aged pine nut cheese with garlic & rosemary

Oh so creamy. Oh so delicious. Oh so dairy-free. You need to make this... oh so soon. 

After learning from my first go at nut cheeses, I have improved the recipe. I used half pine nuts, put it through the Vita-Mix and didn't freeze it (still smacking my forehead for that). It ended up being SUPER creamy and full of flavour. I let it age for 3 days this time and warmed it in the oven for about an hour, which developed the flavour and rind ever more.

My mom, who used to be a cheese lover and has practically given up dairy now, says that she loves this. Greg said he liked it too although "it's nothing like cheese". I have to agree. Don't expect cheese when you eat this - it's not! It's delicious cashews, garlic and rosemary. Enjoy the incredible flavour and texture for what it is. I guess you could call it Nut Pate if you want. Anyway - it's tasty and good for ya.

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Aged Pine Nut Cheese with Garlic & Rosemary: makes 1 wheel 
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1 cup pine nuts
1 cup cashews
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of a lemon 
1 tbs sun dried tomatoes 
2-3 tbs whole rosemary 
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup water
2 tbs favourite oil 
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Soak the nuts for around 2 or 3 hours. Blend all ingredients in high speed blender or food processor (blender really makes a difference though) until smooth. See if you like the taste. Change it until you do.
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Line a colander with a cheesecloth and put it in a bowl. Transfer the cheese mix into the colander and set it in a warm place for 1 or 2 days. Then leave it in the fridge for another day. You can dehydrate it or put it in your oven at a low temperature for maybe 30 minutes so it develops a crust. Enjoy!
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In other news: I watched A Night At The Roxbury a few nights ago and my love of disco has been reborn.  I downloaded the album, and as I wrote this post I was listening to this:

And this...

YOU CAN'T SAY YOU DON'T WANNA DANCE TO THESE, ALRIGHT. 

Besides, the music videos are freakin' amazing. 

funky monkeys

I'm rocking out to some great - albeit weird - music right now and I don't wanna stop playing it so my writing will be pretty brief; since I can't concentrate on listening to music and pay attention to what I'm writing at the same time! All you need to know, is that these are delicious and possess magical properties.

They are frozen banana slices covered in raw dark chocolate, then rolled in coconut chunks, goji berries, and raw jungle peanuts. NOM! Who couldn't love that? Anyway, you can change up the mix however you want. Don't like (or have) goji berries? Use another dried berry... or no berry at all. Use different kinds of nuts too. If you're allergic to coconut - put something else on.

I called them funky monkeys because monkeys eat bananas... and they're funky because they're covered in chocolate, berries and nuts! Plus, it hopefully got your attention. Something magical and delicious happens when you let them thaw for about 30 minutes after taking them out of the freezer. The bananas get the consistency of ice cream - they melt and become all gooey and sweeter. So be patient and let them soften a little before chowing down, it's worth it. 

Funky Monkeys: makes... however many you want! 

1/2 recipe for raw chocolate (or you can use a melted dark chocolate bar)

3 bananas

1/2 cup mix of goji berries, coconut chunks and peanuts

Peel and slice the bananas. Dip/cover in the chocolate and then roll in the nut/coconut/berry mix. Put them on wax paper on a tray and stick in the freezer for 1-2 hours. When they're frozen, take them out and wait 30 minutes or so, until you see the bananas start to "melt". Devour. 

NOTE: If you have left-over chocolate... well yeah. I don't consider this a problem so nevermind.  

OH MY RAW caramel apples

You have not lived. 

Not until you make these. I didn't think they'd be so darn delicious. But yet again... I was wrong.
All the different textures and flavours make for an incredible experience.

The best part? These are GOOD FOR YOU. Your body wants them. 

Why? Because they're full of nutrients and vitamins that will help you live long. 

Being "caramel apples", they clearly consist of an apple being covered in caramel. All I did was change my definition of caramel! In the raw food world, my caramel is just dates, water and spices. 

I covered a couple organic apples in that, and chopped up some fresh pecans and threw them on one (I put peanuts on the other). For the final touch, I drizzled on a simple chocolate sauce: cocoa, agave, almond butter. 

Who says raw vegans can't have any fun? These are way better than your regular caramel apples not ONLY in taste, but also because you feel good after eating them. NOT GUILTY. 

Food is love, love is happiness, and happiness depends on health.

So eat healthful foods! It's simple. Sometimes I crave some kind of processed cooked food for a second, like pizza, cookies, chips or other vegan goodies. Then I remember: I can make a BETTER version of it that my body will actually thank me for in the long run. I mean c'mon, you've got no excuse to eat crap when you can eat stuff like this:

I wanted to get a few photos with a bite out of an apple, so I had an excuse to try them =) I took a big, messy, caramel-apple bite... literally stopped chewing and said "oh my god no freaking way" out loud in the kitchen by myself.

I talk to myself a lot.

But with good reason! These taste ridonkulous. And I don't say ridonkulous, so you know they're gotta be nuts (no pun intended). Really though - try these out and share them with your loved ones. Everybody will appreciate it. They're a great Valentines Day present, heeey?

I was noble today and gave mine to Dad after taking a few bites. It took a bit of will power but I HAD to share it with someone, it was so delicious. I only made two, so I'm saving the other one for my brother Greg. 

He's trying to eat healthier and get in shape since he's struggled with his weight for awhile. He actually started his own blog about it! Check it.

He's doing a vegan-week so last night he went to The Naam with his girlfriend and brought me back their raw pie! As a thank you, I made him a caramel apple =) 

It makes me really happy and excited he wants to get healthy. I can tell he's serious about it this time. So I wanna support that as much as I can, and show him how ridiculously delicious and easy eating well can be. 

CRAZY Raw Caramel Apples: makes 2, but you can effortlessly make more

2 Apples on skewers (try to get organic!)

1/4 cup dates   

2 Tb melted coconut oil

Cinnamon, salt & mesquite if you have it

Water, as needed

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts 

2-3 Tb cacao

2-3 Tb agave/honey/maple syrup 

2-3 Tb nut butter

3 Tb melted coconut oil

Blend dates with coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, mesquite and water to get a smooth, thick consistency. You can add more sweetener if you want. Cover the apples completely with the "caramel" and then dip them in the chopped nuts so they stick. 

Then mix the cacao, sweetener of choice, nut butter and coconut oil until smooth. Drizzle it all over the apples and VOILA! Om nom nom.