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Iced Carob Latte

June 19, 2015 · Natalie 24 Comments

The colder the recipe, the simpler the photos. I don’t have time to make it pretty, IT’S MELTING! Ice cream and milkshake photos are a time sensitive matter. You should see me running from the kitchen to the camera like a mad woman! My dog grabs her toy thinking we must be playing a game with all this running. Well Iced Carob Lattes are no different…but SO worth it.

The photos may be simple, but the flavor is beautifully complex. The indescribably not-chocolate flavor of carob + the always lovely vanilla + the so sweet dates + the background of coconut water. It’s dreamy and creamy and frothy and fruity. Poured over chilly cubes and topped with banana milk, it’s a sweet sip like no other!

Make it raw! I unintentionally created this recipe with ingredients that can all be raw. If you use un-toasted carob powder and un-heated coconut water then its totally low fat raw vegan.

Iced Carob Latte

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving 1x

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Ingredients

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1 tbsp carob powder
1 cup coconut water
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
2 pitted medjool dates
Handful ice
BANANA MILK
1 ripe banana
2/3 cup water
Optional: 1/2 of a frozen banana for extra thickness

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Instructions

FOR THE CAROB LATTE: Blend the carob, vanilla, coconut water, and dates on high until smooth.
Fill your jar or glass with a handful of ice cubes. Pour the latte on top of the ice.
Rinse the blender.
FOR THE BANANA MILK: Blend the banana and water on high until smooth. Add a couple chunks of frozen banana if you want it thicker.
Top off your jar/glass with banana milk. Add a straw. Sip, sip, sip!

I do realize that this is not technically a latte, but what else would I call it?

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5 Favorites • June 2015

June 17, 2015 · Natalie 25 Comments

I’m trying something new today. Instead of sharing a fruity recipe, I’m sharing 5 of my favorite products of the moment. Some are ingredients. Some are snacks. Some are old favorites. Some are new finds. I might even slip in something non-edible, who knows! Lots of possibilities, and lots of amazing things I want to share.

I love reading these sorts of posts–a trusty recommendation from a blogger friend is my favorite way to discover new products. So if you like this sort of post too, let me know and I might make it a regular thing.

1. Sweet, salty, saucy! I’m starting off with an old flavorful friend: Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos. You’ve probably heard of it by now, (at least I hope so) but if not you MUST try it!

There are many things that make it healthier than soy sauce/tamari: a lower sodium content, no soy, no MSG, and a higher amino acid content. But even if none of those things were true I would still choose coconut aminos over any soy sauce because the flavor is at least 27 times more delicious!

It’s slightly sweeter, not hit-you-over-the-head salty like soy sauce. And even though I have tried and enjoyed the Coconut Secret teriyaki and garlic sauces as well, the simple coconut aminos is my absolute favorite! You will find a bottle of this sweet-salty stuff on the door of my fridge at all times.

2. My newest sweet-baking bestie! If everyone would just try a taste of these little crystals, brown sugar would not exist anymore. It would be completely obliterated by the amazingness that is Big Tree Farms Vanilla Coconut Sugar, because it is SO much tastier and healthier!

I’ve muffin-made, cereal-sprinkled, and banana-coin-coated with this sweet stuff all to delicious ends. And I may or may not have eaten it straight off my my finger as well…I gotta thoroughly test this stuff out. I even made a batch of my Possibly Addictive Vanilla Date Bars substituting this for the Bee Free Honee, and it was probably the best batch I’ve ever made!

It is a perfect pouch of sweet vanilla goodness.

3. Soft chewy snacking! Yes I am including something as simple and obvious as dried apple rings, because I need to tell you about these!

I’m sure I walked by these Made in Nature Organic Dried Apples a thousand times in the grocery aisle and never thought to try them. But these snackable apples have really been filling my afternoon snacking void lately. The taste? Well they taste like apples, duh! But the texture is what I’m crazy about.

They are soft and pillowy and light and amazing! I wouldn’t go so far as to say marshmallowy, but my mind does wander in that direction when I eat them. They’re chewier though. And of course all natural made of nothing but organic apples.

Just an edible reminder that the best things are often the simplest!

4. Those little black specks. My one true flavor love: Sunfood Vanilla Bean Powder. No I haven’t tried every brand out there, but I have tried a few others and none are as sweetly potent as this. Why mess with a good thing?

