Video: Easy, Eco Organic Peppermint Holiday Hot Chocolate

Happy National Hot Cocoa Day! Yep, that's actually a day (look it up if you don't believe me). To celebrate I finally recorded my new vegan hot chocolate recipe, which I've been perfecting over the last few weeks. I've experimented with different nut milks and flavors and this one is the richest and tastiest yet! Plus, it's free of gluten, soy and sugar and you can use all bulk ingredients. Enjoy!

Video: Healthy, Guilt-Free French Toast, Free of Gluten, Soy, Sugar, Oil, & Salt

Is it possible to make vegan french toast that is gluten-free, soy-free, sugar-free, salt-free and even oil-free? Absolutely! In fact, here are 3 recipes from different sources so you can choose one that sounds most appealing or based on ingredients you have on hand - you could even mix and match ingredients from each recipe. No matter how you do it you'll have a delicious breakfast in under 10 minutes and for less than $3 a serving. 

Video: Lemon-Kissed Brussels and Butternut Squash from The Blissful Chef

Last week Christy Morgan, aka The Blissful Chef, was in San Francisco as part of her book tour. Christy and I became friends while living in L.A., so we made sure to squeeze a video in before she left my new town. I did a poll on the EVG Facebook page and I was surprised that the recipe chosen by the majority featured Brussels sprouts, a vegetable few people seem to like. However, I was thrilled because I love Brussels, butternut squash, and almonds.

Video: Mint Chocolate Coconut Tapioca Pudding - Raw, Gluten-free, Sugar-Free, Soy-free, Anti-Candida Friendly

I've been trying to perfect chia seed pudding and have fallen flat so many times...until recently. I was inspired by my friend Vanessa's recipe on The Green Girl Next Door, and with a few little adjustments to fit my diet and palate I came up with something insanely heavenly! As Vanessa mentions in her post, chia seed is not just a great thickener, it's also very nutritious and contains: omega-3 fatty acids, protein, antioxidants, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.

Video: Sweet Pea Guacamole Recipe - raw & free of dairy, salt, oil, and avocado!

One of my favorite recipe books is called "Unprocessed" by Chef AJ. It is full of great food that is oil-free, salt-free, and refined sugar-free, and the tag line is "how to achieve vibrant health and your ideal weight" - sounds good to me! Everything is very easy to make and usually consists of ingredients that are in the kitchen already. This recipe caught my eye because it's a unique twist on one of my favorite snacks: guacamole. Guac can get expensive and it's also pretty fattened (though it consists of healthy fats). Sweet peas have a similar appearance to avocado, so if you blend them just right this turns out very similar to traditional guacamole.

Video Recipe: Raw, Vegan "Stir Fry" - Free of Oil, Salt, & Sugar

Last week when I did a poll on the Eco-Vegan Gal Facebook page about what video recipe you'd like to see next the majority voted for "entrée" - you wish is my command. Since I'm on a raw food kick, I decided to make a living foods dish for dinner last night. I flipped through my favorite raw recipe books and felt that it was a sign when I found the same dish in 3 of them (give or take a few ingredients)! With a few modifications I whipped up a satisfying, filling, nutritious dish that my boyfriend even liked, and almost no packing was used (completely plastic free!). What I ended up with is most like "Stirred, Not Fried" from Chef AJ's "Unprocessed" book.

This recipe is free of oil, salt, and sugar, and it's anti-candida. I purchased all organic ingredients at Whole Foods for a cost of $20, and it yielded about 4 servings. 

Vegan, Alkaline Recipes from Nik Tyler

Way back in 2009 Nik Tyler (aka, the man who inspired me to be vegan) went to "two transformative weeks at The Rancho De Sol-Ph Miracel Ranch" and came back with incredible enthusiasm and energy. So much so that he sent me daily emails of the foods he had been making, with beautiful pictures. I posted these on Eco-Vegan Gal and they are some 

of the most popular recipes on the site. 

These recipes are also gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free, sugar-free and anti-candida. Some are also salt-free and raw.

Curried Red Lentils & Millet: free of gluten/soy/sugar/oil

I recently bought millet to cook with for the first time, and this dish was a perfect introduction. I love lentils and wanted to make something without gluten, soy, sugar, and oil - I succeeded. This easy and quick recipe has been adapted from The Way of Happy Woman.

Simple summer pleasure: golden ants on a log

This yummy treat is free of gluten, soy, oil, and sugar: ants on a log! This childhood favorite is incredibly satisfying and easy to make - a great summer treat.

Vegan Lentil Dahl

I adapted the following recipe from one I found on VegWeb. The original included onions, vegan butter, and creamed coconut. I didn't have any onions (though they would have been great in this), I didn't want to use oil, and I decided to use raw organic coconut butter. It had a great sweet & salty Indian flavor and thick texture.

Brown Rice Risotto

Last night I had a sudden urge to make risotto, and it just so happened I had most of the ingredients. I was also determined to make it without oil. I adapted the following recipe from one I found on VegWeb.

Chocolatey Banana Soft Serve: quick fix for your sweet tooth & no sugar added!

Going refined sugar-free is actually a lot easier than one might think - I can't believe it took me this long to take the plunge. The reason it's a breeze is because there are so many naturally sweet fruits available, and plenty of quick recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth. Today I found this one that called for only 2 ingredients and took only a few minutes to prepare.

Mexican-inspired Quinoa Salad

I usually don't eat a ton of tomatoes or onions but I was really craving salsa today, so I put together this dish, adapted from a recipe I found on Gluten-Free Goddess. It was very satisfying, filling, and full of protein.

Curried Potatoes, Cabbage, and Carrots

I haven't taken any cooking classes, so I'm always amazed when I adapt a recipe for the first time and it turns out to be tasty, especially without using oil. Though oils can definitely add flavor, I'm surprised at how little I miss it while making meals. Tonight I took a recipe from VegWeb and after a few adjustments I had a delicious dinner.

A Healing Macrobiotic Vegan Meal During Chemotherapy

I wrote this post on June 25, 2010 and my friend passed away on November 2, 2010.

June 25, 2010: Right now I am visiting my family friend in Massachusetts, who is going through chemotherapy for a rare form of small cell prostate cancer. The experience has certainly been enlightening and challenging. In the recent months I have become very focused on eating healthy in order to feel better and prevent illness, so when I heard that he had cancer I felt like I needed to share my research. However, I realized when I saw him today that it's not as easy of a solution as it seemed in my head.

Vegan Avocado Pudding

This Eco-Vegan Gal favorite might not sound appetizing by the name of it, but believe it or not this pudding tastes nothing like avocado. In fact, it has a fruity flavor. This is a great dessert because it very nutritious and free of refined sugar. You can customize it to your liking - I added flax and chia seeds for extra sustenance and crunch.

Guest Recipe: Organic Maca Yum by Sarah Tracey

This is a yummy recipe from my best friend Sarah, who inspired me to eat organic foods with minimal packaging years ago. She aims to incorporate maca into a meal once a day, and says this is "the best way to eat maca so far!". Enjoy it for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert.