Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Muffins

 

So I am one of those people that like to know what exactly is in my food.  When I walked by a bakery a few days a go I saw what's labeled "Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins" and I LOVE PB & CHOC! and I also LOVE LOVE LOVEE MUFFINS! However I am a vegan first of all and I don't want to eat something that will make my waist line grow sideways :) lol. So I decided to experiment and make my own PB + chocolate muffins.  I mainly use spelt / sprouted flour for my baked goods but any flour is doable :) This is definitely more calorie and sugar friendly than most muffins sold at the stores! Like a skinny version of peanut butter chocolate chip muffin! :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

vegan, makes 4 big muffins

dry:

1  cup spelt flour / sprouted whole wheat flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

 1/3 tsp sea salt/himalayan salt

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup rolled whole grain oats

wet:

1/4 cup almond milk or water + 1 tsp chia seeds

1 large banana, mashed (or 1/2 cup apple sauce)

3/4 cup agave/maple syrup or stevia

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

warmed:

2-3 Tbsp virgin coconut oil (or another veggie oil)

  5-6 tbsp cup of PB2 (after mixed in water)

fold in: 

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, vegan OR 

1/2 cup of crushed vegan chocolate bar, I used endangered species vegan chocolate

pecans or walnuts - optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the chia seeds + liquid, allow to sit and soak for a few minutes until seeds plump.
3. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Add in the wet ingredients including the chia seed mixture.
4. Warm the oil and peanut butter in the microwave until soft and liquid in texture. Pour into your batter and fold well. The batter should be about room temperature at this point - you don't want it too warm or it will melt the chips.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Pour into muffin cups.
7. Bake for about 18-20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve warm.or chilled :)

Zucchini Pasta with Tomato Basil Sauce

 

I am a HUGE noodle / pasta fan so I was so happy when I discovered the wonderful zucchini pasta! Great option for those of you who are looking for a great quick easy healthy dinner recipe that is family friendly! <3 
Zucchini pasta - I used a potato peeler! easy peasy! :) then I soaked it in hot water for about two minutes to soften it.

Below is a recipe that I follow for my homemade sauce BUT I also LOVE Trader Joe's organic sauces! :) Courtesy of yummly kitchen! I add mushrooms to it as well! I sprinkled nutritional yeast on top as "cheese" or you can use vegan cheese or any reduced fat cheese :)


this is a great basic marinara to have on hand, and I'll be glad to have extra in the freezer the next time I'm making spaghetti or lasagna. If you're freezing in canning jars, just be sure to leave at least 1" for expansion.

Makes 3 quarts (cut this recipe in half if you don't want a huge amount)

15 pounds fresh Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions 
8 cloves garlic
2 cups dry white wine 
1 large bunch fresh basil 
Salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash tomatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Place tomatoes cut-side-down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Roast for 10 minutes. Cool and peel the skins off and discard. Place peeled tomatoes in a large bowl. Crush with clean hands, or chop tomatoes. Discard any tough stems.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add white wine and simmer until most of the liquid has cooked off. Add the tomatoes and simmer over low heat until reduced by one third to one half, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Blend with an immersion blender if you would like a less chunky sauce.


*A note on freezing - you can freeze sauce in a freezer-safe storage container with a lid, or in a mason jar like I did. Be sure to to bring your sauce to room temperature before freezing, and leave at least 1-inch of room from the top of the jar to allow the sauce to expand without the jar exploding.

