Blueberry Banana Bark

This recipe is fast, simple, delicious, and most importantly super healthy! It's only three ingredients which is amazing these days (busy busy busy). I found this recipe here, and I am so happy I found it! These days making food and general activities have been very exhausting so I am super happy when I find simple recipes like these. Anyways, go make this recipe right now and tell me what you think! 

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen bananas (freeze overnight)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup blueberries

Steps:

• Blend the frozen bananas and vanilla in a food processor
• Stir in blueberries
• Spread onto parchment paper
• Place into freezer for at least 4 hours
• Eat directly from the freezer

Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Carrot Pasta & Coconut Almond Sauce

Helloooo friends! Thanks for checking out my blog! This recipe is inspired by another blog post I found but seemingly disappeared from this thing called the inter web. Actually I probably just can't find it (oops.) This is my adaptation and I love it!!! The best part about raw vegan food is it not only tastes delicious but it leaves you full without feeling sick. I love this recipe and I hope you will too! ( you will, don't worry )

Start by shredding the carrot into ribbons. You can make this with a julienne peeler or just with a regular peeler like I did. I used regular big carrots and used 2. How many you use is up to you! It should end up looking something like this!

Next is the sauce! This will make enough for two large servings!

• heaping 1/2 cup of almond butter
• 2 dates
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 or 1 tsp grater ginger according to your taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (the thick kind)
• 1/4 cup water

Next mix the carrots and half of the sauce and mix together. Put on anything else you want like spinach or peppers or leave it plain! :) Here is the final look!

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you are looking for more recipes check out Confetti Celebrations! Her blog is absolutely beautiful and has more than just recipes! I love it! Go and check it out and I'm sure you will love it like I do!

Thanks for checking out my blog and go ahead and make this and tell me what you think!

Raw Vegan Carrot Cake & Cashew Frosting

LOVE THESE! Perfect for fall (or anytime really) and they are soooo yummy! The frosting is definitely different but it goes really well together! I will be making these over and over again!

Carrot Cake:

• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1 cup medjool dates
• 2 or 2 1/2 cups grated carrot
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 cup raisins

Cashew Frosting

• 1 cup cashews (soaked for at least an hour)
• 1/3 cup agave
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• enough water to create a frosting texture 

Steps:

• Blend all carrot cake ingredients together in a food processor
• Press ingredients into loaf tins (or muffin or a pan)
• Place in fridge
• Put all cashew frosting ingredients into a food processor and then place on top of cake
• I made 6 cakes in little loaf pans!

Nutritional Facts: (Makes 6)

Per Serving:

Calories: 431

Fat: 22.1 g

Protein: 7.5 g

Carbohydrates: 39 g

Fiber: 4.3 g

ENJOY!!!!

Raw Creamy Cashew Dip

     DO NOT MAKE THIS DIP. YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BECOME A DIP CONNOISSEUR AND NOTHING ELSE WILL COMPARE. Just kidding. I just really, really, like this dip. I love this recipe because it is raw vegan, and gives those who do not eat dairy a great option for a creamy dip! I will definitely be making this over and over again!

It goes perfect with veggies, and i'm sure it would taste great in wraps too!

Yep, i'm in love.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup water
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar 
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp avocado oil (or olive)
• 1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 drops agave or honey
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano 
• 1/4 tsp dried basil

Steps:

• Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor, let sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend!
• ENJOY!

