Iceland: located in the North Atlantic Ocean, this beautiful Nordic island country is filled with some of the world’s most remarkable landscapes. Along with a group of our friends, we spontaneously booked a flight to spend (not even) 48 hours here! We booked a 4×4 car rental (as there are optional off roads, called F roads), made accommodations at a quaint European-style Airbnb in Reykjavik, and ventured in a couple grocery shops for some road-trip snacks.

The Golden Circle

The Golden Circle route starts at Thingvellir National Park, where ‘the American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart at a rate of a few centimetres per year’. You can tour the entire route within 5-6 hours.

Skogafoss Waterfall

Obligatory headstand on our travels, as usual

The Geysir Hot Spring: Strokkur geysir shoots up to 100ft every 4-8 minutes (see our YouTube video below for the awesome). 

A family of Icelandic horses by the edge of the highway; there were so many of them throughout the country!

Gullfloss (Golden Waterfalls)

Day 2: The Blue Lagoon Spa & the Black-Sand Beach

Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa: the relaxing morning was much needed! At this luxurious and restful spot, this spa is located in a lava field. We strongly recommend making reservations as early as 8AM. You are also able to rent a cozy robe to hop in and out of the lagoon. Don’t forget to bring some water to keep yourself hydrated (the bottled water is a bit expensive in Iceland, but their tap water is one of the cleanest waters ever!)

Drone shot nearby the Blue Lagoon Spa.

Enjoying the sunrise at the Blue Lagoon. We also indulged in some fresh green smoothies and European beers at the swim-up bar.

Sólheimasandur black sand beach: Plane Crash. Luckily, no one was injured! The plane was forced to make an emergency landing several decades ago.

A beautiful walk back from the plane crash (45 minutes each way, and well worth it).
And may we add: Iceland has the most majestic sunsets! This one lasted about 2 hours long

Our wonderful friends at Kaffi Vinyl; a vegan bar, cafe, and record shop in downtown Reykjavik.

Speaking of food… the grocery stores had an INCREDIBLE selection of vegan cheese and faux meats.

iChoc Chocolate is quite possibly the BEST dairy-free chocolate! It’s creamy, velvety, and the flavors are impeccable!


The selection varied from typical products found in Canada/USA; however, it was amazing to see how many European brands there were! 

We even found Field Roast (Check out products from Field Roast here.)

Makes 5-7 medium sized pancakes.

• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp matcha powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• Coconut Syrup: 1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/4 tsp matcha powder, 1 tbsp corn starch

1. In a small bowl, combine and whisk the soy milk and apple cider vinegar.  Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Mix well.
3. Pour in the soy milk + apple cider mixture, apple sauce, and butter. Whisk well until there are no remaining lumps.
4. Coat your frying pan with oil and pour the batter on the heated pan;  Flip when you see bubbles.
5. Coconut Syrup: In a separate small pot, prepare the coconut syrup by combining the coconut milk, maple syrup, and matcha powder. Whisk well over medium-heat for a couple of minutes. Add in the cornstarch and whisk continuously until the syrup starts to boil and thicken. Serve right away

Served warm and drizzled with our delightful coconut syrup, these pancakes are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert!

Oahu, Hawaii: home of the famous North Shore waves, hiking trails, waterfalls, and smoothie bowls- we enjoyed 9 days of venturing this island. Oahu is one of the most beautiful and captivating places to visit for a sun-kissed tropical getaway!

We rented a gorgeous modern beach-home by the mountain, on the North side of the island in Hauula. And luckily, we rented a car to drive around and visit the most northern point (North Shore) all the way south to Honolulu.

Waimea Bay beach park in North Shore: the waves reached as high as 20 feet tall!

Banyan Tree: a 1.5 km pathway walk from the Turtle Bay Resort. This is ONE individual tree that grows its roots into the ground, rather than from. You may recognize it from movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean and TV shows such as LOST.

Kualoa is a 4,000-acre private nature reserve. This scenery may look quite familiar to you; Movies such as Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, and Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates have all been filmed here We also spotted a few wild piglets roaming around the trees.

Rated as one of the Top 10 Beaches in Oahu, Kokololio Beach was a 5 minute drive from our Airbnb; it was the most secluded and beautiful beach we discovered in Oahu!!

