Vegan Chickpea Meatballs

Vegan Chickpea Meatballs

Some times a girl just wants some vegan chickpea meatballs! Meatballs had been on my mind for quite some time and so when I found out that a couple of friends were coming over for dinner, it became a vegan chickpea meatballs night! I love, LOVE chickpeas. Not only are they incredibly delicious, but they are so versatile – you can use them for appetizers (hummus) main meals (chickpea meatballs, chickpea curry, chickpea wraps, etc.) and even in desserts (chickpea brownies are a thing)!

I served these meatballs with some rice noodles (I could have easily made this meal grain-free by using squash or lentil noodles) and my salted vegan caramel cheesecake for dessert. 

Vegan Chickpea Meatballs
Vegan Chickpea Meatballs | happygut.ca

Vegan Chickpea Meatballs
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Ingredients
  1. 1 tbsp chia + 3 tbsp water
  2. 1 onion
  3. 2 cloves of garlic
  4. 2 cups cooked (or canned) chickpeas
  5. 1 tsp basil
  6. 1 tsp oregano
  7. 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  8. 1/2 tsp pepper
  9. salt, to taste (I put about 1 tsp)
  10. 1 tsp baking powder
  11. 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  12. *1 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Combine the chia with the water and set aside. Try to use ground chia but if not whole chia seeds will also work.
  3. Add the onions and garlic into a food processor and mix well.
  4. In a large sized bowl, add the cooked or canned chickpeas, basil, oregano, chilli, pepper, salt, chia mixture, onion mixture, baking powder and lemon.
  5. Mash by hand. You don't want to use a food processor because it will thin it out too much. You want it thick enough where you can form the mixture into balls.
  6. Add the bread crumbs and mix again.
  7. From into balls and place on a greased pan.
  8. Bake for about 30 minutes (flipping mid way through).
  9. Add on top of your choice of spaghetti and add some additional toppings if you wish - (vegan) cheese, chilli flakes, etc.
  10. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. Use gluten free breadcrumbs if you have a gluten intolerance/allergy.
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/
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Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Friends, I’m not ready for summer to end and this vegan chocolate cheesecake recipe is a testament to that. I love LOVE vegan cheesecakes and this vegan chocolate cheesecake recipe has been one of my favourite desserts this summer. It was my sister-in-law’s birthday and it was my job to make the cake! I wanted a crowd pleaser so opted for chocolate. Who doesn’t love chocolate? Chocolate is always a safe bet. 🙂 I use my traditional base of nuts and dates and made the filling out of bananas and cocoa. The combination of bananas and chocolate is wonderful. The number of desserts that have been created by these two simple and delicious ingredients is plenty, I’m sure. I decided to keep the recipe simple and easy. The result? Pure chocolatey heaven. 🙂 

Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe | happygut.ca
Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe | happygut.ca

Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
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Crust ingredients
  1. 1 cup soaked dates
  2. 1 cup almonds (or any other nuts like almonds, pecans)
  3. 1/2 shredded coconut
Filling ingredients
  1. 1 cup cashews, soaked
  2. meat from can of coconut milk (this is the solid part)
  3. 2 bananas
  4. 1/4 cup soaked dates
  5. 1 tsp vanilla
  6. 1 tsp salt
  7. 1/3 cup cocoa
  8. 1 tbsp lemon
  9. 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  10. 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Soak cashews & dates, separately (you can do this overnight or if you are like me and forget, I usually just soak them in very warm water for about 10-20 minutes).
  2. Throw all the crust ingredients into a food processor and blend until the mixture starts to form a ball.
  3. In a high-powered blender or food processor, add all the filling ingredients and blend until completely smooth.
  4. Grease a cake pan with some coconut oil and pad down the crust mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Smooth it out.
  5. Pour the chocolate filling ingredients into the pan, on top of the crust and smooth out as well.
  6. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
  7. Remove from freezer and enjoy!
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/

Here are a list of my other vegan cheesecakes: 

Raw Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe

Vegan Caramel Cheesecake

Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe

 

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Spicy Cashew Sauce (Vegan)

Spicy Cashew Sauce

This spicy cashew sauce is absolutely delicious. I’ve been on a vegan cheese kick these past couple of weeks and out of all my vegan cheese recipes, this has got to be one of my top three. I had jalapeños in my fridge and knew that they would be perfect in a vegan spicy cashew sauce. I added some garlic, tomato, cilantro, and spices to the jalapeños and the result was amazing! I served this spicy cashews sauce with some tortillas as an appetizer, along with chickpea meatballs (soon to be posted) and my vegan caramel cheesecake for dessert. 

One of the hardest things to give up is cheese but after discovering the wonderful world of cashews, along with other replacers, vegan cheese just got easier folks! 

Spicy Cashew Sauce
Spicy Cashew Sauce | happygut.ca

Spicy Cashew Sauce
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For Spicy Mixture
  1. 1 tbsp olive oil
  2. 1 clove garlic, chopped
  3. 1/4 cup onions, chopped
  4. 1/4 cup jalapeños, chopped
  5. 1/4 cup tomato, chopped
  6. 1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes
  7. 1/2 tsp cumin
  8. 1/2 tsp salt
  9. pinch of pepper
For Cashew Mixture
  1. 1/2 cup cashews
  2. 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  3. 1 clove garlic
  4. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  5. 1/4 cup olive oil
  6. 1/4 cup almond milk
  7. freshly lemon juice, to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and sauté garlic until fragrant.
  2. Add the onions, and mix until the onions get translucent.
  3. Add the jalapeños, tomato, salt, cumin, chilli flakes and pepper and mix until the veggies get soft.
  4. Remove from heat.
  5. In a blender, add the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, cilantro, spicy mixture, almond milk, oil, and lemon and blend until smooth.
  6. Enjoy with tortillas, bread, chips or anything else you fancy!
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/
Fore more vegan cheese recipes you can check out my mac ‘n’ cheese recipe

 

 

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Vegan Caramel Cheesecake (Raw)

Vegan Caramel Cheesecake

This vegan caramel cheesecake hits the spot! I’m not a huge fan of caramel as I find it super sweet so I added some salt in the sauce and made it a salted caramel cheesecake. The result? The perfect amount of salty sweet goodness. 🙂 

We had a few friends come over and so I wanted try out a new recipe. I used my previous vegan cheesecakes as a baseline (like my Mango Vegan Cheesecake) and adapted from them. I love vegan cheesecakes because they are incredibly easy to make. And, even more delicious. 😛 

I made this dessert to go along with my vegan “meatballs” soon to be posted! It made for a perfect very satisfying meal. 

IMG_7038

Vegan Caramel Cheesecake
Vegan Caramel Cheesecake | happygut.ca

Vegan Caramel Cheesecake
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Crust
  1. 2 cups walnuts
  2. 1 cup dates
Filling
  1. 1 cup soaked cashews
  2. meat from can of full fat coconut milk (solid white part only)
  3. 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  4. 1 tsp vanilla
  5. 1/4 melted coconut oil
  6. pinch of salt
  7. 1/4 maple syrup
Salted Caramel Topping
  1. 1/4 cup dates (soaked in hot water)
  2. 1/4 cup maple syrup
  3. salt, to taste (depending on how salty you want it)
Instructions
  1. Soak cashews & dates, separately (you can do this overnight or if you are like me and forget, I usually just soak them in very warm water for about 10-20 minutes).
  2. Throw all the crust ingredients into a food processor and blend until the mixture starts to form a ball.
  3. In a high-powered blender or food processor, add all the filling ingredients and blend until completely smooth.
  4. Grease a cake pan with some coconut oil and pad down the crust mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Smooth it out.
  5. Pour the filling ingredients into the pan, on top of the crust and smooth out as well.
  6. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
  7. In the meantime, combine all the caramel sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add some hot water if it is not blending easily.
  8. Remove from freezer, top with the caramel sauce and enjoy!
Notes
  1. If the caramel topping is not blending easily, you can add some hot water a few tablespoons at a time to make it easier. The softer the dates, the easier it will be to blend well.
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/
Love vegan cheesecakes? You can also check out my Raw Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe.

