“peanut butter” & caramel-filled chocolate eggs

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Even though I’m not spending Easter with family this year, that does not mean I won’t be eating chocolate.

But not just any chocolate. I’m talking “peanut-butter” and caramel-filled chocolate eggs that would rival any silly Cadbury/Reese/Nestle/Hershey confection.

Guys I am really proud of these.

I decided to go with almonds instead of peanuts in the filling because they are more nutritious (and paleo!) but when combined with the other ingredients, this almond filling really takes on a peanut taste. The medjool dates add a caramelly flavour and the coconut flour gives the filling a nougaty-texture. Best part? This also uses almond pulp leftover from making almond milk! Waste not, want not! If you don’t have almond pulp though don’t worry, almond meal or any ground nut should do the trick.

And let’s not forget the coating. I decided to make my own chocolate shell from my usual cacao powder and coconut oil. I used slightly different ratios than I usually do, but the results are still delicious.

The result? A slightly misshapen (I’m lazy and no culinary genius) but entirely vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, grain-free, raw, paleo, and maybe even other diet-friendly treats that will delight adults and children alike!

Sometimes I think it’s funny I didn’t like nut butters when I was little…clearly I have a love affair with it now ;)

“Peanut Butter” & Caramel-Filled Chocolate Eggs (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Paleo, Raw)

Ingredients (16 eggs)

Filling

6 medjool dates, pitted
3 tbsp almond butter
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/8-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond pulp (dry) or almond meal

Chocolate Coating

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao powder
2 tbsp coconut syrup/maple syrup

Instructions

Add all filling ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Then add the almond meal and process again until a smooth consistency is reached. Put the filling in the fridge to firm up a little while you make the chocolate.

In a small bowl over low heat, melt the coconut oil. Whisk in the the cacao once melted and add in the coconut syrup. Remove from the heat.

Take the filling out of the fridge and shape into egg-shaped balls. Using 2 forks, dip each "egg" into the chocolate, ensuring all sides are coated. Place onto a parchment paper-lined sheet and continue until all eggs are coated.

Put the eggs in the fridge for about 40 minutes to get firm. Store in the fridge until ready to eat!

I'm sharing these on Raw Foods Thursday & Wellness Weekends!

Whether you celebrate Easter, Passover or nothing at all, I hope you all have/had a wonderful holiday! See you tomorrow for Healthy Vegan Friday!

a sexy raw cake for valentine’s and my blogiversary!

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

photo credit: Aih. via photopin cc

Wow this has been a truly amazing year. Not only did I move and start studying to do what I love, I started this wonderful blog 1 year ago today! It’s been an amazing journey full of late nights, struggling with my camera, experimenting in the kitchen, eating delicious food and fumbling my way through technology I don’t understand. But most importantly, it’s been full of all of YOU. To all my readers and fellow bloggers, thank you so much for reading, stopping by and for your words of encouragement. Each time I get a comment I still get excited butterflies in my stomach. I have made so many new friends I never would have gotten to meet otherwise and I am so honoured to know you all. I’m so happy you are here and I hope you will continue to read for another delicious, food filled year!

…

Today I bring you something delicious, both in celebration of my blogiversary and to help the rest of you celebrate Valentine’s Day!

I’ve never been one to make a big deal about Valentine’s Day, but that doesn’t mean I won’t use it as an excuse to create a delicious treat in it’s honour. And so, I give you this:

Think creamy. Think chocolatey. Think velvety and rich.

And most of all, think SEXY.

Because that’s exactly what this cake is- not only does it taste amazing and decadent but it is packed full of ingredients to keep you looking and feeling sexy on this special day.

Cacao: this is a superfood packed full of antioxidants and minerals, which in addition to being wonderful for your health, they are vital for fertility. It is also packed full of compounds that increase your libido and just make you feel happier! Once of the ways it does this is by increasing serotonin in your brain. Make sure you get raw cacao for this though. Cocoa is not the same!

Goji berries: antioxidants galore to help keep your body in tip top shape. These also help to increase your libido and improve your stamina by increasing testosterone!

Coconut Oil: coconut oil gives you readily available energy instead of getting stored! It also contains lauric acid which gets converted to pregnenolone which helps to reduce atherosclerosis in the body- AKA it helps to improve blood flow to all your sexy regions ;)

Maca Powder: maca is widely used throughout the world as a supplement for energy, stamina, strength and libido. It is also an adaptogen meaning it will help to regulate your hormones in whatever way your body needs! Maca will help balance all your glands like pituitary, hypothalamus, adrenal, thyroid pancreas as well as your ovarian and testicular glands. Hormones and feeling sexy are VERY connected!

Cashews: these nuts are rich in copper which is super important for energy production and magnesium which is crucial for helping you relax. May sound like competing interests but don’t those both sound like things we want in the bedroom? ;) The good fats in these will also reduce your heart disease risk making sure you can stay active!

