Vegan Apple Squash Cake with Earl Grey Date Balls

Base:
2 cups Pecans

1/2 cup ground flax

1 tsp ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

a pinch of sea salt

10 deglet dates

Filling:

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 small organic butternut squash

a pinch of sea salt

1 can of organic coconut milk

1 cup melted coconut oil

Date Balls:

20 dates soaked in hot water with 1 tbsp earl grey tea (loose leaf)

bee pollen

2 tbsp coconut oil

Apple Topping:

1 macintosh apple

1/2 lemon juiced

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp maple syrup

Blend base ingredients in a food processor and press into a springform pan.  Then place in the freezer to chill.  In a high speed blender, mix filling ingredients.  Then pour into the base and place cake back in the freezer while you prepare the toppings.  Thinly slice apples and in a bowl, mix with lemon juice, cinnamon and maple syrup. Then, going back to the food processor, drain dates and blend them with the earl grey tea leaves for the bag. Use a mini ice-cream scoop to make ball shapes and top with bee pollen for nutrition and colour. Place in the freezer to set. Once the filling in the cake is solid enough, top with apple slices and date balls.  Let it set in the fridge overnight and serve next day :)

Raw Vegan Papaya Cheesecake with Passionfruit Fig jam and Mint Sauce

I haven't felt inspired to create anything in a really long time, but I think these good summer vibes have finally done the trick.  This tropical spectacle is sure to engage your pallet on a beautiful summers day. 👌🌞 

Filling:

2 cup Papaya

2 limes (juiced)

1/3 cup honey

2/3 cup melted coconut oil

2 tbsp soy lecithin

2 cups soaked cashews

Crust:

2 tsp matcha powder

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup pecans

1 cup walnuts

3 tbsp coconut mana

a dash of salt

Jam Topping

2 figs

4 passionfruit

1 orange

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp chia seeds

Mint Sauce

1/4 cup of mint (packed)

1/4 cup water

1 lime (juiced)

3 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp honey

1. Blend all crust ingredients in a food processor until it sticks together.  Press into the bottom of a springform pan and place in the freezer.

2. Blend papaya, lime juice and honey.  Either melt coconut oil on the stove on the lowest setting or with a double boiler, set your bowl of coconut oil atop a pot of boiled water and wait for the oil to melt, stirring occasionally.

3. Mix in coconut oil and soy lecithin and blend once more.  Pour on top of the base and set back in the freezer.

4. To make the jam topping, place figs (with skins), the contents of 4 passionfruit, one peeled orange and maple syrup in a blender and blend until smooth.  You will still see the flecks of passionfruit seed in the mixture.  Pour the mixture out into a small bowl and mix with chia seeds.  You can wait a while for this to thicken or just pour on top of the filling layer and place back in the freezer.

5.  Let the cake set for a good 5h or overnight.  Then decorate with fresh figs and mint of basal leaves.

6.  For the sauce, just blend everything in a high speed blender and drizzle on top.  It may be a bit runny but when it's refrigerated for a while, the consistence becomes more viscus. 

Rosemary Cardamom Kumquat Tarts

These little beauties are tart with a pinch of savoury and sweet.  

The perfect transition from winter into spring/summer flavours.  

Rosemary Cardamom Tart Shells

1.5 cup Soaked Cashews

1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder

6 cardamom pods (extract seeds and blend in a spice blender)

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

4 dates

Kumquat Cashew Filling

3/4 cup seeded kumquats

12 tbsp water

4 dates

1/2 cup soaked cashews

White Chocolate Top Layer

1 cup cacao butter

2 tbsp coconut sugar( I used 2 tbsp honey but it separated when solidified)

A dash of grey sea salt

Candied Kumquats

8 kumquats

2 tbsp water

A pinch of vanilla bean powder

1.5 tbsp honey

Prep 2 cups of cashews the night before by soaking them in water in the fridge.  If you’ve forgotten, an hour or 2 before of soaking will do, if you have a high speed blender.  

Dry off your cashews with a fresh dish cloth.  Place 1.5 cups of cashews in a food processor with the rest of the crust ingredients.  Blend until smooth and press into silicone muffin tins or paper wrappers.  Place in the freezer.

Slice 3/4 cups of kumquats in half and remove seeds.  Place in a blender with the last of the cashews (1/2 cup), 12 tbsp of water to thin it out and 4 dates to cut the tartness. Blend until smooth.  The mixture should still be quite thick but at a touch more water if it’s not blending.  Fill the tart shells leaving a bit of room at the top and rerun to the freezer.

For the white chocolate layer, melt in a pot over low heat with coconut sugar and sea salt.  Let it cool slightly but not so much so that it starts to solidify again.  Pour over frozen tarts and return to the freezer.

Slice kumquats into wheel shapes and de-seed.  In the meantime, in a small pot, allow water, honey and vanilla to come to a boil.  One it’s boiling, add the fruit and bring it back up to a boil.  Then reduce to a simmer for 10m.  Remove from the stove and allow to cool before placing in a glass dish with the syrup in the fridge. 

Once the white chocolate layer is solidified, remove from their silicone tart shells and top with candied kumquats.  These tarts can then be stored in the fridge.  

Makes about 9 tarts

Could easily be made into a cake as well, using a spring form pan.

Takes ridiculously too long to make.

Marzipan Protein Bites

These little morsels are rich and satisfying, made of nut butters and sprinkled with a touch of cacao.  It's like dipping your spoon into the almond butter jar but 10x better.

1/4 cup almond butter (raw is preferable, but I didn't have any)
1/4 cup raw walnut butter (Artisana)
5 medjool dates
1 1/2 tsp organic almond extract
1/8 cup melted coconut oil.
raw cacao powder for the topping

1) Blend nut butters, dates and almond extract in a high speed blender or food processor until smooth.

2) Place coconut oil in a glass dish, then place that dish in a bowl of boiling water until the oil is liquified.  Then add that to the blender mixture.

3) Press into a small dish or sealable container and top with raw cacao powder

4) Refrigerate until solid and cut into small squares.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Orange Mango Cheesecake

This cheesecake is punk taste test approved! Vegan ponx potluck anyone? 

Crust: 
1 1/4 cups Pecans
5 medjooll dates
Pinch of sea salt
2 heaping tbsp raw Cacao powder

Base Filling:
250g raw organic cashews (Soak overnight and drain to use)
3 Oranges juiced with pulp
THe zest of 1 orange
30 drops od sweet citrus essential oils
1/3 of a lemon juiced
Light pinch of turmeric for colour
1/2 tsp fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Cardamom
1 tbs soy lecithin
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tbsp Maple Syrup

Top Layer:
The Zest of 1 orange
1 orange
2 heaping tbsp Chia seeds
1 small Mango

Instructions 

1) Mix all base ingredients in a food processor till everything is mixed evenly.
It should stick together when squeezed.  If it doesn't add more dates one at a time.
Press flat into the bottom of a spring form pan and set aside.

2) In a high speed blender or food processor (regular blender is not strong enough to blend that cashews finely)
Blend everything until smooth.

3) Pour this on top of the base and place in the freezer while you make the top layer.

4) In a blender, Blend chia, orange and zest until the chia is fully broken down.
add mango and blend for a second or two at low speed so that it's still a bit chunky.

5) Pour this mixture on top of the base filling.

6) If you're going to be serving it soon after you can place it in the freezer to solidify faster.
If not, let it set in the fridge overnight.

Spiced Squash Pie with Vanilla Date filling (Raw Vegan)

I experimented with squash this thanksgiving season and this pie was an instant success.  When my friend woke up with cravings for it the next morning, I knew I just had to share.

Crust:
Mix equal parts;
Hazelnuts
Cashews
Pecans
Flax
Hemp Seeds

It should be 1 1/3 cup approximately

12 Medjool Dates
2 tbsp Apple Pie Spice


Filling:
1/2 Butternut Squash
6 Medjool Dates
1/2 can Coconut Milk
8tbsp Soy Lecithin
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1tbsp Cinnamon
1tbsp Cardamom
1/4 tbsp all spice
Pinch of Sea Salt
1/3 a Lemon Juiced

Topping:
1 1/2 tbsp Vanilla Bean Powder
1 tbsp soy Lecithin
1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
5 Medjool Dates
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
A pinch of Cardamom and Cinnamon

Instructions

1) Blend all the crust ingredients in a food processor until it sticks together.  Press it into the bottom of a pie pan.  I chose a glass one.  Place that into the freezer for the time being.

