Crispy Vegan Avocado Tacos

Celebration TACOS? Why not? What better way to celebrate any occasion than with tacos, stuffed with crispy, baked, avocado, some roasted radishes, some spicy smashed siriacha beans, and some crunchy bits. When I made these, I was just playing around with the idea of crispy avocado. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a warm and crunchy avocado (I like my avocado, cool and creamy) but ….. I have to say, I feel really really really good about warm, crunchy avocado, especially when it’s in a tortilla. with lots of other delicious stuff.

These tacos are very easy to throw together, so they are perfect for a fun, simple weeknight meal, or great if you want to invite some friends over for a taco party. Less time cooking, more time celebrating and partying is what I am all about right now.

Crispy Avocado Tacos

MAKES
about 8-10 tacos

INGREDIENTS

about 1 cup of butter radishes, quartered
a drizzle of olive oil
salt + pepper
3-4 avocados, that are on the firm side
1/4 cup of bread crumbs (gluten-free if you want to make this gf)
1 can of (organic, no-sodium) cannelloni beans, drained
2 tablespoons of your favorite sriracha
about 1 cup of purple or green cabbage, shredded (sliced very thin)
about 10 tortillas (I like to use Ezekiel gluten-free sprouted tortillas)

*additional (optional) toppings: micro greens, pain yogurt, sautée onions

METHOD

Roast the radish:

Pre-heat the oven to 400º.

Place the sliced radish onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 10-15 minute until the radish is soft. Remove and set aside until you’re ready to assemble the tacos.

Prepare + bake the avocado:

Turn the oven heat up to 425º.

Slice the avocados by halving them, remove the pit, and then using a spoon, gently separate the avocado from the skin (keeping it in one piece). Then slice each half, lengthwise, into three slices. Each avocado will yield 6 slices.

Pour the bread crumbs onto a plate or flat surface, and one by one, dip the avocado into the bread crumbs so they are completely coasted on both sides. Then place them onto a baking sheet (season with salt and pepper if your bread crumbs are not seasoned). Do this until all of the avocados have been coated.

Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the crust has become light brown.
While the radish and avocados are baking,
prepare the beans:

Place the drained beans into a bowl with the sriracha, and mash it all together with a fork. Do this until they are all roughly mashed.

Assemble the tacos:

Place a spoonful of the sriracha beans onto the center of the tortilla. Then top with 2-3 slices of avocado, and a couple of rashes. Fishish with a pinch or two of the cabbage and any other additional toppings that you like.

Raw Vegan Nanaimo Choclate Bar

It’s the new year and many set their news years resolution. This raw vegan treat will keep you on track while quenching that sweet tooth that likes to creep up on all of us. So grap one or even 2 if you can. It truly is a guilt free snack.

This recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, raw, grain free, no-bake, chocolately and ofcourse delicious!

RAW VEGAN NANAIMO BARS
Makes 12-16 Raw Nanaimo Bars

Chocolate Crust Ingredients:
1 Cup Slivered Almonds
1/2 Cup Soaked Dates
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
Dash of Salt

Cream Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Soaked Cashews
3 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1/4 Cup Coconut Cream (Pre-refridgerated – thick consistency)
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Topping Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Soaked Cashews
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar

Directions:
-Place all cream layer ingredients into your food processor and blend until completely smooth.
-Place into a bowl and set aside.
-Place all chocolate topping ingredients into your food processor and blend until completely smooth.
-Place into a bowl and set aside.
-Place crust ingredients into your food processor and blend until dough-like.
Set aside.
-Place the crust mixture into an 8×8 -silicone baking pan or a loaf pan (for thicker squares).
-Press down and even out the crust.
-With a fresh spatula top crust layer with your cream layer. Spread out evenly.
-Top cream layer with your chocolate layer (you will have extra of this layer so use as much or as little as you would like).
-Cover baking dish with saran wrap and place in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
-Remove from freezer, cut into squares and serve!

*Tip – Store Raw Nanaimo Bars in the freezer.

Raw Vegan PISTACHIO DATE CLUSTERS

With only 8 ingredients, no oven and 15 minutes you can make these amazing raw vegan pistachios date clusters. They are vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, raw, and only naturally-sweetened. Also, they’re delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
Date Caramel

2 cups pitted dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup + 2 tbsp raw shelled pistachios
1 tsp sea salt

Coating

¼ cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
2 tbsp cup coconut oil, liquid
1 tbsp maple syrup/agave/raw honey
2 tbsp crushed raw shelled pistachios, for topping.