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Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe

Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe

I’ve been on a vegan cheesecake kick, I’ll admit it! 😛 I’ve been experimenting with raw vegan cheesecakes with all different flavours and this vegan mango cheesecake recipe is a very strong contender! The fruit markets by where I live have all of these delicious looking mangos and so whenever I walk by them, I must buy them. 🙂 I’ve been trying to be creative with using them, I’ve made my
3-Ingredient Mango Mousse and now this vegan mango cheesecake recipe. A friend came over for dinner and I made this for dessert. It was a hit! 🙂 

I didn’t use any lemon in the recipe because my mangos were a bit tart, you may want to add some lemon if your mangos are sweet. 

Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe
Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe | happygut.ca
Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe
Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe | happygut.ca
Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe
Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe | happygut.ca

Vegan Mango Cheesecake Recipe
This vegan mango cheesecake recipe is so delicious and so easy to make!
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Crust ingredients
  1. 2 cups walnuts
  2. 1 cup dates, soaked
Filling ingredients
  1. 1 cup cashews, soaked
  2. meat from can of coconut milk (this is the solid part)
  3. 2 mangos, peeled and seeded
  4. 1 tsp vanilla
  5. 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  6. pinch of salt
  7. 1/4 cup soaked dates
Instructions
  1. Soak cashews & dates, separately (you can do this overnight or if you are like me and forget, I usually just soak them in very warm water for about 10-20 minutes).
  2. Throw all the crust ingredients into a food processor and blend until the mixture starts to form a ball.
  3. In a high-powered blender or food processor, add all the filling ingredients and blend until completely smooth.
  4. Grease a cake pan with some coconut oil and pad down the crust mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Smooth it out.
  5. Pour the mango filling ingredients into the pan, on top of the crust and smooth out as well.
  6. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
  7. Remove from freezer and enjoy!
Notes
  1. If your mangos are not very sweet, you may want to add some fresh lemon juice. I would start with 1 tsp and then continue until you get the desired taste. (My mangos were quite tart so I didn't add any).
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/
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Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

This easy mint chocolate chip ice cream cake recipes comes from my deep love of the combination of mint and chocolate. I had been wanting to try out a recipe for a vegan raw mint chocolate chip ice cream cake and I had the perfect chance when I had a couple of friends come over for dinner a few weeks ago. I basically combined my Vegan Banana Cream Pie Recipe  and Dairy Free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe to come up with this easy mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. 

I especially love this recipe because it is secretly healthy! Spinach is what makes this ice cream cake green, but not to worry because you can’t taste the spinach at all!

It was such a hit! My bro in law, who is not very concerned about healthy eating, stated, “This taste like restaurant cake.” There you have it folks. A healthy raw vegan easy mint chocolate chip ice cream cake that taste likes restaurant cake. 😛 Try it for yourself and see! 

 

Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake | happygut.ca
Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake | happygut.ca
Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
A raw vegan easy mint chocolate chip ice cream cake.
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Ingredients
  1. Crust
  2. 1 cup soaked dates
  3. 1 cup walnuts
  4. 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  5. 1/2 cup cocoa nibs/(vegan/gf)chocolate chips
  6. Filling
  7. 1 cup soaked cashews
  8. handful spinach
  9. 2 tsp peppermint extract
  10. *meat of 1 can coconut milk
  11. 1/2 cup maple syrup
  12. 1/4 melted coconut oil
  13. pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Soak cashews & dates, separately (you can do this overnight or if you are like me and forget, I usually just soak them in very warm water for about 10-20 minutes).
  2. Throw all the crust ingredients into a food processor and go to town! Blend until the mixture starts to form a ball and is mushy.
  3. In a high-powered blender or food processor, add all the filling ingredients and blend until completely smooth. A high powered blender would work best so that you don't see any of the spinach pieces.
  4. Grease a cake pan with some coconut oil and pad down the crust mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Smooth it out.
  5. Pour the filling ingredients into the pan, on top of the crust and smooth out as well.
  6. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
  7. Remove from freezer and sprinkle with some cocoa/cacao, optional.
  8. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. *Make sure to use full fat coconut milk and only the solid white part. You can drink the liquid or save it for later!
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/
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Dry Yellow Moong Dal Recipe

Dry Yellow Moong Dal Recipe

This dry yellow moong dal recipe comes with a story. 🙂 I grew up eating dal (lentils) all the time. To be honest, I didn’t care for it much as a child. I would complain to my Mom and call it “jail food.” (They serve dal and roti to jail inmates in India or this is what I have been made to believe by watching one too many Bollywood movies :P). Now that I am old and wise (:P) I realize how awesome dal is. Not only is it incredibly delicious and nutritious (high in protein and fibre) but dal is super easy to make! 

Aside: Sorry Mom for being ungrateful at times and thank you for always making sure we had food on the table! You also worked full-time so that makes you a serious bause. 

This particular dry yellow moong dal recipe come from my mother in law! You see, there are so many South Asian variations on dal! My Mom is from Punjab and my mother in law is from Gujurat. I have been blessed with trying out these different cuisines. My Mom’s Punjabi dal recipe is also amazing which I will be posting soon. 

This dry yellow moong dal recipe is slightly easier and is dedicated to Julia, a friend from work, who asked me for a “Canadian girl dal recipe.” I think she means a super easy dal recipe that you can’t mess up. This is one of those recipes! 

Dry Yellow Moong Dal Recipe
Dry Yellow Moong Dal Recipe | happygut.ca

 

Dry Yellow Moong Dal Recipe
Serves 2
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Ingredients
  1. 1 cup dry yellow moong dal, washed and soaked for 10 minutes
  2. 3 cups water
  3. 3 tbsp oil (I use avocado or olive oil)
  4. 2 cloves of garlic
  5. 1 tsp cumin seeds
  6. 1 tsp mustard seeds
  7. 1 small tomato, chopped
  8. 1/2 tsp of turmeric
  9. 4-5 curry leaves (optional)
  10. 1/2 green chilli (deseeded if you don't like spice)
  11. salt, to taste
  12. handful of freshly chopped cilantro, optional (for garnish)
  13. sprinkle of garam masala, optional (for garnish)
Instructions
  1. Wash and soak dal for 10 minutes
  2. Heat oil over medium heat in a pot
  3. Using a mortar and pestle or a small food processor crush garlic, cumin and green chilli (you can also just chop them up very finely and then combine them by hand)
  4. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds
  5. Once the mustard seeds start to crack, add the garlic, cumin and chilli mixture and sauté just until the garlic starts to brown
  6. Add the turmeric, curry leaves, if using, & tomato
  7. Add the lentils and water
  8. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to low-medium and simmer covered for about 30 minutes (if using a pressure cooker, this will take about 10-15 minutes), or until the consistency is like a thick soup
  9. Be sure to check it periodically to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom
  10. Remove from heat and add the salt
  11. Add more water if you want it more soupy
  12. Adjust spices to taste and then garnish with some fresh cilantro and garam masala
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/
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Raw Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe

Raw Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe

This vegan raw raspberry cheesecake recipe comes from my friend Anita who made this yummy dessert for my birthday! (Thank you Anita! You’re the best!). 

This is her go-to dessert for good reason. Firstly, it is so darn tasty. Secondly, and equally as important, this recipe is so easy to make! While most people freeze their raw vegan cheesecakes overnight, Anita only puts it in the fridge for 2 hours which makes a deliciously creamy decadent consistency! Also, it works for those of us who are bad at planning desserts beforehand. 😛

This is a great base for any vegan cheesecake you  make. Feel free to switch the raspberries to your fruit of choice and let us know how it goes! 

RaspberryCheescake2 RaspberryCheescake3

RaspberryCheesecake4

Raw Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe | happygut.ca
Raw Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe (Vegan)
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Filling
  1. 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
  2. 1/2 cup lemon juice
  3. 1 & 1/2 cup cashews
  4. 1 pint raspberries
  5. 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
  6. 2 tbsp vanilla extract
Crust
  1. 1/2 cup almonds
  2. 1/4 cup cacao nibs
  3. 1/4 cup coconut flakes
  4. 1/2 dates
  5. pinch of salt
Raspberry Glaze
  1. 1 pint raspberries
  2. 1/3 cup maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Soak cashews & dates, separately (you can do this overnight or if you are like me and forget, I usually just soak them in very warm water for about 10-20 minutes).
  2. Throw all the crust ingredients into a food processor and go to town! Blend until the mixture starts to form a ball.
  3. In a high-powered blender or food processor, add all the filling ingredients and blend until completely smooth.
  4. Grease a cake pan with some coconut oil and pad down the crust mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Smooth it out.
  5. Pour the filling ingredients into the pan, on top of the crust and smooth out as well.
  6. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
  7. In the meantime, prepare the glaze by mixing the raspberries with the maple syrup in a food process/blender.
  8. Remove from freezer and add the glaze overtop.
  9. Enjoy!
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/
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Recipe for Chickpeas Indian Style

