Archive for Snacks
Lemon Blueberry Mini Loaves
Apr 03 2013 by | Comments
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I’ve been in a breakfast rut lately and I’ve been looking for a much needed change of pace. One look at these amazing mini loaves and I knew I had found my newest obsession. I’m a big fan of the lemon blueberry combination and I love the thick, dense cake like texture of these loaves. This might just be one of my favorite Living On The Veg recipes! Enjoy.
As a child, I remember my mother being a fan of lemon flavored desserts, and I was a fan of dessert in general, so I became fond of this flavor as well. As an adult and chef, I have grown to appreciate the combination of fragrant citrus with a sweet touch, and continue to use this harmonious combination in many of the recipes I create. Spring is a refreshing season, the flowers in bloom, and the aromatic breeze enlighten our senses, and that what I have created with this recipe, thanks Mom!
~Chef Matthew from Living On The Veg
Ingredients:
- 2 cups garbanzo-fava bean flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups hot water
- 2/3 cup melted extra virgin coconut oil
- 1 cup + 3 tbsp coconut crystals, divided
- 3/4 cup So Easy Applesauce
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp vanilla powder
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease loaf pans with coconut oil, and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the garbanzo flour, potato starch, arrowroot powder, baking powder and soda, sea salt and xanthan gum. Whisk gently to combine well.
- In a small bowl blend together the applesauce, vanilla powder, coconut crystals, lemon juice and zest. Add to the dry ingredients, as well as the coconut oil, and hot water. Bring together with a spatula and mix well.
- Once throughly mixed add in the fresh blueberries and fold in gently. Portion into loaf pans, top with a sprinkle of coconut crystals and place in the oven on the center rack.
- Bake for 15 minutes, rotate, and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or until done. The finished loaves will be golden and bounce back when pressure is gently applied to center.
Yield:
Makes 6-8 loaves depending on the pan that is used.
Notes:
Once cooled stored leftover loaves in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Sugar Cookie Almond Butter
Mar 22 2013 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
I love making my own almond butter. Not only is it cheaper than buying it premade but you can make so many yummy varieties. Here’s my current favorite. So simple yet so delicious!
~Sarah
Ingredients:
- 2 cups roasted almonds (you can use raw almonds but roasted adds a great flavor)
- 1/4 cup coconut crystals
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp sea salt (if using salted almonds you can omit this)
Preparation:
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth creamy mixture.
Yield:
Makes 1 cup.
Notes:
Store almond butter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Pineapple Coconut Muffins
Mar 20 2013 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
Whoever thought up the idea of Sunday brunch is a genius in my opinion. You sleep in, run, hike, bike, go to church or whatever your favorite thing is and then you have the best of both breakfast and lunch all combined into one fabulous meal. Easter brunch is the best of all brunches and my absolute favorite. We have here for your brunching pleasure sweet muffins bursting with sunny tropical flavors. Happy Spring!
Kristy
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut crystals
- 1/4 cup lucuma powder (see notes)
- 4 tbsp powdered soy milk
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, reserve juice
- 1 banana, mashed
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper or foil cups. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add all of the ingredients except the pineapple and banana. Stir well.
- Add the pineapple, banana and 1/2 cup of the reserved pineapple juice. Stir to combine. Add more juice if the mixture seems too thick.
- Spoon into prepared muffin pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Yield:
Makes 18 muffins. Serving size 1 muffin.
Notes:
If you don’t have lucuma powder or haven’t heard of it before it is well worth purchasing. Lucuma is an exotic fruit native to the Peruvian Andes and is considered to be a superfood as it contains potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. Lucuma has a sweet flavor like caramel or maple. It’s great in baking, smoothies, ice cream and so much more.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or freeze for up to a month.
Three Seed Pate
Mar 13 2013 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
Have you heard the birds singing lately? They always seem to me to sing most joyfully in spring. Well, all that joyful warbling got me thinking about the seeds the birds eat and seeds got me thinking about how I like seeds as much as the birds do. So, here is a little pate I whipped up to celebrate spring. Three healthful seeds combined with bright lemon and ginger and a little herbaceous parsley to add a touch of fresh green the color of new leaves budding out on the trees. It’s no wonder the birds are singing so beautifully with so much goodness and beauty to be thankful for. Enjoy!
Kristy
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp Nama Shoyu or other soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chickpea miso or other yellow miso
Preparation:
- Soak the sunflower and pumpkin seeds overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse well. Place in the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the hemp seeds, garlic and ginger. Process until ground, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and creamy.
- Spread on your favorite crackers, roll in collard greens, use as a dip for veggies, spread on bread with tomato and lettuce for a delicious sandwich or any way you choose.
Yield:
Makes about 12 servings. Serving size 1/4 cup.
