Emily von Euw's Blog, page 33

RAW VEGAN POUTINE: IS THIS REAL LIFE?

Yes, yes, this is real life. My friend told me awhile ago that I should try making a raw vegan version of a Canadian culinary favourite: poutine. This is the result and I've gotta say I'm pretty happy with it. Poutine is a dish that originates from Quebec (if I'm not mistaken) and includes a hearty serving of french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. Not exactly a health food but hey, people love it. And I love this. Well... loved*. It's in my stomach now.

The "fries" are slices of jicama (a turnip-like sweet root) coated in spices and olive oil, the gravy is a mushroom-onion sauce and the "cheese curds" are spoonfuls of a creamy cashew-herb cheeze. I added avocado and chives to mine for extra colour and more textures. I'm not claiming this tastes like the original, and it doesn't even really look like it, but guess what: I don't care. This is a delicious, healthful recipe all by itself that just happens to be inspired by poutine, and there's nothing wrong about that. Dig in.


RAW VEGAN POUTINE with MUSHROOM GRAVY, CASHEW CHEEZE & JICAMA FRIES 

Fries:
1 jicama 
1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, turmeric, coriander, salt, pepper, chili
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 

Gravy:
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 onion
2 teaspoons tamari (or salt, to taste)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
2 dates
Water, as needed

Cashew cheeze:
1 cup cashews
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon each of basil, rosemary, turmeric, dill
Water, as needed

To make the fries: peel and slice the jicama into fries then coat in the other ingredients and dehydrate for a few hours or leave as is. You can also use your oven at it's lowest temperature. 

To make the gravy: blend all the ingredient until smooth, adding water as needed. Adjust according to taste. 

To make the cheeze: same instructions as the gravy, adding as little water as possible. Leave in the fridge overnight so it thickens up. Top off your fries with cheeze, grazy, chives and avocado. Some salsa and nut meat would be great additions too. Nom. 

http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP with MARINATED MUSHROOMS

Raw soup gets me through the winter. It's warming, filling, super nutritious, and easy and quick to make. You can basically throw whatever you want into the blender and it ends up being a delicious bowl of warm goodness. Think of raw soups as savoury smoothies. Or not. I don't wanna force you against your will or anything... our relationship doesn't have to go there. Let's keep it friendly, okay? Let's make some soup, yeah? 

In case you didn't just catch this from the series of mushroom photos above; I like shrooms. A) They are delicious and have a unique texture unlike any other plants (maybe that's because they're fungi, not plants... oh yeah) and B) they are B-E-A-UTIFUL, amiright? They look like magical clouds or intricate architectural plans. Enough about fungus for now though, the squash deserves some credit too; nobody gets left out 'round these parts. Butternut squash has loads of fiber and cancer-fighting beta-carotene, plus it's a lovely colour and also has a special taste profile which is even more flavourful when you serve it raw. 
Okay is it just me or is my writing irregularly weird today? Probably due to the fact that my mum is sitting in the same room as me practicing a script for a children's book (she's an actress); it's messing with my head and making it kinda hard to concentrate... 
"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and doesn't know where to find them... and doesn't know where to find them... and doesn't know where to find them..." 
AH. Enough! I'm just gonna give you guys the recipe: click here. 
http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

RAW VEGAN TIRAMISU with VANILLA CREAM & COFFEE LADYFINGERS

You guys have been asking for this recipe for a looong time now. Apologies for not making it sooner. But now that it's here - let's all take a moment to dance and sing about the wonders of the earth. In what other world can we create a luscious, creamy, sweet dessert entirely from raw nuts and fruits that looks and tastes THIS good? This is it, folks - welcome to the best place ever. On that note, since our spherical abode IS so welcoming to us, maybe we should return the favour? Let's not leave our garbage lying around, let's not pollute the water, let's not steal milk from baby cows, let's not mess with nature (yes, I'm talking about GMOs) and let's not eat our animal friends!? 
None of that is necessary. This recipe, however, is a mandatory task. By that I DO mean the planet will implode if you don't make it and enjoy the heck out of its healthy, sexy flavour. ASAP. 

