holy garlic

we bought garlic from the farmer's market on saturday... it is so intense. like, the most potent garlic on the planet. i naively used an entire clove in the dressing of my salad, i have now killed all my taste buds. learn from my mistake - be cautious with your organic garlic. start with half a clove if you've got strong stuff.

besides the garlic insanity, this salad was friggin delish. i had a great workout up at my campus gym and all i wanted to eat afterward was a big salad from my garden. i added some chickpeas for extra protein. hemp seeds would also be a nice addition. we had grilled zucchini from last night and well... that's never a bad thing to throw in. enjoy! i sat in the sun and fought with wasps to eat this.

walnut garlic salad: serves one

dressing:

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon tamari

3 tablespoons almond milk (or water)

1/2 garlic clove

1 tablespoon miso 

1 tabelspoon honey/maple syrup (or 2 dates)

1 tablespoon hummus (optional... but yum)

salad:

2-3 grilled zucchini slices

1/2 cup chickpeas

4-5 cups kale and/or rainbow chard

2 figs

3 olives

make the dressing by blending all ingredients until smooth. hopefully you like it, it might be a little thick so feel free to add more liquid. chop up the salad topping and tear up the leaves into bite-size pieces. pour on the dressing and mix into the greens, then add your toppings. yummers.

The Best Chocolate Pudding of RAW SUPERFOODS

*Check out my other chocolate pudding recipe here. 

I love avocado. It's a magical, unique fruit that's chockablock full of nutrients, vitamins and fiber. It's actually been called "the most nutritious of all fruits"! And it's toted by countless health authorities as one of the key foods for superior nutrition, with good reason.

Here's some facts about the creamy green guy.
Research for yourself too!

Besides it's endless list of health benefits - it just tastes darn DELICIOUS. Like no other food. It's creamy, rich, and can be used in a butt load of creative or simple ways for your food AND cosmetically. Seriously, whenever I eat an avocado (almost every day) I put like half of it on my face, neck and arms to make my skin soft and glowing. Mmm...

I came home from a long day of school quite hungry and ate 2 giant heads of broccoli, which totally filled me up. But yet I made this pudding for dessert and ate it all because it was actually irresistible. I dare you not to eat it all. So without further ado, here's an uber simple recipe for a super food chocolate pudding.  
I'm not exaggerating when I say this BETTER than regular pudding, and it's SO good for you. 

You can eat a giant bowl of rich chocolate pudding and feel PROUD of yourself, not guilty.

It's a wonderful world, people. 

(Sorry, the pics aren't so great today. How can you expect me to be patient and take tons of pretty pictures when I have the best chocolate pudding in the universe sitting right in front of me? You can't.)

The World's Greatest Chocolate Pudding: serves ONE

1 very ripe avocado

1-2 Tb honey 

2-3 Tb cacao 

Pinch of salt

Feel free to use agave or maple syrup instead of raw honey, I prefer it because it's a super nutrient-dense food though =) 

Also go ahead and add mesquite, cinnamon, and/or coconut oil. They all add new dimensions to the flavor. I just wanted to keep the recipe simple.

Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding water as needed to make it creamy. EAT.

lavender & lemon "cheesecake"

Oh my. This is raw, vegan, and absolutely divine.

I know the flavours are rather summery, and yet it's January. But I thought "what the heck"... I doubt anyone will complain.I highly suggest you make this as soon as possible, and feel your world come alive. This is actually my first raw cheesecake, and I now know it will become one of my stand-by special desserts. It's delightful, truly. 

It's wonderful how first you get that taste of lemon, fresh and light; then right after, you begin to taste the subtle lavender coming through and are surprised by how much you like it!

Who could have imagined a handful of raw, whole foods could create such a beautiful and elegant dish? Well I'm not gonna lie... I could easily imagine it. But that's only because I'm so in love with raw desserts (and food).

Share this delicate and lovely cheesecake with your loved ones; and enjoy the tastes, textures, and simple happiness they all bring.

Lavender & Lemon Cheesecake: makes 1 cheesecake 

Crust:

1/2 cup dates

1 1/2 cups nuts (I used soaked walnuts and almonds)

Surround the inside of a cake pan with wax paper or plastic wrap. Process dates and nuts together until you get a rough, sticky mixture that you can pat down with your hands into the bottom of the cake pan. Do so. Set in fridge.

Cheesecake:

3 cups cashews (preferably soaked for 3-4 hours)

3/4 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup honey/agave/maple syrup

3/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon salt

1-3 teaspoons dried lavender  (depends on how much you like lavender; I used 3)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract/seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. It will taste... glorious. I'm not kidding, angels may start singing. Pour onto crust in cake pan and set in the freezer or fridge until it has the hardness you want (probably 3-5 hours or overnight). Take out of cake pan holding the wax paper or plastic wrap and put on your favourite plate. Slice and enjoy.

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. 

sweet corn, garlic & tomato soup with avocado and dill

"Happiness is this!" was the first thing I said when I had a spoonful of this soup. Not only had it been a long day on campus, and I had had a really hard workout (my leg muscles are crying), but it was also the beginning of my three day weekend.

So, when I finally was able to sit down with this glorious bowl of soup - you can imagine my excitement and shear blissful mind-state. As I'm writing this, I feel almost euphoric! It must be a mix of my workout high (which I'm able to enjoy daily) plus more endorphins being released because of the deliciousness of this SOUP.

I haven't made raw soup in quite some time, it's more of a winter thing for me. I love soups that are warming, smooth and rich. I can't do cold chunky gazpachos. Yilk. Sorry.

Now that the BC winter is coming, I'm getting my comforting-soup cravings! Raw soups are divine, really. They are so creamy, flavourful and totally satisfying. And all they are is veggies with maybe some nuts, spices, oil and water. MMM!

Blended foods are great because not only are raw smoothies and soups FANTASTIC, they are also waaaay easier on your digestive system. Your stomach doesn't have to do anything! So you save that energy, and get those nutrients into your blood faster.

Tonight I had a ripe avocado, some frozen organic sweet corn, and tomatoes. We always have garlic. You should too.
You may want to put in just one clove of garlic to start, and see if that's good enough. I am garlic junkie so watch out, as I put in three. Also, start with a small amount of water and add until you get the consistency you want. Personally, I don't like watery soup.

Sweet Corn, Garlic & Tomato Soup with Avocado and Dill: serves 1

1 tomato

1/3 cup organic sweet corn kernels

1-3 cloves garlic

Handful walnuts

Spoonful hemp seeds

1-2 t Tamari/Bragg's

1 1/2 cups hot water

1/2 or whole avocado, chopped

Salt & Pepper 

Fresh or dried Dill

Blend tomato, corn, garlic, walnuts, hemp seeds, Tamari, water, and HALF of whatever amount of avocado you're using until smooth. Pour into bowl. Add salt & pepper to taste, and top with remaining chopped avocado and dill. I added some raw, organic honey for good measure.

I had forgotten how much I LOVE raw soups. They are soooo friggin' good. Nuff said.
Now go make your own.