No bake chocolate date balls

Same idea as chocolate-coconut "LARA Bars", throw it all in the food processor and roll in balls!  And (the best) coconut water smoothie, just frozen bananas and c2o!

Mixed berry ice cream

I made this for breakfast this morning, it's so easy.  I used a cup frozen sliced bananas, a cup mixed berries (mine were raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and cherries) and about 2 tsp water.   Just blended it all in the food processor and you're done!  No sweetener or anything artificial needed.  You can switch berries out for any fruit and if it's hard to blend, add more water one teaspoon at a time!

Frozen fruit is so good to snack on straight out of the bag, I just figured this out.  I never really thought about it but I tried it the other day and I was amazed.  Sounds silly, but you probably will be too.  The flavors are so much more....pronounced.  My favorites are pineapple chunks and raspberries.

Cashew butter

In a food processor, process raw cashews until creamy.  Scrape down the sides as needed.  I only used about 1 1/2 cups cashews because my processor is small.  This will get creamy quite a bit faster than almond butter because cashews are a lot softer.  It's not as creamy as almond butter, it's a little thicker but still is delicious!

I'm going to make some homemade "LARA Bars" and mix some of this in, or sandwich it between a bar and chocolate...mmmm!

Sprouted lentil salad with coconut oil-balsamic vinegar dressing

Sprouting beans is really simple and totally beneficial.  It brings them back to life (who knows how many months or years they've been sitting around in the bag before you bought them?), makes them easier to digest, less prone to produce gas and packs them full of nutrients and vitamins.  The best part is, you can eat them raw, preserving all these benefits.

All you need to do is choose your favorite beans, rinse them a couple times and soak them overnight (8-12 hrs for lentils, check for your bean here) in filtered water.  In the morning, rinse again and place in a glass jar (or a strainer is easier, if the holes are small enough so nothing falls out, place over a bowl to drain the excess water), cover the opening with a square of cheesecloth.  Turn the jar on it's side and shake a little to distribute lentils evenly.  Place propped up on a bowl or something, so that the opening of the jar is facing down, this is so the water can drain as it sits.  Rinse again before bed and place it back on it's side in the bowl (rinsing should take place every 8-12 hours).  Repeat this the next day and you should have sprouts by dinnertime.  You can leave them longer if you want longer sprouts, I would suggest putting them in the fridge to sprout if it's been more than two days.  You can sprout them up to 6 days.

These are so tasty in a salad or by the handful, but here are some other suggestions;

Blend sprouted lentils with an avocado for a spread, mash into a garden patty, sprinkle with a little garlic powder, salt and pepper for a snack, stir-fry them with some seasonings and veggies, you can also cook these and use them like usual-they will only need 5 minutes of cooking.

More on the benefits of sprouting lentils here.

My salad is packed full of goodies including; yellow squash, white onions, tomatoes, red, orange and green bell peppers, parsley, green onions, arugula, and green and red leaf lettuce.

Coconut oil-balsamic vinegar dressing

serves 1

Simply melt 1 TBSP coconut oil over low heat.  In a small bowl, mix the coconut oil and add 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, dash salt and black pepper and a pinch a cumin.  Whisk with a fork until the oil and vinegar are combined and drizzle over your salad.  

"LARA Bars" or 5 minute raw energy bar recipes

I can't get over how easy these are to make and they are SO GOOD.  You just process dates until they are like a paste, dump it in a mixing bowl, process cashews till they are small chunks (not flour!) and mix it in the bowl with the dates....soooooooooooo simple.  Add anything else to make your favorite flavor!  Place on plastic wrap in a long bar form and smoosh to desired thickness, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple hours.  Depending on how thin you roll it out, it makes 2-4 bars.  Recipes here.  

I tried the "cashew cookie" and I adapted the "chocolate coconut macaroon"- I made the cashew cookie, mixed in about 1 TBSP carob powder and 1 1/2 TBSP shredded coconut and a dash of cinnamon.  Both are amazing, I can't believe it takes literally 5 minutes (maybe less!)

I wish so badly I had chocolate chips to mix into the cashew cookie...mmmmmmmmm!

5 minute no-bake deserts (vegan, raw, gluten free!)

Simple 5 minute recipes from love veggies and yoga (raw and vegan);

peanut butter cookie dough balls

chocolate chip cookie dough balls

donut balls

peanut butter vanilla balls

dark chocolate fudge balls

And extras;

raw strawberry thumbprint cookies

raw chocolate chip cookies

white chocolate cheesecake

chocolate glazed and cinnamon donuts

cacao dipped almond thins

chocolate mousse torte





More amazing raw food recipes!

Good morning!

Almond Cashew milk.  So rich and creamy!  Soak 1 cup almonds and 1 cup cashews overnight in 4 cups water.   Blend in the morning with the soak water and strain!

Almond butter is sooo simple to make and amazing fresh so I usually make a cup in the morning to eat with apples and banana.

Simply blend 2 cups raw almonds, or if your processor is tiny like mine, fill it with almonds until just above the last blade (mine has two blades-about 1 1/2 cups almonds)

Almost there!  You'll need to scrape down the sides every 30 seconds or so for a couple minutes so everything can process, your blender will most likely tell you when it's time to scrape down... mine will stop processing all together and sound like the tops going to fly off, haha!  I use a plastic chopstick to move everything around.  After 6 or 7 times of scraping the sides (stick with it!), it will start to magically blend by itself and you can watch it spin around, getting creamy and delicious!  Let it blend for a couple minutes, check for creamy-ness (careful, the blender heats up and the almond butter will be extremely hot!) and transfer to a glass jar.  Let cool before storing in the fridge.  This will keep for a long time but in my house, it's never lasted more than 2 days!

10 minutes, a mess and a cup of coffee later.....

More chocolates!

My mom sent me these pictures of chocolates she made using my recipes.  They look sooooo good!!  I love all the almonds!  She put the almonds into the mold, not the chocolate batter, which is a really good idea considering the chocolate batter will start to thicken/harden when you mix almonds so this could make it easier to scoop it into the molds.  Good idea to try it with coconut flakes or maybe some almond butter.  The recipe's so quick and easy and can be varied to satisfy whatever you're craving at the moment.

Amazing RAW chocolates

Seriously, you'll never go back to store bought chocolates again.  SO SIMPLE TO MAKE!

Raw Chocolate Bars

From Everything Raw Food Recipe Book  (Click the link to view the whole book and recipes)

• ½ cup cacao butter
• ¾ cup raw cacao powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• ½ cup chopped almonds

1. Melt the cacao butter in a small saucepan on the stove. Gently warm it over low heat until it becomes a liquid.
   
2. In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together.  Mix until just combined, DON'T OVERMIX!  Fold in almonds.
   
3. Mixture will not be watery like melted chocolate, it will be a moist, soft dough.  Press into candy molds, cupcake liners, or  shape into chocolate bars. Place in the freezer until they are solid.  After 6 hours or overnight, you can switch these to the refrigerator.  Alternatively, leave in the freezer and when you want a piece, let it sit on the counter 5 minutes to soften up.

Raw Creamy Coconut Squares

• ½ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup raw carob powder

• ¼ cup raw agave nectar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped almonds

1. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan on the stove. Gently warm it over low heat until it becomes a liquid.
2. In a large bowl, place carob powder.  In a small bowl, stir all liquids together.  Add the wet ingredients to the carob powder, mixing until just combined, DON'T OVERMIX!  Fold in almonds.
   
3. Mixture will not be watery like melted chocolate, it will be a moist, soft dough.  Press into candy molds, cupcake liners, or  shape into chocolate bars. Place in the freezer until they are solid.  After 6 hours or overnight, you can switch these to the refrigerator.  Alternatively, leave in the freezer and when you want a piece, let it sit on the counter 5 minutes to soften up.
   
