Embracing the Fall season: chocolate chip pumpkin bread!

What you'll need:

Serves 9  

yields one 8"X8" pan

Ingredients:

• 20oz (2.5 cups) canned pumpkin
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 1 egg replacer (I use Bob's Red Mill brand found at Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp safflower oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups spelt flower
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup non dairy chocolate chips (I use Enjoy life brand found at Target or Whole Foods)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Lightly spray an 8"X8" cake pan with oil spray
• Combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg replacer, almond milk, safflower oil, and vanilla extract in a medium size mixing bowl.
• In a large bowl combine the spelt flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and most of the chocolate chips (leave behind enough to sprinkle on top).
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and mix until fully combined.
• Fill the 8" x 8" pan with the batter and spread with a spoon to even out.
• Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips over the bread.
• Bake between 45 minutes and an hour (I baked mine a whole hour). You will know it's ready when you poke the center of the loaf with a fork and it comes out clean.
• Let the pumpkin bread cool for 5-10 minutes on a rack before serving.

This is the best pumpkin bread I've ever had, vegan or non-vegan! My boyfriend normally dislike anything with pumpkin, and when he reluctantly tried this he couldn't believe how much he liked it! Meat-lover boyfriend approved!!

Scrumptious vegan chocolate almond butter cups

Ingredients:

Makes 12 chocolate almond butter cups

adapted from Oh She Glows

For the almond butter layer:

• 1.5 cup raw almonds, ground into a meal
• 1/2 cup rolled oats, ground into a flour
• 4 tablespoons almond butter (I like Justin's brand, sold at Target)
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

For the chocolate layer:

• 6 tablespoons coconut oil
• 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or 2 tbsp agave nectar)
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

• Blend almond and oats in a blender to create a flour. Pour into a large bowl.

• Add the nut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt into the bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined. The dough should be fairly sticky like cookie dough.

• Line a regular muffin tin with paper liners. Portion the dough into each muffin cup and press down until even and smooth.

• To make the chocolate layer: Whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and salt until no clumps remain. Spoon the sauce over top each of the cups, distributing evenly. Garnish cups with sliced almonds if desired.

• Place in the freezer in a flat area for 30-45 minutes, until firm. Pop out the cups & enjoy immediately! 

My boyfriend and I agree, this is the best dessert  I've made for the blog yet!! These morsels will melt in you mouth, so go make a batch!

Decadent apple cinnamon pull apart buns

Umm, first of all can we just talk about how much you HAVE to try this recipe?? It was sooo delicious! Quite a bit of work making it, but so worth it! Scroll down for the recipe!

What you'll need:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) Active Dry Yeast
• 1 cup warm water (microwave a cup of cold water for approx. 40 seconds)
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Stick
• 1 egg replacer (1 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp warm water) I used Bobs Red Mill egg replacer from Whole Foods (in powder form), see pic above.
• 4   tsp ground flaxseeds
• 2   tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2  tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 of a medium apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp earth balance buttery stick

• For the home made buns:
  
  
  • In a small bowl mix 2 1/4 tsp of Active Dry Yeast with 1/4 cup of very warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F). Stir and let dissolve. Now add 1 tsp of sugar and stir. Let it sit for a good 5-10 minutes. You will know the yeast is active when it is slightly foamy and smells like bread.

  
  

  • In a stand mixer or by hand, add 1 and 1/4 cup of flour, remaining sugar (1 tbsp + 2 tsp), salt, and yeast mixture. Mix briefly for 10 seconds or so. Now, add the remaining very warm water (3/4 cup), slightly melted Earth balance, and egg replacer and mix until smooth. Slowly add in the rest of the flour (1 cup) and mix until smooth.

  
  

  • Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. I put my bowl of dough in the oven with the light turned on (but not the oven itself!)

  
  

  • Grease a pie pan and set aside. After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the oven and knead with hands for a few seconds. Divide the dough into 12 balls with hands and place the balls into the pie pan (see image below).

  
  

  • Cover pie pan with towel and place back into the oven with light on for another 30 minutes. The rolls will expand and fill the pie pan during this time.

  
  

  • After 25 minutes, remove from oven and preheat the oven to 400F. After 5 more minutes, it is time to bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes until golden and fluffy. Makes 10 pull apart rolls.

Need the dough a few times and then roll into balls and place close together in a pie pan 

After coming out of the oven:

For the apple cinnamon filling:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Coat an 8"X8" pan with cooking spray; set aside. In a small bowl combine ground flaxseeds, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the granulated sugar, and the cinnamon. Roll buns in flaxseed mixture to coat. Place buns in the pan and place apple slices over the buns. Sprinkle with any remaining flaxseed mixture. Top with walnuts.
• In a small saucepan combine brown sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, and Earth balance buttery spread. Cook and stir over medium heat until boiling. Pour mixture over buns. Bake about 10 minutes and edges are golden. Let cool for 5 minutes before enjoying.

...And there you have it! Obviously 5 stars from both my boyfriend and I!!

Yummiest double chocolate chip cookies

Tonight I made an adapted version of another Oh She Glows recipe (mostly the same, only a few tweaks) - I had a sweet tooth I just HAD to satisfy! Dairy free desserts can make people skeptical about their taste, but believe me, these are divine!!

What you'll need:

Makes 12 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (do not melt)
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/3 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1/3 cup natural cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1.5 cups gluten-free rolled oats, processed into flour (or 1.5 cups oat flour)
• 1-2 teaspoons unsweetened almond milk (only if needed to moisten batter)
• 1 cup non dairy chocolate chips (I love Enjoy Life brand, you can find them at Target & Whole Foods)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flax and water and set aside for a few minutes so it can thicken up. Whisk the flax water again once thickened.
2. Add the rest of the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flax egg (coconut oil, almond butter, brown sugar, cane sugar, and vanilla). With a hand-held electric mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and smooth.
3. Now, beat in the dry ingredients, one by one, as you go down the ingredient list (baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, oat flour). If your dough is a bit dry, add a teaspoon (or two) of almond milk and beat the mixture again. The dough should be moist enough to form balls without cracking, but not super sticky.
4. Pour in the chocolate chips and stir.
5. Shape balls of dough (about the size of a golf ball or 2 heaping tablespoons) and place on the baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Gently press down on each ball with your hand to form a disc (it should be 1/2-inch thick or so).
6. Bake for about 12-13 minutes until the cookies are spread out nicely.
7. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 7 minutes or so and then enjoy!

My meat-lover boyfriend's approval rating:

Though we both really liked these, but we gave it 4 stars because turned out a bit flat and crispy. Still super yummy & rich though! And they are definitely the perfect fix for a chocolate craving!! :)

Enjoy them thoroughly!!

Healthy & delicious veggie pizza

 What you'll need:

• Your flatbread of choice (I love Flat Out's 100 calorie multi-grain flatbread - its sold at Target)
• Vegan shredded mozzarella-like cheese (Daiya is a good brand)
• Low sodium or no salt added tomato sauce (you can find it at Whole Foods)
• Sun dried tomatoes
• Diced red onion
• chopped broccoli florets
• sliced white mushrooms

Preheat oven to 375. Amounts of the ingredients are really to taste, there are no "right" measurements. Simply spoon on desired amount of tomato sauce, cheese & all the veggies! Rip a piece of parchment paper and place over a baking sheet for no mess. Bake the pizza at 375 for 12 minutes. Leave in a few minutes longer for a crispier crust. 

 

My meat-eater boyfriend's approval rating: 4 stars

He thought that it tasted good but that there were too many veggies :). I give it 5 stars though!!

Sit back, pour a glass of red wine and enjoy!

Mac n' cheese: the ultimate comfort food

For my very first recipe on the blog I thought I would start with one of my favorite dishes. I decided to try out a vegan macaroni and cheese dish from the blog Oh She Glows. Until this point I hadn't yet found a yummy vegan mac n' cheese dish, but this one is amazing!! My boyfriend, the meat eater, loved it too so I know it's a winner!! I can't believe how cheesy it tastes despite being dairy free. And the best part is there is nothing processed about it. As a vegan I know first hand that a good vegan cheese is hard to come by! Hope you give it a try and enjoy! Share your comments below!

What you'll need:

Ingredients:

Makes 4 - 6 servings

• 1/2 medium potato, peeled and chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
• 1/2 large carrot, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
• 1.5 cups raw cashews
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 box whole wheat rotini
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan butter
• Paprika, to garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grab a small casserole dish and set aside. In a medium sized pot, add the chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion and fill with water until just covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low-medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes until tender.

• Meanwhile, process 1 slice of bread until crumbs form in a food processor. Add in 1 tbsp of Earth Balance and process until incorporated. Place in a small bowl and set aside

• Now assemble your cheese sauce ingredients (cashews, almond milk, garlic, lemon, salt, yeast, pepper, mustard) and add just the cashews to food processor. Process until a fine crumb forms similar to corn meal. Now add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients and process until smooth.

• Once the veggies are cooked, drain and add to cheese sauce mixture in food processor. Process until smooth.

• Add your pasta to a medium sized pot and fill with water until the pasta is covered by about 1 inch or so. Bring to a boil and reduce to low, cooking for about 7 more minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

• In a large bowl, mix together your cheese sauce and drained + rinsed pasta. Scoop into your casserole dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Now garnish with paprika and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley if you’d like.

Enjoy!!

My meat-eater boyfriend's approval rating:

5 stars!! He LOVED it! Hooray for a successful first recipe!!