Sweet Victory Winner & Cardamom Cherry Snack Bites

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Deanna

I’m so excited to announce the winner of the free spot in the Sweet Victory course. With a little help from random.org, our winner is Santou Carter, who said,

When I was pregnant, I developed gestational diabetes. So I was told to exercise daily and drastically reduce my sugar intake. I managed it, and lost 40 lbs in the process. (I was overweight to begin with so I thought this was great!) After the baby was born, I was too tired to exercise or bake treats using alternative sugars – and my sugar cravings came back with a vengence so I put all the excess weight back on (so I’m now back to my original weight and obese again). Diabetes runs in my family and I’m worried about (and too scared to find out if) I have developed diabetes. I need to understand what’s going on emotionally for me now about craving sugary foods; (I’ve proved that I can curb it in the past when it was important to do so, so why can’t I curb it now?)

I hope I win a free place on the course, as I can’t afford to pay for it right now, while I’m not working.

Santou, I’ll be contacting you shortly to help you get set up for your free spot in Sweet Victory! For everyone else, there’s still time to sign up. 

What a story Santou shared! And the rest of your stories, too…. Wow. Just wow. Thank you so much to each and every one of you that responded to my Sweet Victory Giveaway. I wish I could give you all a free entry. I really do. Your stories of sugar’s hold on your lives touched me. But, since I can’t give you all a spot in the course, I can give you one of my stories, and a recipe.

See, I’ve been doing this refined sugar-free thing for years. I’m fairly experienced at it. I think I know what I’m doing. But, you know what? Today I sugar-crashed. Yep. Full blown crash – shaking and sweating and light-headed.

And, I knew exactly what was happening.

You see, I broke one of the cardinal rules of preventing a high-low blood sugar swing. It’s just one of several rules that Andrea and Ricki will teach you if you sign up for the Sweet Victory course. And, I have permission to share it with you:

Always eat fat and protein at every meal.

Normally, this isn’t much of a struggle for me. I mean, come on. Fat tastes good, right? Protein usually comes in a pretty yummy package, too. So what happened today? Well, I packed a nice healthy smoothie for lunch – filled with fruit and greens and protein and good fats.

And then I promptly forgot it in my backpack.

Oops.

So when lunch time rolled around, I went in search of something to fill my belly. I stepped out of my office door and into a beautiful, sunshine-filled 80° day. In March. In Wisconsin. These are rare. We relish them.

So, I walked to the smoothie shop and got a fruit and veggie smoothie to enjoy while basking in all the glory of the day.

Except there was no fat. And no protein.

Oops.

Two hours later, I hopped on my bike, rode home, dropped my bike, and walked to my son’s school to pick him up. And, that’s when I sugar-crashed. Ew.

So, I came home, and after filling my face with some raisins (fast sugar) and nuts (trying to even things out with some fat and protein), I made some tasty little snack balls – the kind of thing I SHOULD have eaten with my smoothie to stave off the sugar crash.

Cardamom Cherry Snack Balls

Cardamom Cherry Snack Balls

Now, I’ll warn you. These are not very sweet. But, they’re plenty sweet for me, a girl with a few years of this sugar-free thing under her belt. And, they’ll be plenty sweet for you, too – after you get through YOUR sugar detox.

Cardamom Cherry Snack Balls

1/3 cup raw walnuts
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 T. melted coconut butter
1/8 t. vanilla
1/8 t. ground cardamom
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 T. yacon powder (for sweeter, use 1 T. powdered palm sugar) *
scant 1/3 cup dried sweet cherries

Place all ingredients except cherries in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture clumps together. Add cherries and pulse to dice and mix. Form into small balls. Refrigerate.

*Yacon is a Central and South American tuber, with a pleasantly mild sweetness that comes mostly from inulin – a form of fiber. You’ll learn more about inulin and other complex sugars in the Sweet Victory course.

For more Slightly Indulgent Recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Posted in Blogger Community, cherries, desserts, grain-free, raw, snacks, vegan | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

SRC: Yummy Rice Bowl Breakfast

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Deanna

My Secret Recipe Club assignment this month was Denise from Creative Kitchen Adventures. Denise and I share something in common. We’re both incapable of following a recipe to the letter. Denise says:

 I always look up at least 3-4 recipes for the given item & then I “tweak” it and make it my own!

Every.single.time.

I don’t think it is humanly possible for me to FOLLOW a recipe to the letter.

Just.doesn’t.happen.here.

Oh, how I can relate, Denise!

So, I’m sure she won’t mind that I’m tweaking one of her recipes this month. Denise uses a lot of dairy products in her recipes. In fact, her blog reads a lot like mine would have read had I started blogging before I went dairy-free. You know, back when sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt, and cheese were all considered daily staples in my house.

That’s not to say that every recipe she has has dairy. I found these amazing sounding black beans. They’re on my to-try list.

And, had I wanted to make a dessert (seriously, when do I NOT want to make a dessert) I would have jumped on these flourless brownie cookies.

But, I’ve been mulling over the grain-free thing, and feeling like perhaps I need to try to incorporate some grains back into my life – mostly because I’m feeling very heavy and weighed down with the massive quantities of nuts in my life right now. I’ve found myself eating way too many of those in an attempt to compensate for the complete lack of grains.  I recently did a nutrition calculation on my favorite breakfast (banana, peanuts, peanut butter, raisins and almond milk). Holy moly, I had no idea how many calories I was consuming at breakfast. Take a look at these numbers:

Nutrition Data for a Peanut Butter Banana Bowl

Nutrition Data for a Peanut Butter Banana Bowl

Geez, Louise. That’s a lot of calories and sodium for breakfast. You know how much I love my breakfast bowls, but that’s just out of hand. Time to try something new.

So, I landed on her yummy breakfast recipe. Filled with brown rice, low sugar berries, and just a few nuts, it seemed the perfect way to incorporate a “safe” whole grain back into my diet – except for that dastardly yogurt. So, I left it out. Instead, I made a “yogurt-like” concoction by blending the berries with a big handful of spinach and a little bit of almond milk (or kombucha, if you have it, to mimic some of the happy, healthy probiotic beasties of yogurt). And, I skipped the raisins and maple syrup. I’m emphasizing low sugar foods these days.

Tweaking. It’s what we do. Right, Denise?

Here are the new and improved breakfast nutrition stats. You might notice that a large percentage of calories still come from fats. I don’t have a problem with that. I’m not afraid of good fats, like those found in nuts and coconut.

Nutrition Data for Brown Rice Bowl

Nutrition Data for Brown Rice Bowl

I think that even leaves room for a breakfast cookie once in a while. Don’t you?

So how did the great grain experiment go? Well, sadly, though I found this breakfast to be satisfying, delicious and healthy, my stomach was not pleased. *sigh*

But, if you can eat grains regularly, I urge you to give it a go!

Yummy Breakfast Bowl

Yummy Breakfast Bowl

Yummy Rice Bowl Breakfast

1/2 cup berries or unsweetened cherries (nutrition stats done with blueberries)
1 large handful (1 ounce) spinach
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or kombucha
2 T. chopped nuts (nutrition stats done with pecans)
2 t. finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup cooked brown rice, cooled (Be sure to check Denise’s blog for rice cooking instructions)

In a small blender (I use my fake Magic Bullet style blender) puree the berries, spinach and almond milk. Pour into a bowl. Top with rice, coconut and nuts.

To see the rest of this month’s Secret Recipe Club submissions, visit the blog hop:


Posted in Blogger Community, blueberries, breakfast, coconut, nuts, vegan | Tagged | 19 Comments

Sweet Victory Giveaway!

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Deanna

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks so much for participating!

Giveaways are a common occurrence in the gluten-free blogger world. When I first started on this path, the very first giveaway I won was for a copy of Ricki Heller’s Sweet Freedom. At the time, I was already familiar with many natural sweeteners – honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, sorghum syrup. But, Ricki introduced me to a whole bunch more – coconut nectar, palm sugar, stevia, and yacon syrup. I realized I had much to learn about eating a refined sugar-free diet!

