Over Night Oats: Nut Butter & Chocolate

Overnight Oats: Nut Butter & Chocolate

Who needs a quick, easy, healthy and yummy breakfast idea? Pretty much EVERYONE! A great way to start your day is with oats. They're full of fiber which will leave you feeling full without a huge calorie load. They're also full of essential vitamins and minerals and have been shown to decrease risk of heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Count me in.

My favorite ways to eat oats in the morning are in waffles, baked oatmeal muffins or in overnight oats. 

It takes less than five minutes to assemble these babies, they're so easy my kids make them! Feel free to use whichever nut butter you like best, I switch between pb and almond but sometimes I'll go for cashew or walnut. My favorite non dairy milk is homemade cashew, but almond would be a great addition. 

You'll need:

2 T cacao

1/2 c nut butter (no oil)

1/2 c cashew milk

1/4 maple syrup

1 t vanilla

Pinch of sea salt

1 T chia seeds

2.5 c oats

Optional add-ins: dark chocolate chips, more seeds or chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients except chia seeds and oats until smooth, then use a spatula to combine oats and seeds until mixed. If the mixture is thick, add in more non-dairy milk. Makes 4 half pints.

Frosted B-raw-nies

My kids love anything with a chocolate flavor, especially when they know it's secretly good for them. One of my favorite quick "desserts" to make them are these Frosted B-raw-nies. They are great right out of the fridge and even better frozen. I'll be adding these to my boy's school lunches tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they'll eat them first!

You can find the recipe at http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/recipes/recipe-brawnies/ or in Dreena Burton's book, Let Them Eat Vegan. 

I love the recipe as is, but this time I subbed the agave for maple syrup and added ground flax seeds to the nut mixture for some added Omega 3's.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

3 c pastry flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1.5 T cinnamon

2 t nutmeg

1 t ginger

1/2 t cardamom

1/2 t allspice

1 t cloves

3/4 c coconut oil

1.5 c coconut sugar

2/3 c applesauce

1 c pumpkin purée

1 t vanilla

3 flax eggs (3 T ground flax seeds mixed with 9 T warm water)

1/4 c loosely chopped pumpkin seeds

Heat oven to 350F. "Grease" two loaf pans with coconut oil. Sift dry ingredients/spices into a large bowl. Whisk sugar and oil together then add in pumpkin, applesauce, flax eggs and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour/spices, mix with a spatula until just combined. Divide batter between the loaves, sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Red Curry Thai Tempeh Stir Fry

I graduated a month ago from the Rouxbe Plant-Based Certification Course. I learned so incredibly much in the course. I can't begin to grasp the plethora of information that was/is at my fingertips. I've heard that they might be adding more plant-based courses having to do with Raw Gastronomy and Pastry/Baking. If they do, you can be sure I'll be one of the first to sign up. 

During the course I gained a lot of confidence in my cooking skills. I suppose it was always there, but just lying dormant as I was nervous to branch out of my cozy little cooking bubble. Developing flavors was something I didn't know much about. Honestly, just in the last few years I've started integrating spices other than god ole salt and pepper into my cooking. 

This recipe has so many wonderful flavors and simple techniques. It's also my husband's favorite recipe that I wrote during the course. I am so happy to share it with you and I hope you love it as much as we do.

Red Curry Thai Tempeh Stir Fry

You'll need:

1-2 blocks organic tempeh, cut into thin slices (about 1/2" thick, 2" long)

3 T tamari

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 t salt

1 inch ginger, sliced

3 yellow potatoes, cubed

1 c cauliflower, separated into small florets

1 c broccoli, separated into small florets

1 c bell peppers, cut into strips

1/2 c carrots, julienned

1/2 c fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, minced

1 medium white onion, diced

3 T red curry paste

1 c coconut milk

2 medium tomatoes, diced

2 green onions, julienned

4 T coconut oil, for stir frying

To soften the tempeh and impart flavor, bring 5-6 cups of water to a simmer, add in the sliced ginger and garlic, tamari, salt and tempeh. Simmer for at least an hour. Once softened, drain the tempeh and let dry and cool down on a tray.