Beach bums at Kokololio Beach

Pearl Harbour Memorial, west of Honolulu. Although there is an entrance fee, there’s a fairly large section that you can visit for free.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Honolulu. We snorkelled here for half the day and saw hundreds of tropical fish and coral reefs; the beach was beautiful and also offered a grassy-surface, if you’re not a fan of laying by the busy shoreline.

A view from from Magic Island in Honolulu during the sunset.

Nightlife in Waikiki at RumFire Lounge. Enjoy a cocktail and live music right by the ocean.

Hikes and Trails in Oahu

A view of Diamond Head State Park from Magic Island, Honolulu. 

The view from hiking up Diamond Head: there was a combination of slightly steeped hills, stairs, and caves! It took us about 20 minutes to briskly walk up this trail.

From the peak of Diamond Head: you will notice the cone-shaped centre from what was once an active volcano.

On the opposite side of the Diamond Head peak: a breath-taking view of Waikiki downtown.

Waimea Falls Park in Haleiwa: a one-mile ‘pleasurable stroll through lush botanical gardens, leading up to the beautiful Waimea waterfall’.

The gardens have more than 5,000 species of tropical plants, including Native and endangered Hawaiian plants.

Almost at the waterfall Just enjoying the scenic walk.

Waihi Waterfall in Waimea Bay (45 feet tall waterfall!)

Enjoying the last bit of sun before it sets.

What we ate in Oahu

Downbeat Diner in China Town (pretty much everything on the menu can be made vegan to order): the infamous Loco Moco! A veganized version of the traditional Hawaiian comfort dish. It’s served as rice, tofu scramble, a veggie ‘beef’ patty, onions, and loads of gravy. We highly recommend trying the Buffalo Chick’n Sandwich as well, with a side of curly fries

Banana Ice Cream with fresh pineapple, strawberries, coconut, and granola from Banan: using ONLY frozen blended bananas!

  
Dole Soft Serve from the Dole Plantation: as of a few years ago, it’s 100% dairy-free and vegan!

Gourmet wood-oven pizzas from What It Dough; the dough was incredibly soft!! And they used fresh ingredients used from the farmer’s markets nearby!

Farmers Markets were plenty in Oahu! There are various locations throughout the island which are open on a daily basis. We found that fruits and vegetables were quite pricey in regular grocery stores; they also lacked variety of tropical fruits. However, these markets offered an abundance of fruits and veggies, at reasonable prices.

Fresh Lilikoi (also known as passion fruit), pineapples, and apple-bananas (pictured above) were some of our favourites! We also had the opportunity to try star apple, eggfruit, and rambutan.

Kona Blend coffee! We brewed a fresh pot of vanilla macadamia Kona-blend coffee almost every morning (thanks to our furnished Airbnb).

Organic Acai bowl at Haleiwa Bowls, in North Shore. Topped with fresh mango, coconut, bananas, and granola. *Drooling, BRB*

 
And we saved our last meal for Loving Hut in Honolulu! We shared the Sweet & Sour Haga, Spicy Veg Shrimp Moana (both pictured above), Lemongrass Pho, Golden Nuggets, Crispy Rolls, and Broccoli Pua (with veg “beef”).

Aside from farmer’s markets, we bought most of our groceries from Costco and Down to Earth (a 100% vegetarian/vegan grocery store!) Down to Earth was probably our favourite choice: they have a hot table and salad bar, pizza station with mock meats, pastries (including a variety of donuts, muffins, and cookies), and delicacy items such as vegan yogurts and ice creams. Whole Foods in Honolulu also offered great options, including vegan fudge, gelato and freshly baked cookies.

Word of advice: definitely watch at least one sunrise and sunset in Hawaii!

Sunrise at Kokololio Beach: we were up early at 6AM every day (thanks to the roosters lol) and had the opportunity to watch some of the most beautiful sunrises!

“it’s a wild, wonderful world… Follow your heart, and let the adventure unfold.”

Check out our Hawaii Youtube video below to see more phenomenal drone shots, beach yoga fun, and our friend’s tree-house!!

Although we haven’t decided on a winning team (it was too difficult and everything turned out phenomenal), we had a remarkable experience.

Our teams cooked up a storm of:
– Oyster mushroom style ‘lobster rolls’ with with a cashew-based caesar salad (w/ croutons & veg bacon)
– Freshly baked cinnamon rolls with roasted candied pecans
– ‘KFC’ style fried chick’n sandwich with creamy coleslaw
– Stuffed ricotta & spinach shells on a bed of roasted eggplants
– Raw cashew-based keylime cheese cake with fresh berries

See our YouTube video below and check out our hashtag #vgangcookoff on Instagram for more pics.

