peanut butter blast brownies ~vegan, gluten free~

I guess you can say we have a bit of a brownie addiction in our house!  

Peanut Butter Blast Brownies ~vegan AND gluten free~ Made with sweet potatoes and cacao powder, a healthy way to treat yourself!

You can probably include a chocolate addiction somewhere in there too!

Unlike my usual brownies made with chickpeas, these are made with two heaping cups of sweet potato!  Fudgy, gooey and a totally healthy way to treat yourself!

Peanut Butter Blast Brownies ~vegan AND gluten free~ Made with sweet potatoes and cacao powder, a healthy way to treat yourself!

Vegan AND gluten free…antioxidant rich, fiber filled and super simple to make!

peanut butter blast brownies
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons warm water) or 1 egg
  • 2 cups sweet potato puree
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons almond or soy milk
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup cacao powder or high-quality cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup gluten-free flour mix (I use Bob's Red Mill)
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • For the Peanut Butter Sauce:
  • ¼ tablespoon creamy all-natural peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, grease a 8x8 baking pan with oil or cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl stir together flax seed meal and warm water, set aside for 10 minutes or until a gel is formed.
  3. In a large bowl combine flax egg, sweet potato puree, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, milk and vanilla. Use a hand-held mixer and mix until well combined and fluffy.
  4. In another bowl mix together cacao powder, GF flour, baking soda and salt.
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool before cutting.
  6. To make Peanut Butter Sauce:
  7. In a small saucepan whisk together peanut butter, coconut oil and agave syrup until smooth. Drizzle over cooled brownies.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 169 Fat: 12 Carbohydrates: 13 Sugar: 6 Protein: 4

Peanut Butter Blast Brownies ~vegan AND gluten free~ Made with sweet potatoes and cacao powder, a healthy way to treat yourself!

I roasted two medium sized sweet potatoes and let them cool before scooping out the inside.  You can also boil peeled and cut sweet potatoes, but I feel that roasting them brings out more of a naturally sweet flavor.  If you don’t get a full 2 cups of sweet potatoes, add applesauce to make up the remainder.

Peanut Butter Blast Brownies ~vegan AND gluten free~ Made with sweet potatoes and cacao powder, a healthy way to treat yourself!

Talk about an easy way to get in a serving of vegetables!

Hope you enjoy them :)

basil coconut brown rice ~vegan, gluten free~

Comforting and healing, brown rice cooked with coconut and basil….

Basil Coconut Rice ~vegan, gluten free ~A comforting and healing side dish!

A few nights ago I spent the evening catching up with one of my closest friends over this meal, one I knew I wanted to recreate.  She cooked, it was such a simple gesture, yet such a treat to have a meal cooked for me.  We spent hours chatting and eating!  It reminded me of those summers when we were teenagers and could talk the night away!  However, we are much better cooks now and our parents didn’t have to call the cops to go looking for us :)

Thank you,  Emily xoxo

She just threw this meal together with food she cooked ahead of time.  You can roast whatever veggies you have on hand or growing in your garden!  For a little flavor boost I added a pinch of black sea salt and chopped macadamia nuts!

basil coconut brown rice ~vegan, gluten free~
 
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Ingredients
  • For the Rice:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion, minced
  • 2 cups brown rice
  • 2½ cups water
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
  • For the Roasted Vegetables:
  • ½ red onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 summer squash, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • pinch of thyme
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup macadamia nuts, chopped (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and onion. Saute until fragrant. Add brown rice and stir until rice is coated with oil. Add water and coconut milk, bring to a boil. Turn down heat, stir in salt and basil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, add onion, squash and zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil, add thyme, sea salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. Finish under the broiler for a few minutes or until crispy.
  3. Serve veggies over rice, top with macadamia nuts.

Basil Coconut Rice ~vegan, gluten free ~A comforting and healing side dish!

The coconut milk adds a sweet and mild flavor to the nutty brown rice.  You could also pair this rice with a spicy curry!  To me, coconut rice is a comfort food, but it can be used to heal inflammatory digestive disorders.  Coconut milk contains lauric acid, which contains antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal properties.  It also helps aid in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins.

Basil Coconut Rice ~vegan, gluten free ~A comforting and healing side dish!

Hope you enjoy :)

the easiest chocolate cake EVER with avocado frosting ~vegan~

See ya later Betty Crocker!  

The easiest chocolate cake ever! WIth avocado frosting! ~vegan~ Plus, a make ahead cake mix easier and healthier than using a box mix~

This has to be the easiest chocolate cake to make…ever!

Even easier than using a box mix!  Plus, it comes without the partially hydrogenated oil, artificial flavoring, and propylene glycol (which is also found in brake fluid)!  And you don’t even need to dirty a bowl!  All the ingredients are mixed together in the baking tin…win!

Oh yeah, it’s vegan too!

The easiest chocolate cake ever! WIth avocado frosting! ~vegan~ Plus, a make ahead cake mix easier and healthier than using a box mix~

Yesterday was Shaye’s birthday.  Between working, cleaning, cooking, making forts, playing trains, walking the dog (you get the idea), I needed to come up with a birthday cake without much time to spare.

Enter the easiest chocolate cake recipe ever…

Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a greased 8″ baking tin, add the wet ingredients, stir, bake and voila…you have a rich and moist chocolate cake!

(I got the idea from here)

Follow along with the photos:

The easiest chocolate cake ever! ~vegan~

the easiest chocolate cake EVER and avocado frosting ~vegan~
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
  • For The Cake:
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup white all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup organic cane sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cacao powder (or high-quality cocoa powder)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • For the Avocado Frosting:
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • ¼ cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
  • 1 teaspoon pure orange extract (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (use 1+ teaspoon if not using orange extract)
  • 2 tablespoons agave syrup
  • pinch sea salt
  • ½ cup vegan dark chocolate chips (melted using a double boiler or microwave)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease an 8" baking tin and add the whole wheat pastry flour, white flour, sugar, cacao powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine.
  3. Make 3 "pools." In one pool add the white vinegar, in the next pool add the vanilla extract and in the last pool add the vegetable oil. Pour 1 cup of water on top and gently stir. (don't worry about little clumps!)
  4. Bake on the center rack for 30 minutes. (give or take a few minutes depending on your stove).
  5. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
  6. Meanwhile, add the avocado, orange extract, vanilla extract, almond milk and sea salt to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour in melted chocolate chips and blend until well combined.
  7. Once the cake is cooled, use a knife to loosen the edges and flip onto a plate.
  8. Frost and enjoy!

The frosting is made with avocados, no one will ever know!  Note:  the avocados need to be perfectly ripe!  Too ripe or too green won’t do!  To ripen avocados, place in a paper bag with a banana overnight, does the trick every time!  I used pure orange extract, but you can use any flavor you prefer…plain old vanilla is delicious too :)

The easiest chocolate cake ever! WIth avocado frosting! ~vegan~ Plus, a make ahead cake mix easier and healthier than using a box mix~

After making this cake, I got thinking….

Why don’t I make up a few batches of the dry ingredients and store them in mason jars for a quick fix?

Now, all I need to do is dump, pour and mix…easy peasy!

The easiest chocolate cake ever~ ~vegan~ Make ahead cake mix, easier and healthier than a box mix~

Until next time!