Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

Caution: these are almost as addictive as my chocolate cream caramel bars. This is the THIRD TIME I have made them because they are so damn delicious. Please, make them. Share them. Rejoice in the miracle that is raw vegan chocolate + almond butter + coconut. Essentially what you have here is a super wide peanut butter cup with raw chocolate, but I use almond butter instead of peanut butter, and I mixed in coconut shreds to thicken it up. By the way, I found the best shredded coconut! It's from a really neat little company right beside me (on Vancouver Island) called Harmonic Arts. They have the most amazing tea blends too, and many of their products are wild-harvested. Everything is organic.




The idea for these chocolate almond butter cups came my lover, Jack. He suggested I use my mini tart tins to make peanut butter cups with. We didn't have peanut butter, and I love almond butter more anyway, so I used that. Holy HOLY. We couldn't get over the magic and quickly proceeded to inhale one a piece. Then I had to make more. So I did a few days ago at his place, and left them in the freezer overnight. EVEN BETTER. Then I realized... hey, why am I not sharing this with all my favourite people (i.e. you guys)? So I made 'em yet another time just to take photos. These are not my best pics ever, by a long shot, but they get the point across. That point being: this recipe is a life/game changer. Perfect for any human, but especially the ones who don't think eating plants is the best thing ever (in other words, those who are skeptical of veganism). As plant-lovers, I think it is our responsibility to share our delicious grub with the world in order to prove the stereotypes wrong. We don't munch on carrot sticks and lettuce while we cry about being deprived (although I cannot speak for all vegans here). We actually can be some of the healthiest, happiest, SEXIEST - ya know I am lookin' at you - and most emotionally-grounded folks around. Inspire and lead by example! That is my philosophy. Certainly there are other methods out there to sharing the plant-based message, but I prefer to just get excited about healthy, cruelty-free food and share it with others whenever they are open to it. I don't preach (or at least I try not to), and I don't guilt trip people if they eat McDonald's! I give them a chocolate coconut almond butter cup and dance around while subtly letting them know I am this happy mostly because I eat a lot of plants and love animals. It doesn't have to be a negative experience. I think support, encouragement and baby steps are the best way to go when it comes to helping people change their minds about their diet and lifestyle. CHOCOLATE COCONUT ALMOND BUTTER CUPS FOR EVERYBODY!



Did you like this post? Then *subscribe to my blog* and get all my posts by email!

This recipe for chocolate coconut peppermint cups is special because my mom - who doesn't like sweets - actually ate a whole one all by herself. Usually she just has a bite of my dessert recipes to be polite but when I offered her a chomp of mine last night and she tried it... I never got it back. Although I was looking forward to eating it myself (did not happen), I was more importantly just excited that she liked them enough to eat a whole one. It's probably because they taste so damn fresh; I recommend you eat these after lunch or dinner to leave your mouth feeling minty clean. The only ingredients are coconut, carob, maple syrup and mint. The best things in life are simple, or at least the best recipes are. I've made a recipe similar to this one before but my photo skills were not as developed then, plus I just wanted to make these again and figured I may as well give ya a new recipe. I can't imagine anyone complaining about this.




Now you might be thinking that I'm a jerk. Why? Because a few months ago I was writing posts claiming I was gonna start sharing more low-fat recipes and schtuff. But then I come out with recipes like this that have coconut as a main ingredient. Well here's what I have to say: it's okay to eat fat. For awhile there I deceived myself into believing coconut, avocado, and nuts were to be avoided and I stayed away from them for months. But gradually I noticed a loss in energy and my skin becoming dry so I introduced fat-dense foods back in my diet and the problems vanished. I still do best when I eat mostly carbs (i.e. fruits and veggies), but it's equally important to recognize the necessity of fats even if I don't need to consume much of them. Basically after going through a period of 'fear of nuts' silliness I am back to where I was before all this 'low-fat' talk: eating mostly fruits, greens and some veggies along with a little bit of wholesome plant-based fats everyday. And how do I get that "little bit"? By eating recipes like this! In fact I was preachin' this years ago. I consider my high-fat dessert recipes largely my fat intake for the day. I drink giant fruit smoothies and green smoothies all day, then enjoy a big dinner of steamed or baked veggies and grains and finally for dessert (or as a snack in the day somewhere) I'll chow down on something like this to give my body the fats it needs to go on thrivin'. Make sense? Even if you aren't down with this, I am still gonna try to be a not-jerk and provide you with low-fat dessert options from now on. Most of my newer recipes include these options (or they're already low-fat). When it comes to savoury recipes - which I really am trying to share more of, I promise - they're almost always low-fat/close to fat-free, because I prefer getting my fats in raw vegan brownies and other amazing healthy treats (waaay more fun then forcing yourself to swallow a tablespoon of flax oil everyday).

