it’s easy being green! oriya organics review

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

I love supporting companies who are genuine in not only their pursuits to create wholesome, nutrient-rich and clean products, but are also 100% genuine to talk to and you can just sense a deep passion for their products and what the company stands for.

That’s why I was really excited when I was contacted by Oriya Organics to try out some of their products and post a review!

First a little, about the company and then I’ll share the products I was given and my thoughts!

Taken from the Oriya Organics website:

Oriya Organics brings you nature's greatest superfoods in their true organic form! Our whole food supplements are nutritionally dense and unadulterated – delivering revitalizing whole-body wellness benefits you can feel. Every ingredient in our product line is certified organic, non-gmo, vegan, and raw. Our superior-quality products are manufactured with the highest integrity. No fillers, artificial ingredients, flavors, sweeteners, or synthetic nutrients are used in any of our products — ever. Period. This natural approach, combined with our stringent practices in manufacturing, formulation, and quality control enables our products to resonate in harmony with your body.

All of their products are also peanut, soy, dairy, wheat/gluten and tree nut free, manufactured in a facility that does not process ANY of the above! So anyone with a food sensitivity can rest assured this is safe. They also source their ingredients directly from producers following fair trade principles, so these are products you can really feel good about consuming!

Now, lets get into the nitty-gritty of the products I was sent!

product1

Superfood Protein Medley

This contains only the ingredients you see printed on the front- Sprouted chia seeds, spirulina, sprouted brown rice protein, hemp protein and chlorella. It’s organic, non-GMO, and there are no other additives, fillers or sweeteners that you would normally see in other products! Each serving gives you:

18g of protein
3g of fiber
53mg of chlorophyll
450mg of omega-3 fatty acids
Live enzymes, phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals

That’s pretty impressive for a protein powder! I love too that it’s 100% raw, vegan, gluten-free and sprouted meaning it’s super easy for your body to assimilate all the nutrition! It also has spirulina and chlorella, meaning you’re getting a bonus greens hit with your protein.

Now while I love that it contains no other additives, just pure nutrition, this does mean that it tastes pretty funky! Just mixing it with water or a non-dairy milk like the package suggests is a little hard to get down! But don’t worry- I have a couple delicious recipes for you on that front!

It blends really well into recipes leaving you with minimal grittiness which I loved and thanks to the highly-absorbable protein and the fibre from the chia seeds , this keeps you full for ages! It has a very neutral taste as well, so you can make your smoothie taste however you want! No having to worry about vanilla or chocolate undertones getting the way, which while can be nice, is not always what you want!

product2

SuperGreen Medley

This is another super-nutrition-packed product! It’s a greens powder containing spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass and barley grass. Using multiple different greens in this powder ensures you are getting a broad range of nutrients from each individual component. Each serving contains:

4 g of protein
2 g of fiber
99 mg of chlorophyll
Live enzymes, phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals

This is such a great way to get more greens into your diet, especially for the typical Western-style eater. Even if you eat a totally healthy diet already, we can always use more greens for their alkalizing properties!

Again, mixing this product with only water leaves you with a VERY “green” tasting drink. I found it fun to mix a scoop with a little water and do it “shot” style, but you can also mix it into other recipes which I will provide for you :)

This product also blends really well into recipes, but definitely has a distinct flavour. It is fairly easy to work with though if you use other spices and flavours to incorporate it!

Now how to use these great products?

Firstly, I used both of them in my Tropical Pineapple Coconut Green Smoothie

The SuperGreen Medley features in my St. Patty’s Day Green Monster Dip

And finally, using the Superfood Protein Medley, I bring a new recipe…

Protein-Packed Chocolate Avocado Pudding!

The concept of pudding made with avocado is by no means revolutionary in the blogosphere, but I make them so often and have never posted a recipe for one, so I thought it was about time.

For those of you who have never tried the amazingness of a chocolate avocado pudding, you simply must! It’s rich and creamy, but loaded with nutrition in the form of healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins from the avocado and antioxidant and mineral rich from the cacao. Naturally sweetened with a little coconut nectar and maple syrup, this is a treat you can feel good about indulging in!

And this time around I kicked it up a notch with the addition of OO’s Superfood Protein Medley. This blends in pretty seamlessly to the creaminess of the avocado and really gives this pudding some staying powder. Plus the addition of protein to this treat means the sugars in the sweetener will be slower to absorb into your system, lowering the effect on your blood sugar. So you can enjoy this pudding as a dessert, snack or even breakfast. AWESOME!

Protein-Packed Chocolate Avocado Pudding (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-Free, High Raw, Paleo)

Ingredients (serves 2-4 depending on appetite)

1 avocado
6 tbsp coconut milk
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tbsp carob powder
2 tbsp coconut nectar
2 tbsp maple syrup
Splash vanilla
1 scoop raw protein powder (I used Oriya Organics)
Favourite toppings: I used goji berries and coconut shreds

Instructions

Add all ingredients except protein powder to a processor and process until smooth. Add in the protein powder and process for about a minute, until all grittiness from the powder is gone!