Sasha showing off her chopping skills.

Our beautiful view which was just footsteps from the cottage in Algonquin.

Breakfast of champions: Hash brown waffle, tofu scramble with turmeric, cinnamon roll, veggie bacon, and a Belgium waffle with fresh coconut whip

Makes 7-8 potato latkes.

• 2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled
• 2 heaping tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup non-dairy cheese shreds
• 1 medium diced onion
• (Top with) Vegan Sour Cream and chopped green onions

1. Gently sauté one medium onion (we used a white one) and put aside.
2. Lay 2 paper towels on a flat surface/large plate, and grate the peeled potatoes.
3. Scoop up the paper towel (with the potatoes inside) and press out as much liquid as you can. Tip: do not let the grated potatoes sit for too long or they tend to brown.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated potatoes, sautéed onion, non-dairy cheese shreds, and the rest of the ingredients. Stir well to combine and set aside.
5. In a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet, heat 1/2 inch of olive oil on medium-high.
6. Using small handfuls of the potato mixture, form thin pancakes and place them into the skillet (try not to overcrowd them).
7. Cook each side for 4-5 minutes (gently check the bottoms with a fork).
8. Line a plate with paper towel and place it by the pan. Using 2 forks, gently shake off the excess oil from each pancake, and lay them on the plate.
9. Top with a spoonful of vegan sour cream and chopped green onions- enjoy!

Savory and gently spiced, this specialty dish can be served as an appetizer or a main course with a fresh, crisp salad.

One of our dreams has always been to visit Vancouver. There is something about the balance of city life and nature that really resonates with our interests. We’ve always heard stories about how beautiful the BC forests are. And although we do enjoy (what are considered) some of Ontario’s largest provincial parks, there was something that drew us to visiting BC.

Over the past year, our lifestyles have changed dramatically. We have become more in tune with nature, hiking, eating mainly wholesome plant-based meals, strength training, and travelling. So of course, Vancouver seemed like the perfect place to visit! Funny enough, our first stop was the Steve Nash Fitness World Gym! After sneaking in a quick workout, we felt revitalized, refreshed, and excited to start our adventures.

Our Airbnb condo in Yaletown had the most amazing view of other high-rise condo buildings and the snowy-peak mountain tops.

After checking into our Airbnb, we were ecstatic to visit the local Whole Foods (there were about 4 locations within a short driving distance). We’ve read about Vegan Pudding & Co. products that were sold in Whole Foods. They are a small company that creates certified organic, white sugar free, egg & dairy free pudding cups. We tried the Original Vanilla Pudding with Caramel sauce; the texture and taste were incredibly creamy!

Within a short distance of our condo, we took a sea-bus (yes, that’s right: a motorized boat-bus that transports travellers on water!) across to Granville Island. If you live in Toronto, you’ll surely know about St. Lawrence Market; this is a very similar concept. Here you will find fresh foods, baked goods, art, hand-crafted items such as candles and soaps, etc.

After scoping out the entire market, we found tons of vegan options! Aside from tacos, cold-pressed juices, wraps, and salads… we also found a bakery with fresh vegan pastries!

Day 2 of our trip: we were dying to check out Joffre Provincial Park! This was about a 2.5 hours (VERY scenic, mountainous drive) just a little east of Pemberton. Initially, we were thinking of heading to Whistler until we realized that drones were not allowed (and also because we discovered that Joffre has glaciers!).
We’re not even joking, but this EXACTLY (if not more) how blue and crystal clear the lakes were! Joffre Park has 3 of these lakes located in the park (totalling of about a 10 kilometre hike which can take 3-4 hours on average). Note: we visited the park on Friday because there are a lot more hikers on the weekends.

The waters were serene and picturesque, the trees were large and majestic, and the mountains seemed so surreal! It felt like something out of a magazine.

We met a very friendly traveler from Missouri who actually hiked most of the trail with us. After pushing each other, we made it all the way to the top of the most upper lake (if you see the drone video below, you’ll see the lakes cascading in the background).

Once we realized we hiked a total of 15 kilometres and spent over 6 hours at the park, we were famished! Although we meal prepped and packed some carby foods with us, we wanted to try out this new place that just opened in Vancouver: Virtuous Pie.
We saw their pictures ALL over Instagram and thought Hey, it must be a big deal!AND IT WAS!! We had the Stranger Wings pizza (made with tasty cauliflower wings) and the Superfunghi pizza (with cashew mozzarella, scalloped potatoes, truffle almond ricotta, and mushroom duxelle.

