Recipes

Silkology: Mango Lassi

I love to entertain especially in the summer, however having a new baby doesn’t really allow me time to plan (or have) a dinner party but one can always dream. One of my dream summer dinner parties is to have an Bollywood themed party where I would serve up tasty Indian dishes while playing Bollywood themed music and we would all be sipping a mango lassi. Who wouldn’t love a creamy, refreshing (and dairy-free) mango lassi to go with their nicely spiced Indian meal?

How can you reinvent your favorite summertime gathering? Here are some great recipes using Silk over on their Silkology FB page.

Mango Lassi Recipe
3/4 cup Silk Original or Vanilla soymilk or almondmilk
1/2 cup diced ripe mango (about 1/2 mango)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp honey (could sub agave or coconut nectar)
1/2 cup ice cubes
Mint leaves for garnish

In a blender, combine all ingredients until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Serve in a tall glass garnished with mint.

Feeling a little naughty? Add 1oz of bourbon to your mango lassi to make a tasty adults only version of this recipe.

Silk inspired me to think outside of the bowl with their new Silkology-inspired drink recipes. Tell me something new you want to try this summer when entertaining to win a Silkology prize package.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Crazy Sexy Cleanse: Day 1

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Well we are finishing up Day 1 of the Crazy Sexy Cleanse and so far things are going well. Neil struggled a little this morning without his normal coffee ritual and to be honest I could have used a cup myself but instead with both had a mug of Infuse Your Mood Tea, a lemon water with cayenne and a big green juice (makes one quart: one bunch dino kale, half bunch curly kale, one gala apple and half a mini melon.)

As part of the cleanse and my goal of getting back to my fitness Edie and I got out for a 30 minute walk this morning.  I pushed her in the BOB which added a little something extra to the walk- sheesh it is so much tougher to walk when you have to push around a stroller, a baby and a car seat!

After our walk and nursing session I was feeling hungry so I decided to have a few slices of millet bread with avocado, a sprinkle of sea salt and nutritional yeast.

Lunch consisted of leftover quinoa salad (quinoa, cherry tomatoes, parsley, green onions, cucumber and a homemade dijon-balsamic vinaigrette), a big glob of lemon dill hummus and leftover roasted veggies.  It was tasty but not too photogenic so I decided to nix the photo.

For an afternoon snack I had a fig COCOMOJOE bar which was absolutely delicious and I am quickly becoming addicted to all of the flavors!

Dinner was the highlight of the day- I made two recipes from Crazy Sexy Diet, the teriyaki tofu and the hemp cabbage salad.  I knew that the tofu would be good but I was skeptical about the salad and to my surprise it was actually really good and the perfect pairing with the tofu.

One day down 20 more to go!

Today on Naturally Family I talk about my first official day as a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom.

Recipe: California Pasta

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This recipe gets it’s name from the addition of the creamy avocado.  It is filled with delicious summer vegetables. Make sure you have your pasta ready because this recipe cooks up in around 5 minutes!
Serves 4

1 bunch lacinato kale, washed, stem removed and shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1-15oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
4 servings of cooked pasta of your choice (I like linguine)

Heat a saute pan with a cover over medium. Add olive oil and garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the kale, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the white beans, tomatoes, red pepper flakes (if using) salt and pepper and toss everything together.
Add the pasta, avocado, olives, lemon juice and toss to coat.

Recipe: Summer Vegetable Ragout

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This recipe takes advantage of summers bounty and is an easy and nutritious one pot meal. I actually made this the night I went into labor with our little girl and it was perfectly filling to help sustain me through labor. Serve up with a green salad and some crusty bread.
Serves 4

1 lb whole small new potatoes or large new potatoes quartered, rinsed
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into quarter inch half moons
1 medium summer squash, sliced into quarter inch half moons
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat a large saute pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of water the potatoes and onions. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the zucchini, summer squash, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper, toss together. Return cover, cook 5 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and tomatoes, toss everything together.
Cover and  cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Guest Post: Recipe from Brittany of Eating Bird Food

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brittany EBF

Hi Running with Tongs readers! I’m Brittany Mullins, a full-time online marketing gal, holistic health coach living in Richmond, Virginia. I’m also the author of Eating Bird Food, a healthy living blog that features nutritious (and tasty) recipes, workouts and a glimpse into my daily life, which is currently being taken over by wedding planning.

I’m excited to be guest posting for Lindsay while she’s pampering her new little bundle of joy. This is actually my second time guest posting here on Running with Tongs. Last time I shared my kale and brown rice bowls and they went over quite well so I figured I would share another vegan favorite – my raw broccoli raisin salad.

raw broccoli salad
This broccoli salad is much healthier than the one I grew up eating, which was loaded with mayo, sugar and bacon. It’s still crunchy, rich in flavor and sweet but with much healthier ingredients like raw nuts, seeds and raisins. I even managed to sneak uber-healthy apple cider vinegar into the dressing!

