Maca Chip Truffles...and Rawnola Parfaits at Le Pain Quotidien

These aren't just any cookie ball/truffles. I'm always looking for ways to tuck a boost of maca powder into a recipe, for its various benefits. My latest is a quick-to-make, low sugar almost-raw snack that is great for travel or pre or post workout: Maca Chip Truffles.

In this recipe, I started with 1.5 tbsp maca powder for 9 truffles. Next time, I may increase that to 2 tbsp to really lend that maca buzz.

In traditional Living on the Vedge fashion, these are not very sweet, just a light touch of maple, I love that I can have a dessert-like bite that is very low in sugar to reach for when my sweet tooth rears its head.

Maca Chip Truffles


Makes 9 truffles

• 3/4 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (or coconut nectar or agave)
• 1.5-2 tbsp maca powder
• 1 tbsp cacao nibs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of sea salt


Grind cashews and oats into a fine flour in your food processor. 


Add maca powder and salt and pulse for a few seconds. Then add sweetener and vanilla. Pulse to combine. 


Lastly, add cacao nibs and pulse. When the dough is ready, it will clump up into balls and bang around in the processor. A nice alert, right?


Scoop out small balls and roll into truffle shape. Chill in fridge for an hour.

Other maca recipes...I started with adding 1/2 to 1 tbsp to my single-serving recipes because I did not want a powdery flavor or to overdo it. Now that I consume maca a few days a week, I have shifted my intake to at least 1 tbsp., so feel free to adjust in those recipes if it seems like too little. I definitely don't taste the powder.

My Maca Smoothie...with a chocolate chai variation:

Maca Pancakes, and Maca Detox Pudding:

Now, onto another delicious matter. I stopped into Le Pain Quotidien earlier this week for tea and the new spring seasonal specials caught my eye: Sweet Pea Tartine, Wheatgrass Spritzer, Vegan Carrot Cake, and yes...a vegan Acai Yogurt, Banana Rawnola Parfait with soy yogurt, buckwheat, and goji berries!

Chia pudding fans will love this...Thank you to LPQ for always being incredibly accommodating to vegans, especially when it comes to breakfast. This parfait went the extra mile. They add acai to a regular soy yogurt, along with chia seeds to plump it up. It's fantastic. The raw buckwheat granola has dried fruit and seeds, and a pleasant, chewy crunch. There is a generous amount on top, so this will stick with you.

Just the thing for that warmer weather ahead?

Green Party: More Jar Bar + Dinner at Sbraga

As Mr. Vedge and I prepare to head to Ithaca in May, we have been trying to spend as much time with friends and family as possible. We recently found out that his parents are jetting off to London for an exciting venture of their own for several months, which leaves us all nervous, giddy, and aware of how precious our time together truly is. We'll be visiting them in London in April, so I will gladly take any and all recommendations as to what we should do while we're there (Indian food, dinner at Manna, cocktails and markets).

I've been soaking up the sun and spending lots of time getting my v's at Jar Bar.

My favorites: Mexican Salad, Gazpacho, Sprouted Hummus Salad w/ Ginger Sesame Dressing

We also emailed ahead for a vegan meal at Sbraga, the newish restaurant from Kevin Sbraga (winner of Top Chef Season 7 AKA the BEST season). They not only delivered beyond our expectations, they had our table of 4 blubbering like lovesick fools for the rest of the weekend about how thoughtful, flavorful, and special  the 4 course meal was. Attentive service, wonderful vibes, and yes: Kickass food that just happened to be meatless.

Gem lettuce salad, peppers, SEXY dressing (I would eat a bucket of this):

Parsley risotto, mushrooms (risotto gone wild with intense flavor):

Grilled mushroom, vidalia onion, olives (smoky, haunting):

Our 4th course turned out blurry, but the toasted coconut sorbet with bruleed banana and tropical fruit was a stellar finish. I will also note that they make a proper drink, because that is what separates the men from the boys.

