Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day! For those in need of a last minute treat for your love (or yourself) this holiday, we have a recipe for some delicious thumbprint cookies.

We had our first experience with "almond gems" at Whole Foods when we lived in the Bay Area, but haven't been able to find them in Southern California. We think this recipe is pretty close, if not better than the cookies we used to buy. The jam is sweet, but the cookie itself is more nutty and mild. Enjoy with a hot cup of black tea or coffee and spoil yourself with a little indulgence this Valentine's day.

Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients: (makes 1 dozen cookies)

1 cup whole almonds

1 cup organic rolled oats

1 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup organic canola oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 t vanilla extract

2 T vegan sugar

1/2 t almond extract

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t sea salt

Organic raspberry jam (or other jam of your choice)

* add almond milk as needed if mix is too dry

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place almonds in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.
3. Place almonds in food processor and pulse until ground. (Grind coarse or fine depending on preference).
4. Place ground almonds and oats in large bowl and add flour, sugar, canola oil, maple syrup, vanilla, almond extract, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Mix well.
5. Roll balls of cookie dough in palm of your hand then flatten slightly on cookie sheet. (These cookies don't spread too much). Space cookies about 2 inches apart.
6. Use the back of a teaspoon size measuring spoon and indent the center of each cookie.
7. Fill the indentation with raspberry jam.
8. Bake cookies 18-20 minutes, or until brown then transfer to cooling rack.

“The love you seek is seeking you at this moment.”
- Deepak Chopra

(Not So) Red Velvet Cupcakes

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so I got together with my baking buddy, Ali, and we whipped up some adorable vegan cupcakes that are sure to sweeten any V-day celebration. A confession: these were initially meant to be Red Velvet, but as you'll see below, in our quest to be healthier, the color veered more toward regular chocolate, which is actually fine by us because they taste delicious. (If anyone has found a healthy way to create the red color, we'd love to know).

The key to red velvet cupcakes being red is typically the use of Red dye #40. This is the food coloring you can find in any grocery store and in numerous processed foods. The reason we didn't use it in this recipe is because it is a known carcinogen along with causing: migraines, hyperactivity and other behavioral issues. So, we chose to take the natural route in this recipe and ended up with a chocolate colored cupcake. However, we've heard that beets might do the trick, so we'll be updating our recipe if it works!

Natural Food Coloring via Seelect We purchased the all-natural food coloring in the baking section at Whole Foods. Click on the image above to go to the Seelect website and view the various natural food colorings that are available. Other natural food colorings are available through India Tree as well. 
Now to the recipe...

(Not So) Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cup organic flour

1 cup vegan sugar

1 cup soymilk

1/3 cup organic canola oil

4 T or 1/4 cup Natural Red Food Coloring

2 1/2 T cocoa powder

3 t vanilla extract

1 t chocolate extract

1 t apple cider vinegar

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t sea salt

1/4 t almond extract

Ingredients for Frosting:

1 small round container of vegan cream cheese

2 1/4 c powdered sugar

1/2 c vegan butter

2 t vanilla extract

1/2 t lemon juice

Instructions for Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. combine vegan milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside to curdle.
3. In a large bowl combine the flour sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the food coloring, canola oil, chocolate extract, almond extract, and vanilla extract to the soymilk mixture. Mix well.
5. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full (leave room for these to rise fairly high)
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

Instructions for Frosting:

1. Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.
2. Refrigerate while cupcakes are cooling so it will firm up a bit.
3. Use a pastry bag to frost, or if you don't have one, fill a small sandwich size plastic bag and cut a small opening in the corner.
4. Add the food coloring, canola oil, chocolate extract, almond extract, and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture. Mix well.
5. Add festive cupcake toppers and serve.

Helpful hint: If you're feeling creative, consider making your own cupcake toppers. We made our own cupcake toppers by purchasing fun Valentine's Day items at Michael's and gluing them to toothpicks. The options are endless. Enjoy!

Hemi-sync For Deep Relaxation

Today we're excited to share a great tool we've been using for relaxation and meditation, called hemi-sync. Hemi-sync is short for hemispheric synchronization, which essentially means that the left and right hemispheres of the brain are working together in a state of coherence. 

via The Meditation Mind

Would you like to: 

• tap into more of your brain’s innate abilities?
• enter deep meditative states reliably and easily?
• reduce stress?
• enhance creativity and become more productive?
• increase concentration and focus your attention when needed?
• experience deep, restorative sleep and refreshing catnaps?
• or uncover your intuitive talents?

Hemi-sync audio CD's safely alter your brainwaves with multi-layered patterns of sound. When you listen to these through stereo headphones or speakers, your brain responds by producing a third sound (called a binaural beat) that encourages the desired brainwave activity. [via hemi-sync.com]

We use hemi-sync while we meditate and it also helps us to relax before falling asleep. Hemi-sync has been scientifically validated and researched for over 50 years and they have a list of titles for various applications including: enhancing well-being, stress management, anger, ADD, pain management, weight control, focused attention, and more.

If you want to learn more before trying hemi-sync for yourself, the following video is an introduction to the application of this technology.

If you want to order and try it for yourself... go to hemisync.com
Our current favorite is an ambient recording that pays tribute to the purifying energy of the desert.
Click on the image below to access a sample mp3.

click on image for link to sample mp3

Get Vegucated

Last night we had the great pleasure of watching a new documentary that is shining the light on plant-based living.  Vegucated is a film that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks.

via ecorazzi.com

Throughout this six-week challenge these meat-eaters are educated about the realities of factory farming and the impact of meat and dairy on their health. The film is both funny and heartwrenching as they explore the realities behind the Standard American Diet and begin rethinking their old assumptions about food.

Here's a brief synopsis by writer/director Marisa Miller Wolfson:

"To me, Vegucated is about the shift that happens when you sit at one side of the dinner table, looking at the vegan on the other side with amusement, envy, or perhaps, slight horror. Then you receive some information or inspiration and suddenly find yourself on the vegan’s side of the table, seeing the dinner in a whole new light."[getvegucated.com]

Whether a meat-eater or full fledged vegan this film will inspire you with compassion for animals and a desire to create change. Watch the trailer below and stream it now on Amazon or iTunes.

You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed
in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity."
         - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The World's Most Powerful Facial

This week we are excited to share a new holistic remedy we just discovered called Bentonite Clay. The product we are using is Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay, which is a green clay that is sun-dried in Death Valley California. It is cruelty free and 100% natural bentonite with no additives.

Originally we purchased this clay to use as a detox bath, which works great. The clay tends to clump up a bit, so we recommend filling the bath tub with warm (filtered) water first and then add 1/4 cup of bentonite clay as you stir the water. The instructions on the label recommend using this clay as "the world's most powerful facial" so we decided to give it a go. Jeremy was kind enough to share his process in the photos below.

To create the mix for 1-2 people, take 2T of clay, 1T raw apple cider vinegar, and add water as needed for consistency. Allow the clay to dry on the skin for 10-20 minutes, you will feel it tightening. The clay will remove impurities and dirt from deep in the pores and you'll feel smooth and refreshed.

* An important point to remember is that bentonite is designed to draw out metals, so mix the clay in a non-metal bowl with a plastic or wooden utensil. This product is for external use only.

If you want more details on How The Aztec Secret Works you can visit their website -
aztec-secret.com or purchase their products in natural health food stores everywhere.