Getting Adventurous

I do love my reliable smoothies for breakfast, they’re the ultimate fast, nutrient dense, utility breakfast before busy mornings at work. But they’re just not exciting on weekend mornings when I have more time to savor a leisurely breakfast. So this morning I created a tasty chia seed pudding mess that included:

• 1/2 cup hemp milk
• 2 tbsp. chia seeds
• chopped banana
• frozen berries
• 2 tbsp. cacao powder
• 1 tbsp. lucuma powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

I mixed the milk and chia seeds together first and let it sit for about 20 minutes to goo up, then added the rest of the ingredients. It was a great raw breakfast that tasted more like a sweet dessert and was just filling enough without being bloating for hitting the gym shortly after.

I think I’ll need to try Gena’s raw pancakes for my next savored weekend breakfast, they look amazing!

Since my fridge was restocked with fresh veggies from yesterday’s Whole Foods run, I just wanted a huge salad for lunch with cultured veggies, sprouted mung beans, and my Avocado Ginger Dressing.

While at Whole Foods, I grabbed a large batch of fava beans from the produce section. I’m still sort of new to them with this only being the second time I’ve prepared them at home. But I’m intrigued by them because they’re huge, hearty and filling. Also a great source of protein and fiber. And are freshly available at farmer’s markets in this area for the summer.

My hubby loves to grill, like a lot of guys. And I plan to utilize his love more this summer having him grill vegan foods for me and this recipe for grilled fava beans seemed like a great start. Perfect since he was already firing up the grill for his steak and this is a simple recipe compared to others requiring shelling, boiling, then sauteing of the beans. So I tossed the shelled beans in a bowl with a little olive oil and salt.

Then had him throw them on the grill on 4-5 minutes a side.

Some of the beans popped on the grill, but most cooked nicely and utilized the shell for steaming and cooking the beans inside quickly. I enjoyed them with leftover lunch salad because I’m keeping it easy today. :-)

Grilled fava beans are tasty, they have a crunchy, but not too crunchy, texture and a nice flavor similar to chickpeas. But they were fun to eat like shelled edamame and easier on my tummy than chickpeas.

It’s been a wonderfully relaxing day with hubby, we saw Thor in theaters and I have to give it a huge thumbs up. If you like Spiderman and Ironman, see it. A crazy, but well done, mesh of reality and off-the-wall sci-fi.

How was your Saturday? Any plans for Mother’s Day?