Snacks

Snacks

Desserts, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip

I am always looking for the healthiest alternatives to my favorite foods. One of my favorite things to do with friends is bake. You know… typical girls! Most of my “girls baking nights” used to consist of Funfetti cake mix, a package of break and bake cookie dough, and more “sampling” than actually baking. I love doughs and batters, in fact I cannot get enough! When my sister and I used to make cookies and cakes with my mom, we would both argue over who got to lick the bowl and who got to lick the spoon. So glad we never ended up with salmonella! Yikes!

I have come to the conclusion that I love vegan baking because it’s challenging and fun, but really because you can eat all the batter you want without getting sick from raw eggs! On top of using only plant based products for baking (with the addition of natural salt), I try not to use any refined sugar, making my treats pretty much guilt-free.

While eating hummus the other day, something struck me. Why not use chickpeas as a base for a sweet treat? My friend and I made cupcakes from chickpeas before, so I thought it was worth a try to master another dessert. Not only is this a fun appetizer or dip for a party, but these fabulous little legumes are a great source of fiber and protein to keep you full and satisfied.

Now let’s talking about some dipping action!
Apple slices, whole-grain pretzels, graham crackers, toast, the possibilities are endless!
Question: What would you use to dip into your bowl of Chickpea Cookie Dough?

My recipe is an adapted version from Chocolate Covered Katie’s Cookie Dough Dip. To make the dip as healthy as it could possibly be, I made a few adjustments to the original recipe:

omit baking soda
only 3 Tbsp almond butter
2 Tbsp rolled oats
no extra milk

Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
Makes about 2.5 cups of dough
keep servings to 2Tbsp per person/snack

1 15oz can of chickpeas
1 + 1/4 cup pitted medjool dates
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chocolate chips (of your choice, you could use carob chips for a vegan option)
3 Tbs almond butter
2 Tbsp rolled oats
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda

Remove pits from the dates and place in a bowl or jar with 1/2 cup of water. Cover the bowl or jar and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (or overnight). Strain and rinse the chickpeas. After dates have soaked, combine the chickpeas, dates (including their soaking liquid), almond butter, oats, vanilla, and salt in a food processor, excluding the chocolate chips. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Remove dough from the for processor and gently mix in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate and serve cold.

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Breakfast, Snacks, Toast Tuesdays, Treats

Cherry Almond Toast

It’s snack time. Toast Tuesday. Nom nom. ‘Nuff said!

I’ve been making a lot of savory toast recently, and today I wanted something sweet. If you haven’t tried almond butter before, you need to jump on board the almond butter train! In a nutshell, almonds contain protein, fiber, vitamin E, calcium & tons of other essential vitamins & minerals, and are an outstanding source of monounsaturated fat! With their outstanding nutritional value and great health benefits, you could go nuts with almonds! Oh, and may I just add, that that my favorite way to eat heart healthy almonds, is in butter form.

Almond butter is slowly appearing in grocery stores all over. I usually buy my Almond butter at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, but I have seen it at Ralph’s, Kroger, Bristol Farms, and even Target! If you cannot find almond butter in a store near you, you could also make it your self in a high powered food processor or blender out of whole almonds. After all, your almond butter should only consist of almonds anyway. No added oils, sugar, or salt!


Cherry Almond Toast
Serves 1

1 slice whole-grain bread
1Tbsp unsalted almond butter
1/4 cup unsweetened dried cherries
cinnamon to taste

Toast the bread, spread with almond butter, top with dried cherries, and add cinnamon to taste.

 

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Desserts, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Chocolate Tofudding

As you know, I love experimenting with vegan cooking & baking. I think that it’s a fun challenge to make versions of my favorite treats without any animal products. My latest experiment was a vegan Chocolate Tofudding, made from only 3 ingredients: tofu, cocoa powder, and honey!  Top it with some raw cacao nibs, and you have a gorgeous easy to prepare dessert or afternoon snack!

Chocolate Tofudding
Makes 4 servings

1 package silken tofu
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp honey

Remove as much water from tofu as possible. Combine tofu, cocoa powder, and honey in a food processor and blend until smooth. Tofudding can be eaten right away, but I suggest refrigerating the tofudding for about one hour until it thickens.

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Recipes, Snacks, Toast Tuesdays, Vegetarian

Fresh Avocado Multi-Grain Toast

Mmmmm, It’s Toast Tuesday again!

It is getting hot here in Los Angeles! Today I was craving some fresh avocado, and I just happened to have one chilling in the fridge. Fresh avo with a dash of lemon juice, salt, and pepper topped on a slice of multi-grain bread makes a delicious summer snack!

Avocado Toast1

Fresh Avocado Multi-Grain Toast
Serves 1

1 slice Milton’s Healthy Multi-Grain bread
1/2 Hass Avocado
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Remove half of the avocado from skin and cut into thin slices. Toast the bread, top with avocado slices, drizzle with fresh lemon juice, and sprinkle with a dash of salt & pepper to taste.

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Contests & Giveaways, Desserts, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegetarian

Healthy Cookies + Chobani Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to RFFMBT reader: Kimberly, winner of the Chobani Giveaway!

All of the submissions looked so delicious, and I had such a hard time selecting just one winner! Kimberly’s Healthy Beet Cookies were so innovative and creative that I just had to give them a try. I love that her recipe doesn’t contain any added sugar or oil, making them totally rabbit food approved! I have to say that these are probably the prettiest cookies I have ever seen. The bright fuchsia color is absolutely stunning, and I enjoyed the warm flavor with earthy notes. What show stoppers! Thank you for your awesome recipe, Kimberly! Check your email for details about receiving your prize!

Thank you to Chobani and everyone who entered the giveaway, I loved everyone’s fabulous combinations and healthy recipes containing Greek yogurt!
Hopefully I will have the opportunity to host some more giveaways in the future!

Healthy Beet Cookies
Recipe By: Kimberly
Makes 24 cookies 

6 oz 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek Yogurt
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 egg
1 medium beet – peeled and chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp raspberry extract
1 tsp baking powder

Topping
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
10 unsalted roasted almonds – ground
24 dark chocolate covered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine chopped beet, egg, and extracts in a high powered blender or food processor and blend thoroughly until there are no beet bits leftover. Add yogurt and continue blending until completely combined. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder. Pour beet and yogurt mixture into flour mixture, followed by ½ cup raw shredded coconut. Stir until the batter is well combined. Place batter in the freezer for about 15 minutes so it can set and be more manageable. While the batter cools in the freezer, grind almonds in a blender or food processor. After the almonds are ground, combine in a bowl with ¼ cup coconut. Remove batter from the freezer, and spoon dough into 1in wide balls and dip in almond and coconut mixture. Place each ball onto a cookie sheet and lightly flatten with fingers. Bake for 10 minutes. After removing from the oven, instantly push a dark chocolate almond on top of each cookie. Allow cookies to cool before consuming.

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