{RECIPE} Raw Chocolate Cake with Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse

Today is my very best friend Charlotte's birthday!  She is off to Paris with her fiancé, for a few days & I am most jealous, not least because she will be in my favourite city, but also because she will be in France & I shan't be able to see her.  I do miss her pretty face very much.

A few years ago, we met for the first time & just hit it off straight away.  I remember thinking how much I liked her & how we were going to be the best of friends, whether she liked it or not.  After just one meeting, which involved cocktails & teacups, we headed off to Barcelona together, for my birthday.  For someone I'd only just met, we got on like a dream & had the best time, waltzing round with our floral ice creams from Amorino & sipping on our breakfast smoothies from the food market down La Rambla.

I can honestly say, I have found a soul mate in Charlotte & I always admire how talented she is.  I love reading her wonderful blog, filled with pretty pastel snaps & sugar coated tales of her weekends & her unique creations, which she sells online through her Etsy store, are brilliant & I fully intend on making a large order of lavender hearts & vintage china magnets, when I finally have a place of my own again.  I just know, she will fulfill her dreams in the, hopefully, not too distant future.

So, in honour of her birthday, I wanted to share this recipe I found, by The First Mess.  It's a raw chocolate birthday cake, with earl grey chocolate mousse.  It's 100% vegan friendly & totally raw, which in my book, means guilt-free indulgence!  I don't think you can ever deny a chocolate cake & I thought that the earl grey twist, would suit a tea drinking English rose quite well.

I've never used a dehydrator before, but I would quite like to start eating a more raw diet, as I've read many things on it & it's meant to be very good for you.  My diet is halfway there at the moment; currently, I have protein shakes in the morning, using SunWarrior raw vegan protein blend powder, with almond milk, banana & berries, then something like hummous & crudites for lunch & a mixed salad in the evening.  I do cook potatoes, or quinoa to have with my salad & I snack on dark chocolate, nuts & fruit during the day.

I have to admit though, that on a whole, I'm not big on food.  I'm terribly lazy & I end up feeling uninspired a lot of the time.  So, sometimes, it's quite nice to find these kinds of recipes, which make me excited & want to make them!  I have also discovered LAUREN_AKO & EAT_TO_THRIVE on Instagram, who make raw vegan living look like a dream filled with unicorns & happiness.  Maybe by my birthday I'll be zipped up on Chia Seeds & cutting into my own raw birthday cake!

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{Insightful Sunday} Moving Forward

I recently read something, that said:

“An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus & keep aiming.”

— Unknown

It was the best, most uplifting thing I'd read in a long time.  So often do I feel deflated & defeatist, when I suffer a setback.  I have come to be more aware just how negative I tend to allow myself to be.  It doesn't help that I have a perfectionist nature.  One slight error & I want to scrap everything & start again.

I realise now though, that sometimes, we simply need to go back & repeat a step, in order to fully learn & move forward.  It's important that we don't dwell on this, that we don't see it as a defeat, like we've somehow failed.  We all need time to make concrete, positive changes.  Whether they be physical, psychological or even evolutionary.

I'm now also quite keen to get a small arrow tattoo, to add to my collection, to serve as a constant reminder, that sometimes, you have to go back, in order to move forward.

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A spring in my step.

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This week, my lovely friend Kate, came down from Chabanais to St Pancrace, to pay me a much welcome visit.  It's been over a month since I left her place, to come here to the horse sanctuary & in that time, she has been on vacation to England & celebrated her birthday.

To mark the occasion, I made a scrummy vegan friendly carrot cake & upon her arrival, I bestowed upon her, a Paris print lavender filled heart, which I'd had custom made by, my other bestest, Charlotte.  After a nibble of cake & a catch up, the pair of us took a trip into Brantôme, for a spot of lunch at this cute little place called Pause, before taking a stroll around town, popping into a few of the shops.

One of the places we frequented, was a vintage store, tucked away in one of the caves.  It had a funky smell, but awesome vintage postcards.  I think I am a little obsessed with vintage postcards at the moment.  I found a great stash in Florence, at a flea market & managed to stick to purchasing just the one, as I am inclined to go crazy & bulk buy.  Kate kindly bought one for me & one for herself.  Mine has a colourful picture of Nice on the front & was sent to someone in Paris, in 1933.  It shall take pride of place in my bedroom one day.

Overall, it was a lovely afternoon.  I like that I can be in France & have friends that live in the same country.  I don't miss England at all anymore.  When I first arrived in Italy, I really missed England a lot.  Mainly the food.  Italians don't do burgers & shakes.  But now, it's been so long since I've lived in the UK (eight months), that I really don't miss it at all.  Plus, now that I've found a blender, I have shakes for breakfast every day!

I think it's safe to say, I've finally adapted to the European way of life.  Especially the warmth.  It's been twenty seven degrees here!  Oooh, I just cannot wait for bare legs & tanned flesh.  Summer, I'm waiting for you!

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