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Mango Coconut Green Smoothie
The first day of summer is rapidly approaching, and that means that now is as good a time as any to get on board the smoothie train.
Actually, the smoothie train runs year round. And the smoothie train stops for no one. But there is something particularly summerish about this mango coconut green smoothie. Maybe it’s the mango coconut. Whatever the cause, there’s nothing beating a green smoothie with a tropical attitude on a warm day.
And you get the benefits of all sorts of happy nutrients from the banana, the lovely spinach, and the subtle nutty goodness. If coconut and mango isn’t hitting the tropical highs you need, consider tossing in some pineapple!
Raw Tiramisu Brownies
I’ve never been a coffee drinker, but there’s just something about coffee flavored sweets. I don’t know what it is, since I’ve never liked actual coffee. But it’s impossible not to like these tiramisu brownies.
These things aren’t your average brownie, and they certainly aren’t your average tiramisu. Somehow they’re the best of both worlds. Instead of using ladyfingers as is traditional with this delectable Italian dessert, our chef here has appropriately gone for a layer of coffee flavored vanilla cake.
The fact that these tiramisu brownies have coffee flavored vanilla cake as a layer says pretty much all that needs to be said. Decadent doesn’t seem to do it justice. This the cutting edge of dessert goodness. Part brownie, part tiramisu, you’ll want them all the time.
Raw Vegan Chorizo Lettuce Tacos
If you were setting out to make a raw vegan meal of some sort, chorizo tacos might seem to be just about the least likely candidate you could find, aside maybe from haggis. But these tacos go beyond any mere imitation of meat! These yummy nummies are overflowing with rich, spicy flavor which stands on its own feet. It’s not your grandmother’s chorizo!
Lettuce makes for a surprisingly awesome shell for tacos. Often used in South Asian cuisine for wraps, it’s an interesting sort of fusion to see them here in chorizo tacos. And speaking of that chorizo, it’s amazing what you can do with nuts and some spices!
Lemon Raspberry Tarts
There’s nothing like lemon tarts. That bright tangy yumminess unique to lemons makes for just about the most delicious pastries and pies you’re likely to find. Combine that with some sweet raspberry jam and some apricots and you’ll never look back.
With this lovely raw vegan variation on the lemon tart, we’ve got macadamia nuts and almonds making up the chewy crust, along with some medjool dates — the raw “bakers” secret weapon. Dates can be used to make all kinds of surprising treats, and tart or pie crust is one of the best.
These tarts require a little bit of planning ahead, since you have to thaw the raspberries and soak the nuts overnight, and there is some assembly required. But the effort is well worth the delightful zesty tarts you come out with in the end. Can you imagine a better summer picnic snack than these awesome lemon raspberry tarts??
Chocolate Nut Butter Smoothie
A chocolate nut butter smoothie doesn’t need much more of an introduction than that. It’s chocolate with nut butter, and it’s a smoothie. Therefore it’s the greatest thing ever.
If you haven’t been convinced that this smoothie is the greatest thing ever, consider the fact that it comes in layers. So not only is it a nut butter smoothie, with chocolate, but it’s fun and pretty at the same time. Think of other great things that have layers. Tiramisu. Cakes. Ogres. I think the point is made.
The optional cacao nib garnish is a nice way to add a bit of extra bittersweet darkness to the smoothie, and also for a bit of texture. But of course, this isn’t an all-chocolate showcase. That almond butter makes for a super creamy, delicious smoothie that will give you a boost of protein and amino acids on top of your daily recommended dose of chocolate.
Neapolitan Nice Cream Banana Split
Nothing says ‘sharing’ like a Neapolitan nice cream banana split! Three different flavors of nice cream, sweet syrupy sauce, creamy banana… Maybe you won’t want to share it after all.
Sure, this recipe might be a little bit more involved than walking down to the grocery store and buying a tub of ice cream. But really, it’s not even fair to compare this with anything you’re likely to find in a store. Coconut oil, raw cacao, and delicious fresh fruits provide way more yumminess than any refined and artificial sugars.
