Once upon a time, there was a woman named Eve, who, unable to resist the luring temptation of a fragrant orchard, took a bite of forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. Perhaps Eve was bored. Perhaps she was ovulating and had a desperate craving for something sweet. Perhaps life in the little garden was becoming stressful or claustrophobic. Perhaps she felt out of control or lacked passion in her life and in order to numb her emotions or soothe herself from Adam's lack of attention or his ambivalence in starting a family, she chose to indulge. Perhaps Eve was an emotional eater. But as Eve soon discovered, neither the bite, nor the whole fruit fulfilled her as she had hoped. Not only did she realize she was naked but that she had contempt for the way she looked. Perhaps Eve suffered with body dismorphia. Eve tried to stop eating the forbidden fruit and eventually avoided eating altogether but that didn't work and she ended up eating until she could no longer breathe. The point of this is that Eve lost her intuitive ability to nourish herself. She no longer had balance in her life and was willing to do any and everything to get that back. 
Zain’s Chocolate-Raspberry Covered Cheesecake Bites
Throwing a New Year’s Eve party? Celebrate by serving my best chocolate cheesecake bites recipe! This one is magnificent and super easy to make.
*Note, I definitely consider this recipe as a treat unlike most of my dessert recipes (which I do eat regularly as a part of my meal plan). Although this recipe is extremely healthy and great for you, involves a higher amount of healthy fat so for those of you who are trying to lose weight this recipe should be eaten in moderation.
**This recipe can also be made VEGAN by following the substitutions below
Ingredients:
Crust
11/2 Cup Oats (Ground)
3 Tbsp Cup Coconut Butter
1 Cup Soaked Medjool Dates
Pinch Himalayan Crystal Salt
Filling
1/2 Cup Fat-Free Cream Cheese (for vegan recipe, sub for 1/4 Cup Almond Milk)
1/2 Cup Fat-Free Cottage Cheese (for vegan recipe sub for 1/2 Cup Cashews)
1/4 Cup Cacao Butter (melted, for vegan recipe sub for 1/2 Cup)
1/4 Cup Honey OR 25-30 Drops Vanilla Creme Stevia
1 Vanilla Pod
1/4 Cup Almond Flour
1 Tbsp Arrow Root Powder
Pinch Himalayan Crystal Salt
Topping
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cacao
1/2 Cup Frozen Raspberries
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Honey OR 20-30 Drops Vanilla Creme Stevia
Pinch Himalayan Crystal Salt
Directions:
1. Grease mini-muffin tin or spring form mini muffin tin with cacao butter or coconut oil.
2. Using a food processor, blend crust ingredients until sticky and press firmly into pan.
3. Blend ingredients for filling in food processor until the it becomes thick and pour over crust to fill tins.
4. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, blend all ingredients for topping in food processor, remove mini cheesecakes and roll into chocolate-raspberry sauce, replace into tins and freeze for at least 1 hour (I normally leave them overnight).
Everyday I’m inspired by so many bloggers through the Tumblr feed, but I would love to connect with all of you more on a personal level. If you’re on Twitter, feel free to tweet me @evepostapple and let’s chat in 140 characters ;)
Tosca replied to my tweet! Looks like Zain’s Clean & Classic Carrot Cake may be a recipe that she makes after her big competition on Saturday! How exciting.
Have a twitter account? I would love to connect with you @eveposapple
Eat Clean Diet’s Butternut and Bean Soup
This is the perfect clean eating accompaniment to any meal, warm, slightly sweet and soulfully satisfying especially on a rainy afternoon.
I have been loving roasted butternut squash lately and Tosca has created some gorgeous recipes using this versatile starchy vegetable in the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook. Check out my Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Special Features Page for more!
This particular recipe is lush as it combines the richness of squash thickened with folate-rich white beans and enhances the flavour and spice with fresh nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. I added a personal touch to this recipe by adding 1/4 cup of soaked organic walnuts for a delicious little crunch.
