veganism

Basic Vegan Waffles for beginners

March 2, 2018 By Lara 5 Comments

When posting my waffle picture Instagram everyone went crazy about the recipe and I thought well it is so easy and made me love vegan waffles, so I have to share these Basic Vegan waffles for Beginners…

Life Update Part 1- Food and Exercising

July 5, 2016 By Lara 9 Comments

HI PEEPS,

So, as I want to tell you guys more about me, I decided to do a 3 part Life Update. First part will be

FOOD AND EXERCISING,
second part PERSONAL LIFE and JOB
and last FOODBLOGGING AND PHOTOGRAPHY.

This here is part one and I hope you enjoy reading it.

…

Why a Plant-Based Diet is the best way to lose weight

February 20, 2016 By Lara 2 Comments

I wanted to write this blog post a long time ago. Mainly because I ‘ve read so many comments online of people asking other people how many calories they eat and if it is ok to eat meat or cheese or honey or whatever. It tells me that there is a thirst of knowledge out there and many are confused.

What about you: Are you confused? Do you reflect on your daily diet? Did you ever wanted to lose weight?

…

Vegan Chocolate Ganache Pie

January 4, 2016 By Lara 12 Comments

When life gives you chocolate and coconut make a Vegan Chocolate Ganache Pie! Seriously this pie is so good I made it two days in a row in different versions. I share with you my second version because I think this one has the perfect smooth consistency. I don’t have anything else to write about it you simply have to try it and ask my questions whenever some are popping up! I also appreciate every feedback when you decide to make this dark and decadent pie.

…

Creamy chocolate- coconut Nicecream and how to improve your photos

November 13, 2015 By Lara 2 Comments

I always feel a little weird when posting smoothie or Nicecream recipes; I have to admit. I literally just smash all the stuff I can find in my mixer and then call it a NICECREAM 🙂

However I thought this decadent Nicecream creations needs to find its spot within this blog and has a right to be recreated by many many Chocolate obsessed people and foodporn seekeer.
If you are not into chocolate and coconut and nicecream and dessert and heaven and love (seriously?) then feel free to scroll down to my Tipps on how you can improve your food photography.

…

Spirulina Blissballs with homemade Nutella drizzle

October 14, 2015 By Lara Leave a Comment

Today I like to show you a recipe for healthy Spirulina Blissballs with homemade Nutella drizzle. I know there are a million recipes for Blissballs, all of them claiming to be the best. But is there a bad recipe for Blissballs anyway? I don’t think there is….

Vegan Fudge Brownies

September 25, 2015 By Lara 2 Comments

I am usually not excited about raw brownies, because the ones I tried are usually not really…”brownielike”. I like brownies where after the first bites, you already have half of the brownie between your teeth because it is so sticky. Sticky, intense and well yes also quite heavy.

For the brownie base I was highly inspired by my all time fav. baker Dana (Minimalist Baker)
I adapted the recipe a little and substituted the espresso. I wanted to add some cacao nibs instead to give the base a little crunch. Then I went crazy and added dried raspberries…haha don’t do this it was simply to much and the sour/sweet fruit flavor does not really support the chocolate flavor it is more of a contrast and for my taste a no…Up to you.

Then I wanted to add something on top of the brownie and decided on a fudge topping.
I like how the two totally different texture interact together and making each other better without competing.
While the sticky base give the dessert the brownie character and holds it together, the fudge layer adds the “fluffyness”. I don0t know whether you like it but you definitely should try it!

Also with these brownies I tried different backgrounds. Still not sure what I like more. Drop me a comment what you think 🙂

