healthy vegan friday #43

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Friday is here, and I’m especially excited because it’s actually a weekend for me! And a long weekend at that! Yes my friends, I get to spend the May long weekend happily not working with family. Both sets of grandparents are celebrating 60th wedding anniversaries (holy geez eh?) so my parents and I are travelling to each sides for a little celebrating! It’ll be nice to get out of Toronto for a couple days!

Welcome to this week’s Healthy Vegan Friday!

We had 52 delicious submissions last week! In case you haven’t seen the post or all the awesome submissions, head on over to check it out.

For those of you who don’t know, Healthy Vegan Fridays is a weekly blog hop hosted by myself, Carrie @ Carrie on Vegan and Katherine @ Green Thickies. it is a place to share your healthy vegan recipes that make use of whole ingredients and minimize the use of processed and refined foods. The recipes shared on this link up are intended to emphasis the beauty, creativity and benefits of a healthy, plant-based diet!

First though a recap of last week:

Most Popular Submissions

2013-03-02 10.58.53

My Top 10 Tips for Eating Healthy from Chastity @ My Healthy Chef

Another good post from Chastity with some simple but important tips to help you on the road to eating healthfully, easily!

Enlightened Carrot Cake from Amber @ Chef Amber Shea

I have been drooling over this one since Amber posted it- an actual grain-free, nut-free, low-fat, low-calorie raw cake. Insanity! And it looks delicious to boot.

Superfood Cups from Heather @ Sweetly Raw

Dessert cups with loads of superfoods packed in- lucuma, maca, mesquite, oh my!

My Top Picks

Favourite Cravable Salad: Kale Waldorf Salad from Jodi @ Purely Nourished

Just can’t have too many kale recipes, and this salad with the apple and the mustard dressing sounds amazing!

Favourite Main Event: Braised Tempeh with Green Beans in Sesame Sauce from Janet @ the taste space

Hard to deny anything covered in a rich, creamy tahini sauce isn’t it?

Favourite Indulgence: Grain-Free Ginger & Lemon Tar in a Glass from Vicky @ Gluten Free SCD and Veggie

A delicious parfait that sounds perfect for spring and it looks so pretty!

Now for Healthy Vegan Friday #42!

My Submission for the Week:

IMG_2325 picmonkey

Sprouted Grain Cereal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Making the most of a store-bought cereal for some seriously delicious crispy on the outside but soft on the inside cookies. My favourite cookie recipe yet!

And finally before you go….

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If you could all head over to Ethical Ocean and vote for my Raw Chocolate-Coated Key Lime Pie, in the Eat What’s Good Vegan Recipe Contest, that would be amazing!. You can vote everyday so even if you voted once I would sure appreciate a second (or third, or tenth!). Thanks!

And just a quick request- PLEASE put a LINK BACK to this blog party on the post you are linking. We want to try and spread the word about Healthy Vegan Friday and would really appreciate your help doing so!

So, if you have a healthy vegan recipe (or 2) to share, please add it to the list below! If not, feel free to browse the submissions and get inspired! You can also check out our Facebook page,Pinterest board and feel free to tweet about it using the hashtag #VeganFridays. Feel free to grab our button (code is on the sidebar) to help promote this even and show your vegan pride.

You don’t have to be vegan to submit, just needs to be a vegan recipe. so share that creativity of yours!

Thanks and happy Friday!

Submission Guidelines

  • maximum of 2 submissions per week

  • you do not have to be a vegan food blogger to link up, but all recipes must be 100% vegan.

  • all recipe submissions should focus on the most whole, unprocessed and unrefined ingredients as much as possible, although we will still accept recipes that make use of some processed/refined ingredients.

  • you may submit current or past recipes, just make sure they are not ones that you have shared previously on this blog hop.

  • besides recipes, feel free to submit informative posts that are aimed at promoting vegan, plant-based diets.

  • you must provide a link back to this blog party on your submitted post. You can either grab our badge to display or a clickable link back somewhere on the post you are submitting.

  • when linking up, please make sure to link back to the post you are submitting, not the homepage of your blog

Legal Disclaimer

By linking up to Healthy Vegan Fridays, you guarantee that the pictures and posts are your own and not that of someone else. You also agree to give permission to all hostesses (Gabby, Katherine and Carrie) to make use of your pictures and posts on our own Healthy Vegan Friday posts, as well as giving us permission to re-post them on Pinterest, Twitter and/or Facebook.



grain-free berry crisp with spiced cashew cream

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I’m jumping the gun a little bit with this recipe. Even though spring remains elusive to us here in Toronto, I was simply too excited for spring and summer produce to hold off on making something with berries and lots of them.  While there’s nothing quite like a peak-of-the-season berry, frozen berries stand in nicely in this recipe.

No, let me re-phrase that: they stand in amazingly, beautifully and deliciously!

Finally, my impatience has paid off.

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One bite of this dish and I was transported into berry heaven. Every bite was like a revelation. And I know that’s a big word. But oh man.

