Green Goddess Bowl. Healthy New Year.

The January health-fest has begun. It seems everyone is energized to make 2012 the year to get (and hopefully stay) healthy. Whole Foods lines are long, gyms are packed, and you’d better show up early to your favorite yoga class in Santa Monica because everyone wants a spot on the floor.

Juice cleanses are hot and Vitamix’s are the “must have” gear for your kitchen counter. Yes, the time has come to toss your holiday heels to the back of the closet and replace them with some fitness-friendly footwear. The “in” accessory for your workout gear? A neon green juice of course. Slurp away. It’s cool to be fit (and vegan) and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Green Goddess Bowl. So today I have a detox-worthy recipe for you, paired with a side of inspiration to get out there and move, explore and embrace wellness in 2012..

Whole wheat couscous is studded with sweet green peas, kale, broccoli, zesty red onion – tender avocado and juicy cara cara oranges on top. Dive in..

Drizzled in an easy tahini or Vegenaise-based dressing. Make it a meal by adding tofu triangles or tempeh over top. Sub quinoa or brown rice for couscous if you’d prefer. yum.

Year of Health. And Happiness. Yup, I really do love this time of year. I love when people who have never sipped green juice before are suddenly asking me about what juicer to buy. And I’m seeing a nice batch of new readers on both FindingVegan and HHL. So in the spirit of spreading the healthy love, lets all remember to be friendly to those newbies at the gym and welcoming to folks who are veg-curious or just starting out on a path to wellness. And if you have any online friends looking to try vegan in 2012, please send them my way!

Get. Out. There. What I did on my holiday.. my husband and I went out. And about. Beach, canyons, streets and more. It was a fitness stay-cation adventure for us here in sunny LA.

We started off with some beach strolls. Malibu..

Sunset in Santa Monica..

Then a hike up in Hollywood’s Runyon Canyon. It was packed! Gorgeous weather..

A foggy day in Santa Monica was kind of fun. Sweatshirts on..

Then a long bike ride from Santa Monica, to Venice Beach and back again…

And while we were out having a blast .. Nelly stayed at home. And missed us. Oh cats.

I can’t wait for more hiking and biking this month! How do you plan to stay fit in 2012?

And now onto the recipe. This is a basic recipe you can easily customize to make your own. And I encourage that! You can easily switch out the whole wheat couscous for quinoa or brown rice or even another grain like barley. And the green veggies are totally interchangeable. Maybe you hate peas and love brussel sprouts, or hate kale and love spinach, or want to add in some zesty green peppers or sweet crunchy green apple – switch it up to what you crave. The point is to get more greens in your diet this year. And making a Green Goddess Bowl is a great way to start..

Green Goddess Bowl

Step One. You’ll need:
3-4 cups cooked grains (I used whole wheat couscous cooked in veggie broth + 1 Tbsp vegan butter for flavor)
sautéed greens:
1 cup green #1 (I used broccoli florets)
1 cup green #2 (I used chopped kale)
1 cup green #3 (I used peas)
Sweet Accent: I used citrus (cara cara pink oranges)
Garnish: Avocado and fresh chopped green herbs
Also: dressing

Step Two. Saute Greens.
Green sauté ingredients (add greens and ingredients below – sauté on med-high until tender):
1-2 Tbsp white miso paste
1/4 cup lemon juice
pepper to taste
2 Tbsp safflower oil
2 Tbsp chopped garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder

Step Three. Fold:
Add to large bowl and fold together:
3-4 cups fluffed couscous (or another cooked grain)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (use more if desired)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice for sweetness + a few grinds of zest
your greens sauté

Step Four. Garnish:
1 avocado, sliced
fresh green herb, chopped (parsley, basil, chives or cilantro)
1/2 cup red onion, diced (optional – I love the spiciness of raw onion to top off this bowl)
1 large orange, peeled and diced (I used a cara cara orange)

Step Five. Dressing:
*choose one below or use your own – or for lighter version, just use fresh lemon juice over top bowl

Tahini Maple
2 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
pepper

Creamy Wasabi
1 tsp wasabi powder
1 1/2 Tbsp vegenaise
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
pepper

Serve!