Desserts

Desserts

Quinoa Peanut Butter Crunch Cups

In the recipe, puffed quinoa is coated in a rich mixture of peanut butter, coconut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. That nutty mixture is then spooned into muffin liners and popped into the freezer to set. After an hour or so, you’ll have crunchy, peanut-buttery, and addictive little cups of goodness. These crave-worthy peanut butter cups are sweet enough for dessert, yet totally pre and post workout snack-approved.

All of my bunnies know that I love making recipes as simple as possible, and simple to me means as few ingredients as possible. This recipe only contains 6 ingredients and I bet you have more than half of them at your house right now!

Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-1 Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-2Now before anyone asks, “do I have to go out and buy coconut butter? Isn’t it the same as coconut oil?” let me give you the 411! At one point, I thought they were the same thing. I thought that when coconut oil was at its solid form it was considered coconut butter and when it was melted and liquid it was considered coconut oil. Well I was wrong! No shame!

Coconut oil is JUST the oil that is extracted from the meat of a coconut. Coconut butter is the whole meat of the coconut pureed into a creamy butter. If you’re curious, coconut meat (by nature) is approximately 65% oil! So there it is folks, coconut butter has the flesh of the coconut in it! Look at the difference in the photo above (coconut butter on the left, and coconut oil on the right).

Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-3*You can purchase puffed quinoa at specialty health food stores but it’s kind of tricky to find and it may be a bit on the pricier side, so in this post I’m showing you how to make your own puffed/popped quinoa! Heat a large stock pot over medium heat (I have an induction stove, and I set my heat to level 6 out of 9). Once the pot is hot, pour a small amount (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan as seen in the photo below) of pre-rinsed and dried quinoa over the bottom of the pan. Gently swirl the quinoa around with a wooden spoon as it pops (this helps prevent burning). You’ll notice that the quinoa has a very quiet little crackle pop, and its popped state is only the tiniest bit larger than its unpopped state (nothing like popcorn!). Once your first round of quinoa has popped (a minute or two), pour it into a bowl and repeat until you have 1½ cups. I like to have a bowl of unpopped quinoa ready to pour into the pot, and then a bowl on the other side for the puffed quinoa to go into when it has finished popping.

1½ cups of unpinned quinoa is pretty darn close to 1½ cups of puffed quinoa in the end since there is barely any difference in size once it has puffed!

Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-4 Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-5 Above is a photo of unpopped quinoa to the left and popped or puffed quinoa on the right. See how there is a very slight difference in size, but the little ring inside has expanded?

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Quinoa Peanut Butter Crunch Cups
By Blissful Basil
Makes 12 crunch cups

1½ cups puffed quinoa*
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp peanut butter
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp coconut butter
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1½ Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Puff quinoa over a stove as described underneath photos above and set aside.* In a saucepan over low heat, combine the peanut butter, coconut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Next, turn off the stove and pour the puffed quinoa into the melted peanut butter mixture. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners. Scoop 2 tablespoons of the quinoa mixture into each muffin liner and smooth the tops with a spoon if needed. Place the muffin tin in the freezer for 1 hour to set. Once the cups have set, they can be transferred to the refrigerator to store. Do not leave at room temperature or they will melt!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: none
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: peanut butter, coconut butter, and coconut oil

Rabbit Food Meal Tip: 1 Quinoa Peanut Butter Crunch Cup is 2 tablespoons of plant based fat and a small serving of whole grain. Enjoy this with an apple and glass of soy milk to make it a Rabbit Food Approved meal! Or blend some fruit and soy milk together with some ice as a smoothie.

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

P.S. I joined Snapchat!!! Open up Snapchat on your phone and take a photo of the image below to instantly add me to your Snapchat friends! Or add me the old fashioned way 🙂
I’ll be sharing behind the scenes photos and videos of me cooking, working on my blog, working out, and probably lots of super cute pictures of my corgi, Teddy!
Snapchat: @EatRabbitFood

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Vegan Eggnog

Vegan-Eggnog-5Copper Mule Mug:  Sur La Table

Vegan-Eggnog-1Vitamix 750: Sur La Table (on sale)

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December has been FLYING by. I cannot believe that 2014 is coming to an end. I just arrived home on Friday from visiting Matt while he was on tour in Chicago, and hosted my annual Ugly Sweater party the next night (Saturday). Photos to come : )

I am I am so so so so so excited because (drumroll please) today I finished my Christmas shopping! I started off overly eager online holiday shopping before Thanksgiving this year and then as soon as mid December rolled around I was more behind than anyone I knew! How the heck does that even happen?! Today I conquered Target (twice) and Ikea. It was no easy feat, but I took the furthest parking spots away and “hoofed it” as my mom would say, battled the crowds, survived the lengthy lines, and conquered Christmas shopping! WOHOO!!!

One of my favorite things in the world is giving gifts. I never ask my friends of family for lists – not because I want to get them random things, but because I listen to them all year long and compile a little secret list and surprise them when Christmas comes around. Gift giving is kind of my thing. I will do anything to get the perfect gift for someone, a la Arnold Schwarzenegger looking for TurboMan in “Jingle All the Way” (such a good movie)! It gives me so much joy to see my friends and family excited and surprised when they open gifts. There’s nothing like it!
Anyone else finish their Christmas shopping already?!

