Happy almost Passover! I just chopped up a yummy batch of apples, almonds, dates, sprinkled in a little cinnamon and added some grape juice… and voila, time for a mini Passover celebration! The texture and color of Charoset is meant to signify the mortar the Israelites used to bond bricks when they were enslaved in Egypt (thanks Wikipedia!). Hope you enjoy this simple and delicious fruit and nut medley. It’s wonderful as a side dish or as an afternoon snack. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 apples (peeled and chopped)
• 1 cup almonds or walnuts (chopped)
• 1 cup dates or raisins (chopped)
• 1/2 cup grape juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Chop the apples and almonds by hand, or use a food processor.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well. Serve!

My dad and I whipped up some Chocolate Tofu Mousse to promote the Better Living Show going on this weekend at the Portland Expo Center. Come check us out live on Saturday at 5pm! We’ll be on the main kitchen stage cookin’ up some cupcakes, frosting, and mousse, and giving away samples too!

I can’t say I’ve ever had what some might call “typical” peanut brittle, but I’m pretty sure the main ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and peanuts. I must admit, those really aren’t my favorite ingredients to indulge in. So I decided to whip up a batch of peanut brittle like none you’ve seen before. Good ol’ hearty oats give this brittle its texture, and the sweet tastes of brown rice syrup and maple syrup (used in moderation of course) bind this brittle together. I used a modest amount of peanut butter in this recipe, but you can cut this in half if you want a more subtle (and lower calorie) version. I’ve also made it with almond butter which turns out great too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup almonds (chopped)
• 1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Lightly oil a large cookie sheet.
3. In a bowl, combine the first four dry ingredients.
4. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining four wet ingredients and heat on low until liquefied.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ones and mix thoroughly.
6. Spread evenly on the cookie sheet and firmly compact it with your hand or a solid spatula.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes and let cool to crisp up.

I’ve been working on some new cupcake recipes this week… and eating ‘em a few times a day (for research of course!). I wanted to make a low-fat and sweet (but not too sweet) coconut cupcake for Eric, since he loves just about anything with coconut in it. This cupcake is gluten-free, oil-free and not loaded with sugar… and still so yummy that we’ve managed to polish off the whole batch already (and I just baked these little guys three days ago)! Oh, and before I forget to mention it, the frosting is smooth, rich and creamy, but low in calories and fat! Why would anyone need cups of fat and sugar when you can add a little kuzu, arrowroot or cornstarch to thicken things up?! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
• 3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 2/3 cup evaporated cane juice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1/2 cup coconut shreds
  
  
• 1 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly oil a 12-muffin tin.
3. In a bowl, combine the first five dry ingredients.
4. Pour the coconut shreds into a blender and blend into a coarse flour.
5. Pour the non-dairy milk and vanilla into the blender, and blend to combine.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix until just combined.
7. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
• 1 Tablespoon coconut butter
  
  
• 2 Tablespoons kuzu (or other thickener such as arrowroot or cornstarch)
• 1/4 cup water

1. In a small saucepan, combine first three ingredients and place on medium/low heat.
2. In a bowl, thoroughly combine kuzu and water. (I really like the smooth texture that kuzu creates. Let me know what thickener works best for you!)
3. Pour mixture into the saucepan and stir well.
4. Simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until cream thickens.
5. Refrigerate and allow to thicken.

Yield: frosting for 12 cupcakes

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 (depending on your preferred size)

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
• 2/3 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 40-45 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