ICE CREAM!!!

As a vegan, I get bombarded with questions daily about howonearthdoyoudothisveganthingdon’tyoumisschocolateandmeatandcheese?!? Yes, yes, I get it: and I do miss some things, indeed, but the reason for going vegan was never that I just don’t care about the foods I choose to be without. No: the motives have to do with animals, not what i like or don’t. happily, I also like being vegan.

But one thing I have missed badly is ice cream. I have always loved ice cream-as a kid, as a grown up who tries to live a healthy life–ice cream is my weak spot. Lately the sneaky craving for ice cream has returned–and if you are anything like me, you know that this sort of thing doesn’t just go away on its own- oh no, it GROWS.

I have made various smoothies and shakes which quite often do the trick of fooling my brain into thinking it’s been duly rewarded…but ultimately, I would love to have the real deal.

So I looked. I looked for a variety of vegan ice cream recipes that not only fit the skill set of an average, not particularly talented (to say the least) cook like myself, but were also quick and affordable.

I am ecstatic to announce I have found a plethora of vegan  does not seem to be  ice cream ideas here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/amazing-vegan-ice-cream-recipes and I will be making coconut ice cream later today!

Enjoy the recipes. I am a happier vegan today.

This picture is borrowed from Rachel Sanders’s wonderful blog–link above.

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Cucumber Banana Sorbet with coconut

My lovely neighbor created her own improvised garden. She is growing squash, pumpkins, amazingly yummy cherry tomatoes, basil, and cucumbers. Well, lots of cucumbers–not only did the plant flourish–it produced over 5 times the projected number of cucumbers, and is still going. Long story short, after my friend was tired of making pickles, cucumber salads, cucumber water, cucumber ice cream, cucumber…….she gave some of the delicious, all natural goodness away to me. In fact, I now have tons of it. And aside from the usual salads, I made myself a very simple, easy to prepare summer treat, which also turned out to be fun and delicious: cucumber banana sorbet.

There’s nothing to it, really. I pureed 4 cucumbers with 1 banana, a little bit of cocoa, a tiny bit of simple syrup (really no more than a spoonful), and sprinkled some coconut just because I love the flavor. Froze the puree for about 1 hour and…voila! So refreshing yummy!

Enjoy 🙂

Post work out snack

Well now that you’ve completed a work out, don’t you deserve a sweet treat to refuel, speed up recovery, and give an electrolyte kick?

I made some blueberry sauce from 2 cups of blueberries, flaxseed, and a tiny bit of almond milk, and covered with it one banana,then sprinkled coconut on top. Very satisfactory!

Fruit Popsicles

I love Manhattan. No matter how many times I visit, it never gets boring, it’s never the same.
During this weekend’s trip to he Big Apple, I was given the idea to make my own frozen, raw, vegan desserts from a raw chef at a small vegan cafe near Central park.

I took 2 mangoes and 1/4 papaya and blended them with 1 1/2 cup of almond milk and 1 cup of water. You need the sugary, thick consistency of the juice to use as the “glue” for your Popsicles. I chopped up pears, strawberries, kiwi, and pineapple, and added blueberries, then placed the bits of fruit in a muffin pan and poured the mango papaya juice in each. You can anchor the Popsicle sticks in the chunks of fruit, then put in the freezer for about 1 hour.

Aren’t they beautiful? Not only are you enjoying the perfect summer dessert, but also getting great nutrients out of it!

Enjoy!

Raw vegan coconut truffles with cranberries and apricot

This recipe is just sinfully delicious. Somehow when you are a raw vegan, people assume you have given up desserts forever, and give you a pitiful look. I agree with the idea that depriving myself from sweets would be a true cause for pity. And so I don’t. Who says a raw vegan couldn’t enjoy an impossibly yummy sweet snack? Today, I am busting one more myth and making some scrumptious coconut cranberry apricot truffles. I am preparing these especially for my dear fellow health and nutrition nut and partner in crime, Josie <3.

Are you hungry?

Here is what you need:

1 cup of raw cashews

1 cup of raw almonds

6 spoons of dried raw cranberries;

1 cup of chopped up dried apricots;

2 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil;

1/2 cup of coconut, shaved;

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract;

4 tablespoons of water (for binding);

Sea salt.

Preparation:

Put the cashews, almonds, and shaved coconut in a food processor and blend until you reach a finely ground consistency.

Add the water, coconut oil, cranberries, apricots, and vanilla extract to the mix, and continue to blend until you have mixed all ingredients into a thick doe.

Roll up the doe into truffle balls, place on a plate and put in the freezer for about 40 minutes.

SCRUMPTIOUS! ❤

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