Healthy Holiday Dessert Food Swaps and Recipes

The air is cool, the sales bins of CVS are full of Halloween candy, and the holiday season is gearing up. Thanksgiving will be here in a blink of an eye. Every year the same overheard conversations about holiday weight gain. The holidays are meant to been fun, and spent enjoying the days with our loved ones. The key is finding balance when family time is spent eating.

One area where you can really make some conscious choices are the desert table. Pie crusts full of shortening. Chocolate cakes loaded with refined sugars. Taste delicious, but when you become a dessert eating zombie, not what your heart needs after eating those yummy, buttery potatoes. What if I said you can swap in some health, and keep those holiday traditions alive?

It’s totally possible. Have you ever tried black beans instead flour? This is an excellent substitute when making holiday brownies. Use black bean puree instead of flour, and fill your loved ones with healthy protein instead. You can also pull a fast one ,and use tofu in your pecan pie. Yes, tofu to make a healthy vegan maple pecan pie. This means no butter, no eggs, no corn syrup, no processed white sugar.

There’s no reason to eat unhealthy during holiday feasting. It really comes down to how we make our foods. The dessert table gets loaded down with refined sugars, syrups, and shortenings when it doesn’t have to be so. It’s a matter of reenvisioning what our holiday traditions are about.

I can’t take credit for all these food swaps and recipes, but I wanted to show you there’s a world of possibilities with some experimentation. There’s nothing wrong with grandma’s infamous peach cobbler. Maybe if she knew all the health benefits of chia seeds, she also would have used them instead of eggs. Don’t even get me started on the pumpkin pie made with garbanzo beans. If I have to be honest, as a kid, I used to be able to scarf down a whole one by myself. Please don’t judge me.

Save this healthy baking substitutions jpg to your photo library or google drive, and see what creativity this inspires. Cheers to a healthy and happy holiday. Hope your family enjoys these recipes as much as mine did. They didn’t even know they were eating vegan sometimes, but we’ll keep that our little secret.

Flourless Black Bean Avocado Brownies {Vegan and Gluten Free}

• 1 large flax egg
• 1 - 15oz can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 medium to large ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8×8 inch baking pan.
• Place flax egg, black bean, avocado, vanilla, and brown sugar and process in a food processor until smooth. Add in cocoa powder, coconut oil, baking soda, and baking powder and process again until smooth. Batter will be thick. If batter is way too thick and won't process, you can add in a tablespoon or two of almond milk. Fold in chocolate chip or sprinkle onto batter then transfer to prepared pan and use a spatula to spread evenly to sides. Sprinkle top of batter with 2 tablespoons of remaining chocolate chips.
• Bake for 22-30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out somewhat clean.

You may be able to sub the brown sugar for honey, agave or maple syrup. Reduce to 1/3 cup.

Healthy Vegan Maple Pecan Pie

• 6oz extra firm tofu, drained
• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla soymilk, cold
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 2 tbs brown rice flour (other flours may work)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup granulated sweetener (1/4c sucanat, the rest erythritol)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp molasses
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• one whole grain pie crust, cold
• pecans, for topping (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• In a blender or food processor, puree the tofu, soymilk, vanilla paste, brown rice flour and salt. Pour all of it into a bowl and set aside.
• In a small bowl, add the coconut oil and set aside.
• In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, whisk together the granulated sweetener, maple syrup and molasses. Whisk occasionally for about 10-15 minutes (sugars should completely dissolve). Let the mixture bubble/boil lightly for ~30 seconds, remove from heat and whisk in the coconut oil. Whisk in the tofu mixture, then stir in the chopped pecans.
• Put the cold pie crust onto a cookie sheet and pour the filling inside. Decorate with pecans if you like, then bake for about an hour, until edges and pecans are a rich dark brown color (but not burnt!) and filling bubbles lightly. Let cool on a wire cooling rack.

