Healthy Cookie Dough Dip!

I have been obsessing over baked goods made from unlikely sources such as black bean brownies. Well, I found this recipe recently and finally got around to trying it!

"Blondie Batter" Dip from Chocolate Covered Katie (recipe from her website)

1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans (1 can, drained)

heaping 1/8 tsp salt

tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup nut butter

1/4 cup plus 3T nondairy milk (or more or less, as needed) (Use less if omitting flax)

Sweetener 2/3 cup (brown sugar, maple, stevia, agave, etc)

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Optional: 1/4 cup flaxmeal for omega 3s and a fun texture (you can also add quick oats!)

The recipe does not call for cinnamon, but I seriously add it to everything!

Garbanzo beans

Food processor

Almond Butter

Hazelnut Milk

Baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, agave, and flax. Blend.

Add chocolate chips and stir.

Yumm.

Delicious, safe, and healthy cookie dough!

I refrigerated it overnight, and the consistency was way better after it set a little bit!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

For Father's Day, I made these delicious sweet potato pancakes for brunch! I hadn't ever made them before, but they turned out successfully. Next time, I will change a few things (and I will post the changes here).

Recipe (this is doubled, makes roughly 14-16 small-medium pancakes):

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 Tbsp brown sugar (vegan, next time I plan to use agave nectar)

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups rice milk (next time, I plan to use hemp or almond milk)

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 small precooked sweet potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds

4 Tbsp water

1 tsp sea salt

Mix the rice milk and the apple cider vinegar, and let it stand for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix the ground flaxseeds and the water, and let it stand too.

In the meantime, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt).

In the vitamix, or any food processor, blend the two sweet potatoes with the skins! The skins are one of the best sources of beta carotene, providing four times the recommended daily intake! I used two Japanese sweet potatoes! They are delicious!

Nice and smashed.

Combine the two wet bowls (flax and rice milk mixtures), and add the sweet potatoes and oil. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones very slowly. Mix, but do not overmix!

Perfect. If you over mix, you won't get fluffy pancakes!

Pour the batter onto pan or griddle (medium heat). When you start to see the sides roll and the middle bubble, flip the pancakes.

Yum.

Voila! Delicious sweet potato pancakes!

And maple syrup! Yum. Perfect brunch for father's day!

Salad

I love eating raw foods typically in the day time. At night, when I cook, the food is easier to digest and my body likes me better. However, raw is the way to go because the food has the most nutrients.

Here is the salad I had today. One word: Bomb!

Spring Salad mix, mushrooms, almonds, flax, wheat germ, nutritional yeast, and this amazing dressing:

Also, on the side I had apple slices and carrots with all natural peanut butter.

Smoothie - Green Peach Machine

The makings:

The product:
It was very tasty and kid approved. Kaegan put himself into a smoothie coma after drinking this.

Smoothie - Quadruple Berry & Triple Veggie

This:

Consists of this:

Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, spinach, carrots, celery, flax, wheatgerm, misc. juice

Smoothie - Rainbow

I make a lot of smoothies. Also, I am constantly changing the ingredients. I probably will be posting a lot of different smoothie options on here, so here is smoothie one.

Sometimes I use juice, sometimes I don't. Today, mainly because I had these on hand, I decided to. I used about a cup, half of each for such smoothie. Also, the perk of using juice is you don't have to add agave nectar or any other sweetener.

Fresh fruits are best, but frozen is awesome because you don't have to add ice to make the smoothie cold. Perfecto. In this fruit blend, I have strawberries, mangoes, and pineapple.

Add.

I added some kiwi, or as K would say "e-e". Also, I added a banana, your smoothie's best friend. Tip: The more brown the banana, the sweeter in flavor; and the best it is for the smoothie. Also, I always use some sort of "smoothing" item. Banana, silken tofu, avocado, soy yogurt, etc.

In addition, I add veggies. They are easily masked by the sweetness of the fruit. And a little extra veggie never hurt anyone. Carrots and spinach.

Last, I added wheat germ and flax.

Perfecto.

So delicious!!

Fabulous Granola Bars

[please excuse the poor photo, compliments to my cell phone]


Artistic Madre's Fabulous Granola Bars

3/4 Cup Whole Wheat [you can really use any all-purpose flour]
1/4 Cup Milled Flax Seed
1/2 Cup Soy Flour [again, wheat or other flour works]
1/2 Cup Dry Quinoa
1 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/3 to 1/2 Cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup Molasses
2/3 Cup Agave Nectar
1/2 Cup Mashed Ripe Banana
1/2 to 2/3 Cup Almond Pulp (see previous post)
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 to 2/3 cup Dried Cranberries

You can use peanut butter or almond butter in replacement of the almond pulp, if you choose to do so. Keep in mind that it will change the flavor and density.

Directions:

1. Set oven to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit, put dry quinoa into an ungreased 9 x 13 baking pan to roast. Every few minutes, stir quinoa to ensure even toasting. While it is toasting, mix wet and dry ingredients.

2. In a small mixing bowl, mix all the wet ingredients. Use a fork to mash up the banana.

Turn oven up to 325

3. In a large mixing b owl, mix the dry ingredients together. Go ahead and check the quinoa, it should be golden brown. When it is good and toasted, add it to the dry mix. Then, add the wet mix to the dry.

4. Now that all of the ingredients are mixed, you should have a thick, oatmeal cookie dough-like substance. Grease the 9 x 13 baking pan and spread the granola goodness into the pain, creating an even layer. Place the pan on the center rack (oven should be at 325 now). Bake for 20-22 minutes, rotating the pan at least one time to ensure even baking. Cut the bars (a spatula works well).

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Also, these are easy to adapt!