Treats

Treats

Breakfast, Recipes, Treats, Vegan

Sunburst Muffins

I spent some time playing in the kitchen for my second ever, vegan baking experiment from Love Food Eat. I used a healthy mixture of whole-wheat flour & almond flour, along with all natural honey, and unsweetened applesauce in place of oil. After I mixed up my batter, I could not stop licking the spatula! I’m so glad there are no raw eggs in this recipe, because I probably would’ve been sick after that little taste test! I know that some strict vegans do not consider honey to truly be vegan because it is made by bees, but since it does not actually contain any animal product, I still incorporate it in some of my vegan recipes. If you do not feel that honey works into your diet, you could try an alternative like agave or maple syrup! I have not experimented with these sweet alternatives, but I would love to hear if anyone tries!

Question: Do you think that honey should be considered vegan or not?

These muffins are like a little burst of sunshine. They have a warm, mildly sweet flavor with a punch of citrus. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning! Sunburst Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup finely grated carrots
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine ground flaxseed with water. Set aside and stir occasionally until it forms into a sticky/gooey texture (like an egg). In a mixing bowl, combine and mix all dry ingredients (whole-wheat flour, almond flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and turmeric). In a separate mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients (orange juice, applesauce, honey, grated carrots) along with the golden raisins, and the flaxseed mixture. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin/cupcake liners. Carefully pour the batter into the liners. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Breakfast, Desserts, Lunch, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Gargantuan Green Giant

Prepare yourselves for the greenest green smoothie ever:
THE GARGANTUAN GREEN GIANT!

I was really craving ice cream the other night so instead of giving in, I started experimenting in the kitchen. I pulled out all of my favorite ingredients at the moment and decided to combine them into a smoothie. It turned out soooo creamy and actually tasted like a sugar cookie. Strange how those things work, right? Use healthy ingredients… end up with a creamy melty sweet treat! I love when that happens! Although I had this for dessert, I would probably have it for a meal because it has a great balance of whole grains, produce, and healthy fat. All you need is some protein powder and you would be good to go! The smoothie ended up being pretty big, so I told myself that I would only have half and save the rest for later. Well, that didn’t happen… and then I ended up wide awake pinning things on Pinterest! You guys are going to love this one! It’s a huge energy booster and so healthy, yet extremely delicious! Plus it is really hearty and filling, you won’t be hungry again for hours.

The ingredient list may look overwhelming and long, but everything can be found at Whole Foods or your local health food store. To get more organized and make the process faster, get out all of the measuring cups and ingredients and put them on the counter before you begin. This way everything will be easily accessible and ready to scoop and blend!

Gargantuan Green Giant
Serves 1

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups fresh spinach
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 Tbsp almonds
2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp Spirulina powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 drops liquid stevia or other natural sweetener
6 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy cold.
Note: If you do not have a high powered blender such as Vitamix or Blendtec, start by blending the hard ingredients (i.e. almonds, oats, and spinach) with the almond milk to ensure they are thoroughly blended. Then gradually add the other ingredients. You could use a Tbsp more of almond milk or water to get the blender running smoothly because this smoothie is rather thick.
Side Note: If your blender cannot handle almonds at all, substitute for 1 Tbsp of unsalted almond butter.

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Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ch Ch Ch Chia Pudding

Ch ch ch chia!
I loveeee Chia Seeds! My sister and I just finished off this entire jar of Ch Ch Ch Chia Pudding! And I can’t stop saying CH CH CH CHIA! Somebody, make it stop!

There is much more to these seeds, than the power to grow a pet out of a terra cotta pot! Chia seeds are the latest craze in superfoods and healthy plant-based fat. Do you think that Joe Pedott, the creator of the famous Chia Pet had any idea that these would later be considered a superfood?

What is a Chia seed?
The Chia plant (Salvia hispanica) is a member of the mint family that’s native to Mexico and Guatemala. Chia seeds are often eaten raw, but can also be soaked in liquid to form a gelatinous mixture. Chia seeds can also be ground into a powder for baking.