Peach Cobbler Recipe

• 3 cups peaches, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups almond flour
• ¼ cups coconut flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¾ cup honey
• ½ cup grass fed butter, softened or ghee
• 2-3 drops almond extract
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 9 tbsp warm water
• 1 tbsp coconut vinegar

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Grease an 8x8 pan with coconut oil
• Pour peaches into the pan
• Mix the almond flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl
• In a separate bowl, mix the butter, honey and extract
• Combine both mixtures.
• In a separate small bowl, combine the chia and hot water and allow to sit and thicken for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add to other mixture.
• Once well combined, add vinegar and stir.
• Pour batter onto peaches and bake for 30-45 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

• 1 cup garbanzo beans aka chickpeas
• 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup of almond milk, unsweetened vanilla (or milk of choice)
• 1 heaping tbsp peanut butter
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder optional
• 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 egg white (or flaxseed egg)
• 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (may substitute with cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• graham crackers crust

topping optional for sweetness:

• 1 egg white
• 2 wedges the laughing cow light swiss
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips

• Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.
• In food processor combine all ‘filling’ ingredients. Blend until smooth. Note: The garbanzo beans will need some liquid to blend well.
• Pour into crust
• Combine topping ingredients except chocolate chips in a food processor. Blend well until smooth. Drizzle on top for a marble appearance. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on oven. 
• Let cool. For best results, cool for several hours until room temperature. 

Baobab : More health benefits than the acai and goji berries you know

When I was younger I could spend hours in the cosmetics section of Thrifty’s learning about skin cleansers and moisturizers. Now imagine the same enthusiasm for exploring the aisle of superfoods, organic extracts, and natural health remedies at the market. It’s how you discover new things, such as the amazing South African superfruit baobab. The market employee couldn’t stop raving about all the benefits this citrus flavored superfruit. 

Into the cart it went, and after a few weeks of trying it, I was left wondering, “Why I had I not discovered this earlier?” I ventured into the world of baobab by trying out Powbab’s superfruit chews (It sounds like a tongue twister). When the label promises a 100% of my recommended daily antioxidant dosage, along with daily serving of Vitamins C, E & A, I figured why not. These bitesize nibbles combine baobab along with pomegranate and acai berries. The health benefits of the acai berry are well known, so I figured I had nothing to lose, and a whole lot to gain. It was was one of the best gambles I took. 

Among some of the most notable health benefits of the African superfruit are:

A single serving of offers 25 mg of Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid, a naturally occurring organic compound with antioxidant properties

• Up to 7 times more Vitamin C than goji berries

• 25 times more Vitamin C than acai berries

A single serving offers 3 grams of soluble fiber and 1 gram of insoluble fiber, which reduces cholesterol levels and to reducing risk of heart disease

• 19 times the amount of fiber of goji berries

• 8.5 times the amount of fiber of acai berries

Being high in antioxidant levels means baobab reduces free radicals, the molecules you hear referenced in beauty treatments. Free radicals are responsible for damaging our body cells. The oxidative stress that oxygen-free radicals cause is held as reason why our bodies age. This superfruit fills your body naturally to fight the anti aging process.

This little African fruit contains so many health and beauty benefits, your body will love you for adding it into your diet. Foods rich in Vitamin C are a cornerstone of the anti-wrinkle diet. Vitamin C, whether derived from foods or dietary supplements, helps your body form collagen and elastin, two structural proteins that give your skin support and elasticity. 

Adding Vitamin C rich foods such as baobab to your diet might also enhance your body's fat burning capabilities during a workout. A team of scientists from Arizona State University discovered that people with low blood concentrations of Vitamin C burned 25 percent less fat during a 60-minute walk on a treadmill, compared with those who had adequate levels of Vitamin C in their blood. 

The potential weight loss effects of Vitamin C may be linked to the fact that it is needed for the production of carnitine, a compound that encourages your body to turn fat into fuel, rather than to store it as body fat. Also, Vitamin C rich foods also combat varicose veins because they help our cardiovascular system work more efficiently. Vitamin C keeps our body working smart, regenerating, and maximizing how our processes work instead of slowing down as we age. 

If you’re still not sold on the superfood benefits of baobab, what would your liver say when it heard this superfruit will help realign it’s internal cleansing. It works hard detoxifying toxic substances, including metabolic wastes, and excreting them from your body. Over time, high exposure to toxins such as cigarette smoke, chemicals, alcohol and other substances can cause damage to the liver and limit its detoxifying capabilities. 

Help your body get it’s groove back by fueling it with restorative superfoods like baobab. This superfruit comes from a tree referred to as “The Tree of Life,” which usually are over 1,000+ years old. They supply your body with a myriad of beneficial minerals including calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. 

Human beings have been on this planet for a long time. Before there were planes, trains, and automobiles, we had to look to our backyards to feed ourselves with goodness. Let’s embrace what modern technology has given us. Now we can visit every global ‘backyard,’ and learn about their wholesome native foods. The magical African fruit, baobab, comes from a tree named after life. After trying it, my body knows why. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Sous-vide Cooking: Seals in Flavor Without Adding Fat

Want to try a new way of cooking meals that are tasty, healthy, and full of nutrients? Try the Sous-vide method, French for “under vacuum” cooking. Food is sealed inside an airtight plastic bag and placed into a water bath. Your meal is now being cooked at a low, even temperature versus an open flame. This helps retain all the health benefits of your food. In addition, your meat, chicken, or fish will come out juicy, moist, and full of flavor. Now you can bite into your carrots, and have them crunch in your mouth.

Have you noticed the green water after you boil your veggies? It’s where the vitamins and minerals from your veggies now live, instead of you biting into them. Fans of the raw food movement have been sharing this fact for a while. Cooking is a science. Heat changes the molecular structure of dishes. Some foods, unfortunately, loose their health benefits in the process.

This can also result in plates slathered in fats and oils in order to flavor them up, or hide their dryness after they’ve been near a flame for too long. 

Foods cooked “a la sous-vide” come out succulent in the case of meats or crunchy when you prepare veggies. This is because cell walls of the food do not burst. Cooking dishes at a low, even heat keeps foods close to their raw state. 

Besides keeping foods close to their natural state, Sous-vide method packs an intense flavor infusion. Instead of your foods sitting on top of a marinade, they are actually surrounded or immersed in seasoning the entire time they’re cooking. Also, because there is no air, spices and flavoring are more easily absorbed by foods. 

Ready to try some Sous-vide cooking at home. You could get a all-in-one machine like the Caso Sous Vide Center from Williams-Sonoma. It’s an enclosed-chamber system, with circulating water. You set the temperature, and forget it, like a crock pot. It also has a built-in vacuum bag sealer with bags. Retail price $499.95

Not looking for a machine to take up counter space or a hefty price tag? You could also try an immersion circulator like the Nomiku Sous Vide Immersion Circulator. It retails for $299.95, and looks like a hand held blender. Simply fill a pot with water, clip on the Nomiku to the side, and plug it in. Set the temp of the water bath by turning the knob and you’re done. Water quickly heats and circulates to temp. You can use the ‘displacement' method to vacuum seal your bags with this machine. Just put the food in a quart or gallon zip lock, seal up most of the zip, leaving just a bit at the end. Then, submerge the bag slowly in a pot of water. This will push all the air out. Just as the zip lock is getting to the water line, seal it and done.

If want to experiment without purchasing anything first, try this hack for Sous-Vide cooking from chef Christina Tosi, of New York’s Milk Bar. This is her recipe for “Bird in a Bag.” Put a butterflied chicken breast in a plastic freezer bag with your marinade. Seal the bag except for one corner. Insert a straw into the remaining hole and slowly suck out the air with your mouth. Be careful not to suck the sauce into your mouth! Seal the bag to get it as air-free as possible. Bring a pot of water nearly to a boil. Set a piece of tin foil in the pot like a hammock (with the ends crimped over the edge). Plop the bag into the pot of hot — but not boiling — water. The foil will suspend the bag above the bottom of the pot so the bag doesn't burn. If the chicken is thin, it will cook (poach, essentially), in five or 10 minutes. An intact chicken breast may take 20 minutes. You can test the chicken by looking and feeling to make sure it isn't pink inside. Final step? Sear the chicken in a pan briefly to brown it for better presentation.

Go ahead experiment.You’ve got nothing to lose, if anything you might find a new favorite method of cooking. The Sous-vide method started in the mid 70’s by top rated Michelin chefs, because they discovered food kept it’s flavor, moisture, and texture. Why not be your own 4 star celebrity chef at home.

"Raw. Vegan. Not Gross." plant based life made fun.

We’ve all been there, it’s late night, you’ve had an action packed day of work, pilates, and errands, but somehow you can’t bear the thought of going to bed. You can’t have it be a Groundhog Day. Queue the Apple TV for some late night surfing. Are those new channels? Yes. The new HBO, but hmm, you want to explore something new.

Tastemade? What’s this about? A channel dedicated to food. Ok, and they’re featuring an episode for Raw Vegan Pad Thai by Raw.Vegan.Not Gross. You chuckle a little. The show name lures you in, and you think, is it even possible to make raw vegan pad thai?

Laura Miller of Sidesaddle Kitchen makes it a reality. She makes living a plant based diet fun, exciting, and mouth watering. Whether you’re watching her online or reading her blog, Miller changes what you think of the vegan life. She inspires you to try new things with common dishes. Changing the picture in your head, when you think of plate tacos.

Raw.Vegan.Not Gross. came from Miller’s time at San Francisco’s Underground Market.

“Essentially I sold the only vegan food at the farmer’s market. I was in between fried chicken and meat sandwiches, and tried to have a sense of humor and self-awareness about what I was selling. Everyone in San Francisco has tried raw food, and maybe didn’t like it. So I was trying to poke fun at myself, and get people to not just walk around my booth because they thought I was really intense,” she says. 

By that point, I had some demoralizing experiences with culty, judgey, sickly-looking, and humorless raw food culture, and I wanted to differentiate myself.”

Laura definitely takes a different approach to her cooking show. It’s informative, fast-paced, and makes you feel like you’ve known her forever. She grabs you from the other side of the screen and brings you into her kitchen. She teaches you how to make vegan creations such as Beet Lasagna or Cauliflower Pizza to name a few. 

With a smile on her lips, her hands in a bowl mixing ingredients, she makes it ok to experiment with dishes and ideas. We see it in her Cauliflower Pizza video, as the finished pizza slides off the platter. Raw. Vegan. Not Gross doesn’t cut out the mistakes, it actually embraces them. 

It’s happened to all of us. You’re excited to share your finished edible creation. “Tada” only to have the crust fall apart. What do you do? Erupt into peals of laughter with your friends, and say, “Hey, it’s fine. It’s still all in one piece!” It’s how the Cauliflower Pizza episode ends. Miller shows you it’s not about being perfect, but about enjoying what you’re making. 

RVNG isn’t only for adults, she’s also modified some of her recipes for the younger ones in our families. She shares her kid-friendly kale chips, avocado-chocolate pudding, and a berry-licious green shake on sites such as Mother Mag. Her goal is to “get as much nutrition as possible into their little bodies, minus the processed foods, chemicals, and preservatives,” 

If you’re more of book person versus video in the kitchen person. Don’t worry she’ll be sharing her passion of the goodness of raw food, and will be coming out with her own cookbook in the future. Will it be 100 percent vegan? No, but Laura’s honesty is refreshing on the topic. 

“I just love raw vegan food. I eat cooked food (GASP!) and that will be incorporated into the book because I think it is just more practical and cost-efficient than eating all raw. And truth bomb here: I also will occasionally eat eggs from my parents' chicken coop and even a cheese stick if one of my adorable nieces hands it to me. I think the introduction to raw vegan food can be hard because it seems very intense and exclusive to outsiders. My hope is that more people will come to see that plant-based diets are not boring, dogmatic, or cult-like, because I see much more benefit for our collective health and environment if most of us eat a plant based diet than if 100 of us are extreme hard-core raw vegans.”

Sharing a new chef or the idea of veganism isn’t revolutionary, but when someone gets you excited and motivated to try something in a new way, you can’t help but take notice. 

When she’s not busy experimenting with recipes, or in the studio filming, she shares her amazing portraits with produce (naturally) to only make you love her more.

We’re off to the kitchen. We discovered this recipe for Beyonce-Probs-Drinks-This green shake, and we have to try it.

Secret Ingredient Maple Pumpkin Blondies

Today is brought to you by…

CHICKPEAS

(the secret ingredient)

I have been seeing recipes popping up about baked goods made with chickpeas.  We all can relate to chickpeas and their deliciousness, through the most common food, hummus.  But to fully wrap my head around something that I enjoy dipping raw vegetables in to now all of a sudden be in a dessert, let alone a dessert I would enjoy…it took me a bit to break down and give it a try.

I suggest you do not hesitate like I did, because chickpeas is genius.  You cannot taste and thing and turns baked goods into something more healthy for the mind, body and soul.

Maple Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies

*1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

*1/2 cup almond butter

*2 tsp vanilla extract

*2 options: either 2tsp maple extract and 1/4 cup honey OR 1/4 cup maple syrup 

(I did option one because I had no maple syrup on hand)

*1 tsp baking soda

*1 tsp baking powder

*1/3 cup vegan carob chips, plus some to sprinkle on top

*1/4 tsp salt

*1/4 cup pumpkin puree

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

-Place all ingredients into food process or except carob chips, process until smooth

Mix in 1/3 carob chips (I used a bowl)

Pour mixture into greased baking dish, size is up to you

Sprinkle additional chips on top

Cook for 30-45 minutes (depends on oven and placement)

When they are done a fork or toothpick will come out clean

Make sure you do not over dry

I tried these while they were still warm and cold.  I preferred them better warm.  Every time you go back for another, I suggest warming it a bit.  Totally up to you but happy eating!

Recipe: Harvest Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta

This week I have the opportunity for an article to track down my eats and workouts.  I figured during this project I would share with you all one of the recipes I have made myself this week, which is perfect for the fall weather that maybe approaching us next week.  

As many of you may know I like to eat what is in season.  That way I get the freshest out of the product and know I am consuming something natural and not mass produced.  All of the ingredients for this recipe can be found at the local farmers market this time of year.

I call this recipe:

Harvest Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

1 cup pumpkin puree (I roasted a pumpkin to use or you can buy canned)

1 cup vegetable broth

8 oz mushrooms

1/2 medium red onion

2 cloves garlic cloves

1 cup chopped spinach

4 TBS cooking oil (I used sunflower cooking oil)

garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

2 sausages of choice (I used chicken sausage, hormone and nitrate free)

Directions:

First you must bake your spaghetti squash.  I always find this to vary each time I bake one.  It all depends on the size of your squash.  Begin by cutting the squash lengthwise in half.  Place aluminum foil onto a baking pan and place the squash flesh side down (after you scoop out the seeds).  Bake at 375-400 degrees for 40-60 minutes.  After you are able to easily pierce a fork through the skin, take squash out to cool.  After cooling, take a fork and fork out the fresh into strings.  This is your pasta part of the dish.  (You can always use regular pasta and follow the directions on package).

In a large skillet, put 2 TBS oil and heat on medium.  While pan heats up add together your pumpkin and broth in a bowl and set aside. Once pan is hot place mushrooms and onions into pan.  Cook for 5ish minutes or until onions become translucent. At about the 2 minute mark if you feel like the pan is getting dry (like me and don't want to add more oil) then add some of your veggie broth and pumpkin mixture to moisten the veggies.  After the 5ish minutes add in crushed garlic cloves and cook for an additional minute.

To skillet, add the rest of the pumpkin mixture, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Turn heat down to a simmer.  Add in chopped spinach.  While the mixture is simmering, take an additional skillet and put the remainder of the oil in the skillet.  Once warm, cook the sausage.  (you can also use vegan or veggie sausage too or no sausage at all).

Once the sausage is done, take a fork and pierce the sausage to move to other skillet...don't bring extra oil with you, unless you prefer it that way.

Grab a bowl and put in about a cup of spaghetti squash pasta.  On top of your pasta put as much as your pumpkin, mushroom, sausage mixture you feel desired.  I would guess I put roughly a cup, but made sure to get one whole sausage and lots of veggies.

Here are the directions in photo form.

Spaghetti Squash baked

Mushrooms and Onions

Pumpkin and Broth mixture

Mushrooms and Onions cooking with a little pumpkin mixture

Chicken Sausage

The rest of pumpkin mixture and Spinach added

Final Result. ( Sorry brown doesn't ever photograph well.)

  Pasta hidden underneath, I forgot to snap a photo after I mixed it together.  My hunger got the best of me.

Enjoy this nice fall recipe along side some great wine as a treat!

Healthy Surprise

A surprise is one of those things that someone loves or someone hates...there really is no in between or gray area with someone's feelings towards surprises.  I know I would not appreciate a clown popping up from around the corner and surprising the living day lights out of me with a horn squeaking in my face.  What if I said I have a surprise for you that has a guaranteed positive reaction towards.  I mean I literally think it could make you like surprises for all of you who are surprise haters!!!!

Check it out...its a healthy, no hassle, comes to your front door, box of goodness.  Do I have you convinced yet!?!?!?!?!

HEALTHY SURPRISE

(or what I like to call, 'happiness in a box')

Everything is VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE and SOY FREE!

There are healthy snacks for every different pallet.  

Prices range from as low as $33/month up to $99/month plus free shipping!!!!

Even if this doesn't seem like a good idea or too many snacks for a home.  How about getting it for the office?  Too many offices have BAD BAD BAD snacks.  It is where most diet fails are seen.  Make that office a success and keep healthy snacks around for all to share!

Click on the here for a direct link to the different box options.

There is also a gift option if you don't want to subscribe monthly to the service.

Happy Surprise Snacking!

Bee Free Honee

Vegan friendly honey...is this a joke!?!?!?!?

No, it's not a joke and yes there is such a thing as Vegan Friendly Honey.

Well, only such a thing due to this product.  RAES Food, Inc is a family ran company based in Minnesota.  Everything about their company is midwest based...keeping it local people!

Okay so what is Bee Free Honee you ask...Bee Free Honee comes from apples.  It has a slight tart flavor to it and is made of only three ingredients.  This product can be used interchangeably with honey without lacking any flavor.  It is great for those looking to not consume animal products to those looking for a new flavor in their lives.

The website features recipes (on rotation) to use the honee if you are looking for some tried and true recipes with a new to you product.  Feel free to check out their website and request for them to distribute at stores near you, if you are unable to find it at local co-ops or grocery stores.

Creamy Asparagus Lemon Soup: A Winter & Summer's Day Favorite!

We are nearing the start of some beautiful summer Los Angeles days and nights...but that doesn't mean we are completely free of cold days. As evidenced by the rain a few weeks back, and the few days of insane wind throughout the Southland, there's still some time to do comfy, yummy winter day things - like cooking and eating yummy warm weather soups.

I found a perfect soup recipe the other day that will satisfy you in cold AND warm SoCal days. Our good friend Alex Thomopoulos - a chef based in Los Angeles - has shared Creamy Asparagus Lemon Soup with us. The soup is creamy yet light, and hearty yet light on your tummy. It's great for your stomach because it's gluten-free and vegan - and most importantly it tastes amazing.

Here is part of the recipe. For more, make sure to check out Alex's creations at Against The Grain.

Ingredients:
2 bunches of asparagus
1 large yellow onion (or 2 small); sliced thin
1 clove of garlic; smashed
6 cups of water or veggie stock
2 TBSP Lemon juice
2 TBSP Olive Oil
Salt to season

**1 jalepeno; seeded and diced fine can be used as a garnish along with a wedge of lemon.**

Method
In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and sweat until they are translucent; about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and asparagus and cook for 2 more minutes. Then add your water or stock. It should just cover the veggies, if it doesn’t add a little more liquid. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the asparagus is soft.

Head over to Alex' blog to check out the rest of the recipe!

Earthling Organics Raw Bars

I was at Whole Foods the other day, browsing the fruit and protein bar aisle, and I have to admit, it got a little overwhelming trying to pick out a new bar. The selections have really expanded to include any type of flavor or type of bar that you might be looking for.

I was particularly looking for a raw bar - something that would be simple, delicious, and had just a few ingredients. One in particular caught my eye because of its packaging - Earthling Organics Raw bars. Simple and naked almost, with barely any ingredients, just raw fruit and nuts. The label said it all.

I took home two flavors - vanilla and the Yogi flavor - and loved them. They were crunchy with just the right amount of flavor; not too sweet and with a hint of a nutty flavor. Anyways, I loved them, they work great in the morning with a banana and a refreshing yerba mate.The snack comes in a variety of flavors, like Gogi, Matcha, and Rawnola.

Try it, you'll thank me. You can check them out at your nearest Whole Foods, in the protein bar area. Or order them direct from the Earthling Organics check out page.

Bella Bars: Belle Raw Snacks!

You all by now know how much I love raw snacks and foods. Well I particularly love raw food on the go, for when you are out on the town or on vacation somewhere awesome.

The go-to snacks for me right now are Bella Bars, luxury raw food bars, which are all natural, preservative-free and vegan, and with no added sugar and only 210 calories. I love these because I am an avid chocolate lover, and this is an easy way to get your choco fix without the stomach aches and calories that come with regular choco bars.

Bars come in chocolate nut and cinnamon nut flavors, both enough to satisfy your sweet tooth or that hunger on the go.

The bar's all natural ingredients include: Dates, Walnuts, Pecans, Agave Syrup, Hemp Seed, Rolled Oats, Hemp Powder, Ground Flax, Brown Rice Protein, Cocoa Powder, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Salt.

Order these online HERE.

Twin Cakes Bakery: Sweet Raw Goodness

I love to eat healthy and try new healthy foods, but I also have a really strong sweet tooth! It's difficult when you get those cravings because there's not much that's out there that is also easy on the stomach. But luckily, I recently found Twin Cakes bakery, gluten-free, raw and vegan sweets for your tooth that was recently given honors by VegNews magazine.

The bakery offers biscotti, snack bites, crackers, and flat breads, and these are shipped directly to your house (they are no longer offered at farmer's markets, unfortunately).

They say that what makes their sweets different than other raw vegan products in that they dehydrate their treats, which preserves its nutrients.

They also explain their use of coconut oil, which is pretty good for you:

It actually is comprised mainly of Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCT’s). These MCT’s are liquid at 76 degrees and remain liquid in our bodies. They also quickly convert to energy and are most likely NOT going to be stored as body fat like long chain animal fats. Coconut oil is also very stable therefore does not oxidize easily to create free radical damage. Athletes consume 1-2 tablespoons of MCT’s before competitions for added energy!
Coconut oil also contains Lauric Acid, known to be anti-bacterial/viral.

Check them out for yourself and try a treat - and make sure you check out their blog for more gluten-free and fitness favorites.