Maple-sweetened Fruit and Seed Granola

Maple-sweetened Fruit and Seed Granola

Ingredients:

unsweetened coconut flakes

gluten-free oats

pumpkin seeds

sunflower seeds

apple juice-sweetened cranberries

raisins

cinnamon

slash of pure maple syrup

drizzle of both avocado oil and water

sprinkle of pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1.  Pour oats and coconut in a bowl, and add seeds and dried fruit.  Stir in syrup, oil and water (just a little to slightly hold it together).

2.  Bake on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through and rotating the pan.  

3.  Remove, let cool on wire rack and enjoy!  Keeps 2-3 weeks in airtight container.

take a moment to admire little things as your granola bakes; a spring of ivy, a single flower

Clean Eating Avocado Brownies

  

Hopefully these measurements are right; I had two overripe avocados to use up and half-heartedly began tossing ingredients into a bowl for a healthy brownie recipe, thinking it was hardly likely to result in anything special.

Whoa.

I was WRONG.  These are incredible, especially when using my own sunflower seed butter (I can't brag too much about my sunflower seed butter...it was a harder endeavor than I thought).  The sunflower seed butter was a good addition though, and helped maintain the ideal brownie texture.

Clean Eating Avocado Brownies

Ingredients:

1-3/4 overripe avocado
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz. nondairy chocolate chips, melted
2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon raw honey
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon corn-free baking powder
1/4 cup gluten-free flour or finely ground gluten-free oats or seeds

Directions:

1.  Food-process the avocados until creamy and no lumps remain.
2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 inch pan with coconut oil.
3.  Melt nondairy chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring until fine with no lumps.
4.  Add all ingredients to food processor, whipping for over a minute.
5.  Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool for a minute or two on a wire rack, and serve warm.

The Pumpkin Powerballs...So Delicious!

 

This super fast healthy treat recipe is an entry in the 5 Minutes or Less Category for the So Delicious 3 Course Recipe Contest: The Fast and Fresh Dairy-Free Time Trials contest, timed nicely to coincide with the Winter Olympics.  I'd like to think Olympic-caliber athletes as well as the rest of us non-competitive athletes would find these raw pumpkin treats energy-fueling as well as delicious.  For those of you that regularly read my blog, you'll notice So Delicious (specifically the unsweetened vanilla coconut milk) is always my brand of choice for nondairy milk; I really can't say enough good things about that particular beverage.

Anyways, remember when I was on a pumpkin spree and I made pumpkin everything?  Well, it's been awhile since I went pumpkin crazy and I found a can of organic pumpkin puree in the cupboards soo...here it goes!  My orange and nutrient-filled snacks: pumpkin powerballs.

I remember when a childhood friend used to be obsessed with orange.  I could never fathom why orange was her favorite color when there were so many other lovelier hues to choose from: blue, green, pink..you know, like every color but orange.  She may have been on to something, though: there's nothing like a bright burst of orange on a dark rainy or snowed-in day to cheer you up.  And when it comes in the form of a delicious raw cookie; well, that's hard to beat.

Pumpkin Powerballs
yields 2 dozen little raw cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup gluten-free oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 medjool dates, pitted
2 tablespoons unsweetened sunflower seed butter
1/4 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Milk
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
2 to 4 tablespoons mini nondairy rice chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
1.  Food-process seeds and oats until fine (using a food processor or high-speed blender).
2.  Add the additional ingredients, adding chocolate chips (if using) last.
2.  Pulse until mixture forms one big dough ball; divide into 24 to 30 little balls and enjoy immediately or chill in the refrigerator to firm up more.

Pumpkin Date Muffins

 

Conversation with my mom the other day:

Mom: "I bought a bunch of dates at Costco"
Me: "Oh great, I love to use dates when I bake"
Mom:  (as if she's talking to herself) "I really don't like dates"
Me: "Oh, I bet I can make something you like with them"
Mom: (interrupting my last sentence and continuing on) "I mean, they are actually kind of gross.  I think it's the texture.  I don't even know why I got them"
Me: "Then why'd you buy--"
Mom: "--I don't know why I even bought them.  I don't think I like dates"

For some reason, this conversation entertained me immensely, mostly because my mother seemed to be totally perplexed on how she ended up with dates, and didn't really seem to actually want to hear my suggestions ;)

So, the Pumpkin Date muffins were born.  She's currently at work, and I am whipping up these in an attempt to impress her with a healthy, filling Pumpkin Date muffin.  Hopefully the fact that it is currently snowing and that she will be freezing and hungry after her walk home will work in my favor.

Linda's Pumpkin Date Muffins
yields 14-16 muffins

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 eggs
1 heaping cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup finely shredded carrots
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 small banana, mashed

Directions:
 
1.  Grease muffin tin with coconut oil.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Mash banana very well. Whisk with eggs, pumpkin, melted oil and sugar.  Add in very finely grated carrots.

3.  Add dry ingredients to the wet onces, mixing just until combined.  Fill muffin tins 7/8 full and bake for 17-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

 

Oatmeal Espresso Cookies

I woke up today after a solid nine hours of sleep, with my puppy nestled in at my hip and my 80 lb golden-doodle across my feet (when Dad's away, they get spoiled).  Anyways, the point is, I was fully rested and enjoyed a little tea with breakfast and a leisurely jog with a friend when I realized should probably skip my coconut latte today, that has somehow merged from once a week treat to an almost daily necessity.  I figured why not enjoy a nice caffeine free day, when I am off work and fueled by plenty of sleep and healthy food.

An hour ago, I found myself craving a coconut milk latte, so decided to consume a bit of caffeine via a health-ish cookie.  I developed a great Espresso Oat Cookie recipe a few years ago, one that I like to add cinnamon and chia to.  But since that recipe is buried amongst a pile of recipes somewhere in a box downstairs, I figured I'd would just invent one on the fly, because rice chocolate chips and coffee sounds good now.

The good news is, they are super fast to make and bake.  And there is actually no bad news with these.
Enjoy!

 

Oatmeal Espresso Cookies

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup gluten-free oats, ground pretty fine
1/2 cup bob's red mill all purpose gluten-free flour or almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
2 tablespoons espresso grounds
1/2 banana
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweeetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/3 cup mini nondairy chocolate chips
2 eggs

Directions:
1.  Food-process/grind oatmeal until pretty fine or use quick-cooking oats to save time.
2.  Place all dry ingredients in a bowl.
3.  Mash banana, and mix with applesauce, syrup, nondairy milk, and vanilla.
4.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until combined.

 

Add nondairy chocolate chips.

5.  Bake for 350 for 9-11 minutes on a lined cookie sheet.