** No-bake chocolate granola bars with hemp hearts and scottish oatmeal

These no-bake granola bars are very popular in our house. We keep them in the freezer, and even people who aren't chocolate lovers are crazy about them. These are an amazing whole-foods treat that will fuel you and keep you going when you need it. Wrap them in a little baking parchment and take them with you!  With the goodness of hemp hearts, and raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds, the sweetness of date, and the super-awesomeness of raw cacao, you don't have to choose good for your taste-buds or good for your body.

equipment needed:

silicone square pan
mixing bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing spoon

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raw hemp hearts
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw shredded coconut

• 1/4 cup ground chia seeds
• 1/2 cup scottish oatmeal

• 1/4 cup dates, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup krisda chocolate chips

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tbsp cacao powder

• 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (unsweetened)
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. combine the sunflower seed butter, coconut butter, and coconut nectar, and warm until liquid and stir until homogeneous
2. add the salt and cacao and mix well
3. add the sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, and pumpkin seeds, and stir well
4. mix in the dates
5. stir in the ground chia seeds, scottish oatmeal,  and the shredded coconut 
6. add the chocolate chips (make sure the mixture is no longer warm before you add these or they will melt)
7. when well mixed, press into a silicone baking pan (8 inch), and flatten well using a piece of baking parchment
8. chill, then cut into 'bars' or squares.

plain simple muffins -- vegan, gluten free, and wholesome

School muffins. School muffins with raisins. No nuts. No grains. No nonsense. Vegan!!

These little cuties are simple to make, and have such a simple, pleasing taste. Comforting.

The batter is made of such goodness as chickpea flour and sunflower seed flour

equipment needed:
mixing bowl
measuring spoons
measuring cups
mixing spoon
seed grinder
silicone muffin cups and baking sheet or muffin pan and liners


ingredients:

1 cup coconut sugar
1 1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup ground chia seed
1 cup ground sunflower seeds
1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar



1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips)


directions:

1. in a bowl: put all the ingredients except water, coconut oil, and raisins
2. mix well until completely combined
3. in a separate mixing bowl, combine the hot water and coconut oil, and let it melt
4. mix the wet and dry ingredients together
5. finally, stir in the raisins
6. scoop into 24 small prepared muffin cups
7. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

** Lentil Vegetable Crockpot -- vegan, whole food, delicious

The smell of this dish while cooking is out of this world. I'm such a sucker for the combination of cumin and paprika. I adore lentils. This is wonderful with brown basmati, or by itself. Huge hit with everyone. Simple, comforting, unpretentious food that cooks itself while you do something else.

equipment needed:

6 quart crockpot
knife
cutting board
sieve for rinsing lentils
measuring cups
measuring spoons



ingredients:

1 onion, chopped ( 1  cup)
2 cups chopped green cabbage
3 cups rinsed green lentils, not cooked

1/2 cup sliced dried mushrooms

2 cups chopped celery (I use the hearts for this)
2 cups diced carrot
2 cups diced asian sweet potato

4 tsp sea salt
black pepper
2 tbsp marjoram
2 tsp paprika (sweet)
2 tsp ground cumin)

1/2 cup dried apricots -- sliced

8 cups boiling water


set crockpot for 5 hours on high

savoury chickpea flour biscuits -- vegan, gluten free, nut free, grain free, delicious crackers

I have a thing for spice. Not super hot, but funky kind of savoury spices -- a glorious combo of paprika, cumin, coriander, chipotle, sea salt, and black pepper. For me, it's entirely delectable. I like it with lentils, I like it with these crackers. So good. If you have a taste for chili powder, harissa, or cumin goodness, these might be for you. Easy to make, and good for you. Makes up two full trays of biscuits.

equipment needed:

rolling pin
baking sheets
silicone mats or parchment paper
bowl
spoon
seed grinder



ingredients:

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup ground sunflower seeds
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup ground chia
1/2 cup coconut flour


1 tsp sea salt (heaping tsp)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp paprika,
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp chipotle


1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup water + 2 tbsp water



sea salt and black pepper to sprinkle on top

1. combine ingredients
2. roll out in 2 pieces on silicone mats
3. score into squares
4. place the silicone mats onto baking sheets
4. sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper
5. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

sweeeeeet potato "bacon" -- vegan, plant based, delicious

So, ya, we're for realsies totally veg here. But who doesn't like mesquitey spiced sweet potatoes? Yummy!


We get these awesome sweet potatoes from a farmer named George down at St. Lawrence Farmer's market. They are the asian kind  with fuchsia skin and firm white flesh. Our faves. They stay quite dry and firm, instead of getting as soft as the orange ones most people are more familiar with.

equipment needed:

knife
cutting board
bowl
oven
baking sheets
measuring spoon
(scale to weigh sweet potatoes if you are obsessive enough)
spoon for stirring!!


ingredients:

600 g sweet potatoes scrubbed and cut into bacon strips -- Asian sweet potatoes work best for this
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tbsp mesquite powder
1/2 tsp sea salt.


directions:

1. scrub 'em and cut 'em.
Most of mine were large, so I cut them into half through the diameter, then cut each half into the narrowest half on the length of it. I then sliced each piece thinly -- about 3 mm.
2. melt some coconut oil in a big bowl
3. put the thin slices of sweet potato into the bowl and toss it in the coconut oil. I used my hands
4. add the seasoning, then toss thoroughly
5. lay 'em out in a single layer on a baking sheet that is line with parchment paper or a silicone mat
6. bake 'em on 2 trays for 40 minutes, switching the position of the trays half way through the baking

Magic Chocolate Monkey Muffins revised

Every now and then it happens. I buy bananas and my husband buys bananas and then there are just too many bananas to eat before they go rogue. And when a good banana goes rogue, there is nothing to be done for it but to make it into something baked and delicious. In this case, I felt a little chocolate was in order. Don't know why. Just did. These little vegan goodies combine the amazing body-fueling properties of hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and chickpea flour with the pre-biotic goodness and baked good-springiness of tapioca starch. Sweetened with the very overripe bananas and some coconut sugar, these little cuties are a delicious, satisfying treat. We favour krisda chocolate chips which are stevia sweetened for much of our diurnal baking. If you've never used them, check 'em out. They taste pretty darn good. For chocolate chips, that is. They taste nothing like good quality belgian chocolate, but then I've never met a regular chocolate chip that did.

So, if you are looking for a terrific lunch box addition, these little muffins are nut free, dairy free, vegan, gluten-free, and super yummy. Let me know what you think!


Also, huge shout out to Victoria Whole Foods on Gerrard near Coxwell, for they give away their over-ripe unsaleable bananas rather than seeing them go to waste. This episode of yummy yummy in my tummy is partly possible due to their kind sponsorship in the form of mushy brown bananas. xoxo

ingredients:

1/2 cup hemp hearts, finely ground
1/4 cup chia seeds, finely ground
1/2 cup ground sunflower seeds
1/2 cup cacao powder
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup chickpea flour

1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas -- approx 4 very ripe
3/4 cup warm water + 4 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup chocolate chips


equipment needed:

1. measuring cups
2. measuring spoons
3. mixing bowl
4. silicone muffin cups or papaer muffin tray liners
5. cookie sheet or muffin tray
6. seed grinder


directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345
2. in a bowl, combine the ground hemp hearts, ground chia seeds, ground sunflower seeds, cacao, tapioca starch, chickpea flour, sea salt, baking soda, cream of tartar and ground vanilla bean. Mix until it is very homogeneous
3. in a separate bowl, mash your bananas
4. in a separate bowl, combine the warm water (not hot) and coconut oil, and let the oil melt
5. add the banana, water and coconut oil to the dry ingredients, and mix well
6. when the batter is beautifully mixed, add in the chocolate chips and mix well
7. scoop the batter into 24 small muffin cups. If you are using silicone, you can bake them standing up on a cookie tray. Or line 24 muffin cups with muffin papers in a muffin baking tray, and divide the batter evenly.
8. bake at 345 for 30 minutes
9. remove from the oven, and allow to cool before removing from the tray or silicone muffin cups

Cacao and Hemp Energy Balls -- delicious whole food fuel for vegans

My son calls these snowballs. The coconut on the outside is mostly so they won't be sticky. Crushed pecans or almonds would work too, but we were keeping it all nut free. One of my son's friend's has an allergy to nuts, and we like to have snacks he can enjoy too. These are delicious, balanced, snackable, satisfying, and perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert. I hope you like 'em as much as we do!

ingredients:

1 cup hemp hearts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2  cups shredded coconut

1/4 cup ground chia

3/4  cup raw cacao
1/2 tsp sea salt
1  tsp ground vanilla bean

1 1/2 cups pitted honey dates -- picked through

1 or 2 tbsp vanilla extract or water

directions:

For this recipe you will need a food processor or something that can also function like a food processor.

