Happy Lunar New Year!
Since I rarely eat sweets (or post recipes for such), I thought I might mix things up a bit with a special treat for my readers. In this entry I will be combining a rare raw dessert recipe with reviews and links for some great products which are available now and should absolutely not be missed. All of the items mentioned and linked from this article are things used in the recipes, right down to the letter. Since I have worked hard to find the best organic produce available anywhere at the absolute best prices, I decided to share those links (which may also be found on the right-hand side of this blog under “suppliers”) as well. Here we go!
After ages of considering doing so (and subsequently putting it off), I finally got around to trying Sunwarrior’s raw vegan vanilla protein powder just about a week ago. My review can be summed up in one simple word:
INCREDIBLE.
I immediately noticed the fine consistency and intoxicating vanilla-esque aroma upon first encounter with this product. Wow. Seriously? Most protein powders carry a hint of aroma of the flavour they claim to deliver, but generally miss the mark when it comes to really through when it comes to fulfilling that promise. I have tried so many vegan (and raw vegan, in recent years) protein powders within my lifetime, and have not once come across one with flavour intensity such as I have discovered in Sunwarrior. In fact, considering how unpalatable, bland, and middle of the road I have found so many products in the past, I still cannot believe how much I liked it.
This stuff is seriously good! Normally, I really can’t stand the consistency protein powders, as they generally taste quite powder-ish even after having been blended with fruit, plant milks, water, whatever. This incredibly flavourful, high quality beverage mix is exceptionally palatable and also works incredibly well for blending into non-beverage recipes – which is an endeavour I would never have previously attempted due to the powdery taste and mouth feel of nearly every other similar product I’ve found on the market to date.
The first thing I felt compelled to do with this stuff was to make was a “Creamsicle” blended drink with some oranges in the Vitamix. Basically, I blended a scoop of the Sunwarrior vanilla with two (local, organic) blood oranges (including a small amount of peel from one of them), a fresh date, pinch of Celtic sea or pink salt (I don’t normally use pink, but this is all I had on hand at the time whilst working in a “foreign” kitchen), and half a tray of ice. Perfect! Next, I felt like trying something a bit more creative and tried blending it with heavier fruits and another “powdery” product I also happen to like a lot: Gnosis Chocolate Elixir’s “Mayan Heat” hot chocolate blend.
Please allow me to prelude any further details on formulation with a bit of background info on Gnosis Chocolate: This is absolutely the best raw chocolate company I have ever come across, and the amazing thing about my saying this is that I’m usually a fairly strict “standalone, fruit only” type of raw vegan gal who generally has a strong aversion to prepared sweets.
Really? A girl who hates chocolate?
I know it sounds quite mad, but we do exist.
Anyway…
I absolutely adore this company, not only because the owner/CEO is a sweetheart and an NYC neighbour with whom I instantly became friends (and exchanged treats to share) upon having met–but because her raw cacao products are simply second to none as far as quality, flavour, and ethical sourcing are concerned.
During the holiday season I was gifted with a hot chocolate service set which perplexed me a bit at first, but essentially provided me with motivation to try the Gnosis Elixir line for the first time. I’m grateful for the inspiration, because this stuff is great!
Gnosis Chocolate Elixir (powdered raw cacao) is a delicious raw vegan indulgence which has been providing me with smooth and creamy results whenever blended with coconut milk. As such, I had a sneaking suspicion that despite the mixing of two powdered products together, there would be little to no chalky mouth feel to endure.
So the experiment went that I combined some Sunwarrior protein and a bit of Gnosis Chocolate Elixir in the Kitchen Aid food processor with some incredibly fresh, organic, farm-direct fruit and a bit of salt, gave them a spin on the blades, and…
