Vegan quinoa sushi

Okay, so have you been reading the posts about sushi not being healthy, because it’s made of white rice and it contains sugar? Or are you a vegetarian who’s always wanted to try it? Or maybe you just turned vegetarian and sushi is the one thing you can’t live without?

Not to worry, I’m here to help ;)

Here’s what I did, when I wanted to make my sushi healthier and fish free: I took out the fish :D haha surpriseeee 

But I also took out the sugar and the rice. Now, you’re probably wondering, what’s left?? Or maybe not, because the post title gave it all away anyway…

I added quinoa! And filled it with sweet potato, avocado, cucumber and carrots. And I would add spinach leaves if I had any! Yeah yeah, like you care about my babbling and trying to make this post a little longer…I’ll just get to the point :P

Here’s what you’ll need for two rolls:

• 1/2cup quinoa cooked in cup water - makes about 1 and 1/2 cup
• 1 small sweet potato, sliced into strips
• 1/2 small avocado- thinly sliced
• 1 and 1/2 tbs rice vinegar
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 carrot
• 2 nori wrappers
• wasabi and soy sauce for dipping
• a very very sharp knife

Keep in mind that you can add ANY vegetable you like or even seeds- sesame seeds would go great with sushi :D

How you do it:

• prepare your veggies and quinoa ahead of time, so they have time to cool down before you start assembling the rolls. About 30min is plenty of time to let them cool down.
• Steam the vegetables for 5-10min
• Once the quinoa is cooked - a half a cup od quinoa and a cup of water- spread it over a flat surface and drizzle it with rice vinegar. Fold it over a couple of times- I find it best to use a spatula. Keep adding the vinegar untill you add 1tbs and a half and keep folding 
• Lay a nori sheet shiny side down on a rolling sheet - if you don’t have one, you can use a clean kitchen towel or something similar.
• Now spread the quinoa on the nori sheet, but leave about 2cm so you can close the roll later. Once you’ve done this you can start adding the veggies. Add the strips close to the end of the sheet- about 2cm from the edge, on the side that is covered with quinoa. Be careful not to overfill it or you won’t be able to roll andclose it 
• Now, here’s where a rolling sheet comes in handy. Turn the sushi-to-be so the end with the veggies is nearest to you and start rolling. Make sure you apply constant pressure to make sure the roll comes out nice and firm. When you get to the end, moisten the nori wrap - this is why you need to leave a little space when spreading the quinoa. The moisture will glue the roll together.
• Using the very very sharp knife, slice the roll into bite size pieces.
• Arrange them on a plate and serve with soy sauce and wasabi for dipping

Coffee Scrub

We all know a good scrub does your skin good. It gets rid of the dead skin cells and improves circulation. But we also know body scrubs can be a bit expensive.

So here’s an idea- make your own scrub! When you make your own- it’s SOOOO much cheaper. Almost free actually :) And you know what you’re putting on your skin, which is always a plus. No chemicals! And even if it seems like it doesn’t really matter…I mean, you’re going to wash it away anyway, so why even think about the chemicals you put on your skin? It’s not like you’re eating it. But the wey I see it- IF YOU WOULDN’T BE WILING TO EAT IT- DON’T PUT IT ON YOUR SKIN, Because it actually does matter- Your skin absorbs way more than you think. So treat it well :)

Okay, so I’ve ben making my own sugar scrubs for a while- I use sugar and olive oil or coconut oil. Just mix it together and scrub scrub :) Sometimes I even add some lavender essential oil or mint. Makes it smell goooood :)

But I’ve recently started adding coffee to my scrubs. Why? 

I scrub my skin once or twice a week, just to get rid of the dead skin cells. Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! I use it everytime I shave my legs to prevent irritation and reddnes, it also helps you get smooooooth lovely legs :) 

But why the coffee? Because of the caffeine. The caffeine can temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite and give your skin a firmer appearance. Caffeine draws water from cells — making them smaller — and constricts blood vessels slightly to create a smooth, more even tone. Not bad right?

For a more gentle scrub just mix the coffee with olive oil or coconut oil. I use this on my face or if I feel my skin is irritated. Id I want a really good scrub, I add sugar to the coffee and oil mixture. 

Last night I wanted to exfoliate my skin really really well, but didn’t feel it could take the roughness of sugar- so I added some uncooked amaranth to my coconut oil and coffee mixture. Did the job well :)  So basically just experiment with the things from the pantry, They work magic!

Vegan Raw Chocolate Raspberry Cake

I made this a while back, but have been dreaming about it for the last few weeks…I need to make it again SOON. And being the kind soul that I am, I’m sharing the deliciousness with you, so you can enjoy it too :P

Ingredients fot the base:

- 1 cup hazelnuts

- 1 cup almonds

- 1 1/2 cup dates 

- 1/2 cup raw cocoa

- 2 tbs coconut oil

- 2 tbs water

- seeds of 1 vanilla pod

Filling:

- 250g raspberries

Chocolate mousse:

- 2 cups dates

- 1 1/2 cup water

- 1/2 cup raw cocoa

- 1/2 cup coconut oil

Base:

Mix together hazelnuts and almonds in a blender until they are finely ground. Add the dates. Once they are all mixed together add the other ingredients and mix until they are all incorporated.

Filling:

Defrost your raspberries and roughly mash them with a fork. Add the appropriate amount of raw gelatine. Spread the raspberries on the base and put it in the fridge until it sets. 

Chocolate mousse:

Grind the dates untill they form a ball ot they are very finely chopped. Add the water and blend untill you get to a fine paste-like consistency. Add in the raw cocoa and coconut oil and continue to blend untill it is all finely incorporated.

Now spread the chocolate mousse on top of the cake and put it in the fridge to set - aproximately 30min

Decorate with coconut and fruit and viola

Bon Apetit