INSTRUCTIONS:

-In a food processor, combine dates, warm water, ¼ cup and 2 tbsp pistachios, sea salt, and vanilla until a paste forms.
-Transfer paste to a foil-lined small 4×4 dish or square Tupperware. Spread evenly, cover, and freeze for 10 minutes.
-Meanwhile, combined cacao powder, liquid coconut oil, and maple syrup in a medium bowl with a whisk until homogenous.
-Remove pan from freezer and cut into squares. Dip each date square into the chocolate coating and sprinkle with remaining pistachios.
-Place each square on a lined baking sheet and return to freezer for 15 minutes.

Store in refrigerator.

And enjoy!!!

Sunflower Seed Mylk

Creamy and delicious raw vegan milk that’s just as good as almond milk but without the nuts!

This mylk is awesome for everyone especially anyone who who’s allergic to nuts, oats, rice, soy or any other ingredient that’s been transformed into a dairy-free milk.

BENEFITS OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS

I bet you’re wondering, ‘Why make milk out of Sunflower seeds?’ I’ll tell you wh?

Because they’re high in vitamin E and vitamin E keeps our immune system rockin’ and our skin glowing. We all like glowing skin.

Also, they’re loaded with magnesium that helps keep our bones strong and our muscles chilled out and relaxed.

Lastly, you’ll find a bunch of selenium in these little guys, the trace mineral that helps repair your DNA.

Little power bombs, these guys are.

What is a Detox? Ten Reasons To do A Juice Feasting Cleanse

Why Cleanse?
Why do people do a juice cleanse?
Doesn’t your body detox itself its a waste of money to do a juice cleanse?
Juice cleanses screw up your body?
What toxins does the juice cleanse remove, why cant these companies that sell juice cleanses tell you the name of the toxins that are being removed?

I am sure you have heard all these questions and even you yourself have wondered what is the point of a juice cleanse. I am here to tell you its not a hoax, its not a waste of money, and its not useless.

So yes your body does detox itself daily. Or I should say your body is supposed to be detoxing itself daily. Your body works like a well oiled clock. Every few hours in the day a different organ in your body is attempting to detox itself. Have you ever wondered why when you wake up in the morning one of the first things that happen is you go poop. That is because your intestines detox between the hours of 3 and 6am. Problem is our eating habits and lifestyles have changed dramatically. We consume lots of dairy, meat, processed and nutrient deficient foods. We don’t sleep enough, we don’t exercise and get our bodies moving.

The body becomes overloaded with toxins due to various internal and external forces such as unhealthy foods, stress, sleeping habits and harmful environments.

It’s important to flush these toxins out of the body regularly to make sure that the body’s systems are running properly.

Common signs of excess toxins in the body are fatigue, excessive weight gain, skin reactions (rashes and acne), constipation, and bad breath to name a few.

There are two main sources of toxins that affect the body on a daily basis:

Environmental Toxins: These are toxins outside of the body. They include things like pesticides, carbon monoxide, the perfume or cologne you wear, your cleaning products and other chemicals people come in contact with on a daily basis.

Metabolic Toxins: These are toxins on the inside of the body. This can happen through a variety of mechanisms, but the main thought here is something that has been eaten and absorbed into the cells through digestion. The dairy and meat you eat have growth hormones given to the chickens, cows and etc, they also contain antibiotics. Something to keep in mind is that 85 percent of the antibiotics in the world are used on the foods you eat. There is also the fluoride that is added to your water, linked to dementia and Alzheimer. We have all heard about GMOs cant forget those, not to mention preservatives like salt, MSG, and all those long complicated names that you see written on the ingredient lists of foods. We can write a novel about the toxins that are inside your body at this moment just from the foods you have eaten.

What is a detox? You can detox in a variety of ways, but the main purpose is simple – to get the toxins out of the body, best way is by doing a juice cleanse. WHY? A juice feasting cleanse gives your digestion a break by flooding your system with nutrients it needs to reset, reboot and heal. A raw juice is be absorbed by your digestive system within 15 minutes, compared to other foods you eat that can take anywhere from 24 to 36 hours. Anytime you eat your body can use up to 80 percent of its energy on digestion, and that is not good. Hence why you might feel tired after eating complex foods like meat, dairy and processed. When your body is using 80 percent of its energy trying to digest the food you just ate, other organs that are meant to be detoxing are not.

Other ways to detox after your cleanse are through dieting, exercise, inhaling fresh air, and consuming more water, fruits, and vegetables. Juicing can have dramatic effects on your overall health and how you feel.

10 Reasons to do a Tailored Juice feasting cleanse and Detoxify the Body

1. Youthful energy

Remember the vibrant, non-stop energy you had in your youth? Detox programs can help to get some of it back. One of best benefits from detoxification of the body is increased energy levels.

Cutting out harmful chemicals like sugars, hydrogenated oils, fatty foods, and dangerous energy drinks while replacing them with water, vegetables, and fresh fruits, can cause a dramatic spike in the body’s natural energy levels.

