RAW 'NUTELLA' MOUSSE CAKE

You thought there would be no more nutella for you since you're on a raw vegan diet? Think twice! Nutella is basically made of hazelnuts and cacao and, omitting the additional list of sugar, emulsifier and flavoring, you can easily make your own raw 'nutella' spread. It is super yummy and even healthy for you! For this cake recipe I decided to spread my raw 'nutella' on a coconut and date cake base and to fill the cake with banana, because who doesn't love the combination of banana and nutella?! (okay I heard there are people who don't like bananas...in that case leave the bananas out or substitute them with whatever fruit your like. Berries should be awesome :) !)

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This whole awesome cake has only 5 ingredients: dates, coconut, bananas, hazelnuts and carob. I chose carob for this recipe since I want to cut down my caffeine intake but of course, raw cacao would be fine too.

What I love most about this cake is that it is prepared in a few minutes but satisfy every chocolate craving without making you feel bad. It is rich, creamy, intense and melts in your mouth. It's just.... 'NUTELLA'. Go grab your cake pan.

RAW NUTELLA MOUSSE CAKE

Makes one 9 inch cake

Crust

1 cup medjool dates, chopped

3/4 cup raw, dried, shredded coconut

Raw 'nutella' filling

1/2 cup hazelnuts, soaked for 2 hours

2 medium frozen bananas

2 medium bananas

2 medjool dates

2 T raw carob powder

1/4 cup water

2 medium bananas, sliced

For the crust, pulse dates and coconut until they form a sticky mass. Press onto the bottom of your cake pan. Plaze in the freezer.

For the raw 'nutella' filling, blend soaked hazelnuts (without soaking water), bananas, dates, carob powder with water into a cream.

Now, layer sliced bananas on top of the crust of your cake. Cover with raw 'nutella' filling and freeze the cake for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

SPAGHETTI MARINARA BOWL

Some days I just can't get enough of the good foods. This here is certainly a dish that makes my mouth water every time I think of it - my spaghetti marinara bowl.

This delicious main dinner dish is made of only fresh veggies, herbs and fruits. No chemicals, preserving agents or stuff you can't spell. But full of gorgeous colors and textures.

I also kept it nut free and you can make this dish totally low fat by leaving out the quarter of avocado. 

This is by the way my first blog post from my new home. I moved to Copenhagen (Denmark) for my studies and I am very excited about it. Copenhagen has an awesome raw community and the fresh fruit festival is coming up. I am certainly trying to still get a place in it - Doug Graham is coming! (Do I have to say more? ;)). Unfortunately, some of my stuff is still to be delivered and I can't wait to get it! One week without my mason jars, wooden utensils, spiralizer and vitamix and I feel lost. I guess this is why I am craving this dish so badly that I made some weeks ago and forgot to directly share with you. But YOU are lucky. Grab your spiralizer or julienne peeler and get going. Green food=Love.

SPAGHETTI MARINARA BOWL

Serves 1 

Raw spaghetti

1 medium zucchini

1/2 english cucumber

3 medium carrots 

Marinara sauce

1 cup halved cocktail tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped dried tomatoes

1/2 small red onion

1 clove of garlic

1/2 t dried oregano

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup water

fresh chives, spring onion, cocktail tomatoes, avocado and sesame seeds

Spiralize your zucchini, english cucumber and carrots into noodles. If you dont have a spiralizer you can use a regular or julienne peeler. For the marinara sauce, blend all ingredients into a sauce. In a large bowl, massage sauce into noodles and let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh chopped chives, chopped spring onion and sesame seeds. Top with cocktail tomatoes and 1/4 of avocado if you like.

Indulge. 

RAW VEGAN COUSCOUS

Hello to you beautiful people out there! This week has alreday begun to be an amazing one with Raw, Fit & Happy hitting the 2k mark and all the new people who joined this community. Instead of making you raw cake (I know I know..raw cake IS awesome), I give you my long promised raw couscous recipe (which is awesome by itself) and some pics from my holiday in Tunesia.

