Raw Chai Bars

Raw Chai Bars

Dreenaburton.com 

 

Ingredients:

Base:

1/2 C raw cashews
1 C pitted dates
1/3 C raisins
3/4 C raw pecans
1/4 tsp sea salt little scant
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 – 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
couple pinches ground cardamom
few pinches ground cloves about 1/16 tsp
3/4 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean seeds scraped out
1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest

Frosting:

1/2 C packed raw coconut butter (not oil)
1/4 C+ 1 T maple syrup or agave
1 tsp apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
couple pinches cinnamon
Couple pinches sea salt

 

Instructions:

1. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. 

2. Place the cashews, dates, and raisins in a food processor and pulse until the nuts and fruits are crumbly, then add the pecans and the remaining ingredients and process again. Scrape down the sides as needed until mixture comes together and is sticky. Don't overdo the processing--too much can release the oils in the pecans.

3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf dish and press the mixture firmly into the pan. Prepare the frosting: Combine all the ingredients in a mini food processor or stir well in a bowl. Smooth the frosting over the base and refrigerate for an hour or more until set. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

 Peanut Butter Cookies

Simple Veganista 

 

Ingredients:

1 C natural peanut butter

1 C coconut sugar

6 T almond milk, room temperature is easier, same with peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

1 C flour (spelt, whole wheat, all purpose, almond, GF, etc)

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicone or just leave it ungreased. 

2. In a large bowl, mix peanut butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Stir in the almond milk and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. It'll be thick-mix by hand.

3. Scoop out dough and plop it on the cookie sheet. It'll be pretty loose, but this is ok. If it bothers you you could try refrigerating the dough first. Or you could add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until less sticky. Flatten a little and make a crisscross pattern with a fork if you want to. For me, my dough was too soft for this to succeed. 

4. Place in the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes (longer will make crispier on the outside). Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Makes 18-24 cookies. 

Cream Cheese Brownies

 Cream Cheese Brownies

Dreenaburton.com 

 

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Layer:

1 cup soaked cashews
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T water
1 T pure maple syrup
2 T vanilla yogurt (non-dairy if needed). If using coconut yogurt instead of soy, add another 1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla 
1/8 rounded tsp salt

Brownie Layer: 

1 C+ 2 T sifted or light spelt flour or whole wheat flour
¾ C coconut sugar
½ tsp sea salt
1/3 C cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 T arrowroot powder or cornstarch
3 T maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla 
¼ C+ 1 T plain or vanilla non-dairy milk
3½ T neutral-flavored oil or 3 tbsp macadamia nut butter for oil-free

Topping: optional

1/3 – ½ cup chocolate chunks 
Few pinches coarse sea salt 

Alternatively, top with half a recipe freezer fudge (don't add nuts) after baking and keep in the fridge.  

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper. 2. For the cream cheese layer: Blend all the cream cheese layer ingredients with a high-speed blender or immersion blender until extremely smooth. 3. For the brownie layer: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt, and sift in the cocoa and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot with the maple syrup until smooth, then add the vanilla, milk, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until evenly mixed and thick. 4. Scoop about 2/3rds of the mixture to the prepared pan and use some parchment to help press the mixture into the pan evenly and spread it out. Gently spread the cream cheese layer over the top. Then carefully spread the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese layer. You can spread pieces over it in a sort of patchwork quilt style, knowing that not every single space needs to be covered. 5. Add the topping: Place the chocolate chunks on top, and then sprinkle with the salt. If adding fudge topping later, don't do that until after you bake it. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes.  6. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan, running a spatula around the outer edge to loosen. The brownies will not seem fully cooked, but do not cook longer! Let cool and they will get fudgy. Once cooled, score the brownies with a sharp knife to ease cutting the chocolate before it completely hardens. Or add the freezer fudge and refrigerate. Makes 16-20 brownies.

Chocolate and Vanilla Pudding

Chocolate and Vanilla Pudding

Salted Plains

 

Chocolate Pudding

1 can (1.5 C) full fat coconut milk

1/2 C unsweetened almond milk

4 T unsweetened cocoa powder

3 T arrowroot starch

4 T maple syrup

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

Vanilla Pudding 

1 can (1.5 C) full fat coconut milk

1/2 C unsweetened almond milk

3 T arrowroot starch

4 T maple syrup

pinch salt

1 T vanilla 

(optional 2-3 drops yellow food coloring)

 

1. In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk and almond milk. Warm over medium heat, whisking in cocoa powder (for chocolate pudding) and arrowroot starch until fully combined and dissolved. 

