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(Secret Ingredient) Vegan Lemon Bars

April 18, 2017 · Natalie 61 Comments

With a crispy oat cracker crust and a luscious veggie-laced lemon filling, these tasty Vegan Lemon Bars are like no citrus dessert you’ve had before!
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If we were to play a round of Guess the Secret Ingredient with this recipe it would be a short game. There are only so many things you can hide under the delicate color and flavor of lemon.

Banana would cancel out the citrus in a second. Tofu is not something I really use in my recipes these days. Dates aren’t a sneaky secret around this site at all. Pineapple, while surprisingly good with lemon, is not it. Beans in desserts isn’t really my style. And we are just about out of light-colored, mild-flavored possibilities already.

Except one. One that starts with a C and rhymes with sour. One that made this milkshake so thick and this pudding so creamy. One that had I mentioned it in the title might have sparked an involuntary ewwww! reaction–hence the mysterious name. You have my (not so) tricky lemon bar secret all figured out by now, don’t you?

It’s cauliflower.

But that is not the only thing that makes this recipe special.

So before we talk about how I steamed cauliflower and blended it into the lemon layer and it made for the most amazing creamy texture and you can’t taste it at all, let’s talk about that crispy oat crust…

To tell the full story of how this crust came to be, we have to rewind all the way back to June of last year when I went to Oregon to visit my sister.

The very first day I was there, we went into a health food store for some mid Portland-wandering fuel and I came out with fresh blackberries, oat crackers, and dark chocolate. I wish I could remember which health food store it was, but since I went into pretty much every single one I saw (and since it’s Oregon, that’s A LOT!) I can’t keep them all straight. Sitting on the sidewalk snacking, getting funny looks from many humans and envious looks from many dogs, I discovered my favorite store-bought cracker: Nairn’s Organic Oat Crackers.

And while that may sound a bit dramatic for a story about crackers, I am not exaggerating one bit. I went through 3 whole boxes on that trip and I was only there for 4 days. And when I got home I immediately stocked up on them from Amazon. It was cracker love level = obsession.

So when Nairn’s reached out to me it was an obvious YES. Because me and these crackers have a history and I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to share their delicious crunchy snack-perfection with you.

Although I must admit, now that I have tried their Oat Grahams too the crackers have some stiff snack competition. Because those grahams are subtly sweet and scrumptious!

Oat cracker crust. I have complained in the past about how oat flour crusts never have the crispy texture that I am looking for as the base of a bar or pie. But I discovered that oat cracker crusts have exactly the crumbly toasty texture I want while still keeping things oat-based and easy.

The crust of these lemon bars is made of oat crackers ground into crumbs plus maple syrup to sweeten and hold it all together. The texture is reminiscent of a graham cracker pie crust and the taste is a little salty + a little sweet, which compliments the creamy citrus top layer beautifully.

The ingredients in these crackers are pretty simple: oats, oat bran, oil, and salt. While they are not oil-free, they are still quite low in fat. And it’s that little bit of oil that makes them a much better crust base than plain oat flour, which just turns chewy when you bake it. So I do not recommend subbing in oat flour here.

If you don’t want to use the crackers for the crust, I would suggest switching to this almond flour crust instead.

Lemon cauliflower cream. The filling gets some of it’s creaminess from the cauliflower, but there is coconut involved too. I first tried using coconut milk in this recipe, but with all the lemon juice it was just too much liquid. So I switched to coconut cream, a.k.a. the thick part scooped out of a can of full fat coconut milk that has spent a night or two in the fridge. Thickness and richness without all the extra liquid.

In addition to the creamy coco-cauli base, there is lots of lemon flavor with a combination of lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup for sweetness, and arrowroot starch to help the bars set and slice cleanly.

A quick note! The first batch of these bars I made in the smaller rectangle pan you see in the video, but the crust was too thick and I had extra filling that would’ve overflowed the pan. The second time I used a larger square pan and it worked perfectly. So don’t let the pan in the video confuse you–8×8″ square is the way to go!

These bars need to be baked and chilled overnight, so they aren’t exactly the quickest of desserts. But the wait is worth it my lemon treat lovers! Maybe make some oat graham ice cream sandwiches in the meantime.

P.S. Thank you for all the love and support on my last post. You guys are seriously amazing!

(Secret Ingredient) Vegan Lemon Bars

★★★★★ 4.6 from 5 reviews

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Yield: 9 bars 1x

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Description

With a crispy oat cracker crust and a luscious veggie-laced lemon filling, these tasty Vegan Lemon Bars are like no citrus dessert you’ve had before!