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't been posting that many new recipes in April and that was due to my wonderful holiday in Tunesia. I had a great time recharging my vitamin D tanks, breathing the fresh air, having nearly no noise level and swimming in the wide sea. Tunesia is a beautiful country with a totally different flora and fauna than Germany and I loved all the flowers, palm trees, turtles and birds. It was totally relaxing and decelerating. The people I meet had nearly nothing, but were happier than most people I meet in Germany everyday.... It was really good to see and feel again how important a calm, happy environment with fresh air, little noise and beautiful nature is. And maybe we can learn from these people a bit..possessions are not everything and happiness is no situation you should see for yourself in the future but already now. Be happy. Live life. Share your love.

Okay...for all of those who really want the couscous recipe and are already asking themselves: "what is she talking about?", I give you what you want. now.

This is the recipe for a raw vegan Tunesia-inspired couscous. It is based on cauliflower, which can be shredded into a rice /couscous like form and it tastes amazing combined with fresh fruit, veggies and herbs.

For my Tunesia-inspired couscous, I mixed my cauliflower base with a dressing made of fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, orange juice, paprika powder and turmeric and added fresh parsley, tomatoes, spring onion and juicy oranges. This is a quick, low fat, raw entree that you can enjoy by yourself or bring to a party, brunch or dinner. I love the combination of cauliflower, tomato and oranges and how savory, rich but low fat it is. 

RAW VEGAN COUSCOUS

Serves 2-3

Base

1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped

Dressing

1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 cup orange juice

1/2 t paprika powder

dash of turmeric

And to mix in:

1 orange, diced

1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes

1 large spring onion, chopped

1/3 cup of parsley, chopped

For the base, pulse cauliflower into small pieces. Set aside.

For the dressing, blend cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and orange juice with spices until creamy. Massage into cauliflower. In a bowl, combine this base with orange pieces, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped spring onion and parsley.

Enjoy!

CARROT BEET SMOOTHIE

As some of you may or may not know, I am in the middle of moving at the moment and between all the packing, planning and organizing I have less time for myself as I usually would. That's fine, because afterwards there will be plenty of freetime again. But with me running around all day long, solving upcoming issues and saying goodbye to many people, I recently got some severe headache of not rehydrating and resting enough.

This smoothie here did a great job. It nourished me, cleansed, made me feel fresh and ready to go again and that all in mere minutes. So if you need a reset and a quick greens-fix, try this smoothie.

I know, the colour is not the most beautiful one, but the ingredients are! This smoothie contains wack loads of vitamin c, beta carotene and fiber from beet, carrot and apples and is spiced up with ginger. This smoothie just makes you feel so good and tastes amazingly sweet from the apple and savory from beet, carrot and ginger. For me, that was the perfect start into the weekend- try it for yourself.

CARROT BEET SMOOTHIE

Makes 20 oz

1 large carrot with greens

1/4 medium red beet

2 medium sweet apples

1 inch ginger

1 cup of water

Blend everything and enjoy!

MINI BERRY LOVE PIES

Mini berry love pies - this is what I made for you today. If you LOOOVE red berries, low fat, raw vegan sweets you will be very happy about this treat! These mini pies are made in just a few minutes and will make your tummies smile. Fresh ripe sweet raspberries and strawberries combine with sweet dates, coconut and a hint of green cardamom. 

If you don't have rasperries and strawberries on hand you can use every other kind of berries too and if you want to make a more classic treat you could substitute the cardamom with vanilla or cinnamon. I personally love the warm note that the green cardamom gives to this treat and I think it makes this simple raw vegan dessert very special. You can have your own two mini berry love pies on your table in less than 5 minutes and here is what you need.

MINI BERRY LOVE PIES

Makes 2 mini pies

Base

1 cup of pitted dates

1/2 cup of raw dried shredded coconut

Cream

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup fresh or frozen halved strawberries

1/2 ripe banana

3 pitted dates

pinch of sea salt

pinch of green cardamom

For the base, process dates with coconut until sticky. Press in two muffin forms, be careful to layer not only the bottom but also the walls. I used a metal muffin form. 

