Sticky Kids Stuff -- Vegan Fudge the new revolution

Well, I had my food processor out this morning to make green noodles. Yep, it's that kind of day. Chickpea noodle soup instead of chicken noodle soup for us tonight. Eyeing my food processor I thought ... what if ... what if ... what if ... and before I knew it I was throwing some stuff in and making this sticky amazing fudgey delight that has no crap and no sugar and no gluten and no nothing bad for you and holy hannah it's like eating chocolate frosting in the 70s ... Anyway, I had a couple of pieces after lunch ... after my salad of shredded carrot, tomato, and sauerkraut. Yes, I know I'm weird. But you love me anyway. xoxo

It has that glossy gorgeousness and that intense chocolateyness that screams I can't possibly be good for you ... but alas it is. Yahoooooooooooooo.

ingredients:

2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup cacao

1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp stevia powder optional

1/4 cup ground chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 cup dates

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla extract


directions:

1. put coconut, cacao, salt, vanilla, stevia, ground flax, ground chia in your food processor
2. process!!!
3. add 1 cup dates -- pick them over to make sure there are no pits or you will definitely regret it.
4. process!! pulse!!!
5. add 1/2 cup coconut oil
6. pulse!
7. add  1/4 cup water and vanilla and whirl until smooth
8. scoop into 2 square silicone pans and press flat
9. score into pieces
10. chill
11. break apart and store in an airtight container. I like it in the freezer, but that's just me.

Vegan Fudge take Deux

I've been on a chocolate kick again. My son calls these chocolate bars, and hoots with delight when they come out of the freezer. He's 5. What's your excuse? Mine is that I don't get much and ... well, you know.

I call this concoction Vegan Fudge, but it's .... not exactly. But it is good. You'll see.

ingredients:

1 cup dates
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa butter

3/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax meal

1 cup cacao
1 tsp stevia powder (I add about 1/4 tsp stevia powder per 1/4 cup cacao, so if you decrease or increase the cacao, please bear this in mind)

2 cups shredded coconut




directions:

1. soak the dates in the hot water, and add the coconut oil so it can melt
2. 10 minutes later, use a hand blender to puree (or use a blender or a food processor
3. mix in the sea salt and vanilla
4. mix in the finely ground seeds
5. stir in the cacao and stevia
6. mix in the coconut
7. press into 2 square silicone pans and score into small bars or squares
8. chill

school snacks: Cookie Bars! vegan, gluten free, nut free, and no processed sugars!!

A very dense, nutritionally intense snack that works well for school. Tasty and appealing, but won't spike the blood sugar, and will provide long lasting energy. My son isn't a cinnamon fan these days, so these have none. If you like it, add it!! No nuts, no 'processed' sugar, no gluten, no grains, glycemic index friendly, school friendly, and friend friendly. Share, y'all!

pressed onto baking sheet and scored -- before baking 

after baking

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp raw cacao
2 tbsp carob powder


1/4 cup ground chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 to 1 cup raisins

optional additions: chocolate chips, cinnamon, cacao nibs, goji berries ...



directions:

1. combine the coconut oil, warm water, coconut sugar, vanilla bean, sea salt, cacao, and carob powder (if you are using cinnamon, add it now)
2. add the finely ground chia and flax seeds
3. stir in the shredded coconut
4. add in the sunflower seeds and hemp seeds
5. stir in the raisins (if you are using chocolate chips/chunks, goji berries or cacao nibs, add them now)
6. flatten onto a lined baking sheet, maintaining nice edges, and score into pieces
mine was about 9 inches by 14 inches, and I flattened it down onto a silicone mat on a baking sheet by pressing it into shape with my hands (I covered the dough with a piece of baking parchment before pressing. I scored it into 36 pieces (6 x 6)
7. bake for about 30 minutes at 345 in the middle/upper part of your oven
8. allow to cool, then cut through fully using a big sharp knife.

SHARE :)

xoxo

As they stand without the optional ingredients, they are pleasant, not too sweet, and taste like more. My son will attest.

Savoury but sweet Chickpea flour veggie Dinner cake -- vegan, gluten free, grain free, delicious

It's pretty much delicious, and that's about all I can say. My son calls it pasta. Good for you, and good tasting. Does it get any better than that?

ingredients:



2 cup carrot, coarsely pureed
2 cups green cabbage, coarsely pureed
4 cups sweet potato, coarsely pureed
1 medium onions, coursely pureed

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper



3 cups water warm water
1/4 cup ground chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper
1 tsp chili pepper
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 cups chick pea flour

1/2 tsp baking soda



directions:

1. sauté the onion and garlic in the coconut oil
2. add the shredded sweet potato and carrot and 1 tsp sea salt, and  sauté
3. meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the ground chia seeds and ground flax seeds with the hot water and let sit for 10 minutes. Mix in the seasonings, cider vinegar,  chickpea flour, and baking soda
4. mix with a whisk!
5. when the shredded veggie mix is cooked, add it to the batter, and combine well
6. pour into a greased 3 L glass baking dish
7. bake at 345 for 75 minutes

Chocolate Energy Squares (for school)-- it's a weekly ritual

Vegan, raw, nut free, gluten free, sugar free, grain free, dairy free, so packed with intense deliciousness and chocolate-goodness that your head might explode. Please consider this your waiver.

So, this allotment is with pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds. Pumpkin seeds have a much stronger flavour than sunflower seeds. But cacao is stronger yet, so we'll see who wins! A small handful of these fit perfectly into my son's lunch box and help keep him evenly fueled until the end of the day.

ingredients:

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup raw hemp hearts

1 cup raw cacao powder

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp stevia powder

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup wheat grass powder

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/2 cup coconut butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

directions:

1. combine the first set of ingredients (up to not including the dates) and process until fully powdered

2. add the  pitted honey dates (check for pits) and pulse until completely chopped

3. add the coconut butter and pulse until combined

4. add the coconut oil and pulse until combined

5. press into a silicone pan (I use 2 square ones), and score into pieces

6. chill or freeze until set

7. break along score marks and store in airtight containers in the fridge

Chocolate and Orange do the energy bar -- raw, vegan, nut free, school friendly!!

ingredients:

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raw hemp hearts

1 cup raw cacao powder

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp stevia powder

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup wheat grass powder

1 cup pitted honey dates
30 drops orange essential oil

1/2 cup coconut butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

directions:

1. combine the first set of ingredients (up to not including the dates) and process until fully powdered

2. add the  pitted honey dates (check for pits) and pulse until completely chopped

3. add the coconut butter and pulse until combined

4. add the coconut oil and pulse until combined

5. press into a silicone pan (I use 2 square ones), and score into pieces

6. chill or freeze until set

7. break along score marks and store in airtight containers in the fridge

SuperFood Energy Bars -- Sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, and berries

So, these rock. I don't know what else to say about them really. Full of superfoods, full of flavour, a super-dense high energy snack. I pack a few in my son's lunch to keep him going. To be honest, he's a chocolate kinda boy, so the chocolate version to him is the best thing in the world. But I love these sweet tart squares.

ingredients:

1/2 cup raw sunflower  seeds

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup organic sesame seeds

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup wheat grass

1 tbsp maca powder

1/4 cup hemp hearts

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon (if you don't have ceylon, skip this part, because saigon or korintje won't work)

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/2 cup goji berries

1/2 cup golden berries

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut butter

directions:

1. in a food processor, combine the raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, sesame seeds, flax meal, wheat grass, vanilla bean, ceylon cinnamon and sea salt

2. turn on and process until it resembles sand

3. add the dates, goji berries, and golden berries and pulse and then process until ground up

4. add the coconut oil, and pulse

5. add the coconut butter, and pulse

6. divide between 2 square silicone pans, score into pieces, and  chill

7. when fully chilled, break along the score lines, and store in airtight containers in the fridge.

