1 1/2 cups Cranberry Juice
1/2 cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
2 tablespoons Organic Agave Nectar
1 750 ML bottle Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé Champagne*
Fresh Organic Cranberries for Garnish

Stir together the Grand Marnier, Cranberry Juice, Agave Nectar and Lime Juice. Cover and chill for about 1 1/2 hours. Serve into 10 Champagne flutes and top with Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé Champagne. Drop 3 fresh Cranberries into each flute and serve.

*M & C Nectar Imperial Rosé is a deliciously sweet, smooth, and fine Champagne. For those who prefer to emphasize the tartness of the Cranberry and citrus, I recommend using a brut like Veuve Clicquot's Brut Yellow Label and less Agave and sugar.

*Another great garnish idea is to skewer a sugar coated cranberry and lime rind to form a "mistletoe."

Single Cocktail Recipe: Serves one

1 1/4 oz Grand Marnier
1 1/4 oz Cranberry Juice
1/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1 teaspoon Organic Agave Nectar
3 oz Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé Champagne
Fresh Organic Cranberries

Pour Grand Marnier, Cranberry Juice, Lime Juice, and Agave Nectar into shaker cup filled with ice. Shake and pour into Champagne flute, top off with Champagne. Drop 3 Cranberries into flute.

Enjoy!
♥ K

♥ A Warm Welcome! ♥

Welcome to Verdelicious.com from Karinna Zarate on Vimeo.

♥ Come visit me at http://www.verdelicious.com ♥

Berry-licious Smoothie

Tantalize your taste buds and nourish your body from the inside out with this delicious raw, organic, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nutrient-dense Triple Berry smoothie.

Karinna's Berry-licious Smoothie Recipe

20 oz Organic Almond Milk

1/2 cup Garden of Life Raw Protein Powder

4 tablespoons Organic Sprouted Golden Flax

2 tablespoons Kal Nutritional Yeast Flakes

1/2 teaspoon Health Force Nutritionals Truly Vitamin C Powder

1.5 cups fresh or frozen Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries

4 tablespoon Organic Blue Agave Nectar

Place all ingredients in a blender on medium-high setting and blend until smooth, adding agave nectar to taste. (Makes 2 large servings)

This smoothie is great for fighting colds for its antioxidants, vitamin c, and other immune boosting nutrients. It is also a great meal-replacement for lunchtime or between meals. This is not a low-calorie smoothie but it is nutrient-dense and vegan so you don't have to worry about saturated fats, low-density-lipoproteins (bad cholesterol), or refined sugars.

Ingredient facts:

• Almond Milk is low-calorie, approximately 35 calories per 8 ounces in the unsweetened version and 60 calories per 8 ounces if lightly sweetened which makes it a perfect alternative to soymilk. It is appropriate for smoothies since you will be adding so many other nutrients, you want the liquid base to be as low-calorie as possible. (Try Pacific Foods, or Silk)
• Garden of Life Raw Protein is an excellent protein powder from raw organic sprouts. It contains 18 grams of protein per scoop (and the recipe above calls for double that amount). The organic sprouted proteins include brown rice protein, amaranth sprout, quinoa sprout, millet sprout, buckwheat sprout, garbanzo bean sprout, kidney bean sprout, lentil sprout, adzuki bean sprout, flax seed sprout, sunflower seed sprout, pumpkin seed sprout, chia seed sprout, and sesame seed sprout. Garden of Life Raw Protein also contains live probiotics and enzymes, bioactive glycoproteins and lipoproteins, amino acids, and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K.
• Organic Sprouted Flaxmeal provides essential Omega 3 Fatty Acids and dietary fiber and lignans which help maintain a healthy digestive system, maintain healthy levels of cholesterol and sugar, protect against heart disease and help regulate metabolism.
• Nutritional yeast is one of the only plant-based sources of Vitamin B-12 and is essential for cellular metabolism and healthy circulation. It is water-soluble and is not stored in fat, so unused B-12 is excreted by the body. B-12, or cobalamin, is "essential," therefore must be consumed daily. Vitamin B-12 is also essential for proper neurologic function. It is hard to find, but i've found that KAL is a great brand and can be purchased at your local health food store.
• Health Force Nutritionals Truly Vitamin C is a great addition to your smoothie. Most Vitamin C supplements contain synthetic forms of Vitamin C like Calcium Ascorbate or Ascorbic Acid. Health Force Nutritionals uses pure Acerola Cherry which is highly absorbable and does not create high acid levels in the body or put a negative strain on the liver or kidneys upon excretion.

