BANANA OATMEAL with HAZELNUT BUTTER, RAISINS + BAOBAB POWDER

First thing's first: listen to this. Hopefully that improved your day, as long as we disregard the painfully conventional gender norms going on and just enjoy the track for the sweet beat that it is. Moving on. To oatmeal. I think my period is coming... soon. My lower back hurts, my muscles are sore and I am TIRED even though I got a good sleep last night. I suppose it seems like I talk about my menstruation cycle all the time, but that is not true! I only talk about it MOST of the time. Gimme a break (read: pass the heat pad). If you are a woman, you understand the significance and thus why I mention my moon flow so often. If you don't got a uterus, you may as well try to empathize and respect the #$%& we go through every month as fertile ladies.

This morning I woke up and wanted oatmeal. So I made oatmeal. That is the simple story behind todays recipe. I wish it was more exciting but at this point "exciting" does not sound appealing. I just wanna lay in bed with my cat, Dante, the chocolate maca bars Vega was so kind to send me - people ALWAYS send me chocolate at the right time of the month, at least I've got that going for me - and a marathon of Downton Abbey. That show is ADDICTING. Now, I say that is all I want to do; but in reality what I probably end up doing is just wandering around the house whining and rolling on the floor sporadically. I think I'm staying at my partners place tonight so he can be victim to my moans and lack of motivation to move. I am also planning on forcing him to massage my back. This is why I am in a relationship: it's all about the rubbin'. I used a special ingredient in this bowl of oatmeal: baobab powder! It comes from the gorgeous baobab tree and is super nutritious. I tried some from Kaibae and loved it! It adds a lovely flavour.

I feel like I have written so much but I only see a measly two paragraphs... well too bad. I can't think of anything else witty to say (have I even said anything witty yet?) so I'm calling it a day. Or, blog post.

Just make the oatmeal. Wait, also listen to this.

BANANA OATMEAL with HAZELNUT BUTTER, RAISINS + BAOBAB POWDER

1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons steel cut oats
Pinch himalayan salt
1 tablespoon hazelnut butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup or preferred sweetener
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon baobab fruit powder
1/4 cup raisins
1 large sliced banana
1 tablespoon hemp seeds

Pour the water into a pot and stir in the salt. Throw in all the oats and bring the water to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, bring the temperate down to low and simmer until the oats absorb the water, I like my oatmeal thin so I don't cook it for that long, around 20-30 minutes. Throw all the other ingredients - except the banana and raisins, into the bottom of a bowl, then pour on your oatmeal and mix everything together. Top with banana slices, raisins, and hemp seeds. Ahhh. Yum. 

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FRESH TABBOULEH with PEARL BARLEY

You asked for it. Or at least someone asked for it at one point in time... because it is on my "Recipes To Make" list, which is full of recipe ideas you guys want me to make (you may have already guessed as much from the very non-mysterious title of the list). Now that I am getting back into the groove of making and photographing recipes for my blog (it takes awhile after you write a cookbook) I am wanting to share recipes that I know you all want. So I have been checking out my to-do list of recipe ideas and this one seemed to be just right for today. Just so you know: the past two recipes I have posted (Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches and Carrot Cake Cookies) were on the list too. I'm getting #$%& done, folks. But back to tabbouleh. I have been soaking up the unusually sunny days we are getting here and for whatever reason tabbouleh felt very fitting for my dinner after another day of sun bathing on the beach. As my dad says "Wow, Em, the life of a blogger/author is tough!" The von Euws are a sarcastic bunch.

I have never eaten traditional tabbouleh, only the adaptions to it that are very common these days in trendy spots; quinoa tabbouleh with sautéed eggplant, for example. Although this stuff is DELICIOUS, it isn't really tabbouleh. Apparently - according to Wikipedia - tabbouleh is traditionally mostly parsley, along with lemon juice, salt, onions, mint, a tiny amount of bulgar or cous cous, and a bit of oil. It's essentially a parsley salad. YUM. It originated in a region near Egypt that also gave us magical foods like hummus and baba ghanoush. Best place ever, basically. In my recipe today I used pearl barley instead of bulgar because that is all I had and it turned out wonderfully, even if it isn't strictly in the original tabbouleh style. Dangit. So that means I STILL have not eaten legit authentic tabbouleh. One day... one day. I think this dish is so desirable in warmer months because it tastes fresh with the lemon juice, parsley and min; and is served cold. This is a perfect meal on it's own, but I bet it would be splendid as a side/salad with another dish!

TABBOULEH with BARLEY: serves one

1-2 cups cooked pearl barley 
1 cup packed parsley leaves
Handful mint leaves
2 tomatoes
1 garlic clove
Juice from 1 lemon
2 small onions
Salt, as desired
Olive oil, as desired 

Roughly chop all the veggies, then pulse in your food processor until they are finely diced. You can also finely chop them by hand... but a food processor saves a lot of time and does the job just as well. Mix the sliced veg and barley together then season with olive oil, salt and lemon juice as you like! Enjoy. 

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MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

I know what you are thinking: "Emily told us she was gonna lay off the desserts!" Well, you are right. I did say that. I was burnt out after writing an entire book on raw vegan desserts in 4 months... so I thought I wasn't going to want to make any for a looong time. Then this past weekend, I visited my friend in Victoria (on Vancouver Island) while camping nearby with my beau (it was a fab trip) and we ate at this fantastic restaurant called be love. I will be posting a review on our experience there soon. We all loved our meals so much that we ordered dessert too. Eva was given this amazing plate featuring a cherry ice cream sandwich and it reminded me of why I love[d] raw vegan desserts so very passionately! My meals and recipes have been so simple lately, and personally I have been loving that. Yet at the same time, none of them have the capacity to make people swoon and moan with pleasure, and simply be wowed at the sight of the dish, like raw vegan desserts do. My sweet treat creativity got flowing once more and I couldn't wait to get home and whip up all these ideas I have for raw vegan desserts! No, really. I have a lengthy list. This was one of the items on said list, and since it was reminiscent of the yumminess in Victoria, it felt like the perfect fit. I can confidently say they turned out wonderfully, and the whole family loved them; even some friends from Switzerland who are visiting right now! I mean, they KNOW their chocolate. 

I used chocolate mint leaves from the garden, but you can use any kind of mint leaf you like. I also used some beautiful peppermint oil from doTERRA, because it's so organic you can eat it! Highly recommended. Top secret info that is no longer secret because I am typing it out on a very public blog: I used a little bit of spirulina powder to give the ice cream that classic mint ice cream colour we all learned to love as kids. You cannot even taste it but it worked perfectly. Nobody knew... mwahaha. Call me the devious nutritionist. But don't actually, 'cause I ain't certified; I am just a crazy girl in a kitchen who likes eating plants and photographing everything. If you wanna keep this recipe low-fat, I give a few adaptions you can make in the recipe directions. As for me? Even though I am super into the whole high carb thing right now, I still love me some fats and I adore nothing more than getting my daily recommend intake of them in desserts like this. We should all be eating some healthy plant-based fat everyday, we just don't need much! So that being said: please enjoy the heck outta these, and share them with those you love. Or those you don't love, so you can improve that relationship. Or let's be real - you might just hoard them in your freezer and not tell anyone, so you can devour them all in stealth mode. I know you. 

MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM SANDWICHES 

Cookie:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
1 tablespoon cacao powder
Pinch Himalayan salt

Chocolate chips:
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Ice cream:
1 cup young coconut meat 
1 cup cashews 
2 cups water 
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup mint leaves 
3 drops doTERRA peppermint oil
Spirulina powder, as needed (optional) 

ADAPTIONS: if you wanna make this low-fat, use rolled oats instead of walnuts; use bananas instead of cashews; and use date paste instead of coconut oil. 

To make the cookies: pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they become a fine powder. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it all begins to stick together. On parchment paper, shape the dough into cookies however you like. I used a circular cookie cutter and dropped a spoonful into it, pressed it down, then gently tugged the cookie cutter off and made another. Set these in the fridge overnight. 

To make the chocolate chips: whisk together the ingredients, then pour onto a flat plate and freeze until solid. Chop into small pieces and stir into the ice cream when it's thick enough (otherwise the pieces will just sink to the bottom). 

To make the ice cream: blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding tiny amounts of spirulina until the mixture is the colour you want. Put this mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the instructions of the machine. If you don't have an ice cream maker (like me), simply pour the mixture into a metal pan and stick it in the freezer, whisking it up every 30 minutes until it's transformed. Remember to add your chocolate chips! 

Assembly: cookie, scoop of ice cream, cookie. 

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BANANA STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM CAKE

Hello, all. How's everyone doing? This is a glorious recipe that is sure to brighten up anyone's day - who doesn't love ice cream cake? And what? It's HEALTHY, you say? Well, I'll be! It's a miracle! Actually it's not really a miracle, it's just momma nature treatin' us well and providing all the sustenance we need in the form of juicy fruits. Life is good when you've got ripe plants to eat. I am very happy with these photos, if I am being honest (and I am.) Then again, it's not hard to take beautiful photos when you have beautiful subjects to take photos of. The vibrant colours of nature are the thing to be admired here. I found these flowers at the farmer's market this morning, where a vendor was selling bunches of edible plants: 3 for $5.00! She recommended dipping the sage leaves in coconut oil then baking them with a pinch of salt until crispy... she is a genius.

Today I share with you a simple yet beautiful recipe for a sweet, creamy, fresh ice cream cake. It is made of 100% fresh fruit, and nothing else. Because when you care about the world, animals, and yourself - why eat anything but plants? Enjoying a plant-based diet is the best choice you can make to have the most positive impact on the health of our planet, our animal friends, and your own well-being. It is the intelligent decision, and the compassionate one. If you are a lover, you should let go of meat, dairy, and other animal products; it is that simple. I hope I don't sound preachy or judgemental in this post, I only want to spread a message of peace and equality. I have just been sobbing for an hour over the state of humanity. We support the systemized murder and torture of billions everyday, just to say "mmm... bacon!" It is literally insane and it must stop. I know the majority of people are not aware of the impact of their simple meal choices, and that is because there are huge corporations and massive amounts of money and power intentionally masking the truth and parading lies to the public. I do not blame the public. But I do think it's fair to demand an end to the killing. A sane person understands murder is wrong, so why eat meat? An animal is an animal - we are all animals. There is no categorical difference between us and all other living beings, so why kill one and love another? It doesn't make sense. I love my friends, so I do not eat them. Instead, I eat fruit. Let's eat cake, hug pigs, save the earth, regain our health, and love each other.

BANANA STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM CAKE

Ice cream layers:

4 frozen bananas

1 cup strawberries

Banana layers:

3 thinly sliced bananas

Slice the frozen bananas, then blend in a high speed blender until they get to the consistency of soft serve ice cream; it will take a minute but suddenly you'll have that perfect thick, creamy, fluffy texture. Add the strawberries one by one, until the mixture is pink but still thick. 

Now in a 4-inch cake mold, or other small mold, layer the sliced banana pieces with the ice cream mixture. Set in the freezer just long enough to make it hold together. Then cut around the edge of cake with a knife so it separates from the mold, then carefully take it out and enjoy! I decorated mine with edible flowers and sage leaves. 

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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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LIQUID FEAST: DAY ONE

So my partner and I are beginning our liquid feast today, and ending on 4/20 (heh heh heeeeh). What the HECK is a liquid feast, one might inquire? We're only gonna consume liquids for the next seven days; in the form of juices, smoothies, puddings, nut mylks, teas and water. Okay, but WHY the heck would you do this, another person might ask? Because it's fun and makes us feel great! Well... he's never done this before so I shouldn't assume... but I can confidently say it makes ME feel great. My diet is mostly smoothies and juice anyways, supplemented with steamed veggies, grains, beans and raw desserts; so this isn't a crazy change for me. Instead of having steamed potatoes and brown rice for dinner, we will be enjoying savoury smoothies or banana mylkshakes! Or both! Yep. Both. 

Now, I am choosing to call this a liquid FEAST, because I am not going to be restricting calories. I'm not into that. 

