Gooey Chewy Caramel Corn.

In attempts to find a healthier treat for Shayne to take to a couple people this Christmas season, I turned to some of the GreenSmoothieGirl holiday recipes I've been wanting to try. This one's not full of the expensive ingredients that I don't want to hand out if I don't think people will really appreciate it... and it's not junk that I'll feel bad giving to people.

I've come to realize that I'm starting to be know for something... and with this 'healthy' label I can't very well hand out complete junk. Right?

When they were all done, I asked Shayne if 'regular people' will think it tastes good - he gave me the thumbs up. Although, he's almost as 'messed' up on the taste buds as I am (especially with being off white sugar for 7 1/2 years now). I omitted the craisins and used sliced almonds to make it a little more mainstream... Now, I just wonder how they liked it because my kids tore.it.up!!

10 cups popped popcorn (about 1 cup kernels)

½ cup honey

½ cup sucanat

½ cup brown rice syrup (i used date syrup)

1 teaspoon molasses

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon salt

½ cup pecans

½ cup dried cranberries

Mix the honey, sucanat, molasses, vanilla, coconut oil, and salt together in a medium sauce pan. Cook on medium heat until it is just about to boil. Take off of the stove and pour over popped popcorn. Fold in the pecans and dried cranberries.



Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats.

I've been having a taste for those treats I had once when I was little that was made with peanut butter and cheerios and kinda like a rice crispy treat. Are there such things? Or is this a childhood dream that never happened. Until then, I found these... and they did not disappoint. Yum. The original is from YourVeganMom.

6 cups crispy brown rice cereal 
1 cup brown rice syrup (I used date syrup)
1 cup raw, unrefined sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon dark molasses (or you can just sub 1c. of brown sugar)
pinch of salt (if your peanut butter's not salted, then add another couple pinches)

Lightly grease a 9 by 12 baking dish, and set aside. Pour cereal into a large bowl and set aside. In a sauce pan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, brown rice syrup, and molasses until just melted and beginning to bubble. Stir in the peanut butter and salt and return to a boil. Pour hot peanut butter mixture over cereal and stir to combine. Press into prepared baking dish. Let cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into squares. You can eat them at this point or let them cool completely. Do not chill.

And, if you cut them into 30 equal pieces, there's 18.2 grams of carbs in each one. I know this because I love a little boy who has diabetes.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Pecan Streusel.

I love, love, love Carrie's Pumpkin Pie Cake. Like, it's the best... I dream of it... But, I'm not able to enjoy it as much as I'd like with my 10% animal time. So, I was totally stoked when I saw this in my Veganomicon cookbook. I adapted it to my natural sweeteners, and with only a tablespoon of oil in the whole cake - I can now have me some pumpkin goodness any ole time I want to.

It's been a total hit with my family, my parents, and Julie & Stas. Although my Mom said she's cut out the cloves and half the ginger... that's where we differ - I loved it all, she hates cloves. Mom's are always the toughest critics though. Having asked to bring dessert when we went to their house for dinner, I knew exactly what to bring. Even though my family had almost overdosed on it just a day ago - it was time for another. I walked into their house and told my Mom not to have a heart attack... then I unveiled the cake... she saw the nuts... and was totally proud of me for including nuts - in baked goods - because I actually liked them. You see, I've always hated nuts... and despised it when she used them in her Christmas morning cinnamon rolls. She loves my sister and I enough to make some for us without them. But I have a feeling now, my sister is on her own - and my Mom's gonna bring on the nuts! I know this diet has helped me like things that I've never really liked before. So, I made it twice in one week... and am giving me a one week break before I make it again.

The cookbook describes it as... "How does moist, sublime, spiced pumpkin cake get better? A crummy mess of pecan streusel topping would get your vote any day." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Pecan Streusel:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose)

3 tablespoons maple sugar (brown sugar)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Cake:

1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

3/4 cup almond milk

3/4 cup applesauce (oil)

1/2 cup maple sugar (or 1 1/2 cups sugar & omit agave too)

1/2 cup agave nectar

3 tablespoons light molasses

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Prepare the streusel: In a small bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, and spices. Drizzle in the canola oil and mix with your fingertips until crumbs form. Add the chopped pecans and mix.

Prepare the cake: In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, almond milk, applesauce, sweeteners, molasses and vanilla. Mix well. Add roughly half the flour, the baking powder, salt, and spices... and use a fork to fold everything together. Add the remaining flour and mix gently until combined. Don't use a hand blender for this, as pumpkin can get gummy if it's mixed too aggressively. Blending with a fork helps maintain the texture.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and spread in out with a spatula. Scatter the streusel on top as evenly as possible. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and cut into squares.

VEGANOMICON
by: Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
page 255