PURE LOVE BREAKFAST BOWL

On a regular Saturday morning, I sleep in a bit, take time for myself and relax to let all stress of the week go. Afterwards, I run all errands that I didn't have time for during the week and meet up with some friends or my family. Although I have a smoothie every work day morning, on Saturdays I mostly have a breakfast bowl. Today, I made this beautiful and delicious breakfast bowl, which I call pure love breakfast bowl, because it looks so pretty and combines everything I could wish for in one breakfast.

 

This breakfast consists of a base of raw vegan caramel pudding made of bananas and dates, all my favorite autumn toppings, which are shredded almonds, dried cranberries, apple, cinnamon and vanilla, and a fruity cranberry sauce swirl. This breakfast is super satisfiying and gives you power for the rest of the day and only consists of fresh, raw fruits and nuts. You can easily add your own favorite toppings or leave out the nuts to keep it super low fat if you want. This breakfast dish tastes like a dessert and makes a great alternative to my regular smoothie. Here is what you need.

PURE LOVE BREAKFAST BOWL

Serves 1

Caramel pudding

2 ripe bananas

1/3 cup pitted dates

1 t cinnamon powder

1/2 cup water

Cranberry sauce

1/3 cup raw dried cranberries

 2 pitted dates

1/4 cup water

1 t pure vanilla extract

Toppings

1/2 apple

1/3 cup shredded almonds

1/4 cup raw dried or fresh cranberries

For the caramel pudding, blend bananas, dates and cinnamon. Add water until you get a creamy pudding consistency.

For the cranberry sauce, blend cranberries, dates and vanilla. Add water until everything is mixed well.

Chop apple.

Spoon the caramel pudding into your favorite breakfast bowl, add cranberry sauce and use the end of your spoon to swirl both. Top your breakfast with apple, almonds and cranberries.

Enjoy!

CRANBERRY NUT CLUSTERS

These cranberry nut clusters are my new favorite snack and treat. They are crunchy, healthy and sweet and combine almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries aaaand raw dark chocolate. What could you possibly want more?

 

This is the perfect mix of sweet and tart and this candy is super good for your soul, body and mind. Unlike store-bought candy that is packed with preserving agents, chemical flavors and toxins, these homemade cranberry nut clusters only contain raw and fresh ingredients. No hidden substances. Pure nutrition.

These clusters make a perfect hiking snack and are a quick energy source during the day. They can easily be prepared on the weekend and be stored in the fridge for the week.

I also love them with a warming herbal tea.

Is your mouth watering yet?

Here is the easy recipe for you.

CRANBERRY NUT CLUSTERS

Makes 10-15

Crunch

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup shredded almonds

1/2 cup raw, dried cranberries (you can use a dehydrator or also use fresh cranberries)

1 T sweetener of your choice, I used agave syrup

1 T cinnamon powder

1 t vanilla extract

Chocolate

2 T raw cacao (you may also use cacoa or carob)

1/2 cup melted coconut oil (e.g. melted over boiling water)

1 t sweetener of your choice, I used agave syrup

For the crunch, mingle sunflower seeds, shredded almonds, dried cranberries with cinnamon, vanilla and sweetener until you get a sticky mass.

For the chocolate, mix melted coconut oil, raw cacao and sweetener until smooth. Pour chocolate into a rectangular form layered with wax paper or wrapping film. Top with crunch. Let rest in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour and cut into small squares.

Enjoy!

LAYERED THANKSGIVING SALAD with CRANBERRY WALNUT DRESSING

Last year, I spent Thanksgiving in the USA-in New York City and South Orange (NJ) with my amazing American cousin. We planned the whole holiday, decorated the house and watched the parade and ended up on the sofa, cozied up, munching on a vegan holiday menu. Although it was no big thing, we had the most wonderful time and a really thankful atmosphere. Back then, I really loved the vegan menu, but this year, I decided to go one step further and do a raw vegan Thanksgiving dish. Also, I am on my own celebrating Thanksgiving this year, since I could not find any German friend to join me and my cousin is the ocean away.

But at least I have all the great food for me :D

I thought about Thanksgiving fruits and veggies and cranberries, walnuts, apples and persimmons came to my mind. To make something sepcial and because it is for me alone, I decided to use my beautiful mason jar to make a layered thanksgiving salad.

However, I hope that you celebrate this day with your beloved ones and figured that you can easily make a huge bowl full of this layered salad or just mix everything up.

This salad is super healthy, colorful, low fat yet satisfying. I think it looks really pretty and it tastes oh so good. Here is what you need.

LAYERED THANKSGIVING SALAD with CRANBERRY WALNUT DRESSING

Serves 2-3

Salad

5 cups spinach leaves

3 cups red cabbage

1 persimmon

1 cucumber

3/4 sweet apple

Dressing

1/4 cup fresh cranberries

1/4 cup whole walnuts

1/4 sweet apple

4 pitted dates

1 cup water, or as needed

Chop all fruits and veggies and build layers.

