Emily von Euw's Blog, page 18

BANANA BREAD COOKIES with COCONUT CREAM + CHOCOLATE SAUCE

These cookies taste like banana bread. We all like banana bread (except for the crazies). Therefore, we (except for the crazies) will all like these. [Note to crazies: I do love you so, but the fact that you don't like banana bread makes me question your sanity, that's all.]

I had some coconut meat in the fridge too so I figured, "Hey, may as well..." And then there was coconut cream. Of course when you put coconut cream on stuff, it makes it taste around 337 times better (research is still being carried out though so the estimates are not exact at this time). Finally I drizzled on a quick raw chocolate sauce - FYI I do not need a reason to do this - and that's what you're lookin' at now: banana bread buckwheat cookies covered in coconut cream and chocolate sauce. All raw, all vegan, all gluten-free, all too delicious. The only ingredients are fruit, nuts, seeds and oh, that's it. "HOW IS POSSIBLE!?" You might ask. It's possible because evolution is so damn neat that we have grown over millions of years to love the taste of sweetness and so we've continued to support symbiotic relationships with sweet things (aka fruit). It's become something our bodies really enjoy consuming, and also know how to take advantage of. There's no need to refine the sh#t out of plants - like white sugar - to make them taste good. Companies just do that so they get their shoppers addicted to their product. It's kinda depressing and scary to learn about. While they are doing that, I'm over here eating whole foods and being content as a chipmunk in a pile of pine nuts. White flour is boring, butter is gross and I am pretty sure that milk was supposed to be for the baby cows, and white sugar effects our brains in the same way cocaine does. Soooooo Imma stick wit bananas and buckwheat. Way yummier.

I didn't mean to scare ya there. I'm just sayin': why eat processed junk that makes you feel icky and is pretty destructive to the planet when you can eat treats like these cookies here and feel BETTER than ever? If you come up with a good reason, plz lemme know. I'll be here, chompin' down on these bad boys. X


BANANA BREAD COOKIES with COCONUT CREAM + CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Makes 8 large cookies

Cookies:
3 peeled very ripe bananas
2/3 cup almond flour
2/3 cup buckwheat groats
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/8 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Coconut cream:
1/4 cup young coconut meat
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon maple syrup 

Chocolate sauce:
Use this recipe

To make the cookies: mash the bananas with a fork (or your/ hands, woo) and then mix in everything else. You should end up with a gooey wet dough that holds it shape. Scoop into cookies with an ice cream scoop (or whatever) onto a liner dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 2-3 hours at 115 degrees. Or just use your oven at it's lowest temperature like I do. The cookies are done when they hold their shape and are a little chewy. Let them cool if you want.

To make the coconut cream: blend it all until smooth. If your blender is big, you may have to double the amounts but seriously when has leftover coconut cream ever been an issue.

Spread coconut cream on the cookies and drizzle on chocolate sauce. Eaaaaat.

ADAPTIONS: use buckwheat or oat flour instead of almond flour; use rolled oats or coconut shreds instead of buckwheat; use vanilla extract instead of vanilla powder.

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VANCOUVER VEGAN POTLUCK ON JUNE 7TH! COME!

Sooooo it's going down FOR THE FOURTH TIME! I think the fourth time anyway. Pretty sure we've done four (well, three as of this moment) of these potlucks now. And every one has been amazing. The first one was about 20 or 30 people chillin' in Zoe's backyard (the picture you see above); the next one we had like 50 people show up and it went until midnight. The third one we had to cap the guests at about 30 because Zoe's old place just wasn't big enough (pics below). But now it's SUMMA BABY and we're heading outdoors to Trout Lake! So invite whoever you want and let's keep growing the vegan community in Vancouver! I have met inspiring, passionate people and eaten loads and loads (and loads) of kick-ass healthy vegan grub so I never want these potlucks to quit. 

Once I am done this third cookbook, I will have more time to plan the potlucks and so we can have them on a regular basis (like every month or something). Zoe and I have also been discussing renting a venue for future potlucks so we can have a dance party AND a buffet table of the vegan goodies you bring. Who's into that idea? Any plant-loving party animals in MetroVancouver out there? Let yourself be known! I am so down to boogie into the night while taking breaks to inhale kale salad and pumpkin soup. 

RSVP for this potluck via email - emilyvoneuw(at)gmail(dot)com and/or the event page on Facebook! 

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What: another healthy vegan potluck

When: June 7, 2015, 3pm til whenever

Where: by the beachy area at Trout Lake, Vancouver 

Why: HEIRLOOM TOMATOES, YOU FOOL 

Who: everyone is welcome, bring a dish that'll serve 8-10

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The above three pics were taken by Steph Yu and Kiefer Irvine.http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

STRAWBERRIES with WALNUT-CINNAMON BUTTER + CHIA SEEDS

 I wasn't even planning on making a recipe for the blog today but this happened all of the sudden and I was like, "Hey, I can take pictures of this." So I did. And now, here you are. Obviously strawberries are their own amazing thing all by themselves, but when you add sweet and creamy walnut butter AND cinnamon (mmm) AND chia seeds (crunch) you wind up with little bites of OMG that are perfectly excellent for your body. Hello, antioxidants.

I need to admit something: I've been lazy lately (by my standards, anyways). Mentally I have not been as psyched as usual about making recipes; for my cookbook (#therawsomevegancookbook yo) OR this blog. I felt a little exhausted by it all. I mean, I've been making recipes for this blog for 5 years straight, and I post a new one - with photos of course - 2-3 times a week. I also realized recently (it was a WTF moment) that I have been writing cookbooks NON-STOP since I was 18 (I'm 21 now). I sound like I am complaining, but I swear I'm not. My life is a crazy great dream come true. It's just that at some point you are about to set up a photo shoot for lemon tarts or whatever it is and you ask yourself, "Why?" I started this blog and got my first book deal (and second... and third...) because I LOVE MAKING AND SHARING VEGAN FOODZ and that hasn't changed. But the whole process can become wearisome at times. I think it's mostly because of the cookbooks. It's a very rewarding and exciting thing to do, but three in a row? While I've been in school? EISH. I need a break after this one.

I want to spend time dedicated to new hobbies like painting, writing, drawing and bein' outdoors. Which I guess leads me to next point, which is a question: would you be interested in seeing what I do outside of making recipes? Is there someone out there who wants to look at what I am working on a canvas instead of a kitchen countertop? Please let me know, because I would love to share more parts of myself with you all. Needless to say, the recipes are never gonna stop comin', don't ya worry 'bout dat.

Anyways: it's a relief to remember that even if I don't feel like making a recipe, random beauty manifests itself (i.e. in strawberry form) and as long as the lighting is good I don't have to put in a ton of effort to come up with recipe ideas you can - hopefully - appreciate. Let's dip.


STRAWBERRIES with WALNUT-CINNAMON BUTTER + CHIA SEEDS

1 pint fresh organic strawberries from the farmers market <3 
1/4 cup creamy walnut butter*
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons chia seeds

Wash the berries. Stir the cinnamon into the walnut butter with the maple syrup (ya just made walnut-cinnamon butter). Dip the berries into the walnut-cinnamon butter, then roll around in chia seeds. Nom.

*If your walnut butter is way too thick, just use whatever nut or seed butter you have that IS creamy. If you just have chunky kinds, add more maple syrup and maybe some coconut oil or water. Or if you wanna change up the whole game, use this raw chocolate sauce recipe!

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http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

JUICY CLEANE 2015: DAY THREE (THE END)

We're done! The three days went by really fast and I think I have solved the issue of my skin rash (which was the goal of this whole cleanse in the first place). I THINK it's because ever since I started eating high carb (around a year ago) I ate WAY more fruit. I'm talkin' like 8 bananas in my smoothies, 5 mangoes as a snack... ya'll know what my diet has looked like in the past year or so. Just look on my Instagram. Now, I have never listened to those folks who are like, "You need to restrict fruit, it has too much sugar!" I have just scoffed at them and kept eating my watermelon - the whole thing. But maybe it's time I listened.