For the cream, blend berries with banana, dates and spices until creamy. Fill into muffin forms. Let sit in the freezer for 2 hours or enjoy directly.

Love & hugs, Fee.

BERRY APPLE PARFAIT

Today I have for you this super delicious nut-free, low fat, gluten-free raw vegan berry apple parfait. This is a 80/10/10 dessert that you can easily whip up in a few minutes and share with your friends and family or indulge in on your own. When I started my raw vegan journey and I had serious sugar cravings I made myself a less fancy version of this: fresh fruit + dates = pure heaven. In this parfait you'll find both pink lady apples and sweet pineapple layered with a raspberry/strawberry/date compote.

You can substitute the fresh fruit with what you have on hand and store this dessert in the fridge for up to 3 days. I love to make myself simple low fat desserts to keep my nut/seed intake low and this is just sooo good! You have to make this for your own and enjoy it in the warm spring sun. Have fun :) 

BERRY APPLE PARFAIT

Serves 2-3

1/2 pineapple, thinly sliced and quartered

2-3 pink lady apples, thinly sliced and quartered

1 cup of raspberries

1 cup of sliced strawberries

1 banana

1/2-1cup of pitted dates (depending on how sweet you like it)

Blend berries with dates into compote. Don't blend until smooth, you want some remaining date and fruit pieces inside. Layer pineapple, apple and compote in your dessert glass/bowl and enjoy!

SESAME TOMATO CANAPÉS

 
Yesterday afternoon we had the most beautiful weather here in Germany. It was sunny, relatively warm for March and the birds were singing. You could immediately see the difference in the pace of life- everybody seemed happier, lighter and in a better place. I love to see mother nature in action and was instantly craving summer foods and I wished spring was already there with its green abundance. Since I have not chance but to wait, I created something raw that reminds me of spring, herb gardens and the first flowers - sesame tomato canapés. 

These canapés have a base of curried seeds and I love how sesame, sunflower seeds, lemon, curry and chives mingle. It's just sooo fresh and rich! On top they a sauce of sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, garlic and sea salt and a fresh red onion, tomato, chive mix. These are clean, easy to make, a healthy appetizer, lunch or dinner and will be loved by everybody. Plus they are nut free, gluten free, dairy free and vegan. If you love tomatoes- this is for you!

SESAME TOMATO CANAPÉS
Makes 4


Canapés
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds + 1 T
juice of 1 small lemon
2 T chopped chives
1 t curry powder
1 t tumeric
1 pinch of sea salt

Sun-dried tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped unsalted, sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 h
8 cherry tomatoes
pinch of sea salt
1/2 small clove of garlic

Tomato/onion mix
 8 cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium red onion
2 T chopped chives

For the canapés, pulse sunflower seeds and sesame seeds into fluor. Mix with lemon juice, chives and spices and form into 4 small canapés. Toss in 2 T sesame seeds. Let firm up in the fridge for 1/2 h.
For the sun-dried tomato sauce, blend sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and sea salt. Spread on top of canapés-
For the tomato/onion mix, chop cherry tomatoes, red onion and chives and mix. Place on top of tomato sauce.

Enjoy!

RED ANTIOXIDANT SMOOTHIE

The weekend is finally there and if you have been as busy as I and feel the need to recharge your body, this smoothie is the perfect start. It is made of red grapes, pomegranate seeds, cherries, blackberries and is thus chock-full of antioxidants, the small molecules essential for prevention of oxidative cell stress. Plus, red grapes contain loads of reservatol, which was shown to reduce stroke risk and support weight loss.  

Smoothies are an easy way to get in all your minerals, vitamins and other nutrients and this smoothie is such a health bomb. Besides it's superhero ingredients, the antioxidants and the reservatol, it provides you with more than a quarter of the daily recommended values of vitamins K and C. And I even hid some kale in it...smart me :) I think the kale balances out the sweetness of the red fruit. If you like it sweeeet, you may leave out the greens.

