Chocolate-banana-oat treats!

Inspired by Oh She Glows

Makes 9 treats

Ingredients:

• 2 large ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3-4 tbsp vegan chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand found at Target or Whole Foods)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add the peeled bananas, pitted dates, coconut oil, and vanilla into a blender. Blend until smooth. 
• Add in the cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and blend again until combined.
• Add in 1.5 cups of the rolled oats and blend
• Pour contents in blender into a large mixing bowl. Carefully stir in the remaining 1/2 cup rolled oats and the chocolate chips.
• Spoon a large portion of dough (about 3-4 tablespoons or so for each) onto the parchment. Do not press down on the dough to flatten - simply leave it in a mound on the baking sheet.
• Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 7-9 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.
• Let cool for 5 minutes on a rack and enjoy!

They aren't much to look at, but perfectly chewy and warm, these will come out of the over smelling of banana bread. If that wasn't enough they are healthy and chocolately too!! Warning: you won't want to have just one...

My boyfriend & I loved these so much that we couldn't stop eating them as soon as they came out of the oven!

The best vegan chili

Inspired by Oh She Glows

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups diced sweet onion
• 2 tbsp minced garlic (about 4 med/lg cloves)
• 2 jalapeños, seeded (if desired) and diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 lg. red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 6 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 (15-oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2-3/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Directions:

• In a large pot, saute the onion and the garlic in the oil over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and stir.
• Add the jalapeños, celery, and bell pepper and saute for another 5-7 minutes or so, until softened.
• Add the can of diced tomatoes (with the juice), broth, and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high.
• Add the drained and rinsed beans, along with the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne, and hot sauce. Simmer the mixture until thickened, about 10-15 minutes and adjust seasonings to taste if necessary.
• Serve with sliced avocado and chopped green onion if desired.

I've tried many vegan chili recipes, and I have to say, this one takes the cake! It's so flavorful and will keep you full for hours with all that fiber and protein. Enjoy :)

Easy cookie dough balls

What you'll need:

Recipe adapted from The Oh She Glows cookbook, p. 235

Ingredients:

Makes 20 cookie dough balls

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 tbsp almond butter (can substitute for peanut butter if desired)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup raw almonds or almond meal 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 4 tbsp vegan dark chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)

Directions:

• Blend the oats in a blender until a flour forms. Set aside.
• If you do not have almond meal, blend whole raw almonds in a blender until a flour forms. Set aside. (Almond meal can be found at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)
• In a large bowl combine the oil, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix very well.
• Add the almond flour, oat flour and salt and mix again until thoroughly combined. 
• Mix in the chocolate chips.
• Rolls the dough into small balls (about 1 tbsp of dough each)
• Place the balls on a plate lined with parchment paper
• Freeze the balls until firm for 5 to 10 minutes, and then enjoy!
• They can be stored in a freezer bag in the freezer ready to eat at any time!

Easy & delicious Vegan protein bowl

This bowl has everything a healthy vegan needs: protein, fiber, vitamins & nutrients. It's also simple to assemble and filling. The Japanese soba noodles I used are full of fiber and complex carbohydrates (none of those processed simple carbs) and add a delicious twist to this bowl. See below for directions.

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked Soba buckwheat noodles (can be found at most grocery stores or Whole Foods)
• 2 heaping handfuls baby greens (I used a mix of baby kale,  baby red & green chard & baby spinach)
• 1 cup canned Great Northern beans (feel free to use black, pinto or kidney if you prefer)
• 1 medium avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes (I used the yellow variety for some added color!)
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• Braggs Liquid Aminos - (can be found at Whole Foods. I use it in place of soy sauce because it has way less sodium and still tastes great! Spray as much as you want - I used 4 - 5 sprays per serving for this recipe. 

Directions:

• Cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and set to the side and allow to cool.
• Chop & dice all veggies.
• Grab a heaping handful of greens and place at bottom of bowl you will be eating from
• Add soba noodles on top of greens
• Layer beans on top
• Add all other veggies on top
• Spritz some Liquid Aminos over the bowl and like magic you have a delicious vegan protein bowl! For even more protein, sprinkle some cashews or pepita seeds on top!

 

Sunday morning pancakes - made healthier!

What you'll need:

Makes 10 pancakes

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour (found at Whole Foods)
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder (found at Whole Foods)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 cups + 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
• 1 large ripe banana chopped
• Maple syrup for topping
• Olive oil spray 

Directions:

• In a blender, blend the 1 cup oats on into a fine flour. Place into a large bowl. Whisk in the rice flour, arrowroot, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

• In a smaller bowl, whisk together the almond milk, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Pour this onto the dry ingredients and whisk the batter until it's clump-free.

• Dice the banana and pour into the batter. Whisk until combined.

• Lightly grease a skillet with olive oil spray. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter onto the preheated skillet and quickly spread the batter out into a circle. Cook until some bubbles appear and the edge looks deeper in color and more firm. Flip and cook for another couple minutes until golden. Adjust heat as needed. Repeat for the other pancakes. Spray the skillet with olive oil spray before each new batch of pancakes.

• Stack and serve with pure maple syrup!

I made these for my boyfriend and I for the first time today and we loved them! I admit, they aren't as fluffy as a traditional pancake but they delicious with hints of vanilla and cinnamon and the banana adds volume and makes them very filling! So go ahead and try these out as a healthier twist to your traditional Sunday morning pancakes :)!