Lucuma energy boosting bliss balls

These energy boosting bliss balls are made with simply 4 wholefoods ingredients. The recipe calls for an energy boosting ingredient- maca. This superfood has a range of benefits, including;

• Vitamins and minerals- it's rich in vitamin B, vitamins C, vitmain E and provides plenty of calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and amino acids. 
• Hormones/ Mood- it is known to balance your hormones, manage anxiety, mood swings and depression
• Known to increase fertility in both men and women
• Womens Health- can relive menstrual issues and menopause, alleviates cramps, body pain.
• Energy- maca is an energy boosting superfood taken by athletes to increase endurance and stamina.
• Skin- helps some people with acne/ skin blemishes 

Lucuma, a natural sweetener derived from the Peruvian lucuma fruit, is another superfood used in this recipe. It offers and variety of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and beta carotene. It also a rich creamy texture (perfect in smoothies!) and naturally sweet maple syrup- like taste can be used in many sweet treats, smoothies, desserts and more.

Ingredients:
100g almonds (optional- activate over night as this increases it's nutritional value)
8 medjool dates
2 tsp maca
4 tsp lucuma

Makes approx 16 balls:

-Place almonds and dates in a food processor and process until it becomes a dough (you will need to scrape the sides down quite frequently).
-Once you have your dough, add the maca and lucuma, and pulse.
-Roll into small balls
-Optional- I coated some of mine in cinnamon which was delicious, however you could also coat in cacao powder as an alternative. These have a delicious naturally sweet taste, however they lack texture if you're looking for a crunch. In this case, you could roll your bliss balls in chia seeds, or in roasted caramelised buckinis!
-Place your balls on a tray lined with parchment paper
-You can enjoy them straight away or place in the fridge for 30mins to let the dates harden and give a chewier texture

Hope you enjoy!

Jayda

Raw Vegan Chocolate-Orange Buckwheat Bliss Balls

These balls of chocolatey-orangey deliciousness are packed with super foods, completely nourishing, refined sugar and gluten free, so easy to make and taste amazing.

Makes 12 balls:

• 100g raw activated buckwheat (soak overnight)
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• Orange rind of one orange (grated)
• 1 tbsp orange blossom extract
• 3 tbsp raw cacao
• 2 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 7 medjool dates/ 10 deglet noors, pitted
• 3tbsp rolled oats
• 1tsp coconut oil

Simply place your buckwheat (rinsed and drained) in your food processor with all other ingredients, and process on the highest speed, until you have a doughy mixture.
If your mixture is too sticky to roll into balls just yet transfer your mixture into a bowl and place it in the freezer for 5 minutes or so (this will allow the coconut oil to solidify as it would have become liquid during the mixing process).
Now when you have a more solid dough, use a tea spoon to portion your scoops of the mixture, and roll into balls. You can use cacao powder to act as flour. You can coat them in different toppings of your choice too, such as goji berries, hemp seeds, dessicated coconut, pumpkin seeds, etc.
Place on  a tray lined with parchment paper, and leave to set in the fridge, OR if you're feeling impatient leave them to set in the freezer for just less than 10 minutes.

Hope you enjoy!

Raw Vegan Raspberry, Lemon and Coconut Cheesecake (refined sugar free, dairy free, guilt free)

After trying the most delicious raw vegan raspberry and vanilla cheesecake, and a raw vegan mocha cheesecake at London Vegfest, I had been itching to make one myself, and what a success it was indeed (if I may say so myself!)

These no-bake treats are undeniable winners; simple and easy to make, yet look impressive, not to mention they taste delicious, lighter than a usual cheesecake made with dairy, and fundamentally they're very nutritionally dense. As this recipe is raw, it provides optimum nutrition and living enzymes. Benefits from the following ingredients include; 
Activated cashews- cashews provide us with healthy fats ( heart healthy mono-saturated fats which promote good cardiovascular health), cancer preventing properties, hair, skin and bone health, prevent gallstones and aid weight loss. Activating nuts refer to the process of soaking nuts/seeds in order to increase their nutrition value, and make the nutrients a lot more readily available.
Coconut oil- one thing I can't get enough of is this nutritional powerhouse. It works wonders for hair and skin, maintains cholesterol levels, aids weight loss, boosts the immune system, and boosts metabolism. 
Raspberries- these delicious summer berries provide us with antioxidants, anti-inflamitory properties, high fibre content (essential for maintaing a healthy digestive system and reduces the risk of bowl cancer) while low in fat (aiding weight loss), maintains cardiovascular health thanks to its potassium content which helps maintain the heart beat and blood pressure, and a mood lifter as it's a rich source of Vitamin B and folic acid.
Lemon- provides us with bountiful benefits such as many antioxidants, healthy glowing skin, fights fatigue, anxiety and hypertension, boosts the immune system, acts as a weight loss aid and liver cleanser.

What's better than delicious dessert which is this good for you?

It felt like the success of this cheesecake tripled when every member in my family thoroughly enjoyed this vegan treat. Even my 15 year old, self-professed carnivorous brother loved it, which as you could probably imagine I was super happy about!

This was an absolute hit, and I would recommend it to anyone. Whether your cutting out dairy, refined sugar, looking for a healthy alternative, or fancy a light treat which will still satisfy your sweet tooth, give this a go and I'm sure (I hope)  you will not be disappointed.

*Disclaimer: credit goes to the amazing Sarah Britton of http://www.mynewroots.org/site as this cheesecake is predominantly based on her 'Raw Cashew Dream Cake' recipe, however I modified it slightly.

For the base, you will need:
1/2 cup raw almonds (50g)
1/2 cup medjool dates (90g deglet noors work too)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

For the filling, you will need:
1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours, but overnight is best (210g)
Juice of 1- 1½ lemons
Lemon rind of 1 lemon
Seeds of 1 whole vanilla pod (or 1 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract)
1/3 cup raw coconut oil, melted (75g)1/3 cup agave nectar (approx. 110g)
1 cup raspberries (thaw completely if using frozen)

Instructions:
1. Pulse almonds, dates and sea salt in a food processor until they meet desired fineness. (For a finer base process longer). Test the crust by spooning out a small amount of mixture and rolling it in your hands- the ingredients should hold together. Spread out your crust mixture in a 7” spring-form pan and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Rinse food processor well.
2. Warm up the coconut oil and agave in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid, whisking the two ingredients to combine.
3. Place cashews, coconut oil, agave, vanilla and lemon juice in a food processor and blend on highest powder until very smooth (this make take a couple minutes so be patient).
4. Pour about 2/3 of the mixture in a separate bowl for the time being.
5. To the mixture remaining in the food processor, add lemon rind. After processing together, pour the lemony mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula.
6. Pour the remaining 2/3 of the mixture back into the food processor with the raspberries, and process together. Layer this mixture on top of the lemon one. Place in freezer until solid.
7. Remove cheesecake 30 minutes before eating. Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and cut into slices.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Raw Vegan Lemon & Coconut Bars

I've never before craved lemon like I have been recently. I keep adding lemon rind to my breakfast, it's pretty odd, but delicious. So, I figured I should make some lemon bars to dust off this citrus craving once and for all, after being inspired by ariellelikestocook recipe (I made a variation of her recipe, however I still recommend giving hers a try too as I'm sure they're just as delicious.)
They definitely did the job... lemon cravings are 110% satisfied.
They were absolutely delicious, I really recommend you try them! When they're dairy & refined sugar free, raw, vegan, how could you not?

As lemon rind plays a large role in giving these baby's that lovely lemony-zesty flavour, I thought I'd share some of the many benefits that it provides, which is often lost as we tend to just only use the juice:

Detoxifying  effect on the body- the astringent, antiseptic, as well as the antibiotic properties of the fruit peel, are considered to be good for our skin, making it yet another point in favour of the health benefits of lemon rind.
A source of essential oils- which acts as a rejuvenator and mood enhancer too
Decreases Cholosterol Levels- promoting better heart health.
Improves Bone HealthNeutralizes Free Radicals- free radicals are the unpaired electrons present in the cells of the body. These radicals are responsible for occurrence of certain types of cancers, heart issues, ageing  swelling, and autoimmune diseases. The vitamin C present in this fruit peel plays a very important role in neutralizing the free radicals, thereby preventing the health concerns mentioned above. 
Promotes Healthy Skin
Click here for more 



Makes 4 bars:

For the Crust:

• 1 and a half cup of oats
• 1tbsp coconut oil
• 5-6tbsp agave
• 1 cup coconut flakes

- Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor untill it looks like pastry dough.

-Spread it in a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper

For the filling:

• 1 cup soaked cashews (left to soak for 24 hrs)
• 1/2 banana
• Lemon rind (of 1 and a half- 2 lemons)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 2-3tbsp agave

-Pulse the cashews in a food processor so that they become a creamy mixture.
-Then add all other ingredients and pulse till smooth.
-Layer this filling over the crust.
-Place in a freezer for 1-2 hours.
-Garnish with more lemon rind for decoration and extra zesty flavour

I love this recipe and hope you will just as much! 

Creamy coconut and sweet potato soup

2 of my favourite foods put together to make a delicious soup.

Serves 1:

You will need:

• 1 baked sweet potato
• 1/2 coconut flesh
• Lemon juice (about 1/4 of a lemon)
• Cumin (add to personal taste)
• 1 tsp Cayenne pepper (add to personal taste- depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1 small clove of garlic
• About 1 cup water (add little by little until it reaches your desired texture)

Peel the skin off the sweet potato, and then blend all ingredients together. Garnish with parsley.

Cacao Chia Seed Parfait & Vegan Cookie Dough

You will need:

• 1 and a half tbsp chia seeds
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1tbsp cacao
• 2 tbsp agave
• 1 sliced ripe banana
• Sliced strawberries
• Vegan Cookie Dough

-Mix the chia seeds, cacao, almond milk and agave together and leave to soak for an hour or so, then stir through so it's a thick liquid.

-Layer with bananas and strawberries.

-Top with the cookie dough, enjoy!

Smoothie sundae

Bottom layer to top:

• Blended frozen raspberries with 1 handful of soaked almonds
• Half a frozen banana with 1 nectarine, and maca (optional)
• Blueberries
• 1 frozen banana blended 

Layer in a glass/jar and enjoy as breakfast or a refreshing mid day snack!

Mexican Salad Bowl

Obsessed with this delicious and filling vegan mexican salad! You will need:

• Lettuce (I have used iceburg leaves in one dish and romaine in the other)
• Chickpeas
• Cayenne pepper
• Cumin
• Lemon/ lime
• Guacamole (preferably homemade)
• Sweetcorn
• Salsa (preferably homemade or a store bought one WITHOUT additives)

Mix the chickpeas with as much cumin, cayenne pepper and lemon/lime as you desire.

I've used raw corn but you can use a canned one ( but check for additives, added sugar, salt etc) if you want.

Salsa- chop onion (red works best although I had none at home when i made this), jalepeno, parlsey, and tomato. Olive oil and salt can be added(optional)

Guacamole- 1 mashed avocado, lemon juice, garlic (optional).

It's so easy and so delicious, I hope you try and enjoy it!

Almond Milk Chia and Mango Pudding

This is one of my favourite breakfasts, but I think it would also make a delicious and light dessert. The mango gives a lovely taste and thick texture. Better yet, it is extremely to make.

Serves 1:

What you will need:

• 1 and a half tbsp chia seeds
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1 small mango/ 1/2 large mango.
• Goji berries (optional)

What to do:

-Pour your chia seeds into a cup, add almond milk and stir with a fork quickly. Ensure that all the chia seeds have covered by the milk, so that they're not just lying on the surface. It's important to use a fork and stir qucikly in order to avoid the chia seeds clumping together.
-Leave to soak overnight - when left in liquid, chia seeds expand and gelatinise.
-Blend mango with a hand blender until smooth.
-In a bowl pour your chia seeds, then your mango puree, garnish with goji berries and enjoy!

Scrumptious sesame granola

I love love love granola but I avoid buying it from the shops as they are usually full with refined sugars and additives. So, I make my own granola and it is soo easy! If you love sesame snaps, I'm sure you will love this simply delightful sesame granola recipe too.

Makes 2 jam jars full:

• 2 cups oats
• 8 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 and a half tbsp coconut oil
• 4tbsp sesame seeds

-Preheat oven 260.
-Mix all ingredients into a mixing bowl, then microwave for about 30secs so that the coconut oil melts. Give it all another mix making sure everything is pretty much coated (not dry).
-Line a tray with greaseproof (parchment) paper, and spread your oat mixture out evenly. 
-Turn the oven down to 180, then place your tray into the oven.
-Leave it in the oven for 20 mintues or so, but keep checking up on it as it will burn if quickly if you leave it to). Also it's a good idea to mix it about after about 10 minutes, to allow different bits to cook (within that 20 mins). When it's turned an even gold colour, it's ready. Leave to stand (this is when it will harden, so don't worry that it's not crispy when you first take it out of the oven).

Enjoy at breakfast or even as a snack :)

Tomato, basil and garlic zucchini spaghetti

Zucchini makes a great low calorie, low carb, gluten free, spaghetti/pasta alternative. Ofcourse, it doesn't taste like pasta but it's filling and when prepared well it can be very delicious. And, it's incredibly easy to make! All you need is a spiraliser or a julienne peeler (which I use), to make the zucchini into a spaghetti like form.

Serves 1:

For the tomato sauce, you will need:

• 6 tomatoes
• 1clove garlic
• 1-2 handfuls basil leaves.
• Sea Salt
• Nutritional yeast (optional)

What to do...

-Wash and place your tomatoes in a saucer with enough boiling water to cover them.
-Leave to boil for 10 minutes or so.
-Whilst waitng for them to boil, peel your zucchini, and place into a mixing bowl.
-Check your tomatoes. Once they are soft, strain and run them under hot water, so that you can then peel their skins.
-Process them in a food processor with basil, garlic, nutritional yeast.
-Blend until smooth.
-Pour the sauce over the zucchini. Taste and garnish with pepper and salt. (I also cut up fresh tomatoes and put them in as we had SO many tomatoes in the house I thought I'd use the oppurtunity to use them up)

I loved this dish warmed up (rather than raw), and I added kidney beans to make it a more hearty meal.

Almond Milk

Making almond milk is so much easier than you may think!

All you need are 2 ingredients:

• 1 cup soaked almonds (soaked for at least 24 hours)
• 3 cups water
• Optional- Dates and vanilla flavouring can be added to enhance a sweet flavour. 

-Add all ingredients to a blender, and mix until it's all white and frothy.

-Then pour everything into a sive lined with a cheesecloth. Use a spatula (or any instrument which will work for this purpose) to push the milk away from the pulp as much as possible. Then use the cheesecloth to squeeze as much of the milk out as possible. You should be left with a dry pulp.

-Store in an airtight jar. 

-Use ASAP as it only lasts for about 3-5 days

Enjoy!

Acai Bowl

When you have the right ingredients, acai bowls are one of the most easy breakfasts to make. Nutritious and delicious, acai berries are a superfood powerhouse, jam packed with antioxidants.

I buy frozen acai pulp pouches from wholefoods, but you can use powder (althought i've never tried the powder).

Serves 1:

• 1 acai pouch
• 2 bananas
• 1 handful of blueberries
• Fresh mint leaves-

What to do...

-Run the acai pouch under some warm water so that it can slide out.
-Process in a liquidiser with 1 banana.
-Pour all into a bowl, and garnish with banana, blueberries, mint and a sprinkle of chia (or any toppings of your desire- granola and strawberries go great too).

Like I said, once you have the right ingredients, it's really too easy!

Favourite Superfoods

Chia Seeds

• Containts all Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Fiber- reduces inflammation, lowers cholesterol and regulatesbowel function. Chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber, with 10 grams in only 2 tablespoons. That is one-third of the daily recommended intake of fiber per day.
• Antioxidants- help protect the body from free radicals, cancer and aging. Their high antioxidant content also gives them a long shelf life (they can last almost 2 years without refrigeration). 
• Satiety- helps lower food cravings between meals, thanks to the combination of protein, fiber, and the gelling action of chia seeds when mixed with liquids. 
• Gluten Free
• Can Be Digested Whole- Unlike most other nuts and seeds, chia seeds can be digested whole without needing to be soaked or crushed, in order for our body to assimilate all of their wonderful nutrients.
• Blood sugar regulation

Raw Cacao

We all love chocolate. And you can enjoy it guilt free by making your own/ buying raw vegan/ vegan chocolate! I prefer raw vegan chocolate as it uses cacao, rather than cocoa.
It's easy to assume that cacao is the same as cocoa however there's a difference between the two:
Cacoa= the bean which comes from the cacao tress. Cacao powder is raw, unprocessed powder, therefore it remians higher in antixodiants and iron, containt 20 times the amount of nutrients than in cocoa.
Cocoa=the heat processed form of cacao, therefore nutrients are lost.

