Green smoothies from Mayim's Vegan Table for April

Green smoothies

Mayim's Vegan Table is this month's VegCookbook Club selection. This celebrity cookbook, written by Mayim Bialik and Dr. Jay Gordon, may be another one that I experience virtually. My local libraries have copies of her parenting book but not this new culinary volume. (I might have to take up showrooming, if only we had some browsable bookstores remaining in DC.)

You can find the first chapter of the cookbook free on Bialik's website. And our VegCookbook Club leader Britt Bravo has sleuthed recipes around the Internet. That's how I came to try this green smoothie recipe. A whole avocado made these drinks super creamy and satisfying. I used spinach for the greens. This is the perfect smoothie to fuel blossom peeping, DC's current spring obsession.

April blossoms

Spring into Color

I stole today's blog post title from a clothing shop window that I pass on my walk to work. Also on this route I noticed a coming soon sign for a raw, organic juice bar! That's a sure sign of spring.

The two colorful recipes below are from the Oh She Glows website and have provided me some much needed relief from dark, bleak March mornings. The Oh She Glows Cookbook is this month's VegCookbook Club selection.

Green Monster Vegan Overnight Oats

I think I missed out on the overnight oats craze. This recipe is a marriage of that easy breakfast concept of soaking your rolled oats in the fridge overnight and the Green Monster smoothie that I enjoyed last post. Sadly, while I dig the Green Monster flavor (vegan milk + spinach + chia seeds + banana), I don't think gummy oats are my cup of tea. I found them cold and bland. The fresh blueberries were the bomb, of course. I think I'll stick to smoothies and the odd side of fresh fruit.

Neon Pink Smoothie "Juice"
This is a citrus juice meets whole fruit smoothie that you "juice" in your high-speed blender. Refreshing (thanks to the grapefruit, cucumber, and apple) and bright and beautiful to behold (thanks to the beet). I used a whole beet because it was wee. Next time I'd add ginger for even more morning kick.

Green monsters and ToB X

Classic green monsters

Yesterday was a snow day in DC, so I began March right with a recipe from the Oh She Glows website, the Classic Green Monster. This green smoothie was delicious--sweet and creamy. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, as suggested. Also a mix of spinach and kale for the greens and peanut butter for the nut butter. The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon is the VegCookbook Club's March selection. This brand spanking new cookbook launched today and is sure to be the buzz all over social media.

Speaking of bookish things, I enjoyed my Green Monster with the opening of The Tournament of Books X. It's March Madness for books and this year I've read 10 of the contenders. I was pulling for Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, which won its prelim match yesterday. However for the win, I'm madly in love with Long Division by Kiese Laymon. It's an underdog and could be this year's Skippy Dies for me. Aka, the beloved book that dies in its first round and doesn't even come back as a zombie. (Yes, there are zombie books. This tourney is too fun.) Here's the full list of contenders with links to my Goodreads reviews.

Finalists for the The Morning News' 2014 Tournament of Books:

At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
The Tuner of Silences by Mia Couto
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
The Dinner by Herman Koch
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Long Division by Kiese Laymon
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
Hill William by Scott McClanahan
The Son by Philipp Meyer
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Woke Up Lonely by Fiona Maazel

Tourney time

Booze and burgers at Sticky Fingers

In my previous post I endorsed the new liquor license at Sticky Fingers Sweet and Eats, which I sampled last month in the form of a mudslide (above). Here's the lowdown on that drink. The mudslide was a blend of vodka, Kahlúa, So Delicious, and chocolate syrup. It was an enjoyable, messy treat and a super-sweet cocktail.

I was less impressed with Sticky Fingers' beer selection. So far they seem to carry only two seasonal beers--Anderson Valley from CA and Founders from MI. While these are two respectable microbrews, I find it sad that there are no local options, especially knowing that DC is having a beer renaissance. Sticky Fingers has employed the excellent DC Brau in their stout cupcakes. Why not offer it up on the drinks menu too? (The café also carries wine but I'm a beer advocate, not a wine enthusiast, so can't offer opinions there.)

Asian burger

To balance out the boozy mudslide, my boyfriend and I revisited Sticky Fingers' burger options. We tried the Asian burger (top) and the Texas burger (bottom). Both featured Gardein's beefless burgers, which I had not experienced before. The Gardein patty provided a thick, "meaty" consistency but didn't have much flavor on its own. In terms of toppings, I preferred the slaw and aioli on the Asian burger to the the Daiya, tempeh, and ranch on the Texas burger. I also put Sriracha on the Asian burger, natch. The Lyon Bakery buns were very sturdy and I enjoyed the open-faced presentation.

Texas burger

Finally, we split a side of the sweet potato fries, a new menu item. These were a great burger accompaniment, affordable and nicely portioned. Plus, I love getting fast food in colorful baskets. It's another cheap thrill for vegans.

For these offerings and more, visit 1370 Park Rd NW, Washington, DC. It looks like Sticky Fingers is even planning a special New Year's Day brunch. I hope there are cocktails and sauerkraut.

Sweet potato fries

Returning to blogging and VegCookbook Club for December

Sticky Fingers' Mudslide

I'm writing this on Thanksgiving Eve, soon to head to PA for the holiday. And I'm noting that it's been eight weeks since my last post! I completely fell off the Internet after VeganMoFo ended in September. In addition to a blogging hiatus, I took a long break from the VegCookbook Club and from Instagram. But I'm planning to return in December, as the VegCookbook Club is planning a celebration of 2013 favorites. Plus, I need to post about Sticky Fingers' new liquor license, which I have enjoyed experiencing recently (see above photo).

Green Juice Smoothie

This green smoothie has been my Moby Dick. I've been chasing it all month long. Here it is finally, just as Vegan MoFo is coming to a close. And the VegCookbook Club is moving on to another book. Looks like October will be devoted to Mouthwatering Vegan by Miriam Sorrell.

But first, the third and final smoothie from Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes by Anupy Singla. (Free PDF version available here.)

Green Juice Smoothie - action shot

Green Juice Smoothie
There are 12 ingredients in this smoothie, not counting the ice and water. I scored them all with the exception of apple juice. I substituted coconut water instead. The actual blending was a breeze, thanks to my new blender. (I know that I need to pipe down about the Vitamix soon. The honeymoon glow will subside. Did I mention that it is chainsaw loud?)

How did it taste? Great. You could clearly pick out the citrus (lime, orange, and pineapple). The grapes, apple, banana, and cucumber were more subtle. My favorite ingredient was the ginger. (Wow, I need more ginger in my life!) The carrot and spinach provided the veg. And the chia seeds made it nicely thick.

Overall, a lovely juice-smoothie hybrid. Worth the wait and the blender purchase. I know that I enjoyed it because I forgot to photo it again until the cup was half empty full. 

Green Juice Smoothie - half full cup

Greens, Cucumber, and Pineapple Smoothie

Here's a second smoothie from Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas, which I have checked out from the library. I made the Greens and Apple smoothie earlier this month but found it too pulpy. That's not a problem here, thanks to my new Vitamix blender. The blender processed the challenging produce (kale, apple, and pineapple) perfectly.

Greens, Cucumber, and Pineapple Smoothie
Nava Atlas calls this smoothie "incredibly refreshing and hydrating" and I must concur. The tropical pineapple added a nice level of sweetness without requiring agave or other sugars. I used coconut water rather than juice for the liquid. And I added the red raspberries to the top for color. They didn't sink! That's proof of a thick yet well-blended smoothie.

Red Velvet Smoothie and Chickpea Poppers

I finally made another smoothie and a snack from this month's VegCookbook Club selection, Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes by Anupy Singla. (Free PDF version available here.) After falling in love with the first smoothie recipe that I tried from the book, I've been eager to tackle the remaining two. However, I didn't think I could blend any other challenging produce to the desire consistency. Until now. Yes, the Vitamix package has arrived to much fanfare.*

Red Velvet Smoothie
This inventive recipe made a smooth and luscious drink with a lovely strawberry-pink hue. And I still can't get over how my mighty new blender dealt with a whole, raw, and unpeeled beet. It liquefied that sucker. Plus the almonds, goji berries, and apple too.

Chickpea Poppers
I also made this roasted chickpea snack from the cookbook. This popcorn-like snack is reminiscent of the chickpea nibbles from How It All Vegan! However I think I liked the Indian spices here more. I used high quality garam masala and paprika (thanks to a kind relative's spice gift). Plus, low quality cayenne pepper and chili powder. I think I'll reduce the salt when I roast the chickpeas again. This recipe is a keeper.

*Here's my cat, clawing at the Vitamix box:

Black & Blueberry Smoothie

My new blender arrived today and in all the excitement I almost forgot to post this smoothie recipe. This is another smoothie that is in my normal morning rotation. Today I made this version slightly thicker than normal and added some coconut and berries for toppings, ala The Colorful Kitchen blog.

Black & Blueberry Smoothie

Blend the following:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup frozen blackberries
• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)

Serves 1.

Crazy Sexy Goddess Smoothie

My refurb Vitamix has shipped. The shipping notice reads, "Congratulations!" Like it's a new baby or another happy life event.

Meanwhile, today I am playing old favorites, and posting a repeat. I first blogged about this smoothie in January, when I decided to make all the smoothies in that month's VegCookbook Club selection, Crazy Sexy Kitchen: 150 Plant-Empowered Recipes to Ignite a Mouthwatering Revolution by Kris Carr with Chad Sarno.

Crazy Sexy Goddess Smoothie

This smoothie is still a winner, maybe my all-time favorite. (Although I've also made this Blueberry–Green Smoothie four times this month. That's huge for a Mofo month.) I do love the combo of cucumber, coconut water, kale, blueberries, and banana. For the Goddess, I skip avocado but add chia seeds, cacao, and some nut milk. Pairs well with Prince's Purple Rain, opening track "Let's Go Crazy."

Superfood Chocolate Heaven Smoothie

Here's another Vegan MoFo blogger's smoothie creation. This time it's a recipe from the blog, The Colorful Kitchen, where Ilene is making colorful, gluten-free (and processed sugar-free) smoothies all this month. I even decided to copycat her habit of sprinkled toppings.

Superfood Chocolate Heaven Smoothie
I think this smoothie has aromatherapy points with the delightful raw cacao and vanilla. For the Superfoods, I added maca and ground chia seeds. Unfortunately, I had no nibs. But some nut "shake" and the coconut flakes did the trick. This smoothie is super decadent. Definitely a "dessert smoothie" recipe to have on hand.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie

Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie

I found this smoothie recipe on another MoFo blog, Vegan Noms. Now that we are halfway through September, the Vegan Month of Food, I want to try some of these inspired creations.

This smoothie is a decadent dessert with a fall back-to-school angle. I went lighter on the PB but it was still super rich and sweet. The cherry and strawberry "jelly" combo is genius. And the soft serve consistency is fun. Break out your spoons!

Greens & Apple Smoothie

I made another green smoothie over the weekend. This one is from Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas, which I have checked out from the library. (I really enjoyed Nava Atlas' Vegan Holiday Kitchen, the VegCookbookClub December pick.) This leafy greens cookbook has a full chapter of green juices and smoothies.

Greens & Apple Smoothie

For this smoothie, I used curly kale, green apple, and cucumber--all from the local farmers' market. Plus unsweetened vanilla almond milk, chia seeds, agave, and lemon juice. This was a nice combo but my blender really couldn't handle the pulp from the apple. I'm going to have to try making this one again when my new blender arrives. Yes, I've ordered a high-powered, refurbished machine from Vitamix. Maybe it'll arrive before Vegan Mofo concludes?

A smoothie and book pairing

Here's another smoothie inspired by my current read, Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir by Nicole Georges. Drink as you remember childhood longings.

Cherry Vanilla Smoothie

Blend the following:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen cherries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 tsp matcha 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 1 tsp hibiscus powder (optional)

Serves 1.

Heirloom Shake from Purée Artisan Juice Bar and pizza from Mellow Mushroom

Heirloom Shake from Purée Artisan Juice Bar

Last weekend I made it to the recently opened DC location of Bethesda's Purée Artisan Juice Bar. Located inside MINT Health Club, at 1724 California Street NW, Purée Juice Bar occupies a sunny side corner of the gym entrance. You don't have to be a member to wander in for a 100% cold pressed, organic juice or a raw vegan nosh.

But I was interested in their smoothie offerings, which they call "Shakes." (They also call their friendly baristas, "Puristas.") I ordered the Heirloom Shake. The artfully-designed drink menu listed this particular shake at $9.75 and said it was good for glow and fiber. It certainly was a glowing orange color. What a beautiful drink! It contained carrot juice, ginger, coconut, and banana. Ginger was the dominant flavor and I swear it made my whole body hum.

Purée offers a host of cleanse packages. And, strangely, they promote bee pollen. (Which I had to google, the worried vegan that I am. Seems like an animal byproduct with allergen potential. So I won't be doing a shot of that. Must be a fitness thing.)

They have a to-go case and a shelf with cool vegan items, like Ape Man Food's Walnut Meat Tacos, Totally Rawganic desserts, and Gnosis chocolates. Also some dry brushes, vegan nail polishes and removers, and something called Cocoa Vegan Booty. (Must investigate.)

Mellow Mushroom pizza

Afterwards, my boyfriend and I hit the rooftop bar of Mellow Mushroom Adams Morgan, located at 2436 18th Street NW. A Southern chain, Mellow Mushroom is often a veg-friendly oasis when we travel in the South. 

Mellow Mushroom has many vegan options with nutritional info on their website. I especially love their build-your-own salads. Plus, the servers know what's up. When you order a pie with Daiya cheese, they offer not to brush the crust with butter or cover the pie with Parmesan.

Mega Veggie Specialty Pie

This nicely charred Mega Veggie pie (above) had red sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, black olives, Roma tomatoes, broccoli, banana peppers, artichoke hearts and crumbled tofu. And, boy, did it have Daiya. We ordered the small, 10" size but could only eat a few slices; it was that loaded. The pizza made excellent leftovers.

Mellow Mushroom also has a great beer list, with many local options. And three floors of seating. If you want to score the rooftop tables be prepared to hover. The only downside is the music. Sometimes it's awesome, often it's not. This time it was blaring 90's slacker rock. Quite a counterpoint to Purée's chill health club vibe.    

Mellow Mushroom, exterior night

Blueberry–Green Smoothie

Here is a smoothie from this month's VegCookbook Club selection, Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes by Anupy Singla. (Free PDF version available here.) This smoothie has an ingredient I've never used before: bitter melon. I scored it at my local farmers' market.

Bitter Melon (Karela)

Blueberry–Green Smoothie

The other ingredients in this smoothie were familiar. Who doesn't love blueberries in a smoothie? The almonds required an overnight soak, which was the main prep. Otherwise, I had chia seeds, flax seeds, bananas, vegan milk, and coconut water all at the ready.

The bitter melon is supposed to have many health benefits. But how did it taste? I couldn't taste the bitterness when drinking this amazing smoothie. It did have a subtle after-taste though. Not at all unpleasant; you simply feel like you drank something slightly medicinal.  

If the bitter melon isn't for you, Singla recommends subbing spinach or kale for the "green." I enjoyed this smoothie and can't wait to try other recipes in this cookbook.

Raspberry mint smoothie

I made this raspberry and mint smoothie over the weekend. I liked the combo and found it most refreshing. But my boyfriend thought it tasted like cough syrup. Maybe adding chocolate would have helped? Sadly, I didn't have any form of chocolate in the house. How did this happen? So I have placed an order with my favorite smoothie powder source, Mountain Rose Herbs. Raw cacao is on its way. It's organic and fair trade too.

Raspberry Mint Smoothie

Blend the following:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen red raspberries 
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)
• 2 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 1 handful of fresh mint leaves

Serves 2.

Drink Your Greens Smoothie

Today's smoothie is from July's VegCookbook Club pick, Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating by Dreena Burton. I didn't get to this smoothie in July, although other Clubbers did. I did love the "But Where Do You Get Your Protein?" smoothie that I made.

If you haven't heard of VegCookbook Club yet, I highly recommend it. It's a relaxed and inspiring year-long version of VeganMoFo. You can join in any time. Look, I'm still pining for this recipe from July!

The current month's selection is Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes by Anupy Singla. It even has a free PDF version available here! I am going to try a smoothie recipe or two from this cookbook. However, I think I need to upgrade my blender first.

Drink Your Greens Smoothie
I used spinach rather than kale for the greens. However avocado also adds to the emerald hue. What else is in it? Fresh OJ, cantaloupe (my new favorite freezer item), banana, and agave. This lovely smoothie really did make me want to drink my greens. I think more green smoothies will be coming this month.

Vega Energizing Smoothie

Vega Energizing Smoothie packets have taken over the checkout area of my local Whole Foods. In fact, I was standing in line with green smoothie ingredients when first I noticed them. I've read Thrive, the book by Vega-formulator and front man, Brendan Brazier. (It's a great gift for aspiring athletes.) But I haven't experimented with the Vega product line.  

So in the name of my VeganMoFo smoothie theme, I decided to give this ubiquitous smoothie product a chance. Of course, I had to get the Choc-A-Lot flavor. However, it comes in other flavors, including Bodacious Berry, Oh Natural, Tropical Tango, and Vanilla Almondilla. 

The smoothie was simple to prepare. You simply blend the powder pack with water or another liquid. I opted for equal parts unsweetened almond milk and water. The result wasn't chalky or cloyingly sweet, as I expected it to be. It also wasn't very tasty. To me, the flavor was almost metallic or chemically. Perhaps it's an acquired taste? I'm not a fan of stevia, which is an ingredient.   

The other ingredients listed are impressive. A single packet packs in loads of plant-based protein, flax seeds, greens, and digestive enzymes. All for $1.99.  After drinking the smoothie, I didn't feel "heavy." I also didn't have teeth full of seeds and fibers, like I do after berry-rich smoothies.

I'm sorry that I didn't enjoy this smoothie experiment more. The Vega smoothie is totally vegan. Dairy, gluten, and soy free too.