Author: Amy Lyons O'Neil

I am a vegan girl who loves to make healthier desserts and dishes with lots of veggies. Recipes are meant to be shared, that is why I started blogging!

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 […]

Vegan Coconut Almond Macaroons

A few weeks ago, I was experimenting with making a fluffy almond cake with whipped aquafaba, and it was going pretty well.  The batter tasted amazing, and I had popped it in the oven and it was smelling amazing…when suddenly my oven had a malfunction and I started to smell it burning.  It had cranked […]

Raspberry Basil Mint Salsa and Spicy Lentil Chips

My Mom always tells me about these pinto bean chips that she buys that she loves so much.  I decided to try one, and they were pretty good, but I decided that I could make something similar at home.  I do love crunchy salty snackables after all. I decided to make mine with lentils though.  […]

Savory Vegan Zucchini Cakes with Creamy Roasted Tomato Sauce

I got a huge zucchini in my CSA box, and I had to make something with it.  My oven was broken, so zucchini cake or bread was out of the question.  But what else could I make?  I really did not want to make something sweet anyhow, I thought using it for dinner was a […]

Vegan Chocolate Dipped Basil Mint Sugar Cookies (gluten free)

I had lots of beautiful basil and mint from my CSA box, and I wanted to make something delicious with it. Sure, some of it made its way into salads, but I wanted something sweet as well. I couldn’t get my mind off of sugar cookies.  Eric and I had spent most of the day […]

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Shooters

The strawberries are amazing this year!  I have been eating them up like crazy, but I like to do a little something special with them once in a while in the form of dessert too.  Last week I wanted to make something easy and fun with them and Eric suggested shooters.  Like alcohol shots. Since […]

Matcha Almond Fig Overnight Oats

  I got my hands on some gorgeous figs, and although I enjoyed some plain, some made it into my breakfast as well.  I have been making special variations of overnight oats on the weekend.  During the week I am pretty boring, just the same old spices that are cheap and quick.  But on the […]

Vegan Fluffernutter Sandwich Cookies

Ever since I discovered vegan marshmallow fluff made with aquafaba, I have wanted to make something fluffernutter.  Mostly because I have never actually had anything fluffernutter…and it is a fun word to say, and the combination sounds delicious to someone craving salty and sweet. Also, I have had really good luck with my marshmallow fluff, […]

Vegan Jalapeno Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Who doesn’t like mashed potatoes?!  They are after all one of the quintessential comfort foods. I remember when I was little I loved them…especially when my Mom made them out of a box.  Sad, I know.  But my 5 year old self did not have the best tastes.  Funny because she made them the old […]

Raw Hemp Seed Cacao Fudge

Windy City Organics sent me some Dastony Hemp Seed Butter to create recipes with, and although I love it in savory applications, sweet is wonderful too.  I love to include hemp seeds in my brownies sometimes, so I thought the butter might just make amazing fudge. So, I created a simple fudge recipe with it.  […]

Raw Peanut Butter and Jelly Cream Pie

Today I turn 30.  But I still feel 21. I know I have done a lot of growing up in the last 10 years, but I don’t think I will ever think of myself as my actual age.  I still enjoy things like wearing Hello Kitty Bandaids, running through sprinklers (even if it is during […]

Spicy Jalapeno Mint Hummus

Windy City Organics had sent me some nut butters to try including some Dastony Sesame Tahini.  I am pretty picky about tahini, and I have to say theirs is wonderful!  Smooth and perfect for drizzling over things like roasted veggies.  I was super excited to use it in recipes!  I was not sure exactly what […]

Vegan Chocolate Mint Gelato

It has been quite warm here lately which has me thinking about ice cream a lot.  Not that I don’t like ice cream year round, because I enjoy it in the winter too, but now nice cool desserts sound amazing after coming inside from a hot humid day, or working in a hot kitchen.  I […]

Vegan S’mores Brownies

  Ever since I discovered aquafaba, I have been badly wanting to make something s’mores.  I had been putting it off since I wasn’t quite sure if I could make it hold up to broiling and sitting for a while, but I finally just went for it last week on my day off.  I know […]

Vegan Salted Caramel Maple Meringues

The first meringues I ever tried to make had coconut sugar in them.  The ones that fell flat as I popped them into the oven making my heart sink.  I had so much hope for them!  The problem was that the aquafaba (chickpea liquid used to make vegan meringue) had not been whipped long enough […]

Raw Banoffee MylkShake and Raw Cherry Mylkshake

Windy City Organics was kind enough to send me some of their Dastony nut butter to try, one of which was a brazil nut butter.  I love brazil nut butter because it is neutral and makes awesome nut mylk. All you need to do is whisk some of it into filtered water, I like to do […]

Garlicy Kale Salad with Roasted Potatoes and Chickpeas

I always try to think of what I can make out of ingredients I already have at home to save on money and not waste things.  So, last week I had lots of kale and potatoes.  I thought about making a soup or vegan frittata or something, but what I ended up really wanting was […]

Vegan Mocha Walnut Brownies

On at least one of my days off every week I need to spend time with just myself. Maybe it is the introvert in me, but that is something I look forward to and it is very important.  I do things like go for a walk, bike ride, or run (sometimes all three if I feel […]

Vegan Double Berry Rhubarb Galette

I have been really craving pie lately.  A delicious fruit pie with a jammy filling, crisp rich crust, and sweet fruit inside.  I’m not very picky when it comes to the fruit.  It is all good…peaches, cherries, berries.  They all are amazing in a pie in my opinion.  So, I made a sort of pie […]

Vegan Matcha Raspberry Meringues

  With all of the vegan meringues that have been popping up lately on social media I had to try my hand at making some.  I admit that these types of things have always intimidated me a bit, especially macarons which I used to love before I stopped eating animal products.  Funny because I like […]

Raw Berry Almond Tart

My Mom liked to make berry desserts on to celebrate the 4th of July.  She made a frozen cake topped off with berries that looked like a flag, and a tart with cream and berries which was my favorite.  I decided this year that I needed to make a version of a berry tart with […]

Raw Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars

I was over at my Dad’s house on Father’s Day and I picked  a whole bunch of rhubarb.  I almost left without it, but Eric reminded me it was there, and I was all like… “Are you wanting me to bake something with it, or is that a hint?” Of course it was, and he […]

Blueberry Muffin Batter Overnight Oats

This may sound kind of odd, but I like blueberry muffin batter even more than regular cake batter.  I know it is slightly less sweet but that is what I love about it.  That and the few berries that I may or may not have purposely left behind in the bowl so I could enjoy them […]

Vegan Mississippi Mud Cookies

I was watching one of my coworkers drizzling chocolate over the freshly baked cookies at work and I decided that I had to make something with chocolate when I got home.  Chocolate cookies.  Because that was what I was suddenly craving after smelling that chocolate.  I didn’t want to make something I had made before, […]

Sunshine Curried Chickpea Stew

  Love is about taking care of those who are close to you when they are having trouble taking care of yourself. We all need a little help sometimes, and you never know when it might be you that needs it.  At least that is how I feel.  Eric wasn’t feeling the greatest last week, […]

Vegan Banana Split Parfait

  Sometimes I run into writer’s block in the recipe department when I have a lot of other things going on in my life.  Luckilly though I have a few special people around me that help to inspire me when I am feeling a little uninspired.  I asked Eric what I should make last week, […]

Raw Raspberry Dream Pie

Cream pies are the perfect thing for summer as far as I am concerned.  But I guess I consider them somewhat of a special thing to make since I don’t make the often.  There was no special occasion last weekend, but I decided to make it special and make a cream pie.  Raspberry cream pie […]

4 Ingredient Banana Cream Pie Popsicles

Although I am all about the fancy desserts sometimes, other times I am all about the super easy ones.  And nothing beats popsicles for easy in the summer.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my elaborate ice cream flavors, but it is nice to simply blend something, pop it in the freezer and half a day later […]

Exciting Nut Butter Recipes You Need To Try!

I don’t know about you but I am in love with nut butter.  Of course it started as a child when my Mother would make me peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches.  I loved those.  I refused to eat sandwiches with lunch meat (even then I was meant to be vegan).  Or when she used […]

Vegan Double Berry Lemon Doughnuts

Ever since I made my German Chocolate Doughnuts last week with my new pan, I have been wanting to make more doughnuts.  Something about the idea of baking healthier doughnuts is pretty amazing in my mind.  I guess because I have never had a doughnut pan before.  So anyways, I got these beautiful berries on sale […]

Spicy Pink Jalapeno Saurkraut

An unhappy tummy is an unhappy person. At least with my personal experience.  Which is why I like to keep my gut happy.  Eating probiotics is one way to help with that.  So why is it important to have a healthy gut?  Well, a lot of your immunity lives in your gut. The healthy bacteria are […]

Raw Chocolate Raspberry Thumb Print Cookies

I really enjoyed dress up when I was a little kid.  I was always putting on weird combinations of clothes that I thought would look pretty, even though most of the time I looked ridiculous.  My own clothes were fun, but the most interesting clothes were at Grandma’s house.  I would dig through her boxes […]

Vegan Lemon Corncakes (gluten free) with Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce

Last week, I had some beautiful raspberries and rhubarb just begging to be used in some sort of delicious dish.  Although just dessert would have been wonderful, I thought something a little more substantial and meal oriented might be a good idea.  It was after work, I was hungry and I was talking to Eric […]

Peach Melba Overnight Oats

I ate oatmeal every day for 10 years straight in a row from the time I was in high school to a few years back.  It was my go to meal every morning, I loved it and I never tired of it.  Adding in goodies sometimes like peanut butter or fruit.  It always tasted good […]

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

  Sometimes my boyfriend Eric just looks at me and says “You are weird.” and I say “So are you.” Usually because I am doing something like making a funny face at him randomly or something.  We love it and that is what we appreciate about each other.  No judging going on here, I never […]

Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes and Spiced Lentil Potato Hash

I have always loved Indian food since the first time I tried it back when I was in college.  I loved it so much I used to get cookbooks from the library and look for traditional recipes to make at home so I could enjoy it all the time, not just when I went out […]

Raw Blueberry Muffin Batter Almond Butter

Blueberry muffins were a regular occurrence on Saturday mornings at my Dad’s house growing up.  I always looked forward to making them even though my Dad was no baker (no offense Dad, still love you anyhow) and used a boxed mix.  I would always lick the bowl clean of batter every time after we had […]

Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Blondie Tart

  Someone recently asked me what my guilty pleasure food is.  You might be surprised when you hear it was not cake, or ice cream or French fries…it was peanut butter.  Yes peanut butter.  I could eat a whole jar if I could.  That stuff is so addictive.  Luckilly though I am satisfied with a few […]

Vegan German Chocolate Doughnuts

I never turned down a doughnut when I was younger. I mean come on…who doesn’t think they are delicious?!  But when I started to eat healthier as I got older I didn’t enjoy any knowing what is in most of the commercially made ones. I didn’t really miss them or crave them, but I have […]

Red Velvet Smoothie

I love Red Velvet Cake. Or Red Velvet anything dessert…like doughnuts, or ice cream sandwiches or strawberry shortcake. The classic cake cented with vanilla, such a beautiful eye popping color, and creamy frosting…heavenly.  My favorite flavor is after all vanilla.  No offense to chocolate.  In all of my red velvet desserts I always use beets […]

Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

Sometimes I just make things on the fly when I get home for dinner, and sometimes I spend my day at work thinking about them.  The salad I am sharing with you today was the latter.  Truth is I made 2 beet salads, at work, spent a chunk of my day working with beets, tasted […]

30+ Delicious Vegan Peanut Butter and Chocolate Recipes!

The first time I ever ate a Reese’s peanut butter cup as a child, I was in love.  The combination of the rich decadent chocolate melting in my mouth with the gooey salty peanut butter was something I would always look forward to from then on.  Peanut butter and chocolate were just meant to be […]

Vegan Gluten Free Sugar Free Raspberry Cupcakes

Since my Gluten Free Sugar Free Vegan Marble Cupcakes that I recently made turned out so good, I decided to try making some more sugar free cupcakes last weekend. This time though, it was raspberry.  I had raspberries on hand and I had thought about making muffins…but when I talked to Eric about it he said […]

Vegan French Silk Pie Shooters

French Silk Pie has always been a classic as far as I am concerned. My Dad used to pick one up from Baker’s Square whenever there was a special occasion.  I always got quite excited about it.  Whats not to love after all about a pie with a chocolate mousse like filling, graham cracker crust and loads […]

2 Delicious Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes!

One of my favorite memories from being a little girl was spending time with my Grandma in her kitchen. She made lots of things, but one of my favorites was her chocolate chip cookies.  They must have been a weekly thing, because it seemed like she made them quite a lot. I would stand behind […]

My Foods Journey

I have been asked by quite a few people to share what I eat on a daily basis, so I thought it was about time to share a post with you about it.  But first, I thought I would share my background with you, so you know why I choose to live my life and […]

Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Mini Pies with Lemon Crust

I had tons of strawberries and tons of rhubarb on hand last weekend, and I had a serious craving for strawberry rhubarb pie.  So I had to make some.  Strawberry rhubarb pie has been a favorite of mine ever since I had it in a diner with my Mom when I was about 5.  That […]

Raw Walnut Hemp Brownie Fudge Butter

Brownies will never get old.  I mean who doesn’t love a brownie?!  So after I made some brownies last week, and it was time to make my weekly nut butter (I have to have some sort of delicious nut butter on hand at all times for snacking), an idea popped into my head.  Those brownies […]

Spicy Roasted Potatoes with Tahini Cheddar Sauce

Sometimes you just need a little comfort food.  Which is exactly why I decided to make some roasted potatoes last week.  To me, roasted potatoes are comfort food. Just like mashed potatoes are to some people. But they have more texture because the middle is soft and the outside is crispy so I can not […]

Raw Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

My Grandma always had a large amount of rhubarb growing behind her garage.  And she knew just what to do with it.  She made the most amazing strawberry rhubarb sauce and I looked forward to it every year.  She made jars and jars of it to give away, I feel like most of it went […]

Raw Strawberries and Cream Truffles

We have all had one of those days.  You know, the ones where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, repeatedly drop things, ruin things…like spilling something that stains on your favorite pair of shoes or burn a huge pot of soup and have to throw it out. Or have to face rude […]

Vegan Piña Colada Scones

I remember the first time I ever had a Piña Colada.  I was about 8 or so, and my Mom had just taken me to a play which was in and of itself exciting, then we were going out to eat at a fancy Asian restaurant where they cooked your food at your table.  I was pretty excited.  […]

Wild Rice Salad with Chickpeas and Asparagus

Wild rice is big here in Minnesota.  It is a bit spendy, but worth it. It tastes like nothing else, sort of earthy and savory perfect for hearty dishes and it is classic to use in casseroles.  But it is not limited to warm dishes.  It makes wonderful substantial salads as well.  I made a […]

Raw Fudgy Matcha Mint Brownies

Matcha makes me happy. That happy color along with the earthy aroma and flavor is something that I love.  I have always been a green tea fan, ever since I was young which is odd because I didn’t always like other types of tea, just green.  I knew I enjoyed drinking a warm cup of it, and […]

Raw Raspberry Lemon Doughnut Holes

I love, love, love this time of the year.  It is the perfect temperature in the morning 50 degrees for running, in the afternoon 70 degrees for chilling out or walking.  Plus nature has dressed itself up beautifully.  The tulips are opening, the wild violets are blooming and the trees are clothed in the most […]

Raw Key Lime Pie Shooters

I am a big key lime pie fan.  It is one of my all time favorite desserts. It has to be the perfect balance of tart and sweet though and not too sweet.  My Mom used to make a really good traditional key lime pie that I loved.  I have since veganized it though, and […]

Raw Raspberry Pecan Butter

I am a big nut butter of any kind fan in case you haven’t noticed. I love peanut butter, I would eat the whole jar if I could, and macadamia nut butter and pecan butter make me swoon.  Walnut butter is a staple for savories in my house, and cashew butter is always on hand […]

Gluten Free Sugar Free Vegan Marble Cupcakes

  Last weekend a reader sent me a message asking me to try and find her diabetic friendly cupcake recipe for her parents 50th wedding anniversary.  Since I didn’t have one to share with her at that time, and I am always up for a challenge, I decided to make some!  Marble cake is always […]

Spicy Simple Veggie Lentil Soup

I am trying to teach my Man the habit of healthy eating, showing him recipes that are delicious, easy to make and simple, so that he can make them for himself during the week when he is not working.  Things using staples like lentils for protein that require little cooking time compared to beans.  I […]

Raw Almond Joy Bark

I am so thankful for my Mom, I love her so much.  I have never wanted to change anything about her.  She has always been there for me, no matter what I have decided to go after in life, following me to my track meets in school, road races as an adult. Helping me find […]

Vegan Black Forest Cookies

My Mom gave me a bag of dried cherries, and asked me if I would make her some cookies.  They were really good ones.  Not those flavorless super sweet sugary dried cherries but the natural ones with a pop of tart with the sweet. What came to mind immediately was black forest cookies. Chocolate cookie, […]

Vegan Strawberry Lavender Scones

They make the most delicious smelling scones in the deli where I work, and since my work station is next to the baked goods cooling rack, I get to enjoy the heavenly aroma.  It is one of the happiest smells in the world.  If I am having a bad day, and there are some there, […]

Raw Lentil Tostadas with Pineapple Salsa

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!  Last week, I made these delicious raw tostadas, and I thought, they would be the perfect thing to share with you today. I have been on a Mexican food kick lately (more so than usual, although I always love it), and these were on the menu for me and Eric.  […]

Raw Coconut Lime Doughnut Holes

Doughnut holes were treasure when I was a child.  It was pretty awesome picking one up, and getting all full of powdered sugar while doing so.  Enjoying the sweet cakey doughnut, then licking the powdered sugar off of my fingers.  At that point in my life, the more sugar the better as far as my […]

Raw Matcha Almond Tart with Berries

The weather here has been glorious lately.  Waking up to about 45 degrees, running in the cool morning air, taking in the aroma of the few spring blossoms that have decided to start blooming and listening to the song of the excited birds is pretty amazing in the morning.  Then in the afternoon it is […]

Roasted Yam and Black Bean Tacos

I have been craving a lot of Mexican inspired food lately.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Cinco de Mayo is next week, or just that the weather has been warm and perfect here lately.  Whatever the case, I made some delicious roasted yam and black bean tacos last week, that […]

Raw Peanut Butter Buckwheat Crispy Bars

Last week my Mom and I were discussing rice crispy bars.  I was saying that the best kind when I was young were the ones with the peanut butter in the crispy part topped off with chocolate.  I could have cared less about the regular ones with just marshmallows, it had to be the special […]

Vegan Mushroom Walnut “Meatballs” with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

My Mom’s Birthday was a few weeks back, and she didn’t ask for a cake, but instead vegan meatballs.  You see, I have made mushroom meatballs before and my Mom loved them so much she requests them every so often for special occasions. I made some for Christmas last year.  I usually make them with […]

Vegan Piña Colada Waffles

Sleep in, workout, enjoy the fabulous weather and sunshine and make waffles.  Sounds like the perfect weekend day to me! Kind of how it went down one day last weekend, just randomly decided to make Vegan Piña Colada Waffles because I had time, and I knew my boyfriend who I happened to be spending time […]

