Punkin’ Seeds!

Those of you carving pumpkins with your little ones (or big ones!) this Halloween, don’t throw out those delicious and nutritious pumpkin seeds! They make great snacks that are rich in fiber and kids love them! They are super easy to make too.

When you’re done carving, simply clean off any big pumpkin bits from the seeds and toss them in a bowl with whatever seasoning you wish, the options are really endless and you can be super creative! (I love vegan butter, cinnamon & coconut or maple sugar, for a sweet treat or olive oil and salt ‘n’ pepper for a more salty treat!), preheat the oven to 350, spread seeds on a large cookie sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes. (Just keep checking them so they don’t burn.)

It’s a healthy and yummy treat.

xoxo

Becky

Autumn Pumpkin Spice Loaf

Pumpkin. It’s a Fall staple in households everywhere. I know it is in mine, anyways, When I say Mike loves all things pumpkin, that would be a bit of an under statement. Obsessed would be a better description of how he feels towards the large, orange treat.

This recipe is perfect for those crisp, fall days. Enjoy!

xoxo

Becky

Autumn Pumpkin Spice Loaf

(Vegan & Gluten Free!)

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose GF Flour
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon pink sea salt

 

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 can Farmer’s Market Organic pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/3 cup refined coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips (vegan)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly oil the bottom of your loaf pan. In a medium-size bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

 In a separate bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients together.

 Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir together.

 Pour the batter into the pan. Bake in the center of oven for 45-60 minutes. Bread is done when you stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out squeaky clean!

 Let the loaf cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan and enjoy your lovely treat 😉

Maple Roasted Veggie Recipe

In honor of Canada Day (which is today, to all of you non-Canadian type people), I wanted to share a lovely & yummy roasted veggie recipe infused with the wonderful (and very Canadian) flavor of maple! Enjoy and Happy Canada Day, eh! (We don’t for reals say that…)

xoxo

Becky

Maple Roasted Veggie Recipe 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 2-1/2 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 head)
• 9 ounces Brussels sprouts, halved (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a baking pan, evenly scatter sweet potatoes, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. In a small pan,  place butter, maple syrup, salt, and pepper; heat until butter melts. Pour over vegetables and stir. Cook in the oven until tender, about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through! Easy peasy!

Easy Vegan Cooking & Baking Guide

If you’re thinking about going vegan for health reasons or looking for new meal options, here are four easy tips I’ve used to convert recipes vegan! Vegan cooking or baking doesn’t have to be scary, guys. For reals.

xoxo

Becky

Egg replacers

• Ener-G brand or Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacers
• Silken tofu
• Bananas & Applesauce (for baked goods)
• Vinegar & baking soda
• Flaxseed whipped into water

Protein replacers

• Tempeh
• Tofu (extra or super firm)
• Seitan
• Gardein
• Eggplant
• Mushrooms
• Veggies
• Beans & Legumes
• Nuts & Seeds

Dairy replacers

• Nut & Seed milks (almond, cashew, hemp, flax or macadamia)
• Soy milk
• Coconut milk
• Coconut butter
• Any non-dairy cheese (Daiya is my favorite)
• Non-dairy cream cheese
• Earth Balance All Natural Spread
• Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Organic Sour Cream

Healthy Oil Upgrades

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Sunflower oil
• Walnut oil
• Sesame oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Safflower oil

Raw Coconut Macaroons

I’ve been reading Kimberly Snyder’s book “Beauty Detox Foods” and absolutely adore it. One of my fave sweet treat flavors, is coconut. And these lovelies are raw, vegan & gluten free. Win-Win-Win.

xoxo

Becky

Raw Coconut Macaroons

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp raw coconut sugar (used instead of stevia)
• 1/2 cup raw coconut nectar
• pinch of sea salt

 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the coconut flakes, cacao powder, coconut sugar, sea salt, and vanilla extract.  Add the coconut nectar last and mix well until everything is well-combined.
2. Scoop a small amount into hands and roll into shape.  This step is a bit messy as the coconut nectar is quite sticky, but that’s part of the fun of cooking!
3. Place macaroons into the freezer for a few hours.  Sprinkle with some extra coconut flakes and serve cold.

