no bake brownies with chocolate ganache

Oh man. I am coming at you today, full-force, fudgey brownies, chocolate smudges all over my face {and arms and legs}, yelling REALLYLOUD with all my chocolate-induced energy and jubilee. This is a good day, my dear friends. A good day indeed. 

We all know brownies are the lifeline for many. But when you live an emotional life *cough cough*, brownies probably shouldn't be on the menu every day if you still want to squeeze into those skinny jeans with out producing an impressive muffin top. HOWEVER. If we're eating raw brownies, then go at it. Eat them. They're amazing, satisfying, fudgey, and nourishing to your body. Chocolate for all!

At first, I was just planning on making plain raw brownies. But then I decided to take it to a whole new level with some chocolate ganache made from coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. Whisk it up until it thickens and at this point, it's probably you've died and gone to heaven. I drizzled the ganache over my brownies and had a little left over, so I decided to just smear it on there afterwards instead of putting it a "container" "to save" "for another time". Let's face it. It'd be in the fridge for about two minutes and then I'd be eating it with a spoon. Or better yet my fingaahhhhs. 

It honestly irritates me when people are like "EWW, I can't eat healthy because all you can eat is sticks and twigs and kale." But those people are doing something wrong! They're thinking about what they can't eat instead of making do with what they can. I'm not saying I'm just "making do" with these brownies though. They're more than satisfying, filling, and give the kind of energy that actually sticks around unlike the crashes that sugary sweets provide. 

These brownies can be whipped up in a flash, especially if you have a good food processor unlike me who has an average blender and has to grind the ingredients separately. They don't require too many ingredients and will definitely satisfy your chocolate cravings like no other. The ganache is optional, but… not really. After drizzling/drenching the brownies with the ganache and chilling, the ganache firms up only slightly producing the fudgiest, most rich brownie of my dreams without even turning on the oven. Huzzah. 

no bake brownies with chocolate ganache {vegan & GF}

brownies: 

1/3 c. raw almonds

2 tbsp. flax seeds

1/4 c. oats

1/2 c. chopped dates, tightly packed

1 tbsp. coconut oil

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp. maple syrup/honey

2 tbsp. non-dairy milk

ganache: 

2 tbsp. melted coconut oil

1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Place all brownie ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until evenly combined. If it seems to dry, you can add more milk and if it seems to wet, you can add more nuts or oats until it reaches the consistency you want. Press into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the ganache until smooth and slightly thickened. Drizzle over brownies. Slice into 6 bars or squares. Store covered in a freezer until serving.

coconut, oatmeal, and cherry jam thumbprints

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." -Maya Angelou

Something I've learned as of late is that creativity is not something that can be forced. It must come naturally. When we force ourselves into something, it becomes a chore, something we dread. When we learn to change our mindsets to enjoy the process of creating, there's something, I don't know what it is, that goes into our creation that makes it beautiful. WAIT. Eureka moment. That thing is love and passion. 

Good ideas don't necessarily come when you're expecting it. They come in the quiet of dark mornings with an equally dark mug of coffee. In the shower after a long, stressful day of your brain working overtime. On a walk, with your eyes glued to the beauty of your surroundings. They come when we are at peace, calm, and have a happy spirit about us. Nothing good comes from having a bad attitude, and that includes creativity. 

When we put our good ideas to work, with a happy attitude and a joyful heart, we create wonderful things. Keep a smile on your face through the process, accept your faults and failures, move on, and do whatever it is you do to the best of your abilities.

As you've probably gathered, the context for all this creative chat is about my blog. I've noticed that when I take a step back and stop forcing myself to bake, photograph, write, and post, the creativity just flows. It comes naturally when I let go of all the expectations I have of myself that are way too high. These cookies came out of the blue. Actually, I lied. I was scrolling through my blog feed, I found these cookies. I'd been having that itch to bake all day, not knowing really what it was I wanted to make. Until I saw those gorgeous photos and simple ingredients. DING DING DING. 

These cookies have a short ingredient list, are so simple, delicious, chewy, and lightly sweetened. The base of the cookies is amazing and I can just picture them going perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea.

coconut, oatmeal, and cherry jam thumbprints 

1/2 c. oats

1/3 c. desiccated coconut

4 tbsp. melted coconut oil

3 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup/honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. flour

dash of cinnamon

cherry jam (you can sub any other kind of jam if you'd like)

granola for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add coconut and oats into a blender and pulse until a flour forms. Pour into a bowl and add coconut oil, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, and flour. Stir until combined. Roll dough into balls, gently pressing your thumb into the centers. Place a small spoonful of jam (about a tsp. per cookie) in each imprint; sprinkle with granola if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely before transferring to a jar or container. Yields 9 small cookies. 

brownie batter granola

Some days just kind of suck. Some days are called "Mondays." Some days you have a bunch of science homework to catch up on and suddenly it's like your science books just grabbed a pair of shoes and waddled right out of your sight. Some days your brothers are so loud and your sister is screaming and you need to get work done, but your brain can't read more than two words before having to start over. Some days your house is filled with loud little hooligans that have really high pitched laughs. Some days it's pouring rain outside so you can't leave your house. Some days your brother finishes the tub of hummus you wanted to stress-eat. Some days you feel like you want to scream in the face of every human. 

But alas! There is hope. And that hope… Is chocolate. It never disappoints and never fails to lift your emotions a tad. 

Mondays always suck for me so it's no surprise most of my baking (and chocolate consumption.) occurs on Monday afternoons. It's my stress-reliever. When my brothers leave the house and I have a few minutes to gather my thoughts, in to the kitchen I go. Grab a bowl. Grab some jars from the cupboards. Produce something delicious. And then eat way too much of that said something delicious. (Chocolate granola fueled runs are the BEST. Endless energy, no joke.) It's really amazing what a yummy snack and a sweaty workout can do to a person's wellbeing. 

This granola is nothing short of amazing and I'm not just throwing around words when I say that it tastes like brownie batter. The dark brown sugar and touch of molasses aren't all up in your face, but add a really nice, dark sweetness. It's crunchy, crispy, and chunky, sure to satisfy any early morning chocolate cravings. Or chocolate cravings any time of day, really. 

brownie batter granola {GF & Vegan}

1 1/3 c. oats

1/4 c. wheatgerm

1/4 c. ground flax

6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tbsp. dark brown sugar

1/4 c. canola oil

3 tbsp. molasses

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk oats, wheatgerm, flax, and cocoa powder. Add brown sugar, oil, molasses, and vanilla. Stir until evenly combined. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes stirring once throughout at about the 15 minute mark. Let cool completely before transferring to an airtight container or jar. 

chunky wholewheat dark chocolate chunk cookies (vegan)

Let's talk about important things. And by talk, I mean me sitting behind a computer, clickity-clacking away at some words my invisible internet friends will read. And by important things I mean cookies. Duh, what else? 

I have been on the search for a healthy chocolate chip cookie that actually resembled a chocolate chip cookie for forever. It's like my heart's desire. My life's purpose.

Turns out, it's pretty dang hard to make good cookies without eggs or dairy. I've tried all kinds of fats (banana, yogurt, date paste, peanut butter) and nothing comes close. They always turn out kind of… Spongey? Muffiny? Definitely not anywhere near what you want your cookies to be. 

Then all of a sudden, I was like "YOOOO. Why have I not used oil?" I was reading about healthy oils the other day (I'm a health-food geek.) and canola oil is one of the best out there! It has the least amount of saturated fats- the bad kind- even less than olive oil! It's packed full of unsaturated fats and good-for-you fatty acids. Let's get on this thaaaaaaang.

I rushed into the kitchen to give my idea ago and produced these great nuggets of my dreams. These cookies nailed my chocolate chip cookie craving in the BUTT. I may or may not have devoured one or three straight from the oven all cave-woman-like. I get so excited when I have a success in the kitchen, I just can't help myself! 

