VEGAN: DESSERTS from NO UDDER DESSERTS



If you live near Woodland Hills, CA you have to stop by and pick up some really awesome vegan treats from No Udder Desserts!  I came across this gem yesterday while running errands.  And unless you know it's there, you most likely will not see it driving down Ventura Boulevard.    We picked up and tasted quite a few items, the chocolate cupcake, carrot cupcake, chocolate banana cake, chocolate banana peanut butter cupcake, brownie bites...oh my!!

 

 

 

 

Here are some quick vintage snap shots of some of the treats! Heavenly!

 

 

 

 



RAW: MANNA BREAD FRENCH TOAST WITH MAPLE SYRUP



 

Ok, I have to admit, even though I love eating raw,  sometimes I do miss eating some of those comfort foods I use to eat. Just the thought of it.  Not always, but occasionally.  You can imagine how happy I was when I came across this idea of using your favorite sprouted bread for french toast.  I saw this recipe in Raw Food Real World.  You soak it the milk mixture and then dehydrate it.  Perfect.  This is what you would call a clean french toast.  It's not all buttery and rich like the french toast you would make with brioche and eggs.  But as Matthew Kenney put it, "...eating that kind isnot even remotely appealing anymore and would just make me feel gross. To me, this is a really tasty indulgence that is (of course) good for you!  It's a nice thing to make for a cold weather brunch."  I second that.  This really is a tasty breakfast with no guilt.

 

My husband I really love Manna Bread.  It may seem a bit dense to some people because they do not use any levening agents and they use sprouted whole grains, but if you dehydrate it or toast it, it really lightes it up.  Manna Bread is a cake-like, sprounted bread, yeast free and vegan organic.  Its free of salt, no oils, no sweeteners, no leavening agents.  It is Organic Certified and Kosher Certified.  For more information about their sprouted bread, click HERE.  We get our favorite flavors Banana Walnut Hemp and Fig Fennel Flax at our local Whole Foods Store in the freezer section.

 

The ingredients for this Manna Bread are:  sprouted organic wheat kernels, filtered water, organic black mission figs, organic oat flour, organic flax seeds, organic flax seeds, organic fennel seeds, organic poppy seeds, organic pumpkin seeds, organic sunflower seeds, organic sesame seeds.  So delicious!

 

 

 

MANNA BREAD FRENCH TOAST WITH MAPLE SYRUP

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 loaf of Fig Fennel Flax Manna Bread, cut into 1/2 slices

3 cups of almond milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Place the bread slices into a shallow baking dish.  In a medium bowl, wisk together the nut milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Pour over the bread slices to cover.  Move the pieces of bread around to make  sure they are being soaked on all side.  The bread does get a little fragile so handle with care.  Allow the bread to soad for 30 minutes on each side.

 

 

 

Let the milk drain off each slice and transfer the soaked bread to your lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 4-6 hours or until the tops are dry.  Flip them over onto the dehydrator screen and dehydrate further for approximately 4 more hours or until dry and slightly crisp on both sides.

 

If you make these ahead of time and refrigerate them, return them to the dehydrator for about an hour before serving, to warm them through to recrisp.

 

Top with your favorite fruite and or nuts and drizzle with maple syrup.

 

So delicious.

 

Enjoy!

 



 

 



RAW: DATE PASTE + A SNACK WITH APPLES & MACADAMIA NUTS

 

 

 

What I love about the recipes we share on A Simply Raw Life is that they are, for the most part, simple and easy to make.  We hope this makes it just that much easier for you to take that next step to adding more plant based and non processed foods into your diet.    If you are new to eating a plant based diet, raw foods, or even vegan, we hope that you enjoy these easy recipes.  Please feel free to email me or post a note as to what kind of recipes you would like to see on the blog and I will do my best to work those in.  What I have found is that I have not lost taste or satisfaction in the foods I eat after making this transition.  There are so many flavors and tastes to enjoy!

 

Here's a really quick basic recipe that can be an easy staple to keep in your refrigerator.   If you like my fig jam recipe, or you keep other sweet spreads in your refrigerator, this is a perfect natural addition.  If you are trying to eat more raw and unprocessed foods, why not make your own spread or sweet treat at home?  Spread it on fruit, toast, or crackers.   Here's how to make it and also a simple snack I made using it.

 

 

 

This recipe yields roughly 2 cups of Date Paste. If you think this may be too much then you can freeze half of the batch, or just make a half batch.

DATE PASTE

 

INGREDIENTS:

40 medjood dates, soaked in warm water until your dates are soft and tender.

2 table spoons of water.

Soak the dates in warm water until they are soft and tender and drain.  Remove the seeds by hand.  Put all the dates in a food processor with 2 table spoons of water and blend until smooth.  Depending on how large your food processor is, you may need to stop processing in intervals to scrape down the sides to remove it all  and process some more.  Don't be discouraged.  It's worth it.

Puree your Dates until they have become a thick whipped and creamy texture. Place your date paste in an air tight container and store in the fridge or freezer.

 

So easy!

I cut up some apples, spread on some of the date paste and sprinkled it with some chopped macadamia nuts.  Super delicious.



Bon Appetit!



 

Helpful Hint:

 

You can make your Date Paste in bulk. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. Store your Date Paste in a ziplock baggy, laying it flat in your freezer. Freezing it flat will enable you to break off a small or large piece as you need it. This is a great way to get your kitchen raw food ready. The more advanced preparation and planning you do, the better you will eat.

Check out the health benefits from eating dates HERE.

 

Enjoy!!

 

 



RAW: CRANBERRY MAPLE GRANOLA

 

 

 

Who doesn't like home made granola?  My friend Britney makes a fabulous vegan version. So delicious!  She is fabulous at making desserts, snacks and smoothies!  But since I am trying to add as much raw cuisine into my diet as I can, I had to try Matthew Kenney's Cranberry Maple "Grawnola" from his Raw Food Real World cook book.  Let me just say that it's so good that did not last long at all in our house.  I need to make another batch right away. 

 



 

You can eat this as a stand alone snack, as a ceral or in your favorite yogurt. So delicious.  It does take a little preparation, but it's so worth the effort.  Here's the recipe...

 

CRANBERRY MAPLE GRANOLA

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 apple, cored and chopped

1-1/2 cups dates, soaked in warm water until soft and pitted

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons orange zest

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup sun flower seeds, soaked 2 hours or more

2 cups almonds, soaked 4 hours or more

3 cups pecans, soaked 2 hours or more

1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked 2 hours or more

1-1/2 cups dried cranberries

 

In a food processor, place the apple, dates, maple syrup, lemon juice, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and 1/4 cup of the sunflower seeds and process until completely smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

 

Add the remaining 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, the almonds, pecans, and pumpkin seeds into the food processor (no need to rinse between uses).  Coarsely chop the nuts and seeds in a few quick pulses.  Add them to the bowl with the apple mixture, add the cranberries and combine well.

 

Spread the granola onto your lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 6 to 8 hours.  Flip the granola over onto the dehydrator screen removing that lined tray and deydrate for another 8 to 12 hours or until the granola is crunchy.  Cool and store in an airtight container.  Storing it in the refrigerator will help maintain its freshness longer, for up to a few weeks.

 

Enjoy!

 

 



 

 

 

Here's my soaking pic from Instagram (I apologize for the quality - a little blurry but you get the idea)...

 

 

 

 

 

RAW: BLONDIE WITH MACADAMIA + DATES

 

 

I am always looking for a super easy natural desserts or snack recipes to make for my family.  I use to be really into Larabars.  So, if you like those, you will definitely like this - maybe even more.  I tested these out with my coworkers and friends and it was unanimous!  So gooey delicious!  It has a little richness from the macadamia nuts and the sweetness is mild, that's what I like about it. 

 

 

 

 

 

I adapted my recipe from Amber Shea Crawley of Almost Vegan Chef's 5 Minute Blondies... Her recipe was for an individual size portion. I recently saw  the full recipe on Health Blender Recipes.  It looked so easy and good that I had to try it.   Thank you both!  So delicious!  Here's my adaptation.  I took out the sugar and added more dates and a splash of maple syrup.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 cup raw macadmia nuts

1 cup raw pecans

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon mable syrup or agave

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup organic shredded coconut

15 dates, pitted

 

Combine the macadamia nuts, pecans in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coursely ground.  Add the vanilla, maple syrup, salt and coconut and pulse several more times until combined.  Add the dates 5 at a time, pulsing between additions, until each date is well incorporated.  The mixture will be sticky.  Transfer the mixture into a 9x13 backing sheet lined with parchment paper.  Press the mixture into the pan with your fingers or a spatula to pack it down tightly.  Freeze the blondies for an hour.  Now its ready to cut and serve.  Store blondies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

 

Enjoy!

 



 

 

 

 



ALMOST RAW: VEGAN COLE SLAW WITH BRUSSEL SPROUTS

 

 

 



It's funny how your tastes change and mature as you grow older.  My mom did not make brussel sprouts too often when we were younger, but when shes did, the only way she cooked them was by boiling them.  Was that just they way they cooked them in the 70's and 80's?  I was scarred for almost the rest of my life. Haha!

 

 

I only started eating brussels sprouts last fall when we went over to a friends for dinner.  She cooked them in a way that that was so delicious that my husband (who also did not like brussel sprouts because of the exact same experience) and I devoured them.  And it was really simple, nothing fancy... cut the brussel sprouts intp halves, chop onion and place on baking pan and drizzle with olive oil salt and pepper and bake them till browned.  So simple yet so delicious.

 

Ever since that dinner we have been eating brussel sprouts.  I love them!  I love to put them in salads raw too.  And what a nice way to change up you cole slaw recipe.  It adds a nice kind of sweet taste to it.

 

Here's the recipe...

