Category: Desserts
Vegan Oatmeal Protein Cookies
| March 7, 2013 |
So not long ago, my boyfriend and I moved in together. A lot of people asked things like “is it everything you thought it would be?” and “how are you adjusting to living?” Well, the funny part of all this is, my boyfriend’s answer when people asked him what it was like moving in with me, he said “I moved in with a personal chef.”
I’ll admit I’m a kitchen hog. I like to do all the cooking. I made these breakfast cookies with protein in them for those times when I need a quick grab-n-go option. While my boyfriend has liked all my healthy cooking thus far (he didn’t drink the healthy Koolaid like me), I can’t lie – when he ate my breakfast cookies, he told me he’d rather stick to the unhealthy stuff… but I thought these were great, so I am sure you will like them too. They taste like breakfast … in a cookie!
Vegan Oatmeal Protein Cookies
- 3 spotted bananas (overripe = spotted)
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted, measure it in liquid form)
- 2 cups of rolled oats
- 1/3 cup of wheat bran
- 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
- 2/3 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt (I used sea salt because it’s all I keep in my kitchen)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup carob chips (you can use chocolate chips if you prefer)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mush the bananas using a fork until smooth. Add all the vanilla and oil and whisk together.
In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (aka everything else). I used a food processor to chop the almonds to make things easy. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture.
Roll the mixture into round balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with a silplat mat or parchment paper. Press the round ball flat onto the sheet to make the shape of a cookie. They don’t change shape during baking so your basically sculpting what your cookie’s gonna look like.
Bake in the oven for 15min. If they aren’t cooked all the way, the will fall apart when you take a bite. So it’s OK to eat one to test it đ
Note: You can add more or less protein if you choose to. This batch made 2 dozen cookies for me, and with the protein I used it totaled to 40 grams a batch (average 1.5 grams of protein a cookie). I used whey protein which isn’t vegan, but if you’re looking for a good vegan friendly powder option, try SunWarrior.
I bagged the cookies into snack size servings and meal servings. Four cookies and fruit for breakfast or two cookies plain as a pre-workout snack. I go straight from work to the gym so I often don’t eat dinner until 8:30pm after my workout. I have a snack around 5:30 to hold me over so I need a good snack that will keep me full and energized.
Cinnamon Banana Smoothie
| February 7, 2013 |
Ok, many of you have been asking about the perfected smoothie recipe I included on my 2012 recap photo, so here it is! I LOVE this recipe. Bananas are always in the house because I can’t seem to get enough of them.
Bananas are also great if you’re craving something sweet. Only 110 calories each and has about 3 grams of fiber helping you feel full. Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants, and possesses antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial properties. Combine these two ingredients with a little extra whey protein and you got a power smoothie in your hands!
Cinnamon Banana Smoothie
- 2 spotted bananas
- 1/2 cup ice
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Directions
Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend till smooth. Garnish with a pinch of cinnamon on top or some chia if you like. For an extra vanilla punch, add the optional 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. When I’m running out the door I usually don’t add it but when I have the time, it really does add some extra vanilla flavor which compliments the drink.
Tip:Â For thicker smoothies, freeze the fruit and skip the ice. This works with any smoothie recipe. Just be sure that your blender can handle the frozen fruits. Strawberries and a few other fruits are very tough when they’re frozen and could send your blender to it’s death bed if it’s not build for high intensity blending.
Sources: Livestrong.com – “Top Ten Health Benefits of Bananas” and “Benefits of Cinnamon”
[Vegan] Almond Maple Kiss Cookies
| December 12, 2012 |
This year I had the pleasure of participating in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, hosted by The Little Kitchen and Love & Olive Oil. What is this you ask? After signing up, every blogger received the names of 3 other bloggers. We were tasked with creating the perfect cookie recipe to send to them. In return, we were mailed cookies from 3 bloggers that had our name. In addition to all the cookie love going on here, OXO also sent us a super cute “Be A Good Cookie” spatula in honor of the partnership with Cookies for Kids Cancer, a non-profit that funds new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer.
Batch after batch, I tried my best to create a tasty and healthy cookie. My first was an oatmeal based ginger snap cookie. While it tasted amazing, it was more of a biscotti. (Don’t worry, I’ll post it up later.) Next I tried an almond maple cookie. While it was yummy, it needed something a little extra but I also wanted to cut out the extra sugars. Now, low and behold my final recipe. I hope you enjoy.
PS – Stay tuned later this week! I will be posting the cookies that I received in the mail from other bloggers.
![[Vegan] Almond Kiss Cookies via NomNomCrunch.com](http://nomnomcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Almond-Kiss-Cookies1.jpg)
[Vegan] Almond Maple Kiss Cookies
- 1/2 cup raw almond butter
- 1/2 cup raw maple syrup (or the maple syrup of your choice, sugar-free etc)
- 3 tbsp walnut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- [vegan] dark chocolate kisses
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together excluding the kisses using a stand mixer (or work those muscles and do it by hand), beginning with the wet ingredients and slowly adding in the dry ingredients. Make small round balls with the dough and place on a non-stick cookie sheet or use non-stick cooking spray.