I am very pleased with how this recipe turned out. I wasn't sure I'd be able to recreate the classic dessert that became such a celeb in the 50's (?), but I did! I think this would probably taste equally mind-blowing if you used macadamias instead of pine nuts. Jus' sayin'. I used cold-pressed coffee for the ladyfingers and the combo of the coffee plus sweet vanilla cream plus cacao powder on the top is pure bliss, let me tell ya. Actually, don't listen to me. See for yourself... with your taste buds... 
"Taste buds don't have eyes, Emily, so they can't see. What are you even talking about..." 
Dammit. 

New train of thought: as far as my personal life is concerned - things are on the up and up! The past week I have been busy working on my second book (pre-order my other one here), reestablishing old friendships, thinking hard in my university lecture halls, cuddling with my current beau, and maintaining my "healthy" addiction to my record player and collection. Anybody dig Carpenters? I cannot get enough of them right now. Also 2Pac. Gotta love the Pac... and what the HECK!? The album Surf's Up by The Beach Boys is insane. 
"Okay, that's enough rambling from the likes of you, Em... just give us the recipe."
Hmph. 

RAW VEGAN TIRAMISU with VANILLA CREAM & COFFEE LADYFINGERS

Crust:
1 cup oat flour
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons cold-pressed coffee*

Ladyfingers:
1 cup oat flour
1 cup dates
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cold-pressed coffee*

Vanilla cream:
2 cups pine nuts (or macadamias) 
2 cups water, as needed
1/4 cup liquid coconut oil
3 tablespoons coconut nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons soy lecithin (optional, but recommended to thicken the mixture)

To make the crust: process the walnuts into flour in a food processor. Add the raisins and coffee and process until it forms a ball. Press evenly into the bottom of a lined bread pan. Set in the fridge.

To make the ladyfingers: combine all the ingredients in a food processor until they begin to stick together. Form into rectangular cookies (ladyfingers) that will fit into your baking pan. Dehydrate for 1-2 hours on each side, or use your oven at its lowest temperature.

To make the vanilla cream: blend all the ingredients until smooth and thick, like pudding, adding liquid as needed. Spread half this mixture onto your crust, then place your lady fingers close beside each other on top of the vanilla cream. Carefully spread on the rest of the vanilla cream and set in the fridge for at 24-48 hours. 

When ready to serve: gently take the tiramisu out of the pan, dust with cacao powder, and slice into squares with a sharp knife.

*Steep roasted coffee beans in water overnight, strain and use the liquid.

http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

Today I'm reviewing some products sent to me by a friend. They come from the companies Longevity Power and Ancient Sun Nutrition. I received a bunch of super food powders made by Longevity Power, and a couple raw chocolate bars made by Ancient Sun Nutrition.

The super food powders are ultra smooth and I've been adding them to my smoothies in the morning for an extra energy boost and increased mental clarity, as well as faster recovery after exercise. My fave smoothie recipe right now is 2 bananas, 1 orange, 1 cup frozen pineapple, 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon spirulina powder! The raw chocolate bars didn't last very long - I ate them in two days and enjoyed every bite. One was minty and the other included blue green algae... sounds weird, but trust me, it's delish.


Among the powders I received, there was maca, spirulina and goji berry. I also am experimenting with the red asparagus root powder which is supposed to alleviate stress. And finally there's one bottle that apparently has over 60 super foods in it... woah, man. That's the one I like adding to my smoothies. When I share it with friends, they say they notice they feel "cleaner" or "clearer". 
As I always say, products like these are not necessary to achieve optimum health - but if they work for you, then they can definitely be a useful and effective tool. They are, in fact, concentrated high quality nutrition which is effortlessly absorbed by your body. Besides, they're fun to try and delicious to taste. Just remember that they are supplements; and ultimately long-lasting, sustainable health is found from a plant-based, whole foods diet with adequate water, sleep, sunshine and exercise.
http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

TOMATO CUCUMBER SANDWICH on ONION & CORN BREAD with OLIVE & KALE TAPENADE

I literally could not stop eating this. It tastes so incredibly vibrant and delicious that I bet you won't be able to control yourself either. The bread is most, chewy and bursting with flavour from the veggies it's made from; so it pairs perfectly with the fillings of tomatoes, cucumber and kale & olive tapenade, because those ingredients are supa fresh too.