I quickly fell in love with Ricki’s blog – Diet, Dessert, And Dogs, and have adopted many of her techniques for limiting the sugar in my diet without compromising taste.

And, now you have an opportunity to learn from Ricki and her friend and co-teacher, Andrea Nakayama. Andrea is a functional nutritionist from Portland, who, like many of us, took a family health crisis as an opportunity to learn all she could about nutrition.  Her website –  Replenish PDX – lays out her personal nutrition philosophy. A quote I love:

I believe that the body yearns to heal itself. My mission is to open the channels to welcome this nourishment and revitalization.

And, now Ricki and Andrea have teamed up to present an all new course, Sweet Victory. Sweet Victory is a 2 week course, starting March 24th, that takes an in-depth look at sugar cravings and what to do about them from a physiological as well as emotional standpoint. It begins with a kickoff teleseminar call the first day with Ricki and Andrea introducing the course materials and providing their perspectives and information on sugar addiction and kicking the habit. Then there are 2 weeks of a sugar cleanse including menus, recipes, charts, some notes from the class, and full 24/7 support via a discussion forum (participants can post any time and both Andrea and Ricki are on the board 2-3 times a day to answer questions and provide feedback).  The final Saturday of the course there’s another call with both teachers for about an hour.  Both calls are recorded so participants can listen in later if they missed it, or just listen again. Included in the materials is an earlier home study course that Andrea created called Sweet Tooth Bitter Truth. That one outlines all the different types of sugars and how they affect your body.

And the recipes – oh boy, the recipes!

I’ve had a sneak peek at the recipes, and believe me, these are recipes you want! Delicious, wholesome, whole food recipes that will have you forgetting that you’re on a cleanse. For example, you’ll get the recipe for this amazing, grain-free granola. (Hint, there are veggies in there!)

Grain Free Veggie Granola, coming at ya

Grain Free Veggie Granola, coming at ya

And, lest you think you’ll be deprived of treats, many of my cookie and dessert recipes would fit right in on this sugar cleanse. (There’s a reason Ricki asked me to host this giveaway. 😉 )

The course is valued at $227 (though you can sign up until Saturday, March 17th for just $197). But, one of my readers will get the course for free. That’s right! A 2-week jump start to better health, all for free. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me how sugar affects your life.

The contest is open until midnight, Monday March 19th. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 20th.

Good luck!

Want to improve your odds? Head on over to Hallie’s Blog,  Daily Bites – or Cara’s Blog, Cara’s Cravings – for another chance to win.

Posted in Blogger Community, Contests | 65 Comments

Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Flour Cookies

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Deanna

“Mom, you have to bake something for school. And, it has to be safe for FiFi.”

That’s what my son told me when we talked about what he wanted for his birthday. I couldn’t be more proud of him for caring so much about his friend, and wanting her to feel included. Pretty cool for an almost 9-year old.

See, the kiddo isn’t the only kid in his class with special food needs. His classroom is gluten-free, nut-free, legume-free, corn-free, shellfish-free, soy-free and dairy-free. Whew.

Generally speaking, no home-baked goods are allowed in the classroom.

But, after a few playground chats and back and forth emails with FiFi’s mom, we settled on a list of ingredients that were safe for both FiFi and the kiddo.

The primary “flour” in this recipe is pumpkin seed flour. I’d already done some baking with sunflower seed flour. And, I’d been mulling over the idea of pumpkin seed flour when Maggie of She Let Them Eat Cake posted some delicious-looking pumpkin seed flour cookies. That was just the push I needed to get out the grinder and make a trip to Trader Joe’s for some raw pepitas.

We’re on our third batch of these cookies in a week.

I think they’re keepers.

Nut-free, vegan, grain-free Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies

Nut-free, vegan, grain-free Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies

Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Flour Cookies

1/3 cup maple syrup
1 t. psyllium powder (available at most pharmacies or on Amazon)
6 T. (72 g) organic palm shortening
1 t. vanilla
1.5 cups (180 g) pumpkin seeds, ground in a coffee grinder until floury
6 T. (30 g) cocoa
1/4 cup (28 g) arrowroot starch
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (for soy-free, use Enjoy Life)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a measuring cup, mix the maple syrup and psyllium powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the palm shortening until light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add everything but the chocolate chips and mix until dough comes together. (This will take a minute or two. Be patient.) Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 12 minutes, until firm, but not crispy.

