dessertshealthy, vegan + gluten-free

The five most popular dessert recipes from the Vedge

the

.org

At 21-years-young I was diagnosed with celiac disease.

My health in a steady decline, and traditional western medicine having no solutions to offer me, I took charge of my own health and entered the embracing arms of holistic wellness.

Today I’m on a mission to make wellness your number one priority. Wellness not just in the sense of drinking green juice and exercising, but also happiness, fun, freedom and peace. Because let’s face it, both of them are inextricably linked and essential to living an awesome life!

My story...

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Hello!My name is shae, and I’m the creator of the little slice of healthy heaven known as the Vedge (and Hello Wellness).

It all started a few years ago, with some uncomfortable and concerning stomach pains.

I’d been having some mild IBs symptoms and pains for years before that and couldn’t find the root cause (despite many doctors visits, tests and invasive procedures), but this pain was on another level. I wasn’t feeling good at all, and I was putting on weight at lightning speed.

I figured out the intense pain would come on just after eating bread, and after a little research went back to the doctor and asked to be tested for celiac disease. It came back positive.

Celiac is an autoimmune disease where the body starts attacking itself when gluten (a type of protein found in wheat, rye, spelt, barley and oats) is eaten, and damages the villi in the small intestines.

so there I was, at 21-years-old, sitting in the doctors office being diagnosed with celiac disease. the doctor told me to stop eating gluten (obvs), and to find a celiac support group. Thanks doc.

except that not eating gluten wasn’t enough. My symptoms continued to get worse, my health continued to decline and my weight continued to skyrocket. Plus, the damage had already been done to my digestive system.

traditional western medicine had no solutions for my illness. I was lost. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what was going wrong. And I didn’t know how to fix it.

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this is where I took charge of my own health and become an obsessive researcher, trying to figure out what was going on with my body.

In the wellness world, there are a million different ‘experts’ screaming at you that their way is the best, the only, the absolute way to be healthy. Maybe their jig is paleo, green smoothies, fermented foods, probiotics, raw food, or something else.

Let me let you in on a little secret: there is no one size fits all solution.that’s how it’s possible that there is hundreds of different diets, each with success stories (and failures), each with completely opposing views. You can find science to back any one of them up.

I’m not saying that raw food and green smoothies aren’t amazing and great for you - they are!

What I am saying is that we are all unique based on our genes, anatomy, metabolism, composition of bodily fluids, cell structure, gender, age, ancestry and situation. And one size can’t fit all of those factors.

As well as those physical elements, there are factors beyond food that complete our wellness picture, like our emotions, past traumas, mental state, happiness, relationships, spirituality, career and stress levels.

I discovered that I was my best wellness advisor. I knew my body like no one else, I knew what was going on inside my head. I had to tap into my long-lost intuition and figure out what was the right path for me.

There are many paths to wellness. You get to choose your own adventure.I want to give you the information, tools and strategies to empower you to make your own health decisions that are right for you.

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“When we choose raw, organic plant based foods we take our power back, and we decide that we are going to have quality, and that we are not

going to suffer from the 50 ingredients that are in processed foods.”

dAVId Wolfe

Chocolate Caramel tartWItH sHortBreAd Crust

there are no words to describe the deliciousness of this chocolate and caramel tart. Caramel + chocolate + shortbread = dessert heaven. No one will even know it’s healthy, promise!

BAse:• 1 ½ cup almond flour• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder• 2 Tbsp coconut flour• ¼ cup water• ¼ cup coconut oil• 2 tbsp maple syrup

CArAMel fIllIng:• 1½ cups medjool dates (about

18)• ½ cup boiling water• ½ cup almond butter• 1½ cups coconut cream / full

fat coconut milk• 1 tsp mesquite• 1 tbsp lucuma• pinch salt

CHoColAte toPPIng:• ¼ cup coconut cream / full

fat coconut milk (or whatever is left in the can from the caramel filling)

• ½ cup date soak water from caramel filling or maple syrup

• ¾ cup cacao powder

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°f.2. In a food processor, combine 1 cup almond flour,

arrowroot powder and coconut flour. Process into a fine flour. Add the water, coconut oil and maple syrup and process to combine into a dough.

3. empty the dough into a 25cm tart pan, and spread out with your hands. sprinkle the 2 Tbsp almond flour onto the dough and press the dough into the pan, use the palm of your hand to smooth the base of the tart.

4. use a fork to poke holes in the base of the tart, about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, keeping a close eye on it in the last two minutes.

6. set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes.7. Make the caramel:8. Pit the dates and place into a small glass

bowl. Pour hot water over the dates, and let them soak and soften for about 5 minutes.

9. Place all the caramel filling ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

10. Pour filling over the tart crust and set aside in the fridge.

11. give the blender a quick wash and then place all the chocolate topping ingredients in there and blend until smooth.

12. Pour over the caramel filling and smooth with a spatula.

13. set aside in the fridge to set for at least several hours, a day is better.

IngredIents: InstruCtIons:

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Chewy Almond Butter Cookies

delicious chewy cookies that taste like caramel almond butter! Just 5 ingredients, and so easy and quick to make.

• 1 cup almond flour• ½ tsp baking soda• pinch of salt• ½ cup almond butter• ¼ cup maple syrup• ¼ cup dairy free choc chips

(optional - I made it without)

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°f.2. In a food processor, combine the almond flour,

baking soda and salt and process into a fine flour.3. Add the almond butter and maple syrup

and process to combine into a dough.4. use a tablespoon to measure out the dough into 15

cookies. Roll into a ball and flatten with your fingers.5. Bake for 7 minutes, or until golden brown.