Since it's winter, the kitchen is too dark to photograph food in now, so I have moved out to the deck (which we recently got a roof for, so the lighting isn't too harsh anymore). So here I am, out on our deck, gobbling up mini sandwich after sandwich and making quite a mess because I just want to get this glorious grub in my mouth... I think it was the last bit of confirmation needed by my neighbours to declare me 100% nuts. But there aren't even any nuts in this recipe! Gimme a break! ("Ha-ha... Emily, you're so hilarious...")


The recipe instructions tell you to marinate the tomatoes and cucumber, but FYI: the veggies you see in these photos were just plain and raw - I simply sliced them and used them like that. You can do whatever you want. You can also use whatever fillings you want! The reason I used tomato and cuke is because they were sitting in the kitchen and basically begging to be enjoyed (you can call me the veggie whisperer, it ain't no thang).

I can't wait for you guys to try this recipe out, because I KNOW you've been wanting more savoury lunch and dinner ideas. Me knowing that has nothing to do with my vegetable telepathy skills; I can just read comments on Facebook. Some other savoury recipes to expect include poutine, soups, bread, salads, pizza, wraps, etc. Having said that... I may or may not have made raw vegan tiramisu... it might be in the freezer... I'm sorry! But no one can defeat my sweet tooth. It's a von Euw thing; ask my dad.


I think if you make this recipe, you should listen to an album called Spiritual State by Nujabes while you eat. Here's an amazing track from it. Most of the album is instrumental, smooth and jazzy; but every now and then you've got some sweet rhymes being dropped. Very chill positive vibes... just like what you're gonna feel when you munch on these sandwiches.

I have to say: I am feeling amazing about life in general. Two days ago I received my first advance copy of my book, Rawsome Vegan Baking, in the mail, I just got a second book deal (expect a smoothie, juice and energy bar cookbook from me in December 2014), I'm going to be working closely with an amazing sustainability-focused company (more deets to come), school has started again and I love all my courses, I essentially got married to my record player, and I am overflowing with inspiration and recipe ideas for the blog! I feel like I kinda said all that in my last post, but I may as well repeat it because a) you could be new here and b) it's just how I FEEL!

Enough random typing. Let's eat.


TOMATO CUCUMBER SANDWICH on ONION & CORN BREAD with OLIVE & KALE TAPENADE

ONION & CORN BREAD

1 cup flax seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds1 cup corn kernels 
1 chopped onion
2 chopped tomatoes
Salt, pepper and cumin, to taste

Grind the flax and sunflower seeds into flour in a high speed blender. Put this flour in a food processor. Add the other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture becomes kinda like chunky paste. You may have to mix it up with a spatula a few times. Spread onto dehydrator trays and dehydrate for about 2 hours, then slice into squares and flip over. Dehydrate for another 2 hours until the slices are pliable. Note: if you don't have a dehydrator, use your oven at it's lowest temperature.

OLIVE & KALE TAPENADE

1 bunch kale
1/3 cup olives
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pink Himalayan salt, as desired
1 peel garlic clove (optional)

Soak the olives in the olive oil over night. Throw all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until it reaches the consistency of pesto or tapenade.

TOMATO & CUCUMBER

1/2 cucumber
2 tomatoes
Salt, pepper and cumin

Slice the tomatoes and cucumber and coat lightly in olive oil and spices, set in the dehydrator (or oven at its lowest temperature) until it softens and its skin begins to wrinkle. Spread the tapenade onto your bread, followed by your veg slices. Chomp!

http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

DETOXIFYING GREEN SMOOTHIE + EXCITING NEWS

After the holidays some of us may be feeling bloated. I figured a cleansing smoothie recipe was what ya might be cravin'. And if you're in the best shape of your life - this is still perfect for you! Point being: it's never a bad time to drink a green smoothie. Even when sky-diving, it's still probably a good idea (just use your glass straw and an ecojarz lid). Dark leafy greens are seriously the best thing you can put in your body, and when you combine them with fresh fruits you've got a winning formula for long-lasting and delicious wellness. Oh baby it tastes gooood.