Recipe for Chickpeas Indian Style

Folks, this recipe for chickpeas indian style, or cholay or chana masala as it is called, hits the spot. 🙂 This is one of my favourite South Asian dishes. It’s incredibly delicious and surprisingly easy and quick enough to make for a weekday meal. It’s also fancy enough to serve for company. It’s my regular, “O no! People are coming over for dinner and I need to make something quick!”

Have with a side of rice / roti. For a gluten-free roti, you can see my recipe for my buckwheat flour chapati  or my grain-free chickpea flour wrap

Recipe for Chickpeas Indian Style
Recipe for Chickpeas Indian Style | happygut.ca

Recipe for Chickpeas Indian Style
Serves 2
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Ingredients
  1. 2.5 cups cooked (or canned) chickpeas
  2. 1 tbsp olive oil
  3. 1 tsp ginger, minced
  4. 1 tsp garlic, minced
  5. 1 medium onion, sliced
  6. 1 tomato (optional, can add extra lemon instead)
  7. 1 small chilli pepper, cut in half (leave whole if you like mild)
  8. 1 tsp salt
  9. 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  10. 1 tsp turmeric
  11. 1.5 tsp cumin powder
  12. 1.5 tsp coriander powder
  13. 1 tsp garam masala
  14. 1 tsp chaat masala, optional
  15. 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  16. fresh cilantro to garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Sauté onions over medium heat in skillet
  2. Add ginger and garlic when onions start to brown.
  3. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until garlic starts to brown.
  4. Add all spices, chilli pepper, and tomato (if using) and mix well.
  5. Add chickpeas and 1 cup water and bring to a boil.
  6. Cover and let cook for about 20-25 minutes over low-medium heat (or less if you are using a pressure cooker) or until chickpeas are soft, adding more water if needed.
  7. Remove from heat, mix in lemon juice and add cilantro, if using
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Vegan Banana Cream Pie Recipe (No Bake)

Vegan Banana Cream Pie Recipe

Banana cream pie is my favourite. It’s the perfect feel good, reminds me of home dessert! This no bake vegan banana cream pie recipe hits the spot folks.

We had another games night with a couple of pals and I was to bring dessert. I wanted to make a banana cream pie and needed to make it vegan in a way that no one could tell it was vegan. 😛 I opted to make it raw instead of cooked (though I will be experimenting with a cooked version very soon – stay tuned!) and needed to think of something quick. I had cashews and coconut milk and knew that such a combination would result in deliciousness. I used Minimalist Baker and The Rawtarian and adapted from their recipes. 

Vegan Banana Cream Pie Recipe
Vegan Banana Cream Pie Recipe | happygut.ca
Vegan Banana Cream Pie Recipe (No Bake)
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For the crust
  1. 2 cups almonds
  2. 1 cup soaked dates
For the filling
  1. 1 cup soaked cashews
  2. *Meat from 1 can of full fat/premium coconut milk (this is the solid part)
  3. 2 bananas
  4. 1 tsp vanilla
  5. 3/4 tsp of salt (start with 1/2 tsp and then add another 1/4 if you want more)
  6. 1/4 cup soaked dates
  7. 1 tbsp lemon juice (add more if you want more tangy)
  8. 1 tbsp maple syrup (add more if you want it more sweet)
  9. 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Combine the crust ingredients into a food processor and blend until well combined and sticky.
  2. Pat down the crust mixture into your cake/pie pan so that it's smooth and flat.
  3. Combine all the filling ingredients into a high powered blender or food processor and go to town! Blend until completely smooth.
  4. Poor the filling batter into the cake/pie pan.
  5. Freeze overnight.
Notes
  1. Make sure to use full fat or premium because light coconut milk won't work. You will need to use the solid part of the milk. You can save the liquid from the can for another recipe or simple drink the milk as I do, it's delicious!
HappyGut http://www.happygut.ca/

Top with some sliced bananas and my coconut milk whipped cream frosting.

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