MANGO SORBET with BANANA + PINEAPPLE

Hey, guys! I have not been around for an entire week! I miss you all so much, simply keeping connected helps me stay sane... thus not communicating with you for 7 days is leaving me feeling a little ungrounded. Having said that, I am having the best time. The past week I stayed in a small town called Wells (9 hours north of Vancouver) with my partner, in his grandparents antique-y house. It was exactly what we both needed; time away from the city, just us too in a charmingly quiet home surrounded by trees and mountains. I will be posting photos from this adventure soon, but first I need to go on another one! I got back from Wells this evening, and tomorrow at 4 am I leave on a family road trip to Minnesota with my parents and younger brother! I am equally excited for this journey. But while I have a second on the computer before I disconnect for another 11 days; I figured I should share a recipe. Here is one that I offered up to the lovely Amy from Fragrant Vanilla Cake. She has the recipe featured on her site. Get the recipe here.

I have been obsessed - no, scratch that, addicted - to this recipe since I made it a few weeks ago. It has been SO hot here (30c+ degrees  everyday) and the only way the fam and I can bear it is with cold drinks! Mom realized early on that frozen fruit and booze do the trick for her and my dad. I took note of that, but swapped the vodka for bananas! You can add water (or better yet, coconut milk) to this to make it the BEST smoothie ever, or leave as is to create the perfect sorbet: creamy, cold, sweet and luscious. Who needs added sugar when you have the sweetness of the fruit!? I am quickly realizing mango will define my summer, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Get the recipe here! 

COFFEE & CACAO BANANA BLISS MYLKSHAKE

Am I telling you to have a chocolate mylkshake for breakfast? Yes. Am I saying it will change your world and alter your taste buds' perception of reality for ever more? Yep. Am I claiming said creamy, dreamy, sweet choco shake is super healthy for you? Oh, baby, hell yeah. Will I stop asking questions now? Fine. Okay. 

I don't usually eat stuff like cacao right away in the morning, and I don't normally have coffee at all; but I woke up today and wanted to make a face mask from coffee grounds and cacao powder (mix them both with water to make a paste, rub it on your face and leave for 10 minutes to get gorgeous skin). I didn't use all the mixture so I decided to throw the extra in my Vitamix with frozen bananas, almond mylk and dates. I know, right: basically ALL the good things. As I was saying to my lover the other day, "I have no reason to be sad when I have bananas in my freezer and ripe avocados on the shelf." Can anyone disagree. I didn't put a question mark at the end of that because it's not really a question. 

Maybe you're one of those folks who's all like "COFFEE IS EVIL, KEEP AWAY FROM IT!" First off lemme say that I don't even really like coffee so I'm not directly disagreeing with you. But let's think about this: in almost every way, coffee and cocoa/cacao are very much the same; and almost everyone is passionately on-board the cacao train of health and positivity. It seems like the "problem with coffee" is that in today's world, people are pretty much addicted to it and more importantly, they are addicted to it in a very processed form (like instant coffee with white sugar and dairy cream). That ain't good. All I AM SAYING is that a lil bit o' fresh, organic, fair trade coffee beans can actually be a great addition to your diet every now and then. The benefits of drinking black coffee have been studied and are pretty influential. In any case, coffee is definitely awesome for body scrubs and facial masks. Psst... also... in this recipe. Yum. Let's do it up. 

COFFEE & CACAO BANANA BLISS MYLKSHAKE 

3 frozen bananas

1 tablespoon cacao powder

1 teaspoon ground coffee beans 

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

1 teaspoon lucuma powder 

3 dates

1 cup almond mylk 

Blend it all up until smooth and creamy, then drink it down. For the wiiin! Note: most of the ingredients are optional... just blending up frozen bananas is *freaking amazing*. 

ULTIMATE RAW VEGAN ICE CREAM SANDWICHES: OH BABY

These shouldn't even be legal. I mean, look at them. This is food pornography at its most explicit. I feel like a criminal for sharing these dirty, delicious, temptuous photos with you but I will not back down. These must be in the public domain for all to enjoy. After all... they're good for you! As long as you don't start thinking about them while operating heavy machinery because I cannot guarantee you'll be able to stay focused. It's a dangerous world where these raw vegan ice cream sandwiches exist. 

Seriously though, these are hella tasty and - as always - super healthy. The ice cream is literally just bananas, the brownie sandwich is walnuts and dates, and the chocolate coating is full of super foods! CAN THIS SITUATION BE IMPROVED IN ANY WAY? The answer is no. Except with the addition of kittens, but this should be assumed at all times.

Your mouth is going to love this recipe, and your brain is going to love me for giving it to you (if it doesn't already).

I am using some unusual ingredients in the chocolate coating for this recipe because I was lucky enough to be sent some cool products from a fabulous company called Detox Your World. They sent me cacao butter (smelled SO GOOD), baobab fruit powder from the African monkey bread tree, pink Himalayan salt, and some lucuma powder which I'd been meaning to try. I used all these crazy nutritious raw foods in the chocolate and the result was outta this world. You're gonna have chocolate left over but when was THAT ever a bad thing? I'm not apologizing, folks.

My inspiration for these was this photo, which I saw on Tumblr (sometimes I throw my life away for a few hours on the internet, don't judge). Although I don't know what the recipe for it is, I am going to assume there's lots of white sugar, white flour, butter, and other refined, weird ingredients involved that I do not want entering my body/temple. I'm not tryin' ta preach here - I'm just saying that for example the pasteurized, concentrated breast milk from cattle doesn't get my mouth watering.  

I've said this before and I will say it again: I aim to use only whole foods in my recipes (with the exception of gently processed foods like cacao powder, coconut oil, etc.). I would not munch on white flour or baking soda while making cookies; but I do like to nibble on nuts and dried fruit while making raw desserts! It's all about dat consciousness, yo. I want and need to be comfortable with every aspect of what I am putting in my body because after all - it affects everyone. 

Let's eat stuff that tastes good, doesn't hurt anybody, and makes the planet happy. Holla. 

chocolate-covered ice cream sandwiches

Brownie:

1 cup walnuts or oats

1 cup dates

1 tablespoon cacao powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional) 

Ice cream:

3 frozen bananas

Chocolate coating (or use this recipe):

1/4 cup melted cacao butter

1 tablespoon baobab powder

1-2 tablespoons lucuma powder

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or other preferred sweetener

2 tablespoons cacao powder 

Pinch of pink Himalayan salt (optional) 

To make the brownie: pulse the walnuts (or oats) into powder in your food processor. Add the dates and cacao powder and process until it all starts sticking together. Press half of this mixture into the bottom of small lined bread pan. This will be the bottom half of both of your sandwiches. 

To make the ice cream: blend the bananas in a high speed blender for a minute until they suddenly become a smooth, creamy, white soft serve mixture. Spread onto your bottom brownie layer then stick in the freezer until solid (a few hours). Press the remaining half of your brownie mixture on top of this then put back in the freezer.

To make the chocolate: whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a tall bowl so you can dip as much of your sandwiches in as possible. Take out the bread pan from the freezer and take out the brownie/ice cream sandwich. Cut it in half. Stick popsicle sticks into each one and then dip in the chocolate coating. Throw them back in the freezer one last time so the chocolate hardens. They're best when you let them thaw for 10-15 minutes so the ice cream softens. 

BANANA ICE CREAM SUNDAE with CHOCOLATE SAUCE

I hope I made your mouth wet with these photos. Wink wink. Best part of this recipe is that it's incomparably healthier than the average breakfast. It's basically just bananas and a bunch of super foods like coconut oil, almonds, cacao powder, and mulberries. You can add whatever else you like (ideas: goji berries, coconut flakes, maca powder, fresh fruit, dates, etc.) I ate this for dinner. 

It's a beautiful world we get to party in. 

That's right. GIFs are happening right now. I saw them on this blog awhile ago and immediately realized how genius it was for food photography. A huge component of the appeal of food is texture! You can show it perfectly with moving images. Plus, they're really fun to photograph and put together. Besides, I know you like 'em.

I stayed home from school today because I think my mono might be coming back (I know - coming BACK... this isn't the first time I've suffered this throat torture) and figured I'd better rest to keep it maintained. Banana ice cream is the perfect soother because it's cold and creamy. Ahh. It helped me get through my last Mononucleosis bout.

