Coconut Hemp Fudge Balls

Recently I've been urging my family to reduce the amount of meat they buy and eat, and introducing them to some new plant-based options. My mom, however, has several food allergies including corn, avocado, citrus, and most recently dairy, which makes it hard, and oftentimes frustrating, for her to find things she can eat. But she's been such a trooper and I'm so proud of her for trying new foods and eating more fruits and veggies.

I find it is easier to get people to try new things if they come in the form of sweets, so I made these decadent little treats to introduce her to one of my favorite plant based superfoods, hemp! Hemp is a great source of protein, omegas, fiber, and iron. I picked up this recipe on a handout from Susan at Clarity Wellness attached to a free sample of Manitoba Harvest's Hemp Hearts at a wellness faire in the Bay Area. I've been wanting to try a fudge ball recipe, so this seemed like a good time!

Coconut Hemp Fudge Balls

1 cup nut butter (I used Trader Joe's unsalted almond butter)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa if you don't have cacao)
3/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup agave (or honey, or maple syrup)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

In a food processor, combine nut butter, coconut oil, cacao powder, agave, and vanilla until combined and creamy. Add 1/4 cup of the hemp seeds and mix again for a few seconds until incorporated. Transfer the fudge into a bowl and freeze for about 15 minutes until it is firm enough to roll into balls. Mix the remaining hemp seeds, coconut, and the sea salt in a small bowl. Once the fudge is firm, remove from freezer and with your hands, roll into 1" balls. Roll the balls into the hemp and coconut mix to coat. Store in the freezer, and thaw for about 10 minutes before eating so they are nice and soft!

These are so rich and creamy! This is a super easy vegan and gluten-free recipe you can use in your plant based journey! You can sub any type of nut or seed butter if you are working around allergies, and it would be so easy to incorporate other superfoods like maca or chia seeds to adjust to your personal taste.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

xoxo

Veggie Crunch Salad and Easy Lemon Dressing

The other night as I was making dinner, I decided to make a salad as a side. I didn't have any lettuce, but I didn't let that stop me! The result was so delicious, I almost forgot about the casserole I had in the oven and would have been content to just sit down and happily munch away on this salad!

Veggie Crunch Salad

3 carrots

4-6 stalks celery (I used the middle heart pieces to get the yummy leaves!)

1/4 head purple cabbage

1 cucumber, skin removed

Chop all veggies into bite-size pieces. Garnish with green onions and hemp seeds. Toss with Lemon Dressing (recipe below). You could easily make this a meal by adding a protein source like avocado, kidney or garbanzo beans, or chopped kale. Serves about 4. Adjust amounts to your liking or to accommodate more servings. 

Easy Lemon Dressing

Juice from 1 lemon, about 2 T

3-4 T olive oil (or your favorite oil)

1 T agave syrup (optional)

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and enjoy on your favorite salads. If you don't have a lemon, you can easily sub apple cider vinegar or basalmic vinegar. 

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Balls

Here's a quick post for a fast, healthy, delicious snack! 

Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup ground flax

1/3 cup honey1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips or 2 Tbs cacao powder (optional, but highly recommended!) 

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, then roll into 2" balls. Refrigerate to set, and store in an airtight container in the fridge. They also freeze well, just pull them out a few minutes before you want to eat them. 

These guys are extremely energizing. I made the mistake of eating a few for dessert one night, and I couldn't fall asleep until about 2 am! They are perfect with a smoothie for a quick breakfast, or a pre-workout snack. Enjoy!

Caramel Walnut Brownies

My niece pointed out on my birthday this weekend that I am now in my "late twenties". Isn't she so nice? But honestly it's not too bad. Late twenties so far has gone on like a great pair of new jeans, and I'm very much okay with that.

So with all the birthday plans this weekend I didn't have time to bake a cake, but I couldn't let my birthday pass without making some chocolatey treat in my honor! I've seen so many recipes for raw vegan brownies floating around my Instagram and they all look soooo delicious, so I decided to give it a try.

These are seriously amazing. I was a little skeptical of how the consistency would be, but they came out so fudgey and gooey I didn't mind one bit that they aren't cakey. Who says you have to have cake on your birthday? Where's the brownie love?!

Raw Caramel Walnut Brownies

Brownies

Adapted from this Deliciously Ella recipe.

1 cup raw pecans

2 cups Medjool dates

4 Tablespoons raw cacao powder

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Dash of Himalayan Pink salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pulse pecans in your processor until it forms a small pieces that will combine with the dates well. Make sure to take the seeds out of your dates. Ella notes that using Medjool dates is important because they are softer and stickier than other kinds, and this will help hold everything together. Add all the other ingredients to the pecans and blend until it sticks together and forms a ball.

Press the brownies into a small square baking dish lined with parchment or wax paper (I didn't do this and really wish I had when it came time to cut them because they are very gooey!). It helps if your hands are a little wet so they don't stick. (At this point I was really tempted to just eat it all, it's THAT good!) Sprinkle walnuts on top and press them in lightly, since you can't really stir them in. Place in freezer while you make the frosting.

