Almond Butter Cups - Raw & Vegan!

10/31/2014 0 Comments

Happy Halloween! I hope you and yours had a safe, somewhat healthy and Happy Halloween! Last night I stayed up late making sweet treats so we could enjoy some candy that wasn't loaded with ingredients we didn't want. We started the day with Raw Cinnamon Rolls!

I made two of our favorite candies Raw Almond Butter Cups to mimic a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

and Raw Snickers Bars.

My personal favorite were the Almond Butter Cups - Elvis Style with a banana at the base.

I already had my share today and let me tell you it is SO hard sharing this blog with you looking at all of these pictures knowing I have more in the freezer! I felt compelled to share so you could have some in YOUR freezer!!

This recipe is SIMPLE - FAST - IMPRESSIVE and reminds me of the real thing! As much as I would love to boast about how I came up with this genius recipe it would be far from the truth. I am quite new to candy making but I can't wait to experiment with more!

The Snickers Bar and Cinnamon Rolls were created from @lilsipper's Health-e-CookBook, both of her e-books have very creative recipes.

The Almond Butter Cups came from the Detoxinista! It was my first time to her blog and I have a good feeling I'll be back. I used silicone cupcake liners and it worked sensationally. The best part? You can be eating these in 30 minutes or less. I did opt to freeze ours overnight...it was worth it!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! This will be a new special treat we enjoy and share with others. We try to eat oil-free but sometimes you gotta let your hair down! :)

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Chocolate Raspberry Delight

9/25/2014 0 Comments

Cacao and raspberries are blended with bananas for the ultimate lick your lips luscious treat.

It tastes like a chocolate raspberry candy bar but it’s healthy for you!

We enjoyed this for breakfast, yes breakfast! It could be enjoyed as a snack or dessert as well. With 1 extra cup nut milk create silky smoothie. This is a new favorite!

Blend all of the ingredients except for the last two. Pour on top of banana coins and serve with a raspberry on top ~ divine!!

Tonight my sweetheart did a show that aired out of SAN DIEGO! As he was sharing divine information, this painting flowed out naturally!

Love love love!
Christa
xo

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Apple Date Fusion Smothered Over Gluten Free Pancakes

9/6/2014 0 Comments

What do you get when you combine apples, dates, cinnamon and pancakes on a balmy Saturday? Apple Date Fusion Smothered Over Gluten Free Pancakes!

I was on a creative spark this morning. Taking it slow, sipping some coffee, cleaning the house and so forth when new delicious creations came to me. First - date sauce. It reminds me of apple sauce but with dates, it is easier than pie and just as tasty too! Think, baking, smoothies, cereal, smoothies and more. Today I was thinking pancakes with this delicious sauce as our healthy replacement for syrup. Then I decided to up the factor another notch and take apple slices coated in lime juice, sprinkled in cinnamon with some date sauce heated over the stove until the apples were soft. I added this on top of the pancakes already smothered in date sauce. It was like heaven! Warm, comforting and healthy to boot! No refined sugar, oil, dairy or gluten!

I used a recipe found on this blog for the pancakes and subbed the flour for a gluten-free flour mix, and towards the very end added 1 tbsp of cocoa in the balance of the batter for a few chocolate treats! Click HERE for the recipe.

For the date sauce I soaked dates over night in a jar.

Then took the pits out, and blended the dates in the date water with 2 tsp of cinnamon and a tsp of freshly squeezed lime juice as a preservative.

Blend until smooth, pour in a jar and store in the fridge.

Make a fresh batch of pancakes.

Smother in date sauce and Spiced Apples!

Apples:

1 apple cored and sliced thin
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 lime freshly squeezed
2 tbsp date sauce

Directions:

Place ingredients in nonstick pan, lightly greased (opt) and stir to combine.
Saute on medium heat for 10 minutes or until soft.
Place on top of pancakes, cereal, in a parfait, on a pie, in a pie or any way you'd like!

We opted for pancakes smothered in homemade cinnamon date sauce covered with warm apples!

Am I about to go on a walk? You betcha! ;)

Happy Day 6 of Vegan Month of Food!

I hope you enjoy this satisfying meal!!! We froze our extra pancakes for future breakfasts. Feel free to enjoy in one sitting, double the apples for more toppings. Makes 12-13 pancakes.

Pancakes:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Cups homemade cashew milk (or favorite dairy free milk)
1 cup pitted dates
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Juice from 1 small lime (or 1/2 lemon)
Opt: 1 Tbsp Cacao

Directions:

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Place cashew milk, dates, vanilla and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and process until thick and creamy.
Stir wet ingredients into dry.
Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat, spray with oil, once it is hot pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter into the pan. Once the pancake is firm on the upward facing side, flip and cook until the pancake bounces back when touched and are a deep golden color. Ensuring not to use too high of heat as it may burn, stick or cook unevenly. Place on covered plate or in the oven at 200 degrees to keep warm while using the balance of the batter. Repeat until finished, serve with apples above and date sauce, yum!

