Happy New Year Fruit Rainbow :)

I hope everyone is having the most amazing beginning to 2016! This Fruit Rainbow really makes me smile. I saw a similar idea on Pinterest and had to reproduce myself! Of course this was a huge hit too!!! Fun!

The recipe is pretty simple. Just cut the fruit to size and follow ROY G BIV for the fruit order on skewers!

Enjoy 🙂

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No Bake Chocolate Macaroons

Oh how I LOVE Oh She Glows! Just amazing! I am a huge fan of raw desserts, but not everyone is. Thankfully my family loved these macaroons for Passover. They definitely are not your traditional but they were super yummy and even considered healthy! How fun! Another one of our recipes that can be enjoyed anytime!!

I doubled the recipe and used small and big ice cream scoopers to make big macaroons and mini ones 🙂 (or baby ones as my kiddos would say!) 

No Bake Chocolate Ma

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No Bake Chocolate Macaroons
Recipe from ohsheglows.com
Raw, Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, grain-free

12 macaroons

  • 1 banana, finely mashed
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)*
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)(I used)
  • small pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the banana until most of the clumps are gone. Stir in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.
  2. Sift in the cocoa powder and stir until combined. Now stir in the coconut, optional chia seeds, and fine grain sea salt to taste.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat. Using a spoon or retractable ice cream scooper, scoop rounds onto the sheet. Place sheet in the freezer for around 20 minutes, or until macaroons are firm. Store in the freezer until ready to enjoy. They will soften at room temperature.

Note: 1/4 cup pure maple syrup results in a lightly sweet macaroon. Feel free to adjust the sweetener to your own taste buds, especially because some cocoa powders may be stronger than others.

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Banana Date Smoothie & Oatmeal

This recipe started off as me making the kiddos’ food which is funny because often they are eating what we make for us. But as I was making this (and tasted it!) I really wanted some too 🙂

So the babies had the oatmeal version and I had the smoothies (although I am sure they and I would have loved both!)

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Banana Date Smoothie & Oatmeal

  • 10 or so dried dates (I steamed them to make them extra soft, but not really necesary)
  • 3 bananas
  • dash of cinnamon
  • 1 cup of almond milk (less for oatmeal, more for smoothie)

Super simple, just blend and either combine with cooked oatmeal or add extra almond milk for a smoothie.

NYC Food Update

What a great couple of food outings I have had over the last couple of weeks! YUM! Some goodies but oldies and some that I have been wanting to try out and finally made my way over to. Love that!!

My Babies Blessing Party at Candle 79. Awesome!! Always an amazing time there 🙂

Quintessence in the East Village has always been a solid stand out as far as vegan raw food. I have been totally craving Caesar salads lately and they make such a great one! I have actually had that and their raw tacos twice over the last 2 weeks haha. So good! The Caesar dressing is amazing with a generous amount of avocados in the salad to make for salad perfection! YUM! Plus the tacos are just super awesome too. I love that you can order just one.

Dirt Candy is also in the East Village and I have been wanting to go there since Amanda Cohen opened it up a few years ago. FINALLY we were able make it there! It was actually pretty hard to get a decent time reservation but luckily I planned this one in advance and there we were 🙂 It is a pretty tiny, yet adorable place but of course the main reason why we were there was the OUTSTANDING food! As you know I am quite the foodie and been to many many restaurants but I have to say – I was beyond impressed with everything we ate! I am really hoping to go back super soon and try the other half of the menu!

We started with the Jalapeno Hush Puppies served with maple butter (how could we not!) and the Mushroom! dish portobello mousse, truffled toast pear & fennel compote, incredible! Complex, creamy and of course deelish! Then we moved on to our entrees. I have to say, everything we had was well thought out, very creative, visually stunning and sooo tasty! Chardchard gnocchi, grilled chard, garlic granola & drunken fig jam and Cauliflower buttermilk battered cauliflower, waffles,  horseradish, wild arugula. And although we were getting pretty full how could I not try their dessert after such an incredible meal! Popcorn Pudding salted caramel corn. The other desserts had more of an out there sound to them, and although I am sure they were deelish, I had to go with this one. Suffice it to say, there was no disappointment here 🙂 We will for sure be back and are just sad that it took us this long to finally make it there!

