chocolate covered bananas with walnuts other good stuff

There was nice lighting this afternoon while I was finishing up making another recipe in the kitchen (which will be posted tomorrow!) so I figured I may as well make something else to photograph. Fruit and chocolate recipes are easy and quick, so I covered bananas in chopped walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut and goji berries. Yum!

chocolate covered bananas with walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, goji berries and coconut:

1 batch liquid raw chocolate or any other kind of chocolate you want 
5 bananas
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons each of hemp and chia seeds
Handful each of goji berries and coconut flakes 

Cover the bananas in the chocolate and roll them in the other good stuff. Freeze them if you like, for a banana ice cream treat! Dee-lish.

protein party

this bowl is packed full of protein for your muscles! it has banana, nut butter, goji berries, coconut, and cacao nibs. it's terrific for after a workout, or whenever you want a filling, super healthy snack or meal.

i believe the perfect post-workout food is a green smoothie (greens, fruit and water/nut milk) with hemp seeds or some other high-protein food added. That being said, you need a variety of protein in your diet, just as you need a variety of all foods so you can get the most out of the nutritional landscape surrounding us.

after my workout today (and said green hemp smoothie) i did a few things around the house and on the computer but then started to get hungry again. i decided to make a healthier version of oatmeal. NOT that oatmeal isn't healthy. i've always loved it, personally. but i try to keep gluten out of my diet when i can, and use the most nutritious whole grains possible. thus, my "oatmeal" today had millet quinoa.

or maybe couscous... honestly i can't tell the difference because i don't use grains that much and the jar wasn't labelled. but you get the point. when i first got into raw food i was a whole lot stricter than i am now. i realize i can't eat 100% raw all the time and i am now quite comfortable with that reality. i also believe that eating mostly raw with some lightly cooked veggies and whole grains is probably more ideal for my body than eating all raw.

many hard core raw foodists suffer omega-3 deficiencies after some time, but whole grains such as quinoa, millet, barley, couscous, etc. are rich in omega-3's (as well as other vital nutrients that can be in short supply in a raw food diet). read this book for more info on this topic. another option is to simply sprout these grains instead of cooking them. in any case - my health is my primary concern, not the percentage of raw food i eat. so go couscous! ... or millet. i dunno (nope, apparently it was quinoa. thank you, knowledgeable readers.)

whole grain protein bowl: serves one

1/3 cup whole grains (like millet, couscous, quinoa, oat groats, etc.) cooked in 2/3 cup water
1 sliced banana
1 tablespoon nut butter
1 tablespoon raw sweetener (or throw in some dates or raisins)
2 tablespoons dried goji berries
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
3 tablespoons dried coconut chunks 

throw it all together and eat it up! 

durian ice cream

AW SNAP. this is real good. if you like "the king of fruits". 

yes. i speak of the DURIAN. read one of my earliest posts about it here. they're a pretty intriguing subject. in this household, my dad, mom (who were introduced to it when they volunteered in Thailand in the 80's) and myself are the only ones who love durian. my brothers and my friends think it's nasty, smelly and weird. i understand, but disagree. it's delicious.

durian is an aphrodisiac and so it pairs well with other aphrodisiacs, especially chocolate (cacao), cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg.  i made a raw chocolate sauce and used those spices in the ice cream. this is such an easy recipe, and if you aren't crazy about the flavour of durian, the taste isn't as strong. if you ARE crazy about durian, you can leave out all the add-ons and just blend frozen durian and cocnut water straight up with a bit of cinnamon. my mom did that the second time and it was super yummy.

durian ice cream: serves 3 or so

ice cream:

1 package (3 pods) frozen durian meat, you can find this at your asian foods store

1-2 cups vegan milk/coconut water

1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla

add ons:

raw chocolate sauce

goji berries to garnish

cacao nibs

salt

put the durian meat - pits removed - into your blender with the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and add as much milk or coconut water as needed to make it thick and creamy like ice cream. put in bowls and add your extras. yum!

goji coconut brownies

before i start telling you about brownies - have you heard the new fleet foxes album!?

every single freaking song is amazing and resonates deep within my soul. that's all there is to say. my friend is going to give me his old record player (so excited!!!! he is the best) and helplessness blues may be the first record i buy. here's a song from the album, it's got a beautiful video to go with it.

on to food. as you may have noticed - i have been eating predominantly salad the past few weeks, and this has yet to stop. all the salads i make are so gorgeous i have to take pics and show you. i don't care if you don't wanna see them. i will force you.

just look at it!

it was an excellent meal, as you should assume. for dessert i made these guys:

they are really yummy, as you should also assume. i put coconut, goji berries, almonds, cashews, hemp seeds, prunes and cacao in 'em. simple, delicious and nutritious. they are disappearing pretty rapidly. 

goji coconut brownies: makes... enough

1/3 cup goji berries

1/2 cup coconut chunks

3/4 cup almonds

3/4 cup cashews

3 tb hemp seeds

1/3 cup cacao

6 tb mesquite powder

1 t cinnamon

1/8 t cayenne 

1/2 t Himalayan salt  

1/4 cup dates

1/4 cup prunes

2 tb melted coconut oil

a bit of agave, maple syrup or honey (if you like)

in a food processor, pulse nuts into crumbs then add the dates and prunes and wait for the mix to start sticking together. add all the other ingredients and see if you like how it tastes. if so - awesome! (if not, change to your liking) then press into a lined pan and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

or eat them right away.

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.  

health by chocolate

Raw Dark Chocolate with Goji Berries. Doesn't that just sound sexy?

Yes, it does. All this glorious chocolate has in it is cacao, coconut butter and honey. I added some vanilla, mesquite, sea salt and goji berries for extra decadence and some colour.Who would've thought eating chocolate could add nutrition to your diet? This chocolate may help you live longer (with healthier skin and hair, and less stress).One more plus? This is ready in minutes. I literally made during it a commercial break on TV: Dad: "What're you doing in there?" Me: "Making chocolate, I'll be like two seconds!" 

Enough talking - chocolate doesn't need an explanation. 

raw chocolate: makes around 2 cups

1/2 cup agave nectar/maple syrup/date paste/raw honey or whatever sweetener you like

3/4 cup cacao powder

1/3 cup coconut oil or cacao butter, melted

-

Mix all ingredients until smooth and ridiculously delicious-looking. I highly recommend adding other ingredients like mesquite powder, sea salt, vanilla, or anything else that could take this to another level! 
Try not to eat it all before it hardens... I had some trouble.

Spread the chocolate love out on some wax paper (or if making chocolate chips - dollop on with a spoon or icing bag) and put it in the fridge for an hour. Then, you know what to do. 

Good heavens this is CRAZY-GOOD. You will not believe it. 

Strawberry-Goji Smoothie

From Let Them Eat Vegan wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free

Goji berries are nutritional powerhouses, and easy to consume through this satisfying, tasty smoothie. The strawberries are a natural flavor pairing for goji berries, so use them if possible. If not, you can substitute another frozen berry like blueberries. A high-powered blender (I use a BlendTec) is best for this smoothie to fully pulverize the goji berries and tough flax seeds. With a regular blender, you may have to puree longer or simply have a smoothie that’s a little less, well, smooth… but still delicious!

1 1/2 cups plain or vanilla almond milk (I really like almond milk and/or hemp milk in this smoothie, but you can use another non-dairy milk if preferred)
1/2 cup water (or more non-dairy milk)
1 1/2 cups frozen sliced banana (fairly ripe/overripe is best)
1 cup frozen strawberries (or fresh)
1/4 cup goji berries
2 tbsp whole flax seed
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and puree for a few minutes to ensure the goji berries and flax seeds are pulverized and well incorporated. Makes 2 medium-large smoothies.

Recipe copyright 2009 Dreena Burton.