Tag: dessert

Gluten Free Chocolate Oat Bars

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What do you reach for when craving a snack?

I’m sure most of us crave something sugary, or salty during that 3pm crash. If you haven’t nourished yourself all day with the right amounts of nutrients, and your on your second pot of coffee by 3pm; there’s a good chance sugar and salt are on your mind!

I’ve been there… we’ve all been there, and it’s time to get outta there!

Fruits, nuts, seeds, a protein shake; these are all great snacks to have mid day. I always encourage my clients to reach for a whole food option when it comes to snacking. No prepackaged special K bar is good in my books. And to think, as a teenager I used to eat those! My I’ve come a long way 😉

These bars are just what you need for that afternoon fix. In fact, they are full of nutrients and goodness, that they would be great along side a bowl of fruit in the morning for your kids, before sending them off to school. I mean… don’t you think it’s time to ditch the pop tarts?!

So let’s get to it…

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Gluten Free Chocolate Oat Bars
(recipe adapted from Joyous Health Book)

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups wheat free rolled oats ( I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1 cup chocolate whey protein powder (I use Progressive Organic Whey)
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional, but great for extra sweetness for kids! I like Enjoy Life chocolate chips)
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground vanilla bean
1 cup raw almond butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
2 tbsp real maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a large baking dish with coconut oil.
In a large bowl, combine oats, protein powder, sesame seeds, coconut, chocolate chips, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and ground vanilla; mix well. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt almond butter and coconut oil together. Add to dry ingredients and quickly stir. Then add almond milk and maple syrup and mix well. Stir until well combined. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and press down evenly with hands. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from oven, keep oven on, and let batter cool slightly for about 10 minutes. Then cut into desired pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Cutting the batter into bars may get crumbly. Be careful when transferring them to a cookie sheet. Transfer back to oven and bake for another 12 minutes, until edges of bars start to crisp up.

These bars are amazing as is, or you can crumble them like granola and serve over your favourite sheeps yogurt or with some homemade almond milk.

Happy Baking 🙂

To Your AWESOME Health & Abundance,
Samantha xoxo

 

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Chocolatey Black Bean Brownies

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Image 2Simple, easy, and mess free!

These brownies are so easy to make. Pile all your ingredients into a food processor and viola! You’ve got delicious brownie batter made from BLACK BEANS!

Yes…ya heard right! These brownies are made with heart healthy, fibrous black beans. I was shocked at how moist they were! They are absolutely delicious and will become a new dessert staple of mine 🙂

I’m prepping for a Women’s Seminar next week and need to introduce them to easy and simple ways to prepare gluten free goodies, minus all the expensive gluten free flours out there. Let’s face it, almond flour, coconut flour; as much as these are staples in my baking, they can be quite costly.

So if you need a chocolate fix that won’t break the bank, make these brownies!

Black beans are packed with protein and fiber, two key macronutrients that help to keep you fuller for longer. This is also beneficial for balancing blood sugar levels.

“One cup of black beans provides over 4 grams of soluble fiber, and this is precisely the type of fiber that researchers have found especially helpful in lowering blood cholesterol levels. Decreased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarct (MI, or heart attack) have both been associated with increased intake of soluble fiber from food” – WHF.

In just 1 cup of black beans, you’ll get a super dose of magnesium, B1, folate and iron. All nutrients essential for your health. Not to mention the extra magnesium and antioxidant boost you’ll get from the added cacao powder!

Now let’s get backing!

Gluten Free Chocolatey Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

1 14oz. can black beans (I use Eden Organic)
3 organic eggs
½ cup of cacao powder
½ cup coconut oil, softened (room temp)
½ cup coconut sugar
½ cup of dark chocolate chips
1 tsp ground vanilla bean or vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of baking soda
½ cup roughly chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
and grease a brownie pan with coconut oil.
2. Add all ingredients except walnuts to a food processor and puree to create your batter.
3. Add batter to brownie pan and gently stir in walnuts.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Other ingredient options:

– Add 1/3 cup dried cherries for extra sweetness

– Try using ½ cup maple syrup instead of coconut sugar

– Butter works well instead of coconut oil

– High quality cocoa powder can substituted for cacao

– Top with toasted coconut flakes

 

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Delicious Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies!

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I LOVE baking!

I’m always tweaking recipes and up for the challenge to health-ify desserts!

I make these delicious flour less almond butter cookies (recipe here!) and they are a huge hit! So I thought I would take that same recipe and make brownies!

I made a few slight changes and it was a success! Yippee! PLUS, they are gluten free! How great is that?!

You can whip up these bad boys in no time, with very little mess in the kitchen! 😉

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Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

 

Ingredients:

1 cup almond butter (I used chunky for the extra crunch)
1 organic egg
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking soda (aluminium free is BEST!)
1/3 cup of coconut sugar (organic cane sugar or sucanat would work well too)
½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 – 1/2 cup organic chocolate chips (you can get dairy free chips and make this recipe vegan!)