MY POINT IS: listen to yo bod and do what makes you feel best.


CHOCOLATE COCONUT PEPPERMINT BITES
{Makes around five}

Chocolate part:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
Pinch sea salt
2 tablespoons carob powder
1 tablespoon maple syrup 

Peppermint part:
3 tablespoons coconut butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup 
2-5 drops peppermint essential oil 
2 tablespoons chopped peppermint leaves 

Place the coconut butter in a small pot and put on low heat until it melts, then take off heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Follow the same instructions for the peppermint part. Scoop the peppermint mixture into cupcake papers and put in the freezer until solid, then cover the tops in a thin layer of chocolate, freeze until solid again and finally dip the bottoms and sides into the remaining chocolate mixture.

Low-fat option: use thick date paste instead of coconut oil. This will change the texture but it'll still taste awesome. 

Did you like this post? Then *subscribe to my blog* and get all my posts by email!

 RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES IN 5 MINUTES 

1 cup medjool dates
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 heaping tablespoon cacao powder or carob powder

Pit the dates and cut them up into tiny gooey pieces, mash them together with the cacao or carob powder and hemp seeds until it all sticks together. Roll the mixture into truffles then coat with whatever you like - I kept it simple and used more carob powder. For extra 'umph' - what is that word... really - throw in some Himalayan salt, vanilla, ginger, chili or cinnamon! 

-
Did you like this post? Then you should subscribe to my blog and get all my posts by email!

I know. They sound amazing. They look orgasmic. But guess what - they taste EVEN BETTER. Plus: gifs. I was having a busy afternoon in the kitchen a couple days, whipping up a raw vegan cake (which will be coming soon, don't ya worry babe), and I ended up with an extra container of raw vegan chocolate "butter cream". I don't usually like calling my recipes after their non-vegan conventional counterparts BUT in this case, this recipe ACTUALLY tastes just like chocolate butter cream... but of course it's vastly superior because it's cruelty-free and HEALTHY. So much caps lock today. What's goin' on.

Hey, guys. Back to the story, you're getting me off topic. I ended up with all this extra chocolate frosting - not the worst problem in the world (in fact, it's probably the greatest) but I still had to figure out what to do with it. I also promised my lover that I'd bring them some kind of chocolate delight when I saw them the next day. I decided to make inside-out Reeses cups. Yeah, man. It's happening. It HAPPENED.

RAW VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM CUPS  

Filling:
This chocolate butter cream recipe.

Outside:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoon peanut butter 
3 tablespoons tahini 

Note: you can use whatever nut/seed butter(s) you want. Also: try to be patient and let the butter cream sit in the fridge overnight, it becomes exactly 1 million times more amazing.

Stir the outside layer ingredients together in a bowl over steaming water until melted and combined. Pour 1/3 of this into the bottoms of cupcake papers and try to get some around the sides. Freeze until solid. Pour a little more around the sides and freeze until solid again. Fill with the butter cream then cover with the remaining nut/seed butter mixture. Freeze for 10-30 minutes then GOBBLE. 

WOO LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT NOW AND BOOGIE WIT ME!

