A wonderland of vegetables...

Its a winter wonderland outside and inside (well inside my kitchen at least) its a wonderland of vegetables. It can be hard to find amazing vegetables in the winter, but if you haven't been to 4 Life in kensington market, it worth the trip for sure! The owner of this trendy yet fantastic health food store applies the same enthusiasm to his vegetables that a car lover would apply to his new ride. The greens are always crispy and fresh, sometimes even resting on ice which keeps them ultra green, which is big news for plant based foodies in the city. Yesterday I went in there with my mom for our weekly apres yoga grocery shop to pick up a few organic treats. We were in the market for a dozen eggs, but when I brought to the counter the box of eggs I found in the fridge (organic and wonderful of course), the owner of the store (who knows how crazy I am about food) shook his head and motioned to the girl in the back. A minute later I was greeted by someone who works at the store with 2 dozen beautiful eggs that all looked a bit different, different shapes and sizes and colors, evidently they were from some super local, maybe even a personal friend's farm. AMAZING! I love shopping at 4 Life because I know how dedicated they are to amazing organic food. Other things on my weekly shopping list were...

• zucchini
• black kale
• beets
• ginger
• dried sour cherries (better than candy!)
• grapefruits
• cherry tomatoes
• shallots
• gigantic honey crisp apples
• an array of raw nuts and seeds etc...

This is what I ended up making for dinner...

• 1 zucchini spiralized, the spiralizer is a tool that shreds vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, beets etc... into long pasta like noodles (super fun for a raw pasta night!).
• 7-10 cherry tomatoes
• approx 1.5 cups of shredded raw black kale
• 2 tbsp sauerkraut 
• 3 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
• sprinkle of currants
• 2 tbsp goat cheese
• extra virgin flax and olive oil
• balsamic vinegar 
• sea salt and pepper

When I'm in the mood for vegetables, which is every day (let's be honest) this is one of my favorite salads to make. If you are looking for a good spiralizer, they sell the one I have at both Live and Rawlicious, its fantastic!

Another item that was recently gifted to my is a bottle of reishi kombucha, which you can buy at 4 Life, I'm having a glass right now and let me tell you, I'm completely perked up and ready for action! If you don't know about kombucha, its a fermented sparkling drink, full of enzymes which boost up metabolism, digestion and energy levels. Reishi mushroom is a total super food and adaptogen, which means it helps the body deal with nervous and endocrine system stress. Adaptogens help the body rebuild. Put these things together, and you will be able to fly!

xoxo kby