Ingredients

Scale

Oat Cracker Crust*

1 1/2 cup Nairn’s Oat Crackers, ground ((about 18 crackers))
1/4 cup maple syrup

Lemon Cream

Cream from a 15oz can of full-fat coconut milk ((chilled overnight))
2 cups cooked cauliflower
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Zest from one lemon
3 tbsp arrowroot starch
1/4 tsp turmeric ((optional for color))

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F.
For the crust, grind the crackers in a blender or food processor and slowly drizzle in the maple syrup until you have a sticky crumbly mixture.
Press into an 8×8″ square pan lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
For the filling, blend all the ingredients on high until smooth and creamy.
Pour on top of the crust.
Bake for 45 minutes at 375F.
Cool then chill overnight.
Slice into squares and enjoy! Keep in the fridge.

Notes

*Alternatively you could use this almond flour crust

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Things Change

April 17, 2017 · Natalie 63 Comments

This post might ruffle some feathers, but I want to share it anyways. And if you don’t ruffle a few feathers from time to time then you are probably doing life wrong.

I posted this video on Instagram a couple of days ago of a recipe with both an egg and egg-free option, and it sparked a bit of a…discussion in the comments section. So I thought it was time for a serious chat and explanation.

Things change. People change. And minds change, but only when they are open.

For a long time mine was not. For a long time I was eating the same vibrant whole plant foods day after day hoping that eventually I would feel amazing doing so. As amazing as all the Vegan What I Ate YouTube videos promised and #hclfvegan Instagram captions professed. Yeah, I got caught up in that crazy comparison mindset too. I was unwilling to consider any other alternative. If I could just eat healthy enough and vegan hard enough it had to happen eventually. Right?

But it didn’t. Not after a year. Not after two years or three years. Not after going raw vegan. Not after eating nothing but bananas for a week (hello desperation!). Not after reading all the books and watching all the videos and trying all the versions. I was frustrated. And as irrational as it sounds now looking back, I felt like I must be doing something wrong.

Believe me I wanted it to work, I wanted it to work so badly. I had been vegan since high school, I create vegan recipes for a living, until recently the word vegan was all over my about me page–it was a HUGE part of my identity and letting go of that felt scary. But after trying to make it work for years and feeling not so hot ninety percent of the time, I had to finally put that familiar identity and my love of massive banana smoothies aside and admit to myself that it wasn’t working for me anymore.

You might be wondering why I didn’t just drop the high fruit/high carb part of veganism and try a starch-based or even lower carb plant-based diet. I did try it, but I didn’t feel better nor was I satisfied eating that way. Plus beans, soy, and raw veggies are all a nightmare for my stomach, which makes the plant food options quite limited.

Aside from stomach issues there were other signs my body was giving me that things weren’t right. My hair was falling out like crazy, I had circles under my eyes and low energy levels, and I found myself constantly snacking and craving endless quantities of sweet food.

So for a few months now I have been eating AIP paleo-ish and including non-vegan foods in my diet again. And while it has been far from smooth sailing, I feel SO much better. Better than I remembered it was possible to feel. Even my worst days are better than my good days back when i was eating tons of fruit. AIP is not an easy diet to follow, and I have not done it perfectly nor do I want to. My goal is to use it as a starting point from which to experiment and find what works for me as an individual without rules or labels.

I truly feel like this is a step in the right direction. There is no longer a feeling of disconnect between what I want to eat and what is probably best to eat to nourish and feel good inside. I used to crave and eat tons of fruit knowing full well that my stomach would most likely be an angry mess afterwards. But now I actually crave savory foods, simple foods that make me and my stomach happy.

All the recipes I share will still be vegan. I still love fruit and love creating with it. I love dreaming up healthier ways to make sweet snacks and seeing just how many recipes it is possible to squeeze dates into and creating nice cream for any and every season. There may be a few more grain-free and AIP treats mixed in, but from the feedback so far it seems many of you appreciate those too.

It’s not that a big bowl of banana ice cream doesn’t appeal to me anymore, it’s just that I know it won’t make me feel awesome. And right now I need to focus on what makes me feel awesome inside and out. I truly am content eating his way, thank goodness tastebuds are so wonderfully adaptable.

I am in no way criticizing the vegan or high carb vegan diet–it works for many people! But for me it turned into trying to force something to work that just didn’t. Trying to force myself to fit into a diet instead of finding a way of eating that fits me. Someday I hope that my love of fruit will realign with what my body needs and wants to feel good, but that day is not today.

