Emily von Euw's Blog, page 13

COCONUT TWIX BARS

This recipe is 100% inspired by and adapted from The Coconut Goddess. I saw their raw vegan Twix bars on Pinterest or somewhere a few days ago and my heart was like: "Hey we need to make these today, mkay??" So I did, with my own tweaks. They are soooo decadent and delish. I have been eating them as energy snacks on bike rides and after the gym, etc. They are mainly made up of nuts and dates: first we've got a cookie layer followed by caramel, finally all coated in dark chocolate. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG. Make a bunch and keep 'em in the freezer for a quick, sweet snack whenever ya feel like it. Probably a great choice if you're trying to move your kids' treats in a healthier direction too. Or any human's treats.

I am all about pleasure and feeding my body stuff that tastes good. Eating whole foods doesn't have to mean going oil-free, salt-free, low-carb, low-fat, blah blah blah. If you're into that and it makes ya happy: TERRIFIC. But I like maximizing my sensory experiences so I prefer adding flavour-enhancers like Himalayan salt, maple syrup, and coconut or olive oil to my food. It makes it taste better. I really am gonna only live this one time, for 80-90 years if all goes well. I wanna make the most of it. So please eat as many of these bars as you like. Don't restrict food. I love eating rich meals and snacks that are good for me, and not giving a damn about the calorie count. Even if eating more rich, healthy foods makes you gain weight: so what? There is health at every size and it's time we got over the myth that skinny = healthy, and fat = unhealthy. It's not true. If you are living a life that makes you happy, and your body feels good, why does it matter how that body looks or how much you weigh? It doesn't. Or at least it shouldn't. Society, media and pop culture have screwed a lot up concerning how we think about out bodies and how we feel about them. But no longer! Revolt!! Love your body!!!

(And eat chocolate.)


COCONUT TWIX BARS

Cookie layer:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup maple syrup
Pinch Himalayan salt
1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, if needed
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Caramel layer:
3/4 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup cashew butter (or peanut butter)
3 tablespoons water, or more as needed
Pinch Himalayan salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Chocolate coating:
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the cookie: stir together the ingredients until slightly crumbly and moist. It should hold its shape when pressed between two fingers. If it's still too crumbly, add some coco oil (or water). Press into the bottom of a lined bread loaf pan. Place in the freezer.
To make the caramel: soak the dates in warm water for 10 minutes (then keep this water for the recipe). Blend all ingredients until smooth, thick and caramel-y! It should taste amazing. Spread evenly onto the cookie layer and place back in the freezer until solid. It will take a couple hours to harden up. 
To make the chocolate: whisk the ingredients together until you have liquid chocolate. Yummm. Take your caramel-cookie concoction out of the freezer and slice with a sharp knife into bars. Drizzle the chocolate over the bars, or dip the bars in the chocolate. Up to you. I drizzled. Keep in the freezer and enjoy whenever!

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CHOCOLATE COOKIES with RASPBERRY CREAM

I hope everybody is doing well. My period is coming very soon so I figured I better be productive today while I still can, before the lower back pain and exhaustion set in. I went to the gym, finished my taxes (women- doin it for themselves!!), photographed this recipe, and now I am sharing it. What can I say about the recipe? It's delicious, good for ya, quick to make and cute to look at. Tip: it would be amazing frozen, like mini ice cream sandwiches. I should try doing that.

In other news: my exams are over! I studied like a Queen and am pretty sure I aced both classes. Not that grades or post-secondary education are paramount to a good life. There are all kinds of intelligence and each have equal value. There are all sorts of great lives that don't require university degrees. Having said that, I love school. I'm good at it and studying what I study - history, philosophy, gender studies, humanities, etc. - makes me a better, more informed person in this strange and complicated world. I have enrolled in one course for the summer but am contemplating dropping it so I can get away from the city and go live somewhere quiet, not filled with traffic or disturbing advertisements. We will see.

I will be featured on another podcast soon! I met up with the charming, intelligent Chloe from Chloe's Countertop in a GORGEOUS apartment off Main St and we had a great discussion about a lot of different topics... including menstruation (obviously). Then I went and got the pinkest smoothie ever from Radicle Juice. It's been such great weather lately so I have been spending my days walking around the city and trails, listening to podcasts, meeting new people, and overthinking everything as usual. Last but not least: I might be writing another cookbook? Stay tuned.