These cookies are chunky, puffy, chewy, and NOT cakey. There's a difference between puffy and cakey, you know. Not really sure what it IS exactly, but there is difference. My family loved these cookies {although they weren't really fans of the 85% chocolate I used, making weird faces like they'd just sucked on a lemon rind.} The weird thing was, my dad claimed he'd love the cookie plain. Like wholewheat cookies without anything in them? I don't really understand. 

Bottom line, MAKE THESE COOKIES. They're kind of amazing, hearty, and vegan. The best thing about vegan baking is that you can eat the dough and feel no shame. Also breakfast. Cookies. For. Breakfast. HEYOOO. 

chunky wholewheat dark chocolate chunk cookies (vegan)

1 flax egg (1.5 tbsp. ground flax seed + 2 tbsp. water) or regular egg for non-vegan

6 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. non-dairy milk

1/4 c. canola oil

3 tbsp. pure white sugar

1 1/2 c. wholewheat flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sea salt

1/4 c. chopped dark chocolate (I used 85%)

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the flax egg, maple syrup, oil, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir until smooth and combined. Fold in chocolate chunks and stir until evenly distributed throughout. Scoop batter onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before removing to a wire rack with a spatula. Yields about 12 cookies. 

coconut lemon poppyseed muffins

I was afraid these muffins didn't have a future as a published blog post. I was so excited to bake these and the batter was seriously amazing {IT'S VEGAAAAAN!!!}, so I knew they were at least going to taste great. 

But when I popped them in the oven, for some odd reason, they did not rise into the beautifully round, domed muffins I was envisioning. Instead, I got some flat, lifeless looking things.  When I took them out to cool, the paper cups were pulling away from the muffins and I was like yay close to losing my mind and falling into a crying pile of Sophie on the kitchen floor. 

It'd been a pretty horrible day, and I did not need a baking fail to top it all off. I look for therapy in baking! NOT MORE STRESS. If I was wanting more stress, I'd have studied for that quiz and that test that were technically due yesterday.

HOWEVER. All hope was not lost. When I tasted one I literally said "How the heck are these vegan and gluten-free?" Guys, they taste amazing. AMAZING. Fresh, lemony, zingy, coconut-y, and just lightly sweetened. 

The texture is also SPOT ON, and you'd never be able to tell that they're made from gluten-free flour. I think I added the perfect flour ratios. 

So since the texture AND the taste were so divine, I figured I'd let go of my dome-shaped-muffin-filled dreams because even my mom sampled these and loved them, saying I should post them. 

I like pretty food, so I did all that I could to try to make these look appealing. I removed the paper cups because WHY did they pull away from the muffins, I do not know. It was weird. That made them a lot easier on the eyes. 

But ya know what? Some foods are butt-ugly, but they taste fantastic. And that is these muffins. 

 

coconut lemon poppyseed muffins {GF & Vegan}

1/4 c. corn flour

1 c. ground oat flour

3/4 c. sorghum flour

1/4 c. tapioca flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

3/4 c. coconut milk

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/2 c. canola oil

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375º and grease or line a muffin tin; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, and poppy seeds until combined. Add coconut milk, lemon juice, oil, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Stir until smooth. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool. 

PB&J crumb bars

These bars have been on my to-bake list for quite a long time. Isn't it the best feeling to check things off a list? Whether it be school assignments, miles to run, or things to make, it feels good to get things done. I'm definitely one of those people who gets high off of the a sense of productivity and accomplishment. 

Anyways, when we were out of town a few weeks ago, I found this cute, dinky little store that had a bunch of health food. I got some gluten-free flours I was excited {maybe a little tooooooo excited.} to try out. At first I was a little worried these flours would turn out gummy textures like some other GF flours. Um EW, you guys. In case you didn't know, gummy cookies and bars are not a good situation. 

Well those flours delivered! No gumminess and you'd never know they were gluten-free. I ended up making these bars both gluten-free AND vegan. I was feeling rather adventurous. Living on the edge. My family LOVED these bars and as we all know, they're the real stamp of approval. My brothers and my dad inhaled these and claimed they were the best bars I'd ever made. {I've kinda made a lot of bars in my day, so…} I said I'd keep my lips shut, but ended up blurting out that they were gluten-free and vegan. My dad's reply was "Oh don't tell me that bad stuff." It's not bad, it's good, believe it or not. But to each their own. 

These bars are simple, require only a few easy ingredients, are healthy, naturally sweetened, gluten-free, and vegan. They're chewy and crumbly {the good crumbly}, and taste like a peanut butter and jelly SANDWICH. It's been way too long since I've had one of those. But now I can have them in the form of these bars! They make great snacks or if we're being real here. BREAKFAST. Dewwwitttttt.

PB& J crumb bars {vegan & GF}

3/4 c. peanut butter

1/3 c. honey/maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. tapioca flour

1/3 c. sorghum flour

3/4 c. oats, divided

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. jam {I used cherry}

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a 9x13 in. pan. In a large bowl, whisk peanut butter, vanilla, and sweetener. Add flours, baking powder, and 1/2 c. of the oats. Press about 3/4 of the dough evenly into prepared pan. Spread jam in an even layer, keeping about an inch away from the sides. Add the rest of the oats to the remaining dough. Crumble on top of the bars and bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cool before slicing. Yields about 12 squares.

chocolate chocolate chunk banana muffins

We were out of town for about five days last week, road tripping. Africa-style. Road tripping in 'Frica is not the same as in America, let me assure you. There aren't Starbucks to stop at every 10 miles. You can go hundreds of miles without seeing a single being. If you have to pee, you either have to hold it or go amongst the snakes and hyenas. There are lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of pot holes. Did I mention there are a lot of potholes? After our driving, I felt like my insides were still shaking in there. It's a weird dealio.

One of the things I miss the most while being away from home is my food. {Amongst other things like, sleeping in my own bed, going to the gym, being with my doggy, and if we're being totally honest here, I don't have to wear pants. The things we take for granted.} Did you know vegetable-withdrawl is a thing? IT IS. Throughout the trip, my health-food cravings ended up with me laying in bed right before we left for dinner, shoving rice cakes and peanut butter in my mouth like I was being paid to do it. When I found oranges and apples in the little town store {I kid you not, this town consisted of a bakery, gas station/store, and two lodges.}, I nearly did a jig. FOOOOOOOOOOOOD. I never thought I'd be so excited to get away from yummy pastries and buttery fish and fries. 

I'll admit, my priorities are somewhat screwy. Before I was unpacked or showered after driving in the desert all day, you bet these fudgy chocolate muffins were baking away inhe oven. What can I say, chocolate holds a place in my heart. Above personal hygiene apparently. Kiddinggggg. I've been thinking up these muffins foreverrrrrrr. I made that single serving muffin and had high hopes of making a full batch recipe. I'm happy to report, these exceeded my expectations. When I gave my mom a bite, she was all "THESE ARE HEALTHY!?" Little did she know, there were no eggs, dairy, processed flour, or added sugar. So yah. 

I feel kind of horrible about the gaping whole in this blog as far as Valentine's Day recipes go. I'm so not one of those bloggers who post seasonally. But really, why is it that we can only post red velvet recipes starting mid-January and through Valentines? But if I don't make those dates, you're telling me I have to wait a whole year? Uhh no. In my opinion, pink, sparkles, red velvet, and chocolate never go out of style. I think these chocolate muffins count for a Valentine's recipe though, right? They're fudgey, chocolatey, and filled with love. Perfect for sharing with your significant other. Or if you're like me, maybe watching chick flicks alone and eating one or three. Just a suggestion. 

chocolate chocolate chunk banana muffins

3-4 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 c. maple syrup/honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. non-dairy milk

