Author: Amy Lyons O’Neil

Black Bean Jalapeno Hummus

One of my old coworkers at the deli used to call a big pot of black beans on the stove a “pot of doom”. It does sort of look like a witches brew…the beans coloring the water an almost blueish green black bubbling away. Funny, because one of my friends once asked if we cackle as we stir our big pots on the stove. No…but I still think of that every time I see a big pot of black beans and it makes me laugh. One of those moments where the people around me are wondering why the heck I am laughing when I was previously silent. Anyways, black beans are some serious deliciousness when prepared correctly, and really they turn from a pot of doom to a pot of black savory goodness once drained.

I made a bunch at home last week for a recipe and I had extra, so I decided to make some hummus with them. I am on a huge hummus kick lately. I like it for my afternoon snack with veggies, and it is a good dose of protein and fiber. This last batch was so good that I decided I needed to share the recipe with you. It is a little spicy, since I added jalapeno and chipotle powder, but that is just how I like it.

It is good with veggies as I said, but I also like it with crackers. It would be good on sandwiches, or as a dip to serve to company over the Holidays and for the Superbowl with tortilla chips. It is super easy to make if your beans are already cooked, and of course it keeps well for at least a week, so you can even make it ahead of time. I know it would not win any beauty contests, but if you wanted to jazz up presentation, sprinkle it with some sliced green onions or pomegranate seeds.

Black Bean Jalapeno Hummus

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2 1/2 cups cooked black beans
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground chipotle or to taste
sea salt to taste

For the hummus, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in a sealed container.

December 18, 2015
Vegan Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

I was in a big brownie sort of mood on my day off. It was raining and sleeting outside, it was dark and dreary…but I was in a good mood! Because I was in my kitchen in my pjs listening to Christmas music and whipping up a batch of brownies! Now who wouldn’t be in a good mood with that?! Anyways, I didn’t just want to make plain old brownies. I wanted to make something festive with a bit of color. I decided on peppermint cheesecake.

I love how pretty candy canes look on top of brownies and such, but I am not a fan of what goes into them. Loads and loads of processed sugar. So, I was going to add a bit of natural green color in the cheesecake portion of my brownies. I made this luscious mint cheesecake mixture from cashew butter and coconut milk, and it was divine! My special ingredient that no one need know about was a bit of spinach for color. Don’t worry you could not taste it. It just makes the loveliest hue of green.

I poured it over my favorite brownie batter recipe, and was super excited about this. They smelled heavenly! There is just something very happy about the aroma of brownies. I topped them off with dark chocolate chunks and I could not wait for them to cool so I could do a taste test. Not that I hadn’t already tasted the batter, the cheesecake part and the chocolate chunks…because everything needs to be quality control tested right? Anyways, they were wonderful once they had cooled.

Fudgy, rich, and minty. Christmasy, but these could really be made any time of the year when you are feeling in the brownie making mood. I hope you are all having a wonderful Holiday season!

Vegan Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

Makes 16

Cheesecake swirl:

3/4 cup thick coconut milk (from the top of a chilled can)

1/2 cup cashew butter

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/8 tsp sea salt

1 tsp mint extract

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 handful spinach leaves

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch

Brownies:

1/2 cup plus olive oil

3 Tbsp applesauce

1 1/3 cups coconut sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp reduced aquafaba or 2 flax eggs*

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract

1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chunks

To make the swirl, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

To make the brownies, pre-heat the oven to 375F degrees. Whisk together the sugar, olive oil and applesauce until well combined and the sugar is starting to break down. Add the aquafaba, mint and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour, cacao powder and sea salt and beat until smooth. Scrape the batter into a greased 8×8 inch pan, then pour the swirl over it. Scatter the chocolate chunks over that. Place in the oven, and Bake for about 30 minutes or until set (but do not over bake). Let cool before cutting into bars.

*The aquafaba is the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas. You want it to be thick like egg whites. If you are wanting to make flax eggs, simply mix together 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds, and 6 Tbsp filtered water and let sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.

December 16, 2015
Raw Cranberry Pecan Chevre Log

When I was a kid, I loved anything cheese. I remember being super excited when my Mom made a cheese ball for a family gathering. It was the best thing ever in my 8 year old mind. I still love cheese as an adult…but now it is vegan cheese. I am not a big fan of most of the mass produced store bought vegan cheeses, so I make my own and I love it! My Grandma always had some sort of cheese out as part of the snacks she served on Christmas, so now I think it is kind of tradition to still have cheese, or a cheese log. My cheese of choice now is chevre.

But a log of chevre on its own isn’t very pretty or interesting albeit delicious, so I added some cranberries for flare and pecans for crunch on the outside. It is really pretty simple to make, so long as you have time to let it set overnight. I use a mixture of coconut and cashews in mine because it is more affordable that way, and I like the slightly sweet flavor the coconut adds. It is really a delicious combination! I also use probiotics and lemon juice in mine to give it that goat cheese tang. It was so delicious this time! I hadn’t made it in a while so I had sort of missed it.

When I told Eric I was making some, he was all like “Hell yeah! Love that stuff”! It was one of the first things I served him when we first started dating, a salad with chevre and fruit on it. He gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow. He loved raw chevre ever since then. And, trust me, you will too once you try it! This is the perfect thing to serve around the Holidays! You don’t even have to tell people it is vegan, because they probably wont believe you since it tastes just as delicious as the dairy version.

Raw Cranberry Pecan Chevre Log

Serves 6-8

1/2 cup young coconut meat, packed

1/2 cup raw cashew butter or macadamia nut butter

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp probiotic powder

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup chopped pecans

In a food processor or high speed blender, combine the coconut meat, cashew butter, sea salt, lemon juice, and probiotic powder, and blend until smooth. Scoop into a bowl, and cover. Let sit out overnight, until it is tangy (give the probiotics a chance to work). Once it is tangy, mix in the cranberries, and place in the refrigerator until chilled. Once chilled, scoop onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and use it to shape into a log (kind of rolling it on the inside of the plastic). Spread out pecans on a plate, and then roll the cheese log in it using the plastic to assist you so it does not stick to your hands. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up before serving. Keeps for about 1 week in the refrigerator.

December 15, 2015
Vegan Red Berry Hibiscus Crisp

I have been really digging cranberries lately. Maybe it is because I kind of miss tart summer berries, and when baked into desserts, they are kind of similar. Nice and jammy, sweet and tart when combined with just the right ingredients. Or maybe the fact that I am missing warmer weather when the sun is out until 8 o’clock at night. It gets dark so early that by the time I get off work there is no sun. So I try and soak up as much as possible on the weekends. Since I can’t have summer, I made a vegan crisp with flavors that reminded me of it, but with seasonal ingredients. By seasonal, I mean cranberries and pecans.

I did lace those cranberries with frozen raspberries, so I am calling this a red berry crisp. I also added another unique flavor to it, hibiscus. L.C. Finns makes a hibiscus extract that I have been dying to try using in something, and this was my chance. I have paired hibiscus with berries before and loved it.

For the topping, I had to include oats. I know not everyone includes them in their crisp, but I consider them an essential item in mine for crunch. I also added pecans, because it just seemed right. It smelled amazing while baking. I could not wait to try it. My patience paid off and I was rewarded with deliciousness. I was a little selfish with this one. I know it says two servings, but it was one Amy serving. I had this all to myself, and it was wonderful.

Vegan Red Berry Hibiscus Crisp

Serves 2

Fruit:
6 oz frozen raspberries
1 12 oz frozen cranberries
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp dried hibiscus flowers, rehydrated (soak in warm water for 30 minutes and drain)
3 Tbsp all purpose gluten free flour
2 tsp organic orange zest
1 Tbsp orange juice
2 tsp L.C. Finns pure hibiscus extract
2 tsp L.C. Finns pure vanilla extract

Topping:
3 Tbsp all purpose gluten free flour
2 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple sugar
2 Tbsp melted coconut butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
one 5 or 6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil the pie plate or bowl with cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss together the berries, maple syrup, orange juice and zest, vanilla, hibiscus extract, hibiscus flowers and flour. Spoon into prepared bowls or pie plates, and cover with foil. Place plates on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling. Meanwhile, to make the topping, combine the flour, sugar, coconut oil and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, or 2 knives, cut butter into the flour until it is in pea sized chunks and clumping together. Add oats coconut, and with hands, squeeze the mixture together forming larger chunks as well as incorporating the oats and coconut until it is evenly distributed as you go. Place in the fridge until the crisps are ready to top. When the fruit has baked for 45 minutes, and is bubbling, remove from the oven and top with the crisp mixture. Place back in the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown and toasted (keep a close eye on it as coconut burns very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm…enjoy!

December 14, 2015
Vegan Cranberry Pecan Sandies

My Mom and I used to make these cranberry pecan butter cookies when I was little, and they were delicious. They melted in your mouth, and they were super simple to make. She was just telling me I should make a veganized version this year, and so I decided to. Although, mine would not require any chilling time, or rolling. The original version was a slice and bake, but I wanted mine to be roll and bake. Or, I suppose you could drop and bake, but I like to roll them.

Plus, I enjoy making cookies, it is relaxing and actually something I love to do in the evening after work. Cookies like this are easy, and sampling the dough along the way is one of my favorite things. This dough was good too! Yeah, I am one of those people that likes the dough better than baked and cooled cookies. Warm cookies before they get cool are almost as good as the dough though. Anyways, this dough was crave worthy, thanks to the pecan butter I included in place of some of the butter. I usually just use coconut oil in place of the butter, but this time I wanted to try something different.

What resulted were super buttery melt in your mouth cookies. Laced with chewy cranberries, and crunchy pecans, these were heavenly! I think my Mom will be please when I share some with her. I like these better than those ones we used to make, as good as they were. What is your favorite type of Holiday cookie?

Vegan Cranberry Pecan Sandies
makes about 10 cookies

1/2 cup pecan butter
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened, but not liquid
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the pecan butter, coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Add the sea salt and flour and mix until well combined. Stir in the pecans and cranberries.
Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place a few inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Press down on them just slightly. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until they are starting to brown at the edges.
Remove from oven and let cool.

December 13, 2015
Raw Mini Caramel Apple Tartlettes

Apple crumble and apple pie are one of my favorite desserts this time of the year. And I was craving some hard core this week. So, I had to make something to satisfy that craving of course! I did not however want to bake one, I wanted this to be a raw dessert. I have been making a lot of pies lately but none of them have been raw, so it felt like it was about time. I like a little variety when it comes to my food. They have different, but both good textures and flavors so I like to switch off. Anyways, this time I ended up making raw caramel apple tartlettes. When I know I will just be sharing with Eric, sometimes I like to make a smaller portion.

Tartlettes are perfect for that! For these, I used pecans in the crunchy crust, and they were sooo good. I am a huge pecan fan, they taste almost caramelly when combined with some fruits. They go especially well with apples! For the filling, I added in some crasins with the apples to make it pretty and add tart little bursts of flavor. I like my apple desserts a little tart along with the sweet. I drizzled the tartlettes with a simple caramel sauce to add even more delicious flavor. These were simply heavenly! Usually having a fruit dessert requires having some ice cream or coconut cream with it. But these needed no adornment! They had crunch from the crust and nuts, jammy sweet apple filling and sticky caramel. Such a crave worthy combination!

Raw Mini Caramel Apple Tartlettes

Makes 2

Crust:

2/3 cup raw pecan pieces

2/3 cup sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat

1/2 cup soft medjool dates, pitted

1/8 tsp sea salt

Filling:

1 large honeycrisp apple (or other tart sweet apple), sliced into small 1/2 inch pieces

2 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

1/8 tsp sea salt

juice of one lemon

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Topping:

2 Tbsp chopped pecans

2 Tbsp raw pecan butter

1 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

pinch sea salt

filtered water as needed

For the crust, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until finely ground and sticking together when squeezed (if it is not sticking, add add a few tsp filtered water). Press into the bottoms and up the sides of 2 4 inch removable bottom tart pans. Set aside in the refrigerator.

To make the filling, toss the apples with the coconut nectar, and spread out on a lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for about 4 hours, until softened. Toss with the other filling ingredients, and spoon into the prepared crusts.

Sprinkle the tarts with pecans. Whisk togehter the pecan butter, coconut nectar, sea salt, and enough water to form a “caramel” sauce that is thin enough to drizzle, but still a little thick. Drizzle over the tarts, and serve!

December 11, 2015
Festive Pomegranate Slaw

It has been really unseasonably warm here lately. It is supposed to be almost winter, and normally we have lots of snow on the ground by now and I am running in a Winter wonderland with solid lakes and sparkling icicles hanging from the trees, but instead it is brown. Don’t get me wrong, I wish it never got below 40F degrees in Minnesota and I could live without the snow but it is just weird not to have it. And I am craving more non-wintery foods too. I whipped up a salad to pack in my lunches this week, and it was festive, yet fresh. Kind of goes with the weather we are experiencing at the moment. But I think this might actually be something that would be lovely to serve at the Holidays too since we often times serve lots of rich foods and this would be good to offset that.

It is a simple salad, yet so good. Shredded red cabbage, pomegranate seeds, scallions, cranberries and parsley in a citrus vinaigrette. So tasty, and it is actually detoxifying thanks to all of the healthful ingredients. I enjoyed it with some baked tempeh, but you can serve it with whatever you like. Now I have something to be excited about in my lunches this week. The best part about this besides it tasting good, is how quick it is to make!

Festive Pomegranate Slaw

Serves 2-4

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Dressing:

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp orange juice

2 tsp each orange and lemon zest

1 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp olive oil

sea salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, and toss well to coat the veggies with the dressing. Serve!

December 8, 2015
Vegan Cranberry Orange Hand Pies

I am still on my wanting to make some sort of pie every week kick. But I don’t want to be boring and make the same thing twice, so I decided to try something new. Just pure cranberry pie. You know, cranberries are usually mixed with something else like apples, or pears or whatnot, but you don’t see many just cranberry pies. I wanted the flavor of this, and the bulk of it to be cranberry. I let orange tag along, but cranberry was still the star.

I made a dessert worthy cranberry filling made in the same manor I make my cranberry sauce for the Holidays, and it was delicious, and jammy, and tart sweet and aromatic. As it should be. Then I made some simple gluten free pecan laced pie dough to wrap it in. These were not really fancy or fussy, which was nice for a weeknight evening when I did not have a lot of time. They baked up quickly, and I was able to enjoy my pie in no time!

Next time you have leftover cranberries…you know what to make. These are portable, holdable pies, and I love that! Perfect for sharing. I think the cranberry does not get enough love sometimes. It is rarely the star, and these pies allow it to shine. Not only that, they are festive. Happy Holidays everyone!

Vegan Cranberry Orange Hand Pies

Makes 8

Filling:

4 cups fresh cranberries

1/2 cup orange juice

1 Tbsp orange zest

2/3 cup coconut sugar

2 tsp L.C. Finns pure vanilla extract

2 tsp L.C. Finns ginger extract, or 2 tsp minced ginger

pinch sea salt

Crust:

2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

1/2 cup finely ground pecans (the consistency of almond meal)

1/4 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup coconut oil in its solid state

about 6-7 Tbsp cold water

Glaze:

3 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid

1 Tbsp maple syrup

pinch sea salt

3-4 Tbsp filtered water or as needed

To make the filling, combine all ingredients but the extracts in a medium pot, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the cranberries have popped, and remove from heat. Add the extracts, and stir to blend. Set aside.

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, pecans, sugar, sea salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add more water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created. Roll out into a rectangle using floured parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. Cut into 8 circles (re-rolling scraps if needed, and if the dough gets too warm and sticky, briefly chill it in the freezer. You want it to be kept cool, or it will tear easier).

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Spoon the filling onto the middle of the prepared little crust circles, and fold in half carefully, pressing the edge where it is open, and crimping with a fork. Bake for about 30 minutes until the crusts are starting to brown lightly. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack until warm.

Whisk glaze ingredients together until smooth (adding more water if too thick, you want it to be pourable). Spoon some of the glaze over each pop tart, and smooth it out to cover the top. Let set before serving.

December 6, 2015
Vegan Eggnog Waffles

My Dad gave me a “Frozen” (as in the Disney movie) waffle maker last week, and I was pretty excited about it. Mainly because the waffle mold inside is shaped like a snowflake, and it is now snowing here and practically Winter. Yes, I know I am a kid sometimes getting excited about things, but I mean come on…it is so cute! And who doesn’t like fun waffles?! Or just waffles in general. They were always a treat growing up, and my Mom had a pretty great recipe that always turned out perfect. I liked mine with just a bit of butter and strawberries the best.

I venture out a bit more now in the waffle world. Rarely do I make just plain old waffles. Not that there is anything wrong with those, but I like to think outside the box flavor wise. I had just made a batch of vegan eggnog, and I decided it would be awesome in waffles. Eric has been mentioning eggnog quite a bit, since he loves the stuff and gets excited every year when it is eggnog season (like so excited he drank an entire batch one time, like a gallon). So, I knew he would love it too if I made eggnog waffles too.

I kind of created a new waffle recipe here, it is different than the one I usually use but it turned out awesome. I used aquafaba as the eggs, and eggnog in place of the milk, and these turned out crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle just as waffles should be! I dusted them with a bit of powdered sugar then just served with a little maple syrup. Call me weird, but this is dessert, as well as breakfast. I actually ate these for dessert, because they were so good. These would make the perfect treat for a chilly Winter weekend morning when you don’t feel like going, out, just staying in and staying warm. And, just in case you have any leftovers, they freeze well. Just pop them in the toaster! I saved some that way for Eric, since I ended up making more than I had intended.

Vegan Eggnog Waffles

makes 10-12 depending on your waffle maker

Batter:

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp aquafaba*

2 Tbsp melted coconut oil

2 cups vegan eggnog (recipe follows)

coconut powdered sugar for serving (optional)**

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients, then whisk in the wet ingredients. Pre-heat waffle iron. Once it is heated, add about 1/3 cup waffle batter to the iron and close it (the size of the scoop of batter you need may change if you have a larger iron, mine is smaller). Cook according to waffle iron package directions. Keep warm in an oven at low heat (150F degrees). Dust waffles with coconut powdered sugar if desired before serving.

*Aquafaba is chickpea liquid. You may used canned, or if you are using the liquid from home cooked chickpeas, reduce it to the consistency of egg whites. Alternatively, you may use 3 flax eggs for the recipe (3 Tbsp ground flaxseed, whisked together with 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp filtered water).

**To make coconut powdered sugar, buzz 1/2 cup finely shredded, dried coconut and 1/4 cup coconut sugar or xylitol in a high speed blender for about 30 seconds until fine like flour.

Amy’s Vegan Eggnog

Makes about 4 cups

2 cups full fat coconut milk (you may use light if you would prefer it less rich)

2 cups filtered water

1/3 cup maple syrup (or a few dropperfuls stevia for sugar free)

1 cup macadamia nuts or cashews, soaked in filtered water for 4 hours, and drained

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

pinch sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Serve!

December 5, 2015
Raw Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Nut Butter

You know what always makes me happy? Nut butter. Not that other things don’t make me happy too, but as far as foods go…pure happiness in a jar. But it has to be the good stuff. Nothing artificial, not sugary or filled with oils that don’t belong in there, preferably home made. I mean, if Eric gave me jars of nut butter for Christmas, I would really feel loved…mostly because he paid attention enough to know how much I love it! I am one of those people that liked gifts that are well thought out, not necessarily expensive. When someone thinks about what I would use or appreciate or that would make me happy. I made some really awesome nut butter this week that would be a wonderful food gift for the Holidays (but don’t limit it to that, cause this is year round goodness). Chocolate chunk cookie dough nut butter.

I used a mixture of nuts for this one to get the flavor and texture right. Almonds for sweetness, walnuts for richness and thickness, and pecans for a caramel like flavor. It turned out to be just the right combination, because it tasted amazing, and cookie dough like once I added some coconut sugar and vanilla. With the chocolate chunks, even better! This stuff is damn addictive let me tell you. I like mine straight up out of the jar, but you could be a little more civilized and eat it spread on toast, or stirred into oatmeal or with apple slices. So good. If you give this as a gift, not only will the recipient be impressed that you made something so good, but they will feel loved. That is if you can bear to give it away after tasting it. You might have to make 2 jars.

Raw Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Nut Butter
Makes about 3 cups

1 1/2 cups raw walnuts

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup raw pecans

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup raw coconut sugar

seeds of one vanilla bean

3/4 cup home made raw dark chocolate chunks, or vegan dark chocolate chunks (if they are larger, chop them a bit)

In a high speed blender, combine the nuts and sea salt and blend until smooth, using the tamper to push the mixture down into the blades. Add the coconut sugar and vanilla beans to the blender and blend until well incorporated, then stir in the chocolate chunks. Pour into a jar.

December 2, 2015
Vegan Molten Dark Chocolate Cakes

Last weekend was Eric’s Birthday. We have spent 3 years together and in those 3 years he has been my best friend. We do pretty much everything together when we have days off, enjoying nature most of the time, visiting new or familiar places and seeing things we have never seen, and having long talks about nothing at all. But it makes us happy. He puts up with my craziness, and is always willing to try all of my recipes. I can tell him anything and I am not scared of what he thinks, because I know he will accept me.

I always ask Eric what kind of cake he wants for his Birthday, and this year he said “gooey chocolate”. So, molten chocolate cakes seemed like the perfect way to go. They are definitely gooey, and definitely very chocolaty. I have never actually made baked molten chocolate cake. I have made a raw version, but that is a different process. I came up with a recipe based on a few non-vegan molten chocolate cakes which was simple to make, quick, and so good.

Just 8 ingredients that you whisk together, pour into ramakins and bake. Anyone could make these. And the best part is they are sort of elegant, so you could make them for a special occasion and not have to put a lot of work into them. Me and Eric just cared how they tasted though. With 8 oz melted vegan dark chocolate, these are pretty decadent. I also added in a bit of coffee extract for depth.

My kitchen smelled amazing from these babies, and they tasted even better. My chocoholic loved them, and I think he was as happy as me with the result. I have never seen anyone love chocolate as much as Eric. The first year I met him, I made him a chocolate cake for his Birthday, and he ate it just like a toddler would. Meaning it was on his face, because he cared more about devouring it than being neat, but he didn’t care. Just sitting there smiling and enjoying it. He is still the same, but a little neater. You know I love you Eric!

Vegan Molten Dark Chocolate Cakes
Makes 3

Batter:
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid, plus more for muffin tins
1/3 cup coconut sugar, plus more for ramakins or muffin tins
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp aquafaba at room temperature*
1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp L.C. Finns coffee extract (optional)
8 ounces vegan dark chocolate, melted

Oil 3 8 oz ramakins. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
Whisk together the oil, sugar, and aquafaba. Whisk in the flour. Whisk in the vegan dark chocolate until smooth. Pour into the prepared ramakins. Place in the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until set at the edges but the middle is still liquid. Let sit for 10 minutes, then enjoy warm. Serve topped with whipped coconut cream.

*Aquafaba is chickpea liquid. If you are using home made and not canned, just make sure it is the consistency of egg whites when cooled (reduce it until it is if it is too runny).

December 1, 2015
Vegan Gingerbread Cheesecake and a L. C. Finns Extract Giveaway!

When L. C. Finns contacted me and asked if I would like to try their line of flavor extracts I was excited. I looked on their website and discovered that they make all of their extracts small batch by hand, and they are made with real ingredients! Heck yes I wanted to try them. And even better, they are located very close to where I live! I am always up for supporting local companies, especially ones like this one that use real stuff in their products.

Another thing that caught my eye was the flavors that they make. Of course there was the vanilla extract, but they also have coffee, cardamom, anise, hibiscus, cinnamon, and ginger. I don’t think I have ever seen these flavors in natural form elsewhere. When the box arrived I could not wait to open it. I immediately had to smell them. They smelled amazing. The beautiful aromas making my nose happy. And, they were all full sized bottles, how generous! I was very grateful to receive such a gift.

I had to test them out in a few recipes, my Vegan Mocha Pumpkin Bread, and my Vegan Hazelnut Cardamom Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They contributed lovely flavors to both! I decided that I needed to create something even more spectacular with them, so I made a Vegan Gingerbread Cheesecake! About 10 years ago, I had made a gingerbread cheesecake for Christmas, and it was so good. I have never attempted to veganize it until now.

I was excited about this. I could use four of the flavor extracts in it, the vanilla, the cinnamon, the ginger and the anise. I made little vegan gingerbread cookies, then used those as the base of the cheesecake, then made a luscious cheesecake filling from coconut milk flavored with the same aromatic ingredients. This was going to be sooo good!

The extracts added a special little aromatic note to the cake, it was beautiful! Are you intrigued yet about these lovely extracts? Well, guess what? L. C. Finns was kind enough to let me do a giveaway of their products. One lucky winner will get a set of all seven extracts! So, scroll to the bottom of the page to enter (US residents only please)! Or, if you would like, you can purchase the extracts for yourself L. C. Finns website HERE. These would be perfect for Christmas presents or Christmas baking.

Vegan Gingerbread Cheesecake
Makes one 6 inch cake

Crust:

1 cup crushed vegan gingerbread cookies (recipe follows)
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Filling:

1 cup gingerbread crumbs
2 15 oz cans full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp each L.C. Finns cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and anise extracts
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups coconut butter (not oil), warmed to liquid

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. To make the crust, place the 2 cups gingerbread cookies in a food processor, and process until crumbs. Add the coconut oil, and pulse until it is well incorporated. Press the crust into the bottom of a 6 inch round deep springform cake pan. Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes until it is browning a little and set. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter, in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, add the coconut butter and process a minute more (if it starts to get lumpy at all during the process it is just the fat separating because it is 2 different temperatures. Just continue to blend until it is smooth, and it will get warm so it will just have to chill longer). Pour the filling over the prepared crust, and place in the freezer to set for about 4 hours. Decorate with extra gingerbread cookies.

Mini Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Makes about 50 mini cookies

1 Tbsp ground flax seed
3 Tbsp filtered water
2 1/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp each L.C. Finns cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and anise extracts

In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and water and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and sea salt.
Whisk in the remaining ingredients, and the flax mixture until smooth. Scoop dough onto a piece of parchment, and sort of flatten with your hands. Place in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes, or until it is more firm and rollable.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F When ready to roll, flour a rolling pin, and roll the dough out 1/8 inch thick on a sheet of parchment. Cut into small shapes with a cookie cutter and place on two parchment lined baking sheets. Re-roll any scraps and cut them out as well (if at any time it gets too warm and sticky, place back in the freezer for 5-10 min).
Place cookies in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until set, a little crispy, and starting to brown at the edges. Let cool completely. You will need to crush up 2 cups for the recipe, but reserve the rest for decorating or eating.

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November 30, 2015
Vegan Hazelnut Butter Cardamom Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I bought a big old bag of hazelnuts recently, just to switch things up a bit. I am usually always buying almonds or walnuts, but the hazelnuts just sounded really good. I toasted a big pan to use in recipes, then ended up making most of it into hazelnut butter…which was really good. I snacked on some of it, but I decided that it also needed to be used in a delicious dessert as well.

I had cookies in mind. you know, like peanut butter cookies but with hazelnut butter? I am more of a soft cookie person so it sounded fabulous to me. They weren’t just going to be plain though. I wanted to include chocolate chunks as well. I could have made them really chocolaty and made the dough chocolate too, which would have made Eric even happier, but I am the type of person who likes balance. So the chocolate chunks in the non-chocolate dough sounded better at the time.

