vegan superfood organic raw sugar free chocolate truffles

raw cacao truffles

 These are handcrafted, 100% organic, fairtrade raw truffles. They are made of the highest quality cacaco and maca which are both considered superfoods. The cacao is extremely high in antioxidants, and maca has been known to nourish the endocrine system, increasing stamina and libido, among many other benefits. 

 if you prefer to order them already made you can purchase them ready made here: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/kristina1love/stats/listing/94061253#

The ingredients are organic fair trade raw cacao, organic maca, organic coconut milk, almonds, pure bourbon vanilla extract, and liquid alcohol free stevia. These are made to order so they can be made to your specifications. This price is for two large truffles in a beautiful handmade paper mache box, but larger orders can be placed as well. The truffles are raw, so they should be refrigerated until the day that they will be consumed for the best flavor. They are best served at room temperature.

These truffles were developed because January 1, 2012 I went on a mostly vegan sugar free diet. My mother sells very good quality chocolate, and was shipping me a large box every month for the past year. I had to give up the chocolate because of the sugar. The thought of Valentine's Day without chocolate was unbearable to me, so I started experimenting with raw cacao and stevia. After many attempts I became the designated chocolatier for a weekly chocolate party. I realized at this point that if people prefer my sugar free chocolate to other chocolate, I should branch out, Here you go world! I hope that you enjoy this as much as I do! It not only tastes great, but it makes me feel great. I hope that it does the same for you.

Approvecha!

ingredients:

1 cup organic raw cacao powder (from mountain rose herbs)

2 cups organic raw maca powder (from mountain rose herbs)

2 cups almond butter

2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 full droppers liquid stevia

1/2 can organic coconut milk

preparation:

In a bowl mix stevia and maca.

Add almond butter, vanilla and stevia and mix well. 

Add the coconut milk until the mixture gets wet enough to form balls. Best if mixed with your hands.

maca powder

dusting the truffles in raw cacao powder

a pyramid of truffles for a birthday cake!!

Lemon kale tofu or chicken

Delicious and nutritious. This lemon kale chicken is nutritious as well as zesty and flavorful

Ingredients:
2 lemons
2 pounds tofu or 2 chicken breasts
1 bunch kale washed and chopped
handful of shredded carrots
Salt and pepper to taste
Morrocan seasoning

Preparation:
Preheat oven 450 degrees
In a cast iron skillet layer 1 sliced lemon and arrange the chickenor liced tofu on top.
Squeeze the other lemon and season with spices.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Take out skillet and add the kale and carrots. Sautée together and slice the chicken in the pan.
Serve with rice or on its own.

beautiful wedding cakes

who says that a healthy cake can't be beautiful?

decorate it with flowers!

I do not know the ingredients of these cakes but they are truly beautiful, mostly because of the addition of a few flowers...

http://www.luxefinds.com

http://www.designsponge.com

stylemepretty.com

100layercake.com

Now that the cake decorating is down, I hope to have a great vegan cake recipe and frosting for you soon!!

kale chips

Thank you Angela Nicole for this delicious recipe!!

ingredients:

1 bunch kale

spray organic oil

sea salt 

cayenne

sesame seeds

preparation:

break up kale into pieces

spread on a baking sheet

spray with organic olive oil

sea salt, cayenne pepper and sesame seeds

bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, flip and cook another 10 minutes at 250 degrees

eggplant meatballs!!

http://www.dashofeast.com

ingredients:

2 medium chinese eggplants

salt

olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon ginger minced

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs beaten (can be omitted and replaced with oil)

1 cup ground flax seeds

preparation:

preheat the oven to 400 degrees

slice the eggplant and sprinkle it with salt

in the meantime chop garlic and ginger

beat the eggs then add the garlic and ginger and salt 

rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry

heat the oil, add 1/4 cup water, and sautee the eggplant until it is tender.

remove from heat and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

add this to the bowl along with the flax seeds.

mix well.

form golf size balls of the mixture and place them on a well oiled pan.

bake for 40 minutes, turning the balls at 20 minutes... until they are golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!!

vegan antioxidant superfood almond coconut chocolate bonbons

bonbon dusted in cayenne

this is not only the healthiest bonbon recipe that you will ever find, these bonbons happen to be the tastiest that I have ever tried (and I LOVE me some valentine candy especially the soft centers...) I make mine sugar free but of course you can experiment with agave or whatever  sweetener you like.

sugar free superfood chocolate bonbons

ingredients:

1/2 pound cacao mass (chocolate liquor)

