We received this e-mail a few days ago, I love it when these find their way into my inbox!
Hello,
I just received my first order from your company yesterday. First, I want
to thank you for such professional and prompt service. Second, I had to try
the Spirulina Crunchies immediately and WOW Fabulous!! Does not compare to
the pre-formed pill looking Spirulina that I have purchased in the past. I
just now tried the Jarrah Bee Pollen, again another WOW came out of my
mouth, what a big difference than the Bee Pollen I have sitting in my
refrigerator. Have not tried the other two products I ordered but I bet
they are just as fabulous.
Thank you for offering such quality (and ethical) products. I will
definitely be a returning customer to try more goodies your company offers,
in addition to recommending your Company/Website.
Warm Regards,
Diane
Posted in Testimonial | Tagged customer testimonial, jarrah bee pollen, spirulina crunchies | 1 Comment »
Today we have a great guest post from Andrea McNinch of Regeneration Raw. She is starting a great Raw Teacher’s Certification Program which will have trainings around the country. Get more information on her program here.
As an almost graduated student of Gabriel Cousens, M.D., live-vegan food nutrition program (thank God for Vivapura superfoods! They gave me nonstop energy needed to study) and LOVER of raw food, I bring to you a recipe that is not just easy, my peeps are Vivapura do most of the work – well, them and the cacao Gods. Because I am a young grasshopper of Gabriel’s, I have a lot of clients who are healing on the deepest level through a low-glycemic raw diet (I like to call it the almost no-glycemic diet). Of course, there is more to this healing diet, such as how you oxidize food can dictate what you eat, etc., but today we are just going for a GREAT, SUPER AMAZING, EASY, SNACKY SWEET TREAT THAT IS PHASE 1!! Drum roll please….
I bring to you: VivaTurtle LOVE!! OMG! Chocolate-Caramel raw turtles that are low-glycemic. Yep!! Feel the love and don’t forget to share!!
Caramel Sauce
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon Pecan Butter
2 tablespoons Coconut Crème
1 tablespoon Yacon Syrup* (this is so low-glycemic, I allow this sweetener in a phase 1 diet; but very minimal use)
2-4 drops liquid stevia (to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch Celtic sea salt
Water, as needed to blend
Directions
In a high-speed blender, blend all the ingredients, adding water to thin as needed. It will become more of a caramel-like texture with refrigeration.
*You can omit and just use stevia if on a VERY regulated low-glycemic diet. But, this gives the caramel the earthy flavor that dates or Turkish figs would normally bring to this recipe (this is how I make my regular caramel). Oh, and isn’t it hilarious that Spellcheck tries to change yacon to bacon!
Chocolate Sauce
1 1/2 cups Coconut Oil (not butter), warmed into a liquid (can melt in a dehydrator or in a warm water bath)
3 tablespoons Yacon Syrup*
2-4 drops liquid stevia (to taste)
3/4 cup Cacao Powder
Pinch sea salt
Directions
Blend all the chocolate icing ingredients in the Vita-Mix until smooth (like 60 seconds).
*You can omit and just use stevia if on a VERY regulated low-glycemic diet.
Assembly
Pour a one pound bag of I Thrive Trail Mix (Phase 1) into a large bowl. Next, stir in caramel until well-combined. Using a melon baller (or in the culinary world, we refer to this kitchen tool as a Parisian Scoop), drop balls onto a baking sheet, flattening out somewhat with a spoon, and place in freezer for at least 3o minutes. Lastly, dip hardened treats in chocolate sauce and freeze again until the turtles shells are formed!
Even Easier Option:
So, if you want to save on time, you can melt two Mint Zero Pointe chocolates from Sacred Heart over a double boiler (you can find this method on YouTube) and pour over turtle base; then refreezing. It gives them a minty, caramel taste reminiscent of Girl Scout Thin Mint and Caramel DeLite cookies all rolled into one. Nostalgic tastes are soooo rooted in those epigenes, right!?? However, this version won’t kill you!!
Posted in Desserts, Guest Recipe Contributor, Recipe | Tagged Andrea McNinch, cacao, chocolate turtle recipe, coconut creme, coconut oil, dairy-free, low-glycemic, low-glycemic chocolate recipe, raw food, raw vegan recipe, Recipe, Regeneration Raw, superfood, vanilla powder, vegan, vivapura | 1 Comment »
Most of the recipes I have shared up to this point have been raw. A few months back I did share a tasty recipe for sweet potatoes roasted with Coconut Creme. On occasion though many of us have reasons to cook something for loved ones or an event, even if we maintain a high-raw diet ourselves. A perfect example of this is when a child has a party at school. For valentine’s day my daughter’s class asked me to make some allergy and vegan friendly cupcakes for a Valentine’s Day party.
When making these types of foods I have a few things that I take into consideration. First is, where can I sneak in the superfoods? In this recipe I managed to sneak in Cacao Powder, mesquite powder, Cacao Paste, Coconut Oil and Vanilla Powder. They are gluten-free, casein-free and vegan. The other big concern is taste, I mean I don’t want my daughter to be the one whose mother always sends in the “weird” food. And the final consideration is my location. It can be very hard to find ingredients that can fit all these criteria in my location. So while my preference might be using a certain group of products to make, say, frosting, I am left having to get what is available in my area.
This recipe has some of all of those things, superfoods, tastiness and a few ingredient compromises because of what I could find in my area in my time-frame.
Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
5 1/2 cups gluten-free baking flour blend (I used one from Bob’s Red Mill that already had baking powder and such added)
1 cup Cacao Powder
1/2 cup mesquite powder
1/3 cup Cacao Paste, broken up into small pieces
1 cup Coconut Oil, melted
1 1/2 cups agave or other liquid sweetener
1 cup fruit or veggie puree (pumpkin, apple, cherry, apricot)
1 tbs. Vanilla Powder
1 cup chai tea
Preheat oven to 325 degreesMix all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl until well-combined. Line a muffin tin with paper cups and fill 3/4 of a way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a baking rack.
Frosting:
Pamela’s Confetti Frosting Mix
8 tbs. softened shortening or butter-like substance of choice
1/4 cherries
1/2 tbs. Vanilla Powder
Place ingredients (except sprinkles that come with mix) in a food processor and pulse until well-combined but still with some chunks of cherries.
Frost cooled-cupcakes and sprinkle with sprinkles. Enjoy!
Posted in Desserts, Recipe | Tagged cacao, coconut oil, cupcakes, dairy-free, GFCF, gluten-free, gluten-free recipe, kid-friendly food, Recipe, superfood, vanilla powder, vegan, vivapura | Leave a Comment »
February 16, 2010 by Erika
Busy busy here at Vivapura. We’re welcoming abundance, new friends and warmer weather. We’ve also welcomed many new products over the past month, one being Chlorella Powder. Chlorella is an amazing nutrient-dense algae powder that is also a powerful detoxifier. I also think it tastes yummy. One of my favorite combinations is pineapple and chlorella. I’ve shared a recipe below featuring these two lovely ingredients. Sorry for no photos lately! I think we’ve been gobbling everything up faster than we could photograph it!
Pineapple Chlorella Smoothie
1/4 of a pineapple, peeled and chopped (if you have a high-powered blender use the core too)
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Powder
4 drops liquid stevia
1 tsp. Chlorella Powder
large handful of baby spinach
water
Place everything in a high-powered blender. Add water to the height of the ingredients. Blend and blend and blend to really break down the pineapple. Then drink up!
Posted in Recipe, Smoothie | Tagged chlorella, green smoothie, pineapple, raw food, raw vegan recipe, Recipe, smoothie, superfood, vanilla powder, vivapura | Leave a Comment »
February 10, 2010 by Erika
For ages I have been obsessed with the combination of fresh red peppers and macadamia nuts. The first time I had this combination was in a dehydrated nut cheese from Pure Food & Wine. Since then I have made dips, dehydrated cheeses and crackers featuring these two ingredients.
The other night a dear Patagonia friend had a going away party, I decided to make a macadamia red pepper spread to bring to the party. While I was waiting in line at the amazing Red Mountain grocery store to buy my red peppers I found myself very distracted by the bags of fresh basil sitting next to the register. I had never put any herbs in this spread in the past but the basil could not be resisted! And now, I think I have a new favorite!
Basil Red Pepper Spread
2 cups Macadamia Nuts
1 tsp mineral rich salt
black pepper
3 tbs. nutritional flakes
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large lemon, juiced
2 tbs. Red Pepper Miso (by South River Miso Company)
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves
Place macadamia nuts in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely chopped and starting to clump up. Add the salt, black pepper, nutritional flakes, garlic, lemon juice and miso and start running the food processor. Slowly drizzle the water in the through the spout while your processor is running. Once water is added start feeding the red pepper pieces through the spout as well. Once ingredients are well combined stop the processor. Add the fresh basil and pulse the machine until the basil is chopped up but not totally blended in.
Excellent served as a dip, with raw crackers or on top of your salad garnished with Spirulina Crunchies.
Posted in Dressings, Recipe | Tagged dairy-free, macadamia nuts, raw food, raw vegan recipe, Recipe, red pepper, superfood, vegan, vivapura | Leave a Comment »
February 9, 2010 by Erika
I engage in a lot of salad eating. A good salad for me includes a hearty dressing though. Something tasty and savory with good fats to help absorb all those fat soluble minerals in my greens. This dressing is also great because the miso is chock full of beneficial bacteria, another excellent addition to my salads nutritional profile.
Parsley Miso Dressing
1/4 cup Really Raw Almond Butter
1/4 cup Garlic Red Pepper Miso (made by South River Miso)
1 head of parsley, chopped
1 large meyer lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. dried wakame
Place everything in a high speed blender and blend, blend, blend!
Posted in Dressings, Recipe | Tagged almond butter, miso, parsley, raw food, raw vegan recipe, Recipe, salad, salad dressing, Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil, superfood, vegan, vivapura | Leave a Comment »
February 8, 2010 by Erika
Sorry to have been gone for a bit! Life has been abundantly busy here in the Vivapura aWarehouse. Lots of orders to ship, lots of product to bag and lots of beautiful customers to converse with on the phone. That has left very little time for recipe development or blogging. I decided to start up again with a beautiful recipe just in time for Valentine’s Day. Also, if you would like to get some cacao ingredients to make chocolate at home we have a coupon available for web orders. Order any cacao product (nibs, powder, paste or butter) from our site and use coupon code “cacao20″ for 20% off your cacao purchases!
I made these little heart chocolates a few weeks ago, inspired by my new silicon heart ice cube tray and curious about some sweetener a friend had dropped off for me to try, Palm Sugar. I’ve heard lots about Palm Sugar but have yet had a chance to use it. It worked ok in this recipe but I never could get it to really dissolve in the chocolate so it left a crispy sort of texture. I was a bit distracted by it but all of my taste testers were raving about these so I decided to share them anyway. You could play around with other sweeteners as well.
Chocolate Hearts with Super Berry Filling
1 cup strawberries, chopped
6 drops Valencia Orange Stevia
Place both ingredients into a high-speed blend and blend until smooth. Leaving the puree in the blender add the following:
1/4 cup Barberries
1/4 cup Goji Berries
Stir these into the puree in your blender and allow to soak for 15 minutes. Blend again until puree is mostly smooth but some texture remaining.
2 cups Cacao Paste
1/2 cup palm sugar
1 tsp. Cacao Paste
1 tsp. Super Maca
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
pinch mineral rich salt
Fill a bowl or pan with boiling water, find another bowl or pan that sits on top of the bowl filled with boiling water. Place cacao paste in the top bowl and stir until it melts. If your water cools too much you may desire to add more hot water to the bottom bowl. Once the cacao paste is melted add each of the other ingredients one by one until everything is well-combined.
You can use chocolate molds, silicon baking or ice cube trays or a baking dish. You want to use half of your chocolate in whatever sort of mold you are using. Swirling it around the edges ever so slightly so there is a bit of a coating around the edges. Place your mold in the freezer and allow it to set until firm.
Next your are going to spread the Super Berry Filling on the first layer of chocolate.
Make sure to not spread the filling right to the very edge of the chocolate layer, this will ensure that the filling becomes totally enclosed. Also, be sure to keep the filling as low profile as possible so that the top layer of chocolate can fit. You may have leftover filling (it tastes great added to smoothies, used in cakes or spread on any sort of bread).
Finally, cover the filling with your additional chocolate. Trying carefully to cover the filling so that none peaks out. If you choose to garnish your chocolates be sure to do that now. I used Barberries on mine.
Now allow the chocolates to set once more. Once they have hardened you need not store them in the freezer, they will keep fine in the refrigerator. Since the filling uses some fresh fruit be sure to not let them sit more than a week or so before gobbling them up. Who am I kidding? These couldn’t last a week in anyone’s refrigerator before being gobbled up!
Posted in Desserts, Recipe, Valentine's Day | Tagged barberries, cacao, coconut oil, dairy-free, goji berries, raw chocolates, raw food, raw vegan recipe, Recipe, superfood, vanilla powder, vegan, vivapura | 1 Comment »
January 25, 2010 by Erika
Periodically I receive a recipe from a customer, friend, employee or random stranger. Today we have a recipe from Eva Chrostowski who follows a Phase 1 Low-Glycemic diet. She’s sharing one of her favorite smoothies with us today.
This smoothie is a great source of vegan Omega 3 & 6 without the heaviness of oil. This will keep you going for hours without an increase in blood sugar levels. Excellent source of dietary fiber, especially if you add the zucchini. For those who find maca on its own harder to swallow, the flavors of this smoothie combine really well and are even mellowed out by the zucchini. Feel free to experiment with other spices too! Green Leaf stevia is less processed than white or liquid stevia and actually helps stabilize blood sugar levels to keep your pancreas and liver happy.
The water and mineral content of the Himalaya salt will help you stay hydrated, it also brings out the sweetness of the stevia. Remember that chia can hold up to 14 times its weight in water so be sure to stay hydrated through out the day to keep things moving along in your colon. Drinking chia smoothies regularly (along with hydrating adequately, gentle exercise like yoga and a diet high in raw vegetables) is bound to keep your internal elimination organs healthy and clean. Chia’s absorbing properties help draw out toxins and the hard shell can clean the intestinal walls.
All in all, a fabulous life-affirming smoothie! May you enjoy radiant health & happiness!!!
Chia Amazingness
a low-glycemic smoothie
5 tbs. Chia Seeds
2 cups filtered, spring or Reverse Osmosis water
1 small organic zucchini
several pinches Himalayan salt
1/2 tsp Super Maca Powder
organic green leaf stevia, to taste
organic cinnamon, to taste
Blend in a high-speed blender until smooth and seeds are broken apart. Experiment with water to see what your preference is. Keep in the refrigerator for a few hours for a thicker smoothie. Add ice cubes to the blender in the summer for a chilled version.
Optional:For fast oxidizers who require more fuel and are able to digest fat easily, add a tablespoon of Coconut Oil to this smoothie. It tastes great!
Add blueberries or Jarrah Bee Pollen for more sweetness.
Posted in Beverages, Guest Recipe Contributor, Recipe | Tagged chia, coconut oil, dairy-free, Eva Chrostowski, low-glycemic, Phase 1, raw food, raw vegan recipe, Recipe, smoothie, stevia, superfood, vivapura | Leave a Comment »
January 22, 2010 by Erika
I was always a fan of things like egg or tuna salads when I was younger. My mom used to make me curried egg salad sandwiches when I was a kid and they were my favorite. Every once in awhile I fancy me a salad like that. I’ve toyed around with a lot of the nut based “tuna” fish salads and while tasty I find that amount of nuts is a little hard on my digestion.
With this recipe I chose to use the pulp leftover from carrot juice as a substitute for hard-boiled eggs and made a cashew based dressing in place of mayonnaise. This would be great in a nori roll or served on bread or crackers. I ate it served with kale salad and quinoa. If I had any lacto-fermented cucumbers on hand I would have chopped some of those up and added those as well!
Curried Cashew Carrot Salad
1 cup Really Raw Cashews, soaked
pulp from 1.5 lbs. juiced carrots
1 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. dried wakame
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. tamari
Place everything in a food processor except for the carrot pulp and chopped celery. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place carrot pulp, celery and dressing into a bowl. Mix until well-combined.
Posted in Recipe, Side Dish | Tagged carrots, cashews, curry, dairy-free, raw food, raw vegan recipe, Recipe, superfood, vivapura | Leave a Comment »
January 21, 2010 by Erika
My husband is very fond of chocolate pudding. He’s always loved the recipe in Raw Food, Real World by Sarma Menlgailis & Matthew Kenney. I’m pretty fond of that recipe as well, especially when I get it from Pure Food & Wine directly, they put crushed berries in the bottom.
As of late though I haven’t been using many Thai Young Coconuts. I don’t see them that often in our town and I’m a bit concerned about the way they are produced and shipped. After making many successful frostings with Coconut Creme I started thinking that I could make a nice pudding with that as a base. The result was delicious, but more of a mousse than a pudding!
Raw Chocolate Mousse
1/2 ripe avocado
5 tbs. Cacao Powder
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Powder
1/4 cup raw honey or other liquid sweetener
1/2 cup of milk-type liquid (nut or seed milk, coconut milk or raw dairy)
1/2 container Coconut Creme Original, melted
11 drops liquid stevia
pinch of salt.
Put everything except milk-type liquid into a food processor and start running. As everything is process slowly add milk through spout. Allow to process until well-blended & creamy. Eat right away! Chilling will cause this to become more solid.
Posted in Desserts, Recipe, Uncategorized | Tagged cacao, chocolate mousse, coconut creme, dairy-free, pudding, raw food, Recipe, superfood, vanilla powder, vivapura | Leave a Comment »
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