Raw Vegan Chocolate-Peppermint Donut Holes

Howdy Bloggie Friends, what's been going on?  I've had a really busy week this week.  Yoga classes that I've been taking and teaching, and running around doing that.  And I decided at the eleventh hour to send out holiday cards.  I have sent out holiday photo cards the past few years to friends and family and almost skipped it this year, but decided that I wanted to keep my friends, extended family, and long-lost relatives updated with some photos of us.

Plus, it's a handy way to just slap my new name change onto the return address label and "notify" people that way that I'm Averie Harmony these days.  It was a little hard to decide from the thousands of photos I've taken this past year which ones to choose for the card, but the only benefit of waiting til the last minute was that I couldn't belabor the photo choices, so I picked 4 pics, cropped, and dropped them in.  Hopefully the cards turn out well!

I'm glad you enjoyed all the Chia Pudding Recipes I posted yesterday, including my newest creation Raw Vegan Holiday Peppermint Chia Seed Pudding.  5 Minutes and you're golden pepperminted.


What follows is an excerpted version of my Guest Post that recently ran on Diana of Soap & Chocolate's Blog.  Please don't think, oh I saw that post already.  I've got more content after this so use that scroll button. 

Hi Soap and Chocolate Readers!  I'm Averie of Love Veggies and Yoga and am Guest Posting here in Diana's absence.

I want to thank Diana for graciously allowing me to Guest Post on her wonderful blog!  Diana's food inspires me because it's eclectic, creative, and her blog is intelligently and articulately written. 

Some of you may read my blog already.  If you do, you know that I am a high raw, all vegan kind of girl and that I love creating raw desserts.  So when I asked Diana what I should post about she jokingly said, well why don't you just recreate Peppermint Patties (this past week I recreated vegan versions of Peanut Butter Cups and Turtles).

Well, her Peppermint Pattie comment got me thinking and since peppermint is such a great holiday flavor, I thought I'd pair it with, what else, chocolate.  And so I give you the following recipe:

Averie's Holiday Edition: Raw Vegan Chocolate-Peppermint Donut Holes
1 c flax seeds.  Grind them well.


Then Add:
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (not technically raw) or Agave
2 Heaping Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1/2 Tsp Peppermint Extract (caveat: Start Slowly with peppermint extract.  It is much more potent and stronger than vanilla, almond, hazelnut or other extracts.  Once you add it, you cannot un-do it.  So, start slowly going 1/2 Tsp at a time depending on how Pepperminty you like things)

Optional: 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil, 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Yields: Approximately 15 Donut Holes


Here's the ground flax seeds with the maple syrup, coconut oil, and peppermint extract.
Then the cocoa powder on top.  It just smells so good when you add that in.

Blend everything until well incorporated.  Food processor, Vita, Magic Bullet, whatever works.

 I took the dough out and formed 15 Raw Vegan Chocolate-Peppermint Donut Holes

These would also make great hostess gifts for when you don't really want to spend money on a bottle of wine, flowers, or trinkets that the hostess won't remember anyway.  Amidst all of the holiday buzz, someone will remember homemade Raw Vegan Chocolate-Peppermint Donut Holes. 

And this recipe takes precisely 10 Minutes to make from Start to Finish.  Better, faster, far cheaper, and much healthier than any store-bought dessert.

I hope you enjoy the Raw Vegan Chocolate-Peppermint Donut Holes and give them a whirl!

p.s. If this recipe catches your eye, I do have related recipes....
There's Donut Holes
Chocolate Donut Holes
Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
And if you have any questions regarding raw baking or "un-baking", please ask me!

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Back to the daily eating action now...

You may remember me posting that I was lucky enough to receive some Flackers, in this post.  I broke into the stash and yep, they're really good.  
Dr. Flacker's Crackers in the Dill flavor.  Definitely dill, but not in an overpowering way.  And the crackers are very crispy and crunchy and decently thick.  Sometimes raw type food crackers are paper thin or crumbly, not these.  Awesome!  Thank you again, Michelle, for hooking me up.

Next up...
I went through a phase of about 2-3 years where I didn't touch any processed food bars at all.  It was only raw or bust.  Well, I've mellowed on that, and perhaps some of these bars aren't truly vegan.  Or GF or soy free.  Don't call the Gluten-Free Vegan Police on me!

I don't make a habit of devouring a dozen a day, we're talking this is the first Zone Bar I've bought in about 3 years.  The reason I bought it?  I was craving this Zone Bar called Yogurt Honey Peanut that I used to get but they have apparently discontinued it.  This Strawberry Yogurt bar was the closest thing to it.
Nice protein at 14g, but sigh, tons of ingredients.  Not vegan, not gluten or soy free.

The inside was really dense, which is how I adore my bars, and the strawberry fragrance was like a pop of fresh strawberries when I cracked the wrapper.
Not as good as my beloved Honey Peanut from the tiny morsel I ate, but definitely a decent bar.  I gave the remaining 98.5% to Skylar who seemed to like it.

Raw Entrees Included

Spiralized Zuke Noodles (for info on my Spiralizer, check this post.  $29.99 and best money I've spent in a long time) with greens, Brussels', Cauli, Carrots, Red & Yellow Peppers, Tomatoes
It was dressed with My Holiday Orange Spice Vinaigrette Recipe .  Cindy's been making and enjoying this dressing since right after I posted the recipe.  Glad you're getting your Orange-Spice Groove On! 
Also made a Kale Salad with my Cesar-Inspired Dressing and added carrots, tomatoes, and cukes.
For Dessert, what else but a Raw Vegan Chocolate-Peppermint Donut Hole.  Or three. 
And, a few spoonfuls of the Raw Vegan Holiday Peppermint Chia Seed Pudding.  Perfect Match!!!  I may have even thrown some Peppermint Donut Holes INTO the Peppermint Chia Pudding that didn't exactly even get captured on film.

Today I also was lucky enough to spend an hour with Madeline of Greens and Jeans drinking coffee.  
But Skylar was rearin' to get out of the coffee joint, so our girl chat got cut a little short, but it was awesome seeing you, Madeline! 

Yoga today is Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III).  I love this pose because it really works your balance.  Best thing to do is pick a focal point or dristi and once you feel steady, start to slowly extend your arms and your leg.  Don't look around.  Keep your gaze steady as it will steady your balance.

Tip of the Day: Jenny's Give Away!

My Kay's Natural's Give Away for 2 Lucky Readers!!!!  



Do you send out Holiday Cards?  Do you think it's an old-fashioned thing, or do you think it's a nice way to keep in touch?  I used to think it was kinda lame, but then I realized that many of my older long-distance relatives really just cherish those small little gestures like a photo of us, and so it's worth it to me to bring a smile to their face, even if it is kinda a pain addressing all those envelopes.  Do you send out cards?  Are you maybe going to try this year if you haven't previously? 

Stay Tuned for Another Amazing Give Away....