Vegan Fudge Brownies

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Ingredients

For the base
1.5 cups raw walnuts, divided
1 cup chopped unsalted almonds
2 tbsp cacao nibs
2 cups Medjool dates, pitted (soaked overnight when you don't have a proper food processor)
2 tbsp agave syrup
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup carob powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of fine sea salt
fudge layer
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
10 oz vegan dark chocolate (i.e Alter Eco dark chocolate, sea salt omg!)
1 heaped tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Place 1 cup of the walnuts and all of the almonds in the food processor and process until finely ground.
Add the dates and process until no big bits remain.
Carefully add the cacao powder and carob and then all the other ingredient.
Pulse for one minute or until everything is combined.
Then add the remaining walnuts and press them into the dough with your fingers
In a rectangular silicon form, press down with you hands until it is flat and firm.
Place in freezer until the fudge layer is ready.
For the fudge layer, add the coconut milk to a small sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes and don't forget to stir. Add the coconut oil and wait until it melts.
Pour the hot milk-oil mixture over the chocolate (placed in a small bowl) and wait for about 1 minute (Don't stir!)
Now add the cacao powder and vanilla and beginn to slowly stir until everything is well combined.
Wait for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture begins to harden.
Pour over the brownie base and refrigerate until firm. (2-3 hours or overnight)

Top three recipes including superfoods to get you healthy through winter

September 22, 2015 By Lara 1 Comment

When I was a kid I used to be sick during winter between 3-4 times. Crazy thing is, I got kind of used to it and I persuaded myself that I might be born with a poor immun system. I tried really hard to get my daily dose of vitamins in and it made me almost mad that I still got sick on such a regular basis.

Anyway, when I started to sneak in superfoods like goji berries in my muesli, Spirulina in my Chai pudding, Chlorella over my salad I did not really expect something to change or happen. It was only after two year when i noticed that I just caught the flu one time last winter. I am not saying that these “superfoods” are kind of panacea (and if yes then hell yes how cool ;)) but I have to agree that I am feeling much more energized overall. I am not stressing myself to take in superfoods everyday, I just like to add them here and there whenever I am feeling like a little extra kick.

So listed below I have my top three recipes including superfoods. you can find all the recipes on my blog.

VEGAN BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

Simply sneaked in some Acai powder in the sauce.

RAW WHEATGRASS LIME CAKE

Have you already tried my raw Lime Wheatgrass Cake? Nathalie did and look how beautiful her cake turned out (@nathaliedaousader)

RAW BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

Raw Cakes are a great way to sneak in Superfoods like powders such as Acai. Since you do not heat up anything in raw cakes it won’t destroy the nutrients within the superfoods.
Check out my Blueberry Raw Cake and also have a looka t the beautiful remakes of
@reneebourke @flywithcarola @rebeccas_vegan_journey (from left to right)

Hope you like these inspirations! Of course there are also much simpler methods such as just adding it to a smoothie or into a smoothie bowl but I guess you can experiment on your own when it comes to smoothies 😉

Raw Wheatgrass Lime Cake

September 13, 2015 By Lara 4 Comments

Lately I’ve been experimenting a lot with superfoods and cakes and I also like to use dried fruit powders. Powders other than fresh fruits makes the cakes stick together better and also the color is much more intensive. Another fact especially in winter is, that fresh fruits like strawberries and raspberries are expensive and are imported here in Switzerland.

It is autumn now so I am using my last frozen berries for the decoration of my Raw Wheatgras Lime Cake. Besides of looking so fancy it is actually a pretty easy cake to make and you can be sure that people will be delighted by the color. I agree that this might be more a “summer cake” but I thought why not bringing summer back one last time and share it with you! So enjoy and don’t forget to scroll down until the end as a little surprise is waiting there.

Ingredient
makes a 8-inch/9-inch springform pan

Crust
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
6 big medjool dates or 8 regular ones
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of fine sea salt

(Optional: Strawberries, halved)

Method
Process the almonds, oats and coconut to a coarse meal in a food processor. Add the dates, agave syrup, vanilla and salt and process until well combined.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.
Set aside.
(If you like you can place halved strawberries on the side of the pan on the crust.)

————————————————————————————————-

Filling
1 1/2 cups cashews (soaked overnight)
1 avocado
1/4 cup coconut cream (full-fat coconut milk works as well but cream makes the cake thicker)
4 tbsp lime juice and the zest of 2 limes
1 heaped tbsp wheatgrass powder (got mine from Organicburst)
4 tbsp Coconut Oil (melted)
1/4 cup agave syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method
Place the cashews, coconut oil, vanilla extract, agave syrup, wheatgrass powder, coconut cream and lime juice into your food processor and process until mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the avocado and mix again for about 20 seconds or until combined. Last add the zest of one lime and combine with a spatula.
Scrape the filling from the food processor into the pan with the crust, and smooth out on top.
Decorate with the zest of the other lime and freeze for about 3 hours or overnight.

