Raw Archives - Page 5 of 10 - Coconut and Berries

Review: InSpiral Products

The inSpiral Lounge Café in Camden, London, holds a special place in my heart as the first vegetarian restaurant I went to, many moons ago! (It’s vegan, with the exception of the option of cow’s milk for hot drinks. ) I loved the friendly, funky vibe and the great-tasting, wholesome food. There’s also a big emphasis on raw food, which definitely appeals to my tastes.

I’ve been back many a time since my first visit and have watched the brand grow and grow. They’ve launched a range of amazing raw vegan products which are now sold, not only in the Lounge but also in their online store, shipping worldwide!

Raw Banana Supergreen Bites

Raw Chocolatey Superfood Bites

Raw LoveBerry Superfruit Bites

I love their Raw Granola Bites either for snacking straight out of the bag or for breakfast: as a smoothie topper or in a bowl with fresh fruit and almond milk. They even come in fully compostable bags!

This is a new product for inSpiral- granulated Stevia sweetener. You’ve probably seen stevia about recently as the latest sugar alternative of choice for many health foodies. It doesn’t affect blood sugar levels and is completely natural, extracted from the stevia leaf. There’s often a bitter aftertaste associated with stevia but I couldn’t detect any with this brand.

inSpiral Kale Chips are simply the best! They’re 100% natural, raw and organic and come in a whole range of delicious flavours, including Purple Corn, Baobab & Onion, Wasabi Wheatgrass, Cacao & Cinnamon and more. I’ve tried various brands of commercial kale chips but none compare. These have a thick, flavourful coating, and satisfying crunch. They’ve definitely turned this sweet tooth into a savoury snacker!

I’m actually not mad about inSpiral desserts for some reason (The Raw Chocolate Blackout tart is the exception)…I find them almost too rich but I know many people love them so you’ll have to judge them for yourselves. The dessert pots are fully raw like all their products and come in Christmas Cake, Carrot Cake, Vanilla Berry Cream, Tiramisu, Hazelnut Creme, Passionfruit and Chocolate Blackout.

Finally, another savoury love of mine, the Raw Crackits. Their new recipe is even better than before and contains extra added health booster: Reishi, Siberian Ginseng, Shatavari and Rhodiola! Made from raw almonds, buckwheat and flax they’re crunchy and crumbly just like baked grain crackers.

Pictured are the herb crackits spread with mashed avocado. I can’t pick a favourite flavour.

inSpiral products are available in health food stores nationwide and, as mentioned, you can also purchase online from anywhere in the world.

Have you tried them yet? If not, what would you most like to try?

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Disclaimer: inSpiral provided me with a few products for review but most were purchased myself and, as always, all opinions are my own.

Vegan Carrot Cake Smoothie

If you’re an email subscriber, I’m sorry you didn’t receive notification of my last two posts. As you can see, Coconut and Berries looks a little different and I’ve moved over to a self-hosted blog. It took some time for my subscribers to be transferred over but things should now be back to normal. Apologies again!

One of my friends swears by smoothies for dessert. I admit when she told me this I thought it a little strange and kind of a sad excuse for a real “pudding” (as we call dessert in my family). But…I’ve seen the error of my ways and am a convert to the dessert smoothie thanks to this new recipe. It tastes decadent but is super healthy (and very filling) so definitely acceptable for breakfast too.

I love, love, love carrot cake. I’m still on the lookout for the perfect healthy, vegan recipe and will be sure to share it when I find it. Meanwhile, this carrot cake smoothie is keeping me more than happy.

I thought I was taking the easy option with creating a smoothie recipe instead of an actual cake but this was surprisingly hard to get right. Sweetness levels, thickness, spices and satisfaction all have to be taken into account. After a few rounds of experimenting I think I’ve hit the nail on the head and hope you agree.

Vegan Carrot Cake Smoothie

2014-01-29 10:32:24

Serves 1

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Ingredients

1 Medium Carrot, washed and chopped (or grated if you're blender is not high-powered)
1C Almond milk
2T Rolled oats (GF if necessary)
1T Chia seeds
1t Maca powder
1/2t Vanilla extract
3/4t Cinnamon
1/2t Ground Ginger
Pinch of ground Cloves
Generous grating of Nutmeg
1T Liquid sweetener (I use yacon syrup and like the slightly molasses-ey flavour, but agave nectar or maple syrup are fine)
1 Scoop vegan vanilla protein Powder (I like Sunwarrior) OR 1 Frozen Banana
1/4C Ice

Instructions

Add all the ingredients, except the ice, to your blender jar and blend on high until completely smooth. Scrape down sides, check for sweetness, add ice and blend again. Pour into a large glass and enjoy!

Notes

- If you're using a frozen banana you may not need the ice.
- Like toppings on your smoothies? Crumbled coconut butter makes a wonderful "frosting"

Coconut and Berries http://www.coconutandberries.com/

If you’re like me and always keep carrots in the fridge then you too can be slurping on this in no time!

I’m submitting this recipe to the weekly link-ups, Wellness Weekends, Healthy Vegan Fridays and the Wholefood Blender Party

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Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados

Gosh, two weeks into January already! How time flies. How is everyone doing on their goals for the New Year? Hopefully if you have made resolutions then they’re healthy and realistic .

I like to think I eat pretty well most of the time but finding what makes me feel best is definitely a journey. If you’ve been reading you’ll know that I’ve been eschewing sugar and sweeteners of any kind for some time now. I don’t think this will be a permanent change (at least I hope not!) but it has given me the opportunity to assess how much I was eating and realize that, even if the sugar was of the “healthy” kind and a lot of it from fruit, that amount wasn’t working for my body. Some people thrive on lots of fruit but I’ve been feeling better eating more savoury foods and a greater amount of fat and protein.

This was a light lunch I put together and exactly the kind of food I’m enjoying at the moment. I’ve been eating probably an avocado a day for the past week! I don’t know how I didn’t use to like them, they’re just so darn delicious. I’m sure you know they’re overflowing with nutrients too.

Along with chickpeas for a concentrated source of protein and several other flavour-boosting ingredients, this salad is tasty, nourishing and sustaining.

I thought the little “boats” looked cute stuffed with the salad but if you’re not concerned with presentation then you could just add a big scoop on top of your salad or eat it as a dip with your favourite crackers or corn chips.

Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados

Yield: 2 Servings

Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados

Ingredients

1 C Cooked chickpeas (well-cooked) (RAW option: Use sprouted chickpeas)
1 Small clove of garlic, minced (optional)
1/2 C Grated carrot
1 Green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Lime juice
1 tsp Tamari
Dash of cayenne pepper
Black pepper
1 Large OR 2 small avocados
1/4 C Fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Instructions

Roughly mash the chickpeas in a bowl using a strong fork. I like to leave about half whole.
Stir in garlic through to pepper.
Slice the avocado(s) in half, remove the pit and scoop out the flesh from each half with a spoon.
Dice the avocado flesh into small cubes. Mash half of the avocado into the chickpea mixture then gently fold in the rest along with the fresh coriander.
Spoon the mixture into the empty avocado skins and serve immediately.
Serves 2

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2014/01/13/chickpea-salad-stuffed-avocados/

I’m sharing this recipe at the “Clean Start” potluck party over at Pure Ella and the weekly link-up, Wellness Weekends.

What fruit or vegetable are you loving right now?

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Creamy Carob Chia Mousse

Stopping by with a little weekend treat for you and an update on how things are going with me. If you read my Lemon-Coconut Fudge Bites post you’ll know I’ve been dealing with some health issues and have been on a mission to get to the bottom of them

Well, I’m pleased to be able to say that some of the problems have completely cleared up! I don’t know if it’s the result of the herbal and supplements prescribed by my naturopath that I’ve been taking, the anti-candida diet (no sugar, fruit, gluten, yeast, fungi, etc. ) that I’ve been following for nearly a month, getting lots of rest, or a combination of everything. Whatever it is, I’m just happy to be feeling so much better! I do still have a lingering problem which hasn’t left me yet but I’m feeling much more optimistic.

Now that’s me out of the way we can move on to something more fun- dessert!

A few things have really helped me not feel deprived on this program, one of them being carob. It seems to have picked up a bad reputation as being a “health food” only eaten by those granola-munching hippie folk, or as an inferior substitute for chocolate. I want to encourage you to throw away those stereotypes and see it in its own right as just another tasty addition to your diet. I does bear some similarity to cocoa but it’s got a natural sweetness that cocoa doesn’t, it also doesn’t contain caffeine which is what makes it suitable for the anti-candida diet.

