Carob Energy Chunks

I tried to recreate the energy chunks you find in YES! Organic Market or Whole Foods. Each time the result has been slightly different, but I was able to capture the ratios for this one. I think they came out pretty good and were worth sharing.  I like to eat these as a snack, on-the-go or during the afternoon just when my energy plummets.  The sunflower seeds are a natural energy boost and will bring you back to life!

Ingredients

• 3 dates, chopped
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1-2 tsp agave
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup carob chips

Instructions

Combine the almonds and dates and grind until a powder forms (be careful not to over grind because they almond will begin to turn to a butter, which you do not want!).

Add the remaining ingredients and grind until the batter forms a soft ball.

Form into 1-inch balls or press into a brownie tray and place into the fridge.  When cool, cut into squares or whatever you like.

mangia!

Black Out Smoothie

I dicovered this at Yola, a cute new yogurt/juice/salad bar in DC.  Red, Matt and I made it yesterday for breakfast, but it could easily be dessert!

Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup frozen cherries
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Blend in bullet or blender and enjoy!

mangia!

 

I scream for Ice Cream!

Niki got me an ice cream maker for Christmas. I love ice cream, but what I love more is that now I can make whatever flavor I want. I typically do this on a Friday night (wild).  Since January, Ive experimented with four recipes.  The first, I decided, had to be simple and classic – Vanilla Cardamom. I’m obsessed with Cardamom, so I thought it sounded like a delightful combination with the classic vanilla.  The second, I went for the dynamic choc + PB combo when I whipped up a batch for our reunited Supper Clubs! – Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel.  The third was a bit of an experiment – Coconut Ginger Almond  (got rave reviews from this one.)  The most recent batch I made was to celebrate the 29th year of Meagan Metzger.  In honor of her love of coffee I tried out a Cappuccino Chunk.  I have to admit, this process of ice cream making will definitely take some work, but I was able to conjure up a helpful tip from Betty Wilson, Meggie’s southern-cookin grandma who lives in North Carolina….Put a dash of alcohol in the ice cream because it lowers the freezing temperature and make its smooth and creamy to serve.  We shall see! I have yet to try it out, but will do soon.  Recipes are below and all inspired from ‘The Vegan Scoop’ by Wheeler del Torro.  I know what you are thinking, I’m so wild and crazy these days. Well at least you got some ice cream recipes out of it!

Vanilla Cardamom

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 2 cups soy creamer
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond milk with arrowroot powder and set aside.

Mix the soy creamer, remaining almond milk and sugar in a saucepan and cook over low heat.  Once the mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and immediately add the arrowroot mixture.  This will cause the liquid to thinken fairly quickly.

Add vanilla extract and cardamom.

Refrigerate mixture until chilled, approximately 2-3 hours (This step is pretty important.  The mixture has to be very cold before putting it into the ice cream maker).

Place the mixture into your ice cream maker, and follow manufacturers instructions from there.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened (or chocolate) almond milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 2 cups soy creamer
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 1 cup chopped chocolate covered pretzels

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond milk with arrowroot powder and set aside.

Mix the soy creamer, remaining almond milk, sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan and cook over low heat.  Once the mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and immediately add the arrowroot mixture.  This will cause the liquid to thinken fairly quickly.

Add vanilla extract.

Refrigerate mixture until chilled, approximately 2-3 hours.

Place the mixture into your ice cream maker, and follow manufacturers instructions from there.  Just in the last minutes of churning, swirl in the peanut butter and pretzels.

Coconut Ginger Almond

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups coconut milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon coconut extract (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup crystalized ginger pieces, chopped
• 1 cup slivered almonds

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup coconut milk with arrowroot powder and set aside.

Mix the remaining coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan and cook over low heat.  Once the mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and immediately add the arrowroot mixture.  This will cause the liquid to thinken fairly quickly.

Add vanilla and coconut extracts.

Refrigerate mixture until chilled, approximately 2-3 hours.

Place the mixture into your ice cream maker, and follow manufacturers instructions from there.  Just in the last minutes of churning, swirl in the ginger pieces, coconut and almonds.

Cappuccino Chunk

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 2 cups soy creamer
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup espresso
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup chocolate chunks

Instructions

To make cappuccino:  Make espresso and then place into a saucepan with cinnamon and cocoa powder.  Stir until boiling and set aside.

To make ice cream: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond milk with arrowroot powder and set aside.

