Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Crostini

Yikes, how has it been over a month since my last post? Sorry I haven't been around here in awhile, but life has been pretty busy lately with trying to finish my degree and helping to plan my sister's wedding, and as much as I wanted to keep up with my blog, I just haven't had the time.

While I expect to still be busy over the next couple weeks, I wanted to at least squeeze in a quick recipe to say that I'm still here, for anyone who might still be reading!

I actually made this recipe at the end of July for a strawberry-themed potluck, and I wasn't planning on sharing it on my blog but it turned out so tasty that I changed my mind!

When I was trying to think of a strawberry recipe that I could make for the potluck, I remembered this roasted strawberry, basil and goat cheese crostini from Confections of a Foodie Bride that I had made once and loved. I took that idea but changed things up a bit this time, adding some lemon flavoured greek yogurt to the goat cheese to make a super creamy and lemony spread. Instead of making a basil syrup or using fresh basil as a garnish, I added some basil to the goat cheese mixture instead.

The strawberries are roasted in the oven with maple syrup and balsamic so they get nice and sweet and juicy. Since I was making this ahead of time, I combined both components (the goat cheese-yogurt spread and the strawberries) into one dip that I spooned onto slices of bread (pictured above). For a prettier presentation, you could keep the components separate and assemble individual crostini pieces to serve instead (which I did with one piece for photo purposes before taking the rest to the potluck!).

This almost tastes more like a dessert than an appetizer with the sweet strawberries, their juices and the yogurt, but I'm a fan of using fruit in my meals, so I loved this! If you did want to serve this as a dessert though, I think it would work well spread onto graham crackers or cinnamon sugar pita chips too!

Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Crostini
Inspired by Confections of a Foodie Bride

2 cups chopped strawberries

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tbsp balsamic

1 113g package plain goat cheese

2 100g containers lemon greek yogurt

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Baguette or crackers for serving

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Place strawberries in a baking dish and toss with the maple syrup and balsamic. Roast in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the strawberries are soft. Remove from oven and let cool. 

Meanwhile, mix together the goat cheese, yogurt, and basil in a small bowl until smooth. 

Option 1: Transfer the goat cheese mixture to a shallow bowl or container and smooth out into an even layer. Top with the roasted strawberries (you can add some of the leftover juices if you like, but I left most of the liquid behind). Cover and refrigerate until serving time. When ready to serve, slice a baguette (you can toast it first in the oven if you prefer, but I just left mine untoasted and it was good that way too) and serve as a dip to spread onto slices.

Option 2: Slice your baguette and toast in the oven if desired. Spread some of the goat cheese mixture onto each slice and top with a spoonful of the strawberries.

Option 2 is a prettier presentation but both ways taste equally delicious!

Cherry Blueberry Bran Muffins

Hope you're not sick of cherry season yet, because I've got another cherry recipe to share with you today! After making my roasted cherry brownies, I still some more cherries to use up, so I thought they would be the perfect addition to some healthy breakfast muffins.

I'd had my eye on a recipe for blackberry bran muffins from the Straight From the Earth cookbook, so I used that recipe as my inspiration for these cherry blueberry muffins!

Besides using different fruits, I made a few other minor changes to the recipe, including the method of mixing the ingredients, and reducing the sugar a bit. I also added a touch of maple extract to add a bit more sweetness along with the fruit.

The bran was definitely the dominant flavour in these, so if you like bran muffins, you will love the flavour and texture of these muffins.

I liked how they tasted a bit nutty, they weren't too sweet, and they were just dense and hearty enough without being too filling. Of course, my favourite part was all the blueberries and cherries in every bite!

While bran muffins may not be the most popular muffin on the block, I ended up liking them a lot more than I was expecting to! And besides, if I'm going to eat a muffin for breakfast, I want it to still be somewhat nutritious, so I can feel good about eating one of these in the morning - my only complaint was that they were a little on the small side, but they still make a great addition to a smoothie or yogurt!

Cherry Blueberry Bran Muffins

Adapted from Straight From the Earth cookbook, as seen here

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice

2 tbsp ground flax

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups wheat bran

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup melted coconut oil (can substitute another oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp maple extract (optional)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries (pit removed)

1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the almond milk and vinegar and let sit for 5-10 minutes. In a separate small bowl, stir together the flax and water and let sit 5-10 minutes as well.

