Simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent vegan and vegetarian cuisine.

What better way to say ‘I love you!’ than with juice! I heart carrot juice, but it’s super expensive. To my surprise though, a pound of carrots (which was $0.89 at Trader Joe’s) yielded over a cup of juice. Paired with apple and tomato, and I had enough juice for two days. In the grand scheme of juicing then, I vote carrot juice as a must make. And when you’re finished, save your pulp!

I grew up in a household where you didn’t throw away food. So, I am always looking for ways to maximize my ingredients. When I use fresh herbs, I save the stems, boil them and make tea or herbed-simple syrups. When I am done with my citrus, I put the peels and flesh in the garbage disposal to clean the blades naturally. And after juicing, I have discovered a number of ways to re-purpose my pulp (I kinda like the sound of that! lol). I’ve baked with carrot and apple pulp (carrot-banana-acai muffins; apple-banana bread); I’ve roasted the carrot pulp to make curried-carrot soup; I’ve used the veggies to make home made stock; and when all else fails, I’ve thrown my pulp into a smoothie. All in all, the pulp has a ton of fiber. So besides the cost factor (i.e., not throwing away half of your purchase), there’s the nutrition factor.

Ok… I’ll get off of my soapbox now… the take home is… try the juice!

Happy Valentine’s Day folks and join me in congratulating Laura for being the winner of my Dandy Blend giveaway!

Apple Carrot Tomato Juice

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 red apples

1 pound carrots

4 tomatoes

Method:

*Juice and enjoy!!!

First things first–the winners of the Food Matters DVD giveaway! Join me in congratulating: Ashley, Kara, Jamie, Rachel, and Sandra! Congrats ladies and I hope you enjoy the film as much as I did!

Well folks, when one door closes, another one opens. So don’t fret if you did not win the Food Matters giveaway. I am hosting another one, right now!

Last year, at one of the last dinners I had in North Carolina, my friend started talking about the health benefits of dandelion root. Now, if you are like me, dandelions bring about memories of singing buttercup buttercup while rubbing flowers on someone’s chin (oh wait, was I the only one who did that as a kid? lol). But in fact, dandelion root is a rich source of beta-carotene, fiber, potassium, and other essential vitamins and minerals.

AND… Roasted and coupled with a few other ingredients, dandelion tastes like coffee! Who knew?!?!?!? Not me. But I was super excited to learn this because I love the taste of coffee, but I am super sensitive to its effects. It makes me anxious. I can feel my heart beating when I drink it. And it makes me shake. Even decaf, I’m sad to say. Which is why in the end, I decided that drinking coffee just wasn’t worth the side effects and gave it up months ago. Sigh. But as I said earlier, when one door closes, another one opens! Helllllllooooooo Dandy Blend!

Dandy Blend is an instant, herbal coffee substitute made of roasted barley, rye, chicory root, dandelion root, and beet root (and that’s it!). It tastes JUST like coffee, but without bitterness or acidity, and most importantly for me, without any of the side effects of coffee. I was super delighted when the makers of Dandy Blend sent me a free sample to try and I immediately thought of ice cream!

This vegan ice cream packs mocha flavor, and with raw cashews and maple syrup a la the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (thank you to our neighbors from the north for sending me samples of their maple syrups!), it has crunch and sweetness that you need not feel guilty indulging in! And, I am so enamored with Dandy Blend, I am going to giveaway one 7 oz. bag to a lucky Como Water reader.

You know the deal, here’s how to enter (Leave a separate comment for each action you take!):

1. Leave a comment letting me know what you would make with Dandy Blend if you won the free sample.

2. Become a fan of Como Water on Facebook.

3. Follow Como Water on Twitter.

4. Tweet this giveaway.

I’ll be announcing the winners in my Tuesday post. Good luck! And Happy Weekend folks!

Dandy Blend Mocha Cashew Ice Cream (vegan!)

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 can full fat coconut milk–chilled

1/4 cup dark amber maple syrup

1 cup dandy blend (“brewed” double strength)

pinch salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used vegan)

1/4 cup raw cashews

Method:

*Whisk coconut milk, Dandy Blend, maple syrup, and salt. Add to ice cream maker. Let ice cream maker run for 15 minutes. Add chocolate chips and cashews to ice cream maker. Let run additional 5 minutes. Add soft ice cream to freezer proof container. Freeze. Serve with drizzle light amber maple syrup.

Subconsciously, I must be summoning Brazil in my “Juices, Smoothies, and Superfoods” posts so far. In my last post, I featured a juice made in honor of one of my favorite Brazilian drinks–abacaxi com hortelan. And today, I’m sharing a smoothie made in honor of one of my favorite Brazilian snacks–acai com banana.

Acai (pronounced AH-SAI-EE) is a berry native to Brazil and on my first trip to Rio de Janeiro, I absolutely fell in love with it. I used to be able to get acai only when I traveled to Brazil, but now, it’s all over the US and I couldn’t be happier (truth be told though, it’s MUCH more expensive here than I ever remember it being in the corner shops in Rio!).

So, what’s all of the fuss about? Well, to be clear, I am not here to tell you that acai is some miracle diet food that will make you lose weight. I don’t know anything about that and am not touching that debate. What I do know is that acai has one of, if not, the highest concentrations of antioxidants, and is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, vitamin A, amino acids, and Omega essential fatty acids. That is why it’s making its debut on Como Water’s superfoods month! Paired with the coconut water (also a superfood with a high potassium and mineral content, no fat, and very low amounts of carbohydrates, calcium, and sodium), this smoothie is the perfect post-workout replenisher or mid-afternoon pick me up!

Oh, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway I’m currently hosting! The last day to enter is tomorrow! Happy Thursday everyone!

Acai Banana Coconut Smoothie

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 packets frozen unsweetened acai (each packet is 100 grams)

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup coconut water

2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

Amazing Green Berry Smoothie Powder (optional)

Method:

*Blend. Nom.

Note:  The lead photo does not have protein powder and the end photo has protein powder, which explains the difference in color between the two smoothies!