To make the stir fry, heat a wok over med-high heat, add in a tablespoon of coconut oil and stir fry the tempeh in two batches. Make sure to let both sides get evenly browned. Once the tempeh is fried, set aside. Now do the same with the yellow potatoes. After the potatoes are fried, add a little more coconut oil to the wok if necessary and then add in the white onions and carrots. After 1-2 minutes, add in the cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and bell peppers. When the vegetables are evenly cooked, add in the tomatoes and then the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until aromatic, around a minute. Next, add in the tempeh, potatoes, red curry paste and coconut milk. Stir until all of the veggies are evenly coated. Serve over warm basmati rice, or your favorite noodle and top with the julienned green onions.

Liebster Award Nomination

Thanks Soy Division for the nomination!

The Rules!

Answer the questions given and then come up with 10 new ones to ask your nominees.

Nominate 8 other blogs, let them know you have nominated them and put a link to their blog in your post. No Tag backs and nominees must have under 200 followers on any platform.

You must tell all the blogs that you nominate that you have nominated them.

Here are the questions that Becky and Sarah asked me:

What’s your favourite vegetable? I really love carrots. I grew orange, red and purple carrots in my garden this year. I love how sweet and versatile they are. 

Who’s your cooking idol? Chad Sarno, after taking the Rouxbe Professional Plant Based Course, I have so much more admiration and respect for him.

What’s your secret guilty food pleasure? Dark chocolate, hands down. 

What’s your food hate? Some may call me the worst vegan ever, but I really, really don't like squash.

What kitchen item can’t you live without? My vitamix, I use it daily and even take it with me when I travel.

You can have any famous person, living or dead round to dinner. Who do you pick and what vegan meal do you make for them? Alicia Silverstone, her book, The Kind Diet, jump started my relationship with veganism. I'd make her something simple, and nourishing, like miso soup full of veggies.

Life gives you lemons, what do you make? What wouldn't I make? Cashew alfredo, nut pate, and lemon cookies come to mind. Oh, and the Blueberry Lemon Loaf from Isa Does it.

What’s one non-vegan food item you’ve always wanted to make vegan? I'm going to veganize, for the first time, chicken fried steak later this week. I'm still working on the perfect seitan "steak".

What made you become vegan in the first place? My husband and I went to a book store on a date (yep, we're nerds) and we picked up The Kind Diet. What a life changer that book is.

What’s your favourite animal? I love them all but right now I have a huge fondness of deer. They have been hanging out in my backyard every morning now that the temps are getting cooler. I love watching them interact with each other, they are so very beautiful and graceful.

I'd like to nominate the following very awesome blogs:

Sugar Snap Snail

Brand New Vegan

Eatin Vegan in Smalltown USA

Sprouts and Chocolate

My Messy Vegan Kitchen

Tofu Sarah

Bake Eat Love

Sunshine and Kale




My questions to you are:

Is being vegan in your city easy or difficult?

What is your favorite non-fiction book pertaining to a vegan diet?

What is your go-to meal on a busy night?

What's your favorite cookbook?

Who is your favorite celebrity vegan?

What do you listen to when you cook?

Where do you get your protein? ;)

What's your favorite documentary?

Roasted Cauliflower Wings

One of my favorite spicy treats are Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, but sometimes I want them but don't feel like going through the process of battering them. I know, that's not that big of a process, but still. It takes time. So I decided to try them out as regular roasted cauliflower, just a little jazzed up. They were way better than I expected. 

If you prefer your cauliflower soft, don't cook them as long. I still wanted the chewiness of a "wing", that's why I let them roast beyond doneness.

You'll need:

1 head of cauliflower, separated into florets and then cut in half

1.5 c hot sauce

Preheat oven to 450F. Pour the sauce in a bowl, then dip each piece of cauliflower in the sauce, making sure to coat them evenly. Lay the coated pieces on a roasting pan, making sure they have enough space between them to cook evenly. Roast the cauliflower for 10 minutes and then turn each piece over. Be careful, they will be delicate and can fall apart. Brush more sauce on top of each piece before placing the pan back in the oven. Roast for 10-15 more minutes, or until desired texture is achieved. Serve with cashew ranch, it's a match made in heaven. 

