Once spring and summer get going, there are lots of parties and celebrations with family and friends.  And if you're like me, a good deal of them are pot luck style (my favorite!).  Pot luck just means that all of the guests bring something to share with everyone else.  It can be a main dish, a side, a dessert or something to drink.  Sometimes it's organized and everyone is "assigned" something or it can be more casual and everyone just brings what they make best.

Either way, I love a good pot luck and I almost always opt to bring the dessert.  I have a mean sweet tooth and I love finding ways to make it healthy, but still satisfying. 

Enter, Chocolate Covered Katie.  If you haven't browsed her blog yet, you really should.  It's packed full of vegan, healthy desserts that are tasty enough for even the pickiest sweet tooth.  One of my favorites from her site are the healthy chocolate chip blondies.  I make them for parties and at home all the time.  They are always a hit.

I follow her recipe accurately, using coconut or beet sugar and ground flax seeds.  Sometimes I use peanut butter, sometimes I use almond.  The bars always turn out deliciously warm and gooey when they first come out of the oven....but my favorite is when they're cold from the fridge.  They are so good! 

So pop on over to CCK's site and try this recipe.  And maybe like 10 others while you're at it. 

If you like what you read, we would love to hear from you in the comments section!  It's fun to get feedback and it helps us create future posts.  And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS! 

You know those times when you want a cookie, but you don't want to deal with making whole recipe?  Or you want a cookie, but don't trust yourself not to eat 10 more?  Well, this recipe is perfect for those nights. 

You can make 2 delicious cookies with just 3 ingredients and 1 bowl.  The whole thing will take 15 minutes and you'll be eating a warm cookie before you can say "get in my belly". 

Yields: 2 Cookies (~90 calories each)

4 tbsp peanut butter (or any other nut butter)
4 tbsp beet or coconut sugar (or 2 tbsp agave)
2 tsp ground flaxseed

1. In a small bowl, mix the flaxseed with 3 tsp water and let sit for 1 min
2. Next, stir in the nut butter and sugar. 
   
3. Form into two cookies and place on ungreased cookie sheet
4. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes, or until the ends are browned (it's okay if the center is still soft)
5. Let cool for a few minutes then put it in your belly!
   

That's it!  Enjoy!

If you like what you read, we would love to hear from you in the comments section!  It's fun to get feedback and it helps us create future posts.  And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS! 

These cookies have made their way to my belly thanks to my friend Erin.  She makes these regularly and every time I go to her house, she sends me home with a few of these little treats.  I don't know how I manage to get any home to Serial because my instinct is to eat them all on the El on the way home. 

So I figured it was finally time to make these myself.  Erin and I both make these without actually baking them.  They taste delicious raw and I don't see the point in cooking them.  But the original recipe is from Whole Foods and calls for baking time - if you're interested in that, you can find the full recipe here.

I took the recipe adaptation a step further and used what I had in my kitchen at the time so the version below only loosely resembles the WF original.  Either way though, they are delicious.

Yields: 12 Cookies

1 Cup Oats
1/2 Cup Almond Meal
1/2 Cup Ground Flax
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil, Melted
1/2 Cup Almond Butter (or any other nut butter)
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Agave or Coconut Nectar
Fruit Puree or Preserves

1. Mix all ingredients, except for the fruit puree, until thoroughly combined. 
2. Form into 1 inch balls and chill for 10 minutes.
   
3. Remove from the refrigerator and use a spoon to flatten and create a little space to hold the fruit puree (see the picture above)
4. Chill for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the refrigerator and fill each cookie with a little bit of fruit puree or preserves.  I used the organic raspberry and blueberry flavors from Trader Joes and the cookies were delicious!  Erin would be proud :-)
   

Cheesecake is such a classic dessert food and while normally I'm a chocolate girl, there's something about the texture of a good cheesecake that draws me in.  I was looking for sweets the other day and I happened to have some pulp leftover from when Serial made nut milk so I decided to try my hand at a dairy-free and raw cheesecake. 