Notes:
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Herbed Yam Bread
Mar 08 2013 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
You are going to love this week’s recipe from our favorite chefs at Living On The Veg! One of my most favorite things to use my dehydrator for is making raw breads. There is nothing quite like them and ‘regular’ bread never comes close to the intense flavors that raw breads deliver. If you’ve never made bread in a dehydrator before then this is a great recipe to start with. It’s a fairly simple recipe and the flavor and texture is wonderful. You can use your ‘bread’ for sandwiches, cut into crackers or just eat it plain (as I usually do cause it’s so good I can’t wait long enough to make anything with it!). Enjoy!
Bread, how I love thee, but how bad you are for me with your dwarf strain of wheat that was created in a test tube by genetic research in the 1970′s. Yes, this dwarf wheat has become the dominant strain of wheat in the food supply because it yields nearly 10 times the quantity of wheat per acre than the older strains of wheat not subject to artificial genetic manipulation. The problem is this new Frankenstein strain of wheat has something in it that older strains of wheat do not have: Giladin. Giladin is a protein found in this dwarf wheat that is an opiate and also an appetite stimulant. Giladin binds into the opiate receptors in your brain and in most people stimulates appetite. It gets you high AND it makes you hungry. Double bonus for the food industry! The more you eat, the more you want to eat. If you wanted to make a laboratory animal obese, one of the fastest ways would be to feed it wheat.
The way to get around this? Make your own wheat free bread of course! Here is a raw version that is versatile for sandwiches of most any variety. Save it in a sealed container in the fridge and it will last for a couple of weeks. Also, check out the work of preventive cardiologist Dr. William Davis and his incredible book “Wheat Belly”. You can find it here on Amazon.
~ Chef Fuji from Living On The Veg
Ingredients:
- 5 cups yam, chopped, peeled or unpeeled (for this recipe I left the skins on)
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp physllium husk powder
- 1/4 cup ground flax or chia seeds
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp dried dill
Preparation:
- Place all the ingredients except the physllium husk and flax/chia seeds into a blender and process until smooth. Add small amounts of water to facilitate blending if necessary.
- Pour the dough into a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth and the dough starts to stick to itself.
- Spread the dough between 2 teflex dehydator sheets and dehydrate at 115 degrees until the top is dry, about 6 hours.
- Flip the dough onto a mesh dehydrator screen and score with a knife or pizza cutter into desired size.
- Place back in the dehydrator for another 10 hours or more or until the bread is dry but pliable.
- Enjoy as a sandwich with hummus and veggies or eat as is – you’ll find many uses for this amazing bread!
Yield:
Makes approximately 18 pieces of 3 x 3 slices.
Notes:
This bread will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge if stored in a sealed, airtight container.
Chewy Coconut Caramel
Mar 06 2013 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
A while back I was thinking of a special treat to make for Sarah’s birthday and remembered how much she loves caramel. I made this recipe for her but Cliff ended up liking it even more than Sarah. It’s now become an all around family favorite.
Kristy
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups coconut crystals
- 1 cup coconut nectar
- 2 cans coconut milk (not light)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder or scrape 1 vanilla bean
- course sea salt
Preparation:
- 24-36 hours ahead of time place the cans of coconut milk in the back of the refrigerator. After refrigerating carefully remove and open the cans. Spoon out the top layer of thick cream to equal 1 cup (save the leftover for smoothies or curries).
- Prepare a 9 inch square pan (not glass) by lining with parchment paper.
- Combine the milk with the remaining ingredients (see tip below) except the salt in a pot with tall sides (the caramel will bubble up as it cooks).
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat to keep from boiling over but high enough to keep a rolling boil.
- Using a candy thermometer cook until you reach 250 degrees usually about 30 minutes.
- Pour into the prepared pan and let cool until set. Some oil will pool on the top that you can lightly dab away with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Remove to a flat surface and cut into bite size pieces. Wrap in wax paper.
Yield:
Approximately 60 pieces. The yield will depend on how big (or small) you cut your pieces.
Notes:
A helpful trick for measuring the sticky coconut nectar is to measure the coconut cream first, pour it into the pan and then measure the nectar in the same measuring cup used for the milk. The nectar will slide right out into the pan without sticking to the side of the cup.
Store candy at room temperature. Caramels will keep for about 2-3 weeks stored in a dark, cool place (like a pantry or cupboard).
Cinnamon Vanilla Banana Bread
Dec 19 2012 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
This past week we’ve been hit with some rainy weather and it always puts me in the mood for a nice warm breakfast. My kids love banana bread so I played around with my standard recipe and created this delicious cinnamon vanilla infused bread. It’s perfect for those rainy or snowy winter mornings.
~Sarah
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (safflower, canola, etc)
- 1/2 cup non dairy milk of your choice
- 1/2 cup raw coconut crystals
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean powder (you can sub with 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 1/2 tbsp water
- pinch or two sea salt
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl whisk together the ground flax seed and water and let sit for 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Place the flour, coconut crystals, vanilla powder (if using vanilla extract skip for now and add to the wet ingredients), cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and mix well.
- Add the oil and almond butter to a small bowl and mix well. Stir in the mashed bananas, milk and soaked flax seeds.