P.S.: Have you known that pomegranates are one of the oldest fruit known to men? Found in writings and artifiacts of many cultures, punica granatum is an original native from Persia and has been a symbol for fertility, health and eternal life.  Isn't that cool? Let's drink that up!!

RED ANTIOXIDANT SMOOTHIE
Makes 64 oz (serves 2)

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
2 cups red grapes
1 cup mixed frozen blackberries and cherries
1 red sweet apple
1 cup kale (or greens of your choice)
1 cup ice cubes 
water as needed

Blend and enjoy!

ARUGULA SALAD WITH STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE AND MARINATED VEGGIES

Do you love strawberries as much as I do? In that case, this will be your new favorite salad :) This green deliciousness combines fresh arugula with tahini-lemon marinated mushroom and red bell pepper and a tart basil strawberry vinaigrette.

This salad is nut free and only made of the freshest raw ingredients. It brings summer to every cold place and if you have no fresh strawberries availabe you can easily use frozen ones or substitute them with oranges.

What I love most about this salad is that it is so easy to prepare and nevertheless bursts with flavor. The combination of sesame, lemon, basil and strawberry is just heavenly! If you are looking for a new exciting salad recipe, give this one a try!

ARUGULA SALAD WITH STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE AND MARINATED VEGGIES

Serves1

Salad

1 bunch of arugula

1 cup thinly sliced white mushrooms

1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1/2 cup sliced strawberry

handful fresh basil leaves

1/2 t tahini

juice of 1/2 lemon

pinch of sea salt

1/2 t paprika powder

Strawberry vinaigrette

3-5 basil leaves

5-6 strawberries

juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup water

For the marinated veggies, mix tahini with lemon juice, sea salt and paprika powder. Toss sliced mushrooms and paprika with mix. Leave in a warm spot for 1-2 hours at least. 

For the vinaigrette, blend basil and strawberries with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and water.

Mix arugula with marinated veggies, fresh strawberries, fresh basil leaves and drizzle with strawberry vinaigrette. That's it.

Enjoy!

MY GREEN BOWL OF HAPPINESS

This is one of my most beloved raw breakfast dishes. I call it my green bowl of happiness, because it gives me all I need for the day and is so delicious and rich that it makes me smile :) This dish is really awesome, because it combines all the health benefits of a green smoothie with the sweet flavors of fresh fruit. You can basically add every kind of fruit you have at home as well as top your green bowl with extras as some nuts for additional protein or shredded coconut for that special exotic taste. I just LOVE my green bowl!

Healthy beautiful food as in this recipe has become super important to me since I began the raw vegan lifestyle. Actually I think eating beautiful real food is the essence of living. I just love the idea of my body being made of fresh ripe mangoes, sweet strawberries, leafy greens and cute raspberries. Plus, real food makes me happy. And aren't happiness and health all we're looking for? On my journey for greater happiness I have already been taught several lessons. Here are my favorite TOP5 tricks and tips on how to be a happier you.

1. Love yourself

It is just really hard to be happy with your life, your job, or somebody else if you don't love yourself. There is no reason to criticize yourself all the time as it will just push you down and not change anything. For me it helped to ask myself what I don't like about myself and I have started to change these things. Although it is healthy to constantly want to improve, we must not forget that we are all equal. We are all a product of mother nature.

2.Exercise

On the most stressful days or in the most confusing situations, a good workout always clears my mind and relaxes me. Most often afterwards I have found a solution for a problem or at least put it in relation. 

3. Eat mindfully

Enjoying my meals with the TV turned off, the radio shut down and in a peaceful environment has helped me to become more aware of what I put in my body and makes me enjoy all flavors and textures. Eating is fueling our body and I personally think it is only possible to know what the body needs and wants if you're listening to it.

4. Sleep enough

Sleep was always my buffer on stressful days when I cut back sleep in order to finish school things. As I've learned, a good sleep routine is important to me to be really awake on the next day and profit from my sleep time as much as possible. Sleep is the time that your body needs to flush out toxines, clear your mind and reset several cellular processes.