Onto the big news. I posted this on my Facebook - wow autocorrect capitalizes "facebook", welcome to 2014 - page earlier today, but I think it's worthy of being mentioned in a blog post too. As many of you know, I wrote my first book over the summer, titled Rawsome Vegan Baking, which you can have your hands on in just a couple months. The whole process was an absolute blast and I still can't believe I'm a legit author... like... what. Anyway.
I had a phone call with my publishing company this morning and they want me to write another book! 
My last cookbook was all raw vegan gluten-free desserts, so moving away from the healthful sweets, this upcoming book (to be published in December 2014) will be focused on juices, smoothies, nut milks, energy bars and snacks. All the recipes will be raw, vegan and gluten-free as you should expect pour moi. I'm really excited about this book because it will reflect what the majority of my diet usually is: smoothies (followed by your love, which I must consume daily to stay smiling). These are gonna be super healthy recipes for every person to enjoy. I actually made and photographed the first recipe for the book right after I got off the phone. 
I'll be going to school, writing a book, doing Emily things, and also working closely with a local company called Left Coast Naturals (more on that to come hehehe) so I will be very busy in the next four months! However, I'm also bursting with inspiration after my winter break, so I have a long list of recipes that I want to make, photograph in food porn fashion, and share on the blog. Everything from tiramisu to poutine... I'm gonna try to make it raw, vegan and beautiful just for you. One million hugs and kisses to you all. Talk soon. 
Oh! And get that smoothie recipe right here. 
http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

RAW VEGAN SUPER FOOD CHOCOLATE (EAT IT FOR LONG LIFE YO)

Guys. Can we take a moment to stop what we are doing and thank the universe for including chocolate.

I don't mean processed dairy-filled-laden-with-white-sugar-and-freaky-chemicals chocolate... I mean superfood-wholesome-healthful-and-deliciously-decadent-raw-vegan chocolate. This stuff will keep you living long, smiling big and probably singing in between bites. (The only downside might be that you don't want to share.) Let's eat foods that taste great, are good for us, and don't hurt anybody. Sound good? Good.

The ingredients in this recipe are pretty spectacular in their nutritional profiles. We've got spirulina, maca, reishi mushroom, goji berries and obviously cacao. Spirulina has a whackload of protein, iron, calcium and amino acids; it is great for keeping your bones and muscles strong and detoxifying the body. Maca is rich in B12, manganese, calcium, iron and potassium and works to balance hormones and give sustained energy. Reishi mushrooms are often used to strengthen the immune system and fight free radials (cancer-causing cells). Goji berries have an insane amount of antioxidants and protein and can be used medicinally to treat disease. Cacao has a ton of iron, magnesium, antioxidants and fiber. All these plants have been used for centuries by wise civilizations looking for long term wellness and strength. In today's world, they are available in nutrient-dense, gently processed powder forms which you can mix together with your sweetener of choice and cacao butter or coconut oil (both super foods in themselves)... and you wind up with the best chocolate in the world. Bam.

Is the planet a miraculous sphere of awesome or what!? Let's get jiggy with it! Or better put... healthy with it. Note: this chocolate tastes a little different than the regular kind because of the addition of the super foods. If you wanna start with something more like regular dark chocolate, use this recipe.


RAW VEGAN SUPER FOOD CHOCOLATE

1/2 cup melted cacao butter
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tablespoon spirulina powder
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 teaspoon reishi mushroom powder
1 teaspoon goji berry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Pinch of Himalayan pink crystal salt
2-3 tablespoons coconut nectar or other sweetener

Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth but still liquid. If it's too thick, add more coconut nectar or melted cacao butter. Taste it and make sure you are in love, otherwise... adjust it to your desires. Pour into chocolate molds or onto parchment paper and set in the fridge for an hour or two, until solid. Enjoy!

http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

CASHEW CITRUS CREAM CAKE with POMEGRANATE

This was made in anticipation for the holidays. The red and white are festive colours, plus who doesn't want (raw vegan) "cheesecake" at Christmas? Only the loonies. Watch out for them...

This cake is not only beautiful, it's delicious. The cashews create a rich, filling creaminess and when paired with fresh lemon juice, oranges and sweetened naturally, the result is practically divine. Impress all the skeptics - and non skeptics alike - with this at your next holiday dinner. Don't tell 'em it's healthy, raw, vegan and gluten-free until AFTER they've licked their plates clean and asked for seconds. Trust me - they will; or else they go in the loonie bin. I'm serious. But not really. But mostly.


