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!!

Easy 5 ingredient whole wheat biscuits!

What you'll need:

Adapted from The Kind Diet, p. 197

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (found at Whole Foods)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup safflower oil
• 1/2 cup almond milk

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Combine the flour, baking powder & salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Slowly pour in the oil, mixing with a fork until mixture is combined
• Add the milk and mix thoroughly
• Lightly flour a cutting board
• Gather the dough into a ball and place on the cutting board
• Kneed the dough about 25 times with your hands and then gather dough into a ball again
• Use a rolling pin the flatten out the dough until it's a 1/2" thick
• Use a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass (I used a glass with a 2.5" rim) to cut the biscuits
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place biscuits on the sheet at least 1" apart
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the bottoms are golden 
• Serve with cookie butter (yum!), jam, or Earth Balance butter

I found this biscuit recipe in Alicia Silverstone's book "The Kind Diet". These are so easy to make and my boyfriend and I love having them for breakfast! They are so filling and yummy. We both love spreading cookie butter on them and sometimes I have them with jam. Enjoy!

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!

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 :)!

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!