Not only does it contain all of these awesome for you ingredients, but this cake is also raw, free of refined sugar, gluten and grains meaning it won’t create any unneeded bloat or lethargy after you eat it! Just enough for 2 people, this cake is perfect to share with a Valentine!

Sexy Valentine Cake (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-Free, Raw, Paleo)

Ingredients (serves 2)

Base

2 tbsp almonds
1 tbsp coconut flakes
4 dates
1/2 tbsp cacao powder

Filling

6 tbsp cashews, soaked
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp goji powder(optional)
1/4 tsp maca powder
1 tbsp coconut nectar
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Chocolate Topping

1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
scant 1 tbsp cacao powder
pinch cinnamon
1/2 tsp coconut nectar

Garnish

goji berries
cacao nibs

Instructions

Add the ingredients for the base into a food processor and blend until you get a "Dough" that will stick together when pressed. Press it into the bottom of a small springform pan, or any other small container. Line it with plastic wrap first for easy removal if not using a springform.

Add all ingredients for the filling except the coconut oil to a blender and blend until smooth. Take the melted coconut oil and with the blender running, slowly pour it in. Pour the filling over top of the base and smooth it out. Move to the fridge to cool.

Mix all the ingredients for the chocolate in a small bowl. Pour over the filling of the cake and allow to harden in the fridge. Keep cake covered and chilled for at least 4 hours to allow it to firm up. Putting it in the freezer will give you a much firmer result, whereas the fridge it will still be creamy- your call!

Garnish with cacao nibs and powder and goji berries if desired and serve!

I'm sharing this on Allergy-Free Wednesday and Raw Food Thursday!

I hope you all have a fabulous Valentine’s Day! Here’s to another year!

no-bake pumpkin mousse cake and giving thanks

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Happy Thanksgiving my lovely readers!

I know this greeting is coming early for many of you, or for many, you may not even celebrate this holiday. Whether you celebrate it or not I just wanted to let you all know, I am so supremely thankful for each and every one of YOU! You my dear readers, along with the comments you leave give me the strength and confidence to keep coming back to this space post after post, week after week to share my musings on food and life. I am so grateful you all give me these couple minutes of your day. Never change, you are all just wonderful and I couldn’t ask for better!

Instead of posting one of the recipes I teased you with in this post, I thought it would only be fitting to share my Thanksgiving dessert. It’s so delicious though, you won’t be disappointed!

Is there anything better this time of year than pumpkin? The comforting scent and taste instantly warms your taste buds, tummy and soul and just screams to be enjoyed curled up under a blanket with some hot tea.

It’s also the quintessential Thanksgiving flavour. While I didn’t have the time to think up a revolutionary new dessert to create, I did make something amazingly tasty that I think you should all go whip up right now, no matter how much pumpkin goodness you may have consumed over the weekend.

This pumpkin cream cake is a delicious recreation of my Raw Strawberry Cream Cake, slightly lighter in texture and more autumnal in flavour. It’s a cross between a pumpkin pie and a pumpkin cheesecake with some tang from the lemon juice, warming scent from the cinnamon and creamy texture from the cashews. It’s not raw as it has pumpkin puree as well as a little maple syrup, but it’s no-bake, allowing the oven to be reserved for whatever special main dish you are cooking up. The filling uses cashews and coconut oil to achieve the cheese cake texture, but the filling still feels light thanks to the addition of pumpkin and banana. There’s also very little added sweetener since the dates in the crust and banana provide most of what’s needed. Of course, I added in a little maple syrup, just because I love it so much.

Sweet and decadent yet healthy and wholesome, this is a cake to please even the toughest of critics. We all happily dug into large slices here, despite being stuffed full of Thanksgiving dinner.

No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Cake (Vegan, Gluten-free, Refined Sugar-Free)

Ingredients (10-12 slices)

Crust

3/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup medjool dates
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt

Filling

2 cups raw cashews, soaked
juice of 1 lemon
1 banana, cut into chunks (cake will firm up faster if you use frozen for this)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or pumpkin spice)
10 drops stevia (or more maple syrup)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

Garnish

pecans if desired

Instructions

For the crust, pulse the pecans in a food processor until finely ground then add the dates and sea salt and process until the mixture will stick together when you press it. Press the mixture into an 8-inch spring-form pan and place in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Rinse the food processor then add the soaked cashews and all other ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth. With the processor running, slowly pour in the melted coconut oil until fully incorporated.

Pour the filling in top of the crust and spread smooth with a spatula. Garnish with pecans if desired. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours to firm up.

And there you have it. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with friends, family and overeating!

I'm submitting this recipe to Allergy-Free Wednesday, Gluten-free Fridays, Wellness Weekends and Bringing in the Holidays Potluck party !

canada day “almost raw” maple walnut cups

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends! We Canadians are funny, we are quiet, polite and unassuming except for a few days a year where we suddenly become crazily and almost obnoxiously patriotic and I LOVE IT. A day … Continue reading →