Cashew Carob Coconut Butter

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Deanna

I have a confession. Secretly, I gave up sugar.

I know. Me! The cookie monster!

And not just sugar – that’s not that unusual – but also dried fruit, maple syrup, agave, honey, stevia, concentrated fruit juice…. You get the idea. It’s all out for 30 days while I let my tastebuds do a reset.

So that stuff I’ve been posting? Those cookies? Those truffles? That nutella? I did all that before I quit, and haven’t touched a bite since.

Did I mention it’s been 18 days?

The truffles and cookies are long-gone. But, that nutella? There’s still some in the jar in my fridge and every time I open the fridge, there it is. Staring at me.

No fair.

Last night, I’d had enough. And, with my already re-calibrating tastebuds, I determined to make my own version of nutella.

Except without the hazelnuts. Or chocolate.

It IS dark and creamy and goes really, really well on apples. Or bananas. And probably on pancakes. But, I’m not really eating those either….

(They’re just not worth it without maple syrup.)

Creamy, delicious and sugar-free carob cashew coconut butter

Creamy, delicious and sugar-free carob cashew coconut butter

Cashew Carob Coconut Butter (vegan, high-raw, grain-free, sugar-free)

1 cup (58 g) unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1/4 cup (26 g) carob powder *
1 1/2 cups (240 g) raw cashews
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 t. vanilla extract *

Place coconut in the bowl of a food processor. Process until coconut breaks down enough to stick to the sides of the bowl. Add carob powder and continue to process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the rest of the ingredients. Process until very smooth. This takes quite a while. Note that it will clump up into a ball and roll around. Don’t fret! Just stop, break it up, and continue to process. You’re almost there. When it’s done, you should have a very smooth and creamy spreadable butter – like commercial natural peanut butter. Transfer to a jar with a lid.

If you use stevia, I’m fairly sure this would be awesome with some NuNaturals Chocolate Stevia extract.

* Note: My carob powder is probably the roasted variety. If you want to be totally raw, look for raw carob powder and raw vanilla extract, or use a small piece (1/2 inch) of vanilla bean and process that with a coffee grinder first.

For more wonderfully healthy recipes, visit Wellness Weekends at Diet, Dessert and Dogs.

Posted in breakfast, cashews, coconut, grain-free, nightshade-free, raw, snacks | Tagged , , , , | 34 Comments

SRC: Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies from Sweet and Savory Tooth

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Deanna

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again! This month I was introduced to Sweet and Savory Tooth, written by Heather – a stay-at-home mom and avid cookbook collector (not to mention Disney fanatic).

For the first go-round with Heather’s recipe index, I tasked the kiddo with coming up with his pick. He choose her Chunky Blonde Blondies. Of course, Heather is not gluten-free or dairy-free. So much swapping took place. And the kiddo made all the decisions, and he wanted to go whole hog – and make them not only gluten-free, but also grain-free. Consequently, we ended up with some delicious bars, but I didn’t really feel like they were close enough to the original recipe to be called just an adaptation.

Back to the recipe index we went.

This time I got to choose. And, because I’ve been eating far too many sweets, I choose something that I can’t eat. Something chock full of oats. See how I’m all sneaky that way?

Of course, making this recipe DID require coming up with a vegan version of nutella.

There’s no grain in that.

Mmmmm…..must stop eating it.

The cookies, as the report goes, are delicious, though a bit crumbly. Next time I might up the flax seed a bit, and go with more nutella and less peanut butter. But, I was trying to stick as close to the original as possible.

Thanks, Heather for providing oodles of recipe inspiration!

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies - the gluten-free, vegan version

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies - the gluten-free, vegan version

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

Adapted from Sweet and Savory Life.

1 cup gluten-free oat flour
1 cup old-fashioned gluten-free oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance Soy-Free, softened
3/4 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (crunchy preferred)
1 flax egg (1 T. ground flax seed + 3 T. hot water, mixed until thick)
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup Vegan Nutella

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Mix Earth Balance, sugars and peanut butter. Add flax egg and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture into wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Slowly stir Nutella into the mixture. Place batter in spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

To see all the Secret Recipe Club assignments, please visit our blog hop:

If you’re looking for more gluten-free recipes (especially chocolate ones) check out Gluten-Free HomeMaker’s Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Posted in chocolate, cookies, desserts, nuts, peanut butter, vegan | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Nutella Truffles

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Deanna

I’m finding all sorts of fun things to do with my home made nutella.