My motto is "do what works for you" so here's a bunch of substitution options if this recipe doesn't quite fit your diet ideals: if you don't want or can't eat cashews, you can use fresh young coconut meat instead; or avocados, or any other nuts. Hemp seeds would even work. If you don't want nuts in the crust, use oats, seeds or buckwheat groats. If you can't have coconut oil, use cacao butter. If you don't like coconut nectar, use a syrup of dates and water. Bam! Anybody can make this work for them. Hallelujah to the heavens, amiright!?

I'm pretty much done with calling raw vegan "cheesecake" by that name... I prefer cream cake now. Although the inspiration comes from cheesecake, raw vegan cream cakes are just better in every way. They taste better, they're healthy, they're better for the planet, their ingredients aren't involved in the abuse of our animal pals... there're no down sides! So I'm tired of associating them with cheesecake... from now on - my "cheesecakes" will be cream cakes. It's also less confusing this way.

I'd like to say a big, warm thank you to all you lovely people who commented on my last post and emailed me about it. I know this blog is first and foremost about raw vegan recipes; but it's very therapeutic for me to let out what's going on inside my head. What becomes equally important when I share my emotions in a public space is the responses from you, which do SO MUCH to make me feel better. So many of you can relate, and that is extremely helpful and relieving to know. I think for a lot of you, it's good to know that YOU'RE not alone either! It makes me infinitely glad to realize we're all in this together, and that we can come together over our personal selves with healthful recipes. I am blessed. All my love to you. Let's eat cake.

GRAB THE RECIPE HERE.

http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

CHRISTMAS RECIPE ROUNDUP

Recipe roundups seem to be pretty popular, since they throw together all the best options for certain holidays, events, etc. In this case, the theme is Christmas. I'll start off by saying that there are endless choices for what to make, but the ones I have chosen to include here are simply past favourites of mine that I think everyone will be able to appreciate. Pretty much all these recipes are raw, except for the mostly raw potoato salad (you gotta steam or boil the potatoes). Let's get un-cookin'! 
DRINKSRaw vegan egg nogHot chocolate

SNACKSKale chipsAged nut cheese

ENTREESRaw lasagna with cashew cheese & broccoli sun-dried tomato pestoFresh summer rolls with basil, avocado, kale & spicy garlic peanut sauceCashew cheese portobello burgers Spinach pesto pizza with marinated veggiesHigh raw potato saladNori wraps with spicy dipping sauce

DESSERTSChocolate pudding tart with coconut cream & goji berriesVanilla chocolate chunk cheesecakeDark chocolate cake with spiced date caramelRaw pumpkin pieChocolate cream caramel bars Nut-free fruit tartsBerry tart with almond caramelLemon and fig cheesecake
http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/

CHOCOLATE PUDDING TART WITH COCONUT CREAM & GOJI BERRIES

I've made variations of this pie/tart/thing a few times now (click here and here for past recipes) and every time the result is a winner with the crowd I serve it to. It's one of those desserts where you can expect the plates to be licked clean. Why? It's simple, really. You have a crust that tastes like butter tarts, followed by the most delicious and healthy chocolate pudding you can imagine, covered in whipped coconut cream and topped off with goji berries. This here's a no brainer, folks - make this recipe immediately.


Technically-speaking, the coconut cream isn't 100% raw because as far as I know, there're no raw brands of canned coconut milk (which is what you need to make it). If this doesn't bother you, let's hug and chow down. If you'd rather keep it all raw, use a cashew cream instead (blend cashews, dates, water and vanilla). See? Everybody gets what they want. Happy happy happy people. I originally made this for a friend's birthday but they seem to have celebrated without me (pfffff not hurt at all) SO it's going towards another good cause; my mom's lunch party with all her lady friends. I hope they enjoy it. They loved it. 


CHOCOLATE PUDDING TART WITH COCONUT CREAM & GOJI BERRIES

Crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates

Chocolate pudding:
1 avocado
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut nectar (or date paste)
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of Himalayan salt
1/4 cup nut milk, as needed

Coconut cream:
See this recipe

To make the crust: pulse the walnuts into powder then add the dates until it all begins to stick together. Press into a lined tart tin (mine was about 8 inches) and put in the fridge.

To make the chocolate pudding: blend all the ingredients together in your food processor until smooth and thick... it should taste a-freaking-mazing. Spread evenly into your crust.

Make the coconut cream, spread it on top of the pudding layer, and put back in the fridge overnight. Serve with goji berries, coconut flakes and cacao nibs. Nom. http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/