In a large bowl, whisk together the wheat bran, flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Add the sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts to the almond milk mixture and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add the flax mixture and stir again. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the cherries and blueberries.

Divide batter into muffin cups, then bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the muffins feel firm on top and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before removing muffins and transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 12 small muffins.

Thai Peanut Cucumber Cups

This week is especially hot and humid here in Ontario, and when the weather is this warm, all I want for dinner is cold and refreshing meals, like chilled soups and salads full of fresh veggies. 

Of course, veggies can get a bit boring sometimes, so it helps to turn them into something more exciting, like these Thai peanut cucumber cups that I made as an appetizer last week!

The inspiration for these came from Courtney of The Fig Tree blog, who posted these peanut satay celery sticks a while back. I thought the idea of filling celery sticks with a peanut sauce, carrots, and sesame seeds sounded so creative!  I'm not a huge fan of celery though, and I knew that cucumbers go well with cold peanut noodle dishes, so I thought cucumber cups would work really well as a base instead.

I've actually made cucumber cup appetizers before and they're always a hit, but I usually fill them with hummus or tzatziki, so this was a fun twist! If you've never seen this idea before, you just slice your cucumber and then scoop out some of the middle so that you have a nice little cup to fill with sauce, and then you can add whatever toppings you like too. 

For these, I filled the cucumber cups with a thick peanut sauce, then sprinkled sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, and shredded carrot on top of each one (see above picture for a visual of the process). Everything comes together into one bite that's creamy, crunchy, a bit spicy, and refreshing all at once!

I shared these with a group of friends and everyone loved them, so I'm sure I'll be making them again whenever I need a light, veggie-based appetizer - which will probably be often this summer!

Thai Peanut Cucumber Cups
Inspired by The Fig Tree and Vegetarian Times

1/2 cup peanut butter

4 tsp sweet chile sauce

1.5 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of ground ginger (or fresh ginger, I just didn't have any!)
pinch of red pepper flakes

1 tbsp water

1 English cucumber

~1/3 cup shredded carrot

Sesame seeds

Chopped peanuts

To make the peanut sauce, stir together the peanut butter, chile sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger until smooth. Add the water to thin out a bit. Set aside or store in the fridge until needed.

Slice the cucumber into pieces about 1 inch thick. Use a melon baller or a ½ tsp measure to scoop out the middle seedy portion of each slice – don’t go all the way through, you still want a bit of cucumber at the bottom of each cup!

Lay out cucumber cups on a plate or serving dish. Spoon the peanut sauce into each cup (I just estimated how much to put in – you want a round mound in the middle of each cup but not too much that it overflows). 

Sprinkle a bit of sesame seeds on top of the peanut sauce in each cup, followed by a bit of shredded carrot and crushed peanuts – it might help to do the peanuts first so they stick to the peanut butter, then finish with the carrots, but the order doesn’t really matter!

Refrigerated finished cucumber cups until serving time.

Makes enough for about 20-22 cups.

Blueberry Banana Snack Cake

I can't believe it's already June, but I'm so excited because that means not only will summer officially begin this month, but local summer fruits and veggies will be here soon too! I only just had my first rhubarb treats this past weekend (a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie that my sister made, and a rhubarb sauce that I made to eat on toast and in yogurt), and I can't wait for strawberries to arrive next!

Two years ago, I made a healthy strawberry banana snack cake that I really loved, so when I was looking through my old recipes for inspiration the other day, I wanted to try that cake out again.

This time, since local strawberries weren't available yet, I decided to use blueberries instead. I made a couple of other small changes to the recipe, like replacing the spelt flour with oat flour for a slightly different flavour and texture, adding cinnamon, a bit of lemon juice and zest, and a touch of coconut oil, and leaving out the nuts and extra sugar to make this cake less sweet.

I had mentioned in my original post that I thought blueberries would work well in this cake, and now I can say for sure that they do!

I loved the way all the fruit bursts after baking, and the blueberries paired perfectly with the coconut and banana flavours. I also love the chewy, dense texture of this cake, and how light it tastes at the same time - so you can easily eat a couple pieces for a mid-morning or afternoon snack!

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm still getting used to a new oven, so my cake browned just a tad too much even at the minimum baking time. Just be sure to keep an eye on yours, and in the meantime I'll have to test my oven temperature!

Blueberry Banana Snack Cake

Adapted from my previous recipe for Strawberry Banana Snack Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup oat flour (I ground my own rolled oats in the blender)

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 ripe medium-sized bananas, mashed

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup*

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries

*Note: You may want to add an extra 2 tbsp of sugar or cane sugar if you prefer a sweeter cake. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flours through to salt). In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients (mashed banana through to vanilla extract).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes, until the sides start to brown and pull away from the pan, the top feels firm, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling before cutting into squares.

Makes about 16 squares. 

Recipe Round Up: Spring 2014

With our Mothers Day brunch and dinner this past weekend, and a month or two worth of other treats and snacks that I've made from other blogs, I thought it was time for another recipe round up to share some of kitchen successes I've had lately!


For my birthday last month, my sister Natalie got me a couple of new cookbooks that she knew would be exactly my style - the Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon (mine is the Canadian cover), and Straight from the Earth by mother-daughter duo Myra and Marea Goodman.

I knew I wanted my own copy of the Oh She Glows book after seeing so many other bloggers rave about the recipes, and I know from my own experience that Angela's recipes are not only healthy but they always turn out well!

I've only made one recipe from the book so far - the 15 minute creamy avocado pasta (one that I've made from her blog a few times before as well) and if it's any indication of the quality of the other recipes in the book, then I definitely can't wait to try more!

Another birthday treat that I haven't mentioned on my blog yet was the one I made for myself! Instead of making a cake this year, I opted for miniature "cheesecakes" that I could bring in to the office to share with people. I based the recipe off of Chocolate Covered Katie's greek yogurt cheesecake, except I used a regular (non-vegan) lemon greek yogurt and reduced the sweetener a bit.

Instead of making one large cake, I crumbled the graham cracker base into muffin liners and made individual cups that I baked for about 20-25 minutes. The texture was definitely different than a regular cheesecake, but it got better after one or two days in the fridge and I loved how creamy they were! 

Another recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie's blog that I tried recently was her one-minute coffee cake in a mug (pictured below). I left out the topping and added cinnamon to the batter instead, and I also baked mine in a wider ramekin so it was a bit flatter, but it came out perfectly! I thought it did taste like coffee cake and had a nice texture - hard to believe you can make it so easily just in the microwave!  Topped with some yogurt and a sprinkle of granola, this made a nice light breakfast along with a smoothie. 

I've also been loving the recipes posted by Lauren on her blog Oatmeal with a Fork - she always has new ideas for healthy no-bake treats that I keep bookmarking!

I tried her double layer chocolate cookie bars recently and loved the combination of oat-based cookie dough on top with a cocoa and date layer on the bottom. I made a few changes based on the ingredients I had on hand, including adding some PB2 to the top layer for a bit of a peanut butter flavour which worked well.  

Another healthy treat I made recently was this vegan banana bread chocolate chip snack cake from Ambitious Kitchen. I loved the flavour that the oat flour added (although I substituted half of the oat flour with whole wheat flour), and I thought they had the perfect amount of banana taste. These were nice and light with a touch of richness from the chocolate chips. I would definitely make these again!

I actually made the banana cake for a daytrip with my family that we organized for my dad's birthday. Along with the cake, I also made these no-bake fig newtons because my dad loves figs! I followed this recipe for date newtons by the Pancake Princess, adapted from the blog Rawified (who also made a fig version). The outside is made from ground up nuts, oats, and flax, and the inside is a paste made from dried black mission figs. They were soft and chewy, and pretty rich so you only need a small piece for a healthy snack!

Finally, I wanted to share a few of the recipes that I tried this past weekend for Mother's Day.

For brunch, my sisters and I got together to eat with our parents and we prepared a fun and interactive breakfast buffet!  I set out a couple of kinds of yogurt with a variety of fruits and some granola so that everybody could make their own yogurt parfait, and my sister also made some amazing biscuits that we ate fresh out of the oven with different jams.

