Oh, How Fun!

   A little while ago I had mentioned that I had some news (here).  Well I finally have the details (most of them!) worked out and am ready to share!  I'm participating in the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale - ever heard of it?  You can learn more about it here.  The idea is to promote cruelty free living via kind and delicious treats, while also raising money for a great cause.  I've chosen to donate all of the proceeds to Snooters Farm Animal Sanctuary.  Learn more about Snooters and the AMAZING people who run it here.

Check out one of the flyers that I made...

   I say "one of" because I've made three different ones today!  Ha.  Can you tell I'm a little excited?  This is my first fundraiser that I've ever put together and my first time organizing a bake sale!  So far I have heard the word NO a lot and that was just for the location!  I'm hoping I'll encounter kinder people when I start calling bakeries for donations (fingers crossed).  Although, I do have some pretty awesome people volunteering to bake for me already. (Have I mentioned how much I love my friends and family?) But it sure would be nice to get some donations from the pros! ;-)

Save the date...

   If you live in the Hamilton area (and even if you don't.. ha!) please make sure to stop by the bake sale on May 12th!  I'm holding it in front of Templemead School - rain or shine.  If it's raining that's all the more reason to buy a sweet treat to brighten up your day!  

In case you can't make it to the actual bake sale, you can still make a donation!  Contact me to find out how.

Oh, and of course... spread the word, please!

   In the next couple of days I'll post a list of goodies that I'll be making and perhaps the names of some bakeries that are willing to donate...  So check back soon!

Till then...

Happy Baking!

Love,

Ves xx

 **  By the way... if you are interested in volunteering to make some goodies I won't say no! Ha.  If you've never made a vegan goodie, fear not!  I can give you some tips. :)  Email me if you're interested.

May I Interest You In a Sugar High?

   Got a sweet tooth?  I can help with that!  

   This post is a little late as I was hoping to post it around my Easter... but, better late than never!  Here are a few of the goodies that I made for the sweet table at Easter.  The chocolate ones are both vegan and RAW and the Lemon Tarts are vegan and ALL of them were delicious!

*please excuse my mad camera skills... or rather, please excuse my mad camera! :-)

Chocolate Brownie Bites!

Did I mention that these are RAW?

Vegan Lemon Tarts!

RAW Chocolate Candies!

...with a creamy center!

   So there you have it!  These were the yummy treats that I made for our Easter celebration.  You may be wondering why I keep mentioning (quite enthusiastically) that my chocolate treats are raw?  Well, I'd be more than happy to give you an explanation!  

   Raw chocolate (or cacao - not cocoa) is completely different than the milk chocolate stuff that you buy at the store.  This is the real deal.  You know how you read about all of the health benefits you can have from eating chocolate?  Well this is the chocolate that they are talking about, except that they don't tell you that (or maybe they don't even know it?).  Who's 'they' by the way? Ha.  Anyway, so let me tell you why raw cacao is so darn good for you.

Cacao (or chocolate) which comes from the cacao bean, is:

• the richest food source of magnesium (which helps in balancing brain chemistry)
• high in chromium (which can naturally regulate blood sugar),
• iron,
• calcium,
• potassium,
• sulfur (which builds strong nails and hair, and promotes beautiful skin),
• copper,
• and zinc! 

   Raw cacao is a rich source of antioxidant flavonoids that promote cardiovascular health and protect against toxins.  It has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food, including: red wine, blueberries, and black and green teas.

Quick, pass the chocolates please!

   If you want to get in on the amazing health benefits but don't have the time to make your own chocolate, fear not!  You can buy raw chocolate bars at larger supermarkets or in Health food stores. 

ps:  No one actually got a sugar high from eating these sweet treats because I didn't use processed sugar.  In fact, these are all sweetened naturally and (if I may be so bold) could even pass as health foods!

Enjoy the non sugar high!
Love,
Ves xx

I Have News About News... Plus, a Dreamy Recipe!

I wanted to give you guys a heads up that I'm planning something super cool and can't wait to share it with all of you!   As soon as I have all of the details figured out, you guys will be the first to know.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime...