- Empty the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Place the mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Yield:
Makes 1 loaf (1.5 quart dish size) or 8 slices.
Notes:
Leftover banana bread can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave if desired.
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Nov 21 2012 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
I have lusted over Nutella for many years and now Jif has gotten in the market with their own version of this creamy dreamy spread and tempted me yet again. You would think that hazelnuts and chocolate would speak for themselves but no……both Nutella and Jif’s first 2 listed ingredients are sugar and oil and Jif sinks even further with other unhealthy and unnecessary ingredients.
I wanted the delicious rich flavor of the toasted hazelnuts to be the star of the show so they are the main ingredient. I’ve also used chocolate cacao powder (a good antioxidant source as well as vitamins and minerals) and mesquite powder (rich in fiber, protein, potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium) to add a little more sweetness and flavor. What a bonus to get a little extra nutrition in such a sweet delight!
Mmm, I love apples topped with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. What’s your favorite way to use it?
Kristy
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw hazelnuts (filberts)
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (coconut milk add a nice flavor)
- 1/4 cup chocolate cacao powder
- 1/8 cup mesquite powder
- 1 tbsp raw coconut nectar (add more if you want it a little sweeter)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 10 minutes, stir then turn off the oven, leaving the nuts inside to toast another 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully so the nuts don’t burn.
- Transfer the nuts to a dish towel. Fold the towel over the nuts and rub to get the skins off. You probably won’t get all of the skins off but a little left on won’t be a problem.
- Place the nuts and the rest of the ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, tamping down the mixture as needed until you have a smooth consistency.
- Spread on toast, dip pretzels, apple slices, bananas, pears, celery in it, use as a topping on cupcakes or waffles. The possibilities are endless.
Yield:
Makes approximately 2 cups.
Notes:
Store the spread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. You can also freeze in small batches for longer storage.
Homemade Pixy Sticks
Oct 31 2012 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
When I was younger I used to love pixy stick candy. I remember going to sporting events and sitting in the bleachers and downing stick after stick. I cringe now when I think of all that sugar I consumed. After all, a traditional Pixy Stick is nothing but sugar that is artificially flavored to taste like fruit. Thanks to Pinterest, I found a simple and tasty way to recreate this fun treat. I added my own twist to make both a traditional sweet treat and a sour variety as well. My kids have never had Pixy Sticks before and they absolutely loved these. The flavors are endless and so is the fun!
~Sarah
Ingredients:
- freeze dried fruit of your choice *see notes
- paper straws
- 1 lemon
Preparation:
- To make a sour Pixy Stick you’ll need to plan this first step in advance. Slice the lemon into thin slices and place in your food dehydrator. Set to 115 degrees and let ‘cook’ for 24 hours or until throughly dehydrated.
- Place a few slices of the dehydrated lemon in a powerful blender and process until you have a fine powder. Set aside. Repeat this process with the freeze dried fruit of your choice.
- Carefully bend one end of each paper straw to create a seal.
- For a sweet treat use a funnel to transfer the freeze dried fruit powder into the straw. For a sour treat mix together a bit of the lemon powder with the freeze dried fruit powder. Transfer to a paper straw with the funnel.
Nutritional Info:
Nutritional info will vary depending on what fruit is used.
Notes:
To make my Pixy Sticks I used an organic product from the Just Tomatoes Ect! product line. You can find their full range of organic products here. I want to mention that while you can find their products in many stores, it’s much harder to find their organic line. It’s been only recently that their organic products have been added to the shelves.
Pumpkin Waffles
Oct 10 2012 by | CommentsAdd to Recipe Box
It wouldn’t be October (and Vegan MoFo) without a pumpkin recipe. At least not for me. I try to take advantage of the fresh pumpkins that are available at this time of year and make as many recipes with pumpkin as I can. This is one of my favorites. I make these Pumpkin Waffles on the sweet side so they don’t need any syrup or other topping which makes them a perfect on the go breakfast or anytime snack.
Kristy
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup hard white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 2-4 tbsp maple sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- pinch clove
- pinch allspice
- 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
- 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk or other non-dairy milk
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup neutral flavor oil plus a little to oil the waffle iron
Preparation:
- In a large bowl mix together the flour, maple sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla and spices.
- Stir 1 1/2 cups of the milk, pumpkin, and oil into a small bowl. Mix well.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry . Stir just until mixed. Add the remaining milk as needed if the batter is too thick.
- Spray your waffle iron with a little oil. Heat the iron according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Pour in the recommended amount of batter and cook until the steam stops or as the instructions for your waffle iron recommend.
Nutritional Info:
Nutritional information will vary according to the size of each waffle maker.
Notes:
If you really like to have a topping for your waffles then I would recommend reducing the amount of maple sugar in the batter to 2 tbsp and top with maple syrup or other topping as desired.
Pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for the individual spices used.
Wrap leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze. These waffles reheat really well in the toaster and come out all soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