Loving Hut has a food truck in Yaletown <3 We tried their Bacun Cheeseburger and devoured it before we got a chance to snap a shot of it.

Within 10-15 minutes of driving from Yaletown is a quaint neighbourhood called Kitsilano. Just our luck: we came across Parthenon Supermarket (a bakery and grocery store that carries Mediterranean and European foods). We found quite a few vegan groceries (such as Daiya and yogurts) and realized there were baked goods as well!

We later drove to Gastown (another unique and historic neighbourhood in Vancouver) to check out Meet in Gastown. FYI: their gourmet veggie burgers are phenomenal! And one of the managers gave us free desserts because she liked our Vegan Muscle Team hoodies lol. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a great food shot because the lighting was dark.
The famous Steam Whistle clock that goes off every 15-30 minutes.
We came across various architecture, including this flat-iron style building.

With our last day in Vancouver, we were excited to visit more forested areas in Vancouver. We walked the entire path around Stanley Park. It was great to see such an active community of people hiking, biking, and running throughout the park.
This was by far, the largest tree I have ever seen! Stanley park has (what felt like) hundreds of different tree and plant species.
Nice Vice was recommended to us by a few friends. And we definitely wanted to indulge in some vegan ice cream after all the walking.
The salt bar seemed unusual at the time, but OH MAN! Just a small pinch of flavoured salt makes a distinguished difference on ice cream!
Charcoal Activated Earl Grey with Maple Rum Raisin. Seriously, this place is worth checking out and we cannot wait to come back!

Lastly, we visited Queen Elizabeth park (which was just across the bridge from our condo). If you enjoy beautifully arranged exotic flowers, plants, and trees… this is your spot to see!

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp cold vegan butter
• 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 scoop vegan protein (preferably vanilla flavoured)
• pinch of ginger
• pinch of cloves
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• Spiced Pumpkin Glaze: 2 tbsp powdered sugar, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of cloves, pinch of nutmeg, 1 tsp pumpkin puree, and 1 tbsp almond milk

Makes 6 scones

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour and vegan butter. Mix with hands until mixture looks like fine crumbs.
3. Add in the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly.
4. Pour in the almond milk and pumpkin puree and mix the ingredients into a dough.
5. Knead the dough until everything is combined well.
6. On a large flat surface, roll out the dough into a circular shape. Place a sheet of parchment paper and roll out the dough to about 1/2″ with a rolling pin.
7. Slice the dough into 6 equal pieces.
8. Place the scone slices onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
9. Prepare the Spiced Pumpkin Glaze: combine all the ingredients and whisk together.
10. Once the scones are baked, let them cool for about 10 minutes and drizzle with the glaze.

These tasty, protein-rich treats are perfect for a crisp Fall morning with fresh coffee.

Located in downtown Toronto (at the Historic Fort York) we were able to attend one of the most magical events that took place this summer: Vegan Food & Drink Fest!!
Although this was an all-ages event, guests who were 19+ were able to check out the onsite bars (which served craft brews, wine, and spirits).

We wish we could say the weather was beautiful and warm, but Toronto had one of the worst heat waves that day (followed by a massive thunderstorm) lol! However, the rain was refreshing and didn’t bother us one bit! Rocco and one of our friends eventually gave up holding their umbrellas and played ping pong in the pouring rain. We were surrounded with amazing like-minded friends (along with new ones) and all shared one thing in common: we came with an appetite for vegan comfort food!! This year, the organizers had literally twice as many vendors from all over Ontario (including Texas, Ohio, and California). Be prepared to feast your eyes on some mouth-watering pics…

One of the highlights from the event were the pop-ups placed sporadicly on the grounds. Pictured above: Breakfast Focaccia from Tori’s Bakeshop.

*Round of applause*

Among the food vendors, we had an abundance of booths setup! Animal Rights groups, the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank, jewelry and vegan cosmetics, henna tattoos, and balloon twisting.

 
Arlo’s all the way from TEXAS!!!! We devoured their Bac’n Cheezeburger (pictured below). One of the BEST burgers ever!!

 
Arlo’s Burger (MMMM! Cheesy and satisfying!) and the Vanilla Cardamom Pop from ChillPops *bursting with flavour*.

