Brownies with Strawberry Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl

HOLY WOW these were delicious. If you like creamy; if you like chocolate; if you like BROWNIES….you will love this one! Topped with rock salt, this dish was a delight.

The brownie recipe I have attached is an excellent one. However, I think the cream cheese is what makes this one delicious. If you don’t care for strawberries, you can always try another flavour. Vanilla, chocolate, caramel. Or perhaps something a little more out there; spicy orange, banana cardamon, blackberry mint. Possibilities are endless!

Recipe:

Brownies:

2 tbsp Flax, ground

1/4 c Water

1/2 c Maple Syrup

1/2 c Organic Sugar

1 c Almond Meal

1 c Oat Flour

1/3 c Cocoa Powder

Sea Salt

1/2 c Coconut Oil

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

Directions:

1. Make flax egg by combing water and flax, set aside for 5 min.

2. Put dry ingredients into food processor, mix.

3. Add all other ingredients. Mix.

4. Pour into square baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Strawberry Cream Cheeze:

1 c Cashews, soaked for 3 hours

1/2 c Strawberries

1 tbsp Maple Syrup

Directions:

1. Blend soaked cashews in blender on high until smooth, add extra water to get smooth.

2. Using cheesecloth, wrap cheese, tie shut and let drip for 4+ hours.

3. Once majority of liquid is removed from cheese, transfer to bowl.

4. Blend strawberries and maple syrup. Add to cream cheese. Mix.

5. Put 4-5 large cream cheese dollops on brownies. Use knife to swirl.

6. Top with sea salt. Cook in oven for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Lemongrass Pho with Zoodles

I hope you all had a wonderful New Years! I’m making this a green January despite the fact that there is a whole lot of white snow covering everything here in Canada. 🙂 Harvest season has passed but it’s not going to stop me from growing herbs indoors and shipping Organic vegetables from all over just to get my fix.

Zoodles and zoodles and zoodles of deliciousness went into this pho. The ginger and hot flakes had me sniffling by the end of the dish, great way to combat a cold if you have one right now. I also juiced the odd vegetables hanging around in the fridge, some sort of kale-spinach-cucumber-broccoli-lemon delight with a bittersweet taste and basically punch in the face at 6am this morning. It was wonderful and that’s just how I like it. 😀

Lemongrass Pho with Zoodles:

Serves: 1 – 2 bowls

Time to prepare: 10 – 15 minutes

1 tbsp Coconut Oil

1 Lime, squeezed

1 Lemongrass Stalk, diced

1/2 tsp Coriander

Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

1 tsp Fresh Ginger, minced

1 tsp Garlic, minced

3 c Vegetable Broth

2 Small Zucchinis, spiralized using Spiralizer

Other vegetables, Green Onion, Broccoli, Snap Peas

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pot. Add in everything but vegetables and broth. Saute for 5 minutes.

2. Add in broth, bring to boil.

3. Mix in vegetables and noodles, enjoy hot with extra chili flakes. Enjoy!

Berry Explosion Cheezecakes with Pecan Crust

Round 2 of my Cheesecake Series! These bites are creamy and packed with a berry punch. This morning I managed another day of HIIT training and nearly drank 3 litres of water during the 50 minute workout. I packed these cheesecakes with a scoop of plant-based protein but if you prefer just to have your cake simple and creamier I would suggest without!

 

 

I love eating these mildly frozen. Pop them in the freezer for 20 minutes and the cheesecake texture melts as you eat it.

 

Berry Explosion Cheezecakes:

Makes enough for: 8 – 10 servings

Time to prepare: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust

3/4 c Pecans

3/4 c Dates, soaked for 10 minutes

2 tbsp Maple Syrup (not raw) or Coconut Nectar (raw)

Filling

1 1/2 c Cashews, soaked for 10 minutes

1/3 c Coconut Oil, melted

1/3 c Coconut Milk

1/2 c Maple Syrup (not raw) or Coconut Nectar (raw)

4 tbsp Beauty Berries Power Blend

1 Lemon or Lime, squeezed

Directions:

1. In food processor, mix crust until chunky and sticky.

2. Line a small pan with plastic wrap. Press down crust firmly into pan. Freeze for 10 minutes.

3. Blend filling except for berry blend in high-speed food processor until thick and creamy.

4. Pour half of filling on top of crust and place pan back in freezer.

5. Wait until frozen or firm after 1 – 2 hours.

6. Mix in Berry Blend to remaining cheesecake mix. Repeat step #4 & #5 to add in another layer.

7. Freeze for 1 hour. Remove pan from freezer.

8. Run knife under hot water then carefully slice cheesecake. Top with dark chocolate enjoy!

Garlic Miso Zoodles

I’m a huge miso fan. Specifically, chick pea miso, which has this delicious cheese flavour with a bit of tang. In general, fermented foods do wonders for me! AND MISO, goes great on everything from veg pizza to a cucumber sandwich!

 

Zoodles (zucchini noodles) were a wonderful addition to this hearty dish. I enjoy this one raw most of the time, but you can always lightly sauté everything together if you prefer it prepared hot.

This dish was overall an easy one to prepare, it just required having most of the ingredients on hand. If you’re like me and sometimes just throw together whatever you can find, don’t worry about switching things up a bit with this one! I would say the two most important ingredients are the miso and the garlic. Get creative! Who knows you may just invent something new. Oh and if you do, don’t forget to share it with me as you all must know by now how much I love that 😉 😀

Garlic Miso Zoodles:

Makes enough for: 3 servings

Sauce:

3 tbsp Miso

1 Clove of Garlic

2 tbsp Rice Vinegar

2 tbsp Tamari

Zoodles:

2 Small Zucchinis, spiralized

1 c Chick Peas

Red Pepper, chopped

Carrots, chopped

Handful of Raw Cashews

Sesame to top

Directions:

1. Mix sauce in small bowl and set aside.

2. Spiralize zucchini with Spiralizer. If you don’t have this equipment you can wash and thinly slice zucchini.

3. Mix all ingredients in large bowl and enjoy!

Raw Chocolate Pomegranate Protein Bars

This bar took me from zero to hero today. Day 3 of HIIT training, I can barely move without feeling bodily aches, BUT THE PAIN FEELS SOOOOO GOOD. Then, to make things even more delightful, I demolished 2 of these bars and basically had so much energy I conquered the entire day in less than 4 hours of work.

HIIT training is a lovely, painful, series of jumping around in time intervals and pushing your body against gravity to create muscle confusion and bring up your heart beat. A 14 hour yoga session wouldn’t be enough stretching to relax the tension in my muscles today, or yesterday, or any other day this week.

Over the past couple days we have gone from no snow to 6cm of snow here – hence the indoor training. I still managed running outdoors but not for long as the wind is chilling and makes for an uneven pace. Mostly though, it gave me more time to make these protein bars and indulge in goodness.

No Bake Chocolate Protein Bars:

2 c Oats

1 c Coconut Fine Flakes

1/2 c Walnuts, chopped

1/2 c Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 c Coconut Oil

1/2 c Maple Syrup (not raw) or Coconut Nectar (raw)

1 c Almond Butter or Peanut Butter

1 c Cacao Powder

1/2 c Pomegranate Seeds

Dark Chocolate Chunks

1 tsp Vanilla

Protein Powder – How ever much you need/want

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil with nut butter and maple syrup.

2. Mix in all other ingredients except for chocolate chunks and pomegranate.

3. Line pan with plastic wrap and press your mix into the pan firmly.

4. Now press in pomegranate seeds and coco chunks into top of bars.

5. Freeze for 20 – 30 minutes, remove from pan, slice and enjoy! Store in fridge or freezer.

Apple Ginger Chews

At the end of apple season I like to gather up a variety of the delicious fruit and make homemade applesauce. This year, I ended up with a apple candy. A delight I only go for once a year (because it’s intensely sweet!) this candy is certainly worth the sugar rush.

I’m a huge fan of anything ginger. The burning spice paired with the candied apple flavour makes for a wonderful combination. If you would like a slightly more tart taste, try Granny Smith apples as opposed to MacIntosh. Or try a mix of different fruits, like pear and apple!