   
   ***TIP***
   
   The reason I say to stop mixing when just combined is because the dough will start to harden if you keep mixing.  To prevent this from happening, always have everything ready before you start to mix anything together; have dry ingredients combined and wet combined in a separate bowls, have almonds already chopped and everything ready to simply mix together (add wet to dry) and form into bars.
   
   You can tailor these chocolates to suit your chocolate craving.  Use mint extract instead of vanilla, substitute almonds for your favorite nuts, or add dried fruit, coconut flakes, ect.  The possibilities are really endless and it's amazing whichever way you make it!!

Best raw "nacho cheese" dip

So simple and soooo good!

Raw nacho cheese dip (Vegan)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 of a red bell pepper
3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper spice OR chili powder & cayenne pepper TO TASTE, be careful not to put too much, the pepper will come as a sort of after taste, so wait a second after tasting to dump more pepper! :) I use a lot because I like it spicy.


Blend everything in your food processor until thick and creamy, adding the bell pepper to the processor first.. If you want to thin out the sauce a bit, add some more of the red bell pepper.  Just remember, this is a dip, not a sauce, you want it to be a little thick.  My favorite things to dip in this are cauliflower and carrots.  You can dip crackers, other veggies or use it in a wrap (so good).

Instant strawberry-banana vegan ice cream!

This ice cream is so easy to make, it will take you less than 5 minutes.  It's so creamy, fluffy and sweet and made entirely from fruit!  An amazing alternative when you want something sweet.

Serves 1 large portion or 2 small

1 1/2 frozen bananas, cubed

2 large strawberries, cut into four pieces each, fresh or frozen

Add everything to a food processor* and blend until smooth and creamy!  Serve immediately (who could wait anyways?)

*to speed up the process, you can add a small amount of water-small, like a soda-pops CAP full with water

**If you are using fresh fruit, add that first and place frozen on top.  You can make this with all frozen ingredients or the majority frozen and some fresh fruits.

Some other options;
Banana ice cream- blend 2 frozen bananas
Mixed berry- add 1/4 cup frozen berries in place of strawberries
Almond butter & chocolate- add 3 tbsp almond butter and 3 tbsp cocoa powder to 2 frozen bananas

Add dried cherries, chocolate chips, dates, nuts, coconut, cookie dough....the list is literally endless.  I think this will be my breakfast from now on :)

 I'm seriously amazed at how good this is.  Enjoy :)

It comes naturally

I've been waking up at 5:30am for the past week and a half to start my day with yoga and it's been surprisingly easy to get used to this routine.  Before changing my diet and mindset, I was trying everyday to do the same thing but only made it up before 7 a couple times.  It was so hard to get out of bed and I would hit the alarm and think, "What's the point of getting up when I can go back to sleep and be comfortable."  Before, I was eating big bowls of rice or pasta for dinner and would go into a "food coma" and go to sleep that way.  It's no wonder why I couldn't get out of bed in the morning.  Eating the way I do now, fruits and veggies, I rarely feel "FULL" but satisfied, which is a 100 times better.  You are not immovable or lazy after a meal, you have energy and motivation to get things done.

A couple things that have changed about me since starting the Whole30 on the 22nd:

-decreased computer time (mindlessly staring at blogs)

-decreased movie time (I don't have a tv but would watch at least one movie a night, now it's maybe a 30 min tv show if any)

-increased memory (remembering people names easily)

-more energy, motivation, more creative

-able to awake easily in the mornings (even with little sleep)

-happier, more appreciative

-am not starving all the time, less cravings

-more focus!

I feel so grateful to be 23 years YOUNG and have all the knowledge I do now and all the opportunities that have came to me the past couple weeks.  Some people don't start even considering some of the changes I've made until they are much older, and some people never start at all.  There will be more changes to come, I'm sure of it, and I can't wait to see how I'm feeling at the end of the 30 days!

