Aside | Formats | Stephanie Carrington

The other day I decided to treat myself to a nice mani and pedi. I couldn’t even remember the last time I got my nails professionally done. I know it’s been awhile but has it really been THAT long that I didn’t even realize the cool things that have come out in the market?! I was doing the usual, selecting the nail color before getting started, when I realized there was a whole row of nail colors from a brand that I had never seen or heard of before. Being the beauty junkie that I am, I just had to scope out the deets! So check this out-the brand is SPARITUAL and the range of nail colors they carry is not only organic but completely VEGAN! Pretty awesome right?! So society’s new found obsession with health and organic products have now reached our nail polish bottles!

I tested ‘Last Tango’ on my toes. LOVE IT! The color is fun, vibrant and adds a great pop to any ensemble! The salon I went to carries around 10-12 different shades so there’s plenty to choose from. This may still be considered limited compared to the more known brands that have been out on the market for awhile, but hey…..at least now there is an option to organically beautify our nails! I asked around and apparently there are a few other brands that have organic nail polish-can’t wait to test them out! Once I do, will be sure to let ya guys know my thoughts! Organic (and vegan!) nail polish…..wonder what they’ll come up with next?! :p

Here’s what it looks like on my toes. The lighting isn’t that great, but you can still see how the color pops! 🙂

I’ve shared in a previous post the awesomeness of daikon (Japanese white radish) and here is an easy recipe you can whip up at home using this amazing veggie. For the busy bees out there you can even prepare it the night before and take it to lunch the next day!

Ingredients for the salad:

1 Daikon radish
2 Carrots
2 Celery stalks
1 Punnet of cherry tomatoes
1 Green apple
2 Firm Tofu
1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
Salt
Pepper
1tsp Coconut oil or grapeseed oil

Ingredients for the dressing:

2 tbsp Tahini
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp sesame oil
dash of ground pepper

1) Mix all ingredients for the dressing and keep chilled in the fridge whilst prepping the salad

2) Wash all veggies thoroughly

3) Chop up celery into thin slivers and set aside

4) Peel and shred carrots and daikon and set aside (I used a spiralizer but a mandolin will do just fine)

5) Halve the cherry tomatoes and set aside

3) Chop green apple into slivers toss with lemon juice and set aside. You can shred it as well but I chopped it to add different textures to the salad

4) Toss all veggies together in a large bowl with the lemon juice. The lemon juice slows the oxidising process (preventing nutrient loss and from turning brown) especially important if you are prepping the salad for the next day.

5) Slice tofu into around 1cm thickness (can be thicker or thinner if you’d like). Sprinkle a bit of sea salt and pepper. Add the coconut oil or grapeseed oil to the pan and lightly fry each side of the tofu until golden brown. Then transfer the tofu slices onto a chopping board and chop into smaller pieces. You can opt for a full raw salad by skipping the frying and going straight to the chopping.

6) Add tofu to salad mixture and drizzle dressing and toss all together until the salad is thoroughly covered with the dressing

7) Dish up and serve! Easy, fresh, and super yummy!

**This makes about 4 decent servings