Homemade Crunchy Maple Quinoa Cereal.

We love our favorite granola, but even the yummiest stuff needs a break. OhSheGlows has some gooood stuff, and this granola is one of them. I add some mixed nuts to roast with it because it's just gooood. I'll eat it like popcorn too.

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2-3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch or two sea salt

1 1/2 cups favorite nuts, chopped (i like almonds, pecans and walnuts)

In a small bowl mix everything together. Pour onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Break up into chunks with a spoon and flatten with a hand as if you were making flatbread. Cook for 30-50 minutes at 325*F, being sure to check half way through and adjust cooking time if necessary. Flip cereal around with a spatula for more even cooking. Cereal should be slightly golden brown when finished. Remove from oven and cool.

Enjoy in a bowl with your favorite milk and toppings over top! Peaches please.

Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Muffins.

It's a sorry picture... and doesn't give these bad boys justice. These are so, soo good! I love the slight crunchy texture the blended millet give these. Who'd a thought? For sure a great way to use an overly ripe banana. Thank you Mama Pea.

2/3 cup millet

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup organic brown sugar (maple syrup or coconut sugar)

2 tablespoons canola oil (i use coconut oil)

1/2 cup non-dairy or organic milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup non-dairy or organic chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Measure your millet into a food processor, spice mill or high speed blender and pulse into a fine texture.

Pour into a large bowl and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Mash bananas, and add to oil, milk, brown sugar and vanilla.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry.

Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups and top with banana slices.

Bake 17-19 minutes.

Monkey Buns.

This was a recipe I merged into making it vegan from a recipe from Rachael Ray and Reversing Diabetes. I loved these little buns prevegan days and remembered the yummy Oatmeal Drop Scones, and figured I could merge them. And I did. And they were yummy! Here goes...

1 large banana, thinly sliced
1 cup honey
2 to 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon sugar/agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups nondairy milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In each cup of the tin, lay down a few slices of banana and cover with about 1 tablespoon honey and a pinch of cinnamon.

Grind the oats to a fin meal in a dry blender. Pour into a medium bowl and add the flour, sugar/agave, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

Mix the nondairy milk and lemon juice or vinegar in a small bowl. Pour into the dry mixture and stir briefly with a fork. Drop spoonfuls into muffin tins. Smooth the tops a bit with a wet fingertips. Bake for about 15 minutes.

When the scones come out of the oven, let them cool for a couple of minutes then place a large platter or baking sheet on top of the muffin pan. Carefully, but quickly, invert the biscuits. Remove the muffin tin and serve warm. Yum.

Blueberry Pie Pancakes with Glaze.

I drool over most of the stuff on Chocolate Covered Katie... including these. Though her suggestion to top with her "Glazy Doughnut Glaze" is what had me. The stuff rocks. Not even close to my own personal achilles heel that I call a blueberry donut... but it's good to be healthy.

Blueberry Pie Pancakes
(makes 12)
1 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen mixed berries)
1 cup flour (ww pastry, white, spelt, Bob’s gluten-free, etc.)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons agave/sugar (omit if you don’t want sweet pancakes)
1 cup nondairy milk

If you don’t like the taste of fat-free pancakes, add 2 tablespoon coconut oil or vegan butter, and reduce milk by that amount.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then add wet. Mix, but don’t overmix. Cook on an oiled (or sprayed) pan, on low-medium, flipping each pancake once.

Cover with G-lazy Glaze and serve.... yum!

G-lazy Glaze
2 tablespoons mashed banana
2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil 

Combine the two ingredients, and melt. (I used a microwave for 14 seconds.) Then stir stir stir… keep stirring for at least a minute, until the watery mess turns thick and paste-y like frosting.

It seems so simple - so how could it taste so good? But trust me, it does!!

Wheat Muffins.

Other then the Texas Governor's Mansion Sweet Potato muffins, these wheat muffins were another one of my mom's staples while growing up. Now, I just veganized them. So simple, but so yummy.

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 cup maple syrup or other sweetener {play with how sweet you like them}

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Congeal first... Add ingredients for the egg replacer {water, baking powder and flaxseed meal} into a measuring cup, stir and let congeal. Combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar and let congeal.

Add the rest of the ingredients... you could sift in the dry, but whatever - just one more step. Fill sprayed muffin tins or muffin cups 1/2 full. Bake 400*F for 15 minutes.

Makes 12.

Nikki's Healthy Cookie.

