SUMMER BERRY VANILLA CREAM TARTS

Yeah, desserts are back. Thought I'd left ya, huh? Nope. I was just a little burnt out after writing my first book which focused entirely on raw, vegan, gluten-free desserts... over 100 recipes invented, created and photographed in under 4 months... I needed a break. Plus, as you may have noticed in my previous posts recently; I'm going 80/10/10! This means I am choosing to get almost all my calories (80%) from carbs, and leaving the remaining 20% of my calories to fat and protein. My diet is almost exactly what it was before: giant fruit smoothies all day, then a huge bowl of steamed veggies and rice for dinner, and a raw sweet for dessert! The only change? I'm skipping the desserts, which are usually nut-based, and instead getting those extra calories from more fruit in the day time! However, I  know that nuts are definitely necessary in a healthy diet, as is fat in general, in whole food plant form. So of course my dessert recipes are good for you! But having said that, I am going to focus on lowering the nut and coconut oil content in them, so we can all eat even MORE tarts. Sound good? Good. 

These adorable babies are full of fruity goodness, and they had my girlfriends practically fighting over the last bites. You can make this recipe nut-free very easily, or you can leave the nuts in there if you want. It's all up to you! I heart cashews! (I had to say it, it rhymed). You can also use nut pulp for the crust, if you are often left wondering what to do with that extra stuff after making almond milk. Frugal vegans are happy vegans... happy vegans with delicious healthy tarts. Let's eat. 

P.S. I apologize for these weird-looking photos. I'm still getting used to the photo editor on my MacBook. (YES I GOT A MAC WOOO!)

SUMMER BERRY VANILLA CREAM TARTS

Crust:

1 cup oats, nuts or nut pulp leftover from nut milk

1 1/4 cup dates

Berry cream:

1 cup frozen or fresh berries

Water, as needed

Vanilla cream:

3/4 cup cashews or 3 frozen bananas

1/2 vanilla bean

1 tablespoon coconut nectar

Water, as needed

Note: if you use cashews, you'll have lots of cashew vanilla cream leftover. I ask for 3/4 cup because you need to use at least that much to blend them into a cream in a blender, otherwise you just get cashew crumbs flying around the blades for infinity. 

Make the crust: pulse the oats or nuts into flour in a food processor. Add the dates and process it all until it sticks together. Press into lined tart tins. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Make the cream: for each one, just blend all the ingredients until smooth. Fill your tart crusts with your berry and vanilla creams, and decorate with chia seeds, dried berries, coconut shreds and whatever else you like! x

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WILD RICE with BLACK BEANS, CHERRY TOMATOES + STEAMED POTATOES

Keepin' it simple and wholesome, as per usual. I made this a couple weeks ago and posted a pic on Instagram, and I thought it was so pretty and delicious I decided to share the recipe with you, 'cause you're awesome, and so is this bowl of happy food. That is all. (Like I said - keepin' it simple.)

WILD RICE BOWL with BLACK BEANS, TOMATOES + STEAMED POTATOES

1 cup cooked black beans

1 cup cooked wild rice

2 steamed potatoes

1 cup salsa or tomato sauce

Handful cherry tomatoes

Handful chopped cilantro 

Pinch of turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper (if desired) 

Throw it all in a bowl. Yessss. 

Note: add whatever other spices or flavourings you want! This would probably be outta this world with the addition of an avocado. Then again, when is that statement ever false? 

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GINGER ORANGE CARROT JUICE (AND I GOT INSTAGRAM)

The title is pretty self-explanatory: I finally got Instagram, and I'm sharing a recipe for ginger orange carrot juice. First thing's first: follow me on Instagram if you want to (...  you want to). Secondly: make this juice and feel the good ole fruit and veggie vibes! Carrot juice and beet juice are my faves right now. I love adding ginger and garlic for extra flavour and nutrition; and cucumbers, celery, apples, oranges, bell peppers, greens and pineapple for volume (and equally because they're obviously super healthy). The colour of carrot juice is legit inspiring (same goes for beet juice)! You can't NOT want to drink up a glass of this vibrant, glowing juice filled with life. Get it in ya.