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a brownie pan with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and pour batter into pan. NOTE – the batter did not completely fill the brownie pan. I used my fingers to press the batter down into the pan, making it quite flat. It ‘almost’ fit the pan, but not quite. This is ok! They still came out amazing! If you have a smaller pan (6×6), use that! Bake brownies for approx. 22-25 minutes. Cool brownies for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Simple, easy and super tasty!!
Enjoy!
Health & Abundance,
Samantha 🙂
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Cinnamon Berry Crisp-Wheat Free & Dairy Free too!

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‘Tis the season for blueberries! And boy do I love blueberries!

I’ve got pints galore of these blue little gems stocked up in my fridge. From pancakes, to muffins, salads and smoothies, I add these antioxidant rich berries to just about anything!

Blueberries are ranked as having the highest antioxidants among most fruits and 1 cup serving can provide a serious nutritional disease preventing boost! In fact, blueberries can help to improve memory and boost cognitive function. Plus they are great for your eyes, heart and skin- helping to keep those wrinkles away!

I decided I needed a sweet treat the other night and couldn’t resist whipping up a simple and delicious berry crisp! I added in raspberries to the mix (another berry you’ll always find stocked in my frozen) to give this treat an extra antioxidant boost!

Loaded with vitamin C and quercetin, red raspberries are great to have on hand this time of year as they help to diminish the release of histamines, which helps to minimize allergic reactions!! So for all of you suffering with environmental allergies this time of year, get yourself some of these delicious berries!

This dish is great for dessert or even better for breakfast topped with mixed nuts and seeds and some fresh almond milk!

Now….let’s get cooking!

Image 2Cinnamon Berry Crisp

Ingredients:

3/4 cup wheat free oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1/4 cup coconut flakes
2-3 tsp cinnamon (or more if you like)
2 tbsp dried cherries (optional)
2 tbsp coconut sugar or sucanat
1/4 cup softened coconut oil
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine topping ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add berries to a baking dish and pour topping over berries. Bake for 30 mins, or until you’ve reached your preferred ‘crispness’ of oats. Serve alone, or on top of coconut bliss ‘ice cream,’ like I did!!

Happy Baking!

 

Health & Abundance,
Samantha 🙂

 

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Eat Some Dessert! My Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Cake- Dairy Free and Delicious!

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Happy New Year! I wish for 2013 to be a year full of JOY, HAPPINESS, LOVE & ABUNDANCE for everyone! With each new year we have an opportunity for new beginnings; an opportunity to create positive changes in our lives. I typically don’t believe in resolutions, because I personally strive to be a better me on a daily basis- physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. January 1st doesn’t have to be ‘the’ day to start fresh. We have an opportunity to do this daily. Everyday is an opportunity to start fresh, create change and move forward in the direction of our dreams. However….with that being said, 2012 is now behind us so let’s ride into 2013 on our shiny magic carpet and embrace the unexpected, miraculous journey that lies ahead!

With everyone starting on a ‘detox’ kick and hitting up the gym, I’ve decided to share a dessert recipe I just couldn’t resist! We can all indulge in dessert as long as we learn to create balance around food. Dessert is definitely not on my daily ‘diet’ regime, but I’ll often indulge in an organic piece of chocolate (giddyoyo is my fav), or a few organic chocolate covered almonds (from Organic Traditions) if I want a sweet treat. I allow myself these treats because 90% of the time I eat clean organic food, go to yoga, go to the gym and take care of my body!

I wish all of you success on your new journey to creating a life long change in achieving the body you want, healing a disease, losing weight, getting more sleep, dealing with stress, watching less TV, creating more quiet time or whatever goal you have set out for yourself!

And now….onto dessert! The perfect cheat day treat! 🙂
This recipe came together in no time! I was heading out to a Christmas party and knew the host of the party loved chocolate raspberry anything! So I grabbed a few ingredients from WholeFoods and whipped this up in record time! Nothing in this recipe is made from scratch per se, but since I was gifted an ice cream maker for Christmas I’ll be making me some homemade dairy free ice cream very soon!

Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

1 tub dark Chocolate CoconutBliss Ice Cream
3 cups fresh raspberries + 1/2 cup for decorating top of cake
2 packages chocolate wafer cookies (preferably organic with good quality ingredients. You can find most of your local grocery store)
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp cacao nibs, for decorating top of cake (optional)

Directions

In a food processor fitted with an S blade, pulse wafer cookies with coconut oil until crumbly. Pour into a pie dish and press crumbs firmly into dish. Put dish into freezer and let sit for 1 hr, or until crust is firm.
In a food processor or blender, blend together coconut bliss and raspberries until smooth. **Leave ice cream out for 20 mins to soften so it is easier to blend. Pour ice cream mixture over crust, top with fresh raspberries and cacao nibs. Place back into the freezer for 1-2hours to set. To serve- leave cake at room temperature for at least 20-30mins before cutting. ENJOY!!!

From my heart to yours, here’s wishing you the Happiest New Year!

Health & Abundance,
Samantha 🙂

 

 

 

 

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