CHOCOLATE COOKIES with RASPBERRY CREAM

Chocolate cookies:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup cacao powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Raspberry cream:
1 full fat can coconut milk 
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
3 tablespoons berry powder (optional) 
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder

To make the cookies: stir the ingredients together until you have a thick, sticky, slightly crumbly dough. Press into cookies and put in the freezer.

To make the raspberry cream: whisk the coconut milk into whipped coconut milk using this recipe, then add the other ingredients. Alternatively, blend the coconut fat with the other ingredients until smooth. Leave in the fridge to harden up, until it's like frosting, for a couple hours. Then scoop onto your cookies and enjoy! Not a surprise: they're extra good dipped in chocolate.

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A HOT PINK DRINK: BEET + BERRY SMOOTHIE

I wasn't planning on blogging this recipe but once I saw the colour I knew I had to. SO PINK. I'm not gonna say too much in this post because I am in the midst of studying for my two final exams this semester. I have written nearly 11,000 words of notes so far. #proud
What can I say about this recipe? It's very bright, yummy and good for your bod. It takes 5 minutes to make and tastes like earthy sweet sunshine. If you don't like beets, you will not like this smoothie. If you do like beets, you will love this smoothie. In other news: WHO ELSE WATCHES BROAD CITY!? Holy crap. I cannot get enough. This week I've basically organized my days into study sessions and break sessions (like type up notes from two lectures, eat, orally review notes, break time for an hour) and my breaks usually consist of a glass of [organic and on sale] red wine and Broad City. It's HILARIOUS and makes me wanna get back into doing random weird stuff in the city with my best friend who has the same name as me. We are a power couple. 
I am excited for school to be over for the summer because I wanna go camping, meet new people, lie in the sun doing nothing A LOT, and explore the province more. That being said, I love university and am tempted to look at the summer courses being offered just so I can keep on goin with this learnin thing. It's fun and useful. Talk later, babes. xxoo

BEET + BERRY SMOOTHIE

1 peeled, chopped beet
1 cup frozen raspberries
2 bananas
1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder
2 cups almond milk

Blend it all up until smooth and delicious. If you wanna add other ingredients, go right ahead.

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RAW VEGAN SALTED CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

I am callin these truffles, but loosely. They could also be called nut- and oat-based energy balls coated in chocolate but it's not as catchy or enticing. In my opinion. What you need to know is that they are delicious, quick to make, satisfying and good for ya bod. They're great on their own, on ice cream, as an energy pick-me-up, pre- or post-workout bite, whatever you like. I am going to be eating several today because a) I am in Study Mode for final exams so I cannot be bothered to make anything fancy to fill my tummy, b) I haven't had much of an appetite lately anyways (very strange for me), and c) They're effin YUMMY. 
The centre of these truffles is a sweet, gooey dough made with nuts, oats, coconut oil and maple syrup. You can use dates instead of coco oil and maple syrup if you wanna. Then we cover these dough balls in chocolate and sprinkle them with salt flakes. Leave them in the freezer if you want them more firm, or the fridge if you prefer a softer texture. I made these after seeing a couple different people post their own salted chocolate orbs on Instagram (where else), they just looked so damn sexy, I couldn't get them out of my head so I made my own. To be honest I think mine turned out kinda ugly but hey, looks aren't everything. And of course me being me, I also see them in an opposite light: messy = cute!? 
Relevant to note: I could not sleep very well last night and I just inexplicably woke up at 5am, hours before my normal rise time and couldn't get back to dreaming so now I am here writing this post in bed as cloudy sunlight streams through the window and my brain worries about things I cannot control. Hurray for life. That was relevant to note because my prose is probably the worst right now thanks to my unexpected lack of Z's. Having said that, who REALLY reads this anyways? I imagine most you are just here for the recipes and that's cool. I still love ya. I guess for the kind folks who stick around up here before scrolling down, who are actually reading my every zzz-deprived word, I should apologize. I don't put much thought into my blog posts (besides the recipes and photos). It's a whole lot of stream-of-consciousness style writing which must end up coming off as either adorable or annoying. I vote for adorable but luckily we all have a right to vote for what we want. Okay seriously where am I going with this. I need to stop now. Please enjoy the truffles: if you make them, tag me in any pics you share on social media. I love to see that! XO 

SALTED CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Truffles:
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup brazil nuts
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Chocolate coating:
1/6 cup melted coconut oil
1/6 cup maple syrup
1/6 cup cacao powder

Topping:
Fleur de sel or other salt

To make the truffles: grind the oats and nuts into flour. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the coconut oil and maple syrup until you have a sticky, thick dough that holds its shape. Shape into balls and put in the freezer until solid.