My favourite part of the meal though was this no-cook strawberry lemon chia curd from Edible Perspective that I made the night before and let thicken in the fridge overnight (I used all black chia seeds so mine turned out a little darker). It was the perfect addition to both the yogurt parfaits and the biscuits! 

For dinner later on in the day, my sister made a strawberry goat cheese salad topped with chicken, and for a vegetarian option I decided to make some tofu to go with the salad. I followed this recipe for breaded tofu from Divine Healthy Food, making a couple of small changes to the marinade and sauteeing it rather than grilling. I've never made breaded tofu before but I loved how it turned out!

I also made this strawberry focaccia with maple-balsamic caramelized onions and basil from Saveur to go with the meal. The crust came out a little crispier than I wanted, but I loved the topping combination and I thought the leftovers were even better the next day because the crust had softened up a bit. 

It was a great meal overall, complete with rhubarb and lemon custard tarts made by my sister for dessert! You can check out a more detailed post about our Mother's Day meals on my sister Natalie's blog Once Upon a Cutting Board.

Hope you're all enjoying the Spring weather and hopefully I'll be back soon with a new recipe to share!

Soft-Baked Fig, Hazelnut & Pumpkin Seed Granola Bars

This past couple of weeks have been extra busy for me, as I've been trying to balance a stressful time in my graduate studies with other family and social events like Easter, my own birthday and my Dad's birthday which we are celebrating belatedly this weekend!

During times like this when I'm too busy to worry about cooking or grocery shopping, I like to make sure I have still have enough healthy and nutritious food options easily available, and homemade snacks like today's recipe are the perfect way to get in a boost of energy to keep me going!

I've tried a lot of granola bar recipes in the past, and while I've enjoyed all of them, I tend to prefer the chewy, soft-baked kind. I also like when they have an interesting texture and when their sweetness comes from fruit rather than added sweeteners.

So these dried fig, hazelnut, and pumpkin seed granola bars that I made recently were definitely my kind of tasty and healthy snack!

Not only are they soft and chewy while still holding together well, but the base of them is made up of a mix of ground hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds with oats and rice crisp cereal, giving them a lot more nutty flavour and texture than a regular oat-based granola bar.

They're also held together with some almond butter to add more richness and a bit of maple syrup for sweetness. What really made these unique though was the addition of dried figs. I've never really eaten dried figs before, but these dried black mission figs changed my mind - if you can find the black mission ones, they really make all the difference because they're so soft and sweet!

The original recipe for these bars called for only pumpkin seeds instead of any nuts, and used all rice cereal without any oats, so I was happy that they still turned out so well even after the changes I made. 

While these involve a somewhat long list of ingredients and some more expensive ingredients than other homemade granola bars, I thought they were worth it! 

Feel free to make some substitutions though, like using a different type of nut than the hazelnuts, or leaving out the chia seeds and cocoa powder (these were additions that I made but they're not necessary). You could also add extra fruit like raisins or currants, but I don't recommend skipping the dried figs!

Soft-Baked Fig, Hazelnut & Pumpkin Seed Granola Bars
Adapted from Daily Bites

2 tbsp ground flax, divided

3 tbsp water

Scant 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup rice crisp cereal

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped dried black mission figs

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond butter (I used a homemade almond butter)

2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or up to ¼ cup if you prefer a sweeter snack)

2 tbsp almond milk

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper.

Mix 1 tbsp of the ground flax with the water and set aside to thicken.

In a food processor, process the hazelnuts and pepitas until roughly ground. Add the oats, rice crisp cereal, remaining 1 tbsp of flax, chia seeds, cinnamon, cocoa, baking powder, and salt and process until everything is finely ground. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in the chopped figs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond butter (you may need to microwave it a bit if yours isn’t very liquidy and smooth), maple syrup, almond milk, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth.

Pour liquid mixture into dry ingedients and stir with a rubber spatula or spoon until everything is mixed well. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press down firmly with your hands and/or a rubber spatula so that the mixture is evenly spread out across the pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are starting to crisp. Remove and let the pan cool on a wire rack. Once cool, carefully remove the bars by pulling on the parchment paper (you might want to run a knife around the edges first) and cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 10 bars. 

Dirty Chai Breakfast Cookies

A chai latte has always been one of my favourite drinks to order at coffee shops, but most of the time when I go Starbucks or other places, I'm in need of a bit more of a caffeine kick so I end up ordering some kind of latte (for those of you in Canada, I recommend the new maple macchiato!).

For those times when you're craving a chai latte but also want a bit more caffeine, a "dirty chai" - chai latte with a shot of espresso - should do the trick!  Or if don't feel like going out to a coffee shop, you could make these cookies inspired by that drink (and by these caffeinated cookies from Healthy Food for Living) instead!

The original recipe was for healthier oat cookies with a dose of both brewed coffee and instant espresso in them. For my version, I used strong brewed chai tea for the liquid, with both instant chai and instant coffee added to the dry ingredients. And for even more chai flavour, I added some spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cardamom.

The first time I made these, I found them a bit too dry and not quite strong enough in the coffee flavour, so I adjusted the recipe a bit by reducing the flour and increasing the amount of coffee, and they came out just how I wanted - a soft and cakey cookie with a mix of both chai and coffee flavours!

I also replaced the oil with coconut oil and reduced the amount a bit to keep these cookies healthy enough to eat for breakfast, or any time of the day when you need a bit of an energy boost!

Dirty Chai Breakfast Cookies
Inspired by Healthy Food For Living

3/4 cup whole wheat flour 

1 cup rolled oats

1 tbsp instant coffee 

1 tsp dry chai mix powder (optional)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp allspice

Dash of cardamom

1/2 cup strong chai tea (I steeped one bag in ½ cup boiling water for about 5 minutes)

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

2 tbsp brown sugar 

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

1/2 tbsp ground flax

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp finely chopped dates (about 3 dates)

2 tbsp cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour to cardamom).

In a separate bowl, stir together the chai tea, maple syrup, brown sugar, coconut oil, flax, and vanilla. Let cool a bit, then pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Mix in the dates and cacao nibs.

Drop spoonfuls of the cookie mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and press down slightly to form a cookie shape. Since the dough will still be a bit warm (from the tea), place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 5 minutes so the cookies firm up. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes. Let sit on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12-13 cookies.

Vegan Taco Chili Layer Dip

 

It's the end of January, and that means it's time for my annual Super Bowl recipe post! 

For the past two years, I've posted new versions of layer dips because that's my favourite thing to eat while watching the big game (or maybe I just like having an excuse to eat chips and dip for dinner!).

This year I tried a new spin on my usual layer dip by making a chili version inspired by a recipe in the Vegan Planet cookbook. This chili taco dip has four main layers: leftover vegetarian chili on the bottom, salsa, mashed avocado, and a vegan "cheese" sauce made with nutritional yeast instead of regular shredded cheese, plus some pickled jalapenos as an extra topping. 

If you can manage to get your chip through all the layers at once, you get the perfect combination of flavours and textures - chunky beans and veggies, smooth salsa, creamy avocado and cheese sauce. There's a bit of spice in each layer too, from the chili to the kick of the jalapenos, but I found it to be just the right amount of heat!

This is a pretty easy dish to whip up if you've got leftover chili already sitting in the fridge, like I did from this veggie black bean and lentil chili recipe. Then all you need to do is mash an avocado, make the cheese sauce (which really only takes a few minutes), and then the fun part - putting all the layers together!

If you're watching the Super Bowl this weekend, what do you plan on making? Last year I contributed baked pickle chips, buffalo cauliflower wings, and monkey bread to our game day menu but I haven't decided what I'll be having yet this year (besides layer dip of course!). If you're looking for more ideas, feel free to check out all of my other Super Bowl recipes!

Vegan Taco Chili Layer Dip
Adapted from Vegan Planet

1 cup vegetarian chili

1/2 cup salsa

1 ripe avocado

1/2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

Ground pepper

Dash of taco seasoning

1 recipe nacho cheese sauce (recipe below)

Handful of pickled sliced jalapenos, chopped

Place the chili in the bottom of a small dish (I used a 20 oz, 5" square ceramic dish). Note: if there is liquid in your chili, try to drain it out first so that your dip doesn’t get too runny. Reheat the chili in the microwave until it reaches room temperature.