But that would have even been too plain for me. Just the chocolate chunks weren’t enough, I decided that cardamom would be lovely in these cookies as well. It is a warming spice, so perfect for this time of the year. L. C. Finn’s a local company that makes wonderful extracts recently sent me some to try, and cardamom was one of them, so I put it to use. Stay tuned, I will be talking more about L.C. Finn’s tomorrow and there will be a giveaway of their extracts! Anyways, their cardamom extract was awesome I the cookies. Light, but aromatic. They smelled amazing and tasted even better.

Vegan Hazelnut Butter Cardamom Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 12 cookies

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3 Tbsp filtered water
1 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup Dastony hazelnut butter
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid
1 tsp L.C. Finns vanilla extract
1 tsp L.C. Finns cardamom extract (or 1 tsp dried cardamom)
1 1/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup vegan chocolate chunks or chips

In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and water. Place the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes, this is your flax egg.
In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar, hazelnut butter, coconut oil, vanilla and flax egg, until smooth. Then mix in the flour, soda, baking powder, and sea salt in until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the chocolate chunks or chips.
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
Shape the cookie dough into 2 inch balls, place on your baking sheet a few inches apart and flatten slightly with your hand.
Place in the oven and bake at 375 for 12 minutes or so, until lightly browned and set. Allow to cool completely on a rack.

November 29, 2015
Vegan Mocha Pumpkin Bread

I had some leftover pumpkin from another recipe needing to be used in the fridge, and I did not want to put a lot of work into making something with it. Cake sounded good, but I have made lots of pumpkin spice cakes this year. Plus cake was a little more work than I wanted. Chocolate also sounded good, so I wanted to incorporate that, and Eric had recently suggested I make something with coffee…so what I finally decided on was pumpkin mocha bread. Quick bread…a simple cake with no layers and frosting to mess with. My mouth was watering at the thought of it. Not only was this bread going to be flavored with pumpkin spice, cacao powder and coffee, it had to have gooey chocolate chunks, because I was totally going to eat it warm.

It came together fast, and smelled like heaven while baking. I made mini loaves, so one loaf was perfect for two to share. What I got when I cut into one was gooey delicious chocolate, and soft and aromatic bread that tasted wonderful. A hint of spice, a hint of coffee, and just enough chocolate to make me and Eric happy. If you have leftover canned pumpkin and coffee after this week, now you know what to make!

Vegan Mocha Pumpkin Bread

Makes 4 mini loaves

1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin or squash
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp l. c. Finns coffee extract
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp coffee
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position rack in center of oven. Oil four small bundt pans. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, salt, and sugar in a large bowl to blend well. Whisk pumpkin, oil, vanilla extract, and coffee together in small bowl to blend well, then whisk into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in cider vinegar until pale swirls form in the batter and it is well combined. Transfer cake batter to prepared pan and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto platter; peel off parchment paper. Let cool completely.

November 25, 2015
Vegan Cheddar Thyme Biscuits

I haven’t made biscuits in ages, and I know I have never made vegan biscuits, so I decided to make some last Monday on my day off. Honestly, I had seen someone making some on a cooking show and they started to sound really good to me. I told Eric I was going to make them, and he said that his favorite biscuits were always the ones at Red Lobster. They were mine too growing up. I am sure they were from a boxed mix and none of us would eat them now, but they were sure good back then. So, I decided to make my biscuits cheddar.

I wanted something herb in them, so I decided on thyme, because it is my favorite herb in the chillier months. Plus, cheddar thyme is a delicious combination. I ended up making basically a savory version of my scone dough, because I know it turns out flaky and tender when handled properly. I did not use vegan butter in these, but instead coconut oil, because it sort of behaves like butter and I am not a big fan of fake butter.

They smelled amazing while baking, and tasted even better. I enjoyed them much more than typical non-vegan biscuits. Just goes to show that vegan foods are just as delicious. I think these would be a wonderful addition to your Holiday table.

Vegan Cheddar Thyme Biscuits
Makes 8

2 cups all purpose gluten free flour
1 cup organic cornmeal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp dried thyme
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, cut into chunks
1 cup cold full fat organic canned coconut milk (whisked until smooth if chunky)

Preheat oven to 425 with the rack set at the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces.
Add the coconut milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy (do not overmix, you want chunks of the oil in the dough or it will become tough). Press the dough into a 1 1/2 inch thick rectangle, then cut out the biscuits with round cookie cutter. Reshape the scraps into a rounds too but try not to handle the dough too much or the biscuits will become tough.
Place scones on the prepared baking sheet, reshaping slightly if necessary. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

November 24, 2015

Vegan Cranberry Pear Pie with Walnut Crumble Topping

When I was little, I thought cranberries came in a can, jiggled and nothing more. I was not a big fan, and usually didn’t take any on Thanksgiving. They just seemed to me like they were part of the tradition but nobody really ate them. Thank goodness I have since been exposed to good cranberries. I love buying fresh ones this time of the year and making them into something delicious. Especially when used in a baked dessert where they can be allowed to become almost jammy. So when I saw some at the store last week, I had to pick them up.

I decided to bake one of those delicious desserts, a vegan cranberry pear pie. Pears are sweet, cranberries are tart, so it is the perfect pairing! I am on a huge pie kick lately. My favorite is with a crumble topping. It is a bit less fussy, and even more delicious and crunchy. I am a big texture person so the jammy filling with a crunchy topping is perfect in my book. Especially when paired with coconut whipped cream or ice cream.

I used an equal of cranberries and pears in the filling to balance it out nicely. Some orange zest and juice joined the show since it is a lovely flavor with cranberry. I was getting excited about this! I made a crunchy walnut crumble topping, and I knew this was going to be good. Once it was smelling all wonderful and baked to jammy perfection I could not wait to dive in.

I always have to cut myself a pretty large piece. It was wonderful. Sweet, tart, crunchy, melt in your mouth, heavenly. No reason to be sad about summer fruit being out of season when you have this type of deliciousness! Cranberries to the rescue! This would be the perfect addition to a Holiday table!

Vegan Cranberry Pear Pie with Walnut Crumble Topping

Makes 1 9 inch pie

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour
3 Tbsp coconut sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
6 Tbsp coconut oil, in its solid form
about 2-3 Tbsp cold water

Filling:
3 cups diced ripe pears
3 cups fresh or frozen organic cranberries (if they are frozen, thaw them first, and drain off any liquid)
juice and zest of one small orange
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or all purpose gluten free flour
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt

Topping:
3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
3 Tbsp coconut sugar
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
pinch sea salt

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, sea salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add a 2-3 Tbsp water as needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created.

Roll out into about a 9 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. Place dough into an 8 inch pie pan and fit to edges (being careful since gluten free dough is more fragile). If it tears, no worries, just press it back together and patch it up. Flute the edges, or crimp with a fork. Set aside in the refrigerator.

To make the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix together and squeeze together until it is clumping up a bit. Set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the filling ingredients. Spoon into crust. Scatter the topping over that. Bake for 1 hour in the middle rack of the oven until pears are cooked through, cranberries have burts and it is and bubbling (after 15 minutes check it and if it is getting too dark, tent it with foil for the rest of the time in the oven).

Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and enjoy!

November 23, 2015

Vegan Squash Cornbread Stuffing

I have made lots of traditional Thanksgiving foods in the past, but oddly enough, I have never actually made stuffing. Which is kind of weird since I did love my Grandmother’s stuffing, and it was one of my favorite things at Thanksgiving. So, this year I decided to make some. I am really not a big bread person, but when I do eat bread 99% of the time it is home made. I wanted a gluten free bread for this, and I decided on cornbread since it is a quick-bread and fast to make. My favorite cornbread recipe is actually a squash cornbread. It is lower in fat than most, and it makes a perfect partner for chili. So I used that recipe for this.

I added in the usual suspects, celery, onions, and garlic, and mushrooms to give it an earthy flavor. Thyme, rosemary, and sage of course had to be present, and I used my own flavorful home made veggie stock. When I make my stock, it has lots of onions and garlic, and a bit of celery…so good. I work in a deli so I have lots of veggie trimmings to use in stock. Anyways, once this stuffing was all baked into delicious goodness I could not wait to try it. It smelled amazing. I like the contrast of the crisp bits on top with the soft stuffing beneath. Crave worthy. I think this would have passed Grandma’s taste test. It was delicious!

Vegan Squash Cornbread Stuffing

Serves 6-8

1 loaf squash cornbread (recipe follows), diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 stalks celery, sliced

1 onion, diced

1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried sage

1 1/2 cups flavorful veggie stock (or as needed)

sea salt to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. Spread the bread cubes out on a sheet pan, and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes until a little dry. Remove from the oven and set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil, and add the celery, onions, and mushrooms. Sautee until tender, about 10 minutes, then add the garlic and herbs and sautee a minute more. Add 1 cup of the stock to deglaze and scrape up any brown bits. Pour this mixture over the bread in the bowl, and toss gently to mix together. Pour into an 8 inch square oiled baking dish. Drizzle the top with a little olive oil (optional, if you are toasting the top). Place in the oven, cover, and bake for about 30 minutes until heated through, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes if you want to brown the top and get it crispy. Serve warm.

Vegan Squash Cornbread

1 loaf

1 cup medium grind cornmeal

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup squash or pumpkin puree

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil an 8×4 inch pan with coconut oil. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt. Whisk in coconut milk, squash, coconut oil, and maple syrup until well combined. Whisk in cider vinegar quickly until just combined, then pour into prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool a few minutes before turning out from pans.

November 22, 2015

Vegan Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Tarts

I was thinking all day Monday about what I wanted to make that night and I was sorta stumped. I knew I wanted something dessert, and I knew I wanted to make something new that I hadn’t made before but I could not think of what. Lots of things sounded good to me. My mind kept wandering back to pie or tarts. I have been on a huge pie and tart kick lately. I was roasting up some hazelnuts for a savory recipe, and snacking on them as I went, and it came to me. Something hazelnut. They were so good I just couldn’t resist. Hazelnut chocolate. Why not?!

Everybody, myself included loves Nutella. Right?! I didn’t have any Nutella, but I did have hazelnuts, hazelnut butter, and chocolate on hand. I was thinking sort of ganache tarts with the hazelnuts and just a plain crust to showcase the flavors of the deliciousness inside. That was what I ended up making. It may sound involved, but it really was not a big time commitment to make. I have had these mini tart pans for about 8 years and never used them. I would say this was the perfect time to break them out. And I have now decided that they need to be used more often than every 8 years.

I love that these are individual, like you get an entire tart all to yourself! I think they would be a good option for Thanksgiving too if you are serving chocolate lovers. I shared one with my Mom and she was a huge fan of these, and I have a feeling your family will be too! They are pretty darn crave worthy.

Vegan Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Tarts

Makes 16

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup coconut oil in its solid state

about 6-7 Tbsp cold water

Filling:

8 oz vegan dark chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup full fat coconut milk (from the top of the can)

2 Tbsp hazelnut butter

1 cup toasted hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 375F degrees, then place the tart shells in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To make filling, combine all ingredients in a double boiler over low heat except the hazelnuts, whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Spoon the filling into the crusts and top with the hazelnuts. Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes until set.

November 18, 2015

Maple Chestnut Truffles

I was so excited last weekend when I went to the store and saw chestnuts! Every year I have to buy some to roast, because they are delicious and I love snacking on them. Eric had never tried them before so even more of a reason to buy them this time. We snacked on some, but I decided that I wanted to use the rest in some sort of dessert. I have always just roasted them and ate them as a snack in the past, but this year I actually wanted to try using them in things. I decided to go simple with the first recipe though, and made truffles.

I wanted the chestnut flavor to shine in the filling, so I included just a few ingredients. Among them maple syrup as a sweetener, and it was delicious with the chestnut flavor. I blended the filling until very smooth in the food processor and it was delicious. Almost like a caramelly nut butter. Once I rolled it into truffles, and dipped them in chocolate though it was heavenly!

The dark chocolate was perfect with the vanilla maple chestnut filling to balance it out. Simple, but delicious and I think anyone could appreciate these. I cant wait to experiment more with chestnuts, they are sooo good! Now if only I had an open fire to roast them on like the Christmas song! I will have to settle for my oven for now.

Maple Chestnut Truffles

Makes 12

Filling:

3/4 cup chestnuts, roasted*
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut butter
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup filtered water

Coating:

3/4 cup vegan dark chocolate, chopped

In a high speed blender or food processor, combine all filling ingredients, and blend until smooth. Scoop out 1 1/2 inch balls onto a foil lined tray, and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes until you can shape them into neat little balls. Place back in the freezer.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Dip each little chestnut filling ball into the chocolate, then place back on the foil. When you are all finished, place them back in the freezer until the chocolate sets.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

*To roast the chestnuts, pre-heat the oven to 475F degrees. Cut a small X into the top of each one with a knife, then spread them out on a sheet pan. Place in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, or until they start to smell aromatic. Let cool, then peel them (It usually works to gently squeeze them to get a crack down the outside of the shell, then pop them out

November 17, 2015

Vegan Apple Raspberry Pie with Almond Streusel Topping

My Mom recently told me about a pie she had enjoyed at a restaurant that was so good. It was an apple raspberry pie with an almond crumble topping. It sounded so good to me, that I decided I wanted to enjoy some too, so I decided to create one myself. Apples are plentiful this time of the year, and I had some frozen raspberries on hand, so I had no excuses.

I used my usual gluten free crust enhanced with a little almond flour for extra richness and flavor, a perfect carrier for the sweet tart filling that it was to hold. I used honeycrisp apples, my favorite since they have a nice crunch, and the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Although the raspberries were frozen, once baked into the pie you could not tell. I topped it all off with an almond oat streusel, piled high for extra deliciousness (I tend to steal pieces of the streusel to snack on as the pie cools).

It smelled amazing while baking, and I could not wait to try it. The streusel was sweet, crunchy, and a little salty, a perfect topping for the jammy apple raspberry filling. I enjoyed mine warm, the perfect way to enjoy fruit pie if you ask me. Top it off with vegan ice cream or coconut whipped cream and you have something pretty delicious there! One of my favorite types of comfort food this time of the year!

Vegan Apple Raspberry Pie with Almond Streusel Topping

Makes 1 8 inch pie

Crust:

3/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour

3/4 cup almond flour

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

5 Tbsp coconut oil, in its solid form

about 2-3 Tbsp cold water

Filling:

3 cups diced sweet tart apples (such as honeycrisp)

3 cups fresh or frozen organic raspberries (if they are frozen, thaw them first, and drain off any liquid)

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or all purpose gluten free flour

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

Topping:

3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour

3 Tbsp coconut sugar

3 Tbsp melted coconut oil

1/2 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup chopped almonds

pinch sea salt

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, sea salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add a touch of water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created.

Roll out into about a 10 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. Place bottom crust into an 8 inch pie pan and fit to edges (being careful since gluten free dough is more fragile). If it tears, no worries, just press it back together and patch it up. Flute the edges, or crimp with a fork. Set aside in the refrigerator.

To make the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix together and squeeze together until it is clumping up a bit. Set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the filling ingredient. Spoon into crust. Scatter the topping over that. Bake for 1 hour in the middle rack of the oven until apples are cooked through and bubbling (after 15 minutes check it and if it is getting too dark, tent it with foil for the rest of the time in the oven).

Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

November 16, 2015

Vegan Sweet Potato Cranberry Pancakes

Last Thursday, It was a rather chilly day, and Eric and I had just arrived back from a walk in the in the dark. It was sleeting, which had made it even more chilly, and all I could think about was what sort of warm comfort food I was going to make when I arrived home. My first thought was waffles, and so I went for it. Sweet potato cranberry waffles. Sounded really good. I had lots of cooked sweet potatoes on hand. I whipped up the batter, poured it into the iron and they were smelling amazing. Only one problem. When I went to open the iron, they were sticking really bad. A total flop. Yes, I have some flops I just don’t usually share them with you all. It was sort of funny, and sort of sad at the same time. Also a little irritating since I hate wasting ingredients. I tossed the flops out though, and decided pancakes would be fail proof.

I made them sweet potato cranberry as well, and they came out lovely. This made me pretty happy after the flop. Eric was teasing me about my flop waffles, but I still shared some pancakes with him. They turned out really delicious! They smelled wonderful while cooking, thanks to the aromatic spices I included and sweet potatoes.

I topped them off with a maple pecan syrup, and it was all in all a delicious combination! Breakfast for dinner is a treat sometimes, and needed sometimes. Kind of makes me feel like a little kid again, because I always loved it when my Mom made pancakes or waffles for dinner when I was young. These would also be perfect on a chilly weekend morning when you have time to relax and enjoy the day!

Vegan Sweet Potato Cranberry Pancakes

Makes 3 Belgian Waffles

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 1/4 cups thin coconut milk at room temperature

3/4 cup sweet potato puree

3 Tbsp melted virgin coconut oil warmed to liquid

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Maple Pecan Syrup Drizzle:

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup pecan butter

1-2 Tbsp filtered water or as needed

In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and water, and set in the fridge for 15 minutes until the mixture is gel like.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and coconut sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the coconut milk, sweet potato and oil until combined, then the flax eggs (flax water mixture) until combined. Stir in the cranberries.

To cook pancakes, preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add a little coconut oil to coat the bottom. Once hot, add the batter in 1/4 cup amounts (I did 3 at a time, but it depends on your pan). Let the pancakes cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side until set and starting to brown, then flip with a spatula and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. When cooked, place on a plate and keep warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining pancakes.

To drizzle, whisk together all ingredients until smooth (if it is too thick to drizzle, whisk in a little more filtered water), then drizzle over the pancakes before serving.

November 15, 2015

Sweet and Spicy Double Squash Salad

I can never get enough of squash when it comes into season. It is so good roasted especially, and butternut and buttercup are so sweet that they almost taste like dessert to me. So I eat it about as much as I can while I can get the local varieties. It is kind of addictive. One year, when I was younger, my Mom said I had a squash tan, because I ate so much it tinted my skin a little orange. I did not mind though. I try to be a little more balanced with my veggies now, getting a variety of different ones, but if I had to pick one veggie this time of the year, it would be squash. The other night, I decided I wanted to enjoy a simple squash salad for dinner, and it turned out so tasty that I decided I needed to share the recipe with you all.

I actually had butternut squash and zucchini, so it ended up being a double squash salad! I roasted them both to deliciousness, then tossed them with cranberries, a sweet and spicy dressing with jalapeno, maple syrup, citrus and toasted cumin. lastly, I made some spiced pumpkin seeds to sprinkle over it all. Was it ever delicious! I served it with grilled tempeh on the side, and it made the perfect autumn dinner!

Serves 2-3

1 large (or 2 smaller) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

4 medium zucchini, cut into thick half moons

olive oil

sea salt

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds:

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 Tbsp maple syrup

sea salt to taste

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground chipotle peppers

1 Tbsp coconut sugar

Dressing:

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp toasted whole cumin seeds

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced

sea salt to taste

1/2 cup cranberries

To prepare the squash, heat the oven to 400F degrees, and oil 2 sheet pans. Toss the butternut squash with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on one of the sheet pans. Do the same with the zucchini. Place both in the oven and roast until the squash is tender. About 20-30 minutes for the zucchini, and about 40-50 minutes for the squash (rotate the pans half way through). Once they are done, let cool until just warm.

Meanwhile, to make the pumpkin seeds, add all ingredients but the sugar to a pan, and cook over medium heat until the seeds are toasted and the syrup starts to evaporate. Add the coconut sugar and stir to coat. Remove from heat.

Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the squash, the cranberries, and the pumpkin seeds, and toss together until well coated. Serve!

November 14, 2015

Vegan Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread

My Grandma used to make the most wonderful thing in the world (at least to my five year old self), monkey bread. In case you have never heard of it, it is bread that is shaped into little balls, all baked together with cinnamon sugar that becomes gooey and caramel like, and pecans. It was good stuff, and I always got excited when Grandma had some sitting on her counter when I came over. Which she often did. I have since made a few versions of it as an adult, and I think they would have made Grandma proud. I decided this week that I wanted to make some again, because I was craving it. I had been given some lovely sprouted whole wheat flour that I could use in my recipe too! I don’t use a lot of wheat in my baking, but when I do, I make sure it is organic.

This time I made a pumpkin pull apart bread. Since I had pumpkin on hand as well, and tis the season. I wanted a smaller loaf than Grandma used to make, so I made the recipe about half as large, and baked it in a loaf pan instead of a bundt. I used maple sugar and maple syrup instead of all of the brown sugar, which also gave it an awesome maple flavor. It smelled amazing, and the caramel lover that I am, I fully enjoyed this! I think it would be the perfect treat for a weekend morning, especially if it is chilly and you want to warm the house while baking something delicious.

Vegan Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread

Makes one 8×4 inch loaf

Dough:

1 packet rapid rise yeast

1 1/2 tsp maple syrup

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup coconut milk or almond milk

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp maple sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp maple extract

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

4 cups organic sprouted whole wheat flour (plus additional as needed)

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Coating:

1/2 cup maple sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

2/3 cup pecan butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup maple sugar

1/4 cup filtered water

good pinch sea salt

In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1 Tbsp maple syrup and water. Let sit 5 minutes, until yeast is foamy, then add coconut milk, maple sugar, pumpkin, coconut oil, maple extract, vanilla, and sea salt. Mix well, then add the flour 1 cup at a time until dough is not sticky. Place dough on a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm area to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in bulk. Oil a 4×8 inch bread pan with coconut oil. Scatter some of the pecans into the bottom of the pan. When dough has risen, punch it down, and divide into 16 pieces, and cut each into quarters. Combine 1/4 cup maple sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a large ziplock bag. Place half dough balls in bag, zip up, and shake in bag to coat. Remove from bag and repeat with remaining balls. Place dough balls into the pan, scattering in pecans as you go as well. In small bowl, for topping, mix together ingredients. Whisk until well combined and sugar is dissolved. Pour half over the dough balls. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise. Let rise until almost doubled in bulk, about 35-45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees with the rack set at the middle position. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and done in the center (keep a close watch as it browns quickly, and if it is brown after only 10 minutes, cover with foil and continue to bake until done). Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about a minute, then invert onto foil. Drizzle the remaining topping over it. Serve warm!

November 13, 2015

Vegan Italian Sausage Casserole

My Mom used to make a casserole when I was little that was one of my favorite things. It had pasta, a flavorful red sauce, sausage, and cheese. I could have done without the sausage, because I have never been a meat fan, but it always tasted amazing, like lasagna but so much easier to make for my Mom. I decided this week, that I wanted to recreate a vegan version of this pasta. I have lots of pasta in my cupboard, all of the bean variety. You know, made from lentils and edamame? Wonderful food invention I have been loving lately since I am always looking to add more protein to my meals, and I try to stay away from gluten the majority of the time. If you haven’t heard of it, check it out HERE.

So anyways, back to the pasta dish I made, instead of the sausage I opted for chickpeas, since I have used them as a substitute for pasta before. I made a flavorful red sauce, with all of the seasonings my Mom used to include, and made a vegan mozzarella so that it could still have the melty cheese on top that I loved so much. Once it was all bubbly delicious from its time spent in the oven, I could not wait to try it. It smelled wonderful and just as good as my Mom’s, and it tasted even better. This dish would be perfect to serve to non-vegans to prove to them that they can still have cheesy comfort food.

Vegan Italian Sausage Casserole

Serves 4

Vegan Mozzarella:

1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch

1/4 plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

1 Tbsp agar powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 tsp guar gum

Pasta:

6 oz Green lentil spiral pasta

Sausage and Sauce:

2 tsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans

sea salt to taste

1 28 oz can tomatoes

To make the mozzarella cheese, heat the coconut milk in a saucepan, until it comes to a simmer.

Meanwhile, dissolve the arrowroot starch in the water and set aside.

Once the coconut milk has come to a simmer, add the agar powder, and heat until it is dissolved , it should dissolve within one minute.

Next, add the lemon juice and sea salt to the coconut milk.

Mix the coconut oil with the guar gum so that the guar gum does not clump up.

Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside.

To make the sausage and sauce, heat olive oil in a saucepan, add garlic and herbs and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the chickpeas, and cook for a few minutes, mashing them against the side of the pan. Add the tomatoes, and simmer for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Once it has finished cooking, stir in the pasta, then 1/2 the cheese. Pour into an oiled baking dish, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until bubbling and cheese has melted.

November 11, 2015

Vegan Sweet Potato Tart with Cinnamon Pecan Streusel Topping

I love, love, love sweet potatoes and yams. One of my all time favorite things is to roast them until they are intense in flavor and then just enjoy them with a squeeze of lime and sea salt, or to make fries out of them with a little olive oil and sea salt. So good. Almost like dessert even though it is savory. I made a sweet potato casserole last week with maple pecan topping and it was so good I decided to make a pie in a similar fashion. Just a little sweeter of course since this was to be dessert and not just a side dish.

I had about 2 cups of cooked sweet potatoes, so that pie became a tart, but it was still just as good. I used my usual gluten free pie crust, because I wanted all of the attention to be on the filling and it is a perfect blank palette. For the filling, a bit of maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla to flavor and it was so good. Sweet potatoes are so good to begin with, they don’t need much added to create dessert.

I topped it off with a crunchy pecan streusel topping, and it smelled amazing while baking. Like spiced brown sugar and sweet potatoes, an aroma that I wouldn’t mind wearing around like a perfume it smells so wonderful. It tasted wonderful too once I allowed to cool and was able to dive in. Sooo good.

This would be a nice alternative to pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving! Or, if you happen to roast up some yams and have extra, you know what to do with them now!

Vegan Sweet Potato Tart with Cinnamon Pecan Streusel Topping

Makes one 8 inch tart

Crust:

1 1/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour

2 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut oil in its solid state

about 3-6 Tbsp cold water

Filling:

2 cups cooked yams or sweet potatoes, packed

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup full fat coconut milk

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp coconut oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon agar powder

Topping:

2 Tbsp coconut oil in its solid state

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/3 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 375F degrees.

To make the filling, place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth, then pour into the prepared crust.

In a bowl, mix together the streusel ingredients with your hands until they clump up (it helps to squeeze them together with your fingers). Sprinkle the streusel over the pie.

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 40-45 min. until the edges of the crust are lightly brown, and tart is set. Allow to cool completely.

Serve with coconut whipped cream if desired.

November 10, 2015

Raw Cranberry Pecan Truffles

It is the time of year when I find myself adding cranberries to everything. Salads, desserts, savory dishes…they are so pretty, like little red jewels, plus they are delicious. I am one of those people who likes tart things. Anyways, I decided last week one night that some cranberry pecan truffles sounded amazing. I love pecans as well, they are so buttery and delicious and I thought they would go perfect with the tart berries.

I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to make them when I started, and just started adding things to the food processor, and what I ended up with was pure deliciousness. I was going to add cacao powder into the mixture, but I decided I liked it as it was with the pecans and cranberries as the stars and the main thing that I tasted. I did however dip them in raw chocolate because I wanted a little chocolate to go with them but still be able to taste the delicate flavors.

I think these would make lovely holiday gifts, but you could of course make a batch for yourself, because you deserve to enjoy delicious things and feel special. These are easy to make, so no excuses not to try them!

Raw Cranberry Pecan Truffles

makes 12

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup soft, pitted medjool dates

2 cup raw pecans

1 cup finely shredded, dried coconut

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp orange zest

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup raw chocolate, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Shape into 12 balls, and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Melt the raw chocolate either over a double boiler (not letting it get above 115F degrees), or pop it into the dehydrator at 115F degrees, and stir about every 10 minutes until it melts.

