Misty Morning Green Smoothie, Day 24 of the 30 day Self-Love DetoxChallenge

Morning Lovelies,

We are nearing the final stretch of this 30 day challenge and I do want to put up some more health info, today is a simple smoothie to start your day off right. It gets protein in via almond butter & almond milk, Spirulina and I added extra green iron yumminess thanks to good ol' spinach. It is a nice mild taste for those of you who have a tough time with too much green strong flavours, in some of the more intense smoothies. I likes that I felt satiated for several hours after drinking this one and it went down smoothly. It does have banana in it, some people cannot do banana as it is difficult for them to digest. I recommend replacing it with 1/1 a ripe avocado an increasing the apple by another whole one. It won't taste exactly the same but it will still be smooth and filling; with the added bonus of more healthy fats!

It was grey, misty kind of raining when I made it and decided the name was apropos. 

MISTY MORNING GREEN SMOOTHIE

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 medium size ripe banana

1 apple

Handful of spinach leaves

1 generous tsp roasted almond butter

1 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp Spirulina powder

1 1/2 Cups unsweetened almond milk

Method: 

-Place all in blender and blend for 30 seconds or until all is smooth

-Serve immediately over ice or just drink it straight.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to subscribe & leave any comments or questions down below, I like hearing about your kitchen adventure's. God bless!

Vegan Raw Food Key Lime Pie Smoothie

Hi!
So, as I was searching for pie pics I discovered that key lime pie is extremely popular, there are so many ways people are getting creative and putting a cool twist on this tart and tangy dessert, made big in Florida a long time ago. There is the ever popular Key Lime Pie:





Then there are key lime pie stuffed strawberries-what a clever combo:



Key lime pie truffles!


Key lime pies in jars:



Key lime pie layered breakfast in a jar:






Delicious key lime pie raw vegan bars:



I could go on but I think it's pretty obvious that the humble lime has a ton of awesomeness in its sour middle. I have always preferred it to lemons although I use both a lot.
Many people believe that Limes are lemons that have not matured, this is actually incorrect. Limes are a citrus fruit all on their own, just like mandarins or grapefruit a word I always struggle to remember in English as it looks nothing like a grape but makes sense in French as it is a pamplemousse, but I digress. Here's some brief info on the lime before I get to the recipe:

Lemons and limes grow from different trees. Lemons grow from Citrus limon trees. Key limes grow from Citrus aurantifolia trees, and Persian limes grow from Citrus latifolia trees.
Persian limes produce lots of juice and are the limes that most grocery stores sell, and key limes are sweeter and used in many desserts. There are also other lime varieties. Trees that produce both lemons and limes can be created by grafting branches from one tree onto another tree. These are called fruit cocktail trees and are possible because lemon and lime trees are in the same plant genus, Citrus. However, fruit cocktail trees are not natural and can only be created artificially.

Limes are an excellent source of vitamin C, and are often used to accent the flavours of foods and beverages. They are grown year-round in tropical climates and are usually smaller and less sour than lemons, although varieties may differ in sugar and acidic content. Plants with fruit called "limes" have diverse genetic origins; "Limes" is not a monophyletic group.

The above info was from wiki and ask.com.

All this lime research has got me super psyched to create some new recipes, I am thinking raw food vegan lime truffles and raw food vegan key lime pie pops might be in our future. Awwwww yeah!
I hope you like tangy, pucker punch in your smoothie because this bad boy does just that and puts a smile on your face while doing it. The original recipe is from Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis, I found it way too sweet. Mainly because it contained agave which, if you follow this blog you know I don't like or agree with using. It needed some modification for my milder sweet tooth and honestly, I feel it's better for it. Bonus, everyone who has tried it swooned. This happened last Friday when I brought it for a few people to taste, so Nina, this one's for you! (Your heart can do a little happy dance when you have it again.)
Enjoy it people, remember to share with those you love, leave your comments on how it turned out for you down below, and don't forget to subscribe!

VEGAN RF KEY LIME PIE SMOOTHIE:

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
2 limes juiced (I like to add the zest of 1 lime but this is optional-no Nina it wasn't in the one you tasted ;p)
1 ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp maple syrup (grade B, that's the darker one)
1 3/4 Cups brown apple juice, the real stuff not the yellow fake one. Feel free to juice your own.
Small pinch of pink sea salt

Method:
Throw it all in a blender and blend for 20-30 seconds maximum, if you do more it will become a gross frothy mix and you're really aiming for thick smoothie.
Must be served chilled, I like mine over ice.
Makes 2 servings.

Vegan Carrot Ginger and Coconut Soup

I love how the slice of ginger came out looking like a cute heart, totally unintentional and sweet.
Yup, I have tons of organic carrots needing to be used for something other than juicing and I thought this soup was the answer. It came out so delicious, smooth, flavour punch to the taste buds, and kept well in the fridge. It also met the dairy free criteria, so I was happy. The family enjoyed it and I did not have any difficulty eating it several times in a row. I am not big on leftovers past a day or two. This recipe is also good for the coconut series the Kinky Coconut is focusing on at the moment, if you are hearing about it for the first time, feel free to click on the links below for great coconut information:

Here's the easy soup recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

VEGAN CARROT GINGER AND COCONUT SOUP:

Ingredients:

12 Organic carrots, peeled & chopped (I am going to insist on organic for this recipe)
1 Celery stalk, peeled & chopped
1 Shallot peeled & chopped
1 Onion peeled & chopped
4 Cups Vegetable stock (feel free to use chicken if you prefer but no beef-this makes it no longer vegan - duh)
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp Vegan margarine
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Ginger grated
2 Bay leaves
1/4 Cup coconut creamer
1 Tbsp Rice miso
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Method:
-In pot, heat oil and margarine until hot, then add shallots and onion. Cook until translucent.
-Add celery and carrot, cook 5 minutes and stir often.
-Add seasoning but not the miso and stock, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook until carrots are soft. About 25-35 minutes.
-Remove from heat, remove Bay leaves, stir in miss, nutritional yeast and then allow to cool.
-Once completely cool, blend in blender until smooth.
-Add coconut cream, stir thoroughly and place back on heat. Warm up the soup and test to see if you need to add some salt and pepper to taste. That's it, all ready to serve!
Share this recipe with someone you love, leave your comments down below and don't forget to subscribe.

National Banana Bread Day with Recipe Repost

       

Hello One & All!

It is February 23rd & that means National Banana Bread Day is here, such a yummy way to enjoy bananas. A fruit that has become very popular, did you know that the beautiful bananas we are used to eating today with their full sweet creamy satisfying fruit, were once mostly seeds which one had to suck on to get to the pulpy goodness we take for granted today?
Bananas are actually facing some serious difficulties which is something we should be aware of as our beloved fruit could face an untimely demise. Say it isn't so Kiki!
It is sadly true, Panama Disease is very real, has been here before, and our bananas face an uncertain future!
Let me drop some knowledge on you before I share my awesome Vegan, Gluten-free Banana Bread recipe.

Going bananas?

The serious threats facing the world’s favourite fruit

Learn how we can save the banana... And why that is so important.
When was the last time you ate a banana? Have you ever considered what it might be like if the famous musical hit 'Yes, we have no bananas' was to become a reality?

Such a scenario is not as unlikely as it may seem as the future of the world’s favourite fruit is under serious threat. And not for the first time...

In the first half of the 20th century, our parents and grandparents ate a delicious banana called Gros Michel, or Big Mike in colloquial terms. But in the 1950s a deadly strain of Panama disease wiped out almost all banana plantations in Central and South America. Despite the best efforts of growers, this most flavourful of fruits became virtually extinct.
In the second half of the 1900s banana producers across the world switched to a different cultivar, the so-called the Cavendish. Although less tasty than Gros Michel, Cavendish was resistant to the type of Fusarium that was causing Panama disease.

As a result, following enormous investments in infrastructural changes required to accommodate the Cavendish’s different growing and ripening needs, the banana industry was saved.
But not for ever… in the 1990s a new strain of the Fusarium fungus appeared and began to spread. Originating in Taiwan, it soon reached other South East Asian countries such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines – and even northern Australia. Thousands of hectares of Cavendish have already been destroyed and many will follow if we are unable to stop Panama disease.

Bananas

The worlds most favourite fruit crop

Panama disease is not only a huge concern for the global export banana sector. It exerts an even greater impact on the domestic production of this staple crop as many locally preferred cultivars are also endangered, threatening the livelihoods of millions of smallholder producers.
Some banana facts:

More than 100 billion bananas are consumed annually in the world, making it the fourth most important food crop after wheat, rice and corn.

85% of the world’s banana production is used for local consumption, and only 15% is exported (mainly to the USA and Europe).

Americans eat more bananas than any other fruit, with an average consumption of 11.9 kg per year, more bananas than apples and oranges combined.

 

visit http://panamadisease.org/  and pass the word along, let's save our yellow fruity delights!

 As promised, here is my recipe as an ode to Bananas on National Banana Bread Day. I posted this a little while ago but it's a really good recipe and I actually have bananas in need of bread baking; so why not post it here once more for those of you who really should't miss out?

   

It's gluten-free & dairy-free, I added egg to mine when making for guests but for Vegan goodness, which I prefer, you can replace it with flax "egg". I will include it. Enjoy it!

Here's the link to the original post and the recipe is also down below.

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2015/03/gluten-free-banana-bread.html

Gluten-free Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

4 Large bananas mashed 1 3/4 Cups
1 LG egg or 1 flax "egg" (1 tbsp ground flax with 3 tbsp water, stir let sit 3 minutes until gummy)
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp walnut oil
1/2 Cup maple syrup
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup almond milk soured with 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 Cup Bob's Redmill All-purpose Gluten-free Flour Blend
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
(Gluten-free flours burn more easily, it's best to bake at lower temperatures, especially when it's a heavier batter.)

-Line 2 loaf pans with coconut oil
-In a bowl mix wet ingredients
-In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients
-Add dry to wet, stir until well combined
-Fill each pan halfway, evenly share the dough between the two pans.
-Sprinkle with brown sugar on top

-Bake in the middle rack of the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Turn the pans halfway and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Make sure a cake Pic comes out clean when you poke the bread in the middle.
-Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove from pan and allow to cool completely before slicing & serving.  

 

   I hope you enjoy this as much as we do, remember to leave comments or questions down below, don't forget to share with someone you love,and God bless you!
            

The Best Gf, Vegan, Soy-free, Salted Chocolate Ganache Recipe for Rich Chocolatey Cupcakes

Bonjour my lovelies,

This is the last post in the Valentine's DIY Love series and I thought to end it on a gorgeous, chocolatey, vegan, gluten-free cupcake note!

Hard to believe but those beauties are gluten-free & vegan! Yes, I know. Amazing, magically decadent and delicious.

I would personally make these and give them with a bnch of different colour lipstick kisses with a note that explains what each kiss is for, kinda like this...

                                     

The pic is from boholoco.com because I didn't take a pic of the one's I did for Poppa Bear last Year's Valentine's. I also did it a bit differently, I had these cute small envelopes, wrote on the outside what each kiss was for, used loads of different lip colours and put a cut out paper kissed piece of my lip imprint, then wrapped it all in pretty ribbon. It went over really well!

Here is a fun idea of how you can incorporate the cupcakes into a romantic or scary or action flick movie night for Valentine's, it need not be expensive either. I tried to add the link to momsandmunchkins.ca to get you the free printables but for some weird reason it would not load, no matter what I tried. At least you have a pic with a good idea. Below the first pic is a cheapie breakdown idea from the sweetsandsavorylife.com blog.

                         

                              

I am including a recipe for the vegan gf chocolate cupcakes from The Pretty Bee blog, I changed some ingredients and added coffee to the adjusted liquids because as a Chef, I like the enhancing flavour coffee adds to chocolate. It was not enough to make it taste like coffee because I don't care for coffee as I am an avid tea drinker, however, I have noticed the taste difference when it's not in there. I used her recipe as I wanted to try something different and because she also includes a vegan vanilla buttercream for those of you who prefer both vanilla buttercream and chocolate ganache choices be on offer. Both are splendid. I am putting the link to her blog and down below my pics and ganache recipe follow, which is a decadent chocolate bowl of, slather it everywhere delightfulness! Yes, you may slather it everywhere, it will be our little secret.

( I used Bob's Redmill Flour which can be a bit beanie at times, so I make my cupcakes the night before to allow the flavours to mellow and settle. You may use a gluten-free boxed mix if you prefer to make life easier, I won't judge. Do as you please and are able to.

                                   

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting.

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Easy chocolate cupcakes with creamy vanilla bean frosting.

Author: The Pretty Bee

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1½ cups gluten free flour blend (all purpose flour works well, too!)
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup water (I use half water and half coffee)
• for frosting:
• 3 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
• 2-3 Tablespoons almond milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar (I prefer the corn free kind from Whole Foods)
• ½ vanilla bean pod, inside scraped out to get the seeds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add the oil, water, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
4. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about ⅔ full.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
6. Cool in pan, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the vegan buttery spread and the vanilla bean on medium speed. Add one cup of the powdered sugar and continue to beat. Add a little of the almond milk, then more powdered sugar, and keep alternating until all the powdered sugar is in the mixing bowl. If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more almond milk.
8. Frost cooled cupcakes. Store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator.

http://theprettybee.com/2014/09/vegan-chocolate-cupcakes-vanilla-bean-frosting.html 

These were my cupcakes...           

              

                                                Chocolate cake batter fun!

              

                                                      Ready to bake

              

Let these sit overnight if you use a strong tasting flour, I place them in ziploc bags and freeze em'.

Now it's salted chocolate ganache making time. Whoohoooooooo!!!! Make this the day of serving or make ahead 2-3 days and coat cupcakes then freeze right away. The day of serving, remove from freezer and let sit 15 minutes on counter.

THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN, SALTED CHOCOLATE GANACHE

INGREDIENTS:

500 Ml Coconut milk

2 Tbsp Earth Balance Margarine (soy-free)

1/4 Cup Maple syrup or agave

2 Pkgs. Enjoy life chips (283g each)

2 Tbsp Vanilla extract

1 ½ tsp grey sea salt

*For cinnamon add 1½ tsp cinnamon (This is optional but I really find it adds a wonderful punch, whisk it in at the very end, you will see how awesome it is!)

 

Method:

-Heat coconut milk, margarine, add shortening, and whisk

-Our over chips in a bowl, whisk til smooth, whisk in salt

-Add vanilla and whisk well.

-Place plastic wrap touching and covering all ganache top to prevent skin from forming, chill 3-4 hours until scoopable with a spoon, thickened but still a bit loose. You don't want to pipe it, this gets spooned over your cupcakes.

-Spoon over cooled cupcakes until well covered, add sprinkles, cool in fridge for 15 minutes and serve.

They can be frozen and keep up to 1-2 weeks in the freezer.

 

            

                       Aw yeah, chocolate love happening right here baby!

             

Yumminess in the making, I highly recommend you be a dear and sacrifice yourself to taste some. Just to be sure it's good and all ;P

             

It should look like this and have this consistency when out the fridge, if it has gotten too hard leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes and see if it's right. I beat it with a hand mixer for 30 seconds if it's a bit too stiff, this gives the right pouring texture.

               

                                                     Sprinkleration time!

               

Placing them in the fridge really stiffens up the texture and makes for a wonderful mouth feel when you bite it. Now for the hard part, waiting...

                               

               You must sacrifice and taste test once more, you're so kind hearted, you giver you.

                              

                                                   2 bites are a good idea

                            

Here you go, I made some with chocolate that were vegan and some non-vegan carrot cake one's for others who requested something cream cheesy. I hope this ganache recipe works well for you and adds that extra touch to your special occasion. Leave your comments or questions down below and let me know how it goes.

                      

Poppa Bear and I wish you a wonderful and blessed Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

                                         Remember to fill it with love and great memories.