Vegan Fudgey Black Bean Brownies with Peanut Butter Swirl

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES! GUILT FREE!! :)

OMG! I've been wanting brownies for a while now! Thanks to the snow day today I got to spend some much needed quality time with my sweet ole' lil kitchen ;) and here's one of my products! planning to make Vegan Chocolate Blueberry muffins later tonight :) 

Fudgey Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
vegan, makes 1 tray of brownies, 9" square or circle baking pan
*nutritional info below based on slicing up 12 pieces per recipe*

(2) 15 ounce cans of black beans (unsalted) - drain and rinse
7 large Medjool dates, pits removed
4 Tbsp virgin coconut oil, melted, organic
1/2 cup agave syrup - you can use stevia if you're worried about the sugar content :)
1/3 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup spelt flour (or any flour to substitute)
1 tsp flax seeds (optional) - def try to get some though :)
2 Tbsp Maca powder (optional)
1/2-1 tsp instant coffee (optional)

Topping:
3 Tbsp peanut butter + 1 tsp coconut or safflower oil
1/3 cup raw walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup chocolate chips, vegan
(optional, not shown) 1/4 cup coconut flakes

Notes: The flax seeds add a bit of 'egg replacing' body to the brownies, but are optional. If you do not add them, you may want to add in an extra Tbsp of flour.

Nutritional info per piece (12 pieces per recipe)
Calories: 188kcal, Fat: 6g, Fiber: 6g, Protein: 6g, Carbs: 31g
Iron: 11% RDA, Calcium: 5% RDA

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Add the dates (pitted), black beans, agave syrup, salt, vanilla extract, coconut oil (melted state), and optional flax seeds to a high speed blender (Vitamix) or a food processor. Start on low and blend until very smooth.

3. Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl and fold in the cocoa powder, flour, cinnamon, instant coffee and Maca powder.

4. Grease your baking pan and pour in the brownie mixture. Smooth out with a spatula.

5. Heat the peanut butter and oil together so that you have a very liquid peanut butter mixture. Swirl that over top the brownie batter and swirl into brownies with a knife.

6. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts over top that. (Coconut flakes are optional.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. Allow to cool at least fifteen minutes before slicing - serve warm for more messy, soft brownies that kind of fall apart when you eat them. Or allow an hour to cool for more firm, slice-able brownies.

Store on the countertop if serving within one day. Or store in the fridge for up to one week. You will need to warm the chilled brownies in microwave or oven before serving. Bon Appetit guys! :)

Pre-workout Shake

                                
Okay so I am a HUGE fan of Green Smoothies! My workout today is BBL High & Tight + Bum Bum. I have to be honest with you, I am not proud of how much I ate the past few days! They were all very healthy meals but I must've ate for two people! I think its because of the stress with classes starting back up etc. Anyways I was kind of hungry, lately I have been experimenting with my diet, a large portion of my food intake consists of raw fruits and vegetables.  I did not want to do my workouts hungry but I don't want to wait an hour either! So I decided to make this Green Pre-workout Shake :) I used a bit of clementine juice as well right before I had it. I love citrus!

Ingredients :
1. 1 cup almond milk
2. 1 tsb PB2 or all natural peanut butter (no oils added)
3. 1/2 banana
4. 2-3 cups of spinach
5. Spirulina vanilla protein powder  (or protein of your choice. I used Spiru-tein)
6. Lime juice - just a few drops if you want to give it some zest!
7. 1 tsp of agave (you can use raw organic honey as well :) ) or to your liking
8. pinch of stevia - optional

BLEND!

Black Bean Lettuce Sandwhich

Okay so some of you might think this looks a little on the weird side but believe if or not it tastes pretty amazing I gotta say!

Ingredients
> 2 tsb hummus (I used trader joes three layer)
> 2 romaine lettuce leaves
> 1/4 cup black beans
> 3 oz mushrooms
> 1/4 medium sized avocado - sliced thin and vertical
> 1/3 red bell pepper - sliced thinly vertically
> 1/2 cup of alfalfa and onion sprouts
> herbal seasoning (I use 21 salute seasonings from trader joes) and Bragg aminos

Direction:
Heat up mushrooms with NO OIL. Should take about 30 seconds, make sure your pan is hot!
Smear both lettuce leaves with hummus on one side, place avocado, red bell pepper then sprouts then mushroomsthen finally beans. Add a few drops of Bragg amino liquids and sprinkle herbal seasoning. Cover with the other lettuce leaf! Yum! :) you can add salsa to if you want! Spice it up <3