Are you not familiar with superfoods such as Wheatgrass and co? You always wanted to try Acai? Or you simply like to win? Take your change and win a bundle of three exclusive Organicburst superpowders!
All you need to do is to follow @organicburst and @vanillacrunnch and repost the picture on Instagram with the Hashtag #vanillacrunnchOB in the main caption and tell us why you want to win the bundle!

GOOD LUCK!

Question and Answer Session and blender announcement

September 6, 2015 By Lara 3 Comments

Hey peeps, are you all having a great sunday? I’ve spent the weekend at home, baking, relaxing and finally really finally I got the time to answer all of your questions. So thanks so much, I really tried to catch every question and answer it properly. Feel free to add a comment if there are any other questions.

Now I hope you have fun with your sunday reading 😉

I am overeating a lot..and then I would workout like a crazy because I feel bad.
How can I learn to listen to my body?

I think the most important thing is to give your body time to adapt and also get to know your body. It is totally fine to experiment with things. Try to ask you questions such as when am I overeating? Is it when I did not eat much the day before or when I have other problems distracting me? This might help: I always ask myself: Do I really need this now? This sounds crazy but a short run outside might help you focus and then once you are back if you still think you are craving that chocolate go get it. Sometimes it happens that we confuse thirst with hunger. Try to drink a glass of water and then see how your body reacts. Try not to make eating a habit. Of course the right balance is important and everyone talks about it. I found it hard to see WHAT the right balance actually really is. Then I learned that it is a complete different thing for everyone of us. For me it is ok to eat chocolate everyday…Some others might feel balanced when they eat chocolate once a week.

Also there is this book “Intuitive Eating”. A lot of friends have advised meto buy it. I haven’t so far but I might will!

How many calories do you eat a day?

I am trying to reach 2500kcal+, see more on my Youtube video: What I ate in a day.

What do you do when you eat to much in a day?

I act like crazy and go for a 4h run. NO 🙂 I try to relax and accept the fact that I indulged on something I really like. The next morning I start with a glass of warm water and some lemon juice to get my metabolism going. Later I have breakfast, something like a smoothie and then I continue eating “normal”. NO STRESS! This only makes it worse.

How much of exercising do you do?

Every week is differen, but if you like to see a sample video of me working out see my: How many times do I work out during the week.

Is it difficult to stick to a vegan diet?

mhh..not for me. I never really fancied meat and fish. Further I have a lactose intolerance and was always fine without yogurt, milk, cheese etc. There are so many things vegan that I really enjoy eating such as potatoes, rice pasta, veggies, vegan chocolate, nuts and many more. I don’t feel like it is restrictive but this might be due to the fact that I can really have different balanced meals that I like without non-vegan products. If your favorite food is a bloody red steak it might be more challenging 😉

Is your family also vegan? Do they judge you on your eating behavior?

My family is not vegan. However we always sticked to a quite “vegetarian” kind of eating. I am not living with my family anymore so I can make my own meals. When Iw as still home I just put a lot of sides on my plate, which were vegan. I think an open conversation with family, friends is always a good starting point to make them understand your way of eating. Also the fact that a vegan diet is restrictive should be revised. With my vegan cakes and sweets I try to show that veganism is not just veggies and nuts. I feel like I can veganize every dessert I am craving. Mhh right know I am thinking about making vegan Snickers

What is your favorite non-dairy milk?

Hard to tell, cause I like to use different ones on different occasions. However I like to eat my granola or oatmeal with low fat coconut milk. When I bake I tend to use almond milk. I have never tried hemp, because I haven’t seen it in a store in my country. Curious how it tastes!

Are you doing raw till 4?

No, not at the moment. There are days when it happens unintentional, but I like to have the freedom to eat a warm meal at lunch when I fancy too. Especially now that we are heading towards winter and I’ll freeze to death already at morning.

Do I eat gluten?

Yes I do, but I try to limit it to a very small amount.

Are you taking any supplements?

