super food sundae

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could indulge in your favourite guilty pleasures (like a giant ice cream sundae) but feel GOOD about yourself for doing so?

Guess what, folks. You can!

This ice cream is made of mainly coconut and cashews; the chocolate sauce is agave, cocoa, and coconut oil; and I topped it off with figs and cashews. If you Google any of those ingredients, you'll find that everyone says you should eat more of them.

(Sorry the pictures aren't that great)

I ate this up and enjoyed every bite, knowing it was bringing me better health. You should too! And mix it up anyway your healthy heart desires. You could use nut butters, berries, bananas, different kinds of ice cream, whipped coconut cream, whatever!

Below I give recipes for my raw ice cream and chocolate sauce, but it's a sundae so there's no rules. 

Raw Vegan Ice Cream: makes about 3-6 servings

2 cups soaked raw cashews 

Coconut meat from 2 young Thai coconuts (about 2 cups)

1 cup of water/coconut water from the coconuts - don't use more

1 cup agave/maple syrup

Seeds from 1/2 - 1 vanilla bean (I love vanilla so I use a whole one)

2 T vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup plus 1 T or so of coconut oil, melted

Blend all ingredients except coconut oil in your blender (Vita-Mix works best!) until lusciously smooth and creamy. Melt coconut oil in a bowl that's sitting in a larger bowl filled with hot water. Add in and blend until mixed. Try it now... Yeah. I know. 

Now try to resist eating it all before it's frozen: if you have an ice cream maker use that. 

But if you're like me and don't have one, put the batter in several small jars or freezable containers (single servings!) and stick them in the freezer. Check back every 30-60 minutes and stir until they are eventually frozen, creamy delights.

Chocolate Sauce: Makes a small bowl

3 T cocoa/cacao

3 T melted coconut oil

2 T agave/maple syrup

1 t vanilla extract 

Pinch of cinnamon and salt, if you want

Coconut flakes, if you want 

Mix it all together and enjoy! Feel free to add anything you want to it, the possibilities are endless.

OH MY RAW caramel apples

You have not lived. 

Not until you make these. I didn't think they'd be so darn delicious. But yet again... I was wrong.
All the different textures and flavours make for an incredible experience.

The best part? These are GOOD FOR YOU. Your body wants them. 

Why? Because they're full of nutrients and vitamins that will help you live long. 

Being "caramel apples", they clearly consist of an apple being covered in caramel. All I did was change my definition of caramel! In the raw food world, my caramel is just dates, water and spices. 

I covered a couple organic apples in that, and chopped up some fresh pecans and threw them on one (I put peanuts on the other). For the final touch, I drizzled on a simple chocolate sauce: cocoa, agave, almond butter. 

Who says raw vegans can't have any fun? These are way better than your regular caramel apples not ONLY in taste, but also because you feel good after eating them. NOT GUILTY. 

Food is love, love is happiness, and happiness depends on health.

So eat healthful foods! It's simple. Sometimes I crave some kind of processed cooked food for a second, like pizza, cookies, chips or other vegan goodies. Then I remember: I can make a BETTER version of it that my body will actually thank me for in the long run. I mean c'mon, you've got no excuse to eat crap when you can eat stuff like this:

I wanted to get a few photos with a bite out of an apple, so I had an excuse to try them =) I took a big, messy, caramel-apple bite... literally stopped chewing and said "oh my god no freaking way" out loud in the kitchen by myself.

I talk to myself a lot.

But with good reason! These taste ridonkulous. And I don't say ridonkulous, so you know they're gotta be nuts (no pun intended). Really though - try these out and share them with your loved ones. Everybody will appreciate it. They're a great Valentines Day present, heeey?

I was noble today and gave mine to Dad after taking a few bites. It took a bit of will power but I HAD to share it with someone, it was so delicious. I only made two, so I'm saving the other one for my brother Greg. 

He's trying to eat healthier and get in shape since he's struggled with his weight for awhile. He actually started his own blog about it! Check it.

He's doing a vegan-week so last night he went to The Naam with his girlfriend and brought me back their raw pie! As a thank you, I made him a caramel apple =) 

It makes me really happy and excited he wants to get healthy. I can tell he's serious about it this time. So I wanna support that as much as I can, and show him how ridiculously delicious and easy eating well can be. 

CRAZY Raw Caramel Apples: makes 2, but you can effortlessly make more

2 Apples on skewers (try to get organic!)

1/4 cup dates   

2 Tb melted coconut oil

Cinnamon, salt & mesquite if you have it

Water, as needed

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts 

2-3 Tb cacao

2-3 Tb agave/honey/maple syrup 

2-3 Tb nut butter

3 Tb melted coconut oil

Blend dates with coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, mesquite and water to get a smooth, thick consistency. You can add more sweetener if you want. Cover the apples completely with the "caramel" and then dip them in the chopped nuts so they stick. 

Then mix the cacao, sweetener of choice, nut butter and coconut oil until smooth. Drizzle it all over the apples and VOILA! Om nom nom. 