Raw Pineapple Chili Truffles

My boyfriend Eric is always telling me I should make desserts with fruit and heat in the form of chilies added to them.  One time he asked me to make him a smoothie with berries and ghost peppers in it.  That is how much he loves hot peppers.  Probably because he is originally from Arizona […]

Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad

Since it is Earth Day, I thought sharing a beautiful salad was in order.  Why a salad?  Well, eating lots of veggies and going vegan instead of consuming lots of meat is good for the planet.  Did you know plant based food production uses a lot less land and water?  Or that is produces less […]

Chocolate Chunk Swirled Peanut Butter

  I love my peanut butter.  One of my favorite simple desserts/snacks is sliced banana drizzled with peanut butter and it tastes as good to me as a piece of cake that is how much I love it.  Add in some chopped raw chocolate, and even better.  Which got me to thinking, what if I […]

Raw Walnut Thyme Cheese Flatbreads with Sun Dried Tomatoes

I love nut cheeses, they always turn out delicious and in my opinion better than real cheese.  Plus my stomach is happier than if I had eaten the traditional. But I tend to make the same ones every time, either macadamia nut or cashew.  Which are amazing.  But since I am one that likes variety […]

Raw 7 Layer Bars, My Way!

  I decided last week that I wanted to make some 7 layer bars.  I have been wanting to do so for a long time, but I just kept forgetting about it until now.  They make them in the deli I work in, so every time I see those I think about them and this […]

Quinoa Veggie Bowl with Lemon Almond Sauce

My dinners many times come together based on what I have on hand in the kitchen.  I come up with some of my favorite things that way and it forces me to think outside of the comfortable box of the things I know well.  I recently bought some quinoa because it was on sale and because I […]

Raw Green Kingdom Energy Bites

When I am running a lot, I tend to need a little extra protein.   Although throwing it into a smoothie or just dissolving it in water is fine, sometimes I like to add it to tasty little snacks or treats so I can enjoy my snack and get quick protein as well.  Green Kingdom Epic Protein  Powder by […]

Raw Tutti Frutti Ice Cream

Sprout Living was kind enough to send me some more of their Green Kingdom Epic Protein powder to use in recipes.  In case you didn’t catch my other post about it a few months back, this stuff is awesome!  Honestly, it is my all time favorite protein powder.  It is delicious as well as packed […]

Raw German Chocolate Chia Porridge

I always have some sort of porridge for breakfast during the week, whether it be oatmeal or chia porridge.  I am pretty plain with it most of the time, with the chia porridge simply using coconut water and topping it off with bananas and ground flax seed.  But sometimes I like to give it a […]

Raw Carrot Cake For Two

Being in a relationship isn’t about everything being perfect and like a fairytale.  It is about appreciating the little things like never having to worry about what he thinks about your embarrassing habits and loving you anyway.  Or how he will drop everything to help you when you need it or give you a hug and […]

Raw Mango Berry Coconut Yogurt Cake

I used to eat tons of yogurt as a kid.  It was packed into my lunch as a child, because I was pretty picky, and it was something that I would actually eat. And, it was my go to snack.  Usually strawberry.  That was my favorite.  This habit continued until a few years back when […]

Raw Veggie Paella

  I used to make a lot of dishes with Arborio rice, like risotto, or paella.  There was just something so delicious and comforting about it when paired with the right ingredients. So satisfying and hearty.  I have found a grain free way to create rice dishes that I enjoy just as much using celeriac […]

Raw Strawberries and Cream Doughnuts

I have been all about the strawberries lately. Mostly because I have been missing them all winter and suddenly they reappear looking so delicious and begging me to buy them and make something delicious with them.  I was going to make some strawberries and cream scones last week with some, but that didn’t work out because […]

Raw Strawberry Lemon Chia Seed Granola

I sometimes tend to get weird looks when I tell people about a dream of mine, or an idea I have for something I want to create.  Maybe that would bother most people, but not me. After all, no one who created anything great ever thought inside the box, and inside the box thinking is not […]

