The combination of dried fruit and nuts really can’t be beat! Unless you are counting your calories, then maybe you should share some of these tasty treats with friends. And this recipe couldn’t be simpler, or easier to adapt to your desires (or whatever you have in the kitchen). These make a wonderful dessert, or a nice mid-day snack when you need a little energy boost. I made so many of these truffles that I ended up adding some to our morning smoothies. Delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almonds (or other nuts)
• 1/4 cup medjool dates
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons shredded coconut

1. Place the nuts in a food processor and process into a fine meal.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients (reserving 2 Tablespoons of coconut to roll the truffles in). Process until well combined.
3. With your hands, form the mixture into whatever size truffles you like.
4. Place the remaining coconut shreds in a shallow bowl, and roll the truffles to coat the outside.

Yield: 10-20 truffles

I used to whip up a batch of these Banana Nut Pancakes quite often in my days living in Southern California. I typically used peanut butter, but nowadays I really enjoy the subtle flavor of almond butter. Feel free to add more nut butter if you’d like to make ‘em richer, or leave it out all together if you are watchin’ calories. I like to keep these pancakes light so I can cover them with blueberries, bananas, soy yogurt and a little maple syrup. Mmm. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 Tablespoon evaporated cane juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
  
  
• 1 mashed banana
• 1 cup water or non-dairy milk
• 2 Tablespoons almond butter (or other nut butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat a non-stick skillet (or lightly oiled frying pan) on medium/low.
2. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, mash the banana and mix with the wet ingredients.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, and mix thoroughly. Add a little additional liquid if the batter is too thick to easily pour onto the skillet.
5. Cook pancakes until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip to the other side.

Yield: about 2 servings

I simply love fresh waffles for breakfast, topped with some bananas, maple syrup or a little apple sauce. These waffles are very light as they are free from oil. Sometimes I make a double batch and store them in the freezer for a quick morning meal. Buckwheat is not related to wheat, it is a highly nutritious seed. You can easily make these into pancakes by adding a little additional liquid (as needed) so you can easily pour the batter into a hot skillet. Good mornin’!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/3 cup brown rice flour or oat flour
• 1 Tablespoon flax seed meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt and cinnamon
  
  
• 3/4 cup water or non-dairy milk
• 1/3 cup apple sauce
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup

1. Heat a waffle iron (or skillet) and spray very lightly with oil.
2. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, and mix thoroughly. Add a little additional liquid if the batter is too thick to easily spread on the waffle iron.

Yield: 4 waffles (about 2 servings)

I bet you don’t hear about a chocolate bean cake every day now do ya? Who said you couldn’t have your cake and eat your beans too? My new favorite flour to work with is garbanzo bean flour. It adds a nice rich and hearty texture to baked goods. The chocolate and orange flavors really shine through in this recipe and I swear no one will know they are eating beans, and brown rice flour too! Wait a second, is this sounding more like a burrito? The beauty is you can enjoy these beans and grains for dessert or as a meal… or both!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 3/4 cup Sucanat (or evaporated cane juice)
• 1/2 cup: cocoa powder and chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1/2 cup almonds (or other nuts)
• 2 apples
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup orange juice concentrate
• 2 Tablespoons orange zest

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly oil a 6-bundt pan or a 12-muffin tin.
3. In a bowl, combine the first eight dry ingredients.
4. Blend the almonds into a coarse flour.
5. Core the apples (leave skins on) and blend with the almonds, water, and orange juice concentrate until smooth.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones, sprinkle in the freshly grated orange zest, and mix until just combined.
7. Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Yield: 12 cupcakes or 6 bundt cakes

I wish I could say I whipped up this delicious dessert from scratch, but I was more accurately just the devourer (oh, and I shared a little with my husband too– just a little!). A few days ago we were in Auckland, New Zealand and stumbled upon The Blue Bird Vegetarian Cafe where we were thrilled to see their wonderful and creative bowls and mouth-watering desserts. This apple crisp was rich and flavorful, and mildly sweetened by the apples themselves. The raw cashew “ice cream” was smooth and creamy, and a wonderful complement to the apples and oats. We are currently in Wellington, but we’ll be heading back to Auckland soon, and we’ll undoubtedly stop by The Blue Bird for another delicious meal!

Below is a picture of the wonderful “Mexican Bowl” that had a brown rice base, and was topped with a creamy three-bean chili with seasonings unlike any I had ever tasted. I’ll work on recreating this chili upon our return to Portland.

