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Things Change

April 17, 2017 · Natalie 63 Comments

This post might ruffle some feathers, but I want to share it anyways. And if you don’t ruffle a few feathers from time to time then you are probably doing life wrong.

I posted this video on Instagram a couple of days ago of a recipe with both an egg and egg-free option, and it sparked a bit of a…discussion in the comments section. So I thought it was time for a serious chat and explanation.

Things change. People change. And minds change, but only when they are open.

For a long time mine was not. For a long time I was eating the same vibrant whole plant foods day after day hoping that eventually I would feel amazing doing so. As amazing as all the Vegan What I Ate YouTube videos promised and #hclfvegan Instagram captions professed. Yeah, I got caught up in that crazy comparison mindset too. I was unwilling to consider any other alternative. If I could just eat healthy enough and vegan hard enough it had to happen eventually. Right?

But it didn’t. Not after a year. Not after two years or three years. Not after going raw vegan. Not after eating nothing but bananas for a week (hello desperation!). Not after reading all the books and watching all the videos and trying all the versions. I was frustrated. And as irrational as it sounds now looking back, I felt like I must be doing something wrong.

Believe me I wanted it to work, I wanted it to work so badly. I had been vegan since high school, I create vegan recipes for a living, until recently the word vegan was all over my about me page–it was a HUGE part of my identity and letting go of that felt scary. But after trying to make it work for years and feeling not so hot ninety percent of the time, I had to finally put that familiar identity and my love of massive banana smoothies aside and admit to myself that it wasn’t working for me anymore.

You might be wondering why I didn’t just drop the high fruit/high carb part of veganism and try a starch-based or even lower carb plant-based diet. I did try it, but I didn’t feel better nor was I satisfied eating that way. Plus beans, soy, and raw veggies are all a nightmare for my stomach, which makes the plant food options quite limited.

Aside from stomach issues there were other signs my body was giving me that things weren’t right. My hair was falling out like crazy, I had circles under my eyes and low energy levels, and I found myself constantly snacking and craving endless quantities of sweet food.

So for a few months now I have been eating AIP paleo-ish and including non-vegan foods in my diet again. And while it has been far from smooth sailing, I feel SO much better. Better than I remembered it was possible to feel. Even my worst days are better than my good days back when i was eating tons of fruit. AIP is not an easy diet to follow, and I have not done it perfectly nor do I want to. My goal is to use it as a starting point from which to experiment and find what works for me as an individual without rules or labels.

I truly feel like this is a step in the right direction. There is no longer a feeling of disconnect between what I want to eat and what is probably best to eat to nourish and feel good inside. I used to crave and eat tons of fruit knowing full well that my stomach would most likely be an angry mess afterwards. But now I actually crave savory foods, simple foods that make me and my stomach happy.

All the recipes I share will still be vegan. I still love fruit and love creating with it. I love dreaming up healthier ways to make sweet snacks and seeing just how many recipes it is possible to squeeze dates into and creating nice cream for any and every season. There may be a few more grain-free and AIP treats mixed in, but from the feedback so far it seems many of you appreciate those too.

It’s not that a big bowl of banana ice cream doesn’t appeal to me anymore, it’s just that I know it won’t make me feel awesome. And right now I need to focus on what makes me feel awesome inside and out. I truly am content eating his way, thank goodness tastebuds are so wonderfully adaptable.

I am in no way criticizing the vegan or high carb vegan diet–it works for many people! But for me it turned into trying to force something to work that just didn’t. Trying to force myself to fit into a diet instead of finding a way of eating that fits me. Someday I hope that my love of fruit will realign with what my body needs and wants to feel good, but that day is not today.

It feels good to be flexible and to experiment. It feels good to finally feel good. And even though my primary motivation for making this change was physical wellbeing, it has done more for my mental wellbeing regarding food and health than I ever could’ve imagined. A change in perspective is a powerful thing.

I know this may upset some of you, and if you decide to unfollow me for it then that is your choice. I will be sad to see you go, but at some point I have to put my own health first. Being honest with you is important to me, and it is my hope that you will receive my honesty with an open mind.

Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you have a struggled with similar health issues. Perhaps you have had to make the same tough decision yourself. For so long I would instantly dismiss anyone who tried to convince me that my vegan diet may be the cause of my health issues. I had to come to it on my own in my own time and then be open-minded enough myself to make this change. A change that at one time I never thought I would make.

To my vegan friends, if you wish to voice your opinion all I ask that you do so with the same compassion for me that you advocate for all.

And to my friends who have been supportive of me and my decision regardless of dietary choices, so much gratitude and love to you <3

And why the cookies? Because this is my second batch in a week of these cookies from the incredible Mandy (Be Sol-Ful) and they are grain-free and chocolatey and delicious, meeting all the cookie requirements that make both me and my body happy right now! And yes they are vegan too. Also I think all serious chats are better with cookies, don’t you?

Tigernut Shortbread Cookies

April 13, 2017 · Natalie 102 Comments

These buttery-sweet Tigernut Flour Shortbread Cookies are grain and nut free plus super simple to make and extra decadent dunked in a silky carob coating!

And so the unusual flour experiments continue.

Or more accurately the grain-free flour experiments, since coconut flour isn’t really unusual anymore. Or maybe just non-oat flour experiments, that is really the common thread here.

First I dabbled in almond flour baking with this buttery tart. Then there was banana flour in the form of this cake I can’t stop craving. And then there was coconut flour in the easiest recipe I think I’ve ever posted. And now tigernut.

I kinda want to circle back around now–funky flours round 2. Or maybe move on to cassava flour next, that is one I’ve been meaning to do a recipe with for a while now but somehow every time I order a bag the entire contents disappear in the form of mini donuts…oops!

But I digress. Back to tigernut…

Even though autocorrect has not yet recognized tigernut as a thing, the grain-free baking world seems to be all about right now. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, and actually made from tiny tubers. Plus it conjures up mental images of a ferocious jungle cat in my mind every time I say it, which is not something that can be said for many other baking ingredients.

Grain-free recipes. In my own life, I have been sticking to a mostly grain-free diet lately for the sake of a happy gut. And I must say it has been helping immensely! Adjusting to this different way of baking and all these new flours has been tricky and filled with fails, but fun nonetheless. There are still many things I have not yet figured out how to make without my go-to oat flour, which is why the grain-free recipes have been just slowly starting to pop up around here. But there will be more to come, so I hope you are enjoying them too.

Tigernut flour. I first tried tigernut flour in these adorable mini raspberry muffins from Food By Mars, because Alison is pretty much a pro with the grain-free baking. Then more recently I revisited it in these cute little chocolate cookies from my friend Mandy over at Be Sol-Ful Living. Although I sadly didn’t get a photo of those because…well…it was late and dark and they were very yummy.

The texture of the flour reminds me somewhat of almond flour, although it is much lower in fat so not as naturally buttery. The flavor (especially in those mini muffins) is very reminiscent of cornmeal or cornbread in my opinion. It is not super bind-y by itself, so often used in combination with other flours, although for these Tigernut Shortbread Cookies I did use it alone and employed coconut butter to help hold things together.

Other shortbread essentials. I modeled this recipe very closely off of a classic shortbread cookie recipe. They are usually quite simple: flour, butter, sugar, and vanilla. That’s it. No leavening agents. Sometimes salt, but it’s optional.

So sticking with that simple theme, my healthier grain-free version is: tigernut flour, coconut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.

AIP-friendly. Since tigernut flour is not only grain-free but AIP-friendly (something else I’ve personally been dabbling with lately) I stuck to that theme in my choice of “chocolate” coating. So while it looks like these shortbread cookies are chocolate dipped, they are actually carob dipped.

Instead of using melted chocolate, I created a carob sauce with sifted carob powder (because that stuff can be seriously lumpy!) and coconut oil so it would harden in the fridge. You could add maple syrup to sweeten, but carob is much sweeter than cacao powder in my opinion so I don’t even think you need it. Or you can just use melted chocolate of course if you don’t care about the AIP part.

Enjoy their buttery-delicious flavor plain. Dip in melted chocolate or carob. Or share with your favorite ferocious jungle cat friend!

Or if you are in search of a similarly simple cookie but with good old oat flour, may I suggest -> THESE

Tigernut Flour Shortbread Cookies

★★★★★ 4.9 from 16 reviews

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 cookies 1x

Print Recipe

Description

These buttery-sweet Tigernut Flour Shortbread Cookies are grain and nut free plus super simple to make and extra decadent dunked in a silky carob coating!

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup tigernut flour
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt ((optional))

Carob Coating (or you can use melted chocolate if not following AIP)

1/3 cup carob powder, sifted
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp maple syrup ((optional, carob powder is somewhat sweet on it’s own so I didn’t use it))

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Combine all the cookie ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix to form a slightly sticky dough.
Divide the dough into 6 balls (they are fairly large cookies, feel free to make 10-12 smaller cookies).
Arrange on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Press to form cookies, optionally using a cookie cutter to make perfect circles.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350F. Let them cool completely before dipping.
For the carob coating, whisk together the sifted carob powder and melted coconut oil. Or melt the chocolate chips if you are going with that option.
Dip the cookies partway into the carob coating. Lay on a plate/pan lined with wax paper. Chill to set.
Enjoy! Keep in the fridge.

Unicorn Nice Cream

April 10, 2017 · Natalie 33 Comments

This Unicorn Nice Cream is a scoop of vegan magic with pink, purple, and blue swirls, sweet squishy marshmallows, and sugar stars twinkling on top!

Unicorn Nice Cream. Try to say that out loud without smiling and feeling five-year-old glee for a least an instant.

~~If this recipe doesn’t make you happy then…~~ This recipe will make you happy. While blending bananas and berries into two tones of cold creaminess–happy. While stirring butterfly pea blue into fluffy clouds of coconut–happy. While chopping up full-sized vegan marshmallows into makeshift minis–still happy. And scattering on the final touch, sugar stars of every shade–that’s the happiest moment of all!

I’m pretty sure this unicorn-everything craze started with unicorn hot chocolate. The first I heard of it was in this vegan version of the enchanted beverage. And then this enchanted bark. And then these enchanted doughnuts. And by now you can’t even go near Instagram without being bombarded by unicorn themed EVERYTHING. While I do find the whole concept just as obscure as you probably do, I couldn’t resist a movement that is pretty much pure colorful joy in edible form. So since the magical trend continues but the weather is changing, this is my seasonal summery spin…

This ice cream is nice cream, so that means fruit-based and healthier. But there will be sugar. Because to make it unicorn magical requires marshmallows and to make marshmallows requires sugar. The same logic applies for the twinkly sprinkles.

Pink. The most important color when unicorn-ing it seems. To create this dainty shade of pastel pink, I simply blended up strawberry nice cream. Bananas + strawberries. For a hot pink unicorn you could go with beets or pitaya instead. Or for a medium pink raspberries would work too.

Purple. There are obviously no unicorn rules, but purple seems to be an optional color in the world of unicorn treat-making. But I personally love purple food so I opted to include it in the form of blueberry nice cream. Don’t add too many berries though, you want to keep the colors light and lovely.

Blue. The trickiest of the unicorn color trio, but there are a few different options. You can make natural blue food coloring from red cabbage following my tutorial -> HERE. You can steep butterfly pea flowers in hot water like I personally did in this recipe. Or you can order blue matcha powder, which seems to be making the rounds on Instagram right now. The blue color doesn’t come through very well in nice cream, coconut cream or Cocowhip is best for this part. Plus it makes for a yummy swirl of a slightly different texture.

Marshmallows. My favorite part of the entire frozen magical feast. Minis are the best option, full-sized marshmallows make scooping a bit tricky. If you are vegan, then Dandies minis are perfect. I couldn’t find those at any store nearby and I didn’t want to wait for shipping, so I just took the full-sized Dandies and chopped them (scissors work best, I promise the sticky comes off!) into 4 homemade minis each. A little bit funky in shape maybe, but delicious just the same.

Sprinkles. An absolute must–like the fairy dust finishing touch. And I don’t think you can have too many different shapes and sizes really. I was originally envisioning hearts, but the grocery store had other ideas. These little stars ended up being perfect though, like sweet rainbow twinkles on top. Use whatever you like/have–hearts or stars or glitter or pearls or flowers or the classic jimmies or all of the above. Or these coconut sprinkles for healthier homemade option!

I try to refrain from using emojis in my posts in general, but ???. It was called for.