Today, the kiddo put a spoonful of it in hot almond milk.

Instant nutella hot chocolate.

That kid is a genius, I tell ya.

Meanwhile, I was scooping #70 cookie dough scoops of it into my hand, rolling it in balls, and rolling it in cocoa.

Or ground nuts.

Or coconut.

You get the idea.

Are we having fun yet?

(Just don’t leave these truffles out at room temp. They’ll get too soft.)

Nutella Truffles

Nutella Truffles

Posted in chocolate, coconut, desserts, nuts, vegan | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

3 Ingredient Nutella

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Deanna

I remember when nutella wasn’t readily available on the shelf of every grocery store in town. My sister, the francophile, discovered it when she went to France as a foreign exchange student. She came back raving about nutella on croissants for breakfast. Nutella on baguette for snack. Nutella on cake for dessert. It was all nutella. All the time.

We had to make a special effort to buy it. And, we’d get it for her for Christmas. And she loved us for it.

Now, nutella is easy to find. But, sadly, I can’t eat it. See, it’s full of dairy, which is definitely out for me. It’s also full of sugar, which isn’t so spectacular for me, either.

My version is not sugar-free. But, it is dairy-free. And, it’s as simple as it gets – just three ingredients. Even better, it’s a ratio recipe – meaning you can make as much or as little as you like, as long as you measure by weight.

The kiddo suggested eating it on apples. There’s my health-conscious kiddo for ya. I said, “Um, how about on these leftover banana pancakes instead?” He didn’t argue.

3 Ingredient Bittersweet Nutella

3 Ingredient Bittersweet Nutella

3 Ingredient Bittersweet Vegan Nutella

When cooking with ratios, you typically have 1 ingredient as the “base” ingredient off of which others are based. In bread, that’s the flour. In this nutella recipe, I’ve chosen the hazelnuts. I’ve listed the weights I’ve used in parenthesis after each ingredient. This batch makes enough to fill a quart pint mason jar about 3/4 full. To scale the recipe up or down, choose your weight for the hazelnuts and then do 1 and a half times more chocolate and twice as much coconut milk. Make sense?

1 part hazelnuts (100 g)
1.5 parts dairy-free chocolate, chopped fine (150 g)
2 parts full fat canned coconut milk (200 g)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until toasted. Pour nuts into a clean dish towel and rub vigorously. Most of the skins will fall off. You may have to pick out the ones that are skinless and repeat the rubbing several times.

Transfer nuts to a food processor. Process until they become a creamy nut butter. (This takes about 10 minutes.)

In a double boiler or metal bowl over a sauce pan, heat the chocolate and coconut milk until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into food processor and pulse until mixture is fully mixed. Transfer to jars and cool.

I keep mine in the fridge. It does harden a bit more than regular nutella in the fridge, but softens at room temp, and is still soft enough to spread on sturdy bread or apples straight from the fridge.

For more slightly indulgent goodies, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Posted in chocolate, coconut, desserts, grain-free, nightshade-free, nuts, vegan | Tagged , , , , | 42 Comments

Christmas Kolacky (grain-free, vegan)

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Deanna

Some holiday traditions start when you’re a kid. They’re instilled in you by your parents, and you carry them with you all your life.

Frosting faces after frosting cut-out cookies? That’s one of those traditions.

Other traditions are borrowed, adapted, chosen as an adult, or gifted to you. Kolacky is one of those traditions. I never had one until my sister started working at a law firm with an administrative assistant of Czech heritage and generous heart. And every year she would make walnut kolacky for my sister. And every year, I’d get to eat it when we went to visit for Christmas.

One year, in my pre-gluten-free days, I asked for the recipe, and she generously shared it with me. But, I’d never made them. Some things are best when made by other people.

It’s been a few years since I’ve had her kolacky, and I still had the recipe in my giant 3-ring binder of recipes I’ve yet to convert.

