Tag: vegan

Kid-Friendly Granola Bars

Leave a comment

Kid Granola Bars (4).JPG

These granola bars are kid-friendly in two senses – both to make them and to eat them – and they are chewier and have far less sugar than store-bought brands. Adults love ’em too, especially to nibble on before or after a workout! Feel free to vary the ingredients below depending what kind of nuts or dried fruit you have at home.

Kid Granola Bars (1)

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 2/3 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 and 1/2 cups raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 6 tablespoons melted Earth Balance butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons cane sugar syrup or corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, raisins, almonds, and coconut. Set aside.
  2. In a second bowl, whisk together the melted butter, vanilla, maple syrup, cane sugar syrup, and water.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the peanut butter, and stir until the mixture is moist.
  4. Press into a 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. If it’s sticky, place a piece of plastic wrap on top so you can easily press the mixture into an even layer.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.

Note: Our bars came out a bit crumbly. I would add a little more liquid sweetener or water next time, for even better results!

Kid Granola Bars (3)

Banana Muffins

2 Comments

Banana Muffins alt

After tons of play with our Baking Crate from KiwiCo, we still wanted more adventures in the kitchen! To wit: these easy banana muffins, the perfect recipe to make after returning from vacation to find three very ripe bananas waiting on the counter.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup melted Earth Balance butter
  • 2 Ener-G eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 3 mashed ripe bananas
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  1. Mix together the sugar and butter in a bowl, stirring until combined.Banana Muffins (1)
  2. Add the Ener-G eggs and coconut milk.
  3. Stir in the mashed bananas – mashing these was definitely the best part of the recipe!Banana Muffins (2)
  4. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  5. Divide the batter evenly among 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

 

BLT Pita Pizzas

Leave a comment

BLT Pizza

Quick, easy… and there’s vegan bacon. That makes this the perfect supper after a day back at school!

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices Lightlife bacon
  • 2 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas
  • 1/4 cup pizza sauce
  • 1/2 cup shredded Daiya cheddar
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 2 tablespoons bottled vinaigrette
  • 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
  1. Cook the bacon slices according to package directions; chop and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, spread about 2 tablespoons pizza sauce over each pita. Top each with about 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 450 degrees F for 5 to 6 minutes, until the cheese melts.
  3. Toss the arugula with the vinaigrette, and divide evenly among the pizza tops. Top evenly with the tomato halves and chopped bacon.

BLT Pizza alt Continue reading →

Granola Muffins

1 Comment

Granola Muffins

My preschooler doesn’t like granola stirred into his non-dairy yogurt, so I wanted a sneaky way to get this nutritional powerhouse into his diet. These muffins are the perfect fix; he has no idea the granola is there, but I know he’s eating muffins with an extra dose of hemp and flax and other granola goodness.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup granola
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Scant 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and granola; set aside.
  2. Place the lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill with the almond milk to equal 1 and 1/2 cups. Let stand for 5 minutes.
  3. Combine the almond milk mixture in a bowl with the oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  4. Divide the batter evenly among 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Let stand in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rick.

Note: For true granola lovers, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a little extra before baking.

Raspberry-Lemonade Slushie

Leave a comment

Raspberry Slushie

My son loves Italian ice, particular lemon flavored, but I don’t always feel great buying him a treat so loaded with sugar. This homemade version has no added sugar at all, and gets its sweetness from raspberries instead. Mama and kid approved!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 2 cups ice
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until slushy and smooth.
  2. Pour into cups and freeze for one hour before serving.

 

Cold Peanutty Pasta

Leave a comment

Peanutty Pasta (5)

I love getting my little chef into the kitchen for each month’s recipe from High Five magazine, and this month featured a perfect summer pasta, meant to be eaten cold or at room temperature. The recipe was a great chance to hone skills including whisking and chopping with a butter knife. Plus, we got to use neat ingredients like fresh ginger root! Here’s my chef, excited to start.

Peanutty Pasta (1)

Adults, cook 8 ounces spaghetti according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain the remaining pasta water and rinse the spaghetti well with cold water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, have your little chef help you combine the following in a bowl:

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

Peanutty Pasta (2)

Add about 6 tablespoons reserved pasta water to the mixture, and whisk until combined. If the sauce is still thick, add another tablespoon or two of the water.

Travis was so excited to try his hand at a butter knife for the next step. I cut a cucumber into rounds, and let him cut each round into quarters.

Peanutty Pasta (3)

In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped cucumbers, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, and the peanut sauce, tossing well to coat.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Note: To make the recipe nut-free, simply omit the chopped peanuts and use all tahini in place of the chunky peanut butter.

Peanutty Pasta (4)

 

Black Bean Burger Chili

Leave a comment

Bean Chili

Here’s a chili so savory and delicious it will have meat-eaters going back for seconds, thirds… even fourths. Warning – it’s spicy!

Ingredients:

  • 4 frozen black bean veggie burgers (such as Gardein)
  • 3 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, undrained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 teaspoons dried basil
  • 3 teaspoons dried oregno
  • 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
  1. Thaw the veggie burgers and coarsely chop.
  2. Combine the burgers with all of the remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, for flavors to blend.

 

Fluffy White Cupcakes

Leave a comment

Cupcakes (2)

In the past, I’ve outsourced birthday party cakes to vegan bakeries in our area, but this year I decided to be brave and go homemade. I’m happy to report these cupcakes are nearly foolproof, and were a huge hit!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
  • 2 and 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 and 1/8 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
  1. Line 20 muffin cups with paper liners (find a color that fits your party theme!), and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. Pour the cider vinegar into a measuring cup, and add soy milk to equal 1 and 1/2 cups; this will sour the mixture.
  3. Meanwhile combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
  4. Combine the soy milk mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer with the canola oil, vanilla, and coconut extract. Add the flour mixture, beating until combined.
  5. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake).
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

Cupcakes (1)

Ok, I did cheat on the frosting and opted for a jar of Wholesome Sweeteners’ vanilla flavor. Go homemade on the frosting too if you have the time!

Summer Smoothie Bonanza

Leave a comment

smoothies (2)

We’ve been having fun this summer testing lots of fruit-and-veggie combo smoothies. Some have been bigger hits than others, but the following all got the seal of approval from my preschooler.

Banana-Pea Smoothie

  • 2 cups sliced banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower butter
  • 1 and 1/4 cups coconut milk

Strawberry-Spinach Smoothie

  • 2 cups frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach
  • 1 and 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Smoothies (4)

Blueberry-Broccoli Smoothie

  • 2 cups frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 cup broccoli florets
  • 2 to 3 chopped, pitted dates
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

(This was the best one yet, earning a “delicious!”)

Smoothies (5)

Peach-Carrot Smoothie

  • 2 cups frozen peaches
  • 1/2 cup cooked carrots
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

The grown-ups liked this one best!

Smoothies (7)

Cantaloupe-Cauliflower Smoothie

  • 2 cups cubed cantaloupe
  • 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower florets
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk

Smoothie (8)

Breakfast Banana Split

1 Comment

Banana Split

It’s my boy’s fourth birthday, and that calls for something a little extra special at breakfast. Ice cream sundaes for breakfast? Why not, if it’s summer and you’re turning 4! If you want to make this dish a little more everyday-friendly, replace the ice cream with your favorite non-dairy vanilla yogurt.

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana
  • 2 scoops non-dairy vanilla ice cream
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons granola
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter, warmed
  1. Cut the banana in half lengthwise, and arrange on a plate.
  2. Top the banana with the ice cream, blueberries, and granola. Drizzle with the almond butter.

Now that’s a sweet start to the day!