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. 

Peanut Butter Cup Vegan Cheesecake

I've been having a ridiculous amount of fun making vegan cheesecakes... nutcakes? Hmm.. we need to coin a term for these beauties. Creamcakes? I dunno, I'll stew on it. (Mmm, stew...)

If you've never made one before, they usually consist of a nut and date crust that is then topped with a cream filling made with soaked cashews and coconut oil/butter. The result is nothing short of genius.
After trying this basic recipe from food blogger Chocolate Covered Katie, I was interested in playing with flavors and textures. Well I may have gotten a bit ambitious when I saw this Create N Plate recipe on Pinterest, but it looked sooo goood. And it is. I adapted it slightly to get more of the peanut butter flavor.

I decided to make them into cupcake size ones so that they would be easier to transport.. because I'm nice and I actually do share my food with other humans. Usually. Not gonna lie though, I thought twice about that gesture with these. 

Cheesecake Crust:

-1 cup dates (about 10 dates) 

-1/2 cup almonds or other nut

-1T PB2

-2T Peanut butter

-Pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until it forms a sticky crust. Press into parchment lined 6" springform pan, or cupcake molds in this case, and place in freezer until your filling is ready. You can adjust measurements to get the right consistency. I added the PB2 and Peanut Butter to get the flavor, but you can omit them if you want just a regular crust. 

For the filling on these, I wanted to try to get a creamier texture so I liked that this recipe called for bananas instead of the usual coconut oil. I changed it slightly because I didn't want a strong banana flavor, and after tasting them I think I would omit the banana completely and just use coconut butter. But it's good to know that I can use banana in the base. I also think it would benefit from a little bit of vanilla. 

Filling:

-2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least two hours in water, then drained

-1 banana

-1/4 cup coconut butter

-3T cacao powder

-2T real maple syrup 

Mix all ingredients in food processor until creamy. Will take about 5 minutes. Spoon and gently press filling onto prepared crust, then place in freezer again for a while until it sets. 

The fun part about this cheesecake recipe? The toppings!! 

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

-1/4 cup plus 2T coconut oil, melted

-1/4 cup cacao powder

-2T agave or maple syrup

-Natural peanut butter

Combine oil, cacao, and sweetener, and spoon enough into mini cupcake molds with liners. Place in freezer until set, about 10 minutes. Drop a bit of peanut butter into the center of each one, then top with more chocolate to cover. Freeze again until set. Store in fridge, and keep cool as the chocolate will melt easily. You can also use the leftover chocolate mixture as a drizzle topping. 

Peanut Butter Sauce

-2T coconut oil, melted

-1/2 cup peanut butter

Combine and drizzle over cakes (or ice cream!).

And there you have it, a delicious Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake. No milk, no weird ingredients, just pure love and deliciousness. 

Nom on that my sweet friends!

Amanda

Veggie Spring Rolls

 Thai style... they could be sweet, savory, spicy, bold. They could be well thought out and complex, or just whatever leftover veggies you have in the fridge.

There is a new blog I started following called Plant Based Travelmust say I am quite enjoying following this girl's vegan adventures in Berlin. Food and foreign sights?! Gives me really bad wanderlust, but I love it! A few days ago she posted her first attempt at spring rolls, and it inspired me to not only have them for dinner tonight but to also share a little about how to make your own.

The first thing you want to do is get all your ingredients and chop everything pretty thin. This will help in the rolling process. I like to have some sort of creamy ingredient like avocado, hummus, mango, etc., so it's not all crunchy stuff, but the cool thing about spring rolls is that you can put whatever you want in them!

For assembly, start with a flat work surface to roll on, and have a plate ready to set finished rolls. Run your rice paper circle under water for a few seconds, getting both side wet, then let the excess water drip off. Place your paper on the flat surface, and start laying out all the stuffing ingredients. Remember not to put too much stuff or you will have trouble sealing the ends.