This morning I practiced Yoga through Yogis Anonymous Live Videos and was grateful to hear this message by Kate Cariati;

"I’m just in a great mood today..  You know when you feel like things are just flowing, you're in your element and you're like oh thats how its supposed to be..  feels good, really natural, natural state of being.   Sometimes it's such a struggle to get there, and when you have to fight that hard were maybe not doing what were supposed to be doing.  If its that big of a fight every day to get out of bed to go do something its not right....  We want ease, we want flow.  Sometimes we just have to sort of surrender into it and open up to the mystery, have a little faith in the universe.  We just accept that we are little sparks of the divine instead of trying to prove it all the time, we just are."

Raw collard wrap with cashew sour cream

These are really easy if you have a good food processor.

Cashew Sour Cream
1 c cashews, soaked +1/3 c cashews, raw
1 c water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Soak cashews in water for 2-4 hours.  Mix everything in food processor and blend until thick and smooth, adding more raw cashews to thicken if it is watery.

Simple Salsa
1/4 red onion
20 grape tomatoes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Dice onion and tomatoes and mix with spices.  Let sit in fridge for a couple hours to mix flavors.

Collard Greens

Use 2 large leaves for each wrap.  Cut stems off-only the part where there are no leaves, and shave the thick part of the stem down so it is roughly the same thickness as the leaf, check out this website for visuals.  Place leaves in a bowl, heat some water to warm (not hot!) and pour it over the greens.  Let it sit for about 5-10 mins, just to soften them up a little.

Filling

For the filling you can be really creative, but I like to julienne yellow squash, zucchini, red bell pepper and carrots with avocado and hulled sunflower seeds.

Place your leaves head to foot, so opposite stalks are aligned (check above website for visuals).  Spread some cashew sour cream, add veggies, add avocado, spread some salsa on top and sprinkle sunflower seeds.  Wrap like you would a tortilla, folding bottoms up and pulling sides over to close.

I served these with a side of cooked mushrooms & green onion.

Love this!

Simple shakes/smoothies

These are some shakes I've been making a lot for snacks or before/after workouts;

Almond milk- 

From Everything Raw Food Recipe Book

1 cup raw almonds (soaked 8-12 hours or overnight)

3 cups water

Pulp from 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Soak the almonds in the water for 8 to 12 hours.  (Do not drain!)  Blend almonds, soak water, and vanilla together in a food processor or blender (until the rattling noise stops), about 1-2 minutes.

Put a nut milk bag in a bowl and strain through the bag to separate the milk and pulp.  Discard the pulp (or dehydrate to make almond flour). Refrigerate milk in an airtight container until ready to use.  Can be kept for up to 3 days.

*Substitute any nut, seed or grain in place of almonds.
Make your own nut bag: cut cheesecloth 8 inches by 14 inches, fold in half so 14 inches becomes 7 inches.  Sew a side seam on both sides with 1/2 inch seam allowance and the smallest stitch length you can do.  I made the seams on the outside so I wouldn't have to worry about pulp getting stuck in it.

Frozen banana shakes-

1 frozen banana blended with nut milk to desired smoothie consistency.  No need for sweeteners!  So good!

Coconut milk shake-

1 frozen banana 

1 carrot, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp coconut flakes

Dash of cinnamon 

Blend with coconut milk to desired smoothie consistency.

Blueberry smoothie-

1 frozen banana

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 c strawberries

1 cup water

Whole30

Today is day 7 of the Whole30 lifestyle/diet.  One successful week with no grains, legumes, alcohol, caffeine, potatoes anddddd sugar.  I am already vegan and have eliminated processed foods from my diet a long time ago, but sugar... ah sugar.  That's what I crave the most.  I'm a huge baker and always make sure to have some cookie/cupcake on hand.  You can have sweets on this diet if you use the right ingredients, but realizing I'm pretty addicted, I decided to go the whole month without to give my body a break.

This is not a diet for me, it's a lifestyle shift.  Feeling totally out of balance lately, this change couldn't have come at a more perfect time.  It's opened my eyes to a whole new world.  I've learned to be more creative, more positive, to try new things and to create discipline in my life.  I feel absolutely amazing, strong, and like my mind has been washed of negativity and fear.  

Thanks to Mary Beth for introducing me to such a positive change.

xoxo