I enjoy adding things to my smoothie or salads such as Maca, Acai, Chlorella, Spirulina and Baobab.
My current favorite is the ACAI from Organicburst, because you can make the most thriving Acai bowls everrrrr.

What blender do you use?

From America I have brought the Cleanblend and I think it is the most powerful blender I have ever had! Now in Europe I currently use the Schwingerprinz it comes with a lot of additional equipment and is strong enough for my frozen bananas and my huge smoothies!

Do you like Essena O’Neill?

Of course who wouldn’t 😉 No seriously I really like how she lives her life and also changes over time and let her followers change with her. It’s great. I think she has the power to inspire a lot of us. What I think about her leaving Social Media? I totally get her point and I think it is great that she brought the topic of the usage of Social Media on the table. She will go her way and create amazing things. For me I’ll stay on Social Media as I am just picking out the good stuff for me and not let the influencing bad stuff get close to me. I have a very strong relation to my family and friends and I really appreciate my life in real 😀

What is your favorite vegan cheat food?

I actually don’t like the expression “cheat”. But anyhow, I really really really like the NUGO Bar. But I don’t see it as a cheat.

Favorite thing to eat in the morning?

Chocolate oatmeal all the way! haha

Easiest recipe?

Almond flour, coconut oil, almond milk, chocolate drops, apple sauce, baking soda, vanilla extract = Chocolate cookies

Vegan Blueberry Pancakes

August 30, 2015 By Lara 1 Comment

Vegan Blueberry Pancakes at its finest!
This might not be the fluffy light summer breakfast you might expect, but let me explain. I thought it would be a nice sunday with a slight autumn, cozy character. It was not. The weather in Switzerland plays kind of crazy. After a crazy hot midsummer we all thought that autumn is going to move in. Määä! WRONG! Summer came back this weekend. And not in subtle, light sea breeze way. No, it was more like a: IN YOUR FACE, HEATWAVE; FELT LIKE 1000 DEGREE WAVE!
But since I already had those pancakes in mind, nothing could stop me from making them. Since I wanted to try a banana free recipe for the first time.

Don’t get me wrong. I love bananas…BUT not so sure whether I love them in a pancakes dough. Anyway what I am trying to say is, that I tried a banana free pancake recipe. Although the consistency is less compact than the banana recipes I’ve tried, I really like the smooth texture and the Chia seeds are holding it together, so the dough doesn’t get to runny.
Many asked me how I actually pour the dough in the pan. I use an Icecream scoop, since (no idea why) it makes the pancakes perfectly round. Just the way I like them for making a proper picture.

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp backing powder
1 cup almond milk
a splash of sparkling water
1 tbsp Chia seeds
1 tbsp raw maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 handful of blueberries

1/2 cup Coyo Coconut yogurt
1 tbsp Acai powder. (I prefer the Acai from Organicburst)

Method
Combine all the ingredients in a middle sized bowl and mix until the dough is smooth.
Then (crucial!) put the mix back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes have passed, heat up a little coconut oil in a pan on medium heat.
While the pan is heating up, gently stir in the berries in the dough.
Bake the pancakes from both sides for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

For the sauce mix the Coyo yogurt with the Acai.

Finally, top the pancakes with the superfood Acai-Sauce and decorate with some fresh Berries.

The PERFECT vegan chocolate chip cookie sandwiches

August 16, 2015 By Lara 3 Comments

Another rainy sunday in Switzerland. Some people are quite happy that the weather now finally has “normalized” after the heatwave. But for me, I am just wishing for an endless summer. Thinking that the last sunny days have now passed makes me sad. To overcome my sadness I wanted to give these vegan chocolate chip cookies another try. After fails and “they are ok- but not more” attempts, I perfected them now. So here is what I did. I added a mashed banana to the recipe and replaced the peanut butter in the recipe with the smoother sunflower seed butter.

and… I LOVE them now. I am perfectionist so this is quite a thing for me to say. I shared the original recipe just in my ebook but thought it would be a crime to not share these beauties with all of you. I kept the 6 cookie sandwiches under my bed without sharing. I could eat all of them in one sitting.

