RAW PIZZA WITH RED PEPPER CRUST - VEGAN

RAW PIZZA WITH RED PEPPER CRUST - VEGAN

By onegreenplanet.org - Emily von Euw

SERVES2-6

Cheese

150g/1 cup pine nuts

Juice of one lemon

1 garlic clove

2 teaspoons herbes de provence (or other fave herbs)

2 tablespoons rejuvelac or water

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Salt, to taste

Crust

1 red bell pepper

50g/1/3 cup each of sunflower seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds

Salt and pepper, to taste

Toppings  -  About 2 cups of whatever veggies you like, 1 teaspoon each of tamari and extra virgin olive oil

Sauce

180ml/¾ cup chopped tomatoes

3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1-2 dates

1 tablespoon miso

1 small garlic clove

Fresh or dried basil and oregano, to taste

Cheese

Blend all the ingredients until very smooth and thick.  Wrap in cheesecloth, place in a bowl and leave alone for preferably 2-5 days. You can use the cheese right away but the longer you let it age, the more flavour and texture it will develop.

Crust

Put all the ingredients in your food processor and process until everything has combined into rough, slightly wet “dough”.  Spread this evenly onto parchment on a pizza pan and dehydrate in your oven at its lowest temperature for 3-5 hours or until it’s like a giant cracker.  If you have a dehydrator, you can use that instead and set it to just above 115 degrees.

Toppings  -  Evenly coat the veggies in tamari and oil and let them marinate in your oven at its lowest temperature, or in your dehydrator, for about an hour.

Sauce  -  Blend all the ingredients until smooth.  Spread this evenly on your crust, followed by pieces of cheese, then the marinated veggies. 

AVOCADO AND LIME CUPCAKES

AVOCADO AND LIME CUPCAKES

By elderflowerkitchen.com

Serves: 6-8

For the base

½ cup oats or dessicated coconut (50g)

½ cup sunflower seeds (70g)

100g/½ cup soft dates (approx. 10 small dates or 5 medjool dates)

1 TBSP chia seeds, plus 3-4 TBSP water to soak

1 TBSP coconut oil, softened

pinch of salt

For the cream

1 smaller avocado (approx. 120g flesh)

¼ cup coconut milk (60ml)

¼ cup honey (60ml) - organic and raw is best, can be substituted with agave syrup to make vegan

1 lime, juice and zest

1 tsp agar-agar or gelatin, plus 50ml water (important to make the cream firm)

1 heaped TBSP organic raspberry jam of choice, or try a homemade chia jam version

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170°C.  Start by making the base. Mix the chia seeds with water and let them soak until gooey and gum-like.  In a food processor, quickly pulse the sunflower seeds and coconut to get a crumbly dough. Add the soft dates, soaked chia seeds and soft coconut oil and mix until the dough holds together nicely and is fairly sticky.  Lightly wet your hands and press small amounts of the dough each of the muffin tins (greased or lined with sheets).  Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until lightly golden and firm. Let them cool completely before proceeding with the assembling of the cream.

To make the avocado cream:

Put the avocado flesh, coconut milk, honey and lime juice plus zest in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  In a small pot, gently whisk together water and agar-agar or gelatin. Bring to a low boil and take off the heat as soon as bubbles appear. Not stopping to whisk, pour this mixture into the cream and quickly combine - this is a little difficult as the agar-agar likes to form clumps so you might want to blend it again.  Let the cream cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  When your cream has firmed up and the base has cooled down, take 1-2 TBSP of cream for each cupcake base and top them with the avocado cream, using a spatula or knife to form an even surface.  Take half a teaspoon of jam (mix with a little water if it’s too jelly-like) for each cupcake and drizzle it over the cream topping. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 month.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE - GLUTEN FREE AND NO SUGAR

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE - GLUTEN FREE AND NO SUGAR

