Lemon-Lime Green Smoothie & China Study All–Stars Collection Review

You all know I love cookbooks!  For me they have to have a few things for me to love them – great color photos, easy to find ingredients, quick to make and of course dairy free recipes!

Loving this China Study All-Stars Collection for all these reasons!  It has recipes from a few of my favourite plant based bloggers (Happy Herbavoire, Plant Powered Kitchen, Blissful Chef to name a few!) and a few that I haven’t heard of yet (but need to look up!)

I always judge a good cookbook by how many pages I have folded down “to make!” And this one is fully dog eared!   Lots of the recipes are kid friendly too (well my little kiddo would be a fan!)

I get a chance to share a recipe with you guys and I decided to choose something that includes a few of my very favourite ingredients –lemon, lime and kale!  Why did I never think to put these ingredients together in a smoothie before? Silly silly me?  This is amazing!

LEMON-LIME GREEN SMOOTHIE

MAKES 1 SERVING RECIPE BY TRACY RUSSELL

1/2 cup water

1/4 lemon, peeled

1/4 lime, peeled

1 small frozen banana, peeled

1/2 cup green grapes

1 cup curly kale, stems removed

1. Add liquid to blender, followed by soft fruit and remaining ingredients. Add the greens to your blender last.

2. Blend on high for 30–45 seconds (depending on your blender) or until the smoothie is creamy.

This smoothie is a bit sweet, a bit sour and perfectly creamy!  Delish!

I decided to pair them with a new energy ball recipes for a perfect quick easy breakfast (or perfect snack!)  Lemon, Lime, Banana, Coconut?  Yes please!

I make these little babies for my little baby!   It was a way to get in a ton of healthy fats into my little monster!

Balls of YUM!

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

1/4 cup chia seeds

2x TBSP softened coconut oil

4-5 medjool dates (1/2 cup soaked regular dates)

Blend oats, chia & pepitas in the food processor until broken down into a flour like consistency. (you can leave them in a bit bigger chunks if you like – I like it smaller for toddlers!)  Add coconut oil and dates and whiz in food processor until all ingredients are incorporated!   Place into the fridge to let the coconut oil harden.  If it’s not sticking together – add more dates – they should easily roll into ball shapes!

Roll into balls!  Size dependant on who’s eating them!  I like to make some larger ones for myself and then I make finger pinching bite size ones for the monster!

These have been toddler approved by 3 kids and a few mommies too! This is just a base recipe also you can switch up ingredients too  (swap quinoa for oats, hemp hearts for chia!) You could also add some spice if you like – cinnamon, a dash of vanilla etc!

 

ONTO THE GIVEAWAY*!

What better way to welcome the spring than with a cookbook full of enticing plant-based recipes that will help clean up your diet!

Want a chance to win your very own copy of China Study All Star Collection! Comment here and tell me why you’d like to win this book & how you like to welcome Spring!

1 entry per person and its’ open to US & Canada (No PO Boxes please), do not have to be a blogger to enter!  Contest closes May 9th at 8pm!

*winner will be announced on my facebook page &  will have 48 hours to respond!

Ready set – GO!

**Review Copy & Give away copy provided by BenBella Books, Inc.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars & a GIVEAWAY

 

One of my favorite things about blogging (other than being able to hopefully help people out) is that publishing companies often offer me up free review copies of their new cookbooks that have just or are about to be published!  When BenBella Books, Inc contacted me this time to check out the China Study Cookbook by T. Colin Campbell, PHD, I was super excited!

I read the China Study a few years ago – if you have not read this book please do.  It’s very eye opening.  From the website;

“In The China Study, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Recognized as the most comprehensive nutritional study ever conducted on the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease, The China Study cuts through the haze of misinformation and examines the source of nutritional confusion produced by government entities, lobbies, and opportunistic scientists.”

After reading the book, I felt inspired to follow the ideas laid out in the book, I remember wishing that there were recipes at the end – so I could take steps towards living a more whole food, plant based life.

Fast forward a few years and they now have published a book that is the “Official Companion to the China Study” and I’m lucky enough to be able to share one of the yummy recipes with you & offer a giveaway for the cookbook for anyone in the US or Canada!

It was a natural choice for me to choose a peanut butter/chocolate recipe – because let’s face it – that combo cannot be beat!   Check out the recipe and see below for the giveaway!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Preparation time: 15 minutes | Chilling time: 1 hour

Makes 9 servings

These bars are rich, creamy, sweet, and satisfying—everything a dessert should be!

1 cup low-fat graham crackers, crushed

1/4 cup crushed walnuts

1/2 cup reduced-fat, unsweetened coconut

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup nondairy milk

1 cup nondairy chocolate chips

5 tablespoons rice or almond milk

1 | Crush graham crackers in food processor. In separate bowl, add walnuts, coconut, and peanut butter. Stir in crushed graham crackers.

2 | Slowly add milk and mix. If mixture does not hold together, continue adding additional milk until all ingredients stick together. However, don't make it too soft, and, if necessary, use your hands.

3 | Spread mixture evenly into a 9 × 9 nonstick baking dish.

4 | In a saucepan, melt chocolate chips together with rice or almond milk over medium heat. Stir until smooth.

5 | Spread chocolate mixture on top of peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until hardened. Cut into squares and enjoy!

 

To Enter the Giveaway

Leave a comment telling me about your favourite plant based recipe OR why you would want to win this book!   That’s it!  One Entry per person*****

Contest Closes Wednesday September 18th at 8pm! Winner will be announced on facebook and have 2 days to provide me with their address!

 

  *****YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A BLOG TO ENTER!!  Just use the NAME/URL option and type in your name and your email address (which will never be shared!)

 

*Permission to publish recipe and use photo were given by BenBella Books, Inc