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All Mixed-Up, in Bend, Oregon
I’m visiting my family in Bend, Oregon.
Ever since my niece and nephew were little, my sister has used the words “treat land” to describe dessert.
Last evening, after our dinner of homemade veggie burgers, roasted cauliflower, and baked beans, the 9 year old said she knew exactly what she wanted for “T.L.”
She suggested we all take a stroll to the frozen yogurt shop, where they offer non-dairy sorbets. Who could say no to that, on a pretty spring evening? All Mixed-Up is located in Northwest Crossing.
All Mixed-Up Business Card
Lucky for vegans, All Mixed-Up has a section for non-dairy sorbets. You can pick between two flavors or swirl the two together. Last night they had coconut and strawberry lemonade flavors. The selection changes from time to time. You can also pick some toppings. The fresh fruit, chopped nuts and a few other items are vegan. The price for your treat is determined by weight.
Non-Dairy Sorbet at All Mixed-Up
I hid some strawberries and blackberries in the bottom of my bowl and I opted for a little of each yogurt flavor. I sprinkled the coconut side with some chopped peanuts, mochi cubes and an Oreo style cookie half. Delicious!
My bowl
Final tip:
All Mixed-Up also has vegan soups.
I’ll have to go back for the soup at another time.
I first learned about “blended salad” from Dr. Joel Fuhrman. If you don’t know who Dr. Fuhrman is, be sure to click the link! In my opinion, his book “Eat to Live” is one of the best books on nutrition. I love his “nutritarian” approach to health. It’s all about nutrient density.
A blended salad is basically another type of green smoothie. My morning green smoothie contains a lot of fruit. My evening blended salad contains mostly vegetables.
Here’s what I put in my blended salad last night (serves 2):
Parsley, spinach, zucchini, carrot, cucumber, apple, red pepper and lemon juice (frozen).
PREPARATION
These are tips for preparing lots of vegetables ahead of time. This cuts down on the amount of work involved. If it’s too much work, then you probably won’t make blended salads regularly. Not good!
1. Buy several bunches of parsley. Discard the thickest stems. (I don’t need that much fiber!) Rinse, spin dry, and freeze on parchment paper. Store in a freezer container.
2. Have dark leafy greens in your fridge at ALL times. Rotate through kale, spinach, chard, collards, etc. Rinse the leaves and remove the tough stem. Most of the time I throw the stem away, but sometimes I mince it up for soup.
3. Buy a large variety of vegetables and apples. Wash, chop (2″ pieces) and freeze most of it. Always save some of everything for the fridge. Don’t forget about tomatoes, celery, and avocado. Keep the tomatoes and avocado fresh.
4. Use a citrus reamer to juice a whole bunch of lemons at once. Freeze the juice in ice cube trays.
5. If you have a juicer, you can also juice some of the vegetables and freeze the juice in ice cube trays. Using some vegetable juice instead of all whole veggies will cut down on some of the fiber (if getting too much fiber is an issue.) Save your carrot pulp for other uses (like these muffins).
5. Blend everything in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix. Add at least a cup of water per serving.
It’s interesting to read nutrition charts showing the percentage of protein, carbohydrate, and fat found in fruits and vegetables. People are surprised to learn that fruits contain protein and vegetables contain fat.
Please repeat after me:
ALL PLANTS CONTAIN PROTEIN.
PARSLEY: 27% protein, 57% carb, 16% fat
SPINACH: 39% protein, 49% carb, 12% fat
ZUCCHINI: 25% protein, 67% carb, 8% fat
CARROT: 8% protein, 87% carb, 5% fat
CUCUMBER: 19% protein, 69% carb, 12% fat
APPLE: 2% protein, 95% carb, 3% fat
RED PEPPER: 13% protein, 78% carb, 9% fat
LEMON: 7% protein, 90% carb, 3% fat
(Protein, carb, and fat percentages are from the book, “Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets,” by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. This is another excellent book on nutrition. You don’t need to be “raw” to read it.)
Happy blending!
Freeheel Vegan 