avocado banana chocolate milkshakes with vanilla bean coconut cream

I assure you, these WILL bring all the health-conscious and morally compassionate boys to the yard. What other kind would you want running around on your lawn anyway? The recipe is a rich, creamy, chocolate milkshake made with bananas, avocado and dates. I topped it off with whipped vanilla bean coconut cream and cacao nibs. It is actually perfection, and I don't take any credit - as per usual, this is all thanks to Momma Nature. 

If you don't like or have avocado, you can use this "milkshake" recipe instead. It basically just has more bananas and is equally delicious, in my humble opinion. 

I guess sometimes you just need to drink a giant whole food milkshake, not stopping to breathe, and fighting anyone who tries to steal a sip, then of course lick the glass clean afterwards... right!? I mean, it contributes to a healthy mind and body! Necessary pleasures are... necessary.

I WILL say that this recipe has a proud amount of fat - but don't run and hide from me just because I said that, okay? They are super healthy fats that your gorgeous bod needs to thrive. Just keep your other fat intake low on the day you eat this and you ain't got nuttin' to worry about. In fact - expect to see your skin and hair look a bit shinier. Coconut milk is mega awesome for you, and so is the mean, lean, green avocado.

avocado banana chocolate milkshakes with vanilla bean coconut cream: serves 3 or 4

Chocolate millshake or use this recipe:

1 avocado

1 banana

1 cup dates

1 large scoop Vega chocolate protein powder (or 2 tablespoons cacao powder + 1/4 teaspoon stevia)

1-2 cups vegan milk 

1-2 cups ice

Whipped coconut cream:

1 can coconut milk, left in the fridge or freezer overnight

Bean from 1/2 vanilla pod

1/8 teaspoon stevia 

To make the milkshake: blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding as much vegan milk and ice as needed to make it thick, creamy and cold. Adjust according to taste, then fill up 3 or 4 glasses.

To make the whipped cream: take the can out of the fridge - DON'T SHAKE IT! Open it gently and scoop off the solid fat that has settled on the top. Put it in your mixer bowl (I have a Kitchen Aid), or a normal bowl if you have a handheld mixer. Add the stevia and vanilla beans and whisk until stiff peaks form. Top off your glasses with it and enjoy the heck out of what you just made. 

deep dish chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake

Holy mega chocolate-peanut butter-gasms. This is THE Ultimate Epic Healthy Cake (notice the official-looking capitalization there). I set out to make one cake to rule them all, and I think I succeeded. But you should be the judge. Make the recipe and tell me what you think.

I would apologize for all the ice cream cakes I've been making lately... but that sentence just wouldn't make any sense: "I am sorry I have been making so many ice cream cake recipes." Yeah, that's just plain silliness. I am so NOT sorry. 

The crust of this is made of hemp seeds, flax seeds, cacao and dates; and the filling is a blend of bananas, dates, cashews, coconut oil, and cacao. I swirled in some peanut butter and raw chocolate sauce as well, and also put them on top, along with some cacao nibs and hemp seeds. 100% pure raw food goodness right here. It don't get no better than this.

And you don't need to worry about eating too many nuts (but seriously, nuts are so good for you) in a slice, because 1/8th of the cake gives you your daily intake of every ingredient! I'm clever like that. *WINK* Also, if you're allergic to peanuts, you can use whatever nut butter you want. I don't want to kill you.

So as always, you can indulge in this decadent dessert absolutely guilt-free. In fact, you can feel great about eating it because it contains TONS of good stuff for you. The benefits of eating hemp, flax, cacao, raw nuts, fruit, coconut oil and dates are too many to count. This cake is basically a super food nutrition house, in disguise as a sinfully delicious deep dish ice cream cake.

deep dish chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake: 

Crust:

1 cup dates

1/2 cup hemp seeds

1/3 cup whole flax seeds

3 tablespoons cacao powder 

Filling:

3 frozen bananas
1 cup dates
2 cups cashews
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/4 cups water or vegan milk, as needed
1/4 cup cacao powder
2 tablespoons nut butter (whatever kind you like, I used peanut butter of course)

Optional:
Raw chocolate sauce
Fave nut butter 

To make the crust: pulse the hemp and flax seeds and cacao in your food processor until they become a rough flour, then add the dates and process until it all gets sticky. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan. Put in the fridge. 

To make the filling: blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding water or vegan milk as needed to make it creamy. Spread evenly into your crust, occasionally swirling in nut butter and chocolate sauce if you're using them (soooo recommended). Put in the freezer overnight or until frozen solid, and let it thaw a little bit before serving, so it's nice and creamy. enjoy!

simple berry banana smoothie

Mon coupain was thoughtful and wonderful enough to get me a colourful bouquet of flowers a few days ago, just because. They looked so pretty one morning so I HAD to photograph them, and why not with a smoothie? It's a very simple recipe that I have almost everyday after I exercise. Enjoy!

berry banana smoothie: serves one

1 peeled banana

2 cup frozen berries

1 cup water

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

1-2 dates (optional) 

Blend everything until creamy and smooth, adding water as needed for the desired consistency. Sip away. 

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!

you wanna some raw lasagna?

Oh boy. Someone call the po po because we've got a CRIMINAL UP IN HERE! This recipe is under arrest for being too damn delicious and causing excess drooling. However, that should not stop you from making and devouring it. Think about this way: the jail... is in your mouth. Eeeeh? Get it? Wink wink, nudge nudge.

The version I made - and the one you see photographed in bad lighting because it was night time - wasn't 100% raw since I used hummus (which has cooked chickpeas), but in the recipe below I give you a raw hummus option instead. If you don't care about using normal hummus - go ahead. I ate this whole thing by myself so be sure to warn others that you won't be sharing, and that they should make their own.

raw lasagna with cilantro pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and marinated veggies: serves 1 or 2 (probably just you) 

Marinated veggies: 

1 tomato

1 cup mushrooms 

Any other veggies you like

1 tablespoon tamari 

1 teaspoon walnut oil (optional) 

Cilantro-walnut pesto:

2 cups fresh cilantro 

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Juice from 1 lemon

1 peeled garlic clove

Salt, to taste

Water, as needed

Sun-dried tomato spread:

1/2 cup sprouted chickpeas (or cooked, if you like) 

1 tablespoon tahini 

Juice from 1 lemon 

1 peeled garlic clove

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Salt, to taste

Water, as needed 

Lasagna noodles:

1 zucchini

Other toppings: 

Handful of olives

1/4 cup chives

Other stuff you like

To prepare the veggies: slice the the mushrooms and tomato and put in a bowl. Throw the tamari (and oil, if using) on them and mix in with your hands until evenly covered. Put in the dehydrator or oven - at it's lowest temperature - to marinate while you make the other stuff. 

To make the pesto: pulse all the ingredients in your food processor until it becomes a pesto-like consistency, adding water or other liquid as needed. Put in a bowl and set aside.

To make the tomato spread: blend all the ingredients in your food processor until it's pretty smooth and the tomatoes are in small pieces and have started turning the mixture reddish, adding water or other liquid as needed. 

To make the noodles: slice the zucchini on a mandolin into thin pieces. 

Assembly: lay two noodles beside each other, slightly overlapping and layer with all the good stuff you just made. Top it off with olives and chives and you are ready to "arrest" this mofo.