To make the chocolate: stir together the ingredients until smooth. Dip the truffles in the chocolate, the chocolate should harden pretty fast, so dip them another one or two times if you like. Sprinkle on the salt and put the truffles in the fridge or freezer, enjoy whenever you like! Leave them in the freezer if you want them more firm, or the fridge if you prefer a softer texture.

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SELF-CARE, BODY-CARE SERIES (PART III): EXFOLIATING MY SKIN

First of all: I am hosting another vegan skincare giveaway! You can win an exfoliating facial mask and soap bar from Luminance! This giveaway is on Facebook so check it out here. Movin' on.

This is the third post in a self-care and body-care series I am doing in collaboration with Luminance Skin Care, an organic vegan skincare company that I love.

Here in the pacific northwest of Canada (where I live on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations) summer is coming. If you didn't already know this about me: I prefer to wear as little clothing as possible when I can get away with it. Having said that I do love to layer up in the winter with a mug of hot chocolate. But I am a girl/woman of paradoxes. Back to summer. I will be wearing less and less clothing from here on out thanks to the weather warming up, so I'll be showing off more and more skin. I want my skin to not only BE healthy but also look healthy. Because if I am being honest I'm as vain as the next person and having glowing skin never hurt anybody.

Paramount to good skin care is regular physical activity that gets ya sweatin, a whole foods diet rich in a variety of colourful plants, plenty of water and consistent sleep. If you're into that stuff: great. If you're not: totally cool too. It's your life and your body and you have the right to do whatever ya want with it. But whether you're incorporating those components into your daily routine or not, there are other way to take care of your skin... like exfoliation! This is where the glowing skin comes in I was talking about a minute ago. I find that when I GENTLY exfoliate my face and bod once a week, my epidermis really does get its glow on. When you exfoliate your skin you brush away dead skin cells that aren't doing you many favours and stimulate blood flow which encourages new skin cells to do their thing. Clearly I am not an expert on this, I just have my own anecdotal experience, so take it or leave it baby.

I wanna say a few important points in the context of exfoliating: be gentle, don't over-do it, and make sure to moisturize afterwards! 1) If you exfoliate too harshly you actually brush away most of your skins natural moisturizing oils, beginning a cycle of dry, flaky, thirsty skin. Trust me, I have been there and it sucked. Luckily Luminance Skin Care saved me. 2) You do not need to exfoliate everyday for the same reason you shouldn't exfoliate too intensely: you don't wanna deplete your skin of its moisturizing oils. I exfoliate once a week (sometimes less) and I hear that's what a lot of folks recommend, including Kim from Luminance. 3) Moisturize your skin after exfoliating because first of all it's good for ya anyways, but also because when you exfoliate you are gonna be brushing away some skin oils, leaving your skin a bit drier than it was. So balance that out and rub on moisturizer.

For my personal exfoliating regime I use a few different products. For my face I sometimes make scrubs out of oats, coconut sugar, almonds, coffee beans and other whole foods: I grind them into a gritty paste and gently rub it all over myself, rinse off with warm water and moisturize with Luminance's facial moisturizer. But frankly this is rare because I am lazy and would rather have something pre-made in a container to exfoliate with. Voila: the VERY gentle exfoliating facial mask from Luminance! It's totally smooth so it actually doesn't scrape away any of the good stuff on your skin; it exfoliates with papaya enzymes and BELIEVE me papaya extract is hardcore. I once made a facial exfoliant by grinding up papaya seeds... oh it burned. And not in a Bernie Sanders kinda way. Fortunately Kim has refined the beneficial properties of papaya and subtracted the painful ones. After washing my face with water I will spread on some of the exfoliating mask, let it sit for 5 minutes, rinse it off with warm water then moisturize. I do this once a week or less. Occasionally - perhaps once a month or whenever I remember - I use a facial dry brush, VERY gently scrubbing my face with it to stimulate blood flow and new skin cell growth. But if you have dry skin already, I might suggest not doing this.

