Raw Vegan Tacos

Hi again!

So sorry I haven't updated in more than a week - I've been super busy with uni work and trying to catch up on sleep haha

So a few days ago I decided to try out a raw vegan favourite - tacos! I was a bit unsure about if I would like them or not because it's quite nut-based and I haven't really liked nuts in the past before I was vegan but it seems my mind has changed and I've really started to like them which is awesome haha :)

For the Salsa and the Cashew "Sour Cream" I used this recipe:
http://86lemons.com/taco-fiesta-detox-week-2/

and for the taco "meat" I used this recipe:
http://www.therawtarian.com/raw-taco-meat-recipe

I used cos/romaine lettuce for the taco shell, and when I made it and put it all together it looked like this:

SO GOOD!

This was so yummy and surprisingly really filling, too! I made three and I only managed to eat two. It makes quite a lot so you'd probably have enough mix to make about 5 - 6 tacos which is great if you're cooking (or not cooking) for friends as well. I'm not sure how long the "meat" and "sour cream" keep for but I used it the day after as a dip and it was still fine so it doubles it's purpose too :)

I seriously recommend this recipe, it's so great and yummy and good for you, too!

See you next time!

Danni

x

Vegan Oreo Cupcakes!

Hey guys!

So today I once again strayed off being raw... but for good reasons! Today I created VEGAN Oreo Cupcakes!

Now, you're probably thinking "How can something be vegan with Oreos in it?"

Well, my friends... Oreos just happen to be vegan! Yep, that's right, that "cream" isn't really cream! (Which makes you wonder what it could be... oh well, at least it's not some unknown body part haha)

So I got the base of the recipe from here:

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10794-basic-vegan-chocolate-cupcake

It's a fantastic recipe even without the changes I made so if you just want the base for a vegan chocolate cupcake go ahead and click that link, but here's what I did, as I made two different batters - one Oreo and one chocolate - and then layered them.

Vegan Oreo Cupcakes

Oreo Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Almond Milk
• 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar (I used Low GI cane sugar, but you can use whatever)
• 1/6 Cup Canola Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1/2 All Purpose Flour (I used wholemeal, but you can use whatever)
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• A few heaped teaspoons of blended Oreos (take of the cream and chuck about 5 Oreos in a food processor and blend until fine, you'll have left over but save this for the icing)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180*C (350*F) and set out your muffin pan with cupcake patties or cupcake wrappers or whatever you call them haha
2. Whisk milk and vinegar together and then set aside for a couple minutes until it froths up and curdles slightly
3. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla to that mixture and beat until foamy.
4. In a seperate bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and then add this mixture into the wet ingredients, beating in half at a time. Then add in the crushed oreos and beat until it's well distributed. If the mixture looks too liquidy you can add a bit more flour to it.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Almond Milk
• 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar (I used Low GI cane sugar, but you can use whatever)
• 1/6 Cup Canola Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1/2 All Purpose Flour (I used wholemeal, but you can use whatever)
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180*C (350*F) and set out your muffin pan with cupcake patties or cupcake wrappers or whatever you call them haha
2. Whisk milk and vinegar together and then set aside for a couple minutes until it froths up and curdles slightly
3. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla to that mixture and beat until foamy.
4. In a seperate bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa, then add this mixture into the wet ingredients, beating in half at a time. If the mixture looks too liquidy you can add a bit more flour to it.

Now...

When you have both batters ready, spoon some of each into each cupcake holder and layer them - it should make 12 cupcakes. Then place them into the oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Take them out and let them cool before you ice them.

Oreo Cupcake Icing

I just did a simple "butter"cream icing, with icing sugar and Nuttelex spread and the remaining crushed up Oreo cookies. I can't tell you how much I used I just did it by eye. Start with the icing sugar first because I put way too much nuttelex in the first time and it was gross. Also, mix it with a wooden spoon. Just add about a teaspoon of melted Nuttelex (or other vegan butter-like spread) at a time and mix well until it starts to bind together. Once you're happy with the taste and consistency, add the oreos and mix until well combine. Spread onto each cupcake and top with half an Oreo - and you're done!


I hope you guys enjoy this recipe, it turned out really great for me so I hope it does the same for you! Make sure to comment your results below and any changes you made to spice it up a little!

Until next time!

Danni 
x

Healthy Vegan Pancakes

Good morning! (or whatever time of the day you're reading this at)

Now I have to admit, because of this sudden change of weather in Sydney, the cold is making me want nothing more than something warm to eat, and of course there isn't exactly anything on the raw vegan menu that fits into that, so I've caved in a little and strayed off being raw for a couple of meals. This morning I made some lovely vegan pancakes and I'd love to share the recipe for anyone who might be interested... they're pretty healthy, too, so non-vegans might also want to use this recipe for a tasty morning treat!