By the time you are done placing the filling, the paper should have gotten soft and a bit stretchy. Start by rolling the bottom up and over the filling, then fold the sides, then just roll that baby up like a newborn in a blanket. These are best eaten immediately, as the paper keeps getting softer and falls apart if left too long. ( One time I tried making spring rolls as a pack out lunch for work and ended up eating them all with a fork because the paper had disintegrated by lunch time.)

These ones took on a sort of Mediterranean flavor, since I didn't have any avocado so I used some hummus. I also put red bell pepper, green onion, shaved carrot, tomato, and some leftover spaghetti squash I needed to use up. But like I said, you can put whatever you want in them. Have fun with it!

I find peanut sauce quite disgusting, but here is my go-to sweet and spicy sauce for when I make spring rolls...

Sweet and Spicy Thai Dipping Sauce:
1 T sriracha or chili sauce
2 T agave
2 T rice vinegar
Mix together, makes one or two servings.

What are your favorite ingredients to put in spring rolls??

Amanda

Banana Chai Smoothie

I'm a bit of a chai snob. Okay, I'm a huge chai snob. I like my chai spicy and bold, not too sweet generally. I find Starbucks chai way too sweet, but Pete's chai very bland. Usually I will brew a cup with a spoonful of honey and a touch of almond milk. Mmm, perfect.

I've been looking for a good chai for a while. Some don't have a strong enough flavor and I end up having to brew 2 or 3 tea bags to taste anything. Some are just laden with cinnamon oil and taste like I brewed a pack of cinnamon gum, bleh.
On my trip to India this past January, I loved going to my brother-in-law's family's house and being greeted by their warm smiles, and hot cups of chai. It was bold, flavorful, not too sweet.. just right. I managed to find a can of loose chai tea in one of the shops, and couldn't wait to bring it home and start brewing! This one has good flavor, but also gets muted by the milk. Maybe I should just skip the milk!? Nah.. that's borderline blasphemy.

Today I had a ripe banana that my mom wouldn't eat (she's one of those crazy people who only eats green bananas... ewww) so I took it and thought, "why not?" and blended it with the cup of chai I had been thinking about all morning, and the result was nothing short of heavenly.

Banana Chai Smoothie:

- 1 ripe banana plus 1 frozen banana

- 1/2 cup brewed chai tea

- splash of almond milk (or other plant based milk)

- dash of cinnamon and ground ginger (optional, to taste)

Blend all together and enjoy! 

It was a nice pick-me-up on this warm and cloudy day. Went perfect with a piece of chocolate on the side! 

What is your favorite brand of chai? 

Amanda

Watermelon Lime Cooler

I think it's supposed to be over 100 degrees by the end of the week here in Northern California... ugh. In that case, I've got a recipe that's about to be your new best friend.

This is about as simple as it gets, folks. Two ingredients with some optional add-ins, and you'll be ready to tackle this heat and pretend you're lounging on the beach in some wonderfully tropical paradise. 

Watermelon Lime Cooler

- 2 cups chopped watermelon

- 1/2 peeled lime

- water to blend, about 1/2-1 cup.

Blend ingredients together and enjoy! This is best served cold, so add ice or place in freezer for 15 minutes. 

Optional: 

Add 2 leaves of fresh mint

Stir in 2 Tbs chia seeds after blending

Cheers to keeping cool!

Manny's Favorite Green Smoothie

I know there are tons of recipes for green smoothies out there, and really they are so easy to customize to your liking or nutritional needs, but I thought I'd share my favorite because it's so simple and delicious!

Smoothies are so great to incorporate into your diet because they can be quick to prepare, they are easy to take on the go, and the act of liquifying the ingredients makes it easier on your digestive system. Plus, you're not missing out on any fiber or other nutrients that may be lost when juicing or cooking the ingredients.