Mix the soy creamer, cappuccino, remaining almond milk, and sugar in a saucepan and cook over low heat.  Once the mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and immediately add the arrowroot mixture.  This will cause the liquid to thinken fairly quickly.

Add vanilla extract.

Refrigerate mixture until chilled, approximately 2-3 hours.

Place the mixture into your ice cream maker, and follow manufacturers instructions from there.  Just in the last minutes of churning, swirl in the chocolate chunks.

mangia!

Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread

Tis the season for cranberries and loaf breads!

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond meal flour
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup natural sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp orange rind
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp chia + 2 tbsp water (or an egg)
• 1 1/2 cups whole , fresh cranberries
• 1 cup walnuts, crushed

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

Combine the first 6 dry ingredients and mix together.  Add the orange juice, rind, and ‘egg’ and mix together.  Finally fold in the cranberries and walnuts.

Bake for about 45 minutes.

mangia!

Sweet and Salty Rosemary Biscotti

My friend Priya is the best.  And she loves biscotti. So I told her that I would make her some.  I made these once before, for the Real Food Party we held last March (and thought I had posted them), but I guess I didnt.  They are the perfect tea cookie – lightly sweet and just enough salt.

yields about 30 small biscotti

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cup sugar plus extra for rolling
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons non hydrogenated margarine such as, earth balance
• 2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
• 1/2 cup tofu pureed
• 1 tablespoons water
• 1 cup rough chopped walnuts

Instructions

In mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

Add the earth balance and blend with a fork until sand-like.

Add tofu and water then walnuts and rosemary.

Make logs with the dough and roll in sugar and himalyan salt.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until just dry enough to slice, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and slice into 1/4 inch cookies.

Turn off oven and return sliced cookies to oven, let sit in cooling oven for several hours until dry.

mangia!

 

Apple Pie Muffins

A delicious brunch was made this morning for a dear friend – by moi – including these muffins.  Since Matts coming home today (yeaa!) I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and try out this recipe I’ve been swooning over, knowing he goes gah-gah over Apple Pie anything.   These scrumptious muffins got the thumbs up and I will definitely make them again, however probably best to wait for fall when apple season begins.  (Not the best choice during mid-hot-sweaty-summer).  So, in conclusion, a perfect pick for a fall brunch.

yields about 8 fruit-filled muffins

Ingredients

For the muffins

• 1 1/2 cup spelt or white flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup apple sauce, diluted with a little water
• 1/3 cup canola oil or melted Earth Balance
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 apple, chopped small

For the Topping

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or spelt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp canola oil or melted Earth Balance

Instructions

Prepare the topping by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.  Stir until a crumble forms.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease or line muffin tin with liners.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Create a well in the middle and add apple sauce, oil and vanilla.  Mix until blended.

Fill the bottom of each muffin cup with about 1-2 tbsp of batter, add chopped apples and then top with 1 more tbsp of batter.  Sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin cup.  Bake for 20 minutes.

mangia!

The ‘Breakfast-For-Dessert’ Cookie

Breakfast and dessert all mixed into one.

I decided on this name for the cookie because I realized that as I was making them, I could have easily been making granola.  But for some reason when baked as small round balls, it tastes oh-so-much better.  If your a granola-maker and your baking cabinet is well-stocked, then you should have everything you need for these yummy make-shift-chocolate-laced-granola-oatmeal-type cookies.  If your baking cabinet is lacking some, well then, its a great excuse to go out and purchase all those ingredients you’d been meaning to try anyway (ie spelt flour, chia seed, maple syrup…).  Go ahead, try it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of whole grain oats
• 2/3 cups spelt flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup raisins or dried fruit
• 1/3 cup chocolate or carob chips
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp chia seed + 2-3 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or maple/agave blend
• 3 tbsp almond butter (or other nut butter)
• 2 tbsp canola oil or melted Earth Balance
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, coconut, raisins, baking power and carob/chocolate chips.  Stir until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the chia + water, maple syrup, oil, almond butter, and vanilla and stir until blended.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.

Line a baking sheet with a cookie liner or grease baking sheet with Earth Balance.  Spoon 1 tbsp balls of batter on cookie sheet and bake 7-9 minutes.  Remove from oven and let them cool before enjoying.

mangia! 