 

2. Add maple syrup and salt, stirring regularly as it thickens and comes to a low boil. It may not boil before it seems thick enough. If it does boil, let it cook another minute while stirring, then take off the heat. Stir in vanilla, and transfer to a glass bowl.

 

3. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before putting a piece of plastic onto the surface of the pudding and over the bowl. Let chill until completely set (minimum 1-2 hours). Keep in fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Enjoy over crepes, layer in a pudding cup, added to eclair cake, or plain!

Chocolate Hummus

 This is an excellent dip for apples, graham crackers, pretzels, grapes, bananas or a spoon! Dessert hummus has become quite the thing in the stores, but it's loaded with sugar. Try out this healthier alternative :) My kids love it, too, and it's delightful that they willingly and happily eat beans. 

Chocolate Hummus

Chocolate Covered Katie

 

1 can black beans

3.5 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 C nut butter of choice

1/2 C sweetener of choice (honey, maple syrup, etc)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

optional chocolate chips or add-ins

1. Drain and rinse beans well.

2. Combine all ingredients besides add-ins in a food processor until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips or other add ins. 

3. Store in the fridge, covered, for 4-5 days.

Hot Chocolate

This is the perfect thing to whip up in a hurry on a cold winter day. My boys love it, too! I quadrupled the original recipe in this post, so you can adjust as you need. It makes excellent leftover chocolate milk, too. :) 

Hot Chocolate

Detoxinista

4 Cups unsweetened Almond Milk

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

4-5 T maple syrup

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

 

1. Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and whisk/stir. Cook over medium heat until hot.

Cashew Butter Blondies

 Cashew Butter Blondies

Okonomikitchen

 

 2/3 C raw cashew butter

1/2 C coconut sugar

1 T honey or maple syrup

1/3 C almond milk

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 C fine oat flour (sift homemade oat flour to get out bigger pieces)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 C chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 7x7 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk cashew butter, coconut sugar, honey, almond milk, and vanilla until well combined.

3. Add oat flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing until a batter forms.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and top with chocolate chips, if using. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and let cool another 10 minutes on a wire rack before slicing.

Chocolate Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Fudgy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Minimalist Baker

2 medium-size ripe bananas
1 flax egg (1 T flaxseed meal + 2 ½ T water)
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1/2 C coconut sugar
3 T maple syrup
1/4 C fresh drippy tahini (or sub other nut or seed butter of choice)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T melted coconut oil (or avocado oil or vegan butter // if oil-free, sub more nut or seed butter of choice and reduce dry ingredients slightly to compensate for thicker batter)
1/2 C cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy
3/4 C gluten-free rolled oats
1 1/4 C almond flour
1/4 C vegan dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper cupcake wrappers. This is important; I made it without wrappers and they are just too tender to come out in once piece.
2. To a large mixing bowl add banana, flax egg (flaxseed and water) and mash, leaving only a few chunky pieces. You want it pretty smooth.
3. Add baking soda, coconut sugar, maple syrup, tahini, salt, vanilla, and coconut oil and whisk vigorously to combine. Then add cocoa powder and whisk again to combine.
4. Add gluten-free rolled oats and stir to combine. Then add almond flour a little at a time and stir to combine. You're looking for a scoopable batter that's still moist. If too dry, thin with a bit of water or dairy-free milk. If too wet, add more almond flour a little at a time. Lastly, add chocolate chips and stir to combine. You don't HAVE to put in chocolate chips. I've made once with and once without and they're still delicious without. But with gives it an extra oomf. Umf? Umph?
5. Divide batter between muffin tins, filling almost all the way to the top. Option to sprinkle on a few more chocolate chips before baking for more chocolate flavor.
6. Bake on the center rack for 25-30 minutes or until risen. When cooked, a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.
7, Let rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins to a cooling rack to let cool completely. The wrappers come off more easily and the texture is best when completely cooled. Makes 11 muffins.
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Chocolate Orange Banana Muffins

Chocolate Orange Banana Muffins

Plant-Powered Families

Makes 11-12 Muffins

1.5 C whole wheat or spelt flour

1/2 C almond flour (or oat flour if nut-free, won't be quite as moist)

1/4 C cocoa powder

1.5-2 tsp orange zest (from 1 large or 2 small oranges)

1/4 rounded tsp salt

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 C pureed overripe banana (from about 2 large bananas)

1/2 C freshly squeeze orange juice (from 1 large or 2 small oranges)

1/2 C maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla

optional: 1/4 C chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 11-12 cups of a muffin pan with cupcake liners or lightly grease.

2. In a large bowl, mix flours, cocoa powder, orange zest, and salt, then sift in baking powder and baking soda.

3. In a medium bowl, combine pureed banana, orange juice, maple syrup, and vanilla. 

4. Add wet mixture to the dry, then add chocolate chips if using and stir until just combined (don't overmix). Spoon batter into the tin and bake for 17-19 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Apple-Spice Hemp Muffins

We found these muffins to be beautifully moist, deliciously spiced, and popular for one and all. Hemp seeds are, I believe, the highest protein seed and also high in Omega 3's. Did you know that hemp seeds are considered a complete protein, and have similar amounts of protein to beef and lamb?? So feed these to whoever says you don't get enough protein on a vegan diet. 

Apple-Spice Hemp Muffins

Plant-Powered Families

Makes 12 Large Muffins

1.5 C whole wheat or spelt flour

1 C oat flour

2/3-3/4 C hemp seeds (don't try to substitute this)

1.5-2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cardamom (or nutmeg, but the cardamom is really nice...)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 C applesauce

3/4 C plain or vanilla almond milk, unsweetened

1/2 C maple syrup

1.5 tsp vanilla

1/3 C raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin pan with liners, or lightly grease. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, hemp seeds, cinnamon, sea salt, and cardamom, and sift in the baking powder and baking soda. Stir until well combined.

3. In a medium bowl, combine applesauce, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and raisins, and mix together. 

Gently fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined (do not overmix). 

4. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners (they will be quite full). Bake for 21-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Coconut Pecan Cookies

These cookies have an excellent texture. They are soft and thick, which one would not expect from gluten free, sugar free, oil free, dairy free cookies! :) The recipe calls for chocolate chips, but I used pecan instead. They sort of reminded me of pecan tassies, so I thought it'd be nice. I think chocolate chips would be divine in these, if you eat that sort of thing. 

Coconut Pecan Cookies

Plant-Powered Families (name of cookie has been changed)

1/2 C coconut butter

1/2 C maple syrup or honey

1 C plus 2 T oat flour

2 T coconut suguar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 C chocolate chips or pecans (or some other nut)

1. Beat coconut butter and maple syrup in a mixer until smooth. 

2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the nuts and mix until everything comes together. 

3. Add nuts just to incorporate. The mixture should be sticky--not too dry, not too wet. Scrape into a bowl and chill for 1/2 hr or more. This is REALLY important. 

4. Preheat oven to 325. Spoon cookie dough onto a parchment lined or sprayed baking tray. Flatten each cookie slightly with a spatula or your hand. Bake for 11 minutes and let cool on pan for a few minutes before cooling on a rack and devouring. 

Fudgy Brownies

For the last couple of weeks we've been eating out of the "Plant-Powered Families" cookbook by Dreena Burton. I highly recommend this cookbook, especially if you're looking to start eating more whole-foods plant-based in your family. There are some great recommendations in the front and back on how to get started and what sorts of staples to have on hand. I definitely don't have all of those staples on hand, but my dream kitchen would. :) Anyway, we've enjoyed just about everything we've had out of there so far! This recipe was no exception. Deeeeeeeeelish! 

The frosting is definitely not required, unlike many other sugar-free cake-type things that are inedible without their frosting. Without the frosting, these are very fudgy brownies in appearance, texture, and taste. With their frosting, they're amazing brownies with amazing frosting. Still fudgy. I made my own coconut butter for the frosting (easy to do! blend up coconut!) and didn't have much coconut so I couldn't get it as creamy as it would've been otherwise. Hence the lumps. 

Warning: with the frosting, you can definitely taste coconut. Just in case you don't like that.

You will not believe what these have in them. And what they don't have! For one thing there is zero flour of any kind (yay gluten free people! Yay nut-free people!). I don't recommend tasting the batter until you've put in all of the ingredients. Before you add the dry ingredients, it tastes rather savory...I was skeptical, but all good things come to those who wait!!

