Check out this delicious Raw Coconut Yogurt. Perfect for a healthy Valentine’s! Just head over to One Green Planet.

Last week I was invited to an event at Whole Foods Cambie St. location. It was really about healthy eating and nutrition and Whole Foods “Health Starts Here” program…which is amazing!! Basically all the food made by Whole Foods will focus on having minimal salt, no refined sugar, only whole grains, and no refined oils. The program is rooted in 4 basic ideas- eat whole unprocessed foods,  eat a colourful variety of plants, eat healthy fats, and eat nutrient dense foods. I think it’s awesome to see an entire chain of stores taking this much effort to promote healthy eating. It’s so important!!

The evening started with a healthy smoothie as we walked through the door for all of us bloggers. There was plenty of food including this healthier banana bread, brownie bites, two kinds of pizza, lettuce wraps and more!

These brownie bites are sweetened with date paste only.

Obviously all of this lovely food was served on eco-friendly bamboo plates.

These pizzas use an oil-free crust...the secret? Vegetable stock!

The main event was Whole Foods Senior Global Chef Derek Sarno’s demonstration. The topic of the night was his Wellness Bowls O’ Goodness. The idea was to create a bowl featuring a healthy grain, a protein, veggies, and a combination of delicious herbs/spices/sauce. These make up a nutrition-packed and filling meal. Chef Derek made a couple of bowls- one was made up of chicken, barley, black beans, onion and cilantro.

The 2nd bowl was an Asian-inspired one. It featured a mixture of brown and wild rice, edamame, steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts, onion, mint, bean sprouts, mushroom crusted tofu, tamari, coconut water, and fresh ginger. How can you resist!!?

Chef Sarno is also a big fan of kale (me too!!!!). He made a simple massaged kale salad using lime juice and avocado.

Chef Sarno in action

A great event for a great program I also had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer from Sweet On Veg for the first time in person! She was the lucky winner of a Vita-Mix that night- congrats Jennifer!!

Head on over to One Green Planet to grab this yummy recipe!

I hope you all had great holidays and fun New Year’s celebrations! I had a great Christmas, spent in Whistler with my family and my boyfriend. It snowed the whole time, and I gave snowboarding a go. Our car was jam-packed so when we picked up a little Christmas tree there one was only one place for it…thanks Mom! We also had no room to bring up ornaments for the tree….but we are a festive family and thought of something suitable

New Year’s was also spent in Whistler and my boyfriend and I enjoyed a great meal at Earl’s and more than enough jagerbombs!!

With the holidays behind us though, it’s time to get back on track! But that does not mean you have to skip dessert. 

Raw food desserts are amazing because they taste delicious and sweet, as dessert should, but they are made with healthful and nutrient-dense ingredients! I first tried this coconut cream pie in a raw food class that I took. It blew me away that something could taste this good and not only be healthy, but also contain so few ingredients. It was so rich and satisfying that just a small portion is all you need.

This recipe can make one large 9-inch pie, but I chose to make 5 smaller pies instead.

RAW Coconut Cream Pie

Crust:

• 2.5 cups dry coconut flakes
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup packed, finely chopped dates
• 1/4 tsp raw vanilla powder, or 2 vanilla beans

• 1 1/4 cups coconut milk (this is coconut meat and water blended together- not canned coconut milk.
•  3/4 cups coconut meat
• 3/4 cup packed, finely chopped dates
• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
• 2 pinches salt
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp raw scented coconut butter

Blend all ingredients except coconut butter in blender until smooth. Add coconut butter last and blend until smooth. **If you have a Vita-mix this will be easy…if you are like me and don’t have one, you may need a bit of extra liquid or to do small batches. I ended up using a food processor for this step because my blender sucks.** Pour into prepared crust and top with coconut flakes. Refrigerate or freeze for about an hour. Enjoy!

Check out my latest post on One Green Planet if you are curious about kelp noodles!!

Also, two of my cupcake recipes have been feature on Shape Magazine’s website for their favourite healthier cupcakes- check it out here and here!

This is another delicious recipe from my raw foods class. The class that this recipe comes from focused on high nutrition snacks. I would suggest making these in bulk as they can take up to 48 hours to deyhydrate. If you make one giant batch you can store them in the freezer. The chocolate used in this recipe contains only healthy ingredients- these snacks provide a perfect burst of energy for you….which is what a snack is really about.

Pineapple Dips

• Pineapple(s), sliced into 3″ x 1″ pieces

I thought I’d share this smoothie recipe with you today. This is a variation of a recipe I learned in my Raw Food Class, as I will be getting my Raw Chef Certification in about a month. I really love learning about raw foods….the ingredients used are so packed with nutrients, and it’s so exciting to learn about. I hope that you will enjoy more raw food recipes from Koko’s Kitchen in the future.

This particular smoothie is great anytime, but especially after a workout. The coconut water is amazing for rehydration, and the sweeteners used (coconut sugar and lucuma powder) are extremely low glycemic, and won’t spike your blood sugar levels. The cacao powder is a fantastic, healthy source of energy.

For those of you wondering what lucuma powder is, wonder no more. Lucuma is actually a fruit from Peru, and the powdered form is becoming easily available. You can add the powder to smoothies, puddings, baked goods, and frozen desserts. It’s slightly sweet and can be used instead of sugar…since it’s so low glycemic, it’s a great option for diabetics. It also helps to emulsify fats and oils with sugars, which is why it can be used in ice creams and frozen desserts. Try this new superfood in your next smoothie!!

Raw “Post Workout” Smoothie

• 1 young thai coconut, meat and water
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp lucuma powder
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder

Check out my latest recipe on One Green Planet to make these delicious chips!

Beet Chips

When I saw this recipe over at France’s Beyond the Peel, I knew I would have to make it! I love that it uses wholegrain flour, has honey in the icing, and 3 whole cups of zucchini! Not to mention the chocolate and espresso combination has to be one of my favourites!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake (adapted from Beyond The Peel)

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or softened butter)
• 1 1/4 cup raw cane sugar (1 3/4 cup coconut sugar)
• 4 eggs (*I used Ener-G egg replacer for 4 eggs)
• 1/2 cup full fat yogurt (*I used Greek yogurt)
• 2 cups sprouted whole wheat flour (*I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/2 cup raw cocoa
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups grated zucchini (peel left on)
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp espresso or really strong coffee

It seems that when it comes to mushrooms, you either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I think they’re great- healthy, tasty, meaty, and full of earthy flavour. I am always reminded of my friend Erika when I think of mushrooms. Erika avoids mushrooms with the intensity of someone trying to avoid catching a horrible disease. We always recall my 10th birthday party when all of my friends were at my house and ready to go to wherever it was we were going- except Erika. We phoned her and phoned her but eventually had to leave without her. We later found out that Erika wasn’t allowed to attend my birthday party because she didn’t eat her mushrooms at dinner. See? Love ‘em….or hate ‘em!

If you’re a fan of the ‘shrooms, this is a recipe you’ll want to try! Healthy whole wheat macaroni, toasted for extra flavour, mushrooms simmered in white wine, and a scoop of cashew cream to finish things off! Best of all, you can make this all in one pan!

I found this recipe in Foodies Around The World….if you remember back, it’s the book that two of my recipes were published in, as well! I adapted this recipe to make it vegan friendly, but if you like parmesan cheese, feel free to top it off with that!

Toasted Mushroom Macaroni

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 dry white wine
• 1 tbsp butter (or Earth Balance)
• 240 grams whole wheat macaroni
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup cashew cream (recipe to follow)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (optional)
• sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
• fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish