HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  I developed an awesome raw vegan Halloween cookie!  They don't require a dehydrator so anyone can make them!  What are you waiting for???  Run, not walk  to the store and get going as you will not be disappointed! 

RAW VEGAN COCONUT-CACAO SPIDERWEB COOKIES

Makes 20

Special Equipment: Food Processor, small plastic baggie, scissors, toothpick and your favorite kitchen helper!

Note: Cookies can be made in advance and iced a different day.

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:

1 cup cacao powder

2 cups raw, unsalted almonds (preferably sprouted)

3 cups pitted, coarsely chopped Medjool dates

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Icing:

1 cup coconut butter

½ cup fresh coconut water

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp liquid sweetener (I used coconut nectar)

pinch of sea salt

Spiderweb Cacao Drizzle

¼ cup melted coconut oil

½ cup cacao powder

1/3 cup liquid sweetener (again, I used coconut nectar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp Fleur de Sel (also known as Maldon Salt)

pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

1.) To make cookies:  Add almonds and dates to food processor and process until very finely chopped.  It should resemble coarse sand. Add cacao, coconut, vanilla, salt and process until everything is fully incorporated.  Unplug, take blade out and put dough in a separate bowl.  (You will need the food processor again so definitely wash.)  Start taking small pieces of dough and forming into about ¼-inch thick discs about 2 inches in diameter for the perfect cookie!  Once formed, place on large platter or cutting board and stick them in fridge while you make the frosting.

2.) To make the icing:  Take all measured ingredients and process until fully incorporated and smooth, about 30 seconds.  This is not an overly sweet icing, but if you need it sweeter add 1 or 2 more Tbsp of coconut nectar.  It will take some effort on your part, but try to refrain from eating all of the icing before actually icing the cookies!

3.) Icing the cookies:  Take cookies out of fridge and grab a butter knife.  You will take about 1 Tbsp of icing with knife and evenly spread icing on each cookie.  You will have some leftover icing to enjoy!  Place cookies back in fridge while you prepare you spiderweb cacao drizzle.

4.) Cacao drizzle:  Heat ¼ cup coconut oil in measuring cup for about 20 seconds in microwave.  Remove and add pre-measure cacao, liquid sweetener, vanilla, salt and optional cayenne.  Stir vigorously with a fork until well-incorporated and smooth! 

5.) Putting it all together: Tell your special kitchen helper you need their help now.  Take cookies out of fridge.  Pour cacao sauce into one corner of ziplic bag.  Pull down with one hand to make sure sauce is nicely condensed in once corner as it will resemble a cone.  Have your helper get the toothpick ready and to snip off a tiny corner of baggie with scissors.  Take your icing bag and make a small dot with the sauce in the middle of the cookie.  You will then make 2 or 3 concentric circles around that dot by initially dragging from center dot.  Your helper will then take the toothpick and gently drag from the center dot outwards to get that spiderweb look!  Don’t aim for perfection here as you can see my spiderwebs are far from perfect.  Just have fun with it!  Once you are finished, it is best to keep cookies in fridge until ready to serve.  Pour yourself a nice glass of coconut milk and enjoy.  Happy Halloween!

FRUIT: FRIEND OR ENEMY???

The NUMBER ONE question I am asked is, "Isn't there too much sugar in fruit for me to consume?"  I would say people feel more guilt about consuming a piece of fruit than a processed, low-carb, chemical-laden "bar."   My heart breaks when I am asked this because we have fallen victim to the media's distortion of what we should and shouldn't be eating.  There is so much conflicting information about carbs and fruit.  Then we see guys and girls all over Instagram showing off their "low-carb figures," and naturally we think that's the way to go.  

I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a slim figure without much effort on my part.  The crazy part is I used to eat an insane amount of cookies, brownies and just straight-up chocolate.  My roommate in college gave me 36 Hershey Bars one year for my birthday.  I don't even think they lasted 36 hours.  Yes, I was that girl, the one who most girls hated because I could "eat whatever I wanted."  Then one year I decided I wanted to get CRAZY lean.  I dropped ten pounds I didn't need to lose, and subsisted on copious amounts of chicken.  I took low-carb to a whole new level as I wouldn't even allow myself to put more than one broccoli floret in my twice daily chicken and greens salad.  I WAS MISERABLE. The ironic thing was all I wanted to do was eat healthy.  I wanted to eat fruit and drink green juices but was afraid those carbs would make me gain weight!  Do you understand?  I didn't want chips or fast food, I wanted to just eat fruits and veggies but was too afraid.

This went on for months until I couldn't live like that anymore.  Then one day I just started eating- A LOT. Because I had robbed my body of nourishment for so long, I overate for a period of time;  I just couldn't stop.  My hormones/metabolism were completely out of whack due to my erratic eating.  And even through all of this overeating I still just wanted to eat fruits and veggies but again, was too afraid...until now.

One day I woke and decided this was it;  I was finally going to just start eating an abundant amount of healthy carbs.  I had noting to lose except my yo-yo eating that was driving me crazy.  I was going to eat sweet potatoes at night and not be afraid I would gain weight.  I was going to eat  fruit whenever I wanted.  I let go of the fear and was willing to just see what happened.  The result?  I feel great, excess weight has come off effortlessly and I am excited about eating again.  I drink a lot of fresh juices and consume a variety of fruits.  However, there are some guidelines I follow as my goals are very specific.  I have listed my top 5 tips below on how to eat fruit without gaining weight.  Whether you want to lose weight or just eat healthier, one of these tips will apply to you!