Dip each cranberry pecan ball into the melted chocolate and set on a foil or parchment lined tray (I like to use a fork to set it on and dip it to let the excess drain off). Allow to set, place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

November 9, 2015

Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes (gluten free)

I asked Eric what I should make one night last week and he said cinnamon rolls. But unfortunately it was a work night, and I didn’t have a lot of time to let those babies rise, so I couldn’t make them. But they sounded really good to me too, so I thought I would find a way to make them…and I did. Sort of. You see, pancakes also sounded good to me so I told him I would make cinnamon roll pancakes. He loved the idea so I went with it. They were sounding so good to me the more I thought about them.

I had an open can of pumpkin, so I thought I would make them pumpkin as well, since it is fall and this time of the year pumpkin puree is my go to ingredient for keeping things moist and lowering fat in recipes. I added pumpkin pie spices as well, because why not? It was going to be pumpkin after all. I also added flax and Sprout Living vanilla lucuma protein powder to the batter to give these a little extra protein boost. I made a little cinnamon swirl, and piped it over the pancakes in a spiral and they were transformed into a cinnamon roll pancake hybrid.

The swirl sort of melted as they cooked but it worked! Sort of like real cinnamon rolls where the cinnamon seeps into the dough as they bake. They smelled amazing. I drizzled them with a coconut milk based “cream cheese” icing and it was perfect! All of the flavors in the cinnamon rolls me and Eric wanted but in pancake form. I will have my cinnamon rolls when I get the time eventually, but until then I have this deliciousness to enjoy!

Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes (gluten free)
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking flour

2 scoops Sprout Living Epic Vanilla Lucuma protein powder

1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup filtered water
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like them)

Swirl:

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

2 Tbsp pecan butter (or almond butter)

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Cream cheese drizzle:

1/4 cup thick coconut milk

2 Tbsp raw cashew butter

2 tsp maple syrup

pinch sea salt

1 tsp cider vinegar

In a food processor, combine all pancake ingredients and process until just blended, pour into a bowl and set aside (or whisk them together if you do not have a food processor).

To make the swirl, whisk together all ingredients in a bowl, then place in a pastry bag with a small tip (or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off).
To cook pancakes, preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add a little coconut oil to coat the bottom. Once hot, add the batter in 1/4 cup amounts (I did 3 at a time, but it depends on your pan), pipe the swirl over the pancake snail style from the outside to the inside in a spiral fashion. Let the pancakes cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side until set and starting to brown, then flip with a spatula and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. When cooked, place on a plate swirl side up and keep warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining pancakes.

To make the cream cheese drizzle, whisk together all ingredients until smooth (if it is too thick to drizzle, whisk in a little more milk or filtered water), then drizzle over the pancakes before serving.

November 8, 2015

Peanut Maple Crunch Granola

I asked Eric what type of granola I should make last week. He said something maple. I wanted to make something new not something I had made before because I like to always try something new when it comes to making food, so o decided maple with peanut butter. Because peanuts with a little salt and something sweet are pretty crave worthy. Think PB cookies. One of the most delicious things in the world. At least to me because I am a crazy peanut butter lover.

So, peanut butter and sweet maple it was. Kind of simple I know, and maybe not the prettiest stuff but it tasted damn good. Like crave worthy good. I don’t eat my granola for breakfast, I eat it for a crunchy snack, but I still like it to have some healthy things in it. In this one I included chia seeds and flax seeds along with the oats, peanuts, and buckwheat for crunch. You may wonder why I dehydrated this granola instead of baking it since it is not a completely raw recipe because I used roasted peanuts and peanut butter. Well, I like the texture and flavor of dehydrated granola. I did not want it to brown, and all of the ingredients were raw except the peanuts, peanut butter and maple syrup. I like to combine raw and cooked food because even partial raw foods in your daily meals is beneficial. If you wanted this completely raw, you may use raw jungle peanuts and peanut butter. Either way, if you are a PB fan, this granola should be on your to make list!

Peanut Maple Crunch Granola

Makes about 8-10 cups of delicious granola

3 cups gluten free raw rolled oats

3 cups activated buckwheat* or just 3 more cups oats

2 cups organic peanuts

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup chia seeds

1 cup organic peanut butter

1/2 cup filtered water

1/2 cup maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp maple extract
In a large bowl, combine oats, peanuts, flax seed, chia seeds, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together peanut butter, water, maple syrup, sea salt and vanilla and maple extracts until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto 2 lined dehydrator trays, and dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy. Alternatively you may make the granola in an oven at low temperature, 150F degrees, and it will take less time to dry.

*To activate the buckwheat, soak raw buckwheat groats for 30 minutes in filtered water, then rinse and drain well.

November 6, 2015

Vegan Mini Pecan Pies

Pecan pie was always my Mother and Grandmother’s favorite dessert when it came to Thanksgiving desserts. My Grandma would always serve apple, pumpkin and pecan, and the pecan was always the pie that had some left over because most people in my family are not huge nut fans and prefer the apple and pumpkin. I always had to have a slice of each type of pie. It was Thanksgiving after all, and that was what I had really been looking forward to all day, the desserts. I enjoyed the pecan. I mean what is not to love about caramelly pie filled with delicious rich pecans in a buttery crust?! I guess I am biased though because I love pecans and other types of nuts.

I have never actually baked a vegan pecan pie, and I am in Thanksgiving recipes mode so I decided I had to this year. But I didn’t want a giant one at the time, so I went for mini pecan pies using a muffin pan as my pie pan. I was crossing my fingers that they would come out of the pan intact since I secretly always worry when I make pies in a not removable bottom pan but they came out beautifully! Instead of the usual corn syrup and brown sugar that go into the crust, I used a date caramel laced with pecan butter. Pretty much what I make my caramel out of but thicker. OMG was it ever good. I mixed the pecans into this, and it made the perfect filling.

I used my gluten free coconut oil pie crust recipe, because it is my favorite lately and the flaky crust was perfect with the sweet filling. These were even better than I remember pecan pie. The best part is you don’t have to cut pieces of pie with these, you get your own cute little pie! These can be made ahead, so I think they would be perfect for Thanksgiving.

Vegan Mini Pecan Pies

Makes 16

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup coconut oil in its solid state

about 6-7 Tbsp cold water

Filling:

2 cups soft pitted medjool dates (if they are not soft, soak them in filtered water for 30 minutes and drain well before using)

1/2 cup pecan butter

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup filtered water

2 Tbsp coconut butter or oil

1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, plus more for pie tops

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and sea salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add more water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created. Roll out into a rectangle using floured parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. Cut into 16 circles. Oil a muffin pan well with coconut oil and fit the circles into the holes. Shape the edges that stick out if desired (I fluted mine). Preheat oven to 375F degrees. To make filling, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor except the pecans. Process until smooth, then scrape into a bowl and stir in the pecans. Spoon the filling into the crusts in the pie tin, and top with more pecans to make the tops look pretty. Place in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes until the crusts are starting to brown lightly. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack until warm.

November 4, 2015

Vegan Butternut Squash Apple Pie

Eric recently made his own pumpkin pie from scratch (like roasting the pumpkins and all). His turned out so cute, he made mini ones, and it made appreciate the fact that he can bake if he wants to. I can’t say I can say that about any other guys I have had in my life so I consider it impressive. It got me wanting to make my own similar pie. But with squash, because I actually like squash better than pumpkins. I made a squash pie a long time ago before I was vegan and it was so good! It was time to try again.

I am really picky when it comes to squash I like to buy and eat. The two I like the best are kabocha and butternut. Both really sweet squash varieties that bake up nicely. I used butternut for my pie this time. I haven’t made a straight up pumpkin type pie in a while, so I was looking forward to this! But I wanted to add another element to it as well. I have been really craving apple pie lately, so I made a layer of apple pie on top of the crust before the squash filling.

I used haralsons for that, my favorite baking apple introduced to me by my Mom who made the best apple pie when I was younger. The squash filling was sweetened with maple syrup, made rich with coconut milk, and it had all the spices I use in my pumpkin pie. It smelled delicious while baking with all of the warm aromatic spices filling the kitchen.

It tasted even better! I always used to have pumpkin and apple pie on thanksgiving anyhow, so if you made this for Thanksgiving you would just have to cut yourself one piece. The butternut squash is even sweeter and silkier than pumpkin which I love. If you have butternut squash and apples on hand you should really give this a go. You might find that you want to serve it for Thanksgiving this year!

Vegan Butternut Squash Apple Pie

Makes one 8 inch pie

Crust:

1 1/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour

2 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut oil in its solid state

about 3-6 Tbsp cold water

Apples:

3 medium tart sweet apples, diced

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup coconut sugar

pinch sea salt

juice of one lemon

Filling:

2 cups cooked butternut squash, packed

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

3/4 cup full fat coconut milk

2 tsp coconut oil

1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 /4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon agar powder

Pre-heat the oven to 375F degrees.

To make the apples, place them in a sautee pan over medium heat with all of the other ingredients, cover with a lid, and cook until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To make the squash filling, place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

To assemble the pie, scatter the apples over the crust, then pour the filling over that.

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 40-45 min. until the edges of the crust are lightly brown, and pie is set. Allow to cool completely.

Serve with coconut whipped cream if desired.

November 1, 2015

Mini Raw Salted Caramel Mounds Bars

I always have to make some sort of Halloween candy every year, and I like to switch it up and make at least one new thing. I have made most of the favorite chocolate candies, but I realized I have never made Mounds bars! I have made Almond Joy, but not Mounds. Both of these are my Mom’s favorite candies as far as the Halloween classics go and I would always give them to her since I did not care for them as a child. So she is kind of my inspiration for making raw Mounds bars this year.

Not just any raw Mounds bars though. Everyone makes those. So I wanted to make them a little more delicious and just a little different. I made salted caramel Mounds bars. Because I have always been a caramel fan and I love it even more with chocolate and coconut. You know, think German chocolate frosting on German chocolate cake. The best part about these is they were really simple to make. I used dates for the salted caramel and a little pecan butter and they tasted wonderful!

I like this variation on Mounds more than the original. Who after all, can resist salted caramel anything?! These are crave worthy. Halloween may be today, but you still have time to make these. And if not, they are good year round of course! Happy Halloween!

Mini Raw Salted Caramel Mounds Bars

Makes 8

Filling:

3/4 cup soft, pitted medjool dates

2 Tbsp raw pecan butter (or raw almond butter)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup finely shredded, dried coconut

Chocolate:

1/2 cup melted cacao butter or coconut oil

1/2 cup cacao powder

1/4 cup maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

pinch sea salt

In a food processor, combine the dates, pecan butter, sea salt, and vanilla and process until mostly smooth. Add the coconut and pulse until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Shape into little mini bars with your hands (you have to sort of squeeze them), and set them aside on a piece of foil or parchment.

Whisk together the chocolate ingredients until smooth. Dip each little mounds bar into the chocolate letting the excess drip off and place back onto the foil (I like to use a fork, setting the bar on top and dipping it carefully). Once they are all dipped, place them in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 1 month.

October 31, 2015

Spicy Raw Apple Salsa and Pumpkin Chia Chips

I saw an apple salsa somewhere on TV (not sure where because I can’t remember now), and all I remember about it was that I wanted to make apple salsa of my own after seeing that! I don’t even remember what was in theirs, but that’s ok because I had an idea of what I wanted mine to be like. Just the sweetness of the apple with a hit of spicy and plenty of crunch. So I diced up a local honey crisp, added in some celery for crunch, jalapeno and red pepper flakes for heat and a few other things and voila! Quick and delicious salsa! Not traditional Mexican spices in this salsa or ingredients, but this is Minnesota salsa I guess, haha! I served it with some pumpkin flax chips I had just made and it was the perfect post work afternoon snack. It was the perfect balance of tart and sweet in the salsa and the chips tamed the heat nicely and were a good tool for eating the salsa with. I love fall ingredients!

Spicy Raw Apple Salsa

Makes 2 cups

1 large sweet tart apple such as honey crisp or pink lady, cut into small dice

1 stalk celery, diced small

1 jalapeno, diced (seeded if you want this more mild

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes

sea salt to taste

juice of 2 limes

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix until well blended. Serve!

Raw Pumpkin Chia Chips

Makes about 2 dozen

1/2 cup whole flaxseeds

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp chia seeds

1 cup ground flaxseed

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp sea salt, or Himalayan salt plus additional for sprinkling

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (raw or cooked will work here)

In a food processor, combine all ingredients, and process for about 1 minute until blended. Spread out onto a lined dehydrator tray very thin. Sprinkle with salt. Place in the dehydrator and dry for a few hours at 115F degrees, then score with a knife into square crackers. Place back in the dehydrator and dry for about 24 hours until very crispy. Alternatively, you may use an oven at a very low temperature, but it will take less time so check it way sooner.

October 30, 2015

Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

My favorite Halloween candy was always peanut butter cups. Not that I didn’t love snickers and twix, because I did love anything chocolate. There was just something special about the chocolate and peanut butter combination. I would always trade for it if I could, but it was hard because my friends loved it too.

I like to make my own candy because then you can avoid the store bought stuff with mystery ingredients you might not want to be putting into your body. I made some peanut butter cups last week and they were so good I decided that peanut butter cupcakes would be even better.

So I had to make some of course. I decided a simple chocolate cake batter with a good sized dallop of peanut butter baked into it and topped off with chocolate ganache would be perfect. Like a peanut butter cup in cupcake form. They were pretty simple and fail proof to make, the hands on time was not much at all! They smelled amazing and tasted even better. I confess I did not let my cupcakes cool completely so that the peanut butter in the middle was still a little melty. These were pure decadent deliciousness. Possibly the one thing even better than a peanut butter cup itself. And the chocolate ganache was the perfect topper for it all, a little gooey since I enjoyed these warm.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Makes 16 cupcakes

Cake:

1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup applesauce or pumpkin puree
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp filtered water
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup organic smooth peanut butter

Ganache:

1 1/2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate
3 Tbsp organic full fat coconut milk

Topping:

16 small vegan peanut butter cups (I use THIS recipe to make smaller ones and omit the maple and maca and buckwheat)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position rack in center of oven.

Whisk flour, cacao powder baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl to blend well. Whisk applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, and water together in small bowl to blend well, then whisk into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in cider vinegar until pale swirls form in the batter and it is well combined. (Optional, put a small vegan peanut butter cup into the bottom of each muffin tin, I did this because I had just made some). Transfer cake batter to standard sized muffin tins placed in a muffin pan to make them stable (I like to use silicone muffin tins or molds so that I don’t have to keep buying new ones) and spoon 1 Tbsp peanut butter into the center of each one. Place in the oven and bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, melt the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth with the coconut milk, and whisk until smooth. Spread this ganache over the tops of the cupcakes.

October 28, 2015

Vegan Sticky Toffee Apple Pudding

Last week, after Eric and I went to the apple orchard he told me I should make pudding with some of the apples. I have never actually heard of apple pudding, so I had to ask him to elaborate, and what he described to me sounded like sticky toffee pudding but with apples for extra goodness. A soft baked pudding with a caramel like flavor, sweet apples and sauce. Sounded good to me, so I decided to make this.

I have made sticky toffee pudding before, so I made this very similar, only substituting applesauce for the most of the usual oil and adding in chopped apples with the dates. So, this is actually a lower fat dessert believe it or not, but you would not be able to tell it is so scrumptious! The dates and apples melt into the cake part creating a caramel apple cake and it is just crave worthy.

I topped it off with a simple caramel like sauce made from maple syrup and a little pecan butter and it was perfect. The only thing I might add is some cool vanilla ice cream on top of the warm dessert. I am a big fan of that sort of thing…different temperature and texture sensations in dessert. This is quick to make, so the perfect dessert for a weeknight when you and your someone special want something sweet. Because it makes two servings, it is perfect for two!

Vegan Sticky Toffee Apple Pudding

makes 2

Cake:

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup applesauce

1 Tbsp melted coconut oil

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp maple extract (optional)

2 Tbsp filtered water

1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup medjool dates, pitted and chopped into small pieces

1 small apple, chopped

Sauce:

2 Tbsp smooth pecan butter or almond butter

1 Tbsp maple syrup

filtered water as needed

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position rack in center of oven. Oil a 2 one cup ramakins with coconut oil. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl to blend well. Whisk oil, maple extract, vanilla extract, and water together in small bowl to blend well, then whisk into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in cider vinegar until pale swirls form in the batter and it is well combined. Stir in the dates and apple. Transfer cake batter to ramakins and bake until tester inserted into center comes out somewhat clean, about 24 minutes (do not overbake).

Whisk together the sauce ingredients until smooth and pour over cake in ramakin. Enjoy!

October 25, 2015

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin and Leek Penne Pasta

I don’t look at a bad day as a reason to throw a pity party. Instead I think of it as character building. If you can survive a really bad day, then the next one won’t be so bad because you know you will get through it. Right? And when you have good days, you will appreciate them even more. So last week, Eric and I had both had tough stressful days, but when we got home we went on a walk together to talk it out, and that really seemed to help. I was forgetting about all the stuff that happened after a while. I try not to hang onto bad thoughts. So anyways, I thought that some good comfort food was in order since it was a chilly day as well, and I decided that pasta sounded good.

I was thinking a creamy pumpkin pasta, with leeks, mushrooms, and kale. I had some new red lentil pasta and I wanted to try it out, so this was the perfect opportunity. I always like adding a bit of protein to my meals, because I need it especially if I worked out a lot that day. So anyways, the pasta turned out wonderful, it tasted like mac and cheese, and it turns out that is exactly what Eric was craving even though he didn’t tell me before I made it. This is so simple and fast to make, there is no excuse not to! And, that lentil pasta was really good too, you would not know it isn’t regular pasta.

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin and Leek Penne Pasta

Serves 3

10 oz Red lentil penne pasta, cooked according to package directions

1 large leek, or 3 small ones, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin

1 15 oz can organic coconut milk

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 tsp cider vinegar

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch dissolved in 2 Tbsp filtered water

1 large handful kale, torn into bite sized pieces

Add the leeks, mushrooms and olive oil to a non-stick skillet, and sautee the veggies over medium heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, cider vinegar, and salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the arrowroot mixture and stir well to blend and cook until the sauce thickens. Add the kale and pasta and cook until they are both heated through and the kale has wilted.

October 19, 2015

Vegan Crabapple Rustic Tart with Gingerbread Rye Crust

I was given a bag of organic sprouted rye flour which I have never had before. I always thought rye flour was just for rye bread and so I never tried it since I have never tried to make rye bread. But since I had a bag, I wondered if it would be good in other applications like desserts. I decided to try it. I didn’t know what I was going to make yet, but I was going to use it.

I was also given some chestnut crabapples. Eric and I were out for a walk a while back we came upon a some sort of fruit tree, and Eric who will try anything had to pick some of the fruit (which we thought looked like small apples) and eat them. I looked them up on my phone, and turned out they were chestnut crabapples. So, when I was given some this week I got a little excited since I knew they would be tasty.

I decided to make a rustic tart with both of these things. Because I wasn’t in the mood to make anything too complicated or time consuming, and because it had been kind of a stressful day so pie sounded good. Plus I had a nice long run that morning so I was extra hungry. I didn’t just make a plain crust for the tart, I made a gingerbread crust. It was sooo good even just the dough. I am one of those people that tastes throughout the whole process to make sure it is good before composing my dessert.

I made the filling simple, with a hint of cinnamon and not too much sweetener since the crabapples were pretty flavorful and sweet. It smelled amazing while baking. The type of aroma that you always wish you could come home to. It tasted even better. That spiced crust was awesome with the sweet tart crabapples. If you have a stressful day…make dessert, because stressed is desserts spelled backwards and you want to flip that stress mentality back to something positive.

Vegan Crabapple Rustic Tart with Gingerbread Rye Crust

Makes 2 tarts

Crust:

2 1/2 cups organic sprouted rye flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp dried ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar

1 tsp sea salt

seeds of one vanilla bean

3/4 cup coconut oil in its solid state

about 6-7 Tbsp cold water

Filling:

8 chestnut crabapples, sliced

1/4 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

juice of one lemon

a pinch of sea salt

3 Tbsp organic sprouted rye flour

coconut milk, for brushing

coconut sugar, for topping

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, sea salt, and spices. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add more water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created. Divide into 2 pieces and shape into rounds. Cover and refridgerate until workable at least 30 minutes. Roll each out into a 12 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To make filling, mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour filling over the rolled out dough rounds, leaving a 1 1/2 inch boarder at the edge. Brush crust with a little coconut milk, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until bubbling and crabapples are tender. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack until warm. Serve with ice cream!

October 17, 2015

Raw White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

I was hard core craving some pumpkin spice cheesecake last weekend. But just plain pumpkin spice wasn’t going to cut it, I wanted to add white chocolate as well. oddly enough it has been a while since I made a raw cheesecake since I have been working on my book making other types of cakes. I used to make one practically every weekend last year! So, I got back into my groove and whipped this one up.

It is actually pretty simple to make, don’t let that decorative looking swirl on top fool you. I used melted cacao butter in place of some of the coconut butter to give it that white chocolate flavor and oh my was it ever heavenly, even before pouring it into the crust. I lightly spiced the pumpkin portion and it was sooo good! Just a little chill in the freezer and it was all ready.

This cake is simply crave worthy. I think it would be the perfect swap for pumpkin pie at holiday get togethers if you want something a little more interesting. I have included the recipe for a vegan cake using coconut milk and cooked pumpkin puree if you do not have access to young coconut meat and don’t feel like taking apart a pumpkin or squash. So no excuse not to try this if you don’t have young coconuts in your area! I hope you all are enjoying pumpkin season as much as I am!

Raw White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake
Makes one 6 inch cake

Crust:

1/2 cup raw sprouted buckwheat groats, dried in the dehydrator

3/4 cup dried finely shredded coconut

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cup soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped

Filling:

4 cups young coconut meat*

1/2 cup coconut water

1/2 cup raw coconut nectar or your choice of raw liquid sweetener

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract and seeds from half a vanilla bean

1 inch piece fresh ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup raw cacao butter, warmed to liquid

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw coconut butter (warmed to liquid)

1 cup raw sweet squash such as kabocha or raw carrot**, chopped

Lightly coat a 6 inch spring form removable bottom pan with coconut oil. To prepare the crust, process buckwheat, coconut and sea salt in a food processor until it is fine crumbs, then add the dates and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers (if not holding together, add more dates). Firmly press crust into the bottom of the prepared pan, and set aside.

To make the filling, in a food processor combine coconut, coconut water, coconut nectar, sea salt vanilla, and spices and blend until smooth and creamy. With the processor running, add the cacao butter, coconut butter, and process for a minute until blended. Remove the filling from the food processor and divide into 2 bowls. Place one back into the food processor and add the squash. Blend until smooth then remove from the processor and set aside (if your food processor is not strong enough to make it smooth you may need to strain it through a fine meshed strainer).

Pour the pumpkin filling into the prepared crust, reserving about 3 Tbsp in a bowl. Pour the plain filling over that, then drop the remaining pumpkin filling by the 1/2 tsp over that and swirl with a knife to create marbling. Place the cake in the freezer for about 4-5 hours until firm. Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator.

*If you do not have access to young coconut meat, you can substitute 4 cups raw cashews soaked for 4 hours and drained for the coconut and filtered water for the coconut water.

**I use squash or carrot in place of pumpkin in these because it is sweeter and easier to work with and you will never know the difference. If you wish however you can use pumpkin but you may need to sweeten a little more.

Vegan Non-Raw Version

Use crust recipe from raw version

Filling:

2 15 oz cans full fat coconut milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups coconut butter, divided, warmed to liquid*

1/3 ccup up cacao butter, melted to liquid

1 cooked pumpkin puree (you may use canned)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

Prepare the crust the same as you would for the raw crust version.

Combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, sea salt, and vanilla in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

Pour in 1 cup of the coconut butter and the cacao butter with the motor running slowly (so that it does not clump up. But if it does, just continue to blend until any lumps are gone). Remove half the mixture, and place in a bowl.

Add the pumpkin and spices to the remaining mixture in the blender, and blend until smooth. Add the coconut butter in the same manor you added it before.

Place the cake in the freezer for about 4-5 hours until firm. Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator.

*Note: if your canned pumpkin is especially watery, you may need a few Tbsp more coconut butter.

October 16, 2015

Vegan Roasted Squash and Black Bean Pot Pies

I got my last CSA box of the season and it had some really good stuff in it. Most of all, the butternut squash, black beans, and tomatillos. Those 3 ingredients were just begging to be used in some sort of delicious Mexican inspired dish for dinner. Mondays are my day off, so that was the day I decided to make this dish. It changed a few times…what I was making, and I finally decided on pot pies. Eric has been saying I should make pot pie for a while and I finally decided to give in. This past weekend was so perfect, it was 80 degrees and sunny and the colors are beautiful outside this time of the year, so we went on a hike and enjoyed the day on Sunday. But then when we woke up Monday it was chilly, drizzling outside and super windy. So the perfect day for pot pies.

I decided that I wanted to make a tangy sauce from the tomatillos so I roasted them, then combined them with cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and lime juice. The sauce was so delicious it would have made the perfect salsa but I had better plans for it. I roasted the butternut squash, then combined it with that delicious sauce, some black beans, and a few other veggies for flavor.

I topped it all off with a cornmeal crust that turned out nice and flaky just how a pot pie should be. The filling was super flavorful, and definitely crave worthy with that crust. This is the perfect dish to enjoy on a dreary day, it is bright in flavor, but warm and comforting. I hope you all are enjoying your Autumn as much as I am enjoying mine. I love this time of the year when I can make warm comfort foods on my day off!

Vegan Roasted Squash and Black Bean Pot Pies

Makes 3 pies

1 medium butternut squash, diced (about 4 cups)

olive oil

1 small red onion, diced

1 small bell pepper, diced

2 cups cooked black beans

Sauce:

4 cups tomatillos, halved

olive oil

1/2 cup filtered water

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded (or not if you want it spicy)

1 garlic clove

juice of one large lime

sea salt to taste

1/4 cup cilantro

Crust:

3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 tsp sea salt

6 Tbsp coconut oil in its solid form

2-3 Tbsp cold water or to taste

To make the squash, pre-heat the oven to 400F. Toss the squash with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on a sheet pan. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a bowl.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and add the onion and pepper. Sautee until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the bowl with the squash, and the black beans as well. Set aside.

To make the tomatillo sauce, toss the tomatillos with olive oil, and spread out on a sheet pan. Roast for about 20-25 minutes until tender. Remove from the oven and place in a blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth and pour over the veggies and beans in the bowl.

Spoon the mixture into 3 oiled 4 wide inch deep dish pie dishes.

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, and sea salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add a touch of water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created. Divide into 3 balls.

Roll each out into about a 4 1/2 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. Use the parchment to assist putting it on top of the filling, and fit to the edges (no need to be perfect, it is ok if it looks rustic). Pierce the top crust a few times with a knife to make vents. Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until hot and bubbling the top is starting to brown lightly.

Vegan Roasted Squash and Black Bean Pot Pies 2

October 14, 2015

French Lentils in Mushroom Gravy with Mashed Sweet and Gold Potatoes

It was kind of chilly last Thursday, and so I decided that I wanted some warming comfort food for dinner. I really wanted something like shepard’s pie, but I didn’t want to have to go through of the work of making it so I ended up making something simpler that still had gravy and mashed potatoes. I see a lot of gravy and mashed potatoes being made at my work and it makes me want to go home and make my vegan version. But there is no meat in mine of course, I prefer to make mushroom gravy and serve hearty lentils in it. This time I added in a bit of celery and onions as well, because I love the flavor they give to things. For the mashed potatoes, I used a blend of sweet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes because that is what I happened to have on hand and they were delicious together! Sweet and savory!

I served it all with sautéed kale, because I have to get my greens in every day. This meal might not win any beauty contest, or be the most interesting thing in the world, but it was damn good comfort food and that is what I cared about. I think this is going to be something I make often as long as the cold weather is here…which it will be for a while since it is Minnesota and the chilly season is just beginning.