Fudgy Brownies

"Crazy Brownies" by Plant-Powered Families

1/2 C kidney beans

1/2 C pitted dates

1/3 C peeled, cooked, and cooled diced yellow potato

2 T tahini or nut butter

2 T coconut butter (or more tahini or more nut butter)

1/4 C pure maple syrup

3 T unsweetened almond milk

1/2 C + 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 C coconut sugar

2 T arrowroot powder (cornstarch may also work here?)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 T chocolate chips (I didn't put in)

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line or spray an 8x8 pan. 

2. Using a small or mini food processor, puree beans, dates, potato, tahini, and coconut butter until smooth. Add the maple syrup and milk and puree some more. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, combine cocoa powder, sugar, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients plus the vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir well until combined (overmixing is not an issue since there is no flour). Stir in chocolate chips, if using.

4. Transfer mixture to the brownie pan and spread evenly. Bake for 22-24 min. They'll firm up even more while they're cooling and are fudgier with less baking, so don't overdo it. 

5. Remove from the oven and cool completely before adding any frosting or removing any from the pan. Did I eat a whole row of these before they were cool? Why yes, yes I did. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend that for optimal results. 

Chocolate Frosting (optional-only need about half this recipe for these brownies. But you will eat it all with a spoon)

Plant-Powered Families

1/2 C coconut butter

6 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 tsp salt

6-7 T milk (for easier spreading, go with 7)

6 T maple syrup

1. In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients over very low heat. Whisk through until coconut butter is melted and all the ingredients are smooth. 

2. Pour into a glass container and cool completely in the fridge before using. You will need to reheat a bit or add almond milk to get to spreading consistency--if reheating, pour/spread over the brownies and then refrigerate the whole thing until solidified.
3. If you have any extra (ha), roll into truffles, spread between graham crackers, or dish out with a spoon!

Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are truly WFPB, light and cakelike (read: not dense like whole wheat things often are), and 100% delicious! They're very easy, too, if you just need a quick snack or treat. 

So far I've only made these with frozen berries, but fresh work just as well (maybe even better, who knows?) I've also tried subbing the berries with zucchini and adding some pumpkin pie spice. You can use any other kind of berry you prefer. The sky is the limit!

Blueberry Muffins

Forks Over Knives

⅔ C unsweetened almond milk
1 T ground flaxseeds
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 C whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
½ C unsweetened applesauce
½ C honey or maple syrup
1½ tsp vanilla
1 C berries

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners or spray.
2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, beat the almond milk, flaxseed, and vinegar. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk mixture. Add the applesauce, honey, and vanilla to the well and stir together. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the dry ingredients are moistened (do not overmix). Fold in the berries.
4. Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center of a muffin comes out clean (if using frozen berries you may need to bake on the longer side, but check after 22 min regardless).
5. Let the muffins cool completely in the pan, about 20 minutes, then remove them from the pan and devour.

Brownies

I love WFPB brownies that actually taste like normal brownies. This is a good recipe! I'm going to be brief, to give you more time to go make them now. Only thing I'd say is back off the walnuts a little. These are slightly too nutty for me, which is saying something.

Also, don't be intimidated by the original recipe's statement that these take an hour and 10 minutes from start to finish. I'd agree with that estimate if you mean from the time you leave to the grocery store to get the ingredients you don't have until the time you finish eating the whole pan.

True WFPB Brownies

Forks Over Knives

⅔ C maple syrup or honey
½ C unsweetened applesauce
2 T almond butter or peanut butter (I used PB and you can't taste the flavor in the brownie)
3 tsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla
½ C whole wheat flour
½ C walnuts, finely chopped (optional)
5 T unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, extending paper over the edges.

2. In a small bowl combine the maple syrup, applesauce, almond butter, flaxseed, and vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, walnuts, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add applesauce mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined. Spread batter in the prepared pan.
4. Bake 30 minutes or until firm. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using edges of parchment paper, lift uncut brownies out of pan. Cut into 12 brownies.

Best Chocolate Cake

When Kendall tried this cake, he declared that it tasted like "regular" chocolate cake to him. Texture, taste, and all, this recipe really takes the cake ;) For a recipe with no oil, eggs, dairy, butter, refined sugar, and 100% whole wheat flour, I think that's saying quite a lot. Besides that, it's mostly made out of a special secret ingredient that Kendall hates...... read on!