5 TIPS TO HELP YOU FRUIT THE RIGHT WAY AND NOT BE AFRAID!

1.) I would suggest if you are transitioning to a more plant-based diet or have high blood sugar to focus more on berries, apples and pears.  Fruits such as bananas and dates are wonderful but are higher in natural sugars.  When transitioning to a new way of eating your body will go through a bit of detox.  It's best to let your body adapt to lower glycemic foods/fruits first.  Once your body has become more accustomed to a plant-based diet,  your blood sugar will undoubtedly return to normal levels.  At that point, consuming more of the yummy high sugar fruits won't be a problem!

2.)  Fruit is NOT the enemy, it's when you eat carbs WITH fat that you could run into trouble.  When you eat fruit or sugar your body releases insulin into your bloodstream to quickly shuttle the sugar through.  However, if you eat too much fat simultaneously, it slows down the absorption of sugar and leaves too much fat running through your bloodstream.  THIS CAN LEAD TO FAT STORAGE.  I have gone on all fruit fasts before eating nothing but fruit for 2 or 3 days.  The result?  Weight loss NOT gain.  The media has you thinking it's the carbs causing weight gain when it's really the COMBINATION of carbs with fat.  Bodybuilders getting ready for a competition will most likely pair their macronutrients accordingly: Protein and carbs in the morning and protein and fat at night.  This DOES achieve a very lean look as I followed this protocol for months.  Am I saying to never eat a sweet potato with fat?  No, but if you are looking to get lean it's important to remember to keep this in mind.  If you are eating a very high carb meal keep fats very low.  And if you are eating a lot of fat such as nuts, keep the carbs very low.  

3.)  There is a chart illustrating how to properly combine your fruit for optimal absorption of nutrients and no stomach upset.  Go to www.acidalkalinediet.com and click on food combining.  Fruits are divided into four categories: Sweet, Sub-Acid, Acid and Melons.  Some fruits combine well with others and some don't.  This protocol may be extreme for some and I totally understand that!  I would say for anyone who wants to just start eating more fruit go for it in any combination but listen to your body.  If you are feeling bloated and heavy try following the protocol.

4.)  REALLY IMPORTANT: FRUIT LIKES TO DIGEST BY ITSELF, NOT WITH OTHER FOODS!  Fruit contains sugar that will ferment in your system if it cannot be properly digested.  By consuming fruit on an empty stomach and waiting AT LEAST 30 minutes before eating anything else will leave you feeling amazing!  Fruit breaks down and is digested faster than any other food.  When you allow it to digest on its own you will prevent it from rotting in your system.  If you need to eat fruit at night, don't eat it right away after a big meal!  It will just sit there and ferment causing all sorts of bacteria to multiply in your intestinal tract. 

5.)  One of my FAVORITE meals is a simple strawberry, spinach and favorite vinegar salad.  I did say to eat fruit on its own, but my body seems to react well with the addition of spinach.  Go grab your biggest bowl, fill it will spinach and strawberries and a drizzle of balsamic or Coconut Aminos.  So healthy and yummy!

*REMEMBER*

If you want to adopt a more plant-based lifestyle with fruits, then eat as much as your heart desires.  Eat only when you're hungry and stop when you're full.  If you are looking to lose weight then keep the fats very low, especially at night.  Just like a typical diet that contains animal protein consumption, you still need to balance your macronutrients for weightloss.   

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT PINEAPPLE-CILANTRO DETOX GREEN JUICE!

It's just a green juice, how difficult can it be?!  Just throw some greens and an apple through the juice shoot, right??  I believe there is a science to making a green juice go from good to amazing.  There are SO many variations on the green juice and it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start.  Whether you are new to juicing or a pro, this juice recipe will make you wake up in the morning craving your greens!

This recipe is for my juice that I have the biggest crush on at the moment: The Pineapple-Cilantro Detox.  Cilantro in a green juice you might ask?  YES, and you won't even taste it!  Cilantro is a superb detoxifier and is notorious for pulling out toxins and heavy metals such as mercury out of the bloodstream.  In fact, when I started juicing everyday there was a period of about two months where I had a horrible metallic taste in my mouth.  I attribute it to all of the heavy metals coming out of the woodwork.  Herbs are incredibly powerful.  Pineapple is a wonderful anti-inflammatory and paired with the greens and cilantro you are well on your way to health!

RECIPE: (makes 2 juices plus a little to taste:)

1 Bunch of Swiss Chard torn into smaller pieces

2 Romaine Hearts

1/2 of 1 Heart of Celery

2 Cucumbers with skin cut into about 16 pieces

Heaping cup of cut Pineapple (skin removed)

1/4 cup Cilantro

1/2 peeled lime

As you can see I like to separate my ingredients into 3 separate bowls: One for greens, one for celery/cucumber and one for pineapple/cilantro/lime.  As a side, I use the Green Star Elite Juicer and I LOVE it!  It is pricey but SO worth it.  Trust me, there is a huge difference in taste when it comes to the upper echelon of the juicer world.  

Now, it's really just about alternating your ingredients rather than juicing one at a time and moving one.  This is the flow I generally gravitate to: One or two pieces of cucumber, one or two pieces of celery, 2 pieces of Romaine, 2 Pieces of Swiss Chard, 2 cubes of Pineapple, a little cilantro and keep repeating!  (About halfway through I will add the lime.)  When I'm finished I will take a spoon and thoroughly mix and taste.  If I feel it needs more sweetness I will pour some in the bottles I plan on using and then juice a bit more pineapple into my measuring cup.  I will then pour the remainder of the juice into my bottles.

These are the beauties you end up with!  I love using mason jars and my Lifefactory bottles for my juices.  I realize some people don't adore green juice the way I do, but when you drink them out of beautifully constructed bottles, somehow the juice becomes more appealing.  I truly hope you try this recipe.  It is extremely refreshing and hydrating that it won't even occur to you it's healthy.  TRY IT!   Cheers to your health.