1. process hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, ground chia, raw cacao, sea salt, and ground vanilla until perfectly reduced to dust.
2. add dates and pulse until combined well. Or until you lose your mind.
3. add vanilla and as little water as possible whilst running the processor until a thick dough forms. (Do not add too much water. If it isn't stuck together in a blob and is crumbly or sandy  looking, you need more water. If it's like a paste, you've added to much, and you won't be able to make it into balls. Press it into a silicone pan and chill, then cut into small squares if you end up adding too much water. It will still be delicious.)
4. let sit for a while
5. roll into balls, and roll the balls in shredded coconut. 

Simple Royal Gala apple sauce

We love apple sauce. I like to make a delicate, light tasting apple sauce from sweet apples such as gala or piñata, depending on what is available and what is affordable. You can throw in some pear as well if you like.  The lemon juice will balance the sweetness, and also keep the fruit from browning, giving the applesauce a more pleasing colour. This is delicious, and really easy to eat.

3 lbs organic gala apples, washed, cored, and cut into large chunks
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
pinch of sea salt
dash of vanilla extract


directed:

1. prepare the apples by washing and cutting into chunks. I never peel them. Use organic!!
2. stir well in a large pot so the apples all get coated in the lemon water
3. simmer for around 60 minutes until the apples are translucent and falling apart
4. puree lightly with an immersion blender -- don't puree to smoothness, though, leave it with some chunks.
5. put into jars, label, and freeze


This will make approximately 1 1/2 L of apple sauce. Jar it and store in the freezer if you won't eat it within a week.

Oatmeal Cookies (vegan and nut free)

School Starts Tomorrow.

Here are cookies. School safe cookies. They taste great, and have very few ingredients. Vegan, nut-free, healthy ... You know. Anyway, if you know someone who needs a little treat in their lunchbox ... We make them with raisins or with krisda chocolate chips. Easy peasy to make, and incredibly yummy.

1 cup oatmeal (I used large flake)
2 cups ground raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean (optional. OPTIONAL. DON'T HATE ME. You can use a tsp of extract if you want)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup water

1 cup raisins or chocolate chips



1. combine ingredients excluding water and chocolate chips
2. stir well, then add water and mix into dough
3. add in chips, and stir well
4. scoop small balls of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet (I use silicone liners, but parchment works)
5. flatten with a wet fork into rounds

preheat oven and bake at 345 for 20 minutes

They stuck to the silicone mat a little bit, so it was best to let them cool before removing them with a stainless steel spatula.

makes approx 3 doz depending on size

Double Layer Chocolate Cake with Ganaaaaaaaaaache

So it's like this. I was under orders by Spoiled Rotten Kid to make a double-decker chocolate cake with chocolate icing. This one whipped up in a trice, and is pretty darn wholesome. The taste is delicious, and it's rich and gooey and pleasing in the ways that chocolate cake should be.

Anyway, I mixed all the ingredients save the water together, and then added the water and mixed that. Which means the ingredients can be combined ahead of time, and just turned into batter when ready to bake.

Super simple and super easy, even if I did use both coconut sugar and date sugar. The main criticism people have of my recipes is that they can have too many ingredients. Hopefully this will seem simple all the same.


The frosting is thick and gooey, and made of good things like dates, coconut oil, and cacao. The two together make a really nice dessert that has none of the sin and all of the virtue.