Using either your hands or a spatula (I used my super cute “Be A Good Cookie” one) and press the balls down into thick discs. Due to the lack of sugars and eggs and such, the cookies don’t naturally flatten on their own during the baking process. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes (time can vary depending on cookie size).
Once you take them out of the oven, kiss* each cookie in the center while the cookies are still hot and let the chocolate slightly melt onto the cookie to bind the kiss to the cookie. I like to go around and do a double press, so after all my cookies have a kiss I press on the kiss one more time which makes an extra little ring around the cookie. It helps bind the chocolate to the cookie and I also like the way it looks.
If you’re going to send out your cookies to someone special, remember USPS has free boxes. Just ask. They had the perfect size box for cookies when I went. Just remember to pack your cookies well so they don’t arrive broken. Also, be sure to let the post man know that the items are fragile and perishable.
Depending on how heavy your cookies are and where you are sending them, they can cost anywhere from $5 to $20. So just keep that in mind when selecting your cookie tin or jar. Glass jars can be expensive to ship. And don’t forget to check your shipping price in comparison to the flat rate boxes. In some cases it can be cheaper to upgrade to the flat rate option.
Banana Sweet Potato Souffle
| November 5, 2012 |
While it may not seem like fall in SoCal these days (it was 100 degrees today), it doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying the wonderful flavors of autumn. My favorite fall flavor, hands-down, is CINNAMON! I have been adding it to everything. And it adds flavor without extra calories. Just wait for all my cinnamon recipes coming up! I’m so excited to share.
But my recipe below does have added sugar, so if you’re watching your sugar intake, as we all should be doing, just take note of the amount of sugar. And I guess you could always not add the sugar and it will still taste pretty good, but I personally like the added sweet. What harm is a dessert every here and there? Maybe you should try replacing the pie at Thanksgiving with this! I promise it’s healthier than most pies out there.
Banana Sweet Potato Souffle
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 3 overripe bananas
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp raw sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- optional: 1/2 tbsp ground flax (it’s good for you!)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce sweet potatoes, wrap in foil and bake for 50 minutes or until tender. Place sliced (peeled) bananas and baked sweet potatoes (with the skin, we all know that’s where all the nutrients are) in a food processor until the mixture is somewhat smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients starting with the eggs and working your way down the ingredient list until all have been added.
Spray your ramekins (or bowls or mugs, whatever you choose) with non-stick cooking spray. Fill your ramekins 80% of the way. They will rise a little but not like a cake would. Bake 35 minutes or so until bake is heated all the way through and the top of the souffles have a golden color to them (like my picture). Let cool and serve.
Tastes great with ice cream, but that defeats the purpose of it being a healthier dessert đ
**You might need to cook your’s more or less depending on the size of your containers. This recipe filled 4 of my bowls and 40 minutes seem to do the trick. If this recipe fills 6 of your ramekins, then you might need to decrease your baking time.
Gluten Free Banana Bread Baby Cakes
| October 16, 2012 |
I love bananas. Let’s just put that out there. Well I happen to have a bunch of overripe baby bananas. As any baker knows, NEVER throw away those spotted nanas. What do you do with them? You bake!
Now let’s talk about baby bananas. Yes, there is such a thing. You can find them at your regular super market (or at least I find them at my regular super market). They are so adorable and have a slightly creamier texture. They look like regular bananas, only snack size. Perfect for lunches or for a quick snack. Or in my case, what kind of baby cake recipe would this be without baby bananas?
My Gluten Free Banana Bread Baby Cakes are made with almond flour to mimic bread. I am not a xanthan gum fan so I often use other flour alternatives. Because of this, these cakes don’t keep as long. If you wait more than a day to eat, they will start to have a mushy texture so plan to bake last minute for a party or event. And did I mention, if you skip the frosting and caramel, these are completely Paleo Diet friendly!
Gluten Free Banana Bread Baby Cakes
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup walnut oil
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 5 mashed baby bananas (or 2 regular bananas)
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tbsp of unsalted butter
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 3/4 cup agave nectar
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
**Optional caramel to drizzle on top. I used store bought caramel but you can make yours from scratch if you like.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk all the ingredients together in order adding each one by one as you whisk to prevent clumping. You should be adding the banana and almond flour last. Line a baby cupcake tin with cupcake liners and spray lightly with a non stick cooking spray. I used the walnut oil in an oil mister because the non-stick I normally use has gluten. Who knew, right?
Fill each liner to the top with the batter. (Because there’s no flour or baking powder, these won’t rise much.) Bake for 13 minutes. Time may vary depending on the type of pan you use. Use a wooden toothpick to poke a baby cake or two. If the stick comes out clean then your cakes are done. If it doesn’t, then you either need more time or you didn’t mash your bananas all the way.
Now for the frosting, let the butter and cream cheese stand until room temperature. Mix all the ingredients together. I used an electric mixer for this part, no hand mixing for me. If you want a sweeter frosting, feel free to add sugar rather than agave, but I like to keep things a little more natural. Use a piping bag or cut a hole in the end of a ziplock and pipe the desired amount of frosting on the baby cake. Drizzle with caramel and enjoy!