IngredIents: InstruCtIons:

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Caramel Brownie slicethis decadent raw treat has 3 different desserts combined into one amazingly delicious, gooey, chocolatey, caramely dessert heaven!

BAse:• Brownie Base:• 1 cup pecans or walnuts,

soaked overnight• ⅓ cup cacao powder• 1 cup medjool dates (about

12), pitted

CArAMel fIllIng:• 1½ cups medjool dates (about

18), pitted• ½ cup boiling water• 1½ cups full fat coconut milk

or cream from a can• ½ cup almond butter,

macadamia butter, cashew butter or other nut butter

• 1 tbsp mesquite powder• 1 tbsp lucuma powder

(optional)• pinch of salt

CHoColAte toPPIng:• ¼ cup full fat coconut milk or

cream (whatever is left from the can from the caramel filling)

• ½ cup date soak water or maple syrup

• ½ - ⅔ cup cacao powder• ¼ cup coconut oil

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°f.2. In a food processor, combine 1 cup almond flour,

arrowroot powder and coconut flour. Process into a fine flour. Add the water, coconut oil and maple syrup and process to combine into a dough.

3. empty the dough into a 25cm tart pan, and spread out with your hands. sprinkle the 2 Tbsp almond flour onto the dough and press the dough into the pan, use the palm of your hand to smooth the base of the tart.

4. use a fork to poke holes in the base of the tart, about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, keeping a close eye on it in the last two minutes.

6. set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes.7. Make the caramel:8. Pit the dates and place into a small glass

bowl. Pour hot water over the dates, and let them soak and soften for about 5 minutes.

9. Place all the caramel filling ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

10. Pour filling over the tart crust and set aside in the fridge.

11. give the blender a quick wash and then place all the chocolate topping ingredients in there and blend until smooth.

12. Pour over the caramel filling and smooth with a spatula.

13. set aside in the fridge to set for at least several hours, a day is better.

IngredIents: InstruCtIons:

raw

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Chocolate & OrangeJaffa torte

I love the combination of chocolate + orange – it brings back so many memories of sitting at the cinemas eating a bag of Jaffas. even if you can no longer enjoy those little tasty suckers, the chocolate + orange combination is always a winner!

For the base, I like keeping a little texture and crunch in there unlike some of my other recipes like the raw brownies. I used a combination of walnuts and almonds, most nuts will work here including pecans and hazelnuts.

this torte is deeply rich, but fresh at the same time.

BAse:• Base• 1½ cup almonds, walnuts,

pecans, hazelnuts, or mixture of, soaked for a few hours

• 6 medjool dates, seeds removed

• ⅓ cup cacao powder

fIllIng:• ¼ cup coconut oil• ¼ cup desiccated or

shredded coconut• 2 cups cashews or

macadamias, soaked overnight

• 1¼ cup orange juice• 2 tbsp orange zest, plus

extra for garnish• 6 medjool dates, seeds

removed• 1 cup cacao powder

1. lightly coat a 8½ inch spring form cake pan with coconut oil and set aside.

2. Boil some hot water. remove the seeds from the medjool dates (6 for base + 6 for filling = 12) and place in a glass jar. Cover with hot water and set aside for 5 minutes to soften.

3. In a food processor combine the base ingredients, and process until the texture you want (I like it a little rough and crunchy). Press into the cake pan.

4. In a high speed blender, combine the filling ingredients and blend until smooth.

5. Pour into the cake pan over the base and smooth out.

6. Place into the fridge or freezer for several hours (overnight is best in the fridge) to set.

IngredIents: InstruCtIons:

raw

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Chocolate Coconut TrufflesThese truffles also make perfect snack and dessert. I love having healthy desserts on hand, future me is always thankful that I’ve thought ahead. Instead of reaching for those store bought choc chips, I find the healthy pre-made dessert in my fridge. The also make the perfect homemade gift.

• 3 cups shredded coconut + more for rolling (optional)

• 1 cup cacao powder• ½ cup coconut oil• ¼ cup maple syrup• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

or 1 vanilla bean (optional)• optional add ins: cacao

nibs, protein powder, choc chips, chia seeds, cinnamon

1. In a small bowl, combine coconut and cacao.

2. Add coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla, stir to combine.

3. These truffle are hard to ‘roll’ together as they tend to break apart. Instead, take about 1 tablespoon of the batter and squeeze together in your hand, then move it to your other hand and squeeze. Continue squeezing until it forms a ball shape.

4. In a small bowl, put a few tablespoons of shredded coconut. roll each ball in the coconut and place into a container.

5. fridge for 6-12 hours to allow the coconut oil to harden. these taste best when cold and just from the fridge.

6. notes:7. If the batter is too wet, add more

shredded coconut. If the batter is too dry, add coconut oil 1 tbsp at a time.

IngredIents: InstruCtIons:

raw

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If You lIked tHese reCIPes, CHeCk out MY eBooks!

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Send me a love letter, I love hearing from you! shae@hellowellness.com.au

Shae’s diagnosis with celiac disease was the beginning of her journey to health and wellbeing - learning how to heal her body through nourishing food and deep self-care. Shae is on a mission to create glowing wellness & deep, soul-tingling happiness – for herself and you. She creates nourishing and delicious recipes, as well as healing and wellness tips to help you live the best life ever at Hello Wellness. Ironically, her cat is named Cupcake.

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