Chocolate Layer Cake:

ingredients:

1/4 cup finely ground chia
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup date sugar
1 cup coconut sugar
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup almond flour (or use raw sunflower seeds and make a fine flour by grinding them up)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean
1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups water


directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chia, tapioca starch, date sugar, coconut sugar chickpea flour, almond flour, cacao, baking soda, ground vanilla bean, and sea salt. If you don't use ground vanilla bean and instead like vanilla extract, please don't add that here.
2. Stir all the ingredients together until it's a nice homogeneous mixture.
3. It's a dry, shelf-stable concoction, and you can either use it now, or put it in a sealed container to make your cake later.
4. If you choose to use it now, prepare 2 round 8 inch baking pans by covering them well with coconut oil and using parchment paper rounds to line them. Preheat your oven to 345.
5. add in the 2 cups of water to your dry ingredients, and mix really really well. If you're using vanilla extract instead of ground vanilla bean, you can add it here. Yay! Mix!
6. evenly divide the batter into the 2 pans.
7. bake at 345 for about 40 minutes, or until the top is resilient.
8. remove from the oven, let cool a little in the pans, then run a knife around the edge of the pans, and gently tip out the cakes and place on a cooling rack
9. I often let cakes cool before removing the baking parchment.




Thick Gooey Ganache Frosting:

You'll need an immersion blender or another blender for this ...

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup pitted honey dates
1 cup hot water (just boiled is good)
1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil


1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt


1/2 cup raw cacao



directions:
1. combine the hot water, dates, and coconut oil. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to fully soften dates.
2. add the sea salt and vanilla extract, and puree with an immersion blender until beautifully smooth,
3. stir in the cacao
4. cool. I stuck it in the refrigerator for a little while.
5. use. It was perfect for generously filling and frosting an 8 inch double decker round cake. Or eat by the spoonful. I dare ya. Double-dog, double-decker dare you.


When the cake is cool and the frosting chilled, assemble your cake. When you layer a cake, get an appropriate plate, and place the first layer top side down. The bottom side is flat and even, and makes a much more receptive layer for frosting. Some pros will shave off the top of the cake to make it flatter, but I'm of the flip-it-over school of cake layering. Put a generous portion of the frosting on the first layer, and spread it gently towards the edges. Top with the second layer, nesting it securely onto the bed of frosting you have put down. Make sure the second layer goes top side down, so the flat bottom (tee hee) is upper-most. Scoop frosting onto the second layer, and smooth out towards the edges, and along the sides. This part can take a little practice, but with patience your cake will look very nice. This frosting will show the painterly brush strokes of your application, and not a smooth glassy finish because it's a little sticky. If you want a really smooth glazed look, there is a glaze I made in the past for cake that will achieve that.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip -- 5 ingredients not including the salt/baking soda

Kim, Brooke, and Claire came over to play briefly yesterday. Brooke confessed that Claire had been wishing to make treats for him because in her 7 year old heart she felt it was terribly unfair that he couldn't have treats just because he's diabetic. They'd tried to make some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from a recipe they'd found online (using krisda chocolate chips which are sweetened only with erythritol and stevia and taste great) but the results were sadly inedible. So I thought I'd put together a batch of something that centred on almond flour. Kim and Brooke don't cook a lot so I wanted to make these with few ingredients. I'm not counting the salt and baking soda, or the water (is that cheating, Kim????????) These whipped up in a flash, baked in 20 minutes, and were out of the oven before the trio had to leave, so everyone got to enjoy some.

So, here they are. Five-ingredient chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. No high glycemic sweeteners. Lots of wonderful, blood-sugar stabilizing almond flour.  And all ingredients easy to come by. If you need nut free, just grind up some raw sunflower seeds into flour and use those instead. That is what I will be doing to transform these into a lunch-box treat come September.

They are super-duper-delicious, which to me is of the point of cookies, diabetic-friendly or no.

1 cup oatmeal (I used large flake)
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean (optional. OPTIONAL. DON'T HATE ME. You can use a tsp of extract if you want)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup water

1 cup krisda chocolate chips



1. combine ingredients excluding water and chocolate chips
2. stir well, then add water and mix into dough
3. add in chips, and stir well
4. scoop small balls of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet (I use silicone liners, but parchment works)
5. flatten with a wet fork into rounds

preheat oven and bake at 345 for 20 minutes

They stuck to the silicone mat a little bit, so it was best to let them cool before removing them with a stainless steel spatula.