I wanted a different dessert for my birthday this year--something new and something delicious. And something you could really stick a candle in! As you can see, it succeeded on all counts. 

 I will finally reveal that this cake is made out of sweet potatoes! Makes for a lovely moist texture and it holds up really well. Therefore, blending both the cake and the frosting for this recipe is a really important step. I made something with sweet potato puree the other week and didn't have it fully mashed because I used a hand mixer. Did I have chunks of sweet potato in the finished product? Yes. Can Kendall detect those sorts of hidden ingredients? Yes. 

 This recipe originally has chocolate chips in the batter, so if you eat that kind of thing I think it would be quite delicious! It was also originally made with spelt flour, so you could use that for a gluten-free option. The recipe called for 1/2 C maple syrup if I doubled it for the double layer, but something inside me rebelled against using that much and I think I ended up only doing 1/4 C still. Up to you! But this cake is SO GOOD. We mourned its loss so much once we polished it off, that I made another chocolate cake the very next day. It is also gone.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Plant Powered Kitchen

1 1/2 C peeled, cooked, and cooled orange sweet potato
1 C plus 2 T water, divided
1/4-1/2 C maple syrup
2 T balsamic vinegar
4 tsp vanilla
2 C whole wheat flour
2/3 C coconut sugar
1 scant tsp salt
1/2 C cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 scant teaspoons baking soda

1 recipe chocolate frosting, see below

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9” round (or square!) cake pans (or one 9x13 pan) and/or fit the bottom of the pan with a small piece of parchment paper. No parchment paper is needed if using a 9x13.

2. In a blender (or using a handheld blender and a deep cup or vessel), puree the sweet potato, 1 cup of the water, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and vanilla until completely smooth. 

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut sugar, and sea salt, then sift in the cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda. 

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry (be sure to scrape out all the blended ingredients with a spatula, and use the remaining 2 tablespoons of water to rinse the blender jar and get out any remaining puree). Mix until just well incorporated. 

5. Transfer to the prepared pan, bake for 21–23 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack for about ten minutes before removing from pans and letting cool completely. If using a 9x13, don't remove from the pan. Once cooled, frost in between the cake layers and on the tops and sides with the frosting recipe below. Store in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Frosting

Makes about 2 1/4 cups.

2/3–3/4 C coconut sugar or other unrefined sugar

1 loosely packed cup peeled, cooked, and cooled sweet potato (yellow or orange)
1/2 C cocoa powder
1/2 scant cup almond or cashew butter
1/4 rounded tsp salt
2–5 T almond milk
1 tsp vanilla

1. Blend coconut sugar with some cornstarch or arrowroot powder until powdery (I had a hard time reaching this phase, so just do your best. The more you succeed, the less grainy the frosting will be).

2. Place the sweet potato, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, nut butter, salt, 1–2 tablespoons of the milk (resist the urge to put in all 5 right now), and vanilla in a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth. 

3. Add milk as necessary, to reach desired consistency. If you used orange sweet potato, you will probably not need as much milk as you would using yellow. 

4. Puree until smooth, scraping down the blender/processor bowl as needed. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream

I get a weird sort of thrill from making delicious treats that are secretly crammed full of healthy things. The theme the last couple of times seems to be all things green. 

I suddenly find myself getting really into making sugar-free vegan ice cream. I don't have an ice cream maker, and I think that would've made this creamier, but it was seriously divine. Even Kendall thought so, and you would NEVER guess that a vegetable is the main ingredient. 

 Without the ice cream maker I combined a few recipes after reading a bunch of vegan ice cream recipes. I thought this turned out very well, but it really seems you could easily tweak it with positive results. 

 The best thing is the recipe is really easy. And you can use up all that leftover...spinach. That's right! There is more spinach in this recipe than any other ingredient. Mine was going to go bad soon, so there you go! You just mix everything in a blender. However, if you are doing this the way I did (with no ice cream maker) you have to be at home or around so you can stir it every hour for like 6-8 hours.

