Vegan Valentine’s Day Gift Box, Part Two

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Hannah

It’s time for part two of the Vegan Valentine’s Day Gift Box of Wonderment! If you’re inclined to think that nothing could compare to the lavender chocolate cup and insanely good truffles of part one… read on.

As if in reward for having braved the chocolate truffles, I found slipped against the side of my heart-shaped tin a dark chocolate bar positively festooned with almonds and figs.

And lo! The underside of the chocolate had been decorated with one of the chocolate transfer sheets I myself gave Lisa for her birthday! The transfer sheets I’d bought in New York! New York! Lisa! Chocolate! All the good things.

Remember how I said that Lisa and Nicole are chocolate masters? Hooooooly yes. The aroma was richly chocolate-y with hints of vanilla, and the bite was crisp, yet melted smoothly. It was quite a sweet chocolate, making me think of palm sugar and sunny beaches and more vanilla. The figs were chewy and deeply flavoured with figginess, and the almonds lent a lovely roasted crunch.

You’re in luck: the recipe for this gluten-free chocolate chip almond cookie can be found on Nicole’s blog. Never let it be said I don’t care about you.

As a devout lover of my own raw vegan brownies (both the original and carob versions), I was looking forward to trying this firm-chocolate-topped version. Nutty, sweet, chewy…. it met my expectations.

Hello there, beautiful.

Don’t be shy, now. I’m just undressing you is all.

Why, aren’t you just the prettiest raw vegan Moonie Pie in the world? Yes you are. Oh yes you are. (Not only was this made by Lisa and Nicole, but the recipe is my friend Heathy’s, whom I visited last year.)

If only there were a part three to this box of treats.

My Favourite Recipes from 2012, Month By Month

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Hannah

Judging by almost every blog in my Google Reader at the moment, I should be writing a “2012 In Review” post. I can’t, though. I can’t sum up this year in one post, this vibrant intoxicating shattering incredible year which has seen me power through crazy-stressful work situations then leap into a wild overseas adventure culminating in moving to a country I’d never visited before, a year in which I cried at the funeral of a dear friend then found a squillion new friends overseas, a year where I both inflicted and received heart shatterings, a year that led to belief and action and fear and hope all coalescing into a brilliant shining swirl of everythingeverything inside of me.

You see? I can’t write coherently. What I can do, though, is rummage through my blog to pick out a favourite recipe from each month of 2012. That I can do for you.

January:

Raspberry Whip (Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free)

February:

Coconut Date Treats of Raw Vegan Sweetness

March:

Fancypants Magic Bars

April:

Pecan and Coconut Friands with Raspberries (Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free)

May:

Poppy Seed Cake (Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free)

June:

Golden Syrup Spiced Nuts with Sesame (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

July:

Black Forest Cake Truffle Bites, High-Raw and Vegan

August (except this was from June, because I was gallivanting in August):

Lemon and Poppy Seed Coconut Flour Cupcakes (Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free)

September:

Raw Vegan Mini Huckleberry Cheesecakes

October (cheating again! I was adjusting to Canadialand that month):

Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse Cups

November:

Pistachio Rosewater No-Bake Vegan Heavenly Bites

December:

Vegan Hot Lavender Cocoa

With an honourary mention to:

Almond and Coconut Cake with Raspberries (Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free), because it was a reader favourite.

Happy New Year, everyone! I can’t wait to find out what 2013 has in store for us.

New York Delights: Hungry and Frozen, Organic Avenue Coconut Yoghurt, and Chobani SoHo

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Hannah

In October, after years of cross-Tasman Sea mutual admiration and giddy delight over All We Have In Common, the stars aligned so that the fabulous Laura of Hungry and Frozen and I could finally meet, hug, drink coffee, and swoon over each other in person.

Despite having lived a mere three hours of Australia-to-New Zealand flight-time from each other ‘most all our lives, Laura and I met for the first time in New York, which is about thirty hours of flight-time from our homes. However, considering our shared love of Broadway, inventive food, and travel, nothing could make more sense.

Laura and I began our day of New York adventuring in Williamsburg with two coffees (and her fiancé Tim) in two different cafés, the first being the Brooklyn outpost of Australia’s (represent!) Toby’s Estate. My Americano was delicious, but my main Toby’s Estate memory is of trying to convey my joy and exuberance over Laura and Tim’s recent engagement without bumping our tiny squeezy table and spilling coffee all over us.

You see, sometimes I gesticulate and hug rather wildly.

Once caffeinated, Laura and I graciously allowed Tim to depart for his own gallivanting rather than forcing him to follow us to SoHo for culinary delights. With a wealth of New York treats within our reach, Laura and I ended up opting for novelty, sweetness, and stronger bones. Calcium yay!

Earlier this year, Chobani sent me a great deal of yoghurt to try (and experiment with), but Laura had not yet experienced any Chobani fun. Subsequently, we were both intrigued by the concept of Chobani SoHo, a “Mediterranean yogurt bar … [featuring] yogurt creations made from hand-selected, artisanal ingredients”.

Laura’s interest pipped mine at the post, and so she stepped up place her order at the Chobani counter.

Within minutes, Laura was handed her Pistachio + Chocolate Yogurt Creation, described on the menu as “Decadent Dark Chocolate, Clover Honey, Turkish Pistachios, Fresh Orange, and hint of Fresh Mint”.

I love Laura greatly and deeply. However, I fear she doesn’t love me quite as much, for how else could I explain her decision to order the one Chobani SoHo creation I couldn’t bear to try? DEVIL FRUIT. THERE BE DEVIL FRUIT IN THAT THAR RAMEKIN.

It was pretty, though. Just like Laura.

Though tempted by Chobani SoHo, I ended up following my heart to the raw, organic, and vegan Organic Avenue. I’d have loved to buy everything at Organic Avenue but, unfortunately, I’m not King Midas, and so I opted for the raw vegan Coconut Yogurt with Blueberry Puree.

Made from coconut meat, coconut water, coconut sugar, vanilla powder, probiotics, blueberries, dates, lemon juice, alkaline water, nutmeg, cinnamon, mint, and salt, Organic Avenue’s raw coconut yoghurt truly tasted like yoghurt, but with a softer, lighter, hint-of-coconut edge.

I doubt I’ll ever forget sitting with Laura on a bench in a traffic island in the middle of a busy New York street, laughing, talking, and confirming that we reallytruly are soulsisters.

Laura, you are Nothing But Good yourself, and I can’t wait to swoon over your upcoming cookbook.

How To Keep Falling In Love With Toronto, Part Two

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Hannah

When I arrived in Canada in early October, I set forth a challenge to my adopted country: woo me. In the first installment of what has now become a series, I showed how easily Toronto can create heart flutters via sunshine, vegan treats, and [not-]seductive sparkles.

Today, I present to you How To Keep Falling In Love With Toronto, Part Two.

13. After several days of waking up to silver skies and the gentle-yet-insistent sound of rain tapping hello in Morse code at the window, make the most of an Indian summer day by walking along the water and taking photos of toffee-apple-red leaves on trees.

14. While reading a book on a bench at the Harbourfront, pause to fully soak in the sensation of warmth ebbing through your skin and soul. Look over at the police boats and conjure up a theme song for the TV drama you’re plotting oot abooot Canadian water police. Hum the tune to yourself, then forget it two minutes later.

15. On a bright Saturday morning, embark on a death-defying trek along and across roads not made for pedestrians en route to the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market with your adored Lisa. Whoop and shriek, half with laughter and half with pure fear, as you dart across the last major road standing between you and the market.

(Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it wanted to buy expensive organic winter squash amidst dalmations and English bulldogs at an early hour of the morning.)

16. Partake in samples of muffins and cookies made with ancient grains at the grind-your-own-grains stall.

17. Clap your hands together upon spotting naturally-fermented pickle samples. (We know how I feel about pickles.)

18. Hyperventilate over HOT CHOCOLATE MADE IN A BLENDER BY A MAN RIDING A BICYCLE OH MY HEAVENS. (More on this fellow and his chocolate another day.)

19. Late one night, as part of an epic kitchen-dessert-creation whirlwind, nod at Lisa and commence a vegan maple syrup pumpkin seed brittle experiment. You have no recipe, no proof that what you’re doing will work, no candy thermometer, and no candy-making experience on either part, but you have each other and you have the courage of your convictions and then you have

the best darn maple syrup pumpkin brittle in the whole entire world wait no the best brittle full stop in the whole entire world I weep for how much I adore this sweet heavenly vegan candy you too must make it now.

20. Get into a situation where your houseguest duty is to eat as many Holiday Spiced Chocolate Sweet Potato Muffins as possible so that you can help your hostfriend compare four different variations of the recipe for her entry in a Whole Foods competition.

21. Delight in date cashew caramel truffles enrobed in raw dark chocolate topped with fancy sea salt, with bonus points if the nibbled truffles look like Lego Cleopatra heads.

22. Treat yo’self to the strangest toothpaste you e’er did see. Then never, ever buy it again.

23. Discover that each and every day spent with the fabulous Lisa offers up such a wealth of happiness, laughter, dancing, strength, inspiration, and future-dreaming-creating-hoping that you can’t even remember what it was like before this amazing friendship existed in your life.