By healthfulpursuit.com

Serves: 12

Grain-free, Paleo Pie Crust

2 cups (260 grams) ground blanched almonds

¼ teaspoon Himalayan rock salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 egg

Chocolate Pecan Pie Filling

6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

85g/3 oz. unsweetened dark chocolate squares (dairy-free), melted

3 eggs

200g/1 cup finely grated courgette (255 grams freshly shredded, 195 grams once liquid has been wrung out)

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon alcohol-free stevia

150 grams raw pecan halves, divided

Preheat oven to 350F/175C.  For a 9” pie, lightly oil a 9-inch pie pan with coconut oil. Set aside.  For 3” tarts, lightly oil six 3-inch circular tart pans with coconut oil. Set aside.  To make crust, add almond flour, salt, coconut oil and egg to the bowl of your food processor. Process and pulse with the “S” blade until a ball forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer to prepared pie or tart pan. Press dough, pressing up the sides. Set aside.  Before preparing the chocolate pecan pie filling, be sure to “wring out” grated courgette. To do this, place grated courgette in a clean cloth and wring out lightly. I’ve included the measurements of the wet and dry courgette so you can see the difference.  Add melted coconut oil, dark chocolate, eggs, courgette, vanilla and stevia to the bowl of your food processor or high-powered blender. Process or blend on high until smooth, about 1 minute.  Remove the processor bowl from the base and stir-in 75% of the pecans. If using a blender, transfer chocolate mixture to a clean bowl, then stir in 75% of the pecans.  Drop the chocolate mix into the prepared pie or tart pan. Top with remaining pecans.  

For pie, bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until top is set and sides become golden. Once complete, allow to cool overnight.  For tarts, bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until top is set and sides become golden. Once complete, allow to cool for 1-hour before removing from tart pan. Tarts can be consumed immediately, or chilled overnight.  Serve with coconut whipped cream.  Makes six 3-inch tarts or one 9-inch pie.

36 QUOTES TO GET YOU THROUGH BAD DAYS

36 QUOTES TO GET YOU THROUGH  BAD DAYS

By lifehack.org - Coralle Panrucker

A bad day can sometimes be misinterpreted as having a bad life. But essentially that’s what it is: just a bad day. There’s many factors which may be contributing to your negative mood – you might feel stressed with work and in need of a long holiday somewhere hot, or maybe you feel like you’re stuck in the same routine and consequently you feel discouraged. But it’s not abnormal to feel this way, in fact most people will at some point in their lives.

This list of inspiring quotes will hopefully give you the motivation you need to pick yourself back up and work towards your life goals.

1. “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.” – J.K. Rowling

2. “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Robin Williams

3. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

READ MORE HERE

NO BAKE SEED AND CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE BARS

NO BAKE SEED AND CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE BARS

By lausundaycooks.com 

Ingredients

8 tbsp. mixed seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds etc)

3 handful of cranberries

A handful of pitted dated

4 tbsp organic cocoa powder

1 tsp desiccated coconut

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

100 gr. Dark chocolate (85%), broken into small pieces

Place the seeds, cranberries, dates and cocoa powder into a food processor and pulse a few times until you get a stiff, coarse paste.  Spoon the melted coconut oil into the food processor, process the mixture on high power until the mixture is a smooth firm paste.  Line a 25 cm (10 in) cake tin with clingfilm, scrape in the paste and press down firmly to fill it.  Over a low heat, put the chopped chocolate into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (just half cup of water is enough) and melt gently. Let it cool for a few minutes, then drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the paste.  Place in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight, until set firm.  When ready to serve, slice into squares or bars.

6 HABITS TO LARGELY IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY AND BRAIN POWER

6 HABITS TO LARGELY IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY AND BRAIN POWER

By lifehack.org - Casey Moran

Would you like to become smarter? Remember things easier? Increase your brain’s overall strength? Good news! I’m going to show you six things you can start doing immediately that will improve your memory, strengthen your cognitive abilities and make you smarter!