French Lentils in Mushroom Gravy with Mashed Sweet and Gold Potatoes

Serves 3

Lentils:

1 1/3 cups french lentils

filtered water

Potatoes:

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks

5 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks

sea salt to taste

1 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)

1/4 cup coconut milk (or as needed)

To finish lentils:

Extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups sliced celery

1 tsp dried thyme

2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 cups flavorful veggie broth (mushroom broth is best)

¼ cup arrowroot starch dissolved in 1/4 cup filtered water

sea salt to taste

To cook the lentils, place in a pot covered with filtered water by a few inches, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes until tender. Drain, and set aside.

Place both of the potatoes in a large pot of salted water on the stove, and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are just tender but not too mushy, and drain. Let cool until able to handle the potatoes, and use a ricer to place them into a bowl (or you may just put them in the bowl and mash them by hand instead of the ricer). Add coconut oil and milk, sea salt to taste, and mash or stir until fluffy and smooth.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot, and add the onions, thyme, celery, and cook until they have softened a bit, then add the garlic, mushrooms, and broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and place the lid on the pot. Let cook until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Once they are tender, add the arrowroot mixture and sea salt to taste, and let cook a few more minutes while stirring until the mixture is thickened. Add the lentils, and cook until they are warmed.

Serve the lentils with the mashed potatoes, and some sautéed greens on the side.

October 13, 2015

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Doughnuts

It is finally starting to feel like fall. I have broken out the jackets and sweaters, and it is long sleeve running weather. But I love it. It makes me feel cozy inside when it is a little chilly on the outside and I have to move a little faster or snuggle a little more to get warm. If that makes sense. There is no reason not to heat up the oven this time of the year, so on Monday I decided I wanted to make doughnuts. I had a can of pumpkin open, and I am in pumpkin everything mode, so that was the type I decided to make. But not just pumpkin…pumpkin chocolate chunk. I recently bought these awesome vegan chocolate chips from Luv (a company local to me that sells ice cream too) from the store I work at, thinking they would be great for baking and they ended up being pretty addictive. They are sugar free but not full of weird ingredients which is what I was looking for. Anyways, if you live in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota you should check them out. I used them in these doughnuts and they were delicious in them!

I used pumpkin spices in the doughnuts too, because isn’t that sort of a requirement of pumpkin desserts? Well it is to me…because I love those warming spices. And the pumpkin pie flavor plus the chocolate chunks was delicious! I didn’t want to overpower these doughnuts with any kind of glaze, so I ended up dusting them with a mixture of cinnamon, coconut sugar and xylitol (the xylitol because it was pretty, but you may use just coconut sugar if you like). Let me tell you, these babies warm with the chocolate still molten on the inside, and the doughnuts all aromatic was amazing. Make them immediately. Trust me, you want to.

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Doughnuts

Makes 10 large doughnuts

Batter:

1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1 cup coconut sugar

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup vegan chocolate chunks

Cinnamon sugar:

1/3 cup xylitol or coconut sugar (or mix the two as I did)*

2 tsp cinnamon

Pre heat the oven to 350F degrees, and oil a standard sized doughnut pan. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, sugar, flax seed, sea salt, and baking powder. Whisk in all the wet ingredients until smooth, then stir in the chocolate chunks.

Spoon into the holes in the prepared pan, filling them 3/4 full. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the doughnuts are cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly Once cool, pop out of the pan (you want them to still be warm so the cinnamon sugar sticks to them).

Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Press each doughnut into the cinnamon sugar in the bowl, and coat all sides evenly.

*Note: if using the xylitol, do not feed to dogs because it is poison to them like chocolate is.

October 12, 2015

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus

I have made pumpkin spice everything else, so I decided that some pumpkin pie hummus would be wonderful…since I am still craving pumpkin deliciousness. I like to have either hummus or nut butter with apples or crackers for an evening snack, but I get bored having the same thing, so this pumpkin pie hummus was a good way to switch it up! If dessert hummus sounds weird to you, you have to try this. It tastes just like pumpkin pie. Not like chickpeas at all.

The chickpeas just serve as a protein rich blank palette! This is amazing with cinnamon flax crackers, or sweet tart honeycrisp apple slices. You get your dessert, but the nutrition of the pumpkin and the fiber and protein of the chickpeas too which I love. I try to create things that are a win win…delicious and satisfying my craving but nourishing my body at the same time. I hope you all are enjoying your Autumn so far, and if you are a pumpkin pie lover, you simply must try this hummus!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin puree

1/4 cup pecan butter

1/3 cup maple syrup (or to taste)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

October 10, 2015

Vegan Spicy Roasted Potato and Jalapeno Pizza

I saw a jalapeno popper pizza on a menu, and I decided that I needed to veganize it, or at least make something similar. I knew I wanted it to have cheese and jalapenos of course, but it ended up being a bit more than just that, because I am a huge fan of piling veggies on pizza. So, I decided to include roasted potatoes as well to make it more substantial, and since I have always wanted to try potatoes on pizza. Eric was all for it, since he loves spicy things just as much as I do if not more.

I made my usual gluten free crust, because I prefer to have a blank palette for that and leave all of the flavor to the toppings. I next topped that off with a vegan “cream cheese” because if this was sort of like jalapeno popper pizza it needed that. Plus it was way more delicious than a red sauce in my opinion. I piled on the jalapenos, some roasted poblanos and sweet red peppers, and of course the roasted potatoes, and lastly some vegan cheddar cheese to melt over it all.

No, this is not a diet pizza…so before anyone says it, I just did. We all need to indulge once in a while and have a treat. OMG was this pizza good. And spicy. Not for those who can’t handle heat, but if you love jalapeno poppers and french fries, this tasted like that. I honestly never miss regular pizza with dairy cheese on it thanks to creations like this!

Vegan Spicy Roasted Potato and Jalapeno Pizza

Makes one 14 inch pizza

Vegan Cheddar Cheese:

1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
1/4 plus 1 Tbsp filtered water
3 Tbsp agar flakes or 1 Tbsp agar powder
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt
1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil
1 tsp guar gum

To make the cheese, heat the coconut milk in a saucepan with the garlic, turmeric, until it comes to a simmer.

Meanwhile, dissolve the arrowroot starch in the water and set aside.

Once the coconut milk has come to a simmer, add the agar flakes, and heat until they are dissolved (mine took about 8 minutes, if you are using the powder, it should dissolve within one minute).

Next, add the lemon juice and sea salt to the coconut milk.

Mix the coconut oil with the guar gum so that the guar gum does not clump up.

Turn off the heat and add the arrowroot mixture, guar gum and coconut oil. Whisk for about 30 seconds, then pour into a silicone mold (I used a loaf pan, but if you had another shape you would like to use go ahead). Refrigerate for a few hours until firm, then pop out of the mold. You will need half the cheese for this recipe, reserve the other half for another use in the fridge, wrapped in an airtight container. Shred the half you will be using into a bowl, and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Cream Cheese:

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup raw cashew butter or macadamia butter
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1 garlic clove

To make the cream cheese, combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

Pizza Dough:

1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

To make the pizza crust, combine the flour, xanthan gum and sea salt in a bowl, and whisk until well blended. Add the oil and water, and mix in until you have a soft dough.

Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper with a light dusting of flour, and roll out into a 14 inch circle. Set aside.

For Pizza Assembly:

olive oil
4 medium thinly sliced Yukon gold potatoes
1 poblano pepper, diced large
olive oil
a few thin slices red onions
1/2 cup sliced mini red peppers or diced bell peppers
2 large jalapenos, thinly sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. Toss the potatoes and peppers with the olive oil and spread out on an oiled sheet pan. Place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Set a pan on the center rack with an upside down sheet pan, or a pizza stone set on it. Brush the crust with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and slide the parchment with the crust on it onto the stone.

Bake crust for 10 minutes, then remove the crust from the oven (still on the parchment). Top the crust with the cream cheese spreading around evenly. Then the potaotes and poblanos, onions, mini peppers, jalapenos, then the cheddar cheese, making sure it is all evenly distributed.

Place the pizza in the oven, turn up the temperature to 475F and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown (keep an eye on it after 15 as some ovens cook faster than others). Remove the pizza and parchment from the oven, slide pizza onto a cutting board or plate, scatter scallions over the top, slice and enjoy!

October 9, 2015

Vegan Pumpkin Apple Shortcakes

I love strawberry shortcake in the summer, but what about fall? Shouldn’t there be a fall shortcake? At least those were my thoughts one day last week. I decided I needed to make a fall shortcake. Pumpkin biscuits with sautéed apples and cream…it was all sounding pretty darn heavenly by the time I got home from my walk after work.

I’m sorry to all of you who are sick of all of my pumpkin stuff on the blog lately…Well really I’m not, what is wrong with you?! Just kidding. But I have been missing pumpkin since last year. And I have quite a bit of fun trying to come up with new pumpkin deliciousness every year. So anyways, the biscuits for the shortcakes were pumpkin spice. I used basically my basic scone recipe with pumpkin, and of course added in the proper spices. I also decided to add pecans for extra deliciousness.

The scones filled my home with the most wonderful aroma. It is finally the season where you can leave the oven open to warm the house too after baking and I love that. I sliced open the biscuits and filled them with a maple scented coconut cream and maple cinnamon apples. All together, it was divine. I like this Autumn shortcake just as much as the summer shortcakes. Although not all foods are available all year round, it is sort of wonderful that we get to look forward to different ones each season. Keeps it interesting, and keeps us from getting bored!

Vegan Pumpkin Apple Shortcakes
Makes 4

1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, cut into chunks

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned is fine)

1 Tbsp coconut milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

coconut milk for topping

coconut sugar for sprinkling

Apples:

3 large apples, sliced

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch sea salt

juice of one lemon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cream:

1 15 oz can organic full fat coconut milk, chilled

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp maple extract (optional)

3/4 cups coconut butter, warmed to liquid

Preheat oven to 425 with the rack set at the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla and coconut milk into the pumpkin puree. Add the mixture to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Fold in pecans until evenly distributed. place dough on a floured work surface, and shape into a 4 inch wide log. Use a bench scraper to cut into trianges. There should be about 4. Place scones on the prepared baking sheet, reshaping slightly if necessary. Brush the tops lightly with the coconut milk (only if they seem dry, you want the sugar to stick), and sprinkle with coconut sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

For the apples, combine them with the maple syrup, sea salt, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a pan over medium heat. Sautee until softened, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and take off heat. Let cool.

Meanwhile, to make the cream, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter, in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, add the coconut butter and process a minute more (if it starts to get lumpy at all during the process it is just the fat separating because it is 2 different temperatures. Just continue to blend until it is smooth, and it will get warm so it will just have to chill longer). Pour the frosting into a bowl and let sit in the freezer until the consistency of whipped cream, whisking every 15 minutes (this may take anywhere from 15 minutes to hour to an hour depending on how warm it has gotten and which appliance you used).

To assemble the shortcakes, slice a biscuit in half, then spoon some of the cream onto that, then some apples, then top with the other half of the biscuit, then a little more cream, then serve!

October 7, 2015

Roasted Pumpkin and Black Bean Salad with Groundnut Dressing

When I was out for my run this morning, I noticed a few people have set out pumpkins on their steps as decoration. Not surprising, official pumpkin season is officially here! I even got one in my CSA box this time. Although it was pretty, and I thought I might want to just display it, I decided to eat it instead. That is so me. Nothing is ever too pretty to eat if it is tasty and edible. I decided to roast the pumpkin into little cubes of deliciousness, and combine them with black beans and kale in a salad.

This became dinner for me and Eric. I tossed it all in a groundnut dressing. If I am confusing you by saying groundnut, it is the same as peanut. I used to make this really good groundnut spiced stew with garam masala (an indian spice blend) that was so good, I drew inspiration from it for this salad. I knew the pumpkin, black beans and kale would be perfect with the dressing. The roasting of the pumpkin is really the only thing about this recipe that takes a little time, the rest comes together in a breeze if you have cooked beans on hand already.

Roasted Pumpkin and Black Bean Salad with Groundnut Dressing

Serves 2-4

1 medium pumpkin, seeds removed, skin removed, and cut into cubes

olive oil

sea salt

2 cups cooked black beans

1 bunch kale, washed and torn into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

1/2 cup smooth organic natural peanut butter

1/2 cup filtered water

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)

2 tsp garam masala

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

sea salt to taste

To prepare the pumpkin, pre heat the oven to 400F degrees, and oil a sheet pan. Toss the pumpkin with just enough oil to coat and spread out on the pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Roast until the pumpkin is tender and starting to brown at the edges, about 30-45 minutes. Let cool until just warm.

Place the kale, beans, seeds, and pumpkin in a large bowl.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl, then toss with the ingredients in the other bowl until coated. Serve!

October 2, 2015

Vegan Tater Tot Hotdish

Anyone who lives in Minnesota has had tater tot hotdish in their lifetime most likely, it is pretty much a staple here of Grandmothers to serve to their families, or at church basement functions. My Grandma made it. But the funny thing is, I have never been a fan. Usually it is made with cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, frozen veggies, and tater tots thrown on top. None of which I liked as a child. Crazy and blasphemous I know for a Minnesotan. But for some reason, I saw someone making it on the news the other day and I decided I wanted to veganize it.

It could be good after all. It had potential. Except this was all going to be from scratch, no cream of anything soup, no frozen anything, and no meat. I even made the tater tots from scratch, and it was actually pretty easy sans the shaping them part which takes a little patience just like scooping meatballs or cookie dough.

For the base, I made a sort of a gravy like I do for my shepard’s pie, and I included mushrooms so it had that cream of soup sort of thing going, but way better and healthier. I had fresh green beans, leeks and celery from my CSA box, so I included those as well for my veggies. Instead of ground beef, lentils filled in, and I must say they were way more tasty than the beef in the casserole I remember as a child.

Once the hotdish was all assembled and in the oven, I was pretty pleased with myself. This was going to be good! I was excited about it! It smelled amazing, not like the hotdish I remember from when I was little which made me want to gag. It tasted wonderful as well. Me and Eric enjoyed it, and it was the perfect dinner for a cool fall evening. This tater tot hotdish was a win! If you are looking for a special weekend, meal, this is it, and the best part is there are leftovers if you are only serving two, so you can enjoy it the next day as well!

Vegan Tater Tot Hotdish

Makes 4 mini hotdishes

four 4 inch oven proof dishes

Tater Tots:

6 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks

filtered water

sea salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)

Lentils:

1 1/3 cups french lentils

filtered water

Veggies and gravy:

Extra virgin olive oil

2 large leeks sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups sliced celery

1 tsp dried thyme

2 cups green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 cups filtered water

2 Tbsp tamari

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp miso

¼ cup corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup filtered water

Pre-heat the oven to 425F degrees. To make the tater tots, place the russets in a large pot of salted boiling water on the stove, and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are just tender but not too mushy, and drain. Let cool until able to handle the potatoes, and grate them into a bowl. Add sea salt and pepper to taste, and shape the potatoes into tater tots. Place on an oiled sheet pan, and drizzle with olive oil, tossing them around in it gently to coat them. Place in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes until lightly browned and crisp on the outside.

Meanwhile, to cook the lentils, place in a pot covered with filtered water by a few inches, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot, and add the leeks, thyme, celery, and cook until they have softened a bit, then add the garlic, beans, mushrooms, tamari, nutritional yeast, miso, and water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and place the lid on the pot. Let cook until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Once they are tender, add the cornstarch mixture, and let cook a few more minutes while stirring until it has thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in the lentils.

To assemble, spoon the veggie mixture into 4 ovenproof dishes or bowls, then top with the tater tots.

Place the dishes in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes until bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving.

September 29, 2015

Vegan Pecan Pie Mylkshake and Sprout Living Giveaway!

Sprout Living was kind enough to send me some of their FD Sprout Mixes (which can be found here: https://www.sproutliving.com/shop/fd-sprout-bundle/ ). I sprout things myself, and I love to serve sprouts on top of salads, but I had never tried the dried variety that they offer before. Sprouts are a good thing to add to your diet because they contain lots of nutrients. I mean, think about it. When you sprout a seed you are unleashing all that energy and life! And, many of the things enjoyed as sprouts are already nutrient dense items. Sprout living offers 3 different sprout mixes, Omega Gather, which is a mix of Flax Sprouts, Chia Sprouts, Pumpkin Sprouts and Sesame Sprouts. Broccoli and Kale, and Red Clover and Daikon Radish. They are raw, vegan and gluten free! At first, I thought the second two might taste kind of vegetal, but they all actually taste kind of nutty, which I love!

I have been sprinkling a little bit over my morning overnight oats for an added nutrition boost and I love it! I also created a shake the other day with the Omega Gather blend that I wanted to share with you all. This blend is rich in omega 3 oils, so it is perfect for adding to blended drinks as an added boost.

So, when I went to make a Vegan Pecan Pie Mylkshake for me and Eric the other day, I added some in along with the Sprout Living Vanilla Lucuma Epic Protein Powder. I needed a boost of protein, because I had ran, biked and walked that day. I always have pecan butter in my fridge for recipes (I love it in caramel), and it was perfect for this, along with dates to give it that pecan pie flavor. I chose the Omega Gather blend to pair with it because it tastes the most nutty to me.

I used a combination of apples and bananas as a base, because the bananas make it taste like ice cream, and the apples add sweetness. Once the dates, vanilla and pecans are added it tastes like pecan pie with ice cream. Sooo good! And, I got my protein and sprout boosts from the Sprout Living additions.

If you are looking for a way to easily add nutrients to your food, you need to check out the Sprout Living FD blends https://www.sproutliving.com/shop/fd-sprout-bundle/. You can just add a spoonful on top of your breakfast cereal or porridge, or into your smoothies, and voila! I even sprinkled some of the gather blend on top of some sliced peaches with nuts and it was kind of like a quick not so sweet crumble. Delicious. Also, I am giving away a 3 pack of the Sprout Living FD Blends I mentioned earlier to one lucky winner! So, if you would like to try some, go to the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of the page to enter! Also, Sprout Living has been kind enough to give any of you a discount if you would like to buy any of their products! To get 10% off of your order, use the coupon code: FRAGRANT10 on their website: https://www.sproutliving.com/

Vegan Pecan Pie Mylkshake

Serves 2

1 cup raw coconut milk or pecan milk

1/3 cup raw pecan butter (or 3/4 cup chopped raw pecans)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 medjool dates, pitted

1 scoop Sprout Living Vanilla Lucuma Epic Protein Powder (optional) https://www.sproutliving.com/shop/epic-protein-vanilla-lucuma/

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp Sprout Living FD Sprout Mix Omega Gather https://www.sproutliving.com/shop/fd-sprout-bundle/

6 bananas, frozen and cut into pieces

2 cups sweet (not tart) apples, diced

In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth, using the tamper to press the shake down into the blades. Pour the mixture into 2 tall glasses, and serve!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

September 28, 2015

Vegan Firecracker Apple Pie

One of my coworkers said to me a few days back “I don’t know how you have the energy to do all that baking you do.” The truth is though, baking is relaxing to me. The main things that really relax me are running (well more afterwards after I have gotten out all my frustrations and sorted out my thoughts on the roads and trails), having a good cuddle with Eric and watching a movie or maybe a long walk with him just laughing and talking about silly stuff, and baking delicious desserts. All of this goes hand in hand too because I dream up lots of delicious recipes on my runs and on those long walks when Eric says “you should really make such and such”. So all of this baking I do isn’t a chore, but something I enjoy. Who cares if I had a stressful day at work…baking a pie takes that away, and I think the aroma of it baking alone and eating those scraps of dough make me happy too.

Last Friday, was not a stressful day, it was a rather enjoyable one. The weather cooled off a bit into fall mode, I had a good long run, work went well and everyone was happy, and I had a nice walk afterwards to enjoy some more of the beautiful weather. On my walk I decided I wanted apple pie. But I could not just make apple pie, I wanted something a bit more interesting.

I took a cue from Eric who always tells me I should make things with hot peppers (he is the one who wanted a ghost pepper berry smoothie last summer), and decided to make a jalapeno apple pie. I had some jalapenos from my CSA box, and some local honeycrisp apples, so it was the perfect idea!

I am a big spice lover and I do love a good dessert with chilies in it, so I was excited about this. All the pie needed was one half a jalapeno because these guys I had gotten were pretty spicy. I made my usual filling with cinnamon and a touch of lemon juice like my Mom used to use plus maple syrup for sweetener. For the crust, I used a combination of gluten free all purpose flour and pecan flour to give it that extra delicious nutty richness.

The pie smelled amazing while baking. I could not wait to try it. Once it cooled I was all up in that pie. Just the right amount of kick from the jalapeno, and a perfect balance of sweet and a little tart from the apples, and the crust was melt in your mouth rich. It was sooo good. I do not think I will ever tire of baking pies. Maybe I take after my Grandmother. She loved to bake, and especially for others. It made her happy to share her treats with them. I feel that way too. But of course, I have to enjoy a large portion with them!

Vegan Firecracker Apple Pie

Makes 1 6 inch pie

2 large sweet tart apples (such as honeycrisp), diced

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 jalepeno pepper, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp all purpose gluten free flour
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Crust:

3/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour

3/4 cup pecan flour*
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
5 Tbsp coconut oil, in its solid form

about 2-3 Tbsp cold water

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, sea salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add a touch of water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created. Divide into 2 balls.

Roll each out into about a 7-8 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. Place bottom crust into a 6 inch pie pans and fit to edges (being careful since gluten free dough is more fragile). If it tears, no worries, just press it back together and patch it up. Flute the edges, or crimp with a fork. Set aside in the refrigerator. Set the top crust aside (if it is pretty warm, place it in the refrigerator too, you just do not want it to get too hard or it will not be pliable to shape over the filling).

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the filling ingredient. Spoon into crust. Place the top crust over the filling using the parchment to assist. Crimp the edges, and cut a vent in the center. Bake for 45 minutes in the middle rack of the oven until apples are cooked through and bubbling.

Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

*To make pecan flour, place pecans in the blender and blend for about 30 seconds until they are finely ground like flour (but not too long or you will have butter).

September 27, 2015

Raw Pumpkin Spice Granola

I am heading into pumpkin bliss at full speed. Pumpkin does not last long in this household lately after I buy it because I am finding all sorts of delicious ways to use it in recipes. Of course I have baked a few things, and made a few savories, but snacks are not off limits, so I decided to make some pumpkin spice granola. Eric eats up granola so fast, I can barely make it fast enough. But it makes me happy that he enjoys it since it is better for him than the sugary cereal he tends to like to buy when I am not there.

I have been into raw oat granolas lately. I made a lot of buckwheat ones a while back, and they were delicious but I am a big fan of oats. So that is what I went for with this one. I did however mix in some buckwheat, quinoa and chia seeds because I wanted to give it a little more protein than just the oats would offer. Whenever I make oatmeal for breakfast I add seeds to it, and I love the combination.

This granola ended up being relatively low fat, since I used the pumpkin as my binder instead of the usual coconut butter or other nut butter. In fact, this ended up being nut free. It has seeds of course, but those with nut allergies can enjoy this! I added the usual pumpkin pie spices, maple syrup, and omg…it tasted sooo good. Even before dehydrating. Waking up the next morning to this made me pretty happy even though it was raining outside. Nothing like looking forward to something like this amazing smelling granola after your run in the rain to motivate you!

Raw Pumpkin Spice Granola

Makes about 8-10 cups of delicious granola

2 cups pumpkin seeds

1 cup buckwheat groats soaked for 30 minutes and drained well

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained

6 cups gluten free raw rolled oats

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 cups finely shredded, dried coconut

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1/2 cup maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

2 cups dried cranberries
In a large bowl, combine oats, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, coconut, chia seeds, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, coconut nectar, sea salt vanilla extract, and spices until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto 2 lined dehydrator trays, and dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy. Mix in the dried cranberries.

*Note, if you want to make this in the oven you may, but keep in mind that it will not necessarily stay raw that way (if you are concerned about that). Just keep your oven at the lowest temperature possible, preferably 15oF or so. It will cook a lot faster than the dehydrator so check it way sooner, like after 4 hours (times will vary significantly depending on your oven and the temperature).

September 26, 2015

Lentil Ragout over Pumpkin Gnocchi

The last time I attempted to make vegan gnocchi, it ended in disaster. They fell apart, and I was so disappointed because I was excited about the recipe. That was about 6 years ago, and I decided it was time to attempt them again. After all, I have nailed several things since then that had previously scared me. I wanted to make pumpkin gnocchi this time, since I am in a pumpkin sort of mood, and it just sounded so good. The last time I enjoyed any kind of gnocchi was in a fine restaurant and it was so freaking delicious. I have been craving it since then. I sort of winged it, just a simple mixture of gluten free flour, pumpkin and sea salt and it worked! I was so happy! They did not fall apart, they cooked up as soft little pillows that were delicious once sautéed with garlic and olive oil. I decided to make a lentil ragout to accompany them because I wanted something hearty and substantial. It was so delicious together! I have a feeling this is going to be one of my go to comfort food meals this season!

Lentil Ragout over Pumpkin Gnocchi

Serves 3

2/3 cup French lentils

filtered water

Gnocchi:

3 cups gluten free all purpose flour

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 tsp sea salt

filtered water

olive oil

1 garlic clove, sliced

Ragout:

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 medium stalk celery, diced small

1 medium carrot, shredded

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

sea salt to taste

2 cups crushed canned tomatoes

filtered water as needed

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

cooked lentils from above

To cook the lentils, place in a pot and cover with filtered water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Drain, and set aside.

To make the gnocchi, mix together the flour, salt and pumpkin together in a bowl with your hands until you have a cohesive mass (if it is too sticky, add a little more flour, you want it the consistency of play dough). Divide into 4 pieces, then roll each out into a 1 inch thick rope on a lightly floured surface, and slice into 1/2 inch thick rounds.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and add the gnocchi. Allow to cook until they float to the surface which is about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place on a plate.

Heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat, along with 1 garlic clove, sliced. Add the gnocchi and cook until lightly brown on both sides, about 5-7 minutes. Season with sea sale. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add the ragout veggies, except the garlic and tomatoes, and sauté until tender. Add the garlic, tomatoes, herbs, salt, pepper, vinegar, and filtered water as needed. Bring to a simmer, and allow to cook until all of the veggies are very soft and the flavor has melded, about 15-20 minutes. Add the lentils and allow to heat through, taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Serve the lentils over the gnocchi.

September 25, 2015

Vegan Maple Pecan Pumpkin Cookies

Happy first official day of Autumn! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Summer but crisp fall mornings are one of my favorite things. I have been enjoying wearing sweatshirts and feeling a bit of a chill in the air. This weather makes for great runs and comfortable walks, all the while crunching the leaves on the ground as you go and admiring the beautiful painted trees. A few days back, I decided that it was close enough to Fall to bake pumpkin cookies. Most of my days off involve some form of baking or another and this one was no exception. My perfect day off is a long run, baking, enjoying the outdoors with my man, and relaxing with a home cooked meal.

The last time I had made pumpkin cookies they were raw, but I decided to bake some this time, and jazz them up a bit. I have always felt like pumpkin cookies are a little tougher than regular old drop cookies to make, because the batter seems to always be so wet and runny, but these turned out awesome and a little chilling quickly before baking did the trick.