makes approx 3 doz depending on size

Post-Op Chocolate Ice Cream -- vegan milk chocolate

Spoiled Rotten Kid wants this ice-cream as part of his post-op recovery. And what Spoiled Rotten Kid wants, Spoiled Rotten Kid gets. This is a pretty wonderful, creamy, chocolatey pleasure, and is an enduring favourite in our household.

ingredients:

2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup coconut oil (3/4 cup)

1  cup dates (pitted or take the pits out)

1/2 cup coconut nectar

2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup raw cacao
1 can coconut milk



directions:

1. combine the ingredients in a bowl not including the cacao and coconut milk, and allow to stand for a while to fully soften the dates
2. once the dates are soft, and the coconut oil is melted, use your hand blender to create a smooth concoction. If you have no hand blender, use your jar blender. If you have no jar blender, maybe this recipe is not for you.
3. once the mixture is fully incorporated and beautifully smooth, add the cacao and coconut milk, and blend again
4. allow to cool and then chill
5. freeze according to your ice cream freezer's manufacturers instructions.

Double Chocolate baby cakes -- cheeky monkey does a double take -- vegan, gluten free, and proud

Baby cakes are not cakes suitable for babies and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. Seriously. I found one of my recipes (ginger baby cakes) collected onto someone else's blog as cakes suitable for giving your one year old for their birthday. If you really want to give your baby a cake that is super spicy with fresh ginger, you are about one in a million if not one in a billion. I called 'em baby cakes because they are little. Like babies. Babies are little, relative to adults. Even baby blue whales are little when they stand beside mama blue. And baby cakes are little when they stand beside a lovely full-size layer cake.

These too are baby cakes, and most likely not appropriate for babies. These are super chocolatey. Cacao and chocolate chips give it the one-two punch of double chocolate goodness. Date chunks add a creamy hit of sweetness. Decadent!

I've been rocking this batter of chickpea flour and sunflower seed flour with a little tapioca and chia. It's soft, delicate, and structurally sound. Fabulosity.

So, for sweet, moist, chocolatey baby cakes of sinful divinity, check out my humbly boastful recipe, from my heart to yours.

Vegan, whole foods, plant based, nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, not dry, not gritty, just plain awesome. And good for you, if you can believe it. Read it and don't weep. Just ... enjoy.

ingredients:

3 cups water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup date sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup ground chia seeds
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

3/4 cup raw cacao

1 1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 cup ground sunflower seeds (sunflower seed flour)
1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chocolate chips

directions:

preheat your oven to 345

1. melt the coconut oil by adding it to 1 cup of warm water

2. add in the coconut sugar and date sugar

3. add in 2 cups of cold water

4. add the vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar

5. whisk in the ground chia, tapioca starch, raw cacao, sea salt, and ground vanilla bean

6. whisk in the chickpea flour

7. stir in the sunflower seed flour and the baking soda

8. mix in the chopped dates and chocolate chips (we used krisda)

9. scoop the batter into 24 prepared silicone muffin cups or lined muffin tins

10. bake at 345 for 35 or 40 minutes

bake 345 for 35-40 minutes

makes 24 baby cakes

Simple Chocolate Energy Bars for Brooke -- 5 ingredients (not including water, vanilla, or salt)

Kim and I came up with this simple, 5 ingredient recipe. Super easy.

If I look at a lot of my recipes with an objective outside perspective, I can see that many are complex and involved, with a whole lot of ingredients. Sure, they are delicious, and good for you. But not everyone has as many ingredients in their pantry as I. So, I shall be making some simpler recipes. I am looking at my life with the desire to simplify and eliminate unnecessary items. And with that simple desire in my heart, I offer you this simple recipe. Mixed mostly by hand. And made with loving kindness.

ingredients:

1/2 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup hot water

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup raw cacao

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground vanilla bean (optional!!!! delicious without. But I love vanilla)

2 cups almond meal or ground almonds

1/4 cup ground chia


directions

1. pulse the dates in the food processor until paste
2. mix dates and hot water in a bowl
3. add the coconut oil and let it melt
4. mix in the cacao, salt, vanilla bean
5. mix in the ground almonds
6. mix in the ground chia
7. press into a silicone pan, using parchment to flatten it nicely
8. cut using the edge of a metal spatula before chilling
9. chill in freezer
10. remove from pan and store in an airtight container in the fridge