Raw Vegan Twix Bars

This recipe is adapted from @healthy_bodyspiritmind on instagram. Im posting the recipe for those without instagram! :)

Ingredients:

FUDGE BASE:

• 1/2 cup raw walnuts
• 1/2 cup raw pecans
• 1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp raw agave 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• **Put all base ingredients into a food processor and blend until a dough is formed. Line the bottom of a 8x8 pan with the dough, and place in the freezer**

COOKIE:

• 1 cup raw almonds 
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp raw agave
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• **Place cookie ingredients in a food processor and blend until a dough is formed. Remove the pan with the base from the freezer and layer the cookie on top. Place back in freezer when this step is done**

CARMEL FILLING:

• 25 medjool dates (soft)
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp almond milk
• **Place all filling ingredients in a food processor and blend until it's smooth. First I blend all the dates, and I add the rest of the ingredients and blend.When it's smooth, run the knife under water to make it easier to spread over the cookie layer, then place back in freezer**

CHOCOLATE COATING:

• 3 tbsp agave
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
• **When the filling is hardened, place the chocolate layer on top. Make sure you melt the coconut oil, it makes a big difference. Place in freezer for at least 4 hours and then cut into squares**

* If you want the chocolate to be thinner than what I made, you simply need to follow a 1:2:1 ratio between agave, cocoa powder, and coconut oil. For example, you could do 2 tbsp agave, 4 tbsp cocoa powder, and 2 tbsp coconut oil.

ENJOY!!!! THESE ARE SO YUMMY!!!

Raw Vegan Chocolate Coconut Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 4 tbsp organic coconut oil
• 2 tbsp honey or agave
• 2 tbsp water
• 3 tsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch sea salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp raw cocoa

Steps: 

• Mix all ingredients together and let them blend together for about 10 minutes
• Roll into balls and freeze for at least 20 minutes

Notes: These are great and versatile! You can leave the cocoa powder out and exchange the chocolate chips for other things like dried blueberries, dates, and many other things! You can also use lemon extract or others in place of vanilla!

ENJOY!

Raw Vegan Pecan Pie Tarts

This is my favourite dessert EVER! Seriously, anything raw vegan is perfect for dessert. This recipe is adapted from Organic Olivia :)

Ingredients:

CRUST:

• 3/4 cup pecans
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 4 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup dates
• a dash of sea salt
• **Process the dates in a food processor. Once they have been processed add in all the other crust ingredients**
• **Press the dough crust you have made into an 8x8 pan and put in the freezer while you are making the filling**

PIE FILLING:

• 1 and a 1/4 cup medjool dates (these need to have soaked at room temperature for at least an hour)
• **Drain the dates but keep the date water for later**
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I found this is my local superstore, I never even knew it existed before! It's amazing!)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• pinch sea salt
• 1/8 cup agave
• **add all these ingredients together in a food processor, including a splash of the date water to make it creamier**
• **spread it over the crust layer and let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. You can either store it in the freezer or fridge.**

ENJOY!!! :)

Vegan Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup coconut water
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp flax seeds 
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use vegan pea protein from vitacost)

Steps:

• Blend all ingredients together in a blender, and enjoy!

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 393

Fat: 9.1 g

Carbs: 56.2 g

Protein: 29.5 g

Enjoy!!! :)

Raw Vegan Zucchini Lasagna

This lasagna is so good and I will definitely be making this again. While this is slightly more time consuming than other recipes, it is great for dinner and bigger meals! Maybe I've forgotten what actual lasagna tastes like, but it seems pretty authentic to me! Recipe is adapted from Jennifer Cornbleet.

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini
• 4 cups spinach
• 1 cup Marinara Sauce
• 1 ripe avocado

Marinara Sauce:

• 1 ripe tomato
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Steps

1. Place in a food processor, this will keep in the fridge for 3 days

Steps:

• Thinly slice zucchini into strips, I cut it into halves and then sliced it.
• Place the spinach into a food processor until finely chopped (or a paste like mine).
• Coat the bottom of a small container with 2 tbsp Marinara Sauce 
• Arrange a 3rd of the noodles over it.
• Top with 2 tbsp Marinara Sauce.
• Add a layer of half the avocado.
• Top with half the spinach.
• Repeat this layering process.
• Left over will be zucchini and marinara, layer the zucchini on top and put on the Marinara Sauce.

This will keep in the fridge for 2 days. Enjoy!!

