Thursday, June 27, 2013

My Blog has moved!!!

I am SO excited to release the new SITE! I wanted to write and give a BIG THANK YOU for subscribing to this blog and following me over the last year or so. It's been so fun watching the blog blossom, one step at a time. First the courage to start a blog, second the desire to keep sharing. A year later a cookbook! Which I must say I would never accomplished without knowing I was publishing it for my mother's belated birthday.


Next I began posting to Facebook and decided to share my story! The initial ArtisticVegan.com site was born! My loving husband Jerry helped put it up. Since then I've been blogging as well as building a new site behind the scenes. It's a learning process but it's been really fun. I FINALLY have the new site ready to go which means this blog will be retiring!


Please note the posts will begin coming from a new site, please visit and subscribe today!!! You won't want to miss out. To start - an artistic raw pie with a super cute beach scene! What’s in the pipeline? YOGA with ME and so much more!


Blossoming-lotus.blogspot.com has blossomed into ArtisticVegan.com check it out and buy a copy of my book today! 


I couldn't have done it without your views & support - hugs!
Artistic Vegan  ~ Christa June Clark



P.S. One last SUPER mega thanks to my sweet spectacular husband! He's spent hours helping me and has been so supportive and understanding. I couldn't do it without his support and love. Time and time again of me waving goodbye sweetie, and off to office I go for hours and hours. Thank you for holding my hand, and most importantly my heart. :)

Monday, June 24, 2013

Fresh Quinoa Taco's

With all the fresh produce I recently purchased I had to have some fun and play with my food. When I was growing up I loved finger foods. If I could eat it with my hands I was so happy! It turns out that love never went away. 
I wanted something delicious, quick and easy for dinner this weekend so I started some quinoa in my rice cooker. I find it's the easiest and quickest way to make quinoa. While the quinoa was cooking, I put on some tunes. It really helps the creative juices flow. 

While I grooved to the tunes, I chopped up some veggies. I honestly let our food processor do the work as much as possible. It makes it quick and easy. The colors are so BRIGHT and VIBRANT! Aren't they beautiful!


  I heated some corn tortillas on the stove over low heat in my wok! It worked great since it gets so hot, who knew! I added enchilada sauce with taco seasoning to the quinoa, placed it in a warm tortilla and topped it with fresh veggies. It made 6 tacos for dinner and leftovers!

 Fresh Quinoa Tacos for dinner! Yum!
 


I took the leftover quinoa and fresh veggies and mixed them together. The next day I heated up the quinoa 'n veggie mix, some tortillas, added some avocado on top and served it with fresh fruit on the side. It made 4 more tacos for a grand total of 10. Not bad! :) Economical, quick, easy and so tasty!



Prep Time:  Cook Time:  Total Time: Makes:
10 min 20 min 30 min 10 Tacos

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup quinoa 
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tbsp enchilada sauce
  • To taste: Taco seasoning
  • Top with favorite veggies! I used aprox: 2 avocado, 2 tomatoes, 2 serrano peppers, 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 1/4 red onion, 1 cup chopped red cabbage
  •  10 corn tortillas 
Directions:
  1. Add water to quinoa and cook in rice cooker. It will take about 20 minutes to cook.
  2. Meanwhile, chop fresh veggies. 
  3. Begin heating corn tortillas on stovetop and cover to retain heat and moisture.
  4. Add enchilada sauce and taco seasoning to pre-cooked quinoa.
  5. Place seasoned quinoa on warm corn tortilla, top with fresh veggies and dig in!

In good health and happiness,
Artistic Vegan

I'd LOVE to hear from you! Email me at artisticvegan@gmail.com

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P.S. Today I'm working on my new site behind the scenes. It's new and fresh and much more user friendly! Pressure is on; my goal is to release the new site no later than July 4th! Once released, I'll begin posting from the new site. Exciting! :)Wishing you all a bright week!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Who is viewing Artistic Vegan's blog this month?

I know, I know...it's not THOUSANDS or MILLIONS but its hundreds and I'll take it! :)


Country Views
United States 379
Russia 110
Germany 19
South Korea 10
United Kingdom 5
France 4
Sweden 4
Canada 3
Ukraine 3
Poland 2
Japan 2
Australia 2
India 1
China 1

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR VIEWS AND ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT. 

It can be hard just starting out. I wonder if anyone is even interested and then I see that ALL of you are looking and it honestly keeps me going. THANK YOU for your support! Thank you for your views! Thank you for your interest!

My love goes out to you!
Artistic Vegan

Ever wonder what shopping with a vegan looks like?

 It's a different load of loot each trip depending on what you like, what's on sale, what's in season and what looks appealing! I did a quick unplanned stop and picked up some of my favorites. I love color this time of year so I couldn't help but splurge on a couple of items. Instead of unloading everything to my fridge I thought I'd share what I picked up!

 In order to follow a vegan lifestyle I have to supply our house with a full stock of what we love. It makes it so much easier if we have a whole bunch of options to pull from. Plus, it leads to creativity when cooking!

Lately I've been trying to focus on buying what sounds good, looks good, is fresh, in season and packed with nutrition and flavor. I've been trying to buy more whole foods and less processed foods. It does require a little more time upfront but I can already feel the benefits!


I purchased all of this fresh food for two vegans for one week of real good eating. 




  
What did I buy? 
Tons of Bananas
2 - apples
6 - Oranges
6 small - Lemons
1 - Pineapple
3 - Mangoes
6 - Kiwi
1.3 lb - Red Cabbage
Dates
2 heads of Kale
2.3 lbs - Tomatoes
1 coconut
1 pckg corn tortillas
carrots
.5 lb - broccoli 
2 - yellow bell peppers
2 - squash
2 - cucumbers
3 - red onions
10 - small hass avocados
.5 lb - Taro Root small
.5 lb - Ginger Root
1.7 lb - Brussels sprouts
red and green grapes
1 lb - Blueberries
2 lbs - Strawberries
1 - Beet
Handful Garlic
We've already been enjoying the good food! My husband made some steamed veggies last night for dinner. 
 