The dough tasted amazing. The sort of thing that I can not get myself to stop sampling. But no regrets it was sooo good. I stirred in pecans and cranberries and scented the dough with vanilla, maple and the classic pumpkin spices. They baked up beautifully. Pillowy yet crunchy on the outside as the perfect pumpkin cookie (in my opinion) should be. I then drizzled them with a maple glaze and they were just as I had envisioned them to be in my head before I made them. Which is always a good thing because sometimes things totally don’t turn out as I had wished. They smell of Autumn, and I can imagine no better thing to enjoy on a chilly afternoon with a mug of hot apple cider…which I am really craving now so I am going to have to get some soon!

Vegan Maple Pecan Pumpkin Cookies

Makes 16 large cookies

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

1 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

2 cups coconut sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp maple extract

1 cup pumpkin puree

4 cups gluten free all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup dried cranberries

Glaze:

2 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid

1 Tbsp maple syrup

pinch sea salt

3 Tbsp filtered water (or as needed)

Pre heat the oven to 350F degrees. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flax seed and water and set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil and sugar until blended. Then add the vanilla and maple extracts, flax mixture and pumpkin and whisk until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, spices, and sea salt and mix until smooth. Stir in the pecans and cranberries.

Chill the dough for about 10-15 minutes until it becomes thicker (like the texture of regular chocolate chip cookie dough), then drop the cookie dough by the scant 1/4 cup on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a lot of space between cookies (I got about 8 per pan). Bake for 15-18 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make the glaze, whisk together all ingredients until smooth adding more water if necessary to create a pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cookies, and allow to set (you may pop them in the freezer for about 5 minutes to make it set faster). Store cookies in an airtight container for 1 week.

September 23, 2015

Vegan Marshmallow Coconut Almond Cups

I always get suggestions from family and friends on what I should veganize or make, and a few weeks back, Eric suggested Cup O Gold candy. My first reaction was, “What the heck is that? I have never heard of it!” I had to google it. They sounded good, chocolate cups with marshmallow coconut almond filling. Hmm, that was doable. Turns out the reason I had not heard of them is they are sold on the West side of the US…so kind of foreign to this Minnesotan. Funny how some candy is regional. If you ask a Minnesotan about Nut Goodies, we definitely know what you are talking about…but Eric had never heard of them because he is from Arizona originally.

So, anyways, back to the Cup O Gold. I decided to just call them marshmallow coconut almond cups, because these are my vegan version and I am not sure if they were made like the originals because I have never had one. But Who cares. These were delicious and that is all that mattered. I was not going to turn down a request from Eric for something delicious. I made my aquafaba marshmallow fluff to fill them, which I never would have thought possible a year ago before I discovered the stuff. Total game changer for vegan s’mores. Anyways, the fluff plus coconut and almonds was totally delicious.

Even better once I covered it in chocolate. Talk about a heavenly combination! Eric does have some brilliant ideas for recipes once in a while, that is why I keep him around. Just kidding, love you Eric (for more than just that)! If you are a marshmallow fan, definitely put these on your list of things to make.

Vegan Marshmallow Coconut Almond Cups

Makes 12 large cups

Chocolate:

1 cup raw cacao butter or raw coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 cup raw cacao powder

1/2 cup organic maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

a pinch sea salt

Marshmallow Filling:

1/2 cup reduced aquafba*

1 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum

1/2 cup granulated xylitol or granulated coconut sugar*

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/3 cup finely shredded, dried coconut

To make the chocolate, whisk all ingredients together until smooth, and set aside.
Lay out 12 PB cup tins (not the mini ones, the larger candy size) or molds on a flat cutting board or tray, and fill them about 1/3 full with the chocolate. Place them in the freezer to set about 5 minutes.
For the marshmallow fluff, in a food processor (which is what I used, or you may use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment), whip up the aquafaba until it has reached peaks. This will take about 2 minutes in the food processor. Add the guar gum and process until incorporated. Add the sea salt and sugar and with the motor running, a little at a time through the feed tube (so you do not deflate it), then allow to process until the sugar is completely dissolved and the meringue is smooth, shiny and thick. Add the vanilla, and blend until uniform in color. Fold in the almonds and coconut.

Once the chocolate in the molds is set, spoon about 1 heaping tsp of filling mixture onto each, but not so much that it oozes to the sides (you want to be able to cover it with more chocolate and not have it stick out the top). Spoon chocolate over each mound of marshmallow enough to cover and fill to the top of the tins (You may have extra). Place in the freezer to set for about 15-20 min. to set. Enjoy!

* Aquafaba is the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas (you want it to be the consistency of egg whites when cooled, if it is too thin, reduce it in a pan until it is thicker.)

**Xylitol is toxic to dogs (like chocolate is), so do not feed the marshmallow to your dog if you are using it. If using the coconut sugar, the marshmallow will be more brown in color.

September 22, 2015

Raw Spiced Carrot Apple Granola

The aroma of Autumn is in the air. You can especially smell it in the morning. As I head out for my runs, the air feels crisp and dry. The trees are just starting to show signs of color, reds, yellows and oranges appearing on a select few, and a few are falling to the ground like fluttering confetti. The weather can’t seem to make up its mind here lately, going from the 60s to the 90s in one week, but I know the crisp air will soon be here to stay. This is my favorite time of the year. The time of year when I can wear cozy sweaters, bake apple pie and run through the crunchy leaves.

The apples are amazing this time of the year and I have been hoarding the honey crisps. I have made a few desserts with them, but the latest thing I made was granola. We have a apple carrot scone recipe in the deli I work at, and it always sounds so good to me, so I decided to make apple carrot granola.

Granola has been the “it” snack at my house lately since I started making it again a few weeks back. I tend to go in streaks with my granola, making it all the time, then taking a break when I get too busy. It is so good though…sometimes I wish I could snap my fingers and it would appear! Not that it is hard to make, but you know, we all feel like relaxing sometimes.

Anyways, back to the granola, I decided to make it nut free this time and include chia seeds, quinoa, and buckwheat for extra crunch along with the oats. I also added coconut, carrots and apples for extra sweetness, and a few of my favorite fall spices. It turned out so good! Really, it was crave worthy. Bonus, it smells amazing while dehydrating, so you will wake up to a beautiful aroma when you wake up the next morning.

Raw Spiced Carrot Apple Granola

Makes about 8-10 cups of delicious granola

1 cup buckwheat groats soaked for 30 minutes and drained well

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained

6 cups gluten free raw rolled oats

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 cups finely shredded, dried coconut

4 carrots, shredded

3 large organic apples, sliced

3/4 cup raw coconut butter warmed to liquid

1/2 cup maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg
In a large bowl, combine oats, buckwheat, quinoa, coconut, chia seeds, apples, carrots and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together coconut butter, coconut nectar, sugar, sea salt vanilla extract, and spices until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto 2 lined dehydrator trays, and dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy.

September 21, 2015

Vegan Cinnamon Apple Pear Pandowdy

I have sort of made it my mission this year to make different types of fruit desserts that I have not made before. It used to always just be pie and crumble and I get a little bored making the same things even though they are all pretty delicious. I recently made a buckle, a cobbler, a galette, and my newest fruit dessert, a pandowdy.

I had heard of pandowdy, but I did not exactly know what it was. It was just a thing I thought of while at work…hmm pandowdy, I wonder how it would be to make one of those? Turns out it is like a crustless pie with pieces of top crust overlapped on top and baked to delicious perfection. Yes, I looked it up. I was very curious and wanted to make this no matter how much effort it took, though turns out, not much.

I decided to make a cinnamon apple pear pandowdy, because that is what is good this time of the year. I made an almond crust, and cut out cute little stars, because just cutting the dough into pieces was not interesting enough for me. It smelled amazing when baking, and I was getting my apple pie without two crusts and dealing with all that jazz. Wow, was it ever good. I think I like this pandowdy business.

Vegan Cinnamon Apple Pear Pandowdy

Makes 1 6 inch pie

Crust:

3/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour

3/4 cup almond flour

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

5 Tbsp coconut oil, in its solid form

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

about 1-3 Tbsp cold water

Filling:

2 large sweet tart apples, cut into small chunks

1 pears, cut into small chunks

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour

pinch sea salt

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in vanilla and just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add a touch of water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created.

Roll out into about a 7-8 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. cut into shapes (I did small stars. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. Oil a 6 inch deep baking dish.

In a large bowl, toss together the filling ingredients. Spoon into baking dish. Place plate on baking sheet, and place the cut out pieces of dough on top. Bake for one hour and 5 minutes or until fruit is cooked through and bubbling (if the crust starts to get too dark, tent with foil.

September 20, 2015

Vegan Asian Edamame Noodles

A while back, I had bought some edamame pasta and forgotten to use it. That is, until this week, when I remembered I had it and decided I was hungry for pasta. I had gotten it because it only has one ingredient…edamame! Kind of shocking I know, but since I love edamame I had to try this. I wondered what the texture would be like, and if it would hold together like normal pasta. So I cooked some up, before I even knew what kind of sauce I wanted on it, just to try it. It was rather tasty even plain. I loved the texture, it was more substantial than regular pasta and not so starchy. I decided that I wanted a silky nut butter sauce, Asian style.

I added some ginger, tamari, garlic, cider vinegar and a little bit of a kick with some red pepper flakes to some almond butter and made a silky sauce. It was delicious, and I tossed that with the pasta along with a few veggies I had in my fridge from my CSA box. It ended up being a delicious and substantial meal for this hungry girl. I think this might be something I made often! And, not only is the edamame pasta delicious it has 24g protein per serving so you don’t have to worry about adding an extra protein source to your recipe. I bought my pasta at Costco, but you can also find it HERE.

Vegan Asian Edamame Noodles

Serves 2

4 oz organic edamame pasta

Sauce:

1/3 cup almond butter

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp tamari (or to taste)

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp maple syrup

Veggies:

1/4 cup sliced radishes

2 carrots, cut julienne

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 orange or red bell pepper, diced

2 scallions, sliced

1 handful baby spinach leaves

sesame seeds for serving

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Set aside in a bowl.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients, and pour over the pasta. Add the veggies, and toss together until coated evenly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve!

September 18, 2015

Vegan Apple Streusel Doughnuts

My Mom recently suggested I make some apple doughnuts. She said she heard someone else talking about some, and they sounded so good…and I agreed, so I had to make some. I hadn’t made baked vegan apple doughnuts ever so I was excited about this. I had just picked up a bunch of honeycrisp apples, so I knew I had a flavorful apple to use in these doughnuts. Which is important to me. I am sort of picky about my apples. Honeycrisp and Haralson are my favorites, especially when I can go to a local apple orchard and pick some up. Which I will have to do really soon. Anyways, back to the doughnuts, I made a moist and flavorful apple batter laced with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, my 3 favorite things to put in an apple pie. It tasted wonderful but of course even better once baked (yes, I always taste my batter and dough…have to make sure it is sweet enough).

But before baking…I decided I wanted to make these streusel doughnuts. It just appealed to me more than a cinnamon sugar coating or frosting that day. I am a sucker for streusel. So, I suppose these are sort of a cross between a muffin and a doughnut, which I love. They were sooo good! Soft, aromatic and sweet. Just how an apple doughnut should be. And way healthier than the doughnuts that always smell so amazing when I go to the apple orchard.

Vegan Apple Streusel Doughnuts

Makes 10 large doughnuts

Topping:

2 Tbsp coconut oil in its solid state

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/3 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Batter:

2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

1 cup coconut sugar

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp apple cider

1 cup applesauce

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut oil, warmed to liquid

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pre heat the oven to 350F degrees, and oil a standard sized doughnut pan. In a bowl, mix together the streusel ingredients with your hands until they clump up (it helps to squeeze them together with your fingers). Set aside.

For the batter, whisk together the flour, sugar, flax seed, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, and baking powder. Whisk in all the wet ingredients until smooth.

Spoon into the holes in the prepared pan, filling them 3/4 full, then top off with the streusel. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the doughnuts are cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, pop out of the pan.

September 16, 2015

Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats

Pumpkin everything season has arrived. People are gaga over pumpkin everything from lattes to muffins, and I totally get it because I love it too, and Autumn is my favorite season. I have started making the pumpkin delicacies myself too. I had made a cake last weekend and had leftover pumpkin, so I decided I needed to do something with it…and it just happened to be perfect timing to include it in my overnight oats since I was putting those together. So, I made pumpkin spice overnight oatmeal. I figured the pumpkin would give me some extra goodness and nutrients as well as being delicious so it was a win win all around. They were delicious! Like pumpkin pie met my bowl of overnight oatmeal. I think I will be making these any time I have leftover pumpkin this season. If you have leftover pumpkin…now you know what to do with it!

Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats

Serves 1-2

1/2 cup gluten free steel cut oats or rolled oats (if you want this to be raw use raw rolled oats)

1 3/4 cups filtered water

2 scoops Sprout Living Epic Vanilla Lucuma Protein Powder*

1 Tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

stevia or maple syrup to taste

1 cup pumpkin puree

Optional: Top off with your favorite nuts and dried fruit

In a jar, combine all ingredients, and stir to mix together. Let sit in the refrigerator covered overnight. Enjoy in the morning!

*If you do not wish to add protein powder, then simply use your favorite non dairy milk reduced to 1 cup in this recipe.

September 15, 2015

French Lentil and Kale Salad with Almond Dressing

My CSA box is always a source of good meals and inspiration, and this week was no different. It was overflowing with deliciousness. I did not have a lot of time one night last week, so I made a quick salad for dinner. I had a gorgeous bouquet of kale I wanted to use. I have always loved kale, funny side note, I was once given a bouquet of kale by Eric because he knows I appreciated it way more than flowers. Then I can make it into dinner or lunch or something delicious rather than just looking at it. Anyways, this kale was going to be my dinner. I cooked up some French lentils to go in my salad as well because I felt in need of protein, and I included some radishes, carrots, and cherry tomatoes from my box as well. I topped it off with a cumin scented almond dressing that I often keep in the fridge for my salads, and it was hearty and delicious! Just what the doctor ordered that night for me to feel good and satisfied! Sometimes simple is best.

French Lentil and Kale Salad with Almond Dressing

Serves 2-4

1/2 cup French lentils

Dressing:

1/2 cup raw almond butter

1/3 cup filtered water (or as needed)

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp sea salt

2 bunches kale, washed and torn into bite sized pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 cups sliced carrots

1 cup sliced radishes

Place the lentils in a medium pot, cover with water by a few inches and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes until tender. Let cool.

For the dressing, in a high speed blender, combine all dressing ingredients and puree until smooth. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, then pour the dressing over and massage in with your hands until it is well coated. Serve!

September 14, 2015

Vegan Cream Cheese Apple Galette

Last Friday, I decided to face my fears and run a race. I haven’t ran a race in 4 years. Yes, I run all the time, I haven’t stopped with that. It is a source of joy and makes me feel good and gives me time to think every morning and relieve stress before it happens. But the truth is competition and races scared me a bit after not running other than just for the enjoyment of it. Weird I know because I spent a huge chunk of my life racing almost every weekend. I used to be pretty fast and win almost every race I ran, 16 something 5ks, and I was young and invincible. But then I got injured and the injuries piled up and I was not taking good enough care of myself at the time, so I decided that I had to do something else with myself.

I never stopped running, but I have been running a lot smarter. After all those injuries I take a more conservative approach, and do just what my body feels like. It took being injured for a long time for me to really appreciate running. Just getting out there and being able to run a few miles made me happy for a while. I do more than that now, and I am always super grateful to even be able to get out there let alone 10 miles. I always thank God for every run I am able to enjoy. I guess it takes something being taken away sometimes for you to really appreciate it when you get it back. So anyways, back to this race I did, it was just a small one, but it made me happy. I felt in my element back out there running the race even if I ran what would have been considered a slow time to me 4 years ago.

That night, I decided I wanted apple pie. But I was actually too lazy to make a pie in a tin and all with 2 crusts…so I made a gallette. Which is just as good in my opinion! Why not spend less time making dessert and be able to enjoy it sooner? Am I right or what?!

So, I made one of the most delicious apple things I have ever had. I had some honeycrisp apples that I knew would be perfect for my galettes. Those are my all time favorite apple, which happens have originated here in Minnesota which I think is awesome. They are just the right amount of tart and sweet to me.

I made a hazelnut crust for the galette, because that is what I have been loving in my pie crust lately, a little nut meal for extra richness. It is sooo good, trust me on this one. I decided I wanted a cream cheese layer in this as well, so I made a vegan cream cheese to go underneath the apples. This galette smelled amazing as it baked. Aromas like that always put me in my happy place. The finished product was sooo good! All in all I would call Friday a great day between actually running a race again, spending time in perfect weather outdoors and enjoying this galette deliciousness that night.

Vegan Cream Cheese Apple Galette

2 galettes

Crust:

3 cups oat flour

1 cup hazelnut meal
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup coconut oil, in its solid form

filtered water as needed

Cream Cheese:

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup raw cashew butter

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cider vinegar

Filling:

2 large apples, sliced thinly

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

the seeds of one vanilla bean

juice of one small lemon

1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of sea salt

coconut sugar, for topping

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, meal, sugar, and sea salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add a touch of water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created. Divide into 2 pieces and shape into rounds (if it is too soft, refrigerate for about 15 minutes to firm it up slightly. You want it pliable, but not super soft or it will be hard to shape).

Roll each out into a 14 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. If it tears, no worries, just press it back together and patch it up.

To make the cream cheese, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. To make filling, mix together all ingredients in a large bowl.

Spread the cream cheese over the crust leaving a 1 1/2 inch boarder. Arrange the apples over the cream cheese, then carefully fold up edges to cover the edge of the fruit. Brush sprinkle with a little coconut sugar. Place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes (checking after 20 and if they are very brown, if they are tent with foil) until bubbling and fruit is tender. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour.

September 13, 2015

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

I am anxiously awaiting fall and cooler temps, but I am not quite ready to say goodbye to all summer food yet. Like ice cream. Luckilly I don’t have to though, and I do eat my ice cream year round. Just have to eat it in my warm kitchen instead of outdoors when the temperatures start dropping. Anyhow, I thought I would share one of my favorite ice cream recipes with you, Raw Key Lime Pie ice cream. In case you eat ice cream year round too or you are not ready to say goodbye to Summer foods just yet.

I love key lime pie with a passion. I go crazy for tart citrus desserts, and creamy desserts so it is no surprise. So key lime pie in ice cream form makes me very happy. Now, I could have just done the filling for the ice cream part, but no it had to have the crust chunks. Because without that it is not key lime pie in my mind. This combination is heavenly. Like key lime pie and ice cream took a running leap and smashed into each other and created this perfection. It may be the end of Summer, but I do not have to say goodbye quite yet.

Raw Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Makes about 6 cups

Pie crust chunks:

2/3 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup sprouted raw buckwheat groats , dehydrated (or raw pecans)

1/8 tsp sea salt

4 medjool dates, pitted

Ice Cream:

1/2 cup coconut water

1/2 cup lime juice

1 Tbsp organic lime zest

3 cups young coconut meat (or raw cashews, soaked 4 hours and drained if unavailable)

1 cup diced avocado

1/2 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

seeds of one vanilla bean

a pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

To make pie crust chunks, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until finely ground and holds together when squeezed. Form into small chunks and place in a bowl. Place in the freezer until hard. Add coconut water and lime juice and zest to a food processor, along with avocado, coconut, nectar, vanilla, and sea salt. Process until smooth, then with the processor running, add the coconut oil slowly and process until well incorporated, about a minute. Pour the strained mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to directions. Remove from ice cream maker, and pour into a freezer safe container with a lid. Let sit in the freezer for at least four hours or overnight to firm up to scoopable consistency.

September 12, 2015

Raw Caramel Pecan Peach Granola

After I made my last batch of Granola, I promised Eric I would make another batch soon because he loved it so much. So I had to get on it fast, because I always keep my word on things like that. I was kind of excited about it too because it sounded good to me also and I was craving it. I decided to go the non-chocolate route this time though, because I did chocolate last time.

This time it was going to be caramel. Well, not actual caramel. But you know how brown sugar tastes like caramel? Well so does maple syrup, coconut sugar and pecan butter with a dash of vanilla. Which is what I ended up making for my base to coat the oats with instead of the usual coconut oil etc.

I added in some pecans, chia seeds, coconut, and lastly peaches. Because peaches just seemed like they belonged in this recipe, and many times I try to sneak some fruit in. This was going to be raw granola, because I felt that my last granola got a little too toasty in the oven and I wanted to preserve the nutrients in the ingredients.

It tasted amazing before I put it in to dehydrate and it smelled even better while it dried. I awoke to the happiest aroma! This granola was crave worthy. Eric approved as well, even though he is a chocolate kind of guy caramel has a place in his heart too.

Raw Caramel Pecan Peach Granola

Makes about 8-10 cups of delicious granola

6 cups gluten free raw rolled oats

2 cups raw pecans

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 cups finely shredded, dried coconut

4 large organic peaches, diced

3/4 cup raw pecan butter

1/2 cup maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

3 Tbsp coconut sugar

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
In a large bowl, combine oats, pecans, coconut, chia seeds, peaches and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together pecan butter, coconut nectar, sugar, sea salt and vanilla extract until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto 2 lined dehydrator trays, and dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy.

September 11, 2015

Raw Mint Chip Cheesecake Bars

I have always loved mint chip ice cream (or peppermint bon bon as we call it here). There is just something so refreshing and summery about it, and the green color makes me happy. I enjoy it even more now that I make my own and use natural green color and unrefined sugars. I was craving a bowl a few days back, but then I decided it would be even better to make it into cheesecake. I did not want to make a cake though, so I decided on bars. More simple, and shareable!

I made a crunchy, raw oreo cookie style crust because it just seemed right. It was delicious. I could have eaten that with a spoon, over some ice cream or something. But it made it into the pan to be topped off with a luscious filling. Coconut cream laced with mint and vanilla and studded with raw vegan chocolate chunks.

These were simply heavenly. Trust me, you need to make these while it is still Summer, and they would be perfect for serving at a get together for dessert. Because who doesn’t like mint chip ice cream?! These taste like that and cheesecake got married and had a child together. Sooo good!

Raw Mint Chip Cheesecake Bars
Makes 12

Crust:

1 cup finely shredded dried coconut

1 cup sprouted buckwheat groats (or additional shredded coconut or raw walnuts)

3/4 cup soft medjool dates, pitted

1/4 tsp himalayan salt

3 Tbsp raw cacao powder

1 few Tbsp filtered water

Filling:

2 cups young coconut meat, packed

1 large handful spinach

1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract

pinch sea salt

1 cup raw cashew butter

1/2 cup raw coconut butter warmed to liquid

1 1/2 cups chopped raw dark chocolate

For the crust, combine all ingredients in the food processor and process until small crumbs. Add the filtered water and pulse until holding together.
Press into an 8×8 inch (or 9×9 inch if you want the bars thinner) pan lined with foil or parchment and oiled with coconut oil (for easy removal). Set aside in the freezer.
For the filling, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the coconut butter and blend until smooth. stir in the chocolate chunks.

Pour the filling over the crust.
Place in the freezer to set, about 2-4 hours. Cut into bars and serve!
Store any extra bars in the refrigerator.

For the non-raw bars:

Use crust recipe above for raw bars.

Filling:

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled

1 large handful spinach

1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract

pinch sea salt

1/2 cup raw cashew butter

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw coconut butter warmed to liquid

For the filling, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the coconut butter and blend until smooth (if it clumps up at all, it is because the coconut butter was too cold. Just continue to blend until smooth). Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Assemble the bars and chill the bars the same as the raw version.

September 9, 2015

Vegan Peach Buckle

I saw a buckle a few weeks back in a cooking magazine, and I decided that I seriously needed to make one, because it sounded amazing! Cake with plenty of fruit, and a crumble topping, two of my favorite things! I had loads of peaches, so I thought, what better way to use them than in a dessert like this! The peaches were perfectly flavorful too, so I knew this was going to be really delicious. For the cake portion, I used aquafaba (chickpea liquid from a can or cooked chickpeas) in place of the usual eggs, and it turned out light and fluffy. For the crumble topping, I added in oats with the traditional crumble ingredients, but with less oil and sugar than most recipes because it seemed plenty rich and sweet.

The peaches turned jammy once the cake was baked, and all together it was delicious! I was sooo ready to dive in after tasting the scraps that fell off while I was cutting it. It was wonderful alone, and my piece was gone pretty quickly, but even better served warmed the next day with some cool ice cream. If you have never tried a buckle…get on it! You will thank yourself!

Vegan Peach Buckle

Makes one 9 inch buckle

Topping:

2 Tbsp coconut oil in its solid state

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/3 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Batter:

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1 1/2 cups +2 tablespoons all purpose gluten free flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp aquafaba, at room temperature

1/2 cup coconut milk, at room temperature

3 cups sliced peaches

Preheat the oven to 375ºF and oil an 8 inch square cake pan.

To make the topping, scrunch together the coconut oil, sugar, flour and cinnamon with your hands until the pieces of butter are broken up and are about the size of small peas. Set aside.

To make the batter, in a bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and sugar until combined. Add the aquafaba, and mix until blended. Next, mix in the dry ingredients, then the coconut milk until well blended (nut not overbeaten). Mix in the peaches.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Scatter the topping over the batter and bake until the buckle is lightly browned on top and feels set. About 50-55 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

September 8, 2015

Roasted Tomatillo Hummus and Chia Hemp Flax Crackers

Most people make green sauce or salsa with tomatillos, but I decided to make hummus. My first experience this year ever with tomatillos came when they were in my CSA box and I had no idea what to do with them since I had never worked with them before. But I was excited to try them. I ended up roasting them and making a sauce for enchiladas which was amazing. I was thinking after that I wanted some more so I could make more delicious things with them. But then when I got more I almost made a sauce again, but decided that I was craving hummus something fierce so I decided to sort of combine the two. And what resulted was pure deliciousness. It had the flavor of delicious tomatillo sauce and hummus. It went perfect with my flax crackers that I make weekly, so I decided I should share the recipe for those with you as well. Besides the crackers though, I am loving this hummus with cucumbers in my lunch. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some fresh, local tomatillos, this is a nice change of pace for using them.

Roasted Tomatillo Hummus

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

4 cups tomatillos, husks removed, washed and cut into wedges

olive oil

2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 Tbsp sesame tahini

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup chipotle powder

1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. Toss the tomatillos with just enough olive oil to coat lightly then spread out on a sheet pan and roast for about 30 minutes or until tender and starting to brown and caramelize. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Combine the tomatillos and all other ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Keeps for one week in a sealed container.

Chia Hemp Flax Crackers

Makes about 2 dozen

1/2 cup whole flaxseeds

3 Tbsp shelled raw hempseeds

3 Tbsp chia seeds

1 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 tsp sea salt, or Himalayan salt plus additional for sprinkling

1 1/4 cups water

September 7, 2015

Vegan Nectarine Strawberry Lavender Almond Cobble Pie

Nectarine Strawberry Lavender Cobble Pie

Lately I am trying to always see the positive in things. I was working on it yesterday on my run when it was very hot and sticky (it has been hitting 90 the last few days here), and I was feeling pretty miserable. Yes it was hot, but I had so many good things going for me I decided trying to see the positive. I was able to run in the first place, which was not something that could be said a few years back when I was plagued with injuries. I was feeling good other than the fact that it was hot, and keeping up a good pace, and at least there was no ice like there is in the Winter and I could wear minimal clothing and not be weighed down. Soon there were way more positives than negatives about the situation I realized. And what’s more, I don’t know about you, but I feel more accomplished when things don’t come quite so easy and I have to work for them.

Nectarine Strawberry Lavender Cobble Pie 1

I decided that all that hard work deserved some pie. I was thinking about it all day at work. The thing is, I have a hard time deciding between two desserts sometimes, because they both sound good to me. I wanted cobbler and I wanted pie. So I ended up making a cobble pie. I had loads of nectarines at home, and some strawberries, so I combined the two for a deliciously sweet combination.