Now, moving onto Instagram! I mean I suppose there's not too much to say about it; but I am really excited to have this new social media platform to share my life with you guys on. My Instagram feed will be a good picture into my daily diet and lifestyle, which I sometimes don't show on my blog (instead I generally only share my "wow!" recipes, not what makes up the bulk of my diet). If you guys want to only see the food I eat, that's totally fine; but if you're also interested in how I spend my days personally, I'd be happy to share that with you too! Just let me know. *smile*.

In other news: I just got my manuscript for my second book back from my publisher today, with their notes attached for what I should change or fix. *excited*! I can't wait to bring this new book to all of you. It's bursting with juicy goodness and the food porn you've hopefully come to expect from me. *wink*. (I don't know why there are so many asterisks in this post). This book has 100 recipes for mostly juices and smoothies, as well as about 15 for energy bars and snacks. There are chapters for ingredients, equipment, methods, tips and tricks... everything you need to begin or master a juicing- and blending-filled life! Cheers to living long and being sexy (because you will, and you are)!

GINGER ORANGE CARROT JUICE

5 carrots
1 tablespoon chunk of ginger
2 oranges 

Wash, peel and chop as needed, then juice it up and drink it down! Mmm. 
Note: this is a snack-sized juice. Double or triple this to get a full tummy.... although if you do, watch out for the ginger. Even with huge juices, I keep my ginger to about 1 tablespoon. 

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BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC & CHEESE

Sometimes ya just want a giant bowl of creamy mac and cheese. Sometimes ya gotta make one, especially if it's super healthy and nutritious! I don't have much to say about this recipe because it basically speaks for itself. There are already so many great vegan mac and cheese recipes out there so if you don't like the looks of this one, feel free to Google "vegan mac and cheese" and find even better ones. But this is what I made yesterday, and I figured you'd want me to share it with all you wonderful humans. 

To be honest I actually ended up giving this to my dad for his dinner, because I lost my appetite just as I finished making it! I was looking forward to it all day too! My period really messes up my metabolism... am I the only one!? Yesterday I didn't want to eat much at all, but today I am ravenous. I dreamt about bananas and juice last night so that's all I want. Having said all that - I promise this recipe is really tasty! Try it out! Note: it's more butternut squashy than cheesy, so if you're looking for a cheesier recipe, this one looks crazy good. 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC & CHEESE 

Base:

3 cups of quinoa penne is in the photos, but you could use whatever you want. 

Sauce:

3 cups cubed butternut squash, baked until soft

1/2 onion

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup cashews

1/2 avocado

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon turmeric 

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon coriander 

3 dates (or 1 teaspoon liquid sweetener)

Salt & pepper, to taste

Water, as needed

Prepare your base: cook your noodles, rice, or whatever... or slice a zucchini into zucchini noodles!

To make the sauce: blend everything until smooth and creamy. Mix into your noodles or rice or whatever base you want and nom it up! Oh... this would probably be amazing if you baked it in a bowl with Daiya vegan cheese shreds over top. Mmm.

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THE HEALTHY NUTELLA MILKSHAKE

I know my last post was about how I've gone all low-fat but ya know what? I got my period today and I also received a box of amazing goodies from Prana Organics, which included a jar of magical hazelnut butter. So I am marrying the jar of hazelnut butter today and my 80/10/10 ways can wait til my period is over. I need to continue talking about this hazelnut butter because you do not yet fully understand the magnitude of deliciousness that it is. My life changed when I dipped my spoon into the jar an hour ago, and it changed for the better. Imagine Nutella... then imagine it being approximately 1326 times yummier... then imagine it's healthy... then you realize that what you are imagining is Prana's organic hazelnut butter, and the only ingredients ARE HAZELNUTS. For real, guys. It's better than Nutella and it doesn't even contain chocolate or sugar. That is why I called it magical a moment ago. Normally I say any organic, ethical brand is a great choice for food, but I have to say that I cannot imagine any hazelnut butter tasting better than Prana's. Also, the texture is heavenly. It's like chocolate sauce. UGH IT'S TOO GOOD PLEASE GO GET SOME NOW. You can buy their wonderful treats foods here.

