I was thrilled to receive a new amazing vegan cookbook this autumn. This book is Vegan Reset – the 28-day Plan to Kickstart Your Healthy Lifestyle by Kim-Julie Hansen, the creator of Best of Vegan and Vegan Reset communities. She has written and photographed a beautiful and very useful book for everyone interested in health, well being and eating plant-based. I’m happy to share one of the amazing recipes from this book: Vegan White Chocolate Butter.
If you want to read this post in Finnish, click here.
Vegan White Chocolate Butter is ADDICTIVE!
But first I need to warn you: this stuff is dangerously delicious! With macadamias, cashews & coconut butter making it smooooth and creamy, and a bit of maple syrup to make it sweeter. Today I decided to add white chocolate butter in my oatmeal to create a Strawberries & Cream flavor. It was such a luxurious combo and I know I’m going to make this again (and again) this winter.
You can get the recipe below, but first, here’s a little interview I did with Kim-Julie about the book and her work:
Interview with Vegan Reset author Kim-Julie
Congratulations on this beautiful and helpful book! Vegan Reset is not only a book, it’s an Instagram community and online program too. How did you come up with this amazing idea?
Thank you so much! Before starting the Vegan Reset online program two and a half years ago, I used to regularly host 1-week challenges, which is how I first started thinking about a longer, 28-day program. I noticed that a lot of people are interested in veganism and eating healthier, but they don’t know where to even begin. I wanted to offer them both guidance and the experience of being part of a community since going vegan can often be isolating if none of your friends and family are vegan. As for the book, that idea actually started before the online program, but the online program definitely ended up influencing the book a lot.
How was the book writing process?
The process itself was unexpected, extremely challenging at times, but in the end immensely rewarding. I took all the pictures at home and wrote it while still working on all of my other projects. Looking back, it was stressful, but I did enjoy it and I learned so much throughout the whole process. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to write it.
It is not always easy to start eating only vegan food. I really struggled with cutting out some products like cottage cheese, which used to be my favorite. What was the most difficult part for you when you started eating vegan food? Did you / do you miss any non vegan foods?
I loved cottage cheese too, alongside all other types of cheese, especially camembert and gouda. I never missed meat, milk or fish, but cheese and eggs, definitely. After over seven years of being fully vegan, I don’t really crave them anymore, but I do have childhood memories that make me miss some of the meals I used to love. It’s a very small price to pay though an luckily, there are more and more vegan alternatives, which makes transitioning so much easier.
You’ve built an amazing plant-based vegan platform Best of vegan on Instagram with over 1,5 m followers. You also manage various other online platforms such as aforementioned Vegan Reset. I’m always inspired by entrepreneurs who are doing good for the planet and making a change.
Have you always been entrepreneurial? Do you have any tips for anyone dreaming of starting a business?
Not at all or at least I didn’t think I was. I never dreamed or even thought of starting a business and all of this happened very unexpectedly.
My number one tip would be never to underestimate what you’re capable of. When you feel like there’s something you don’t know how to do, google and youtube it and learn until you figure it out, no matter how challenging it may seem or how long it takes.
What does a typical work day look?
A typical work day usually starts with coffee, emails and to-do lists. If it’s a recipe & photo day, I’ll go to the grocery store around noon and then cook, photograph and edit all afternoon. In the evening, I try to go for a walk or to a yoga or pilates class. Then at night, I work on website updates, ongoing projects and more emails.
Thank you Kim-Julie for inspiring us all ♥
Vegan Reset book is available as a US version and can also be preordered (released in Dec 27) as a UK version. And here’s the absolutely amazing recipe, copied with permission:
- [b]White Chocolate Butter[/b]
- 2 cups cashews
- 1 cup macadamia nuts
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp coconut butter
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- [br]
- [b]Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal[/b]
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup thick oat drink or other plant-based milk (I use Kaslink AITO barista)
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- pinch of salt
- Toppings: generous spoonful of white chocolate butter, frozen or fresh strawberries, granola for a little crunch. I used my stovetop [url href=”https://www.myberryforest.com/stovetop-gingerbread-granola/” target=”_blank”]gingerbread granola[/url].
- White Chocolate Butter: preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread cashews and macadamias on the baking sheet and roast for 7 minutes (NOTE: I roasted for about 10 min to get a bit more roasted flavor).
- Place roasted nuts in a food processor or blender and blend on high speed for a few minutes.
- Add coconut oil and blend for a few minutes.
- Then add all the other ingredients and blend until totally smooth and creamy.
- Let the butter cool and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal: add rolled oats and liquids to a pan and cook in medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes until the oatmeal is soft. Add spices and mix some more.
- Serve with amazing toppings and enjoy!
This sounds incredible! I’d there an ingredient missing though? What makes it “white chocolate” butter? x
Thanks so much Laura for noticing! Coconut butter was missing from the recipe but I fixed it as soon as I noticed this on Thursday 🙂 Have a wonderful day!