Next, layer the salsa over the chili, spreading it out into an even layer with a small spatula.

Scoop out the insides of the avocado (remove the pit) into a bowl and mash until it is fairly smooth. Add the lime juice, salt, some freshly ground pepper, and a dash or two of taco seasoning. Stir to mix. Spread the avocado mixture over the salsa layer.

Spread the nacho cheese sauce evenly over the avocado layer. Finally, sprinkle some jalapeno slices over the top (use as much or as little as you like). Serve immediately, or cover and store in the fridge. Bring to room temperature (or reheat slightly) before serving.

Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are!)

Nacho "Cheese" Sauce

Adapted from  Hidden Fruits and Veggies

1 tbsp chickpea flour

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 tsp tex-mex or taco seasoning

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add chickpea flour and toast, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast and spices. Add almond milk and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir constantly for a few minutes, until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.

Makes about 1/3 cup

Peanut Butter Roasted Chickpeas

With both awards show season and football playoffs having started this month, it's the perfect time to load up on snack ideas for evenings in front of the TV with friends and family (or even if you're not into sports and awards shows, which I'm sure a lot of people aren't, hopefully you can still use some more healthy snack ideas!).

Last weekend, I watched the Golden Globe Awards in addition to some football (but only because my sister's favourite team was playing). And with the bigger events that I always look forward to - Super Bowl and the Oscars - coming up soon, I spent my Sunday testing out some new snack recipes!

The first snack that I came up with were these peanut butter roasted chickpeas. I've seen a lot of recipes for roasted chickpeas where the chickpeas are coated in various combinations of spices and baked in the oven until crispy, and I've tried them once myself and liked them as a different snack option than usual.

Instead of a savory snack this time though, I wanted to try a sweeter variation. I considered coating the chickpeas in chocolate, like the Nourishing Gourmet did, but since I'm not a huge chocolate lover, I thought that peanut butter would make an even tastier coating!

These were super simple to whip up - all you need to do is toss the chickpeas in a bit of coconut oil, add cinnamon, agave, and vanilla for flavouring, and roast them in the oven until they get nice and crispy. Once they're done, you toss the warm chickpeas in a peanut butter and coconut oil mixture until each one is coated.

Sprinkle on some salt and sugar and you have a slightly sweet and salty snack to munch on that's still pretty nutritious too!

Peanut Butter Coated Roasted Chickpeas

1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp melted coconut oil

1/2-1 tbsp agave nectar (I used 1/2 tbsp and they weren't too sweet)

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Dash of salt

2 tbsp peanut butter 

1/2 tsp coconut oil*

Salt and sugar to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chickpeas in a small bowl and add the melted coconut oil, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to mix thoroughly. Spread chickpeas out on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring once, until toasted and crispy. Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl.

Place the peanut butter and coconut oil in a small microwavable bowl and microwave for 10-20 seconds, until coconut oil is melted. Stir to mix well, then pour over the chickpeas. Stir until chickpeas are evenly coated. Spread coated chickpeas onto a plate and place in the refrigerator (or freezer if you're in a hurry) to cool. Once the peanut butter is a bit hardened, remove from fridge and bring to room temperature. Sprinkle with salt and a pinch of sugar if desired (I added both because my peanut butter was the natural kind without added salt and sugar).

Store in the fridge and eat cold or at room temperature. Best eaten on the day of, but they will last one or two days in the fridge.

Makes 1-2 servings (depending on how hungry you are - double the recipe if you're making these for a group)

*Note: the coconut oil in the peanut butter coating is what makes it firm up in the fridge (since coconut oil is solid at cool temperatures). I have not tested this with other types of oil, which may not harden as well. 

No-Bake Chestnut Balls

I can't believe how quickly the month of December has gone by! I thought I would have tons of time to listen to holiday tunes, come up with some festive recipes, and get all of my Christmas preparations done, but Christmas Day is already less than a week away and I feel like I haven't accomplished nearly as much as I wanted to!