Moving on. To my period. (I promise I will eventually connect this all to the recipe). I have to celebrate my feminine fertility whenever this time of the month rolls around, because it's pretty freaking awesome that us ladies have a human-making system in our uterus', and when I research menstruation (yeah... I do that), I just get really excited and intrigued about what is going on in my body. Having said that, it doesn't change the fact that for 5-7 days every month I basically just roll around moaning and crying for no reason like a depressed bipolar beached whale... plus blood. But at least the weather is nice so I can groan and lay around in the sunshine, and I've got a sweet boyfriend who's gonna massage my bod later tonight. Until then I will just have to keep trying to do it myself... and keep failing. Have you ever attempted to give yourself a back massage? There's a reason humans are social animals: IT'S ALL FOR THE BODY RUBS, GUYS.

So I'm in whiny hormonal hopeless whale mode today and all I want is copious amounts of vegan mac and cheese - it's happening tonight, I am so glad I was smart enough to buy an organic butternut squash the other day - and more of that incredible, better-than-Nutella magic. Therefore I created a milkshake that is essentially just diluted Nutella. Obviously I love you so I made it healthy. Let's drink.

THE HEALTHY NUTELLA MILKSHAKE

4 frozen bananas
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon Prana's organic hazelnut butter 
6 Medjool dates 
2-3 cups nut milk or water

Blend it all up, adding as much or as little liquid as you want. Uggghhh yessss.

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GIMME SUSHI: THE GREEN ROLL

Okay first of all don't freak out 'cause I'm eatin' white rice. I have been consuming so much brown rice lately that tonight I just wanted to do it up white. I hope we can still be friends.

Some of you may have tuned into the fact that I have hopped on the YouTube train! That's right, peeps - I'm making videos now. (Psst you should subscribe and stuff.) The past seven days I have been uploading "What I Ate Today" videos to give you guys a better idea of my general diet. Keep in mind I go through phases of liking certain meals/foods. The past week, I have been loving rice and tomato bowls, and sushi rolls. The smoothies I have all day are basically a ritual though, they don't change much because I will never get tired of my giant smoothies... *kisses Mason jar devotedly*

Upon watching my daily food videos, you may also pick up on the fact that I am eating an 80/10/10-ish diet these days. I say "-ish" because I don't stress over sticking to labels, I just eat what I want. Recently, what I want to eat has gradually turned into a high-carb diet. It was pretty much that before (fruit all day then grains and veggies for dinner) except that I never limited my fat intake. So now I am merely cutting down on my nuts and coco oil. As I have said before - I am not trying to scare anyone about consuming fat. Fat in your diet is awesome and uber necessary; PLEASE KEEP EATING IT. However, eat it in moderation. A single serving of most of my desserts will give you your daily recommended intake of healthy, wholesome fats so no worries there, bro. I got you. And honestly even if you eat like three servings it's still all raw goodness and you'll probably keep glowing and feeling great. Some of the healthiest people in the world consume all the fat they want, so it's not like the 80/10/10 diet is ideal for everyone. I always say just DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. And right now, for me, it feels most natural for me to carb it up and lower the fat content. I haven't been wanting to make the recipes I usually post on my blog. I've just been wanting ALL the fruit (smoothies with 10 bananas and crazy s*** like that) and massive bowls of rice and steamed veggies. There isn't a point in the day where I'm like "ugh I want a caramel chocolate bar with all my soul at this moment" (as ludicrous as that sounds)... so I haven't been making those kinds of recipes. Again... I am NOT SAYING they are unhealthy. They're flipping fantastic. But this is a personal diet shift for me. I was consuming a lot of fat because I would test all my recipes as I was making them, and then proceed to eat most of them all by myself. Hehe. My life is fab.