Okay. That's done... for the time-being (but the boogie's never REALLY over). Moving on to chocolate caramel dreamscapes! I made these after having a non-raw version at the farmer's market. The lady who was selling them makes them from scratch; she uses a coconut caramel made from her own coconuts and raw cane sugar, etc. I love supporting the farmer's market so I bought one and shared it with my beau in the snow. Heh heh... dat rhymed. It was INSANELY good. We were both like "what tha heck!?" So later that day I made a raw version and I gotta say it tastes daaamn fine... plus it's great for you! I made three, and I just ate them all. When it comes to chocolate, I don't do sharing (except for special occasions like with a beau in the snow and that's only because it rhymes; if it was sunny they wouldn't have gotten any).



I'm glad you guys don't mind my ramblings because it is really therapeutic for me to write all this stuff out. Even if no one is reading this and you all just skip to the recipe... I'm still relieved to get these thoughts out somewhere. From the very beginning this blog has been a kind of daily journal for me, but one that saves paper and that literally anybody can open up, read, comment on and share (if you have access to da interweb). I actually love that my heart and mind are so easily accessible to the public; letting out everything that is floating around in my head for all to see takes a huge weight off me somehow.

Okay I have managed to write an entire post that has almost NOTHING to do with the actual recipe featured today. Here's the deal: if ya love chocolate, caramel, pecans and healthiness; then this recipe is your new BFF. But I thought I was your new BFF, so we're gonna have to have a talk about that.

Guys. Can we take a moment to stop what we are doing and thank the universe for including chocolate.

I don't mean processed dairy-filled-laden-with-white-sugar-and-freaky-chemicals chocolate... I mean superfood-wholesome-healthful-and-deliciously-decadent-raw-vegan chocolate. This stuff will keep you living long, smiling big and probably singing in between bites. (The only downside might be that you don't want to share.) Let's eat foods that taste great, are good for us, and don't hurt anybody. Sound good? Good.

The ingredients in this recipe are pretty spectacular in their nutritional profiles. We've got spirulina, maca, reishi mushroom, goji berries and obviously cacao. Spirulina has a whackload of protein, iron, calcium and amino acids; it is great for keeping your bones and muscles strong and detoxifying the body. Maca is rich in B12, manganese, calcium, iron and potassium and works to balance hormones and give sustained energy. Reishi mushrooms are often used to strengthen the immune system and fight free radials (cancer-causing cells). Goji berries have an insane amount of antioxidants and protein and can be used medicinally to treat disease. Cacao has a ton of iron, magnesium, antioxidants and fiber. All these plants have been used for centuries by wise civilizations looking for long term wellness and strength. In today's world, they are available in nutrient-dense, gently processed powder forms which you can mix together with your sweetener of choice and cacao butter or coconut oil (both super foods in themselves)... and you wind up with the best chocolate in the world. Bam.

Is the planet a miraculous sphere of awesome or what!? Let's get jiggy with it! Or better put... healthy with it. Note: this chocolate tastes a little different than the regular kind because of the addition of the super foods. If you wanna start with something more like regular dark chocolate, use this recipe.


RAW VEGAN SUPER FOOD CHOCOLATE

1/2 cup melted cacao butter
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tablespoon spirulina powder
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 teaspoon reishi mushroom powder
1 teaspoon goji berry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Pinch of Himalayan pink crystal salt
2-3 tablespoons coconut nectar or other sweetener

Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth but still liquid. If it's too thick, add more coconut nectar or melted cacao butter. Taste it and make sure you are in love, otherwise... adjust it to your desires. Pour into chocolate molds or onto parchment paper and set in the fridge for an hour or two, until solid. Enjoy!

I made these for my friend, Vanessa, because she has a handful of food sensitives which leaves her unable to make a lot of my recipes. Sad face. My goal in making these was to keep out all the stuff she can't have, and throw together all the stuff she loves! Happy face. The visual inspiration came from a treat I saw in the dessert display shelf at Gorilla Food a couple days ago when I was there with Vanessa (who, by the way, has her own awesome food blog which you can check out right here).


