Chewy Chocolate Vegan Date Brownies

I made this recipe for my family, but I ended up eating most of the pan...and I did not have any guilt about it. No. Remorse. (I even ate a few for breakfast this morning)
*I added in 1/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts to the batter before baking. Delicious!

• 1 cup pitted medjool dates
• ¾ cup hot water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cocao nibs, crushed
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup gluten-free flour blend of choice
• ¼ cup coconut palm sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray. (I recommend a smaller pan if you want a thicker brownie)
2. Put pitted dates, hot water, vanilla, and cocao nibs in a heat proof bowl. Let sit while you measure the remaining ingredients. Sift cocoa powder into a bowl to remove any lumps. Add gluten-free flour mix, palm sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt. Whisk to combine.
3. Place dates and soaking water into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth, scraping down as necessary. Add flour mixture to dates and process until smooth. Batter will be thick.
4. Turn into prepared pan, scraping as much batter as possible from bowl. Smooth top with a spatula and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until brownies are set. A toothpick won’t come out completely clean for these brownies. Let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. (Simply Sugar and Gluten Free)

Carrot Cake

I was excited to find this carrot cake recipe! No refined sugar, no oil, and whole grains - definitely my kind of recipe. The banana, carrots, and pineapple give this cake moisture, which produces a more tender product. I actually ate this for breakfast the next day - mmmmm - I love it when I can eat dessert for breakfast!

Ingredients
5 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup water

1 3/4 cup rolled oats or 1 3/4 cup flour of choice
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 of a ripe banana, diced
1 cup almond milk
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center position. In a small bowl, combine the 5 dates, 1/4 cup raisins and 1/2 cup water. Let soak while you prepare the other ingredients (at least 15 minutes).

2. Grind the rolled oats in a high-speed blender until it resembles flour; transfer to a large bowl. Add to this the baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and mix with a fork.

3. Transfer the soaked dates, raisins and water to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth (about 30 seconds). Add the banana and non-dairy milk and blend further until everything is smooth. Add this wet mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and gently fold together using a big spoon; now fold in the carrots, pineapple and walnuts. 

4. Pour batter into a non-stick round cake pan (8 or 9-inch). Bake for 40 minutes. If you press on the cake lightly and it bounces back a bit (instead of staying indented), it’s likely ready.

5. Remove from oven and cool for 5-7 minutes before removing from pan. Using a plastic knife, gently go around the cake to loosen it from the pan. Even though we’re using a non-stick pan, we are not using any oil so we need to help it out a bit. After loosening the edges, invert onto a cutting board (shake a bit if still not coming out the first time) and let cool at least 5-10 minutes more before serving plain or with the below frosting.

Macadamia-Vanilla Frosting

This frosting has a somewhat maple flavor to it. You can use it right after making it, or if you want to use a cake decorating tip, put the frosting in the refrigerator for 30 minutes first.

1/2 cup Macadamia nuts soaked in ½ cup of water for 15-30 minutes
6 Medjool dates, pitted and diced, soaked in ½ cup of water for 15-30 minutes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Drain the soak water off of the nuts and discard it. In a blender, blend all of the ingredients (nuts, dates with their soak water, and vanilla) until smooth and even in color. Add a little more water as needed to keep the blender moving if it gets too thick. (Makes about 1 cup.) (Adapted slightly from:  Straight Up Food)

Veggie Burgers

I have been searching for a good veggie burger recipe for awhile now. Due to my allergies, there are no veggie burgers on the market that I can eat - besides, most of them have so many fillers that I wouldn't want to eat them anyway! Here is my new go-to veggie burger recipe! These are some of the best I have tried. I even served these to non-allergy folks and they really liked them! I ate a leftover veggie burger crumbled over my salad the next day for lunch - delicious!

½ cup dried pearl barley or short grain brown rice or quinoa
1 ¾ cups water if using barley, or 1 cup water for brown rice or 1 1/4 cups water for quinoa

1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup rolled oats
½ yellow onion, diced
6-8 mushrooms, diced (white button, cremini or shitake)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
¼ cup no-salt ketchup (see below) or tomato paste or pumpkin puree

On the side: tomatoes, lettuce leaves, avocado, sliced red onion, salt-free ketchup (below) and/or mustard

1. Place ½ cup dried pearled barley into a pan and add 1 ¾ cup water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 60 minutes. If using brown rice, combine 1 cup water with the 1/2 cup rice, bring to a boil and simmer covered for 50 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, toss the cooked barley, beans, oats, onion, mushrooms, herbs and spices, and ketchup. Transfer half of this to a food processor and pulse a few times, just until sticking together. Place this into a new bowl. Pulse the second half of the vegetable mixture, and add to the first half.

3. To make burgers, shape into patties about 3-4” wide and about a half-inch thick. Place patties into a non-stick skillet and cook on medium heat, flipping after about 5-10 minutes on first side. Cook until browned lightly on both sides, pressing down occasionally with the spatula. Don’t overcook or over-flatten these, since as they cool a bit they will firm up. *You can also bake these in the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 375 degrees for about 18 minutes. Serve with lettuce leaves as buns with tomato, avocado and onions, mustard, and salt-free ketchup. (Adapted slightly from: Straight Up Food)

Notes: Cook the barley or rice or quinoa the night before and refrigerate for better results when forming and cooking the patties. If you are avoiding gluten, use short grain brown rice (sweet brown rice is very good since it’s so sticky) or quinoa instead of barley, and gluten-free oats or quinoa flakes may be substituted for regular oats. Since we’re not using any oil in the pan, use a good quality non-stick pan. Westbrae Naturals makes a salt-free ketchup.

Macaroni Salad

I made this salad for dinner tonight and was so excited to have a "creamy" dressing! I added in a can of kidney beans and some chopped cucumbers into the mix - yummy! The real taste test came when my husband got home and gave the salad a try. His response? "Wow! This is delicious!" He heaped a bunch of this salad into some tupperware for lunch tomorrow - know what that means? This salad is a keeper!

Ingredients
2 cups dry whole-grain macaroni pasta (brown rice or quinoa are good)
water for boiling pasta

3 ribs celery, small diced
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, small diced
1 red bell pepper, small diced
1 15-oz. can black olives, sliced
1 cup parsley, chopped
½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Dressing:
½ cup water
½ cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts
2 medjool dates, pitted and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1. In a small bowl, place cashews or macadamia nuts and pitted, diced dates in the ½ cup water; set aside. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions; drain, rinse in cold water.

2. In a large bowl, toss the celery, carrot, red onion, bell pepper, olives, parsley and basil.

3. In a high-speed blender, blend all of the dressing ingredients: soak water, cashews, dates, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and pepper until smooth.

4. Add the pasta and dressing to the bowl of vegetables and mix everything. Garnish with avocado, chopped parsley and/or basil.

*You may also make the dressing without the cashews or macadamia nuts, it just won’t be creamy, but will still taste good (and lower calorie). (Straight Up Food)

Pineapple Cake

I made this cake for dessert the other night and did not expect it to be so good! I ended up eating it for breakfast the next morning and then an afternoon snack and then for dessert again the next night...needless to say, I should have cut this up and put it in the freezer sooner than later! Such a tropical treat!

1 cup gluten-free flour blend
3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 T. flaxseed meal mixed with 3 T. warm water 
1/2 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8 or 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add flax "egg", pineapple with juice, and vanilla; mix until smooth. Add coconut and nuts. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Cool in pan. Makes 8 servings.

Middle Eastern-Style Salad

Edgy, zesty and mouthwatering – this salad is perfect to eat as a main course, perhaps with a hot, crunchy piece of bread – or as an accompaniment to virtually any meal you wish.  Soaked in a rich and tasty dressing, this salad hits the palette on all its dimensions – sweetness, a tad of spice, Mediterranean, and lots of zing!

NOTE :  The trick with this salad is to cut each ingredient into very small pieces.

Serves 2 to 3

INGREDIENTS

2 x 14 oz cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

12 cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 medium cucumber (washed, but not peeled), chopped into small pieces

2 green onions, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

¾ cups of radicchio lettuce

the zest of 1 lemon, or other citrus fruit

8 basil leaves, chopped

a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley or cilantro,  finely chopped

METHOD

Place all the above ingredients in a bowl, then add the following dressing on top :

DRESSING

1 tsp dried mint

1 tsp curry powder

salt to taste (it will need it)

freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp maple syrup, agave nectar, or alternative sweetener of your choice

the juice of 2 lemons

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Add this dressing to the salad, toss well, and then transfer into a serving dish. (Mouthwatering Vegan Recipes)

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

These pancakes are great - the flavors of a cinnamon roll in a healthy pancake! 

Pancake Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups Oat Flour 
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 ½ cups Milk of choice
• 1 T. flaxseed meal mixed with 3 T. water (let "gel" for a few minutes)

Cinnamon Swirl Ingredients:

• ¼ cup (roughly 8) Dates
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup

Instructions

Pancakes:

1. In a medium bowl combine the oat flour and baking powder
2. In a measuring cup add the milk and flax gel. Whisk to combine.
3. Whisk the milk mixture into the oat flour mixture

Cinnamon Swirl:

1. Add the dates, cinnamon and maple syrup to the bowl of the food processor
2. Puree until it lightens in color and is mostly smooth

Cook em!

1. Pour the pancake batter into a hot pan or griddle, usual pancake style
2. While the top is still wet, pipe the swirl into the pancake
3. When the bottom is golden brown flip the cakes and cook until the other side is golden brown
4. Top with whatever fixings you like
5. Enjoy!!! (Adapted from: Girl Makes Food)