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. chopped dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk mashed banana, milk, vanilla, and sweetener. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until smooth. Gently fold in chocolate chunks. Scoop into prepared muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes. Yields 10 medium-sized muffins. 

honey peanut butter & coconut cookies

Recently, I've been having some major baking fails. I'm guilty of sticking to what I know, failing to think outside the box. But when I do, things go majorly wrong. Not always. But it's more common than not. Last week, I had a stressful day of school {oh wait. that's every day.} and went into the kitchen for some baking therapy. I made some cookies out of dates, cocoa, and oats, and oh my heavens. They were absolutely horrid. When I tasted one, they resembled the texture and taste of play-doh. Yup, I've tasted play-doh. Have you not?! 

Those obviously didn't satisfy my cookie cravings; play-doh just doesn't do it for me these days, ya know? I've been having some thoughts of these peanut butter oatmeal cookies for awhile, trying to come up with some sort of creative way to remake them. They're like little chewy, peanut butter-y nuggets of my dreams. AMAZING. And you guys seem to like them too! They're among the popular bunch of recipes on this here blog.

Although the original recipe isn't vegan, this one ALMOST is. You can easily swap out the honey for maple syrup and ba-da-bing ba-da-boom, you've got yourself a vegan cookie! These cookies are so simple {SO. SIMPLE.} and require very few ingredients, all of which you most likely have lingering around in the neglected corners of your cupboards. They're gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, naturally sweetened, and somehow they magically taste like totally normal peanut butter cookies! I love when that happens. 

P.S. Sorry about these photos. Love rain. Hate the light. 

honey peanut butter & coconut cookies

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

6 tbsp. honey {or maple syrup for a vegan version}

1 tsp. vanilla 

1 c. oat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/3 c. desiccated coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk peanut butter, honey, and vanilla until smooth. Add oat flour and baking soda. Stir until combined. Scoop dough into balls and roll in coconut flakes. Place on baking sheet and press down with a fork, forming a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 12 cookies. 

banana zucchini loaf

I love banana bread. Always have and always will for the rest of all eternity ever. My mom and I have a recipe we always use from this dirty, crusty, weathered church cookbook, with yellowed pages. Since "converting" to healthy eating, I've changed that recipe to be a little lighter and healthier. I know. I'm a horrible person, messing with a banana bread recipe from an old cookbook. Something about it just doesn't seem right. HOWEVER. With simple little changes, I can hardly tell the difference between the regular recipe and a healthy vegan one. 

Typically, I take a recipe and adapt it so much, adding extra things, taking things out, replacing it with this and that. But when it comes to banana bread and pancakes- I'm a total purist. I know there are recipes all over the interwebs cough*pinterest*cough* for all these crazy variations of the two. But for some reason, I can't bring myself to stray far from the plain recipes. Banana bread has been on my brain all week and I had all these exciting combinations floating around. In the end though, I decided zucchini was about as crazy as I was gonna get. Living on the edge, guyzzzz. 

My family is always saying "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST MAKE SOMETHING NORMAL!" and when I made this loaf on Saturday morning, my mom said she was going to make some double chocolate muffins. I'm like, "HELLO. People, I just made banana bread for you, and I swear it won't taste like health food!" I'm easily offended sometimes although you'd think I'd be used to their comments by now. My mom ran out of eggs {when you bake vegan, this isn't an issue! just sayin'.} so everyone decided they'd give my banana bread a try. The verdict? They loved it. HAAAAAAAAAAAA. *insert evil chuckle* The same day I made a green smoothie and my mom asked for some. I was like wuuut. Something must have been in their coffee that morning, but I'm not complaining. Maybe we turned a corner! Kinda doubt it. 

This banana zucchini bread/cake/loaf is so incredibly simple and has a short and basic ingredient list. It took me only a matter of minutes to whip up the batter and pop it in the oven. The only difficult part was waiting for it to bake. UGHHH I hate waiting for things to bake. But it's worth it 101%. The bread may look like it's underdone, but the toothpick came out completely clean. You know what the means? It's MOIST. Oh yah, I went there. I honestly can't decide if this is a cake or a quick bread. It's a bread because it's not overly sweet like most banana bread recipes. It's kinda like a cake because it's so dang moist and tender! So let's just go with a loaf. That sounds better than "banana zucchini bread cake", wouldn't you agree?

zucchini banana loaf {vegan}

3 bananas, mashed
1 c. shredded zucchini {about 1 medium zucchini}
1/3 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 c. oat flour
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease a loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl combine mashed banana, zucchini, maple syrup, and sugar. Add flours, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pan and slicing.

mini almond snickers bars

boyohboyohboyohboyohboyyyyyyyyyy. SNICKERS FOR YOUR FACE. They're raw, healthy, vegan, gluten free, tiny, naturally sweetened, delicious, and really magical. Oh, my heart. BUT they're healthy you guys! So that means that when you have them all out of the freezer to take pictures of them like the weirdo that you are and they get all melty and messy, you just eat them. It makes cleaning up a whole lot easier, ya know? Oh man you guys. These are so good. I may have had like 5 already today, but its taking every ounce of self control {left} in me not to go ravaging through the freezer and shoving two at a time in to my pie hole. MMM. 

It's been ages since I had a legit Snickers bar. The last time I had one I was probably all looking like a toothpick, red, and pimply. Although I could easily have one since they have them at the grocery store here, I honestly won't. Too much sugar and gross things in there, it scares me! Oh how I've changed. When I gave these to my family to try, my dad asked if they were real. Hmmph. Well if "real" means full of processed sugar, chemicals, additives, and fake flavoring, then no. They're not real. But if by "real" you mean birthed from the earth {ew, sorry.}, then YES. They're real. So real. 

I'm not sure I have my family 100% convinced. My little brother is the pickiest eater and when I said there were dates in them, he spit it out. Not because he thought it tasted bad or he sensed something weird in there. Just because I mentioned there was fruit in his chocolate bar. My bad. I made these bars twice- first time around, I had no patience, cut them like 8 hours before I should have, and things got oozy and cracked. It was like a caramely murder scene. Second go-round, I had my method all thought out and things went way better. Until I realized we were clean out of peanuts. NOOO I NEED MEH NUTSSSSSSSSSSS. So I compromised with almonds. I was all freaking out like "WHAT! I CAN'T PUT ALMONDS IN THESE AND CALL THEM SNICKERS! THAT'S LYINGGGGGGG!" But my mom lovingly assured me that almond snickers are indeed a thing and all was well in the world. 

mini almond snickers bars {vegan & gf}

yields 14 small squares

date caramel

1/2 c. chopped dates, tightly packed

pinch of sea salt

splash of vanilla extract

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

shortbread

1/3 c. chopped dates, tightly packed

3/4 c. oats

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

chocolate coating

1/3 c. melted coconu oil

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

1/3 c. raw almonds {or peanuts}

Prepare the date caramel: In a kettle or sauce pan, bring water to a boil {enough to submerge the dates.} Place dates in a small bowl and submerge in water, soaking for 5-10 minutes until soft. Once softened, drain the dates preserving the date water. Add dates to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Depending on the strength of your processor, you may need to add some of the reserved water to get things moving. 

Prepare the shortbread: Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. Press into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Top with date caramel, spreading evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with raw almonds. Place in freezer for 6+ hours or overnight. 

Slice into 14 squares. And place back in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate coating by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth, letting sit for a few minutes and allowing to thicken slightly. Remove bars from freezer and dip in the chocolate individually, placing onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place back in freezer for 2+ hours or until set. Store in freezer. 

chunky monkey granola

I got sick last week. For the first time in over a year. I guess my green smoothies and excessive workouts failed me. I came down with this nasty cold, complete with a congested chest, a nose that ran like Niagra, a scratchy throat, and what seemed like a little soldier playing drums around in my noggin. What a dream those few days were. My life consisted of hot food, reruns of the Office, and Pinterest for four days straight. Seeing that I workout 5 or 6 times a week, it's become a part of me. And when I CAN'T do it, I honestly feel like a whale. Light yoga and short walks don't do for me what benching and leg presses do.