Trail Mix Cookies -- a gluten free, hit the trail kind of treat

It has been ages since I really posted, and ages since I made cookies. After making cookies every week for my son's preschool, I have sort of taken a break. We occasionally make cookies, but not very often. And then we just riff on a few of our faces: peanut butter and honey cookies, and chocolate cookies.

These are great! I like them chilled because of the chewiness they have when straight from the fridge. I love the combination of crunchy sunflower seeds and raisins. I like what happens when honey, sea salt, and sesame seeds do a little dance together. Then again, I'm definitely a granola hippie kind of gal. If you are more truffle ganache, these may not be your cup of tea.


ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup honey

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp saigon cinnamon

1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds

2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup raisins


directions:

1. mix the eggs, coconut oil, and honey
2. add the vanilla bean, sea salt, and cinnamon
3. mix in the sesame seeds, flax meal, chia seeds, and shredded coconut
4. stir in the almond flour and baking soda
5. mix in the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and raisins
6. drop by spoonful onto baking sheets and flatten with a wet fork
7. bake at 345 for 16-18 minutes

makes 4 dozen cookies

They will be soft when cooked and cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

bake at 345 for 16-18 minutes

Date and Hemp Cookies -- nut free, gluten free, yummy little bits of naughtiness

Any of you who follow my blog or even just check in regularly know that not only do I love peanut butter not wisely but too well, I bake with almond flour a whole heck of a lot. In other words, yes I am nuts. About nuts. I love 'em. I do. I eat nuts every single day.

With kindergarten looming on the horizon for my little big man, I realize I'm going to have to toe the no-nuts kindie line, and start making snacks for my kid that don't involve nuts of any kind. Gulp.

And I figure some of my readers out there might appreciate it too, since I do know some people have school aged kids.

Over the past while I've also cultivated a leaning towards shredded coconut, which can slide delightfully into many concoctions without screaming about its coconutty alliances. I grew up in a coconut hating household. And while I am not a coconut lover (sorry -- don't hate me) -- I find of its own the flavour to be stultifying and unappealing -- I love what can happen when things like coconut oil (extra virgin of course), shredded coconut, coconut butter, and coconut flour come into play. Sigh, and coconut milk in the green curry of my day dreams ...

There is something that happens in these cookies that -- while not quite on the level of alchemy -- transcends math and chemistry, my friends. Perhaps it's romance, perhaps it is philosophy, but I will tell you something unexpected happens when the flavours of hemp, coconut, date, vanilla, and sesame jump on the same bandwagon and take a ride around the town together.

Last week I did it with a raw concoction that rocked beyond beyond, and rang a note of white chocolate for me in the date and hemp energy bars. This week, it is these gluten free, grain free, sugar free, dairy free, nut free cookies. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Snoring. Why bother? But somehow they are not boring. They are not devastatingly sweet. But they are mellow and tasty, and pleasingly sweet. (Oh, and do try the date and hemp energy bars. Those frighten me. In a good way. While you're at it, try this green curry (and this one. Soooooo good.) 

ingredients:

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, ground

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 cup hemp protein flour

1/2  tsp sea salt

2 tsp ground vanilla bean

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup pitted honey dates

2 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. in your food processor, process the coconut and pumpkin seeds

2. add the flax meal, hemp protein powder, sea salt, vanilla bean, ground chia seeds, and ground sesame seeds and baking soda

3. put the processed seeds into another bowl

4. in your food processor, process the dates and eggs, then add the coconut oil and process again

5. mix the two batches together

6. put spoonfuls onto lined baking sheets, and shape and flatten with a wet fork

7. bake at 345 for 14 minutes
8. whisper kind wishes on the wind ...

makes 4 dozen cookies

store in an airtight container once cool

Offer your adorable husband some with his tea.