I might did but you are never going to know that 🙂

Makes 12 Cookies or 6 Cookie Sandwiches

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup fine oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup sunflower seed butter (peanut butter works as well)
1 small ripe mashed banana
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup dark vegan chocolate chips

Method

1. First you preheat your oven to 180° or (360F)

2. In the blender, blend the oats until you reach a fine consistency.

3. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients such as the flour, the blended oats, baking soda, salt.

4. In another bowl, mash the banana, add the sunflower seed butter, the coconut sugar and the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

5. Add the almond milk and mix a little bit more.

6. Now at low speed add the bowl with the dry ingredients. (not all at once!).

7. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.

8. Now roll the dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten them with a spoon and make sure you place them 3 inches apart from each other.

9. Finally, Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly brown, depends a little bit on your oven and how you like them.

Let them cool down, but not until entirely cool. Because now the fun part starts:

Stuff two cookies with a tsp of peanutbutter and one pieces of dark chocolate.
The chocolate and peanutbutter are starting to melt from the remaining warmth of the cookies.

Raw Chocolate Brownie-Fudge Slices

July 25, 2015 By Lara Leave a Comment

This is an unusual twist, on two recipes I really like. There is nothing more indulging than a warm brownie combined with a hot almond milk on a rainy day. Yet a rich and creamy fudge piece can make me happy within minutes.
Well why not combining these two textures I thought, and making raw chocolate Brownie fudge slices!
The nuts in the chocolate-brownie base add a nice little crunch to it, the coconut cream is flavoured with cacao and pure coconut oil.

A combination you should not miss! The recipe is so simple and totally bulletproof.

Ingredients

Bottom
1/3 cup processed buckwheat flour
1/3 cup raw unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup shredded coconut
12 dates, pitted
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp warm water
a pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 tbs vanilla extract

Fudge Layer
1 can full-fat coconut cream (place the can in the fridge overnight, in order to get the white “creamy” consistency in the can)
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup carob powder
8 oz dark chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Bottom
For the bottom, simply blend the walnuts in a food processor (process as long as you think you want the size of nut pieces to be), add the dates and shredded coconut, the melted coconut oil, water, sea salt, cacao powder, flour & vanilla extract and process again until sticky and well combined.(Yes, you can use your hands :))

Press the mixture into a square/rectangle tin, firm and flat (I used a pancake flipper to press it down evenly and tightly)

Leave in freezer while making the next layer.

Fudge
Scrap the top layer (white, hard texture) above the coconut milk to a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. (drink the remaining coconut milk, the liquid part :))

Add the coconut oil to the saucepan and stir until it melts. Add the carob powder, vanilla extract and the dark chocolate chips and stir until everything is melted.
Pour over the bottom and refrigerate until firm (up to 4 hours) or freeze if you cannot wait with eating and want to them to be ready in 30 minutes.

ENJOY!

Fluffy Raw Peanut Butter Pie

July 19, 2015 By Lara 4 Comments

I tried a lot of vegan recipes, who either were made with bananas (no offense, I love bananas, but I don’t like them in a PB Pie), or with greek yogurt (very stiff consistency!)

What I wanted was a fluffy consistency without the loss of flavor of the peanut butter. For people who are following me for a while, know that I recently addicted to whipped coconut cream. So why not combining the fluffiness of the whipped cream with the creaminess of the Peanut butter…..

Gotta say the result was amazing!!! Never ever have I had something so fluffy and peanut buttery like that. The chocolate crust then makes the pie perfect. Actually chocolate makes every dessert perfect 🙂

Crust

1 cup cashews (soaked overnight)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp agave syrup
1/3 Cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond milk (you might need more if crust is too dry! Depends on the dryness of the brand of the coconut flour)

Peanut butter filling

1 can coconut cream (chilled overnight, whipped)
2/3 cup all natural peanut butter

Peanut butter crumbs

Place 1/3 cup of peanut butter in a heat proven bowl in the microwave and heat for 40 seconds. the Peanut butter will get crumbly and a lil burnt. Put the crumbles on the finished pie.

Method

For the crust place all the ingredients in a food processor. The crust should be crumbly put still sticky enough that you can put it with your fingers in a silicon form. I used a round form but feel free to use other forms. (muffin tins are cool for small peanut butter raw pies!) Then freeze for 20 minutes.

While the crust is freezing you can do the feeling. First mix the peanut butter with approx. 1/3 coconut milk. (you can use the leftovers from the coconut cream, which is over the cream once you open the can.)

Secondly, whip the “hard” part of the coconut cream in a bowl until fluffy. Once done fold into the bowl with the Peanut butter mixture until nicely combined. Then pour into the crust form. Let freeze for a minimum of 3 hours.

You can serve it frozen or fresh from the fridge. Just how you like it.

Peanut butter up guys <3

Raw Blueberry Vegan Cheesecake

July 13, 2015 By Lara 1 Comment

I love vibrant colors in cakes and this is the reason why I wanted to try a blueberry raw vegan cake after seeing so many pictures on Pinterest. I remembered mixing blue and red to get violet so I tried an Acai-blueberry combination 🙂 I hope you have fun trying it!

Ingredients
(Serves 10)

Base
– 1/2 cup hazelnuts and 1/2 cup almonds (use any other nuts if you like)
– 2 cups medjool dates
– 1/3 cup cacao powder (unsweetened)
– 2 tbsp rice malt syrup

Filling
– 2 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight- the only way the texture gets really silky in the end!)
– 3/4 cup almond milk
– 2 cups blueberries
– 1/3 cup coconut oil
– 2 tbsp rice malt syrup
– 1 tbsp vanilla extract
– 1 tbsp Natvia sweetener
– 1/8 tsp Himalayan sea salt
– 1 tbsp of Acai Powder (Mine is from Organicburst)

Method base
Put the nuts into the food processor and blend for until the nuts are nicely crushed but not meal already. Add the pitted medjool dates and the cacao powder and rice syrup and blend again until a sticky mix forms. Press this into the base of a cake tin and place in the freezer.

Method Filling
For the filling simply blend cashews first until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredient and blend again. Now spread the filling over the base and freeze for about 3 hours. (Refrigerating also works but the texture will be really soft). I usually freeze it and put it then after eating some pieces in the fridge.

Easy Nicecream and a “How to open a coconut tutorial” – Works a 100% !

July 8, 2015 By Lara 1 Comment

Summer is finally here and what is more refreshing than Icecream! If you are looking for a healthy alternative to the sugar loaded popsicles or fatty Icecreams from the store, you can easily make sugarfree, glutenfree, dairyfree healthy ice cream with just 2 ingredients.

Simply blend 3 frozen bananas with a handful of raspberries (add vanilla extract if you like).
Blend until smooth and eat immediately! YUMMI! For a fancy presentation serve in a coconut half. (how to below ;))

Matching nails. Feels like I have my life under control.

Since many of you were asking on how I open a coconut I finally made a tutorial on how to open a coconut in 5 steps.

Feel free to try at home 🙂

EQUIPMENT

STEP 1

First step, take your screwdriver and your hammer. Make three holes, exactly where the three eyes of the coconut are. It works best if you are sitting on the floor putting the coconut between your feet. Once you have the holes pour out the coconut water into a bowl. (yes you can drink that :))

STEP 2

Once the coconut is empty, take your pen and mark the equator around the bowl. This is the line where you are going to hit the coconut.

STEP 3

Now take the coconut bowl again between your feet and take your hammer. Slightly hit the coconut around the marked line. (you won’t hit too hard!) Allow this process time. You’ll need to hit that coconut more than 4 rounds around. Do the hammering as long as you see a crack along the line. When the crack is around you can open the coconut with your hands.

STEP 4

….and ready to be filled with Nicecream 🙂

Beginners 2-layer raw vegan chocolate cake

June 27, 2015 By Lara 2 Comments

Super easy for beginners and pro’s 🙂 Have fun trying and show me your version!

Ingredients
Crust:
1/2 cup medjool dates
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup almonds
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 heaped tbsp raw cacao powder
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Method:
Blend all ingredients food processor. Mix longer if you like the nuts in a finer consistency. If you like it chunky do not blend longer than 15 seconds!

Scoop mixture into a 9″ springform pan.
With your hands (or if you like spoon), press the mixture into the sides and bottom of pan.
Freeze it while you are making the filling.