Sugar-free Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream

Adapted from Vedged Out

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled
1 C almond milk
1/4 C almond butter
2 C packed spinach
2/3 C agave/maple syrup/honey
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract

1/3 C shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

1. Blend all ingredients except pistachios until thoroughly combined. NO spinach pieces!!
If using an ice cream maker, see below for the rest of the steps from here.

2. Stir in pistachios.

3. Pour into a loaf pan. I don't recommend lining it with tin foil because I got pieces in my ice cream from stirring. Maybe parchment paper, or just don't worry about it sticking. 

4. Place in freezer and stir every hour for 6-8 hours to incorporate air. Store in the freezer and eat constantly.

*IF USING AN ICE CREAM MAKER*
Place blended mix in your chilled ice cream maker, and let it run for about half an hour or until thickened and soft-serve like. Gradually add in pistachios until well incorporated. Enjoy as is or freeze for firmer ice cream.

Blender Pumpkin Bread

My blender came with a little recipe book, which I've hardly ever even looked at. The other day I was leafing through it and stumbled upon this most excellent recipe for whole wheat, sugar-free, oil-free, vegan pumpkin bread! Impossible, you say? It's delicious, and the texture is perfect. And it's easy!

Note: this recipe is made for a blend tec and the recipe is written accordingly. But if you don't have a blend tec, you can totally still make this in a regular blender. When it says to select the "batters" setting, simply blend it for 30 seconds or so until fully combined. 

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Fresh Blends Cookbook

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/2 C rolled oats

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 C walnuts

1/2 C raisins

1/3 C water

1/3 C soy/almond/rice/oat milk

3/4 C maple syrup, honey, or agave

1 C pumpkin puree

1/2 apple, cored and halved

1 1/2 T flaxseeds

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. Add first 8 ingredients to jar and secure lid. Pulse 3-5 times to sift dry ingredients. Dump into a mixing bowl. Add walnuts to the jar and pulse 3-5 times until chopped. Add to dry ingredients.

3. Add raisins to dry ingredients. 

4. Add remaining ingredients to jar and secure lid. Select "batters" (or just blend for 30 seconds or so until fully combined). 

5. Pour wet ingredients into mixing bowl and incorporate wet and dry ingredients. 

6. Pour batter into greased 8"x4" loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Note: this is not very sweet--it's super yummy with some earth balance or other butter replacer on it. For a sweet option, omit raisins and walnuts and add chocolate chips instead!

Pumpkin Pie (GF, SF, V, OF, Nut-free)

This Thanksgiving, I was bound and determined to create a dessert that I could eat, and all of Trent's family could eat. Which, if you know the group of us, that is quite the feat. But I think it was a success, and I am very pleased indeed! 

 Look at my helpers! They loved helping me blend things, and pour all the spices in and such. I think the biggest success for this recipe is that the kids all liked it!

Can you tell? ;)

I think I baked the crust a little long, especially since it's twice baked. Just watch it, or cover it with foil, or something.

 That, my friends, is a pumpkin pie that actually tastes like pumpkin pie. The texture, too, is just the same. Give it a try!

Pumpkin Pie (gluten free, sugar free, vegan, oil free, nut free)

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Crust:
1.5 C rolled oats
1 C unsweetened coconut
4-5 medjool dates
3 T chia seeds or ground flax
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C honey
1 tbsp applesauce

1. Blend all ingredients until dates are processed and the mixture is sticky enough to form a ball when pressed.

2. Press down and outward to form the crust (press firmly!) in a greased (or lined) pie pan, and prick with a fork.

3. Bake for 10-12 mins at 350. Cool for 10 mins before scooping in filling and baking. Watch out for burning! You will bake this crust more later, so if anything, undercook it. 

Filling:

2 1/4 C canned pumpkin
7-10 medjool dates
1/4 C full-fat coconut cream (or coconut milk)
1/4 C pure maple syrup
3 T cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

1. Blend all ingredients until fully combined and the mixture is very creamy. Pour into the prepared crust.

2. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350, watching for burning. Let cool for an hour and then chill for at least 3 hours before serving. 

3. Slice and serve with coconut whipped cream, if desired! 

Chocolate Cake

Sometimes, you just want to sink your teeth into some cake. You know what I mean. And if it's chocolate, that makes life 100% better. Thanks to Stephie I discovered the joy of this chocolate cake that is entirely WFPB. Guys. It's AMAZING. The texture is just like cake and it's so moist! It is quite cakey, all things considered, and not super sweet. But it is deeeelish!

I was particularly excited about this recipe because I made my own date sugar! Because let's be real. Who wants to pay for that kind of thing? I admit that it was a bit more pain than it might've been worth--I could've just coughed up the cost of buying date sugar. But it was an adventure! Look at that beauty:

 With the chocolate and date sugar, the cake looks almost black. But it's so tasty!

 I think I would've had more success blending the dates alone first, to be sure it was a paste before adding the other ingredients. My blenders have been really struggling with dates lately. Yes, I said blenders. All three of them.

Chocolate Cake (Vegan, sugar-free, oil-free)

Inspired by Minimalist Baker

2 C almond milk (I made my own! A TOTAL breeze)
2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
2/3 C mashed banana, or other pureed fruit
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 C + 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cups date sugar (or a bit less)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 8-inch round cake pans or one large rectangular pan with parchment paper or tin foil. I halved the recipe and made an 8x8 cake that turned out beautifully.
2. Mix the almond milk and vinegar in a large mixing bowl, and let set for a few minutes to activate. Add the pureed fruit, vanilla extract, and applesauce and beat until foamy.
3. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a sifter and slowly sift over the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand-held or standing mixer. If you don’t have a sifter, simply mix dry ingredients in another bowl and add to the wet mixture while beating. Beat until no large lumps remain. It should be creamy and pourable.
4. Divide batter evenly between your 2 cake pans or rectangular pan.
5. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

Inspired by Gluten-Free Vegan Girl

2 C dates, pitted
1/3 C almond milk (or water/other dairy-free milk)
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
a pinch of salt

1. Place all the ingredients in a high-speed blender/food processor and puree until completely smooth. If necessary, gradually add more tablespoons of almond milk until it reaches desired consistency. 2. Spread the frosting on top of any cake/cupcake. If you want to do a layered cake, you may need to double this recipe. I halved it for my halved cake recipe above, and barely had enough to cover the top.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Believe it or not, I am just about done posting recipes for the weekend, and am ready to crawl in a hole and hibernate into a food coma. But before then, I MUST share this recipe I just made and ate even though I am at the bursting point.

I was home alone this evening, doing about 15 things at once, as per usual. I decided to make my own cashew butter for this, primarily because I was at the store and couldn't find a tupperware to grind the cashew butter into, and I also didn't feel like forking over my life's savings for a thing of cashew butter I would never use. So instead I forked over my life's savings anyways to buy the cashews, and then forked over my life's efforts trying to make it. Maybe I'm just tired of making butters (let's be honest, I made coconut butter and almond butter yesterday, and burned out my blender already...), but I'm just not sure the homemade effort is worth it. That being said, this recipe is to die for so I'll stop complaining.

 You would not ever, not in a million years, guess what the base of this dip is. It's SO creamy, sweet, delicious, and incredibly rich. Using 100% cocoa dark baking chocolate works just fine, by the way. The dip is so sweet, it just adds a nice little chocolatey crunch. Enjoy this heaven-sent dip with fruit, breads, crackers, frozen bananas, or with a spoon. 

 I licked the spoon after blending and literally laughed out loud and exclaimed (to my empty house), "OH MY GOSH!!! THIS IS SO GOOD!!!" To my memory, food has never made me audibly giggle before. Do you need more persuasion? Just make it. And if you read the ingredients, you'll find that they're pretty much all vegetables. So this is basically a salad.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Oh She Glows

240 grams yellow-skinned cooked potatoes, peeled (approx. 1 & 1/3 cups cooked potato, or 3 medium potatoes)
6-7 T pure maple syrup or honey, to taste
3 T cashew nut butter
1/2 T pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
1/4-1/3 cups dark chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate

1. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove-top until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
2. In a food processor, immediately add the cooked potatoes (still hot), nut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Do not use cold potatoes or the texture will be like mashed potatoes instead of a silky dip. Process until smooth for at least a couple minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Make sure no clumps remain. You want it super smooth. Adjust sweetness if necessary and add salt to taste. Oddly enough, this is when the dip moved from "wow, that's good" to audible giggling.
3. Place mixture in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes (preferably an hour) to chill and then stir in the chocolate chips just before serving. Serve the dip with graham crackers, fresh fruit, cookies, cinnamon sugar pita chips, or my favorite way, a spoon.