At the same time I upped my fruit intake hugely, I started getting this flaky red skin around my nose. I haven't correlated the two until I did this cleanse and some of you gave me feedback that I might have the rash because I am eating too much sugar (in the form of fruit). Apparently, in general, the good bacteria in our guts feed on complex carbs like beans and vegetables while the bad bacteria feed on simple sugars like sweet fruits and processed junk (correct me if I am wrong though). Fruit is awesome, but it seems like if I eat huge amounts of it, it just puts my gut flora outta wack. I have been eating less fruit in the past two days and I already see an improvement. I'm also eating probiotics like almond yogurt and sauerkraut to help things along. We'll see if this really is the solution or if it's just a coincidence, and I will keep you informed. This might end up meaning a big change in my diet. Let me know your thoughts on this! I know MANY people can do this high fruit thing (1 litre+ fresh squeezed OJ for fun) and I was loving it! But maybe it isn't working for me. I want to note that I can still eat - and thoroughly enjoy eating - a high carb low fat vegan diet, just not high fruit. Anyways, recipes for the last day of the cleanse are below. Much love.

Menu: Green juice #1Green juice #2 Baked yams with sauerkraut, tahini + chickpeas 
Throughout the day:1 gallon water with 1/4 cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 
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GREEN JUICE #1:

2 big bunches spinach
5 small apples
1 cucumber
1/2 bunch celery
1 lemon
1 tablespoon chunk peeled ginger

Juice it all and drink it up.

GREEN JUICE #2: 

I went to my face raw vegan cafe downtown with a friend and we got green juice there, so just make your own fave recipe.

BAKED YAMS:

Use this recipe, then add sauerkraut and chickpeas!

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JUICY CLEANSE 2015: DAY TWO

Another day, another juice.

Today went pretty well. My skin is looking really good, and since the aim of this whole cleanse is to heal this weird rash around my nose and rebalance my gut flora, I'm happy about that. I am so glad I don't care about being strict with "cleanses" anymore. I remember a few years ago when I did a 10-day juice fast (you can find it on my blog) and I was crazy restrictive. I think a motivation for doing that juice fast had remnants of my disordered eating from the past, but this time there's none of that. I am not doing this to lose weight or any other sh*tty reason that doesn't matter. I am doing it to feel good.



When you aren't in the "I-am-on-a-juice-fast-so-eating-a-few-organic-strawberries-will-ruin-everything" mindset, cleansing is hella fun! Jack and I are drinking juices all day and then having veggie broth for dinner. but throughout the day I'm also enjoying other foods like almond yogurt, chia seed pudding, fresh fruit and banana ice cream. Plus we add seaweed and garlic chunks to the vegetable broth we have in the evening so it seriously hits the SPOT after a day of cold/coolish eating. If you're doing this cleanse with us, or even trying some of the recipes, or honestly have anything to say - let me know in the comment section! :) Until tomorrow; *HUG*.

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Menu:- GREENYLICIOUS APPLE JUICE- PURPLE JUICE with FENNEL + ORANGE- ALMOND YOGURT with CHIA PUDDING- VEGETABLE BROTH with MISO, GARLIC + NORI 
Throughout the day:- 1 gallon water with 1/4 cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
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GREENYLICIOUS APPLE JUICEServes one
1 big bunch kale 5 small apples1/2 bunch celery1 cucumber2 tablespoon chunk peeled ginger
Juice it. Drink it. Mmm. 
PURPLE JUICE with FENNEL + ORANGEServes one
1/2 small head purple cabbage1 small fennel bulb3 oranges
You know what to do. 
ALMOND YOGURT with CHIA PUDDINGServes one
1 cup unpasteurized almond yogurt 2/3 cup water1 heaping tablespoon chia seeds1 cup sliced strawberries
Throw the chia seeds into the water and let them puff up for about an hour. Add to the yogurt along with the strawberries and enjoy! Use a natural sweetener if you want. 
VEGETABLE BROTH with MISO, GARLIC + NORIServes one
1 litre vegetable broth (low salt, organic ingredients)2 peeled, minced garlic cloves5 nori sheets, torn up 1 tablespoon unpasteurized miso paste
Simmer the broth then add everything and eat. 
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JUICE CLEANSE 2015: DAY ONE

My babes! I got some news! Jack (my lover) and I are doing a juice cleanse for around 3 days, or whenever we feel like stopping. We started yesterday. Neither of us are too strict so we're also consuming raw fresh fruit if we feel like it, veggie broth with seaweed, chia seeds and banana ice cream. The point of this cleanse is to refresh our digestive systems. More on this below. I will be posting all the recipes we consume so you can join in! I'd love it if you did because it's more fun to share experiences like this than doing it alone, and I know a lot of you are into juice cleansing. So if you do wanna join, I encourage you to post your comments below, or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to let the rest of us know how you're doing. 
I want to reiterate: this isn't a very strict cleanse, I want you to transform it into whatever YOU need. Whether that be simply adding these recipes into your daily diet, trying one or two, or doing the whole thing with me and Jack. I'm not into calorie counting, restriction, or focusing on numbers. I AM into feeling good and having an optimally functioning bod. Which brings me to the question: WHY AM I DOING THIS?
Firstly, Jack is doing it with me because he's the best, and also because before we starting sharing our lives together he did not have the healthiest lifestyle. He wants to clear out the junk that is probably still sitting in his gut. Now for me: lately for the past few months I have not been digesting food as well as I first did when I went vegan. I also have developed this weird red, itchy rash type thing around my nose. It gets flaky too. Ugh. I didn't understand for a long time why it was appearing because I eat about as healthy as I can imagine a person can and simply by being vegan I don't eat any of the foods that can cause skin problems. It's not THAT noticeable when I use apple cider vinegar as a toner and coconut oil as a moisturizer, but it's still there and it has been buggin' me like CRAZY. I've self-diagnosed that it's perioral dermatitis with the help of the internet, which is a bacterial overgrowth that shows itself on the skin, usually around the nose and mouth. Virtually all the info on the web says you should just go to the doctor and put this nasty cream on it. The holistic crowd says use ACV and coco oil. But both these answers are not adequate for me; they don't  recognize that this bacterial overgrowth is a SYMPTOM of something that's wrong inside the body. But hey, that's western medicine for you. 
I've decided that my gut is not is ideal shape. My poops should be better, my skin should be FINE, and I shouldn't feel as bloated as I often do. Plus, I've been getting headaches all week. I wanna reset my digestive system by giving it a break from the enormous amounts of solid food I usually eat. So I'm doing this cleanse. I wanna give my body a ton of easy-to-absorb nutrition in mostly veggie juices, along with herbal antibiotics (to kill the bad bacteria) like garlic and ACV, and probiotics (to feed the good guys) like sauerkraut, miso and almond yogurt. If this doesn't work, I'm gonna go see my doc. I need to get my blood checked anyways, just to make sure all is well in my veins. We should ALL be doing be doing this on the reg, in my opinion. 
So there you have it. We will see if this cleanse gives me what I am looking for. If not, I'll probably feel great by the end of it anyways. Here's some things to remember if you're joining us:
- CONSUME ENOUGH CALORIES! - Focus on juices based around vegetables and greens. - Supplement with other stuff if you like. Examples: veggie broth, chia pudding and whole fruit, probiotics like unpasteurized miso, sauerkraut and non-dairy yogurt. - Drink butt-loads of water to keep everything moving.- Do what ya feel; if this cleanse makes you hate the world, you should probably just stop it and make a big salad. Or if you feel like you need to make more or less of the recipes to feel satisfied, do it! 
Done. Menu and recipes for yesterday are below! x
Menu: - GREEN JUICE with GARLIC + GINGER- MANGOES- BEET JUICE with CELERY + ORANGES- VEGGE BROTH with SEAWEED - BANANA ICE CREAM with CHIA SEEDS
And throughout the day: - 1 gallon of water, usually mixed in with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

GREEN JUICE with GARLIC + GINGER
Serves one

1 big bunch kale
3 peeled garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chunk peeled ginger
8 small apples
1 cucumber 

Juice it all up and drink it all down.

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We went on a bike ride and then ate chopped mangoes in the sun.

MANGOES
Serves one

5 small mangoes, sliced

Eat!


BEET JUICE with CELERY + ORANGES
Serves one

4 beets
8 small oranges
2 peeled garlic cloves
1 bunch celery 

Juice it. Drank it.

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For dinner we had vegetable broth with nori sheets. It hit the spot.

VEGGIE BROTH with SEAWEED
Serves one

1 litre vegetable broth, low in salt and made with organic ingredients
5 sheets nori, ripped up
1 peeled garlic clove, minced

Simmer the vegetable broth on low heat and add the seaweed. Add the garlic when you take the broth off the heat. Enjoy.


BANANA ICE CREAM with CHIA SEEDS
Serves one

4 frozen bananas
Water, if needed
1 tablespoon almond butter (optional)
1 tablespoons chia seeds

Blend the bananas into soft serve ice cream in a blender or food processor, adding some water if you need to. Sprinkle on chia seeds and almond butter. Mmm.

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DOUBLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

This recipe is raw, vegan and low fat! I've been leaning towards low fat recipes more and more, but I had a freak out last night when I realized: oh god, my blog is based around raw desserts which kinda need to be high in fat cuz nuts and stuff make 'em creamy and rich. WELL, I SHOWED ME.

I had a reassuring epiphany: you don't NEED nuts and coconut oil, etc. to make rawkin' raw vegan desserts (eish too many puns on one blog). Instead, you can use dried and fresh fruit for creaminess and sweetness, and oats and buckwheat groats instead of nuts! I've done low fat raw dessert recipes before, but they were usually exceptions to the rule (that is, the Rule of Cashews). So look forward to more low dessert recipes, because they're comin'. I want to be able to enjoy the recipes I make, but I feel sluggish if I eat too many walnuts or whatever, so recipes like this one solve all the problems! Of course, if you do fine with higher fat recipes (our bods are all so unique, it's rad) then I have my handy adaptions / substitutions list at the end of the recipe.

This cake is ultra decadent and not too shabby to look at either. Hold on - what does shabby actually mean? Oh, apparently this ("wearing worn clothes or having a slovenly or unkempt appearance"). Not the best description anymore but I'm goin' with it because "delete" is so far away. Don't argue with my lack of logic. Of course it's taking me way longer to keep writing about this then it would have o simply backspace this nonsense away, and "W" is equally far away as "delete"... but what am I EVEN TALKING ABOUT NOW? Honestly, I don't know why I am allowed to write a blog. Moving on.

This cake is YUMMY. It's sweet, rich, creamy, and quite a treat. Except for the fact that everything in it is perfectly great for you. So eat the whole thing if you want. Really. I'm going to.


DOUBLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE 

Cake:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup gooey dried figs
1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
Water, if needed
Pinch of himalayan salt

Frosting:
1 cup gooey dates
1 tablespoon cacao powder
Water, as needed
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder (optional) 

Garnish:
Raw chocolate sauce (use this chocolate chunk recipe)
Mint leaves 

To make the cake: grind the oats into flour. Then in a food processor, blend the flour with the rest of the ingredients, adding some water if you need to, until you get a heavy dough-like mixture that holds it's shape when you press it between your fingers. It should also be easy to the whole thing into roll into a giant ball. Roll out flat, about 1/4-inch thick, and cut into large circles with a cookie cutter: cake layers! The once I used was about 4 inches across. Put the cake layers in the fridge until they have hardened up.

To make the frosting: blend everything until smooth and thick, adding water as needed. You want it to have the consistency of frosting (duh).

Assembly: frost a cake layer, then add another on top, and so on and so on until you've used up all your cake or all your frosting. Decorate as you like (I threw on some hazelnut butter instead of chocolate sauce since I used up all my cacao) and enjoy! This would be terrific with banana ice cream.