I have a long {and I mean LONG.} list of recipe ideas lingering about on my desk with only about 5 of them actually crossed out. I had big ol plans to make a dent in it this weekend, so I dragged myself out of bed to make a cake. Yes, after three days in pajamas, a runny nose, and pounding headache, I decided I'd make a cake. 'Cuz I'm sure pretty much everyone does that. I was so excited and it lifted my spirits a little! … Until I pulled it out of the oven. It sank into this gooey disaster and I kid you not, I had tears streaming down my face as I bent over the stove, fork in hand, emotionally eating half the cake straight from the pan. That was quite the sight to behold. *Sniff, snort. Sniff, snort.*

My brother loves when I make granola, so I thought I'd be that super cool sister that I am and make him a batch when my family went to church and I stayed home and watched Friends in my pjs because that dang sickness just wouldn't leave me alone. I wasn't planning on posting it, but ohmahwerrd. You guys it's amazing. It's full of chocolatey, peanut buttery, banana-y goodness, crisp and crunchy and it ranks pretty high on the scale-o-chunkage! OH YAH. I live for granola chunks. I'm not even going to tell you, because I say this every single time I make granola. But… 

It's the best. It's a universal truth that can not be ignored. 

chunky monkey granola

1 1/2 c. oats

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 banana, mashed

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

3 tbsp. pure maple syrup

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. rice cereal

1/2 c. peanuts

1/2 c. banana chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until evenly combined. Pour onto prepared baking sheet, spreading it into a single layer. Bake for 15-25 minutes, stirring once throughout. Let cool before transferring to an airtight container or jar. 

peach crisp smoothie

So I'm halfway through my second week back to school and I'm already missing sleeping in, eating pancakes for breakfast on a Wednesday, laying in bed browsing Pinterest foreversssss, and eating cake for lunch. Well the cake for lunch thing doesn't depend on if I'm on break or not, but you know. Being back to normal life has me hurting. My brain. My heart. {dramatic.} My abs. Seriously did someone somehow punch me in the stomach without me knowing errrrrr what?

The thing about being a blogger is that you pick and choose what you share. I think everyone tends to leave out the awkward or embarrassing parts and that ends up painting the picture of a perfect person. And I am far from that. So lest you people think I'm not totally loony and don't make a fool out of myself constantly, I'm gonna tell you a funny story. That happened at the gym this afternoon. It's already wonderful, isn't it? 

So at my gym, there's this really tiny trainer and this really huge trainer. The huge trainer is really serious, intimidating, has a freakishly low voice, and his biceps are about the size of a watermelon. When I started going to the gym, I kid you not, he scared the crud out of me and I would fumble trying to figure out how to turn the treadmill on for like HOURS {dramatic.} rather than ask him for help. As time went on, the tiny trainer ended up being my trainer- less scary, ya know. 

ANYWAYS. Today, I noticed I had squats as part of my program and I was dying a little bit inside because the gym was packed and I hate squatting in front of people. I mean, is it even possible to enjoy that? Not after watching some girl nearly touch her booty to the floor and bounce up effortlessly. When I moved over to the squatting cage {pretty sure that's not the right term.}, I asked my trainer to help me and give me some tips because I was pretty sure I wasn't doing it right. 

WELL. No, he called the other trainer to help me. Oh my gosh you guys, I wish I could have just ran out of there like the speed of light. As he meandered on over to me, he set up the barbell, explained what to do, and made me face the WALL. After he walked away, I decided I'd had enough of staring at a wall and sticking out my butt for all the world to see so I thought I'd move the hooks so I could squat the other way.  BAD IDEA, YOU GUYS. BAD. I. DEA. Bolts went flying, dinging off of this thing and that thing. My friend tried to help me move the barbell and we nearly hit a few people in the schnoz. The huge trainer yelled to the tiny trainer that I needed to face the other way, and me being the stubborn brat that I am said I didn't want it that way. 