I had about a cup of raw almond pulp and I soaked another cup of cashews earlier in the morning, but if you don't have pulp you could just use 2 cups of soaked cashews (macadamia nuts would work well too).  This recipe makes a pretty large cheesecake so you could always cut this recipe in half and make a smaller one instead.  Or use a smaller pan and make a thicker cheesecake.  Work with what you have in the kitchen and have fun.

Yields: 13" round cheesecake, about an inch thick

Crust
1 cup of nuts (I used raw almonds, but you can use anything that you like)
1/4 cup agave or coconut nectar
5-6 dates (can substitute 1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries/cranberries, if desired)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp coconut (optional)

Cheesecake Filling
2 cups of nut pulp or soaked cashews (can substitute macadamia nuts)
1/2 cup agave or coconut nectar
1/2 cup coconut oil or coconut butter
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Start by preparing the crust.  In a food processor (I use a Ninja), blend your nuts until they are finely ground.  Add in the remaining ingredients (except the coconut) and pulse until thoroughly mixed and the crust sticks together when pressed with a spoon. 
2. Use your coconut to dust the bottom of your pan.  This will help prevent the crust from sticking to the pan in the next step.  You could use parchment paper instead, if you prefer. 
   
3. Spread your crust mixture into the pan and press down using a spoon or spatula until it forms an even, solid crust base.  Place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
   
4. For your filling, start by draining the water from the nuts you were soaking and give them a quick rinse with fresh water.  Place the rinsed nuts in a food processor with the nut pulp and pulse until relatively smooth (it doesn't need to be perfectly smooth yet).
   
5. Add in the remaining ingredients and continue to blend/pulse until the mixture is smooth.  You may need to stop blending and scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times, but it will eventually be really smooth. 
   
6. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the crust and place back in the fridge to firm up a little.  Leave it in for at least 10-15 minutes, but it's best after an hour or so. 
   
7. (Optional) To give your cheesecake an extra kick, you can add toppings.  Since I used a fairly large pan, I had a lot of surface area to work with and decided to try out a few different toppings.  I had a jar of low sugar blueberry preserves so I simply spread that on top of the cheesecake for one section.  For another section, I made a raw chocolate and let it harden on top.  And of course, I left one section plain to just enjoy the cheesecake.  Be creative - there are so many yummy toppings you could add to this recipe. 
   

If you like what you read, we would love to hear from you in the comments section!  It's fun to get feedback and it helps us create future posts.  And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS! 

My first week of going dairy-free and vegan is complete!  It's going really well so far and I plan to keep this up for at least another week, but most likely for a full month.  Once this strict trial period is complete, I'm going to review everything I've learned and see if this is something I'd like to continue. 

If I had to decide right now, I honestly think I would continue this for a long time.  I don't think I would call myself a vegan because I know I wouldn't be 100% perfect all of the time, but I'd aim to be dairy-free 95% of the time (I've already been meat-free for 25+ years).  I might give myself one day a month to have a little bit of cheese or something.  Who knows.  But these are the things I'd like to use this trial period to figure out. 

I've received a couple of messages asking for basic meal ideas so I thought I would show you a sample day for me right now

Breakfast - I usually have oatmeal with apples & PB or a smoothie.  This has actually been a hard meal adjustment for me because I loved having greek yogurt for breakfast.  I still miss it.  Plus oatmeal reminds me of the trail... not in a good way.  BUT, I have to admit.  I feel better with the oatmeal or smoothie, plus I feel full for longer. 

The oatmeal is 1/2 cup oats cooked on the stovetop with 1 cup of water.  Once it's at the consistency I like, I stir in chopped apple and peanut butter than add a tsp of agave to sweeten it up.

The smoothie is apple juice, protein powder, coconut milk, frozen berries and greens.  Easy and delicious.

Lunch - I try to get at least one serving of veggies in at lunch.  My favorite meal has been 1 or 2 vegan burgers (I like the Trader Joe's frozen kind) on a big bowl of greens with a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar.  I just cook the frozen burgers in a skillet and then add them to the salad.  Easy!

My other go-to lunch is carrots and hummus with a side salad or soup.  I like the Amy's brand of soup and I look for hummus with the least amount of ingredients at the store. 

Dinner - I try to get the most meal variety with our dinners.  Breakfast and Lunch are less exciting to me so I just try to be healthy and calorie conscious, but Dinner is something we eat together at home and I look forward to it so I try to change it up as often as I can.  We certainly repeat meals, but instead of having 2-3 options like Breakfast and Lunch, I have 8-10 choices. 

Here are a few of my favorite vegan options:
3 Ingredient Veggie Burgers
Breaded Tempeh
Chickpea Punjabi Chhole
Crispy Sweet Potato Cakes
Mac 'N (no) Cheese

Snacks - I aim to keep these at 100-200 calories and sometimes we pair them with dinner.  Other times we just snack throughout the day.  It just depends on how active we've been that day.  If I run or lift weights, I snack more.  Apples and PB are a quick snack that I grab frequently.  I also keep Raw Revolution bars in the car in case we get hungry when we're running around during the day.

Here are a few other ideas for vegan snacks:
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Kale Chips
Kombucha Tea

Desserts - my favorite.  I don't budget specific calories for these, I just see how I'm doing at the end of the day and if I have room for it, I have a little bit of dessert.  I usually make something raw or healthy to have on hand in the house, but in a pinch I just have a bit of chocolate coconut milk ice cream.  It's dairy-free, but tastes delicious and creamy. 

Here are a few other ideas for vegan desserts:
Cauliflower Brownies
Coconut Macaroons
Healthy Brownies
Healthy Pumpkin Pie
Quick & Easy No-Bake Cookies

Anyone else in a trail vegan period or trying to go dairy-free?  I'd love to hear how it's going and exchange recipe ideas.  I'm really encouraged by how well this first week has gone.  I haven't felt a huge change or anything yet, but my cravings for cheese are gone which I didn't think was possible.  I'm excited to see what happens in the next few weeks!

These brownies are delicious.  Not delicious "for a healthy dessert", but delicious on their own.  They are dense and gooey, but made without butter or sugar.  In fact, the ingredient list starts here...

Yep, apples!  Or applesauce, whichever you have on hand.  I just chopped up one medium apple and pureed it in my food processor (I use a Ninja) with 1 Tsp of water.  If you don't have an apple, 3/4 cup of applesauce will work just as well.

Yields: 8-10 brownies

1 medium apple or 3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup agave or coconut nectar
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or almond flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg (substitute 1 Tbsp ground flax for a vegan)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nut butter (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine the applesauce (either homemade from the apple or purchased), agave, olive oil, egg, vanilla and baking powder. 
2. Melt the 1/2 cup chocolate chips and then stir in to the mixture.
3. Mix in the flour and the remaining chocolate chips (I used a combination of white and dark chocolate)
4. Grease your pan.  I used a tiny bit of coconut oil in a 9x13 glass pan. 
   
5. Pour your batter into the pan.  Add the nut butter to the batter after it's in the pan, if using nut butter.  Then take a knife and swirl it into the batter.  
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes before serving so they retain their shape.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  
8. Try not to eat them all at once.  On second thought, these aren't bad for you and are less than 100 calories a serving.  Go nuts. 
   

If you like what you read, I would love to hear from you in the comments section!  It's fun to get feedback and it helps me create future posts.  And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS! 

Even I have to admit the words "cauliflower" and "brownies" don't make sense together, but you just have to trust me on this one.  These brownies are dense and moist, but they don't use butter OR flour.  Actually, every ingredient has health benefits (except maybe the chocolate, depending on how you view that one) and you could easily make this recipe vegan by substituting for the eggs and yogurt.

I've been seeing cauliflower brownies every now and then on my favorite healthy blogs, but when I googled it, there weren't many recipes to go off of.  I found this one on CCK (love that blog!) and this one on I Breath I'm Hungry.  Both had the same basic idea so I used them as a guide and sort of did my own thing, based on what I had in my cabinets. 