Baking the berries gave them a rich sweetness that just can’t be matched and the grain-free topping gives a delicious crunch and nuttiness that pairs beautifully. I decided to make a spiced cashew cream to top it and it’s not too sweet but super creamy and just the perfect pairing.

Nutritionally speaking, this crisp is also pretty bomb. Tons of healthy fats and fibre from the nuts, it’s low glycemic thanks to the berries and packed with antioxidants. I even soaked the nuts I used beforehand to make them more digestible (releases phytic acid). This is definitely a breakfast you can feel good about starting your day with. Or a dessert to end the day ;)

I’ve been getting into grain-free baking a lot more recently, I’ll explain why in a future post. While making raw dishes is usually the easiest way to go grain-free (at least for the inexperienced like myself), I wanted to challenge myself with some baking. And anyway, a warm berry crisp when it feels like 0 degrees sounds so much more appealing no?

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I used berries here, but feel free to switch up the fruit! I’ll bet peaches and strawberries or even mango would be amazing as we head into summer!

Grain-Free Berry Crisp with Spiced Cashew Cream (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-Free, Paleo, SCD)

 

Ingredients (6 servings)

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, soaked
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, soaked
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
  • 1/2 cup hazelnut flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flakes
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries, frozen
  • 1 1/2 cups raspberries, frozen

Spiced Cashew Cream

  • 1/2 cup cashews, soaked
  • 4 cloves
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ginger
  • 2 all spice pods
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 5 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Soak your walnuts and pecans overnight or for a few hours. Drain and rinse when ready to proceed with recipe.

Preheat oven to 375 and grease an 8×8 square baking pan with coconut oil.

Combine all crisp ingredients except the berries in a bowl. Add the berries to the bottom of your prepared pan and spread them out evenly. Next put the crisp mixture on top, carefully spreading it out so it's even on top of the berries.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the crisp topping is a little crunchy. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with spiced cashew cream. This recipe freezes great too!

To make the cashew cream: soak your cashews overnight and in the morning drain and rinse them. Add them to the blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in the fridge.

This recipe is being shared on Allergy-Free Wednesdays!

And one more thing!

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If you could all head over to Ethical Ocean and vote for my Raw Chocolate-Coated Key Lime Pie, in the Eat What’s Good Vegan Recipe Contest, that would be amazing!. You can vote everyday so even if you voted once I would sure appreciate a second (or third, or tenth!). Thanks!

 

virtual vegan potluck- coconut lime layered bars

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Yay, I’m so excited to be blogging today, because it’s one of my most favourite events! The Virtual Vegan Potluck!

Hello to new readers and loyal followers alike! Welcome to the veggie nook. This is my little corner of the world where I talk about all things food, nutrition and health while pursuing an education in Holistic Nutrition. I believe healthy eating can be delicious and fun and it is the goal of my blog to show you all just how true that is!

For those of you who don’t know, The Virtual Vegan Potluck is the brain child of Annie over at An Unrefined Vegan. A HUUUUGE shout out to her and of course to Somer and Jason who have helped organize the last two! The VVP is an event where food bloggers from all over the world sign up to bring a vegan dish and then we all share it and post it at the exact same time! You can follow all the dishes like a big chain too, kind of like walking down a buffet line. At the bottom of my post you’ll see links to go to the previous blogger in line and the one after. Definitely visit all the blogs if you can!

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For this potluck, I’m sharing a dessert, my favourite thing to make. I don’t know why I like making desserts so much, maybe it’s because they just feel so special!

The inspiration for this dish came from the Nanaimo bar. A treat usually made around christmas that features chocolate layers with a cream filling, sometimes mint too. But I wanted to “summer-ize” this treat and maybe even take away the chocolate. I know, I know, why on earth would I want to do that??? Well my friends, the result is amazing I assure you!

In this treat I used almonds, coconut flake and coconut oil to form the base, with avocado, coconut oil, banana and lime to form the “cream” filling. The lime tastes so bright next to all the coconut! And the final layer, which would normally be pure chocolate, I decided to go with coconut in it’s finest decadent form- coconut butter. The creaminess is offset by the freshness of the flavours and the colours are just perfect for spring!

Nutrition-wise, this dessert is a powerhouse as well! Tons of fiber, healthy fats and not too much sweetener. This is a satisfying, decadent yet healthful treat that I know you’ll all love!

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Coconut Lime Layered Bars (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Paleo, SCD)

Ingredients (12 bars)

Base

  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • 3/4 cup ground almonds
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp sweetener
  • pinch sea salt

Filling

  • 2 small avocados, peeled and pitted
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 cup raw coconut nectar
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 banana, divided- 1/2 of it sliced thinly

Top

  • 1/3 cup coconut butter
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

Add all of the crust ingredients to your food processor, and process until a "dough" forms. Press this into a plastic wrap-lined loaf pan (I used 9×5) and put in the fridge while you make the filling.

