Bowls: Pineapple Balsamic and Tomato Pesto

As I mentioned before, it is really rare for me to have time for lunch and one of the solutions I found is  to find different bowl recipes. They are made with cheap ingredients, are super fast to be prepared and can be eaten and carried anywhere and anytime, as they can be served cold and fit any plastic food container.

In this post I will show the recipe of two of my favorite bowls, one for the summer and one for the winter.

Pineapple-Balsamic Bowl:
Perfect for the end of winter (season where pineapples are sold everywhere), this sweet and salty bowl can be prepared and stored for a couple of days in the refrigerator or eaten immediately.

What will you need:
- 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice (I usually make this recipe when I have Chinese rice leftovers from the weekend)
- 1/2 cup arugula or spinach
- 2 slices of pineapple
- salt
- 3 tbsp. of agave nectar
- 2 tbsp. of Balsamic Vinegar

What to do:
Slice the pineapple and place it in a pan with the arugula leaves and the brown rice. Cook them together mixing constantly for about 3 minutes. You don't want the arugula leaves to be overcooked.
Place them in a bowl.
In a separate container mix the agave nectar and the balsamic vinegar and then put it over the mixture.

Tomato Pesto Bowl:
Perfect for the summer, which is tomatoes season, this bowl can have a taste boost with feta cheese for non-vegans.

What will you need:
- 3/4 cup of quinoa
- 1 small tomato sliced in little pieces
- 2 tbsp. of homemade pesto (see recipe here)
- Salt
- 1 tbsp. of Extra Virgin olive oil
- 2 slices of red onions in small pieces

What to do:
Add the quinoa to a pan with boilng water and stir until all water is absorbed.
Add the quinoa to a bowl with all the other ingredients and stir.
It's ready to be served!

Asparagus with Low-fat Homemade Pesto

Snacks are a fast and easy way to go survive when there is no time for a lunch break or a sophisticated meal. But most of the snacks you find at delis and cafeterias are carbs and usually contain dairy products.

I have an absolute love for dips, bread sticks, french fries and everything else you can eat fast, with your hands or things that come in little pieces. This is when I discovered how fun asparagus can be and how fast and easy to is to prepare them.

In New York, especially in the end of winter/ beginning of spring, they are relatively cheap, as well as basil (which I used to make my pesto dip).

This is a fast recipe that satisfies my cravings and than be carried carried to school or served as an appetizer at a friend's reunion.

Ingredients:

- 1 bunch of asparagus
- Dijon Mustard (Any one you like)
- Homemade pesto


Recipe for the homemade pesto:
-1 cup of basil
-2 cups of spinach
-5 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 a lemon or lime
-salt
-garlic (I use 1 spoon of organic crushed garlic)

Chop the basil and spinach and add to a blender with all the other ingredients. If you want a less acid pesto add less lemon. Blend until smooth using the pulsing mode and from time to time mixing with a spoon.
Store in a previously cleaned mason glass jar and use for pastas and dips.

Preparation:
Add the asparagus to a boiling water pan an leave them there for less than 3 minutes (so they are almost raw but with a vivid green color). Place them on a big plate and add two compartments with Dijon Mustard and Pesto in the middle.

It is ready to be served! Can be eaten cold or warm. :]

Matcha Green Tea Overnight Oatmeal with Bananas

This recipe is fast easy and perfect for mornings that I have 9am classes and don't have time to prepare cooked oatmeal. I try to eat oatmeal instead of granola or cereal because when you prepare your oatmeal with your own ingredients you avoid sugar and other substances.

It feels really good to know each and every ingredient you are eating and it is also nice to create several variations.

I try not to add dried fruits and granola on my oatmeal because fresh fruits are healthier and keep me satisfied for longer.

Ingredients:
1/3 of a cup of an oatmeal of your choice (I like Trader Joe's brand)
2 teaspoons of Matcha Green tea (I never found at a store so I buy online on amazon and it lasts forever and can be used in a hundred different recipes. Starbucks Matcha frapuccino included!).
1 bag of sweetener (I could not find a healthier substitute yet, but I guess that is because I have a super sweet tooth). :}
1/2 a cup of almond or soy UNSWEETENED milk (you can use both natural or vanilla but make sure it is unsweetened)
1 banana
1 teaspoon of Agave nectar and cinnamon (both optional to add a twist)

In a bowl or cup add the oatmeal, the Matcha and the sweetener and mix. Then add the milk and  slice the bananas inside. Mix it all, cover and put in the fridge overnight.

The next morning all you have to do is add a little bit of agave nectar and it's ready!

Freshman and Vegan

Moving to New York, horrified with the idea of the freshman fifteen and writing a research paper on vegan food for college were probably the three main factors that made a cheese/milk/chocolate lover like me decide to become vegan.

It seems paradoxal that I made this decision being someone who could not hate sports more and has an inner love to food. Specially to sweeeeeet food.

But my body was suffering, and I had never considered food was the reason. And beyond that, I never realized I could eat even MORE of what I LIKE as a vegan than as an unhappy teenage girl trying to be happy and conciliating the lack of physical activities with the calorie counting of my daily fruit desserts and energy bars.

I decided to create this blog not only to share the amazing recipes I've been creating for my daily diet, but to break the paradigms on vegan nutrition, show the change in energy in my body and health of my skin and also share with whomever is already vegan, wants to change or my family and friends who don't understand me, how a vegan diet can be not painful and even more pleasant than a normal diet even for people who love dairy and sugar as much as I do. 

I hope you enjoy this journey! :]