I'm excited to share a fantastic recipe I created a couple of weeks ago when I came home from work one evening with no desire to cook. The thing is, I'm a long-time vegan who enjoys mostly salads or soup for my evening meal, and my husband is a vegetarian kickboxer who requires a much more hearty dinner. I'm very grateful to have a partner who no longer eats meat—he whole-heartedly supports my ethics and stopped eating meat soon after we started dating—but I'm still left with the challenge of preparing two separate meals each and every night. Good thing I like to cook, right?

Well, sort of. It's really only when I don't have baking or raw dessert-making on the brain, which, in truth, is a rare occasion. So there are some nights when, by the time I'm finished prepping and cooking my husband's dinner, I have no desire to make my own. But, as you can see, my time can be spent creating something even better. Who needs dinner when you can make these?


These raw almond fudge bars were born after experimenting with layers of my favourite textures and flavours: a raw almond crust, soft chocolate fudge, and crunchy granola. I really liked how these came out. Actually, I loved them. And I hope you do, too!

Just like my St. Lucia muffins, these bars also happen to fit into the guidelines for this month's SOS Kitchen Challenge, which features coconut oil. Enjoy!

Raw almond fudge bars
Bottom layer:
2 cup raw almonds, soaked for 8 hours
1 cup oat groats or raw oat flakes, finely ground in a spice grinder
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup flax meal
1 1/4 cup chopped dates + 1/4 cup soaking water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

1. In a small bowl, soak the dates in warm water for about 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor, process the almonds to a coarse meal. Add the ground oat groats, coconut flakes and flax meal and process until well combined.
3. Add the soaked dates, soaking water, vanilla, cinnamon and salt to the food processor and process until well combined. You might need to scrap down the sides of the mixing bowl a few times. The mixture should look like wet cookie dough. If it seems too dry, add another tablespoon or two of water.
5. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with plastic wrap, making sure it hangs over the sides. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for the top layer and press the remainder of the mixture in the bottom of the pan, using the back of a spoon to press it down firmly and evenly.
6. Carefully lift the pressed layer out of the pan by pulling up the sides of the plastic wrap and place it on a dehydrator tray. Remove the plastic wrap and dehydrate the layer at 110 degrees for about 1 hour.

Top layer:
1/2 cup reserved bottom layer mixture
1/4 cup raw oat flakes
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

1. In a medium bowl, combine the reserved mixture from the bottom layer with the raw oat flakes and coconut flakes. Crumble it using your fingers.
2. Spread the mixture evenly on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 110 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Middle layer:
1 1/2 cup raw almond butter
1/3 cup raw agave nectar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw carob powder, sifted
1/3 cup raw cacao powder, sifted
1/3 cup coconut oil
pinch of salt

1. In a food processor, process the almond butter, agave nectar and vanilla until smooth.
2. Add the carob powder, cacao powder, coconut oil and salt, and process just to combine. It should resemble a thick fudge consistency.
3. When the bottom and top layers have finished in the dehydrator, return the bottom layer to the pan and spread the fudge layer over top, carefully spreading it evenly with the back of a spoon. Then sprinkle the top layer over the fudge layer, pressing it firmly in place. Place the pan in the fridge for 1 hour to set before cutting into squares. Store the squares in a tightly covered container in the fridge.

As promised, here's the recipe for the delicious tropical muffins I made for my anniversary weekend celebration. These muffins started out simply: with the idea of melding some tropical fruit into a simple and healthy muffin base. But then my ambition got the best of me. St. Lucia is famous for its bananas and coconut, but it's also famous for its rum! We still have plenty of it from our wedding trip to the island in 2007, and I decided it was the perfect way to spice up these otherwise healthy breakfast treats. It was a celebration, so why not?

These muffins also happen to fit nicely into the guidelines for the first SOS Kitchen Challenge of 2011, which highlights coconut oil. I have to admit, I never used to be a fan of coconut, but ever since I started experimenting with raw desserts (in which coconut oil is a staple) the taste is really growing on me. The nutritional benefits are also a bonus! This particular recipe provides a triple bang—coconut oil, coconut nectar and coconut milk—and the addition of banana helps to mellow out the flavour and also provides moisture. Combine these tropical fruits with the subtle addition of Caribbean rum and one bite of these muffins will surely take you to a faraway paradise with clear blue water and endless sunshine. The rum is entirely optional, of course. If you prefer to go with a virgin muffin, just substitute an additional 2 tablespoons of coconut milk for the alcohol. Enjoy!


St. Lucia muffins
2 cups spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 banana, mashed
1/2 cup coconut nectar or agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup light coconut milk
2 tbsp dark rum
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine the banana, coconut nectar, coconut oil, coconut milk and rum.
3. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir just to combine. Fold in the coconut flakes. Spoon the mixture into a muffin pan lined with muffin cups and garnish with more coconut, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store muffins in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Ah, inspiration. Do you realize it's all around us, camouflaged in every corner of our lives, waiting for us to take notice? Inspiration gives us the courage to test the limits of our imagination. It is where brilliance thrives.

Have you ever thought about what stimulates your imagination or inspires you to create something new? It really doesn’t take much to inspire me or to make me smile in quiet awe. It's the green bananas ripening on my kitchen counter. The way cookie dough comes together. Coconut oil melting. Lentils sprouting. What happens to chia seeds when I soak them. Beautiful photographs. The flowers that grow in my garden. My cat purring. My friends. And all of you. Those of you who leave your comments here, showing proof there are people who actually read my blog. Those of you who are silent but keep dropping in.

I find endless inspiration in other blogs, too. Food bloggers’ passion, and the delicious results of that passion, never fail to inspire me. This beautiful pudding is one such example. It is inspired by someone's quinoa porridge, combined with another's banana soft serve, and topped with my own creation of caramelized banana and nuts. The frozen bananas make this pudding thick and creamy, the cocoa adds a deep chocolate flavour, and the quinoa provides a perfect balance of essential amino acids and vital nutrients. As far as I know, no other chocolate pudding has the superstar power of this one. Enjoy!

Chocolate quinoa pudding
2 cups nondairy milk
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
2 frozen bananas
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. In a large saucepan, combine the nondairy milk and quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally so that a skin doesn't form on top.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, combine the bananas, cocoa powder, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla in a blender and blend until creamy.
3. When the quinoa is done, stir in the banana mixture. Serve warm, topped with caramelized banana and nuts (recipe below).

Caramelized banana and nuts
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 yellow bananas, sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
dash of cinnamon

Happy twenty-eleven! Now that it's the beginning of a new year, it seems the holiday hoopla is already becoming a distant memory. The big meals and decadent desserts have been devoured, the wine bottles have been emptied, and the gingerbread house has been picked clean. After so much excess, I would feel a bit guilty if I tempted you with more sweets. And yet here I am, with a recipe for cookie dough bites.

But wait, don’t go! I promise you, this one is different. If you have a health-related New Year's resolution still fresh in mind, a sugar and calorie laden treat likely won't be passing your lips anytime soon. Or, perhaps your body is craving healthy greens and whole foods after too much Christmas cake and cocktails. It's time for a fresh start, right?


While it's nearly impossible to attest to giving up all sweets in January without caving before the start of February, one thing I have learned is that nutritious, whole food options are the keys to success. So, basically, you can have your [unrefined, whole grain, sugar-free] cake and eat it, too. Even that hidden desire to eat raw cookie dough can be fulfulled! Here, raw cookie dough bites—"raw" in the good sense of the word, not a raw batter of flour, sugar and eggs—are filled with nutrient-dense nuts and oats and sweetened with raw agave nectar. They are super easy to make, and they can be stored in the freezer for those times when you want to satisfy a sweets craving without feeling bad about it. Enjoy!

Raw cookie dough bites