I guess I have been enjoying carob as a sort of replacement for my beloved dark chocolate. In the UK, Plamil Foods and Siesta both do unsweetened carob bars which are amazing! You can even get mint and orange flavoured ones! But, even if I COULD have chocolate right now I’d be eating carob too, along with this mousse!

I’ve been enjoying chia puddings for some time now but was introduced to the idea of a blended chia pudding by Dreena Burton. The smooth texture is much more pleasant to me and transforms the pudding into a fluffy, thick mousse! With my newfound love of carob I had to make a carob version. Turns out I wasn’t alone in thinking this was a good idea and Adrienne of Whole New Mom also has a recipe which I’ve adapted here.

I’ve mostly been eating savoury breakfasts at the moment but enjoyed this yummy carob chia mousse one morning for a real treat.

Creamy Carob Chia Mousse

Yield: 2-3 Servings

Ingredients

1 Can/ 1-1/2 C “light” Coconut milk
1/4 C Chia seeds
3 Tbsp (heaped) Carob powder
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
Pinch of Salt
2-3 Tbsp Liquid sweetener (Agave nectar, Maple Syrup, etc.) (I used 1T Yacon syrup + 10 Drops of Stevia as I’m still following the anti-candida diet)

Instructions

If you don’t have a high-powered blender grind the chia seeds to a fine meal in a coffee grinder first. Then add all the ingredients to your blender and blend until very smooth.
Pour into serving bowls and allow to sit in the fridge for at least an hour to thicken up before eating.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2014/01/10/creamy-carob-chia-mousse/

Do you like carob? Have you actually tried it?

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Lemon-Coconut Fudge Bites

Hello again everyone! I’ve missed posting here this last week but wanted to take break and disconnect completely over Christmas. Hope you all had a lovely holiday wherever you are in the world. Things are gradually getting back to normal here, although I’ve still got a week before I head back to my little flat in Bath for the next semester.

I may be one of the few who wasn’t eating cookies and desserts aplenty over Christmas, but I promise I’m definitely not feeling smug about it! I would have loved to be eating chocolate and Christmas pudding like everyone else. But I haven’t been feeling my best for a little while now and so I’ve been trying out an anti-candida diet to hopefully bring me back to balance. The diet doesn’t allow any sugars (the only sweeteners I can use are yacon syrup and stevia), including those from fruit, as well as gluten, dairy, yeast, fungi and a bunch of other things.

For a major sweet tooth like me it has to be said it was a bit of a challenge figuring out what to eat, especially when it came to finding a replacement for my daily post-lunch dark chocolate fix.

These zingy little fudge bites are doing the trick of satisfying any sweet cravings nicely, and one is more than enough as they’re pretty rich from the coconut and almond butters.

After chocolate Lemon desserts are always my favourites anyway…

Lemon-Coconut Fudge Bites

Yield: 10 Bites

Ingredients

1/2 C White Almond Butter OR Cashew Butter
3 Tbsp Melted Coconut Butter
Zest of one Lemon
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Liquid Sweetener (Agave nectar, Brown Rice Syrup etc.) I used 1T Yacon Syrup + 5 drops stevia
Shredded Coconut for sprinkling

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a glass bowl, except the shredded coconut, and stir well to combine.
Divide between 10 mini silicone moulds OR pour into a dish lined with parchment paper and slice into cubes once set. Sprinkle with shredded coconut and freeze until firm.
These are the perfect consistency straight from the freezer, in the fridge they’re a little too soft for my tastes.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2013/12/29/lemon-coconut-fudge-bites/

I’m submitting this recipe to the weekly link-up, Wellness Weekends

Today I’ve actually discovered there might be another cause of my health problems so I’m praying that’s the case and I can go back to eating normally soon!

In the meantime, what are your favourite SAVOURY snacks?

If you’re new to Coconut and Berries, please sign up for email updates and join me elsewhere! I’m on Facebook, Pinterest,Instagram (@coconutandberries), Google + and Twitter! You can also follow Coconut and Berries with Bloglovin or Feedly.

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