Tag Archives: fruit

Have you ever heard of these?  It is basically a smoothie bowl.  Imagine eating some frozen yogurt with fresh, juicy fruit on top.  That is basically what this is, except all of the sugar is completely natural and there is no dairy.  Therefore, no guilt plus tons of nutrition!  A wonderful thing to have, especially when it’s hot and you want something cool and refreshing.  These are so easy to make and so delicious!  Of course, it also helps that it’s raw vegan and gluten free!

Ingredients:

• 2 unsweetened frozen açaí packs
• 2 bananas, 1 sliced into 1/4″ thick coins
• 1/4 cup coconut water (I use the refrigerated ones)
• 2-3 strawberries, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup sliced pineapples
• 1/4 cup sliced mangoes (I thawed out frozen mangoes for this)
• finely shredded coconut to garnish

1. Run the açaí packs under hot water for 10 seconds, then squeeze them out into a blender.
2. Add the unsliced banana and coconut water, and blend into an even consistency.
3. Pour smoothie into a bowl and arrange the rest of the fruit on top to your liking.
4. Grab a spoon and dig in!

Ooey gooey chocolate mixed with raspberry jam???  Where can I get some?!?  Well, try these raw vegan, gluten free chocolate raspberry coconut layer bars to satisfy your cravings!  They’re easy to make and delicious!  You have a caramel-like bottom layer, then a coconut cream layer, then raspberry jam, followed by chocolate on top, to create a wonderful mesh of flavors!  This recipe calls for melted coconut oil – do not microwave the oil to melt it.  That will kill the nutrients.  Coconut oil’s melting point is only 76 degrees, so put the oil in a small container over a container of steaming hot water.

Bottom Layer Ingredients:

• 10 hazelnuts, soaked for at least 8 hours and drained
• 5 large medjool dates
• 1 tsp raw honey (or maple syrup to make it vegan)
• 1 tsp raw cacao powder

Coconut Layer Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw coconut butter
• 1 tsp coconut oil, melted (see above)
• 1 tsp raw honey (or maple syrup to make it vegan)
• 1 tsp almond extract

1 cup Raspberry Jam: Click for recipe – make at least 2 hours ahead of time.

Chocolate Layer Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp coconut oil, melted (see above)

1. Blend bottom layer ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Spread along the bottom of a glass pan.
2. Blend coconut layer ingredients in a food processor or blender and spread on top of the bottom layer.
3. Layer raspberry jam on top.
4. Blend chocolate layer ingredients in a food processor blender and pour over the top.
5. Freeze for an hour to set.  Cut into rectangles and then leave in the refrigerator.

Raw vegan raspberry jam – what more is there to say?  This is super simple to make, and delicious!  I love having different ways of eating fruit!  So the next time you want jam, make your own!

Makes 3-4 cups.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 4 large medjool dates
• 1/8 cup coconut water
• 1 tbsp chia seeds

1. Blend dates with water, then add raspberries.
2. Stir in chia seeds.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

So easy and so quick to make, and a great way to get some potassium, zinc, iron, and manganese, not to mention vitamins A, B, C, and E!  This raw vegan, gluten free delight is my favorite way to eat fruit!  You can use other fruits, of course, instead of mango and pineapple, but the banana is necessary to sweeten it.  I find that raspberries result in a slightly unpleasant texture due to the seeds.  The easiest way to make this is to use a juicer with a homogenizer attachment, which should be found with most single and twin gear juicers.  I’ll provide a recipe for use with a blender but I cannot entirely vouch for it, and it may result in more of a soft serve than a sorbet.

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen ripened banana
• 1/2 package frozen pineapple
• 1/2 package frozen mango

Juicer Method

1. Break up the banana into 6 pieces.
2. Put through juicer using homogenizer attachment, alternating fruits.  I put a couple pieces of pineapple, followed by a piece of banana, and then a couple pieces of mango.

Blender Method

1. Let banana sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
2. Blend pineapples and mangoes to break them up, then add the banana.
3. You may have to stop the blender and scoop the sides many times before everything comes together.

There you go!

If you haven’t already heard, chia seeds are awesome for you.  They have those essential Omega fatty acids and have plenty of protein and fiber.  They are incredibly useful when you want to figure out a way to have guilt free yet absolutely healthy and nutritious pudding.  This totally hits the spot for me when I want something sweet, cold and creamy.  You can use any frozen fruit you want, but I love adding frozen mango because as the mango defrosts, the juices spread throughout the rest of the pudding.

Chia seeds are also wonderful for your digestive system.  So if you are looking to lose weight, definitely have some of this raw vegan, gluten free pudding!

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 9 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 4 tbsp chia seeds
• frozen fruit of choice

1. Blend dates in food processor or blender.
2. Add coconut milk and extracts and blend.
3. Divide mixture into 4 containers and stir in 1 tbsp seeds into each container.
4. Top with frozen fruit and let sit in fridge for at least 2 hours.  Keeps for about 4 days.

Bonus: Raw Vegan Berry Compote

I whipped thi1s up using leftover berries and some sweetener, so keep in mind these measurements are approximations.  It is super simple but still delicious.  Frozen leftover pineapples were included within the picture shown below.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup blackberries
• 2-3 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup

1. Purée half the berries with the agave nectar or maple syrup.
2. Add remaining berries and pulse.
3. Serve by spooning some of the compote on top of the pudding.  Store separately from pudding.