Funky Monkey Cheesecake (Raw Vegan)

It might not look like much - but this is purely heaven. You can eat it straight from the mixer as a sort of pudding, keep it cool for a mousse or keep it on the chill side for a nice cheesecake. The best part is when it is between fresh and frozen and you get easy to cut slices with a few chunks of velvety smooth peanut butter. Not to mention the sea salt crust with chocolate, fresh coconut, various nuts and seeds and raw cocoa powder. My first raw vegan dessert (after a raw vegan meal) and most definitely not my last.

(Funky Monkey Cheesecake Filling Ingredients)

• 1 Large Banana (Brown)
• 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/4 cup of Raw Sugar
• 1-2 cups of Raw Soaked Cashews(for 24 hours)
• A pinch of Sea Salt
• 1/4 cup of Raw Hemp Milk (or similar)
• 2-5 tbl of Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1/8 cup of Raw Nut Butter
• Raw Cocoa Nibs (optional)

(Funky Monkey Crust Ingredients)

• 20-40 strips of Fresh Coconut
• 3 tbl of Raw Sugar
• 1 tbl of Chia Seeds
• 2 tbl of Sesame Seeds
• 1/2 cup of Raw Oats
• A pinch of Sea Salt
• Halved Peanuts (as much as you want)
• 5 tbl of Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup of Raw Cocoa Powder

(Directions)

• Cheesecake Filling: Blend all of your ingredients together for the filling. (Don't include the peanut butter.)
• Taste, then let cool in the fridge.


• Funky Monkey Crust: Cover the coconut strips with the chia seeds and sugar in a pan. Toast everything together very lightly.
• Process the toasted strips,seeds, and sugar with the rest of the ingredients into crumbs using a blender/processor.
• Press into a baking dish greased with coconut oil and stash in the freezer for about 30 minutes 


• Add in your cheesecake filling and place back in the freezer for about 20 more minutes.
• Swirl in your peanut butter, smooth over and then place in the freezer for about two hours or until it seems ready.

I hope that you enjoy it!

Vegan Cheese Sticks

I apologize for the slightly blurry photo, it seems like all of my photos have been like this lately. These didn't turn out as well as I wanted them to - but you can modify them as you like.

(Vegan Cheese Sticks Ingredients)

• 3-5 tbl Agar Agar
• 3-5 tbl Cold Water
• 1 cup Original (or unsweetened) Soymilk
• 3-5 tbl Yellow Miso Paste
• 3 tbl Nutritional Yeast
• A few drops of India Tree Yellow Dye (optional)
• A pinch of Sea Salt (optional)

(Directions)

• Combine your water and agar agar. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
• Bring your soymilk to a boil.
• Add agar agar blend to the soymilk, stir in the miso paste and then add the nutritional yeast and dye. Make sure everything is mixed well.
• Pour it into a very small square mold to make the pieces thick.
• Let it sit for about 2 hours and then slice and enjoy!

Halloween Goodies #1 (Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn)

Scary, isn't it? The dark shadow, the red fabric and the eerie glow of the popcorn tell you not to put it in your mouth. But the popcorn is so inviting and it smells divine! The tantalizing smell of caramel, the pop of the spice and the hint of salt and peanut butter is too much to resist. This devilish treat is surely a crowd pleaser for the little goblins and ghouls who will most definitely appear at your house. Keep your popped corn on hand - because this is going to be a sweet ride!

(Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn Ingredients)

• 5 tbl Coconut Oil
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup White Sugar
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 Cup Soymilk
• 2-4 tbl Low-fat Peanut Butter
• A Small Squirt of Lemon Juice
• Unsalted Crushed Peanuts (optional)
• Cooked popcorn

(Directions)

• Melt the coconut oil in a thick-bottomed pan and add in your sugar. Stir those in for a while as you drizzle in the soymilk. Let it thicken and bubble.
• While still stirring, add the salt and pepper flakes. Let that go for another five minutes and add the lemon juice. It should be thick and you should kind of be able to tell how far the caramel is in with it's thickness.
• Stir in the peanut butter and a touch of extra salt if you like, it should look like a thick caramel by now. Stick a spoon in it to test it's thickness.
• Spread it over your popcorn evenly and sprinkle the peanuts over. Mix it together until coated and serve warm or cooled.
• Enjoy!

Cheap Cheezy Chickpea Pasta

I haven't updated in a while since I've been so busy improving on crafts, voice acting and the like. So here's a simple and cheap chickpea-sauce for pasta that you will absolutely love!

(Remaining Ingredients)

• Whole Wheat Mostaccioli pasta (cook according to box directions)
• Minced Oven-dried (or Sun-dried) tomatoes
• Fresh baby spinach

(Directions)

• Blend all of your first group of Chickpea Sauce ingredients together.Add the water slowly until it starts to loosen up a little.
• Then you can slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it is saucy to your liking.
• Cook pasta al dente according to box directions. Then, rinse in cold water to stop cooking.
• Heat the Chickpea Sauce. Toss the pasta in the sauce.
• Add minced dried tomatoes.
• Then you can chiffonade some nice fresh baby spinach and fold it all into your sauce and pasta when ready.
• Sprinkle on some vegan parmesan and enjoy!

Nacho Cheese Pretzels

I had planned on making some seitan bacon but I couldn't find a certain ingredient, meaning that the garbanzo flour I was going to make would be rendered useless. Instead, I made it into a creamy and nacho-cheesy filling for my delicious pretzels.

(Pretzel Dough Ingredients)

• 4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
• About 1 and 3/4 cup Water
• 2 and 1/4 tsp Rapid-Rise Yeast
• 2 tsp Sea Salt + Coarse Salt for topping
• 1 tbl Vegan Sugar

(Cooking Water Ingredients)

• 10 Cups Cold Water
• 2/3 Cup Baking Soda

(Cheesy Filling Ingredients)

• 2 tbl Minced Red Pepper
• 1/2-1 tsp Chili Seasoning
• 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1/4 Cup Cooked Garbanzo Beans
• Salt to taste (if necessary)

(Directions)

• Pretzel Dough: Mix the water, sugar and yeast together and let them sit for about five minutes while you mix the flour and salt together in a separate bowl.
• Build a well in the salt mixture, pour in the water and mix it well.
• Knead the mixture for about 10 minutes or until it turns into a smooth elastic ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for about an hour in a warm place.


• Cheesy Filling: Puree the ingredients together and set them aside.


• Split your dough into equal pieces and then roll them out thinly with your hands, then take a rolling pin to roll the dough thinly.
• Spoon some of the cheesy mixture onto the middle of the dough (being careful to stay in the middle) and pinch the sides to reform it.
• Roll it out into a thin rope and make it into a pretzel (or whatever you want) shape. Set aside and put onto a rolled baking sheet. Let each rest for about 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven at 450 degrees.
• Bring your cooking water to a boil.
• Boil each pretzel for about 30 seconds and place back onto the baking sheet.
• Spread the coarse salt liberally to the pretzels and bake at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
• Enjoy!