24. Open yourself up to adventure. Open yourself up to adventure and embrace, in every possible way, the priceless/giddy/out-of-the-blue/laugh-until-your-stomach-hurts-and-there-are-tears-in-your-eyes/crazy/unforgettable moments that Toronto has waiting for you, waiting just for you, right there, right here, for you.

P.S. Feel free to write your own caption for the above photo. Additional facts for this task are that the photo was taken at midnight, absolutely no alcohol was involved, and it wasn’t Halloween. Go on, I dare you. Caption me.

An Assortment of Amazing, Astonishing, and/or Awful American Snacks, Part Two

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Hannah

Ask and ye shall receive.

When I first posted about the weird and wonderful snacks I experienced in the United States, many of you requested more demonstrations of my inability to resist anything shiny on the grocery shelf.

So here you go: Part Two! Please forgive the dodgy photo quality; many of these were taken in a New York AirBnB “room” consisting of a mattress in a corridor with curtains pulled around said mattress from half a metre away.

VitaTops are intertwined in my mind with my time at UVA, and no flavour more than the Golden Corn. Fluffy sweet single-serving (until you eat three in a row, of course) cornbread with a side of nostalgia? Yes please I will thank you.

The Lifeway Pumpkin Frozen Kefir was the sister of the pomegranate pint I had during my midnight drive to Las Vegas, but alas! Not only did this pumpkin flavour fail to lead me to VIP treatment at a nightclub, it also tasted of nothing. Thumbs down.

Hurrah for bizarre fake meat products! I normally shy away from anything called barbeque in the US, as the word over there heralds a sickly sweet sauce. However, this locally-made-in-Austin White Mountain Texas-Style Barbeque Wheat Roast conconction had peanut butter in it, and thereby tasted satay-ish. Thumbs up.

Sometimes I buy things that I know, deep down, I won’t much enjoy, purely because nothing like ‘em exists in Australia. Case in point: ZenSoy chocolate almond milk pudding. If you like gloop and chocolate-flavoured things, go for it.

However, if you like scrumptious chips made from kabocha (sweet light crisp ethereal pumpkin-intense whee!), blue potatoes (so potato-y nutty salty whee!), and carrots (sweeter firmer so real whee!), then go for these Terra Exotic Harvest Sea Salt Chips.

This is my entry for “Dish Most In Need of a Green Herb Garnish”. It is Macro Vegetarian’s Vegan Turkey Salad atop coleslaw veggies. Very smooshy and not-zingy. I like zingy, and therefore prefer the Veggie Turkey or Soy-Tein with Spinach.

Kimchi on salad greens! Colour! Vibrant colour! See also: The Mindy Project, Lisa’s blog, and sweetgreen water courtesy of lunch with Gena. All Very Good Things.

Speaking of Gena, in an attempt to stretch out one of our lunches in D.C., she and I went for a wander around Whole Foods. Gena recommended these Dr in the Kitchen Rosemary Flackers, and they were fabulous. Rosemary-whispers, slightly-salty, apple-cider-vinegar-twang, crispy.

NadaMoo! Oh, vegan food puns. Second only to dad-style puns. Nadamoo!’s Mmm… Maple Pecan coconut milk non-dairy frozen dessert had a light coconut flavour and a nice level of maple and pecan butteriness. It was very fluffy yet rich, but a little too sweet for my tastes. If only I’d had a pinch of pink Murray River sea salt nearby…

(On a scale of 1 to 10, just how pretentious was that last sentence?)

I very much liked these Ed’s of Maine Nacho Cheese Raw Kale Chips, because the cheesy coating was vibrant and spicy yet didn’t overpower the kale. See, I actually like to taste my kale. This is why my absolute favourite kale chips of all time are the salt and vinegar ones I helped Lisa make in her kitchen last week:

You can find Lisa’s recipe here. Go forth and kale-ify, my dears!

P.S. I’m writing this from a Greyhound bus on my way to visit one of my newest fabulous soulsisters, Heathy, and I just saw snow outside my window. SNOW! It’s so pretty! But so cold. But so pretty! But so cold. But so pretty!

P.P.S. By the way, I’m ever so glad I awoke super early in order to get to the Greyhound station in Thunder Bay over an hour before boarding so that I could get in line for a seat. That was such a necessary move, considering no one lined up at all and there turned out to be only six people riding on this entire 55-seater bus. Go me!

Wayfaring Chocolate

adventures in chocolate, travel, cooking, and living

Tag Archives: raw

Vegan Valentine’s Day Gift Box, Part Two

My Favourite Recipes from 2012, Month By Month

New York Delights: Hungry and Frozen, Organic Avenue Coconut Yoghurt, and Chobani SoHo

How To Keep Falling In Love With Toronto, Part Two

An Assortment of Amazing, Astonishing, and/or Awful American Snacks, Part Two