Mononucleosis kind of sounds like a super power... Or is that just me who thinks that. I cannot explain my own cognitions. Moving on.

banana ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce

Ice cream:

3 frozen bananas 

Chocolate sauce:

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon cacao powder

1 teaspoon agave syrup or preferred sweetener

Toppings:

Almond butter

Mulberries

Anything else your heart desires

To make the ice cream: put the bananas in a high speed blender and blend until they become a creamy, fluffy, white soft serve ice cream. Nom. Scoop into a bowl.

To make the chocolate sauce: whisk the ingredients together. Drizzle over your ice cream along with the rest of your toppings. Time to spoon. 

fruit + coconut ice cream cake with brownie crust

I am really loving coconut milk and frozen fruit as combination ingredients lately. If you're getting tired of it - I am sorry. But no need to fret, because summer is quickly approaching and she promises a fresh, local, always-changing variety of new produce each week at the farmers market. I am excited to be inspired every Saturday by the organic options available to make new raw food creations for myself, my family, friends, and you, of course! But for now - I must stick with frozen fruit, and coconut milk is an excellent pairing.

Thus, an ice cream dome cake appears. 

This recipe is very similar to my last one (fruit popsicles with coconut milk) but I added bananas to the ice cream part because... well, bananas. I ended up having extra room on the bottom of the cake so I improvised and added a brownie crust. It was a good idea. FACT: brownies are always a good idea. I also discovered that if you ever have extra raw brownie mix and you mix it with banana slices, your world will be turned upside down and angels will sing. 

True story. 

As with all my ice cream cake recipes - be patient and let your cake slices thaw before eating, it is so much better. Not only will you skip the potential numerous brain freezes, but the cake will also become creamier and you'll be able to taste the flavours more. Just for your information, this will be my last recipe for a little while because I have my final exams coming up, and I also have a bit of a project I am working on which I may or may not eventually tell you about. Much love. 

Stay cool and fruity. 

fruit + coconut ice cream cake with brownie crust:

Ice cream:

400 ml fresh raw coconut milk (or 1 can of store-bought) 

1/4 cup raw cane sugar (or preferred sweetener, to taste)

1 banana

Brownie crust:

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup raw oats (or buckwheat groats for a gluten-free version)

2/3 cup dates

2 tablespoons cacao powder

Fruit:

Whatever fresh or frozen you have or like, about 2 cups

Prepare the cake vessel: find a bowl that can hold about 6 cups, or use a small dome cake pan and line it with plastic wrap, tin foil or whatever. I used a dome shaped colander and plastic wrap, it worked fine. Alternatively  you can just make this using a normal cake pan. Line the sides of the pan or bowl with your chosen fruit. 

To make the ice cream: blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into your pan or bowl and put in the freezer until solid, about 3 or 4 hours. 

To make the brownie crust: put the walnuts, oats and cacao in your food processor and pulse until they become a flour. Add the dates and process until it starts to stick together. Press onto the "top" of your ice cream cake (it will become the bottom when you flip it later). Put in the fridge for about an hour to let everything set. Then carefully flip your cake onto a plate and take off your lining - voila! Decorate as you wish, slice, and let thaw before eating. 

fruit popsicles with coconut milk

Simplicity is vital for happiness, and deliciousness. That is why this delicious recipe is going to make you so happy. They are almost too easy to make and almost too good to eat. Of course, I made and ate them anyway. You should too. 

The ice cream is just coconut milk and raw cane sugar. You can use whatever sweetener you like; I am sure date paste, raw agave, maple syrup or bananas would all work. You can use the canned coconut milk found in stores or make your own, using this recipe I found. I was really excited to learn that you can make your own raw coconut milk at home (although when you actually think about it - it shouldn't be a surprise). I will be doing this next time. I am probably going to drink the entire concoction right away, self-restraint thrown out with the coconut husk shavings...

I just cannot resist coconut. 

I poured the sweet coconut milk into popsicle molds filled with frozen fruit and thyme (I have since learned that it was not thyme I picked, nor rosemary, but lavender. You can use whatever herb you like.) The combination is an explosion of wholesome goodness in your mouth, and I mean that in the best way imaginable. I'm learning that my favourite herbs like basil, rosemary and thyme, pair wonderfully with my other favourite foods like berries, citrus, and other fruit. I suppose I shouldn't be shocked; these raw plants are all best friends in nature so it makes sense that they taste magical together.

