I confess, I initially wanted to make muffins this evening. But as soon as these adorable little bites took shape, I decided to just go with it. No added fat and lots of fruit make these a healthy treat you won't be able to resist!
And here's how you make 'em:
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
Mash up 1 banana with 1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp grated ginger, and 6 Tbsp almond milk. Whisk until the mixture is creamy. A few little banana lumps are okay. Dice up one average-sized pear and mix it in. Add 1 egg replacer and mix well.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl: 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt.
Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and stir in at least 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (use your discretion and don't be shy about adding more!)
Spread the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Use a small cookie cutter or drinking glass, about 2" diameter, to cut out mini-scones. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes.
If the bottoms of the scones are starting to brown and you're worried about them burning, you can flip the scones upside-down and keep baking. They'll hold their shape and have a nice golden brown color all over.
Enjoy with a cup of tea or a little peanut butter.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Super Secret Brownies
I confess...the proportions in this recipe have been borrowed from the Happy Herbivore's Black Bean Brownies. But the secret ingredient was all my idea, and I've put my own twist on the original recipe. Enjoy - and don't feel guilty for reaching for seconds! It's all good!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 9x9 glass baking dish with Earth Balance (or another buttery spread).
Combine in food processor:
1/3 c agave nectar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
and... the secret ingredient: 2 very ripe avocadoes!
Blend until well combined, then add 1 can black beans (after rinsing verry well and draining excess moisture). Blend again until smooth, but if you can still see a few bits of black bean, don't worry about it. They won't hurt anybody.
Pour mixture into the baking dish, then stir in 1/4 c rolled oats and 1/4 c chopped walnuts. I really think you need some nuts in this recipe, so if you don't have walnuts, try almonds... or cashews... yum!
Once all ingredients are mixed together, smooth the top of the brownie batter and bake for approx 30 minutes. When you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean, your brownies are about done!
Now the hard part... let your brownie sit for another 20 minutes so it has a chance to firm up and cool down. Use all the willpower you've got... and then enjoy!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 9x9 glass baking dish with Earth Balance (or another buttery spread).
Combine in food processor:
1/3 c agave nectar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
and... the secret ingredient: 2 very ripe avocadoes!
Blend until well combined, then add 1 can black beans (after rinsing verry well and draining excess moisture). Blend again until smooth, but if you can still see a few bits of black bean, don't worry about it. They won't hurt anybody.
Pour mixture into the baking dish, then stir in 1/4 c rolled oats and 1/4 c chopped walnuts. I really think you need some nuts in this recipe, so if you don't have walnuts, try almonds... or cashews... yum!
Once all ingredients are mixed together, smooth the top of the brownie batter and bake for approx 30 minutes. When you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean, your brownies are about done!
Now the hard part... let your brownie sit for another 20 minutes so it has a chance to firm up and cool down. Use all the willpower you've got... and then enjoy!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Super-Creamy Vegan Lasagna
I've been spending a lot of time perfecting lasagna recipes lately, amd this one turned out really well! My mom made fantastic lasgana when I was young and I've really missed it! But after trying a piece of this new lasagna recipe, I'm convinced it's just as good as my mom's! Enjoy!
Start by cooking one box of whole wheat lasagna noodles. You'll only need half a box, so you can store the rest of the cooked noodles in the fridge, rubbed with just a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
While the pasta is boiling, start your tomato sauce. Chop 1/2 a medium red onion and saute it in a deep frying pan with a little olive oil until onion starts to caramelize. Add one large can of diced tomatoes and their juices. Add 2 tsp each of basil and oregano, plus 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, with 1/4 tsp cayenne. Stir together and let simmer 15 minutes minimum (longer if you have the time)!
Make a pesto using 1/2 cup each of Daiya mozzarella cheese and pine nuts, adding 1/4 cup olive oil and another 2 tsp basil. Combine in food processor and mix until nuts are ground down and mixture is almost runny.
Chop 1 medium zucchini thinly and set aside.
Open 1 can kidney beans, drain and rinse.
Layer ingredients into a medium glass baking sheet (not 9x13 - choose a smaller one!):
Thin layer of tomato sauce
Noodles
Thin layer of pesto, about 1/3 of what you made, spread on with a spatula
1/3 of remaining tomato sauce
1/2 cup kidney beans
1/2 of your chopped zucchini, spread thinly
Noodles
1/2 of remaining pesto
1/2 of remaining tomato sauce
The rest of the kidney beans
The rest of the zucchini
Noodles
The rest of the pesto
The rest of the tomato sauce
Top with 1/2 cup cheddar Daiya cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour, then remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving.
Start by cooking one box of whole wheat lasagna noodles. You'll only need half a box, so you can store the rest of the cooked noodles in the fridge, rubbed with just a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
While the pasta is boiling, start your tomato sauce. Chop 1/2 a medium red onion and saute it in a deep frying pan with a little olive oil until onion starts to caramelize. Add one large can of diced tomatoes and their juices. Add 2 tsp each of basil and oregano, plus 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, with 1/4 tsp cayenne. Stir together and let simmer 15 minutes minimum (longer if you have the time)!
Make a pesto using 1/2 cup each of Daiya mozzarella cheese and pine nuts, adding 1/4 cup olive oil and another 2 tsp basil. Combine in food processor and mix until nuts are ground down and mixture is almost runny.
Chop 1 medium zucchini thinly and set aside.
Open 1 can kidney beans, drain and rinse.
Layer ingredients into a medium glass baking sheet (not 9x13 - choose a smaller one!):
Thin layer of tomato sauce
Noodles
Thin layer of pesto, about 1/3 of what you made, spread on with a spatula
1/3 of remaining tomato sauce
1/2 cup kidney beans
1/2 of your chopped zucchini, spread thinly
Noodles
1/2 of remaining pesto
1/2 of remaining tomato sauce
The rest of the kidney beans
The rest of the zucchini
Noodles
The rest of the pesto
The rest of the tomato sauce
Top with 1/2 cup cheddar Daiya cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour, then remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving.
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