This soul-warming soup is hearty, complex in flavours and is definitely one I plan to make again and again.
Mother’s Day Wild Berry Mousse
So this is how it all went down yesterday: The oven was on preheat all morning as I wanted to bake something for each of my beautiful mothers. For my fiancees mom, I made one of my famous loaves of Chunky Banana Bread (vegan style). This was a pretty easy decision seeing as how she loves my vegan breads and prefers not to have anything too sweet, 45 minutes later there was a gorgeous golden loaf filled with flax, chia, walnuts, dates and chunks of overripe bananas.
The choice for my mom was…unfortunately a little more difficult because she hasn’t been into bread much lately and we had not managed to get our grocery shopping done for the week so it forced me to get creative with my Mother’s Day baking. On the menu?
Hmmmm, well I had oats, dates, nuts that sounded like a great base for a raw or baked crust. I had organic frozen berries, coconut oil, honey, Greek yogurt, perhaps a mousse filling? So I gave it a go…
About an hour later…it looked and smelled incredible, unfortunately, no time to post as I was off to brunch but definitely wanted to share this one with you guys as it turned out delicious! Nothing makes me happier than creating something incredible out of not much at all. The recipe was easy and turned out to be gorgeous and delicious, the perfect combination for the gift of something sweet for my beautiful mom.
Ingredients:
Crust
11/2 Cups Oats
7 Medjool Dates (soaked in boiling water for at least 10 mins)
1/2 Cup Walnuts
Filling
2 Cups Frozen Mixed Berries
4 Tbsp Sugar-Free Fruit Jam (I used Raspberry and Blueberry)
1/2 Cup Greek OR Soy Yogurt
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Tsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Unflavoured Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Raw Honey OR Sweetener of your choice
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Blend all ingredients for crust until combined well, then press down into a glass or aluminum pie plate.
3. Blend all ingredients for filling using a food processor and pour overtop the crust.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes. For best results, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
*top with your choice of fresh or frozen berries, nuts, sugar-free jam or dried fruit
Stress Busting Sequence
From my feature in the Yoga Magazine, May 2012 issue.
Begin With: 4 rounds of Anuloma Viloma Pranayama then 5 Rounds Chandra Namaskar (Moon Salutation
1. Sirsasana II – From Downward dog, exhale and walk feet in, place hands at 90-degree angle in line with chest, and place crown of head to mat. Bring knees to backs of arms, inhale then elevate legs to parallel keeping feet flat, draw in with Uddiyana and Mula Bandha. Or keep legs bent for Ardha Sirsasana. Take 10-25 breaths, lower into Balasana.
2. Kapotasana – Kneel upright, place hands on sacrum, exhale and begin to bend backward slowly, and then reach arms long placing palms on mat or on soles of feet. Bring forehead to mat and lift up through hip pointers. Expand through heart for 5 breaths, rise then lower into Balasana.
3. Uttitha Parsvakonasana – Rise to Tadasana, exhale and step feet 3 1/2-4 feet apart. Parallel arms, palms facing down. Inhale, point right foot forward and turn left in at 90-degrees, bend at front knee keeping it perpendicular to mat. Firm legs, lift out of waist, and bring torso over right thigh placing arm on leg or taking a half or full bind. Take 5 – 7 breaths.
4. Natarajasana Rise to Tadasana- inhale, shift weight to left foot, bend right knee and take hold of back of right foot, right hand facing inward.
Exhale, raise left arm to sky and bring hips in line with right knee. Inhale, extend torso and tip forward, reaching through left arm with weight of right foot and hand creating a suspended balance. Take 5-7 breaths.
5. Ardhachandra Chapasana – From Natrajasana, inhale and rise to parallel still holding right foot with right hand. Exhale to lift torso and bow forward, placing left hand to mat a few inches in front of left foot or floating the hand and taking mudra.
End by:
Taking Sarvangasana for 10-25 breaths then Halasana for 10 breaths. Close with 10 minute Savanasana.