Enjoy a healthy super meal in a glass for your longevity and immunity!

A Low-Fat Vegan Diet Can Help Reverse Diabetes

A Low-Fat Vegan Diet Can Help Reverse Diabetes

" Significant benefits for diabetes prevention and management have been observed with vegetarian and especially vegan diets. Research to date has demonstrated that a low-fat, plant-based nutritional approach improves control of weight, glycemia, and cardiovascular risk. These studies have also shown that carefully planned vegan diets can be more nutritious than diets based on more conventional diet guidelines, with an acceptability that is comparable with that of other therapeutic regimens. Vegetarian and vegan diets present potential advantages in managing type 2 diabetes that merit the attention of individuals with diabetes and their caregivers. " ND Barnard MD Usefulness of vegetarian and vegan diets for treating type 2 diabetes

Four years ago, I became vegan overnight after watching a documentary on factory farms and the way animals are unnecessarily tortured and mutilated. Since then, I started this blog and began contributing to various magazines and online publications as an outspoken advocate of the Vegan and Green communities. Every once in a while, something happens that incites conversation on the topic of going vegan--a beef recall, a salmonella outbreak, tainted water supply, or a new startling statistic. Recently something happened closer to home. A very close family member of mine was diagnosed with diabetes and I began to take a closer look at the alternatives to traditional diabetes drugs. Although the answer was clear to me--go vegan--I found that many doctors now agree that a low-fat vegan diet can reverse the symptoms if well-planned and monitored.

Prior to Dr. Neal D. Barnard's groundbreaking study on the effects of a low-fat vegan diet in patients with diabetes, most physicians believed diabetes had no cure or treatment with the exception of drugs. The truth is, a carefully planned low-fat unrefined vegan diet helps patients with diabetes shed excess weight, and helps to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine reports that patients in the study responded positively and found unexpected benefits like improved asthma conditions and mental outlook as a result of losing weight and being self-sufficient without needing drugs. The American Diabetes Association low fat non-vegan diet study patients continued to need the diabetes medications, lost less weight, and had a lower reduction of protein loss in the urine than the vegan diet patients.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2007, 23.5 million or 10.8% of individuals age 20 or older had diabetes and 12.2 million or 23.1% of individuals over 60 had diabetes in the United States. The statistics are shocking. Direct medical costs of this disease are estimated at $117 Billion dollars per annum and indirect costs (loss of work, disability) are estimated at $58 Billion per annum reaching a total of $174 Billion dollars in Diabetes related costs each year. The likelihood is high that someone you know currently has the disease or is starting to show symptoms.

Estimated prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes in people aged 20 years or older, by age group, United States, 2007

People who switch to a vegan diet find that food costs are significantly lowered compared to a diet consisting of meat and animal products. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes are less expensive than beef, pork, chicken, or seafood. Although in some cases vegan food seems to cost more for the fast food consumers and those who purchased predominantly processed foods. However, the savings in medical costs for patients with diabetes far outweigh the slightly higher cost of some "specialty" foods.


The American Diabetes Association now also acknowledges that a low-fat vegan diet is more effective than their recommended ADA nutritional guidelines based on the study results:

"Eating right and exercising are the best ways for patients with type 2 diabetes to begin to treat their disease. This study shows that a low-fat vegan diet and a diet based on ADA nutrition recommendations can help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood glucose levels and lower their chances for heart and blood vessel problems. These improvements were greater with the low-fat vegan diet." -American Diabetes Association

For diabetes reversal or prevention, switching to a low-fat vegan diet is proven to be more effective with longer lasting effects than previously thought. There are many reasons to eat healthier and smarter. *Please be well-informed before making any changes to your diet and consult a physician for careful monitoring of medications and sugar levels.*

"The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined." Dr Neal D Barnard

Discover Quinoa!

QUINOA, pronounced Keen-Wah, is a power-packed Super Food used by the ancient Incas.  It was considered the "Mother Grain" by the indigenous people.  Quinoa is actually a seed closely related to the sugarbeet and spinach.