Chocolate Chocolate-Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies

YUM! There is really nothing like peanut butter + chocolate.  Ok maybe marshmallows + chocolate + graham crackers (if you happen to have a campfire nearby), but for now Im happy to settle for these little morsels of goodness and chunkiness.  I have to say chunk in a cookie is a top-notch quality.  I hate cookies that are flat and have no texture.  They just dont seem to have as much flavor and richness(unless they are those huge, round cookies we used to eat in middle school for lunch! who does that?)  So moral of the story is – go for the chunky and eat up.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 dark chocolate chunks (the big bar from TJs is great, just smash it up with a rolling pin)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup spelt (or all-purpose) flour
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave nectar or a mix of both (TJs has a great maple/agave blend)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, combine the sugar, chocolate chunks, salt, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and stir together.  In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup, agave nectar, vanilla and oil until blended.  Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until blended.  Take a knife and swirl the peanut butter into the batter (do it just a little so it remains in clumps).  Then, line a baking sheet with a cookie mat (a great item to invest in) or lightly grease the baking sheet and form about tbsp-size clumps of dough on the sheet (dont form into perfect balls – keep them pretty asymmetrical and clumpy as it gives them that chunky look).  Bake for about 7-10 minutes and let cool on the pan before serving.

mangia! 

Boston Creme Pie a la Vegan and Raw

I’ve wanted to try a vegan mousse for some time, but have been quite reluctant to take the plunge because Ive been weary as to how it would taste.  Like ketchup on pizza, tofu in mousse just does not seem to fit.  However, Matt loves mousse, so for him I thought I would try.  Inspired by the cashew cream at Pure Food and Wine, a raw restaurant I enjoyed while in NY a couple weekends ago, I decided to give my best effort at the whole sha-bam.  A Chocolate  Mousse Pie with cashew cream.  So there I went -food processing away.  First, the mousse, then the cream and finally the crust.  No baking required.  For all you vegan skeptics – Im telling you – this dessert was mind-blowing.  As for the tofu in mousse, you would never know.  Really. Please forgive my attempt at a visual of this dessert – the photo does not do it justice. Just make it and try for yourself.  Its actually that good.

serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the Mousse

• 1 12 oz package of silken tofu
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the Cashew Cream Topping

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• agave sweetener, to taste

For the Crust

• 5-6 dates, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts
• cinnamon, to taste

Instructions

Mousse:  Melt the chocolate chips in a medium bowl in the microwave for about 1-2- minutes.  Stir until melted and blended.  In a food processor, blend the tofu until creamy and then add the chocolate, milk and vanilla.  Process for another 1-2 minutes until blended.  Set aside in bowl and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Cashew Cream: In the food processor, process the cashews and water until blended.  Add the oil, agave and vanilla.  Slowly add the milk until the mixture become creamy to your liking.  Set aside in a small bowl.

Crust:  In the food processor, blend dates and nuts and add cinnamon to taste.  Process for about 1-2 minutes, just until the nuts and dates form a crumbly consistency.

Put-it-all-together:  In a pie dish, press the crust onto the bottom.  Once the mousse is chilled and thick, spread over the crust.  Top with cashew cream and fresh berries when serving.

mangia!

Banana Ice Cream

When I learned what frozen bananas do when blended in the food processor, I was shocked.  If you dont know, they turn into this amazing fluffy, whipped, light ice cream-like dessert!  Amazing. You dont even really have to be a banana-lover to try it out – it helps if you do – but there are many variations you can use to mask the banana flavor, and still enjoy this treat.  Its an awesome snack and surprisingly satisfying!

serves one

Ingredients

• 1-2 frozen bananas (bananas should be semi-ripe or very ripe and peeled before freezing) + and toppings you choose

Instructions

Break up frozen bananas into small chunks and place in food processor.  Blend in food processor for about 2-3 minutes (you will likely have to stop and clear the sides or bottom if the bananas get stuck, especially if they are very frozen. Sometimes it helps to let them thaw for just a couple minutes before blending).  Also, make sure to blend for enough time because the bananas will go through a blending process and it takes the couple minutes for it to get to the light and fluffy state (first you will see small chunks, then you will see large clumps, then it starts to turn into a whipped, light, fluffy delight).

 

Variations and toppings

The Ice Cream is great on its own, but I love to add some nuts, fruit or other toppings to spice it up! (you can opt to blend in by hand or add to food processor)

My favorites are:

1) cinnamon and walnuts

2)lemon juice and/or lemon extract with chopped almonds

3)any sort of berry

4)for dessert, you can add chocolate chips, nuts

5)peanut butter with or without chocolate

 

mangia!