ADAPTIONS / SUBSTITUTIONS: use buckwheat groats, almond flour or any nuts instead of oats; use any other gooey dried fruit instead of figs and dates; use cocoa or carob instead of cacao.

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MINT CHOCOLATE CHUNK ICE CREAM

First of all: this song. It always makes me cry (in a good way). 

Secondly: this ice cream! Woo! No tears, just tongue. That sounded pretty dirty and I'm gonna leave it that way. I woke up in a good mood. This ice cream is creamy, sweet, and full of chocolate chunks and mint flavour; in other words it's everything ice cream should be and MORE. The "more" is because it's also vegan and made with ingredients that your body actually likes. 

I love me some classic banana ice cream but sometimes a richer version is desired, and this is it. The base for this ice cream recipe is coconut and cashews; sweetened with coconut ice cream, flavoured with mint leaves, coloured with spirulina and mixed in with a decent amount of dark chocolate chunks made with superfoods! Ah, life is like a bowl of mint chocolate chunk ice cream: sweet, refreshing and filled with unexpected delights (this is the highly optimistic version). 

I've been putting a lot of thought into what I want this blog to be, what it is, and what I think it should be. Basically I'm clueless and still trying to figure it out. When I started it around 5 years ago (!) I was just 16 and had no understanding of what I was doing. I literally googled "how do i make a blog" and went from there. The reason I created this blog in the first place was because my parents convinced me I should share my raw recipes - that I kept forcing them to letting them taste - online, so it wasn't even my own idea. I am so grateful I listened to their advice because now I have my actual dream job at a pretty young age. I don't make much money at this, but when I move out, it'll be just enough to live off of. I don't need a big income, I prefer to live minimally. It seems I have made everyone quite proud by being an internationally-published, best-selling author and award-winning blogger by 21, but frankly I still have freak-out moments when I'm like, "What the hell am I doing!? My blog is so lame, my photos aren't good enough, I don't get as many page views or subscribers as I need, and my books don't look as nice as they could."

Honestly, I love myself a WHOLE lot, but I constantly doubt if what I am putting into the world is good enough. I suppose this is normal and in a sense that's a relief, but in another way it doesn't help that much. I set very, very high standards for myself and when I don't meet them, I'm disappointed. Jack has helped me to see that this problem even exists, because I actually didn't realize it before. This isn't a healthy mindset to have, so I am trying to change it (through meditation, thankfulness, self-kindness, self-love and mindfulness) and simultaneously I am always working to improve and get closer to meeting or exceeding my expectations of myself because I do believe it's important for self-growth to always work to become the best version of yourself. 

I do this thing where I compare myself to others all the time, even though in theory I am totally against comparing. I will look at my friends and random people on the street or in movies and think, "I'm not as pretty/thin/fit as them." A response to this kind of thinking begs an entire book and many have been written, but for now I will say: this is toxic thinking! We all have perfectly unique, beautiful bodies and mine is a miracle that lets me live a wonderful, active life. As I just posted on facebook the other day: "Why would I want to look like someone else when I can be me!? Don't get caught up trying to look like another person. Love yourself." I firmly believe this and just need to remember it in times of self-doubt. Another thing I do is look at other blogs I love and compare my photos, recipes and writing to theirs. I get really down when I do this because I think their work is loads better than mine. But then I remember that they're pretty much all in their 30's (except for Izzy, the damn genius), not in school and not living at home anymore. It also seems many of them have background in photography or cooking while I am totally self-taught and still learning. I need to give myself a CHILL PILL. I am perfectly fab the way I am right now, in this moment. 

I never know what these blog posts are going to be about until they're typed out, and then suddenly I have written another online diary entry. I think it's good for me to get this all out. Without further ado: here's some fine-ass raw vegan ice cream. Enjoy, lovelies. 