Vegan Zuppa Toscana

A few years ago, when I would frequent Olive Garden, I loved ordering the soup and salad combo. It was always a toss up between the Minestrone and Zuppa Toscana. Usually Zuppa Toscana won out, and just recently a thought flickered into my head telling me to recreate the soup. Just a lot healthier and of course, vegan. It was actually really easy to put together, but is definitely not a "healthy" soup. Save this one for when you are feeling indulgent or when you want a really hearty soup that will leave you satisfied.

I chose to use this homemade veggie sausage recipe from Yumuniverse, feel free to use your favorite.

You'll need:

2 c cooked veggie sausage
4 russet or yellow potatoes, cubed
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 c veggie stock
1 c thick nut milk, I used homemade cashew
1/2 package veggie bacon, cooked (optional, but worth it, can use tempeh bacon for a gf option)
5 stalks de-stemmed and roughly chopped fresh kale (spinach would be great, too)
coconut oil for sauteeing

Cook your veggie bacon and sausage (large crumbles) in a large stock pot, seperately in the coconut oil. Set aside. Saute the onion, in the pot, until translucent then add in the garlic and saute for an extra minute. Deglaze the pot with the veggie stock then add in your potatoes. Cook on medium until potatoes are almost tender, then add in the veggie sausage, half of the bacon and the kale. Add in the cashew milk and season with salt and pepper. Once the soup is ladled into bowls, top with the extra veggie bacon. Enjoy! 

Choco-PB Breakfast Cookies

I'm always looking for an easy breakfast for my kids. I usually make double batches of waffles, pancakes or muffins on lazy days but that can get boring.  A few years ago, before we cleaned up our diets, a quick breakfast I would give the kids was a popular, store-bought "breakfast cookie" that I thought looked healthy. I was incredibly wrong. They were full of GMOs, trans fats, artificial colors and flavors, and a whole mess of chemicals. My version of breakfast cookies contain none of that and are made with only 7 ingredients. They're also naturally gluten free. Add the delicious glaze if you feel the need to indulge a bit, they are tasty either way.

Choco-PB Breakfast Cookies

For the cookie

1 c ground oats (can be ground in a food processor, blender or coffee grinder)
1 1/2 c old fashioned oats
1 c nut butter (I used PB)
1/4 c maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt (my favorite is real salt)
3 ripe, smashed bananas 
1/3 c dark chocolate chips 

For the glaze

2 T maple syrup
2 T cacao
1 tsp coconut oil
2 T peanut butter

Preheat your oven to 350F. Mix the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon until combined. Add in the salt, ground and whole oats, stirring until incorporated, then fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon 1/3 c batter onto baking sheet, making large, round cookies, 2-3 inches wide. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. (sometimes I broil them on low for a minute to get a golden color on top) 

Let cool on a wire rack before adding the glaze.

To make the glaze, I used a double broiler, added all of the ingredients to the bowl and whisked until combined. Spoon the mixture into a ziploc bag, snip a tiny corner off the bag for piping, and decorate the cookies in whatever pattern you like.

This recipe makes 10 large cookies.

Salad Ideas

As a healthy eater, I get asked a lot, "Do you eat anything besides salads?" Yes, yes, I do. But I also DO eat A LOT of salads. I know they are very good for my skin, digestive system and overall health, but they can get very boring. So, here are a few samples of the salads that my family and I eat.

Raw walnut taco salad has become one of our new favorites. Just process 2 c walnuts until they are small pieces, add in 3 green onions, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 bell pepper, juice of 1 lime, 1 T chili powder, 1 T cumin and 1 t oregano. Pulse until combined. I serve it with guacamole or cashew ranch.

Leftover falafel is amazing on top of a salad. Served with cashew ranch and lemon marinated cucumbers and tomatoes.

    

Black beans, lime juice, tortilla chips and spicy cashew ranch give a regular salad some kick.

There is nothing wrong with some pretty greens, colorful veggies and your favorite dressing.