My early on healthy-eating inspire-er friend, Natalie, passed this recipe onto me. She told me that I needed to try them... so I, of course did...  and they made me very, very happy. All normal stuff everyone should have on hand. So, get to cookin these up peeps or patiently wait for your bananas to ripen so you can!

Another great thing about eating a plant-based diet - no worries on eating the cookie dough! Lick on Coco Bean!

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal {just blend in blender}
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.

ya'll can thank my friend natalie for this one...

she got it from 101cookbooks

Chia Energy Porridge.

Don't judge this by the picture... I almost didn't post it because it totally looks unappetizing. But trust me, it is goooood! Maybe a good sub for the morning oatmeal, but I am for sure liking it for after school snack!

1/2 cup hemp/almond milk
1 1/2 tablespoons chia seed**(bulk at Central Market)
1/2 apple, shredded
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir together chia and milk. Set aside for 15 mins, or as long as overnight for the chia to swell. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Garnish with anything you wish...

belly biters: me, ava, nolan - love it... shayne has yet to try... and Coco wasn't texturing it

 

Thank you Crysta for the intro and Sweetly Raw for posting it!

 

**Sweetly Raw says... "It should be dubbed "the wonder seed" - chia is packed with quality protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and is the richest known plant source of omega-3. In addition it is easy to digest and can be stored for long periods of time without going rancid (unlike other nuts/seeds, particularly flax). Throw some chia into liquid overnight and you've got the base for an excellent breakfast in the morning."

Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal.

It's the end of the month... I'm out of my budget money for groceries... my 50 pound bag of steel cut oats is gone... and I'm having to figure out something good for breakfast. I remember seeing this pumpkin oatmeal in my new cookbook... so I pulled it out. Luckily had all the ingredients for... prepped as  much as I could the night before... got up a little earlier to start cooking it for the kids... and bam! It was yummy! I think the cinnamon was a bit strong - so when I do it again I'll tone it down some. It was yummy, but we missed our steel cuts. Creatures of habit. You could do a whole lot worse with no money, that's for sure!

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons agave nectar

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients with 4 cups of water in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the oatmeal is creamy.

the get healthy, go vegan cookbook
dr. neal barnard, md
and robyn webb
page 65

Snack Wrap.

We're in need of a little snack switch-me-up around here. The kids are tiring of veggie cookies and muffins. So I thought these would be a winner.

With Ava's sass lately, she's not a good judge of goodness.

And Nolan will eat most anything - especially if I feed it to him (I know, it's seriously pathetic that I still sometimes feed my 3, almost 4 year old!).

And then there's Coco. One tuff critic. And she liked these. All except the apple peel. Somehow she managed to get that off and spit that, and only that out.

whole wheat wrap/tortilla

natural peanut butter

sliced bananas

thinly sliced apples

pitted dates, chopped

ground cinnamon

Assemble how you like it and as much as you like it... yum. And obviously you could take this concept and take it anywhere your little heart desires. My kids just love things in wraps.

Robyn's Granola.

This is a GreenSmoothieGirl one, you can see her video of it here. And, we're all in love here. This is Ava's favorite thing to take for lunch {almond milk in the soup container, peaches and granola in ziplocks... and she makes it at the table herself.} Shayne and the rest of us eat it as a snack. So yummy. Plus, when you make it your house will smell amazing. Bottle that up and put it in a candle.

8 cups rolled oats

1 cup raw wheat germ

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Combine all in a big 'ole bowl (yes, that's a technical term). I always like to pulse the nuts in a food processor. Not into nut dust, but broken up since the kids aren't fans of big 'ole chunks of nuts (there's that technical term again). The nuts are SO yummy after they're roasted a bit... so keep 'em a little chunky.

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup grade B maple syrup (or molasses)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup coconut oil (cold pressed, unrefined)

1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine all in a pot and heat on stove until barely melted. Add to oat mixture and stir til well combined. Lay out on baking sheets, with a lip, or in a big baking roasting pan. Bake at 250* for 45-90 minutes until dry, stirring well every 20 minutes.

Yum! I love it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and peaches.




{{p.s. - I totally took that picture up top, and I think I actually may have gotten the hang of photographing my food. Na, probably just really good lighting.}}



Chocolate Crunch Hazelnut Macaroons.

These babies are from my new favorite raw website, KristensRaw. When I first posted about Shrek Shakes back in 2008 on  Lugubrious Delights, she commented on the post...

