Wait until you sink your teeth into these lemony clouds of amazement! I’ve always been a fan of lemon bars, and have experimented with all sorts of cooked vegan and raw ingredients to get the right balance between tart and sweet, the melt in your mouth consistency, and all around goodness. I finally came up with what I believe to be the most sublime lemon bars…cooked or raw, vegan or not, that I have ever had.

We know that the Mayans not only called cacao the “Food of the Gods”, but they also used chocolate as a means to enlightenment. Raw cacao is loaded with Anandamide, the “bliss” chemical, and PEA, the “love” molecule. Anandamide is a neurotransmitter that is released naturally in the brain when we are feeling happy, and is contained in raw cacao. And, PEA is the neurotransmitter produced when we fall in love!

Try these delicious, easy to make raw vegan brownies! Even the most die-hard brownie lover will love to indulge in these. In fact, they are my family’s favorite sweet treat. I’ve tried those “black bean” vegan brownies, and no matter how many times I tweaked the recipe, my husband and kids simply refuse to eat them. These on the other hand? Gone in minutes!

I am always experimenting with raw chocolate puddings. I vary the base between avocados and fresh coconut meat. Both are delicious, but provide a different flavor profile. Coconuts take longer to blend into the smooth creamy consistency, but you need less sweetener. With avocado, you have to be sure your avocados are perfectly ripe, but not over-ripe and mushy or the final product will be too runny.

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup coconut butter, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder, 3 Tablespoons coconut sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp chipotle chili (if desired), small pinch of Himalayan salt. Shredded coconut flakes and cacao powder for coating.

So first of all, let me provide full disclosure. These are NOT low fat. These are not something you would want to chow down on daily, in large quantities, or as a substitute for your cucumber-beet-carrot juice. However, having said that, they are sublime chocolate bliss bars that are the perfect bait to lure people into the radically rawsome world of raw foods!

BERRY FILLING: 1 cup blackberries, 1 cup strawberries, 1/4 cup maple syrup, pinch of salt, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. pure vanilla or 1 vanilla bean. Pulse in a food processor until desired consistency.

This is one of the easiest and most crowd-pleasing (including kids) raw pies ever, and the best part is that you don’t need any oil of any kind and only a small amount of nut butter. Feel free to swap cashew or walnut butter in place of the almond butter! INGREDIENTS: Crust - 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/3 cup almond butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp Himalayan salt.

There are so many reasons to eat blueberries and blackberries and actually all purple and blue fruits! Blue and purple fruits and vegetables contain nutrients like lutein, zeaxanthin, resveratrol, vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids, ellagic acid, and quercetin. These nutrients support retinal health, lower LDL cholesterol, boost immune system activity, support healthy digestion, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, fight inflammation, reduce tumor growth, act as anti-carcinogens in the digestive tract, and limit the activity of cancer cells.

How about a little green and chocolate treat for St. Patrick’s Day! These mint brownies are easy to make. I promise. And, they are (mostly) raw, vegan and healthy. I made this one nut free, to lower the fat content and because well, sometimes you feel like a nut — and sometimes you don’t! This recipe is super low fat. In fact, the only fat in the base and the filling is 1/2 of an avocado.

This is a winner. I’m always looking to create super easy, delicious, low-fat recipes that are new and different and don’t require massive lists of ingredients. This cake I made this morning, and enjoyed by the pool this afternoon, is incredible. I know you’re going to love it. The lemony-creamy middle layer is the perfect compliment to the chewy chocolate base, and the blueberry layer adds a sweetness that rounds it off.

Summer is the perfect time to experiment with all the beautiful fruits and flavors to make ice pops. In our family everyone loves them — it’s not just a kid thing. The key is to get yourself a good set or two of non-plastic molds for freezing. You don’t need BPA or other chemicals added to your deliciousness! Some of our favorite molds are the Zoku round pop molds or “fish” shaped molds.

I love raw desserts, especially in the summer when baking at the oven doesn’t seem as enjoyable. A dessert is still a dessert and you don’t want to eat a ton. But if you want to eat healthy, and still be able to enjoy truly delicious and decadent whole raw plant based foods here is another one of my favorite dessert creations. If you haven’t worked with buckwheat, you are in for a pleasant experience.

I love raw vegan cakes for special occasions and holidays, if you haven’t already surmised that from previous posts! One of the reasons I think they are so great is because they are the perfect way to show family and friends that healthy, whole, plant based foods (what our grandparents used to call fruits and vegetables) can be delicious and satisfying!

Who doesn’t love donut holes for breakfast? Usually, breakfast at our house is a huge green juice, which is the single most powerful way to get your blood alkalized, get your body energized, and give yourself a huge dose of nutrition before any solids are introduced. But, once in a while we have a smoothie, a bowl of chia cereal, a bowl of oatmeal, or maybe my warm orange polenta breakfast bowl.

This is another super easy superfood pudding you can make with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your home. Keeping nuts and seeds in your freezer at all times is a great way to guarantee that you can whip up a fast nut milk, a pudding, a nut and seed bar or a snack, in a pinch. Plus, the freezer keeps all of your nuts and seeds from becoming rancid which can happen quickly especially in warm weather.

So many people feel like they wouldn’t be able to have delicious tasting treats on a plant based lifestyle. I created Liana’s Cake Shakes to show everyone how delicious raw vegan food truly is, and since launching it 2 years ago, it’s still one of our top-sellers! Here is one of my favorites from the book,