Raw Broccoli Raisin Salad

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 6 cups broccoli (two small to medium sized crowns), chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • Cashew dressing (recipe below)

Preparation

  1. Mix together broccoli, raisins, red onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds.
  2. Top with dressing and combine until all ingredients are covered.

Cashew Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 1- 2 hours
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon agave (or other liquid sweetener like maple syrup)
  • 1 Tablespoon shallot, chopped (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

Preparation

  1. Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender or processor until completely smooth.

Thank you Lindsay for allowing me to guest post! I hope you all enjoy this salad as much as I do.

Thankful (but not for all-nighters)

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I have never been one to pull all-nighters. I like to go to bed at a reasonable hour (ie. when I am tired) and get a goodnights rest. Well last night I was shit out of luck because while I wanted to sleep Edie wanted to cry, fuss, bounce, nurse, and repeat. Around 4 AM she finally decided to fall asleep while I side nursed her in our bed and since I was too exhausted and afraid that she would wake up again she slept by my side for the next two hours. Needless to say I am running on about three hours of sleep (thankfully my amazing husband took over bounce duty for a good hour while I slept) and am exhausted today.

Even though I am exhausted it’s hard not to smile at our beautiful baby and be thankful for a number of things today including:

A husband who makes dinner when you are exhausted (and makes enough for leftovers). Last night Neil took over in the kitchen and made us Alicia Silverstone’s Rustic Pasta from The Kind Diet. It was so delicious and he made the full recipe so today we have leftovers for lunch, which is a life saver considering he is back to working (from home–>another thing I am thankful for) and we are both running on no sleep.

Recipe here.

I am thankful for water with electrolytes. I don’t know if it really makes a difference but Neil and I both had a bottle of resource® natural spring water* last night and if nothing else we were hydrated during our all-nighter.  I like to think that the electrolytes in the water were beneficial for both of us especially after all the bouncing and breastfeeding that was being done.

Lastly, today (and everyday) I am thankful for a beautiful little girl who may have her fussy nights but is otherwise a happy baby.

*resource is a 100% natural spring water with natural electrolytes for taste, sustainably sourced and packaged in a bottle made of 50% recycled plastic.* resource water is good for you and mindful of the Earth. With natural electrolytes for taste, its recycled bottle helps you keep nature in mind too.
 
Disclaimer: resource® natural spring water provided me with these products at no cost. I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.
 
If you haven’t stop over to our family blog, Naturally Family, then head over now and Meet The Family.  This week we have been discussing our diapering plans, Neil reviewed The Other F-Word and our Doula Sarah wrote about her perspective on Edith’s birth. We have also been featuring a photo of the day for our 365 days of photo project that you can check out here.

Interested in sponsoring on Naturally Family? Check out the details here.

You can also check us out on  Facebook and Twitter.

 

Guest Recipe: A Healthy Lentil Soup with Veggies

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A Healthy Lentil Soup with Veggies
It is often considered challenging to cook a healthy and tasty vegan recipe. But, with a little innovation and experimentation, one can churn out interesting, wholesome recipes like this one. The lentils give a huge burst of protein and the veggies provide the minerals and vitamins. The rice in the recipe provides the carbohydrates. Thus, this is a balanced, one-dish meal. Eat it as a soup or a small meal. It is very simple to prepare if you have all ingredients at hand. You can use any veggies of your choice or what is there in your house.

(Source)

Serves 4:
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup orange lentils (they cook faster)
¼ cup rice
1 onion chopped
2 large tomatoes chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic chopped
2 green chilies finely chopped (optional if you don’t want the heat)
½ cup chopped and steamed vegetables (beans, carrots, mushroom, green pepper, corn, peas)
¼ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. cumin powder
½ tsp. coriander powder
¼ tsp. black pepper powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. Chopped cilantro for garnish
3 cups veg stock or water
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. oil

Method:
Wash the lentils and the rice well and soak for 15 minutes. Add oil in a pan or pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds. Once they sputter, add in the chopped garlic and onion and fry till transparent which should take around 2-3 minutes. Now add the tomatoes and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the lentils and the rice along with the stock. Cover and cook till the lentils and rice are cooked. If you use a pressure cooker, you can cook faster. That is what I normally do. But, you can cook on the stovetop as well. Orange lentils cook faster, and soaking expedites the cooking time.

Now add in the vegetables and salt with all the other seasonings. Add more water if necessary. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot. I like my soup a little thin, but you can have it thick and chunky as per your preference.

Your tasty soup is ready. Enjoy with your family.

Rachna Parmar, an ardent blogger, enthusiastic cook and mom of two, is an editor at Livesnet.com, a site offering tips on baby safety products and parenting skills. Please visit Livesnet and read her wonderful articles on top rated food processors and best juicers to buy.