For more recipes using good for you ingredients, check out Wellness Weekends.

Posted in chocolate, cookies, desserts, grain-free, nut-free, pumpkin, vegan | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

Gun Powder Biscuits

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Deanna

Snow! We finally have snow! Lots and lots of wet, heavy snow. And, what better food to eat when it’s cold and snowy out than soup.

But, of course, you need to have biscuits with soup, right? Well, in my house, you do.

My dad always called baking powder biscuits “gun powder biscuits.” I know not why. But, in an homage to him, I continue the tradition.

Of course, when he made them, they were often made with Bisquick.

We won’t go there.

Nope, my biscuits are not only vegan, they’re grain-free.

And they pass the kiddo test. Oh yes they do.

grain-free, vegan baking powder biscuit

grain-free, vegan baking powder biscuit

Grain-free, Vegan “Gun Powder” Biscuits

3/4 cup almond milk
1 t. psyllium powder
3/4 cup (90 g) fine ground garbanzo bean flour
1 cup (120 g) almond meal
1/4 cup (28 g) arrowroot starch
2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/4 cup (48 g) shortening

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a measuring cup, mix the almond milk and psyllium powder. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the almond milk and mix with a fork or spoon until mixture comes together. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned.

Want to find more good-for-you vegan vittles perfect for the weekend? Check out Wellness Weekends.

Posted in beans, grain-free, nuts, vegan | Tagged , , , | 27 Comments

SRC: Chocolate Bananas Foster Ice Cream

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Deanna

After a brief intermission, we are back with our monthly installment of Secret Recipe Club – the food bloggers version of a secret Santa club, where each month we are secretly assigned a blog to cook or bake from and then we post about our delicious finds.

This month I was assigned to Cairns Manor, a blog filled with beautiful photography and penned by a lovely woman named Jo. As usual, Jo doesn’t share all my food intolerances or preferences. But, I was still able to find a recipe or two that intrigued me. Like this one for chocolate pumpkin cheesecake bars. Does that not sound fabulous? Sadly, major recipe reconstruction would be required to make that safe for me. Or croissants? I dream of making those gluten and dairy free.

It wasn’t all about pressing my nose to the glass of the forbidden candy store, though. I love the idea of using orange in this broccoli stir fry. I always forget about incorporating orange into my savory dishes.

But, the one dish that intrigued me the most, and required the least modifications for my wacky diet, was her chocolate bananas foster ice cream. Banana soft serve is a ritual in my house. The kiddo preaches the gospel of banana soft serve to all his friends, and has created quite a few converts. So, a twist on banana soft serve? Yes, please.

The kiddo and I whipped this up last weekend. We made only 3 minor modifications – we used almond milk instead of regular milk, palm sugar instead of white sugar, and dumped the lemon juice for a splash of rum. The result? A creamy, caramely, not too sweet twist on a classic. I don’t think it will ever replace straight up banana soft serve in our hearts, but it’s a great one to add to the repertoire. And the kiddo says next time we have to try it with peanut butter instead of chocolate.

I like the way the kiddo thinks.

Be sure to check out Jo’s step-by-step photos.

Isn't all ice cream better topped with hot fudge and chocolate chips?

Isn't all ice cream better topped with hot fudge and chocolate chips?

Chocolate Bananas Foster Ice Cream

Adapted from Cairns Manor to be dairy-free, grain-free, & vegan.

3 medium bananas, peeled
3 tablespoons palm sugar
1 1/2 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons  cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 T. rum
1/4 tsp sea salt

Break up bananas into 1/2″ pieces. Toss in a bowl with the palm sugar until the sugar starts to melt and fully coats the banana Place on a lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Bake 400° F for 30-40 minutes, stirring once, until bananas are browned and cooked through.

Remove from oven, and combine in your blender with remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth, then cool for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Once the base is cool, pour into ice cream machine and process according to machine’s instructions.

Once frozen, you can either eat the ice cream soft serve or remove ice cream into a freezer-safe container and freeze for a few hours before serving.

Check out all the rest of the Secret Recipe Club recipes for February’s Group C:

Posted in bananas, Blogger Community, chocolate, desserts, grain-free, vegan | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Coco-nut Pro Bars

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Deanna

Have you heard of Attune Foods? No? That’s okay. I hadn’t either until Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free asked me if I’d like to sample some of their products, and possibly incorporate them into a recipe or two, if I liked them. Amy is a brand ambassador for Attune. Most of their products have either grains or dairy. But, they have one product – the dark chocolate probiotic bar – that is dairy-free & grain-free, and the only soy in it is soy lecithin, a soy product that I tolerate well. They’re not sugar-free, but if you’ve been paying attention around here, chocolate is the major exception to my white-sugar-free rule.

Sadly, the bars are not available locally. But, Attune Foods was nice enough to send me a box to sample.

Straight out of the box, they got a universal thumbs up in my household. They’re dark, but not bitter. Sweet, but not cloying. And, they’re chock full of probiotics. Probiotics are those wonderful little living organisms that our bodies need for good digestion and health, and they are most often found in fermented or cultured foods, like yogurt, sauerkraut & kombucha.

Have I mentioned that I really, really wish I liked fermented foods more than I do? Because probiotics are great for you. Really. But, I’m really not a huge fan of most fermented foods.

But, I can get behind chocolate probiotics. Oh yes, I can.

I rarely eat chocolate straight up, though. Nope, I’m a chop it up and put it in stuff gal.

But, if you bake probiotics, you kill them. All 6.1 billion of them per bar. Murderer. No one wants to be a murderer, right?

Enter the unbaked coco-nut pro bars: mostly raw, full of good fats, only slightly sweet, and the perfect carrier for all those lovely little beasties in the probiotic bar.

Semi-raw Vegan Coco Nut Probiotic Bars

Semi-raw Vegan Coco Nut Probiotic Bars

Coco Nut Pro Bars

1/2 packed cup (77 g) dates
20 g (about 7) Brazil nuts
1/2 cup (55 g) sifted coconut flour
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
3/4 cup (90 g) almond meal
3-5 T. unsweetened almond milk
2 T. (28 g) melted coconut oil
1/2 cup (42 g) unsweetened coconut
2 bars (280 g) Attune Dark Chocolate Probiotic Bars, chopped

Line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor, process the dates and Brazil nuts until finely chopped. Add everything else except the chocolate, and process until you have a finely ground, crumbly mixture that holds together when squeezed into a ball. The amount of almond milk you need will vary depending on the moistness of your dates. Start with the smaller amount and if the mixture doesn’t hold together, add the additional milk. Add the chocolate chunks and pulse just enough to mix. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly. Really press – if you don’t smash it down, it won’t hold together. Place pan in fridge to set. When set, remove by lifting up the parchment paper and cut into bars. Wrap tightly and store in the fridge.

Looking for more slightly indulgent recipes? Be sure to check out Amy’s weekly round-up, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. Want more foods that promote wellness? Check out Wellness Weekends. And, for a plethora of allergy friendly recipes, visit Allergy-Free Wednesdays. For more lunch box friendly options, check out Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love.

Posted in chocolate, coconut, dates, desserts, grain-free, nuts, raw, vegan | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Snickerdoodles…and so not Snickerdoodles

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Deanna

A couple of weeks ago, a Facebook follower suggested that I come up with a recipe for snickerdoodles. The kiddo loves snickerdoodles, too. But, I realized I hadn’t made them in a long time. And, I’d never really come up with a go-to recipe for them. So, it sounded like the perfect challenge.

Never one to take the easy route, I decided that these particular snickerdoodles should be grain-free & vegan, too. Oh, and it’d be great if they could be refined sugar free, right?

Well, after 5 batches of cookies, I’ve learned a thing or two.

Number one: a snickerdoodle without white sugar is not a snickerdoodle.