I do not believe in restricting calories temporarily as a way to lose weight. Long-term health is only achieved through permanent lifestyle changes, not a week of juice fasting or starving yourself. In fact, when you restrict your caloric intake for a short time then go back to your regular diet (that apparently made you "overweight" in the first place) - you will probably gain back more than you lost. This is because the body goes into starvation mode and quickly packs on the weight it can, as soon as it gets some extra calories. When you transition to a whole foods, plant-based diet, your body will naturally find it's ideal weight - maybe you're already there! Maybe you were actually underweight before! Don't worry about social norms dictating what an attractive weight is. To me, a healthy body is a beautiful body. Let's take a second to remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and changes with the ever-pulsing culture of the time, so no matter how we look we are all deserving of love. Back in the day, cellulite was the epitome of sexy. 

My point is: if you want to find your ideal weight, make lifestyle changes and switch to a whole foods, plant-based diet. Your body will do the rest... it's smart like that. Do not think that just because you are above the average number for what is considered "normal", that you are overweight. I say: screw the system! Calculating the mean of a populations weight gives you a number that reflects none of the diversity you had in the original data. The fact is we are all unique and beautiful and pushing our identities through an equation then telling us that that resulting number is what we should all strive for just makes everybody get bummed and feel inadequate. Don't try to be the norm! Be YOU. But of course, like I was saying a second ago, I personally think you can be the BEST you, when you feed yourself right. That means lots of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans and grains. Mmm... healthy is sexy. 

Okay! Enough of that. I'm gonna talk a little bit about our day. We woke up and went to the farmers market. Great start. We bought a HUGE bag of carrots, a couple bags of beets, bell peppers, garlic, apples, spinach, parsley, tomatoes, and I think that's it. To be frank, I was feeling super sore and tired because I got my period today, but we got back to my house and made a smoothie and almost immediately I did a 180 in my mood. Honestly, the previous night and during our grocery shopping I had been moaning and groaning about my feminine-induced discomfort for hours, but the second we sat down in the sun and sipped this drink I said "I feel so good right now!" and meant it 100%. Amazing what a little cucumber and pineapple can do, huh? I also made some cashew milk with dates and cinnamon, and some tomato garlic soup with cilantro for dinner. I can't share the smoothie recipe with you because it's going to be exclusive for my next book, but I will share our soup recipe and the cashew mylk! I'm not totally evil, right? (Please someone say "right"...)

SPICED CASHEW & DATE MYLK

1 1/2 cups cashews

5 dates

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

8 cups water

Blend everything until smooth, letting the blender buzz for about a minute so it gets uber smooth. Strain through a mylk bag, cheesecloth or sieve, and enjoy! This will last sealed in the fridge for around a week (but I bet it'll disappear much sooner than that.) 

TOMATO GARLIC SOUP with BELL PEPPERS, ONION, AVOCADO & SPICES 

2 cups tomatoes

1 garlic clove

1/6 cup onion 

1 red bell pepper

1 avocado

Pinch Himalayan salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1-2 cups water or vegetable broth

Blend everything until smooth. Serve with cilantro if ya want. 

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RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES IN 5 MINUTES

That's right, folks. Five minutes from now you could be holding a plate of ultra good-for-you vegan chocolate truffles... and you don't even need any equipment besides a knife and two hands. I apologize if you don't have two hands, but I have faith you can make it work. I mean, you've come this far... you're probably way more able-bodied than me with two hands. 

The only ingredients in these bad boys (I just gave truffles a gender, didn't I) are dates, hemp seeds and cacao powder. Actually, I used carob powder today but it's really up to you. Whatever floats your boat, as they say. Or in this case, whatever flavours your truffle. All you have to do is chop everything up and mash it together; it doesn't get much simpler or delicious. Although having said that, I ate mine with spoonfuls of Artisana coconut butter and WOW heaven was reached. I am talking divine kingdom entry happening in my mouth. Another pairing suggestion? Banana. Mmm... banana... If ya don't got no coco butter or nanners, don't sweat it bro. These are amazing all by themselves. 

In case you hadn't noticed (quite likely), I've been making some changes around here! I added some new photos of my face to my "About Me" page, changed the blog's header image, page text font and updated all my pages a little bit (tweaked a few sentences, added newer photos, ya know). I hope you like the adaptions. I'm here to serve and please you, so think of me as your raw food genie. As in: my wish is your command. Hmm... is this getting kinky? Or is that just my wishful thinking... maybe the latter, hopefully the former. 