At least one thing I can say I've accomplished is my shopping - as of yesterday, I'm all finished! Now all that's left to do is is wrap my gifts, which isn't exactly my forte but I actually look forward to doing it every year.

As for cooking and baking, I admit I've fallen behind this year with only two holiday themed recipes to share with you so far. First were my gingerbread rye scones, and today I have an even easier no-bake treat for you!

I love roasted chestnuts, but it's a bit of a pain to roast them and pry the shells off. So when I saw bags of pre-roasted chestnuts at the store, I thought I would give them a try and see how they compare. As it turned out, they were much tastier than I thought and couldn't be simpler - you can eat them straight out of the package or heat them up for a warm treat.

Instead of just gobbling them up, I wanted to use my chestnuts in some kind of snack and my first thought were energy balls. I took my basic formula of energy balls but replaced the nuts with chestnuts and added some flavours like cinnamon, maple and vanilla to complement them.

Since the chestnuts were so buttery, they broke down easily in the food processor to create the smoothest "energy balls" I've ever made! These were nice and sweet too, so they tasted more like a dessert even though they're still pretty healthy.

These would make a unique addition to your holiday dessert platters this year, or just to have around as a snack to fuel you through the rest of your holiday preparations!

No-Bake Chestnut Balls

1/2 cup (100g package) roasted peeled chestnuts (I used Aurora ready to eat chestnuts)

1/2 cup dates

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Dash of salt

1/2 tsp artificial vanilla extract (if you only have pure vanilla, use 1/4 tsp)

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

~1/4 cup dessicated unsweetened coconut

Place the chestnuts, dates, and oats in the small bowl of a food processor and process until everything is broken down. Add cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and maple syrup and process again until the mixture forms a sticky dough.

Roll mixture into bite-sized balls. Sprinkle the coconut onto a plate and roll balls in the coconut, using your hands to help press it in.

Store in the fridge.

Makes 12-13 balls

Almond Butter, Cherry & Chocolate Granola Bars

 

It's been awhile since I've made my own granola bars as I've been taking the more convenient route of buying them from the grocery store instead. Lately I've been enjoying Kashi chewy granola bars in my favourite flavour: cherry and dark chocolate.

I love the combination of dried cherries with chocolate chips in a granola bar because it makes a healthy snack taste a bit more decadent! Since that brand can be a bit expensive if they're not on sale though, I wanted to make my own version of a granola bar with those same flavours.

I turned to the blog Healthy Food for Living for my recipe inspiration because I've tried her granola bars in the past and loved them. I only made a few minor changes, swapping almond butter for the peanut butter, changing some of the ingredient amounts, and adding some chopped pecans. I also followed her suggestion of baking them in a loaf pan to get thicker bars.

These came out soft and chewy, with lots of flavour - just how I like my granola bars! I also liked that they were plenty sweet for my tastes with only a bit of extra sweetener (in the form of pure maple syrup) because the tart cherries added some sweetness of their own.

These make a tasty and hearty snack that you can cut into whatever size you want - smaller squares or longer granola bars. I can't say that I'll stop buying Kashi or other granola bars, but it's nice to have a homemade snack around once in a while too!

Almond Butter, Cherry & Chocolate Granola Bars

Adapted from Healthy Food for Living

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1/4 cup almond butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup large rolled oats

1.5 cups rice krispies (or another type of puffed rice)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup dried cherries

2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the applesauce, maple syrup, and almond butter until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Gently fold in the remaining ingredients until everything is evenly coated.

Pour into prepared pan, smoothing out the top with a rubber spatula. Use your hands or the spatula to press down firmly on the top so that the mixture holds together tightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned and firm on top. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars or squares. 

Makes about 10 squares. 

Pumpkin Recipe Round Up 2013

I got a late start to my pumpkin baking this year, but once I opened my first can, I made sure to squeeze in as many pumpkin goodies as I could! I've heard people say before that they're going to turn into a pumpkin from eating too much of it, and now I understand how they feel...Not that I'm complaining - personally, I can't get enough of anything and everything pumpkin this year!

And instead of keeping all the goodies I've tried to myself, I thought I would post a round-up of the pumpkin recipes I've tried this season, similar to last year's post. Most of them were adapted from other blogs, so be sure to check out their sites too!