Manny's Favorite Green Smoothie

- 1 frozen banana

- 1 handful raw cashews

- 2 scoops PB2 (Or use 2T regular creamy peanut butter but omit cashews)

- Fill the blender the rest of the way with loose fresh spinach

- 1 cup almond milk, maybe more so it blends nice

Blend all ingredients until creamy, and enjoy! 

The thing about smoothies is you can add or subtract anything you want to make it how YOU like. So some optional variations or add-ins could be:

- Hemp seeds

- Chia seeds

- Oats

- Kale instead of spinach (will be more bitter, not as sweet)

- Avocado instead of banana (not as sweet, and higher in healthy fats and protein)

- Chocolate or PB Protein powder

- Other superfood powders: wheatgrass, chlorophyll, cacao, lucuma, maca, bee pollen, etc. 

- Be creative! 

What is YOUR favorite smoothie recipe to nom??

Vanilla Chia Pudding & The Neapolitan Smoothie

I am not a morning person.

But I AM a breakfast person. You know those people who are like, "Yeah I don't really eat breakfast." That is not me. Those people are crazy and I don't associate with them. Just kidding. I still love you even if you don't eat breakfast (even though its the most important meal of the day!! Sheesh.)

What to eat for breakfast is the most exciting and difficult decision I have to make all day. But now that it's warming up here in central California, I will most likely be putting away the toaster and frying pans, and turning to my trusty blender. Because I love smoothies. You know those crazy people who are like, "Yeah, I don't really like smoothies." That is also not me. I'm surprised that I haven't toasted the motor on my blender yet (especially because I found it in my mom's garage years ago and stole it when I moved out.)

You guys are in for a treat today because not only are you getting like 4 recipes in one post, but all of them can either be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert! Yes, you read that right. And you're welcome.

The first recipe is for Vanilla Chia Pudding. If you've never used chia seeds before, I highly recommend adding them into your daily diet. They are so versatile, and super good for you.

As a vegetarian and transitioning vegan, it is great to have this nourishing little superfood in my arsenal. It provides protein, fiber, essential vitamins and minerals, and also helps detox your system thanks to its gelatinous structure. They are so easy to use too. You can add a tablespoon to oatmeal or cereal, in juice or water, bake them into breads, bars and cookies, there's really no limit to how to use them. They are small and tasteless, so you wont even notice that they are there. I buy my chia seeds at Costco for a great price. You can also find them at places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I think I've even seen them in the bulk bins at Winco. 

Vanilla Chia Pudding

- 2 cups milk (I used homemade almond milk)

- 4 heaping tablespoons chia seeds

- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

- 1 tablespoon agave syrup (optional)

Mix all ingredients well. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. After about 10 minutes, give it a good stir so the seeds don't settle at the bottom. You'll notice that the seeds have started to absorb the liquid. You can eat it at this point, or leave it for another hour so the seeds really soak up all the goodness and the pudding gets nice and thick. Enjoy by itself, or top with some fresh fruit. 

Okay, so now that you know how to use chia seeds let's just go ahead and jump to the finale, cuz I'm so excited to show you how to make this absolutely delicious smoothie!

Neapolitan Smoothie

Vanilla Layer

Spoon some of your prepared Vanilla Chia Pudding into the bottom of a jar or large cup. Set aside.

Strawberry Layer

In a blender, mix about 6 fresh strawberries (and a few frozen ones if you have them, for texture) and enough milk to make it smooth, about 1 cup. If you have good sweet strawberries, you wont need to add any sweetener. If they are on the tart side you can add a little honey. 

Pour strawberry layer on top of your vanilla layer. Set aside and rinse out blender.

Chocolate Layer

In your blender mix 1 frozen banana, 1 heaping tablespoon cacao powder (not cocoa powder!), and enough milk to make it smooth, about 1 cup. Pour this layer on top of your strawberry layer. 

Dunk in a straw, and marvel at the beauty you just created.

Now go nom the hell outta that nom, and bask in the fact that you are fueling your body with so much energy and nutrients that you should have no problem conquering the world. And congratulations on becoming a breakfast person.