Pomegranate-Mango Guacamole

There are various types of people who make up groups of friends, and I'm sure a lot of you are the foodie friends. That makes two of us. Whenever a party commences, I'm required to bring these two things: bean salad and guacamole (we're dip people). Of course I can add to my contributions, but if these items are not on the table, someone is going to bring it up. And it's not that I mind in the least bit either. These two dips guarantee my appetite will be taken care of amongst a sea of buffalo chicken and cream cheese. I tend to stick with variations of these and other Mexican-style dips, because I know they'll be crowd pleasers. "Vegan dip" can sometimes be met with wandering eyes. I've been holiday party hopping as of late, so I changed things up slightly to be a little more festive. Green avocados + red pomegranate seeds? Nailed it. And I know pomegranates can seem like a lot of work, but c'mon, they're like instant (not so instant) fancy food. I've been sprinkling these magenta jewels on just about everything, so I knew they'd be a great addition to a savory dip, not to mention meet my desire to add to the nutritional profile of anything I serve. This pomegranate-mango guacamole is skin-loving, superfood heaven. The entire pomegranate fruit (skin and all) has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, from remedies for intestinal troubles, to blood building and cataracts. The arils inside contain free-radical fighting antioxidants and provide the body with a good dose of vitamin C, vitamin K, and dietary fiber - all of which are effective in reducing blood pressure and heart disease risk factors. Their antibacterial properties may even help with dental plaque! On top of all that, the avocado, perhaps the most delicious addition to any meal, has a nutritional profile to match. Recent research shows that lycopene and beta-carotene (two key carotenoid antioxidants) absorption increase tremendously when avocado is added to an otherwise avocado-free salad. It's also recommended to peel your avocados rather than squeezing out the buttery insides to get the most bang for your buck. The greatest concentration of antioxidants lie just underneath the skin. Besides the healthy fat that make up most of the calories in the fruit, avocados are excellent sources of fiber, vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, B5, B6, and potassium. All of these stats are sure to combat the entire bag of chips you're about to throw down, too. It's called balance.

Pomegranate-Mango Guacamole

Inspired by A Cup of Jo

4 ripe avocados

3/4 cup chopped mango (fresh or frozen, thawed)

3/4 cup pomegranate arils

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 red onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

juice of 2 limes

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

himalayan pink salt (or sea salt), to taste

Add the onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and salt to a medium sized bowl. Mash as much as possible with the back of a fork or a potato masher (or use a mortar and pestle). Add in 3 of the avocados, and mash again, mixing everything together. Stir in the mango and pomegranate arils. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lime juice if necessary. Chop the last avocado into chunks, and gently fold in. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, and enjoy!

Banana Chip Chia Pancakes

**Another post I did for Sakara Life...enjoy!** 

Watching others indulge in garbage over the holidays is motivation for me to up my game in the kitchen. I'm looking for meals that taste like cookies, pies, and pancakes, but feel like salad. Is that possible? These buttermilk knockoffs definitely hit the spot. They're packed with nutritious ingredients, are super satisfying, and are perfectly reasonable lunch and dinner options. Is anything more mouth-watering than a fluffy stack of pancakes drizzled with maple syrup? Probably, but at the moment, no. Obviously my plating skills are above average when I want the pecan-pie-for-breakfast-folks to be a little jealous of what's in front of me. Here's to 2015!

Banana Chip Chia Pancakes

1/4 cup oats, ground

2 tablespoons almond meal (or protein powder)

pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water (chia egg)

1 large banana, mashed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons coconut water (or almond milk)

1 tablespoon cacao nibs

Stir together the chia seeds and water, and set aside to thicken. This is your egg replacement. Meanwhile, mix the ground oats, almond meal, and salt in a small bowl. Add the mashed banana, vanilla, and coconut water, and give it a stir. When the chia mixture is thick enough (5 minutes), add it to the pancake batter, along with the cacao nibs. Stir until combined.

Heat a frying pan over medium with a little coconut oil. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to make 4 small pancakes. Cook on medium/medium low for about 5-10 minutes per side. They take longer to cook than your standard pancake. When golden on either side, remove from heat, and start stacking. Layer with peanut butter, more banana slices, and maple syrup.

Raw Brownie Bites

**Here's another post I did for Sakara Life a couple summers ago. More holiday treat inspiration! Perfect for cocktail parties, hostess gifts, long car rides, or late-night snacking!**

If you're like me, then you're probably aboard the breakfast-for-dinner-train, solely for an excuse to eat another sweet meal. As a kid, my eating habits were far from healthy, and even though I've cleaned myself up quite a bit, my sweet tooth remains intact. If you're trying to lead more of a whole foods diet, but still can't end your day without dessert, I give you dates. I honestly don't know why this amazingly rich, sweet treat has not gone mainstream. Medjool dates are Mother Nature's caramel, and I really don't think it's my biased earthy-crunchy attitude towards food in general. This candy-like fruit grows on the date palm in large hanging clusters near the top of the tree, very similar to the coconut variety. Although most of the calories in dates come from sugar, eating just one or two can really satisfy a craving for something sweet. Take out the pits and fill them with a scoop of almond or coconut butter, and suddenly I think we should be friends. They're a great source of fiber, copper, and manganese, and have more potassium than bananas. They're also the main ingredient in most raw food desserts and bars, making this ancient fruit a perfect substitute for your daily cookie break or pre-workout energy boost.