I followed it up with some fresh fruit for dessert with brown rice syrup drizzled on top! :) 


In good health and happiness,
Artistic Vegan


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Monday, June 17, 2013

Berry Beet-All Smoothie - Grab A Spoon!

Good morning y'all! I woke up so early bouncing with energy. I had to share the love! Try this awesome shake and shine from the inside out. It will make you squeaky clean, literally! Look at these stellar benefits!

Some Benefits of Beets!
Helps the Immune System 
Nickname: Nature's Viagra!
Great for Digestive Health
Natural Colon Cleanser
Contain Betacyaninis which counteract cancer!
High in Vitamin A, C, Iron, Calcium, Manganese, Fiber, Potassium and more!

I had this shake after some yoga and I felt rejuvenated and refreshed!


Berries, beets and a chunk of frozen watermelon make this shake a health sensation!


Colorful foods make me so excited!

 I suggest grabbing a spoon so you can scrape out the contents, yum!


Ingredients:
  • 2 Bananas
  • 2 cups of filtered water
  • 1 Beet - skin removed and quartered
  • 2 cups frozen mixed berries
  • 3 frozen strawberries
  • 1 big chunk of frozen watermelon
  • 7-9 pitted dates
  • 1 Hefty scoop protein powder (I used Vanilla Hemp)
  • Sprig of lemon mint, peppermint and stevia. (really increases the flavor!)
 
Directions:
  1. Place ingredients in a high speed blender
  2. Process on high or smoothie setting
  3. Pour and enjoy!
Best wishes for a bright week!
Artistic Vegan

Go to the CIS Facebook GroupP.S. Don't you just love fresh produce? It's so beautiful, bountiful and appealing to the eye! What's your favorite?







Sunday, June 16, 2013

Vegan BBQ - Pulled Pork

My dad LOVES and I mean LOVES BBQ. I remember one of his favorites being pulled pork, smoked for hours until it falls apart. He loves the roadside stands with a smoker and a scent that will make you stop. Well dad and all other fellow BBQ lovers I have you covered with a satisfying vegan alternative!

The best part is Babe, Wilbur and little Miss Piggy are all spared! This pulled "pork" is made not form a pig but from JACKFRUIT! Say what? That's right, Jackfruit! It doesn't look like much at first, but have faith; it cooks into the most mouth watering meal. It's almost too good to be true

Jackfruit is a very large fruit mainly grown in tropical climates. 

It's loaded with potassium, vitamin C, fiber, dietary fiber and fats and so much more. So how will you get some? Go to a local Asian market and buy a can. I recommend a can for less processing.  


I found some at a local Vietnamese market yesterday for $1.19 a can. I ended up checking out the store and got 4 bags of food for under $25 dollars, very awesome! I'll be back! Take your Jackfruit home and get ready to be amazed.



Open the can, drain and rinse very well. I even soaked in water for a little bit to ensure to get rid of as much vinegar taste as possible. Once done cut the center piece, kind of like you would a pineapple!

 
Take the jackfruit and cover in dry rub. I mixed the spices together in a small bowl and then sprinkled to cover the jackfruit. Cook for about 5 minutes or so until it becomes tender.
 Add your favorite BBQ sauce and let it simmer for 30-60 minutes.


It will start to evolve into something that looks very much like pulled pork! I was so excited I called my dad! I wouldn't tell him what I was making lol but ended up chatting on the phone while it cooked nice and slow. 
 

I got really side tracked on the phone, forgot I wanted to make a "Bun" and totally burnt the heck out of them! That is how cooking goes, sometimes it turns out and sometimes it doesn't. I already mucked up the recipe anyways so this was just icing on the cake.


Thankfully our main event was not spoiled - the pulled pork! After a wonderful conversation with my dad, replacing the burnt scent with one of fragrant BBQ, I was ready to finish this bad boy.



Place the "pork" a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes to gain a more meat like texture.


After about 15 minutes it will look something like this!


I will no longer feel left out! :) I can have pulled "pork" too!

Serve on your favorite bun! In this case I served with a fresh red bell pepper and avocado! Delicious!!! No extra seasoning or sauce required!

Heck yah it's Vegan!


Want to make some? Here is how!

Prep Time: 15 minutes   Cook Time: 45-75 minutes   Total Time:  60 - 90 minutes  Servings: 4 large sandwiches
 

Ingredients:
  • 2 cans jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed well with solid center pieces removed. 
  • 1 red onion, minced
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • Hamburger buns - or fresh veggies! (I used: 1 bell / 1 avocado)
Dry Rub:
  • 1/2 tsp + spicy red pepper flakes (I like it spicy - I used about 1 tsp)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • dash of salt
  • dash of garlic powder 
Sauce:
  • Favorite BBQ Sauce
  • Dash of Maple Syrup
 Directions:
  1. Mix together dry rub ingredients and toss over pre-rinsed and drained jackfruit. Place in medium pot over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until it starts to become tender.
  2. Pour sauce over jackfruit and simmer.
  3. Meanwhile, sauté the onion and garlic until caramelized. Add to jackfruit mixture and continue to simmer for 30-60 minutes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cooking sheet with parchment paper and spray with a nonstick spray. 
  5. Place simmered "pork" onto prepared cooking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. It will help create a more firm and chewy texture. 
  6. Load up your favorite bun or serve with fresh veggies and dig in!

 
I am so thankful for good food and to be able to share it with all of you! Enjoy!

Artistic Vegan


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