This Rawsome Vegan Life

How To Beat A Cold Without Drugs

2012-02-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

Howdy folks. So for the past 4 days I have been plagued with sickness =( It's just a cold, but that doesn't make it any more enjoyable. What's worse? I virtually never get sick anymore since I've become vegan and predominantly raw.

Thus, I don't really GET colds anymore. Except this week, apparently.

It's my dad's fault! He brought the cold into the house and it was promptly caught by my big brother and myself. Luckily my dad recovered in about 4 days, so he's fine now. My brother and I got sick about 4 days ago... and today we're both feeling better! So it looks like this cold has run it's course.

On top of me never getting sick anymore, plus the crappy-ness OF being sick, this is was an unusually worrisome cold because we are leaving for Tofino soon! I don't wanna be sick on vacation. No one does.

I had to beat this cold fast and naturally. I was successful!

So what, you may ask, did I do? Let me share with you.

First of all, you need the common-sense basics: LOTS of water and sleep.

(Yes, my bed is awesome.) I was drinking about 4 of those mason jars a day, and sleeping 10-12 hours.
You will also want to get TONS of vitamin C in your diet, I ate mostly grapefruit and kiwis the past 4 days. You can also take vitamin C pills, but getting it in whole foods is a much better idea.

Along with vitamin C, which helps fight colds and sickness, you'll want to eat some spicy foods. Another good idea is garlic, ginger and onions, they are great for strengthening the immune system as well. I had some delicious veggie curry last night and it helped LOADS. Not raw, but honestly, at this point you just want to get better.

The spices in the curry, along with the hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot or Sriracha work great, they're basically liquid chili pepper) cleared my nose, my throat, and made me cry!

Another great food for fighting sickness? It's not strictly vegan; but it's delicious, a super food, and not necessarily cruel for the animals you get it from. I'm talking about honey =)
It is an excellent food for healing a sore throat. It has unique anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties, on top of being the world's most wholesome and health-promoting sweetener.

Just make SURE the honey you buy is RAW, HUMANE, ORGANIC and preferably local.

Okay here's something that that you may not hear about much, and it seems really weird.
BUT I swear - it's a miracle worker. I was skeptical about it for many years, even though my mom kept urging me to try it, before I finally DID try it last year. It is amazing. It clears your sinuses like nobody's business. Just don't do it in front of people. It is called the Neti Pot.

You get the idea. Basically you fill the pot with warm salt water and pour it in your nose, it comes out the other side, cleaning your whole nasal passage. It's also great for headaches, ear aches, and sore throats. I know, it looks totally bizarre. But I highly recommend this. I use it whenever I feel a little plugged.

Okay, what else? Well, I love baths, and that doesn't change when I have a cold. I take lots of hot bubble baths to which I add Epsom salts and essential oils.

These essential oils are magic. I LOVE essential oils at all times, but especially when I'm not feeling 100%. I use them in facial steams, baths, shampoo, soap, to help me sleep, focus or relax, and I burn them to make my room smell lovely and be balanced.

You may notice when you have a cold, you really get to know these guys:

Well, you may ALSO notice that when you spend a lot of time using tissues, you tend to get dry, irritated skin around your nose. Thus, you should be moisturizing like a mad person. I favour coconut oil, but use whatever works best for you. Vaseline is also a great option. Something else to consider? VapoRub. This stuff is great for clearing you nose, throat, and therefore - your mind! Because my brain seems to get clogged up just like my nose when I'm sick.

Okay, I'm just about done giving you my cold-fighting strategies. To finish up, drink lots of tea; peppermint and green tea are great for headaches and flu-fighting antioxidants. And lastly, I hadn't used them until now, but they practically saved my life. Fisherman's Friend. Wow. I did not think they'd work so well. And surprisingly, they're fairly natural!

Okay - that's about it. I hope if you have a cold, these ideas help you out. It's important to remember that when you're sick you shouldn't stress your body further. If you can, take a few days of work or school (lucky for me it's reading break). Don't try to exercise too intensely, perhaps just walk around the house or yard.

Last but not least - let the cold happen! You can alleviate your symptoms and make yourself feel a bit better with the above methods, but at the same time - there's no instant cure. May as well embrace the opportunity to be lazy!

So just a head's up, I won't be posting for awhile as I'll be quite busy with mid-terms coming up, among other things. But in a few days I'll give you a recipe for lip scrub! And yummy veggie wraps with hemp sauce. PLUS some awesome news!

Raw Fudge Brownies: YEAH BABY!

2012-02-11T01:18:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Mother Nature.

These sexy things are delicious and packed with nutrients to keep you living long; enjoying life and all it has to offer... like brownies.

Raw desserts are pretty much the easiest food in the world to make, because usually they consist of just dates, nuts, coconut oil, and whatever else you want to add. These are no different.

Normal brownie ingredients? White flour, white sugar, butter, and cocoa. What're those gonna do for you?! Make you sleepy and gain weight.

In these brownies: there's prunes, dates, hemp, chia, flax, cocoa, mesquite, cinnamon, vanilla and oats. Yummy in my tummy, good FOR my body.

Yours too.

You can make these in like 5 minutes, and they'll disappear even faster. The best part (aside from eating them) is telling people they're healthy and made from whole foods! It's a magical world, my friends. These are also great for pre- or post-workout snacks!

-
Raw Fudge Brownies: makes about 8 large brownies

1 1/2 cup oats

1 cup dates & prunes

1 t vanilla extract

3 Tb coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup honey/agave/maple syrup

2 Tb mesquite powder (optional)

1/4 cup cup hemp seed

2 Tb flax seed

2 Tb chia seed
1/3 cup cashews (preferably soaked)

1/3 cup cocoa/cacao

1/2 t cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Put dates and prunes in bowl of water. Set aside.

Blend 1 cup of the oats in blender until it becomes oat flour. Then in a food processor, process dates and prunes (with about 1/4 cup of the water) with all the other wet ingredients until smooth. Now add all the dry ingredients, including the remaining 1/2 cup of whole oats and oat flour. Good consistency? It should be thick, but very moist. Press it into a pan lined with tin foil or plastic wrap and set in the fridge for a little bit so the coconut oil can stiffen them up.

Then cut 'em up and serve! Make a chocolate sauce for them, or have with fruit and nut butter!

*You can make these even simpler by just blending dates, cashews coconut oil and cacao. But I always like to add a bunch of stuff for more flavours. I cannot help it. It's up to you!

Super Food Sundae

2012-02-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could indulge in your favourite guilty pleasures (like a giant ice cream sundae) but feel GOOD about yourself for doing so?

Guess what, folks. You can!

This ice cream is made of mainly coconut and cashews; the chocolate sauce is honey, cocoa, and coconut oil; and I topped it off with figs and cashews. If you Google any of those ingredients, you'll find that everyone says you should eat more of them.

(Sorry the pictures aren't that great)

I ate this up and enjoyed every bite, knowing it was bringing me better health. You should too! And mix it up anyway your healthy heart desires. You could use nut butters, berries, bananas, different kinds of ice cream, whipped coconut cream, whatever!

Below I give recipes for my raw ice cream and chocolate sauce, but it's a sundae so there's no rules.

Raw Vegan Ice Cream: makes about 3-6 servings

2 cups soaked raw cashews

Coconut meat from 2 young Thai coconuts (about 2 cups)

1 cup of water/coconut water from the coconuts - don't use more

1 cup agave/honey/maple syrup

Seeds from 1/2 - 1 vanilla bean (I love vanilla so I use a whole one)

2 T vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup plus 1 T or so of coconut oil, melted

Blend all ingredients except coconut oil in your blender (Vita-Mix works best!) until lusciously smooth and creamy. Melt coconut oil in a bowl that's sitting in a larger bowl filled with hot water. Add in and blend until mixed. Try it now... Yeah. I know.

Now try to resist eating it all before it's frozen: if you have an ice cream maker use that.

But if you're like me and don't have one, put the batter in several small jars or freezable containers (single servings!) and stick them in the freezer. Check back every 30-60 minutes and stir until they are eventually frozen, creamy delights.

Chocolate Sauce: Makes a small bowl

3 T cocoa/cacao

3 T melted coconut oil

2 T agave/honey/maple syrup

1 t vanilla extract

Pinch of cinnamon and salt, if you want

Coconut flakes, if you want

Mix it all together and enjoy! Feel free to add anything you want to it, the possibilities are endless.

OH MY RAW - Caramel Apple Recipe

2012-02-05T15:33:00.000-08:00

You have not lived.

Not until you make these. I didn't think they'd be so darn delicious. But yet again... I was wrong.
All the different textures and flavours make for an incredible experience.

The best part? These are GOOD FOR YOU. Your body wants them.

Why? Because they're full of nutrients and vitamins that will help you live long.

Being "caramel apples", they clearly consist of an apple being covered in caramel. All I did was change my definition of caramel!

In the raw food world, my caramel is just dates, water and spices.

I covered a couple organic apples in that, and chopped up some fresh pecans and threw them on one (I put peanuts on the other). For the final touch, I drizzled on a simple chocolate sauce: cocoa, agave, almond butter.

Who says raw vegans can't have any fun? These are way better than your regular caramel apples not ONLY in taste, but also because you feel good after eating them. NOT GUILTY.

Food is love, love is happiness, and happiness depends on health.

So eat healthful foods! It's simple. Sometimes I crave some kind of processed cooked food for a second, like pizza, cookies, chips or other vegan goodies. Then I remember: I can make a BETTER version of it that my body will actually thank me for in the long run. I mean c'mon, you've got no excuse to eat crap when you can eat stuff like this:

I wanted to get a few photos with a bite out of an apple, so I had an excuse to try them =) I took a big, messy, caramel-apple bite... literally stopped chewing and said "oh my god no freaking way" out loud in the kitchen by myself.

I talk to myself a lot.

But with good reason! These taste ridonkulous. And I don't say ridonkulous, so you know they're gotta be nuts (no pun intended). Really though - try these out and share them with your loved ones. Everybody will appreciate it. They're a great Valentines Day present, heeey?

I was noble today and gave mine to Dad after taking a few bites. It took a bit of will power but I HAD to share it with someone, it was so delicious. I only made two, so I'm saving the other one for my brother Greg.

He's trying to eat healthier and get in shape since he's struggled with his weight for awhile. He actually started his own blog about it! Check it.

He's doing a vegan-week so last night he went to The Naam with his girlfriend and brought me back their raw pie! As a thank you, I made him a caramel apple =)

It makes me really happy and excited he wants to get healthy. I can tell he's serious about it this time. So I wanna support that as much as I can, and show him how ridiculously delicious and easy eating well can be.

CRAZY Raw Caramel Apples: makes 2, but you can effortlessly make more

2 Apples on skewers (try to get organic!)

1/4 cup dates

2 Tb melted coconut oil

Cinnamon, salt & mesquite if you have it

Water, as needed

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts

2-3 Tb cacao

2-3 Tb agave/honey/maple syrup

2-3 Tb nut butter

3 Tb melted coconut oil

Blend dates with coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, mesquite and water to get a smooth, thick consistency. You can add more sweetener if you want. Cover the apples completely with the "caramel" and then dip them in the chopped nuts so they stick.

Then mix the cacao, sweetener of choice, nut butter and coconut oil until smooth. Drizzle it all over the apples and VOILA! Om nom nom.

EAT. THIS. NOW. Savoury Avocado Corn Wraps.

2012-02-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

Nom. I don't say that a lot, but I do when it's necessary. I don't know what it is about this meal, but I've made it several times and I always want more.
It's not mind-blowingly amazing when you first bite into it... but after a few minutes you start to realize how simply YUMMY it is!

That's all I can say about it - it's pure and simple yummy.