Filling:
3 cups cashews, (soaked overnight)
3 tbsp agave syrup
2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup coconut creme (chilled, the upper part of the coconut milk :))
1 tsp vanilla extract
secret ingredient, optional: I put in some orange zest.” Omg so good!!”

Method:

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor for about 4 minutes or until a very smooth consistency forms. Pour the mixture onto the top of the cake crust and let it set in the fridge for a minimum of 5 hours.

raw vegan chocolate cake - easy for beginners.

Delicious Vegan Chocolate Chia pudding

June 20, 2015 By Lara 2 Comments

Chocolate Chia pudding

Ingredients
3 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup of coconut milk
1 tbsp raw cacoa powder (1.5 if you like it intense!)
1 tsp vanillaextract
fruits and raw cacao nibs (got mine from “Therawchocolatecompany”) for topping

Method

In a small pan on medium heat cook milk with chia seeds until boiling.
Lower heat and while stirring add cacao powder and vanilla extract.
Cook for about 5 minutes (always stir!) and then fill into a glas. Put in the fridge for about 20 minutes. (after 10 minutes stir up)
Layer with sliced strawberries, acai berry sauce or whatever you like.

ENJOY!

Purple Acai Bowl- Thriving on plants!

June 6, 2015 By Lara 1 Comment

The ultimate power acai bowl for a great weekend! Fill the bowl with fruits and add all the great foods you love. Many asked where I ahve my Acai from. I usually buy it from Organicburst and you can get it here. Be careful there are a lot of fake products on the market! Better pay a little bit more but then you can be sure that you have a good quality product, that has inside what it promises outside.

I created a lot of recipes with Acai powder amongst many other superfood, plantbased recipes. Check it out—> EBOOK

Some great facts about Acai are:

High ORAC Score. Acai has a high ORAC score of 70,000 (3x higher than goji and 10x higher blueberries). It is a source of polyphenols, the compounds that make it so purple. The darker the colour, the higher its levels of polyphenols.
Our Acai is rich in essential fatty acids omega-3-6 and contains omega-9 oleic acid.
Reduces Total and Non-HDL Cholesterol. Studies have shown supplementation with acai can reduce total and non-HDL cholesterol.

For the basic Acai bowl you need to blend:

2 frozen bananas
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 handful of raspberries
2 capsules of Acai powder (I use the ones from Organicburst, cause they are good quality)

Acai-chocolate covered popsicles with peanuts and seasalt

April 11, 2015 By Lara 1 Comment

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed berries

1 tbsp agave syrup (optional but recommended)

1 tsp Acai powder (buy it at organicburst and make use of 10% when using the code LARA10)

1 tbsp Spirulina (organicburst)

1/2 cup coconut cream

a handful of peanuts

1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate

pinch of sea salt

Method

For the Acai mixture, mix the berries with the acai and the agave syrup in a food processor until smooth.

Fill in popsicles tins and freeze for at least 2 hours

For the cover melt the chocolate and pour it over frozen popsicles. Decorate with peanuts and sea salt before chocolate has cooled down and hardened.

For the Spirulina option, mix coconut cream with the spirulina and layer popsicles. (Add sweetener if you like to have it more sweet.)

If you like to purchase Spirulina or Acai Powder, make sure you safe 10% by using my code LARA10

Happy Popsicle Party <3

The perfect moist vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies- So easy even my grandma can make them!

September 30, 2014 By Lara 9 Comments

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas beans, rinsed well

1.5 Tbsp. peanut butter

2 tbsp coconut milk

2 Tbsp coconut oil (or any other oil)

3 Tbsp coconut flour flour

2 tbsp agave syrup

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

⅓ cup dark or white vegan chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 370F (170 degree)

Combine the beans, coconut milk, peanut butter, and coconut oil in a food processor and process until smooth.

Add in the coconut flour, sugar, agave syrup, vanilla, and salt, and continue processing until combined and mousse-like.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with the extra chocolate chips if you like ( this is for the look 😛 )

Bake for 10 minutes or longer if needed ( depends on your oven)

Best served warm with a glass of almond milk!!