Nectarine Strawberry Lavender Cobble Pie 2

I decided I wanted to add in some lavender as well to make it even more heavenly and some almond in the crust to make it more flaky and delicious. I made a my usual gluten free crust with the almond meal added for the crust, then delicious cobbler biscuits to top off the fruit instead of the usual crust. It was pretty decadent, but oh so good!

Nectarine Strawberry Lavender Cobble Pie 6

I know what you are thinking…who wants to bake a pie on a 90 degree day when it is hot?! Yeah I am kind of crazy, but my home is much cooler than the hot kitchen I work in all day so it was not so bad. The pie was well worth it! I got the best of both worlds, and it was a good ending to a good day.

Nectarine Strawberry Lavender Cobble Pie 4

Vegan Nectarine Strawberry Lavender Almond Cobble Pie

Makes 1 6 inch pie

2 large nectarines, cut into small chunks

1 cup strawberries, quartered
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp all purpose gluten free flour
1 tsp dried lavender flowers
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Crust:

3/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour

3/4 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
5 Tbsp coconut oil, in its solid form

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

about 2-3 Tbsp cold water

biscuit topping:

3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 cup pecan meal*

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

1 tsp dried lavender flowers

1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks

1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, sea salt, and lemon zest. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in vanilla and just enough lemon juice to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add a touch of water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created.

Roll out into about a 7-8 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. Place bottom crust into a 6 inch pie pans and fit to edges (being careful since gluten free dough is more fragile). If it tears, no worries, just press it back together and patch it up. Flute the edges, or crimp with a fork. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the filling ingredient. Spoon into crust. Place plate on baking sheet, and tent with foil. Bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.

Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, lavender, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall circle.

Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut the dough circle into wedges, and place on top of the bubbling fruit. When all biscuits are on top, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

September 6, 2015

Raw Caramel Peanut Clusters

Just as you should never judge a book by its cover, or a person by their looks, you should never judge a food only by its appearance. Unless it has mold or something…but that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about freshly made food here. I have had so many people say things like, “well I would make a cake, but it would be ugly.” or “I made some truffles, but they are not perfectly round and uniform in shape so they are no good.” It is not all about the appearances here people. Just think, if all the organic veggies were thrown out (I know they do this in some places and it is very disturbing to me) and never used…how much deliciousness we would miss out on! I mean if you closed your eyes and ate that cake or those truffles, you would never know…you would only be happy because you were tasting something wonderful! It is awesome to have talent, and make a beautiful cake, but an ugly cake with lots of love put into it is just as special. What matters is how it tastes and the time put into it. So…where am I going with all this? I made something delicious the other day which would not win any beauty contests…but it was sooo good!

I am talking about my Raw Caramel Peanut Clusters. I loved the caramel so much that I had used in my vegan salted caramel peanut butter brownies that I decided that it needed to make another appearance. So, I mixed it with chopped peanuts, dipped it in dark chocolate, and voila! Pure ugly deliciousness. It was gooey, it was messy, and it was lumpy. But was it ever delicious. Moral of the story, never judge a dessert by its appearance.

Raw Caramel Peanut Clusters

makes 12

Caramel:

1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted (if they are not soft, soak them in water and drain well first)

2 heaping Tbsp creamy raw jungle peanut butter (or organic peanut butter)

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup filtered water (or as needed)

1 1/4 cups raw jungle peanuts (or roasted organic peanuts), chopped

1/2 cup chopped raw dark chocolate (or you may use your choice vegan dark chocolate)

To make the caramel, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (adding a little water if necessary, it should be the consistency of pourable but still thick caramel). Pour into a bowl, and mix in the peanuts. Then drop by the heaping Tbsp onto a foil or parchment lined tray. Place in the freezer for a few hours until more firm and very chilled.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or your preferred method. Then, once the caramel part is firm, dip them into the chocolate (I like to use a fork to allow the excess to drip off) and set back on the tray. Once they are all dipped, set the tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the chocolate has set. Store any leftover candy in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

September 5, 2015

Italian Veggie Lentil Soup

I had loads of different sorts of veggies from my CSA box, just begging to be used in something, and what I finally decided on was soup. I didn’t have a lot of time that night to make something fussy, and what I wanted was something good, something I could just quickly throw together and it would be satisfying. I have a soup I make at my work, Italian Vegetable Lentil, and it is very similar to the one I ended up making. I used plenty of fresh tomatoes as well as some sun dried tomatoes I had made the day before to make a flavorful base along with the herbs and alliums. I added in some zucchini, carrots, and eggplant which were all locally grown, and fresh as they possibly could be. Lastly, I added some French lentils for protein. My go to dinner addition lately. This soup was so good! Like late Summer in a bowl. Not for a 90 degree day, but maybe a day in September when there is a slight chill in the air and you find yourself reaching for that sweater you had packed away for the Summer.

Italian Veggie Lentil Soup

Serves 4

1 small red onion, diced

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 tsp each dried basil and oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

4 cups veggie stock or filtered water

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium eggplant, diced

3 medium tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1 cup French lentils

1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot, and add the onions and carrots. Sautee until softened, then add the herbs, red pepper flakes, garlic, vinegar and stock. Add the remaining veggies, lentils and sea salt and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Serve warm!

September 4, 2015

Vegan Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Brownies

Mondays are my day off. So, besides sleeping in I like to bake things! I thought long and hard about what I wanted to make last Monday, and I decided on brownies. I know I have made many forms of brownies to share with you all, but they just sounded so good I couldn’t resist. I was really craving peanut butter and chocolate so they had to include peanut butter, but I had seem some salted caramel brownies that I wanted to veganize recently that sounded good too, so I decided to combine the two!

When I told Eric what I was making he was pretty happy about it too so it was a win all around. Making baked goods relaxes me. Some people read books or put together puzzles…and I bake. Just makes me happy. Let me tell you, these brownies made me pretty darn happy. I made the caramel first, my usual date caramel but instead of the usual pecan butter I use peanut butter to keep with the theme. OMG was that stuff good. Like eat it with a spoon good. But I saved it for the brownies.

For the brownie batter, I used aquafaba to keep these moist as well as peanut butter of course. I used olive oil this time instead of my usual coconut oil because coconut oil gets so hard once you refrigerate so I wanted to prevent that and it worked beautifully. You could not taste it, the batter just tasted like rich chocolate cake batter dotted with crunchy peanuts. I swirled the caramel into the brownie batter in the pan, and they baked up beautifully. Not only did they smell amazing, but they turned into the fudgy brownies that I love. They were sweet, a little salty, fudgy and crunchy thanks to the peanuts. OMG…sinfully delicious! Not a diet food at all but that is not what I was going for if you catch my drift.

Vegan Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Brownies

Makes 16

Caramel:

1/2 cup soft medjool dates, pitted (if they are not soft, soak them in water and drain well first)

1 heaping Tbsp creamy organic peanut butter

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/8 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup filtered water (or as needed)

Brownies:

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp creamy organic peanut butter

1 1/3 cups coconut sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp reduced aquafaba or 2 flax eggs*

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup roasted organic peanuts

To make the brownies, pre-heat the oven to 350F degrees. Whisk together the sugar, coconut oil and peanut butter until well combined and the sugar is starting to break down. Add the aquafaba and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour, cacao powder and sea salt and beat until smooth, then stir in the peanuts. Scrape the batter into a greased 8×8 inch pan, then drop the caramel over it, and swirl it with a knife. Place in the oven, and Bake for about 30 minutes or until set (but do not over bake). Let cool before cutting into bars.

*The aquafaba is the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas. You want it to be thick like egg whites. If you are wanting to make flax eggs, simply mix together 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds, and 6 Tbsp filtered water and let sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.

September 2, 2015

How I Combat Pain Naturally and 2 Recipes!

I am a very active person. I get up and run at 6-11 miles or bike an hour almost every morning, I stand all day at work, and I like to go for evening walks. I try and take care of myself the best I can, but sometimes I get sore. When I was younger, I would always just take an advil when something hurt. But then after having a stress fracture 6 years back, and being told not to take Advil because it would prevent it from healing faster got me thinking. What if I could use natural things to help with pain or prevent it? Sometimes it felt like the Advil was maybe just masking it and not getting to the root of the problem and not only that, I looked into it further and it is really not good for you to take Advil a lot. I know Advil is anti-inflammatory, but there are other things I can do and do now to decrease inflammation.

I try to include things in my diet that fight inflammation like turmeric, ginger and alkalinizing foods like plenty of veggies. I do enjoy sweets in moderation, but I am no longer eating all of the refined sugars and processed foods that I used to that can be pretty inflammatory to the body. I also only enjoy a glass of wine once in a while as opposed to drinking several glasses a day or way too much on weekends, which can also be inflammatory to the body. Also, I listen to my body and know when it needs rest. When I was in my early 20s I was all like…”what is a rest day?” But now I know when I need it to prevent injuries. In fact it is crucial to preventing them.

Also, I take Arnica Montana after a hard run or when I am feeling sore, because it naturally helps the body heal. It seems to help a lot! Even for headaches. I haven’t taken Advil in a long time since to this wonder. I take it in the homeopathic form and it works well. My Mom used to tell me I should take it when I used to race and I did not listen. I should have, and I wish I had taken it sooner. Also, if my muscles are sore at the end of the night, I make a warm bath (like jacuzzi warm), about 1 cup Epsom salts, and about 10 drops lavender essential oil. This helps draw out the soreness and relaxes me before bed. You can also make a smaller version in a basin just for your feet. Honestly this was the only thing that helped when I had plantar fasciitis.

Every morning in my breakfast I like to try and include some of those anti inflammatory items like ginger and turmeric. Most of the time it is in my overnight oatmeal, and I have been making the same spiced oatmeal lately (which I am sharing the recipe for with you today). It tastes like gingerbread kind of. It is a simple mix of just oats, chia seeds sometimes flax seeds, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. But I love it! It is not too sweet but so good (if you want it sweeter you could always add something). The other thing I am sharing is a sunshine smoothie with some anti inflammatories as well that is sweet and delicious perfect for a hot summer day when you want something a little more refreshing. There are good quality turmeric pills available on Vitacost.com if putting it in your oatmeal and smoothies isn’t your jam (and I admit, I do just take the turmeric pills sometimes).

Spiced Overnight Oatmeal

Serves 1

1/2 cup raw rolled oats, or gluten free oats

1 heaping Tbsp chia seeds

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp turmeric

3/4 cup filtered water

sweetener of chice if desired

Mix all ingredients together in a jar or bowl, cover, and let sit overnight (or at least a half hour),

Note: you can also mix in vanilla protein powder as I sometimes do, but it may need a little more water.

Vegan Sunshine Smoothie

Serves 2

1 cup raw coconut water

Juice of one lime

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Stevia to taste (optional)

1 small chunk ginger

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

1 scoop raw vanilla protein powder (Garden of Life and Sunwarrior are good brands)

2 carrots, chopped

1 banana, frozen and cut into pieces

2 cups frozen diced mangoes

2 cups frozen diced pineapple

In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients and puree until smooth, using the tamper to press the shake down into the blades. Pour into 2 tall glasses, and serve!

September 1, 2015

Vegan Peanut Butter S’mores Mousse Pie

I have been wanting to make a s’mores pie for quite some time now. Ever since I discovered aquafaba marshmallows a few months back. Pie making has become my Friday night thing to do lately, so last Friday I decided I needed to make this pie I had been dreaming about. Eric loved the idea since he loves s’mores or anything sweet and with chocolate included so I knew I would have someone to share it with that would appreciate it.

Although I could have bought graham crackers for the crust, I did not want to buy any, and I don’t like the refined ingredients that are in most commercial ones…so I substituted something I knew how to make fast. My usual raw “graham cracker” crust. Even though this was not going to be a raw pie, it is easy, and it tastes good and it did the trick! That said, if you are making this and you want to make a traditional crust with real graham crackers go right ahead I just did what was economical and easy for me at the time. So anyways, the crust was still crunchy and delicious like the traditional graham cracker crust and perfect for my chocolate filling.

I decided on a chocolate mousse filling. But not just chocolate mousse. Chocolate mousse with peanut butter included! Omg…it was so delicious! I tried a different method of making it than I usually do, pouring my home made melted chocolate into the chilled coconut milk, and it worked perfect! Normally I would use cacao powder and coconut butter, but I figured that the chocolate would firm it up and flavor it just the same. This was even better than I expected. You could even pour this into a little glass if you just wanted peanut butter mousse.

Once in the pie crust, I topped it off with my usual vegan marshmallow fluff made with aquafaba, and toasted it. So it would taste like a real marshmallow. You know, I never thought I would enjoy marshmallows again when I went vegan…but now that I can, I am pretty happy. The pie turned out wonderful! I would take a slice of this over real s’mores any day. I am a sucker for chocolate mousse, and peanut butter, and topping it off with the toasted marshmallows was simply heavenly!

Vegan Peanut Butter S’mores Mousse Pie

Makes one 6 inch pie

Crust:

3/4 cup finely shredded dried coconut

3/4 cup sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat groats (or you may use raw walnuts or oats)

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1 cup soft pitted medjool dates

1/4 tsp sea salt

Filling:

1 15 oz can chilled full fat coconut milk (chilled at least 2 days in the refrigerator is ideal)

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

pinch sea salt

8 oz melted vegan dark chocolate

Marshmallows:

1/2 cup aquafaba*

1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup powdered xylitol, maple sugar or coconut sugar**

1/4 tsp sea salt (if your chickpea liquid has no salt)

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the crust, combine all ingredients in the food processor until finely chopped and starting to hold together when squeezed (if it doesn’t you may need a few more dates). Press the mixture into a 6 inch pie pan or spring form pan greased with coconut oil.

For the filling, combine the coconut milk, peanut butter and sea salt in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add the chocolate slowly through the feed tube with the motor running. Pour into the prepared crust and place in the freezer until firm, about 2 hours at least.

Meanwhile, In a food processor (which is what I used, or you may use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment), whip up the chickpea liquid until it has reached pretty stiff peaks. This will take about 2 minutes in the food processor. Add the guar gum and cream of tartar and process until incorporated. Add the sea salt and sugar and with the motor running, a little at a time through the feed tube (so you do not deflate it), then allow to process until the sugar is completely dissolved and the meringue is smooth, shiny and thick. Add the vanilla, and blend until uniform in color.

Spread the marshmallows over the top of the pie (spreading it all the way to the edges covering all the mousse filling), then place it under the broiler for about 2 minutes until the meringue is toasted and starting to brown on top (watch it closely, it could easily burn fast).

*Aquafaba is the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas. If you are using liquid from the cooked, you want to make sure it is thick, not watery.

**If using the coconut sugar or maple sugar, it will turn your marshmallow fluff light brown. Xylitol is toxic to dogs the same way chocolate is, so do not let your dog get ahold of this marshmallow fluff.

August 31, 2015

Chipotle Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

I was never a huge fan of chicken salad growing up, so I am not sure where my urge to make vegan chickpea salad sandwiches came from. Maybe because chickpeas are way more delicious to me than chicken ever was, and I can make my own plant based mayo (I was never a fan of mayo until I made the vegan type). So, I decided to give it a try. I didn’t want just plain salad though, I wanted something kicked up a notch. So, I ended up making a spicy chipotle mayo that was right up my alley.

I made the mayo with a base of cashew and coconut to make it extra creamy, and added in plenty of chipotle for a big kick. It was pretty tasty, and if thinned out I think it would make wonderful salad dressing for some roasted veggies as well. But I mixed it in with my chickpeas and some chopped veggies, tossed it on some sprouted bread with tomatoes and lettuce and voila! Something that I enjoyed way more than the chicken salad I had tried as a kid that was nothing special. This was delicious! And no chickens were harmed it the process which makes me happy too.

Chipotle Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

Makes 2

Chipotle Mayonnaise:

1 can full fat organic coconut milk
1/2 cup raw cashew butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp guar gum

Salad:

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium carrot, shredded or cut julienne

2 scallions, sliced

1 small bell pepper, diced

1 tomato, sliced

lettuce leaves

sprouted bread, or your choice of bread

For the mayonnaise, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You will have a bit extra after the recipe, so just save in the refrigerator in a jar for another use.

To make the salad, combine the chickpeas, celery, carrots, scallions, pepper, and just enough of the mayonnaise to coat it in a bowl (you can always add more if need be). Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Toast your bread (or at least I like to, you may leave it un-toasted if you like), then place a lettuce leaf on two of the slices, then the tomato slices, then some of the chickpea salad, then another slice of bread. And enjoy!

August 29, 2015

Vegan Mocha Almond Granola

On a whim last weekend I decided that I needed to make chocolate granola. I had not made oat granola in ages…probably a 4-5 years, so it was about time. I had just been bragging to Eric about how good my oat granola was when I realized I had not made him any, ever! So I had to make some. He loves chocolate above all other sweets, so I thought chocolate would be perfect. But not just plain chocolate, I had to add a little pizzazz!

In the form of coffee and almonds. Mocha sounded wonderful. I added in plenty of cacao powder, lots of raw almonds and chia and hemp seeds for an omega 3 boost. I like to add protein rich things to my granola to make it a more substantial snack. Yes, I mainly eat this as a snack, but I have a feeling Eric will have it for breakfast since he is the one that always had a thing for Coco Puffs. I prefer my breakfasts a little less sweet, so I like this as a bedtime snack when I want something munchy, crunchy, salty and sweet, or as a topper for ice cream or yogurt for dessert. It provides such a nice crunch on soft things like yogurt. This granola was so decadent and delicious. I would not usually call granola decadent but this tasted like it. Sooo yummy!

Vegan Mocha Almond Granola

Makes about 14 cups of delicious granola

6 cups old fashioned rolled oats

4 cups raw almonds

1/2 cup chia seeds

1 cup shelled hemp seeds

2 cups large flake coconut

1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

3/4 cup maple syrup

3 Tbsp coconut sugar

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp coffee extract (or you may use 1 Tbsp espresso powder)

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil, and spray with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 and set rack at the medium position. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut and cacao powder, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar, sea salt, coffee extract and vanilla extract until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto prepared baking sheet, and spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes or so until the granola is evenly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

August 28, 2015

Raw Red Velvet Bars

I saw a recipe for Red Velvet Bars on Pinterest when I was browsing recipes, and I thought to myself, hey I could veganize this! Because I love everything red velvet. And surprisingly I had not yet created red velvet bars. So, it was time. It was a good day, and I was in a good mood. I ran my favorite route that morning, it was 70 degrees and sunny outside and work had gone well. I spent my post work walk thinking about how I was going to make these bars, and I decided to make them raw this time. Didn’t really want to heat up the oven and I haven’t made a raw dessert in a little while (shocking I know) so raw was perfect. Plus I want to keep those of you happy that only eat raw, I want to share recipes that you can enjoy as well.

So, for the base of these babies, I used red beet to give them the stunningly beautiful color. It was a pretty rich dough, like sugar cookie dough but red velvet, and it tasted sooo good! I could have just eaten that with a spoon. But I figured it would be better once topped off with faux cream cheese frosting. The frosting was scrumptious as well. Tasting almost like the real thing, and perfect with the sweet bars.

A funny thing happened though when I was cleaning up the kitchen while waiting for the frosting to set up. Well…not funny at the time, but funny looking back. I had set my blender back on the base, filled with water to soak, and I accidentally knocked it on. Sending water everywhere! All over me and all over my kitchen. Sooo not what I was looking for to end my perfect day. Luckilly though, I had some delicious bars to enjoy after I finished cleaning up my huge mess. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself when your kitchen ends up like a disaster area!

Raw Red Velvet Bars

Makes 12

1 cup chopped raw red beets*

1 1/4 cups soft, pitted medjool dates (if not soft, soak them in water first)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup raw cashew butter

1/4 cup softend raw coconut oil

1/4 cup psyllium husk powder

3 1/2 cups coconut flour (home-made, not the dry store bought stuff)**

Frosting:

2 cups young coconut meat

1/4 cup coconut water

1 tsp cider vinegar

3 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid

For the bars, combine all ingredients but the psyllium husk and flour in a food processor. Process until smooth. Then add the psyllium husk and the flour little by little until a soft dough is formed. From here you have two choices. You may either dehydrate them at 115F degrees for about 6-8 hours until more firm, or place them in the freezer for about an hour to firm up (the first choice makes for a more cakey bar, the refrigerator a fudgier bar). If you are dehydrating, shape the dough into an 8 inch square using a rolling pin and bench scrapers. If you are refrigerating, you may either do that, or press into an 8 inch square pan lined with foil or parchment.

Meanwhile, to make the frosting, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter and oil in a food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the coconut butter and oil and process a minute more. Pour the cream into a bowl and let sit in the fridge until the consistency of whipped cream. Place in the refrigerator while you wait for the bars.

Once the bars are done dehydrating or chilling, spread the frosting over them and cut into bars. Store extra in the refrigerator.

*Beets can vary in moisture, and so can the dates if you have soaked them prior to using in the recipe, so your dough consistency may vary. If you find it too wet at the end of the dough process, add a little more flour. Too dry, a little water. You want this the consistency of cookie dough.

**To make the coconut flour simply buzz your finely shredded coconut in the blender until you have flour. Simple as that! I do not recommend store bought because it is dry and it makes for a not so tasty end product.

August 27, 2015

Vegan Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

Eric calls me kitty because he thinks I act like a cat. Including hating getting wet. I am not much of a swimmer and I can’t stand getting rained on and wearing soaked clothes. So, I surprised myself last week and actually enjoyed getting rained on while running. It was not raining when I started, and I decided to run an 8 mile route with a few big hills because I was feeling good. 55F degrees felt absolutely heavenly to me after a few hot weeks of humidity here in Minnesota and I was basking in it. About 4 miles in it started to sprinkle. No big deal, it was cooling me off. Those big hills didn’t seem so bad. Then it started pouring when I had about 2 miles left. I could not see, and my shoes were going squish slosh, heavy with water. But it felt good. I was actually enjoying rain for once. I had to laugh once I arrived home all soaked. At least it washed off the sweat. I felt refreshed and happy not like a drowned rat at all. I guess it is all in how you look at things. I chose to see the positive in the soaking run.

Also, while I was out running, I had time to dream up a delicious dessert to make. You see running is my favorite time to think and dream up recipes when I am not making up new words to songs in my head. Seems to bring out my creativity. What I finally decided on was Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits. I was pretty excited about it!

I was gifted some blackberries, and I had bought a bunch of peaches so it was perfect! I just scented them with vanilla and sweetened them a touch (they didn’t need much since the fruit was so flavorful). The filling smelled simply heavenly while baking. I topped it off with some pecan biscuits (my scone dough modified so this is really good stuff). OMG I was sooo ready to dive in! I even had some sweet corn ice cream to serve with it! I can not resist a warm fruit dessert topped off with cool ice cream. Trust me, you need this deliciousness in your life!

Vegan Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

Serves 4

Fruit:

2 cups organic peaches, sliced

1 cup organic blackberries
1 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

biscuit topping:

3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 cup pecan meal*

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks

1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.

Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler. When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes

until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

*raw pecans ground to a flour consistency in a food processor

August 25, 2015

Simple Vegan Vanilla Maple Sweet Corn Ice Cream

I was given loads of fresh corn in my CSA box this week and I was trying to think of creative uses for it. I love to just eat it raw and plain sometimes, and so does Eric. The organic local varieties are so sweet and delicious without anything on them. Because they are sweet, I like to use them in desserts sometimes. I hadn’t made sweet corn ice cream in ages. I had made a raw version a few years back which was a little more ingredients and complicated, but not a simple version with a coconut base.

So I decided it was time to make that simple version. No cracking coconuts, no nuts in this recipe, just good old organic canned coconut milk, the sweet corn, and some little additions of maple and vanilla to make it extra good. Truth is, I was making this with a dessert I would be making later in the week in mind. I love to serve cool ice cream with warm fruit desserts. The combination makes me happy.

This ice cream turned out sooo good! Just the perfect amount of sweet, a light corn flavor with a hint of maple and vanilla. Simply heavenly! If you think sweet corn in ice cream sounds weird…don’t knock it till you try it. I can almost guarantee everyone will like this. It is sweet and simple on its own, but even better paired with fruit desserts like pie, cobbler and crisp.

Simple Vegan Vanilla Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Makes about 4 cups

1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk

2 cups organic sweet corn kernels

seeds of one vanilla bean (or 2 tsp extract)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup maple syrup (or to taste)

1/2 tsp maple extract (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions. Once the ice cream has frozen, pour it into a freezer safe container with a lid, cover and freeze until firm enough to scoop (if it becomes too hard, let sit out 15 minutes before serving).

August 24, 2015

Vegan Banana Caramel Crepe Cake

I am recently into crepe cakes. I made my first one about a month ago, and I fell in love. It was always something I had wanted to make, but never got around to it. I thought it would be too time consuming, so I always brushed it off. That is until now. I tried making one and it was pretty simple. In the time it would take to bake a regular cake, I had all my crepes done! I veganized a crepe recipe I used to use, changing it quite a bit and they turned out delicious! I would eat these for dessert or breakfast if I was feeling decadent. I ended up with one small one and it became my snack. The rest were destined for cake as tempting as it was to just eat them.

I decided to layer them with bananas, caramel and cream. Sort of like banana cream pie with caramel crepe cake. I made a simple banana caramel, using the bananas as part of the sweetening element because they are so delicious. And a simple vanilla coconut cream to layer it with along with the bananas. I love that this cake is not fussy. You do not have to sit and smooth the cream and make sure it looks perfect and even since the nature of this cake is a little free form.

There it stood, all delicious looking and ready to eat. I could not wait to dive in. I love banana cream pie, I love caramel and I love crepes. This could not have been more exciting. It was sooo good! If you have never made a crepe cake, you must try, trust me, it will make you and those you share it with so happy!

Vegan Banana Caramel Crepe Cake

Makes one 6 inch cake

Crepes:

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

3/4 cup filtered water

1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour

3 Tbsp coconut sugar

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 1/2 cups light coconut milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cream:

2 cans organic full fat coconut milk, chilled

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid

Caramel:

1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted

1 banana

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup filtered water

2 Tbsp pecan butter or cashew butter

3 medium bananas, sliced

To make the crepes, mix together the flaxseed and water in a bowl, and set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes until it is the consistency of egg whites.

Meanwhile, whisk together the coconut sugar, flour, and sea salt in a bowl, then whisk in the coconut oil. Slowly whisk in the milk little by little to make sure the mixture stays free of lumps. Next, whisk in the vanilla, followed by the flax mixture you had set aside.

Heat a non-stick 6 inch pan over medium heat, then pour in 1/3 cup batter, and swirl the pan so that it spreads out to the edges. Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side, then flip over and cook the second side. Once the crepe is done, set aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, separating the crepes with parchment paper on the plate so that they don’t stick together. Once you have finished allow them to cool completely.

To make the cream, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt in a food processor and process until smooth. Then, slowly with the motor running, add the coconut butter through the feed tube (you don’t want the mixture to separate and clump up. But if it does, just continue to blend until smooth (it will be liquid at this point), then place in the freezer and allow to chill until thick) until the mixture is thick. Set aside in a bowl in the refrigerator.

To make the caramel, blend everything in the blender until smooth. Set aside.

To assemble the cake, place one crepe on a plate, then spread some of the cream over that in a thin layer, then top with another crepe, and spread a layer of caramel over that then a layer of thin banana slices. Repeat the layers until you get to the last crepe then top the cake with the remaining cream. Garnish with banana slices and any remaining caramel (I thin it out with a little water to make it easier). Let the cake set in the refrigerator for at leas an hour before cutting.

