coconut mango tarts with figs, walnuts, cinnamon + ginger

I bought a few mangoes yesterday and wanted to use them a in recipe, since lately I've been using mainly frozen fruit - variety is the spice of life! I love mango and coconut together, and also walnuts and figs. So I combined the two delicious pairs and added cinnamon and ginger... because why not? These are a simple treat to make if you ever have a couple fresh mangoes (or other colourful fruits) you want to use in a creative way. 

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. You really can tell when you're eating pure, raw, whole foods because they give you energy and make you feel light and joyful. That's my experience, anyway. I certainly felt that way after one of these, and I look forward to sharing them with my family so can feel the same way. 

Spread love, in it's whole form. 

coconut mango tarts with figs, walnuts, cinnamon + ginger: makes about five

Tart crust:

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup dried figs

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 cup coconut flakes 

Filling:

1 or 2 mangoes, peeled sliced in strips 

Cinnamon and ginger powder

Coconut flakes

To make the crusts: pulse coconut and walnuts together in your food processor until they become crumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it stick together. Press into tart tins lined with coconut oil and put in the fridge to set for about an hour. Take them out of the molds and fill with mango slices, dusting the tops with cinnamon and ginger and sprinkling with coconut. Enjoy!

coconut, ginger + mint tart with kiwi

This is delightful, refreshing and sweet like the summer sun. Okay - I know I am getting ahead of the seasons here but I am just so excited for summer to arrive. We are finally started to get blue sky and warmer temperatures here in good ole British Columbia. That was the inspiration for this tart. Besides... I like mint.

I added ginger just because it was there, I sniffed it, and decided it might pair well with Mr. Mint. Hurrah! I was right. Thank you, nose - rarely have you steered me in the wrong direction (except with durian). My boyfriend was quite happy to run away with the piece of this tart I cut for him, smiling maniacally. I think there might have been a giggle in there too. Point being: this is tasty.

Mint has got to be one of my top three favourite herbs. The other two are sweet basil and rosemary. OH MA GERD they are all just so delicious, unique, beautifully evolved and... green. The best things are always green, when you really think about it. T'is why I topped this baby off with kiwi slices and more mint leaves. Okay - and a bit of coconut shavings because you can't go wrong with those. Unless you are deathly allergic, then things will go as wrong as possible. Bad.

I took photos of this before it had enough time to set, so it didn't hold it's shape very well but don't fret, my dear friends, it will be fine after a few hours or overnight in the reliable and handy refrigerating machine. Also know as your fridge. If you like, add a banana or avocado into the filling for another layer of flavour, creaminess and plain bulk. The more tart, the better. Amiright.

cashew fruit tart with coconut, ginger + mint:

Crust:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup oats or buckwheat groats

2 cups raisins or dates

Filling:

1 cup cashews

Handful mint leaves

1 tablespoon peeled ginger root

2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil

1 cup dates

1/4 cup maple syrup (optional) 

Water or other liquid, as needed

To make the crust: process the walnuts and oats/groats in your food processor until they are a rough flour. Add the raisins and process until it starts sticking together. Press in the bottom of a lined tart tin. Set aside. 

To make the filling: blend all ingredients until smooth, adding as little water or other liquid as possible, but enough to make it creamy and smooth. Taste it and add more stuff according to your preferences. Or not. 

Assemble the beauty: spread the filling onto your crust evenly and set in the fridge overnight or for a few hours. Decorate with sliced fruit, coconut shavings and mint leaves. Enjoy!

zuke pasta with tahini sauce & other goodness

I used basically the same recipe for the sauce that I made for my raw sushi recipe. It is so TASTY. This creamy, filling meal will leave you satisfied and full of energy. I could eat like 3 bowls of this - oh and guess what, I can! Ah, life is good. Enjoy!

zucchini pasta with tahini sauce, olives, cilantro & avocado: serves one or two

Pasta:
2 zucchinis
1/2 avocado
handful of olives
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup sprouts

Tahini sauce:
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon miso
2 tablespoons peeled ginger root
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/8 cup water (more or less)

To make the sauce: blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy, adding liquid as needed. Set aside.

