CRAZY GOOD VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Hello everyone! Recently, I have wanted to try some new recipes from scratch, and as I'm craving some chocolatey goodness, I came up with this CRAZY GOOD VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE with (optional) Nutella peanut butter frosting. Enjoy!

Vegan Double Chocolate Cake 

1 cup whole wheat flour or coconut flour       1 tsp. baking soda 

1 cup Agave nectar or syrup                            2 tbsp. pure cacao powder

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips                           1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup organic unsweetened applesauce       2 tbsp. coconut yogurt 

1 tsp. vanilla                                                   2 tbsp. almond butter or cashew butter 

Optional* Peanut Butter Nutella Frosting

1/4 cup coconut oil- in microwave so warm

1/2 cup of cane sugar- place in blender to make it incredibly smooth

4 tbsp. melted dark chocolate chips 

2 tbsp. melted almond butter

2 tbsp. Nutella *(totally optional if you want to keep it vegan but delicious if you want to really indulge) 

How to do it. The Cake I mean. ;)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees bake. Spray your bunt pan with canola oil. Sift the flour, baking powder, cacao powder, and salt together for the cake. In separate bowl, combine the agave nectar, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mix. After fully combing the two, add your 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Place mixture in the bunt pan, and swirl the melted almond butter on top of the cake. Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.  Now, after it is done, let rest for 10 minutes.

Happy Frosting Time

Now, the glaze/frosting. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave while you, in the blender, break the cane sugar into smaller pieces, a consistency similar to confectionary sugar. Mix these well together, then add your melted chocolate chips and almond butter together. Now, add the Nutella if you so desire! Drip it all over the cake. 

Ouila! You now have a beautiful, scrumptious, oh so heavenly vegan chocolate cake in your midst! Enjoy! 

Thank you for reading and experiencing ThinkZoeBoost. If you enjoyed this post, make sure to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram to see more recipes, life hacks and inspiration!

Namaste, 

Zoe 

5 WAYS TO POSITIVELY IMPACT YOUR DAY

         Hello everyone! Today, I wanted to discuss with you all how to remember you. I, often, in my life, forget to take care, honor, and  respect myself: my best self, so here are 5 ways in ZOE'S HOW TO: REMEMBER YOU! 

My desk: a book Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolf, and a cup of tea

My beautiful breakfast: fried egg,
avocado, & Ezekiel toast 

FOOD. COOKING. BAKING. 

If you've already checked out my earlier post, you will know, I am an absolute foodie. I love everything about food, it is an experience involving all the senses. Being creative, I love trying new recipes from cookbooks; in this, I am totally and utterly engrossed in small tasks for a finished product. It allows me to be mindful of the smaller things, which in life, are truly the most important.

Tip #1: COOK SOMETHING TO MARVEL AT! 

BOOKS. ESCAPE.

I love reading, obsessed would be a better word. Books allow me to enter new world of fantasy, consider moral dilemmas, and inspires my present reality with art, language, and characters. Books have always made me world all the more richer- returning to a loved book, is returning to part of myself I might have lost temporarily in the chaos and confusion of life. 

Tip #2: READ. READ EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. LET YOUR WORLD BE MORE COLORFUL. 

TEA. RELAXATION. 

This is the simplest thing you can implement in your day to remember to take care of you. My family loves tea, and I have drinking it since I have been a wee child. A cup of tea can relax you and lessen your chance of heart attack, carries bountiful beneficial antioxidants, and is supremely hydrating for the skin. Green tea can also contribute to weight loss. How about that? Take that ten minutes of me time, you deserve it.

Tip #3: DRINK TEA FOR ENERGY AND HEALTH! 

ART. CREATION.

        In the creation of art for fun and enjoyment, art is not hierarchy- it is for pure pleasure, complete create control of the imagination. In creating art, I remember my childhood- and let my self go, to create and innovate. Art is and has always been a form of therapy, even buying a coloring book or doodling can release harmful emotions and feelings! 

Tip #4: ART IS A FORM OF THERAPY! 

A hike up Mount Holyoke. 

EXERCISE.

Exercise is integral to my emotional, physical and spiritual well being. Whether yoga, my favorite, Zumba, cardio, BodyPump, resistance, hiking, biking, etc- I need that time to just sweat that shit out- that emotional garbage, shame, guilt- to get it out of my system to be that better person in tune with her emotions. My advice: find something you love, whether a class, working out on your own, and stick with it and TREAT IT LIKE THE SPA. This is you time- time to care and honor your beautiful self and all the wonderful things your body can do. 