Things you will notice in your day-to-day life:

Wake up and feel energized to start the day
Experience less midday energy crashes
Have a greater desire for new experiences instead of time on the couch

2. Improves mental clarity

There is a direct connection between cognitive and digestive health. Once you improve your overall health, you will notice the mind becoming clearer. Foods labeled as inflammatory not only affect your organs and gut, but the brain as well. Most people overlook the important fact that inflammation from foods happens in the brain as well as the body.

Once you clear your plate of sugar and fatty foods, you will notice clearer thinking and an improved mood as a result of the detoxification process.

Things you will notice in your day to day life:

Less brain fog, especially midday
Better focus and attention to detail on daily tasks

3. Strengthens the immune system

If you feel like you’re constantly catching a cold or the flu, juicing and juice cleanses will help. When the body detoxes, it is freed up from the toxin burden on major organs and can operate like it was designed to.

All good juice cleanses will provide a healthy amount of vitamin C, which has been conclusively shown to improve the immune system and protect against diseases. Also you will be getting all the nutrients, phytonutrients and minerals your immune system needs to fight anything that comes its way.

Things you will notice in your day to day life:

Get the common cold less often than co-workers and friends
Recovering faster from illnesses when they happen

4. Aids in weight loss

It’s easy to see how cutting out processed foods, dairy, meat, sugars and fatty foods from the diet will impact weight quickly. Toxins affect the body’s natural ability to burn fat and lead to weight gain. When foods are not digesting properly, losing weight will be more difficult. Juicing gives your digestive system a vacation. The juice you drink will be absorbed by your digestive system within 15 minutes, where the food you normally eat can spend 24 to 36 hours in your digestive system.

Things you will notice in your day to day life:

Yoga pants will fit better
Juice cleanses do help you loose fat cells
Gradual steady weight loss over time

5. Slows the aging process

By reducing the amount of toxins and free radical damage done to the body, you will notice benefits in both the short-term and the long-term. Free radicals are incomplete electrons that are devastating to your health and aging processes, but when you eats more vegetables and fresh fruits, they will combat these free radicals with powerful antioxidants.

The antioxidants will keep the body looking younger and healthier while slowing the aging process.

Things you will notice in your day to day life:

Less wrinkles on your forehead and around the eyes
Less bags under the eyes when you wake up

6. Clearer skin

Environmental and diet-based toxins can have very visible results on the largest organ in the body – the skin. Detoxifying the body can help with acne, will strengthen nails and hair, and will help provide a natural healthy glow. As toxins leave the body though the skin (your biggest eliminative organ), a slight increase in acne or even patchiness to the skin is common.

Don’t worry though, it will clear up after a few days and when it does, you will be left with healthy, vibrant skin that you will love.

Things you will notice in your day to day life:

Improved skin color and overall complexion
Nails and hair will grow a little faster than normal
Acne will become a rare occurrence, if ever

7. Helps curb sugar and carb cravings

It is a fact that sugar and carbohydrates are biologically addictive. Sugar has even been reported to be 8 times more addictive than cocaine. There’s a reason why it’s so hard to give it up, and thankfully a sugar detox can help with this. There really is no better way to kick these craving than to cut it out for awhile. The problem is that this can induce headaches and sluggish feelings that come with withdrawal.

That is why replacing the process sugars and bad carbs with healthy organic cold pressed raw juice is important. Yes the Fruit does have sugar but those sugars come with enzymes that help break them down and make them healthy do your body.

Things you will notice in your day to day life:

Cravings for fruits and vegetables
Bad feelings if you consume sugars and bad carbs again

8. Improves digestive health

When detoxing, the body is getting rid of the excess waste stored in the gut and fat cells. The primary way this happens is through the increase in fiber that comes with the raw juice. Yes you heard us say it, Raw juices do have fiber, its all about the machine you use when you juice those fruits and vegetables. The fiber helps cleanse the colon and drag out any of the toxins that get built up over time. It also improves the functionality of the liver and kidneys that are responsible for processing the foods that you eat.

In this way, the body will be able to better absorb the vitamins and nutrients from your food.

Things you will notice in your day to day life:

Becoming regular
More instant energy from food

9. Establishes healthy habits

Doing a juice cleanse for 10 days and longer will make a huge impact on your life, and will help you make healthy choices and decisions for the days following. The key to making clean eating and being healthy work for you is establishing lifelong habits that you can stick with. That is why detox programs should be the first stepping stone to living a healthier life.

When you cleanse the body and replace the old foods with healthier food choices, you can train yourself into making your health a priority in your life.

Things you will notice in your day-to-day life:

Thinking about how a specific food is going to impact long-term goals
Waking up and thinking about healthy decisions first thing in the morning

10. Restores balance to the body’s systems

The body is a complex group of intertwining systems that work together in order to achieve optimal health. The nervous system, digestive system, and hormonal system are trying their best to keep you healthy and reproduce your genes. That is what the body is made for!

Detoxing and getting rid of these harmful toxins will bring balance back to your overall system and make you feel like you’re in a brand new body!

Things you will notice in your day to day life

Becoming happier with yourself
Improved mood and outlook on day-to-day living

Raw Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese

This vegan cashew cream cheese is exceptionally easy to make: just pop all of your ingredients into a high powdered food processor (Like vitamix) and blend until creamy. How long you need to blend for will depend on your equipment – this took less than a minute in the Vitamix – so keep checking as you go. Without a Vitamix or equivalent, it may take significantly longer but I haven’t tested this. If it comes out too thick, adding a little water should get you to your desired consistency.

Raw Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese

A creamy dairy-free spread that’s perfect on a bagel, with fruit or anything you would normally put cheese on.

Ingredients:

-60g plain cashew nuts, soaked in hot water for at least an hour
-1tbsp garlic-infused oil
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar
-Pinch of dried rosemary

Instructions:

-Drain the cashews and add into a high-powered blender along with the oil, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
-Blend for around 1 minute in a high powered blender, or around 3-5 minutes (or longer if needed) in a lower powder unit, until it has formed a smooth, thick paste that resembles cream cheese. If it is too thick, then add a little warm water.
-Transfer to a small dish and sprinkle over the dried rosemary. Serve on a hot bagel or use as a substitute to cream cheese in any other dish!
-Store in an airtight pot in the fridge for up to three days.

Notes
The garlic-infused oil can be substituted for one tablespoon of plain rapeseed or olive oil and one small crushed clove of garlic but the taste from the garlic will be stronger.

Depending on the strength of your blender, you may need to soak the cashews for longer or blend for longer. Older cashew nuts will also need soaking for longer than fresher ones.

Vegan Avocado Chocolate Muffins

img_0135The healthy fats in the avocado make these cupcakes as healthy as a bowl of kale and bean soup! OK, maybe not that healthy, but healthy enough to feel good about reaching for more. Each cupcake offers almost five grams of fiber and is just 230 calories. A regulat chocolate cupcake is 600++ calories! So you can indulge and have a second one.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp cacao powder
1 &1/2 cups gluten free whole wheat flour or you can use coconut flour
1 cup coconut sugar
1 cup mashed avocado
1 & 1/2 coconut or almond milk
2 tbsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp cacao nibs
2 tsp baking powder

Instruction:

1- Preheat the oven to 180c 350f
2- scoop out the inside of the avocados and mash or puree in a blender. Add the water, vanilla extract sugar and mix.
3- sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and
4- Salt then stir then add the cacao nibs and fold in.
5- fold into muffin wrappers and bake for 20 minutes. Check with a skewer and if it comes out clean they are done
img_0136

Avocado Dill Dip Recipe

img_9920This avocado dill dip can bring a delicious wrap to that next level perfection. It’s perfect for wraps, burritos, tortillas or tacos. It has a very fresh, yet fragrant flavor thanks to our buddy Garlic.

Avocado is great for your skin, your hair and your health. It prevents cancer, inflammation and is bursting with antioxidants. The green fat fruit with a huge seed inside, as my mother likes to call avocado, contains Biotin, which is an important vitamin for hair and nail strength.

Dill has antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties. It contains a lot of Iron and Calcium – both important for skin health maintenance.
img_9923 Lemon is highly alkalizing and full of Vitamin C, which is important for the synthesis of collagen – the protein, that holds the skin together and makes it nice and firm.

Garlic is not the one you want to mess around with – Garlic fights Cancer, Viruses, Fungi, Bacteria, Psoriasis, Acne, even Vampires and lowers blood pressure on top. It can also make your hair grow.

As you see the ingredients of this dip are pretty great on their own, but combined they’re even more beneficial for your skin and health.

For example Vitamin C from the lemon increases the absorption of Selen from the garlic. Selen is an antioxidant mineral, shown to also prevent cancer.
img_9921 Further the combination of Vitamin C from Lemon with Vitamin E from Avocado increases the antioxidant properties of both vitamins, so evil free radicals have no chance at damaging your skin.

Ingredients

1 avocado
1/2 lemon – juice it
1 garlic clove
a bunch of dill

Instructions

Chop dill, peel avocado, remove the big seed (as my mom likes to call it – a green fat thing with a big seed inside), juice the lemon, squeeze the garlic clove and put everything in the blender. Blend until smooth and you’re ready to dip!