2) Cut the skin off half a squash and place it in a high speed blender.  Add the rest of the ingredients for the filling and blend until smooth.  Pour that into the base and place back into the freezer.

3) For the topping, blend all the ingredients and put into a piping bag. Decorate the top as desired. 

4)  Let the pie set overnight or in the freezer for an hour for quick setting.

Rockin' Raw

Rockin'n Raw is a raw vegan restaurant at 178 North 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY. It specializes in organic, Peruvian, New Orleans, Creole style, living cuisine. The atmosphere is calm and welcoming. Defiantly the sort of place you need time to enjoy, unless you're ordering food in advance to go. Though the restaurant was almost empty, service was slow.

I ordered Tallarines ala Huancaina. A spicy zucchini pasta in Peruvian aji/nut cheese sauce, choclo, mushrooms and peppers (as shown above). They weren't kidding about the spicy description either. This dish has bite, in the most positive way imaginable. If you love spicy food, this cheesy pasta dish is a definite recommendation. Perfectul portioned to fill you up and reasonably priced for the size and quality at $14. I scraped my plate clean which is always a good sign.

For dessert, I ordered the Lucuma Cheesecake (as seen below) and a piece of Banana Bread to go. The cheesecake was a good texture. No overwhelming flavor so probably best for classic cheesecake lovers, though they have a classic cheesecake option as well. They had a crusted cacao layer on the top and bottom which didn't seem necessary and could have been far more chocolatey for my taste. However, I enjoyed it and couldn't complain about the $9 price for NY raw vegan cheesecake. The banana bread was too sweet for my taste and the cinnamon cream filling (which I was really looking forward to) was more flaky than anything and didn't really add much to the dessert at all. As far as desserts go this restaurant has one of the best selections I've seen though. It would be a great place to go, even for a treat. All desserts are visible in a glass display case so you can let your eyes do the choosing for you.

On top of their vast food variety, Rockin' Raw also has a wide array of smoothies, milkshakes, fresh juices, tea, coffee, cocktails, wine and beer. No shortage of choice anywhere here, which I love. It's places like this that keep me coming back so I can try everything. It all just looks and sounds amazing.

Rating: 9.5/10
http://www.rockinraw.com/

Pumpkin Recipes

I bought a pumpkin this Halloween and am still coming up with creative ways to use the leftovers. Here are just a few of the recipes I came up with that turned out absolutely delicious.

-Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie-

Crust:
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans
pinch of sea salt
10 deglet dates or 5 medjool dates

Filling:
2 cups of raw pumpkin
1/2 a can of coconut milk
1 medium carrot (washed and unpeeled)
1/2 cup soaked raisins (30m or so)
4 deglet dates or 2 medjool dates
pinch of sea salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp of cinnamon
6 tbsp soy lecithin

Instructions:

In a food processor, blend up all the nuts and sea salt for the crust until they're just a bit crumbly. Then add the dates and blend until it forms a ball or gets pasty enough to hold together if you press it with your fingers. Press it into a glass pie dish and place in the fridge or freezer.

For the filling, first blend the pumpkin and coconut milk in a high speed blender until smooth. Then add chopped up carrot, raisins, dates and spices, blending again till smooth. Finally, add the lecithin and give it a good blend until it's thoroughly disputed throughout the mixture.

Remove crust from the freezer and fill with the pumpkin filling. Place in the fridge over night so it can set. The next day it should be ready to serve.

__________________________________________________________________


-Pumpkin Pie Smoothie-

Having not much in my fridge one day, i resorted back to my frozen pumpkin for breakfast ideas. This was the result.

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup frozen pumpkin
2 medjool dates
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tbsp hemp seeds
3 tbsp plain goats yogurt (soy or coconut would work if you're vegan)
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cardamom pods (seeds)
a pinch of sea salt
5 ice cubes

Blend it all together in a high speed blender and you're all set. Pumpkin pie filling in a glass. This smoothie is pretty thick and filling so it makes a great breakfast.

