I love this recipe for raw, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. They taste like the raw cookie dough we aren’t supposed to love and eat while we’re making “real” cookies… only these are egg-free and completely safe to eat a ton of! Now I’m sharing the recipe with you, for your noshing pleasure.

Recipe for Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies

*2 C nuts (soaked almonds)

*1/2 C dates

*1 tsp vanilla extract

*1/2 tsp sea salt

*1/4 C coconut oil, melted (not in a microwave)

*1/4 C-1/2 C chocolate chips (depending on your love of chocolate)

Directions

1. With a food processor, grind up all above ingredients except the chocolate chips. If you process them for a long time they will taste much more like cookie dough, if you process for less time they will have a nutty consistency which is fun and tasty, too!

2. After processing to desired consistency, drop the chocolate chips into the dough and mix with a spoon. Then pulse 3-4 times to mix it and grind the chips into the mixture.

3. Take a cookie sheet and spread the cookie dough into the pan, using your fingers to press into the corners and flatten into one even, level, layer.

4. Put in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to an hour to harden.

5. I then took it out and used heart cookie shape cutters but you can roll them into a ball and leave them that way, use another shape, or take the ball and flatten it into a round “cookie”. sky’s the limit! ENJOY!!!

That’s right, Starbucks is now offering a vegan frappacchino option!

Made with soy milk instead of regular milk, this popular drink can now not make your stomach hurt in addition to the sugar high (and then low) you’ll get.

I don’t love that it’s made with soy milk (I’d prefer almond or oat milk) but it’s definitely a step in the right direction for such a huge corporation. It reflects a demand of us, “the people”, and shows that we CAN make small changes over time!

Benefits to using soy vs regular milk:

*no animal products used

*no cholesterol

*no saturated fats

Apparently they even have a new blender for vegan customers, it’s pink, so make sure if it’s important to you that you ask for it to be used!
For more info, check out this link

Recipe:

*8 oz Coconut Milk (coconut butter + filtered water) or Almond or Oat Milk (can buy boxed)
*2 Tablespoons Cacao Powder
*2 Teaspoons Cacao Nibs
*1 scoop (2 Tablespoons) Protein Powder of your choice (Raw, Brown Rice or Whey)
*2 drops of chocolate stevia concentrate
*2 drops of vanilla creme stevia concentrate
*handful or two of ice

Optional:

*maca powder- 1-2 teaspoons
*banana or dates (take out the pit!) for sweetener instead of or in addition to stevia
**toppings: buckwheat grawnola, goji berries, cacao nibs

After living in LALA land for almost 8 years, I’ve discovered quite the enticing places to eat. I always love finding new spots to grab a bite, especially when the food is healthy & inspiring and the energy is positive.

Here are my top choices if I WERE visiting Los Angeles and wanted to grab a healthy snack or meal.

Santa Monica:

• Euphoria Loves Rawvolution on Main Street in between Venice and Santa Monica, fun part of town, 2 blocks from the beach. They serve vegan and raw food, sell a few supplements and raw desserts to LIVE for!  I bring my laptop or a book here and cozy up on their couch. They have open mic nights and special events for the community. It’s a very friendly environment, super casual and the staff are wonderful. 2301 Main Street, Santa Monica

• Santa Monica Co-Opportunity this is a lovely place to go if you want to get snacks for a picnic or a smoothie after gallivanting at the beach. It looks like a grocery store, but ohhhh, it’s so much more. You may not know that a supermarket can be cool, until you go here. Juice/Smoothie bar, best bulk variety items I’ve ever seen, and a whole refrigerated section dedicated to raw and vegan prepackaged foods. I’m here minimum 4 times a week! Corner of 16th and Broadway in Santa Monica.

• Planet Raw (owned by raw chef Juliano) Couldn’t leave this one out. To be honest, If I had the money, I would go nowhere else but here. It’s super expensive but the MOST creative dishes in the raw food world. Friends/other planet raw frequenters complain of the service and staff, that they are snooty and give off a bad energy. Planet Raw  is among the quintessential So Cal dining experiences-attempting to be causal with absurd prices and pretentious attitudes. ALAS, their food is OUT OF CONTROL. I highly recommended the Ariel Salad, which will give you your day’s worth of greens and energy, and I crave it daily.  I almost always get a Chocolate “milk” shake, which is beyond my comprehension in tastyness. This place has a great location, blocks from downtown Santa Monica but the energy is much calmer and you would never know it’s inches from the famous 3rd St. Promenade. 609 Broadway, Santa Monica.

Silverlake/Hollywood:

• Cru is a sit down restaurant, great for a nice dinner. You can bring your own wine for a small corkage fee. They have both cooked vegan dishes and raw vegan foods, and I have never had a bad eating experience! “Artfully weaving Italian, Japanese, Tunisian, Thai and Indian flavors into a fresh interpretation of life enhancing gourmet food, including desserts that even the most health conscious individual can indulge in guiltlessly.” They also have uncooking classes here-which I will be teaching in June! Sundays 3-4:30p here’s the link! 1521 Griffith Park Blvd, Silverlake.

• Erwhon Natural Foods Market “Health Food Nirvana” is in West Hollywood. Similar to the experience of the Co-Op (see above) but a little more upscale. They have more of a selection (if it were possible) and the best part about this place is their tonic bar. You’ll find super knowledgeable staff and drinks you won’t find anywhere else.  They have a great selection of raw living foods, vegan, specialty chef spices, local produce, macrobiotic diet and body ecology diet foods.  They also have great cheese, nut cheese and raw chocolate ingredients.  The bulk items are maybe 10% higher than whole foods for organics, but the selection is good.The tonics and vitamin selections are far superior to any juice bar I’ve ever visited in SF, NYC or London. They have tons of great events featuring organic gourmet chefs, raw foodists, and educational talks.  It is definitely more pricey than other “markets” so just be prepared. Don’t come for a big shopping trip, come for an experience. 7660 Beverly Blvd, West Hollywood.

dairy-free dessert

Beverly Hills:

M Cafe features Macrobiotic Cuisine—balanced, nutritious, creative cooking which can be enjoyed by everyone, not just vegetarians or people with dietary restrictions. The chefs prepare each item fresh daily, using only the finest ingredients without any refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat or poultry. Easy items to grab and go, or sit and have a bite to eat in the center of BH. 9433 Brighton Way.

Urth Cafe: For beautiful lattes and organic specialty salads and sandwiches, visit Urth Cafe. This is a good place to go with non-vegan friends because you’ll be happy and so will they! Something for everyone. 267 South Beverly Drive.

Lemonade is a new discovery of mine. They have delicious salads to chose from, and the secret is to have them take one scoop from each salad choice so that you get more options. (you get 2 scoops for each salad) Another good place to go with non-vegan friends, sandwiches and fish/poultry dishes.. but everything is clean and healthy! Oh, and definitely try their house-made lemonade! Peach Ginger was my fave!  9001 Beverly Blvd.

Today I met a client to take her grocery shopping after doing a 3 day Philosophie cleanse. She bought pineapple and said it’s one of her faves…so, since it’s almost summer, I thought I’d post some recipes for yummy Pineapple Salads!!

Sweet and Tropical tasting-Creamy Pineapple Sauce:

1/4 cup cashew or macadamia butter

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1 tb. lemon juice

1/2 tb. olive oil

2 tsp. dried dill

Pineapple Waldorf Salad:

1 chopped apple

1/2 C Pineapple chunks

3 stalks celery, sliced

3-4 scallions, chopped

1/2 C walnuts or pecans

1/4 C parsley, chopped

Creamy Pineapple Sauce

Sea Salt to taste

Bon Appetite!

I’ll never forget the first time I watched almonds blend away and white, pure “milk” be created. It’s a surreal experience, try it for yourself!

To make dairy-free mylk, you can use pretty much any seed, grain or nut. I like almond, oat and coconut mylk the best. Experiment with your own taste buds  to see what works for you.

Ingredients:

• Nuts or seeds of choice
• Pure water
• sweetener of your choice (a few soft dates, raw honey, raw agave or stevia)
• 1 pinch of unprocessed sea salt (optional)

To create Mylk:

1. Soak nuts or seeds (almonds and hazelnuts for 8-12 hours, sunflower seeds or brazil nuts for 3 hours) I like to soak the nuts before bed and then in the morning it’s ready for biz-nas!

Before blending...

2. Place soaked nuts or seeds in a blender so that the nuts are even with the level of the uppermost part of the blades.

..after!!!

3. Add pure water to just cover the nuts and blend until smooth. Add more water until desired consistency is reached.

4. Sweeten to suit your taste buds with a soft date or two, raw agave, raw honey or a packet or drop of stevia (if you use too much stevia, it will become bitter). Strain with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.