EAT THIS NOW.

Nom. I don't say that a lot, but I do when it's necessary. I don't know what it is about this meal, but I've made it several times and I always want more.
It's not mind-blowingly amazing when you first bite into it... but after a few minutes you start to realize how simply YUMMY it is!

That's all I can say about it - it's pure and simple yummy.

Sorry, the pictures are kinda lame today. I didn't have the patience - I just wanted to eat this! Plus, our house has terrible lighting.

Anyhoo - These are basically just rice paper OR seaweed (I'd prefer nori seaweed but we didn't have any big sheets, just the mini ones) with a mix of veggies and avocado inside, and a spicy-savory asian-y sauce! Everybody you know will LOVE this.

Note: I never measure anything, and this is always a total improv dish, it really doesn't matter. But I've given general amounts for the sauce. 

Savory Spicy Veggie Wraps: serves 1-2

1 Avocado

1/3 cup corn

1 Bell Pepper

2-3 Mushrooms

Red onion?

Cucumber?

Tomato?

Carrot?

Any other veg you like/have

Chop all the veggies (and avocado) roughly, put in a bowl and pour on a little tamari. Let them marinate while you do the other stuff.

Spicy Asian-y Sauce: makes about 1/3 cup?

1 Tb mustard

1 Tb miso

1 Tb nut butter

2 Tb nutritional yeast

Salt & Pepper

I also add hemp seeds and other spices if I want. 

Blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding water as need to make it creamy. This time, I added black sesame seeds at the end to add some contrast. Do whatever floats your boat!

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Finally - prepare some rice paper by soaking it in hot water for a minute or two until it's super pliable. OR just get out some nori seaweed sheets. Spoon a little of the sauce into the nori or rice paper and then load on the veg mix! Wrap it up. Repeat until you use up all the veg.

Want another really easy way to do this? Don't even make the sauce - just put tamari on all the cut up veggies and mix in the avocado with your hands, mashing it up a little - it creates a salty, creamy avocado sauce all on it's own! I did that the other night and it was great; saves you time.

I usually make two or three wraps, and eat the leftovers outta da bowl. YUM!

My brother's reaction to this?  
"Dang, why do you vegans always get to eat better food than us!?"
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lavender ice cream with dark chocolate

Luscious, light, and lovely. That's what this ice cream is.

Oh my goodness. It's better than any ice cream I've ever made; and guess what. It's full of raw whole foods that will bring you closer to excellent health. There's not much else to say about it. I suggest you make it ASAP, and enjoy the wonders our planet full of plants has to offer. 

No stealing the milk of another species here! Nor is there any disease-causing refined sugar, or freaky-deaky preservatives and stabilizers. Just some coconut, cashews, chocolate and lavender!

Before I made my lavender cheesecake, and now this ice cream, I didn't think I'd dig the taste of lavender in my food. 

I was wrong.

It's divine! I've grown up with the smell of lavender emanating through the garden and home. My aunt is also a lavender NUT, so whenever we visit each other you can bet there will be lavender gifts involved. 

I also use lavender oil to calm my nerves, keep my skin clear, scent my baths, and put me to sleep! It's a wonderful flower with endless uses. One of which being flavour! I want YOU to experiment with lavender in your food. Seriously. You won't regret it. 

It brings out this dimension in desserts I didn't know existed. Light, summery, delicate notes that remind you of the sun, wicker chairs, and busy bees traveling from flower to flower in the afternoon light. 

Okay so I said there wasn't much else to say and then wrote a paragraph... my bad. 

Bottom line: make this ice cream! 

(By the way I'm just using my basic raw ice cream recipe and adding a few things.)

lavender ice cream with dark chocolate: makes 3-6 servings

2 cups soaked raw cashews 

Coconut meat from 2 young Thai coconuts (1-2 cups)

1 cup of water

1 cup agave/honey/maple syrup

Seeds from vanilla bean

2 Tb vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup plus 1 T or so of coconut oil, melted

3 teaspoons dried lavender

1 bar dark chocolate, roughly chopped (optional)

Blend all ingredients except coconut oil and chocolate in your blender (Vita-Mix works best!) until smooth and creamy. Add in the coconut oil and blend until the chocolate chunks are the size you want, and the oil is mixed in. 

Try it now... Yeah. I know. 

Feel free to add some lemon to this - I bet it would taste heavenly.

Now try to resist eating it all before it's frozen: if you have an ice cream maker use that. 

If not, stick it in the freezer and stir it every 30 or 60 minutes until it's solid.

The Best Chocolate Pudding of RAW SUPERFOODS

*Check out my other chocolate pudding recipe here. 

I love avocado. It's a magical, unique fruit that's chockablock full of nutrients, vitamins and fiber. It's actually been called "the most nutritious of all fruits"! And it's toted by countless health authorities as one of the key foods for superior nutrition, with good reason.

Here's some facts about the creamy green guy.
Research for yourself too!

