☼ Golden Happy Times ☼
Hello lovelies!
Well its now been nearly 3 months since my first published cookbook, 'Elsa's Wholesome Life' has been released! (I can't believe how quickly time flies) I can't even begin to tell you all how amazed and humbled I am by the response I have received so far! The copies sold exclusively on my website sell out faster than I can restock, and so many people have been messaging me to tell me their local stockist is always out of stock, so I guess that means you guys are LOVING IT! I still get butterflies everytime I open up a direct message on Instagram or email from someone who has read and cooked from my book and has shared with me their beautiful feedback or images of the recipes they have cooked.
Below are a few of the amazing messages I have received so far, as a bit of a testimonial to the book and to show any of you who haven't yet got their hands on it how it has helped others:
"I've only recently gone plant based and been stuck for recipe inspo and needed some guidance. It's exactly what I needed! And I love all of the beautiful imagery and pretty inspirational quotes" - Cassie Louise
"I've bought a few vegan friendly recipe books lately but I haven't enjoyed a lot of the recipes. We have made 3 from your book this week already (my meat eating husband included and he has loved them all) and they have been incredible! Not to mention it looks so pretty in my recipe stand! My mum also took one look at it and is being herself a copy!" - Leis Clare
"I have read your new book from front to back last night and I wanted to say thank you, it's made me feel more educated, energised and excited about making my food choices even better! My sister is a vegan and I always doubted how fulfilling that lifestyle choice would be but she recommended I did some reading and that's how I found your book. Thankyou for writing such a simple, beautiful and fun book to start this journey with" - Lili Armstrong
"You've officially cracked it when my dad, a 60 year old redneck who doesn't really cook is now excited to cook healthy vegan food!" - Karissa Sparke
"Your book is just so beautiful. So nice to have a vegan cookbook that is full of nutrition info with easy to follow recipes" - Sakura Textiles
"Looove it Ellie! Beautiful imagery and easy to follow recipes, and that's coming from a non vegan!" - Gabi Jeffery
"I just bought your book while I was in Adelaide, and I just wanted to say I'm so happy with my purchase. It's super colourful, vibrant and pleasant to read! Feels like looking at holidays. I'm thinking of getting the PDF version from iBooks as well for trips away. Congratulations!" -@happychloem
"Can't thank you enough for your book! It's honestly changed the way I look at food and made eating ethical and plant based so achievable and easy! even my husband eats your vegan recipes (which is crazy because he used to have meat 3x a day and now will only have it once a week, if that!)" - @zoehoworth
"Ellie I knew the book would be good but I'm surprised by how many recipes I want to make! Currently writing a shopping list! And thankyou for showing me there's so much more you can do with your nutrition and dietetics degree than simply work in clinical practice. Makes me excited for the future" - @rk_nutrition
Currently the cookbook is only for sale within Australian stores and New Zealand stores, but I know that so many of you are from across the seas and the option for international shipping isn't as cheap as it would be from amazon or a local bookstore. I am hoping to have some news on this in the near future, as I want it to be accessible to everyone!! For the moment if you can't afford the international shipping from www.readings.com.au then you can check out the ebook version on iBooks.
I am also sharing an exclusive recipe from the book here as a little taster of whats to come inside the book. This recipe is for the Golden Happy Times. A veganised and healthier version of the childhood favourite Golden Gaytime. I loved this ice-cream, so when I decided to give up dairy for good, this was something I definitely wanted to re-create in my home. You can find this recipe in the desserts section of my cookbook, along with many other mouth watering treats such as black beanie fudge brownies, wholesome rocky road, Neapolitan nice-cream sundae, and the most popular recipe yet.. the jammin drops (soo many people have made this so far!!), of course there is also LOADS of beautiful healthy savoury dishes, quick breakfast recipes and delicious smoothies.
So here is the recipe for the Golden Happy Times, I hope you love this recipe, I think its enticing enough to make you want more! (head here for the list of stockists)
Gooey Caramel Paste Recipe
Ingredients:
360 g medjool dates (about 20), pitted
How to make:
1. Place the dates in a food processor or blender with 1 cup of water and blitz until smooth and creamy. the paste should be thick enough to stick to a spoon held upside down. Transfer the paste to a jar, seal and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
For this Golden Happy-Times recipe you will use 1/3 cup of your date paste mixture. The remaining mixture can be kept in the fridge and used in other recipes or smoothies, or can be frozen in the freezer for 1-2 months for the next time you want to make a batch of these ice-creams.
Golden Happy-Times Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup cashews (pre-soaked for over 8 hours)
1 x 400g can full-fat coconut milk
90g medjool dates (about 5), pitted
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon tapioca starch (arrowroot) (optional)
pinch of salt
1/3 cup gooey caramel paste (from recipe above)
8 ice-cream sticks
1 cup raw chocolate sauce (recipe inside full cookbook) or 100g melted dark vegan chocolate
1/2 cup puffed quinoa
How to make:
Place the cashews, coconut milk, dates, coconut oil, tapioca and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour the mixture into eight ice-cream moulds until half filled. Add a heaped teaspoon of caramel paste then fill the remaining space with the mixture. Insert the ice-cream sticks. Place the moulds in the freezer for 8 hours, or overnight.
Make a batch of raw chocolate sauce (recipe can found in the complete cookbook) or simple melt down 100g of dark chocolate (dairy free) in a bowl over a pot of boiling water. Pour raw chocolate sauce or melted chocolate into a wide glass. Place the puffed quinoa on a plate.
Remove the ice-creams from the freezer and pull them out of their moulds (using a silicone ice-cream mould makes this process a lot easier). Dip each one in the raw chocolate (or spoon it over), then quickly roll in the puffed quinoa. Place in an airtight container and return to the freezer. They'll last up to 4 weeks if you don't eat them that quickly ;)
For more mouthwatering vegan recipes, check out my new cookbook!
It's available on my website (see below), as well as in stores across AUS/NZ, online and on iBooks. Head to the stockists page of my website for the complete list (including a world wide shipping option).
Thanks for reading this blog post! hope you enjoy this recipe.
I've just returned from my trip to the states so I've got plenty of new content coming and loads of new ideas for recipes I want to share with you all!
Elsa xx