Day 2 of Shinmas

Today we have another two special treats - my first guest had actually contacted me last month to talk about their products. I really loved the neatness of their website and that they wanted to sell a variety of seeds, but more importantly, they love to advertise. While you may not think of this site having anything to do with anything creamy or saucy - they often lead to delectable recipes for almond butter, sesame sauces and lots of other lavish things to do with nuts and seeds. I still haven't been able to post my ground pumpkin seed risotto for the site, but I would say that this is a great alternative. The company is named "EatSeed" and I would definitely suggest checking them out.

EatSeed has a nice variety of seeds that you can get on their own OR you can get your own special seed blend. In this you could buy one of their own special seed blends or make your own. They sell specialty flours and if you can't find chia, flax or black sesame seeds too often (like I do) this would be a great website to check out. Their prices are quite equal in proportion to the amount you get and you have the option of receiving roasted and toasted seeds if you do not wish to have them raw.

The variety of seeds is very nice - as they even serve hemp along with chia, pumpkin, flax, sesame ect. And one thing that I absolutely cannot forget is their "Superseed Of The Month Club" for less than $90 a year for eight ounce bags for each seed selection. It can get a bit pricey depending on your own market, but to offset that it appears that you also get reward points which you can then use to counter-balance the cons. I was smitten.

EatSeed Website: http://www.eatseed.com/
EatSeed Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/EatSeed/483750051643395?fref=ts 

Speaking of smitten - my next guest has me Susmitten, she has guest posted for my blog before and I her, so she is no stranger! Something that interested me very much on her blog recently was her post about "Vegan Ice cream Basics". In this she shows how to make an extremely simple ice cream base in which you can make anything interesting and, if you feel up to it, quite gourmet. You'll never have to worry about finding an entirely new recipe when you want a big change up from your typical ice cream flavors with this post. Don't forget to check out the rest of her blog for more imaginative recipes such as these.

Veganosaurus Blog Link: http://blog.veganosaurus.com/ 

 

Raw Mint Chocolate Ice Cream (No Added Sugar, Gluten-Free, Raw)

I was in the middle of making my favorite avocado smoothie and some beet pancakes when I noticed that I had way too big of a smoothie for it to be fresh. Instead of saving it or waking someone else up to eat the other half I instead decided to  freeze it, and oh boy was I happy that I did. The next day there was a slight heat wave but I was prepared! This is more similar to chocolate ice, unless you use an ice cream maker, but the mint and chocolate flavors are really fantastic, and can help your kids out with a sugar-free way of eating more fruits and veggies.

(Ingredients)

• 1 Large Ripe Banana
• 1/2 Large Ripe Avocado
• 1/4 cup of Cocoa
• 5 tsp Stevia
• 3 drops of Food-Safe Mint Oil
• About 1 & 1/2 cups Non-Dairy Milk

(Directions)

• Blend the ingredients until fine and then freeze, taking it out every three hours or so to scrape and mix it to your liking. Skip the step if you are churning and let it thaw for five minutes or so when you are ready to eat.
• Grab a spoon and enjoy!

Vegan Cheezecake Pie Pops (Soy-Free, No-Bake, Gluten-Free, 4th of July)

Happy 4th of July for those that celebrate it - due to the summer heat (which makes me summer lazy) and I came up with these due to wanting something cool and cute to eat. My family just made a strawberry, refrigerator cheesecake so you know I had to one-up that and veganize it....or I just needed to try out this new sugar-free pectin! The best part about these is that with each bite you get a different ice cream flavor - the first is cheezecake, then its banana split and then you even get a bite of Choc-O-Chip cookie dough.

How do you like to celebrate your national holidays? Or, how do you prefer to cool down?

(Cheezecake Pie Pops Ingredients)

• 1/4 cup of Blueberries
• 1 Medium-Ripe Banana
• 1 tsp White Vinegar
• 1 tbl Coconut Oil
• 1 cup of Coconut Cream (or 1/2 pk of Thai Cream Powder)
• 1/4 cup Raw Sugar
• 2 tsp No-Sugar Added Pectin
• 2 tsp Water
• 1/2 cup Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crumbs

(Directions)

• I didn't use a blender for this - but if you want something absolutely smooth and amazing then you can most definitely use a blender. 
• You can use about half a packet of Thai coconut cream powder and half a cup of cold water, then drizzle in oil, vinegar, sugar and blueberries.
• Put that mixture in the microwave on high for 20 seconds and then mash in the banana to "puree" the ingredients.
• Combine pectin and water, press it with fingers until it is no longer lumpy and then microwave for about 15 seconds until it is jellied on its own.
• Whisk in, cover your mixing container with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for about 1-2 hours and it should start to smooth over.
• Then, chop it up and mix in your graham cracker crumbs.
• Let that chill for about one more hour and then you can drizzle in some bitter-sweet chocolate or make cheezecake pops, using graham cracker crumbs and chocolate as a great base.
• Coat your sticks with chocolate, stick in and freeze until almost rock-hard, serve and enjoy!