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

2-1/2 cups shredded brussel sprouts

1-1/2 cups shredded cabbage

1-1/2 cup julienned or sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup sliced red onion

1 lemon, juice of

2 table spoons veganise

2 table spoons vegan sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

 

Put all the in ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.  You can also garnish with cilantro if you'd like.  You can even substitute the veganise, sour cream, lemon, salt and pepper for our favorite creamy dressing.

 

So simple and so delicious.

 



 

Brussel sprouts are very nutritious as well.  Here are 11 benefits as to why brussel sprouts taste even better from Health Diaries...

 

Cholesterol
The high fiber content (over 15% of our RDA) of Brussels sprouts lowers our cholesterol by binding with bile acids that the liver produces from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because many of these bile acids are coupled with fiber, the liver is charged with producing more bile acid to digest fat, and therefore requires more cholesterol to do so, ultimately lowering the cholesterol amount within our bodies.

DNA
Recent studies have shown that certain compounds in Brussels sprouts block the activity of sulphotransferase enzymes that can be detrimental to the health and stability of DNA within white blood cells.

Antioxidants
A host of antioxidant ingredients are found in Brussels sprouts, including Vitamins C, E, and A, as well as the mineral manganese. Furthermore, flavonoid antioxidants like isorhamnetin, quercitin, and kaempferol also serve well to protect against oxidative stress on the body's cells.
 
Inflammation
Glucobrassicin, a glucosinolate particularly abundant in Brussels sprouts, has been shown to fight inflammation on a genetic level once converted into the molecule indole-3-carbinol, or ITC. Furthermore, one and a half cups of Brussels sprouts contain about 430 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids (about ⅓ of the daily recommended amount) that are an essential part of our body's anti-inflammatory messaging molecules. Finally, the wealth of vitamin K found in Brussels sprouts has been shown to effectively regulate our body's inflammatory responses.

Cancer Prevention
Glucosinolates in Brussels sprouts and their detox-activating isothiocyanates are shown to fight against and even prevent various cancers, including bladder, breast, colon, lung, prostate, and ovarian cancer.

Cardiovascular Support
Brussels sprouts contain the isothiocyanate sulforaphane made from glucosinolates. This powerful compounds not only triggers anti-inflammatory activity in our cardiovascular system but may also prevent and even possibly help reverse blood vessel damage. By regulating inflammation within the body, Brussels sprouts can fight against the onset of heart attacks, ischemic heart disease, and arteriosclerosis. Furthermore, the lowered cholesterol mentioned earlier may also lessen the possibility of arterial blockage.

Digestion and Diet
One cup of Brussels sprouts contains four grams (16% of the RDA) of dietary fiber, which can aid in digestion, prevent constipation, maintain low blood sugar and check overeating. The sulforaphane found in Brussels spouts also protects our stomach lining by obstructing the overgrowth of Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that can lead to gastric cancer.

Vitamin K
Brussels sprouts are especially high in vitamin K (one cup contains 273.5% of the RDA), which promotes healthy bones, prevents calcification of the body’s tissues, serves as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, and is essential for proper brain and nerve function.

 

Vitamin C
The nutritional benefits of vitamin C (one cup contains over 161% of the RDA) found in Brussels sprouts ensure a healthy immune system, ward against hyper tension, lower blood pressure, fight lead toxicity, combat cataracts, and serve as a powerful antioxidant that prevents “cellular rust,” which can lead to atherosclerosis, heart disease, stroke and cancer. Vitamin A Brussels sprouts also contains over 20% of the RDA of vitamin A that boosts immunity, protects eyes against cataracts and macular degeneration, maintains healthy bones and teeth, prevents urinary stones, and is essential to our reproductive organs. Folate A biochemical event called the methylation cycle relies on folate to properly transcribe DNA, transform norepinephrine into adrenalin, as well as transform serotonin into melatonin. Furthermore, folate suppresses the amino acid homocysteine that has been shown to contribute to heart disease. One cup of Brussels sprouts contains a healthy dose of folate (almost 25% of the RDA) and the health benefits associated with it.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 



RAW: APPLE CINNAMON MACAROONS

 

 

 

I think most of you are on the same page as I am where we just love the fall season for its pumpkin and apple desserts.  I am adding a new staple to my natural foods pantry this fall - dried apples! 

You can make your own with a dehydrator, or you can buy them already dried.  I got this batch from my local Trader Joe's.

 

I came across this recipe from Fragrant Vanilla Cake and had to try it.  Amy makes the best desserts!  Just amazing!  And its really easy to make.  This recipe is adapted from Fragrant Vanilla Cake's.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

3/4 cup dried apples
4 medjool dates, pitted
2/3 cup almond meal
a pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Place dried apples, dates, almond flour, sea salt, and cinnamon in the food processor and process until finely chopped and well combined. Place the mixture in a bowl, and knead in the coconut and maple syrup. Form the mixture into 12 balls, and place on a dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate for about 12 hours at 115 degrees, or until they are dried, but not so much so that they are not a little chewy in the middle.

 

These are so good that I need to make some more right away!  This recipe makes 1 dozen.

 

Enjoy!