Yep! These nummy cookies only have 5 ingredients and take about 5 minutes to throw together. They’re just about the healthiest cookie you could eat, and probably the easiest to make. Since they don’t have added sweeteners they are only mildly sweet, but the raisins help with that. I’m calling them a cookie because of their shape but classifying them as a snack since they’re so good for you (don’t panic – they’re good)! Granted, they are no Oreo cookie, but that’s not the goal here. They are soft in texture but hold together just like a regular cookie. I spread a little bit of peanut butter on one – what a delicious snack!! *choose certified gluten-free oats
I know. It’s getting a little ridiculous. Another pumpkin recipe. I can’t help it! I told you I love all things pumpkin. The season is short – I must embrace it!
So, I made a pumpkin-spice cake for my sister’s birthday this past week. It was really good. The next day I tweaked the recipe just a bit and made delicious cupcakes. The next day I tweaked it even more, making them gluten-free, and a sharable recipe was born!
If you don’t care to make these cupcakes gluten-free, whole wheat pastry flour is fine. Also, use 1 TBS pumpkin pie spice if you’d rather not bother measuring out the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves.
I don’t generally make or eat things that are frosted due to the high fat content of frosting, even if it is vegan, but I’ve managed to keep the fat pretty low on these by only using no more than 1 tablespoon of frosting per cupcake, which is plenty and just right. Still, these are a treat and not something I’d recommend be eaten regularly. 🙂
*Oil-free if left unfrosted. The cupcake itself is oil/fat-free but Tofutti Cream Cheese is made with oil.
As I’ve said before, I’m in love with all things pumpkin. This savory dressing is no exception. Other than my Pumpkin Soup, I’d never made a non-sweet pumpkin dish before. I was very happy with the results. Start small with the cinnamon and work your way up, tasting as you go. And, depending upon how much tang you like, start with 1 TBS lemon juice and go from there. I made this for a salad in which I put pomegranate and toasted pumpkin seeds – delicious! It would also be tasty on greens like kale, or steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
A few ingredients and a couple of really ripe bananas is all you need for this easy recipe. These little bites are dense and delicious! They’re also wheat free (gluten-free if using certified gluten-free oat flour), and low-fat. I recently substituted dried cranberries for the chocolate chips for a friend who doesn’t like chocolate (can you imagine?). They were delicious even without the chocolate chips!
The only problem with these is that they don’t last long when I make them.
*gluten-free when using certified gluten-free oat flour
A few weeks ago Engine 2 (Rip Esselstyn’s baby) announced they would be conducting a recipe contest. The entries had to include at least one ingredient from the Engine 2 line of foods (available at Whole Foods – try them if you haven’t!), be plant-based (duh), oil-free, low-fat and low-sodium. I was familiar with the line of foods they offered and immediately got the idea for a recipe to enter into the contest. It was announced today that my recipe was chosen as the Grand Prize Winner!! http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/ So fun and exciting!
The folks at E2 will be sharing this recipe with their readers, and I am sharing it now with you. It’s very easy, and delicious! Enjoy!
Summer Fruit Cobbler. Vegan. Oil-free. Gluten-free*
A fruit cobbler is one of my favorite desserts. I take it or apple pie over something chocolatey any day! We were having company and I wanted a dessert that would be nice for a chilly evening, and that incorporated seasonal fruit. Most fruit crisps are loaded with fat and lots of sugar, but not this one! The only fat is naturally occurring in the oat flour. No added oils or butter. I used peaches, mango and blueberries and they tasted wonderful together, all warm and saucy. For an extra special treat, serve warm with non-dairy ice cream. 🙂
*gluten-free if using certified gluten-free oat flour.
Sweetened with fruit, the whole fruit, and nothing but the fruit, so help me God! These oatmeal cookies almost shouldn’t be called cookies because they are good for you! The sweetness in these babies comes from banana, applesauce and date paste, as well as raisins and, as a treat, a few chocolate chips. Of course if you add chocolate chips, that changes things, but the heart of the cookie will still be super healthy. Be aware these are only slightly sweet. They are perfect for our family as our palettes have adjusted to less sugar/sweets (which can happen for everyone – just takes patience!). If you aren’t there yet, you may want to add more raisins and/or chocolate chips, or more date paste.
**Date paste is made by soaking whole, pitted dates until soft and much of the water is absorbed, and pureeing in food processor or blender until smooth. Here’s how: 1) Soak 1/2 lb dates with 1/2 cup water several hours, until much of the water is absorbed. 2) Use food processor or blender to create a creamy, smooth paste. Store in freezer (it doesn’t get hard!) and use in baked goods such as this one, as a fruit spread etc. Chef AJ has many recipes using dates in her great book Unprocessed.