Raw Apple Pie Energy Bites

Energy bites are simply a fantastic invention. They are quick, easy, and oh so tasty. These ones are lovely too because it’s like eating mini apple pies, that are actually good for you! Imagine that.

xoxo

Becky

Raw Apple Pie Energy Bites

(Vegan & GF)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups medjool dates, soaked & pitted
• 1 cup dried apple rings
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup whole roasted flax seeds
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Soak your dates in warm water for a couple of minutes. This will aid in the pitting process and make it easier. Once you dates have soaked, drain them and pit them all.
2. Place your pitted dates into a food processor with your apple rings and process on high until they come together.
3. Add in your almonds, cashews, flax seeds and cinnamon. Process on high again for a couple of minutes until a sticky dough like mixture has formed and your nuts and seeds have broken down quite a bit.
4. After everything has come together, you can use your hands to form the dough into balls. I like to make mine about a tablespoon each.
5. Place them in the freezer for an hour or so to allow them to firm up, then enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Crunch Muffins

Some say muffins are the cupcakes of the adult world. If that’s true, I say let them eat cupcakes! 😉

xoxo

Becky

(Gluten free & Vegan)

Dry:

• 1 cup brown teff flour
• 1 & 1/3 cups almond flour

• 1/2 cup Tapioca Starch

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup organic coconut sugar

 

Wet:

• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp egg replacer powder whisked with 1/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced (1 cup)

 

Streusel-esk topping:

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp non-dairy buttery spread like Earth Balance

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a muffin tin with liners.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and water and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

4. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (except for apple). Add the wet to dry and with an electric mixer, beat until combined. It will be like a very thick cake batter. Fold in the peeled and diced apple.

5. Using a spoon, distribute the batter evenly among the liners to make a dozen.

6. Sprinkle the streusel and bake in the oven at 375F for 27-28 minutes or until muffin slowly springs back when touched. Cool in the pan for only 5 minutes (longer and it will get soggy!) before transferring to a wire rack until completely cool. The muffins will break apart if you unwrap them before they are cooled, so be sure to cool them for at least 30 minutes. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Vegan Almond Butter Fudge

Oh man guys, I love fudge. Creamy, yummy, lovely fudge. This recipe is a tad different than your average fudge recipe, and that’s what makes it special! These fudge bars are creamy, dreamy and delicious. (Did I mention they are vegan and gluten free as well? Well they are! Yep.)

You’ll be kicking yourself for offering to share them, they are THAT good.

xoxo

Becky

Vegan Almond Butter Fudge

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 20

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw creamy almond butter (unsalted)
• ¼ cup coconut oil, softened
• 1½ Tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, until smooth and creamy.
2. Transfer the mixture to a square baking dish, lined with plastic wrap, then smooth with a spatula, and freeze until solid, about an hour.
3. Remove the fudge by lifting the plastic wrap out of the pan, then cut into squares.
4. Return the fudge squares to a sealed container, and store in the freezer until ready to eat!

My Secret Obsession

Ok, it’s no real secret. I love chocolate! Who doesn’t though, right? Sometimes, a girl just needs a sugar fix. Makes me feel naughty. Wink. Since going vegan though, it’s hard to find a quick fix chocolate bar treat that I can actually eat! Everything has either too much sugar or some sort of dairy in it. Which just doesn’t fly with me. Also, I have been craving mint chocolate these days, which just makes it harder to find something I can eat and that’s tasty.

Well my lovely bloggy blog readers, I found it! The Holy Grail of mint chocolate bars. O-M-Goodness, did I ever find it.