Healthy Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup non-dairy milk of your choice
• 1 Tbsp agave nectar (or other natural sweetener of your choice)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Add wet ingredients and mix with electric mixer until combined. If the batter seems to have an overpowering taste of the baking powder, don't worry, it's normal and when you cook them it will disappear!
3. Cook them on a non-stick frying pan and flip when the face down side becomes golden. Make sure they cook all the way through
4. Serve with maple syrup, fruit, or whatever else you want to top it with and enjoy :)

...and there you go! totally simple and easy! I used sea salt just as a healthier alternative to table salt, and I also used low-fat soy milk however I would have preferred to have used almond milk but we didn't have any and I'm too lazy to go to the shop and get some... haha, and also I use extra virgin olive oil for the oil. Hope the recipe works out for you all and feel free to comment and let me know how it turned out for you!

Also, here's a pic of my banana raspberry coconut smoothie in my new jar, totally cute:

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday and a great weekend!

Danni

x

Update

Hey again!

Sorry I haven't updated in the past 2 days... been busy with uni work and stuff!

So what's been happening? Not much really! But the raw vegan diet is still going on track except I have to admit... I received a Lindt dark chocolate bunny (they're vegan) on easter and I did eat it... so that's obviously not raw haha, and today I had tahini and cucumber on wholemeal toast... which isn't raw either but it's not that bad, right? haha I'm just starting out, I'm allowed to warm up into it. Speaking of warm, today was bloody freezing which is why I went for the toast because I desperately wanted something warm to eat :( I'll have to find a way around that.

Today I received my Ball Mason jars in the mail! They're so great, can't wait to fill them up with yummy smoothies and raw things :) I already tested out one of my handle ones today but I forgot to take a picture (who the hell doesn't photograph everything they eat these days?!)... but anyway it was a yummy banana, frozen mixed berries and coconut water smoothie - perf!

I did however take a pic of the amazing smoothie creation I made yesterday... this is a MUST smoothie for everyone, vegans and carnivores alike:

Pour approx. 200mL of coconut water into whatever container you're making this in, and add a sprinkle of chia seeds and let that sit for a couple minutes to thicken up. Then add 2 frozen bananas and blend. Then add a handful of strawberries and blend again - done! and amazing! Tastes like an ice cream packed thickshake without the ice cream or any of the bad stuff! All natural, the way it should be!

I've been exercising pretty well these past few days, too. On Monday I went for a 20 minute tempo run, which is basically going 20 minutes as fast as you can without having to stop. I went alright and I hit a record pace so that was good! Yesterday (Tuesday) I did an awesome amount of exercise - hit the gym at 6:30am for about an hour and half doing mostly weights with a little cardio, and then I did an hour Zumba class at 7:30pm. I seriously recommend Zumba to EVERYONE! It's SO much fun it and it's actually really hard work! Make sure you find a class with a great, enthusiastic, energetic instructor so you can get the most out of your workout, but seriously get out there and do it - you won't regret it! It's the greatest thing that's happened to working out so far :P

Today was cold and I had lots of uni work to do so I was lazy and did nothing except eat haha... oops... but tomorrow morning I got a boxing class at 6:45am so I'm looking forward to that 'cause it's always pretty tough! Then I'll probably go for a 45 minute easy run, following my "RunKeeper" app half marathon plan to prepare for the Gold Coast half marathon in July which I'm super excited about!

Anyway that's all from me for now, talk soon!

Danni

x

My First Raw Grocery Shop

Photo Credit: Instagram @lonijane

G'day!

Today I did my first grocery shop for my new raw vegan diet change. I find often the problem when people are looking to go raw (myself included) is what do I buy? Do I just go and buy one of everything in the fruit and veggie section? 

I'm going to share my my shopping list that I put together just looking at a bunch of recipe ideas and stuff. Since I'm 100% new to this it might need some additions/changes, but it's a starting point and I'm sure it can help out people feeling a bit lost or who need a point into the right direction :)

Fruits:

• Strawberries
• Blueberries (Fresh & Frozen)
• Bananas
• Apples
• Watermelon
• Avocados
• Lemons
• Young Coconuts
• Cherry Tomatos
• Raspberries (Frozen)
• Frozen Mixed Berries
• Goji Berries

Veggies

• Cucumbers
• Spinach
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Fennel
• Red Cabbage
• A few different kinds of  sprouts
• Red Onions

Seeds & Nuts

• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Almonds
• Chia Seeds

Other:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Coconut Water
• Coconut Yoghurt
• Maca Powder
• Green Powder
• Fresh Tahini (Ideally I would make my own but since I'm just starting out that will do)

This all adds up to about $100 for a weeks worth of food (not included the Maca and Green Powders which are quite pricey but will last for a while) so it's not too bad. This is just my start off list and as I see what I like and don't like I'll change it accordingly but I think I'm at a good starting point. 

I'm really looking forward to this change tomorrow. I just made some raw bircher muesli and put it in the fridge to soak overnight so I'm pretty excited to try it out with some fresh fruit for breaky tomorrow. Also, it's my first day of the SkinnyMe tea detox which is pretty exciting too! :)

Danni

x