Sorry, the pictures are kinda lame today. I didn't have the patience - I just wanted to eat this! Plus, our house has terrible lighting.

Anyhoo - These are basically just rice paper OR seaweed (I'd prefer nori seaweed but we didn't have any big sheets, just the mini ones) with a mix of veggies and avocado inside, and a spicy-savory asian-y sauce! Everybody you know will LOVE this.

Note: I never measure anything, and this is always a total improv dish, it really doesn't matter. But I've given general amounts for the sauce.

Savory Spicy Veggie Wraps: serves 1-2

1 Avocado

1/3 cup corn

1 Bell Pepper

2-3 Mushrooms

Red onion?

Cucumber?

Tomato?

Carrot?

Any other veg you like/have

Chop all the veggies (and avocado) roughly, put in a bowl and pour on a little tamari. Let them marinate while you do the other stuff.

Spicy Asian-y Sauce: makes about 1/3 cup?

1 Tb mustard

1 Tb miso

1 Tb nut butter

2 Tb nutritional yeast

Salt & Pepper

I also add hemp seeds and other spices if I want.

Blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding water as need to make it creamy. This time, I added black sesame seeds at the end to add some contrast. Do whatever floats your boat!

Finally - prepare some rice paper by soaking it in hot water for a minute or two until it's super pliable. OR just get out some nori seaweed sheets. Spoon a little of the sauce into the nori or rice paper and then load on the veg mix! Wrap it up. Repeat until you use up all the veg.

Want another really easy way to do this? Don't even make the sauce - just put tamari on all the cut up veggies and mix in the avocado with your hands, mashing it up a little - it creates a salty, creamy avocado sauce all on it's own! I did that the other night and it was great; saves you time.

I usually make two or three wraps, and eat the leftovers outta da bowl. YUM!

My brother's reaction to this?
"Dang, why do you vegans always get to eat better food than us!?"
-

Lavender Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate

2012-02-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Luscious, light, and lovely. That's what this ice cream is.

Oh my goodness. It's better than any ice cream I've ever made; and guess what. It's full of raw whole foods that will bring you closer to excellent health. There's not much else to say about it. I suggest you make it ASAP, and enjoy the wonders our planet full of plants has to offer.

No stealing the milk of another species here! Nor is there any disease-causing refined sugar, or freaky-deaky preservatives and stabilizers. Just some coconut, cashews, chocolate and lavender!

Before I made my lavender cheesecake, and now this ice cream, I didn't think I'd dig the taste of lavender in my food.

I was wrong.

It's divine! I've grown up with the smell of lavender emanating through the garden and home. My aunt is also a lavender NUT, so whenever we visit each other you can bet there will be lavender gifts involved.

I also use lavender oil to calm my nerves, keep my skin clear, scent my baths, and put me to sleep! It's a wonderful flower with endless uses. One of which being flavour! I want YOU to experiment with lavender in your food. Seriously. You won't regret it.

It brings out this dimension in desserts I didn't know existed. Light, summery, delicate notes that remind you of the sun, wicker chairs, and busy bees traveling from flower to flower in the afternoon light.

Okay so I said there wasn't much else to say and then wrote a paragraph... my bad.

Bottom line: make this ice cream!

(By the way I'm just using my basic raw ice cream recipe and adding a few things.)

Lavender Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate: makes 3-6 servings

2 cups soaked raw cashews

Coconut meat from 2 young Thai coconuts (1-2 cups)

1 cup of water

1 cup agave/honey/maple syrup

Seeds from vanilla bean

2 Tb vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup plus 1 T or so of coconut oil, melted

3 teaspoons dried lavender

1 bar dark chocolate, roughly chopped (optional)

Blend all ingredients except coconut oil and chocolate in your blender (Vita-Mix works best!) until smooth and creamy. Add in the coconut oil and blend until the chocolate chunks are the size you want, and the oil is mixed in.

Try it now... Yeah. I know.

Feel free to add some lemon to this - I bet it would taste heavenly.

Now try to resist eating it all before it's frozen: if you have an ice cream maker use that.

If not, stick it in the freezer and stir it every 30 or 60 minutes until it's solid.

The Best Chocolate Pudding of RAW SUPERFOODS

2012-02-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

Magic.

Ain't it sexy lookin?

I love avocado. It's a magical, unique fruit that's chockablock full of nutrients, vitamins and fiber. It's actually been called "the most nutritious of all fruits"! And it's toted by countless health authorities as one of the key foods for superior nutrition, with good reason.

Here's some facts about the creamy green guy.
Research for yourself too!

Besides it's endless list of health benefits - it just tastes darn DELICIOUS. Like no other food. It's creamy, rich, and can be used in a butt load of creative or simple ways for your food AND cosmetically.

Seriously, whenever I eat an avocado (almost every day) I put like half of it on my face, neck and arms to make my skin soft and glowing. Mmm...

I came home from a long day of school quite hungry and ate 2 giant heads of broccoli, which totally filled me up. But yet I made this pudding for dessert and ate it all because it was actually irresistible. I dare you not to eat it all.

So without further ado, here's an uber simple recipe for a super food chocolate pudding.
I'm not exaggerating when I say this BETTER than regular pudding, and it's SO good for you.

You can eat a giant bowl of rich chocolate pudding and feel PROUD of yourself, not guilty.

It's a wonderful world, people.

(Sorry, the pics aren't so great today. How can you expect me to be patient and take tons of pretty pictures when I have the best chocolate pudding in the universe sitting right in front of me? You can't.)

The World's Greatest Chocolate Pudding: serves ONE

1 very ripe avocado

1-2 Tb honey

2-3 Tb cacao

Pinch of salt

Feel free to use agave or maple syrup instead of raw honey, I prefer it because it's a super nutrient-dense food though =)

Also feel free to add mesquite, cinnamon, and/or coconut oil. They all add new dimensions to the flavor. I just wanted to keep the recipe simple.

Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding water as needed to make it creamy. EAT.

Noodles with Creamy Almond Ginger Sauce, Stir-fried Veggies & Crispy Tofu

2012-01-31T19:47:00.000-08:00

*clearly, not raw

Tonight was my night to make dinner, and I decided on a pretty simple yet (apparently) tasty meal.
I made a sauce with almond butter, ginger, garlic and other spices and poured it on whole wheat noodles. I also stir-fried a bunch of veggies and crispy tofu. My parents said it was really good!

It seems like an excellent dish to feed anyone you care about, especially if you're trying to get them to eat more veggies - AND see how delicious vegan food can be.

This meal is easy, scrumptious, and good for ya. Eat your veggies!

Noodles with Creamy Almond Ginger Sauce, Stir-fried Veggies & Crispy Tofu: makes about 5 servings

Crispy Tofu:

2 packages of chopped tofu

Put oil in pan and heat. Add tofu and let cook, stirring/mixing often to get them all crispy. It'll take awhile. The secret is medium-high heat, oil, and time. (I added some soy sauce to the tofu while it was cooking, to add salt)

This method is the best way to evenly cook food in a pan. It's what I do.

(Side note: check out these photos of food from the Modernist Cuisine cook book. They're so cool!)

Stir-fried Veggies:

4-5 mushrooms

1 onion

2 bell peppers

2 carrots

2-3 cups broccoli

1 eggplant, if you have it

Put a pot of water on to boil for the noodles. (When the water is boiling and you have about 10 minutes left until your veggies are done, put the noodles in the water).

Chop all veggies and add to a different heated, oiled sauce pan. Stir-fry until they're cooked as you like. I added soy sauce and hoisin sauce as they were cooking for more flavour. As the tofu and veggies are cooking, make the noodle sauce.

Creamy Almond Ginger Sauce:

1 cup almond butter

2 cloves garlic

1 T ginger

Sriracha (or other thai hot sauce)

2 T sweetener

3-4 T soy sauce

1 T salt

1/4 oil (or use more water)

1/4 water

Blend all ingredients together and see if you like it, change it if desired. I also added mustard, chili, and some other things. When the noodles are ready, pour sauce on them until they're evenly coated.

Serve with the noodles as the base, with a helping of veggies, and a bit of crispy tofu to top it off! Enjoy!

I had an avocado for dinner, as my family enjoyed the noodles =)

And I drank this delicious smoothie earlier today:

It had a kiwi, 3 cups of kale, an orange, some frozen strawberries, water and stevia in it. I topped it off with some dried coconut and goji berries. YUM!

And if you're paying any attention to what I say - I will get that lavender ice cream recipe/photos to you ASAP! I just need a day with good light to take pretty pics =)

That Was A Bust...

2012-01-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hopefully no one reads this blog, so nobody is disappointed that I ditched the smoothie week, one day in.

I know, I'm a loser.

It's not that I don't know what I'm doing, or how to complete a 7-day smoothie cleanse, because I've done them several times before; but just that I didn't plan this one out at all, and I wasn't really "feelin' it". Yeah, goofy reasons. I hear ya.

For me, this isn't that big a deal, I already eat a pretty clean diet and wasn't in serious need of a cleanse, but just felt like I wanted to do another one as I was writing that post the other day. Then I realized I was gonna run out of produce, among other reasons.

Anyway, what I'm SAYING, is that if you're not upset, I'm not upset =)

I just feel like I let whoever reads my blog down (does anyone read this blog?)

It won't happen again! Promise.

I am having crazy deja vu right now, by the way. Love it when that happens. Have you ever had like triple deja vu? Or when you have deja vu OF deja vu OF deja vu OF a dream?
My mind's pretty trippy. I go off topic. Sorry.

Today I had this delicious beauty:

It was 3 cups of spinach, 1/2 a banana, coconut water and some frozen strawberries. Mmm.
Had it after my workout.

Also: I made lavender ice cream with chocolate chunks! OMG YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT. Recipe will be posted soon, probably tomorrow. Stay tuned, kids.

Green Smoothie Week: Day 1

2012-01-29T20:06:00.000-08:00

Bonjour mes amies.

Today was a pretty good Sunday: got up late, worked on my university paper, washed the dishes, had a lovely bath, cleaned and exfoliated every part of my body, and proceeded to slather on a ton of cocoa butter, now I'm in post-bath mode (drowsily wandering about, not entirely conscious, but quite content).

I had just one smoothie today - at about 2 PM - because I woke up late. I'm a little hungry now, but I think I'll just have a cup of tea before bed and that'll be all.

Dad's reaction to this smoothie: "AH! What makes it so green!?"

Creamy Green Dream: makes 1 serving (about 4 cups)

1 banana

2 kiwis

3 cups spinach

1 cup water/coconut water

Blend all ingredients in your high speed blender until smooth.

Add stevia and/or ginger if you want. Drink it up!

I'm a little concerned about how I feel right now though; a little nauseous, light-headed, and just kinda funny. I'm attributing my feelings to detox right now, but yet I don't know. I shouldn't be feeling like this in the first hours of a cleanse. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but I may not do this for a week after all.

Another unusual issue - I don't have enough greens to last me a week, and right now (long story short) my mom has no way of paying by credit card at the market to buy more. Also, there's a lot of food in our house right now that I can't really add to green smoothies, but that I should be eating; like cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, etc.

I don't wanna be that lame person who goes back on what they say they're gonna do - but I might do exactly that... We will see how this goes. If I feel better tomorrow, then I'll keep on liquids until the spinach we have runs out.

I should have planned this more thoroughly.

Green Smoothie Week

2012-01-29T00:03:00.000-08:00

It's decided folks: this coming week (7 days), I'll just be having green smoothies. Probably 1-2 per day.
I cannot explain enough the benefits and necessity of butt-loads of dark greens in your diet. Seriously. Research and find out for yourself.

Guess who gets their greens.

I've done this before, and am always happy with the results. I don't have a lot of excess fat so I don't see many superficial changes, but I have lost weight before (junk in my system finally getting cleaned out) and it feels great.

You miss eating, but at the same time you free up a lot of time, energy and thought for other things. I have more time to reflect on myself and the world. And now... more time for homework. I GUESS that's a plus.

Why do this now? Well first of all, it's not that big a deal and not too extreme so I don't actually need a bunch of reasons =) Other than to clean out the old digestive system and give my stomach a break. A water fast? Now that I would need a better reason for doing.

When you calculate it, at the end of the day your calorie intake is quite similar to normal (at least for me). Also, I'm eating the exact same foods: greens and fruit. The only difference is that I'm blending my food before I ingest it. Basically doing my stomach's work ahead of time, and probably eating a bit more greens than I usually (though not by much).

I've been craving green smoothies lately, as I'm done with my salad obsession now and want my smoothies BACK! But I haven't had the opportunity to make them. Well. I suppose I have, but for several silly reasons I've just been lazy.

I know. "Lazy?" Man, I'm lame. And I call myself a green-smoothie-loving raw fooder.

Don't worry - I've been getting my daily dose of greens from broccoli over the past few days, instead of kale, swiss chard or spinach. But seriously. It's time I return to my old ways:

Green. Monster. Smoothies.

So I thought, "Hey, I've missed them so much, I may as well drink them for a week, with nothing else!" Okay writing that now, it's not the clearest logic I've ever heard... but I'm sure you understand.

Anyhoo. I'll be posting recipes and photos daily of my lovely green beasties, how I'm feeling, and how the "cleanse" is affecting me. Hope you check 'em out!

Letter in the Newspaper: "Vegan Goes Mainstream"

2012-01-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

I often write to newspapers, journals, authors, TV shows and companies with my thoughts on their articles, episodes and products.

If I see something I like, I let them know! And if I see something I dislike, I also let them know. Either way, they're appreciative and I get my vegan, environment-loving voice heard.

I've had my letters and whatnot published a number of times before (our family seems to have a knack for being presented in social media) but this time, I have a blog to show it in! Here's the article.

And here's my letter; they shortened it somewhat:

It's not a big deal, but for those of you reading - I say get out there and write letters! Tell authorities, companies, and influential people what you think is important and bad/good for your community. They want to know!

This letter isn't anything powerful or particularly important, but my point is that you should be active in your community =) It's fun and can sometimes lead to great things.

Anyhoo, not much else to report today. I had some trippy dreams last night about oranges, motorcycles and sugar. Tonight I ate a butt-load of broccoli with a yummy cashew-garlic sauce =) And I think tonight I will stay in and perhaps watch a movie. Maybe with a few of these:

...? I think yes. They are the BEST thing you will ever eat!!! They taste better than any candy bar you've ever had. It's just a date with nut butter inside.

Before workouts, sometimes I put coconut oil inside. The fat in the oil allows the sugar in the date to release slower, giving you long-lasting energy. Delicious, chewy, gooey, long-lasting energy.

*10 minutes later... Pff haha I definetly just ate like three of those.

Have a great Friday night!

TOFINO! MEXICO!

2012-01-26T20:36:00.000-08:00

YAY! So yesterday my mom bought me, my parents and my little brother our plane tickets to MEXICO!

I CAN'T WAIT!

We're going in late February. Less than a month. And it gets even better. A week before we leave for Mexico, we're going to Tofino (on Vancouver Island) for 5 days. We go to Tofino every year, and it's the ultimate west coast vacation. Cold, rainy and beautiful. Huge trees, big rocks, and a heck of a lot of ocean, sand, and surfboards. I will always love it.
I'd live on Van island for sure, if only I could grow the bounty of fruit that I need to live =( That's okay though, like I said, we have been going every year since I was like 9 or something. We stay here.

And it's honestly the greatest place in the world!!!! AGHH! Sorry, I'm sort of freaking out right now, seeing pics of it and knowing it's that time of year when we return to our cottage. If you're thinking about vacationing in Tofino - stop thinking. Go.

West Coast is da BEST COAST. Don't argue.

Tofino for me means relaxing time with the fam; long, wet beach walks; hikes through ancient forests; hot chocolate; board games; and lots of laughter and memories. It has become a part of every member of my family, and will stay that way for ever.
(I hope to stay predominantly raw in Tofino, but I can't promise anything.)

On to Mexico! I'm so stoked. You don't understand. We're staying at this crazy-gorgeous resort with my uncle and aunt. I know, I know - big resort - "Oh, it's not environmentally friendly, there's no real culture, etc." I KNOW, OKAY. But I just don't care. I get to spend a week in the Mexican sun with my loved ones, and have a great time with all the fruit I could imagine... perhaps meet a gorgeous raw vegan Mexican boy? Fingers crossed.

And I was actually surprised and pleased to find that this resort has been given an environmental resort management award every year for the past few years! So it's not ALL bad. In fact, there ain't nothin' bad about this. This will be an amazing experience and I cant hardly contain my excitement!!!

I've been to Mexico once before (also with the parents and my lil bro) and it is something I remember fondly and day dream about a lot. Family, food, beach, dancing, memories. Just one of those times. I had so much fun, and I can't really describe it. But I'm sure you know what I mean.

In Mexico this year, I plan to stay all raw... HOW CAN YOU NOT?! Look at all that fruit. 50% of my excitement right now is about being able to eat all this exotic, fresh fruit for a week!!! I'm not gonna bring any technology with me (why would you...?!) so I won't be blogging during these two vacations. But I WILL be keeping journals every day and taking tons of pics - duh. So I'll be able to tell ya what happened when I get home.

At this point, all I'm thinking about are these vacays:

When I wake up - "TOFINO. MEXICO. YES. SOON."

I don't know if I can wait...

Please - universal, supernatural force of the cosmos;

grant me the power to contain myself and not explode with excitement,

until we get to Tofino and Mexico.

Lavender & Lemon "Cheesecake"

2012-01-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

Oh my. This is raw, vegan, and absolutely divine.

I know the flavours are rather summery, and yet it's January. But I thought "what the heck"... I doubt anyone will complain.

I highly suggest you make this as soon as possible, and feel your world come alive. This is actually my first raw cheesecake, and I now know it will become one of my stand-by special desserts. It's delightful, truly.

It's wonderful how first you get that taste of lemon, fresh and light; then right after, you begin to taste the subtle lavender coming through and are surprised by how much you like it!

Who could have imagined a handful of raw, whole foods could create such a beautiful and elegant dish? Well I'm not gonna lie... I could easily imagine it. But that's only because I'm so in love with raw desserts (and food).

Share this delicate and lovely cheesecake with your loved ones; and enjoy the tastes, textures, and simple happiness they all bring.

Lavender & Lemon Cheesecake: makes 1 cheesecake

Crust:

1/2 cup dates

1 1/2 cups nuts (I used soaked walnuts and almonds)

Surround the inside of a cake pan with wax paper or plastic wrap. Process dates and nuts together until you get a rough, sticky mixture that you can pat down with your hands into the bottom of the cake pan. Do so. Set in fridge.

Cheesecake:

3 cups cashews (preferably soaked for 3-4 hours)

3/4 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup honey/agave/maple syrup

3/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon salt

1-3 teaspoons dried lavender (depends on how much you like lavender; I used 3)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract/seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. It will taste... glorious. I'm not kidding, angels may start singing. Pour onto crust in cake pan and set in the freezer or fridge until it has the hardness you want (probably 3-5 hours or overnight). Take out of cake pan holding the wax paper or plastic wrap and put on your favourite plate. Slice and enjoy.

Family Dinner

2012-01-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

This is what it typically looks like:

Guess where I sit.

Usually I have a gargantuan salad, a bowl of fruits, or a massive green smoothie. Last night it was a smoothie. I blended up some strawberries, kiwis, and a pound of lettuce =) Yuummmay.

Also, usually there's more than one pot of food, and no Becel! =S My family does eat pretty healthy.

As you might presume, sometimes me eating raw causes some tension in the household. My parents often worry, my brothers just think I'm weird, but my cat Dante is totally okay with it! He too, strives to be 100% raw vegan. In his perfect world, all he would eat is flowers. No kidding. We catch him eating them while no one's looking all the time. As for normal cat food? He grudgingly eats it just to survive.

Back to the subject though. I look forward to when I live on my home (hopefully in my tiny house!) and can eat purely raw. For now, I still eat a bit of cooked food sometimes for several reasons - mostly social - and my family being a big one.

Just wanted to share what a normal dinner looks like at the von Euw house =) And show how big my smoothies are. Yes, I always finish them... often gulping them down in an excited frenzy. I can't help it. They're so dang good.

This one actually holds more than a Mason jar so I can make my smoothies even bigger!

I Want To Live In A Shoebox

2012-01-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

Howdy folks.
So if you read my blog regularly, you probably have figured out I'm a bit of a hippie. Okay, a lot of a hippie. I can't help it - I am the quintessential flower child. And I ain't changin' any time soon.

Now having said that; what do you imagine a dirty, kale-munching hippie living in? Perhaps this:

That WAS one of my original dreams: drive around the world in one of these puppies, with a bunch of friends, good music and no plan. I think I'll still do that sometime, but the plan has changed a tad.

No, I'm not going to live in a dumpster, or be homeless, wild and free. NOW, I have the perfect plan for my future living situation. One of these babies. <- click the link

They're super tiny houses! I'm going to buy the plans for one of them (haven't decided which one yet) and use salvaged wood and materials to build it for cheap! This is so ideal for me, though it might not be the best idea for most people. Do you:

- want to save money?

- not like doing housework?

- not like paying the mortgage, or other monthly bills?

- love to travel?

- like to build things?

- love the outdoors?

- are comfortable with smallish spaces?

- don't have too many people to take care/live with?

Then this is for you!!! I hit all of those criteria on the mark, so I don't see me doing it any other way.

I used to want to save up a butt-load of money and build my own off-the-grid, renewable energy-run zion house, complete with garden and forest. Something like this:

This house is actually the most energy efficient in the world, and it's in Victoria!

But then I realized it would cost me about $500,000. I don't wanna spend that much of my life working to make that much money. One of these tiny houses will only cost me $20,000 TOPS. I'm thinking it'll be more like $5,000 or $10,000. Very do-able. In fact, there's tons of videos on YouTube about people who have done this for under $4,000. Check them out here.

I've been serious about doing this after I move out for several months now. I don't WHEN that will be, but I'd like to start building one of these in the next few years! Then all I gotta do is grab a friend or find a romantic companion (or not...) and hit the road! Driving where ever I want, buying fresh produce along the way.

Anyways, just wanted to let ya'll know what my living conditions are gonna be... in case you were wondering =) I'm gonna go make a green smoothie now. I want that lettuce IN MA BODAY.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting (baked)

2012-01-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

My friend Amanda was at my house the other night, and we were planning on going to a party... but it was raining, we were tired, and we just didn't feel like going out anymore. So we were left with some free time, what to do? Amanda declared she wanted to bake "something crazy-awesome with swirls".

We ended up with a tray of Vanilla Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Frosting. Not too shabby.

We found this recipe. I modified it a bit: used oat flour instead of all-purpose, used more tofu, added some honey and left out some sugar, used real vanilla, and made up my own icing. They were REALLY moist, and not too sweet. The combination was a delight. These cupcakes were gone in a day.

Vanilla Cupcakes: makes about 12

1 ½ cups oat flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

4 oz. tofu
3/4 cup sugar
½ cup soy milk/water
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Seeds from half a vanilla pod
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the first 3 ingredients. In a blender, combine the remaining ingredients; blend until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture; and pour all the batter into muffin tins (lined with paper).

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Frosting: makes 4 or so cups, you'll have extra

4 oz. tofu

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup melted earth balance

Pinch of salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 peanut butter

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Yum.

Avocado Chocolate "Creme Brulee" Pudding

2012-01-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

You can't comprehend how decadent, creamy and INSANELY good this pudding is - until you make it.
Got a ripe alligator pear handy? Translation: avocados. They sometimes call 'em alligator pears because of their skin... makes sense.

I just imagine this guy eating piles of avocados:

(Now that I'm thinking about it... that's ME when I have avocados...)

Moving on: you like Jell-O chocolate pudding? You'll love this. Don't love Jell-O pudding? You'll love this. I know I say this about everything I make (and I'm telling the truth every time, I swear!), but this is SERIOUSLY THE BEST THING EVER.

I'm sorry. My taste buds hold no loyalties, thus they change their loves very easily and frequently. In short: often whatever I'm eating, is the best thing I've ever eaten.
Having said that - I still like to think my taste buds DO have good taste (no pun intended?). So this pudding really is outta this world.

And guess what? Yep. You got it. This is uber good for ya. SO MAKE/EAT IT ALREADY!

I wanted to add some texture, and create something reminiscent of creme brulee, so I poured some melted dark chocolate to the top, and it hardened. I got the perfect product! I highly recommend doing this.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding: makes 5 little bowls

2 avocados, riper the better

2 Tb coconut oil (sorta optional)

1/3 cup honey/other sweetener

1/2 cup cacao

2 t vanilla extract

1/4 cup mesquite (or add more cacao)

Pinch of salt

Water, as/if needed

1/2 bar dark chocolate (50 g), melted (optional)

Blend all ingredients (except chocolate) until smooth; wet first works best, but it doesn't matter too much.

You should have a pudding consistency, so add more things if you need to. Taste it...... =)

Spoon into ramekins or bowls. Pour melted chocolate over the tops and spread it evenly, but try not to mix it with pudding.

You can sprinkle some coconut or something else over top if you want. It makes it perdy.

Refrigerate til the chocolate hardens - and there ya go!

Health By Chocolate

2012-01-19T14:07:00.003-08:00

Raw Dark Chocolate with Goji Berries. Doesn't that just sound sexy?

Yes, it does. All this glorious chocolate has in it is cacao, coconut butter and honey. I added some vanilla, mesquite, sea salt and goji berries for extra decadence and some colour.

Who would've thought eating chocolate could add nutrition to your diet? This chocolate may help you live longer (with healthier skin and hair, and less stress).

One more plus? This is ready in minutes. I literally made during it a commercial break on TV:

Dad: "What're you doing in there?"

Me: "Making chocolate, I'll be like two seconds!"

Enough talking - chocolate doesn't need an explanation. Just make this now.

Raw Chocolate: makes 7 bars (I recommend making more)

1/4 cup agave/maple syrup/honey, or you can use a paste of dates and water

2/3 cup cacao or cocoa

5 Tb coconut oil, melted

Mix all ingredients until smooth and ridiculously delicious-looking. If you want, add other ingredients like mesquite powder, sea salt, vanilla, or anything else that could take this to another level! Try not to eat it all before it solidifies... I had some trouble =)

Spread the mix out on some wax paper and put it in the freezer for a few hours.

Then, you know what to do.

Good heavens this is CRAZY-GOOD. You will not believe it.

You don't understand how amazing these are until you try them yourself.

Is This You?

2012-01-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, so my friends have sent me these videos on YouTube that are all HILARIOUS. Why? Because they are all videos of people making fun of people - just. like. me.

Vegans, raw vegans, "new age girls", and yogis. If you are any of those things - watch these! If you aren't - watch them anyway!

Peanut Butter Cups... Gone Wild!

2012-01-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

Get it? Because they have no tops. Ha-ha. I should really spend more time developing my comedic talents, and less time making peanut butter and chocolate concoctions.

On second thought... bad idea. PB and chocolate always comes first.

Last night I was thinking of ways to use the raw mesquite powder my parents got me for x-mas (buy it here). It has a light flavour of cinnamon and cocoa. I love chocolate, and I add cinnamon to everything, so it's perfect for me! =)

I decided to make peanut butter cups. But of course, forgetful me... I spooned out all the chocolate mix for the bottoms, and had none left for the tops. Woops. So they're wild and topless pb cups. Deal with it.

They're still just as delicious and comforting as regular ones. And WAAAY more nutritious than Reeses.
To compare, here's the ingredients in a Reeses:

Milk Chocolate (Milk Chocolate contains Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Milk Fat, Lactose, and Soya Lecithin and PGPR (as Emulsifiers), Peanuts, Sugar, Dextrose, Salt, and TBHQ and Citric Acid (to Preserve Freshness) ---> Freshness??? What's fresh here?!

Here's the ingredients and recipe for MY "Reeses", enjoy, guilt-free!
(Aside from the PB, they're raw. If you can afford raw jungle peanuts, go for it!)

Topless PB cups: makes about 10 normal sized ones, or 25 small ones - does it really matter though?

4 Tb cacao

2 Tb raw mesquite

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup honey, agave or maple syrup

Pinch of salt

1 t vanilla extract

3-4 dates, if you want

3/4 natural peanut butter (I make my own) - you can use other nut butters if you want

3 Tb honey, if you want

2 Tb nutritional yeast, if you want

NOTE: My "chocolate" ended up not being very hard, like real chocolate. Still mind-blowingly good, but if you want harder chocolate use more coconut oil and cacao/mesquite OR simply melted dark chocolate.

Blend all ingredients from first list together until you have a smooth, chocolate mixture... I couldn't stop eating it right out of the food processor. Spoon one teaspoon or so into the bottom of several cupcake papers, until you run out. Set aside.

Mix the PB, honey and nooch (if using) and then put a dollop of that onto each of the chocolate bottoms. Stick 'em in the fridge for a few hours and then serve! YEAH BABY!

Chia Shots

2012-01-14T16:01:00.000-08:00

My mom bought a loaf of chia bread at Cobs last week, and they gave her this free package of a chia shot. I thought it was cute. I love chia seeds. They're definitely the new goji berry of 2012, if ya know what I mean. (Never before heard-of "super food" that will soon be in health stores/magazines everywhere.)

I already have a good supply of chia seeds in the house but I figured I'd use the chia shot for my breakfast. A serving of chia is about 2 Tb, and that's what they gave me.
I added water to it, along with some goji berries, coconut flakes, and raisins. I spiced it with cinnamon and nutmeg. YUM! Simple and delicious.

One thing - of the many, many things - I love about chia is their insoluble fibre aspect. When you add water, they gel up. This is exactly what happens when you eat them too, and that's why they're great for keeping your bowels moving - yes, you understand. Basically they soak up extra "waste" in your digestive tract ... it's a beautiful thing. Flax seeds also hold this ability.

On top of that, they're a good source of omega-3's (EFA's), which most people don't get enough of. They also have a substantial percent of protein, like most other seeds and nuts. And of course, with any raw plant food you're gonna get a ton of antioxidants and phyto-nutrients.

You can research yourself about the benefits of chia, and I've also found this link. It's pretty basic.

I'm not saying adding chia to your diet is gonna change the world, as if it's the missing link to superior health and longevity. However, it's a nutrient-packed raw plant food that's a heck of a lot better than cheerios for breakfast. I think everyone could benefit from incorporating some chia into their diet. If not, no worries.

Mmm... Salad For Life

2012-01-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Hello beautiful people! Nothing fancy or in-depth today (not that my posts usually are...), just salad =)
I took some lovely pics and wanted to share.

WHY IS SALAD SO GORGEOUS!? ...I know of many reasons, actually.

Every time I have salad (i.e. every day), I have to dance around and show everyone because it's so awesome - literally. Just throw some fresh greens together with a simple dressing and tons of veg. What do you get? Perfection and happiness. In a big, blue, clay bowl.

HOLY CASHEWS

2012-01-10T21:24:00.000-08:00

Let me remind you of the surprise I got about a month ago. I came home and found this on my bed:

25 POUNDS OF RAW CASHEWS! I was thrilled. Read more here, if ya want. Then for Christmas, my dear friend Alex gave me MORE raw cashews (the little bag on top, above right). I was a little overwhelmed, but happy =D So since that day, the cashews have just been sitting in my room until I pick a day to open the air-sealed package and get them in a more usable form.

Today, we conquered the monster.
It's been sitting ominously beside my bed, waiting for this day for a month. Air-sealed, gargantuan and weighing over 25 pounds, my mother and I were expectedly anxious to open the beast.

With a tentative hand, she cut into the giant plastic holding vessel and we heard the "whoosh!" of the sealed-air escaping. The box-shaped body of cashews immediately collapsed.

We didn't waste any time. Weighing out little 1 pound Ziploc bags, and air-sealing them again ourselves with straws, we moved through the mountain pretty fast. Soon, the task was complete. We filled exactly 25 bags! With about 1 pound left over so I could make some DELICIOUS raw cashew butter; probably my fave nut butter, also apple's best friend.

As we were sealing all the bags, we started singing our own version of "Little Boxes". It's the intro song to a show called Weeds, that my mom and I love to watch. I highly recommend you watch it! But I warn you: you will either love it, or absolutely hate it. It's pretty... crude.
Anyway here's the original intro (they get an artist to make a new version for every episode... pretty cool).

So we changed up the lyrics with:
Little cashews in the ziplocs,
Little cashews made of vitamins
Little cashews in the ziplocs,
Little cashews all the same,
There's a big one and a small one
And a beige one and a... beige one
And they're all made out of fibre
And they all look just the same.

And so on =) Due to our light headedness - we sucked the air out of a lot of bags - it was probably funnier than it should have been.

We stuck all these bags in the freezer and then I made some cashew butter... it was a successful day.
I can finally say the cashew monster has been conquered! We are victorious.

I'm a Bad Girl...

2012-01-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

I'm the worst raw foodist ever! A couple nights ago, I was really hungry and since I don't fall asleep until around 3 AM now - don't ask - I wasn't going to go to bed for several hours. What was I craving for no reason? A big, fat sandwich (I don't even GET cravings, let alone eat sandwiches, so it was truly bizarre). What'd I decide to do? Make a big, fat sandwich.

It was so comfort food-y. Delicious.
First, I toasted some organic sprouted chia bread and put on lettuce and avocado. Then I baked some butternut squash mac n' cheese leftovers, and sauteed some tofu in Bragg's, homemade breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast. Stacked it all up and cut it in half - then sat down and enjoyed.
I know! Even typing this out makes me feel indulgent. Oh man. This is the most unhealthy thing I've eaten in... forever! =S

Don't judge me! Yes, I know I claim I'm a "raw foodist", then go and eat stuff like this in the middle of the night. But what can I say? I'm comfortable with it, occasionally. Sure, if I really think about it, I probably wouldn't want to eat this (or any other cooked food).

But I've written posts about this before: there's many reasons I'm not 100% raw. My living situation, my family, my lifestyle, and also what eating all raw means to me - because sometimes it's NOT healthy. When I eat 100% raw, I unfortunately become a little obsessive about it, to the extreme. I get too idealistic. This isn't healthy. Ultimately all I want in my diet is health. So for me, eating a percentage of cooked food is healthier mentally, than eating totally raw.

In the future I do want to become pretty much 100% raw, after I move out and buy all my own food (another reason I'm not all raw - it stresses out my family). But I need to get comfortable with myself and how I think of the diet before this happens, otherwise I'll be doing it for the wrong reasons.

Note: If you don't care about raw food, sorry you have to read this! It probably sounds insane. If you're a raw foodist, I hope you know what I'm talking about =)

At the end of the day? Loved every bite of this sandwich.