Raw Coconut Cream Tartlette for Two

My Mom and I used to go to this restaurant when I was younger that had the most amazing coconut cream tart. It was smooth and creamy on the inside with a flavor that was crave worthy.  I was thinking about that tart last week, and I thought I might try and make my own […]

Raw Almond Maple Crunch Truffles

There is just something so delicious about the combination of chocolate, nut butter and crunch.  Sure, smooth plain dark chocolate or silky truffles are good sometimes, but I decided to go a little different route with my last batch of truffles.  Ever since I made some Raw Butterfinger Eggs for Easter, I have been loving […]

Vegan Mango Carrot Cake

You know what makes me happy?  Spending the day with someone I love doing simple things.  I am not one of those types of people who needs to spend lots of money in order to be happy.  A day spent outdoors exploring, walking and enjoying the fresh air with one special person is enough to […]

Key Lime Pie Smoothie

I have been enjoying a lot of limes lately.  Just been craving the flavor for some reason.  Especially key lime pie. So I made some Key Lime Pie Bites, and those were wonderful, but I wanted to bring that flavor to my smoothie as well!  Smoothies are actually a treat for me when I have […]

Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

I recently had a good amount of strawberries, and I decided to dry some.  I thought the intensely flavored strawberries would be wonderful in recipes like granola.  But I was craving some oatmeal cookies, and I didn’t want to just make the usual (I never do, it has to have a twist on it).  So, I […]

Raw Green Tea Ice Cream with Strawberry Swirl

When I was enjoying a cup of warm matcha recently, I admired the lovely green color in my mug and I thought, how lovely would it be to make a matcha ice cream with a strawberry swirl?  The green contrasting the red, and the earthy matcha paired with the sweet berries.  I had to make […]

Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bars

   I never leave the house without a snack on hand if I know I am going to be somewhere long. I guess I take after my Grandma, who always brought us kids snacks whenever we would go anywhere.  She was always prepared.  We would never go hungry with Grandma around.  And it wasn’t just […]

Raw Pistachio Rosewater Truffles

  I am sooo ready for green to appear outside.  Green grass, green leaves sprouting from the trees, and green tulip leaves sprouting up from the ground to say Spring has arrived!  It is still pretty brown here, and although buds are appearing on the trees, it is not green quite yet.  Probably because it […]

Vegan Hummingbird Cake

I have always wanted to make a hummingbird cake.  I have been hearing about them for years, and the old fashioned southern layer cake appealed to me. In case you haven’t heard of them, they are a moist banana and pineapple cake, spiced with cinnamon, studded with pecans, and topped off with cream cheese frosting. […]

Raw Strawberries and Cream Nut Butter

I have been wanting to make this nut butter for a while, but I waited until spring.  Because spring means strawberries are more flavorful and tasty.  I make my own interestingly flavored nut butters all the time.  To me plain nut butters are usually just for use in recipes.  But when I add things like […]

Red Lentil, Yam and Mushroom Stew

Last Sunday was a full but wonderful day for me!  I woke up, had a wonderful workout, made a delicious cake, and then decided to go downtown with Eric to see the Macy’s Art in Bloom Flower Show and walk the skyways.  We saw some beautiful flowers, and it was a nice taste of spring, since it […]

Raw Butterfinger Eggs

I have made Raw Maca Peanut Butter Eggs, Raw Raspberry Cream Eggs, and Raw Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Eggs…but I did not want to stop there.  What other candy eggs could I make?  Then it came to me.  Butterfinger eggs!  I loved the mini ones that they used to have when I was little, and […]

Raw Spring Sugar Cookies

  When I was in college, I used to love to make sugar cookies. You know, the ones you could decorate with all of the fun frostings.  I used my Grandma’s sugar cookie recipe, which was amazing, topped off with buttercream in all sorts of shades of eye popping colors.  Now gone are the days […]

Raw Tag-Along Tart

I made some Raw Tag-Alongs  since it is Girl Scout season, and they were so good that I thought I should make another Tag Along dessert as well. I never tire of the chocolate and peanut butter combo, I am in love with it.  I thought the Tag Alongs deserved some more time in the […]