Here's the idea: when you are eating high-carb, you get so full on carbs - which are the body's ideal fuel source - because you eat as much of them as you want so you don't even have room to crave fats. For example: some people who choose this diet eat like 20 mangoes for breakfast. This is more of an experiment than anything else, because I've never done 80/10/10 for long, so I don't know if this will work for me long-term or not. I will keep you guys informed the entire way. And you can stop sweating - just 'cause I'm goin' low-fat now doesn't mean I'm ever gonna stop posting food porn recipes and photos on my blog... *wink*. Speaking of yummy recipes... sushi, anyone? This roll is themed green because it's got avocado, zucchini and cucumber as the fillings. It tastes aaaaamaazzzinng so you should make it immediately. Now. Do it.... why are you still here.

THE GREEN ROLL

3 nori sheets
2 cups cooked rice (or use sprouts instead of rice to make it raw)
1 tablespoon peeled ginger root
1/2 cucumber
1/2 avocado
1 zucchini 

Slice the zucchini on a mandolin into thin noodles. Slice the avocado, ginger, and cucumber thinly. Evenly spread the rice onto the nori sheets and then layer on the plants; roll it up and have a party! Don't know how to roll sushi? Click here. By the way: this serves one person. Also: I ate it with this sauce.

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BANANA ICE CREAM TARTS

These are made up of literally just fruit. If you follow a low-fat, nut-free, or 80/10/10 diet (which personally I am increasingly gearing towards), you're gonna love this recipe. Honestly I don't think you can overeat these because all the ingredients are so damn good for you and your gorgeous bod. Having said that, you can adapt this recipe to your hearts content: add coconut butter or cashews to the ice cream, or cacao, nutmeg or cinnamon powder; add some ground up nuts or seeds to the crust, or coconut oil. Possibilities abound, and I'm not here to stop your creativity from flourishing. Let it bloom, baby... let it bloom. 

As mentioned a second ago (depending on how speedy of a reader you are), I'm aiming for a more 80/10/10 diet. That just means a diet where you get 80% of your calories from carbs, and 10% each from protein and fat. People who follow 80/10/10 eat whack loads of fruit all day like mangoes and bananas, and are usually raw and vegan. I already eat mostly raw fruit - and LOTS of it - as my main source of calories; supplemented with rice, steamed veggies and beans. I feel best eating this way. But I also eat a fair amount of nuts and coconut oil, coming from my desserts. Now, I wanna be clear that stuff like nuts, seeds, cacao butter and coconut oil are GREAT FOR YOU! Cashews are my BFF 4 real. But at the same time, they are most beneficial when consumed in small amounts. For those of you who read my blog and regularly make recipes, don't worry, the amounts of these foods you are getting from my recipes are perfectly reasonable. But for ME, making these things everyday, I probably eat a higher percentage of fat than I would find ideal. Make sense? I just don't wanna freak any of you out by coming across as saying "Oh no, my raw vegan desserts are making me fat!" No. That is not at all what I mean. I'm in great shape and a very healthy weight, and I eat SO MUCH of desserts I post on here. But I would like to experiment with an 80/10/10-ish diet and see if I notice improvements in how I feel. To be honest, I feel terrific pretty much all the time, so I can't imagine any significant changes. But I am curious, so I'm gonna aim for a higher-carb, lower-fat diet and see what happens. This essentially will just translate into my desserts using a bit less nuts and coconut oil, because that's the only place I get fat from anyway. Also, I am excited to share more nut- and coconut-free recipes with you guys! All my recipes are already raw, vegan and gluten-free, and now they will be accessible to even more of you fabulous folks. 

x

BANANA ICE CREAM TARTS 

Ice cream:
3 frozen bananas
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional) 

Tart crust: 
1/2 cup Medjool dates 

To make the ice cream: blend the bananas until thick and smooth in a high speed blender. Be patient and keep pushing the fruit into the blades - it may take a second but suddenly you will have a blender container full of soft serve banana ice cream. 

To make the crust: press the pitted dates into a tart tin... yeah, it's that simple. Spread your ice cream in and enjoy! Eat as many of these as you want. Seriously. 