Next, add all the filling ingredients except the melted coconut oil and 1/2 the banana to your processor and process until smooth. Next, with the processor running, pour in the melted coconut oil until incorporated. Pour this on top of your base and smooth the top with a spatula. Place the remaining sliced banana on top of this layer, pressing them into the filling to create a flat surface. Put this in the fridge while you prepare the final layer.

Over very low heat, in a small dish melt together the coconut butter and coconut oil until runny then pour over the filling. Put in the fridge to harden for about an hour. It is helpful at this point to take it out and cut it in the pan, then put it back in to continue hardening for a couple hours. When ready to serve use the plastic wrap to remove from the pan.

Store in the fridge or freezer.

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Now make sure you continue on in the potluck!

To visit the dish after mine at The Little Green House, click below.

Go Forward

To visit the dish before mine at Sift, Stir & Savour, click below.

Go Back

Or, go to the BEGINNING :)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the potluck!

healthy vegan friday #42

Posted on by

9

I’m sorry I’ve been absent this week! Things got incredibly busty. In a good way, but I wasn’t able to find a spare hour to get a recipe to you! You can expect great things next week though!

Welcome to this week’s Healthy Vegan Friday!

We had 47 amazing submissions last week! In case you haven’t seen the post or all the awesome submissions, head on over to check it out.

For those of you who don’t know, Healthy Vegan Fridays is a weekly blog hop hosted by myself, Carrie @ Carrie on Vegan and Katherine @ Green Thickies. it is a place to share your healthy vegan recipes that make use of whole ingredients and minimize the use of processed and refined foods. The recipes shared on this link up are intended to emphasis the beauty, creativity and benefits of a healthy, plant-based diet!

First though a recap of last week:

Most Popular Submissions

What NOT to Put in your Smoothie from Chastity @ My Healthy Chef

Some good, common sense advice on to how to keep your smoothies delicious and nutritious.

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Raw Vegan Ice Cream- Endless Flavours! from Happy, Healthy 365

Tons of flavours for banana soft serve. I particularly like the idea of Butter Pecan!

Better Than Nutella Cheesecake (Almost Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake)

Better than Nutella Cheesecake from Janet @ the taste space 

Pure, healthy decadence!

My Top Picks

lavender nut butter (1)

Favourite Scrumptious Spread: Lavender Cardamom Nut Butter from Ali @ Farmers Market Vegan

This flavour sounds EPIC. Lavender just makes things seem fancier ;)

Pita Chip w/ Dip

Favourite Snackable: Raw Parmesan Pita Chips from Anne @ An Unrefined Vegan

Spicy, flavourful chips that would be perfect for scooping guacamole!

Favourite Indulgence: Coconut Fudge from Heather @ Sweetly Raw

With coconut butter, cashew butter and coconut oil making up the filling, I bet these are incredibly rich and creamy. Perfect for a small treat before bed!

Protein packed, and use up leftover almond pulp, amazing! Plus, who can say no to chocolate ;)

Now for Healthy Vegan Friday #41!

My Submission for the Week:

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Warm Butternut Squash, Cabbage and Dill Salad

An amazing transition salad- winter squash combined with the bright, spring flavour of dill!

And finally before you go….

IMG_1841

If you could all head over to Ethical Ocean and vote for my Raw Chocolate-Coated Key Lime Pie, in the Eat What’s Good Vegan Recipe Contest, that would be amazing!. You can vote everyday so even if you voted once I would sure appreciate a second (or third, or tenth!). Thanks!

And just a quick request- PLEASE put a LINK BACK to this blog party on the post you are linking. We want to try and spread the word about Healthy Vegan Friday and would really appreciate your help doing so!

So, if you have a healthy vegan recipe (or 2) to share, please add it to the list below! If not, feel free to browse the submissions and get inspired! You can also check out our Facebook page,Pinterest board and feel free to tweet about it using the hashtag #VeganFridays. Feel free to grab our button (code is on the sidebar) to help promote this even and show your vegan pride.

You don’t have to be vegan to submit, just needs to be a vegan recipe. so share that creativity of yours!

Thanks and happy Friday!

Submission Guidelines

  • maximum of 2 submissions per week

  • you do not have to be a vegan food blogger to link up, but all recipes must be 100% vegan.

  • all recipe submissions should focus on the most whole, unprocessed and unrefined ingredients as much as possible, although we will still accept recipes that make use of some processed/refined ingredients.

  • you may submit current or past recipes, just make sure they are not ones that you have shared previously on this blog hop.

  • besides recipes, feel free to submit informative posts that are aimed at promoting vegan, plant-based diets.

  • you must provide a link back to this blog party on your submitted post. You can either grab our badge to display or a clickable link back somewhere on the post you are submitting.

  • when linking up, please make sure to link back to the post you are submitting, not the homepage of your blog

Legal Disclaimer

By linking up to Healthy Vegan Fridays, you guarantee that the pictures and posts are your own and not that of someone else. You also agree to give permission to all hostesses (Gabby, Katherine and Carrie) to make use of your pictures and posts on our own Healthy Vegan Friday posts, as well as giving us permission to re-post them on Pinterest, Twitter and/or Facebook.