Hoff's Berry & Black Plum Smoothie

Hoff's Berry & Black Plum Smoothie
Yields: 8 cups
dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free
RawTill4 Compliant 

Ingredients:

• Water
• 2 handfuls mixed Greens
• 2 cups frozen Strawberries
• 2 cups frozen Blueberries
• 4 frozen Black Plums
• 1/4 cup Raw Cashews
• 3-4 pitted Dates
• 1 tbsp. Chia Seeds

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender (ahem, Vitamix)
2. Add just enough Water until there is 1" of ingredients uncovered
3. Blend on high for about 2 minutes or until thoroughly combined, using tamper if necessary

Hoff Thoughts: I froze the Black Plums by cutting in half and removing the pit, leaving the skin intact and placing in a freezer Ziplock bag.  The Raw Cashews really kick up the creaminess, making this one richly satisfying smoothie.

Farm Sanctuary, Los Angeles

You've heard me boast about Farm Sanctuary before in my posts: Mary Had A Little Lamb...But She Didn't Eat It! and Give A Lucky Turkey A Happy Thanksgiving! and I Just Became A Farm Sanctuary Member!

I've been planning a trip to one of their locations ever since I became a member.

Living in Ohio, I naturally thought that I would visit their Watkins Glen, NY location.  But instead on a recent trip to California, I was able to check out the Los Angeles location, which was founded in 2005.



 
You don't need to be a member of the sanctuary to take their hour long tour, but wouldn't you just feel better?  Their $5 tour offered only on Sundays allows you to get up close and personal with various farm animals who were fortunate enough to land their forever home at this 26-acre sanctuary.  Unfortunately, they are there because they were abused, in a bad situation or left for dead.  The 100 cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and one lama got lucky and were rescued, many more are not so fortunate.  You can learn about each animal's story during the tour and a lot more.

Make a plan to check out Animal Sanctuary, it's an experience you won't forget.

Check it out!

Beach Yoga With Brad

Every year, I like to travel for my birthday.  This year I landed in sunny, vegan, super friendly - Santa Monica, CA.  :)

The first thing I had to do was find a yoga class on the glorious shores of the Pacific and a quick Google search turned up Beach Yoga With Brad!

Brad is a character - super nice, full of energy and full of spirit.  He leads both sunrise and sunset yoga classes just a few scant feet from the beautiful soothing waves of the ocean - for a mere $10.  Quite the bargain if you ask me.

His 1.5 hour class is low key, but challenging - there's all types of yogis here and there's no shame at going at your own pace.

Truly a one of a kind experience that, I highly recommend.  Picture this, downward facing down facing the ocean - can you imagine!

If you're lucky enough to live in or near Santa Monica or are ever visiting, put this on your to do list.

Be sure to like the Brad's Facebook page, Beach Yoga With Brad & Friends to get the latest updates on upcoming classes.

Namaste.

P.S. Dolphins are not guaranteed, but while in Warrior 1, we go to watch these magnificent guys playing in the surf!

Hoff's Black Plum & Blueberry Smoothie

Hoff's Black Plum & Blueberry Smoothie
Yields: 5 cups
dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free
RawTill4 Compliant

Ingredients:

• Water
• 1 Banana
• 2 cups frozen Blueberries
• 4 frozen Black Plums
• 4 pitted Dates
• 2 tsp. frozen or fresh Ginger
• 1 tbsp. Chia Seeds

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender (ahem, Vitamix)
2. Add just enough Water until there is 1" of ingredients uncovered
3. Blend on high for about 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined, using tamper if necessary

Hoff Thoughts: I froze the Black Plums by cutting in half and removing the pit, leaving the skin intact and placing in a freezer Ziplock bag.

Hoff's Black Plum & Raspberry Smoothie

Hoff's Black Plum & Raspberry Smoothie
Yields: 4 cups
dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free
RawTill4 Compliant

Ingredients:

• Water
• 1 Banana
• 1 cup frozen Raspberries
• 4 frozen Black Plums
• 1/4 cup Raw Cashews
• 3-4 pitted Dates
• 1 tbsp. Flaxseed

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender (ahem, Vitamix)
2. Add just enough Water until there is 1" of ingredients uncovered
3. Blend on high for about 60 seconds or until thoroughly combined, using tamper if necessary

Hoff Thoughts: I froze the Black Plums by cutting in half and removing the pit, leaving the skin intact and placing in a freezer Ziplock bag.  The Raw Cashews really kick up the creaminess, making this one richly satisfying smoothie.

Hoff's Simply Strawberry Smoothie

Hoff's Simply Strawberry Smoothie
Yields: 6 cups
dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free

Ingredients:

• 3 cups unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 3 cups frozen Strawberries
• 1 tbsp. Chia or Flaxseed
• 1 dropper liquid Vanilla Stevia

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender (ahem, Vitamix)
2. Blend on high for about 30-60 seconds or until creamy, using tamper if necessary

Hoff Thoughts: No liquid Stevia on hand?  Just use 3 pitted dates.

Hoff's Vegan Curry

Hoff's Vegan Curry
Yields: 4-6 servings
meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free


Ingredients:

• 3 cups Water
• 2 cups Jasmine Rice
• 1 small head Cauliflower (chopped & steamed)
• 1 15 oz. can diced Potatoes (rinsed & drained)
• 1 15 oz. can Chickpeas (rinsed & drained)
• 14 oz. Lite Coconut Milk
• 1 15 oz. can Tomato Sauce
• 1 Sweet Onion (half moon slices)
• Juice from 1 Lemon
• 2 tsp. Frozen Ginger
• 2 tsp. Frozen Garlic
• 1 tbsp. Garam Masala
• 1 tbsp. Cumin
• 1 tbsp. Curry
• 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Bring Water to a boil in a large pot, reduce to simmer, add Rice and cover
2. Cook for 15 minutes, set aside
3.  Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, saute Onions until translucent
4. Stir in Cauliflower, Potatoes & Chickpeas
5. Add Seasonings and stir to evenly distribute
6. Pour in Coconut Milk & Tomato Sauce and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cook for additional 5 minutes
7. Stir in Lemon Juice
8. Serve over Rice

Hoff Thoughts:  Check out your freezer section, hopefully you will find fresh herbs such as ginger, garlic, basil, cilantro that have been frozen into little ice cubes.  This makes cooking with fresh herbs hassle-free!  If you can't find, just use fresh or dried.  If the saturated fat in the Coconut Milk is too high for your liking - substitute 1 cup plain Almond Milk with 1/2 cup Cashews blended together.