Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free

I’m a big fan of coconut treats, and this recipe ticks all the boxes: simple, few ingredients & cost effective. They’re not raw, but they don’t require any baking, and they come together with only 6 ingredients. Most importantly, they are intensely, supremely satisfying, seriously addictive and take minutes to whip up! Once you bite into these chewy coconut bars you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about!

Are these Coconut Bars healthy?

Amazingly, yes! They contain lots of good fats: desiccated coconut, coconut cream, coconut oil & nuts.

But what about the sugar?

For this recipe, I used date syrup, which is less sweet than agave, honey, or maple syrup. Its benefits include low-Glycemic index food, high fiber content, & 78% invert sugar. However, if you can’t find date sugar, natural maple syrup will work just fine.

Variations:

• Trade the macadamia nuts for cashews or almonds
• Cover the bars in chocolate to create vegan mound bars!
• Try adding dried berries to the mix: cranberries or goji berries

Keep them in the fridge and serve straight from there. They will stay fresh for a week (or even longer) when kept stored in a covered container, though let’s face it, they will never last that long!

Recipe: Macadamia-Coconut Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• ½ cup raw macadamia nuts
• ½ cup raw cashews
• ⅓ cup coconut cream
• Optional: 4 tbsp coconut oil
• Optional: date, agave or maple syrup (to taste)

Procedure:

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Line 8×4 pan with parchment paper & press down coconut mix.
3. Place in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes and let set.
4. Remove from fridge & cut into bars.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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I study and work which means that my three favorite things when it comes to food are: 1. easy to make, 2. cheap, and 3. full of delicious flavor. That’s why, I love bean salads, along with their versatility, this can be great for picnics or for the upcoming Spring Break BBQs.

But my love for bean salads hasn’t always been this way I was never a huge fan of this type of salad; I had tried it so many times my reaction was usually “meh, whatever, I guess it’s good with chips”. It wasn’t until my mom started making a similar one, that I managed to actually enjoy them. Plus, this salad literally saved me from starving multiple times after the hurricane, when everything was still closed; canned beans were easy to stock up when food was short and they are also super affordable. Also, one batch can last you in the fridge for up to two weeks!

For this salad, I used: cannellini beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans and pinto beans. I find it to be comforting, protein & fiber rich, and easy to put together (too easy actually). If you’re not a fan of one of the beans that I chose, you can easily swap them out for any of your choice: lentils, green beans, or wax beans. You can add some cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, you name it! Really, the sky’s the limit when it comes to bean salads.

I really enjoy having this bean salad with some whole grain chips and avocado; but you can also add them in: tacos, burritos, nachos, buddha bowls and mixed with greens.

Recipe: Raw 5-Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• Optional: half onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Optional: chili flakes
• Optional: 1 tsp whole flax seeds

Procedure

• Drain and rinse the beans
• In a large bowl, combine the garlic, onion, apple cider vinegar and coconut oil.
• Then add all of the rinsed beans to the bowl and mix.
• Season with salt & pepper to taste. You can also add paprika & parsley.
• Serve with chips or tortillas. I used beet whole grain chips.
• Topping: fresh avocado, parsley & red pepper flakes.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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A couple of months ago, I saw a beautiful bowl on one of Tess Begg videos. I was amazed when I found out that they were made out of coconuts. Bowls made out of coconuts? What? For weeks, I put off buying them, and then, out of nowhere, one was gifted to me.

I’m in the process of trying to be more mindful of the items that I buy. I, without doubt, still have ways to go; but one thing I started doing is using reusable cutlery, plates, and straws. Even though I always bring my own lunch to work, I often forgot to bring my own reusable fork; so I started carrying around a stainless steel fork and a stainless steel straw. By avoiding using plastic forks and straws at lunchtime while at work, I feel a little better about eating out.

This a bowl, made out of a recycled coconut shell.

The brand Coconut Bowls takes coconut shells that would otherwise be discarded as landfill or burned. Once the flesh and water are removed for their other uses (milk, oil, flour, sugar), this company repurposes them into handmade bowls. Every coconut bowl is unique with its own shape, size and markings; which means that they’re one in a billion and no one has one exactly the same.

With spring officially here, most of us are moving towards refreshing foods. I’ve been having smoothie bowls again since it has been 90F here in Puerto Rico. Trust me if I could have a smoothie bowl every day, I would; and I’ve been absolutely loving using my coconut bowl for them. Unfortunately, most of my meals during the week are eaten at work or at Grad School, which means I don’t get to use them as often as I would like. However, that just makes it more special when I get to use them on the weekends!

Here’s my favorite smoothie bowl recipe to pair with my coconut bowl:

Recipe: Berry Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries & blackberries)
• Optional: ½ tsp spirulina
• ½ cup water, coconut water or plant milk

Procedure:

• Blend all of the ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Keep in mind that, depending on your blender, you’ll have to stir the contents a couple of times.
• Tip: add liquid slowly for desired thickness.
• Pour into a bowl and top it with nuts, berries & coconut flakes.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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