banana date nut shake {praise the heavens}

This one's a beaut. Easy, filling, energy-giving deliciousness all in the form of a milkshake!? Can life get any better? The answer would be no, except that I am going to continue my spree of Disney movies tonight with The Emperor's New Groove... that's really the only improvement that can be made here.

This shake was my dinner yesterday, before one crazy night in 'da club'. It kept me dancing and smiling until 4 am. Sometimes when I go out to party I will have a beer or a glass of wine, but often I'll just chug water the entire night. I sweat my booty off the whole time so keeping hydrated is mandatory! Anyhoo, no matter what you're or doing - or when you're doing it - this is an excellent THE BEST option for a snack, meal or sweet treat.

banana date nut shake: serves... me

2 frozen bananas 
1/2 cup dates (add according to your taste, I like things sweet)
1 tablespoon hemp seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon nut butter (optional)
Water or nut milk, as needed (1-2 cups probably)

Blend it all up. Feel free to add some cacao powder or whatever else you love. I like when there are chunks of dates in the shake because they are bite-sized happiness. Top off with cinnamon and nom it down. Or nom it up? I dunno. Just get it in you.

raw egg nog for the holidays

This stuff "rawks" - ha-ha, laugh away at my hilarity - especially with the sneaky addition of a little rum. I can confidently assure you will not miss the uncooked hen periods or puss-filled protein secretions from sad bovine mothers (that one normally experiences with conventional egg nog). oh, those are eggs and milk if  you didn't catch that. 

Nothing nasty here, just a bit nutty. I began by making pecan milk (you wouldn't believe how easy it is to milk a pecan, they're agreeable little guys!) then added cinnamon and nutmeg until it tasted right. I did use a can of coconut milk which is not strictly raw but it makes it so much better. If you're looking for a creamy, thick egg nog look-alike - do the coconut milk. If you just want a nice holiday drink, don't worry about it. I blended in a few dates for sweetness and finally finished it off with some rum to make it a REAL drink. I know, I know - rum is not raw, but it sure is fun. 

Following my pumpkin pie and gingersnap recipes, you may have noticed a holiday theme. That's right! I am theming myself now... although I don't think theming is a word. In any case - I'm am rawifying the holidays!

Also, not a word. 

Nevertheless, you will continue to see your holiday favourites magically morphing into wonderfully vegan, raw versions of themselves. Everyone will rejoice in the animal-free revolution of Christmas dinner! The turkeys are planning a rebellion and I suggest you get on their side, where there's raw egg nog, pie, cookies, gravy and alcohol. 

raw nog: makes enough for you and your friendly friends (about 4 or 5 people)

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup pitted dates
3/4 cup pecans
2-3 cups water
4-5 shots of rum (1 shot is about 44 ml) 
1 can coconut milk (optional but recommended) 

Blend everything together in your high-speed blender. Add the rum one shot at time to make sure you don't make it too strong and render all your guests unconscious by the end of the evening. If you don't use the coconut milk, just make up for it by adding 1/4 cup more of pecans and 1 cup more of water. But the coconut milk makes it really creamy and delicious... just saying. Change it as you desire... then CHUG! 

Kidding. 

One last thing - I want to take a moment to wish dear Dave Brubeck (I desperately hope you know who he is) a peaceful sleep in the afterlife... or wherever we go... or don't go. He was an amazing musician and his genius will be missed!

raw chocolate mousse

uh... yeah. make these now.

i felt like creating something a wee bit fancy yesterday for my family and friends. we had a ripe avocado so i utilized it in the name of raw vegan splendor. turned out pretty decent, if i do say so myself (and i just did, so there). while you read the post, look at the pics and check out the recipe - i suggest you listen to THIS. i took lots of pictures for you today to feast your eyes on. FEAST:

i love having fresh mint from the garden for garnishes on desserts. to be honest, i'm not the biggest peppermint fanatic but i do adore the splash of colour. i am addicted to chocolate (that should be pretty apparent by now) but all the brown leaves something to be desired; purely for aesthetic reasons.

the bottom of these is a chocolate nut crust and it's topped with a chocolate pudding kinda deal. i made a quick chocolate sauce to decorate. i suggest letting them sit in a fridge for a few hours. i let them set overnight. i'm pretty sure if you do everything wrong in this recipe - it will still be delicious...

IT'S ALL CHOCOLATE.

double chocolate mousse delights: makes around 8 

crust:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup almonds

1 cup dates

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1-2 tablespoons cacao/cocoa 

mousse:

1 avocado

3 tablespoons cacao/cocoa

1/4 cup honey/maple syrup 

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted (optional if you're using a chocolate bar)

3-4 tablespoons nut butter (i used peanut butter)

vegan milk, as needed (around 1/2 cup or something?)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/3 cup dates/prunes

1 vegan chocolate bar, melted (i guess this is optional, but i recommend it!)

chocolate sauce:

2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon cacao/cocoa

3-5 tablespoons vegan milk

to make the crust, put all ingredients in your food processor and process until the nuts are crumbs and everything kinda sticks together. press into the bottom of big cupcake molds lined with plastic wrap or tinfoil; put in the fridge.

to make the mousse, blend all ingredients until smooth (you can do this in the food processor.) see if you wanna add anything. it should be pretty thick already, and it will set more in the fridge. spoon into each of the cupcake molds and stick it in the fridge for an hour or more. 

when you wanna eat them - ASAP i would assume - make the chocolate sauce by stirring all ingredients together. take the mousse cups out of their molds and decorate on plates with whatever you like! drizzle on the sauce and serve. YUUUMMM <3

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.