Raw Vegan Desserts

Life is pretty busy with two little ones, but at the start of this year I had decided to somehow squeeze in time to start exploring again with raw desserts. I have always loved exploring in the kitchen and really developed an interest in raw desserts when I first went vegan. Besides loving sweets, the raw desserts just looked so appealing and vibrant. The challenge of creating these decadent desserts without any “typical” ingredients was also exciting and seemed to intrigue me.

Once you begin making and eating raw desserts, anything seems possible! Many of them even have similar ingredients, but are very adaptable to adjust flavours and create something entirely different. Raw desserts are pure energy and happiness. Here are a few raw desserts that I have been playing around with, and I cannot wait to make some of my favourites again; especially raw vegan cheesecake!

Yes, these are raw vegan desserts! Crazy enough, I actually had to use a hand food processor to create these as well which is why they are not perfect, but definitely made with love. Unfortunately the hand food processor is now out of action so I will need to come across one to continue making and sharing my raw desserts. I am truly grateful that I was given some raw ingredients to play around with as well as having some happy taste testers. Watch this space for more raw vegan desserts, and let me know if you want to come try some out or experiment in the kitchen together.

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Bars with The Vegg

Chocolate and lemon are my two favourites! I can never decide between chocolate and lemon cake and will end up eating a bit of both. With a few lemons on the bench, I decided to make a lemon loaf cake. My grandma used to make a lemon cake topped with lemon icing that was delicious so I wondered if I could make a gluten-free vegan version using The Vegg.

I began getting my ingredients ready and blending my Vegg mix to put aside. Cream together sugar & Olivani, add in the blended Vegg mix, and continue to whisk in the rest of the ingredients. I patiently waited to see the outcome. I love the smell of lemon. Unfortunately what I thought was going to be a loaf looked a bit flat compared to what I expected. I pulled it out and was pleasantly surprised. A mix between gooey and fluffy.

These were very yummy, and it reminded me of the lemon bars I used to make as a child. The only thing missing was the base. You could use my base from my Vegan Caramel Slice or another similar gluten-free vegan base if you choose. It really is yummy on its own though. I enjoyed the lemon bars plain, but it is also nice topped with a mix of lemon juice and vegan icing sugar, berries, or just sprinkled with vegan icing sugar.

Yum! I was pretty excited by what I created with The Vegg. I thought about calling them Lemon Squares, but it was quite nice to be reminded of the lemon bars that I used to love. Feel free to adapt the recipe depending on your taste of lemons and add a base if you like. I used a different basic gluten-free flour than I normally use so I wonder if it would rise with more baking powder. Let me know if you make this and substitute with a different type of flour.

Smoothie a Day #9 ~ Citrus

Edamame Dip Sprinkled with Chia Seeds

Fresh parsley we picked from our garden ~1/4 cup for our dip & the rest for our rāpeti, Kai

Bag of already shelled edamame soybeans cooked (Mama San in NZ is 454g) & don’t forget to save the liquid to help blend everything together

1 TBLS Organic Miso, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, clove of garlic

2 TBLS freshly squeezed lemon

Add above ingredients to blender with 3/4 cup cooking liquid, small avocado, 2 TBLS avocado oil, 1tsp Organic Tahini, Himalayan Crystal Salt, & dash of pepper (chili *optional)

Edamame Dip on rice crackers & sprinkled with black chia seeds

Definitely recommend this dip. With a few modifications to the Pinterest Edamame dip, ours was a success. Zaedyn approved as you can see! Crackers or raw veggies hardly make it into his mouth when there is hummus or dip. He prefers to eat it with his hands or by the spoonful. He could not get enough of this yummy dip. Lucky the recipe makes quite a bit, otherwise there would not have been enough for me. After scooping out the rest from the blender, there is still heaps more for tomorrow. It is a lovely warm dip fresh out of the blender, but it tastes just as yummy when cold as well.

Modifications to original recipe:

~Our avocado was small so we used a whole one

~Avocado oil instead of olive oil

~1tsp Organic Tahini

~Himalayan Crystal Salt

~Chili spice instead of paste

~A bit more water

~Chia seeds instead of sesame

As we did not have any red chili paste, off to the store we went with our stylish organic hemp bag. Unfortunately we did not find any chili paste or chillies, but we managed to find a few other yummy things at the store. We decided to use both avocado and tahini as tahini would add a natural source of calcium. We did not have any black sesame seeds, but I figured that I already incorporated sesame seeds with the tahini so why not boost this yummy dip with more nutrition by sprinkling with chia seeds.

Chia seeds are nature’s complete superfood containing Omega 3 ALA, essential “good fat”, and dietary fibre.

Let me know if you make this yummy edamame dip. It is a great alternative to hummus and packed with natural superfoods. This recipe also allows for many changes of ingredients from what you can find in your garden or pantry. Enjoy!

*Original Recipe from Scaling Back. Thanks for the idea to make this dip 🙂

Colloidal Plant Minerals & Ginger Tea

I miss my Colloidal Plant Minerals! It is amazing how many things I try and love, but then are somehow forgotten for a period of time. I have been thinking about how much I enjoy fresh water with a few drops of colloidal plant minerals and really need to order some more.

Looking back on the amount I learned and still use today, the Natural Day Detox Spa was very beneficial for me. After that day, I began to love colloidal silver, spirulina, ginger tea, and hummus. I cannot imagine life without these things. I am very keen to go back and spend a day there again. Here are some of the benefits of Colloidal Plant Minerals from Kiwikitz:

-Minerals are the key to life.

-Minerals are the message carriers.

-Minerals are the muscle toners.

-Minerals govern the alkaline/acid balance of the body and hormone production.

-Minerals are the catalyst for vitamins and enzymes to do their work.

-Minerals have a role to play in a multitude of physiological and biochemical processes needed to maintain health.

Buy Kiwikitz Colloidal Plant Minerals, Organic Derived 65 Bio-Available Macro & Trace Minerals, for your supply of 7 essential macronutrients including calcium and magnesium as well as essential micronutrients including selenium. At $25 for 250ml and $50 for 500ml, they are well worth your money and seem to last awhile as you use 1-6 tsp daily.

Besides drinking water with colloidal plant minerals, we started our day at the spa with hot ginger tea. Now I love fresh ginger tea. I would have never thought to make it before. I must say that I personally prefer just ginger, but adding lemon is a nice variation and especially helpful as a natural remedy during these changes in weather. There are so many health benefits to ginger and lemon ginger tea as well such as: nausea prevention or easing nausea, boosting immunity, warming effect on your body, neutralising your stomach and aiding with digestion, boosting metabolism, easing migraines, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and so much more. There are huge benefits, & I find it enjoyable to drink. Even if you are a bit hesitant, I recommend that you try it. You can vary your infusing time depending on how strong you would like your tea.

Fresh Ginger & Lemon

Infusing Lemon & Ginger

Lemon & Ginger Tea