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 

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 

ROASTED CORN (THE SHORTCUT METHOD!)

     Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day's weekend! I thought in the spirit of summer, that I would share with you two of my favorite recipes for easy, simply roasted veggies either on the grill or in the oven. As a vegetarian, it is truly key to make big batches of veggies to save time during the week- to then distribute for your meals throughout the week. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients: makes about 4 ears of corn

4 ears of organic corn

2 tbsp. paprika

2 tbsp. cinnamon 

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper 

2 tbsp. melted vegan butter

2 tbsp. coconut oil 

1 tbsp. good olive oil 

          So first, shuck your corn, and place them on a wide flat dish. Combine your butter, coconut oil, and olive oil into a small microwavable bowl. Place the bowl into the microwave for 20 seconds. Take your mixture out, and add your spices: cinnamon, paprika, salt, and pepper. With your basting brush, layer on about 1/2 of your mixture distributed equally on each corn on the cob. If you wish to grill, go ahead and grill those corn until the corn has become a mottled brown, black, and orange. After you take these off the grill, baste brush the rest of your mixture on top of the corn.

You now have yummy scrumptious corn! 

Here is my dinner last night: there is a recipe to come from roasted cauliflower (so look out followers:) avocado, feta cheese polenta, sauteed mushrooms with caramelized onions and tomatoes, ROASTED CORN, and hunk of fresh baguette with garlic hummus! Yummy ! 

I hope you all enjoy this recipe, and I'll be back with a new post Wednesday at the latest! Hint: it's recipe related:) 

*If you enjoyed this post and others make sure to go follow me 

on my Instagram and my Twitter for more recipes, life hacks, and inspiration.  

Namaste,

Zoe 

HOMEGROWN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to share with you one of my days. My day today was spent meandering through the beautiful gardens and meadows of a local arboretum called Willowood. This particular nature preseve I have visited since I was a wee child- it has remained a place of calm and peace amidst turbulence and confusion in my life. Here I can truly breathe, let go, listen to birds chirping away, and revel in the most natural and homegrown wonders of the world. Here are some of the photographs that I took today along with quotes that continue to aid me in times of trouble. I hope they inspire and provoke reflection.....

  

         I am done with the past, the future has plenty of room for change."

      

     "The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention." 

        "If you wait until you are ready, you'll be waiting the rest of your life."

        "The earth is what we all have in common."

                                         

             "Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. 
 Khalil Gibran

                 "Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail." Frank Lloyd Webber

                       

                            "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in line." John Burroughs

 

                "Come forth into the light of things. Let Nature be your teacher." William Wordsworth

                                       

        "Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light."Theodore Roosevelt

 I hope these images inspired you like they inspire me- to move more naturally in the universe, peacefully. I love you all, wishing you a week of being respectful to yourself, love, beauty, and stability.

*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram to see more recipes, life hacks, and inspiration. 

Namaste, 

Zoe 

Zoe's VEGAN OAT BLENDER BANANA BLUEBERRY and DARK CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES

Hi everyone! This is my recipe for my vegan oat blender banana pancakes! I had been searching over a year ago for a recipe for pancakes, and I came across one on http://www.mountainmamacooks.com, that I adapted and changed to fit my vegan lifestyle. Please check out their amazing website if you get the chance: perfect for those who live at high altitudes. 

SO, now present day, my mum, dad, and sister, whenever I come home, beg me to make THIS RECIPE for Saturday breakfast! This recipe is super filling and keeps you full for at least seven hours, perfect for a long hike or a day out!  No oil, gluten free, and vegan! It is my family tradition that I'm sharing with you. Enjoy:) 

Ingredients: about 9 pancakes 

2 cups of ground steel cut oats                                         1 1/4 almond milk 

1 cup extra almond milk                                                   1 jar coconut oil for cooking                                                                                            

1/2 cup of organic dark chocolate chips                            1/2 cup of organic blueberries

1 flax seed egg- 2 tbsp. of flax seed and 1 tbsp. water      1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract                                                        1 heaping tbsp. agave nectar                                                                                        

1 tsp. cinnamon                                                               1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. salt                                                                        1 large organic, ripe banana 

Directions:

1. Let's make your flax egg! I use 2 tbsp of the flax seed /Chia blend, (it gives a good texture to the pancakes) and let slowly stir with one tbsp of water. Place a damp- paper towel over your mixture  and let rest for 10 min while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  

2. Take your 2 cup of steel cut oats, (I typically use MCCan's, I much prefer those to Quaker Oats) and place them into the blender. I pulsate for 20 second intervals in the grind setting of my blender. The consistency should be powdery but still textured with the oats themselves: 50% powder, 50% still hard oats. It usually takes me about 2 min to get the consistency I desire. 

3. Place your 1 1/4 cup of almond milk in bottom of the blender, along with honey. Cut up the banana and place it in the blender, along with the rest of the ingredients. 

4. Blend or grind for 1-2 minutes until you get a slightly lumpy batter. 

5. Now, add your flax egg to your battle, pulsate ONLY one or two times, to incorporate. You really do not want to destroy or lose the texture of the flax egg in the batter, so one or two pulses in the blender will mix it just fine. 


6. Now, the fun part! Grab your yummy blueberries and dark chocolate chips, and place
them in the bowls next to the griddle. Grab a large spoon and take your batter in the blender to the stove top! Time to heat to the griddle! 


7. It of the utmost importance that the griddle be hot, leave it on medium heat until heats up. Add about 4 tbsp of coconut oil to the pan- make sure it is medium heat coconut oil. Make sure the entire pan is coated with the coconut oil. 

8. Now, take your spoon and lay down circles of batter on your griddle pan. About three fit on my griddle pan. If you see an area of the pan that it lacking coconut oil,especially around the edges of the pancake, add more while the pancakes are cooking on the griddle! This will create a yummy crispy golden flaky crust! 

9. Add three or four blueberries to your pancake if you desire, and/or six or seven chocolate chips. 

10.Now, add some batter on top of the blueberries to cover them up. This is important for the cooking process to cover the blueberries and prevent them bursting and ruining your expensive pan :)

11. When you see bubbles and the edge of your pancakes become brown and crispy, flip the pancakes over. 2 minutes on the other side until golden brown, and crispy in texture.

12. Now, a word to the wise, as you continue to use batter and make beautiful, delicious pancakes, your batter will become more and more lumpy. Between each round of three pancakes, add about 1/4 cup of almond milk to the blender batter, stirring and working out the lumps as best you can. If you want to squeeze out 12 pancakes, add more milk or water to thin out the mixture. 


13. Then  voila!! You have gorgeousness on the plate!! Just some ideas: make a fruit platter with more bananas, strawberries, blueberries, mango, and kiwi, to put on your pancakes afterwards!

Please enjoy, eat mindfully and remember mindfulness and savor every delicious bite! 
So get a-munching! 
Namaste, 
Zoe

*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more recipes, life-hacks, and inspiration. 

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,

THE MANTRA OF ALL MANTRAS

You are AMAZING. 

You are IMPORTANT.

You are SPECIAL.

You are UNIQUE.

You are KIND. 

You are PRECIOUS. 

You are LOVED IMMENSELY.

Namaste,

Zoe

*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more recipes, life-hacks, and inspiration.