For the dressing, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Pour over your salad and mix well. Let rest for at least 1/2 hour outside the fridge to let the dressing mingle with the salad.

Enjoy!

GREEN MACHINE SMOOTHIE

I am feelin' like a green machine :) 

My fuel are only the best, ripe fruits and veggies and I start to crave my greens as soon as I need energy and power or want to relax. One of my favorite greens is spinach, because it is so delectable on its own and matches nearly every fruit. I love spinach to make my green smoothies and green smoothies make it easy for me to consume enough greens in my diet.

The smoothie recipe that I show you today is one that I just created some days ago and I love it! It combines ripe, juicy pineapple and sweet pomegranate with hearty fresh spinach and spicy ginger. This is an anti-cold recipe and here are my top 5 reasons why you should make this smoothie this winter:

1. Pineapple prevents cough and colds. It is loaded with vitamins and minerals as vitamin C and it contains bromelain that was shown to suppress coughs and loose mucus.

2. Pomegranate is a superfood that has been shown to be a cure-all. It is packed with antioxidants and vitamins and stimulates the immune system and wards off the flu.

3. Spinach is packed with vitamin A and helps your skin to stay healthy and retain moisture in winter. Additionally, more than a dozen different flavonoid compounds in spinach are powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer fighting agents.

4. Ginger is warming on a cold day and helps promoting healthy sweating helpful for detoxification during colds and flus.

5. This smoothie tastes out of this world and makes for a low fat, healthy and quick breakfast or snack.

Here is what you need for the green machine smoothie.

GREEN MACHINE SMOOTHIE

Makes 32 oz

2 cups of spinach leaves

3 cups of cubed pineapple

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

1 inch fresh ginger

3 bananas

Blend all fruits and veggies in a high speed blender.

Enjoy !

ICE CREAM DREAM

This raw vegan dessert will directly transport you to heaven!

This is why I called it ice cream dream. It consists of perfectly ripe bananas, gooey dates and juicy pomegranate combined with raw delicious vanilla bean and a little raw vegan homemade chocolate. I used these super healthy ingredients to create a low fat, sweet and nutritious version of classic vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and sprinkles. But here you even get pom sprinkles- doesn't that sound too good to be true? 

This treat is perfect for a beautiful harvest afternoon and will be loved by all your non-vegan friends as well, because it is simply heavenly.

You could also layer the vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce to create a perfect holiday dessert. Just look at these colors. And the super creamy texture. And the sweetness. Just imagine what it tastes like when the pomegranate explodes in your mouth to merge with the vanilla ice cream and caramel. Multiply that by 1000. Now you got the right idee of what this ice cream dream tastes like.

I have no more words for this deliciousness :)

ICE CREAM DREAM

Serves1

Vanilla ice cream

3-4 frozen bananas

1/2 vanilla bean

1 t sweetener of your choice, I used agave nectar

Caramel sauce

1/2 cup of pitted dates

1/3 cup of water or as needed

1/4 vanilla bean

Pomegranate seeds and raw vegan chocolate

If you want to make the chocolate by yourself, mix 1 cup of melted coconut oil with 1/4-1/3 raw cacao, 1 t sweetener of your choice and vanilla to taste (yields about 1 cup of chocolate sprinkles or 1 chocolate bar).

For the vanilla icre cream, blend your frozen bananas with the vanilla and sweetener until creamy.

For the caramel sauce, blend dates with water and vanilla. Add water to desired consistency.

Spoon your ice cream into your favorite bowl, layer with caramel sauce and sprinkle with pomegrante seeds and raw chocolate.

Enjoy! 

AUTUMN-INSPIRED RAW CHOCOLATE

When I came back today from a long walk in the fall forest, collecting chestnuts for my fall decoration and photographing the colorful trees, I felt the strong urge for a warm cup of tea and some chocolate. I thought about warm fall spices and crunchy nuts. So I made a bowl of liquid raw chocolate and threw in some almonds, cinnamon and vanilla.

I sat by my window and indulged in the sweet deliciousness. Isn't it great to enjoy such amazing treats that are also healthy? Raw chocolate works wonders for my nerves and mood. I calm down and concentrate on myself. 
If you want a bit of this goodness, grab a mixing bowl and the following ingredients.

AUTUMN-INSPIRED RAW CHOCOLATE
Makes 50 g (Serves 2 or ME)

1 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 T sweetener, I prefer agave syrup
1/2 cup shredded almonds
1t cinnamon
Vanilla to taste

Melt coconut oil over simmering water or by letting it stand in a warm place, stir in cacao powder, sweetener, almonds, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour mixture into a small wax paper covered form and let stand in the fridge until solid.

Enjoy!