Simple Green Smoothie Recipe (Yummy + Vegan + Quick)

I drink a green smoothie almost every morning - almost being the key word. So maybe I should say: I drink a green smoothie a lot of mornings. Regardless, whenever I drink them, I make this recipe. This recipe is so yummy that I'm not even curious to try fruit smoothie recipes all that often. Trust me, there is no bitter veggie taste in this smoothie.

Healthy...

This recipe is incredibly easy to make and amazingly healthy. The amount of fiber, alone, in this recipe, is unbelievable.  Expressive juicing is great but the downside is that all the fiber is lost. Not so with smoothies!  All the natural fiber in the produce is retained. In addition, take a look at the nutritional breakdown below!  This green smoothie is chock full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and immune-boosting ingredients.

Adjustable...

I have found that strawberries are a great pick to use as a second fruit in this recipe but honestly, you can sub whatever fruit is your favorite or whatever fruit you have on hand in their place.

Easy...

This is literally a  wash-chop-dump recipe. You can even have your apples and strawberries pre-chopped and then this would be a dump and blend recipe. Also, you can prepare batches of this recipe by layering the chopped fruit and spinach in several mason jars so that in the morning you can just dump, pour a splash of almond milk, blend and go!! The possibilities are excitingly endless :)

Note on Texture:

This green smoothie has a smooth and creamy texture when just prepared but it will thicken up if left to sit for a while due to the high pectin content in the apple. So, if you like thinner smoothies try to drink it right away, and if you like thicker smoothies, you can let this rest for awhile and it will thicken up!

Ingredients
Yield: 1 single-serve Green Smoothie

• 1 Apple
• 4 Strawberries
• 2 cups Spinach, loosely packed
• 1/4 cup Almond Milk

Note: You can add more or less almond milk if you wish to alter the consistency according to your preference.

Directions

1. Gently wash the apple and Strawberries. 
2. Core and roughly chop the apples and strawberries
3. Add all ingredients to the blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes. I literally mean that. I like my green smoothies smooth and creamy. I find that the flavors soften and meld together in a magical way, so blending them adequately is an important step. If you prefer chunkier green smoothies, then ignore this step. 
4. Pour into a glass. drink with your mouth or with a straw. 

Enjoy!

- Nutritional Analysis -

Look at that whopping 9 grams of fiber. Annnnddd, you get all your Vitamin A and Vitamin C for the day all before 10 am!!

- Cost Breakdown -

Did you try this recipe?

If you try this recipe, please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with my hashtag #frugalcurlytop!

Massaged Kale Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Cranberries

I love kale salad. But I realize that not everyone feels the same way. But this kale salad recipe has the magical power of persuasion to convert anyone into a kale-loving freak!  Guaranteed. Earlier this year, I participated in the Partners-in-the-Parks study tour with the National Honors Society which was absolutely awesome! On the trip, our chaperones gave us the freedom to choose and cook our meals. Not only did we have an insane amount of fun cooking together but everyone chose their favorite recipes so every meal was incredibly delicious!! Guess what one of the items on my menu was? 

Gosh, how'd you know? 

This recipe was the star of the show. Literally, every person hailed praises to this simple green salad. Even the most hesitant skeptics savory every crunch with delight. The Chaperone said "I have never, in my 62 years, ever tasted kale prepared in such a delicious way"! So, you ready to join the party? I figured so. Let's do this!

Choosing the right quality ingredients are important. The ultimate trick, however, to creating is an awesome kale salad is about two techniques: 1) Finely chopping the kale and 2) Massaging the salted kale.  Read on and learn...

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 2 bunches of Kale
• 1/2 cup Walnuts
• !/4 - 1/3 cup dried Cranberries

Dressing

• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
• 1/4 cup Honey

DirecTIONS

1.  Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Toast the walnuts for 10-15 minutes or even longer. The toastiness is up to you. Once the walnuts are done. Remove the walnuts from the pan and set aside to cool.
2. Remove the middle ribs (stalks) from the kale. Then chop the kale finely. I chop the kale horizontally then rotate it 90 degrees and chop in that direction again. 
3. Add all the chopped kale to a large bowl, sprinkle with salt, and begin the massage the kale. The massaging is a gentle rubbing, not a pounding motion because you don't want to beat out the juices. The color of the kale will change from an average green to a deep vibrant green hue. 
4. By this time the toasted walnuts should have cooled down. Roughly chop them into smaller pieces. Add the walnuts along with the cranberries to the kale in the bowl.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and honey to make a dressing and pour all over the salad. Toss the salad thoroughly to ensure that every shred is coated with the dressing. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Did you try this recipe?

If you try this recipe, please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with my hashtag #frugalcurlytop!

Vegan Tuna Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1 12 oz.               Roll of Cedar Lake Veggie Tuna

1  cup                  Vegan Mayonnaise

3/4 cup              Celery, finely diced

3/4 cup              Cucumber, finely diced

2/3 cup              Green Pepper, finely diced

1 Tbsp.               Lemon Juice

Pinched of         Dill, finely chopped

Pinch of             Parsley, finely chopped    

Kitchen Supplies:

- Medium sized mixing bowl (or I make it in the container that I will store it in to save on time and less dishes!)

- Chopping Board

- Chopping Knife

- Mixing Spoon or Spatula

- Kitchen Shears

- Measuring Cup set

1. Cut off the end of the Veggie tuna roll with your kitchen shears, and squeeze it out into your large mixing bowl. The veggie tuna comes flaked and ready to go!

2. Chop up all your veggies and add them to the veggie tuna.

3. Stir it all together...

4.Add your mayo, and mix it up...

4. At this point your Tuna Salad is complete. If you would like, you may place it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight for the flavors to blend together! Enjoy!! 

I love tuna salad sandwiches with cucumbers and tomatoes :)

Vegan Greek Quinoa Salad

This Quinoa salad is one of my moms favorite dishes to prepare. She will prepare it a least once every two weeks.

First, what is quinoa? Quinoa is an old food. It's been around for thousands of years. Historically, the Incas, of what is today Peru, grew and cultivated quinoa. Did you know that quinoa is not a grain? Nope. It is actually a pseudo-cereal. Cereals like oats, millet, spelt, wheat, and rice come from grassy stalks, whereas psuedo-cerals are not memebers of the grass family. In addition to quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, and chia seed are also psuedo-cereals. There are hundreds of varieties of quinoa. But the most common types available for purchase are red, white, and black.

Quinoa is a super healthy food! It is a nutritionally compact, whole food and it has almost twice the amount of fiber than most other grains.

"Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and contains iron, B-vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamin E and fiber. It is one of only a few plant foods that are considered a complete protein and comprised of all [nine] essential amino acids. Quinoa also has a high protein to carbohydrate ratio when compared to other grain products. It was proposed by NASA to be an ideal food for long duration space flights." According to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/274745.php

In addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals and protein, Quinoa also contains high amounts of antioxidants and oleic acids.

The coating of the quinoa grain contains saponin. Saponin is a naturally occurring insect-repellent designed to prevent insects from biting into the grain by creating a bitter tasting coating. Unfortunately, insects aren't the only ones who taste the bitter saponin. To eliminate that unpleasant taste, simply wash the quinoa thoroughly several times until the water runs clear.

The Frugal Side: 

So, I know what you're thinking, "But quinoa is expensive!!" And you are right. Quinoa averages $4.50 to $8.00 per pound, depending on where you shop. But there are a few tricks to making quinoa frugal:

• Buy in bulk - This can mean, buying from the bulk section, buying a larger bag, or buying from a wholesale club. Large bags of quinoa typically come in 4 pound sizes. A 4 pound bag of quinoa costs
• Buy online 
• Buy the white quinoa. Save the more exotic varieties for special occasions.

On top of getting a great deal, quinoa can be made cost effective by preparing it correctly and eating it with moderation. Make sure you use enough water when cooking quinoa so that each grain fully expands. Cooked quinoa should equal 2-3 times the raw equivalent. Even though quinoa can be expensive, the reason why I said that it is a great food for college students is because: 2 cups of raw quinoa that fed me for 12 times!

Calculated at $8 per pound, 2 cups of quinoa costed me $6.40, say the veggies and seasonings costed $3.60. So I only spent $.71 each morning for a full bowl of energy packed, super-healthy quinoa salad!

The Salad

2 Cups Quinoa, uncooked

1-2 small Tomatoes, Diced

1/2  a large Cucumber, chopped

Parsley, 6-7 stalks

1 medium sized Red or White onion, diced

The Dressing

2-3 tablespoons Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/2-1 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

The Optional Additions

Black beans

Corn

Tofu feta

Cranberries

Kalamata olives

Green onions

Chopped walnuts

The Directions

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Leave the dressing to rest while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse under the tap until the water runs clear. Combine the quinoa, 3 1/2 water, and a pinch of salt in a medium sized saucepan, cover the pot,  and bring to a boil. Immediately after it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the water is absorb and the quinoa swells, approximately 20-30 minutes.Once the quinoa has finished cooking, uncover the pot, lightly fluff, and allow the quinoa to cool for 7-8 minutes.
3. In the meantime, chop the tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and parsley into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled quinoa and dressing, Toss everything together until well combined. At this point, the salad is complete, but if you let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, it will be even better! Enjoy.