The Juice Press NYC

The Juice Press is take out/delivery juice cleanse and raw vegan establishment. All their juices are cold-pressed and organic. Everything on the menu is 100% organic as a mater of fact. With several locations around Manhattan, this place makes it simple to get easily absorbable nutrition, fast. After being here many times, I have never had a complaint aside from the odd time that the person in front of me decides to buy out the item I had come for. This is a pretty good indicator though of their popularity, nutrition and superior creations.

I've tried -

Juices and Smoothies:

(A) Complete Source - Formula: carrot, celery, parsley, spinach. according to norman walker this formula is the most assimilable source of protein. vegetation is the prime source of all nutrition, including protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, & salts.

Thoughts: Simple a great green juice complete with all the essentials.

(C) Sweet Potato Pie - Formula: carrot, sweet potato, 1/4 apple, flax, peruvian maca extract. sweet potato is a beta carotene gold mine! carrot is known to be a great liver detoxer. the sugars in carrots convert easily to a useable source of energy. sweet potato is a great source of vitamin c. you want that. trust me.

Thoughts: Though totally delicious, this is very sweet. With the maca extract and flax, along with apple and sweet potato, I think I prefer the taste to straight up carrot juice though it's still pretty similar. No shortage of carotenoids going on in this juice.

(E) Drink Your Salad -Formula: ripe tomato, carrot, celery, beet, parsley, kale, spinach, lemon, pinch of the following: cayenne, onion, garlic, sea salt. spicy! yes this has got some of the spicy but not overly spicy kick to it. people love it! it’s a hearty filling drink with great detox properties from all of the produce and spices used.

Thoughts: When they say 'spicy!' they're not kidding around. This one defiantly has a kick to it. I think I'd rather eat my salad unjuiced but if you're doing a cleanse, I don't see why not.

(H) Simple Green - Formula: cucumber, celery, lemon, aloe, kale, blue mana, pinch of sea salt.

Thoughts: My favorite green juice here. Very salty in flavor. Great for balancing your electrolytes.

(I) Doctor Green - Formula: pineapple, apple, lemon, ginger, kale. highly manufactured foods from which as much as possible of the nutritious matter has been removed is advocated, generally by those interested in its sale. such food would be advantageous only if it were possible to remove or surgically modify a great part of our digestive canal. drink as much as you can!

Thoughts: This flavor is tropical and fresh. Super easy to digest and a good way to get the nutrients from kale if you're not a big fan of green juice. I'd highly recommend it.

(M) Green Giant - Formula: blended spinach, kale, apple, coconut water, coconut flesh, raw cacao powder, spirulina, 1 date, squeeze of lemon, pinch of cayenne and sea salt. wow! this super blended green smoothie slash juice is what we like to call a smuice. this hits the spot for everything from a meal replacement to detoxing the blood, recovering from a hangover, or just keeping your digestive system healthy, this drink has it all.

Thoughts: If you're not a green smoothie person, prepared for the texture of plant fibers in your mix, this one might not be for you. The flavor is mostly of sweetness and spirulina. I think I prefer my smoothies freshly made than pre-bottled.

Cardamom Milk - Formula: organic unpasteurized coconut milk, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and coconut oil.

Thoughts: Wonderful. This blend of creamy texture and spices is even better than a soy chai latte, and the coconut fat would actually keep your blood sugar stable.

Raw Food:

Coconut Seviche - organic coconut meat, cucumber, red onion, tomato and jalapeno pepper marinated in cilantro and lemon dressing.

Thoughts: Interesting flavor. Having never tried the cooked version, it's difficult to asses the true comparison.

Ravioli - raw sliced turnip filled with cashew cheese, garnished with black sesame seeds and served with home made raw pesto.

Thoughts: Great raw vegan pasta. I love the use of turnip which doesn't seem to get too much attention in the raw food circuit. I suggest accompanying it by a salad if you want a full belly.

Acai Bowl - acai, banana, coconut, dates etc.