Maca

This Peruvian derived superfood is not the best in flavour, however can easily be masked in smoothies, but it has superior nutritional properties, making it worth your while...

• Increases energy levels and stamina
• Alleviates chronic exhaustion (fatigue) syndrome
• Improves sexual function in men and women
• Enhances fertility 
• Helps to regulate menstrual cycles
• Can regulate hormonal imbalances
• Reduces anxiety and stress
• Acts as an anti-carcinogen and antioxidant
• Libido enhancer

Broccoli

One of the cheapest and accessible superfoods available.
Eating raw broccoli is the best way to get all its offered nutrients and health benefits, such as:

• It has a detoxifying effect on the body
• It's vitamin C content means that it's an anti-oxidant, an anti-inflamitatory, and helps relieve cold symtoms. 
• Eyes- broccoli and other leafy green vegetables contain powerful phytochemical antioxidants in the carotenoid family called lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which are concentrated in large quantities in the lens of the eye.

Although, I can understand that raw broccoli is not the most delightful vegetable to eat raw, but it's really so beneficial, and I reccomend eating it with dips, like guacamole, humus, salsa. Steam or boil it if you can't stand it raw... it's better than nothing!

PS. WASH IT WELL!! Watch out for creepy crawlies.

Great Green Smoothies

Ever since I tried the detoxing green smoothie in Wholefoods, I'm forever making them! They're my favourite way to get my greens in. The beauty of them is, yes, they often include superfoods like spinach and kale, but no, you can't taste them, making them perfect for those who can't tackle their greens. I personally don't have a problem with eating them, but they're so much in a smoothie. I know that to some people green smoothies may seem revolting, but you should try it before you make your judgement. In my opinion they taste just like a fruit smoothie, with extra nutritional benefits. Definately worth a try.

My typical green smoothie includes:

• 2 handfuls of Spinach/Kale/ 1 handful of each.
• 1 orange
• 1 banana
• 1 pear
• 2 kiwis
• Juice of half a lemon
• Add coconut water/ water,  depending on how liquidified/ thick you want it.

That's just one I'd make using fruit which can quickly be cut a bit and placed in the blender.

But, my favourite green smoothie is:

• 1 banana
• 1 and a half cups pineapple
• 2 handfuls kale
• Add coconut water/ water depending on how liquid/ thick you want it.

I also like to add superfoods like maca, chia seeds, goji berries, and hemp seeds to my green smoothies.

The Easiest Nice Cream

One ingredient ice cream- it's too good, and it's true.

-2 frozen bananas- blend with a food processor/ hand blender. It becomes delicious and creamy. Don't think it could be any easier?

What you can add to give more flavour:
-Vanilla flavouring
-Dates
-Cinnamon
-Blend with berries
-Cacao

You can add more or less anything you want. It's healthy and satisyfing and HEALTHY. The perfect ice cream alternative.

Pesto Zucchini Spaghetti

This rawesome dish is so easy and delicious.

For the pesto, you will need...

Serves 4 OR 2 generous portions
-100g pinenuts
-2 clove of garlic (i love garlic so you might want to use less if you're not a fan)
-Nutritional yeast
-1 pot of basil (just use the leaves)

What to do...

-Start by processing your pinenuts in a food processor. Leave it processing, so that it's natural oils release, and it becomes lovely and creamy.
-Then add your basil, garlic and nutritional yeast and process untill it's a smooth pesto.
-Peel your zucchini and place in a bowl, and mix with the pesto.
-Add black olives and cherry tomatoes.
-I leave it to marinade over night, so the zucchini softens and absorbs all the delicious flavours.
-Eat raw or warm if you want.

Bon appetit!