* gluten-free as long as certified gluten-free oats and flour are used.
What the heck is that plant? Is it beets? Is it spinach? No! It’s chard, or Swiss chard to which its often referred. This leafy green is one of the healthiest plants you can eat. It comes in green and white, green with yellow stalks, or the type I grow, green with beautiful red stalks. Foods belonging to the chenopod family—including beets, chard, spinach, and quinoa—continue to show an increasing number of health benefits not readily available from other food families. Containing powerful antioxidants and phytonutrients beneficial for all aspects of health, this amazing vegetable is an important component to the diet. And, it tastes great!
Swiss chard and kale growing beautifully in my Tower Garden!
I never knew what the heck to do with chard before I started growing my own. I grow it in my amazing aeroponic Tower Garden, which I absolutely love. I never had success with growing my own food before. The feeling of going out back to grab some homegrown chard, a few cucumbers, some kale and lettuce, or some strawberries, is like none other! I had read that chard was easy to grow so I bought the seedlings and in no time, I had these gorgeous, huge, green and red leaves ready to be eaten. The young, smaller leaves are good raw, but the mature leaves are too “green” tasting and bitter for me. I much prefer them cooked. The way I prepared them yesterday is my favorite so far. Up until then I had just steamed them, and eaten with a little sea salt and lemon juice, or added to pasta with marinara sauce. I’ve enjoyed all preparations, but this one is the winner so far.
*gluten-free if you use gluten-free (i.e. brown rice) tortillas.
One of my favorite things used to be banana ice cream shakes from Ruby’s Diner. Man, I loved those things. Of course, this is years ago when I used to eat dairy products. While I was pregnant with my daughter (21 years ago, yikes!), my unhealthy eating led to gestational diabetes. I was told that the last few months of my pregnancy would be ones with ZERO sugar, not even fruit! I was devastated, especially because I had just started feeling well after dealing with morning sickness for 5 months straight (another reason I wish I’d known more about health and the best ways to take care of myself). Why am I telling you this? To illustrate how much I LOVED those darn banana shakes. 8 hours after I gave birth, I was allowed to go back to eating whatever I wanted. Guess what the first thing I wanted was? A Ruby’s banana shake! My sister and her friend brought me one in the hospital and I devoured the entire thing. If only I’d known what harm I was doing to myself AND my nursing baby.
What can I say? I was young, dumb and uninformed. Now that I’m oldER, wiser and quite informed, I still love banana shakes (and anything “banana”) but I know better than to consume them. I could, of course, just replace the milk and ice cream with non-dairy versions, but that’s not much healthier. Sure, there’s none of that pesky, unhealthy dairy protein or saturated fat, but there is still a lot of other fat and tons of sugar. My recipe for this shake has no sugar (only that from whole fruit), and does not contain ice cream, rather, frozen bananas and ice. It’s truly delicious and a treat I don’t feel the least bit guilty about enjoying!
When I bake sweet potatoes, I usually do 1 or 2 extra for leftovers. They are a quick, easy snack and great for dishes like this.
You can use whatever type of tortillas you like, but I really enjoy the brown rice tortillas. I don’t need to eat a gluten-free diet but for the sake of variety and not wanting to overdo it on wheat, whenever I can I opt for the alternative, as long as it’s a healthy one. Many gluten-free alternatives are filled with fat and have little to no fiber. These brown rice tortillas I get from Trader Joe’s are really nice.
I made this for lunch one day and it took all of 10 minutes. I couldn’t believe how good it was. My girlfriend Lori, who likes to be difficult :), says I shouldn’t call these quesadillas because there is no cheese. I wholeheartedly disagree. We can eat pizza without cheese and it’s still called pizza, omelets without cheese and it’s still an omelet (though I don’t eat those anymore), cheese-less burritos….you get my point. So, sorry Lori but these are being called Quesadillas and that’s that!
*gluten-free if you use gluten-free tortillas (i.e. brown rice).
Yep! These nummy cookies only have 5 ingredients and take about 5 minutes to throw together. They’re just about the healthiest cookie you could eat, and probably the easiest to make. Since they don’t have added sweeteners they are only mildly sweet, but the raisins help with that. I’m calling them a cookie because of their shape but classifying them as a snack since they’re so good for you (don’t panic – they’re good)! Granted, they are no Oreo cookie, but that’s not the goal here. They are soft in texture but hold together just like a regular cookie. I spread a little bit of peanut butter on one – what a delicious snack!! *choose certified gluten-free oats