Caramel Frosting

10 pitted Medjool dates

1/2 cup almond milk (you can also use water)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted

1 tsp maca powder

Pinch of Himalayan Salt

Chopped walnuts

Place all ingredients in your food processor and blend until combined and creamy. This will take a few minutes, and you will need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. You can adjust the consistency by adding more or less milk. Be sure to taste it and adjust vanilla, maca, and salt to your liking. Pull the brownies out of the freezer and layer frosting on top. Top with more chopped walnuts. Leave in freezer until set completely, at least two hours. When it's time to serve them up, give them a few minutes at room temp to soften slightly. Store any leftovers in the freezer. This made about 8 medium sized squares.

Can it be my birthday again?

Maca Turmeric Latte

Not being able to drink caffeine can be so sad and lonely. You know those days where you really just need a big fat cup of coffee to keep you going? Or those cold mornings where a warm espresso is there to help lure you out of your cozy bed? Well don't take it for granted that you are able to enjoy those simple pleasures! One cup of caffeinated beverage sends me straight back to bed with a headache like a hangover an a stomach ache to match. I thought I was doomed to be an herbal tea drinker for life, but winter leaves me desperate for some warm creamy drinks that help fulfill that deep dark hole of decaffeinated doom, and I think I've finally perfected a few.

One of the superfoods I've been wanting to try is Maca, as it is a caffeine-free source of energy. It is packed with vitamins and minerals, which makes it a natural mood booster. (This is sounding better than caffeine already!) It has an earthy taste, but it is complemented quite well in this recipe by the spicy turmeric and sweet cinnamon. The combination is a bold flavor for the adventurous palette.

Using aromatic spices like these have tons of health benefits as well. Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and cinnamon suppresses appetite. Ginger of course soothes the digestive tract, and cardamom, a relative of both Turmeric and Ginger, is also great for digestion and lowering blood pressure (unlike caffeine). All of these spices are great for overall good health!

Maca Turmeric Latte

2 T raw pecans
1 t maca powder
1/2 t turmeric powder
1/2 t cinnamon
Dash of cardamom
Dash of ginger powder
3 T coconut sugar

Put all ingredients in blender. Add 2 cups hot water and blend on high until combined and creamy. Or use cold water and serve over ice.

Life Changing Bread

I stumbled across the recipe for Life Changing Bread some time ago on Pinterest, and I've made it several times since then. The original recipe was developed by Sarah over at the My New Roots blog, and I highly suggest reading her original blog post, simply because her photos are beautiful, and she provides more information on the ingredients.

I can relate to her love of bread. Like, if I had no self-control I would happily sit down with a sweet loaf of French, or a rustic crunchy baguette, and a stick of butter, and just nom myself into a carb-induced coma.

Part of me deciding to become vegetarian/vegan and eat healthier included reducing the amount of bread I was eating. I knew that I was eating too much bread, so I have made a very conscious effort to cut back. I realize now that it is very much an addiction. Breads, pastries, tortillas... even rice and pasta; they are sneaky. How many slices of bread have you eaten today? How many white carbs take over your meals? It's hard cutting down, but it's necessary. I find that when I get into the habit of eating too many of these things I crave them more. See, addiction.

This loaf of bread is one you can feel good about eating though. It has no flour and is very low in sugar and salt. Plus, it's packed full of nutrient-rich ingredients that are extremely good for your body. It is extremely good topped with avocado and tomato, or with peanut butter and banana. Or Nutella and strawberries, or hummus and bell pepper... or basically anything really!

The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup flax seeds
½ cup hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp chia seeds
4 Tbsp psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 ½ cups water

1. In a bowl combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Spoon into a foil-lined loaf pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F
3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).
4. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Probably the worst thing ever is not being able to eat solid food. Don't get me wrong, I love my smoothies, but suddenly when I'm not allowed to eat anything else I start dreaming about sushi and burritos and pizza and... I basically turn into Gollum, sitting in the corner of the kitchen stroking a bag of mushrooms saying, "my precioussss."

I had to have minor surgery on my mouth this week, so to avoid crawling into a dark slimy cave I decided to make some noms I could eat without causing too much discomfort. This was the perfect opportunity to try that chocolate avocado pudding that's been haunting my Pinterest feed. Love me some vegan desserts.

So this is basically the easiest pudding I've ever made. And I am going to be anti-American for a second and say that this shit tastes WAY better than Jell-O chocolate pudding. And it is also WAY better for you, seeing as it is completely free of nasty chemicals and artificial sugars and flavors. The avocado provides protein and healthy fats and the cacao packs a powerful superfood punch of antioxidants and energy. I wont tell you that you could eat this for breakfast... but you totally could. Top some oatmeal with it. Sprinkle some granola and berries on top. Put it on top of pancakes, or inside crepes... Okay, I'll stop.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 large ripe avocado

1T coconut oil, room temp

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup cacao powder (NOT cocoa powder)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until combined and creamy.

Garnish with fresh berries or sliced banana.

Serves about 4.

I think I'll go watch Two Towers now, while nomming my preciousss... I mean, my pudding.