Easy Vegan Pancakes with a secret ingredient Creme you would never expect!

July 21, 2014 By Lara 6 Comments

Ingredients (for 6 Pancakes):

2 Cups Soymilk
1 1/2 Cup Coconut flour (or any other flour. If any other is used you might need more, cause coconut flour is a really dry flour)
1/4 tsp Salt
4 tbsp Coconut Sugar 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Coconut oil for the pan

Method:
In a bowl mix all the ingredients
Befor you pour the dough in the pan, put some coconut oil in.

Creme:
500 gr Tofu (soft)
1/4 Cup Coconut sugar
3 tbsp Soymilk
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

Method:

mix all the ingredients in a bowl
put in the fridge before filling the pancakes.

Zutaten (für ca. 6 Pfannkuchen):

500 ml Sojamilch
200 g Kokosnuss Mehl (oder irgendein anderes Mehl)
1 Prise Salz
4 EL Zucker + evtl. 1 TL Vanillezucker für süße Pfannkuchen oder nur 1,5 TL Kokosnusszucker für herzhafte Pfannkuchen
Öl oder vegane Margarine fürs anbraten

Zubereitung:
In einer Schüssel alle Zutaten vermengen.
Vor jedem Pfannkuchen etwas Öl oder Magarine in einer beschichteten Pfanne verteilen

Creme:
Zutaten
500 gr Tofu
30 g Kokosnuss Zucker
20 ml Sojamilch
1 EL Vanille-Extrakt

Zubereitung:
Alle Zutaten in einer Schüssel mixen.
Bis zum Servieren kalt stellen.

Guilt-free Vegan Cannoli

June 25, 2014 By Lara 10 Comments

How doesn’t like a traditional Italian dessert! Well, this one comes in a healthy, vegan way and is as yummi as the original one!

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Coconutoil
2 tbsp ground Flax seeds +5 tbsp Water (2 large egg whites)
1/3 cup Almond flour
1/3 cup Coconut Sugar or Stevia
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.
Grind the flax seeds in a coffee grinder, and mix with water. Allow it to rest till it becomes gelatinous, then use.
In a bowl whisk together the flex seeds (egg whites), coconut sugar, coconut oil and vanilla.
Add in cocoa powder and almond flour.
Spoon the dough, spacing cookies 3 inches apart.
With the back of the spoon, spread each cookie to about 4-inch diameter.
Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.
Using an offset spatula, loosen cookies from baking sheet and shape into tube form.

Filling

1 cup firm young coconut pulp
2 bananas
1 tsp cup coconut oil
1 pitted medjool dates

Blend ingredients together until creamy. Set aside and refrigerate and then pipe into Cannoli.
Decorate with CHocolate and Pistachios.

Raw Summer Treats

June 13, 2014 By Lara 4 Comments

CRUST
1 cup almonds or 2-3 tbsp almond butter
1 cup pitted dates
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
3 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla powder
1/3 cup walnuts

METHOD
Pulse the walnuts in a food processor, just a little so they still stay chunky.
Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor except the walnuts.
After you’ll add in the walnuts gently.
Press mixture into a pan and store in fridge while making icing.

CHOCOLATE LINE
1/4cup raw cacao powder
1/4cup organic rice malt syrup
1/3cup coconut oil

Mix everything together.

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CHERRY FILLING
2Cups fresh cherries or frozen (remove pips)
Fresh juice of 1 small lemon
1Tbsp coconut water
3Cups shredded coconut
1Tbsp rice malt syrup
1Cup raw cashews (soaked and rinsed for at least two hours)
1Tbsp chia seeds
Pinch of Himalayan salt (pink salt)

Simply blend all the ingredients in a food processor and place over Crust.
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MINT FILLING
1 cup soaked cashews
1/4 desiccated coconut
1/2 cup milk of choice
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup baby spinach leaves
Handful of mint leaves
A drop or two of peppermint essence (optional)

Method:
Process cashews, coconut, milk & coconut oil in a food processor. Mixture should be completely smooth so keep processing. Add mint leaves, spinach & essence and blend until leaves have fully disintegrated. Pour the filling over the crust and the Chocolate Line. Freeze until firm.