YOU GOTTA LOVE RAW VEGAN EGG NOG

You asked for it. No, really; you asked me to make a raw vegan egg nog recipe.. so I did. And dang, I sure am glad. This is delicious, warming, smooth, sweet and satisfying all at once. My dad agrees.

I wasn't actually planning on making anything today because I had a late night last night and meant to get some studying done today. Last night I went dancing with my lady friends and then we headed to an artsy shin dig in a sketchy area of downtown (rent is cheap so the poor artists flock there) I was wandering around the streets of downtown in my pimpin' jacket (it's giant, it's green, it's fake fur), a homemade turban to keep the rain off my glasses, and I was a little bit ahead of my friends... I am pretty sure I was mistaken for a homeless male drug addict. Milestone.

ANYWAY, I don't know where I was going with that, let's get back to decadent drinks and find that holiday spirit.

Although as a kid I loved egg nog because it was sweet and creamy and rich; as I grew older and made the choice to be vegan, this beverage became one of the first things took off my "I want this" list. Safe to say it was moved over to the "Never again" collection of foods. I think we all know it's not even remotely healthy, but we should also acknowledge that the stuff you buy in the grocery store is just weird. I mean, I'm sure the original homemade kind was a bit better; but now the generic variety is totally processed and totally suspicious.

There is really no reason to guzzle the milk of another species (mixed with the potential fetuses of ANOTHER species, mixed with processed white sugar) when you have this recipe! Seriously, check out the ingredients on egg nog next time you're tempted to buy it. Then think about what they really are. Yuck. 

OKAY I AM SORRY I'M BEING ALL WEIRD AND NEGATIVE TODAY. I personally don't tend to dwell on the ickiness - it's a word, shhhh - of animal products, and instead like to focus on the positives of healthy whole foods and plants. I guess my mind is trying to balance it out in this post. Ultimately I am not here to preach or tell you how to live your life and what to eat. I am merely here to humbly provide some simple, easy-to-make, mind-boggling delicious recipes. I hope you can appreciate and understand that. No time for haters up in here.

I am hoping these photos look okay to you, because I edited them on my tiny little lap top screen instead of the large monitor I usually use. The colour is also funky on my lap top screen so my fingers are crossed that these pics aren't terrible. Please forgive me if they look gross. I just realized how completely trippy it is that I am writing this in my bedroom right now, just typing out my thoughts as they come into my brain, and soon YOU are going to read them! And probably think "Wow, who IS this girl? She's lost it. I'm outta here."

But wait! I made you egg nog!

RAW VEGAN EGG NOG

1 cup pecans
3 cups water
1 cup dates
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Blend it all up. Use hot water if you want a warm drink. It should have the consistency of egg nog but if it's too thin, add more dates or pecans. If it's too thick, add more water. Change the spice amounts as you like. Mmm... This will serve around 4 people.

CINNAMON ROLLS with COCONUT FROSTING & CARAMEL RAISIN FILLING

Yeah, baby - I WENT there and made raw vegan cinnamon rolls - you know you love me. And even if you don't love me, you will love this recipe; so in a non-direct way I am receiving some love and I will take what I can get. It's a hard-knock life... NOT.

Okay who am I kidding?
Am I even funny.
No. I apologize.
Onto food.

These guys are freaking awesome. They are low fat-ish, nut-free and gluten-free so eat as many as your heart desires. Oh and duh - they're also raw and vegan which means no processed or refined ingredients; no dairy, eggs or other weird substances from animals that I don't desire! Hmm... what if when a recipe doesn't have eggs in it, we call it fetus-free? That makes sense, doesn't it? I crack myself up... JUST myself, most likely. You're probably sitting at your computer like "who IS this girl... she is crazy."

Well, I won't disagree. I probably am nuts; but I can still appreciate a good cinnamon roll!

I ate three of these in mere minutes - it's part of my duty as a food blogger, alright - while moaning "oh my god... better than cinnamon buns... mmmm... what is happening..." And I meant it! Somehow these really do taste better than the baked version, though they don't taste exactly the same. Maybe it's because I know that they are super good for me, and nobody had to get hurt to make them. Maybe not. Maybe they just taste damn good for other reason than that. Either way, I am very pleased with how these turned out and I DEMAND you make them as soon as possible.

Obviously they aren't all puffy like the original thing because there's no baking involved, but they make up for this with their flavour and density. Have these for breakfast with some fresh juice and you will be hopping around the like the energizer bunny (who's a herbivore, by the way) all day! I feel like I could take on the world right now! Put that in real terms and I am actually going to do homework now. Ah well.

If you think these look or taste too good to be healthy - think again. (I love you! Why would I give you unhealthy recipes? DON'T YOU TRUST ME.) The main ingredients in these cinnamon rolls are oats and buckwheat groats, raisins and dates, coconut, and cinnamon; let's see what these fabulous foods do for us, shall we? 

Buckwheat groats regulate blood sugar and cholesterol, are rich in fibre, disease-fighting flavonoids and magnesium, fight against heart disease and have an enormous amount of phytonutrients like phenolics which are now being found to prevent disease. Raisins and dates are excellent for oral and eye health, alkalizing in the stomach, rich in bone-strengthening calcium, blood-building iron and copper and cancer-preventing antioxidants. Coconut is finally being recognized as the super food that it is: toting antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antiparasitic properties that keep your immunity strong; they are rich in fibre, calcium, potassium, amino acids, magnesium and electrolytes. Coconut is almost identical to human blood plasma and can actually be used for blood transfusions (best when mixed with green juice which has almost the exact same make up as human hemoglobin)!

Here's to health! 

cinnamon rolls with coconut frosting and caramel raisin filling: makes 6-7 servings

dough:
3/4 cup gluten-free oats
3/4 cup buckwheat groats
3/4 cup raisins 
3/4 cup dates
Pinch of salt (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon water
Dash of cinnamon 

coconut frosting:
1 heaping cup young coconut meat
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
4 tablespoons agave syrup (or other preferred sweetener) 
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Water, as needed

caramel raisin filling:
1 cup dates
1/4-1/2 cup coconut water 
Cinnamon powder, to taste
1/4 cup raisins

To make the dough: pulse the oats and buckwheat groats in your food processor until they become a rough flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it all begins to stick together. Roll the dough into a square about 1/4-1/2 cm thick. Put this in the fridge for 1-2 hours. 

To make the frosting: blend all the ingredients together until it's smooth and drizzly. Set aside.

To make the cinnamon caramel filling: blend all the ingredients together - except the raisins - until smooth and thick like a paste. Set aside.

Cut the dough (which should now be a little more pliable) into strips and spread the filling evenly on each one, then sprinkle on the raisins and gently roll the strips up. Cover with the frosting and freak out at the awesomeness of the planet.

coconut mango tarts with figs, walnuts, cinnamon + ginger

I bought a few mangoes yesterday and wanted to use them a in recipe, since lately I've been using mainly frozen fruit - variety is the spice of life! I love mango and coconut together, and also walnuts and figs. So I combined the two delicious pairs and added cinnamon and ginger... because why not? These are a simple treat to make if you ever have a couple fresh mangoes (or other colourful fruits) you want to use in a creative way. 

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. You really can tell when you're eating pure, raw, whole foods because they give you energy and make you feel light and joyful. That's my experience, anyway. I certainly felt that way after one of these, and I look forward to sharing them with my family so can feel the same way. 

Spread love, in it's whole form. 

coconut mango tarts with figs, walnuts, cinnamon + ginger: makes about five

Tart crust:

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup dried figs

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 cup coconut flakes 

Filling:

1 or 2 mangoes, peeled sliced in strips 

Cinnamon and ginger powder

Coconut flakes

To make the crusts: pulse coconut and walnuts together in your food processor until they become crumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it stick together. Press into tart tins lined with coconut oil and put in the fridge to set for about an hour. Take them out of the molds and fill with mango slices, dusting the tops with cinnamon and ginger and sprinkling with coconut. Enjoy!

berry ice cream cake with chocolate eggs, pistachios and cinnamon

Here is my Easter gift to you! I actually had no idea what I was going to make until I began getting out ingredients yesterday morning and even as I was making it, I still didn't have a clear idea what it was going to end up being. But look how it turned out! It's just a sign of how easy raw food recipes are. Yeah, man. Yeah. 

I'll give it to ya straight: this recipe is an ice cream cake made of bananas and cashews with different layers of strawberry and blueberry. On top is a nest of cinnamon sticks surrounding coconut cream eggs. The "eggs" are simply dates filled with coconut oil, covered in raw chocolate. I also sprinkled on some chopped pistachios for colour and edged the cake with more cinnamon sticks. 

I admit - I have been making mostly banana ice cream cakes lately, but I just can't stop. They are so easy and you can do almost anything you want with them, as you can see in my last few recipes. Anyways, Easter colours are usually light shades of pink, green, blue and yellow and so I think I got most of those covered with this recipe. Not the yellow but hey, I can't do everything. Wait a sec - does sunshine count?

Before I made this cake, I was really wanting to make SOMETHING with some kind of raw vegan creme egg because they are such a popular Easter dessert component. But I was at a blank for ideas. Then it hit me when I took out my dates as I was making the ice cream part - I could make eggs from dates! So I filled them with coconut oil, covered them in raw chocolate and sprinkled on some chia, hemp and black sesame seeds. They turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. *Proud face*

berry ice cream cake with chocolate eggs, pistachios and cinnamon: 

Vanilla ice cream cake layer:

1 banana

2/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup dates

1 tablespoon liquid coconut oil

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Strawberry layer: 

1 banana

2/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup dates

1 tablespoon liquid coconut oil

1/3 cup water

1/4 strawberries

Blueberry layer:

1 banana

2/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup dates

1 tablespoon liquid coconut oil

1/3 cup water

1/4 blueberries 

Chocolate cream eggs:

3 dates

1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional) 

Raw chocolate, in liquid form 

Garnishes:

Cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup chopped pistachios 

To make the ice cream cake layers: blend the ingredients from each list separately and until smooth, adding as little water as possible. Then spread each layer into a spring form on top of one another, gently stirring together some parts of the layers with a spoon. This will give it a swirl effect. Put in the freezer for a few hours until it's set. 

To make the "eggs": take the pits out of the dates carefully, not pulling them apart completely. Fill each one with a tiny bit of coconut oil, if using, then cover in liquid chocolate and put in the fridge or freezer until hardened. 

Assembly: take the cake out of the spring form pan. Place a few tiny cinnamon stick in circle like a nest, and put the chocolate eggs in the middle. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios around the egg nest and line the sides of the cake with cinnamon sticks. Enjoy! Store in the freezer if you don't eat it all right away. 

chia caramel pecan pie with cinnamon chocolate sauce

I am so proud of myself. Today I - Emily von Euw - woke up, wide-eyed and ready to use my noggin' - at 7:30 AM. I have not risen so early in approximately a year or so. Oh, stop that applause now, that's enough. Why in the world did I break from my slumber so early? To write a final exam. I think I did well. Now we will move on to more important matters...

Pie.

This pie actually began as butter tarts. In my effort to rawify all the holiday food favourites, I remembered a Canadian Christmas classic: butter tarts. As you may be able to guess by the name, they aren't the healthiest thing you can put in your stomach. They are pretty much white flour, sugar, butter, raisins, more butter and more sugar. Time for me to step up to the plate and see what I can do (I like to pretend I'm a superhero.) 

The idea was to make a basic raw crust, then make a raisin caramel filling and add in whole raisins. I was going to make them all cute little individual tarts like the real thing, but then I got lazy. I didn't feel like shaping out as many tarts as I had made crust for so I decided to make a giant butter tart instead. Then I saw some pecans and I'm like "Hey! If I throw pecans on top of this baby, I can call it a pecan pie and no one will know! HAH!" Except I just told you.. So there goes that plan. This pie is a deceitful liar that can't be trusted - just eaten mercilessly. 

The filling ended up being a caramel sauce but it was too sweet and dense so I added gelled chia seeds for bulk and to dilute the sweetness; it turned out wonderfully! I made a simple chocolate sauce for contrast, and had leftovers so I made one baby tart and filled it with chocolate sauce. Secret treat for later. 

chia caramel pecan pie with cinnamon chocolate sauce: makes one pie

Crust:

2 cups nuts or raw buckwheat flour (I used pine nuts and cashews)

1 cup dates or prunes

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup dates

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

6 tablespoons chia seeds mixed with 12 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

more water, if needed

1/2 cup more raisins

Cinnamon chocolate sauce:

1 tablespoon cacao 

1 tablespoon nut butter or melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon agave/maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

To make the crust: pulse nuts in your food processor until they are crumb-sized. Add dates and salt and process until it stick together. Press into the bottom of a tart plate. Put in fridge.

To make the filling: process all ingredients - except the last 1/2 cup of raisins - until smooth. It will taste like a divine entity has landed in your mouth, plus chia seeds. Stir in the 1/2 cup of raisins by hand and pour into your crust. Let it set in the fridge then decorate with pecans, pumpkin seeds and chocolate sauce. Or not. 

To make the chocolate sauce: mix all ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle onto your pie. Eat it while

listening to this song.