strawberry banana cream cake with mint

You can feel GREAT about eating this cake because it's super healthy and has only simple, wholesome ingredients: fruit and nuts. Plus, it makes a cheerful, stunning dessert for any kind of party. Unless you are hosting a black-themed death metal get-together. Then you may want to consider making something else.

The pink filling is strawberries and bananas and the creamy outside is a blend of cashews, dates and orange. I suppose you could say this was made in anticipation of the eminent summer, because it IS sunny today. But at the same time, there's no reason you can't make this anytime of the year. 

I certainly recommend garnishing this cake with chocolate, berries and mint. When I took it out of the spring form pan I thought it looked rather plain (even though I knew about the surprise on the inside) so I chose to decorate the sides with mint leaves. I had dribbled a few spots of chocolate on parchment paper the day before and they looked very nice alongside the frozen berries. They all add different textures and colours to the presentation. 

This was actually quite easy to make and it didn't take much time, not including freezing. It may appear plain on the outside - unless you decorate with berries, mint and chocolate - but when you cut it open there's that burst of pink! My fave colour. If you have a fear of pink (umm...), just use blueberries instead of strawberries. Problem solved. 

strawberry banana cream cake with mint: 

Pink filling:

3 bananas

2 cups frozen strawberries (or other berries)

1-3 tablespoons coconut oil (optional but it will make it creamier) 

Cream exterior:

2 cups cashews

2 cup dates

1 peeled orange

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Water, as needed

To make the pink filling: put the bananas in your blender, followed by the frozen berries and blend until smooth. Spread evenly into a spring form pan, this pan should be slightly smaller than the second one you will use. I have an adjustable one so I simply made it smaller for this layer, then widened it for the second part. If you don't have either of those options, don't worry. The bottom part can be pink and you can just add the cream layer on top. Freeze until solid. 

To make the cream layer: blend all ingredients until smooth, adding as LITTLE water possible, if you need any at all. The less water you use, the creamier it will be. Using a larger-sized spring form pan, place the frozen pink layer inside and then spread the cashew cream layer around the sides and top. Or you can use the same pan and spread it on top. Freeze until solid and then garnish, slice and enjoy! Store in the freezer. 

chocolate covered bananas with walnuts other good stuff

There was nice lighting this afternoon while I was finishing up making another recipe in the kitchen (which will be posted tomorrow!) so I figured I may as well make something else to photograph. Fruit and chocolate recipes are easy and quick, so I covered bananas in chopped walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut and goji berries. Yum!

chocolate covered bananas with walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, goji berries and coconut:

1 batch liquid raw chocolate or any other kind of chocolate you want 
5 bananas
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons each of hemp and chia seeds
Handful each of goji berries and coconut flakes 

Cover the bananas in the chocolate and roll them in the other good stuff. Freeze them if you like, for a banana ice cream treat! Dee-lish.

super food energy bars with cacao

These are chock full of super foods to provide your body and mind with long-lasting energy to get through your busy (or leisurely) day. What have they got? Chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, cacao nibs, raisins, dates and coconut. You can't beat this recipe as far as nutrition goes. Try to find organic varieties of each ingredient - and of course raw! 

I was snacking on the mix as I made the recipe and immediately felt a difference, they gave me enough strength to get through a workout and then they made an excellent post-exercise snack, paired with my green protein smoothie. I had a bit of extra mix that I shaped into tiny cupcakes and I thought... hey, I could top these off with dark chocolate to make it a sweet super food treat. Done. 

If you want real, raw, cruelty-free, high quality, efficient and delicious energy bars - you've got 'em right here. Don't look at those sugar- and refined protein powder-filled candy bars in the grocery store that for some inexplicable reason happen to be called "power bars". It's a joke. The best brand on the market is the Larabar (or the Clif bar for more protein) but you can make better recipes yourself, plus add in a bunch of other awesome ingredients. You've got the power! Get it...

super food energy bars with cacao: makes about 15 bars

1 cup walnuts

1/3 cup chia seeds

1/3 cup ground flax seeds

1/3 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup cacao nibs

1/4 cup coconut flakes 

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup dates 

1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, if needed

Throw the dry ingredients (keep a little bit of each ingredient to add in a second) in your food processor, then add the dates and raisins and process until everything it starts to stick together. If too dry, add more dates or coconut oil. Put in the remaining dry ingredients you left out and mix in with your hands. Press into a lined pan and set in the fridge for an hour or more. Cut into bars and store for up to one week. If you have extra, shape them into cupcakes and top off with raw chocolate.

orange lavender pudding with cashews

This recipe creates a pudding that is creamy, fresh and - let's face it - pretty cute. I love using fruit in desserts because... okay wait do I actually have to explain? This is a raw, vegan blog; obviously I like fruit. It's colourful, naturally sweet, nutritious and generally the all-around perfect food. You can practically live off fruit. The benefits of eating nature's vibrantly coloured candy are too many to count. Just eat a lot of it, okay?

Last night I was scouring the internet looking for some dessert recipes I could turn into raw vegan versions. I didn't actually find a recipe for an orange pudding but somehow it got lodged in my brain and stayed there. So I made it. At 10:00 PM while dancing to lame pop music. Yep. The idea to add lavender came this morning, while I was setting up the pudding for photos. I know I say this about a ton of things like chocolate, dates, bananas, coconut, etc. - but you really can't go wrong with lavender!

The recipe can't get much simpler or more whole-foods: blend some cashews, dates and oranges. Add some coconut oil and put it in the fridge. Sorted (as they say in the UK)! The next morning you have a luscious, sweet citrus infused treat to enjoy at anytime of the day because it's so healthy. Pudding for breakfast? Excellent. Lunch? Good choice. Snack? Go for it. Dinner? Alright, you must really like pudding. You should probably eat something else with dinner. Weirdo.

orange lavender pudding: serves 4

2 peeled oranges
1 cup cashews
1 cup dates
1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

Blend all the ingredients until smooth. If it is too thick, add the juice of another orange or two. Scoop into small, single serving dishes (like ramekins) and leave in the fridge overnight. The next day decorate the pudding with orange zest and slices, and more lavender flowers if you like. Get sexy with it. 

vanilla chocolate chunk cheesecake with peanut butter + coconut

This is my new favourite recipe, and you can probably see why. Chocolate, peanut butter, banana, coconut, vanilla - all in one gooey, decadent cheesecake. Just... YES. I made this for my boyfriend as an apology cake and I'm pretty sure it guarantees I am forgiven. Although I may have just jinxed it... Nawwwww. I'm good. Look at this thing. 

Seriously, make this for people who call you mean names for being vegan or eating healthy. They will never mock your diet choices again. It tastes so deliciously dirty. I crammed a piece into my mouth (sans cutlery) while moaning "OH. MY. GOSH." The boyfriend had two slices before it was even dinner time. 

A couple side notes: I sprinkled some date pieces, coconut flakes and cacao nibs throughout the layers for extra texture - I recommend doing this. The dates are chewy, the cacao nibs are crunchy, the coconut flakes are... coconut-y goodness. Also, I decorated the top with some chocolates I had made the day before. You can use my raw chocolate recipe here. 

vanilla chocolate chunk cheesecake with peanut butter + coconut: 

Crust:

1 cup oats (or buckwheat if you want it GF)

1 cup dates

Cheesecake:

2 or more bananas

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

2 cups cashews

1 1/2 cups dates

1/4 cup liquid sweetener, like maple syrup, if desired

Beans from one vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) 

Water, as needed

1/4 cup cacao or carob powder

Topping:

3 tablespoons raw chocolate

3 tablespoons raw peanut butter (or you can use regular - it's up to you)

To make the crust: process the oats (or buckwheat) and dates until they stick together. Press into the bottom of a spring form pan and put in the fridge. 

To make the cheesecake: blend all ingredients - EXCEPT cacao or carob - until very smooth. Add as little water as possible to keep your cheesecake creamy. If you don't want to add any water, use some liquid sweetener or another banana. Now take out half the batter and put in a bowl. Add the cacao or carob in the remaining batter that is still in your blender and blend until it's incorporated. Now spread the vanilla layer and the chocolate layers on your crust, alternating a few times. Set in the freezer overnight and then drizzle with peanut butter and chocolate the next day. Enjoy!