Making, photographing and posting this recipe was a much-desired break from my weirdly hectic day. When I say weirdly hectic, I mean I feel like I'm kinda stressed out but I really have no need to be. Yes, I have final exams and a group presentation coming up that I need to prepare for, but I'll be fine; I know what I need to know. Yes, I need to finish my taxes which is hella tedious, but again; it's not that big a deal and they WILL get done. Tonight. Yes, the manuscript for my second book is due in a few weeks, but yet once more; I am on schedule and shouldn't have an issue wrapping it up. I'm pretty proud of it at this point, and it's still in the rough draft phase! So ya see - I've got all these little things that are unfinished thus they give me this unsettled feeling... but I don't have to and shouldn't feel this way! I need to take a breather and remind myself that ALL IS WELL. Writing this out helps a bunch. Thanks for reading my rambling road of cognitions. On to truffles, shall we venture? 

 RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES IN 5 MINUTES 

1 cup medjool dates
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 heaping tablespoon cacao powder or carob powder

Pit the dates and cut them up into tiny gooey pieces, mash them together with the cacao or carob powder and hemp seeds until it all sticks together. Roll the mixture into truffles then coat with whatever you like - I kept it simple and used more carob powder. For extra 'umph' - what is that word... really - throw in some Himalayan salt, vanilla, ginger, chili or cinnamon! 

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CRUNCHY CHIA CHOCOLATE with MACA, LUCUMA, VANILLA & CASHEWS

YOOOOOOOOOOO I'm feelin' real thug right now because I'm jammin' to Lil Boosie. (Don't judge; I appreciate all kinds of music from Beethoven to Bjork to Black Moth Super Rainbow.) Anyways, this chocolate has got me in a great mood; it has elevated my mental state to like beyooond nirvana. Also, I ate the MOST AMAZING AVOCADO EVER a little while ago and there're two more to devour before the sun sets so I have no reason to be sad on this fine Thursday. Furthermore, I'm fairly confident I *aced* my Archaeology exam this morning and I'm going to a super interesting-looking lecture tonight with friends about how society creates superheroes! The fun don't stop! 

I know you're more into this chocolate than my personal life though, so let's talk about that. Remember those chocolate bars that had like the crispy crunchy cereal pieces in them? I don't know if I'm making this up because I just did an internet search and could not find what I'm talking about... but I hope you know what I mean. These are just like those! But better! Why? The usual reasons: this recipe is super good for you, it's cruelty-free, it keeps the planet happy, and it tastes effing delicious! Let's eat it all! No seriously, I ate almost all of this in one day. Luckily I had a moment of generosity and gave (almost) half to mon coupine. 

Since this is a chocolate recipe, obviously cacao powder is a main ingredient and lucky for us, it's a nutritional powerhouse! Full of fiber, zinc, magnesium, iron and other goodies. I also added a bunch of superfoods in like maca, lucuma and vanilla. Cashews and chia seeds are amazing for your gorgeous body too. Chia seeds are what make the "crunch" in this chocolate, and the cashews add another tasty texture. Feel free to add other stuff if you like; I bet cinnamon, cayenne, ginger and goji berries would all be phenomenal extras. 

If you love conventional chocolate (super sweet, milky, chocolate-y), then this might not be the ideal recipe for you to try. I'd suggest you make this one first. But I love experimenting with new flavours so likewise, I love this recipe. It's almost spicy because the flavours are so fresh. #sofresh

CRUNCHY CHIA CHOCOLATE with MACA, LUCUMA, VANILLA & CASHEWS 

1/3 cup cacao butter

1/4 cup cacao powder

2 tablespoons maca powder

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

1 tablespoon lucuma power

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup coconut nectar (as desired) 

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Melt the cacao butter, then whisk in all the other ingredients except the cashews. Taste it and adjust accordingly. Pour into a lined pan so it's about 1 cm thick (or however thick you want the chocolate to be). Sprinkle on the cashews then put in the fridge or freezer until it is solid. Chop and chomp. Thuggin'.