Thoughts: This raw food bowl can substitute as a healthy dessert or a morning meal instead of cereal. The natural way fruit can sweeten something to the point it can be this scrumptious is amazing to me.

Raw Oatmeal - raw oats, cashew milk, dates, spices and topped with coconut flakes.

Thoughts: Sweet and easily digestible with only whole fruit as sweetener, this deliciously fibrous treat is full of wonderful flavor with it's blend of spices and is completely satisfying.

Rating 10/10

http://thejuicepressonline.com/

Bonobo's

Bonobo's is a vegetarian restaurant located at 18 E 23rd st near Madison Square Park and Gramercy theater. Their whole menu is of the raw variety. All enzymes fully intact. Set up a bit like a deli, you select you meal and bring the tray to your table.

They have a wide variety of nut pates and house made dressing which were what I found unique and most impressive. The menu is pretty standard for a raw vegan style restaurant otherwise and reasonably priced for the good quality you're getting. I tried the salad with nut pate, in which you get to choose your ingredients and pate flavour, with their lemon garlic tahini dressing. I left feeling full and satisfied. Great place for a quick and nutritious meal.

Rating: 8/10

One Lucky Duck

One Lucky Duck is the take out companion of Pure Food and Wine. They prepare small batch, take-out, raw vegan sweets, juices, smoothies and ice cream. There is a small amount of seating where you can also get an array of salads and savory dishes. Walls are covered in nuts, truffles, cookies, coconut oil, sweeteners, dog treats an supplements. The vibe is cozy but busy.

This is one of my favorite vegan establishments in NYC so far. Needless to say, the list of things I've tried has been over several visits:

Smoothies:
cacao or carob latte – $9
banana, cashew milk, cacao or carob, vanilla

Thoughts: This is by far my favorite thing I've tried here so far. I get mine with carob and no sweetener. It's satisfying, thick and creamy.

green mango – $9
mango, cucumber, cilantro, coconut water, lime

Thoughts: Marvelous! If you love the taste of coconut water and want a good way to get in some cleansing greens, this is where it's at. The taste of cilantro is not overpowering so with the combination of cucumber, mango and lime, this makes for a deliciously fresh taste.

Sweets:
mallomar – $6
chocolate coated pecan cookie with vanilla cream GF

Thoughts: With a thick dollop cashew based cream on the top as its marshmallow and a crunchy chocolate dipped base, I'd say they're better than their mass produced counterparts by far. Trouble is, I could easily eat more than one, and if you want to be satisfied, two is a little overkill financially speaking.

moon pie – $9
chocolate brownie vanilla cream sandwich GF

Thoughts: If you're really looking for something raw vegan that seems to mimic its original texture, this is pretty close. I still have no idea how they got the cake portion to have the fluffiness of real wheat flour cake and still have it raw and gluten free. Not really for me though the flavor was great.

lemon bar – $8
almond coconut crust, tart lemon custard GF

Thoughts: I tried these as some free samples. While I'm not a huge fan of lemon desserts, these tasted much like a traditional lemon bar, but with better texture. I was pleasantly surprised.

chocolate caramel bar – $5
chocolate dipped pecan caramel bar O

Thoughts: I was a little underwhelmed by these. Felt there was a bit too much of the bar base and not enough of the caramel filling. **I wouldn't chance this one if you're gluten sensitive.

chocolate ganache tart – $12
chocolate ganache filling, chocolate crust GF

Thoughts: Coming from a self proclaimed chocoholic, this is an obvious favorite. Served with cashew cream, it is absolutely addictive. That being said, it's very sweet and may have you bouncing off the walls after if your blood sugar is out of wack or you haven't eaten enough solid food ahead of time to balance your nerves from the caffeine in the cacao. Also, the price for this seems a little steep for raw vegan tarts since I'm used to the $5-$7 slices in Canada but for NY the average seems to be $12-$14 though outrageous, it's in the ballpark for the city as I see it.

orreo cookie – $3.5
vanilla cream filled chocolate cookie GF

Thoughts: I don't know why but I tend to love raw desserts generally because of their moist texture due to fresh ingredients. This one just tries too hard to be like a real oreo. It's dehydrated to the point of a packaged cookie. Still tasty and one of the cheaper options if you're just looking for a sweet snack.

linzer cookie – $5
spiced hazelnut and almond cookie sandwich, raspberry jam GF

Thoughts: This is my favorite raw vegan cookie I've ever tried. The flavor is spicy and outstanding. The raspberry jam layer in the center is just perfect; not too sweet. Coupled with a smoothie, it's my breakfast made in heaven.

