It’s raw review + recipe time, and be sure to enter the giveaway below!
My friend Tiasha, of the very fruit-filled blog ShineWithNature.com, has just released an ebook: Simple & Light Desserts: 40+ Low Fat Raw Vegan Recipes. And I am very, VERY excited to chat about it with you!
Every time Tiasha posts a new recipe on her blog, I can’t wait to check it out! And now I’m (virtually) holding 40 of her recipes in my hands and a bite of sweet blueberry slice in my mouth.
This book is a fruity beauty! There are sippable smoothies, spoonable puddings, poppable truffles, and shareable slices! No oil, no baking, and minimal fat. Lots of fruit, quite a few veggies, and tons of tempting treats.
She put fruit to work in ways I never would’ve dreamed of! Most of the recipes have 3 or 4 different types of fruit all working in different ways–as fillings, as crusts, as creams, as toppings. Many of the recipes are healthier spins on classic treats, which I love. I’m all about desserts that are secretly healthy, and I am completely amazed by all the beautiful treats in this book!
*Photo credit: Tiasha Slana from Simple & Light Desserts
So many of the recipes are on my to-make list, but a few really caught my attention. Like Cream Filled Dates, because you guys know I love dates. And the Fig Newtons, my favorite cookie of all time. And the Strawberry Roulade, I don’t really even really know what roulade is, but I know I want it. And that chocolate cake…can we just take a moment and admire that beautiful slice of heaven!
But possibly my favorite part of the entire book is the simplicity woven into every single recipe. Very few of the recipes have more than 10 ingredients, and nearly all the ingredients come from the produce section. She also has a very informative introduction that talks about the ingredients and equipment and substitutions.
Now to the berry slice-making…
*Photo credit: Tiasha Slana from Simple & Light Desserts
I was processing the dates for the base, in normal raw dessert-making fashion, and then I read the next step: “Gradually start adding the blueberries…” Gradually start adding the blueberries!?! Tiasha what are you thinking? Adding more moisture to a date crust when most recipes add dry things like nuts? But I trusted her, and I was rewarded with the most amazing sticky sweet crust concoction I’ve ever tasted!
For the filling, I didn’t have enough blueberries, so I threw in some cherries too like she says you can in the recipe. The taste was great, and the texture had a lightness like no raw dessert I’ve ever tasted before! I did have a little trouble getting it going in the food processor, so I had to add a little bit of water.
All together they were awesome! Even my non-vegan dad went back for seconds.
Blueberry Slice from Simple & Light Desserts
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- BASE
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- FILLING
- 2 1/2 cups dried apples
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- FOR THE BASE: Mix the dates in the food processor until well mixed and start to stick together. Gradually start adding the blueberries, while mixing continuously. Place in a cake model, 5’’ x 7’’ or 13 x 18 cm big.
- FOR THE FILLING: First mix the dried apples in the food processor, then gradually start adding the blueberries, while mixing continuously. Mix until a thick cream forms. At the end add lemon zest and mix again. Spread it onto the base and decorate.
- Put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two, so it firms up a little bit more.
Notes
For the filling, I used 1 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup sweet cherries instead of all blueberries and it was delicious!
So much delicious creativity went into this book, I really think you will love it whether you eat a raw food diet or not.
And now I get to give a copy to one of you! Enter below for a chance to win…
Chewy cookies….when they are “raw” they are perfect. The chewier the better for a cookie, so making raw vegan cookies just makes sense!
You’ve got some wonderfully delicious logic going on there! Chewy cookies are the best, I’ve never understood people who want crunchy cookies!
I like making raw cookie balls in the food processor out of oats, nuts, and dates plus other good stuff like chocolate chips, raisins, coconut, or whatever’s in the pantry. So easy!
I love those too! And I love licking sticky fingers after all that rolling 😉
This book sounds great and the fig newtons look AMAZING! That was always one of my favorites too! I like the new pic of you, Natalie, You look so healthy and vibrant!
Fig newtons are the best!! The book is awesome, I think you and your family would love it! Everything is super easy and healthy. And thank you, I did an impromptu photo shoot the other day cause why not 🙂
I LOVE raw brownies!!
Me too!!!
Natalie what a wonderful review you really got me wanting more..!!! I love all things fruity hence why I’m always browsing your website and now you introduced another fruit lover to us I’m off to see her website! all the recipes sound like a dream to me! and your cake yum that’s all I can say!
Knowing your sweet fruity taste buds, you will LOVE Tiasha’s site and book! That chocolate cake is calling my name too 🙂
Beautiful review! The ebook looks like a must-have for every vegan baker 🙂 I could totally eat a blueberry slice or two.. or all 😀
I seriously love this book!!! I love everything Tiasha makes <3 Even though I don't eat all raw food anymore, with this book I feel like I could be happy with just raw deserts for a long time!
Yuuuum this stuff looks SO amazing, fresh and unique! My favourite raw dessert thus far has been my raw cinnamon rolls I think (cinnamon and anything is grand!), but the real answer is that I haven’t yet had my favourite raw dessert because I know with practice (or by discovering a vegan restaurant in our city sometime this century) things can just get better – we’re pretty blessed to have tons of fresh fruit here for experimentation. 😀
Those cinnamon rolls look darn tasty, I can see why they’re your fave! But I love your attitude, because we are always improving in baking and un-baking and everything! And we are totally blessed to have the abundance of food right at our fingertips! Beautifully said <3
That book sounds wonderful — those preview photos — just wow! Can’t wait to check out Tiasha’s blog.
The book is amazing, and you will love her blog too!
I tried this today and super successful!! I ended up eating the entire thing.. However, mine was not firm enough to be able to slice it. Do you recommend agar agar or gelatin powder? Thank you!
I’m so glad you tried it!! If it wasn’t quite firm enough, my best recommendation would be refrigerating for longer (overnight) or popping it in the freezer for a half hour or so before slicing. Hope that helps!
Thank you!! Will try it again!! I still feel guilty kind of for eating the entire thing and not sharing. Haha. Will leave it overnight instead of 8 hours 🙂
Oh well if you already left it for 8 hours, then overnight won’t make much difference. Maybe try using just 1 cup fresh blueberries so there is less liquid in the filling. Or the freezer thing should totally work! And you definitely shouldn’t feel bad about eating all of it, it’s only fruit 🙂