For my body I use scrubby gloves and Luminance's soaps. I used to be against any soap on any part of my body because I had become brainwashed by the ideology of strict "natural hygiene"... I was young and naive, mkay? Now I realize that hey, soap does some good and keeps me from getting really smelly. After hopping in the shower I lather up and get to it. I use the exfoliating gloves once a week or so but otherwise I just rub my soapy body vigorously by hand and that is enough to stimulate blood flow and gently rub away dead skin. I love Luminance's soaps because Kim adds seed and fruit skin oils to all of them so they SMELL GREAT, make the soaps a skin-friendly pH, and strip away dirt from your skin while simultaneously replenishing with hydrating oils (many wild-crafted or organic). Kim is basically the boss of soap and in fact there's a beautiful 3 minute film about him and his soap you can watch here. In short: he is a soap artist.

As always, the ritual of taking care of my body is something I look forward to and I see it as self care. There are all kinds of ways to practice self care, this is just one I enjoy. XO

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A SMOOTHIE TO ALLEVIATE PERIOD SYMPTOMS

According to some scientific studies there are certain foods that can help to decrease the discomforts of menstruation. Two of these are ginger and fennel. Check out this video from NutritionFacts.org to learn more. In short: consuming 1/8 teaspoon of ginger powder three times a day during your period can reduce menstrual bleeding by 50% PLUS eating fennel seeds can be as effective at alleviating dysmenorrhea as pain-relief drugs like ibuprofen (probably because of fennel's ability to relax muscles). 
Of course, eating a variety of colourful whole plant foods regularly and especially during this time of the month can generally aid in lessening cramps, skin breakouts, bloating, indigestion, cravings and the other fun stuff we folks with uteruses have all come to expect every 28 days or so (though every body's cycle is different). 
Drinking adequate water, stretching and resting are extra important for me and definitely play a role in maintaining a level of comfort for the 2-3 days I usually experience the worst of my period symptoms. My symptoms are pretty consistent: lower back pain/soreness, headaches, tiredness, some cramps, chocolate cravings (the bod wants iron!), increased emotional sensitivity (I cry at radio commercials), tender breasts, irritability and I also don't have much of an appetite and cannot digest solid food very well. All these start showing themselves 1-2 days before my bleeding starts and then last for 1-2 more days into the actual period. After that, the bleeding continues for another 3-4 days, but it's very light, and then for a few weeks I'm back to my "normal" self before the next cycle begins all over again. 
I cannot over-emphasize the significance of my heating pad either: it is my saviour and it gets me through. It provides instant, sustained relief for as long as I need it to. SERIOUSLY: if lower back pain is part of your period symptom list, go out and buy a heat pad right now. My back pain is the worst part of my period since my stomach cramps are usually not that noticeable and my flow isn't super heavy (though it varies a bit with each cycle and that is totally fine and pretty normal). And one final recommendation: get the Clue app! It's technically a period tracking app but really so much more. It allows you to input daily personal information and continually adds it all together to come up with predictions and averages for your cycle. You can input everything from how long you slept, what foods you were craving and your motivation levels to your digestion, sociability and sex drive. And in case the myriad of input categories aren't sufficient, you can type in custom tags. It's free and almost 100% gender-neutral. 
So with all that, I give you this smoothie recipe. It has a bunch of ingredients like ginger and fennel that will help to alleviate discomforts associated with menstruation (like cramps and bleeding). It also has cinnamon and turmeric because these foods are just AMAZING for you. Eat 'em daily. I added in some black pepper because it helps the bio-availability of turmeric. Have a happy, comfortable period!

A SMOOTHIE TO ALLEVIATE PERIOD SYMPTOMS
Serves one.

1 banana
1 orange
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon black pepper 
1-2 cups non-dairy milk, fresh juice or water

Blend everything together until smooth and delicious. Enjoy!