With love,
Christa
xoxox

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5 Ingredient: Chocolate Pudding

9/4/2014 0 Comments

"I love the alchemy of cooking, the theatre of it. It's creating something." ~Anthony Warlow

Since it is Vegan Alchemy week I wanted to share a piece from a book I picked up along my own alchemical journey Sorcerer's Stone: A beginner's Guide to Alchemy by Dennis William Hauck.

"Most people do not think of cooking as a kind of alchemy, but a little reflection on the actual processes involved makes the alchemical connection clear. Instead of beakers and flasks, the cook works with pots and pans, but the transformative elements - Fire, Water, Air, and Earth- are the same. The cook, the like the alchemist, transforms matter through the application of fire. The cook dissolves, emulsifies, aerates, separates, macerates, blends, coagulates, and works through the same operations. And like alchemists, cooks add a deeper part of themselves to their "Opus." For ever key idea in alchemy, there is a corresponding representation in the kitchen. As Above, so Below! "

This was a book I purchased on happenstance and couldn't help but read aloud to Gerald. In a way it felt a book for him as the author often pulls teachings like those my husband speaks of from the The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean.

Let us begin our kitchen alchemy on Vegan Month of Food 2014 with my theme of Vegan Alchemy. Week One: Guilt Free Sweets n' Treats! Today marks day 4 and I have another guilt free treat that is made with only 5 easy healthy ingredients.

A chocolate pudding snack! Who doesn't love pudding? This could be placed in smaller servings and even placed in your lunch box! I used to love a pudding pack, why not have a healthy one filled with wholesome ingredients like avocados, bananas and raw cacao. Yum!

To start, one huge delicious creamy avocado. One of my favorites in life.

Cut that beauty, add some ripe bananas, ice, "mylk", cacao and you have a simple and satisfying treat that is sure to please young or old, fail and strong. It is cool, creamy, pudding that had stars all around the recipe in my notebook. A goodie.

Quick healthy recap of our ingredients:

Avocados - "Avocados are also considered as one of the healthiest foods in the planet because they contain in excess of
25 essential nutrients including
vitamin A, B, C, E, & K
copper, iron, phosporus, magnesium, and potassium
Avocados also contain fiber, protein
and several beneficial phytochemicals such as beta-sitosterol, glutathione and lutein, which may protect against various disease and illness."

Bananas - "Bananas are very high in vitamin B6 and also contain modest amounts of vitamin C, maganese, potassium and of course fiber."

Cacao - "Cacao is considered a superfood due to its more than 300 nutrients. It could hardly be “the food of the gods” if it weren’t powerful, with nutritional and medicinal value (which in turn gave it value as a currency as well).""It has many uses as a stimulant, antibacterial, antioxidant, and protector of the cardiovascular system." 10 reasons to consider using raw cacao!

Traditional uses of the cocoa bean include treatment of:

Fever
Coughs
Pregnancy pains
Digestive aid
Depression
Combat mental fatigue
PMS
Aphrodisiac
Diuretic
Vasodilatory

Now that we can relax and know this pudding truly is healthy, let's make it stat!

PREP TIME: 5 minutes
vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free, grain-free, dairy-free, raw

Quick and Easy Preparation:

Combine ingredients in a high speed blender.
Blend until smooth.
Enjoy in a number of ways topped with whatever your heart desires!

Tips:

Add a few dates for an extra sweet treat.
Add more cacao for an the ultimate chocolate lover.
Add almond butter for spin.
Enjoy as a creamy smoothie with more non-dairy milk.
Add protein powder, health supplements such as maca, chaga and so forth.

I hope you enjoy this treat as much as we did! To a healthier you!
Love,
Christa xox
HAPPY VEGAN MOFO!

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Chocolate Passion

7/31/2014 0 Comments

I love chocolate with a passion! It has the right alchemical ingredients to turn my frown upside down. I love how rich it tastes, how creamy it is, how satisfying it is. Sometimes, you have to scratch the itch. The nice part is, you can enjoy the benefits with out it affecting your waste line.

Once I became vegan I discovered raw cocoa also known as cacao.

Cacao refers to the tree and unfermented bean in the very fist stage of chocolate making, raw with all of it's glorious enzymes and antioxidants in tact. Cacao is considered a SUPER-ANTIOXIDENT which helps protect our hearts, prevent cellular damage and help us to continue feeling and looking young!