Pumpkin Stuffed Energy Balls

With all of the pumpkin recipes that I bookmark, there's never a shortage of ideas from other bloggers that I want to try. But the one pumpkin recipe of my own from this year were these pumpkin stuffed energy balls. With the "dough" made from raw nuts and dates, and a filling of pumpkin hummus, these made a healthy and tasty snack!


Pumpkin Pancakes

For breakfast a couple of weekends ago, I used some of my leftover pumpkin puree to make these vegan pumpkin pancakes from Daily Garnish. They turned out a bit thinner than my usual pancakes and took a while to make with my limited set of skillets (which is why I started making mini ones, seen on top in the photo), but they were worth the wait! They had a nice amount of pumpkin flavour and the pancakes themselves weren't very sweet, making them the perfect base for lots of maple syrup!

Pumpkin Coffee Smoothie

When I'm in the mood for a cold drink in the morning instead of hot coffee, I like to add instant coffee to a smoothie. This smoothie also had pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to make it more appropriate for fall. I didn't really measure ingredients this time, but you can check out this post from last year for a recipe.


Pumpkin Banana Coffee Cake

One of my favourite pumpkin recipes that I've tried so far this year was this pumpkin banana breakfast cake from The Pancake Princess. The only changes I made were to use coconut oil instead of olive oil, chopped walnuts in the topping instead of ground, and I replaced the spices in the cake with 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice. I loved the texture of the cake, and I liked that it tasted light and not too sweet, so that you could eat it as a relatively healthy snack any time of day!

Mini Pumpkin Muffins

Another healthy baked good that I made with pumpkin were these mini vegan pumpkin muffins from Eating Bird Food. They were nice and fluffy and moist inside, despite having very little oil, and even though they looked a bit plain, I thought they still had lots of flavour!


Pumpkin Beer Bread with Pumpkin Butter

I've had a large bottle of this pumpkin beer sitting in my fridge for awhile, and since it was a relatively strong one, I decided to use some of it in a recipe rather than drinking the whole thing myself! I've been wanting to try making beer bread for awhile too, so when I saw this recipe for pumpkin beer bread on Gimme Some Oven, it was the perfect opportunity! With pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and pumpkin beer, this bread had a nice amount of pumpkin flavour, while still being more on the bread side than a sweet breakfast loaf cake. Unfortunately, my bread ended up with an unpleasant bitter aftertaste from using a dark, strong beer, so next time I would make this with a lighter pumpkin beer. 

To cover up some of the bitter taste, I made a thick, spiced pumpkin butter to spread on it, which was the perfect combination! I only had a small amount of pumpkin puree left in my can, so I roughly followed a couple of recipes that I'd seen for pumpkin butter, just guessing on amounts of spices and sweetener. Luckily, pumpkin butter isn't very finicky so it still turned out great! For actual recipes, I would recommend looking at these ones from Oh She Glows and Hidden Fruits and Veggies (I used a less sweetener in mine though).


Pumpkin Granola

I've made pumpkin granola in the past and remembered loving it, so I wanted to make another batch this year. I followed this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, except I left out the brown sugar because I didn't want it to be too sweet, and I added some coconut flakes near the end of the baking time. This was nice and crunchy and it was good for both snacking and eating with yogurt!


Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Last but not least were these vegan pumpkin swirl brownies from The Balanced Platter. I'm not usually one for chocolate treats, but these had a good balance of richer chocolate with lighter spiced pumpkin. They turned out more like a snack cake than brownies, and were definitely more on the healthy side than a decadent dessert, but I loved them more for those reasons! I need to work on my swirling skills (and learn not to flip the cake upside down onto a wire rack, leaving lines all over them), but I would definitely make these again!

Of course, not all of the pumpkin treats that I've enjoyed this year have come from my own kitchen.  In addition to too many Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes, my favourite storebought treats recently have been a pumpkin pie square, a pumpkin butter tart, and classic pumpkin pie (all pictured above).

Even though it's now November and holiday drinks and treats have made their way into every store and cafe, I still plan on enjoying pumpkin for as long as I can!