And then I saw Cara’s post for Jam-Filled Kolache. Kolache, kolacky – same thing, different spelling. (Check out her beautiful photos for how to fill and shape these puppies.)

And I knew, this was the year.

Christmas Kolacky or Kolache - however you spell it.

Christmas Kolacky or Kolache - however you spell it.

Czech Kolacky (grain-free, vegan)

6.25 oz coconut oil (softened)
1.5 cups (180 g) almond meal
1/2 cup (56 g) sifted coconut flour
1/4 t. salt
1/4 cup (28 g) arrowroot starch
1/2 cup warm almond milk
2 t. psyllium powder
2 1/2 t. yeast

The Night Before Baking:
In a measuring cup, mix together the warm almond milk, psyllium powder and yeast. Stir well and allow to sit for 5 minutes – until yeast starts to ferment and mixture (which will be very thick and gelatinous) starts to puff.

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the coconut oil, almond meal, and coconut flour until crumbly. Add the proofed yeast mixture and process until well mixed. It will be sticky and wet. Scrape dough into a bowl. Lay plastic wrap on top of the dough and refrigerate overnight.

Walnut Filling
1/2 pound (8 ounces) walnuts
1 T. Earth Balance soy-free
2 T. almond milk
1/3 cup palm sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse walnuts until finely ground. In a small saucepan, heat Earth Balance, almond milk, and palm sugar until melted and sugar is just dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and walnuts. Set aside until baking time.

(You don’t want to do this right before you bake, but you don’t have to do it the night before, either. You just want to make sure it’s fully cooled before filling the kolacky.)

On Baking Day
2/3 cup palm sugar – processed in a coffee mill until finely powdered

Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle a piece of parchment paper with powdered palm sugar. Roll out half of the dough at a time. Cut with round cookie cutters. Transfer cut dough to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Put a spoon full of walnut filling in the center of each circle, and fold two sides up to meet in the middle. You’re making a little “bowtie” kind of shape. Gently press the edges of the dough together. If the dough cracks, gently smooth over any cracks.

Repeat until all the dough is rolled, cut and filled.

Bake each sheet for approximately 12-16 minutes, or until edges are browned. Cool until you can handle the kolacky. Dust with additional powdered sugar, dumping off any excess back into the bowl.

These are best the next day.

While these are far from healthy, they do have  a plethora of health-supporting ingredients – coconut oil, walnuts, almonds. And, it IS the holiday season. So, I’m thinking I MIGHT be able to get away with adding these to Ricki’s Wellness Weekend. Right, Ricki? 🙂

Posted in cookies, grain-free, nuts, vegan | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

Grain-Free Vegan Cookie Bars

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Deanna

You know that saying, “best laid plans?” Well, that’s how things have been going around here lately. It’s December 5th and I haven’t made a single Christmas cookie.

Well, strike that. I made a raw cranberry almond pinwheel cookie. Um….no.

Anyway, this was going to be my post for the Secret Recipe Club. My reveal day isn’t for another 2 weeks. I was ahead of the game! I let the kiddo pick what he wanted us to make, and we got to baking. I let him make all the choices. And, by the end, we had something totally delicious. And totally, completely, unlike the original recipe, which was supposed to be a blondie.

Oops. Best laid plans….

These turned out dense and chewy and a whole lot like those date nut bars I remember from when I was a kid – the ones where you throw in a little of this and a little of that and come out with a chocolately, nutty, scrumptious thing.

Except this one doesn’t have any dates.

Anyway, it means I get to post this completely not holiday-esque, completely not Secret Recipe Club recipe today, instead of making you all wait 2 weeks.

That’s a bright side, right?

Magic, in a bar

Magic, in a bar (too bad I don't have magic sunlight for the photo)

Grain-Free Vegan Magic Bars

1/2 cup (96 g.) palm shortening
1 cup palm sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
1 T. ground flax seed
1 T. psyllium husk powder
2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 cups (150 g.) almond meal
1/4 cup (28 g.) sifted coconut flour
1/4 cup (30 g.) arrowroot starch
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup salted cashews
1/4 cup unsalted almonds

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, beat the shortening and sugar with a hand mixer until creamy. Mix the boiling water with the flax seed and psyllium powder. It will be very thick. Add it to the shortening and sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the almond meal, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and cashews.

Spread the mixture into the greased pan. Press the almonds into the top of the dough.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely before cutting. (It will be very crumbly while warm and will become quite solid and chewy after cooling.)

Try this with whatever mix-ins you like. Coconut, other nuts, white chocolate, craisins, etc.

This may be more than slightly indulgent, but ’tis the season, right? Check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Posted in cashews, coconut, cookies, desserts, flax seed, grain-free, nuts, vegan | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Glass Dharma Winner

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Deanna

Thank you to everyone that entered the contest for the wonderful Glass Dharma straws gift certificate. I wish I could give you all a chance to try these great straws.

Glass Straw Fairy - If only she could visit all of us!

Glass Straw Fairy - If only she could visit all of us! (courtesy of Glass Dharma)

Sadly, I can’t. So, I’m pleased to announce that the winner is Andrea. Andrea said,

I like the lifetime guarantee against breakage and the fact that they are reusable!

Congratulations Andrea. I’ll be sending you an email soon to get your mailing information.

Posted in Contests | 1 Comment

Glass Dharma Giveaway (and a Choco Cherry Smoothie)

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Deanna

I’m super excited about this giveaway, because I love straws. Bendy straws. Loop-de-loop straws. Great big straws. Those itty-bitty straws you get in mixed drinks. Yep. I dig straws.

But, sadly, when I got all green and eco-conscious and such, I quit using straws. They’re made of soft plastic. In other words, drenched in nasty chemicals and destined to sit in the landfill for eons. *sigh* Badness.

But, apparently the love for straws is genetic, because the kiddo loves them, too. And, he always wants me to buy some for him. And, he’s always disappointed when I don’t.

And, then I found Glass Dharma – maker of beautiful hand-crafted, eco-friendly, reusable glass straws. Heaven. Kiddo is happy. I’m happy. The Earth is happy. (Okay, well, maybe not the Earth, but at least she’s not more annoyed with me than usual.)

Straw Diameters

Straw Diameters

Glass Dharma straws come in 4 diameters: sipper, ice tea, smoothie, and bubble tea. We’ve found the ice tea size to be the most versatile. It’s wide enough to use in a smoothie, and small enough to use with juice. If you make your smoothies super thick or very chunky, you might want to go with the smoothie size. We’re not bubble tea drinkers, and did not try that size. And the sipper size? Perfect for kiddie cocktails (or the grown-up variety).

Beautiful Bends, Straight, Decorative Dots

Beautiful Bends, Straight, Decorative Dots

They also come in straight, beautiful bends, and decorative dots styles. The kiddo requested the beautiful bends, and there was some complicated kiddo algorithm involved in the decision – something about height of glass and height of table and bend of the neck to reach the straw and such. So when we bought the straws, we only bought the beautiful bends. When Glass Dharma sent additional samples for us to review, they sent 2 of the decorative dot variety, and the kiddo’s algorithm fell apart. Decorative dots rose to the position of “most beloved.” The shorty sipper decorative dot is now the most coveted straw in the bunch. Your kiddo mileage may vary.

Glass Dharma has an excellent lifetime guarantee against breakage. These straws are tough and are advertised as “unbreakable.” Well, I’ve never met an unbreakable that I couldn’t manage to break, and these straws are no exception. I’m a super klutz, in case you didn’t know. And, I managed to drop a beautiful bend straw onto my hardwood floor. It did not survive. Sadness. But, all I have to do is ship it back, and they’ll replace it free of charge. (Fellow klutzes make note – it helps to save your receipt and your shipping box.)

So, now that you know I love these straws, and the kiddo does, too, I’d best give you a kiddo creation with which to enjoy them, right?

