Raw Vegan Doughnut Holes a.k.a. "Tim Bits"

Hey Loves!

I haven't been able to shake the craving for something cinnamon-ny and sweet lately.  The other day after my lady friends and I took their kids tobogganing, we went for tea and hot chocolate at Tim Hortons' (for my international pals, Tim Hortons is the most popular coffee shop chain in Canada, founded by Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, Tim Horton).  As I ordered a large peppermint tea at the counter, my gaze turned to the racks of freshly made doughnuts, in particular the doughnut holes (in Canada, we call them "Tim Bits") and I felt my mouth begin to salivate.  I rushed home and whipped up a batch of sweet, dense, spiced little gems that were as good as any Tim Bits, and maybe even better, as they were free of white flour, white sugar and a whole host of mystery chemicals.  Oh and did I mention, they're raw?

 

Raw Vegan "Tim Bits"

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups raw flaked oats

- 2 cups raw Brazil nuts

- 1/3 cup coconut oil

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

- 1/3 cup maple syrup (it's not raw, so you can sub it our for 1/4 cup raw agave if you're serious about the raw-someness!)

- 1/4 cup coconut sugar

- 1 tbsp cinnamon

In your trusty food processor, pulse the oats until they are very fine, almost a flour-like consistency.  Add the Brazil nuts and process until ground.  Add the coconut oil, nutmeg and maple syrup or agave and pulse until the mixture comes together.  

Refrigerate for one hour.  While the mixture is 'chilling out' (pardon the pun), stir together the coconut sugar and cinnamon.

Roll into bite sized (or two-bite sized) balls, and roll in the coconut sugar/cinnamon mixture. 

Refrigerate for another hour and then devour!  Store these babies in the freezer or refrigerator.

XOXO

V.V.       

Raw Vegan Oatmeal Hemp Macadamia Cookies

Happy Wednesday Sweeties!

Today I am offering a hump day treat that is as delicious as it is healthful.  ATM and I were craving a little something sweet after dinner last night so with a dash of this and a pinch of that, I whipped up these adorable and yummy-licious raw cookies!  I love learning about raw foodism, and while I find eating 100% raw doesn't work for my body, I try to consume as much food in it's natural raw state as I can.  Raw food is so nutrient dense and full of enzymes that are destroyed through the cooking process so your body a favor and try to incorporate more raw goodness into your daily diet!  I throw two big handfuls of raw organic baby spinach into my morning smoothie and it gives me and instant POW of energy and positivity - no kidding! 

And since we're on the topic of changes to the diet that do a body good, I have been steering clear of gluten for a few months and I must say, I feel FANTASTIC!!!  I have way more energy, my skin has cleared up (V.V. is prone to hormonal acne, blahhhh), I am rarely bloated and my weight is super easy to maintain (which is good news for a lazy bones like me!).  Every now and then, when ATM and I go out for dinner with her family to Santa Lucia's on North Main St, I do indulge in their spaghetti with marinara sauce. . . but otherwise I am G-FREE babes, and feeling amazing :)  Gluten is a protein found in wheat and some other grains like spelt, barley and rye.  Some people are very, very allergic to these proteins and can become terribly ill when they consume them.  Obvs, if this sounds like something you are experiencing, give your doc a call, okay honey?  

Okay, enough diet pep talk.  But before I get to the recipe, I just want to emphasize that diet is all about eating in the way that makes you feel your best!  It is a very subjective and personal thing, what works for Suzie might not work for Sherman, so listen to your body and do what is best for you!  For me, choosing a plant based diet is not only good for my body, but good for my animal friends, the Earth, and human kind, and that's something I feel wonderful about every day <3 

Now on to the eats!

Raw Vegan Oatmeal Hemp Macadamia Cookies

Ingredients:

- 2 cups oats (make sure they are uncontaminated if you have a serious gluten allergy)

- 1/2 cup hemp hearts

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 cup raw agave syrup (or maple syrup)

- 1/2 cup raw macadamia nut butter (you could use any nut or seed butter!)   

- pinch sea salt

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together.  It should stick together easily but still be slightly dry.  If you find the mixture is too crumbly, add a little more nut butter.  If you find it is too sticky, add a spoonful of oats at a time until you get the right consistency.  Scoop out a tablespoon of the mixture at a time and roll into little balls then place them on a lined cookie sheet and flatten them slightly into a cookie shape.

Chill the cookies in the fridge for an hour and then NOSH!  

The addition of some cacao nibs and chopped, dried cherries would be so good!

XOXO

V.V.

Vegan "Bailey's" Irish Cream Liqueur

Happy Holidays!!!