What do they taste like?
Chia seeds don’t really taste like anything. Their flavor is practically non-existent, but he magic is in the texture. When combined with water or liquid, they absorb 9 times their weight in water, forming a gel-like consistency. They are great in smoothies and oatmeal because they add texture and a thicker consistency. The proof is in the pudding… ha ha ha

Why Chia?
Chia seeds are an amazing source of plant-based fat, and are especially high in Omega 3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. They also contain a large amount of Fiber, which aids with weight loss by keeping your stomach feeling full. Last but not least, these tiny little seeds are filled with powerful antioxidants to help rid our bodies of free radicals, and Magnesium and Potassium. Talk about big things in small packages!

Depending on the brand, 1 Tablespoon of dry Chia seeds tallies up to about 55 calories, 5g of Fat, 5g of Carbohydrate, 6g of Fiber, 3g of Protein.

Below is an example of dry chia seeds before they have swelled, and after they have been left in liquid for 10 minutes.

Ch Ch Ch Chia Pudding
serves 2

¼ cup whole chia seeds
¾ cup unsweetened almond milk (I love Almond Breeze by Blue Diamond!)
½ ripe banana
1 Tbsp rolled oats
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
4-6  drops of liquid stevia or other natural sweetener to taste

Set the dry Chia seeds aside in their own bowl – they will be added last. In a blender, combine almond milk, banana, rolled oats, cinnamon, vanilla, and sweetener. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture and whole chia seeds into a jar and stir. Refrigerate for 10 minutes and stir again. Let the pudding stand in the refrigerator for 10 more minutes until the chia seeds have expanded. Enjoy cold. Or prepare them and leave in the refrigerator overnight like overnight oats.
Note: I use unsweetened almond milk and add my own vanilla and stevia, but you could use sweetened vanilla almond milk if you would like. If so, omit the vanilla extract and sweetener from the recipe.

Adapted from Eating Bird Food 

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Recipes, Treats, Vegan

Healthy Vegan Banana Bread

Would you ever guess that this loaf of banana bread is healthy?!
Not only is it vegan and made from whole-wheat flour, but it does not contain any refined sugar, oil, or dairy!

I love bananas, in fact I think they are my favorite fruit (at the moment)!
I love them right out of the peel, dried as chips, frozen and dipped in chocolate, sliced on my almond butter toast, blended in my smoothies, and of course hot and gooey in my banana bread.

I had a huge bunch of bananas that were about to go bad yesterday, and my freezer was already filled with a bag of frozen bananas, so I decided to experiment with my very first vegan baking recipe from Love Food Eat. I love vegan baking because it’s always a challenge to substitute dairy products, and you can lick the entire bowl of batter without getting sick! While I was at it, I wanted to attempt to make the healthiest banana bread possible, without the use of oil, butter, shortening, eggs, or sugar!


Vegan Banana Bread

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 cups very ripe mashed banana
1/3 cup Medjool dates – finely chopped
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, combine ground flaxseed with water. Set aside and stir occasionally until it forms into a sticky/gooey texture. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon). Mash the banana and chop dates. Add mashed banana, dates, and flaxseed mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until it turns into a dough. Lightly coat a baking pan in nonstick cooking spray. Pour the dough into the pan and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 55-60 minutes until edges are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

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Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Quinoa Flax Crackers

This is my first experiment with homemade crackers. Sometimes I like to eat my Maple Quinoa Cereal dry as a snack, which gave me the idea to turn it into a savory cracker.

I love eating these plain, but my favorite topping is a dollop of  Laughing Cow Spreadable Light Creamy Swiss Cheese, with chopped bosc pear, and a hint of fresh cracked black pepper!

These crackers do not contain any flours or oils and in fact only consist of 5 ingredients! You could use this recipe as a guideline to make different flavored crackers by changing the seasonings and seeds on top! Next time I may try a sweet sesame poppy seed cracker! Mmmm, the possibilities are endless!

Quinoa Flax Crackers
Makes about 40 crackers

2 cups cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp finely ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp  salt-free Italian seasoning (I used Frontier)
¼ tsp ground sea salt
1-2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine quinoa, flaxseed, seasoning, and salt in a food processor and blend until a dough-like consistency if formed.  Spread the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (do not use wax paper). Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and flatted with a rolling pin until it has spread into a thin layer. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top of the flattened dough. Place parchment paper on top and lightly roll the seeds in so they stick. Remove top layer of parchment paper and cut the dough into 1in x 1in squares. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges become golden.

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