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CARAMEL CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART with SUPERFOOD DRIZZLE

VERY DECADENT AND RICH! BUT ALSO REALLY GOOD FOR YA! This tart is full of healthy fats, fibre and probably a decent amount of protein too. We've got a crust made from dates, oats and almonds topped off with a date-based salted caramel and smooth chocolate layer. The finale is a deliciously tart, sweet drizzle made with Oh My Glow Superfood Beauty Blend: with ingredients from whole foods like berries, maca root, lucuma and chia seeds. I love adding it to smoothies but wanted to try something a bit more creative here. It blends perfectly with coconut oil and maple syrup into a luscious, deep red mixture that has a butterscotch-y consistency.

I like Oh My Glow because they don't try to sell their product as a weight-loss supplement, they instead advertise its abilities to make you FEEL GOOD and nourish your body. I dig it. There's health as every size and what's important is taking care of ourselves, not a number on a scale. Plus their superfood powder is DELICIOUS. It's mostly composed of berries (cranberry, strawberry, guarana berry, goji berry, maqui berry + acai berry) and also has tasty goodies like maca, lucuma and chia. The flavour is great and the colour is a cute reddish pink. I like tart things so I tend to add it to every smoothie I make these days. It boosts my nutritional intake for the day and tastes great.

I don't think I really need to explain much more about this recipe because caramel + chocolate ganache + tart + vegan = yes. BUT I would like to talk about eating vegan foods as more than just a health-conscious decision (although you don't have to eat healthy just cuz you're vegan... eat whatever the hell ya want!)

I know that a lot of folks look at vegan grub as bland or less-than, weird and rubbery in its imitations of animal flesh and plastic-y and synthetically-coloured with its fake cheeses. Sure, a lot of vegan cheeses on the market are kinda gross. And no, vegan meat is not EXACTLY like animal meat (though there are some brands that're getting close). But people who are vegan don't go vegan just to eat strangely-coloured, oil-based "cheese" or 'take back our health'. Many of us - if not most - go vegan for much more important reasons: reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and lessening our support of animal cruelty and abuse. Animal agriculture makes up between 18-51% of global greenhouse gas emissions while ALL transportation combined makes up 13%. So yeah, buying an electric car and getting LED lighting is terrific, but the most impact you can make is on your plate. It takes nearly 2,000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, compare that to the 46 gallons it takes to make a pound of sweet potatoes.

The other extremely significant reason many of us are vegan has to do with ethics. The cruelty, abuse and eventual slaughter farm animals endure is absolutely hell-ish and unacceptable. If you've ever seen any footage from factory farms, you know what I am talking about. And in case you think grass-fed, free-range meat is better; it's in fact far more energy-intensive (requiring more land and water usage than factory farms) and therefore not a sustainable or viable option for the future because if everyone ate it (which won't happen because of the high price point), there wouldn't be enough room or water for humans to live. And from the moral perspective: the animals may not be treated as deplorably but they are still always killed. Whether the cow - who has a personality, friendships, intelligence, feelings, likes and dislikes - is raised on a free-range farm or in a factory farm, they are still ultimately sent to their death. A pig, cow, lamb and chicken has the capacity to love and be loved just as your pets do. If we don't need to kill them, why would we?

I don't mean to shame non-vegans with this post. Of course eating vegan requires a hefty amount of privilege, and I have friends who have tried being vegan but their bodies didn't agree with it, so it's not for everyone. But for those of us who CAN be vegan: let's be vegan! It's no perfect solution to any problem (people are still mistreated in every industry and our phones, cars and clothing have greenhouse gas footprints), but it's an improvement in so many ways. That's my lil rant for the day. Wishing you well.


CARAMEL CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART with SUPERFOOD DRIZZLE
Makes one 9-inch tart, around 12 servings.

Crust:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup almonds, preferably soaked for 4-8 hours then rinsed
1 1/2 cups pitted dates

Caramel:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut milk, or more as needed
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 cup cashews, preferably soaked for 4 hours then rinsed 
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Chocolate:
1/4 cup caramel
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons cacao powder

Drizzle:
1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 heaping tablespoon Oh My Glow Superfood Beauty Blend

To make the crust: grind the oats and almonds into flour in a food processor, then add the dates and process until it becomes a crumbly mixture that holds its shape when pressed between two fingers. If needed you can add some water for moisture to help it stick together better. Press into the bottom of a lined 9-inch tart or cake pan and put in the freezer.