What a yummy looking dessert you might be thinking? Well, as the title implies, these are more of a fruity breakfast bar. It’s kind of like packing your oatmeal to go… but tastier! You can mix up the fruit-filled centers, and add in some nuts and seeds if you’d like. Probably anything that you enjoy in your oatmeal would make a pretty nice addition. I’m not sure about bananas though? Make sure to let these thoroughly cool so you can cut ‘em into bars. Oh, and did I mention there isn’t any added fat? Just wholesome oats, fruit and more. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup agave (or maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
  
• 3 cups frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup agave (or maple syrup)
• 4 Tablespoons kuzu (or other thickener such as arrowroot or cornstarch)
• 6 Tablespoons cold water

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, combine the oats and salt.
3. In another bowl combine apple sauce, agave and vanilla. Pour into oats and mix thoroughly.
4. Lightly oil an 8 x 8 (or similar sized) glass baking dish.
5. Spoon in 1/2 to 2/3 of the batter and evenly smooth it across the bottom. Set the rest of the batter aside.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.
7. While the bottom is baking, heat the berries in a small sauce pan on medium heat.
8. In a small bowl combine kuzu with cold water, mix thoroughly, and then stir it into the berries.
9. Turn heat to low, stir berries constantly and allow berries to thicken (5 minutes). Consistency should be like a thick jam. Add more thickener if needed.
10. Once the crust is done baking, cover it evenly with the berry mixture. Crumble the remaining oatmeal batter on the top and spread as evenly as possible.
11. Bake 20-25 minutes or until oatmeal topping is lightly golden.
12. Let thoroughly cool before cutting bars.

Yield: 9-12 bars

Everyone loves homemade chocolate chip cookies! At least, I’m pretty sure most people do. These little guys are irresistibly good, and the best part is they are good for you too. On second thought, it’s probably better if you don’t like chocolate chip cookies… otherwise these are going to disappear real quickly. At least they did in my house. My husband seemed to be snacking on a cookie every time I turned around. I’m happy to admit they are low-fat and made with brown rice flour. Not exactly your typical chocolate chip cookie. Cheers!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
• 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, combine the first six dry ingredients.
3. In a blender, blend last four ingredients until smooth.
4. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix thoroughly.
5. Form dough into balls and flatten on an oiled baking sheet.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bottom is golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Yield: About 25 cookies

These apple muffins are hardy, satisfying and moist. Feel free to add more spices for extra kick. If your gluten-free muffins are coming out very dense, try checking your baking powder freshness. Combine 1 teaspoon baking powder with 1/3 cup hot water. The mixture should bubble vigorously. I figured this out the hard way, after baking a big batch of these muffins and wondering why they turned out like little bricks. A quick trip to the store for some fresh baking powder remedied the situation. My second batch (pictured below) came out much lighter!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oat flour (or 3 1/4 cups rolled oats)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t salt, nutmeg and cardamom
  
  
• 2 medium apples
• 1 3/4 cups water

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a 12-muffin tin.
3. Blend 3 1/4 cups rolled oats or use pre-ground oat flour.
4. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
5. Core the apples (leave skins on) and blend with the water until smooth.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix until just combined.
7. Bake 30-35 minutes until muffin tops are golden.

Yield: 12 muffins

Ok, ok, you don’t have to call these “WendyBars.” But they were inspired by one of my favorite raw snacks (Larabars), and so I couldn’t think of a more fitting name. However, unlike Larabars, these little nutrient-packed treats include soaked raw buckwheat. This makes them much lower in calories and fat! These bars are great for pre- and post-workout as dates are an excellent fuel source. Feel free to mix up the dried fruit and nut flavors and make ‘em your own!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soaked raw buckwheat (1/4 cup dry)
• 1/3 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup medjool dates
• 1/3 cup almonds
• pinch cinnamon or salt (optional)

1. Place 1/4 cup of raw buckwheat groats in a jar or bowl and soak in 1.5 cups water (4-8 hrs).
2. After soaking, rinse and strain the buckwheat. You’ll want to pat the buckwheat with a towel to make it as dry as possible (some moisture will remain).
3. Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
4. Pour the almonds in a bowl and set aside.
5. Place the soaked buckwheat in the processor and process into a paste.
6. Thoroughly mix the buckwheat into the bowl with the almonds.
7. Add the dates and cherries to the processor and process into a paste.
8. With your hands kneed the date/cherry mixture into the bowl of almonds and buckwheat.
9. Shape in flat bars or balls. They’ll firm up in the refrigerator.
10. Store in the fridge and consume within 5 days. Or store longer term in the freezer.

Note: If the bars turn out too moist, mix in shredded coconut or flax meal to firm.

These scones are great for breakfast or a snack anytime of day. They are bursting with orange and cranberry flavor, but aren’t too sweet. These scones are oil free, and get their light texture from the oats and pecans. If you prefer raisins, dried apricots or another dried fruit, feel free to mix it up. Happy life-celebrating Thanksgiving to everyone!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oat flour (3.25 cups oats)
• 2 T flax meal
• 4 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
  
  
• 1/2 cup pecans (or almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc.)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 T orange rind
  
  
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries

1. Blend 3.25 cups of rolled oats in a blender until as fine as possible (or buy pre-ground oat flour).
2. In a bowl, mix the flour with the next 3 dry ingredients.
3. Blend the pecans into a coarse flour.
4. Add the remaining wet ingredients (except cranberries) to the pecans and blend until smooth.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ones and mix thoroughly. Stir in cranberries. The batter should be very thick. Sprinkle in additional oat flour if the batter is too loose.
6. Lightly oil a large cookie sheet.
7. Shape scones into triangles, or thick rounds.
8. Bake 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden on top.

Yield: 18 scones