 

December is my favorite month.  I love everything about it: the sparkle, the celebrations, the time spent with friends and loved ones. . .  hence why this blog entry is loonnnggg overdue - it's been a busy month!  

I usually spend the week from Christmas Eve to New Years day overindulging on anything and everything I can sink my teeth into or fill my glass with and when it comes to holiday beverages, I like 'em sweet, creamy and booooozy.  Put 'em all together and you've got IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR!!!  Store-bought Irish cream is full of very non-vegan cream (obvs!) and other wacky preservatives and can be quite pricey.  My recipe (adapted from the amazing Tal Ronnen's recipe for Irish cream sauce) is very simple and YUMMY and you can make a 40oz bottle for under $30!  On ice, in your morning coffee or soaked into vegan chocolate cupcakes, it's a delish and festive treat!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season, filled with peace, love and joy <3

Vegan Irish Cream Liqueur

Ingredients:

-4 tsp cornstarch

-2 cans coconut milk (don't bother with the light stuff, stick to regular)

-1 cup chocolate almond milk

-1/2 cup organic brown sugar

-1 tsp vanilla extract (always use real vanilla extract, artificial is ICKY)

-pinch sea salt

-1 mickey of whiskey

In a wee bowl, combine the cornstarch with 4 tsp of the coconut milk.  Whisk it well to ensure it is smooooth (this is called a 'slurry' and it is a crucial step when adding starch to liquid to avoid lumps!). 

In a large saucepan, combine the rest of the coconut milk, almond milk, sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  

Once boiling, add the slurry of cornstarch and whisk like you have never whisked before.  Simmer for a minute or two then remove from the heat and let it cool right down.

Once cooled, you can strain the sweet liquid through a fine mesh strainer if you are concerned about lumpiness.  Add the whiskey, whisk, et voila!  You have Irish cream liqueur!  My testers said it might need a touch more booze, but I will leave that to your discretion.

All the best in the New Year!

XOXO,

V.V.
 

Applesauce

Hello Sweeties,

We know the Dutch are crazy, but they are particularily APPLE CRAZY.  My Oma makes applesauce that would make little Dutch angels weep.  It's in a whole other league than any beige, flavourless slop that you might buy in a jar at the grocery store.  And it's PINK! 

Making applesauce is very homey and domesticated so if you are trying to cheer up a friend (or Dutch person) it is suuure to please.  Especially with some homemade granola or a crushed oatmeal cookie on top, which is what I did when I made applesauce for my roomate, Bee, right after we'd moved into our apartment and began hanging pictures on the walls (always improves the lived-in factor of a place). 

Oma Applesauce
Ingredients:
-8 macintosh apples
-Juice of half a lemon
-1 cup water
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-pinch salt

Wash the apples really really well in hot water.  Quarter the apples, (skin-on, core-in) and place them in a large pot with the water and lemon juice.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil on high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the apples become a mushy, lumpy, saucy mess.  

Place a fine mesh strainer over  a large bowl and pour the sauce through the strainer, stirring it to help it pass through without all the peels and little icky bits.  Discard the peels and icky bits.

Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt.  Let the heavenly sauce cool and then EAT IT!!!!!

*****VARIATION ALERT*****
*You can core the apples and leave the peels on, skipping the straining step and just mashing the sauce with a potato masher.  This makes a nice chunky sauce :)

*Try leaving out the vanilla and adding a tsp of fresh grated ginger.  AH-MAZING!

*If my Oma were making applesauce, she might slip in a few tablespoons of grand marnier or brandy ;)

XOXO
V.V.   

Midnight Banana Fritters

Aloha,

I was dying for a midnight snack and whipped up these AMAZING banana fritters on a whim.  They turned out so good, I HAD to blog about them right away!  They are somewhere between a banana pancake and a doughnut right out of the fryer.  Yes, they are a tad on the naughty side being fried sweeties and whatnot but sometimes you just gotta have dessert!  Just put on some music and dance party all the calories off...or you can go right to bed with a nice full tummy :)

Midnight Banana Fritters

Ingredients:

1 banana, mashed (not to a puree, a few lumps are encouraged!)

1/3 cup whole wheat flour (hey, if they're gonna be fried, at least they're whole wheat)

pinch salt

pinch fresh ground nutmeg (nutmeg and bananas are BFF's <3)

pinch baking soda

two pinches baking powder

1 tsp vegan sugar or maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp non dairy milk

safflower oil for fryin'

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl.  The batter should be like thick pancake batter.  Heat two tablespoons of oil over medium heat.  Spoon a few small fritters into the hot oil and flip once the A side is nice and golden.  The B side will only take 30 seconds to a minute.  You may need to add a bit more oil after a batch or two.  Drain the fritters on paper towels after they come out of the pan and then EAT 'EM! 