Another option is to use the same ingredients but add some water and throw EVERYTHING in the blender together, to make an amazing banana vanilla mylkshake. 

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ALMOND YOGURT with FRUIT & CINNAMON {DO SOMETHING MORE}

This post is a bit different than my other ones. I've got an actual point.

In today's world, corporations and private organizations intentionally make it very easy for one to follow instructions and advertisements blindly, without critically analyzing their choices or the consequences of such. "Buy this, eat that, wear this, listen to that, watch this..." we are told what to do and who to be every minute we are in the public space, and even in the privacy of our homes. Naturally we choose the path that requires the least effort (human nature, wassup) and in our contemporary Westernized environment, that equates to sticking to the status quo (eating fast food, buying clothes from the GAP, throwing away plastic bags) and not asking questions (Where did the food come from? Who made the clothes? What impact does plastic have on the environment?)

The point I am trying to get at is that many of us have a tendency to do the minimum required in our lifestyles, because it is the easiest way to get by. I am not laying down any blame or judgement on you; but I am calling out a pattern I see. The following words might seem a little harsh, but I mean absolutely no offense, I am simply stating my opinions and the reasons behind the lifestyle I choose to lead. Also: my main issues are with factory farming and mega corporations that choose cheapness over responsibility, not unknowing consumers who aren't aware of the effects of their choices.

My message is: eff the minimum!

Let's be excellent! Let's bring up any repressed questions, guilt or concerns we have about the impacts we have on the planet and other beings, find real answers and change our actions accordingly. I am vegan because I do not believe someone innocent whom I love should have to die so I can eat a beef burger for lunch.  I am vegan because I respect all beings and believe we all have the right to happiness and freedom. I am vegan because factory farming and agribusiness is worse for the environment - they produce more carbon dioxide - than ALL transportation combined.

I do not buy clothes from stores that outsource manufacturing to developing countries because I want the people who make my clothes to be fairly paid and in control of their job; not separated from their families for weeks at a time, paid mere cents an hour, or suffering from back problems from sitting at a sewing machine for 15 hours at a time while the heads of the corporations make millions because they have cut so many moral corners and are doing the minimum. I buy mostly used clothing because there is more than enough new clothing to go around and recycling is more important than ever, as we are just now experiencing the first effects of human-caused climate change.

My family buys natural, eco-friendly cleaning products and I buy organic, not-tested-on-animals beauty products because I don't think the planet or any innocent creatures should have to suffer just so I can have pink lips, smell pretty and have a clean sink.

Go beyond the minimum. Let's do something more. 

I believe we all have the right to live freely, and have the opportunity for happiness, love and growth. I am proud of my values, choices and beliefs. I think they are right and responsible. I appreciate each day for the gift it is and understand that although serious inequalities of all kinds are still prevalent in our world, we can change that. I am doing my part by voting with my dollars for what I think is sustainable, compassionate, fair and just. I am doing something more because I am choosing to feel something more. More than the minimum. I will not allow myself to go the easy route and ignorantly believe baseless advertisements and claims by opportunistic corporations, or support what I know is wrong. I want you to join me. It is as simple as choosing organic almond yogurt (recipe below!) instead of pasteurized dairy yogurt, thrift jeans instead of new Levi's, and non-toxic house products instead of animal-tested chemicals. Let's do something more. Let's be the change we wish to see in the world.

ALMOND YOGURT with FRUIT & CINNAMON

Yogurt: 
1 1/2 cups almonds, soaked overnight then rinsed (remove the skins if you want smoother yogurt) 
2 cups water 
1 tablespoon coconut nectar or raw cane sugar

Add-ons:
1 mango, cubed
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/4 cup raisins 

To make the yogurt: blend all the ingredients together until very smooth, adding more sweetener or other ingredients as you desire. Leave in a bowl at room temperature for about 9 hours. Keep in the fridge after that, or eat right away. 

To serve: layer a bowl with the fruit, cinnamon, raisins and yogurt. Mmm... tasting something more!