Italian Pasta Salad, my favorite to take to parties.

Red potato salad with Cashew Aioli, capers, white beans, spinach, arugula and red bell peppers is a family favorite. 

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

My husband is in love with spicy food. He puts jalapenos on almost everything. So needless to say, he is always asking for dinners with a little more kick. These buffalo cauliflower bites are one of his favorite things, seriously, he asks me to make them daily weekly. I'd like to say these are healthy, but the cauliflower really doesn't rule out the high salt content, so we limit how many of these we eat. 

You could definitely lower the heat factor of the sauce by adding in some coconut oil or vegan margarine. I love serving the bites with some cashew ranch and organic celery.

After cutting up the cauliflower, you'll thoroughly cover them in a simple batter and then bake the pieces.

You'll need:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
1 c flour (whole wheat, brown rice, chickpea, etc)
3/4 c nut milk or water (I use cashew milk)
2 t garlic powder
1 c cayenne based hot sauce

Let's get started!

Preheat your oven to 425F. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, nut milk and garlic powder together. Dredge each piece of cauliflower in the batter and lay on a sheet pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned, and let them cool for 5 minutes. Add all of the pieces to a large bowl and then pour hot sauce on top. Gently mix the cauliflower around until all are covered with sauce. Pour the cauliflower back onto the sheet pan and bake for an additional 5 minutes. 

Tropical Green Smoothie

Iron is essential in keeping our bodies healthy. It strengthens our immune systems, treats insomnia and helps with concentration. It's also a key factor in preventing anemia. What you may not know is that for our bodies to absorb Iron properly, Iron-rich foods (plant based ones, like whole grains, beans and veggies) should be accompanied by Vitamin C rich foods when eaten. When digested together they form a compound that makes the Iron more absorbable. This Tropical Green Smoothie gives you the best of both world.

I recently bought a case of oranges and had planned to juice them all. But then I got to thinking about how Iron needs Vitamin C  to be absorbed and then this smoothie was born. I was very surprised at how tasty it was because I put a lot of spinach in it. But the sweetness of the fruit really mellowed out the bitterness of the greens.

You'll need: 

2 c fresh, baby spinach
2 bananas, fresh or frozen
1 c pineapple, fresh or frozen
1 c freshly squeezed orange juice (I hand-squeezed 3 oranges)

Let's get started!

Blend the orange juice and spinach until smooth. Add in the fruit and blend until creamy. This makes about 3 cups.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

In the winter, I make soup 4-5 times a week. It's my favorite go-to meal and with a little help from the slow cooker, it makes my nights a bit less busy. I've been making this soup for years, but recently cut out chunks of tomato in favor of adding just tomato paste. My kids enjoy it much better that way. For some reason the chunks of tomato were not appealing to them. This recipe is very easy, yet flavorful, I hope you enjoy it.

To make life simpler, grab a bag of organic mixed veggies instead of cleaning and chopping fresh.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

You'll need:

1 jar of tomato paste, such as Bionaturae

1 c chopped carrots

1 c chopped celery

1/2 c peas

1/2 c corn 

4 c vegetable broth, or more

1 chopped bell pepper

5 cloves garlic, pressed or smashed

1 c green beans

1 medium onion, chopped

4 red potatoes, quartered

Option: add in your favorite beans

Let's get started!

For stove top

Throw your onions, garlic, celery and bell peppers in a pot ( medium heat) with 1/2 c of water and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add in the rest in the rest of the veggies, tomato paste and broth, and let boil for 10 minutes. Lower heat and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, or until everything is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

For slow cooker

Throw all ingredients into a slow cooker and set for 6 hours. That's it! 

Raw Cheesecake with Almond and Cacao

This cheesecake is delicious and easy to make. It's perfect for when you want something sweet but don't want the naughty feelings afterwards. Made with no gluten, no oil and no refined sugar, you'd think it would taste bland and boring, but that's definitely not true. Dates, almond butter and cacao give this little cake an enormously scrumptious flavor. A dehydrator isn't necessary and all you need is a blender, food processor and a freezer. 

You'll need:

Crust

1 c raw cashews

1 c raw almonds

1 c soft, pitted dates

2 T cacao powder

Filling

2 c soaked, raw cashews

2 T raw almond butter, like Artisana

1/4 c lemon juice

1/2 c date paste* or raw coconut nectar, such as Coconut Secret

1 c water

1 t vanilla bean powder or 2 t vanilla extract

1 t cacao powder

* date paste: 2 cups pitted and softened dates blended with 2 c water

Let's get started!

To make the crust, pulse the almonds and cashews until they are broken down into small pieces. Add in the dates and cacao and pulse until combined and the mixture holds its shape. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a spring-form pan, or for mini cakes, press into the bottom and sides of a muffin tin. 

To make the filling, blend all of the ingredients except the cacao powder until smooth and silky. Pour all of the mixture, except 1/4 c, over your crust. Add the tsp of cacao to the leftover mixture and blend until combined. 

Now comes the fun part. With a spoon, drizzle the filling over the cake, in lines. Try to get them as close together as you can. They definitely don't have to be perfect, because you are about to mess them up.

Now, grab a toothpick, or a skewer, and use it to make perpendicular lines through the batter, changing direction every line (up and down).

After you've finished decorating your cheesecake, cover it and place in the freezer for 4-5 hours to set. Let it thaw out for 15 minutes before cutting. The cheesecake can be stored in the freezer for up to two weeks. I usually cut it up and store slices individually for easy access. 

Spicy Tempeh Hash

I love a good breakfast. But who doesn't? Growing up in the South, a staple for breakfast was always potatoes, some kind of meat, a bread with gravy and eggs. Sometimes fruit. Now that our family eats plant based, I usually make pancakes with a smoothie for breakfast. I can hide so many healthy ingredients in pancakes! But having the same thing over and over again definitely gets boring. So when I came across this recipe in the Vegetarian Times, I was overjoyed. We don't eat much soy, but every so often I"ll cook with organic tempeh.

I pretty much followed the recipe as written, I just added sage and more paprika, peppers and onions. I also used organic coconut oil instead of canola. I doubled the recipe for our family of 5. I served it with some Ezekeil sprouted toast and fruit and fresh juice. It was a hit. And very easy to make.

Peary Green Smoothie

This is my kids' favorite smoothie… even though it's green! At first, I just told them that the green came from the pears, until they caught me adding spinach in!

Smoothies are a great way to start your day. You literally just drink your vitamins and your meal. They are my go-to breakfast if we are in a hurry or to take along with us. I just pop an Eco Jarz lid on and off we go. And if, at the end of the day, I feel like I haven't had enough nutrients, I'll make a quick smoothie before bed or even as dinner (an extra large one!)

This smoothie is very, very simple. 

You'll need…

1 pear, cored
2 c fresh spinach
1 frozen banana
1/2-1 c nut milk

Blend nut milk and spinach until smooth. Add in the pear and banana, and blend until smooth. Drink up!

Healthy (and clumpy) Granola

Every time I've made granola, it quickly became crumbly and hard to snack on. I wanted it to be used for more than cereal. I wanted it to be more like store bought granola without all of the added processing and ingredients. 

This morning, as I was adding ground flax seeds to my pancake batter, it hit me. Flax "eggs" could bind my granola and make pieces! 

A flax egg looks like this:

Kinda weird, but it works. 

To make the granola, combine all of your favorite ingredients in a large bowl. 

Then add in your flax eggs. 

It won't feel too thick, but will definitely thicken up in the oven. 

Then bake your granola, let cool, and store in an air right jar. 

You'll need ...

3 c rolled oats

1/4 c quinoa

1/2 dried fruit ( I used cranberries)

1/2 c liquid sweetener, like maple syrup, brown rice syrup or coconut nectar

2 flax eggs (1/4 c ground flax seeds mixed with 1/2 c warm water)

1/2 c chopped nuts/seeds

Lets get started!

Preheat your oven to 350*. Mix all ingredients, in a large bowl, until well combined. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and "grease" with coconut oil to prevent the granola from sticking. Spread your granola evenly on the pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown, stirring 1-2 times.