5. Be open and let go

In my opinion, happiness has a lot to do with being tolerant and compassionate with other people and with letting go old problems and drawbacks. Life is very short and it should be beautiful.

I hope that my tips are in some way helpful to you and I would be very happy to learn about your ways to improve your life and I am here for any kind of questions. But for now, enough. Let's get back to our recipe :)

MY GREEN BOWL OF HAPPINESS

Serves 1

Green base

Handful of fresh basil (or one herb of your choice)

2 T spirulina powder (I used JumpUp and GoGo GO GREEN)

1 cup spinach (or any other leafy green)

1 small sweet apple

2 ripe bananas

2 pitted dates

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup water

Toppings

1/2 cubed mango, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 sliced sweet apple, 1 cubed persimmon, few almonds (optional), 2 T shredded coconut.

Blend everything for the green base. Pour your base into your favorite bowl and top with fresh fruit and extras. You can easily customize your green bowl by chosing your favorite herb and leafy greens and add your preferred toppings.

Enjoy!

BREAKFAST IN A JAR (orange caramel muesli)

For those times, when you crave something to chew on in the morning; for those times, when you need a quick to go breakfast/lunch and for those times, when you want to make someone a very special morning, this BREAKFAST IN A JAR is the answer. It's relatively low in fat (only some healthy fats from a little amount of nuts and seeds), contains all the fruit you need to get in in the morning and it amazes with its different textures and overwhelming flavors.

This special treat for YOU is made of a juicy, cinnamon and vanilla-infused apple and orange compote (soo good on its own too !!), a no-dehydrate muesli (for all of you who don't have a dehydrator, have little time or need this quick ;)), some fresh fruit and a low-fat caramel pudding. You can easily make this dish completely nut-free (I'll show you how) or use different fruit for your compote or even make a chocolate or vanilla pudding.

I was truely amazed how everything turned out. The compote is so rich in flavor and so juicy, the muesli is so crunchy and satisfying and the pudding is sweet, rich and got a real great texture.

Plus, you won't believe how much fruit you get in with this breakfast (everything you see in the pictures: 3 oranges, 2 tangerines, 2 medium apples and 2 bananas). So, this is a great alternative to my usual smoothie and I think I will bring it to a brunch next weekend. This is soo good! So here is what you need.

BREAKFAST IN A JAR (orange caramel muesli)
Serves 2

Apple orange compote
2 medium sweet apples
2 medium oranges
2 tangerines
1 T cinnamon powder
few drops pure vanilla extract
3 T lemon juice
1 t raw agave syrup (raw honey, or any other liquid sweetener you like)

No-dehydrate muesli
1/4 cup + 1 T sunflower seeds
2 T sesame seeds
6 almonds, soaked in water for at least 1 h or overnight (leave out for a nut-free version)
4 pitted medjool dates
1 T lemon juice
1 t raw agave syrup (or any other sweetener you like)

Fresh fruit layer
1 medium orange

Caramel pudding
2 small ripe bananas
6 almonds, soaked in water for at least 1 h or overnight (leave out for a nut-free version)
4 pitted medjool dates
1 pinch of cinnamon
1/2 t pure vanilla extract 
2 T JumpUp and GoGo Original or Vegan (the Classic one contains bee pollen) 
OR 2 T raw cacao/carob powder
1/4 cup water

For the compote, chop all fruits and mix in a small bowl with lemon juice, cinnamon and vanilla. Cover with a lid or wrap and let sit in the fridge overnight to let the flavors develop.
For the muesli, process 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds and dates until chunky. In a bowl, add lemon juice and agave syrup and mix well to get crumble.
For the fresh fruit, chop your orange.
For the caramel pudding, blend almonds in water. Add bananas, dates, cinnamon, vanilla, JumpUp and GoGo or cacao/carob and blend until smooth. Place in fridge overnight to let it harden (will be an awesome pudding the next morning, I promise - I could turn the cup around without the pudding moving a bit).
The next day, layer compote, muesli, fresh fruit and pudding.

Enjoy!