Pages

Showing posts with label coconutoil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coconutoil. Show all posts

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! :)