This past summer (two summers ago) I put together a weekend with some of my favorite gal pals, filled with great music and even better snacks. We threw on our crop tops and high-waisted shorts, adorned ourselves with flower crowns, and piled into a Volkswagen, hoping to bring a bit of the 1969 Woodstock to the 2013 Nines Festival. Now typically I tend not to make big batches of desserts, no matter how raw and healthy they are, because I have no self control and will eat 45 brownie bites as quickly as I roll them out. My digestive system wishes I wouldn't. But when I have a group of fellow food lovers to share with, I'll gladly pull out all the stops. Our festival menu included these raw brownies, almond butter and coconut cups, homegrown peach salsa, a fancy quince jam and cheese board, all sorts of chips and hummus, and the most delicious huckleberry vodka and pear cocktail. We definitely got after it. Vodka milkshakes happened, too. I can't be sure what happened after that. All I know is, I woke up around 3 a.m., turned into The Hulk, and shoveled a handful of these brownies into my mouth. Surprisingly, the next morning wasn't too painful. Must be all those superfoods running through my system. 

Raw Brownie Bites
I realize maple syrup is not raw, but like, cut me some slack

12 medjool dates

1 cup raw pecans

3 tablespoons cacao powder

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Throw the pecans into a food processor and blend until crumbly. Add the dates and blend again. Mix in the cacao and maple syrup and process one last time until the dough comes together. 

Form into balls. Leave plain or roll in shredded coconut, cacao nibs, finely chopped walnuts, or extra cacao powder. Refrigerate or freeze to keep fresh (they thaw really quickly, and keep for months in the freezer!). 

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cashew Caramel Icing

***I did this post a little over a year ago for the NY-based organic meal delivery company, Sakara Life, but thought with the holidays at our doorstep, some of you might be looking for some "healthified" menu options. Hopefully I can once again keep up with blogging. I really do like it, I swear!***

It was my birthday this past Tuesday (no it wasn't), and after a weekend spent celebrating in the city, I welcomed a relaxed night in and a big bowl of pasta. Ever since I was little, my birthdays have been spent at my house with my closest friends and family and an Italian inspired meal. Keeping this tradition alive allows me to scam my way into two birthday parties: one spent over-drinking, and the other overeating. Birthdays are for splurging. I spend the remaining 363 days of the year binging on green juice and superfoods, so I really don't feel guilty. Besides, splurging for me usually means a little organic cheese or a vegan dessert. When I was younger my annual birthday meal was my mom's baked ziti. It has since grown up into my sister's penne a la vodka, and I really can't imagine it growing into anything else. Her vodka sauce is hands-down my favorite thing to eat. This year we served it over fusilli pasta and also as a bed for roasted fennel stuffed mushrooms (also amazing). I made the salad - a kale, currant, and pecorino mix, and also the cake. Yes, it's a little sad that I made my own birthday cake, but I really can't think of who else I'd trust with the challenge. Inspired by my favorite season, I went with a pumpkin spiced cake and a cashew date frosting. I'm always a little nervous when it comes to vegan baking, which is why my usual desserts are typically raw, but every birthday deserves a proper cake, especially when it's being served to non-vegans. Thankfully it was a big success. The cake was perfectly fluffy and moist, but the frosting really stole the show. I made the cake the night before and wrapped them in plastic on my counter. The frosting I made the next morning, and let sit in my fridge to thicken up a little until dinner. After soaking the cashews overnight, the rest of the frosting came together quickly with the help of a quality blender. I knew I'd love it as I added each ingredient to the machine. Cashews, dates, coconut milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt blended together to create the most perfectly sweetened, caramel-like creme, without any of the unhealthy culprits in your usual confection. Cashews are the ultimate when it comes to creating nutritious desserts. They contain the same heart-healthy unsaturated fat as olive oil, and are a great source of copper and manganese. The soaking also allows for easier digestion, and basically a healthy substitute for the butter usually used in frostings. A few too many spoonfuls were sacrificed before landing on the target. And as a self-declared frosting lover, I obviously had to make way more than was required for an 8-inch cake. The stellar ingredient list is all the more reason to have an extra scoop of frosting and a slice of cake for breakfast, which is exactly what I did every single day this week. The frosting also made for a delicious fruit dip, a faux yogurt in a breakfast parfait, and the obvious decision for a spoonful every time I opened the fridge.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Makes one 8-inch double layer cake

2 1/4 cups light spelt flour

3/4 cup coconut sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

a few pinches of ground cloves

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (100% pumpkin)

1 cup vanilla almond milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil two 8-inch round cake pans, and line the bottom of each with parchment paper. Lightly oil the parchment paper (I use coconut oil spray), and dust with some extra spelt flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, spices, baking powder and baking soda.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, almond milk, vanilla, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, along with the coconut oil, and whisk just until combined. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let cool in pans on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the pans, peel off the parchment, and cool completely directly on the rack. Frost immediately, or wrap in plastic overnight.

Cashew Caramel Icing

Cut this recipe in half if you don't want to eat frosting all week (is that a real thing?)

2 cups cashews, soaked overnight

16 medjool dates

1 1/2 cans coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pink himalayan salt

Process everything in a blender or food processor until smooth. Refrigerate for a few hours if desired.