Tip #5: SWEAT THAT SHIT OUT! 

WARNING. I am not perfect. I struggle just as much as the next person with finding that me time, honoring and respecting myself, & remembering that positive thoughts can shape my world into a more productive, warm and kind one. I wrote this post as a way to remind myself, as well as others, of the ways I remember I'm beautiful. At the end of the day, no matter what practices you use, self-love has to come from yourself and no one else. It is a journey I'm still on, but God I'm fighting for it. 

I love you all, if you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more inspiration, life hacks, and recipes!

Namaste,

Zoe 

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER (THE EASY WAY!)

     Hello everyone! After over-indulging yesterday in portobello burgers and an oh-so-delicious custard milkshake from ShakeShack, I decided to regain that 80-20 balance with a focus on some delicious veggies that I could roast Ina Garden's recipe for roasted cauliflower with pine nuts has remained our family staple for several years. I have amended the recipe to be slightly more health-conscious and vegan. Enjoy! 

Ingredients*: makes 2 large bowls of roasted cauliflower                     

Time: 30 min

2 heads of organic cauliflower

1/2 cup of whole pine nuts 

2 organic lemons

2 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. pepper 

1/2 good olive oil or coconut oil

Note*: (I'm serious. These are all the ingredients:) 

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Convection Roast. 

2. Take your 2 heads of organic cauliflower, and get the leafy bits off the bottom of the base with a sharp knife. Then, just start pulling the bunches of cauliflower apart, in small pieces, the size is shown above in the finished product. For each head of cauliflower, place the pieces in a separate large bowl, so you should have 2 bowls with pieces of cauliflower in them. 

3  In each bowl, place 1 tbsp. of salt, 1 tbsp. of pepper, and about 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Toss the cauliflower, making sure enough of the seasoning is evenly coated.

4. Place the 2 bowls of seasoned cauliflower into 2 separate cookie pans. Using cookie pans is important; it distributes the heat evenly onto the cauliflower, and overall, roasts veggies more quickly and easily for people on the go, like you, who don't have time to roast for two hours! 

5. Now, to each pan, add about 1/4 cup of pine nuts.  Also add to each, a 1/2 of a lemon's juice. With your hands, mix the cauliflower up with pine nuts. Bring your trays to the oven, preferably with both on the top rack in the oven. 

7. Now, 10 MINUTES into cook time, you MUST TAKE THE CAULIFLOWER OUT OF THE OVEN. Then,take out the smaller pieces which are cooked or dark brown, black out into a separate bowl on the counter, and turn over the rest of the cauliflower on their back sides to make sure they cook evenly. Place your trays back in the oven. 

8. When 20 minutes are up, take your cauliflower out of the oven. On the tray, spitz 1/2 of a lemon on top of the cauliflower.

9. Voila! You now have easy, gorgeous roasted cauliflower with pine nuts! 

Thank you all for reading and trying out the recipes! I so appreciate your inspiration and good vibes. It means the world! If you enjoyed this recipe and others, make sure to go follow me on my ThinkZoeBoost Twitter or on my ThinkZoeBoost Instagram to get more recipe concepts, inspiration, and life hacks!

Namaste,

Zoe 

SAVORING ITALY! (THE DINNER OF A LIFETIME)

      Today is a little bit of a different kind of blog post, however it combines both lifestyle and vegetarian food!! In spirit of National Sibling Day, I thought I would detail one of my life-inspiring moments in a slow food/Italian dinner which occurred just yesterday, with my best friend and twin sister Izabella.  I'm so lucky and grateful to have her in my life, and as my constant rock and support network. I love you babe! 

     For four months now, I have been taking a Savoring Italy course where I have learned about the various food and cultural foodstuff of Italy and its many provinces. In course of this class, we have learned about the slow food movement, which began in Italy with Perini in 1986: promoting sustainable food and agriculture of local small businesses. Perini focuses on specifically living a slower paced life and an age of constant growth, change, and technology. It is a cultural shift towards living life more mindfully, and listening to one's body processes and desires: self-care is so essential. 

On the right: Where some of our food came from, veggies from a local Slow Food farm in Massachusetts. 

       Italian food contains absolutely no-GMOS, as per governmental regulation, and it is not composed of typical heavy, dairy ridden dishes and heavy marinara that we associate with Italian-American food. Rather, authentic Italian food is served family style, with large bowls of food placed in the center a table, and each person gets a small portion in five courses. Of the courses, I had an entirely vegan Italian dinner. How do you ask?