Raw Caramel Peanut Butter Cups

So these might look kinda weird and it's not a super grand picture but HOLY BANANAS these are so good! Raw vegan baking is without a doubt the most delicious in my opinion! And you don't get a heavy gross feeling after you've eaten! I see no flaws. Recipe adapted from healthybodymindspirit.

Ingredients:
Fudge Layer:

• 1/4 cup raw pecans
• 1/4 cup raw walnuts
• 2 tbsp raw cocoa powder
• 8 medjool dates (softened)
• a pinch of sea salt
• peanut butter

Caramel Layer:

• 20 medjool dates
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp almond milk (vanilla)

Chocolate:

• 1 tbsp agave
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Steps: (makes 6)

• Add fudge layer ingredients (not including peanut butter) into a food processor and blend.
• Divide the base into 6 parts, and press into muffin tin pans.
• Layer 1 tbsp peanut butter on the fudge base and freeze for 30 mins.
• As it freezes, place all the caramel ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth (this will take a while, i suggest soaking the dates before hand.)
• Once the peanut butter is frozen, spread the caramel layer of and place back in the freezer.
• Mix the chocolate ingredients together and layer on top. Freeze until hard, then enjoy!!

Chocolate Strawberry Banana Ice Cream Smoothie

ICE CREAM! Well, sort of. Frozen bananas are the perfect choice to create an enjoyable cold treat! I've ended up just doubling the chocolate part for at least a good 5 days in a row. Bananas are complex carbs which will help you feel fuller for longer, which can especially be difficult in a vegan, or raw vegan diet. 

Ingredients:
Chocolate Layer:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup almond milk (vanilla)
• 1 medjool dates

Strawberry Layer:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 3/4 cup almond milk (vanilla)
• 1 dates

Steps

• Blend the layers separately, then layer. The first time I made this I did not freeze the bananas long enough, they were basically just cold bananas. Make sure you freeze the bananas, it will make a huge difference!!

Serves: 1

Calories: 483

Fat: 5g

Carbs: 113

Fibre: 16g

Protein: 7g

Enjoy!! :)

Protein Bar Challenge

     We LOVE protein in my house. Every meal, all the time. We've been long time fans of Clif Bars at lunch, however recently my dad looked closely at the ingredients and discovered there was soy in them. The effects of soy on men are generally not pleasant ones, and can decrease testosterone production, and increase estradiol productions, which is associated with female hormones. A rise in these hormones can lead to a development of breasts, hair loss in areas like the beard, possible dementia in later life, and many, many more issues. Needless to say, my dad and my brother do not want to eat soy at lunch everyday. So, my dad looked up three different energy bar recipes, and we made all three to decide which one (or two) we liked best! Here is our protein bar challenge!

German Chocolate Protein Bars

     We really liked these! The only issue we had was that we did not end up getting the brown rice syrup, and used agave nectar in it's place. These tasted really delicious but were slightly crumbly! Again, I think that was the issue of using only agave nectar. We plan on making these again! Please find the recipe here.

Raw Superfood and Seed Energy Bars

     I have no clue what happened here, but these did not turn out. They also tasted overly seedy for our taste buds. These are great, but not what we are looking for. Unfortunately, they did not cut well and as you can see they crumbled everywhere. These did not turn out like the original recipe. If you want to try these and see how they are supposed to turn out, click here!

Blueberry Bliss Breakfast Bars

     This is it. So good I could cry about it. These are really creamy and taste soooo lovely. These are the perfect texture to work with. They are so creamy in fact, that when we make them again we plan to add about a scoop or so of protein powder to add more protein. Please find the recipe here! 

     I am overall pretty happy with this little experiment. We will definitely be making the Blueberry Bliss Breakfast Bars, and the German Chocolate Protein Bars again. Our only issue is that there was not quite enough protein in any of them. Which is why we will be adding to the Blueberry Breakfast Bars to make them perfect for us! 

Enjoy!