Today was a perfect day for photographing (and gobbling down) these popiscles. The sun is still shining and soon I plan to march into the garden and start planting for the summer! On the agenda: tomatoes, basil, kale, spinach, lettuce, beans, potatoes, cilantro, rosemary, oregano, cucumber, bell peppers, eggplant, and more. Elsewhere in the yard we have goji berries, figs, strawberries and blueberries all tentatively growing. There is nothing like a salad fresh picked by you from your own soil. You realize that food is not just something we put in our mouths - we are meant to have a relationship with it. You and your plants grow together and then become one when the time is right. 

Hurrah for symbiosis.

fruit popsicles with coconut milk: makes twelve

Ice cream:

400 ml fresh raw coconut milk (or 1 can of store-bought) 

1/4 cup raw cane sugar (or preferred sweetener, to taste)

Other ingredients (use however much you need):

Frozen fruit

Finely chopped thyme, rosemary, basil or other fave herb (optional) 

To prepare the popsicles: fill popsicle molds with small pieces of fruit and chopped herbs (don't forget the popsicle sticks!) leaving room for the ice cream to fill in. 

To make the ice cream: blend the coconut milk and sweetener until smooth. Then carefully and slowly pour into your popsicle molds until they are full. Set in the freezer overnight or until frozen solid - then take them out and lick them clean in the warm sunshine. 

basil + peanut butter cookies with coconut + chili ice cream

This recipe and post is a big thanks to you. Thanks for what? Voting me FIRST PLACE in The Vegan Woman's 2013 Vegan Food Blog Guide. I had no idea I was even a contender so I was absolutely shocked, honoured and flattered when I saw my placement. I love you all so much, not only for supporting me, encouraging me, and constantly sending me your love from around the globe - but also because you are such beautiful, caring, positive people. You make the world a better place, and I am forever grateful to share this green planet with you.

The reason I continue creating, photographing and sharing the recipes I do, is because you are here to see them! You are my inspiration and every day I work hard to think of recipes that will help make you happier, and make your lives a bit sweeter (literally and naturally). I cannot believe I am where I am today - being acknowledged as the #1 vegan food blog of 2013, having emails and and wonderful comments flooding my inbox, blog and Facebook page daily, and seriously thinking of making this my professional job - but I am so thankful I am. Without you, I wouldn't be here. So thank you... thank you.

I give all my love to you.

Now that the mushy love stuff is over (boo), I will give you the food porn (yay)! I was actually inspired by photos and flavours in this recipe from Desserts for Breakfast (notice the gorgeous photography all over the website) but I didn't have any fresh rosemary. I did, however, have fresh Thai basil! So I thought "Hey, basil and peanut butter would taste great together, right?" Yes. Then my mom gave me the idea to make the whole thing Thai-themed by adding chili to the coconut ice cream. HECK YA. Now we're cooking (or rather, un-cooking).

I know the flavours are little funky slash exotic but TRUST ME - the result is amazeballs. The ice cream is made from coconut milk (not technically raw) and raw cane sugar, but if you want to use banana ice cream or my other raw ice cream recipe - go right ahead. Just make sure to add some chili powder! In the cookies, the peanut butter flavour comes through right away and then you are hit with the flavour of basil - it works.

It works deliciously.

basil peanut butter cookies with coconut chili ice cream: serves five lucky people

Cookies:
3/4 cup buckwheat groats (or oats)
1 cup dates
1 cup fresh basil leaves
4 tablespoons peanut butter (or your preferred nut butter)

Ice cream:
1 can full fat organic coconut milk
1/4 cup raw cane sugar (or your preferred sweetener) 
1-2 teaspoons chili powder, to taste!

To make the cookies: pulse the buckwheat groats in your food processor until they become a rough flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until you can press the mixture in your hand and it sticks together. Press into 10 cookies and dehydrate for a few hours if desired. Or put them in the fridge.

To make the ice cream: blend all ingredients until smooth. It will taste SO GOOD. If you have an ice cream maker, use it. If not, Put the ice cream mixture in a container and put it in the freezer, stirring it every 30 minutes until it's all solid.

Assembly: you know what to do. Cookie. Ice cream scoop. Cookie. Bite. Smile.