Recipe: Almost Vegan Raw Coconut Truffles

with valentine's day around the corner, i've got just the recipe for you to share with your loved ones that is the perfect balance of indulgence & healthy...

these little balls of goodness are awesome in so so many ways. they are really tasty, healthy, take no time at all, can be made ahead of time AND they make for great gifts!
 

what you need:

1C raw cacao powder (NOT cocoa)

1C almond butter

1/2C raw honey (if hardcore vegan, try agave or your sweetener of choice)

1/2C shredded coconut (and another 1C on reserve in a small bowl to roll them in)

1T coconut oil

pinch of sea salt

what to do:

slightly wet hands first to help from sticking. mix all ingredients together in a bowl with your hands. it will be messy, but everything will come together eventually. if after a few minutes it’s too dry & not coming together add a bit of almond butter. if it's too wet, a little bit of cacao and/or shredded coconut (i very roughly measure this recipe).

pull pieces apart & roll in your hands. however big or small you want. then roll in the shredded coconut that’s in a separate a bowl. bam, done.

place on a tray with space between each one & freeze until serving. if serving straight from the freezer, i would let them sit out for 5mins or so so they thaw a little. you can store them in a tupperware in the freezer for a while or in the fridge if you will be eating them soon (or every hour on the hour throughout the day).

makes 20
15 minutes

if you give this recipe a go, i’d love to hear your thoughts in the COMMENTS below!

Recipe: Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

if you liked last week's vegan alfredo sauce, this mac & cheese will be right up your alley.

need a super bowl dish? this one is sure to be a crowd pleaser. throw in a baking dish, top with bread crumbs & bake until hot. set the oven on broil for a couple minutes to crsip up the top & serve.

what you need:

1 butternut squash (or any winter squash)

½ onion

1C unsalted cashews

1C almond milk

¼C nutritional yeast

1T spicy dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

½ lemon

evoo

s&p

a few dashes of chili powder, garlic powder, turmeric, cayenne

paprika

1 box 100% whole wheat pasta (or gluten-free, quinoa, your choice)

1C pasta water, reserved

what to do:

cut butternut squash in half; deseed & peel; cut into small cubes; toss with chopped onion, evoo, s&p & a few dashes each of chili powder, garlic powder, turmeric, cayenne.

roast at 400 for 20mins, tossing halfway through.

boil water for pasta & cook; reserve 1C of pasta water when it’s done & put off to the side.

in a vitamix or high-powered blender, blend: cashews, roasted squash/onion, almond milk, nutritional yeast, mustard, clove of garlic, lemon, s&p & a few dashes each of chili powder, turmeric, cayenne.

add some pasta water to blender if sauce is too thick.

toss sauce with pasta.

sprinkle a little bit of paprika on top & serve.

optional: add additional veggies like roasted or sautéed broccoli, mushrooms, spinach or green beans to the mix.

serves 4-6
40 min

if you try this recipe, let me know what you think or if you made any tasty additions in the COMMENTS below...

Featured on MindBodyGreen: Vegan Alfredo Sauce

this recipe is quick, healthy & easy to have most ingredients on hand in the kitchen at any given time.

hop over to MindBodyGreen to read the article: http://bit.ly/LZKSQ7 or check it out below!

want to use homemade almond milk for this recipe? check out my recipe here: http://bit.ly/1fjsbjB

This pasta sauce is rich, decadent, oh so creamy ... and it’s vegan.

What’s the catch?

There isn't one! It's just a combination of super-healthy and satisfying ingredients that will make you forget there isn’t a trace of butter or cream in sight.

Avocado Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• ½ cup cashews
• 1½ cup almond milk
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• ½ lemon
• ½ Tbsp. spicy Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt
• pepper
• a few dashes of turmeric, chili powder, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper

Directions

Throw all ingredients in a blender, then toss with pasta.

Add sauteed or roasted veggies like mushrooms, spinach and onion to turn it up a notch.

Makes enough to toss with 6 servings of pasta.

Go ahead and add this recipe to the man-approved category.

Do you have a go-to healthy pasta sauce recipe? i'd love to hear about it in the COMMENTS...

Recipe: Root Veggie "Lasagna"

this is a no-noodle lasagna that can be made basically with any type of veggies. it has the heartiness of traditional lasagna without the heaviness.

turkey & cheese can easily be omitted if you like.

what you need:

assorted root veggies (or any kind - i used: rutabaga, celery root, carrot, sweet potato, acorn squash)

1 onion

head of swiss chard (or any winter green - kale, collards, beet greens, mustard greens)

1 jar marinara

1LB ground turkey

1C feta

evoo

s&p

herbs: rosemary, thyme, oregano

what to do:

set oven to 400 degrees

chop & toss onion & root veggies w/ evoo, s&p, herbs

cook for 15 minutes, flipping around halfway through

cook ground turkey on stovetop until cooked through

when the above is cooked, layer in a baking dish:

marinara

swiss chard (double layer)

ground turkey

roasted veggies

marinara

swiss chard (double layer)

ground turkey

roasted veggies

marinara

feta

cook until bubbling

set oven to broil & bring dish to top shelf of oven until crisp on top (only a couple minutes)

enjoy.

serves 6-8
40 minutes

if you try this recipe or have one that is similar, I would love to hear from you in the COMMENTS!

Recipe: Beet Carrot Clementine "Juice"

while clementines are in season & as tasty as can be, i thought i would add them to one of my all-time favorite "juice" recipes.

other than the go-to green smoothie, this one tops the list as the next favorite vitamix drink concoction in my kitchen.

i put "juice" in quotes because i actually make this in the vitamix. since i don’t have a juicer, i often opt to strain this recipe so it comes out more like a juice. however, straining is optional if you’d rather keep the fiber & drink as a smoothie. or if you have a juicer, try it that way! (just make sure to omit the water).

i do suggest a high-powered blender for this one. i would also halve this recipe if you don’t have a large blender. this one was a bit on the full side for me with a 64oz blender.

what you need:

2.5C water

3 beets

6 carrots

4 clementines

2 apple

juice of 2 lemons

1.5inch peeled ginger

what to do:

i start with the tough stuff & blend the beets, carrots & ginger with water first. then add the rest & blend.

strain with a wire mesh strainer over a large measuring up & push juice through with the back of a spoon.

repeat if you want to make sure all the pulp has been sifted out. discard pulp.

pour into airtight containers & refrigerate.

makes 48oz
15 minutes
fridge life 72 hours

if you blend or juice this recipe, let me know how you liked it in the COMMENTS below!