Cauliflower - buttermilk battered cauliflower, waffles,horseradish, wild arugula

Chard - chard gnocchi, grilled chard,garlic granola & drunken fig jam

Lula’s Sweet Apothecary is another East Village fabulous vegan stand out when you are craving some amazing dessert. This awesome warm weather we have been having was just the perfect excuse to head over for some ice cream. They have a ton of fabulous flavors and I have tried many of them but I am sure as a lot of people would agree with – the Cake Batter soft serve is not to be missed. This is the first time I tried it with a topping and I had to go caramel sauce. So happy I did that! haha YUM!!!!

Cake Batter Ice Cream -- photo from http://www.theurbanhousewife.com

Gingersnap’s Organic  is another amazing new raw place to open up in the East Village. It just opened up in November and I am so happy I didn’t wait too long to make it over there! The owner, Jamie, is super awesome, friendly and down to earth. The place itself is really cute, comfortable and they specialize in food on the fly. So although they have an awesome full menu, you can can just grab pre-made food and run. I had already eaten lunch when I went but wanted to try one of their raw vegan dessert specialties. OH MY Chocolate Ganache Cake! It was seriously the best raw food cake I have ever eaten! I am sure this would pass to anyone for a master slice of chocolate cake. I love raw food, but I know the thoughts and feelings many people have about them as desserts, and this one seriously measures up! YUM! I am excited to come back here and try the rest of the menu and their cool looking cleanse as well. Welcome to the neighborhood Gingersnaps!

Gobo is a West Village mostly vegan restaurant that has a cool vibe to it. I have been going there for years and years! It was always the, parents taking me out go-to restaurant, for so long 🙂 But it had been maybe 2 years that we have been there and it was super nice to revisit. I always start with their Scallion pancakes with homemade mango salsa. Then we moved on to the natural Seitan medallions in sizzling spicy citrus sauce and the Organic king oyster mushrooms in sizzling basil black bean sauce. I typically would not order a mushroom dish as an entrée but last time I was here my friend ordered it and I was lucky to get a taste. So deelish! The king oyster mushroom is such a star! My very favorite dish there is the Pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps, which I could not help ordering to go for my lunch the next day 🙂 Absence does make the heart grow fonder, it was nice to go back. Yum!

Pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps

Marisa’s Babies Blessing Party

Candle 79 is one of the best restaurants ever as far as I am concerned! It’s on the UES so a bit of a hike for us, but makes the ultimate date night spot. Romantic, Cozy and deelish!! Check out my review from 2009.

But I went there for a very different reason recently. I had my fabulous Babies Blessing Brunch Party there. SO much fun, a bunch of beautiful girlfriends and the best food to celebrate the almost arrival of our little kiddos 🙂 Benay, the manager, was amazing in helping me set up this event and everything went super smooth. The food of course was deelish!

My mom made fabulous favors: Super cute planters all prepped with organic soil and seeds and a super cute flower on top 🙂 So perfect!!

Thanks ladies! Such a great day to celebrate!!!

We had a great menu!