Served chilled and top with favourite toppings! I used coconut shreds and goji berries.

Oriya Organics is also generously extending a 10% discount on all their products for veggienook readers! So if you want to try the products, head on over to the Oriya Organics website, use the coupon code oriya1 at checkout and enjoy a 10% discount + free shaker bottle!

Canadian readers might want to order through Upaya Naturals to make delivery faster and to avoid customs. Click here to check it out!

*Disclaimer* I was provided these products free of charge but I was under no obligation to review the products or post a positive review. All opinions are completely my own and I was not provided any compensation for my review.

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!

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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!

chocolate-covered strawberry chia seed pudding

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

There must be something in the air- this is my second “chocolate-covered” recipe since the year began!

But just because it’s chocolate-covered, does not mean it’s not healthy and doesn’t mean it can’t help you with your healthy eating goals!

That’s because this recipe is packed full of fiber and anti-oxidants, includes 2 superfoods, some fruit and is very low in overall sugar!

Yes my friends, it’s a chocolate-covered strawberry chia seed pudding. BAM.

I don’t know about all of you, but I fondly remember chocolate-covered strawberries as a special treat when I was younger. They were great because they tasted absolutely decadent, but hey, you were eating fruit so it had to be healthy! While I m totally in agreement that as far as desserts go, chocolate-covered strawberries are not the worst thing you could eat. BUT the chocolate that is often used will contain refined sugar and depending on the chocolate, might contain loads of preservatives and other chemicals, especially if it’s a chocolate sauce.

So I decided to try and healthify this dessert. And of course I turned to one of my most favourite ingredients- chia seeds. By turning this into a chia seed pudding, I packed it full of fiber and healthy omega-3 fats meaning it will keep you feeling full and will help decrease inflammation in the body!

That’s not the only superfood found in there though! Cacao powder is a superstar- full of powerful anti-oxidants to help combat all the toxins we face on a daily basis. Plus it’s packed full of important minerals like magnesium, which is super important for energy, sulfur which helps promote healthy, glowing skin and others like calcium, manganese, potassium and iron! And let’s not forget it’s mood enhancing properties- it helps to boost serotonin in your body making us feel great!

Strawberries also offer some wicked nutrition- loaded with vitamin C, manganese, fiber and folate to name a few.

It also tastes amazing! It actually tastes exactly like biting into a chocolate-covered strawberry! I love when healthy, delicious and decadent are all found in the same dish :)

I can’t believe there was a time when I disliked chia puddings…

Delicious, healthful and decadent, this makes a great breakfast, dessert or snack! This really is a multi-tasking treat!

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Raw)

Ingredients (1 bowl)

1/2 cup nondairy milk (homemade for raw)
1 tbsp cacao powder
1/2 tbsp coconut nectar (or maple syrup, but won't be truly raw)
4 hulled ripe strawberries
2 tbsp chia seeds

Instructions

Blend the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Move to a bowl and stir in the chia seeds. Let sit for at least 20 minutes or overnight in the fridge to allow the chia seeds to gel and create a pudding like consistency.

I hope you enjoy this delicious treat! See you all on Friday!

I'm submitting this recipe to Allergy-Free Wednesday, Raw Food Thursdays and Wellness Weekend!

maqui smoothie, superfood chocolates and a navitas natural review

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

Happy Saturday my dears! Hope you are all enjoying your weekends and that you’re enjoying this week’s Healthy Vegan Friday!

I am very late with this post. The lovely people at Navitas Naturals sent me some products to review and I have to admit I was stumped by one of the products. Thus the lateness and the procrastination with this review. However on Thursday I was struck with inspiration so here we are!

I’m sure most of you are fairly familiar with this company. I know I was and I was already in love with their maca powder. So when I was contacted to test some more out I was ecstatic! I think what I really love about the company the most is their philosophy. Here’s a little blurb from their website:

Our food philosophy is simple: Nutrient rich whole foods are best produced using organic agricultural methods with minimal processing. Focusing on both food safety and nutrition, we handle our premium superfoods with care. This includes third party testing for all our products. Our facility is Organic, Kosher and GMP/HACCP Certified. In addition, we utilize methods such as freeze-drying and low temperature processing to ensure maximum nutrition and safety.

They offer an extremely wide range of high quality superfoods and they just launched a new line of snacks and trail mixes. I love that this company makes superfoods accessible and you know you are getting quality products from them. Plus the people over there are simply lovely to talk to and will answer any questions about their products you might have. Not sure how to use an ingredient? They have you covered there too! Their website has many fabulous recipes to get you started.

Now onto the products and a couple recipes for you all!

The first product I tried was the Blueberry Hemp Super Food Power Snack

These little bites made great snacks for on-the-go superfood munching. They are packed with fibre, healthy fats, antioxidants and vitamin C thanks to superfood ingredients: date paste, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, dried blueberries, sesame seeds, hemp powder, maca powder, lucuma powder, maqui powder, natural blueberry flavor and camu camu powder. They are also gluten-free and refined sugar-free sweetened only with dates, dried blueberries and various superfood powders.

