I saw these on Instagram and had to try them! Before I became vegan and gluten-free, the only cake I really liked was carrot cake. This raw version from Charley’s Health comes pretty close and were perfect for our family visit with the littles.
I made some small adjustments: I used walnuts instead of pecans (I’m sure you can use seeds if you need to avoid nuts) and used half as much maple syrup in the frosting and they were perfect. Just sweet enough. I also used a little squeeze of fresh orange juice as well as the zest as the mixture was a little dry to manipulate – our medjool dates were quite hard so they were soaked in a little orange juice while everything else was prepared. I also used plain yogurt with a few drops of vanilla extract added as we couldn’t find vanilla yogurt. You could add a few drops of fresh orange juice instead.
The only thing I would point out is that this recipe makes a small amount, the slices are bite-sized – you wouldn’t want to eat more than a couple, they are very satisfying, but if you have visitors you would probably want to double the recipe.
There is no refined sugar, they are vegan and gluten-free. The base is done in the food processor and then frozen before mixing the yogurt and maple syrup for the frosting.
We made the base the day before and put in the freezer, the frosting was made next morning just before our little munchkins arrived. They keep well in the freezer (the slices, not the munchkins!).
As always, measurements are approximate and you may need to adjust to your own tastes and equipment.
Excuse the awful photos, there was no natural light – the sky was getting ready to send down a deluge – and I had to take them quickly before they were scavenged!
Copyright: Chris McGowan
We don’t like to throw away our almond milk pulp and didn’t really want another batch of bliss balls, despite the impending visit of the little grandchildren at the weekend (there were other treats awaiting them), so we made burgers as there were none left in the freezer. (You can substitute the almond pulp, see below)
Using small handfuls, gently press and shape into rounds in the palm of your hands and then flatten on a board.
There is less fruit in this smoothie than normal, but don’t let that put you off. It still has a sweet flavour and smooth, creamy consistency. It is also chock full of nutrients: magnesium, potassium, protein (did you know Romaine lettuce is a good source of protein?), B vitamins, zinc, vitamin E, lots of other vitamins and minerals as well as healthy fats.
When my brother came for a visit recently, he asked if we could make a smoothie. It was his birthday yesterday, so I thought I would post ‘his’ smoothie recipe.
Unfortunately, we didn’t take a photo at the time, so I photographed my recreation and sprinkled on some hemp seeds and raw chocolate raisins.* Yum!
This dinner came about when I had recently finished a 3 week juice plan and wanted something simple but with a little flavour – not too much, as my digestion wouldn’t be able to cope so soon.
The idea was to have rice with mildly chilli-flavoured stir-fried veggies topped with the crumbled burger and lightly chilli-seasoned cashew cheese sauce. 
A bit late in the day, but better late than never, I hope! These were made with ingredients I won in a recent 
Spoon into silicone moulds or into a baking tray and refrigerate for a couple of hours until set. Cut into slices if set in a tray.
Cherries are considered another of Mother Nature’s superfoods, reputedly containing a wondrous variety of nutrients which are both anti-inflammatory, anti-againg, pain-relieving and help prevent certain cancers.
We had 2 butternut squash, several oranges and a lot of dried lemonbalm from our garden queuing up, begging to be used, so I decided to try some of them together. I’ve had squash with nutmeg, squash with cumin and squash with ginger, I wondered what squash with orange would be like.
Add a handful at a time, starting with the squash and carrots, then celery, stir-frying as you go until all are added.
Following my 16 days of juicing, I had some red cabbage left over that needed using up, so I decided to try it in a smoothie. I thought it might be bitter and make the smoothie a horrible dark colour like sump oil or something, but look at it, it’s gorgeous! And it tastes as lovely as it looks.
pearsnotparsnipsdotcom 
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