Theobroma. Best chocolate bar I’ve evah had. Their 60% dark mint leaves is beyond amazing and not only is it vegan (I thought only 70% and higher had no dairy, but I was wrong!) but it’s also natural, organic, gluten free and GMO free! And, it tastes like heaven. It’s not too dark, so it’s not bitter and it’s not just mint flavoring. There are actual for reals mint leaves right in the bar, so it adds a really unique texture as well.

Only down side to this, is that I’ve only found it at my local organic store and it’s more money than your average bar. But it’s so rich, you don’t need alot of it so it lasts a while. May I also suggest using it for a sexy fruit fondu! Yummy. I’m also going to work this chocolate into some delish recipes for the future, so watch for those!

Theobroma’s delightful dark chocolate will astound you with its full force of flavor. Combined with the natural flavor of real mint leaves, this leaves other mint chocolates in the dust. Seriously, it’s amazing. I think it’s the texture that puts it over the top. Nothing beats something that’s pure and natural. The ingredients are simple and easy to pronounce too 😉 Organic Fair Trade Cocoa Mass, Organic Fair Trade Cane Sugar, Organic Fair Trade Cocoa Butter, and Mint. That’s it. Oh! And did I mention that the entire bar is only 400 calories?! Which is by far the least amount of calories I’ve seen in a chocolate bar this good.

So if you are lucky enough to see this while you’re out and about, treat yourself and thank me later 😉

xoxo

Becky

Vegan Cooking & Baking Substitutions

I came across an article on VegNews that I really wanted to share. It’s all about vegan substitutes for cooking and baking! It can sometimes be hard to keep track of how and what to do when it comes to vegan substitutions, so I hope this guide helps 🙂

xoxo

Becky

Vegan Cooking & Baking Substitutions

Ban Butter
What it does: In baking, butter adds flavor and a rich and sometimes a spongy texture. It also helps baked goods rise evenly and adds to both the density and sweetness.
How to substitute: Butter is extremely easy to substitute in vegan baking. If baking a recipe that has natural spice or flavor to it, such as spice cookies or gingerbread, olive oil or untoasted sesame oil work well. Unrefined coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature) can add the thickness that butter would, and canola oil works in recipes with liquid sugars (think maple syrup) or solid fats, such as groundnuts or chocolates in cakes. Vegan shortening works well with cookies and piecrusts. And of course, there’s vegan margarine, which creates the buttery taste so many desserts require.

Move Over, Milk
What it does: Milk adds flavor and richness and creates texture in baking.
How to substitute: Milk is definitely the easiest to substitute in vegan baking, as many non-dairy milks already exist. Full-fat soymilk will help create the richness of whole milk, while rice milk is lighter. Almond milk sometimes can add a subtle almond taste, as can coconut milk, and both will contribute to the richness of a recipe. For added vanilla oomph, try vanilla-flavored non-dairy milk.

Oust Eggs
What it does: Eggs add moisture and act as a binding agent in baking. They are also a leavening agent, helping food to rise during baking.
How to substitute: Milk might be the easiest ingredient to sub, but a close second goes to egg substitutes. Ground flax seeds are a popular substitute that are also nutritious—three tablespoons of water to one tablespoon of ground flax seeds equates to one egg. Mashed banana and applesauce are other healthy alternatives that completely cut out the cholesterol eggs add to baking. Baking powder, baking soda, and vinegar are also aces. And soy yogurt is a creative way to replace eggs and can add a rich texture to your baking, as can puréed black beans.

Hit the Road, Honey
What it does: Honey acts as a natural sweetener. It also helps to brown your baked goods, adds color, and retains moisture.
How to substitute: Simply reach for other viscous liquids, such as maple syrup or rice syrup. They add the same natural sweetness and contribute to the browning effects. You can try cooking them a little to simmer out some of the water to create a thicker syrup too.

Can It, Cream
What it does: Cream creates a smooth and sometimes fluffy texture in baked goods. It adds richness, and can make for a satin-like quality.
How to substitute: The richness of coconut milk can make a good replacement for cream. For a homemade replacement, blend one-part cashews and one part water until smooth. There are also a variety of non-dairy creams and creamers on the market.