To make the caramel: in a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. If it's too thick for your blender to handle, add a little more coconut milk. Set aside 1/4 cup of the caramel for the chocolate layer. Spread the remaining caramel over your crust and put back in the fridge.

To make the chocolate: melt the coconut oil and then stir in the rest of the ingredients until it's smooth. Spread on top of your caramel layer and put back in the freezer overnight. Optional: Sprinkle the tart the slivered almonds.

To make the drizzle: melt the coconut oil then stir in the rest of the ingredients and drizzle over your tart. Slice and enjoy! Store in the freezer for up to a week.

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This post was a collaboration project between Oh My Glow Superfood Detox and This Rawsome Vegan Life (that's me)! 
http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

BERRY ICE CREAM CHOCOLATE COOKIE FOR ONE

BERRY ICE CREAM! CHOCOLATE COOKIE! AND MORE CHOCOLATE ON TOP! This recipe has a few different components going on so I couldn't decide on one concise name for it. All you really need to know is that it's delicious, good for ya, and the perfect size for one or two people. 
I figured I deserved a lil treat today - because I am alive and we all deserve everything everyday - so I made this recipe. Sometimes (un)baking a huge batch of brownies or an entire cake stresses me out, because there aren't enough people around to eat it before it 'goes bad'. Thus the freezer downstairs at any given time will have at least one container filled with a frozen dessert of some kind. It's way more appealing for me to simply make a single serving recipe because once I eat it, the story is over (and it had a happy ending). Another plus to recipes with smaller servings is less dishes, and when you're making raw food the dishes are loads easier to clean too.

I have come down with the flu or a viral infection or SOMETHING so the past 4 days have included a lot of Netflix (This Good Wife is getting so goooood), lemon water, ibuprofen, acetephonimen and lozenges. I am feeling noticeably better today for the first time since I started feeling a soreness in my throat back on Wednesday so I think this bout of illness has just about run its course. Finally. Whenever I get sick or my period comes, I realize I'm a bit of a paradox. I can't stand sitting around doing nothing, it drives me nuts; I feel incredibly unproductive and lazy and yet at the same time I love doing nothing all day and am very good at it in my own way. So at once I am the kind of person who always needs to be productive working on something AND the kind of person who can sleep til 11:00 AM then basically just eat and sit on my ass the rest of the day. I really love to sleep. And eat. But I also love to work! So I dunno, I suppose I'm just a complicated human being like everyone else. I made some curry today along with this cookie thing, so now I will go eat both and get back to The Good Wife. Love you. 

BERRY ICE CREAM CHOCOLATE COOKIE FOR ONE

Cookie:
1/4 cup oat flour
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1 heaping tablespoon cacao powder

Ice cream:
1 cup frozen mango
1 cup frozen berries
Coconut milk, if needed

Chocolate:
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
Pinch Himalayan salt (optional) 

To make the cookie: stir together the ingredients in a bowl until they form a moist dough. Press into a tall cookie mold or cupcake paper and put in the freezer.

To make the ice cream (you will definitely have leftovers, eat it as you finish up the recipe): blend the mango and berries together, adding a tiny amount of coconut milk if needed. It should be like sorbet but we are calling it ice cream... shh. Spread a bit on top of your cookie and put back in the freezer until the ice cream is solid.

To make the chocolate: whisk together the ingredients until smooth. Pour over your frozen ice cream and once more put it back in the freezer until the chocolate hardens, it'll take 30 minutes or so. Enjoy!

NOTES: You can use coconut any other fruit instead of berries, any other flour instead of oat flour, any liquid sweetener you prefer instead of maple syrup, and cocoa powder or carob powder instead of cacao powder.