APPETIZERS


Guacamole Timbale
chipotle black beans, caramelized onions, cucumber-jicama salsa, tortilla chips, ranchero sauce

Steamed Dumplings
seitan, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, sesame-soy-ginger sauce
Angel’s Nachos

corn chips, mozzarella, tomatoes, refried pinto beans, chili-grilled seitan, guacamole, salsa, tofu sour cream, romaine lettuce

ENTRÉE


Stuffed Avocado Salad
baby greens, quinoa, zucchini, cucumber, radishes, black beans, toasted pumpkin seeds, grape tomatoes, chipotle-avocado dressing

Black Bean-Pumpkin Seed Burger
mixed lettuces, avocado, polenta fries, chipotle ketchup


Home-Style Pancakes
seasonal fruit, cranberry butter, gingered maple syrup

Wild Mushroom-Squash Risotto
cashew cream, pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs, frizzled leeks

Seitan Picatta
creamed spinach, grilled potato cake, oyster mushrooms, lemon-caper sauce

Check out my version of this famous dish 🙂

and then Dessert 🙂

Live Sweet Potato Parfait
nut granola, huckleberry ice cream


Cannoli
vanilla cream filling, coconut-chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate sauce


Apple Cranberry Pie
toasted oat crumble, french vanilla ice cream, berry
coulis, candied almonds

There were lots of fabulous beverages going around. I was super happy to have ordered the Coconut-Mint Frappe avocado, coconut water, agave, mint, lime. AMAZING!! I have been craving this drink ever since!

Yummy Protein Goo Ball Bites

I have been doing my best to get as much protein as possible lately. (Thank goodness for Brendan Brazier’s Vega Bars!) I have made many versions of this snack throughout my life, but never added protein powder before and it really was such a perfect addition! I made both vanilla and chocolate versions to enjoy 🙂 Awesome!

These were so super fast to whip up and even faster to eat haha so make sure you make some extra for the perfect on the go snacks.

Yummy Protein Goo Ball Bites

Chocolate Version

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (as I mentioned above – I love Brendan Brazier’s products from Vega and his Shake & Go Smoothie Chocolate is amazing!!!!)
2 tablespoons Artisana coconut butter (this is the best stuff ever!)
2 teaspoons honey or agave
1 heaping teaspoon organic peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
1/4 cup light coconut milk

Vanilla Version

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (my absolute favorite vanilla powder – Life Time Lifes Basics Plant Protein)
2 tablespoons Artisana coconut butter
2 teaspoons honey or agave
1 heaping teaspoon organic peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
1/4 cup light coconut milk

Combine all ingredients. You might need a little more protein powder or coconut if too wet or some coconut milk if too dry. Roll into balls in your hands.

Optional add ons:

  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • Extra shredded coconut

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and dip the bites in the bowl. Then sprinkle coconut over and freeze until firm.

My 30th Birthday!

I LOVE Birthdays and I turned 30 last week! SO of course a fun reason to celebrate!

On Friday Night we celebrated at Friday Night Yoga Social! FNYS is an AMAZING class I teach with two unbelievable, inspiring and beautiful teachers and friends; Mimi and Angie. It was so perfect to be able to celebrate with many of our students and friends, such a special night as always! If you are ever in NYC on a Friday Night, come to our fun class!!

Saturday was more fun party time 🙂 And of course since this was my party, there had to be yummy vegan food!

Terri’s delivered their SUPER YUMMY sandwiches. Michael and I LOVE all their Vegan sandwiches but seem to never get enough of the Vegan Bacon Cheddar Chicken Ranch sandwiches. See my review here from when they first opened. It was great to see all these non-vegans Loving these scrumptious sandwiches too, always fun of course! Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures. But go there yourself and try these sandwiches out, so good!

I also had a crudité platter from Whole Foods. Of course a crudité platter would not normally get a honorable mention but this one was special because it had a super yummy Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip. The catering guy at Whole Foods Union Square, Mark, was Super awesome and so helpful! We went around the whole store to score the best vegan dip for the platter. Perfection!

I love my sweets and since it was a birthday party, there had to be a cake and then of course some more desserts 😉 I brought the deelish vegan brownie bites, chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies from BabyCakes. And the cake, oh the cake…. one of our faves, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bomb Cake from Vegan Treats… we bought it at Atlas since Vegan Treats is in PA, but they sell their AMAZING cakes and treats all over the city so thank goodness not hard to come up with. (pic below)

Then on another night Michael took me to Pure Food & Wine to celebrate just the two of us 🙂 YUM!! And of course this meal had to end with the amazing Mint Sundae. (pic below)

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with me and who sent Birthday Wishes!! Lots of love all around!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bomb Cake

Ugh Oh! This is a dangerous cake to have leftovers of! YUM!!

Mint Sundae from Pure Food & Wine

Raw Fudge Brownies with frosting

The fudge brownies are delicious! The frosting on top really added to how yummy they were. It gave the brownies 2 different textures, awesome! I love how amazing raw desserts can be. Make a batch of these and keep them in the fridge. All you need is little slices, just a taste is enough. These will stay great for over a week.

Raw Fudge Brownies
adapted from Raw Lou Lou

1 Tablespoon melted cacao butter
2 Tablespoons cacao nibs
2 Tablespoons cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon hemp protein powder
1 Tablespoon carob powder
1 cup soaked macadamia nuts
2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 handful goji berries
2 Tablespoons almond nut butter
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1  1/2 Tablespoons agave
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend all of the above in a Vitamix or a food processor. Press into a loaf baking  pan and set in fridge.
Chocolate Frosting
1 avocado
1 Tablespoon agave
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon cacao powder
Blend all of the above together and spread on top of the fudge brownie mix and leave to set in the fridge. Enjoy!

Before Frosting

with the yummy frosting!

Parent’s Dinner Party – Dessert Time!

Although the meal was sooo good, dessert is always our favorite time! I made a deelish Fresh Mango Coconut Cobbler, my Mom brought yummy home-made vegan cookies and my Mother in Law brought amazing Jacques Torres Dark Chocolate and fresh fruit! How fabulous!!!

Thank you for coming over and sharing a wonderful meal with us!

Raw Mango Cobbler Goodness

Mom's Cookies

Decadent!!

Cobbler Filling

Fresh Mango Coconut Cobbler
Adapted from Ani Phyo

Cobbler Crust:
3 cups pecans, dry
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup pitted dates

For the crust, process pecans, vanilla, and salt in food processor with S blade. Add pitted dates and process until mixed well.
Sprinkle half of the cobbler crust onto the bottom of your pie dish, and set aside.

Cobbler Filling:

3 to 4 ripe mangos, peel, seed, slice (about 2 cups)
1 batch Orange Coconut Syrup, below

Place sliced mango into a large mixing bowl and toss with Orange Coconut Syrup.

Cobbler Coconut Syrup:
1/3 cup pitted dates
1/3 cup agave
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup water, as needed

Place all ingredients into blender, adding water as needed to make a smooth syrup. Pour syrup into bowl with mango, and mix well.
Scoop coated mango onto cobbler crust. Top with half of remaining cobbler crust and serve!
Will keep for 3-5 days in refrigerator. Try as a delicious way to start your day!
Mom’s Banana Nut Bread Cookies
adapted from vegweb.com

1 1/4 cup flour (unbleached, all purpose)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 mashed banana
1 teaspoons baking powder
handful of walnuts, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small – medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugar, and vanilla.  Mix in mashed banana and baking powder.
Add ingredients in the small bowl and stir well.
Once it is well stirred, lightly mix in the crushed handful of walnuts.
Drop by tablespoons onto lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake 15-18 minutes

Banana Macadamia Cookies

I love raw cookies! Not sure if it gets much simpler than these, only 4 ingredients! Super fast and simple to make. Just put them in the D and enjoy! SO fudgey and deeelish! These are great for a snack and work perfectly for on-the-go 🙂

Perfect for my raw cleanse!!

Before the Dehydrator

Banana Macadamia Cookies

1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1 cup ripe bananas

In food processor blend raisins and walnuts until smooth. Add in macadamia nuts and bananas. Spoon into rounds onto the sheet and dehydrate for 8 to 10 hours. Enjoy!!

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