Cacao contains iron, copper, calcium, potassium, zinc, magnesium and oleic acid which has been linked with lowering cholesterol. Some actually use it as prevention for diabetes, PMS, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and more!

Why is it we feel better after consuming cacao? Studies show that cacao contains the amino acid tryptophan, which helps produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that promotes feeling of happiness, joy and may even help alleviate minor depression.

After my husband and I watched Kathy Patalsky with Healthy.Happy.Life's first interview, I was inspired and we both wanted chocolate! Her chocolate smoothie had our eye, so we whipped one up with a slight modification, a Chocolate Passion Smoothie!
Ingredients:

3 frozen bananas in chunks
12 oz coconut milk (or your favorite)
1 heaping spoonful of cacao
1 spoonful protein powder (I chose hemp)
Handful of cashews (almonds, walnuts etc or spoonful of nut butter)

Directions:

Place ingredients in a blender
Pulse until well combined, using a spatula to press down sides as needed.
Pour into a glass and serve cold!
Enjoy as a shake or ice cream!!

May your day and health be lifted to new heights!
Christa
xoxox
Here are some other ways to use cacao!

Chocolate Lovers Cake!

Vanilla Mango Muffins with Coconut Frosting and a Cherry on top!

Chocolate PB Mousse

Chocolate Banana Hemp Dream

Chocolate Banana Vanilla Chai Protein Shake

Chocolate Chai Cake

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Chocolate Chai Cake

5/13/2014 0 Comments

I recently celebrated my birthday with the love of my life, Gerald, who treated me like a princess. When we ended the day I had a hankering for something chocolate and sweet. What a perfect day to make a chocolate cake! I started out with a chocolate cacao cake but felt like it was missing something. With the stars aligned in my favor this day....I recalled a delicious dirty chai I had the other day and thought...that is it! The missing ingredient....chai. We ❤️‍ Chai Lattes and my sister just so happened to send us a homemade mix that was to diiiieee forrr...okay well at least wrestle for! I told her she could patent it. It took the cake to a whole new level. I didn't stop there either, I decided to make a chai frosted glazed that was sensational! This cake is 100% vegan, gluten-free, moist, and sure to please! I'll be making this again and again. Join me in a delicious recipe and enjoy a slice or slab of it.

Ingredients:

1 cup cashew milk (or favorite non-dairy milk)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup brown rice syrup (agave, or favorite sweetener)
1/2 cup macadamia oil (see below...or can use favorite)
1 1/2-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
2 tbsp dry chai latte mix

Frosting:

1/2 cup dry chai latte mix
1 tbsp cashew milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

The cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a cake pan or 8" spring-form pan. May also place a piece of parchment paper down to prevent sticking.
Whisk the milk and vinegar together and set aside to curdle. Then add the balance of the wet ingredients and mix well.
In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet in two to three batches and beat until very smooth and few small lumps remain if any.
Pour batter into the pan and bake for 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely and then release from pan.

The glaze:

Sift the chai latte mix into a large bowl, add the milk, vanilla and oil and mix until smooth.
Pour over cooled cake if you can wait.... I couldn't wait hah! :)

Also right in time for my birthday was a generous gift from Hawaii! The Oils of Aloha was by far my favorite! Rich, smooth and sensational. I actually used it in this recipe. It may be why it was so incredibly moist. I'm having the hardest time not making another batch, yum! The Da Kine spice is also quite clever and has added a tasty new spice to our meals! Who made this possbile? The wonderful Aloha spirit of Mulvadi, aloha and Mahalo!!!!

Thank you ALL for your continued support!!! May you shine brightly with unconditional love!

Christa & Jerry

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Chocolate PB Mousse

1/16/2014 0 Comments

Hope you are surviving the weather wherever you are! It is unseasonably warm here in San Diego and we are loving it! We found ourselves sprawled out on our yoga mats in the warm sunshine these last couple of days soaking it up. I forget how much the warmth makes a difference when stretching, icaramba it feels nice. I have been trying to get more active with the start to the new year (are you?) and found myself taking a nice long walk. What are you doing for exercise? We've been trying to learn a few new yoga poses to bring it up a notch! We also like to incorporate hand weights with our walks adding Tai Chi movements, lunges, jump backs etc. It feels so good to get moving!

It also feels good to have a sweet treat! If you are still up and have a sweet hankering then I have just the right fix for you! It only takes 5 healthy ingredients some of which posses super food qualities! It is gluten-free, practically raw (less PB), and VEGAN! It only takes 5 minutes to create, 10 minutes in the freezer makes a delicious difference!