"I love love love this post :)

And, I love the name "Shrek Shakes." Brilliant!!!

Cheers, Kristen"

I don't know how she found it... but I felt totally cool that #1, someone commented on one of my recipes and called me brilliant (or at least the Shrek Shake name) #2, it was from a legit chef and #3, someone was complementing me on something new, and very unmainstream that I was trying to do for the benefit of my family. Obviously something that has become very dear to my heart.

Well, it took me a couple years to get back to her... and with the recommendation of these macaroon-beauts from a friend... I've found her again... and can't wait to try more of her recipes. So, thank you Crysta and Kristen, these are AMAZING!! 

They're my new favorite go-to freezer treat... and probably even edge out chocolate balls... though my raw banana cheesecake cups are such a close second.

I altered the amounts a little bit to stretch the more expensive ingredients and give me a cheaper bang for my buck! Her recipe is here.

1 1/2 cup hazelnuts*
1/2 cup raw chocolate powder
1 cup dried coconut, shredded & unsweetened
3/4 cup raw agave nectar
2/3 cup coconut butter/oil
1/4 cup raw cacao nibs {i used part of a cacao bar that I got in the baking section at walmart}
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt

Using a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, grind the hazelnuts to a fairly medium/fine grind. Transfer to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir all the ingredients together well by hand, or use a mixer with a paddle attachment to make it easier. {{After I ground the nuts, I just added everything to the food processor and pulsed everything all together. Which, I prefer because it breaks up the coconut so you don't have crazy coconut threads sprouting off each macaroon.}}

Use a tablespoon measurement to spoon out the batter and place on a cookie sheet {I like using a tablespoon size cookie scoop}. Freeze for up to an hour and enjoy.

*My favorite way to make these is with hazelnuts, but if you don't have those on hand, you could try other nuts or seeds.

Serving suggestion:

My favorite way to enjoy these is straight from the freezer or refrigerator. When I take them to a party, I put them in the host’s refrigerator, or freezer, until I’m ready to serve them. If they sit at room temperature they can get a little soft (but still yummy). An option to help prevent the softening at room temperature is to dehydrate them at 105 degrees for 16 - 24 hours right after you make them. ~~ from Kristen

Graham Crackers.

pic from veganyumyum.com

We love the cinnamon graham goldfish... here's a vegan take on them that we found yummy! I'm going to try to have these on hand for Coco to have at church. Thank you veganyumyum... they're yum. {be sure to watch her videos... way cute.}

2 1/2 cups graham flour* or stoneground flour or whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup earth balance margarine
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar (or a little more sugar mixed with water)
3/4 cup water

Mix the all the dry ingredients together. Cream together Earth Balance and sugar. Add vanilla and agave and beat with a whisk until smooth. Add a little of the flour and a little of the water to the earth balance/sugar mixture and combine. Continue adding in flour and water, a little at a time, until all flour and water is added. Work the dough with your hands until everything is evenly combined.

Divide dough in half and cover. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 325º F. Roll out the dough into a rectangle that measures approximately 11″x15″. Trim edges. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares or rectangles (I cut mine into 1′x1′ squares). Prick the squares with a fork.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 325º F or until the crackers are turning golden brown around the edges. You can sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of the crackers during the last 10 minutes of baking if you like.

Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

*Make your own graham flour: 

1 cup~= 2/3 cup white flour + 1/3 cup wheat bran + 1.5 teaspoons wheat germ

Apple Walnut Surprise.

This is a great snack. The first time I made this, I did it exactly as the recipe calls for - with the raisins. The kids weren't a fan. Tried again - sans raisins - and sans day-ahead prep time, and they love it! After I make it, I keep them in little rubbermaid containers so they can grab one for a snack. Perfect!

1 cup raisins or currents

1/2 cup water

8-10 apples, peeled and cored

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

4 heaping tablespoons ground flax seeds

1 1/2 heaping tablespoons ground cinnamon

Soak raisins or currents in the water in a container with a closed top overnight in the refrigerator to soften.

Next day: pour off the water into a pot with a tight lid and add the peeled and cored apples. Let simmer over a low flam for 7 minutes. Pour the apples and the little liquid that remains off into a chopping bowl or hand chopper and dice up the softened apples into small pieces.

Mix the apples, raisins, walnuts, flax seeds, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Store in refrigerator to serve for meals and snacks.

Disease-Proof Your Child, pg 204