Chocolate Macaroons

I made these delicious chocolate macaroons last week and promised on Facebook to share the recipe soon. So here it is:

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup organic shredded coconut

1/4 cup organic melted coconut oil

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons organic maple syrup

1/2 organic vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

 

First mix the shredded coconut and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Then add all the other ingredients and mix well. Form approximately 10 balls using a tablespoon and place on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Store in the freezer.

 

These are fantastic because they're gluten free, vegan, and you can play with the recipe. If you're allergic to nuts, omit them. You could also add more nut, or add flax seeds or chia seeds, just whatever you like. They're super good!

 

Definitely try these! :)

Blueberry Smoothie Recipe

Not long ago I posted a recipe for a Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie, and I recently tried it with blueberries... Yum! You would think because of the color that the blueberry taste would be overwhelming, but it's really not. It's quite subtle and it tastes very similar to the strawberry smoothie (because all the ingredients are the same except for the fruit). Here is the recipe:

 

2 cups of organic frozen blueberries (you can use fresh but then you need to include some ice cubes)

1 cup organic raw cashews

1/4 cup organic gluten free oats

2 cups of almond milk

1/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

2 tablespoons organic maple syrup

You can tweak these amounts to suit your taste. Put all these ingredients in a blender (I use and recommend a Vitamix) and blend away!

Keep in mind that this smoothie, although healthy, contains just over 1000 calories, so you might want to split it with someone.

 

Oh, and make sure to brush your teeth after this one! :)

My Favorite Vegetable Soup

I have been making this soup more often since I decided to transition to vegan. I was searching for vegetable soup recipes and couldn't find one that I thought I would like, so I just took some ingredients that I knew I liked and created my own. It's gluten free, vegan and so good for you! These are the ingredients:

 

4 medium organic celery sticks, chopped

1/2 medium head of organic cabbage, chopped

15-20 medium organic carrots, peeled and chopped

2  medium organic garlic cloves, minced

2 cans of organic cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth

4 cups filtered water (more or less depending on how much you need)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Simply put all these ingredients into a pot (or slow cooker) over medium heat until it boils and then turn it down to low for a couple hours.

 

Of course you don't have to use organic ingredients but I prefer to whenever possible.

 

Just a little tip - I don't care for celery raw, so I'll purchase a package and instead of throwing out what I don't use, I'll chop up the remaining stalks and freeze them for the next time I make soup. :)

 

Definitely give this soup a try! 

Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie Recipe

I can't take credit for this super yummy recipe as I obtained it from Tara Stiles. I have tweaked it a bit though.

 

Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie:

 

2 cups of organic frozen strawberries (you can use fresh but then you need to include some ice cubes)

1 cup organic raw cashews

1/4 cup organic oats

2 cups of almond milk

1/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

2 tablespoons organic maple syrup

 

You can tweak these amounts to suit your taste. Put all these ingredients in a blender (I use and recommend a Vitamix) and blend away!

 

Keep in mind that this smoothie, although healthy, contains just over 1000 calories, so you might want to split it with someone.

 

You can also try it with raspberries or blueberries!

 

What I love about this smoothie is that it's gluten free (assuming you use gluten free oats) and vegan!

 

It's super delicious so give it a try!