This portion serves one PIG (a.k.a. yours truely).  Double the recipe, replace the milk with spiced rum and dust the hot fritters with cinnamon sugar for a very sexy dessert for two...ooh la la...

Sweet dreams :)

P.S. V.V. won a create-a-burger contest that Boon Burger posted on Facebook!  I sugessted their mushroom-rice patty with a soy-sweet chili glaze topped with a slaw of carrot, cabbage and green mango, drizzled with spicy sesame sauce.  They are going to be serving my creation at Boon Burger soon (they're calling it the ThaiTaste Burger, I think) so if you try it when it's being offered, let me know what you think!!! 

Boon Burger & Chocolate Coconut Sorbet

Hey Dolls,

I write to you alive and well and with a recipe for a very sweet and sexy treat!  But first: If you haven't already checked out Boon Burger Cafe here in 'Peg City, Manitoba, GET ON IT!!!!  It's Canada's very first vegetarian burger joint and even those of you who identify as omnivorous will LOVE it!  The vegan poutine made with oven baked sesame fries, homemade vegan gravy and Daiya cheese is MIND BLOWING (for real, my mind exploded.  It was such a mess on Sherbrook Street that day...).  Please go check it out, the staff are so cool and nice and the burgers, phenom! 

Speaking of MIND BLOWING (I'm beginning to think I have a problem...), I have a sweet and creamy and sexy, yes SEXY, recipe for you.  I believe that the world is made up of two kinds of people: people who hate coconut and people who love coconut.  I myself am of the latter persuasion so if you are too, it gives me great pleasure to present you with the following recipe for:

Chocolate Coconut Sorbet
(Honestly, it tastes more like rich creamy ice cream!  PLEASE use good vanilla!  Get someone to smuggle some back from their Mexican vacation for you!)

Ingredients:
2 cans coconut milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup vegan sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (if you want it smooth, omit.  If you love the texture of shredded coconut, put more!  I used about a 1/3 cup.)
2 tbsp (about a shot) spiced rum (optional, but YUM)

Whisk all ingredients together really, really, really well in a rectangular plastic container that has a lid.  Seal the container and scrape ice crystals every hour or so with a fork until totally frozen.  Let the sorbet sit out on the counter for ten minutes before you try to serve it. 

I even gave it a sexy background...

Make this sorbet and while it freezes go to Boon Burger for dinner!  But bundle up, it's getting chilly out there...

XOXO, V.V.

Simple Autumn Supper and Vegan Pumpkin Pie Brownies

I had a delicious and simple dinner the other night: pan seared seitan sausages with a mountain of roasted carrots and parsnips - so satisfying and comforting amid the chilly autumn winds that are blowing across the prairies right now.  I made these seitan sausages from scratch from my fave recipe found here: http://www.neverhomemaker.com/2010/02/street-food-veggie-style.html I add in whatever spices I am feelin' at the time, the most recent batch was full of garlic, fennel seed, chili's and oregano mmmmmm... I love them pan seared in a few tsp of safflower oil served with lots of grainy djon mustard!  As for the parsnips and carrots, I just scrubbed them and sliced them into 1/4 inch coins, tossed them with some olive oil and seasoned with good old S&P.  They took about 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven and were beautiful and caramelized.  You could add some sliced Yukon Gold taters for more substance too! 

I was craving something sweet after din din so I whipped up a batch of UNREAL pumpkin pie brownies.  I am a little crazy about pumpkin (and brownies for that matter...) and before I knew it, half the batch was GONZO...Luckily for me (and those of you incredibly smartie pants darlings who make these asap) they are pretty darn low in fat and full of beta-carotene rich pumpkin, yo!

This is my version of pumpkin brownies from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  It contains less sugar and uses whole-wheat flour. 

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Brownies

Ingredients:
for brownie layer:

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegan sugar (maple sugar, evapourated cane sugar, etc)

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp safflower oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp arrowroot flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

for pumpkin pie layer:

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

2 tbsp arrowroot flour
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I almost always use almond)
1/3 cup vegan sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp fresh gound black pepper (trust)

Preheat dat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.  Sift the dry ingredients for the brownie layer together and stir together the wet.  Combine wet and dry brownie ingredients and divide amongst the prepared muffin tin.  Using a spoon or thumb, make a little well in the middle of each brownie.  Combine all pumpkin pie layer ingredients.  Divide mixture amongst each brownie and bake for about 25 minutes or until the pumpkin layer has formed cracks and feels firm (though a little jiggle is ok!).  Enjoy...