August 23, 2015

Vegan Veggie Lentil Enchiladas with Green Sauce

I have never actually used tomatillos before. I have seen them many times at the store or farmer’s market, but passed them up thinking I don’t know how to use them, and I prefer to just buy what I know. But that mind set is boring. And I was wrong to pass them up. I should have went for it. Where was my sense of adventure?! But luckily this year in my CSA box, I received some. I thought immediately I want to make a green sauce for enchiladas! After all, now I make vegan melty cheese and I love Mexican food! These ended up being a little non-traditional though.

I made chickpea/corn crepe sort of tortillas (which is what I have been doing lately instead of buying them), which were perfect for rolling the filling into. For the filling I made a mixture of roasted vegetables and lentils. And of course some vegan cheddar cheese (because that was always my favorite part of the enchilada growing up). For the green sauce I roasted the tomatillos, then combined them with jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, and some lime juice and it was sooo good! This would make a wonderful salsa too in case you aren’t interested in making the whole enchilada. I topped them off with more cheese and baked until it was melted. They were delicious! Not too spicy, just enough. Totally not your typical enchilada, but I loved them.

Vegan Veggie Lentil Enchiladas with Green Sauce

Serves 4

Vegan Cheddar:

1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch

1/4 plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

1 Tbsp agar powder

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 tsp guar gum

To make the cheese, heat the coconut milk, garlic, cayenne and turmeric in a saucepan, until it comes to a simmer.

Meanwhile, dissolve the arrowroot starch in the water and set aside.

Once the coconut milk has come to a simmer, add the agar powder, and heat until it is dissolved about a minute.

Next, add the vinegar and sea salt to the coconut milk.

Mix the coconut oil with the guar gum so that the guar gum does not clump up.

Chickpea “Tortillas”:

1 1/2 cups chickpea flour

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cornmeal

1 tsp sea salt

1 3/4 cups filtered water

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium, and add a little coconut oil. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into it, and swirl the pan, tilting it to get a thin layer on the bottom. Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side, then flip over and cook the second. You want it to be lightly colored. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. You should end up with 4 “tortillas”.

Vegetables and lentils:

1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into large dice

1 medium zucchini, cut into large dice

1 bell pepper, diced

olive oil

sea salt

1/2 cup dried small green lentils

filtered water

1 tsp ground cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder

To prepare the vegetables, spread out the squash and zucchini on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 400F degrees for about 20-30 minutes until soft, and starting to brown. Season with a little sea salt. Let cool. In the meantime, for the lentils, place them in a pot and cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes until tender. Drain, and combine with the veggies. Add the cumin, garlic, chipotle and taste to see if it needs more salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Sauce:

6 cups tomatillos, cut into wedges (before measuring)

1/2 cup filtered water

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup cilantro

1 jalapeno, minced

1 tsp cumin

sea salt to taste

juice of one lime

To make the sauce, toss the tomatillos with a little olive oil and spread out on a sheet pan. Roast in a 400F degree oven for about 30 minutes until starting to brown and soft (you can do this at the same time as the filling veggies). Remove from oven and place in the food processor along with all other remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

For Assembly:

additional cilantro and sliced scallions for garnish

To assemble the enchiladas, lay a tortilla*, then spoon the veggies down the center about 3 heaping Tbsp worth. Sprinkle with a little of the shredded cheese. Roll up and place in an ovenproof dish. Repeat with the remaining enchiladas. Then spoon the sauce over them, and top with more cheese. Cover them, and place them in a 375F degree oven and allow the cheese to melt. Serve warm topped off with a little more cilantro and some sliced scallions.

*you may use regular tortillas if you do not wan to make the chickpea ones.

August 22, 2015

Simple Vegan Vanilla Bean Cake

When Singing Dog Vanilla contacted me and asked if I would like to try their product, I was like heck yeah! I use vanilla in almost every dessert I make, and it is one of my favorite flavors. If I were asked to choose between chocolate and vanilla it would always be vanilla. So, I was excited about the vanilla. I have actually tried their extract once before, I had bought it at a local co op, and it was delicious. But I had not tried their beans or vanilla paste which is what they sent me. I love that their products are organic, non-GMO, and fair trade. That was what caught my eye in the first place. Not only that, the products are good quality as well. I have to say also, offer lots of interesting vanilla products you will not find everywhere else, like vanilla sea salt, coffees, teas, chapstick, and vanilla coconut sugar for sprinkling!

The vanilla paste is the consistency of syrup and tastes wonderful in desserts. The vanilla is super aromatic and fresh and when you open the package, you are instantly filled with joy (or at least I am, I love that scent and it makes me happy). I decided that I wanted to use them in a dessert that featured vanilla. And what more of a classic than vanilla cake?! Sadly I have no baked plain vanilla cake recipe on this website…until this one. Weird I know, since I am Fragrant Vanilla Cake. So I decided there needed to be one and this was the perfect time to make it.

I wanted a single layer cake that was simple enough anyone could make it whether they were a good baker or not. I love layer cakes, don’t get me wrong but I know some of you are intimidated by them and don’t care to get all fussy decorating. This is for you. I made a simple gluten free vanilla cake, using aquafaba in place of the usual eggs (this was an experiment too, since I haven’t tried this with cake yet), and a nice dallop of the vanilla paste for excellent vanilla flavor.

It smelled amazing while baking. That is one of my favorite smells, vanilla cake baking in the oven. It reminds me of Birthdays. Which is why I ended up putting candles on the finished cake. I had the urge to. It just seemed right. For the frosting on the cake I used a coconut milk base that I usually use with the vanilla bean included. The cake was wonderful, honestly one of the best vanilla cakes I have tasted. Obviously this is good quality vanilla! If you are interested in trying Singing Dog Vanilla’s products, you can find them HERE. But, you can also enter to win them, since they have been kind enough to allow me to give away some vanilla beans, and a container of vanilla paste! If you would like to win, please scroll to the bottom of the page and enter the giveaway!

Simple Vegan Vanilla Bean Cake

Makes one 8×8 inch square 1 layer cake

Cake ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup xylitol or coconut sugar*

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 cup aquafaba at room temperature (the liquid from canned chickpeas)

1 Tbsp Singing Dog Vanilla vanilla paste or vanilla extract

Frosting:

1 can full fat organic coconut milk, chilled for at least 1 day in the refrigerator

1/4 cup maple syrup

pinch sea salt

seeds of one Singing Dog Vanilla vanilla bean

1/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt until well combined. Add the coconut oil, aquafaba, and vanilla and whisk until smooth and well combined. Pour the batter into a lined and oiled 8×8 inch square baking pan and place in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes until just set (you do not want to over bake). Let cool.

Meanwhile, to make the frosting, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter, in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, add the coconut butter and process a minute more (if it starts to get lumpy at all during the process it is just the fat separating because it is 2 different temperatures. Just continue to blend until it is smooth, and it will get warm so it will just have to chill longer). Pour the frosting into a bowl and let sit in the freezer until the consistency of whipped cream, whisking every 15 minutes (you may not need this step if your frosting is already cold enough, but if it is not, this may take anywhere from 15 minutes to hour to an hour depending on how warm it has gotten and which appliance you used).

When ready to frost, spread frosting over the cake. Cakes is best served at room temperature.

Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator.

*If you use the xylitol do not feed this cake to dogs, it is toxic to them like chocolate is. Also, the xylitol makes for a white cake, the coconut sugar a brown cake.

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August 21, 2015

Green Tea Mint Scrub

I recently tried a facial scrub with peppermint in it, and I loved it so much that I decided to create my own mint body scrub. In the summer after a workout in the hot humid air, it is nice to pamper yourself while in the shower cooling off. The peppermint in the scrub cools the skin as you use it, and it stays cool for about 5 minutes which can be just what you need when you are trying to stop sweating profusely. That was the first reason I loved this stuff so much. The second, everyone needs to brighten up the skin sometimes and get rid of the dull stuff so scrub works wonders for that.

Although I was going to make just a mint scrub, I decided to add green tea to it as well. Green tea has been shown to tone and moisturize the skin, so along with the coconut oil this scrub leaves your face feeling soft and moisturized. Plus of course it makes it a lovely green color. For the exfoliating part of my scrub I prefer to use granulated sugar because it is pretty gentle. This is the only application you will find me using refined sugar and it works perfect for skin care! This scrub is super simple to make, and it keeps for a long time in a jar so long as you do not get any water in it.

Green Tea Mint Body Scrub

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 Tbsp matcha powder

6 drops peppermint oil

In a bowl, mix together all ingredients until blended, then store in a jar with a lid.

August 19, 2015

Vegan Spicy Chorizo Veggie Pizza

I had made some vegan pepperjack cheese last week, and I used some for quesadillas, but I wanted to make a pizza out of the rest of it. Some sort of spicy Mexican pizza because I haven’t had a pizza like that in a while with melty cheese. I thought long and hard all day while I was at work about what I wanted to put on it. First, I thought lentils, but then by the time I got home I didn’t even feel like cooking those, so I ended up using the chickpeas I had cooked off in the fridge. Not just chickpeas though thrown onto the pizza. That would be boring and not spicy enough. So I made chickpea chorizo. It was sooo good! I enjoyed it so much I am going to use it on taco salad in the future. But anyways, it was wonderful on the pizza.

I made a gluten free crust as the base, then scattered the chorizo about. Then I topped it off with veggies as well, some zucchini, peppers, jalapeno, and tomatoes. Lastly the cheese. Oooh it melted so perfectly over that pizza! I have never had vegan cheese this good. The pizza was nice and spicy thanks to all the different peppers I used in the chorizo and the jalepenos and the spicy cheese. But that was what I was going for. I am a sucker for spicy. I shared some with Eric, because he shares my love of all things hot. I am sure he would have loved it even better had I had ghost peppers to put on it. Anyways, this is delicious!

Vegan Chorizo Veggie Pizza

Makes one 14 inch pizza

Vegan Pepperjack Cheese:

1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

3 Tbsp agar flakes or 1 Tbsp agar powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 tsp guar gum

To make the cheese, heat the coconut milk in a saucepan with the garlic and peppers, until it comes to a simmer.

Meanwhile, dissolve the arrowroot starch in the water and set aside.

Once the coconut milk has come to a simmer, add the agar flakes, and heat until they are dissolved (mine took about 8 minutes, if you are using the powder, it should dissolve within one minute).

Next, add the lemon juice and sea salt to the coconut milk.

Mix the coconut oil with the guar gum so that the guar gum does not clump up.

Pizza Dough:

1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

To make the pizza crust, combine the flour, xanthan gum and sea salt in a bowl, and whisk until well blended. Add the oil and water, and mix in until you have a soft dough.

Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper with a light dusting of flour, and roll out into a 14 inch circle. Set aside.

Chorizo:

1 medium red onion, diced

1 tsp olive oil

1 15 oz can chickpeas

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp smokey paprika

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp oregano

sea salt to taste

1 medium organic tomato, diced

To make the chorizo, heat the oil in a pan, and add the onions. Cook, stirring often until the onions are very soft and starting to brown. Add the chickpeas, garlic, spices and tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring the whole time to prevent burning. Mash the chickpeas up with the back of a spoon and cook until heated through and tomatoes have become mush. Set aside.

For Pizza Assembly:

olive oil

1/2 cup sliced small zucchini

1/2 cup sliced mini red peppers or diced bell peppers

1 jalapeno, sliced

2 scallions, sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees. Set a pan on the center rack with an upside down sheet pan, or a pizza stone set on it. Brush the crust with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and slide the parchment with the crust on it onto the stone.

Bake crust for 10 minutes, then remove the crust from the oven (still on the parchment). Top the crust with the chorizo spreading around evenly. Then the veggies, then the cheese, making sure it is all evenly distributed.

August 18, 2015

Vegan Triple Berry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits

I was craving something fruity…like a pie or crumble, but I was also craving scones…what to make? This is what I was thinking about on my walk after work on Friday. I had lots of berries and I knew I was going to use those, but I equally wanted a pie (for all of that jammy delicious filling) and scones. But then it hit me. Cobbler! I hadn’t made one in ages, at least 4 years. But I used to love them!

I could have my jammy filling and scones on top of it (since I use a dough similar to scones for my biscuits). It was perfect! I had some strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, so I decided to throw them all into the filling with a dash of lemon juice and vanilla. They needed only a little sweetener because they were very flavorful. For my biscuit topping I used my vegan scone dough, but added in some hazelnut meal for extra flavor and richness. I have been loving that stuff lately.

It smelled amazing while baking and when I pulled it out of the oven and it was all bubbling and delicious I was getting really excited. That is how I get when I haven’t made something in a while (who am I kidding, that is how I get every time I make dessert). Anyways, it was sooo good! The fruit was so flavorful, the perfect balance of tart and sweet and the rich biscuits were perfect atop it! Add some vanilla coconut cream and you have pure heaven in a dish!

Vegan Triple Berry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits

Serves 4

Fruit:

2 1/2 cups mixed raspberries, strawberries (sliced), and blueberries
1 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

biscuit topping:

3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 cup hazelnut meal

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks

1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, hazelnut meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.

August 17, 2015

Vegan Fluffernutter Doughnuts

I have been wanting to make doughnuts again for a few weeks now, and then when I finally got around to it I could not decide on a flavor. You see, there are so many different possibilities, all of which sounded amazing. So whenever I have a problem like that I talk to Eric and ask him what sounds good to him. Funny thing is whichever thing I am leaning towards he tends to say before I even tell him. We are totally different in many respects, but tend to crave the same things food wise. Funny how that works.

So, when I asked him, he said something with marshmallow. My first instinct was s’mores…but then when I thought about it more peanut butter sounded good…so they ended up being fluffernutter. I imagined them. Fluffy peanut butter doughnuts topped off with fluffy creamy marshmallow frosting. Very fluffy…so I guess fluffernutter was appropriate. I made exactly that, plus one special ingredient I just happed to have on hand. Home made peanut butter chips. I hid them inside the doughnut batter, and when they baked up, they were all nice and gooey and melty inside the fluffy doughnuts.

These were simply heavenly. Eric was pretty excited about them too. He loves peanut butter just as much as I do. I topped them off with some pretty jungle peanuts for extra crunch. You would never know these are vegan. They taste absolutely divine and better than any regular doughnut I ever had growing up.

Vegan Fluffernutter Doughnuts

Makes 6 large doughnuts

Batter:

2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

1 cup coconut sugar

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

1/2 cup applesauce

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut oil, warmed to liquid

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Marshmallow Fluff:

3/4 cup reduced aquafba (you want it to be the consistency of egg whites when cooled)

1 1/2 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum

3/4 cup granulated xylitol or granulated coconut sugar**

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

Pre heat the oven to 350F degrees, and oil a standard sized doughnut pan. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, flax seed, sea salt, and baking powder. Whisk in all the wet ingredients until smooth.

Spoon into the holes in the prepared pan, filling them 3/4 full. Press the peanut butter chips into the dough staying away from the sides (the reason I did this instead of stirring them in was to keep them on the inside of the doughnuts, because they melt). Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the doughnuts are cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, pop out of the pan.

For the marshmallow fluff, in a food processor (which is what I used, or you may use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment), whip up the chickpea liquid until it has reached peaks. This will take about 2 minutes in the food processor. Add the guar gum and process until incorporated. Add the sea salt and sugar and with the motor running, a little at a time through the feed tube (so you do not deflate it), then allow to process until the sugar is completely dissolved and the meringue is smooth, shiny and thick. Add the vanilla, and blend until uniform in color. Spread the frosting over the doughnuts.

*Vegan Peanut Butter Chips:

1 cup creamy natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, warmed to liquid

3-5 tablespoons fine coconut sugar (I put mine in the blender and buzz it until fine)

Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl until smooth, then pour into a mold, or onto a sheet of foil, and set in the freezer until hard. Break into pieces once hard. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

**If your xylitol or coconut sugar is large crystals, blend it in the food processor until smaller first so you do not deflate the meringue. Coconut sugar will turn the meringue brown if you use it. If you are making xylitol fluff do not feed it to dogs, it makes them sick like chocolate does.

August 16, 2015

Amy’s Vegan Monster Cookies

Monster cookies used to be a weekly thing I made back in college, since I would bring them to cross country meet for the team to enjoy after the race. We all loved them, but there was someone else who loved them even more. My Dad. To this day, he asks me often, “When are you going to make me some monster cookies?” In fact, he asked me a few weeks back. Truth is I hardly ever make them anymore. I have made one raw version since my college days last year but not a baked veganized version. So, I decided my Dad was right about needing to make some and I did. But these were slightly different than the ones I used to make.

I was never a fan of the M&Ms I put on my old ones, I would have much preferred just chocolate. But some versions of monster cookies put chocolate chips and peanut butter chips and no M&Ms so I made mine like that. I made my own delicious peanut butter chips too because I do not like the ingredients in the store bought ones I found. These cookies turned out awesome! I already had several people begging me to try them when I told them what I was making. Big thumbs up from me, hope my Dad approves too once I share them with him since there are no M&Ms. These are by no means light *ahem* calorie free cookies…they are called Monster for a reason, they are big and rich. But at least these meal in and of themselves cookies do not send me into sweet overload but rather leave me feeling good after enjoying one.

Amy’s Vegan Monster Cookies

Makes a dozen

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed to liquid

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

2 flax eggs*

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour

1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
3 cups gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups vegan chocolate chunks
2 cups vegan peanut butter chips or chunks**

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the coconut oil, peanut butter and sugar until well blended. Add flax eggs, vanilla, and beat until well combined (the mixture will become very thick). Mix in the flour, soda, and sea salt until well blended. Mix in the oats until well combined, then add chocolate*** and peanut butter chips*** and mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Heat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack set at the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 12 large balls, and spread them out on the 2 cookie sheets with plenty of room in between. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden, but not overbaked. Let cool on sheet a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack lined with parchment to cool.

*For flax eggs, whisk together 2 Tbsp ground flax seed, 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Allow to sit in the fridge for 15 minutes until the mixture has set up (or become kind of thick).

**Peanut Butter Chips:

1 cup creamy natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, warmed to liquid

3-5 tablespoons fine coconut sugar (I put mine in the blender and buzz it until fine)

***If your chips melt fast, and my home made ones certainly do, you may press them into the cookies just as they are removed from the oven instead of mixing them in so they hold their shape.

August 15, 2015

Vegan Roasted Tomato and Kale Quesadillas

I used to be a huge cheese lover. My favorite sandwich (and all I would order in a restaurant for years) was always good old grilled cheese. But I would never say no to a quesadilla. To me, it was just good old grilled cheese with tortillas. It was actually the first thing I ever “cooked” on my own too in middle school. I decided last week that I wanted some quesadillas. I have not had any in years, and I dislike most of the vegan melty cheeses in the stores and that was why I had not made any since I went vegan. But, now that I know how to make my own, I had to make quesadillas. I decided to make some vegan pepperjack cheese because I wanted something with a kick. I included both chipotle powder and red pepper flakes to give it just the right amount. And, guess what? It is nut free. Don’t get me wrong, I love nuts, but I know they do not agree with everyone.

For the quesadillas, I was going to make something a little more traditional, but then I decided that I wanted to just use what I had and not buy extra ingredients so these were a little bit unusual. First off, I did not have tortillas so I made sort of quasi tortillas that were cooked like crepes with chickpea flour and cornmeal. But they were delicious and they gave me a little boost of extra protein. I actually liked them way better than flour tortillas.

For the filling, I had fresh tomatoes from my Grandpa’s garden, which I roasted to bring out the flavor and some sautéed local kale from my CSA box. Once they were all assembled and the cheese was melted to gooey deliciousness they were amazing. I never thought I could have melty cheese again when I went vegan. I am glad I was wrong. I shared these with Eric because he loves this sort of thing. Even though he always gives me crap about my Mexican food not being authentic (he is from Arizona). But…I never said these were Mexican!

Vegan Roasted Tomato and Kale Quesadillas

Serves 4

Vegan Pepperjack:

1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder or cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch

1/4 plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

1 Tbsp agar powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 tsp guar gum

To make the pepperjack cheese, heat the coconut milk, garlic, chipotle and red pepper flakes in a saucepan, until it comes to a simmer.

Meanwhile, dissolve the arrowroot starch in the water and set aside.

Once the coconut milk has come to a simmer, add the agar powder, and heat until it is dissolved about a minute.

Next, add the lemon juice and sea salt to the coconut milk.

Mix the coconut oil with the guar gum so that the guar gum does not clump up.

Chickpea “Tortillas”:

1 cup chickpea flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/3 cups filtered water

Vegetables:

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

olive oil

4 large kale leaves

To prepare the vegetables, spread out the tomatoes on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 400F degrees for about 20-30 minutes until soft, and starting to brown. Season with a little sea salt. Let cool.

For the kale, add a little olive oil to a pan, then cook over medium heat until the kale has wilted. Season with a little sea salt.

For Assembly:

To assemble the quesadillas, lay out two of the tortillas*, then top each with the tomatoes and kale, then each about 1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese. Place another tortilla on top of each. You can cook them two ways. First, you may cook them in the skillet. Just heat a little olive oil, then cook on one side for about 4 minutes, then flip over and cook 4 minutes more or until the cheese is melted (you can cover it with a pan even when turned off to melt the cheese). Or, you may cook them in the oven the non-traditional way, and just set them on a sheet pan in a 350F degree oven and allow the cheese to melt. Either way, cut each into 4 wedges, and serve!

*you may use regular tortillas if you do not wan to make the chickpea ones.

August 14, 2015

Vegan Mango Nectarine Pie with Almond Oat Crust

Philippians 4:6

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

This is the verse I so often forget and yet need to hear. It is when things don’t go so smoothly in life, and it feels like things are falling apart that I realize it is not up to me, and I need to ask for help instead of worrying about how I am going to do it on my own. And, when things do go well, I need to not forget who gave me those good times. Just a thought…I thought maybe someone else might need to hear it as well. I have been feeling blessed lately and I am thankful for that.

I was very thankful last week when I was given mangoes and peaches. I wanted nothing more at that point, then to make a beautiful pie with them. I was craving pie after all. Warm pie, with vanilla coconut cream. Now mind you, I have not actually made a baked double crusted pie for quite a while. Not since I started using alternative flours. So, this was in a way an experiment. I wanted to make an almond oat crust, because I recently used hazelnut meal in a crust and it was amazing. I ended up with a dough with a bit of flax eggs in it, the almond meal, oat flour, coconut sugar, and coconut oil to make it rich. It tasted good…like a less sweet cookie before I shaped it into the pan.

The filling needed very little sweetening since the mangoes and nectarines were amazing. Once it was starting to get all jammy and delicious in the oven, it smelled amazing. I could not wait to try it. I shared some with my Mom, who is one of my best food critics and she loved it. I did too, and I had a piece unadorned the first day because I was too lazy at that point to make cream, and I did not have coconut milk chilled. But the second day I made some and let me tell you it was heavenly. Eric loved the pie as well, so three thumbs up! The best way to describe this pie, is it tastes like summer! I imagine it is wonderful with cool vanilla ice cream as well…

Vegan Mango Nectarine Pie with Almond Oat Crust

Makes one 8 inch pie

Crust:

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

6 Tbsp filtered water

2 cups gluten-free oat flour

1 cup almond meal

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup coconut oil in solid form, cut into small pieces

ice water as needed

Filling:

2 cups diced mango

2 cups diced nectarines

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup coconut sugar (or more depending on how sweet the fruit is)

pinch sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup gluten free oat flour

For topping:

coconut milk

coconut sugar

Mix the flax seed and water together in a small bowl, and set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

To make the dough for the crust, in a food processor, pulse flour, meal, sugar and salt until combined. Add coconut oil and pulse until mixture resembles fine meal, with no large pieces of butter remaining. Add flax mixture, then pulse until well combined and dough holds together when squeezed, 1 minute. If necessary, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Form into 2 balls of dough, and roll each out into a 14 inch round on sheets of parchment paper with a floured rolling pin (if the dough has gotten too warm to work with refrigerate it for a little while first). Fit one of the crusts into the pie pan (I do this by placing the pie pan upside down on the round of dough, then flipping it over with the parchment and all, then carefully fitting it into the pan (if it rips jut patch it up, no worries) making sure all air pockets are out. Set aside in the refrigerator, along with the other piece of dough.

Pre heat the oven to 375F degrees. Mix all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, then pour into the prepared bottom crust. Place the top crust over that, using the parchment to assist, and then crimp or flute the edges to seal them together. Cut a few vents in the top of the pie with a knife, then brush the top of the pie with a little coconut milk. Sprinkle with coconut sugar.

Bake the pie for about an hour and a half on the middle rack of the oven. Check it after about 30-45 minutes and if it is getting too brown, cover loosely with foil. Bake until juices are bubbling out the vents and it is golden brown on top. Place on a rack and allow to cool before serving.

August 12, 2015

Summer Lentil Stuffed Pattypan Squash

Pattypan or sunburst squash as they are also called, have to be one of the most adorable things ever! I remember the first time I saw some at the store I had to buy them just because they were so cute, not knowing for sure how to prepare them. Little did I know they can be used like zucchini. They are sweet and delicious when sliced up and roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and sea salt. Which is how I make them most of the time now. But I decided to get a little fancy last week and stuff some.

I wanted a protein rich filling, so I used French lentils along with sautéed veggies. It was pretty simple, but so good, and I could have eaten a bowl of that filling by itself. I am obsessed with lentils lately though. Nothing beats lentils as far as being cost effective and delicious when prepared properly. They are a staple in this girl’s vegan diet! Anyways, they made the perfect filling for the squash, and when it was roasted up all soft, sweet and delicious with the lentils inside…even better! I had to share some with Eric and he enjoyed them too. Sometimes I really wish I was able to have a garden and grow beautiful veggies like these!

Summer Lentil Stuffed Pattypan Squash

Makes 4

1/2 cup French lentils

4 pattypan or sunburst squash

4 scallions, sliced

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, rehydrated and cut julienne

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp olive oil

sea salt to taste

Place the French lentils in a pot and cover with filtered water by a few inches. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer an cook for about 30 minutes until tender but not mushy. Rinse and drain.

Meanwhile, to prepare the squash, slice the tops off, then scoop out the centers leaving 1/2 inch from the outside so you have a hollow cavity. Set the shells aside, and chop the insides you have scooped out. Add them to a pan, along with the scallions, carrot, tomatoes, garlic and thyme. Add a few tsp olive oil and saute until they are all tender. Once the lentils have finished cooking, stir them in as well and season to taste with sea salt.

Spoon the filling into the hollowed out squash shells, place on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cover with a piece of foil so they do not dry out, and cook at 400F degrees for about 45 minutes or until the squash is tender and heated through.

August 11, 2015

Vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Raspberry Biscotti

There was a time when I made a lot of biscotti. It was back when I was in college and I had found some biscotti recipes in a magazine and decided to try them all, then make my own variations. I loved the stuff. Plus, it was a nice change from regular cookies, having a nice crunchy texture thanks to the twice baked treatment it gets. It had been quite a while since I had made it…probably at least 8 years, and I decided that it was time to change that. I had seen some beautiful biscotti and it inspired me to create a healthier vegan version. I thought long and hard about what flavor to make, and I ended up with chocolate hazelnut raspberry.

I used hazelnut flour in them as well as chopped hazelnuts for extra deliciousness. And, a chocolate dough as well as chocolate drizzle on top for double chocolate. I added dried raspberries for little bursts of tart sweet flavor and it was all together a heavenly combination. These do not have any oil in them, the fat comes from the hazelnuts, but they are so nice and crisp you would think they were richer than they are. These would be perfect with coffee or tea for a mid morning relaxation break!

Vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Raspberry Biscotti

Makes 2 dozen

Dough:

3 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten free flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup hazelnut meal

1 cup coconut sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk

1 cup hazelnuts, chopped into large pieces toasted

1 cup dried raspberries

1/2 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate

In a small bowl, mix together the flax seed and water. Set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cacao powder, hazelnut meal, coconut sugar, baking powder and sea salt until well blended. Add the flax mixture, vanilla, milk, and stir until well blended and a soft dough. Mix in the raspberries and hazelnuts.

Form into 2 logs on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at 350F degrees 20-25 minutes, then let cool 20 on a rack.

When cool, slice into 3/4 inch thick pieces on the diagonal, and place back on the sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes more until crisp and lightly browned at the edges. Let cool completely.

Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler (or your preferred method), then place in a pastry bag (or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off) and drizzle over all the biscotti. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

August 10, 2015

Vegan Summer Spice Cake (gluten free)

I apologize for my lack of sharing cake recipes lately, but it is all for good reason. I am working on a vegan cake book, which I will tell you more about in the future since it is a ways from being published, but the cake recipes I have been making weekly have been going into that. How’s that for a tease? Mean I know, but it will be worth it in the end. I am making some fabulous stuff! But I couldn’t take it anymore not sharing any cake recipes with you all for so long, so I decided that I needed to share the super delicious cake I made last weekend. Summer Spice Cake. Spice cake is a Winter thing though…you may be thinking. But not this beauty. You see, it has some special ingredients. Local veggies given to me in my CSA box. I looked at the carrots, zucchini and yellow summer squash and thought…spice cake! I love zucchini cake and carrot cake with spices so I combined them and made this with some added yellow squash. These are naturally sweet veggies so it was so sweet and delicious!

I added plenty of spice because I do not like wimpy spice cake. I decided to go for 4 layers because its just so pretty! I frosted it with a fluffy vanilla maple frosting that was so good I could have just eaten a bowl of it. As a combination it was simply heavenly. I can not think of a better way to use an excess of veggies! I can never resist sneaking them into things anyway when I come up with a recipe I can use them in. My taste testers loved it as well, and said you would never know this is a healthier vegan dessert with veggies included. If you have a garden full of veggies, first, I envy you and second, you need to try out this cake! I would share mine with you but since that is not possible…

Vegan Summer Spice Cake (gluten free)

Makes 1 6 inch 4 layer cake

2 6 inch cake pans

Cake:
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1 cup coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup coconut milk at room temperature
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup shredded yellow summer squash and zucchini
1 cup shredded carrots

Frosting:
2 cans organic full fat coconut milk, chilled
3/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract
1 3/4 cups coconut butter, warmed to liquid

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line two six-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and pan sides lightly with coconut oil so that the cake doesn’t stick and line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment fit to the pan.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, sea salt, and spices in a large bowl to blend well. Whisk applesauce, oil, coconut milk, and vanilla extract together in small bowl to blend well, then whisk into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in the cider vinegar until bubbles form. Fold in the zucchini and carrots.
Transfer cake batter to prepared pans and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Cool cakes completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cakes out onto platter; peel off parchment paper. Let cool completely, then place in the fridge to chill until very cold to make slicing easier. When chilled, slice cakes horizontally in half so that you have 4 layers.
Meanwhile, to make the frosting, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter, in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, add the coconut butter and process a minute more (if it starts to get lumpy at all during the process it is just the fat separating because it is 2 different temperatures. Just continue to blend until it is smooth, and it will get warm so it will just have to chill longer). Pour the frosting into a bowl and let sit in the freezer until the consistency of whipped cream, whisking every 15 minutes (this may take anywhere from 15 minutes to hour to an hour depending on how warm it has gotten and which appliance you used).
When ready to frost, place one cake layer on a plate. spread frosting about 1/2 inch thick over the first layer, then top with the second. Repeat the frosting, then top with another cake layer, then more frosting then the last cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over the top and down the sides of the cake.
Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator.

***if you would like a 4 layer 9 inch cake, double this entire recipe and bake in two 9 inch cake pans and it may take twice as long to bake.

August 9, 2015

Vegan Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

I love carrot cake. And now, I can have carrot cake for breakfast. Not just a slice of carrot cake though, an actual nutritious breakfast that will not leave me with a sugar rush. Carrot cake overnight oats! My new favorite thing, and they could not be easier to make. Ok, the truth is I was grating up some carrots for a cake, and I had extra…so I decided that this would be awesome. I eat the same boring oats every day most days of the week when I work and don’t have time to dream up something interesting or throw together something interesting for the next days breakfast (my energy mostly goes into creating other recipes), so…this was a weekend treat.

I used steel cut oats for this because I love the texture (these are my weekend oats as well, during the week I use rolled because they can be thrown together and ready in half an hour) along with chia seeds for heart healthy omega 3 oils and to soak up moisture. I added in the carrots of course, my usual carrot cake spices, some dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, and some protein powder because I was going to eat this after my run. I sure was rungry (run+hungry)! I devoured it in no time, and it was sooo good! Kept me full for a long time too, so I could get stuff done! Plus, there is nothing better than being able to enjoy dessert for breakfast right?!

Vegan Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

Serves 1-2

1/2 cup gluten free steel cut oats or rolled oats (if you want this to be raw use raw rolled oats)

1 1/2 cups filtered water

2 scoops Sprout Living Epic Vanilla Lucuma Protein Powder*

1 Tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cardamom

stevia or maple syrup to taste

1 cup shredded carrots

optional: raisins, crasins, pumpkin seeds, walnuts (mix in a few Tbsp of your favorites)

In a jar, combine all ingredients, and stir to mix together. Let sit in the refrigerator covered overnight. Enjoy in the morning!

*If you do not wish to add protein powder, then simply use your favorite non dairy milk reduced to 1 cup in this recipe.

August 8, 2015

Cool Cucumber Salad

When I was younger, my Mom made a cucumber salad with a creamy dressing made with sour cream, vinegar and dill plus a little honey to sweeten. I think this must be a classic that most people’s Mothers or Grandmothers made, because most people you ask can relate to it. We sell a version in the deli where I work and it is very popular. But these classic versions of course contain dairy and often times lots of sugar. I haven’t enjoyed any in ages. Which was exactly what I was thinking last week as I made some at work. I decided that I needed to make a veganized version to suit my tastes. I had just been given a bunch of cucumbers from my Grandpa’s garden so it was perfect timing.

I made a creamy dressing with coconut milk and cashew butter with a bit of cider vinegar, garlic and dill and it tasted just as good as the salad I remember. But less sweet of course since I did not add any sweetener. I was in the mood for something more savory. I added some scallions in as well instead of the usual onions for a milder salad and it was just right. If you have an abundance of cucumbers in your garden, you must try this simple recipe. Sooo good!

Cool Cucumber Salad

Serves 4

Dressing:

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter

3/4 cup very thick raw coconut milk (or you may use canned if you don’t mind it not being raw)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp fresh dill

3 medium cucumbers, seeded and sliced

3 scallions, sliced

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together until smooth (if you find it too thin add a little more cashew butter, too thick a little water since coconut milk varies in thickness).

Place the cucumbers and scallions in a bowl, and pour the dressing over. Toss to combine. Serve!

August 7, 2015

Vegan Blueberry Pluot Galette with Hazelnut Oat Crust

I was really craving some blueberry pie last week. But I had two problems. First, not enough blueberries to make a whole pie, and second, not enough time to make a pie. Because all that rolling and chilling and shaping, then waiting an hour for it to bake…yeah I did not have time. But I got some pie, just not in the usual form. I made a galette instead. A lazy free form pie that requires less time…but tastes equally as good. I got around the blueberry problem by adding sweet pluots, which are amazing this year.

For the crust I wanted something a little different than the usual plain flour, so I added some hazelnut meal and it made it so buttery and delicious! It ended up tasting like a shortbread crust with the rich coconut oil and nutty hazelnuts added and melted in my mouth as it was delicate.

The filling was jammy and delicious, the blueberries and pluots melting together into the perfect combination of tart and sweet but not so sweet that you could not taste the fruit. It was delicious on its own, but the second day I enjoyed it with a dallop of coconut whipped cream left over from another dessert and it was pure heaven. Two things. If you have access to pluots this year, buy some they are amazing. And…you have to try making this. It is so good. If you are not a typical baker and are worried about neatness, no worries. This is a non-fussy not meant to look perfect dessert.

Vegan Blueberry Pluot Galette with Hazelnut Oat Crust

2 galettes

Crust:

3 cups oat flour

1 cup hazelnut meal
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup coconut oil, in its solid form

filtered water as needed

Filling:

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 large sliced pluots

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

the seeds of one vanilla bean

juice of one small lemon
a pinch of sea salt
3 Tbsp arrowroot starch

coconut milk, for brushing
coconut sugar, for topping

Roll each out into a 14 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin. If it tears, no worries, just press it back together and patch it up.

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. To make filling, mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour filling into middle of dough rounds (leaving a 1 1/2 inch boarder), then carefully fold up edges to cover the edge of the fruit. Brush edges with a little coconut milk, and sprinkle with sugar. Place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes (checking after 20 and if they are very brown, if they are tent with foil) until bubbling and fruit is tender. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour.

August 5, 2015

2 Summer Berry Smoothies- Double Berry Lavender and Blackberry Basil Ginger

If I could enjoy fresh berries year round I would be all for it. But then I would have to move…and I do like it here in Minnesota despite the short berry season. So, when it is berry season I eat as many of them as I can. Just straight up (since they are like nature’s candy), in beautiful desserts (they are awesome because they add color to anything), and in smoothies (for adding extra antioxidants). I thought I would share with you today 2 smoothies I recently made. And, these use frozen berries so you can either freeze your own, or if berries are out of season, buy some. Because who couldn’t use a bit of berry goodness year round?!

The first smoothie is a double berry lavender. I am a big fan of lavender paired with berries because the combination is so aromatic and it tastes absolutely amazing! I used strawberries and raspberries for this one so it is super sweet naturally and the lavender gives it a floral note. This smoothie is great for relaxing (as lavender is known to have a calming effect). If I had a hammock in my yard, I would sit and sip this. But since I don’t…enjoying it in the kitchen is just fine.

The second smoothie is a blackberry basil ginger. This smoothie tastes wonderful. I love herbaceous basil with fresh berries in any application. Dessert, salads, smoothies. It makes me happy. Not only that, this smoothie is rich in antioxidants from the berries, and the ginger is anti inflammatory. So not only is it refreshing and wonderful tasting, it is good after a workout for soreness.

These two smoothies are simple to make so no excuse not to here. Just throw them in and blend, that is the beauty of it. If you wanted them to be more of a meal, you could throw in some plain or vanilla raw protein powder. I like Sprout Living’s Vanilla Lucuma.

Double Berry Lavender Smoothie

Serves 2

1 cup raw coconut milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

A few drops food grade lavender essential oil (DoTerra is a good brand) or 1 Tbsp dried lavender flowers (make sure they are organic and food grade)

Stevia to taste (optional)

2 bananas, frozen and cut into pieces

2 cups frozen strawberries

2 cups frozen raspberries

In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients and puree until smooth, using the tamper to press the shake down into the blades. Pour into 2 tall glasses, and serve!

Blackberry Basil Ginger Smoothie

Serves 2

1 cup fresh orange juice

Stevia to taste (optional)

2 bananas, frozen and cut into pieces

4 cups frozen organic blackberries

about 6 fresh basil leaves

2 tsp chopped ginger (or 1/2 tsp dried)

a handful spinach

In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients and puree until smooth, using the tamper to press the shake down into the blades. Pour into 2 tall glasses, and serve!

August 4, 2015

Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroons

I was given some hazelnut meal and the first thought I had was to pair it with chocolate. I was always a big fan of Nutella growing up, but I am an even bigger fan of home made hazelnut and chocolate butter. The flavor is just wonderful! Hence the hazelnut and chocolate choice for the hazelnut meal recipe. I decided to make simple macaroons. I had recently made some coconut almond ones and they were awesome, so I thought I would create a similar (yet different tasting) recipe with these.

I liked the texture the other ones I made had, and I had used a mixture similar to vegan marshmallow fluff to make them so I used that again as the base I added the chocolate and hazelnut meal to. I dehydrated the last batch though, because my oven was broken, but now it is fixed so I used that this time to bake the macaroons. Either way works, and I have included directions for both. Of course the plus side of the oven is they are done a lot faster. Once they were baked, I decided that they were not pretty enough looking so I drizzled them with dark chocolate and sprinkled them with hazelnuts. Man were these ever delicious. They taste like a macaroon and a hazelnut brownie had a baby together…simply heavenly!

Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroons

Makes 12

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp reduced aquafaba*

1 tsp guar gum

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups hazelnut meal

1 cup fine coconut sugar

1/3 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate, chopped

chopped hazelnuts for topping

In a food processor (you may also use a stand mixer for this, I just do not have one), whip the aquafaba to until thick, then add the guar gum and continue to whip or process to stiff peaks. Add the sea salt, and the sugar a little at a time through the feed tube until it is incorporated, then continue to whip until the mixture is shiny and the sugar has dissolved. Add the vanilla, and blend until incorporated. Add the hazelnut meal and the cacao powder a little at a time, pulsing until incorporated (you can fold it in by hand, but I didn’t and it still worked out. But if you are using a mixer with a whisk attachment you may want to so it doesn’t get all stuck in the whisk). Scoop out the dough by the rounded Tbsp, and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Heat the oven to 350F degrees and bake for 30 minutes in the center of the oven. (alternatively you may use a dehydrator instead. Place the cookies on a lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 155F degrees for about 13-14 hours or until firm on the outside but still soft in the middle). Let cool.

Melt the chocolate (I like to just pop mine in a bowl in the dehydrator, but if you prefer the double boiler, by all means, use that) in a bowl, and drizzle over the macaroons, then sprinkle them with chopped hazelnuts. Allow to set, and enjoy! These keep well for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

*Aquafaba is the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas. If you are using liquid from the cooked, you want to make sure it is thick (the consistency of egg whites), not watery.

August 3, 2015

Vegan Mini S’mores Bites

I have been making marshmallow fluff weekly since I first discovered aquafaba (chickpea liquid that creates vegan marshmallows and meringue) and how fun it is. I thought marshmallows were off limits to vegans, something I could only hold in my past memories as a child…boy was I wrong. I have been trying to create recipes to include it in, and all of the ones I have made have been awesome…like S’mores Brownies and Fluffernutter Cookies. But I have not stopped. I still quite enjoy being able to make an actual marshmallow for my s’more, so I made Vegan S’mores Bites.

These are kind of like mini vegan Mallowmars, but a little more character since I piped the marshmallow on top of the cookies like a high hat. For the cookies, I made a cinnamon scented shortbread so it had that graham cracker like flavor. They were perfect for holding the fluffy marshmallows! I then dipped them in vegan dark chocolate. They are like little candies/s’mores all in one! What’s not to love?!

I am brought back to the days when I actually toasted s’mores up at camp in the summer, or at fall bonfires in my Dad’s back yard. Good stuff. I think I these better though, because you can have more…because they are small. Don’t you agree?!

Vegan Mini S’mores Bites

Makes about 40 small bites

Shortbread “graham cracker”:

1 cup coconut oil, softened but still solid, at room temperature

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup coconut sugar or granulated xylitol

Mix all shortbread ingredients together in a large bowl until well blended.

Place the dough on a sheet of parchment, and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with the rack set in the center.

Once the dough has chilled cut out small circles with a cookie cutter, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes until set. Cool on a wire rack completely.

Marshmallow Fluff:

1/2 cup reduced aquafba (you want it to be the consistency of egg whites when cooled)

1 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum

1/2 cup granulated xylitol or granulated coconut sugar*

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

Chocolate coating:

1 cup chopped vegan chocolate

Place the fluff in a pastry bag, and pipe onto the tops of the cookies.

Place the cookies on a parchment lined tray in the oven at a low heat (155F-200F) for 1/2 an hour (this makes them not sticky when you go to coat them in chocolate). Let cool completely.

Once the cookies are ready, melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or I like to pop mine into the dehydrator and let it melt) or your preferred method. Then set the bowl next to the tray the cookies are on, and dip each cookie into the chocolate, letting the excess drip off (I set mine on a fork then dip them). Place them back on the tray. Once they have all been dipped, pop the tray into the refrigerator until the chocolate has set. Enjoy! Store in the refrigerator for up to a week in a sealed container.

*If your xylitol or coconut sugar is large crystals, blend it in the food processor until smaller first so you do not deflate the meringue. Coconut sugar will turn the meringue brown if you use it. If you are making xylitol fluff do not feed it to dogs, it makes them sick like chocolate does.

August 2, 2015

40 Vegan Ice Cream Recipes

I love ice cream year round, but this is the time of the year when I really, really, really appreciate it. There is nothing like enjoying a bowl of cool ice cream on a hot Summer day to cool off. There was a point in time I made an ice cream recipe a week. And, they all had to be different. So as you can imagine, I have tried out plenty of ice cream flavors. They were all pretty much amazing, but of course I have some favorites. I decided that I would share with you my top 40 favorite vegan ice cream recipes in case you needed some inspiration as well. You will not find plain old chocolate or vanilla here, just recipes brought to life by my imagination and what I could possibly make into an ice cream flavor. Hope you are all having a wonderful summer! Stay cool, and enjoy!

PB & J Ice Cream

Pretty In Pink Ice Cream Sundae

Lemon Basil Ice Cream

Raw Red Velvet Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Vegan Chocolate Mint Gelato

Raw Strawberry Lime Chipotle Ice Cream

Raw Banana Cream Pie Ice Cream

Raw Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Ice Cream with Caramel

Swirl

Raw Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Fresh Raspberry Sauce

Raw Apple Crumble Ice Cream

Raw Concord Grape Ice Cream

Thai Peanut Ice Cream

Apple Rosemary Ice Cream

Raw Tiramisu Ice Cream

Raw Pink Grapefruit Lavender Ice Cream

Raw Cookie Dough Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Raw German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream

Raw Dark Chocolate Orange Ginger Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

Raw Kiwilicious Ice Cream

Raw Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream

Raw Brownie Bliss Ice Cream Sundae

Raw Lime in the Coconut Ice Cream (coconut ice cream with lime swirl, and macaroons)

Raw Banoffee Pie Ice Cream

Raw Love Berry Ice Cream

Raw Fruits of Summer Ice Cream Sundae

Raw Strawberry Rhubarb Ginger Ice Cream

Raw Pineapple Habanero Ice Cream

Raw Hazelnut Mocha Ice Cream Sundae

Quick Berry Cherry Sorbet Sundae

Raw Sweet Cherry Almond Brownie Chunk Ice Cream

Raw Dirty Turtle Ice Cream

Raw Green Tea Ice Cream with Strawberry Swirl

Raw Salted Caramel Banana Pecan Ice Cream

Raw Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream

Raw Minty Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Raw Vanilla Cake Ice Cream with Raspberry Swirl

Raw Triple Berry Cacao Bliss Ice Cream

Raw Blueberry Cobbler Ice Cream

Raw French Silk Pie Ice Cream

Raw Carrot Cake Ice Cream

August 1, 2015

Vegan Strawberry Basil Pizza

About 5 years ago, I had a tradition of making pizza once a week. Trying out different toppings and cheeses every time, experimenting with something new. It was never just the standard usual recipes…it was things like caramelized fennel and onions with lemon, walnuts and pine nuts with pecorino romano…or apple gruyere with caramelized onions, and hazelnuts. But my all time favorite out of all the recipes was a strawberry blue cheese with caramelized onions, walnuts and fresh basil. It was heavenly. That was the one pizza I did not mind repeating. Sadly my pizza making has since gone by the wayside since I went vegan because I thought it would not be the same to bake a pizza without cheese and I did not really like any of the commercial vegan “melting” cheeses I had tried. But I recently made a vegan mozzarella that made me want to try making pizza again! It was melty, cheesy and perfect for pizza!

I had to make my favorite pizza with it. Minus the blue cheese part. But it was still amazing with just mozzarella. This cheese is coconut milk based so it melts like a dream and I think it has much better flavor than the soy based cheeses you can buy. If you think strawberries on pizza sounds weird, you need to try this. It is amazing. They roast into jammy goodness on the crust and you get something that is a little sweet, and a little savory and salty all at the same time. The basil adds a lovely fragrance to it. This is perfect for summer when fresh local berries are abundant, and I can pick basil right off the patio to top off the pizza!

Vegan Strawberry Basil Pizza

Makes one 14 inch pizza

Vegan Mozzarella:

Adapted from Olives for Dinner’s Mozzarella Recipe

1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch

1/4 plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

3 Tbsp agar flakes or 1 Tbsp agar powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 tsp guar gum

To make the mozzarella cheese, heat the coconut milk in a saucepan, until it comes to a simmer.

Meanwhile, dissolve the arrowroot starch in the water and set aside.

Once the coconut milk has come to a simmer, add the agar flakes, and heat until they are dissolved (mine took about 8 minutes, if you are using the powder, it should dissolve within one minute).

Next, add the lemon juice and sea salt to the coconut milk.

Mix the coconut oil with the guar gum so that the guar gum does not clump up.

Pizza Dough:

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

To make the pizza crust, combine the flour, cornmeal, xanthan gum and sea salt in a bowl, and whisk until well blended. Add the water, and mix in until you have a soft dough.

Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper with a light dusting of flour, and roll out into a 14 inch circle. Set aside.

Caramelized onions:

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 tsp olive oil

pinch of sea salt

To make the caramelized onions, heat the oil in a pan, and add the onions. Cook, stirring often until the onions are very soft and starting to brown. Add the sea salt, and set aside.

For Pizza Assembly:

olive oil

1 cup sliced strawberries

1/4 cup raw walnuts

2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves (torn or cut chiffonade)

Bake crust for 15 minutes, then remove the crust from the oven (still on the parchment). Top the crust with the onions, scattering around evenly. Then the berries, and walnuts, then the cheese, making sure it is all evenly distributed.

Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown (keep an eye on it after 15 as some ovens cook faster than others). Remove the pizza and parchment from the oven, slide pizza onto a cutting board or plate, scatter basil over the top, slice and enjoy!

July 31, 2015

Raw Peanut Butter and Chocolate Dream Bars

If you read this blog often, then you know I have a thing for chocolate and peanut butter. Hasn’t changed since I had my first peanut butter cup and fell in love. So, every so often I just have to make a peanut butter and chocolate dessert. I do not think I will ever tire of coming up with new recipes marrying the two together. This time, I decided to make some decadent raw bars.

It is the time of year where it is very hot and humid here, and some days it is best not to heat up the kitchen at all if you can help it. So, I made some no bake raw vegan bars that tasted like the most dreamy amazing peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. I started off with a crunchy crust reminiscent of Oreos. then topped it off with a peanut butter and chocolate layer, followed by a peanut butter layer of cheesecake like lusciousness.

Wow…were these ever heavenly! I would be proud to bring them to a picnic, and I know they would impress the vegans and non vegans alike! If you love peanut butter and chocolate just as much as I do, these are for you! And, in case you wanted to make these with canned coconut milk instead of young coconut meat, I have included the non raw version as well, because I want everyone to be able to make these!

Raw Peanut Butter and Chocolate Dream Bars
Makes 12

Crust:

1 cup finely shredded dried coconut

1 cup sprouted buckwheat groats (or additional shredded coconut or jungle peanuts)

3/4 cup soft medjool dates, pitted

1/4 tsp himalayan salt

3 Tbsp raw cacao powder

1 few Tbsp filtered water

Filling:

2 cups young coconut meat, packed

1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

1 cup raw jungle peanut butter

1/2 cup raw coconut butter warmed to liquid

2 Tbsp raw cacao powder

To assemble the bars, pour the chocolate filling over the crust reserving about 3 Tbsp. Then pour the peanut butter filling over that. Drop the rest of the chocolate by the tsp over that, then swirl with a knife.
Place in the freezer to set, about 2-4 hours. Cut into bars and serve!
Store any extra bars in the refrigerator.

For the non-raw bars:

Use crust recipe above for raw bars.

Filling:

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled

1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw coconut butter warmed to liquid

For the filling, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the coconut butter and blend until smooth. Divide into 2 bowls, then add one back to the food processor. Add the cacao powder to the food processor and blend until uniform in color.

Assemble the bars and chill the bars the same as the raw version.

July 29, 2015

Vegan Avocado Potato Salad

I got my hands on some of the most beautiful potatoes I had ever seen last week. They were a mix of purple, pink and yellow. I have seen a lot of these potatoes at the farmer’s market lately and I have been wanting to buy some, but didn’t get around to it until now. I wanted to do roasted potatoes for dinner, but my oven was on the fritz so I decided on potato salad instead, so I could cook the potatoes stove top. It was a good thing to not heat up the house anyhow because it has been so hot here lately.

I wanted the salad to have a creamy dressing, and I had some avocadoes so I decided that they would be the perfect addition! Once I added in the herbs, lemon juice and other ingredients it reminded me of mayo but way better. I am a sucker for avocado, so I suppose that is part of it. I added in some other veggies from my CSA box, radishes, beans, scallions and zucchini and it was a beautiful salad! But most importantly delicious. I am so thankful I live somewhere where I can get fresh local produce in the summer!

Vegan Avocado Potato Salad

Serves 2-4

4 cups potatoes cut into large dice I used a mix of purple, pink, and gold
4 scallions, sliced
4 radishes, sliced
1 cup green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, sliced

Dressing:
1 large avocado, diced
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
1 Tbsp fresh dill
1 Tbsp fresh basil

Add the potatoes to a pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool completely.

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Add the potatoes, and all other veggies to a bowl, and toss with the dressing. Serve!

July 28, 2015

Raw Mocha Crunch Pecan Butter Cups

I hadn’t made any chocolates in ages, and I was really craving some sort of nut butter cup really bad…so I had to make some. I never ignore these things you know. Peanut butter cups were always my favorite growing up but that is because I never got to experience any other type. The only other nut butter I remember eating was almond when my Mom would buy that. Now…I can have just about any type thanks to being able to make it myself with the Vitamix. There are some awesome brands out there like Rawmio and Dastony, but if you have the time home made is awesome.

One of my favorites (peanut butter and macadamia butter also make the top 3) is pecan butter. OMG it is almost caramel flavored (which is why I often times use it in my raw caramel). Amazing stuff, and so silky. So this time when I made nut butter cups it had to be with that, because it sounded so good. I didn’t stop there though, I mixed it with a little chocolate, coffee and crunchy pecans for a sinfully decadent combination.

This was all covered in raw dark chocolate of course, and topped off with more crunchy pecans and some crunchy cacao nibs. Try and eat just one, I dare you. Your taste buds will crave more. These would make the perfect gift for someone special (if you can share after trying one).

Raw Mocha Crunch Pecan Butter Cups

Makes 12 large cups

Chocolate:

1/2 cup raw cacao butter or raw coconut oil, warmed to liquid

3/4 cup raw cacao powder

1/2 cup organic maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

a pinch sea salt

Filling:

2/3 cup raw pecan butter

1 1/2 Tbsp organic maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

2 tsp ground espresso powder

3 Tbsp raw cacao powder

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup chopped raw pecans

To make the chocolate, whisk all ingredients together until smooth, and set aside.
Lay out 12 PB cup tins (not the mini ones, the larger candy size) or molds on a flat cutting board or tray, and fill them about 1/3 full with the chocolate. Place them in the freezer to set about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix together the filling ingredients until well blended. Once set, spoon about 1 heaping tsp of filling mixture onto each, but not so much that it oozes to the sides (you want to be able to cover it with more chocolate and not have it stick out the top). Spoon chocolate over each mound of nut butter enough to cover and fill to the top of the tins. Place in the freezer to set for about 15-20 min. to set. Enjoy!

July 27, 2015