Recipe:

Makes enough for: 10 – 12 servings

Time to prepare: 2 hours

Apple Ginger Chews:

4 Apples, peeled and cored

1 tbsp Maca Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

3/4 c Organic Sugar

1/2 c Water

3 tbsp Ginger (less if you prefer it to be less hot)

1/2 Lemon

Directions:

1. Set apples and water in a pot and bring to boil.

2. Cook on medium heat covered for 15 minutes until you have thick apple sauce.

3. Transfer into high speed blender and combine with maca, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon.

4. Add back into pot with sugar.

5. Cook at a low simmer for 45 minutes. If your candy still has a lot of liquid, transfer to deep pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 150 degrees for another 20 – 30 minutes.

6. Cool and transfer pan to freezer. Candy should be thick and gooey once cooled.

7. Slice into cubes and dust in sugar. Enjoy!

Burrito Bowls with Pomegranate Salsa

Well would you look at that there. The green avocado, the red pomegranates, the mix is beginning to look like Christmas. OR MAYBE it just feels like it because I live in Canada and for some reason every year I am completely struck by the cold weather. I cannot even imagine other parts of my home country, like Saskatchewan for example. Where there are no trees nor rocks nor mountains to protect us from freezing gusts of wind! On my morning run today I ran past an open field and almost fell over. Yes I know how to run. It was the wind! Extra layers and early christmas celebrations all day today basically.

This isn’t exactly a burrito bowl, because is there really such a thing? In my mind, burrito means there was some form of wrapping of the beans. In this case, no wraps were involved, just the bowl.. and a fork. I must say though, it tasted just as delicious as a real burrito..

The pomegranate salsa was a nice addition to such a hearty meal. If you try this one out please let me know by commenting below :).

Recipe:

1 Red Pepper

1 Red Onion

2 c Red Kidney Beans

2 tbsp Chili Powder

Cayenne

2 c Spinach or any Greens you like

Guacamole:

1 Avocado

2 Cloves of Garlic

1/2 Lime

Pomegranate Salsa:

1 Pomegranate

1/2 c Cranberries, dried

1 Lemon, squeezed

2 tbsp Red Onion, chopped

Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Cook beans until soft.

2. Saute red onion and red pepper in water in pan on medium heat. Leave aside some red onion for salsa.

3. Add beans to pan with chili powder and cayenne. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Set Aside.

4. In a separate bowl, mash avocado. Mix in finely chopped garlic and lime. Set Aside.

5. Deseed pomegranate by taking the fruit whole in hand and hitting the outer peel with a wooden spoon to loosen the seeds. Then once you’ve covered all sides, slice pomegranate in half.

6. Tap out pomegranate seeds into bowl, remove any access white flesh. Mix in all other salsa ingredients.

7. Serve everything together in bowls with greens and enjoy!

Garlic Mushroom Quinoa

This morning I made the wonderful decision to run at 7AM! It was windy, but not overly freezing. A few hours later I went outside again and found the temperature dropped 5 degrees colder.. Usually it’s the other way around right??

Due to freezing coldness, I drank about 8 cups of maple tea and made this savoury Garlic Mushroom Quinoa dish with spinach and thyme today. SO simple, and so delicious, I thought perhaps I would share it :).

Garlic Mushroom Quinoa:

1 c Quinoa

2 c Water

4 – 5 Cloves of Garlic

5 c Mushrooms

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 c Spinach

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil in pot, then add quinoa. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until quinoa is soft and water is absorbed.

2. In a pan, heat olive oil.

3. Add garlic and mushrooms. Sauté.

4. Add quinoa and spinach, cook for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

 

 

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust

As many of you know, I am a slight blueberry fanatic. No, it’s not because my favourite colour is blue (which is a major plus though by the way) and it’s not because you can find these blue delights easily in the wild (for a daily hiker/runner this is huge). My love for this one particular berry is quite simple and dates back to a few years ago, when my crazy food craze began..

For awhile I spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out why I had substantial dry skin and blemishes on my face. In addition to this, my skin was rough and seemed to lack moisture, regardless of the endless amounts of creams and lotions. Then, when I cut out all chemically-induced hair, body, and face products I thought the issue would be fixed. Nope! It’s never that easy! This actually made things oddly worse for a time, as I was now facing the original questionable problem along with adjustment to new lifestyle changes.

It was summertime at this time, so I indulged in endless berries as I always do. This particular year I had stashed up on the wild goodness and froze it to keep it lasting through the winter. Every day I packed in 1 cup of blueberries along with other mixed berries (raspberries, strawberries, goji berries, boysenberries, tart cherries, basically whatever I could get ahold of). It took about 3 months but I solved my skin problem without realizing it at first! When things cleared up and my skin felt more hydrated, then I started using coconut oil on my body post-shower. WOW! This was the beginning of my berry obsession. Which I’m sure you’ve noticed, as I like to throw berries in and on top of everything. Also, the beginning of my coconut obsession, equally as wild and exciting (errr at least exciting to me that is).

I know we all have these particular foods or in a broader sense, things in our lives that we love and obsess over (in a healthy way of course). Some of you share this with me all the time, in the comments section here or on Instagram. I always find it fascinating to know others feel the same way, making me feel as though I’m part of a higher world flying on the dosage of coconut and berries. However, what really interests me right now, is learning about what you’re into that is completely different then this love I’ve cultivated. Please do share it with me, so I can try it out and perhaps share it with the rest of the world! Comment below >> Or of course all over my Instagram 😀

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust Recipe

Makes enough for: 8 – 10 servings

Time to prepare: 20 minutes

Time before you can enjoy: A few hours of freezing

Ingredients:

Crust

3/4 c Hzelnuts

3/4 c Dates, soaked for 10 minutes

2 tbsp Maple Syrup (not raw) or Coconut Nectar (raw)

Filling

1 c Cashews, soaked for 10 minutes

1/2 c Macadamia Nuts, soaked for 10 minutes

1/3 c Coconut Oil, melted

1/3 c Coconut Milk

1/2 c Maple Syrup (not raw) or Coconut Nectar (raw)

1/4 c Blueberries

1 tbsp Beauty Berries Power Blend (optional)

1 Lemon or Lime, squeezed

Directions:

1. In food processor, mix crust until chunky and sticky.

2. Line a small pan with plastic wrap. Press down crust firmly into pan. Freeze for 10 minutes.

3. Blend filling in high-speed food processor until thick and creamy.

4. Pour filling on top of crust and place pan back in freezer.

5. Wait until frozen or firm after 1 – 3 hours. Remove pan from freezer.

6. Run knife under hot water then carefully slice cheesecake. Top with dark chocolate enjoy!

Frankenstein Monster Squares

Oh my this was messy. It’s been awhile since I worked with sprinkles and icing. No, a child did not do these, it was me and yes my patience for colouring and sprinkling food is limited. Really though, I much prefer thinking up an interesting food pairing or mix of ingredients to make a tasteful masterpiece. Considering it is Halloween and most candy available is not dairy-free, THIS recipe was definitely worth it. And they turned out pretty decent too when taking into account my lack of detailing skill. 🙂

I started off with the Frankensteins as they were simple enough. Then things got colourful and wild when I mixed blue, red, which became pink and purple, loaded on chocolate, icing, and before I knew it there was a disco effect going on each monster square. It was fabulous.

I put them out to share and they were gone within minutes. Cleary, my artistic work was of value to someone. Someone who likely was brave enough to try one, then after realizing how delicious they were, ate the entire plate. Guess it’s time to make another batch!? YES!

Recipe:

Makes enough for: 6 – 10 servings

Time to prepare: Max 1 hour (depending on decorating time)

Monster Squares:

5 c Organic Puffed Wheat or Rice Crisps

1/2 c Vegan Butter Soy Free

1/4 c Maple Syrup

1 c Brown Rice Syrup

1/4 c Nut Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

Icing:

1/4 c Icing Sugar

3 tbsp Vegan Butter

2 tbsp Almond Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla

Chocolate:

1/4 c Melted Dark Chocolate

1 tbsp Coconut Oil

Directions:

1. Heat square ingredients except for puffed wheat on stove in pot until fully combined.

2. Mix in liquid mixture with puffed wheat. Throw all into food processor, chop fine for 30 seconds.

3. Place in pan on a layer of plastic wrap. Press firmly into place and freeze.

4. Use beaters to make icing with all ingredients in medium sized bowl.

5. Heat chocolate and coconut oil on stove until fully combined.

6. Remove from freezer once compact. Press firmly together and re-freeze if it doesn’t have a strong hold.

7. Decorate however you would like with icing, chocolate, and sprinkles! Enjoy!