And how do they taste? They aren’t super sweet and they had a slightly bitter finish which I expect came from the hemp seeds and powder, but I still really enjoyed them, especially since I knew I wasn’t taking in loads of sugar while still enjoying something sweet!

If you are interested in learning more about these awesome ingredients definitely check out their website!

The next product I tried was the Maqui Powder.

Maqui berries are native to Patagonia and are extremely high in antioxidants, vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium.

The taste of the maqui powder isn’t quite as sweet as you’d expect but it blends really well into smoothies! I loved the flavour it added and love how just 2 teaspoons completely makes for an antioxidant packed drink! Here’s the recipe I concocted and trust me, it’s delicious!

Maqui Berry Smoothie (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Raw)

Ingredients (1 smoothie)

1 banana, sliced and frozen
2/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup coconut water, or regular water
1/3 cup water
2 tsp maqui powder
1/2 scoop raw protein powder (optional)
2 large handfuls of spinach (optional)

Instructions

Pop all ingredients into a blender and blend. Sip and enjoy!

Next up were the lovely Cacao Powder and Cacao Sweet Nibs. Both raw, these are fantastic for creating raw chocolate treats. The nibs are sweetened with organic can juice, making them much less bitter than their normal cacao nib counterparts. They taste a lot more like dark chocolate. While I have tried this company’s regular cacao nibs before, these sweet ones were a nice change and were lovely sprinkled on cereals, yogurt, smoothies or just eaten straight from the bag. The Cacao Powder itself was fantastic. I used it to make many recipes including my Raw Vegan Chocolate (see variation below!), Omega-3 and Fiber-Rich Chocolate Milkshake and most notably my Raw Chocolate-Coated Key Lime Pie! See the Sweet Cacao nibs sprinkled on top?

Finally, it was the stumper ingredient. The Golden Berries.

Golden Berries are extremely high in flavonoids and bioflavonoids, and unlike most fruits they contain a high amount of protein and phosphorus.

These were actually a big surprise to me. I had always wanted to try them despite knowing very little about them. So when I reached into the bag an popped a couple into my mouth I was surprised by the tartness! They aren’t super sweet and I didn’t immediately love them as I was expecting. As a result, I wasn’t sure how I wanted to incorporate them all into a recipe for you. I tried them in a smoothie, and while delicious, it masked the flavour of the berries themselves. In case you’re curious though, soak some of the dried berries so they are soft and blend up with banana, orange juice, and even some mango for a delicious drink.

Over time, their tartness actually grew on me! I started eating them straight from the bag and knew I could finally create a recipe that would showcase their flavour while still being delicious. I used raisins to help sweeten them up, without taking away from their unique flavour. These Superfood Chocolate Cups aren’t too sweet, but are rich, chocolatey and tart. Packed with vitamin C and antioxidants you can feel really good about eating them!

I also used the Cacao Powder in these and, of course, it worked wonderfully!

Please excuse the terribly chipped nail polish!

Superfood Chocolate Cups (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Raw)

Ingredients (8 cups)

Chocolate

1/4 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup cacao powder
1 tbsp mesquite powder
6 drops chocolate stevia, or to taste
OR use any variation of Raw Vegan Chocolate you'd like!

Filling

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp golden berries
3 tbsp raisins
water to soak
16 raw cashew halves

Instructions

Soak the golden berries and raisins in water for about 1 hour, until softened.

Make the chocolate by melting the coconut oil over low heat, then stirring in the cacao powder, mesquite powder and stevia. Using a whisk works well! Spoon 1/3-1/2 of this melted chocolate into the bottom of 8 muffin liners. You want to make sure the entire bottom of the cups are coated as well as moving some of the chocolate up the sides. See this post for more details. Move to the fridge to harden and set aside the rest of the chocolate for later.

Drain the golden berries and raisins, reserving the soaking water. Pulse the soaked golden berries, raisins and 2 tbsp of the soaking water in a food processor until a paste forms. Spoon about 1 tsp of this mixture into each of the cups. Then press 2 cashew halves into each cup on top of the golden berry paste. You want to try and flatten the centers as much as possible so it's easier to coat the tops in chocolate.

Take the chocolate you set aside before and spoon it on top of the golden berry mixture and cashews. You want to make sure each top is completely covered, making sure you get right to the edges. Otherwise when it hardens there will be gaps in the chocolate.

Put them back in the fridge for about 30 minutes to harden. Wen done, remove from the wrappers and munch!

These get melty, so be sure to store in the fridge until right before you eat them.

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Overall I obviously loved the products and would definitely recommend them.

Hope you all have lovely weekends! I start my new job today and have lots of other adventures planned including a trip to a raw restaurant with a fellow Torontonian blogger and meeting up with an old friend. Can’t wait!