Virtual Vegan Potluck: Walnut Milk & Walnut Date Smoothies

May 10, 2013 29 Comments

vvpLOGO

I couldn’t miss being in my second Virtual Vegan Potluck Day, along with around 170 other bloggers, from all around the world. I hope if you enjoy this post/recipe you might consider taking a peek at some of the other posts out there today as well! The buttons at the end of my post will help you along in the circle. Also, be sure to check the companies and peeps sponsoring this “get together”!

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Walnut Milk

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw walnut halves or pieces
  • 1 Tbsp raw agave nectar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch fine sea salt

Directions:

Rinse the walnuts, add to a bowl and cover with filtered water. Cover and let rest for 12 hours, or overnight. Drain, rinse well and shake off.

Add walnuts to a high-speed mixer (such as a Vitamix) with 3 cups filtered water, agave nectar, vanilla and salt. Process on high until smooth.

Pour through a fine mesh strainer, gently pressing, discard pulp (or dehydrate and use in baking!)

Store for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, shake well before using (separation is normal, just shake covered before using).

Makes about 3 cups milk.

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Walnut Date Smoothies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup walnut milk
  • 6 ounce cup vanilla coconut cultured milk
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted (6 to 8)
  • 1 small ripe banana, sliced and frozen
  • ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup ice cubes

Directions:

Add milk, yogurt, banana, vanilla and cinnamon to a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix), process on high, tamping as needed, till smooth. Add in ice, process on high, tamping until smooth.

Serve with a wide straw.

Serves 1 large or 2 average sized smoothies.

~Sarah

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PS:

Check out last years fall VVP as well! My dish last year was gooey-ooey pecan pie!

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Filed Under: Drinks, Plant Based Diet, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Double Strawberry Smoothie

April 1, 2013 8 Comments

I had strawberries all over my mind last weekend. Suddenly spring had arrived and the weather was amazing, hitting 70° both days! Ford (The Teen) had been sick the weekend before, who gave it to Walker (The Toddler), who then gave it to Kirk and I on Friday. Stuck at home, feeling run down I figured I could either sit on the couch feeling bad or go outside and sweat in the sun. That turned out to be a great (if tiring) idea. I weeded, removed dead plants, transplanted items and went plant shopping. I planted 20 new strawberry plants, 2 tomatoes and a few new herbs. My garden/yard looks a lot better but more…I know what direction I want to go now, and where to put my vegetable garden finally. Helps not being pregnant for once…the past few years I was too tired to care deeply.

And can I just say strawberry plants make me happy? It occurred to me that I had always wanted a place to call home, where I could grow as many as I wanted, to let them have runners. Enough for the squirrels, the birds, the kids and maybe, just maybe, some for me! I still want to try the method of making hanging containers for fences, using gutters. We shall see.

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On one side of our back yard we inherited a large raised bed. It was a horrid mess, solid weeds. Over the years I killed everything by smothering with fabric, then last year I planted 2 rows of blueberry and huckleberry bushes (which I talked about last summer). I had left the center open, covered in fabric and mulch. So, I moved the mulch and removed the fabric, then transplanted 3 2-year old blueberries to the center. They had been in a shaded area which left them stunted. My experiences last year is moving them will pay off. I still need to pick up 2 more bushes to plant, to complete the row. Which should boost my plantation to um….nearly 35 plants. You can never have too many B-Berries!

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It is spring when this tree flowers – so what is it? I thought it was a Dogwood but I am not sure? Any ideas? It is about 20 feet high and flowers in March every year. EDIT: My Mother In-Law emailed me and said it is a “magnolia Kobus stellata, Royal magnolia”. Well cool!!

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But after 2 days of working through fevers and feeling like a mule ran over us, Kirk asked for a smoothie before dinner. Something creamy, cold and full of vitamin C and potassium. Poking through the kitchen, this is what came together.

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Double Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries
  • 2 small ripe bananas
  • 1 container strawberry yogurt (coconut or soy or regular)
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk

Directions:

Add everything to a high-speed blender. Process on high, tamping as needed, until smooth. If desired, sweeten to taste (we didn’t need any).

Serve with wide straws.

Makes 2 16 ounce drinks.

~Sarah

Filed Under: Drinks, Plant Based Diet, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Book Review: Raw Essence (with recipes)

March 25, 2013 4 Comments

Rawessencebook

RawEssence: 165 Delicious Recipes for Raw Living was released last week, and lucky me, I had a copy show up about two weeks ago. I couldn’t decide what to try, first world problem I know, the majority of the recipes all sounded good – and the lush photography made it even harder. If you love eating raw, you must get a copy of this book!

But….knowing me, I ended up in the dessert section. I kept wandering back to the Sugar Pie on page 194-195. Which brings me to something:

If you are over a certain age (gah, am I in that crowd now?), there was a time when Brazil Nuts were hounded on for being “unhealthy”. This was mostly due to just how high in fat the nuts are (and they are really seeds if you will). And yes, they are fattening, no doubt about that, but what the 80′s low-fat craze left out was that was that the fat was a good fat. Brazil nuts are something to not over indulge in, but to enjoy in your diet in small amounts. And oh do they produce an amazing nut butter! But do be careful, while Brazil nuts are a source of many wonderful things, indulge in a few every day, but don’t go over board. So…having said that, enjoy this pie but remember, s small slice goes far. It is rich and filling. The pie lasts a long time, up to 10 days in the refrigerator for 4 months if frozen. And that is the beauty of raw desserts – you actually ‘fill up’ and don’t mindlessly keep eating.

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This was a three-part recipe, but none of the steps were hard nor time-consuming. Having fresh date paste in the refrigerator is a great time saver, it is a wonderful fat and sugar substitute for a lot of recipes (use it for oil in muffins!). The paste is  in both the crust and the filling, so make it ahead….or be like me, washing my food processor 3 times in a row ;-)

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Date Paste (From page 25)

Ingredients:

  • 2½ cups pitted dates (used Medjool)
  • 1½ cups filtered water

Directions:

Soaking: In a container (used a small mixing bowl), cover dates with water and let soak for 2 hours. Press down thoroughly so all dates are moistened. Cover with a weight, if necessary.

Once dates are thoroughly softened, place them along with their soaking water in the food processor and mix until a paste obtained that is as uniform, sticky and smooth as possible.

Store for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.

Notes:

It only took a minute or so in my food processor to make a smooth paste. I used Medjool dates, from Costco’s produce department, which are very soft to start with. Harder dates may need a longer soak time.

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Coco-Pecan Crust (from page 195)

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups pecans
  • 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 3 Tbsp date paste
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground cardamom
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves (I left this out)
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions:

In a food processor, reduce pecans to powder.

Add remaining ingredients and blend into a crust of even consistency that can be formed into a ball.

Keeps up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Makes one 9″ crust.

Note:

For easy pie removal, line a glass or metal pie pan with plastic wrap, then pack in the crust mixture with hands. Pat down firmly with the back of a metal measuring cup. Chill until ready to fill.

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Sugar Pie (from page 195)

Ingredients:

  • 1 coco-pecan crust
  • 3 cups Brazil nuts
  • ¾ cup date paste
  • 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil

Directions:

(While I followed the directions in the book, even with our powerful Vitamix Blender, if I were to make the filling again, I would just mix it all up in the processor and skip using the blender. The filling is thick and really works the blender hard.)

In a food processor, reduce Brazil nuts to a butter that is as liquid and creamy as possible

Pour mixture into blender. Add date paste, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Reduce to a smooth paste of even consistency.

While blender is running, incorporate melted coconut. Continue blending until mixture is creamy and of even consistency.

Pour mixture into crust. Refrigerate pie for 3 hours to allow it to set.

Makes 1 9″ pie, 8 to 12 servings.

Keep covered and refrigerated for up to 10 days, or stored in freezer for up to 4 months (wrap slices individually).

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We received a copy of the book for potential review.

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Cookbooks, cooking, Dessert, Plant Based Diet, Raw, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cherry-Banana Yogurt Smoothie

March 22, 2013 5 Comments

Cool, refreshing and a bit different. Have you seen Silk’s new yogurt line? It is very good! It has 3 soy flavors, 2 almond. Thanks to some handy coupons that I got spat out at me from the machine at the checkout, I got a cheap way to try them out.

almondyogurt

While the yogurt is amazing on its own, it rules in a smoothie. I can hope that this yogurt will be easy to find, as where most of the ”yogurt alternatives” are not easily found outside of natural food stores. Granted, the ingredient list could be better…but I’ll take it!

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If you are feeling at all run-down, this smoothie will get you right back up.

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Cherry-Banana Yogurt Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cups frozen unsweetened cherries
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 5.3 ounce cherry almond yogurt
  • 4 ice cubes

Directions:

Add ingredients into a high-speed blender, process on high, tamping as needed, until smooth.

Serves 1 large or 2 average glasses.

~Sarah

PS: Don’t forget to enter our Wholesome Sweeteners giveaway!

Filed Under: Drinks, Plant Based Diet, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

So Delicious Barista Style Creamer – A Latte and a Frappe

March 19, 2013 6 Comments

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As soon as I had heard about the new Barista Style Coconut Milk Creamers from So Delicious, I was waiting for them to show up in stores. So Delicious offered me the chance to try them out…and well? I wasn’t disappointed  These creamers are a game changer.

And…..the best part? You can steam it! It makes an amazing latte, the velvet texture and richness reminded me of a Breve – the choice of low-carb fanatics in the early 2000′s, made with steamed half n’ half. Just without all the “I need to nap” after drinking it…..

It is shelf-stable, so look with the boxed milks or in the coffee aisle in stores.

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So you might be thinking…ummm….how does Sarah have a Romania mug from Starbucks? (Or you might not care….hah) Kirk was on a business trip and was in Romania for a couple of weeks. Being the good husband he is, he visited the one in Cluj, which is in the county of Transylvania, and brought me back a present. What a good husband ;-)

 

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One Creamy Latte

Ingredients:

Directions:

Add sauce or syrup to mug of choice. Steam creamer to about 150°, or preferred temperature. Fill cup half-way with steamed creamer, stirring well. Pull shots of espresso, add in and top with remaining creamer. Drizzle a little more sauce on top, if desired…and hey, some mini marshmallows…well, that is if you happen to have a mini-espresso hut as I do….

Makes one Grande latte.

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The frappe we had this morning came out of a past frappe recipe that never fails me. Loaded with caffeine goodness, the creamer blends with the banana for a creamy drink. If you remember my post a few days back, I had frozen a bunch of unsweetened coconut milk into ice cubes, then stashed them in the freezer. If you happen to not like banana, leave it out, the drink won’t be as creamy though.

Mocha-Banana Frappe

Ingredients:

Directions:

Add the ingredients in a high-speed blender, process on high until smooth, tamping as needed.

Serve topped with additional chocolate syrup drizzled on top.

Makes 2 16-ounce glasses, serve with wide straws.

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We received complimentary product used in our recipes.

PS! Don’t forget to enter our Wholesome Sweeteners giveaway!

Filed Under: Drinks, Plant Based Diet, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vegan De-Lites: Toasted Coconut Mocha Frappe

March 15, 2013 10 Comments

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I was inspired by a post on Minimist Baker for a coconut mocha frappe and set out to make my own version. Canned coconut milk is too rich for me in most cases, I prefer coconut milk beverage, with So Delicious unsweetened being my favorite. 1 fluid cup is 4.5 grams fat, where as canned canned coconut milk has on average 33 grams fat. Yes, 33 grams. I don’t care how healthy coconut milk is, that makes your morning frappe a milkshake. And with the added shredded coconut, you’ll be adding in more anyways. Although I am sure it was one fine tasting coffee milkshake…lol!

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On my first try I used one fluid cup espresso, which is 4 shots worth. Holy wake-up call. Way too much coffee! So I tried a different version, and it was perfect. If one is using double brewed coffee, and not making cold-brewed espresso, then yes, maybe 1 cup would work. Instead, I used ½ cup each espresso and coconut milk, which tempered the coffee flavor. Perfect!

One note though – if you don’t like a double shot in your drinks, then cut the espresso back further, and substitute more coconut milk. As well, your sweetness will depend on your chocolate syrup. Some are sweeter than others.

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Toasted Coconut Mocha Frappe

Ingredients:

Directions:

In advance, freeze an ice cube trays worth of coconut milk (each cube is about 2 Tablespoons worth, 12 per tray). Once frozen, knock out and store in a freezer bag. Make a couple of batches, they store well and can be used in nearly any smoothie or frappe, instead of ice.

Preheat oven to 350°, spread coconut for drink plus a bit more on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, checking often and shaking pan. Remove when golden toasted, let cool.

Add the espresso, coconut milk, toasted and cooled coconut, chocolate syrup, cocoa powder and frozen coconut milk cubes to a high-speed blender. Process on high, tamping as needed, until smooth.

Pour into a large cup, top with extra coconut and drizzles of chocolate syrup. Serve with a wide straw.

Makes 1 large drink, filling a grande cold cup.

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Cold Brewed Espresso

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup medium-ground Arabica bean coffee, preferably organic
  • Cold filtered water

Directions:

Add the filtered water and coffee grounds to a 1 quart narrow mouth mason jar, seal and shake till mixed. Set aside and ignore for 4 or more hours.

Strain through an unbleached coffee filter or a fabric Jelly Strainer Bag (these work really well) into a second mason jar (if you have a canning funnel, this helps the pouring and can support the jelly bag). If using the jelly bag, you can squeeze out the grinds for even more coffee. Dump the grinds into a compost bin if you have one, and rinse the bag out. Fill mason jar up to the top (if 32 ounces, 1 quart size).

Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, tightly sealed. Use in place of espresso, 2 fluid ounces per shot.

Notes:

What type of coffee roast you use is up to you. We like a darker roast, paler blends are just as nice.

~Sarah

Filed Under: Drinks, Plant Based Diet, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Cherry-Mocha Frappe

March 5, 2013 9 Comments

While I made Kirk his morning latte, I pulled 2 shots espresso for myself and made up a frosty frappe to go with my breakfast last week.

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I didn’t make it very sweet, and my cherries are tart (Costco sourced). Which was fine with me…I added a bit of coconut sugar to take the bite of the espresso from the drink. I’d hedge most would want it sweeter. This is no tooth rotting frappe. The kind a year ago I was sucking down daily. Wow, have I come that far?? Didn’t think of it that way…..I adapted to less sweet faster than I thought I would.

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Cherry-Mocha Frappe

Ingredients:

Directions:

Add the hot espresso shots with the milk, then add remaining ingredients. Process on high, in a high-speed blender, tamping as needed, until smooth.

Serve immediately with a wide straw.

Makes about 20 ounces.

Note:

You can also use cold-brewed espresso as well.

~Sarah

Filed Under: Drinks, Plant Based Diet, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Peaches and Cream Oatmeal Smoothie

February 20, 2013 11 Comments

The last couple of days have been wonderful – weather wise. The skies cleared, and it was actually in the 40′s. Productive for getting outside and finishing up yard work leftover. The blueberry bushes are putting on the first signs of spring, the first new leaves are budding! Which means it is time to start planning for summer :) Alistaire was having a lot of fun, mobile and digging in the beds -

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Walker was being a big boy – he went and got “his” rake and started raking up leaves. That made me so proud of him, he really loves gardening. I am SO not denying him a chance to rake ;-)

 

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The other morning I took Walker and Alisatire out to coffee while we waited for our oil to be changed. Thankfully the dealership is just across the street from Starbucks. Which might be a big reason I like that dealership ;-) Walker was contemplating his donut, which he ate the entire thing. Yummers. I enjoy taking them out for Mom & Son outings, they are great companions.

 

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But I digress, back to what I was supposed to be talking about – the drink of the day!

Pinterest is always full of overnight/refrigerator oat recipes…which I cannot say I like personally. I happen to like my oatmeal cooked. But it did cross my mind that maybe I would like oats in a smoothie. The secret is soaking the oats overnight,  plumping them up. A quick blend in the Vitamix and off you go – with a bowl of drinkable oatmeal ;-) Fair warning – while delicious, you will notice the texture of the finely ground oats. I liked it, will you? You never know!

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Peaches and Cream Oatmeal Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
  • ½ cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1 Tbsp raw honey, agave nectar or maple syrup
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 large or 2 small ripe bananas
  • 1 cup frozen unsweetened peach slices
  • 1 cup ice cubes

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Directions:

Stir the milk though cinnamon together in a small container, seal and refrigerate overnight.

Scrape into a high-speed blender, add peaches and ice. Process on high, tamping constantly, until smooth.

Serve immediately with a wide straw.

Makes about 20 ounces.

~Sarah

Filed Under: breakfast, Drinks, Plant Based Diet, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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