Before I start with the six, I must tell you about the one thing that relates to all of them…being mindful.

The most important thing you can do to increase your brain power and memory is to be mindful.

This is basically paying attention on purpose. Being mindful is scientifically proven to increase the gray matter in your brain. Gray matter allows you to think clearer and remember more. The reason I don’t have mindfulness as one of my points is because you have to be mindful to do any of these things!

Maximize Your Sleep Cycle

We sleep 1/3 of our life, or at least we are supposed to. When we sleep, we go through a cycle which include 3 stages. Each stage is 30 minutes (90 minutes per cycle), and the cycle repeats itself throughout the night. The first stage is light sleep, the first 30 minutes, and this occurs when we first fall asleep. The next stage is deep sleep, between 30-60 minutes, and in deep sleep our body heals itself. It does this by releasing the hormone HGH which repairs what the body needs repairing. If you are sore from working out, this is the stage that makes you not sore in the morning.

The final stage, or Stage 3, is the famous REM stage which occurs between 60-90 minutes. This is the stage that repairs our brains. REM is known as the dreaming stage, but is also the stage where it categorizing your thoughts and memories. During the night the cycles treat different stages with different priorities.

Your body is the first thing to heal and then it moves to the brain. This is why they say it is crucially Important to get 7.5 – 9 hours of sleep a night. The average American gets 6.8 and lives in a sleep debt most of their life.

Implementing – Do your best to get 7.5 hours of sleep and if you need to take a nap, take one! If you are one of those people that think sleep is weak and you run just fine on your 6 hours, try getting 7.5 and see how efficient you are, how much better you feel, and notice how good your mood is throughout the day!

READ MORE HERE

15 BRUTAL TRUTHS WOMEN IN THEIR 40'S WANT WOMEN IN THEIR 30'S TO KNOW

15 BRUTAL TRUTHS WOMEN IN THEIR 40'S WANT WOMEN IN THEIR 30'S TO KNOW

By lifehack.org - Anju Mobin

I am in my 40's now and I feel fitter and healthier than I was in my 30's.  In your late 30's you begin to see signs of peri-menopause which are the years leading up to menopause and its different for every woman.  Your 40's can be a great time and getting older and seeing your first wrinkles should be celebrated and not dreaded.  You can control the hormones and be fit and healthy and look great.  Here are some interesting facts to take into consideration too. 

I can imagine so many of you nodding your heads as you read this. Anxiety about growing older is understandable. Age is only a number and it happens whether you are prepared for it or not. Knowing these brutal truths earlier prepares you to age more gracefully.

 1. Sleeping with make-up on ages your skin

The make-up layer not only dries out the top layer of the skin, it also prevents the shedding of dead skin. This slows down the normal renewal cycle, resulting in dull and uneven textured skin. The environmental pollutants fastened to the make-up create oxidative stress.  The resulting free radicals can cause your skin to age faster.

 2. Frequent use of stilettos does lead to health problems

When you hit your 40’s, the extended use of high heels and the cramming of your toes into abnormal positions can result in  a variety of ailments, starting with ingrown toenails to irreparable damage to leg tendons. Reserve your stilettos for special occasions only. Stretch and massage your foot afterwards to prevent nerve damage.

 3. Sleep deprivation adds more wrinkles

If just missing a few nights of sleep leads to sallow skin and puffy eyes, can you imagine the accumulated damage by the time you enter your 40’s? The body releases a stress hormone called cortisol when you don’t sleep enough. High cortisol levels break down collagen, the protein responsible for keeping your skin wrinkle-free.

 4. Always wears sunscreen. Yes, even in winter

When you hit the 40’s and start scrutinizing your wrinkles, you’ll definitely regret not having worn your sunscreen more frequently when younger. Even if you don’t fear skin cancer, year-round application of sunscreen drastically slows the aging of skin due to the ultraviolet rays.

READ MORE HERE