Now that the shopping talk is done, it’s time to cozy up by the fire, watch christmas movies, and sip on some vegan egg-less nog!

Traditional eggnog is filled with sugar, heavy cream, and egg yolk, which equals tons of saturated fat and cholesterol – yikes! Of course you can buy vegan eggnog in stores, but most of them contain loads of refined sugar. This eggnog recipe is made from whole plant based foods (with the exception of rum extract!) and natural sugars from Medjool dates!

You might ask, isn’t this recipe a little heavy on the fat (nuts)? Yes, it’s definitely a treat, but the fats from nuts are healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).

Why are MUFAs good for you?
Monounsaturated fats can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood which can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Research also shows that these good-for-you fats may even target body fat where it’s hardest to lose – in your belly! Eat fat to lose fat! Good fat, that is!

Vegan Eggnog
By Chef AJ
Serves 4

3 cups almond milk
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp rum extract
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Ground nutmeg & cinnamon sticks for garnish

Blend all ingredients together in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy. Best when served cold.

Healthy Happy Holidays,
xo-Catherine

Oatmeal Stuffed Baked Apple

All of the sweet and tasty goodness of a traditional apple crisp, stuffed and baked inside a fresh Autumn apple. Serve it alongside some vanilla Greek yogurt for an extra filling fall dessert, for one!

This single serving recipe is so easy to make, plus it’s gluten free, and vegan!

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If you’re new to my blog, you will notice that the majority of my recipes are single serving – for one person. I’ve always struggled with portion control… If I made a recipe that serves 4, I know I’d end up eating the whole thing… so that’s why I started making all of my meals only 1 serving. That way there’s no leftovers for me to eat, and no question as to how much of the meal is an appropriate portion. I always had a hard time with diet/nutrition books that would give recipes for 4-6 servings. I know I could measure out the appropriate servings and store them in their own tupperware, but if there are leftovers or extra in the fridge, I know I will end up eating them when I shouldn’t! Maybe that’s just me, but I’ve found that single serving recipes work best for me to stay on track! Single serving recipes are also great for someone who lives alone, but they’re easy to double if you’re cooking for another person as well!

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Oatmeal Stuffed Baked Apple
Serves 1

1 Fuji Apple
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp Earth Balance Olive Oil Buttery Spread (or coconut oil)

Preheat oven to 375. Wash and carefully hollow out the apple making sure not to cut too deep through the bottom of the apple. Mix oats, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon together and pour into the apple. Fill the bottom of a small baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water. Place the apple in the baking dish lined with water. Place 1/4 tsp of Earth Balance or coconut oil on top of the oats. Bake for 30 minutes.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: apple
Whole Grain: oats
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: Earth Balance or Coconut Oil

Rabbit Food Meal Tip: Complete this meal with a cup of milk, or 1 cup of Greek yogurt as your serving of protein.

Caramel Date Sauce

Greetings from Dallas!
Do any of my bunnies have suggestions for some restaurants or shops I should visit?
I always love visiting Texas because everyone here is so sweet.
Speaking of sweet, I have a sweet treat for y’all today!

Fall is the time for candy apples, bathed in gooey caramel! This caramel date sauce is soooo easy to make and so perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth (like myself)! Dip apple slices in it for a sweet snack, or add it on top of your yogurt! My Caramel Date Sauce is vegan, gluten free, refined sugar-free, and low fat, so go ahead, indulge!

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Caramel Date Sauce

1 cup Medjool dates, packed
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Remove pits from dates. Place dates and water in a jar or container and soak overnight or about 6 hours. Transfer the dates and their soaking water to a food processor and add the vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Mini {vegan} Pumpkin Pies

As promised, I have a fun pumpkin recipe for my little bunnies! These Mini Pumpkin Pies are vegan, refined sugar-free, flour-less, and gluten-free!

Natural Delights sent me a box of fresh Medjool dates, so I experimented using them as a natural sweetener in my pumpkin pie filling. My taste testers (a.k.a Matt and my sister, Jessica) loved how the pumpkin filling turned out. I bet it would be uhhh-mazing as a parfait or with yogurt and granola!

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Mini-Vegan-Pumpkin-Pies-1Studded Pumpkins can be found on RachelGeorge.com.

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Mini {vegan} Pumpkin Pies
Makes 12

For the Crust:
2 cups rolled oats (uncontaminated gluten-free oats)
1 1/2 cups walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup agave
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

For the Filling:
1 cup canned pumpkin purree
5 medjool dates, pitted
1 Tbsp almond milk
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse oats until flour consistency. Next add nuts, spices, and remaining crust ingredients until a dough consistency is formed. Spray a regular sized muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Evenly distribute the dough and press down into each sprayed muffin tin, forming little crusts. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes. While the crusts are baking, combine pumpkin puree, Medjool dates, almond milk, spices, and vanilla extract in a food processor and blend until smooth. When the crusts have finished baking, remove from oven and let them cool completely. Once crusts have cooled, remove from the tin with a knife. Fill each crust evenly with pumpkin mixture. Store in refrigerator.

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