And of course, it’s not just the taste that’s better about this awesome rawsome Neapolitan nice cream! Gone are the days when you had to feel guilty about eating a banana split! And that’s amazing, because there’s hardly anything more comforting in times of need than a gooey helping of syrup covered fruity frozen dessert, and the last thing you want at such times is to feel guilty!
Don’t be shy to mix up the toppings to suit your taste. It’s your nice cream, be creative! Maybe you feel like sharing, or maybe you don’t. Maybe you’re in the mood to celebrate or maybe you aren’t. No matter what the occassion, this Neapolitan nice cream banana split is there for you, in all it’s glorious wholesome deliciousness!
Spicy Chili Mango Soup
An age old question: what’s a fruit, and what’s a vegetable? Are tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers really fruits just because they contain seeds? Most children feel they know the answer intuitively: fruit is sweet and goes with ice cream and smoothies, and vegetables belong in salads.
This Spicy Chili Mango Soup adds a whole new layer of complexity into this timeless debate. Maybe fruits are vegetables!
With the combination of sweet and spicy, this mango soup has a distinctively Thai feel. There’s no cuisine like Thai cuisine for blending contrasting flavors flawlessly into mouthwatering dishes. Its a world of sweet and spicy, and hot and sour. This soup would fit right in!
Us North Americans could learn a lot from Thai, Burmese and other cuisines from distant lands. How to use sweet fruits with savory dishes is right at the top of that list, and it might topple the age-old divide between fruit and vegetables once and for all.
Banana Coconut Omega Smoothie with Chia and Hemp
This smoothie may be the smoothie to end all smoothies, but that’s not why it’s called the Omega Smoothie! With delicious and nutritious chia and hemp seeds, this divine concoction will provide you with all sorts of essential fatty acids, not to mention antioxidants, fiber, protein, and a wide variety of nutrients and minerals. And you’ll need all these healthful nutrients as we head into the summer months of long days and fun nights.
Chia is an awesome little seed. They say they make good pets. I’m not so sure about that, but they do add a lovely gel-like thickness to recipes. Great in smoothies, these little things absorb liquid super fast and will expand to several times their original size. As a source of Omega-3s, they’ve got the advantage over flax seeds of not having to be ground up to be digested.
The rest of the Omega Smoothie ingredients need no introduction! Bananas are the all-stars of the smoothie world, and anything with fresh coconut water is bound to be energizing and refreshing. The dates add a bit of sweetness the way only dates can, and cinnamon and nutmeg round it all off with a subtle hint of spice.
The Omega Smoothie makes for a fine day at the beach. Or, if you don’t have a beach near you, a great way to visualize yourself on one anyways!
Moroccan Mint Red Cabbage Slaw With Hemp Seeds
There’s something special about cabbage. It’s just so much better than it seems like it should be. The deep purplish hue of red cabbage makes it great not only for adding a bit of color to your dishes, it also helps you get a well-rounded assortment of nutrients. And they’re just so cute!
No dish better showcases this lovely vegetable than coleslaw, and this Moroccan Mint Red Cabbage Slaw is the envy of all others. A hint of sweetness, a bit of zest, and a taste of spice, this dish really does have it all. A great lunchtime meal with nuts and hemp seeds for protein, as well as lemon, mint, cinnamon and a bit of curry powder to invigorate your senses. There’s a lot of goodness your body needs, and not much of anything it doesn’t!
The dressing is particularly nice. Cinnamon is an eccentric spice, and pairing it with maple syrup really accentuates the ambiguous character of this somehow sweet and savory bark. It would be interesting to see what other recipes this dressing could go with, though it’s hard to imagine it going better with anything than it does with this tasty Red Cabbage Slaw!
“Brie” Cashew Cheese Wheel with Rind
That’s right, a cashew cheese wheel. This is a recipe that will really turn some heads.
“Would anyone like some home-made brie?”
“But I thought you didn’t eat dairy!”
“I don’t!”
This recipe is worthwhile just for the fun of the surprise it will inspire in your friends or family. But on top of that, it’s just so darn cool.
Cheese really is a pretty special thing. There’s nothing quite like the rich, creamy, tangyness of good cheese. Nothing, that is, except this vegan cashew cheese. Often times, in vegan cooking, recipes that attempt to emulate non-vegan dishes tend to fall a little flat. That isn’t the case at all with this recipe. You can think of this cashew cheese as more of a replacement for dairy cheese than as an imitation.
While this recipe does involve quite a number of steps, it has remarkably few ingredients. The added probiotic powder helps not just to give it that cheesy aroma, but also grants it the probiotic benefit of dairy cheeses. That means your gut will love this cashew cheese as much as your mouth.
On a similar vein, I would definitely recommend including the nutritional yeast. It really helps add a subtle depth of flavor which is so nice in good cheeses.
Tropical Cilantro Green Smoothie
Green smoothies are awesome. All the goodness of fruit plus the nutrient density of dark greens! This tropical green smoothie’s got a bit of a twist, with a healthy dose of cilantro adding a bit of a spicy kick to the mix.
Not everyone likes cilantro. This is an unfortunate and curious biological fact. Other people seem like they can’t get enough of it. But don’t worry, if cilantro isn’t you thing, this smoothie still rocks without it. You could substitute a little bit of jalapeno if you want a slightly different take on a spicy tropical green smoothie.
This is a particularly awesome breakfast smoothie. Super nutritious way to start your day, plus the invigorating aroma of cilantro!
Zucchini Noodle Curry in 10 Minutes
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: zucchini noodles are out of this world. If you’ve got that friend or family member who just doesn’t get how you can be satisfied on a raw, plant based diet, then put 10 minutes aside and make them a serving of this wicked zucchini noodle curry.
Of course, if you’ve been around the raw-food block once or twice, you know all about the wonders of zucchini noodles. And that’s where the subtle brilliance of this simple recipe comes in. When you think curry, you probably think spicy. And with curry powder, chili paste, and cayenne, this zucchini noodle curry delivers.
But you probably also think creamy. Most vegan curries I’ve come across have turned to coconut milk to provide that rich texture, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. Here we see a different approach, with cashews and avocado stepping up to the plate to thicken things out. But fear not, oh lovers of coconut, for the subtler presence of coconut water will still be bringing that tropical taste we all love.
Strawberry Cashew Cream Cake With Carob Drizzle
I think if everyone knew that you could have a raw vegan cream cake that looks and tastes as amazing as this inspirational creation, there’d be a lot more raw vegans around! Is this what they call a case of “having your cake, and eating it too“?
It’s never made sense to me why anyone would want to have a cake and not eat it. I mean, the whole point of having cakes is to eat them. But looking at this Strawberry Cashew Cream Cake, I can see why people might want to just have it. Look at this thing! It’s a work of art. In cake form!
The combination of carob and maple syrup is amazing. The dark sweetness of these two flavors really compliment the tartness of strawberries. Carob is an amazing substitute for cocoa that comes from a cool Mediterranean tree. The taste is almost like a cross between chocolate and raisins. It works wonderfully as a drizzle, with it’s unique yet familiar flavor.
The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for your cream cake the set in the fridge. Try to wait at least 24 hours. Consider that the time to “have your cake”, and only after that you get to eat it!
Pomegranate Punch Smoothie
Since ancient times, pomegranates have been used in Middle Eastern and Eastern European cuisine. These strange and wonderful fruit are now a global sensation, and this pomegranate punch smoothie is an awesome way to enjoy this ancient fruit.
The extra bit of effort it takes to get those delicious little seed pods out (and there are hundreds of them in there!) is worth it, and just makes this odd fruit even more rewarding.