MINT CHOCOLATE CHUNK ICE CREAM
Makes around 1 litre 

Chocolate chunks:
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons this cacao blend (or cacao powder)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons water, as needed

Ice cream:
1 cup fresh young coconut meat
3/4 cup coconut water, as needed
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup cashews, soaked for 3 hours in water then rinsed 
1/4 cup coconut sugar 
1/4 cup tightly packed mint leaves 
1/4 teaspoon spirulina powder (optional)

To make the chocolate chunks: melt the coconut oil and then stir all the ingredients together, adding water as needed to get it nice and smooth. Pour onto a plate and put in the freezer until solid. Chop into chunks and leave in the fridge. Go ahead and make more if you want, I did and then drizzled it on top before I scooped the finished ice cream into bowls. 

To make the ice cream: blend everything together, adding coco water as needed. You want it to have the consistency of thick yogurt. Stir in the chocolate chunks by hand. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow its instructions or if you don't have an ice cream maker (like me): pour into a container and put in the freezer, taking it out and stirring everything up every 30 minutes until you get ice cream. 

ADAPTIONS / SUBSTITUTIONS: use coconut butter instead of coconut oil; use water instead of coconut water; use dried coconut meat instead of fresh coconut meat; use avocado instead of cashews; use 1 can coconut milk instead of the coconut meat, coconut water and coconut oil. 

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ORANGE-BEETROOT TARTLETS with ALMOND-FIG CRUST

This post is dedicated to my mum, Nancy.

Sometimes I forget how similar we are until I find myself describing her to another person, or when Jack tells me, "You looked just like your mom when you did that!"


When we meet new people together, or I meet friends she's known a long time, I am always told I'm a mirror image to her. Neither of us see it but it's an honour nevertheless, because I think she is one of the most beautiful faces I know, and age certainly isn't stopping that. In a way, she becomes more beautiful with each year.

Her passion for life is inspiring. She grew up in small town Minnesota where she dreamt of being an actress, and she stuck with that dream through graduate school where she continued studying theatre. Her spirit to love is an example everyone should follow; she was raised under a religion that discredited the value of certain people and activities and yet she was critical enough to see that it didn't make sense to hate someone because they loved people that were the same sex, or to believe pleasures like smoking a joint were inherently sinful. She is one of the most openminded people I know, and this continues to impress me. She met my dad in Thailand while volunteering with the peace corps, they travelled the world together and decided to settle down in BC to raise a family because they decided it was the best place on earth. They managed to buy - after much diligent planning and dedication - a wonderful home with a big yard in Burnaby and we've been sprouting here ever since. She's raised three very unique children - my older brother is studying in law school, my younger one wants to be a masseuse, and then there's... well, me - and she and my dad still maintain a healthy, loving relationship that frankly is becoming the exception to the rule. Now that we three kids can walk and talk all by ourselves she's jumped right back into her first love: acting. She's made a highly respected name for herself in the Vancity community and now she produces, directs, coaches and of course, stars, in film and theatre performances constantly (sometimes a little too constantly; we don't know how she does it, to be honest with you).

When my brothers and I were growing up I think the most valuable thing my parents did for us was stay out of the way. They gave us the freedom to bloom into whoever we wanted to be. They never pushed any political agendas, career expectations or moral obligations on us. I believe that's the reasons Greg, Dan and I all share one thing: critically thinking minds. We were raised to question everything ourselves and come to our own conclusions.

When I came to the conclusion that veganism is the most responsible lifestyle, my parents supported me. They did become a little antsy when I got into 100% raw foodism but fairly so because I let that go too far. I've since found my healthy balance and my mum has been there through the entire journey. She herself was vegetarian in her most intense hippie years, so she immediately understood. She started cooking vegan meals for the whole family and over the years she and dad have become what they call "vegan 99% of the time" or "flexitarian". My pride for them because of this is endless. She is my biggest fan and DOES NOT STOP telling people - often strangers - about what I do. She is my best critic; she tastes nearly all my recipes and lets me know exactly what she thinks so I can improve them. She periodically reminds me that if I ever need her for a hug, a talk, a cry, a laugh; she's there.