How about a sweet treat?  I made up this yummy smoothie when I had a sweet tooth and more oranges then I knew what to do with.  So here is my super simple version of a dreamsicle smoothie:

Dreamy Dreamsicle Smoothie

Ingredients:
2 Oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 Banana, frozen
1/2 - 1 cup Almond Milk
1/4 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in your  blender and process until smooth.  Pour in a glass and enjoy with a straw!

ps: I just finished making Chocolate Brownie Bites and Chocolate Cream Cups for Easter this weekend... both vegan and raw!

Happy un-baking!

Love,
Ves xx

Has It Really Been That Long?

   Wow!  I can't believe it's been so long since my last post.  I don't like staying away so long and it makes me wish that I could quit my day job and just write!  But then I'd miss the kiddies at work so that's not really a solution.
   Anyway, I've been up to my eyeballs lately with school and work related things but have managed to cook up some really yummy treats in between.  I'm dying to post them all and anticipate that the crazy pace of my life is about to slow down a bit.  Whew! 
A couple of things worth mentioning:

#1 I just happened to celebrate (not literally) my Vegan anniversary this past month.  Woot-woot! If I had had the time, I would have loved to devote an entire post to it.. but alas, that didn't happen.  I'm so proud of myself, though - not because I didn't think I would last - but because of the healthy, responsible way I approached this lifestyle.  I was never a junk food vegan, that's for sure.  In fact, I now eat a high raw, vegan diet.  And because I was so intrigued by the health benefits of eating a vegan diet, and sharing it with the world (I'm dramatic), I decided to go back to school and become a Health and Wellness Coach.  How many people can say that after changing their diet? And not only have I gone back to school, I'm also inspiring people around me to start taking better care of themselves and their health!  Hooray!  I mean, my brother bought Kale the other day!  I have no idea if that was directly related to me or not, but I am just so thrilled that he chose to try something new.  Way to go, bro!

Speaking of yummy veggies...

#2  I've finally joined a CSA!  I did a little research and found a local farm which runs a Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) system.  There just happens to be a pick-up location 10 minutes from my place so that's a bonus.  Tomorrow will be my third time picking up my produce and I'm excited to see what I get!  I modified my share this time around by asking for no potatoes and no mushrooms (as I don't eat either of those), and more leafy greens and citrus fruits if possible.  Here is a link to the farm that I order shares from and a link to more information about CSA's and here, too.  Also, if you are curious about becoming a member of a CSA here is a link to a CSA Farm Directory in Ontario.

Well, that's all for now.  But stay tuned for some recipes coming soon!  I'm also playing around with a raw vegan Chocolate Cream Egg recipe that I'm hoping to post before this coming weekend.  Just in time for my Easter!  (Yes, I celebrate a different Easter, too.)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and a fabulous long weekend!

Happy Monday!
Love,
Ves xx

My New Toy!

   So my Aunt came by yesterday with a house warming gift and I must say, I love presents!  She bought me a Spiral Slicer which I've been dying to try for a while now.  I was able to put it to use tonight and of course, made sure to take pics to share with you guys!
   What's a Spiral Slicer you ask?  Well this super fun contraption allows vegetables to become spaghetti!  How fun!  If you think a raw food diet is 'boring' think again!  It doesn't have to be salad's all the time and I think I've proven that in other posts.  And it doesn't have to be labor intensive either!  This meal took me 10 minutes - clean up included!

Spiral Slicer

Here's what I made:

Zucchini Spaghetti

Zucchini Ribbons

  (Please excuse my red cutting board! Ha.)  But seriously, how cool is that?  I made a super simple tomato sauce to go with my raw pasta and dinner was served!

For the Spaghetti:

1 Zucchini

For the Sauce:

1 large tomato

3 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped*

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

pinch sea salt

Directions:

Spiralise the zucchini.  If you don't have a spiral slicer you can also use a mandoline or vegetable peeler to get your zucchini into super thin strips.

Add all of the sauce ingredients to your blender and process until smooth.  Mix your sauce with the zucchini well and serve!

*You can also use sun-dried tomatoes that are already soaked in oil, just use less oil in the recipe.

Fancy, no?

  I garnished mine with hemp seeds because I'm totally obsessed with hemp seeds.. but it really doesn't need any extras.  I also served mine over a bed of field greens... but I'm sure that doesn't surprise those of you that know me.  (I turn everything into a salad! ha.)

Happy uncooking!

Love,

Ves xx

A Mexicali Evening...

   The other night my sister and I got together for some dinner at my place and a catch-up on our current favorite show... The Bachelor.  Yes, we totally watch it, and no we are not ashamed to admit it!  The "Women Tell All" was super juicy, I can't wait for the next episode!
   But this post is not about the Bachelor.  No, it's about the delicious food we ate while watching it!  The meal was inspired by a package of Taquitos that I found in the frozen section of Whole Foods.  I don't normally by frozen food but I was so excited when I saw vegan taquitos that I had to snatch them up.  My sister and I love Taquitos, so much so that we've been known to buy them from the 7-Eleven back in California.  True story.  They were the perfect 'road food' for when we would make the long 2 hour drive from Orange County to the desert to visit our Dad.

Vegan Taquitos!

    To go along with the Taquitos I whipped up a dip inspired by a recipe from The Kind Diet.

Here's my take on it:

Cheesy Layer Dip

Ingredients

1 package Yves veggie rounds (I used Original)
1 large avocado
Juice of 1/2 a lime 
1 8-ounce containers non-dairy sour cream
1 1/2 packet taco seasoning (or make your own mix with chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt)

1/2 cup of diced green onions
1/2 - 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
 

1 cup(s) of shredded vegan mozzarella with jalapeno (you can use cheddar too) 

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Saute the veggie round and then add 1 packet of the taco seasoning.  Simmer until the liquid has evaporated.  
3. Spread the veggie meat on the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch quart baking dish. 

4. Pit and peel the avocado, and place in a bowl. 

5. Mash the avocado together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the veggie meat.
6. Stir together the sour cream and 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.

7. Sprinkle the green onions over the sour cream.

8. Add the tomatoes, and sprinkle with the cheese.

9. Heat the dip for 15-30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.

10. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Our "Mexicali" meal... YUM!

   I also made a coleslaw to round out our meal with a simple vinaigrette.  My sister loved the Taquitos but said that the dip was her favorite part.  I ate most of the coleslaw so I guess that was my favorite part! Ha.  I wasn't a huge fan of the Taquitos but they sure smelled delicious coming out of the oven.  I would definitely buy them again but I would try a different flavor next time.
   This meal was super delicious and totally worth the stomach ache we had afterwards from overeating!  I think the next time we make this much food we should make sure to have more people over... Yikes!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Ves xx

 

Red Pepper Hummus... and Girls Night!

   Just a quick one for tonight...
   I should start off by saying that I had big ideas about what I was going to contribute to tonight's Girl's Night in terms of food.  But, after spending the entire day at home with my cat, mostly in my P.J.'s, doing homework and watching back-to-back episodes of Smash (not at the same time), I totally didn't feel like making anything!
See Exhibit A:

She's a little camera shy

 Patchie and I pretty much did that all day except that I learned a little as well (can't say the same for her).

   Anyway, even though I was totally lazy I had to contribute something!  After all, I'm a total feeder and love bringing people food.  Um, come to think of it, I hope they like it too! Ha.  So here's what I'm bringing:

RAW Vegan Red Pepper Hummus

Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1  - 1 ½ Tbsp finely chopped garlic depending on how garlicky you want it

½ cup raw Tahini
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Celtic sea salt

Directions
Place all the ingredients in your high speed blender and puree until smooth and creamy.
Enjoy with veggies, chips, on wraps... the possibilities are endless!

   This recipe is so easy and so yummy!  I ended up making a little extra so that I can have leftovers... Yeah, it's that good!  So now I feel really good about contributing something to the party even though the rest of the things I'm bringing are packaged.  Oh well.

Happy Friday!

Love,

Ves xx