So, with that, it's back to getting in as much Philadelphia as possible before we go away for a year.

Veg Out: JAR Bar

Blissed out on raw food...I first sampled some of Catalyst Cleanse's goods after a yoga class last fall, and have had my third eye on the opening of raw cafe, Jar Bar, since then. I was very impressed. Well, it's official, people, 113 S. 12th Street is your destination for healthy pleasures both "juicy and raw".

The space inside is cool and modern, with orange walls, counter seating and stools facing the window. If you don't mind the juicing sounds in the background, it feels calm, even during a lunch rush. During yesterday's soft open (today is the grand opening), I tried a few of the items...and nearly moaned out loud with satisfaction when I first sipped the Mint Chocolate Chip Elixir. I managed to keep it together.

Hemp milk, raw cacao nibs, mint extract...and then I added maca for $1 as an enhancer. It's like a frosty, if a frosty was nourishing and calming and not loaded with sugar. Pure refreshment.  Deeply fulfilling. Even after my lunch, I was minty fresh all afternoon.

Mr. Vedge enjoyed his elixir as well. Maca smoothies are for lovers.

For eats, I decided on the Burger (almonds, flax, carrot, celery) and fries (jicama, garlic, pepper, paprika). This raw burger was tasty, although it could use a topping to spice it up a bit. Cashew cheese or a zesty sauce? The jicama fries were well-spiced and had a satisfying crunch.

We also tried the Sprouted Hummus Wrap. I love a collard wrap, but we both agreed that it could use a spicy dipping sauce to kick it up. I am a sauce/condiment fiend.

Alas, I could not leave without more chocolate, so we took an avocado-based Chocolate Mousse Pie to go. Had it with my lunch today...smooth, rich, with a date crust. It'll take care of your chocolate needs.

I'd go back in a heartbeat.  This weekend, most likely. I look forward to trying the juices (which I prefer to drink on an empty stomach) and stocking up on kale chips and raw granola.  And of course, the food...I am elated to have a raw food cafe here in Philly after years of whining about the lack thereof.  Less whine, more juice.

Have you been to Jar Bar yet?

Random Goods: Creamy Cauliflower Crostini.

Cauliflower, yet another way...Cauliflower mash meets crostini and really hits it off.

I have been known to puree just about anything, put it on toast, and call it lunch. Lentil pate, carrot miso spread, hummus, and so on. This latest concoction - a creamy, crunchy appetizer - was conceived at a dinner party. It was my sister-in-law's birthday and she had planned on a cashew cheese based crostini, only to find that her cashew cheese supplier was out of the goods. So...mashed cauliflower to the rescue? Game on.

The impromptu recipe emerged as a wicked success story. A jar of vegan mayo, some flash fried capers, and caramelized onions came to our aid. Versatile vegan mayo has earned its way onto my roster  for those last-minute situations where you need a creamy vegan sauce. It rose to the occasion yet again here. This was so different from the other crostini and bruschetta recipes that I've tried in the past, and really worth making.


Creamy Cauliflower Crostini

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp finely minced sage
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup vegan mayo
• 1-2 tbsp stone-ground mustard
• 1/2 tbsp champagne vinegar
• pepper
• 1/2 jar capers
• oil
• 1 baguette, sliced

Boil your cauliflower in a pot of water (or steam) until tender.

Puree cauliflower in food processor. Add in olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush your baguette slices with oil and bake until toasty.

Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and onion, saute until caramelized. Introduce the sage towards the final minute of the saute. Remove mixture from pan and set aside.

Add more oil to pan, you'll need enough to cover your capers. When oil is hot, add capers, cover with splatter sheet to prevent oil from popping out. Let fry until capers are crispy, shaking pan frequently. Remove capers and set aside.

Now put it all together! Mix cauliflower mash with vegan mayo, vinegar, mustard, pepper, capers. Spread on crostini slices, top with caramelized onion-sage mixture.

Makes 16 crostini.