To make the pasta: slice your zukes on a spiral slicer or mandolin. Put in a bowl and pour your sauce on, rubbing it in with your hands or two spoons, until every noodle is covered. Cut up your avocado and throw it on along with the other toppings. Let it all sit for a minute to marinate then dig in!

sushi with sprouts & tahini miso ginger sauce

Oh my goodness gracious garbanzo beans. Make this NOW. You can taste the energy in this recipe, especially because of the sprouts. The sauce brings everything together deliciously with a savoury, sweet and salty flavour; the avocado adds a rich creaminess, the bell pepper gives you that juicy crunch and finally; the cucumber makes it all taste hella fresh. 

I made this as soon as I got up, to take pictures while the light was good, because I wasn't going to have another opportunity all day (it was a VERY busy day). I didn't want to eat it for breakfast so I have been craving it all day, until the moment I stepped back in the door a couple hours ago and was able to eat it. It's fun and easy to make, no special equipment necessary, and not much mess either. 

Let's roll, baby. 

raw sushi with bean sprouts & tahini miso ginger sauce: makes 2 rolls or more

Sushi rolls:
1/2 avocado 
1/3 cucumber
1/3 bell pepper
2 cups mung bean sprouts (or other fresh sprouts)
Seaweed sheets, like nori

Tahini sauce:
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon miso
2 tablespoons peeled ginger root
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/8 cup water (more or less)

To make the sauce: blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy, adding liquid as needed.

To make the sushi: slice the cucumber, avocado and bell pepper very thin, and add anything else you want to. Now spread some sprouts evenly over a sheet of seaweed, but leave a bit of space at one end and drip a tiny bit of sauce all over the sheet. Place in your veggies and roll up like a pro! Keep doing this until you use all your stuff. Then with a sharp knife, slice carefully present your beautiful sushi to the lucky folks you're sharing this with. If that's just you - pretend to surprise yourself and get really excited. 

Vegan sushi just magically appeared from nowhere.

raw pumpkin pie

raw pumpkin pie was the first recipe i ever posted on this blog. that was over a year ago now. i have come a long way and can't wait to see where i - and this website - will be in another four seasons. i want to take a moment to thank you all for following my blog as it has increased in popularity and support. for those of you who are new - welcome!

your emails, comments, thoughts and kind words are the sole reason i continue to make recipes, photograph and write about them, then put them on the world wide web for all to see. i feel blessed to have the opportunity to reach and positively connect with so many wonderful spirits (that's you)!

okay - gooey, cheesy stuff outta the way! here is a pie for you. i was just confessing to mother-dearest that i actually was never a fan of pumpkin pie before i went vegan. i just ate it at thanksgiving and christmas because it meant i got a serving of ice cream and whipped cream with it (my infamous sweet tooth could not be suppressed, even when i was little).

but this raw, animal-free version of pumpkin pie is seriously delicious and i love it on it's own! having said that - adding coconut ice cream to anything is never a poor idea. NEVER.

that's a life lesson. you're welcome. 

i live in canada, so our thanksgiving was some time ago now... but i know that all my friends in the states are anticipating the coming holiday so this would be a great option for dessert! show your relatives and loved ones how delicious raw food can be. this has gotta be the lowest calorie, most nutrient-dense pumpkin pie on the planet. unless you just ate a pumpkin straight up and called it "pie"... but then you'd be kinda strange.

anyways, let's appreciate fall for all the glorious colours it brings into the world; the trees are a changin' and so are our lives. live in the moment with people you care about and give thanks for all you've been given, and all that you've worked to achieve. you're beautiful. stay sexy! like a pumpkin.

raw harvest pumpkin pie: makes one pie

crust:

1 cup cashews

1 cup almonds

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup dates

1/8 teaspoon salt

pumpkin filling:

1 sugar pumpkin (about 7 cups), peeled, gutted and cut into cubes

1 cup dates

4-5 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1-4 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger & cloves)

to make the crust, process the nuts in your food processor until they are like a rough flour. add the dates, raisins and salt. pulse until it all sticks together in a lump. press into the bottom of a pie dish and refrigerate. 

to make the pie filling, process the pumpkin cubes until they can't get any smaller in your food processor. add in the other ingredients and process until it can't get any smoother. transfer the filling to your high speed blender and blend on the highest setting to get it super smooth like the cooked version. add whatever you think it needs. spread the filling onto your pie crust and let it set in the fridge for a few hours. 

serve with raw ice cream or cashew cream in celebration of thanksgiving, the colourful fall season, or for the simple reason that life is beautiful!

chocolate tahini caramel delights

imagine a giant peanut butter cup... change the peanut butter into tahini-cashew butter. add a bite of caramel in the middle. turn it into an ice cream version. then make it vegan and raw. the final result is this recipe.

i wanted to do something with the sesame seed butter we had, and also make a fancier spin on a PB cup. so here ya go. i hope you like them... okay, you'll love them. unless you're crazy, or have a phobia of chocolate (actually a legitimate disorder, it is called xocolatophobia). the raw caramel is also divine in the middle. i ate the extra on it's own with an organic apple.

the ice cream part was actually a mistake, but the kind that makes things better (don't ya love those? they're kinda rare). my chocolate recipe had too much liquid and so didn't solidify like normal chocolate. i had to freeze it to make it harden, but it ended up even more delicious as a frozen treat. let's hear it for helpful mistakes!

these photos were taken with my brand new camera (new to me anyway... got an excellent deal on good ole craigslist for a basically unused canon T2i... thank you, internet!) and i couldn't be happier with them. such an improvement not only over the little beginners one i have been having to use the last couple months, but even my previous DSLR! i am a happy camper.

a funny thing to note: i prefer using a picture quality setting called "RAW", it essentially means the photo is unprocessed and completely unedited, saved just as i took the photo whereas JPEG photos are changed slightly to be saved as such. it is funny because (as your clever little mind may have figured out) my photos are just like my food! RAW and UNPROCESSED.

time to giggle. 

my weekend has been pretty lovely. we are back to normal vancouver weather - rain. i love it. i missed it. i am glad it's returned. have you noticed the rain makes everything cozier? when you are inside anyways... getting stuck in the pouring rain and wind while waiting for a bus doesn't exactly compare to snuggling with your boo by the fire with raw hot chocolate and a kitten...

everything is better with a kitten.

ginger chocolate cups with sesame-cashew butter & caramel: makes about 9

ginger dark chocolate:
1 cup dates, soaked in just enough water to cover them
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup cacao 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder (or 1 teaspoon shaved ginger root)
1/8 teaspoon salt

sesame-cashew butter:
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed butter)
1 cup raw cashews

raw caramel:
1 cup dates, soaked in water for few minutes
1/4 cup agave/maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

to make the chocolate, blend all ingredients (including the soak water from the dates) until smooth. you may need to add some more water if it's too thick. you could also add a liquid sweetener. set aside in a bowl.

to make the nut butter, blend together the tahini and cashews until smooth. set aside in a bowl.

to make the caramel... you guessed. blend all ingredients until smooth. and yes... set it aside in a bowl.

now the assembly *cue epic music* cover the inside of lined cupcake tins with half of the chocolate. put in the freezer for 10-20 minutes until hardened. put in a layer of sesame-cashew butter, then a dollop of caramel. put back in freezer for 10 minutes. then cover the top with another layer of nut butter and then chocolate. let them set in the freezer overnight, somehow they are better the next day. i topped mine with a cashew to make 'em cute.

triple cinnamon rolls

these are a baked food worth eating. 

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! =)

okay... maybe after one more cinnamon roll....

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!!!