I would put this in just about everything if I could, but my baking budget couldn’t handle that. I only use it when there aren’t lots of other flavors around, so it’s fantastic flavor can really shine through. I like to think of it as pantry gold. Just a whiff of the bag is absolutely heavenly!

5. Cuckoo for coconut bowls! Last on my list is a non-food favorite. You might’ve caught a glimpse of this bowl on Instagram if you follow me there, but I wanted to formally introduce you to my favorite bowl. This purple piece of bowl beauty is the Bambu Coconut Bowl. It was created out of a coconut, how cool is that!?!

It’s totally food safe. I use it for everything from rice to cereal to smoothie bowls. I’m kind of dangerous around glass and ceramic things (I broke 2 glasses in one day a few weeks ago!), so this is the perfect food vessel for me. Plus it’s super lightweight, and since the bottom is round it spins 🙂

It can’t be dishwashered, so I just clean it by hand and reuse it next meal. This way I save dishes and water. It’s pretty much the only dish I eat from…unless I make pancakes…pancakes need plates.

And if the fun factor isn’t enough, they are also formaldehyde and bleach free, crafted by a fair trade certified company, and made from materials that would otherwise go to waste. So brownie points for sustainability!

Now you tell me: what are you loving right now?

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Strawberry O Bars

June 15, 2015 · Natalie 27 Comments

I’ve been kind of obsessed with cereal desserts lately. Just for about the past 21 years or so.

I don’t know why I love them so much. I mean they are usually ridiculously fast and easy. And they’re typically light and and crunchy. And they often require licking delicious messy fingers after making and after eating. And they are always customizable with mix-ins. Nope, can’t figure out what’s appealing about all that.

So cereal isn’t exactly a ‘whole food’, but there are definitely healthier options when it comes to boxed breakfast crunchies. The less sugar and flavorings the better. And plain cereals are more fun anyways because you can flavor, top, and tasty them up yourself! I like to think of them in 3 categories: Os, rice crisps, and flakes.

I have tried many, many healthy cereal brands to find the fewest ingredient, best tasting options for each category, and here are my current top picks:
– One Degree Organic Sprouted Ancient Grain Os. Great taste, great crunch, and I love that they are sweetened with coconut sugar. Note that they are not gluten free though.
– Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal. This is my go-to cereal, I always have a box around. There are only 3 ingredients: brown rice, brown rice syrup, and salt! They do come in a salt-free version too, but I think the salted ones have a better, more balanced flavor.
– Barbara’s Bakery Organic Corn Flakes. These are made with non-GMO corn and sweetened with fruit juice, which I love! They are very light, like traditional corn flakes, not thick like many other healthy flake cereals.

Now onto these Strawberry O Bars!

I don’t think I need to say much to convince you, strawberries + chocolate + crunch is an awesome combo and everybody knows it. Making them is easy, and involves lots of sticky chocolate fingers to “clean”. After baking, snack them, share them, don’t try to save them for next week. These bars don’t last very long without turning soggy (it’s the strawberries’ fault), so devouring them within a couple of days is a requirement!

Strawberry O Bars

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 9 bars 1x

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Ingredients

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3 cups O cereal
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
2 tbsps cacao powder
6 medium strawberries (chopped)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300F.
In a large bowl, mix together the cereal and cacao powder until evenly coated.
Add the brown rice syrup, and mix until everything is chocolatey and sticky and messy.
Add the chopped strawberries and toss to combine.
Line a 8×8″ square pan with parchment paper. Transfer the chocolate O mixture into the pan. Press down firmly. You can use a piece of wax paper on top so it won’t stick to your fingers.
Bake for 30 minutes at 300F.
Cool, then slice.
Store in the fridge for up to 2 days. They will become soggy if stored too long due to the moisture in the berries.

Are you a cereal dessert lover or a serial dessert devourer?

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF + HCLF)

June 11, 2015 · Natalie 19 Comments

I got a request for a mint recipe, and wouldn’t you know I happened to have a sad-looking, 5-day old bunch of mint in the fridge. Why let it just wilt away when there are cookie possibilities?

This bunch of mint had quite an exciting week last week. On Monday it went into a bliss ball recipe for an exciting collaborative cookbook project! #VeganFriendsCookbook On Tuesday it went into this cucumber mint smoothie that I posted on Instagram (recipe courtesy of Curls’n’Chard). And on Saturday the slightly limp remains went into these gluten and oil free Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies!

The texture can only be described as pillowy…or cake-like. Pillowy or cake-like, one of those two words. Unless you want to call them chocolate mint bliss, I’m okay with that too.

