KIDS PICK: (RAWVEGAN) FUDGESICLES!

 

 

Summer is upon us and boy does my son like anything that is frozen and sweet like ice cream.  As most moms are, I am always trying to make my own healthier version of my son's favorite foods.  I made this Chocolate Almond Milk Ice Cream not to long ago and the fact that my son loved it, made me so happy.  

 

His favorite after "school" snack for the past year and half happens to be popsicles.  So, I've made him several different varieties, but recently I made these "fudgesicles" for him and he love them too!    (Do you all remember Fudgesicles?  Do they still make those?  I don't even know...)   Ridiculously simple, I love it.  Sometimes, I will even try to sneak some spinach into it. - Shhhhhh!  Just take the Chocolate Almond Milk Ice Cream recipe and pour it into the popsicle mold and freeze.  Voila!

 

 

RAWVEGAN FUDGESICLES

 

 

1 cup almond milk

2 frozen bananas (freeze in small pieces)

1 heaping tablespoon of raw cacao powder

1 tablespoon raw honey or agave

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Blend all of the ingredients together in a high speed blender.  The consistency should be thicker than a smoothie.   Pour the mixture into your favorite popsicle molds and freeze.

Enjoy!

 

 

Join the discussion!

What's your child's favorite raw or vegan after school snack?   Feel free to share it in the comments below. Links are welcome!

 

 

FAVORITES LIST: MORE PARTY FOOD IDEAS



Pineapple Strawberry Parfait via The Global Girl

 

Don't you just love Pinterest? 

I was browsing around looking for ideas for the weekend. 

It's going to be a nice one!

 

Here are some gorgeous food ideas I came across.

Be safe and enjoy some relaxation!

 



Avocado Cucumber Watermelon Salad via Ambitious Kitchen





Watermelon on a Stick via Skinny Taste



Citrus Radish Avocado Platter via LunchBox.com

 

Veggie Shots and Fruit Chasers via Meatless 101

FARM TO TABLE: EASY CHOPPED SALAD WITH PURPLE BEANS, BROCCOLI, CARROTS AND TAHINI DRESSING

 
This is the second year my sister and her sister-in-law Jean-Marie (who are both contributors on this blog) coordinated our annual Seedling Swap this year.  I LOVE this annual swap.  Last year my garden didn't do so well.  I didn't plan the location of my garden well.  I am happy to report, however, that this year, my garden is doing pretty well.

The basics for a seedling swap is to send out seeds to all the participants to plant and grow at their homes.  And when the seedlings are ready, we all get together to swap them. A gardening party! Each person is in charge of about two varieties of seedlings.   Check out our seedling swap blog HERE. 

friends at the seedling swap

seedlings to be traded

my seedling stash

 My sister got the seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and you can find them at www.rareseeds.com.  They are fabulous!  They have an amazing selection of unusual vegetables and fruit seeds.  All of their seeds are non-hybrid, non-GMO, non-treated and non-patented.    If you are going to grow  your own garden, definitely check them out.

This year I decided to do a potted garden on my patio, so that I remember to pay more attention to it and nurture it.  So far so good.  I had my first harvest of purple beans yesterday.

my patio garden early on

my little gardener watering our tomatoes

harvested purple beans

the gorgeous color of the purple beans... apologize for the blurriness

The color of these beans are amazing.  I decided to make a simple salad with it -   A super simple chopped salad with purple beans, broccoli and carrots topped with a simple tahini dressing.  So delicious!

 

EASY CHOPPED SALAD WITH PURPLE BEANS, BROCCOLI AND CARROTS

Equal amounts of:
Chopped purple beans (if you don't have purple beans you can use green beans or haricot verts)
Chopped broccoli
Chopped carrots
Optional chopped jicama and chopped red or golden beets
Handful of sliced almonds

TAHINI DRESSING

1/4 cup tahini
1 tablespoon white miso
1-1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup water
chopped cilantro optional
dash of tamari or soy sauce optional

Wisk all the indgredients for the dressing in a mason jar or bowl.

Toss all the ingredients except the almonds for the salad together in a medium bowl.  Plate the salad and then top with the almonds and dress as desired.

Voila!


Here are some snap shots of  my gal pal's gardens post seedling swap...  Happy gardening!

my sister's garden

more of my garden basil and tomatillos

garden of my friend Deniz

garden of my friend Britney

 Also, check out Britney's blog post about gardening with her daughter on Family Sponge.  Click HERE to go to the blog post.

Happy Wednesday!

RAW CARROT BUCKWHEAT GRANOLA

 

One of the best things to do to continue on your raw food journey is to be sure to have the foods you want to eat on hand.  I love making raw granola so I can have it handy to take to work or have around the house for a healthy treat whenever I feel that urge to snack.

 

I love Fragrant Vanilla Cake!  My inspiration came from her Carrot Cake Granola.  Oh my! Sooo delicious.  You have to try it!  Follow Amy  for all her deliciously raw sweet treats!

 

RAW CARROT BUCKWHEAT GRANOLA

 

2 cups raw buckwheat

3 cups carrots, shredded

1-1/2 cups coconut flakes

1 cup raw  pecans, soaked for 6 hours and drained

1 cup raw almonds, soaked for 6 hours and drained, loosely chopped

1/3 cups raw agave or honey

1/4 cup raw coconut butter

1 ripe banana

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup filtered water

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons cardamom

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted to a liquid

 

Soak the buckwheat for 30 minutes and rinse very well.  The buckwheat will have a slimy coating.  Rinse it off the best you can and drain.

 

Put the buckwheat, coconut flakes and nuts in a large blow and set aside.

 

In a food processor, combine the agave or honey, coconut butter, banana, sea salt, vanilla, water, spices, coconut oil and 1 cup of the shredded carrots.  Process until smooth.  Pour the mixture over the granola and add the remaining carrots.  Mix with your hands and then spread  out onto your dehydrator sheets.  Dehydrate for about 12 hours or until crispy.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. 

 

Enjoy!  It's like eating your favorite carrot cake but even better!

 

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw granola recipe?  We'd love to hear what it is. Please share in the comments below. Links are welcome!


TROPICAL CHOPPED SALAD WITH PINAPPLES AND AVOCADOS

 

 

I am really loving this salad right now.  I know, I know, I say this with almost everything that I post.  But, his is one of my really one of my favorite salads right now.  It's sweet and savory... what a great combination and super easy to boot!  It's perfect for this really hot weather we are having right now.

 

 

TROPICAL CHOPPED SALAD WITH PINEAPPLES AND AVOCADOS

 

Equal amounts of:

Chopped and jicama

Chopped pineapple

Chopped spinach

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped avocado

 

About half the amount of chopped red onion and chopped cilantro

 

Lots of lemon juice and sea salt to taste

 

Toss everything together in a bowl and its ready to serve.  So easy and delicious. 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Join the discussion!

 

Do you have a favorite tropical salad recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below.   Links are welcome.

 

 

 

 



FAVORITES LIST: PARTY FOOD IDEAS

 

 

Before I went raw vegan I loved the idea of putting together really cute dessert tables for baby showers or dinner parties.  I think Amy Atlas is amazing in this regard!  She is amazing!  What inspiration.  I love the fact that she has a fruit and veggie table idea posted on her blog.  You can easily switch out items to make it raw vegan.  What gorgeous photos!

 

I would use a cashew cream recipe to top these water melon cups.

 

Switch out the mozzarella with vegan cheese or melon balls.

 

What a gorgeous table!

 

 

 

Here are some more really cute fruit and veggie serving ideas I found on Pinterest.   These are not from vegan or raw food blogs, but I love getting ideas from many sources, tweak them slightly to make them my own. 

 

 

 

Fruit Shots via Sweet and Savory Eats

 

 

Summer Party Fruit Pops via The Kitchn

 

 

Rubix Cube Fruit Salad via missflosochic.over-blog.com on Pinterest

 

 

Enjoy!

 

ON SIMPLE GREEN SMOOTHIES: MANGO AND PINEAPPLE GREEN SMOOTHIE BOWL

 

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a nice weekend!  Finally back in the swing of things.  If you missed it, I was over on Simple Green Smoothies on Friday with my Mango and Pineapple Green Smoothie Bowl.  Have a fabulous week!