Yum!The Most Coveted Straw

The Most Coveted Straw

Choco Cherry Smoothie

1 banana, broken into pieces
1 large handful of spinach
1 T. raw cacao powder
2/3 cup frozen cherries
2/3 cup So Delicious Unsweetened coconut milk (for raw, use 1 T. coconut butter + 2/3 cup water)
1 t. maca powder (optional)

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Are you ready for your own Glass Dharma straws? Glass Dharma has generously offered to give one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate! All you need to do is tell me what you love most about Glass Dharma. For bonus entries, you can also like Glass Dharma on Facebook, follow Glass Dharma on Twitter, like The Mommy Bowl on Facebook, or follow The Mommy Bowl on twitter. Leave 1 comment per person, (not one comment per entry) and let me know which things you’ve done. I’ll put all names on a spreadsheet with one entry per name, randomly sort them and announce a winner 1 2 weeks from today, on Sunday, November 27th December 4th. (I realized that lots of folks are probably away for the holidays. So, to be fair to everyone, I’m going to hold this open one more week.)

Please note that Glass Dharma provided free products for me to review. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, nor did I receive monetary compensation. All opinions expressed above are solely my own.

Posted in bananas, coconut, drinks, grain-free, Product Reviews, raw, spinach, vegan | 39 Comments

Choco-Nut Drops Take Two

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Deanna

I’ve already posted a recipe for Choco Nut Drops. But, I got a question on that post wondering if they could be made somehow without the peanut flour.

I get substitution questions often, and while I always try to offer my best guess, I rarely actually try out what I suggest.

Except these are cookies.

And we all know cookies are my favorite thing.

And, they were already grain-free and vegan. And chocolate. And peanut butter.

Like you could stop me from trying out my suggestions. Jessica – this one’s for you.

Choco Nut Drops - No Peanut Flour Needed

Choco Nut Drops - No Peanut Flour Needed

Choco Nut Drops (sans peanut flour)

1 cup natural smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup palm sugar
2 flax eggs (2 T. ground flax + 6 T hot water)
1 t. vanilla (I may have just dumped whatever was left in the bottle in there this time. Maybe.)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup (28 g) sifted coconut flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and palm sugar until creamy. Add the flax egg and beat until well incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients (except peanuts) and beat well. Knead a few times to form a dough. The dough will seem greasy. Don’t worry. The cookies don’t. Knead in the peanuts.

Scoop spoonfuls and roll into rough balls. Flatten them with the palm of your hand onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I haven’t forgotten about that giveaway coming up later this week. I’ll give you a hint. It’s something you can reuse over and over again. And it’s something that kids love. Don’t forget to check back later this week!

For more slightly indulgent recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Posted in chocolate, cookies, desserts, grain-free, nuts, peanut butter, vegan | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Parsnip Paté

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Deanna

First off, hello to all my new followers! I love it when a guest post creates more interest in my little blog. And, to celebrate, I’ve got a special giveaway coming up later this week. You’re going to like it, I promise.

But first, I need to post a double-duty recipe -one that fits the requirements of Wellness Weekend and the Sweet or Savory Challenge. What’s that, you say? Well, it’s a healthy recipe that features this month’s sweet or savory secret ingredient – parsnips!

Parsnips have loads of vitamin C. You wouldn’t think it, would you? But, they do. 38% of your daily requirement, in fact. In the fall, in Wisconsin, I’ll take all the vitamin C I can get. They also have a generous helping of fiber (26% RDA) and even a bit of calcium (5%). Man, I need to eat these things more often.

And, with a super simple recipe like this, why wouldn’t I? It’s raw, vegan, and super quick to make. Use it as a dip, spread, or sandwich filling.

A bowl of parsnip yumminess

A bowl of parsnip yumminess

Parsnip Paté

1 medium parsnip
1/4 cup raw cashews (soaked if you want – I didn’t)
1/2 t. Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle (or other seasoned salt)
2 T. nutritional yeast flakes

Cut the parsnip into even-sized chunks. Place in a food processor and pulse until about rice-sized. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse just until mixture sticks together.

Here’s how I am enjoying it right now:

Collard Wrap with Parsnip Pate, Shredded Carrots and Shredded Jicama

Collard Wrap with Parsnip Pate, Shredded Carrots and Shredded Jicama

Posted in appetizers, carrots, cashews, grain-free, nightshade-free, raw, side dish, vegan | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments