Cinnamon Banana Milk Smoothie

It was a banana morning that's for sure. Add a little cinnamon and you've got yourself a delicious, refreshing smoothie. I was looking to make something less thick than my previous few smoothies and managed to succeed. I will definitely be making this recipe again!

Cinnamon Banana Milk Smoothie (serves ~ 1 - 3)

3.5 bananas
1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
1 tsp cinnamon
4 - 6 dates pitted
2 cups of cold water

Blend in your blender for about a minute and serve immediately! Enjoy :)

Creamy Green Smoothie

There's just something about a green smoothie that makes me happy. And this one in particular, since it's creamy, green AND delicious. Bananas are the key ingredient to this smoothie, and more specifically: a frozen banana. Aka the key to creaminess.

Recently I've been helping my parents refinish their deck. While I enjoy the challenge, I also need the right fuel for lots of time in the sun with my handy dandy belt sander. This smoothie is great fuel for just that!

Creamy Green Smoothie (serves 1 - 2)

2 bananas
1 frozen banana
1 - 2 stalks of pineapple
3 - 4 dates
2 cups of cold water (or coconut water)
2 big leaves of kale

Put all ingredients into blender (loading the soft ingredients towards the bottom) and blend away! Serve in a mason jar with a straw and enjoy :)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

This recipe has been made countless times over the past couple of years.  Not only is it super delicious, it has no flour, eggs, butter and is high in fiber!  I can almost guarantee that whoever you serve this to will have no idea what the main ingredient is.  Can you guess?

CHICKPEAS!  This bean is incredibly versatile.  You can roast them, toss them in a salad, blend them into hummus and now into a chocolate chip cookie pie!  I don't think you'll ever go back to regular chocolate chip cookies after this recipe.  Trust me :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (serves ~24, depending on how you slice it ;)

1 can chickpeas
1 cup oats
2 cups pitted dates
8 drops liquid stevia
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup applesauce
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or water)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Blend all of the ingredients (except chocolate chips) in a food processor, starting with the chickpeas, until smooth.  Transfer into a bowl and mix in the chocolate chips.  Pour into a baking pan (preferably 9 x 13, or a circular pan around 10" wide) and bake for ~35 minutes or until browned.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

I'm a sucker for all things peanut and chocolate. Isn't everybody? As soon as I laid eyes on this recipe for a deep dish chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake, I knew the day would come where I would recreate this amazing dessert.

I didn't have the amount of dates required for the recipe... but not to worry! Dates have many substitutions, such as prunes and figs (which we had!). I made the necessary modifications and upped the peanuty-ness just for fun.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake (inspired by This Rawsome Vegan Life)

Crust
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup dried figs
1/4 cup prunes
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup hulled hemp hearts
3 tbsp cocoa powder

Filling
3 frozen bananas
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup dried figs
1/4 cup prunes
1 cup cashews
1 cup peanuts
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

For the crust, pulse the flaxseed, hemp and cocoa powder in a food processor. Add the dried fruit and blend until the mixture begins to stick. Press onto the bottom and sides of a spring-form pan. Mine is 8" in diameter, but a smaller one would work as well.

For the filling, I put EVERYTHING into the food processor, but you may want to start with the nuts and alternate adding dry and wet ingredients whilst blending. Make sure to scrape down the edges of the food processor periodically to ensure proper mixing. After everything is blended, pour into the spring-form pan and smooth out. Leave in the freezer overnight, or for the whole day.

Take out for approximately 10 - 20 minutes before serving for a creamier texture :)

Lemon Coconut Squares

This recipe, when I first read it, sounded just perfect.  Lemon, coconut, dates, oats = devine!  This Rawsome Vegan Life never ceases to amaze me. Not to mention her photography... Crazy good.

My family and I may or may not have eaten a few before taking any pictures... I did change a few things in the recipe which I posted below (the modified version) and they turned out quite well! Delicious and raw :)

Lemon Coconut Squares (inspired by This Rawsome Vegan Life)

Crust

3/4 cup oats

1 cup dates

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

Lemon Filling

1/4 cup melted coconut oil (I used organic)

1/4 cup maple syrup

Juice and rind from 1 lemon (watch for seeeeeeeds!)

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

1 banana

Blend the coconut and oats in your food processor to make a rough flour before adding the dates.  It should begin to stick together once the dates have been processed.  Press into the bottom of a square baking pan, making sure to add a little up the edges, and put in the fridge. 

Place all of the filling ingredients into your food processor and blend until a creamy texture is formed.  It will seem kind of runny, but don't worry - the coconut oil will help to set it.  Spread/pour evenly over the pressed crust.  The recipe called to let it sit overnight in the fridge, however I would suggest using the freezer (even for half the day) for a harder square.  Either way (even off a spatula), these are to die for!! Vegan, lemony, coconuty, square goodness :)