It feels good to be flexible and to experiment. It feels good to finally feel good. And even though my primary motivation for making this change was physical wellbeing, it has done more for my mental wellbeing regarding food and health than I ever could’ve imagined. A change in perspective is a powerful thing.

I know this may upset some of you, and if you decide to unfollow me for it then that is your choice. I will be sad to see you go, but at some point I have to put my own health first. Being honest with you is important to me, and it is my hope that you will receive my honesty with an open mind.

Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you have a struggled with similar health issues. Perhaps you have had to make the same tough decision yourself. For so long I would instantly dismiss anyone who tried to convince me that my vegan diet may be the cause of my health issues. I had to come to it on my own in my own time and then be open-minded enough myself to make this change. A change that at one time I never thought I would make.

To my vegan friends, if you wish to voice your opinion all I ask that you do so with the same compassion for me that you advocate for all.

And to my friends who have been supportive of me and my decision regardless of dietary choices, so much gratitude and love to you <3

And why the cookies? Because this is my second batch in a week of these cookies from the incredible Mandy (Be Sol-Ful) and they are grain-free and chocolatey and delicious, meeting all the cookie requirements that make both me and my body happy right now! And yes they are vegan too. Also I think all serious chats are better with cookies, don’t you?

Tigernut Shortbread Cookies

April 13, 2017 · Natalie 102 Comments

These buttery-sweet Tigernut Flour Shortbread Cookies are grain and nut free plus super simple to make and extra decadent dunked in a silky carob coating!

And so the unusual flour experiments continue.

Or more accurately the grain-free flour experiments, since coconut flour isn’t really unusual anymore. Or maybe just non-oat flour experiments, that is really the common thread here.

First I dabbled in almond flour baking with this buttery tart. Then there was banana flour in the form of this cake I can’t stop craving. And then there was coconut flour in the easiest recipe I think I’ve ever posted. And now tigernut.

I kinda want to circle back around now–funky flours round 2. Or maybe move on to cassava flour next, that is one I’ve been meaning to do a recipe with for a while now but somehow every time I order a bag the entire contents disappear in the form of mini donuts…oops!

But I digress. Back to tigernut…

Even though autocorrect has not yet recognized tigernut as a thing, the grain-free baking world seems to be all about right now. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, and actually made from tiny tubers. Plus it conjures up mental images of a ferocious jungle cat in my mind every time I say it, which is not something that can be said for many other baking ingredients.

Grain-free recipes. In my own life, I have been sticking to a mostly grain-free diet lately for the sake of a happy gut. And I must say it has been helping immensely! Adjusting to this different way of baking and all these new flours has been tricky and filled with fails, but fun nonetheless. There are still many things I have not yet figured out how to make without my go-to oat flour, which is why the grain-free recipes have been just slowly starting to pop up around here. But there will be more to come, so I hope you are enjoying them too.

Tigernut flour. I first tried tigernut flour in these adorable mini raspberry muffins from Food By Mars, because Alison is pretty much a pro with the grain-free baking. Then more recently I revisited it in these cute little chocolate cookies from my friend Mandy over at Be Sol-Ful Living. Although I sadly didn’t get a photo of those because…well…it was late and dark and they were very yummy.

The texture of the flour reminds me somewhat of almond flour, although it is much lower in fat so not as naturally buttery. The flavor (especially in those mini muffins) is very reminiscent of cornmeal or cornbread in my opinion. It is not super bind-y by itself, so often used in combination with other flours, although for these Tigernut Shortbread Cookies I did use it alone and employed coconut butter to help hold things together.

Other shortbread essentials. I modeled this recipe very closely off of a classic shortbread cookie recipe. They are usually quite simple: flour, butter, sugar, and vanilla. That’s it. No leavening agents. Sometimes salt, but it’s optional.

So sticking with that simple theme, my healthier grain-free version is: tigernut flour, coconut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.

AIP-friendly. Since tigernut flour is not only grain-free but AIP-friendly (something else I’ve personally been dabbling with lately) I stuck to that theme in my choice of “chocolate” coating. So while it looks like these shortbread cookies are chocolate dipped, they are actually carob dipped.

Instead of using melted chocolate, I created a carob sauce with sifted carob powder (because that stuff can be seriously lumpy!) and coconut oil so it would harden in the fridge. You could add maple syrup to sweeten, but carob is much sweeter than cacao powder in my opinion so I don’t even think you need it. Or you can just use melted chocolate of course if you don’t care about the AIP part.

Enjoy their buttery-delicious flavor plain. Dip in melted chocolate or carob. Or share with your favorite ferocious jungle cat friend!

Or if you are in search of a similarly simple cookie but with good old oat flour, may I suggest -> THESE