Rating: 9.5/10

Lula's Sweet Apothecary

Lula's Sweet Apothecary is a tiny vegan ice cream shop in the east village of New York. The vibe is vintage and inviting along with the bar style stools and counter which make for an authentic ice cream eating experience if I've ever had one.

Flavor selection was fair enough. About 10 to choose from, covering all the basics. This shop adds to intrigue with its various topping and sauces, which totally make up for any flavor you might have been wishing they had. All vegan as well, though subject to availability depending on the day. Needles to say I had been hoping to try their peanut butter sauce. Taste testing was encouraged, so I sampled their peanut butter fudge and espresso flavors.

The peanut butter fudge flavor was rich and delicious. Just like sticking a spoon into a jar of creamy peanut butter but with the soft and smooth texture of ice cream. Seeing as how I had been craving peanut butter, I probably should have gone for this option.

I, on the other hand went with the espresso flavor which was much more subtle and had the slight texture of bean grinds blended throughout. On it's own it was light and flavorful. I topped it with some of their vegan caramel which, though delicious in its own right, was a bit overkill. If you don't have a sweet tooth (which I luckily do), this sauce it pure sugar.

I left feeling jacked. Espresso and caramel. What was I expecting right? Also re-realizing that I'm not really an ice cream person as far as primary dessert choices. That all being said, the quality was pure and for being made on the premises, you get what you pay for.

Check out the menu for yourself: http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com/lsamenu.pdf

Rating: 7/10*

*This rating is bias, due to my preference for none ice cream related desserts.

Rawvolution NYC

Rawvolution is a restaurant transplant from Los Angeles, CA. Knowing this going in and my general love for all that is raw vegan cuisine, needless to say, I was expecting allot. Upon first glance, they had a great selection of take out meals or parts there of. Mock tuna and egg filling, sandwiches and and an assortment of dessert balls full of nutritious superfoods. As far as other dessert options go, the other pickings were pretty slim. One type of cake, being pumpkin which I could really appreciate for its seasonal conscious instead of focusing on more imported products as well as a few different cookies.

I went in with a humongous smoothie craving and seeing as I was not particularly hungry, I figured I'd go for that and a dessert. Since they were out of ingredients for the smoothie I initially chose, I settled on a simple strawberry smoothie with a maca add in. No ingredients listed for the smoothies on their menu so I was going into this a bit blind. With this I was fairly disappointed. Being the average $8 smoothie price for NY, plus the additional charge for the maca, what I received was something I could have put together at home if I were running out of ingredients in the fridge. It literally tasted like straight up strawberries and nut milk which, don't get me wrong, is tasty enough but when I go out and spend $10 over all on a drink, I'm expecting something a little more elaborate and flavorful. At least a date or something to sweeten it. On top of the basic taste, it was pre-made. The texture was thick but it didn't have the satisfying icy texture to satisfy my craving. I tried to legitimized that perhaps their raw vegan values system is so stringent that they also refuse to freeze fruit due to nutrient loss or they don't want to add ice because it would make it less easily digested. I would never order a smoothie here again. You know you're dissatisfied when 1/3 of the way through something you think 'I'll just take this home and mix it with something else later.'

My desserts of choice were the raw cookie dough balls. These were spectacular. Not like a regular cookie dough ball but probably as close as you'll ever get in the raw vegan world. The texture of the dough was extremely smooth in contrast to the crunchy cacao nibs. The taste was slightly like coconut but not so overpowering to make them a coconut dessert. If anything, I'd go back for these.

The Staff was absolutely lovely. I'm salivating just thinking about their take-out selection so despite my disappointment, I think I'll be back for lunch at some point.

Rating: 6.5/10