MORAL OF THE STORY. I totally made a fool out of myself, made a crap load of noise, nearly took a few precious lives with a barbell, and made the trainer who already dislikes me dislike me a teensy bit more. 

I'm trying to think of how to segway from that gem of a story to this smoothie, but can't really think of anything. So here ya go! A smoothie for your face! I think you'll love it. It tastes like dessert and you can totally have it for breakfast. Or if you're a freak stress-eater like me, eat it for lunch. 

peach crisp smoothie 

1/2 banana

1 frozen peach

small handful of raw walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

2 tbsp. oats

dash of ground cinnamon

2 tbsp. soymilk or other non-dairy milk

handful of ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Add more ice or milk as needed. Pour into a glass and serve immediately. Makes one large smoothie. 

double chocolate fudge muffin for one {vegan}

"All the SIIIIIngle ladies! All the single ladies. All the SIIIIngle ladies! All the single ladies. Now put your hands uuuUUUP!" *raising my hand up high*

I was totally singing this song in my head when I was making this muffin. I sing it with pride, ya know? Single people rock! Plus, they get one gigantic muffin all to themselves so... All the more reason to forget boys, I say. 

Although I don't live on my own, I might as well as far as the whole food situation goes. Sure, my family has a nibble of this and a nibble of that, but umm. I don't need a whole jar of granola, a batch of peanut butter cups, a batch of cookies, and a pan of brownies all to myself. {… but do I?}

Yes, that sounds wonderful, but it doesn't really agree with my resolution to only eat when I'm hungry and get better at listening to my body. I'll do good the rest of the day, but shove a giant muffin in my face and goodBYEEEEE resolution, hello chocolate lerrrrv. 

I made this only a few hours after lunch {honestly, sometimes I make things for the sole purpose making things. And photographing things.}, and told myself I wouldn't eat the whole muffin and would eat it for breakfast the next morning. 

Or for dinner after the gym cuz leg presses suck. 

Ten minutes later, that muffin was nowhere to be seen and I had chocolate all over my face somehow… I dunno. Crazy chocolate, how'd you manage to get there??

I've really been loving experimenting with vegan baking {and vegan EATING in general. It's doable.} I've had some really good success when it comes to muffins/cakes/cookies, but BROWNIES. Oh my lawwwwd you guys. I tried making brownies the other day and… whoa. I mean.. They were okay but definitely not your classic brownie. No sireeeeeee. 

One of the many plus sides of vegan baking though? You can lick the bowl! Not that eggs usually stops me from doing so, but I don't have to worry about my mom yelling at me that I'll get sick. Uhh mom, I think I've built up an immunity by now. 

Anyhow. This muffin was honestly one of the best muffins I've ever had. Ever. And I have had a LOT of muffins in my day, mmkay? Not to mention it's totally vegan and there's no processed sugar or flour crap in there. You'd never have thunked it! It totally tastes full on fat and sugar loaded! It's so fluffy and cakey, I don't even want to call it a muffin. It's more like a cupcake, but we're gonna call it a muffin because that makes it more socially acceptable to eat for breakfast. Derrrr. 

"AAAAAAll the single ladies! All the single ladies…"

double chocolate fudge muffin for one {vegan} 

2 tbsp. wholewheat flour {use GF flour blend for a GF muffin}

1 tbsp. oat flour

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 banana, mashed

1 1/2 tbsp. pure maple syrup {or other liquid sweetener}

3/4 tbsp. liquid coconut oil

1 sq. dark chocolate {70% or higher is good}, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a single muffin tin. In a small bowl, whisk flours, baking powder and soda, and cocoa powder. Add banana, maple syrup, and coconut oil, stirring until combined. Fold in chocolate chunks. Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-25 minutes. Cool completely before removing from muffin tin.