Creamy Coconut-Chia-Porridge

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While it's getting colder outside, colorful leaves fall from the trees and days getting shorter, we definitely need to make sure to still feel at our best. On Sundays I usually treat myself with relaxation and a lot of things supporting my well-being and especially refuelling my energy for the upcoming week. Sunday mornings are made for slow starts into the day such as doing some yoga which is very relaxing and energising at the same time. My favourite breakfast on mornings like these is a bowl of Creamy Coconut-Chia-Porridge, which warms body and soul all at once. This easily and quickly made breakfast is full of goodness and can be topped and changed with whatever ingredients you have handy. I love to cuddle into my warm and comfy pullovers and blankets with a cup of tea, a nice read, some candles and this delicious bowl of porridge. Besides the cold weather, there are so many good things about cold winter days – especially on Sundays. How do you spend your Sunday mornings?

Creamy Coconut-Chia-Porridge

Ingredients
30g rolled-oats (optional: gluten-free)
200ml filtered water
4 tbsp coconut milk (or: soy-, almond-, hazelnut-, oat milk)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 ripe banana, sliced
some pinches of spices (cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla powder – as much as you like)
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp raw cacao powder (optional)
1 tsp maple syrup (or not vegan option: raw honey)

Toppings: cacao nibs, bee pollen, desiccated coconut, fresh berries & fruits, goji berries, crushed nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts) & seeds (hemp, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame), freshly grated turmeric

Try out: The combination of raw cacao-powder in the porridge mixture with freshly sliced pears and raw cacao nibs on top is heavenly delicious. Try it out as soon as possible! :)

Put the oats in a pan, add the water, coconut milk, chia seeds, sliced banana and spices. Stir under medium-high heat until everything is combined well. Cook for about 10 minutes until mixture begins to thicken and liquid is absorbed well. Add the coconut oil and almonds butter as a finish, stir to combine it well. If you prefer a chocolatey finish, add a teaspoon of raw cacao powder and stir well. For more sweetness add a teaspoon maple syrup. Take pan away from heat. Pour mixture into your breakfast bowl and add your favourite toppings. Serve, enjoy and relax!

(Makes: 1; Preparation time: 15min)

I wish you all a wonderful and relaxing Sunday.

Lots of love, 
Fabienne.

Raw Raspberry-Coconut Birthday Cake

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Happy Birthday Natural Always!
It's already one year ago since Natural Always was founded. This one year was great, obviously hard work and at the same time a lot of fun and filled with lots of new experiences! I can't wait for the future to come, to share with you all the new recipes I created and still have in my mind. I'm totally looking forward to continuing my mission of showing you how to find happiness through a healthy plant-based lifestyle step-by-step and in an easy way. On this occasion I especially want to thank all my lovely subscribers and readers for sharing their love and passion with me and for reminding me of doing the right thing. I also want to thank all those of you, who believe in and support me in doing what I'm passionate about and love to do. Thank you all very much!

For this special celebration I present you this Raw Raspberry-Coconut Birthday Cake, which is my favourite desert consisting of only simple ingredients which I absolutely love such as raspberry, coconut, cashew, almonds and dates to name the main ones. Trust me, each bite will melt in your mouth, it's soooo heavenly delicious that you always want to make this cake for any occasion to come! Although there is some time needed for preparation as the base and the whole cake need to go in the freezer for some time, it's so easy to make. Moreover, this Raw Raspberry-Coconut Birthday Cake is filled with only healthy and natural ingredients – as always. 

Raw Raspberry-Coconut Birthday Cake

Ingredients
Base:
45g desiccated coconut
150g fresh dates, pitted
70g raw almonds
1 tbsp raw cacao powder
a pinch of sea salt

Filling:
250g raw cashews (soaked overnight or for 3 hours in hot water)
50ml raw honey (vegan option: agave nectar/maple/date syrup)
125ml coconut oil, melted
200g coconut yoghurt without flavour (my favourite brands: harvest or coyo)
50ml fresh lemon juice
1 tsp bourbon vanilla powder
200g fresh raspberries (if frozen raspberries are used: thaw them completely before use)
fresh raspberries or figs, sliced (for decoration)

Line the base of a springform (20cm) cake tin with baking paper.
Combine all ingredients for the base in a food processor and blend. If mixture is too dry, add a little water (be careful: only a little!). If everything is well combined, press mixture firmly into the cake tin until mixture is evenly spread and base becomes level. Then put the cake tin into your freezer.

In the meantime start preparing the filling: warm the honey and coconut oil in a water bath until well combined and liquid. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and place them together with the honey-coconut-oil-mixture, vanilla powder, lemon juice and coconut yoghurt into your food processor. Blend on high level until mixture becomes a creamy and smooth consistency. 
Pour half (only half!) of the filling over your base using a spatula. Add fresh raspberries to the remaining half of the filling and blend again on high speed until smooth and creamy. Then gently spread the second half of the mixture on top of the first layer and level with a spatula. Place the cake tin again into the freezer for 3-4 hours. Depending on your schedule it's also possible to leave it in the freezer overnight.

Take out the cake tin from the freezer half an hour before serving. Decorate the cake with extra raspberries – sliced figs are delicious as well. 
Try to lose the cake with a sharp knife running around the edge. Before cutting the cake into slices, make sure to run a sharp knife under hot water. 

Serve, smile and enjoy because life is wonderful!

Note: Another positive thing besides its great taste is that you can store this Raw Raspberry-Coconut Birthday Cake in your freezer for up to 3-4 weeks.

(Makes: 12 slices; Soaking time: min. 3h/overnight; Preparation time: 45min; Freezing time: 3-4 hours)

Happy Birthday Natural Always and thanks a lot to all my dear readers and lovely friends – I'm so grateful and happy!

Lots of love, 
Fabienne.

 

Pure Hydration

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Hot summer days call for pure hydration! Here's the perfect summer drink which is easy to make, hydrating and providing your body with lots of vitamins. On top of that, this pretty and refreshing drink is perfect for your summer party while it will satisfy your guests for sure – I promise. 

Pure Hydration-Refreshing Drink

Ingredients
1/2 cucumber, sliced
Citrus fruits of choice (grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange): one half per fruit, sliced
6 strawberries, halved
10-15 mint leaves
a pinch of himalayan salt
1 litre water/organic coconut water
a few ice cubes (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large jar and mix.
Let it stand for at least half an hour for infusion before serving.
Enjoy and hydrate your body!

(Preparation Time: 10-15min)

Lots of love, 
Fabienne

Raw Carrot-Hazel Dreams

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The last couple of weeks I spent a lot of time in my kitchen experimenting and creating wonderful new recipes. As I want my recipes to be perfect I take my time and the time they need to be completed to perfection. 

My recipes not only need to be delicious, I strive them to be healthy and good for your body at the same time. Most of the time I try to include magical superfoods with lots of different properties. Today I present you my Raw Carrot Hazel-Dreams which you need to try out because they are simple to make and so delicious. On top of that they give you energy which lasts long and prevents sugar cravings.

Raw means they haven't been heated at all and its ingredients still contain their natural properties. The recipe consists of the main ingredients such as carrots, almonds, hazelnuts and cashews. A special ingredient is the yacon syrup. You might have heard of or come across it in other recipes of mine. Yacon is a large plant that is mainly grown and cultivated for its roots. Yacon syrup is commonly used as healthy replacements for sugar as sweeteners in various recipes. At the same time this sweetener is a real wonder elixir because of many reasons:

Yacon syrup regulates sugar levels, helps with weight loss, improves liver health, lowers "bad" cholesterol and blood pressure and is known to prevent certain types of cancer. On top of that it boosts digestive health and strengthens the immune system. The majority of the carbohydrate sugars contained in yacon syrup cannot be digested by the body, which results in a very low calorie intake and low sugar level coming into the bloodstream. It also helps the body to absorb vitamins and minerals of other foods while it's rich in potassium, calcium and phosphorous.

You're crazy about your health? Go nuts – seriously! 

Cashews: are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Vitamins such as E, K and B6 come along with minerals like copper, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, selenium and zinc. These components are all very important for maintaining good health and are required for the body to function properly. According to research, eating more nuts such as cashews can lower your risk for cardiovascular disease by reducing blood pressure and "bad" cholesterol levels while potassium, vitamins E and B6 help to fight heart disease. The copper and iron work together to help the body form red blood cells which in turn keeps blood vessels, nerves, bones and the immune system healthy and functioning properly. Replacing the animal fats and proteins with the mono-and polyunsaturated fats found in cashews is an excellent way to manage your weight and reduce stored fat in the heart.

Hazelnuts: contain as cashews as well heart-healthy fats that can protect the health of your heart. Hazelnuts have a high amount of vitamin E in addition to B vitamins and folate. Vitamin E is especially important in maintaining healthy skin, hair and nails, while B vitamins are important in energy metabolism. Hazelnuts as a rich source of minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium, provides many health benefits such as regulating a healthy blood pressure. 

Raw Carrot-Hazel Dreams

Ingredients

Filling:
2 organic carrots, peeled and grated roughly
30g flax seeds, grounded
140g almond meal
450g fresh dates, pitted
2 tbsp psyllium husk
50g desiccated coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of cardamom

Icing:
200g raw cashews, soaked before about 3 hours
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp yacon syrup (other option: maple syrup; non-vegan option: raw honey)
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
ca. 80-90ml water
a handful of hazelnuts, chopped and toasted
a handful of shredded coconut, toasted

Combine all ingredients into your blender. Blend until mixture is combined together well.
Then pour the mixture into your muffin tins with a spoon. Pay attention that the mixture sticks together in the muffin tins by pressing down the mixture with a spoon. Depending on the size of your muffin tins you will get about 12-18 muffins out of the mixture. After this step you should put the tins into the freezer while you prepare the icing.

For the icing you only need to blend all ingredients listed above until mixture becomes smooth. While blending, pour the water at the same time into the mixture to be distributed evenly. Take the muffin tins out of your freezer and spread the icing over the muffins. Sprinkle the toasted hazelnuts and desiccated coconut over these little beauties. Then freeze them again for about half an hour until the icing sets on top of the muffins.
Serve and enjoy these Raw Carrot-Hazel Dreams!

(Makes: 12-18 depending on size of muffin tins; Preparation time: 60min)

I wish you all a great weekend and stay happy & healthy!

Lots of love,
Fabienne.

Welcome to Natural Always!

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Cheer with me to my new blog Natural Always with this Straight-to-Heaven Blueberry and Raspberry Smoothie which can be enjoyed either for breakfast as a protein kick into the day or also as a light dessert on a late summer night. That's the secret drink I sipped on which kept me going while working days and nights on the production of this blog. This wonderful creamy smoothies not only delivered me with a lot of creativity, they literally taste like heaven. 

At the time my taste buds were spoiled, they provided me with lots of valuable superfoods. This smoothies burst full of antioxidants provided through the chia seeds and either the raspberries or the blueberries. Superfoods have lots of health benefits and one of my absolute favourite are chia seeds. Hands down this powerful seeds are amazing due to its great range of use in the kitchen and their ability to transform your daily breakfast into a great health booster. How my mom used to say with apples, I say: "1 tbsp chia seeds a day keeps the doctor away!". Seriously, 1 tbsp chia seeds treats your body with more calcium than a cup of milk, more omega-3-fats than a piece of salmon, and more antioxidants than a handful of blueberries. In fact, chia is the richest plant source of omega-3 fats containing around 32% omega-3-fats, which are essential for cardiovascular health, needed for healthy brain and nervous system function, and for soft, supple and youthful looking skin. With chia seeds you will glow from the inside out! 
Chia seeds are also a good source of dietary fibre, which is needed for bowel health and protein providing the body with essential amino acids for growth and repair. Chia seeds contain calcium – beneficial for bone health, and provide other minerals such as iron. magnesium, zinc and B vitamins, which will naturally boost energy levels and health. Also known as a cancer prevention chia seeds are real superfoods. Start today, the best way to add chia seeds to your diet is to sprinkle a tablespoon over muesli and porridge, or as I did here add this goodness to your smoothies or salads. You can even bake and do other wonderful things with them as I will show you in future posts. I simply love chia seeds.

Beautiful berries such as blueberries and raspberries bursting with colour and flavour, not only taste delicious they're also considered as superfoods. Of all fruit and vegetables they contain the highest levels of antioxidants. Blueberries and raspberries are also an excellent source of vitamin C, which is needed for healthy immune function, collagen production, and to promote healing. 

Coconut milk as an amazingly nutritious dairy alternative contains lots of vitamins such as B, C and E, whereas it is rich in iron, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium.  

Moreover I always try to use local and organic ingredients in order to eat the best quality, nutrient dense food for optimum health without any chemicals, preservatives and additives. The best way to remove toxins from your diet is to eat organic foods whenever possible. If you only buy some organic products, in this recipe you should buy organic (frozen) blueberries. In this recipe I prefer frozen berries to enjoy it cold, which is extra refreshing. 

This recipe needs some preparation in advance, though doesn't require any effort at all. Just mix the chia seeds with the coconut milk, stir and put it in the fridge overnight. Next morning you'll be so cheered to wake up to this nearly prepared deliciousness, nevertheless how late you went to bed the other night. It doesn't only cheer you up, it will definitely help you to perfectly start your day with lots of nutrients, proteins, fibre and omega-3-fats. Just grab your blender and be happy!

Straight-to-Heaven Blueberry (and Raspberry* ) Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 tbsp chia seeds
3 tbsp coconut milk
40-50g frozen blueberries (raspberries*)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp raw date syrup (or: agave nectar, maple syrup)
pinch of ground cardamom (natural grounded bourbon vanilla*)
for decoration: mint leaves, blueberries, (raspberries*) 
(Serves 1; Preparation time: 1h/overnight, making: 10 min)
*The Raspberry Straight-to-Heaven Smoothie follows the same recipe as the version with blueberries, and is only substituted by raspberries and natural grounded bourbon vanilla.

In advance: mix chia seeds with coconut milk, stir well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (better: overnight) until mixture is gooey. 

In a food processor combine the chia-cocconut mixture together with the frozen blueberries (*raspberries), lemon juice, agave nectar and cardamom (*natural grounded vanilla). Blast on high until everything is smooth. Decorate and serve immediately.

Note: the consistency of the smoothie should be more like a pudding, so usually I spoon out everything and use a beautiful straw for decoration.

I hope you enjoy your trip to heaven and of course my new blog!

Cheers to you with lots of love, Fabienne.