Vegan Turkish Coffee Pudding

This is a great pick me up treat that's satisfying and just enough sweet.

Vegan Turkish Coffee Pudding

1 1/4 cup Soaked Raw Cashews

1/3 cup Coconut Milk

3 tbsp Water

1/2 tsp Cardamom

1 tbsp Raw Cacao Powder

1 tbsp Instant Coffee

8 Deglet Noor Dates

Blend everything in a high speed blender until smooth.  Place in the fridge first to solidify a bit or eat as is for a nice coffee treat. 

Mint Chocolate Nib Smoothie

This Summer, I invented a smoothie that sort of tastes like mint chocolate chip!

-1/4 small honeydew melon
-1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-1 tbsp hemp seeds
-1 tbsp cacao nibs
-8 mint leaves
-6 ice cubes

Double Chocolate, Banana Peanut Butter Cake (Vegan)

Crust:

1 cup Raw Jungle Peanuts (soaked for a day and dried over night or dehydrated)

2 tbsp of Almond Butter

4 Medjool Dates

A pinch of Sea Salt

Banana White Chocolate Filling (Layer 1):

2 Bananas 

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

1/2 cup Raw Cacao Butter

3 Dates

1/2 cup soaked and drained Raw Cashews

Peanut Butter Filling (Layer 2):

1 cup Peanut Butter (Unsweetened/Natural)

6 tbsp of Soy Lecithin

2 tbsp Coconut Oil

1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

3 Dates

Chocolate Gnash Topping:

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Raw Cacao Powder

1/2 tsp of Raw Vanilla Powder

A pinch of Sea Salt

Instructions:

1) Soak Cashews and Jungle Peanuts throughout the day.  Remove the Jungle Peanuts, pat them down and leave them covered by a dry towel to dry up a bit over night.  Let the cashews continue to soak in the fridge.

2) The next day, blend the dry Jungle Peanuts in a food processor with the rest of the crust ingredients until smooth and it seems to bulk up around the sides.  Press that into the bottom of a springform pan that has been greased with Coconut Oil.  Place that in the Freezer.

3) In a high speed blender, mix all of the Banana White Chocolate layer until smooth.  If using a regular blender or one without a plunger, it's a good idea to boil some water, place a metal bowl over the boiling water and allow just the Cacao Butter and Coconut Oil to melt for easier blending.  Stir constantly if you choose this method.  When this layer is mixed, remove the base from the freezer and pour this layer on top.  Spread it evenly to the edges with a spatula or spoon and shake the tray a bit for a more even finish.  Place it back in the freezer.

4) Clean the blender and you're ready for the second layer.  Mix everything but the Soy Lecithin in the Peanut Butter filling layer until smooth.  Then add the Lecithin and blend again until it's thoroughly mixed.  Remove cake from the freezer and pour this layer onto, again, spreading it with the same technique mentioned above.  Place it back in the freezer.

5) Clean the blender once more and it's time for the Gnash Topping.  Mix all 3 ingredients and mix thoroughly. Remove cake from the freezer and cover with this final layer, starting at the centre and spreading it out with a spoon slowly.  Place it back in the freezer for an hour for quick setting or let it sit in the fridge overnight before cutting.

Note:  Since the Bananas will brown, this cake should be consumed within 4-5 days and be kept refrigerated.

Enjoy! :)

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.

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-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.