Rastafarian comfort food from Kensington Market<3
It was pretty great to have these divinely cooked greens and brown rice after all those sweets  lol.

 
SteamBox Dumplings varieties with a savoury cashew-based sauce and D-Beatstro’s irresistible Cookie Donut.

 
Vegan Funnel Cakes with a sorbet scoop of love! And we also indulged in the white chocolate brownie from Charlie’s Brownies. *drooling*

VEGAN WINGS from Doug McNish! This man has some delicious talent and always amazes us with his gourmet food!! (Check out his restaurant in Toronto: Doug’s Kitchen).

With some of our favourite veggie friends <3 #AnimalLovers

“Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel. Energies are contagious, positive and negative alike.”

Ping pong (and beer pong) tables were plenty! I’m pretty sure we spotted a few people playing badminton as well.

And here are all the yummy food vendors (Courtesy of Vegan Food Fest).

Overall, the event was very well organized and we were quite pleased!
– Entrance ticket prices were very reasonable ($10 if you purchase them in advance)
– There was plenty of food and beverages for everyone
– Atlas Genius performed (along with local musicians)!
– Torres Washington graced us with his presence (lol)!
– A HUGE variety of foods ranging from donuts, to pizza, to burgers, ice cream, waffles, cold brew coffee, green juices, raw foods, kombucha, cookies, Mac n Cheese…

-YOU NAME IT and it was all there! <3 See ya next year, Vegan Foodies!

]]> http://mindfulbitez.com/desserts-sweets/strawberries-cream-icebox-cake/ Wed, 10 Aug 2016 15:32:31 +0000 http://mindfulbitez.com/?p=538 Biting into this incredibly delicious, creamy, no-bake cake is heavenly! Fresh sweet strawberries layered between graham (and saltine) crackers, whipped coconut cream, vanilla pudding, and a fluffy marshmallow topping… makes this a lip-smacking and irresistible dessert!

Makes 8-12 servings (depending on the pan size)

• pan of your choice (preferably a glass/baking pan)
• 1 pack of Vanilla JELL-O Pudding Mix (yes, this is accidentally vegan!)
• 2 cups of almond milk
• 1/2 container of SO Delicious Coco Whip
• 1 layer of graham crackers (to line base of pan)
• 1 sleeve of unsalted saltine crackers
• 1.5 cups vegan Marshmallows (about 12 large marshmallows)
• approximately 1 handful of sliced strawberries (depending on baking pan size)

1. In a medium mixing bowl, blend the pudding mix and almond milk for 3 minutes (using an electric hand-mixer). Add in the Coco Whip and blend until well combined. Set aside.
2. Layer the base of your pan with 1 layer of graham crackers. Cover the layer with the pudding mixture (make sure there are no empty spots).
3. Layer with sliced strawberries and drizzle more pudding mixture.
4. Add a layer (on top) of the unsalted crackers. Drizzle more pudding mixture. Repeat this step.
5. Add another layer of sliced strawberries, drizzled pudding mixture (make sure you have some leftover for the final step), and one more layer of crackers on top. (You can reference the video below <3 ).
6. Pour the remaining pudding mixture into a small pot and mix in the marshmallows. Cook on medium heat (until they are melted).
7. Cover the layered cake with the marshmallow topping and refrigerate overnight.
   Garnish with strawberries (or your favorite berries!).

Quick and easy to whip up, our version of this icebox cake is perfect for a hot summer day.

Makes 4 servings

• 1/2 cup vegan cheese shreds
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 cup chopped cooked broccoli
• 4 slices diced veggie ham
• 1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Dough (this is accidentally vegan! )
• 1 tbsp melted vegan butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. On medium heat, combine the vegan cheese, almond milk, nutritional yeast, butter, cornstarch, and paprika. Stir until the cheese and butter melt. The sauce will thicken within 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli and veggie ham into the mixture and stir until everything is combined. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
3. After opening the tube of dough, break apart the roll into 2 halves. Unravel each roll of dough.
4. Grease a baking/casserole pan (we used a small casserole dish). Ensure that one half of the roll can cover the base of the pan. You may have to cut the dough accordingly.
5. Spread and layer the cheesy broccoli mixture flat into the pan.
6. Layer the second half of the dough on top.
7. In a small mixing bowl, stir the melted butter and garlic powder into a mixture. Using a pastry brush, brush the buttery mixture evenly on top of the dough layer.
8. Bake at 375 F for 18-20 minutes.