Besides it's endless list of health benefits - it just tastes darn DELICIOUS. Like no other food. It's creamy, rich, and can be used in a butt load of creative or simple ways for your food AND cosmetically. Seriously, whenever I eat an avocado (almost every day) I put like half of it on my face, neck and arms to make my skin soft and glowing. Mmm...

I came home from a long day of school quite hungry and ate 2 giant heads of broccoli, which totally filled me up. But yet I made this pudding for dessert and ate it all because it was actually irresistible. I dare you not to eat it all. So without further ado, here's an uber simple recipe for a super food chocolate pudding.  
I'm not exaggerating when I say this BETTER than regular pudding, and it's SO good for you. 

You can eat a giant bowl of rich chocolate pudding and feel PROUD of yourself, not guilty.

It's a wonderful world, people. 

(Sorry, the pics aren't so great today. How can you expect me to be patient and take tons of pretty pictures when I have the best chocolate pudding in the universe sitting right in front of me? You can't.)

The World's Greatest Chocolate Pudding: serves ONE

1 very ripe avocado

1-2 Tb honey 

2-3 Tb cacao 

Pinch of salt

Feel free to use agave or maple syrup instead of raw honey, I prefer it because it's a super nutrient-dense food though =) 

Also go ahead and add mesquite, cinnamon, and/or coconut oil. They all add new dimensions to the flavor. I just wanted to keep the recipe simple.

Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding water as needed to make it creamy. EAT.

noodles with creamy almond ginger sauce, stir-fried veggies & crispy tofu

*clearly, not raw

Tonight was my night to make dinner, and I decided on a pretty simple yet (apparently) tasty meal.
I made a sauce with almond butter, ginger, garlic and other spices and poured it on whole wheat noodles. I also stir-fried a bunch of veggies and crispy tofu. My parents said it was really good!

It seems like an excellent dish to feed anyone you care about, especially if you're trying to get them to eat more veggies - AND see how delicious vegan food can be.

This meal is easy, scrumptious, and good for ya. Eat your veggies!

Noodles with Creamy Almond Ginger Sauce, Stir-fried Veggies & Crispy Tofu: makes about 5 servings

Crispy Tofu:

2 packages of chopped tofu 

Put oil in pan and heat. Add tofu and let cook, stirring/mixing often to get them all crispy. It'll take awhile. The secret is medium-high heat, oil, and time. (I added some soy sauce to the tofu while it was cooking, to add salt)

This method is the best way to evenly cook food in a pan. It's what I do. 

(Side note: check out these photos of food from the Modernist Cuisine cook book. They're so cool!)

Stir-fried Veggies:

4-5 mushrooms

1 onion

2 bell peppers

2 carrots

2-3 cups broccoli 

1 eggplant, if you have it

Put a pot of water on to boil for the noodles. (When the water is boiling and you have about 10 minutes left until your veggies are done, put the noodles in the water). 

Chop all veggies and add to a different heated, oiled sauce pan. Stir-fry until they're cooked as you like. I added soy sauce and hoisin sauce as they were cooking for more flavour. As the tofu and veggies are cooking, make the noodle sauce. 

Creamy Almond Ginger Sauce:

1 cup almond butter

2 cloves garlic

1 T ginger

Sriracha (or other thai hot sauce)

2 T sweetener

3-4 T soy sauce

1 T salt

1/4 oil (or use more water)

1/4 water

Blend all ingredients together and see if you like it, change it if desired. I also added mustard, chili, and some other things. When the noodles are ready, pour sauce on them until they're evenly coated. 

Serve with the noodles as the base, with a helping of veggies, and a bit of crispy tofu to top it off! Enjoy!

I had an avocado for dinner, as my family enjoyed the noodles =) 

And I drank this delicious smoothie earlier today:

It had a kiwi, 3 cups of kale, an orange, some frozen strawberries, water and stevia in it. I topped it off with some dried coconut and goji berries. YUM!

"vegan goes mainstream"

I often write to newspapers, journals, authors, TV shows and companies with my thoughts on their articles, episodes and products.

If I see something I like, I let them know! And if I see something I dislike, I also let them know. Either way, they're appreciative and I get my vegan, environment-loving voice heard.

I've had my letters and whatnot published a number of times before (our family seems to have a knack for being presented in social media) but this time, I have a blog to show it in! Here's the article.

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And here's my letter; they shortened it somewhat:

It's not a big deal, but for those of you reading - I say get out there and write letters! Tell authorities, companies, and influential people what you think is important and bad/good for your community. They want to know!

This letter isn't anything powerful or particularly important, but my point is that you should be active in your community =) It's fun and can sometimes lead to great things.

Anyhoo, not much else to report today. I had some trippy dreams last night about oranges, motorcycles and sugar. Tonight I ate a butt-load of broccoli with a yummy cashew-garlic sauce =) And I think tonight I will stay in and perhaps watch a movie. Maybe enjoy a few dates filled with nut butter:

Have a great Friday night!