What do you need? 1 avocado, raw cacao powder, agave syrup, nut butter and a pinch of stevia. Bonus - top with your favorite treat! A frozen berry or... a chocolate covered something special! I opted for the latter...

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Nutritional Analysis

No cholesterol
Low in sodium
Low in sugar
High in dietary fiber
Very high in vitamin B6

Lets do this..!

That's it! ~ A not so guilty dessert made with an avocado base! Imagine.... this on top of vegan brownies, layered vegan cake, as a filling in a cupcake, in a layered parfait...! Plus Raw Cacao is known as a super food! It is a fantastic source of magnesium, one of the richest antioxidant source, an all natural anti-depressant, and helps diminish the appetite so can aid in weight loss! Say what? I'm SO loving cacao, I'm getting my chocolate fix and a health fix - heck yah!

Dessert for two ~ isn't eating healthy fun?

Shine from the insight out!

Christa

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Chocolate Banana Vanilla Chai Protein Shake

1/9/2014 2 Comments

Chocolate Banana Vanilla Chai Protein Shake! YUM! Does it get any better than this? This shake is a craving buster and a real treat! It is raw, vegan, gluten-free and full of whole-food ingredients. Loaded with frozen bananas, cacao, a handful of raw almonds, a splash of filtered water and a touch of vanilla chai protein powder to create a cacao sensation any time of the day! We enjoyed ours for breakfast the other morning. Chocolate lovers this shake is for you, it is so chocolatey....yum! Place it in the freezer for 20 minutes and it will be like ice cream.

Tip: Ensure the bananas are very ripe before freezing! Peal, freeze the night before and enjoy!

I love the health benefits of raw cacao!

Ingredients:

4 frozen bananas
1 cup cashew milk
1 handful almonds
1/4 cup raw cacao
1/2 scoop vanilla chai protein powder

Directions:

Place ingredients in high-speed blender.
Place on smoothie setting or high and blend until smooth. It will be thick 'n creamy!

Opt to freeze for 10 minutes (+) for an ice cream like consistency!

Watching your calories this New Year? No worries here you go!

Nutritional Analysis

Low in saturated fat
Low in cholesterol
Low in sodium
High in dietary fiber
Very high in vitamin B6
High in vitamin C
High in sugar (Add some extra movement in!)

Enjoy - cheers to you!

With love,
Christa

2 Comments

Choco Strawberry Banana Pineapple Smoothie

8/17/2013 0 Comments

Chocolate Hemp Protein Powder combined with fresh bananas, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple and a few dates makes for a happy belly. Plus it tastes amazing.

I stocked up for the week at the grocery store, came home and realized I neglected to have my morning shake! Thankfully I had fresh bananas from the store and within 5 minutes I was gulping the shake down. I can honestly tell a difference when I drink my shake.

I feel stronger, rejuvenated and rebalanced. My energy is restored and I feel ready to take on the next task. Smoothies are a great way to join a mixture of ingredients, especially if you have anything that is going bad. I love to peel my ripe bananas, break them into pieces and freeze them. They work out magnificently in shakes.

Want to know what I learned today? If you have a fresh pineapple, set it on its side while it ripens so it allows for more evenly distribution of the sugary sweet juice. Who knew? Thank you Duane from Trader Joe's! :)

Making this smoothie is a piece of cake! Here is how:

Ingredients:

2 bananas
1/2 lb frozen strawberries
2 frozen round slices pineapple (about 1/4" thick ea.)
1/4 cup raw almonds
1 1/2 cups filtered water
5 dried and pitted Medjool dates
2 scoops Chocolate Hemp Protein

Prep:

Place ingredients in Blender. We use our Blendtec!
Place on smoothie setting or medium to high-speed, until nice and creamy.
Pour in glass and drink to good health!

Have a healthy and happy day!
Christa

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Chocolate Banana Hemp Dream

7/21/2013 0 Comments

I was chatting with my sister last week and we were both craving chocolate. She shared with me her new favorite chocolate treat that is still healthy yet super satisfying. She said it tasted like a Wendy's frosty! I created a modified hemp version with an extra banana for some added dreaminess for my hubby's benefit.

It turned out super creamy and delicious! Plus it's a protein shake which rocks my socks!

Have it on a blanket outside for a superb experience.

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk (or rice, cashew, hemp, soy etc)
2 ripe bananas
1 tray of ice cubes
2 heaping tbsp chocolate hemp protein powder
7 dates
opt: 1/3 cup or 3 small chunks of frozen banana

Prep:

Combine ingredients in a high-speed blender. I used our Blendtec!
Press smoothie setting or blend until creamy!
Pour into tall chilled glasses and serve!
Opt: feel free to place in the freezer for 20 minutes to create an even "cooler" experience!