I bumped up the mint flavor with a teaspoon of mint extract. I don’t usually like minty desserts that are only made with fresh mint. They taste a little too…leafy for me. I want that cool kick of mint that a little bit of mint extract is VERY good at delivering! Mint extract is the epitome of “A little bit goes a long way”.

Fun fact: Did you know that if you stick your finger in the mint extract (accidentally of course) it will experience that chilly sensation too. The same thing works on your foot if you spill it all over the floor and then step in it (this time is really was accidental).

Because making cookies is a very difficult, precise process…a video:

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF + oil-free)

★★★★★ 4.3 from 3 reviews

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 16 1x

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Ingredients

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2 cups oat flour
2 tsps baking powder
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
1 tsp mint extract
1 batch of HCLF Chocolate Bits (or 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Blend the banana, coconut sugar, non-dairy milk, mint leaves, and mint extract until smooth.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
Add the wet mixture and stir to combine.
Gently fold in the Chocolate Bits. If it seems to liquidy to spoon onto the pan, let it sit for 5 minutes or so. The oat flour will absorb water and thicken the batter.
Spoon onto a cookie sheet. Top with an extra sprinkle of Chocolate Bits to make them look pretty. Press them in lightly
Bake for 10 minutes at 350F or until the bottom edges are just starting to brown.
Cool, then devour!

What’s your favorite way to use fresh mint?

Vegan Cinnamon Cupcakes with Apple Frosting

June 5, 2015 · Natalie 32 Comments

High-carb low-fat frostings are tough. They require me to engage all my unconventional baking imagination. Well not chocolate frosting. Chocolate frosting is (on top of) a piece of cake. But non-chocolate frostings require me to pull out all the sweet fruity stops and try every crazy idea that comes to me. Like this one…

In FF frosting history we’ve had…
– Freeze dried banana AND freeze dried strawberry frosting
– Purple sweet potato frosting
– Rice Whip frosting
– Chia frosting
– Caramel frosting
– Beet-dyed coconut frosting
– and a whole lot of other failed attempts that never left my kitchen.

Today I’m adding a new one to the list: Applesauceting! Applesauce + frosting. After making those Raw Blueberry Slices from Simple and Light Desserts, I had a whole new appreciation for dried apple slices. So I frosting-ed them.

It’s sweet and SO perfect perched on top of yet another flavor of Everything-Free cupcakes: cinnamon! And when the frosting soaks into the cake a little bit…WOW! I would say that this is my favorite flavor of Everything-Free cupcakes yet, but I probably said that last time…and the time before. I just can’t pick a favorite.

If you haven’t tried any of my Everything-Free cupcakes by now than you need to put that at the top of your to-do list. The vanilla, chocolate, and black bottom are all deeelicious! Everything-Free cupcakes are a feat of fruity baking! They are gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, oil-free, and sugar-free. And I’ve discovered that they last up to a week in the fridge without losing any cupcake quality.

Vegan Cinnamon Cupcakes with Apple Frosting

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 cupcakes 1x

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Ingredients

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FOR THE CAKE
1 cup pitted medjool dates
1 cup water
1 1/4 cup flour (I used oat flour, but all-purpose or wheat or spelt works too)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
FOR THE APPLESAUCETING
1 1/2 cup dried apple slices
1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup non-dairy milk

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Instructions

FOR THE CUPCAKES: Preheat the oven to 350F.
Combine the dates and water in a food processor or blender.
Blend till smooth.
Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and milk.
Process to combine.
Divide the batter into 6 cupcake tins lined with paper liners or lightly oiled.
Bake for approximately 22 minutes at 350F, or until the tops are firm when touched.
Let the cupcakes cool.
FOR THE FROSTING: Soak the dried apple slices in the apple juice and milk for 15-20 minutes.
Blend the soaked apples with 3/4 of the soaking liquid. Add as little of the remaining 1/4 cup liquid as possible to keep the blender moving but keep the applesauceting thick.
Once cool, frost the cupcakes. Keep the cupcakes in the fridge for up to a week.

What flavor of Everything-Free cupcakes should I make next?

Iced Carob Latte

Iced Carob Latte

Ingredients

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5 Favorites • June 2015

Strawberry O Bars

Strawberry O Bars

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Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF + HCLF)

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF + oil-free)

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Instructions

Vegan Cinnamon Cupcakes with Apple Frosting

Vegan Cinnamon Cupcakes with Apple Frosting

Ingredients

Instructions

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