That doesn’t mean that it’s not a good cookie. But, come on. A snickerdoodle is all about tasting the cream of tarter and the cinnamon. Make it with palm sugar and you taste, well, the caramel flavor of the palm sugar. Harumph.

Number two: Honeyville blanched almond flour really does make a difference. I knew this already. But, generally speaking, I prefer the skin-on almond meal. It has more flavor. But, in a snickerdoodle, you’re not going for nutty flavor. You’re going for snickerdoodle flavor. Skip the skins. Go for blanched.

Number three: Earth Balance soy-free spread yields a softer, chewier, flatter cookie than organic palm shortening. I’m partial to the soft & chewy cookie, but I know that others prefer the crisp, fat cookie. Your call.

So, today, you get a three-fer, just by changing up a few ingredients: a traditional soft & chewy snickerdoodle, a traditional crisp and puffy snickerdoodle, or a natural, nutty, not so snickerdoodle.

Traditional crisp snickerdoodle on the left, natural nutty chewy cinnamon cookie on the right

Traditional crisp snickerdoodle on the left, natural nutty chewy cinnamon cookie on the right

Snickerdoodles & Cinnamon Stackers

grain-free, vegan, refined sugar-free option

1 t. psyllium powder
3 T. unsweetened cold almond milk
1/4 cup (48 g) organic palm shortening + 1/2 cup (56 g) Earth Balance soy-free spread * OR 1/2 cup (96 g) organic palm shortening
2/3 cup white sugar * OR 2/3 cup palm sugar
2 cups (200 g) Honeyville blanched almond flour * or 2 cups (200 g) almond meal
1/4 cup (28 g) arrowroot starch
1 t. cream of tarter
1/2 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt

1 T. cinnamon
2 T. sugar

Preheat oven to 400°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small cup, mix the psyllium powder with the almond milk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the fat(s) until light and fluffy. Add the sugar. Beat until creamy. Add the psyllium & almond milk mixture. Beat well. Add the almond flour, arrowroot starch, cream of tarter, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Dough will be somewhat soft.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Scoop out chunks of dough. Roll into balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon and sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies flatten somewhat and cinnamon coating is cracked. Cool completely.

* Note: I’ve starred the combinations that I like best. All of the combinations work. Feel free to experiment and try it yourself. I have NOT tried with all Earth Balance. Nor have I tried with white sugar and almond meal. I would imagine that with all Earth Balance, you’d need more flour or less fat. With white sugar and almond meal, the proportions above should work.

Posted in cinnamon, cookies, grain-free, vegan | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Deanna

I could have all sorts of excuses for why it’s been 3 weeks since I’ve posted a recipe.

Let’s just skip all the talk about the cute new kitten in my life (Stripus Maximus) and the week in Arizona (heaven) and the weekend of cross country skiing (also heaven). Forget I mentioned that. Let’s just skip right to the good stuff.

Dessert.

Because after 4 weeks of no sugar, dessert is back in my life. On a limited basis anyway.  It’s all about balance.

Peanut butter fudge was one of my favorite confections growing up. It always seemed less tooth-achingly sweet than the chocolate kind. More earthy. Even, dare I say it, a wee bit healthier.

I’m sure it wasn’t.

But, these peanut butter fudge cookies take the best of peanut butter fudge – that gooey, dense deliciousness – and bring it to a cookie.

Best of all, they’re date-sweetened. Yep. No refined sugar.

The chocolate chips are just a bonus. Let’s not quibble about those.

Date-sweetened Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

Date-sweetened Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

Date-Sweetened Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

(grain-free, gluten-free, vegan, refined-sugar free option)

1 cup (135 g.) dates
1/2 cup (128 g.) natural peanut butter
2 T. ground flax seed
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. baking soda
1 cup (100 g.) blanched almond flour
1/3 – 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (optional – for refined sugar-free, use 2 T. cacao nibs instead)

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dates until they are finely chopped. Add the peanut butter, flax seed, almond milk and vanilla. Process until creamy, scraping the sides occasionally. Add the baking soda and almond flour. Pulse until mixture forms a ball. The dough will be very sticky.