Here is a look at our third course: chicken for non-vegetarian, beans, roasted vegetables, and homemade focaccia bread with olive tapenade. I'm a happy camper! 

      Our professor guided us, in this amazing dinner, to eating slowly; to simply taste and experience our food one bit at a time using all our senses.  It was one of the most awe-inspiring moments of my life: one of the most fulfilling spiritually in feeding my soul and body food that fuels goodness and is healthful and kind to the earth. 

       Let me tell you about this food, I was crying. Full-out tears were pouring out of my eyes, as I savored the amazing delicacies that were before me.

This bean dish made me cry tears of joy. 

Then, something even more incredible happened; we were situated around a table with complete strangers, however we were chatting away like old buddies. 
Due to this proliferation of incredible, mind-boggling good food, conversation swelled: laughs and jokes were shared in a matter of minutes. In "breaking bread", we were breaking down barriers in our two hours dinner. 

No one left after two hours; we simply stayed for another two, with amazing cappuccino and homemade cannoli to celebrate this amazing communion of energy, flow, and mindfulness. My sister and I had one of the most meaningful conversations we have ever had, while sipping and savoring delicious food that is not artificial, non-GMO, hand-made, and organic. I can't find a better excuse to eat pasta? Can you? 
Love you all, and wishing you a peaceful week full of yummy food that fuels your soul and body!

Namaste, Zoe

Namaste,

ZOE'S FAMOUS VEGAN BLUEBERRY and BANANA BAKED OATMEAL

Ingredients: 

1 cup organic rolled oats                                          1 cup (to be ground) steel cut oats 

 

 1/4 cup extra steel cut oats                                     1 Flax Egg:1 tbsp. flax seed & H20                                                                                  

1 tsp. baking powder

                                                                               1 1/2 tsp. Saigon cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg 

                                                                               1/2 tsp. salt 

1/3 cup agave nectar, or honey

                                                                               2 large ripe organic bananas

2 tsp. vanilla extract

                                                                               1 1/2 cups organic blueberries

1 cup unsweetened almond milk 

@ThinkZoeBoost

                                                                               2 tbsp. coconut oil, refrigerated 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2. Take a Pyrex dish or pie dish, and coat the entire dish with the refrigerated coconut oil.

3. Let's make your flax egg. Use 1 tbsp of flax seed, or flax seed blend with Chia (prefer this) and add two tbsp. water. Stir well until combined, place a damp paper-towel over the top, and set aside for 10 minutes. Congrats, you made a flax egg! (Air-five yourself or someone near you:)  

4. Cut the two bananas, and lay the slices down on the bottom of the pie dish, until the bottom of your dish is completely covered.

5. Evenly cover your layer of bananas with a 1/2 cup of your organic blueberries.

6. Place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the bananas are golden brown, and the blueberries are slightly purple and oozing. (Yummy!!)

7. While your dish is in the oven, let's get to your oatmeal, the star of this breakfast! Place your 1 cup of steel cut oats in a medium sized blender, and grind them until slightly powdery in consistency.

8. In a large bowl, combine your slightly ground steel cuts oats with the organic rolled oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Gingerly stir these ingredient together until well mixed.

9. In a separate bowl, combine your flax egg, vanilla extract, and honey or agave nectar until well mixed.

10. After the fifteen minutes are complete, take your dish out of the oven and let cool for 2 minutes.

11. Add your dry ingredients slowly to your wet ingredients, gingerly mixing as you go. Take your time here, and enjoy the beauty of cooking and mindfulness!

12. Gently pour your mixture of the wet and dry ingredients over the blueberries and bananas on the bottom of your dish. Make sure to do your best to carefully cover all the blueberries and bananas in an even layer of mixture.

13. Add, over the top-of your mixture, the remaining 1 cup of blueberries, evenly distributing over the surface.

14. Once your blueberries adorn the top of your lovely dish, slowly drizzle your one cup of almond milk over the top of the mixture. If the milk in pan goes over the line of the mixture the line in the pan, stop! 

15. Finally, use your final 1/4 cup of steel cut oats to place around the edges of your oatmeal dish. These extra oats will crisp up with the almond milk and coconut oil, giving a wonderfully crispy and golden texture to the oatmeal. It's delicious I promise!

16. Place your pan in the oven, on Bake, 375 degrees Fahrenheit, for 30 minutes, or until the oats are golden brown! 

17. Enjoy your beautiful breakfast! Remember, slow eating, and be grateful and pay homage to the beauty in your healthy creation you made! Tweet me at @thinkzoeboost with pics of how it came out! 

Namaste,

Zoe 

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