Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

Ever since enjoying all the amazing food and people at Eternal Abundance's raw potluck last week, I have not been able to get one dish someone brought off my mind. They were carrot cake cookies with cashew cream cheese frosting, and they were heavenly. I have made raw vegan carrot cakes before. In fact, they are my most popular recipe! So it's not like the idea is new to me. Yet something about these cookies was special. I realized it was that the carrots were shredded into strands, not simply grated into crumb-sized pieces. This inexplicably excited me and I have not been able to stop thinking about them since; so today I made them for you (okay... they're mostly for me (and my partner) (brackets on brackets) (bracket inception) (I will stop now)). I don't know why such a simple difference would have such an impact on the deliciousness of the recipe but I think it may be because it gives you a heartier bite. You have to chew, like a real cookie! It adds more texture, and makes for a more interesting cookie experience overall. Yes, a "cookie experience". We're getting snobby. Let's come back down to the chill level and just enjoy these orange bad boys together... they taste UNBELIEVABLE. I don't know why on earth anyone would eat a cake with white sugar, processed cream cheese from a package, or even baking soda; when you know you can make an even tastier version from WHOLE FOODS! Nobody gets hurt, you get healthy, the world gets better. All because of these cookies.

They are chewy, sweet but not too sweet, and bursting with flavour because they are mostly just straight up carrots. The frosting isn't even necessary but who can REALLY say no to raw vegan lemon cashew cream? The answer is: no one I have ever met. I could eat these for days. I plan to. The recipe makes 12 large cookies, and you will probably have leftover frosting. This will not be an issue. Make sure to spice them right! I think nutmeg is the magic ingredient in these, but cinnamon is equally important. If you don't want to add more than a couple tablespoons of coconut oil or maple syrup in total, you can substitute them with water, or leave them out entirely (see my notes in the ingredient list). Having said that, I have them listed for a reason. They make the flavour and texture top notch. I also gave rolled oats as low fat alternative to cashews in the cookies. See? I got your back.

In other news: anybody else heard of Boiler Room? UGH IT IS AMAZING. Basically the authority of underground DJ music. I could listen to the different bumpin' sets all day- oh wait. I do. Solo dance party in room? Done. That was my workout. Dancing is the best kind of therapy; I always walk (read: boogie) away with sweat dripping off my smiling face. Musical medication. Is it just me or am I really funny today? Hmm... I think I am just in a good mood because I have been jamming to the grooviest tunes since rising. Okay - make these cookies. Love me (You KNOW I already love you, baby). Peace out for now.


CARROT CAKE COOKIES with LEMON CREAM FROSTING

Cookies:
2 cups shredded carrots 
1 cup cashews or rolled oats
1 cup raisins 
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or water) 
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or water) 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch Himalayan salt (optional) 

Frosting:
1 cup cashews 
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional) 
2 tablespoons coconut oil (optional) 
Water, as needed 

To make the cookies: put the cashews or rolled oats in a food processor and pulse until they become powder. Add the rest of the ingredients - except the carrots and raisins - and process into a thick wet mixture. Add the raisins and pulse a few times until you have them incorporated, but still have some whole raisins. Throw this mixture into a large bowl with the carrot shreds and mix with a wooden spoon until it all sticks together. Form into cookies and place in the dehydrator, or use your oven at it's lowest temperature. I "baked" mine at the lowest temperature (200 degrees) in my convection oven for about 2 1/2 hours.

To make the frosting: blend all the ingredients together until smooth, adding the water as needed to get the texture you want: thick and creamy! Refrigerate overnight, then frost your cookies and enjoy! 

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Yeah, baby - I WENT there and made raw vegan cinnamon rolls - you know you love me. And even if you don't love me, you will love this recipe; so in a non-direct way I am receiving some love and I will take what I can get. It's a hard-knock life... NOT.

Okay who am I kidding?
Am I even funny.
No. I apologize.
Onto food.


These guys are freaking awesome. They are low fat-ish, nut-free and gluten-free so eat as many as your heart desires. Oh and duh - they're also raw and vegan which means no processed or refined ingredients; no dairy, eggs or other weird substances from animals that I don't desire! Hmm... what if when a recipe doesn't have eggs in it, we call it fetus-free? That makes sense, doesn't it? I crack myself up... JUST myself, most likely. You're probably sitting at your computer like "who IS this girl... she is crazy."

Well, I won't disagree. I probably am nuts; but I can still appreciate a good cinnamon roll!
I ate three of these in mere minutes - it's part of my duty as a food blogger, alright - while moaning "oh my god... better than cinnamon buns... mmmm... what is happening..." And I meant it! Somehow these really do taste better than the baked version, though they don't taste exactly the same. Maybe it's because I know that they are super good for me, and nobody had to get hurt to make them. Maybe not. Maybe they just taste damn good for other reason than that. Either way, I am very pleased with how these turned out and I DEMAND you make them as soon as possible.


Obviously they aren't all puffy like the original thing because there's no baking involved, but they make up for this with their flavour and density. Have these for breakfast with some fresh juice and you will be hopping around the like the energizer bunny (who's a herbivore, by the way) all day! I feel like I could take on the world right now! Put that in real terms and I am actually going to do homework now. Ah well.


cinnamon rolls with coconut frosting and caramel raisin filling: makes 6-7 servings

dough:
3/4 cup gluten-free oats
3/4 cup buckwheat groats
3/4 cup raisins 
3/4 cup dates
Pinch of salt (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon water
Dash of cinnamon 

coconut frosting:
1 heaping cup young coconut meat
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
4 tablespoons agave syrup (or other preferred sweetener) 
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Water, as needed

caramel raisin filling:
1 cup dates
1/4-1/2 cup coconut water 
Cinnamon powder, to taste
1/4 cup raisins

To make the dough: pulse the oats and buckwheat groats in your food processor until they become a rough flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it all begins to stick together. Roll the dough into a square about 1/4-1/2 cm thick. Put this in the fridge for 1-2 hours. 

To make the frosting: blend all the ingredients together until it's smooth and drizzly. Set aside.

To make the cinnamon caramel filling: blend all the ingredients together - except the raisins - until smooth and thick like a paste. Set aside.

Cut the dough (which should now be a little more pliable) into strips and spread the filling evenly on each one, then sprinkle on the raisins and gently roll the strips up. Cover with the frosting and freak out at the awesomeness of the planet.

baked yam & tofu with purple rice, kale pesto & sprouts: serves two

Kale pesto:
5 cups kale
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon walnut oil 
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Salt, to taste
Water, as needed

The other stuff:
1 yam, peeled
1 package of tofu
1 1/2 cups cooked purple rice
Handful sprouts 

To make the yam and tofu: cut them into bite size chunks and toss in a tiny bit of olive oil, tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the yam is soft. 

To make the pesto: pulse all in the ingredients in your food processor until it becomes pesto. SO GOOD. Serve with the yam, tofu, rice and sprouts - enjoy!

Raw brownies are one of the best things in the world. They are - in my opinion - approximately 10,000 times more delicious than regular brownies and on top of that they are infinitely more healthy AND easy to make. I literally made these guys in ten minutes. They were promptly devoured in five.

I'd like to say that I won't be posting fora few days because I am going to Vancouver Island for an annual mini-vacation. Tofino, to be exact. There I will soak up the lovely rain, hug the ancient trees and frolic in the friendly sands. Oh, and probably pick up a few goodies in their raw food grocery store. It's a little town of surfers, hikers and all around kind hippies - I fit right in. See you soon!

fudgy raw brownies: makes 16

• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup cashews
• 2 cups dates
• 1/4 cup cacao (more or less)
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1-2 tablespoons ground coffee beans (optional but recommended)
• pinch of salt

Put everything in your food processor and process until it is all broken down and starting to stick together. Press a bit together with your fingers and see if it holds or crumbles. If it holds - press into a lined baking pan. If it crumbles, add a few more dates and process until it holds. Put the baking pan in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, then cut and eat! Great with fruit and nut milk.

as you may know, every saturday is family movie night here in the von euw household. for years we've been enjoying good company, beverages, film and triangular food once every week. when i went vegan, i just veganized my pizza...

my girl friend and i decided it should be illegal, or it's distribution at least regulated; for this pizza is dangerous.

these pictures aren't that great. sorry. we were not concerned with photography at this point - only devouring this work of cruelty- and dairy-free art. i could seriously have eaten the entire pizza, but we were civil and split it halfway.

the recipe is gonna be a little tricky to recreate because i used a bunch of leftovers, but if i give you a general outline you should be able to do it. trust in yourself. all it takes is some vegan cheese, veggies and love...


if you use a gluten free crust and only daiya cheese - this is soy-free, gluten-free and obviously dairy-free. hurray! if you wanna leave out the cheese and keep it totally whole foods, it'll still be delicious.

three cheese pizza with grilled veggies, black rice, and sweet & sour mustard sauce: 

pizza crust:
buy one pre-made (easy to be gluten free) OR use this gluten free recipe, OR:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 to 1 cup warm water
1 packet yeast
2 teaspoons sea salt & pepper
dried herbs of your choosing (i like basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme)

sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil (or use pine nuts and water)
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons mustard
a few drops of liquid smoke
handful fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
2-5 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons honey/agave 
water as needed

toppings:
2 grilled bell peppers
grilled eggplant slices
1 cup cooked black rice mix (like we used leftovers from a stir-fry)
handful basil leaves
1/3 cup shredded soya cheddar cheese (or use shredded daiya cheddar cheese)
1/3 daiya mozzarella shredded cheese
pepper and/or fave dried herb mixes
fave hot sauce
parma cheese!

make the crust: combine the yeast and warm water in a warm mixing bowl. sprinkle on a tinsy bit of sugar to feed the yeast. let it rise for about 10 minutes. add the other ingredients and kneed the dough or mix in your mixer (we have a kitchen-aid) until it's soft and elastic; 8-10 minutes. let it rise for an hour or until it doubles in size. then roll it out into a pizza crust! partially bake it for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees.

to make the sauce: blend all ingredients until smooth. duh. if it's too thick, add more water. spread onto your par-baked pizza crust. theeeeennn... load on the toppings, with the cheese last, sealing in all the goodness. leave the pepper, hot sauce and parma off until it's out of the oven. bake for 8 minutes at 425 or until it looks done. slice it up and ENJOY the heck out of it.

a few weeks ago one of my best friends, amanda, asked if i would be willing to cook a vegan dinner for her and her family. duh! so last night i did.

we made pad thai with mushrooms and red onion; a quinoa salad with baked rosemary eggplant, tomatoes, cucumber and roasted peppers; pan-fried tofu with a peanut sauce; and a blueberry vanilla cheesecake for dessert.


i brought strawberries, raspberries and cherries from the farmers market. they were so juicy and delicious. we put some on the cheesecake but i ate most of them for my dinner. amanda's family was a little confused as to why i had spent hours cooking an amazing vegan feast but then didn't eat any of it... being raw can be like that. anyway i did have some quinoa salad and it was SO GOOD. amanda and i are great team-mates.


as usual, every recipe was improvised BUT i will try to recall what we did, so i can share the deliciousness with you. amanda's family said it was super amazing, and her grandpa told me the cheesecake may be the best dessert he's ever had!


quinoa salad with tomatoes, cucumber, baked rosemary eggplant and roasted red peppers: serves 6-8

salad:
2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 eggplant
1 cucumber
4 tomatoes
3 roasted red peppers
handful fresh mint leaves
 
peanut sauce: 
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced and crushed
4 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon each chili and cayenne powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar/agave syrup or other sweetener

follow the quinoa's cooking instructions, then leave it somewhere to cool down.
for the eggplant, slice into circles and put on a baking sheet. rub with olive oil, some salt and lots of chopped rosemary. bake it for about 20-30 minutes until the slices are  "mushy" and have soaked up the oil. chop the cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper, mint and eggplant slices and add to the quinoa.

for the peanut sauce, blend all ingredients until smooth. done! serve with peanut sauce.


blueberry cheesecake: makes 1 pie

crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract

filling:
2 packages silken tofu
3 bananas
2 tablespoon melted coconut oil
2 cups raw cashews (preferably soaked for a few hours)
1/4 cup agave/maple syrup/honey
1/2 cup dates
3/4 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

topping:
2 cups berries
3 tablespoons maple syrup/honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

for the crust: put all the nuts into your food processor and pule until they're crumb-sized. add all other ingredients and pulse until it sticks together. press into the bottom of a pie pan and refrigerate.
to make the filling, blend all ingredients until smooth. taste it and see if you want to change anything. when it's the way you like spoon it into the pie pan and refrigerate for 3 hours or until it's set. for the topping, mix all ingredients together gently and let sit in the sun or somewhere warm for an hour to let the juices out. you might have some filling left over by the way, but this is not a bad thing.


we used the same peanut sauce recipe (with a bit of added spice and soy sauce) to pan fry the tofu with and that turned out awesome, if not a little messy.

for the pad thai, you can just google vegan pad thai and use any of those recipes - there's some good lookin' ones out there. we added chives, carrots and mushrooms and onions sauteed with basil, salt and pepper. not exactly traditional but apparently it was well-received!

everybody wanted seconds of every thing, and her aunt and grandparents took leftovers home. it was a ton of fun and i want to do it again soon! making food for people is so rewarding and enjoyable for me.

sorry in advance: i haven't posted in awhile, this isn't raw, and the pictures are bad. BUT ANYWAY...

i hope your dad enjoyed his day! mine did. it was sunny here for most of the day, some friend's visited, greg made a great breakfast, we bought a new barbeque and grilled veggies, and i made him a cake.

oh... and he got to eat meat -.- hmph! seriously though, if this was 2 years ago... the fact that my dad eating meat on father's day was a big deal and a treat for him would be pretty much unbelievable. i'm so happy we've come this far. i'm very proud of my family.

anyways - cake.


two of my dad's fave things are marzipan and chocolate (two others are beer and BMW motorcycles). so i made him a chocolate cake with marzipan and chocolate frosting. it's baked, but i used organic whole wheat flour and raw sugar. yay!


it was... very good. if you love cake - make this! :) i used a recipe that was already on the blog.

my friend amanda was at my house the other day and suggested we bake something. we decided on cinnamon rolls. i put cinnamon in every layer - the dough, filling and icing - and they turned out divine. literally, these guys are holy saints. angels sing when you eat them.

i love tons of stuff in everything (really trying to work on appreciating simple recipes... failing) so i put walnuts and raisins in the filling. the dough is totally whole grain and the icing has coconut yogurt and ginger in it!

they don't need too long to bake, and the dough is gonna be a little tough to roll out just because of the whole wheat flour. but be patient and you will be rewarded! cinnamon rolls bring back all kinds of memories for me - special birthday breakfasts, christmas morning after opening presents, holidays, etc. so with all the delicious flavour and texture comes nostalgia. it makes for an amazing experience.

having said that - i've eaten way more cooked food than normal this weekend (it was all totally worth it though) and now my system is in a mess. back to raw! =)



triple cinnamon rolls: makes 14 or so
(adapted from smitten kitchen)

Dough:
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons earth balance
3 1/2 cups whole grain flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tb flax seed mixed with 2 tb water (egg!)
2 tb yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:
3/4 cup raw sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup raisins
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup melted earth balance

Glaze:
2 ounces coconut yogurt, at room temperature
1/4 raw sugar
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tb cinnamon
1/2 t ginger power
1/4 cup honey/maple syrup/agave syrup 
1/4 cashew butter

For dough: Combine coconut milk and earth balance and melt together. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, "egg", yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. (You may also use a KitchenAid’s dough hook for this process.) Form into ball.
Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling: mix dry ingredients together, set aside.
Press down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread melted earth balance over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle dry mixture evenly over earth balance. Starting at the longer side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, slice with floss into into equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).
Divide rolls between baking dishes lined with paper, arranging cut side up. Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 45 minutes or so. Don’t skimp on the double-rising time!
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip onto rack. Cool 10 minutes.

For glaze: blend all ingredients until smooth, it should be a little more liquid than desired because the coconut oil will harden up again in a few moments. yumm!!!

Today's post is short and sweet... but not too sweet. Not too raw either.

Last week, Amanda and I made the best baked cupcakes ever. They were chocolate banana with peanut butter frosting with pretzels on top. We adapted it from this recipe. I made a ton of these and thought I'd have too many left over. They were gone within 2 days. I advise you to make them ASAP and prove to skeptics how incredible vegan baked goods are. Or ya know... just eat them all yourself.

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup raw sugar
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. In large sized bowl, stir together sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and mashed bananas. In medium sized bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. A little at a time, stir in flour mixture and almond milk into the sugar mixture until smooth. Place batter evenly into lined cupcake pan, and bake for 12-15 minutes.
 

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup agave/honey/maple syrup
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Simply whisk it all together! Feel free to add more or less of anything to get desired consistency and taste. Frost the cupcakes and top with pretzel pieces. WOOT.

Today is my brother's girlfriend's birthday. He planned out a whole lovely evening for her, which included a decadent, healthy chocolate cake for two that he asked me to make for them.


I'm not gonna lie - I tasted it while I was making it to make sure it was good. It is SO good. You should make this... soon. I made up the recipe as I was going so I have written it here as close to what I did as possible. In any case you will end up with a double chocolate vegan cake made with love so it can't be a bad thing.

It's safe to say I won my bro some brownie points tonight... or cake points. Happy Birthday, Marcella!


Today I stayed home from school because I didn't feel well in the morning. I really don't know what's up lately. I basically never get sick since I've been vegan and yet in the past two months I've now gotten TWO colds. Hmph.

Ah well, it gave me some much needed time to get my thoughts together for a paper in my history of sexuality course. Fascinating stuff! I love history (we need to know our past in order to understand our present, and predict our future). When you think about it, sexuality is a fundamental factor in everything humans do.

What are all organisms all about? Food and sex. Respectively, they keep us alive and allow us to pass along our genes to continue the survival and evolution of our species. Pretty simple rules for a very complicated world. Ultimately, all we need to look at to understand human behaviour are the driving forces of food and sex. This is why I think my history of sexuality course is so interesting and important. Sorry... I got a little off topic. Back to mini birthday cakes. 


It's super moist and super chocolatey so be prepared for bliss. You'll have left over cake and icing.