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Raw Vegan Chocolate-Orange Christmas Bites

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Bring this to a Christmas party and your brownie points will shoot through the chimney.

These little morsels will bring melty, sweet, whole-food goodness to your Christmas Holidays.

Pour yourself a cup of tea, and dip away.

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Right now, I’m going through the Raw Gastronomy chapter in my Plant-Based Rouxbe Culinary course. The challenge was to create a raw dessert, and I thought, why should I be the only one to appreciate the taste of my creation? It’s too good not to share with all of you.

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Eating whole foods in their raw form does wonders for your body.

Raw, or ‘living foods’ still have the vitality and energy in the food itself. If they aren’t heated over 118 degrees farenheit, their naturally occurring enzymes stay active. Heating foods can deactivate some of the beneficial, vital enzymes, plus destroy other nutrients like minerals, essential fatty acids, and vitamins. So, why not eat as much food in their natural raw form as possible?

Plus, this chocolate sauce is just 3 ingredients! So simple and it works soooo well. The coconut oil is just slightly heated enough to melt into a saucy texture.

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Even after freezing for a while, the bottom layer of these bites still stays deliciously gooey.

It’s pretty much cookie dough, that’s packed with nutrients, with hard chocolate on top. YUM.

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Benefits:

–Cacao powder is the raw form of dark chocolate. It’s the part with the highest amount of antioxidants (40 times the amount of blueberries). It’s a natural energy booster, mood elevator and is packed with magnesium for your brain and heart health.

–Dates are packed with minerals and fibre. They’re super sweet, but are actually good for you! Pure magic. Your brain, heart and digestive system will thank you. They’re actually a great source of protein, plus they’re packed with vitamin C and D to help your beautiful skin and promote elasticity for the anti-aging effects.

–Coconut has iron, healthy fats and fibre. A bit of coconut will help ward off disease and keep your tissues healthy too.

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Ingredients:

Base layer:

  • 1  1/2 cups dates, pitted (meaning without pits), soaked in hot water for 5 minutes then strained (if super dry)
  • 3/4 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1 tbsp orange juice, freshly squeezed

Chocolate sauce:

  • 1  1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Steps:

  1. Pulse walnuts, coconut and orange zest in food processor until a meal forms
  2. Add dates and orange juice. Blend until all is combined
  3. Use two small spoons to press mixture into balls then into a mini muffin tin. OR you could also press the mixture into a loaf pan as one large layer
  4. Make chocolate sauce: Melt coconut oil in small sauce pan, add maple syrup and cacao powder. Use whisk to mix until smooth and creamy.
  5. Spoon chocolate layer over each base layer
  6. Sprinkle with shredded coconut
  7. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes or as long as you like. They don’t become rock solid!

Apricot Butternut Squash Lentil Loaf | Vegan | Oil-Free | Salt-Free

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With Christmas is just around the corner, the best way to show your love to your family and friends is through their taste buds.

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Welcome, lentil loaf.

It’s sweet and savoury, packed with plant nutrients, and a mouth-watering replacement for the usual meaty main on the plate.

Roasted butternut squash, nutritional yeast, flax meal and oat flour hold this baby together, and a maple-y, molasses glaze tops it right off!

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Who says Christmas has to be about guilty indulgence? This lentil loaf will benefit your bod, yet taste comforting and decadent.

Impress your family with a vegan main for Christmas dinner. Be a rebel and switch up the tradition 😉

You can make this ahead of time and throw it into the freezer once it’s cooled. Just de-thaw by letting it sit in room temperature for at least 1 hour (or in a pool of warm water in the sink for 30 minutes), then bake again at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or so.

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Benefits:

–Lentils are one of the most healthy ingredients in the world. They’re packed with antioxidants, lower cholesterol and have anti-inflammatory effects. Eating these morsels and any other plant foods help protect the skin and ward off wrinkles too.

–Butternut squash is low in fat, high in fibre and high in beneficial plant carbohydrates. Plus it does wonders for immunity, and bone health.

–Apricots protect against free radical damage and inflammation. They also help your eyesight with all that vitamin A.

–Salt-free and Oil-free! Salt leads to water retention, which leads to bloating, a puffy face, and water weight. Go without it for a week and see if you notice a difference! Oil is a fat, packed with calories, and zero fibre. Even if it is said to be ‘health promoting’, it is still a processed ingredient that will aid in weight gain.

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Serves: 8-10

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Loaf:

  • 1 cup green lentils uncooked
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
  • 1 cup butternut squash, chopped in 1 cm cubes
  • 1 cup carrot, grated
  • 1 cup apple, grated
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
  • 8 dried apricots, diced
  • 3 tbsp flax meal
  • 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 6 sprigs-worth of fresh thyme, de-stemmed
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tsp tarragon
  • Dash of pepper

Glaze:

  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup  ketchup
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F
  2. Cook lentils according to package
  3. Spread pumpkin seeds and walnuts on cookie sheet, then toast in the oven for 8 minutes
  4. Turn oven up to 350 degrees F
  5. Roast butternut squash for 20 minutes
  6. While squash is roasting, heat a pot to medium heat
  7. Oil-free sautéing time. Add onions to pot, and stir until you see browning/caramelization on the bottom (about 5 minutes). Then add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water) to deglaze the pot. The onions and garlic should have a brown tinge to them
  8. Add carrots, celery, apple, tarragon, oregano and black pepper to pot. Let simmer 10 minutes
  9. In food processor, blend 1/2 cup of the roasted butternut squash with 3/4 cup of the cooked green lentils. Once blended smooth, add in flax meal, nutritional yeast, oat flour, and thyme. Blend until smooth again
  10. Transfer blended mixture to the pot. Add pumpkin seeds, walnuts and apricot. Mix together well
  11. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (leave some out along edges so you can use it as handles to pull out loaf when it’s done)
  12. Press loaf mix evenly into the pan
  13. Make the glaze: Mix together all ingredients in small food processor, or in a small sauce pan on low heat (this will help the molasses mix together)
  14. Use spatula to spread the glaze over the loaf evenly
  15. Bake for 45-50 minutes in the 350 degree F oven
  16. Let cool 5 minutes, then move from the pan onto a cooling rack.
  17. Enjoy with your favourite sides! Vegan mashed potatoes coming soon!

Play by play:

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Then Glaze & Bake!

 

No-Bake Spicy Chocolate Cream Pie

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Creamy and decadent with out the whole cream, butter or egg yolks.

YES. It’s possible. You’ll see.

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American friends! If you want to impress your Thanksgiving guests (or yourself) with a lighter, healthier, vegan alternative to something usually seen as a sinful, ‘I’ll just have one bite’ type of dessert, this will do the trick.

Don’t even tell them it’s vegan. See what happens.

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The sneaky chipotle really gives this pie a unique kick of flavour.

This one is inspired by Rouxbe Culinary School. I’m more than half way through my plant-based cooking course and am loving the kitchen creations of 100% vegan recipes and experiments they have me doing. But, what I’m loving even more is that I get to share the delicious-ness with all of you!

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Benefits:

–Tofu is a health food, when you buy organic, non-GMO! There is a myth about soy products leading to ‘man boobs’ or breast cancer by raising estrogen levels. This just isn’t the case. In comparison to dairy and animal products, soy is a major upgrade. It’s easily digestible plant-based protein. For more about the myths check out this article. And for more research check out Dr. Gregor here.

–Chocolate in it’s dark form without dairy isn’t so bad! It releases endorphins, and has antioxidants to ward off cancer and disease.

–Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals, including magnesium for all those anti-inflammatory benefits.
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Serves 12

Time 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1  1/2  cups raw pecans
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1  1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder

Filling:

  • 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips
  • 2 packages organic silken tofu (260g packages), or soft block tofu (300g packages)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch sea salt

Topping:

  • Organic raspberries
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder

Directions:

  1. Make crust: Pulse the sugar and pecans in food processor until a meal forms. Then add rest of crust ingredients and pulse to combine.
  2. Spread crust layer out on bottom and up the sides of pie plate (about 8″ diameter).
  3. Make filling: Melt chocolate by using a double boiler. While it’s melting, add tofu, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to food processor and blend until smooth. Add melted chocolate, blend until combined.
  4. Pour filling over pie crust.
  5. Chill in fridge for 20 minutes.
  6. Serve with raspberries and a sprinkle of cacao powder.

 

Oil-Free Curry Roasted Chickpeas

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Sometimes you just need something savoury to crunch away at.

Chips are usually what we all turn to for that crunchy, salty, savoury craving cure. But, chips come with saturated fat, usually too much salt, and sometimes some pretty bad additives. Your body doesn’t thank you after downing a whole bag of chippies.

These little morsels, on the other hand, will cure that craving, and your body will sing hallelujah!

Oil-free, cholesterol-free, nutrient-dense and delicious!

A perfect road tripping snack too. I’ll be making a couple batches of these for my trip to Sin City this week.

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Las Vegas Baby! I’ve never been. We aren’t the type to vacation to cities… we usually are the ones planning adventure mountain bike, paddle board or tropical trips. But it’s been raining, there were cheap tickets, and there’s a first time for everything! I’ll let you know about it when I return… Or follow @juliamurrayski on Instagram for updates, and @hookedonplants for the vegan eats I find.

Just a few days of hot weather and good people watching before the winter season. Why not right?

Do you have any Vegas recommendations for me???

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OK, back to the crispy snacks.

Benefits:

Chickpeas have been used to treat high blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and pack that easily digestible plant-protein. Adding these or other legumes and beans to your diet with help you live longer with more energy!

Himalayan salt is the most pure salt you can use and is packed with minerals and vitamins (it even trumps sea salt, which also may have trace chemicals depending on the water source). Table salt, on the other hand, is stripped of it’s minerals and vitamins to a substance that is 95% sodium chloride and synthetic chemicals that will lead to high blood pressure, kidney damage, water retention and a whole lot more.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups pre-soaked and cooked chickpeas (or 1 large can drained and rinsed)
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp himalayan salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Pat down chickpeas with paper towel or tea towel until most of their moisture is off.
  3. Mix chickpeas in a bowl with lemon, spices and salt
  4. Spread evenly on parchment covered baking pan/cookie sheet
  5. Roast for 30-45 minutes (until crunchy), taking them out to shake around every 10 minutes.
  6. Watch close near the end so they don’t burn!
  7. Eat as a snack, or add them to soups, salads, or stews! (Like the spicy cabbage one below)

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Puffed Quinoa Dessert Bars

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Simple, no-bake, mouthwatering, chocolate-y, fudge-y dessert bars.

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Totally a go-to for any day of the week.

This recipe is adapted from on of my favourite food bloggers, Dana at the Minimalist Baker.

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I was lucky enough to grab a signed copy of Dana’s book at her book signing at Nourish Cafe after her and the lovely Erin Ireland‘s cooking demo! It’s an amazing new cookbook, Everyday Cooking. Every single recipe is simple and drool-worthy. She and her husband, John are both over-the-top inspiring.

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These bars are perfectly scrumptious snacks or desserts. Just sink your teeth into them once.

You’ll see.

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Here are the changes I made:

I used quinoa puffs as well as rice puffs, pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds, maple syrup instead of agave syrup, and a mixture of sunflower seed butter and almond butter instead of peanut butter.

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Benefits:

–Quinoa, AKA the mother grain, contains all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can’t produce themselves. So these bars are packed with plant-powered protein and nutrient-dense energy.

–Maple syrup is one of the least processed liquid sweeteners you can use. It’s packed with antioxidants and has a low glycemic index compared to most other sweeteners. This means you avoid the sugar spike, and inevitable crash like you would get from more refined sugars. And it’s Canadian, yo!

–Raw almond butter has healthy unsaturated fatty acids and fibre. In treats like this, go for it, but I don’t recommend over-eating nut butters because of the high saturated fat content, but the un-roasted, organic, raw versions do carry fibre and vitamins, and can be a small part of a healthy diet 🙂

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Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12-14

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of nut or seed butter of choice (raw almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates (medjool or bahri)
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 2 cups quinoa puffs
  • 1 cup rice puffs
  • 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Prepare about a 6″x 8″ cake pan by spreading parchment paper or plastic wrap on bottom and over edges.
  2. Add almond butter, PB2 paste and maple syrup to a small pot. Heat on low heat and stir until mixture is smooth.
  3. Add almond butter mixture to a bowl with chopped dates. Stir to combine.
  4. Add quinoa, rice puffs and pumpkin seeds. Mix with wooden spoon until evenly combined.
  5. Spread out mixture in the prepared pan. To flatten evenly, use parchment paper between your hands and the mixture and press down firmly.
  6. Remove the top parchment paper, and place pan in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
  7. While the deliciousness is freezing, prepare your chocolate sauce.
  8. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove, or in 30 second increments in a bowl in the microwave (stirring each time), until you have a smooth sauce.
  9. Take the bars out of the freezer, and drizzle chocolate sauce over with a fork.
  10. Throw that pan of goodness back into the freezer and wait (the hardest part) for 10 minutes until it is set.
  11. Cut into shapes of your choice and gobble up.