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.

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.

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 :)

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!

Wheat-free, oil-free, egg-free Pancakes

I used oats in this recipe, but any hearty grain flour will work. Such as spelt, quinoa, buckwheat, etc.

One more thing I'd like to mention before I go ahead and load the recipe on you. I am OBSESSED with THIS-

It's coconut oil cooking spray! The Gods have answered my prayers.

Oh and this is something I like at the moment too-

It's natural vanilla whey powder. It's very low in sugar and has lots of good stuff in it, and not to mention the fact that it's from grass fed and rbgh free cows! 

Protein Pancakes

-3-4 heaping TBSP of steel cut oats

-2 heaping TBSP chia seeds

-Half scoop of protein powder 

-pinch of baking soda

-pinch of salt

-drizzle of agave

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-almond milk to thin it out (or water) which is about 1/3 cup?

Blend, and cook on a low medium heat with a non stick pan and some COCONUT OIL SPRAY and you're good to go! I added some frozen blueberries to mine, and topped it with raw honey <3

Avocado Pudding to the Rescue!

We all have those days...

Bloating
Cramps
Gas
etc., etc....

When our tummies get a little out of wack.

Whether it's something we ate,
or something we "drank too much of" the night before.

Regardless, I decided to blend up a few things that have helped me during these cases in the past for my breakfast this morning! Within a couple hours I was totally back to normal and had my happy tummy.

Avocado-Stomach-Ease-Pudding

1/4 of a large avocado (or half of a small avocado)

1 & 1/2 frozen apple bananas, or 1 frozen banana 

splash of almond milk (or you can use coconut water/coconut milk!)

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 heaping tablespoons of chia seeds

2 heaping tablespoons of arrowroot, dissolved in a small bowl with 1/4 cup hot water. Mix the two together until the arrowroot clumps are completely dissolved into a glue-like milk.

2 tablespoons of coconut oil 

Blend together until a thick green pudding!

You can substitute the banana for more avocado and a few dates. If you want to use the whole avocado.

Or add cacao powder for a chocolate pudding!

Try this if you're experiencing digestive problems,

Try this for a vegan dessert alternative,

JUST TRY IT!