Boys (and girls) and BBQ

At home, I eat mostly vegan/vegetarian. With my Japanese friends, I’m sorta obliged to eat meat because I don’t want to offend them when they have placed much care and time in either taking me to a favorite restaurant or preparing me a special dish. There, I suck it up like a big girl and wash it down with a kale smoothie, later. I’m serious. However; I don’t mind eating locally hunted deer. This is because, in the countryside, there are SO many of them and they often get themselves killed or kill people through severe road accidents. They just run everywhere. Venison is pretty lean and has very little fat to it. I enjoy the taste. Last night, the boys cooked the girls (Aki and I) a delicious BBQ and we loved it. I made a platter featuring hummus (recipe HERE) organic veggies, nuts, blue-cheese, olives, crackers, prosciutto wrapped bread-sticks and chia-seed corn-chips. My super talented friend, Lifa (the Israeli wood-worker) made his beautiful wife a gorgeous grocery box and for the our BBQ, a chimney coal starter.

For more of  his work check out his dope Instagram HERE. 

 

popeye smoothie

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen mango
a big handful of organic spinach

Blend all ingredients together and reap the goodness!

PS I poured a civilised glass for the above photo then I took my straw to the blender and sucked out the rest hehehe living alone isn’t that bad after all!

Iron-Rich Burgers

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked where I get my iron from, let’s just say, I’d be stinkin’ rich. So before any further riots break out, here’s the low down which I stole from Debra Wasserman and Reed Mangel’s PHD, Simply Vegan:

Comparison of iron(mg/100 calories) in different food sources:
Spinach, cooked 15.5
Collard greens, cooked 4.5
Lentils, cooked 2.9
Broccoli, cooked 1.9
Chickpeas, cooked 1.8
Sirloin steak, choice, broiled 0.9
Hamburger, lean, broiled 0.8
Chicken, breast roasted, no skin 0.6
Pork chop, pan fried 0.4
Flounder, baked 0.3
Milk, skim 0.1

Then there are the countless arguments about the environment, the ethics, the health risks etc etc etc but I’m not the type to shove it down your throats (neither literally or figuratively) so I’mma end on a fun fact: Tyrannosaurus Rex was the largest meat eater that ever lived… (where is he today?) LOL.

Oh yeah, the recipe!

In a food processor, simply blend 1 can of all-natural chickpeas (drained and rinsed), 1 can of all natural mixed beans (drained and rinsed) 1 heaped tbsp wholemeal flour (for GF use almond meal or chickpea flour), zest of one lemon, a small bunch of fresh parsley and a sprinkle of garlic salt and paprika until well combined but not smooth. Using your hands, form medium patties just under 1cm thick then fry with a little olive oil on medium heat until golden. Serve with buns and co. Enjoy X