If you're getting tired of all these sweet recipes - especially after I've promised numerous times I'll be making more savoury stuff - please don't leave me yet! NEVER LEAVE MEEEE. I swear some non-desserts are on their way. *Cough cough raw vegan poutine cough* Having said that, you guys are giving me some great dessert ideas to rawify like tiramisu, ferrero rochers, chocolate croissants, baklava... so those should be expected too.


I think I'm in the midst of winter blues or something like it. I've been feeling pretty low lately. It's nothing physical - I'm as healthy as can be so don't ya worry about that. Nevertheless, emotionally I feel at rock bottom. Maybe it's because of what is going on in my life as far as relationships and personal struggles go, maybe it's because we haven't gotten sun in days and my body is telling me I need some vitamin D, maybe I'm just bored because school is done for a few weeks. Probably, it's a conglomeration of all those factors. All I know is that for the past two days (maybe more) I haven't wanted to see anyone, talk to anyone, or do anything besides burn smoky incense, cry for no reason and lay in bed listening to Joy Division, Swans, New Order, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, King Krule and Arcade Fire.

I know in years, I'm young (20 is considered young, right? I don't know anything anymore...)  but I can't help sensing that this gloomy feeling will never go away completely, but only be diminished temporarily by distractions like friends, romantic partners, school, movies, exercise, food, etc. It seems like the only things that aren't distractions are getting lost in great music and meditating. I've talked about this subject before: I usually feel utterly alone and lost in the world. I don't even feel human most of the time. I think I was meant to be a tree, or a sloth... or a moth.

Life is too emotionally overwhelming for me to cope with, and the fact that I feel that no one can understand what I go through every day only makes it more depressing. I mean even with my closest friends and family... they have never really seen what I am, and I don't know how to show them. But in any case, I don't particularly care about showing them. What's the point? Ya know? I hope some of you read this and can connect with my situation. Otherwise you are probably thinking, "Okay - this girl is crazy, naive AND mega depressing... I'm getting outta here."

Please don't go though! I made you cookies!



I certainly don't want to turn this into a pity party. I have an AMAZING LIFE. I am surrounded by loving, beautiful, devoted individuals who constantly make me feel great about who I am - that includes you! Thank you! I am young, healthy, getting a great education, financially stable (if that matters), living a gorgeous city, finding great success in work I absolutely love doing (this blog)... I mean I basically have my own dream life and couldn't possibly ask for more. The world seems to be on my side, blessing me with everything I could ever want; while my own mind is against me, never letting me be permanently content. This anguish has nothing to do with my life circumstances, it just seems to be part of my inherent nature. Once I described it as "being so happy, I have to be sad." Does that make an ounce of sense?

Ah, I dunno. Let's eat healthy food and worry about this later. I sincerely apologize if this post bummed you out. It's not like I'm faking it when I act happy - I can BE the happiest person I know! I'm just saying that it seems like my natural, default setting is sad... and I wish it was otherwise.

UPDATE: Okay so I wrote the post above about 2 days ago and I am relieved to say that since then, my spirits have been lifted substantially. A really good friend came over and made me feel loads better. Today I am ready to return to my positive and productive self. It's not like I am fixed forever; I know I'll be sad again at some point. But for now I am appreciating this renewed joy for all it is. I like to see happiness and sadness as intertwined and equally valuable, I work to find balance in all aspects of my life; and a balance between happiness and sadness is included in that.


ALMOND CACAO COOKIES with SALTED MACA CARAMEL

Almond cacao cookies:
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
2 heaping tablespoons cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Salted maca caramel:
1 cup dates
2 tablespoons maca powder
Himalayan pink crystal salt, to taste
3/4 cup water, more or less as needed 

Topping (optional):
Pecan halves, walnut halves and/or almonds

To make the cookies: pulse the almonds into flour in a food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until it all sticks together. Press into the bottom of a lined baking pan and put in the fridge. 

To make the caramel: blend all the ingredients until smooth and thick like whipped cream. Put this in the fridge for about 2 hours. 

Use a cookie cutter to make your cookies, then scoop a spoonful of caramel on top of each one. Press a walnut, almond or pecan onto the dollop of caramel. Refrigerate overnight or at least for a few hours... then enjoy with fresh almond milk!