Cool down with a nice float, too!

Vegan Sherbet, Ice Cream Floats and Silk Fruit & Protein (Low-fat, raw-vegan option, simple)

So cool, frothy and delicious - only lightly sweet but bursting with mango and ginger flavor. The ginger ale just slightly foams over the top and then slides slowly down the glass. This is so simple and really only takes about a day to make, which is pretty good considering that this doesn't require an ice cream machine. The main recipe also has a lot less fat but is more like a slushy/boba tea type of thing, but if you want it to be creamier or raw vegan then feel free to use some coconut milk. The best part of this is that it makes use of the yummy Silk Fruit & Protein drink (Mango and Peach)

(Soy-Based, Low-Fat Recipe)

• 1/2 cup of Mango Juice & Silk Fruit & Protein
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 1/4 cup of Sugar (add more if you wish)
• 1 tsp of Coconut Oil

(Raw Vegan Recipe)

• 2 cups of Whole Coconut Milk
• 1 cup of Mango Juice
• 1/4 cup of Raw Sugar or Agave Nectar

(Directions)

• Simply mix your ingredients together then place in the freezer or ice cream machine.
• Let it stay in the freezer for about two and a half hours or until the outside has started to freeze, then break apart with a silicone spatula and keep bringing the pieces into the middle. Do this every couple of hours for about three to five times or until you are satisfied.
• Let freeze until scoopable then serve in a nice ginger-ale fruit with lime or all by itself!
• Enjoy!

Brownie Bite Ice Cream Sandwiches w/ 30-Minute Ice-Cream and Raw Vegan Option

Crunchy on the inside and unbelievably fluffy on the inside with lots of yummy homemade ice cream. You can't even taste the spinach or bananas! Surprised? This dish is great to round up a healthy meal with a decadent treat with a nice surprise. Your kids (or anyone shorter than you, honestly) will look up at you and say "There's no way that vegetables can be in here!", I'm sure. But oh they are in there dear children and people that are shorter than me, they are.

(Five-Ingredient Ice Cream Ingredients)

• 1 Mildly Ripe Banana frozen
• 2 tsp of Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp of Vanilla
• 4 tbl of Peanut Butter
• 2 tbl of Raw Sugar

(Brownie Bite Ingredients)

• 1/4 cup of Vegan Margarine (or Coconut Oil)
• 1/4 cup of Non-Dairy Milk
• 1 tsp of Vanilla
• 1/4 cup of Raw Sugar
• 1 cup of Whole Grain Flour
• 3/4 cup of Cocoa Powder
• 2 tsp of Stevia
• 1/4 tsp of Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup of Spinach Juice (and pulp)

(Raw Vegan Version of Brownie Bites)

• 3/4 cup of Raw Cocoa Powder
• 20 Raw and Soaked Dates
• 1 tsp of Stevia (optional)
• 1/2 cup of Raw Oats
• 1/4 cup of Cold Coconut Oil
• A few tbl of Spinach Juice and Pulp

(Directions)

• For the Ice Cream: First, mash your banana with a whisk, add your lemon juice and then your sugar. Let that sit for a minute and then mash some more until it looks custard like. Move your whisk around in an effort to whip air into it.
• Combine with the vanilla and then add your peanut butter after everything has been whisked and masked completely. Mix for a minute more then stash in the freezer for about an hour.
• Take out, whisk again and then place in the freezer while you decide which Brownie bites version you want to make.


• For your Non-raw Brownie Bites:, cream together the margarine, sugar and vanilla and refrigerate for about five minutes. Whisk again and then fold in your dry ingredients. Mix on high with electric beaters and then slowly pour your milk in until it comes together. Use an ice cream scoop and place onto a well-oiled cookie sheet and place in fridge for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, crank the heat up to 400 for about five minutes and set back to 350 until the tops have firmed and the bottoms have browned well. Let cool for five minutes then scoop a bit of your ice cream top and enjoy!


• For the Raw Brownie Bites: Grind your oats together and then mix with everything else.
• Use an ice cream scoop to place them on some parchment paper and freeze until ready.
• Combine with your ice cream, serve everything extremely cold and enjoy!