We planted an apple tree last year and despite being completely ignored, it produced beautiful apples this year! Two to be exact, but they tasted like heaven! I’m sure there were more, however this poor tree was so neglected that we forgot to pick them. Sorry little apple tree, we will show you more love from now on!
Apple slices pair very nicely with this no sugar added, vegan, caramel almond butter dip. Perfect for an after-school snack for the little ones
Salted Caramel and Almond Butter Dip
10 dates, pitted
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
almond milk
-In a food processor, blend all ingredients together adding almond milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. (I added about 5 tablespoons of almond milk)
-Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
-Serve with almond slices or celery sticks and enjoy!
Overnight oats are such a great grab-and-go breakfast! Simply prepare them at night before you go to bed and voila they are ready to eat in the morning! I was getting a little sick of plain old oats so I thought I would kick it up a notch! I added peanut butter to the almond milk before I poured it on the oats and topped it with fresh strawberries. The protein from the nut butter and the fiber from the oats will keep you fueled all morning long!
Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup soy or almond milk
1 heaping tablespoon peanut or almond butter
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1/2 cup strawberries
-Place oats in a small bowl, set aside.
-Blend together milk, nut butter and maple syrup until well combined.
-Pour milk/pb mixture over oats, stir, cover bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight.
-In the morning, top with diced strawberries, add a pinch of hemp seeds, flax seeds, chopped nuts or raw cacao nibs and enjoy!
I know what you’re thinking…gross, brownies made with black beans!!!!
Have I lost my mind???
No, I haven’t lost my mind! I thought the same thing, gross!
But, don’t knock it until you try it! These are SO good…gooey, chocolatey, fudgy brownies!!!
And, they’re pretty darn healthy for you too! Vegan, gluten free, low-sugar and high in fiber, protein and omega 3’s! I can honestly say I may never go back to making brownies any other way!
I have been wanting to make black bean brownies for a while but, I was too afraid to experiment on my own. So, I borrowed this recipe from www.minimalistbaker.com
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (or sub any other oil of choice)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
heaping 1/2 cup raw sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
optional toppings: walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease a muffin pan (I used spray coconut oil)
3. Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in the food processor and pulsing a few times…let rest for a few minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients (minus toppings) to the food processor and puree for about 3 minutes, occasionally scrapping down edges. You want a very smooth consistency, similar to chocolate frosting. If batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at at time….but, do not make it too runny!!!
5. Evenly distribute batter into muffin tin and add optional toppings.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are dry and edges pull away from the side of the pan.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Gently take brownies out of the muffin tin with a fork. They are very fudgy in the insides, that’s the point! Don’t worry about them being undercooked, they’re vegan!
8. Store in an air tight container.
The original recipe recommended that you pulse the raw sugar in a food processor to create a very fine texture. I skipped this step and they still came out delicious!
You’re supposed to get 12 brownies however, I only got 9. I must have ate too much of the batter, whoops!
These would taste even better with a scoop of vegan chocolate peanut butter banana ice cream!
Make your weekend even sweeter with a batch of these
