Honey Pumpkin Brownies

With the babies' schedule I find myself having ridiculous hours, yet between 3:30 and 5am, I'm usually my most productive.  Yesterday morning I was able to get some of my NPS Foundation work done, and perhaps more significantly, create this easy one-bowl brownie recipe that is completely flourless/grain-free and a breeze to make.  The batter is mixed in minutes, and clean-up is quick; two musts when you're taking care of two little newborns!

Also since I'm obsessed with Squarebars (my go-to treat or dessert when I'm not making my own), I decided to create a fancy breakfast of a honey pumpkin brownie, dollop of plain coconut milk yogurt and 1/3 of a chopped up protein bar.  I have to say, my day became much better after that!  It looks and tastes pretty decadent, but is super filling, nutritious and protein-packed.  I promise you won't be disappointed with this easy healthy brownie...plus pumpkin.  Pumpkin in everything is usually a good idea in my world.

Honey Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup raw honey
4 eggs
1/4 cup + 2 TBSP raw cacao powder
1/3 cup nondairy chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Grease an 8" pan with oil, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Stir all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl, and fold chips in last.  Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chocolate chips depending on your preferred level of sweetness; I used 1/3 cup of Enjoy Life nondairy chocolate chunks, chopped up, and it was sweet enough!

3.  Bake 30-35 min or until an inserted toothpick or knife comes out mostly clean.  Let sit at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.  Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge.

Topped with plain coconut yogurt and a piece of chopped up vegan protein bar

Cranberry Chai Granola

The spices make it smell sooo good: just like the holidays.  Better and yummier than potpourri!

I woke up recently craving granola: specifically a lightly sweet spiced granola.  I also felt like a little pre-holiday baking to get me in the spirit (yes, I've already started listening to Christmas music whenever I walk the dogs...)

This granola recipe was inspired by the Nektar Honey Crystals I was given to play around with recently, and I must say I am very happy with the flavor the honey provides--also to be quite honest, it's much easier than messing with a sticky honey jar and trying to make sure the honey gets incorporated in.  I'm also happy to announce that one of you will get the chance to win your very own jar of Nektar Honey Crystals!  To enter, head over to Instagram or facebook and let me know what your favorite holiday-time breakfast is.

Christmas came early!

One of you will win your very own Nektar Honey Crystals

Unfortunately most granola has gluten, or at the least, is made with oats that are not certified gluten-free, meaning they likely are cross-contaminated by either being used on the same machinery as wheat or in the same facility as wheat.  Even if you can procure some gluten-free granola, more often than not it contains lots of cane sugar or oil.  I avoid most nuts and flax due to sensitivities, so long story short, I've rarely had a store-bought granola that didn't make me sick.  Luckily, granola is pretty simple to make and stores for quite awhile.  Here's a granola almost everyone can enjoy, and best of all, there is absolutely no oil, and just a touch of honey sugar and apple-juice sweetened cranberries.  Hurrah, a delicious guilt-free filling holiday breakfast at last!

Cranberry Chai Granola
Oil-Free & Gluten-Free

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten-free oats
1/2 cup millet (uncooked)
1/3 cup sesame seeds
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons Nektar Honey Crystals
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup + 2 TBSP fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup apple-juice sweetened cranberries

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a pan with a silpat, or parchment paper.

2.  In a large bowl, mix oats, millet, seeds, honey crystals and spices.

3.  Juice half an orange (1/4 cup plus a little extra), add to the mixture and stir, coating ingredients.

Any orange juice will do, but it is best straight from the fruit!

4.  Lay granola mixture on the pan and bake 30 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every 10 min as not to burn.  Add the cranberries at the end, baking an additional 5-8 minutes.

5.  Let cool and serve.  If cooled completely will keep in an airtight container for several days.

Banana Carrot Cake

I spent yesterday making four lovely healthy gluten-free carrot cakes for a client, and the intoxicating aroma of baking carrot cake prompted me to make a version of the delectable cake for my own snacking purposes (ok, I shared some).

This recipe is easy, which I love, and quick.  But those perks aside, it's also a great fluffy texture: not dense or gummy as some traditional carrot cakes tend to be.  And no messing around with raisins or walnuts or coconut or anything else that in my opinion distracts from the true deliciousness of carrot cake.

This is a versatile recipe: any mashed fruit can replace the banana and you can even limit or omit the coconut sugar.  You can also omit the sugar and use honey or maple in place of the carrot juice.

I can also attest that this treat is quite nice after an hour long dog walk and long busy day of work.  Enjoy, and let me know what you think!  Oh, and my suggestion for the honey is to browse your local farmer's market: local raw honey may help with allergies (and let me tell you, my allergies are full force in Monterey County right now--I can use all the raw honey I can get!)

Banana Carrot Cake
Yields 11 muffins or 12 "donuts" or 1 two-layer cake

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cup gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 cup carrots
1/3 cup melted coconut oil or sunflower oil
1/4 cup carrot juice
1/3 cup mashed banana (1/2 of a large banana)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional glaze: raw honey and honeycomb for a truly divine treat!

*This is my favorite "baking powder" as it is corn-free and aluminum-free

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins or spritz donut pans with nonstick oil.
2.  Sift all dry ingredients together; set aside.
3.  Stir coconut oil and apple cider vinegar together and let sit to curdle.
4.  Whisk all wet ingredients together including carrots, then slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet.
5.  Divide into tins greased with coconut oil, filling 2/3 full.

5.  Bake 15-18 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, let cool 2 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack or surface.

6.  Enjoy warm with raw honey, or store extras once cooled in an airtight container.

By the way, most of these ingredients are found on Vitacost.com; they have tons of organic ingredients and ship in one day, which is hard to beat.  If you sign up through this link, you'll receive a $10 off coupon, and when you're order ships, I'll get a $10 coupon too--it's a win-win for both of us, and I'll have a reason to buy even more delicious organic ingredients to play with!