When people compare me to her, Nancy, my mother, I know I'm doing something right.

I've made these tarts for her special day (although she finds a way to make everyday special) and I hope they can bring a little joy into your life too. They are raw, vegan, gluten-free and soooo good for your body and your tastebuds. Let's eat!


ORANGE-BEETROOT TARTLETS with ALMOND-FIG CRUST 
Makes 3 huge tartlets

Crust:
1 cup gooey dried figs
3/4 cup almond flour 

Cream:
1 cup cashews, soaked in water for 3 hours then rinsed 
1/4 cup peeled and chopped red beet 
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 peeled and chopped orange

3 tablespoons chopped pistachios

To make the crust: blend the figs and almond flour together until you get a sticky, very thick paste that's similar to heavy dough. Press into lined tart tins. If the dough is too sticky when you're trying to press it into the tart tins, just wet your fingers a little.

To make the cream: blend all ingredients together until smooth and like very thick yogurt. Pour into your tart crusts and refrigerate overnight so the flavours can develop. Garnish with chopped pistachios and enjoy! Note: I had some left over cream so I blended it with water and got pink cashew beet mylk. Cool.

ADAPTIONS / SUBSTITUTIONS: Use any other gooey dried fruit instead of figs or if you don't have gooey dried fruit add some water to the crust mixture to compensate. Use any other unrefined flour instead of almond flour or grind up your own flour from oats, nuts, etc. Use young coconut meat or any other nuts instead of cashews. Use any other unrefined sweetener instead of coconut sugar.

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PERFECT OVEN-BAKED FRIES (OIL-FREE)

These really good for you and soooo yummmmyyyy. Eat as many as you like, because why restrict food that your body wants? These fries don't need oil or salt to taste amazing or get brown and crispy, they're proud to just be themselves: glorious potatoes. 
Potatoes have gotten a bad rap in the past few years for being not that nutritionally dense but in reality they are practically the perfect food (read The Starch Solution for more on this). There's this new trend focused around "superfood" powders like cacao, spirulina, maca and others and people are getting all excited because they think these powders are the key to longevity and ultimate wellbeing. Judging from my recipes, we can all tell I dig these guys. What would life be like without raw chocolate!? (Really scary for everyone around me during my time of the month). But here's my point: the term "superfood" shouldn't be relegated to just a few new food powders on the market, the real superfoods are WHOLE FOODS that have been helping our species survive for a reaaaally long time: yams, rice, potatoes, corn, and other starchy veg. If you wanna learn more about this, study archaeological records of our diets worldwide, and also just take a look at traditional cooking around the globe today! In Africa, yams are the staple. In Asia, it's rice. In the Americas, corn is #numberone and finally in Europe, potatoes and grains (okay, and beer) have been the base of the diet for ages. Even if we disregard ancestry; the most environmentally responsible choice is eating a plant-based diet since animal agriculture makes up more greenhouse gas emissions than all transport combined. Plant eaters also live longer. 
The Irish population lived off the potato for hundreds of years (largely due to political reasons but still) and this dude ate nothing but potatoes for two months and actually got healthier. It's awesome! I use a site called cronometer.com sometimes to make sure I am eating enough calories, and if you input that you ate like 12 baked potatoes, it tells you that you hit 70% of all nutritional requirements for the day! You just need a bit of fat (although their fat recommendations are already a bit high) and some dark leafy greens and you've got a diet to thrive on. AMAZING. So please, eat as many of these healthy fries as you desire. Don't restrict the good stuff!

PERFECT OVEN-BAKED FRIES

5 russest potatoes*
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper 
Fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Scrub the potatoes, then slice into fries and toss with the garlic and pepper. Add more garlic, pepper or other spices if you like. If you want, add a little salt. Bake them on parchment paper-lined pans for 30 minutes, flip 'em and keep baking for another 10 minutes or so until they get nice and brown. Spritz on some lemon juice and enjoy!

I like to eat mine with lettuce because it helps digestion and it's hydrating; and tomato puree instead of ketchup. *Try to get organic potatoes!

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