Remove from food processor and stir in chocolate chips (if using).

Drop by tablespoons onto prepared pans. Dipping a fork in water, press criss-cross markings into top of each cookie.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until beginning to brown on edges.

These cookies will not be crisp. They hold together nicely and have a soft, fudge-like texture.

For more slightly indulgent options, try Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

 

Posted in cookies, dates, desserts, flax seed, grain-free, nuts, peanut butter, vegan | 27 Comments

Balance… oh, and Broccoli Slaw

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Deanna

I recently spent 11 weeks participating in the Raw Food Rehab’s Raw Balance initiative. The idea was to eat a high raw diet, and find my balance with food (and in life). A tall order for 11 weeks. But, I like a good challenge.

On the plus side, I lost a few pounds and I developed a love of green smoothies. Okay, a like. Okay, I kind of crave them (sometimes) but only when they’re full of banana and nut butter and other good stuff.

On the downside, in terms of balance, I felt a little like this guy, most of the time

Original photo credit to The Rachel Maddow Show

Original photo credit to The Rachel Maddow Show

High raw in the winter in Wisconsin? Not the right trail for me.

But that’s okay, because as my wonderful friend, Monya, says, “I am an experiment of one.” And from every failed experiment, we learn something new. I’m still a work in progress. And, it’s important to me to be open to different ideas and approaches to finding balance in my eating and in my life.

Balanced Healthy and Gluten Free If you are still a work in progress, there’s a great new site for you – The Balanced Platter (TBP). TBP is a one-stop shop for balanced, healthy gluten-free living. They’ll have different perspectives about living well on a gluten-free diet from top bloggers in the gluten-free arena – encompassing recipes, tips, how-to’s, and product reviews.

The site was founded by Amy Green of Simply Sugar and Gluten-free and Maggie Savage of She Let Them Eat Cake. And you may even see me guest-posting once in a while. Thanks, Amy and Maggie! What a great resource for all of us in our quest to find balance.

But that’s not all. Throughout the month of January, gluten-free bloggers will be posting about balance and offering up healthy recipes to start your year out right. You can get all the updates at The Balanced Platter, or by liking TBP on Facebook or by following @balancedplatter on Twitter. And, then on February 1st, TBP will be hosting a baking gift pack giveaway!

For me, I’ve found that cooked food is definitely needed to keep me in balance. But raw food? Well, it rawks, too. So, in celebration of the launch of The Balanced Platter, I’m offering up 2 takes on Broccoli Slaw – one raw, and one cooked. Both are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and can be nut-free. They’re also both extremely quick and very healthy – perfect for January, when we are all just a bit sick of spending lots of time in the kitchen.

For me, I eat the raw one all summer long. But, in the winter, I eat the cooked version. Which one balances you?

Cooked Broccoli Slaw - vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, grain-free

Cooked Asian Broccoli Slaw - vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, grain-free

Asian Broccoli Slaw 2 Ways

1 onion (omit for raw version)
1 small clove garlic (minced for cooked version, mashed for raw)
1 T. sesame oil
1 T. low-sodium GF Tamari Sauce (for paleo or soy-free, use coconut aminos)
1 t. grated ginger or 1/2 t. dried ginger (dried ginger is considered more warming, if you need to build warmth)
6 ounces (1/2 package) packaged broccoli slaw (available at Trader Joe’s or at most large grocery stores)
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/3 cup nuts (I typically use peanuts in the cooked version and raw cashews in the raw. For a nut-free version, use sesame or pumpkin seeds.)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Raw Version

Stir together garlic, ginger, sesame oil, tamari and lime juice. Pour over slaw. Let rest for 30 minutes. Top with nuts and cilantro.

Cooked Version

Warm the sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until onions are soft. Add garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 more seconds. Add the slaw and the tamari. (The slaw will release liquid, but if it’s too dry as you’re starting, add 1 T. water to help it get started.) Cook, stirring constantly, until slaw softens. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Top with nuts and cilantro.

Posted in Asian, broccoli, grain-free, main dish, nightshade-free, nuts, raw, salads, side dish, vegan | Tagged , , | 31 Comments