1/8 coconut oil

liquid stevia(I buy an alcohol free stevia)

2 cups almond butter

3/4 cup maca powder (from mountain rose herbs)

1/8 cup coconut milk

vanilla extract

cayenne pepper (optional)

cinnamon (optional)

preparation:

filling: in a food processer combine almond butter, 2 droppers liquid stevia,  maca powder, and vanilla extract. Slowly add coconut milk until the filling is firm but workable. If the mixture is too dry add more coconut milk, if it is too wet add more maca. The mixture should be pliable but firm. Taste it to make sure that it is delicious. If it needs more sweetener add more stevia. Put the mixture in the freezer for an hour. If made ahead you can store it in the refrigerator so that the mixture is not too hard to work with.

chocolate coating: in a double boiler, melt cholocate adding coconut oil until it is a liquid consistency. Add the stevia.

On a tray roll the filling into small balls (about 1" diameter)

drizzle the chocolate over the balls.

Set in the freezer or refrigerator and allow to cool. Shake a little cinnamon or cayenne on top if desired.

Mellow Sugar-free Liquid chocolate

chocolate in a mason jar makes a great gift, is delicious on fruit and marshmallows, and is comforting warmed up the way they serve cocoa in Spain

ingredients:

1/2 pound raw cacao liquor (cacao mass)

1 box almond milk

2 droppers liquid stevia

1/2 dropper peppermint extract (from mountain rose herbs)

5 drops (or more) kava extract (from mountain rose herbs)

preparation

melt the cacao mass in a double boiler.

add the almond milk, stevia, peppermint and kava.

mix well.

pour in mason jars or enjoy warm as a delicious and rich chocolate beverage

cucumber raita

1 cucumber chopped
1 tub greek yogurt (can also be made with soy or coconut yogurt as long as it is unsweetened)
3 cloves minced garlic
salt to taste

mix all the ingredients together and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour. 

quinoa stuffed cabbage

serves 4

ingredients:

1 medium sized organic cabbage

1 cup organic quinoa

1 onion, chopped

1 small red pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup green lentils soaked

2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth

2 tsp tomato paste

salt and black pepper to taste

2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

2 tbsp flaked almonds

1 cup tahini

preparation:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

blanche the cabbage in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain well, upside down.

prepare the quinoa as directed.

Lightly fry the onion, pepper and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes until soft then stir in the spices and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the lentils and pour in the vegetable broth and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, season and simmer for 25 minutes until the lentils are cooked.

Mix in the quinoa, parsley, almonds, and tahini.

peel the leafs off of the cabbage

spoon the quinoa mixture into a leaf and roll up. Secure with a toothpick.

Continue until all of the quinoa is wrapped.

Place on a baking sheet.

bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees

cut into 4 wedges and serve with cucumber raita

The best sugar free hot cocoa

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons Raw cacao powder (I got mine from mountain rose herbs)
1 box almond milk
3/4 dropper liquid stevia

Preparation:
Slowly heat almond milk while whisking in the cacao powder. Whisk until smooth.
Sweeten with stevia.
Enjoy!

links

body ecology

Organic Ginger Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup organic wild rice blend
2 stalks organic celery
1 organic carrot shredded
4 cloves organic garlic minced
1/4" organic ginger root minced
1 teaspoon organic cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Preparation:
boil two cups of water, add rice, spices and ginger. Cook as directed. Until rice is cooked through.
Add sliced celery, carrot and garlic
sautée a little longer (about 7 minutes to soften vegetables and blend flavors.

lunch at Gabrielle's

Gabrielle and her famous tofu burgers

What's the best kept secret for the best food that you have ever had in Nashville, wait actually... EVER had ANYWHERE?!?

Gabrielle's house!

Today I was invited to a lunch that she throws for her friends every other week, although everyone is welcome.

Gabrielle serves the most delicious vegan food that you have ever had in your life!

today's menu

couscous

everything is vegan... and in season...

roasted winter roots

apple carrot turnip slaw

there were many raw options...

green salad

and even dessert!!!

baked pears

so delicious!!!


Thank you Gabrielle! I hope that this blog inspires people to cook and be more like you!!

A beautiful dining room to serve meals

Having a beautiful dining room in which to serve the meals is an important place to start.

This is a beautiful dining room that we designed for one of our clients in Nashville, TN (I'm a partner at cke interior design).

another beautiful dining room with some plants in cloches as the centerpiece

simple yet elegant dining room by cke interior design

These rooms epitomize what I want in my indoor dining room.... 

via notesondesign

love the layered rugs, rustic wood and fur!!

via remodelista

tree trunk dining table/island!!

via globalatelier

via plushpalate

love the color, fireplace in the dining room and comfy sofa to curl up on afterwards!!

tokyojinja

I love the fireplace and weathered wood in here... LOTS OF CANDLES!!!

frenchbydesign

Dining in the kitchen how lovely... and I LOVE the storage cabinet!!

Organic Roasted Red Peppers

Ingredients:
5 organic red peppers
1 bulb organic garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Remove the stem and deseed peppers.
Cut each pepper in half long ways.
Then cut each half in thirds longways.
Place in an oiled pan along with the peeled garlic cloves (whole).
Drizzle more olive oil on top.
Bake for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
Also can be baked at 425 for 1.5 hours stirring more frequently.
Delicious and a beautiful side.

Valentine Sugar-free Vegan Chocolate

today I made the best vegan chocolate of all time...

almond butter dipped in chocolate then rolled in crushed nuts

I bought a bar of cacao paste (1 pound) and melted it..

I added 2.5 droppers of liquid stevia.

I took 2 teaspoons and rolled balls of almond butter and dropped them in the chocolate

ground almonds

I then removed the balls and rolled them in the nuts

result: delicious vegan almond chocolates

All natural Sugar free lemonade

Love a little tangy lemonade but don't want all the sugar?
Lemon water is delicious, but when you want a sweet tasty beverage, you may want an extra touch.
Recipe:
Add half a dropper of liquid stevia along with three tablespoons of organic  lemon juice to a glass. Fill the rest with water or ginger tea.
Refreshing and delicious!

vegan goddess dressing for salads or steamed vegetables

ingredients:

1 cut tahini

2 cloves chopped garlic

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

salt pepper and herbs to taste

preparation:

blend all of the ingredients in a jar. I use this as a dressing for EVERYTHING!!

Social disturbances with the diet.

One of the hardest obstacles that I have faced while on my diet are social influences. I go to so many events with wine and beer, that test my willingness to abstain from alcohol. Also, I have a very hard time going to restaurants because they rarely have anything that I can eat. It's hard.
I have had to approach this 100%. If I don't do it all the way, then I feel like I can't do it! Sweets and unhealthy treats are ABUNDANT in this world and it can be so hard to stay on track.
I have had to approach this diet completely.
But I did slip quite a bit this week. It started out with a jar of spaghetti sauce. I didn't read the ingredients until after I had chowed down. I know that this doesn't sound like a big deal to many people, but the sauce had sugar in it. The little bit of sugar in the sauce jump started my cravings. In combination with this, I had a guest in town who of course wanted to go out. Before I knew it I had eaten cheese, sweet potato fries, fried chicken, wheat, pie and coffee! I had completely fallen off the wagon.
But I have pulled myself together and am ready for a fresh start. I am 5 weeks into the diet and I will go back to the beginning.
My goal is to heal my body and a healthy body is so worth giving up pie.

Game day quinoa

In order to stay on my healing diet, it has been important for me to stay organized. For the Super Bowl my fiancé and I are off to a friends house. In order to not be tempted by nachos and whatever other yummy things they may have, I decided to bring some equally yummy but vegan and healthy treats.
For this Super Bowl Sunday I made a quinoa salad and guacamole with brown rice crackers.

Ingredients:
2 cups dried quinoa
1/2" ginger root
1/4 cup almonds
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 shredded carrot
1 celery stalk chopped

Preparation:
Cook quinoa as directed. In the meantime soak the almonds in the vinegar and olive oil.
Chop the onion, ginger and celery.
Crush the almonds.
Mix everything together and serve.

antioxidant anitaging superfood smoothie

this smoothie recipe was introduced to me by another healer, Thomas Anderson. It is the best concoction that I have found for maximum energy. Another benefit is that since I have started drinking this in the morning I have had many people compliment me on my skin!

ingredients:

2 tablespoons hemp seeds (from mountain rose herbs)

1 tablespoon bee pollen

2 tablespoons maca powder (from mountain rose herbs)

1 tablespoon sprouted chia (from mountain rose herbs)

1 tablespoon raw cacao nibs or powder (optional)

1 heaping tablespoons almond butter

sweetener to taste (I used to use honey, but now that I am on a low glycemic diet I use stevia)

1 cup yogurt (soy or coconut can be used for a dairy free smoothie)

1/2 cup almond milk

blend the hemp seeds, bee pollen and cacao nibs to grind them to a powder.

Add all of the other ingredients and blend.

blueberries or bananas would make a fantastic addition to this.