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MY FAVE PODCASTS + A GREEN SMOOTHIE

Recipe's at the end of the post. Now let's get right into this. 
Hosted by two fabulous feminists of colour - Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton - this is one of my top recommendations. They're hilarious, super talented, critical, on top of pop culture and not afraid to say what needs to be said. I am so grateful for podcasts like this one because it allows me to listen in on conversations and discourses I'd otherwise be clueless to. They discuss everything from Beyonce to politics to food to mental health. They interview interesting people, tell personal stories, and there's a lot of laughter, bourbon and love. They're turned me on to The Good Wife, Food Heaven Podcast and probably a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting about. Listen.
SERIAL: Addictive podcast alert. Investigative journalism about an unsolved murder in the first season, and the bizarre world of the U.S. military complex in the second. The host is Sarah Koenig and she keeps you hooked. Some people say they preferred the first season - it's a lot sexier and more mysterious - but I am loving the second season just as much, for different reasons. A great one for gaining insight into how people think and act, and how that intersects with the institutions we all live under and in. The story-telling and pacing here is what gets ya. 
POPAGANDA: Yessss. Such a well done show from Bitch Media all about feminism and pop culture. Every episode is well-researched and surprisingly fascinating. For example: I just listened to one about the role of women in cults, the relationship of women and cults, and found out Celestial Seasonings Tea was founded with some principles in a religious book that claimed aliens were real and racist eugenics were required to save earth. Suffice to say I will not be buying Sleepy Time anymore. They also do "BackTalk" episodes wherein two of Bitch Media's editors chat about pop culture news of the week and often call people out for being problematic assholes. Somebody's gotta do it. 
CRIMINAL: Episodes are on the shorter side (15-20 minutes) and consistently well-done, each episode is totally unique and the only shared - and vague - concept between them all is a criminal-ish element. Phoebe Judge is the host and the podcast description is a good one: "Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle." Topics range from a 10-year old kid hacking the internet to a Venus Fly Trap crime ring in North Carolina to the debated legitimacy of "PMS Defence" to a protective mother owl murdering a woman and getting away with it. Thanks to the narration, music choices, editing and excellent story-telling, this podcast is one I look forward to every time I see a new episode. 
STRANGERS: Host Lea Thau and her voice are easy to fall in love with. She is so raw and honest in her podcast that you can't help but adore her and her show. Each episode looks into a story that has sooomething to do with strangers, whether we are talking explicitly about people who have never met ending up in a strange situation (like donating your kidney to a stranger or waxing strangers' genitals) or more philosophical strangeness (like not recognizing yourself in a mirror). Lea has a knack for turning micro stories into macro stories, looking at the big picture, and reimagining her stories in a way that makes them relatable to everyone. She also has great taste in music. 
SAVAGE LOVECAST: Sex time. Dan Savage - "America's [gayest] sweetheart", livin' it up Seattle with his husband and their son - hosts this show wherein he gives advice on ALL things sex-, love- and relationship-related. He is brutally honest and usually makes me laugh out loud each episode, often thanks to his shameless dirty mouth. You hear callers explain their problems or questions - basic example: threesome or no threesome!? - and Dan lends his two cents with no beating around the bush. This podcast helps me keep an open mind about sex and relationships and allows me to realize things I might take for granted in romantic relationship, things I want to try... and things I DON'T want to try. I cannot imagine a more sex-positive show. Please inform me if you know of any. Note: apparently several years ago Dan used to make comments that were kinda transphobic but since I started listening he has been nothing but trans-inclusive. People change. 
TWO WHOLE CAKES FATCAST: Two body-positive, very smart laydees - Lesley Kinzel and Marianne Kirby - having amazing discussions with each other about their experiences as self-proclaimed fat women in America. My fave episode so far was about how being fat queers the body, since it resists fitting into hetero-gendernormative categories. Unfortunately they only did the podcast til 2013, so there are limited episodes, but most are at least a couple hours long so it balances out a little. I'm still not finished with it. The podcast is based on Lesley's book, Two Whole Cakes: How to Stop Dieting and Learn to Love Your Body, which I just borrowed from the library. It's probably gonna be amazing.
DEATH, SEX & MONEY: Just started listening to this one, it was recommend on the Savage Lovecast. I've been thinking a lot about death lately, and I'm always thinking about sex and money, so it seemed relevant. Hosted by Anna Sale, the episodes are all pretty different: one of my faves so far was when Anna talked to various folks who lived alone, about living alone and what it means / does for them. I'm kinda tired of living at home and have been daydreaming a lot about living on my own lately, because I never have, PLUS our house has always been full of people (two brothers, two cats, two parents and lots of friends and parties). 
FOOD HEAVEN PODCAST: Another one I only just began downloading, thanks to it being mentioned on Another Round. It's a charming, cute, informative show about science-based, vegetarian healthy living, hosted by two women of colour - Wendy and Jess - who are both registered dietitians. I already know most of the info they share but I really enjoy hearing them back up their recommendations with peer-reviewed studies and their own experience working with patients. They also have a terrific YouTube channel called Food Heaven Show.
THROWING SHADE: Cannot stop myself from bursting out laughing during this one. The hosts are the perfect pair and work way too well together. Their podcast description says it all: "Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi take a weekly look at all the issues important to ladies and gays... and treat them with much less respect than they deserve." They basically just talk about all things pop culture and connect them with gender justice, civil rights and hilarious personal stories while making of themselves and everyone else at the same time.  
THE RICH ROLL PODCAST:Health and fitness inspo in a very L.A. style (whatever that means). Rich Roll is a total vegan celebrity and incredible athlete and in his show he interviews people who are winning at life, basically (vegan doctors, entrepreneurs, fitness celebrities, etc.) I've been listening to this one a lot less lately just because I've been so turned on to all of the podcasts above, and I've also become loads more critical of pseudo-science, rhetorics about health, fitness, and the idea of veganism as the perfect diet for everyone (it's not). This podcast has good advice for a very privileged minority of people (which I am in, but still). Fun for road trips or when I wanna know what the newest superfood is. I'm not that into the ones about how to succeed in business or life though, I prefer to take it easy, watch Netflix and just eat a lot. 

A GOOD GREEN SMOOTHIE
Makes 1-3 servings

1 yellow bell pepper
1 cup cucumber
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup ice
2 bananas
1/2 teaspoon spirulina powder
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
3 pitted dates
1 cup spinach
Juice from 1 orange

Blend it all up, adjust according to preference (add more ice, fruit, etc.) and enjoy!

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A GLOWING SMOOTHIE with PINEAPPLE, COCONUT + MACADAMIA MILK

First of all: this song and music video. Yessss. Love it. Body positivity all the WAY. Let's build a future where all bodies and all people are celebrated and recognized as gorgeous. A future where no matter what body you are born in, you have the same access and opportunities in the world as the next person. Let's measure human progress in terms of how capable we all are to live the lives we want; creatively, professionally, personally. Now onto today's recipe. 

Yep. Milk from macadamias; bet you hadn't heard of that before (I hadn't anyway). Now that I know it exists the possibilities for milkshakes, cereal and smoothies are even more vast than they were when I only thought there was almond and coconut milk (ok ok and rice, oat, hemp, soy and all the others). Another vegan milk, another world of options for every meal you make. Speaking of cereal: I have really been missing it lately and wanna make my own raw version. Any suggestions? I will definitely be trying out whatever recipe I make paired with this mac milk, it's super creamy and I mean... the flavour of macadamia nuts is unreal. They're super rich thanks to their {healthy} fat content and like all seeds and nuts, full of nutrition my body wants (like magnesium, calcium, iron and B-6)! I've been adding it to all my smoothies and will for suuuure be whipping up some hot chocolate with it on the next rainy day. I prefer Suncoast Gold's Unsweetened mac milk because the simpler the better and I can always add my own sweetener (which I do). They also carry Original, which is already sweetened. Both are delicious and very smooth and creamy. I highly recommend trying their stuff out if you're into experimenting with new plant milks or haven't found one you're in love with yet. I personally adore them all (except soy just because the soy flavour is too strong for me) and this is another fun brand to add to the fridge shelf. You can find Suncoast Gold macadamia milk at Loblaws in Canada or Kroger in the States. 

GLOWING SMOOTHIE with PINEAPPLE, COCONUT + MACADAMIA MILK

1 banana
1/2 cup fresh young coconut meat
1 orange bell pepper
1 orange
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup ice
1-2 cups Suncoast Gold macadamia milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Blend all ingredients together - except the chia seeds - until smooth and delicious. Adjust according to preference, add more milk, fruit or some ice if you like. I personally like my smoothies with a thinner consistency and frosty cold. Decorate your glasses with sliced fruits (I used orange and cucumber), sprinkle on the chia seeds and enjoy!

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This post was a collaboration project between This Rawsome Vegan Life (moi) and Suncoast Gold.

http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/