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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Vegan Raw Cacao and Avocado Pudding and the benefits of cacao/arrowroot!

I have a sick addiction to chocolate. Seriously, if you saw my stash that I have in my room you would be worried for me. BUT, I don't care what you think! Chocolate has always been there for me when no one else has… haha.

So I got inspired, because I absolutely LOVE this vegan chocolate pudding from my local health-food store that they make in the deli, using tofu. However, I have an issue with using too much soy (everything in moderation), so I tried to maneuver a soy-free version which is actually a million times better!! But before I start with the recipe, I'd like to talk about a couple of the ingredients I featured in this recipe.

Arrowroot is the EASIEST thing for your body to digest. If you are suffering from tummy problems, dissolve a couple tablespoons in some warm apple juice and you're good to go! It's also a better alternative to corn starch, which as you know is usually GMO produced, and a good source of the following: folate, b-complex vitamins, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and also has a little bit of protein! 

Cacao is the original chocolate. And NO I'm not talking about that processed milk chocolate crap! I'm talking about the raw version, without milk, sugar, cream, etc. It is an absolutely fabulous way to make you happy, and yes I'm serious because it's loaded with the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine to boost serotonin/epinephrine/norepinephrine levels and reduce cortisol in the body (stress) to leave you feelin good! The magnesium content will also aid in PMS symptoms, such as cramps. It is also a great source of fiber and antioxidants.

Okay onto the recipe!

Vegan Raw Cacao Avo Pudding 
2 & 1/4 cups of unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup arrowroot
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
~1/2 cup agave (depending on how sweet you want it)
1/2 of an avocado
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla

1. Dissolve arrowroot in almond milk in a medium sized pot on high heat, whisking quickly until thick.
2. Combine raw cacao agave, and vanilla. Keep whisking until its a thick, rich consistency.
3. Let it cool to room temperature.
4. Blend/process with the avocado and coconut oil.
5. Chill!







      



Soy-free is the way to go, yo.


Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Easy Vegan Apple-Chia Cake

My personal belief is that vegan baking is waaay easier than regular baking.
The part I don't like about baking is having to follow rules. You can't just throw a little bit of this here and there as you go, tasting it all of the way, but instead have to mix up everything in sequence using measuring cups (Hate em!) and hope that it all turns out okay.
If it doesn't, then you're dunzo and you just wasted a bunch of ingredients.

However, I've come to find that not using eggs, butter and regular sugar makes it a lot easier (for me, anyway). So I altered a generic vegan "Apple Sauce Cake" recipe into my own by using coconut oil, chia seeds and flavor twist.

Easy Vegan Apple-Chia Cake 
1/3 cup coconut oil (liquid)
1/2 cup of agave
1 & 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp chia seeds
1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ginger (fresh or powder)
1 organic apple

Lemon-Apple Glaze
Juice of one lemon + 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
2-3 tbsp apple sauce
1/2-3/4 cup of sugar (depends on how much absorbs)
***You don't want this sauce too thick, but also not too runny. So measure on your judgement!


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix oil, sugar and apple sauce.
3. Combine dry ingredients and add slowly to wet mixture and beat until smooth pancake-like batter.
4. Add chia seeds and mix.
5. Grease a deep cake dish (I used coconut oil spray).
6. Skin and thinly slice apples into half moon shape.
7. Lay one layer of apples, in a spiral fashion in the dish.
8. Pour half of the batter, and layer apples again (spiral).
9. Pour the rest of the batter, and spiral again on top.
10. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
11. Pour glaze on top and serve!







Good for breakfast or dessert! :)

Monday, January 20, 2014

Easy Vegan Date-Pecan-Oat Spiced Scones

Baking makes me feel better, so I baked up some scones this morning that didn't disappoint!


Vegan Date-Pecan-Oat Spiced Scones
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pitted dates (chopped)
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
1/4 cup & 1/4 cup agave syrup mixed
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
3. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, spices and salt, and mix.
4. Add dates and nuts to the dry mix.
5. Add water/agave mixture and combine.
6. Add almond milk, oil, agave, and vanilla and combine into a doughy consistency.
7. Each scone should be about 1/3 cup of wet dough, place about 6-7 on the baking sheet, spaced evenly (at least 2 inches apart!).
8. Place on middle baking rack for 12-14 minutes.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Hummus Template Recipe

The good thing about hummus, is that it's a healthy and light way to get some protein fast without sacrificing any flavor.
Also, I like to think of hummus as a blank canvas! Chickpeas have a really light flavor, and are easily moldable into any imaginable taste you've been craving.
Anyway, here's my easily, interchangeable hummus recipe.

I've made roasted red pepper hummus,
beet hummus (makes a really rich pink color),
ancho chili hummus,
basil hummus,
cilantro hummus,
jalepeno hummus,
pesto hummus (add pine nuts instead of tahini, parm cheese and basil instead of parsley),
Okinawan sweet potato hummus with ginger,
etc., etc...


Chioggia Beet Hummus


THE Hummus

1 can of chickpeas (you can use fresh as well, I think this is the equivalent to 16 oz.?)
2-3 cloves of garlic
~1/3 olive oil (depending on how smooth you like it)
1/2-1 whole lemon (some people like it more lemony, like me so I use about a whole lemon)
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
2 heaping tbsp of tahini
fresh parsley (optional)
s&p to taste

1. Add garlic cloves with olive oil and lemon in a food processor, and pulse until garlic is minced.
2. Add spices, and parsley if you want to add it.
3. Drain beans and rinse (this is very important to get all of the preservatives and salt off the beans). Then incorporate into the mixture and blend on high until a thick paste.
4. Add tahini, and and then salt and pepper. Make sure to taste it as your going!
5. Blend into a thick paste. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and paprika.



Monday, January 6, 2014

Bad Photography and Delicious Soup

Don't judge me,
I'm not a photographer, I'm a cook.
Just try this recipe.
It's something I've comprised with a combination of googled recipes I've used throughout the years.
A hybrid of savory and aromatic spices, veggie based ingredients (however, this is interchangeable), creamy coconut milk, and LOVE -- duh.


The Best Damn Halloween Soup of Your Life

2 whole cinnamon sticks
1/2-1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
~6 cardamom pods
Olive oil (or coconut oil)
1 fresh white onion
1 can of full fat coconut milk
Fresh ginger
Fresh turmeric root, or about 1 Tbsp or more of turmeric powder
2 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
3/4 of raw butternut squash**
mushrooms
purple cabbage
carrots
green beans
celery
bell pepper
kale
pinch of garam masala (optional)
s&p to taste

** The butternut squash I used was organic, therefore a lot smaller than a generic squash. So, use your best judgement. You might have to just use half of a regular squash.

1. Heat the oil on high/medium heat in a large pot.
2. Dice the whole onion, throw into the pot and add the whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander). This will toast them and make them even more aromatic. Add garlic.
3. Sautee until onion is transparent.
4. Add can of coconut milk and simmer, in the meantime dice butternut squash into cubes.
5. Add butternut squash and add bay leaves.
6. Simmer until butternut squash is fully cooked.
7. Add fresh ginger and turmeric. I like a lot of each so I used maybe 1-2 Tbsp of each :)
8. Take out bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, and blend until a puree.
9. Put contents back into the pot, along with cinnamon sticks and bay leaves, simmer a litter more on low heat.
10. Add fresh veggies.
11. Pinch of garam masala is optional, I just like it extra flavorful.
12. Salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve with jasmine rice, quinoa, or just by itself. Garnish with fresh cilantro!!
You can add meat or tofu if you wanted to as well, or change up the ingredients if you wanted to! Do yo thang.


The color is my favorite part.



The Benefits of Turmeric (Olena root)

I'm very fortunate to live in a place with such diverse and easily accessible natural medicines, provided by mother nature herself.
If there is one thing I've learned, it's that it's okay to be busy in our day to day lives, because that's our society in this day in age. However, it is CRUCIAL, now more than ever, to be able to stop and smell the roses. For the sake of your sanity and for the sake of your health.
You would be shocked at the healing potential that you are surrounded by
everyday.

In this post, I feel the need to give a little shout out to Turmeric. 
It's used in a lot of Indian/Thai cooking, curries and curry powder, rice dishes, dyes, and even yellow mustard. It's reason why yellow mustard is yellow.
It grows like ginger does (same family), as a plant but is harvested for the rhizomes. The plant itself will grow and grow for a few months, and when it dies off, you'll be left with weird finger-like roots popping out of the ground and THIS is what you want.
It grows in a warm, humid environment.

As far as the benefits go, there are almost too many to list. The main reason I use it is for joint pain, when I had a problem with my leg after running with the wrong shoes, and when I have a cold.
The healing property is the curcumin, but it also contains other minerals like iron, potassium, and others.
It reduces inflammation -- hence, the use for joint pain. Therefore if you have issues with arthritis, cystic fibrosis, IBD, acne, etc.
Increases immunity, and cell growth (studies have shown it has been used to prevent cancer).
Stimulates the gall bladder in aiding with digestion -- detoxing.
Circulation -- lowering cholesterol.
It has also been shown to prevent Alzheimer's, prostate problems, artery plaque build up, etc.

You can take it in pill form, which I think is stupid because they sell the ground up turmeric powder in bulk at your local health food store or specialty spice store. Some places, you can buy the actual raw root, which is EVEN better! With a nub of an actual root, you can let it sit until it starts sprouting and grow it! That's the best part :)

Friday, January 3, 2014

Super Easy Dessert Alert

I have a problem with chocolate.
Not afraid to admit it.
What's better than chocolate?


Not a lot of things....
So here was my quick fix :)


Vegan and SUPER easy chocolate peanut butter cups!

First Layer
Blend oats, peanut butter, agave/maple syrup, and a pinch of salt if there isn't already salt in the peanut butter.
Pack this half way down in a muffin tin. It should be a dry but easily moldable consistency.

Second Layer
Raw cacao powder, coconut oil, a splash of almond milk, and agave/maple syrup. This should be a thick liquid consistency.
Pour this the rest of the way in the muffin tins to fill it to the top.

THEN, freeze or refrigerate until the coconut oil based chocolate sauce is solid. Easy right? It's also super tasty and a natural home made way to make a peanut butter cup!