Zain’s Raw Brownies
Ok guys this recipe is going to blow your mind. Super simple, 7 ingredients and completely RAW!!
Ready?
Ingredients:
11/4 Cup Medjool Dates (Pitted, soaked in warm water for 5 mins)
1 Cup Walnuts (I used sprouted and dried walnuts, but regular will do fine here)
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cacao
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cacao Nibs (optional, but highly recommended)
1/2 Cup Raw Almonds (chopped, I soak mine overnight but you don’t have to)
15g Chia Seeds (optional)
1/8 Tsp Himalayan Crystal Salt
Directions:
1. In a food processor, blend walnuts into a fine ground.
2. Add cacao powder and salt and pulse to combine, then add dates individually until the mixture becomes ‘crumby.’
3. In a square pan, press the walnut/cacao mixture down firmly pressing in the almonds, chia seeds and cacao nibs into the mixture.
4. Freeze for at least 2 hours and then slice into squares.
*Note, I can’t be held responsible for your addiction to this recipe
Zain’s Chocolate Cake Pancakes
Chocolate for breakfast you ask? Hell ya. There are some days when a girl just wants to have chocolate and for me, today was that day.
I sifted through a few of my best chocolate smoothies recipes and my chocolate peanut butter oats (which incidentally is my go-to strategy for mornings requiring a bit of chocolate) yet, my craving was for something a little richer….so…I ended up making what I think rival some of the most delicious chocolate cakes I have ever tried.
Ingredients:
8 Egg Whites
3/4 Whole Wheat Pastry Flour OR Gluten-Free Flour (of your choice. Oats work well here too but the pancakes will be denser)
1/2 Tbsp Chia Seeds OR 16g Walnuts OR Both
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1/4 Cup Apple Sauce OR 1/2 Banana
4-5 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (I use raw cacao powder, it’s unprocessed but it’s a little more bitter so depends on which you prefer)
1/8 Cup Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips (optional)
1-2 Tbsp Agave Syrup OR 1-2 Packets Stevia
1/8 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
Cooking Spray
Directions:
1. Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips and walnuts if you are using them.
2. Pour batter onto a sprayed pan and sprinkle in chocolate chips and walnuts. Cook until golden brown on both sides, top with Zain’s Nutella and/or Sugar-Free Syurp
NOM NOM NOM
Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook - Skillet Eggs in Rustic Tomato Sauce with Butter Beans
How fabulous does this look? Well it was, we devoured every last beautiful bite this morning for Sunday brunch.
Tosca Reno’s wonderful and easy skillet eggs recipe was a hearty meal and the combination of ingredients felt as though we were dining on a farm! For the recipe, I used farm fresh eggs from the Farmer’s Market as well as fresh herbs.
This recipe can be made with egg whites for those who prefer and can also be made vegan by omitting the eggs. What I love most about The Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook, is that it offers something for everyone.
I would definitely make this recipe again and even enjoy it later in the day for one of my main meals!
Fresh Strawberries With Chocolate-Orange Avocado Mousse
How absolutely gorgeous does this look? Well, it was, down to every last decadent bite.
Here is is fitblrs! My first recipe from the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook! and of course it’s one of the amazing dessert ones and more specifically the chocolate dessert one, that’s just how I roll.
This delicious recipe is one of the many featured desserts in The Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook and was my first attempt at the recipes in the book.
Tosca Reno has definitely done it again with this book! This vegan recipe, took me less than 10 minutes to prepare and the marriage of the slightly bitter chocolate with creamy avocado was unlike any other combination that neither myself nor my fiancee had ever tried. There was a kind of roasted nut flavour, which to me was fascinating considering there are no nuts in the recipe. Simple recipe, complex taste which makes it a great one for entertaining.
These vegetarians were left very satisfied after this treat.
More exciting recipes to come from the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook featured on Eve Post Apple coming soon!
