My New Year's Solution

Tonight while I was doing my detox flow yoga, I felt myself starting to unwind from all of the holiday tension! I was very moved by the last two minutes as the instructor, Seane Corn, started giving thanks. I decided that these last two minutes of the video is what I want to live my next year by, and gravitate toward making this my every day for the rest of my days here! I thought I would share, and maybe you will be as moved as I was...

"Let's honor our planet by not contributing to the waste and abuse of Her resources. Let's let go of limited beliefs, old habits, and addictions, and open instead to new ideas and information that nourish and inspire our body, mind and spirit. Let's have the courage to regard each other with compassion, respect our own journey with patience, and live every moment with gratitude. Namaste.
Together we give thanks for all the gifts in our life. For the food that we eat, the air that we breathe, and this remarkable planet that supports and sustains us. We ask for the mindfullness to make healthier and more conscious choices and to continue to purify ourselves of the tension, toxins and perceptions that no longer serve our health and happiness. May our hearts open to know love, and let that love guide us in to depths of our deepest joy. May that joy be peace, and may this peace unite the essence of each moment, every breath and all beings as one. Namaste."

HAPPY 2012!!!!

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay nothing heals like baking, I promise. After making these, I stripped my daughter down to her diaper and we sat on the kitchen floor and ate these. We had a good time, our bellies were full and the floor was a mess. perfect. Here you go, I will do my best to remember measurements but some may need to be adjusted!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Earth Balance "butter" or use margarine
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Ener-G egg substitute (it is 1 1/2 teaspoons powder + 2 tablespoons water mixed then added to ingredients)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• semi sweet chocolate chips as many as you want!

Preheat oven to 350 and cream sugars and butter together with a fork. Add egg replacer and vanilla extract and mix together with an electric hand mixer. In a separate bowl mix flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt with a spoon. Put the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix with electric mixer. Add the peppermint extract, almond butter and chocolate chips and mix until the almond butter isn't chunky anymore. Form into the size that you want on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the cookie! Let cool and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

I had the pleasure of going to one of my favorite cities this past weekend with my father.. Chicago!!! I finally ventured over to the Chicago Diner, their slogan "meat free since '83" says it all! It was this kitchy little diner with the most amazing menu/ staff! It was slightly overwhelming being able to order ANYTHING I WANT off of the menu! soooo I ordered lots! Dessert was the most fun to order! (I went with a cookie and cream cake with raw cookie dough on top...ymmmmmmmm)... I ordered sweet potato quesadillas as my entree and the first bite awakened my taste buds and I couldn't get enough! Even my "meat 'n' potatoes" dad couldn't get enough! I HAD to figure out a way to recreate this delectable entree! So here is my version that I made tonight.. I have to say, it did the trick!

 Ingredients:

• Spinach tortillas
• 1 can black beans
• fresh baby spinach
• 2 sweet potatoes
• tempeh
• 1/4 cup cheese (Daiya)
• 1/4 tspCinnamon
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Soymilk (original)
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance soy butter
• 2 avocados
• 1/4 onion

• 1/4 tsp EACH of basil, onion powder, and garlic powder
• dash of sea salt
• 1 tsp lime juice

* Skin and cut the sweet potato into about 6 pieces. Fill a pot with enough water to just cover your sweet potatoes. Place the potatoes in the pot and boil for about 15-20 minutes. While these are cooking, make your avocado dip. Take out the meat of your RIPE avocadoes and mash in a bowl with a fork. Dice the onion and add that to the mashed avocadoes. Put in your spices, salt and lime juice and mix with the fork. Set aside.

Once the potatoes are soft, drain the water and put the potatoes back in the pot. Add the milk, olive oil, cinnamon, sea salt, and butter. Mash until the potatoes are mixed and have a milky texture. Take a spinach tortilla and on half of it spread a thin/medium layer of the sweet potatoes. Next add rinsed/drained black beans just to cover the potatoes. Add about 10 baby spinach leaves, tempeh strips and sprinkle with cheese to cover the ingredients. Fold over the other half of the tortilla to cover your ingredients. Gently place on a skillet over medium heat, cheese side down. Press with a spatula or "flipper" as I like to call it! Once the side looks grilled, Place the flipper under the open side of the tortilla leaving the folded side farthest from you. Flip to the other side, using the folded side as a teeter totter so that none of your ingredients spills out. Press down firmly until the side is toasted.. this should only take a couple of minutes. Transfer carefully to a plate and cut into 4 pieces. The avocado is great on top or as a dip! These make about 2-3 servings. Enjoy!