5. Make only what you will use in a day or two. Refrigerate.

(These milks will go bad after about 48 hours)

Vanilla Hemp Seed Mylk:

• 1/4 cup shelled hempseeds (buy them in air-tight containers, not from bulk bins where they can be rancid)
• 1 liter pure water
• 1 pinch of unprocessed sea salt (optional)
• sweetener of your choice
• vanilla pod or a few drops of vanilla stevia instead of sweetener

To Create Mylk:

1. Place the hempseeds in a blender with just enough water to cover them and blend well.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

3. Strain in a mesh strainer and drink! Refrigerate the remainder.

Optional: for a thicker, more omega 3 rich milk, soak 1/4 cup flax seeds for 2 hours, then rinse and blend with hemp seeds.

*If you want to make these mylks chocolate for a kid or for a yummy treat, add raw cacao powder at the end of the final blend. It tastes DELICIOUS and no one will ever know you are drinking something with amazing superfoods, antioxidants and health benefits!!!

Now that I’m pregnant, I have to get blood taken all the time. I get kinda queasy after wards, and usually need a sugar hit like fruit or juice. My husband came prepared the last time, buying me a Naked smoothie and an Almond Joy. The Almond Joy was good, and made luckily with dark chocolate, but way too sugary with a ton of horrible additives.

This recipe is a healthier version of Almond Joy made with coconut oil, carob, almonds, and agave. You’ll never know it’s dairy-free, sugar-free and gluten-free!!

• 

  ingredients

  1  cup melted extra virgin coconut oil

• 1/4 cup organic raw almond butter
• 3 drops Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme
• 3 drops Liquid Stevia Chocolate
• 4 tablespoons agave
• 1 tablespoon organic vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 cup roasted carob powder (or chips and melt)
• 1/4 cup organic hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

To melt coconut oil, place jar under warm/hot water.

In a medium bowl, place melted coconut oil and almond butter. Stir until both are blended. Next, stir/whisk in Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme and Chocolate, agave, and vanilla. Add in cinnamon and stir until it blends evenly. Slowly stir in carob a tablespoon at a time. The mixture should still be slightly runny. Add in almond meal, hemp seeds, and coconut. The mixture will run off the spoon, but very slowly.

Spoon into mini cupcake trays lined with paper liners. Pour in mixture half way. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes. When the candies are set, pop out and store in a freezer safe container. Keep frozen!

This is a staple dish in our home. Everyone loves it! My husband, friends AND PUPPY! It will store for a few days in your fridge after marinated and prepared.

• 1 bunch fresh kale, de-stemmed and shredded
• 1 avocado, cubed or sliced thin
• 3 stalks celery, sliced thin or minced
• 1 green apple, sliced thin or minced (in the same size as your celery pieces)
• 1/3 C lemon juice
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 2 T Bragg’s liquid aminos
• 1/3 C olive oil
• 1 T honey or agave nectar

Put the shredded kale in a large bowl with the salt. With your hands, squeeze and massage the kale and mix it well with the salt. Keep massaging the kale for up to 3-5 minutes as the kale will darken, shrink in size and the fibers will break down. Once this happens, mix in all of the other ingredients into the bowl, except the avocado.

Serve on a pretty plate and garnish with pretty avocado pieces on top.

note: you might want to experiment with how much lemon juice, bragg’s, and agave/honey you put in this. the above recipe is a pretty good guideline but you’ll find that you’ll have your own preferences. Go with whatever tastes good to you!

check out this great interview with a Parisian Chef

he was incredibly curious about my way of eating… here’s what we talked about!

Looking for an easy dessert to make without getting an stomach ache or preparing something extravagant for hours?

Make a little extra of this pudding and store it in the fridge for a few days! *warning: can be addictive

Vanilla Pudding

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup pitted dates, soaked 10-20 minutes
• 1/2 cup fresh berries
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract/vanilla pod

Coconut Banana Pudding (chocolate or vanilla!)

• 1 ripe banana
• 6 dates, soaked up to 30 minutes
• meat and water from one young coconut
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1/4 cup raw cacao or carob powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Coconut Banana PIE!!!!!!!

• 3 Avocados
• 3 Bananas
• 1/4 cup of honey or agave (add more or less depending on how sweet you like it)
• 1/4 cup of raw chocolate

*Mix these ingredients together in the vitamix or blender. In a blender you may need to add some water or nut mylk to get it to mix together. When creamy and smooth, spread the pudding into a dish.

Dairy-free Whipped Cream Topping:

• Meat from 2 young Thai coconuts
• 1/4 cup of honey/agave

Mix together in your food processor or high-speed blender. Mix until creamy and spread it on top of the chocolate mixture.

*Garnish however you like. I cut up one banana and sprinkled with coconut flakes

all of these recipes are dairy-free, gluten-free and raw! bona!