Author: Jasmine Briones

28 Aug

Posted at 20:56h in Snack by
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Pesto Kale Chips -- sweetsimplevegan.comI finally got around to making pesto kale chips! After my family and I had a pizza night, we were left with extra pesto to use up. I have been making this pesto so often that I almost just opted to throwing it out. My mom, being a mom, took it and stuck in the freezer instead (thank you mom, this recipe would not be here without you!). So one day, when scouring through the freezer for some frozen fruit for an afternoon snack smoothie, I found a jar filled with something green. I had no idea what it was and to my pleasant surprise it was the pesto that was left over from pizza night. This gave me an idea to make a new snack that I had never made before, and these chips were born! Pesto Kale Chips -- sweetsimplevegan.comI grabbed some kale from the garden, washed it, removed the stems and tore it into medium sized pieces. I dumped the pesto over it and massaged massaged massaged until the kale was soft and the pesto was well incorporated. I pre-heated the oven, lined my baking sheets, and baked the kale until crispy. This was actually the first time I have ever made kale chips with oil and salt. I know it may be shocking to most as kale chips traditionally use oil to make them light and crispy, but think again! I have made numerous flavors of kale chips without oil and I usually use my green salt in place of normal salt. One of my favorites is my Spicy Cheezy Kale Chips, which was actually the first recipe I ever posted on my blog. Let me tell you that salt or no salt, oil or no oil, all the homemade healthy kale chips you will make will turn out equally as delicious.

27 Aug

Posted at 18:53h in Beverages, Gluten Free, Product Reviews, Raw Vegan by
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Mint Matcha Coconut Cooler

This summer in LA has been unbearably hot most days. I feel like I always say this, but summer seems to be getting hotter each year. This is actually probably true, and I have been told it is caused by global warming and the destruction of our atmosphere, but I don't really want to get into that here. Besides, this drink is what you're here for, right?

I was given the opportunity to try out the Kiss Me Organics Matcha last week, and I came up with this as my taste testing recipe! I tried the matcha alone, but I am not a matcha expert and honestly could not judge it based upon that tasting. So into a recipe it went!

This organic matcha is very fresh and has a naturally strong aroma to it. Don't be frightened - that's how all the antioxidants say hello!

I was inspired by my favorite Moroccan Mint Latte from Urth Caffe. For those if you in California, I definitely recommend you try it out when you're by an Urth Caffe! They have them all around LA and in Berkeley as well (which is where I first tried it). I wanted to recreate the drink in my kitchen, but in a more weather-friendly form. The drink is warm, but I wanted something cool. I originally was going to just make  an iced latte with coconut milk, but I also wanted to decrease the fat without compromising nutrient density AND flavor, so I went with fresh young thai coconut water.

Mint Matcha Coconut Cooler

25 Aug

Posted at 16:40h in Beverages, Lifestyle, Raw Vegan by
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[caption id="attachment_2246" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Image via Good Eggs LA[/caption]

I found out that my mom's friend's niece delivers raw organic almond milk in my area, whaaat!? How did I not know about this!  I finally got the chance to meet Cece and she is such a sweetheart. I wish we had connected sooner. We talked about her and her company, Raw Nut Milk, and she kindly gave me a sample of her "Rose Chai" almond milk to sample. Oh myyyy, it tastes just like a chai tea latte I am officially obsessed with it.

Her whole menu is filled with organic artisan spice and herb infused almond milks and an almond creamer. It is all organic, and dairy- sugar- soy-gluten- gmo- filler- binder AND preservative-free. She's servin' you the local leche jam packed with all the good stuff! The milk is sweetened using organic wildflower honey, but she will kindly sub it out for dates when requested. She will even make it salt-free and add custom ingredients that you wish for to ensure you are satisfied. Can't have almonds? NO PROBLEM! Walnuts can easily be subbed in.

Where does she deliver? San Gabriel Valley + parts of LA! Check out her website for all of the info. And guess what LA locals? Raw nut Milk will soon be available with Good Eggs, an online marketplace bringing fresh local groceries to your door!!

I got the chance to meet with her over Plant Food For People's Vegan Jackfruit Tacos at one of our favorite spots Organix LA. It is great to meet someone that I can relate to in terms of our interest in health and our motivation to promote it. She was kind enough to answer questions I had for her, and to allow me to share it here with you all.

Cinnamon Basil Almond Milk + 'Raw Nut Milk' Interview

24 Aug

Posted at 05:23h in Gluten Free, Snack by
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Vegan CevicheYay for vegan ceviche! I love love loved ceviche growing up, and it was actually always so tempting when my mom served it at family gatherings after going vegan. Ceviche is always a staple dish at our summer potlucks in my family, especially at our days by the pool. I honestly have no idea what the reason for this is, as my mom's side of the family is from the Philippines and it is not a dish traditional to their country, but everyone seems to now think of it as one. They make it with crab, fish, and sometimes even salmon. Every auntie of mine has a signature ceviche style that they alternate bringing. but my favorite was my mom's shrimp ceviche. When I was at the Los Angeles Vegan Potluck a few weeks ago, Shannon had brought a vegan sort of sauerkraut type ceviche made from cauliflower that was really quite delicious. Everyone was guessing that it was made of heart of palm, but the cauliflower addition really blew our minds. From all of the talk of heart of palm ceviche, I started to crave it. Oddly enough, I had never made heart of palm ceviche, or even tried it, but I think my cravings were stemming from my old love for my mom's ceviche. So shortly after the potluck, I got my booty to the market to pick up a jar of Melissa's heart of palm and got ceviche makin'!