Quinoa remains a staple in South American cuisine among the descendants of the Incas throughout Peru, Bolivia, and Chile because of it's high protein content. It contains more protein than most other grains, and the great news is: It's super easy to prepare!

Quinoa is appropriate for starter-Vegans because it contains all essential amino acids which our bodies use as building blocks for muscles and highly complex processes throughout our bodies.

Using Quinoa in dishes is so easy because you can just rinse, place in a rice cooker and let it cook. It cooks super fast, so if you ever have last minute guests arrive, you can whip up an awesome stir-fry dish using quinoa in 15-20 minutes!

Key Words I use when describing Quinoa: VERSATILE, PROTEIN-PACKED, NUTRITIOUS, FUN TO EAT! Below are some recipe ideas.

HOW TO COOK: Rinse First!
1. Rice Cooker: treat Quinoa like rice. 2 parts Water to 1 part Quinoa.
2. Stove Top: 1:2 Quinoa to Water, bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer, and cover for 10 - 15 minutes. When cooked, you will see the germ ring pop on the grain.

ASIAN:
1. Quinoa goes great in stir-fry dishes! Just chop up some Veggies, sauté with Earth Balance Vegan Butter or Canola Oil; add Mushrooms like Shiitakes; bean sprouts; Tamari Soy Sauce. Serve over Quinoa.
2. Fried-Quinoa: Fry the cooked Quinoa with Earth Balance Vegan Butter, add Tamari, Salt and Pepper to taste and cook until golden and yummy. Add finely minced veggies and/or Tofu and serve as a side dish!

LATIN:
Use Quinoa instead of Rice in your favorite dishes!
1. Spanish Quinoa
2. Paella con Quinoa

3. Veggie Albondigas soup made using Quinoa

ITALIAN:
Use Quinoa instead of Pasta:
1. Veggie Meatballs with Marinara sauce over Quinoa Pilaf
2. Portabello Zucchini Quinoa Cakes
3. Stuffed Mushrooms with Vegan Sausages and Quinoa

BURGERS:
Add Quinoa to your Brown Rice from-scratch Veggie Burgers for some extra protein!

DESSERTS:
Cook Quinoa until almost fully cooked, then remove from the rice cooker and add to breads, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pancakes, or muffins before baking!

Lastly, I recommend cooking Quinoa with no salt or seasonings if you are making a large batch for several dishes.  The reason for this is that you can use it in a savory dish as a substitute for rice, and you can also add it to sweetened baked goods.  Simply prepare it in advance and place in a reusable container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Enjoy! -K

Power-Packed Gourmet in less than 15 mins...

This is for all my friends who have asked for recipes...love
ya!

So, You Have Last Minute Guests....Need To Make A Healthy Gourmet Meal In...15 minutes?

Get Caffeinated, then try this no-nonsense recipe:

Ingredients:
4 Cups Quinoa -- Prepared in Rice cooker (Takes 10-12 minutes. Rinse first)

1 bunch Asparagus spears (sauté separately in Earth Balance vegan butter and salt & pepper, covered for 8 minutes.)

1 Package Bean Sprouts (toss in a strainer, rinse, set aside)

8-10 Mushrooms (med-sized Button or Crimini) diced

1/2 Med. Onion diced

2 sm. Zucchini julienned

1 Baby Bok Choy (rinsed, cored, diced like celery)

Garlic (fresh or powdered) to taste

Tamari or Soy Sauce (low sodium preferred), to taste

Dash Salt and Pepper, to taste

2 tbsp Canola or Sesame oil

2 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Butter-spread

First of all, rinse and cook Quinoa in your rice cooker and begin preparing Veggies.
Preheat pan.
Add oil & vegan butter and sauté veggies in order until caramelized about 5 minutes--except for the Asparagus (sauté separately) and the Sprouts (add at the very end for crispness).
Season with salt and pepper, soy sauce, and garlic powder.
By now, Quinoa should be cooked; add to stir fry pan and sauté 2 more minutes.
Finally throw in Sprouts, reduce heat and cover for 2 minutes.

Dinner is ready! Plate the Quinoa & Veggie Stir Fry then garnish with Asparagus Spears. If you have toasted Sesame Seeds, sprinkle the top after plating...yum!

Enjoy
-K