Yields: 28 Brownies

1.5 Cup Raw Cauliflower Puree
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (can be unsweetened, vanilla or chocolate)
1 Cup Melted Chocolate (use whatever kind you have)
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp Greek Yogurt (can omit to keep vegan)
2 Eggs (can sub 2 Tbsp ground flax to keep vegan)
1 Cup Ground Almonds
1/2 Cup Ground Flax (or 1/2 cup additional ground almonds)
1/2 Cup Cacao Powder (can sub unsweetened cocoa powder or hot chocolate powder)
2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar (can sub any other sweetener)
2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder (use 1 Tsp if you sub the eggs)
1/8 Tsp Salt

1. Use a food processor (I use a Ninja) to blend the cauliflower into fine pieces.  Don't steam or cook the cauliflower before blending it; just use it raw.  You can see what mine looked like in the pictures below.
2. Slowly add in the coconut milk and continue to blend until it makes a very smooth puree.  You want to make sure there are no remaining lumps. 
3. In a double boiler or in the microwave, melt your chocolate with your coconut oil.  Once melted, add this to your cauliflower puree and pulse a few times to blend it all together. 
4. Add in your eggs, coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder and salt, then pulse until blended well.
5. Finally, add in your ground almonds and ground flax the mix thoroughly by hand or pulse until combined.
6. Grease your pan (I used a little bit of coconut oil) and pour the batter in evenly.  I used two pans for mine because I wanted thinner, smaller brownies but you can use one large pan if you want big, dense brownies. 
7. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25-30 minutes if using two pans or 30-35 minutes if using one pan.  They are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
8. Remove from pan and let cool or serve warm.  I find that they keep best covered in the refrigerator and that they taste better cold, but that's just my preference. 
9. Optional:  I covered some of mine in a peanut butter topping.  I mixed 1/2 cup peanut butter with 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a double boiler until it was melted, then spread it on top of the brownies.  Then I chilled it in the refrigerator until it hardened a little.  Delicious.

I don't often go a day without a sweet snack so to keep to my overall health plan, I have a go-to recipe that I use as a base for no-bake raw cookies.  They're made with only a few basic ingredients and can be altered to whatever I have in the kitchen.  They taste delicious and won't derail my whole day. 

This is the recipe for the basic cookie - feel free to play around with substitutions.  There really isn't a "wrong" way to make this.  You could add oats or ground flax if you're low on nuts.  Or you could add applesauce if you don't have a sweetener.  You get the idea.

Yields: 7-10 Cookies

1 Cup Nuts - any kind, I most often use raw almonds
4-5 Dates or 1/4 Cup Raisins
1 Tbsp Agave or Coconut Nectar
Any additional ingredients that you like (optional) - I most often use chocolate chips, dried fruit or nut butter

1. Use a food processor (I use a Ninja) to grind the nuts down to a powder
2. Add in the dates/raisins and the agave/nectar then pulse until everything is blended and the dough easily forms a ball
3. Add in any additional ingredients that you like.  For the cookies in the picture I added chocolate chips to the cookies and dipped the bottom in more chocolate.  It was one of those days where chocolate could do no wrong.
   
4. Form into cookies and store in the refrigerator.  They will keep for at least a week - I've never kept them longer than that because they're pretty tasty.
   

Tonight was one of those nights when I wanted to make some sort of dessert, but I had to get creative with my limited ingredients.  I wasn't in the mood to go to the store and figured I could make something work and make something that was at least edible.

But y'all, this mash-up of ingredients turned out great.  Plus it's healthy and mostly raw.  WIN.

I love dark chocolate and Serial can house white chocolate like it's his job so I knew I wanted to create two layers of chocolate, but adding the third crust layer gave it extra texture and made it oh so yummy.  Each layer is different so you end up with a chewy crust, creamy chocolate pie and a white chocolate bark layer.  It's so good!

If you like what you read, I would love to hear from you in the comments section!  It's fun to get feedback and it helps me create future posts.  Oh and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if you pinned, tweeted and/or shared this post  ;-)

And be sure to stay in touch on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS!