Tag: vegan

Raspberry Coconut Muffins

Melissa King 41 Comments

I haven’t come up with any new recipes for muffins lately, so I thought I would do one.  I came up with these Raspberry Coconut Muffins and they were pretty good.  I used to not really like coconut, but I love it now.  I think it must be an acquired taste.  Or maybe it was my Coconut Cream Larabars that got me hooked!

Raspberry Coconut Muffins from mywholefoodlife.com

My daughter loved these.  You can see her happily taste testing one here.

kids

I made these with more of the white whole wheat flour.  I am really liking it although I still would like to use spelt as well.

Raspberry Coconut Muffins

Raspberry Coconut Muffins

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 30 min Serves 5 large muffins     adjust servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl. 
  3. Mix all wet ingredients in another. 
  4. Add wet to dry and fold in the raspberries.
  5. Spoon batter into a greased or lined muffin pan. I used jumbo muffins for this and I only got 5 muffins, but if you are using standard sized muffin tins, you will most likely get about 10-12.
  6. I baked my jumbo muffins for about 30 minutes. If you are using standard muffin tins, you will probably bake them around 15 minutes or so.
  7. Let cool before removing from pan.

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Stir Fried Quinoa

Melissa King 24 Comments

This is my husband’s go to meal to use up whatever we have in the fridge.  Well we were out of rice too so he subbed quinoa instead this time.  It came out so good!  I actually liked it better with the quinoa.  This is a great dish for vegans because quinoa is a complete plant based protein.  We added tofu to ours.  If you want to make the tofu, just cut it into cubes and bake it at 400 for about 30 minutes.  Or you could add your favorite protein and you have a great little meal.

Stir Fried Quinoa

This is a super easy meal to whip up quickly.  We almost always have a container with cooked rice or quinoa on hand to make meals last longer so the quinoa had been cooked ahead of time.  If you have never cooked quinoa, it is a 2:1 ratio.  I part quinoa to 2 parts water.  Bring to a boil and then cover, turn down and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Stir Fried Quinoa

Stir Fried Quinoa

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 15 min

Ingredients

  • 2 cups quinoa cooked
  • 3 carrots diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 1/2 yellow onion rough chopped
  • 3 T soy sauce or bragg's aminos
  • 1 T mirin
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 T toasted sesame oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a sauce pan , saute veggies for 5-7 minutes in toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, salt and garlic. 
  2. Then add the quinoa and saute for another 6-7 minutes. 
  3. The veggies should still retain some crunch.  Enjoy!

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Candied Pecans

Melissa King 20 Comments

These are so yummy and versatile!

nuts 1

Here in Texas, many people have pecan trees.  We are not one of the lucky ones, but we do have several neighbors who do.  When I go for walks with my daughters, sometimes we collect a few that the squirrels have not gotten to yet.  My 3 year old thinks it’s the coolest thing ever.  These candied pecans can be used in so many ways.  You can toss them into plain yogurt, add them to cereal, throw them on a salad or just eat them straight up to curb a sweet tooth.

Candied Pecans

Candied Pecans

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 15 min

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups pecans (raw and unsalted)
  • 2 T pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp crushed vanilla bean (you can use extract, but I think the crushed vanilla bean adds an extra sweetness that I can never get with the extract.)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. In a bowl toss the pecans in maple syrup. If using extract, add that too.
  3. Once the nuts look well coated, spread them out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  4. Sprinkle the vanilla bean over the pecans and place in the oven.
  5. Bake for around 15 minutes, stopping halfway through to shake them pecans around a bit. Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars

Melissa King 46 Comments

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars.  I had a reader request a recipe the peanut butter chocolate larabar.  Since I love all things larabar, I wanted to make them asap.  They came out great!  I still love the Coconut Cream Larabar the best, but this one is pretty good too.

These healthy bars are no bake and super easy.  They freeze well too, so feel free to double the batch!

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars

 

I am more of an almond butter girl myself, but my husband LOVES peanut butter so I know that these will be gobbled up fast.  I may try a second batch with almonds.  I love recipes like this because they are just so easy.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars

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Prep Time 15 min

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In the food processor , blend the peanuts and salt into a powder.
  2. Pit the dates and add them in as well.
  3. If needed, slowly add a bit of water to help the mixture come together.
  4. Once the dough is formed, line and 8×8 glass baking dish with parchment paper leaving enough room for some paper to stick out the sides.
  5. Carefully, spoon the dough into the pan evenly. The dough will be very sticky and you may need to wet the spatula a bit.
  6. Using the extra paper, pack the dough down until it is flat and even.
  7. Place in the fridge to firm up.

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Recipe Notes

I store them in the fridge. They should keep at least a week if you can get them to last that long!

Cucumber Salad with Chickpeas (Vegan)

Melissa King 13 Comments

Cucumber Salad with Chickpeas.  Last week when I posted my Black Bean and Spinach Salad, I told you it was my new favorite.  Well, this one comes in at a very close second!

 

salad 3

 

This salad would be a great addition to any backyard party.  I am a huge fan of cucumber salad, but so many recipes add sugar to it.

My recipe contains no added sugar and it is still just as good.  The chickpeas and tomatoes are my twist on this popular salad.  I wish I had doubled the batch because it was gone in the same day!

 

Cucumber Salad with Chickpeas

Cucumber Salad with Chickpeas

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Prep Time 20 min

Ingredients

  • 1 large cucumber cut in half then sliced thin
  • 1/2 shallot sliced thin
  • 1 can or 2 cups chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 tsp fresh dill
  • 2 T white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T mirin

Instructions

  1. Throw everything in a bowl and mix. That is it.

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Recipe Notes

I think the longer it sits, the better the flavors get as it marinates in the fridge. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

5 Minute Banana Ice Cream (Vegan)

Melissa King 114 Comments

This 5 Minute Banana Ice Cream is LIFE CHANGING.  Seriously.  Sometimes you just get a craving for some ice cream.

I make banana ice cream when I get those cravings.  Most store bought ice creams are laden with additives, saturated fat, processed sugar and too many calories.

I have an ice cream maker, but sometimes I forget to put the bowl back in the freezer.  So when I have a sweet craving, I make this super easy vegan banana ice cream.

 

5 Minute Banana Ice Cream

I have a smoothie version of this as well.  My Tropical Smoothie Peanut Paradise is made in a similar way.

The best part of this recipe is that you don’t need an ice cream maker to make this.  I use my vitamix, but I have used a magic bullet in the past as well.

You will be surprised at how decadent this banana ice cream tastes.  You will feel like you are cheating!  Can it get any easier?  I have used this many times to curb a sweet craving.  It really works!

Looking for more banana ice cream recipes?

5 Minute Banana Ice Cream

5 Minute Banana Ice Cream

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Prep Time 5 min Serves 1 serving     adjust servings

This stuff is so rich and delicious, it feels like you are eating real ice cream!

Ingredients

  • 2 peeled and frozen bananas
  • 2 T almond or peanut butter
  • 2 T almond milk
  • optional add ins: nuts, chocolate chips, fruit, coconut, cocoa powder

Instructions

  1. In a blender, , mix the bananas and the milk. You may need to cut the banana into chunks depending on how powerful your blender is.
  2. Once they are partly chopped up, add in the nut butter.
  3. Continue to blend until you get a soft serve consistency.

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Recipe Notes

You may not even need to add the milk at all, but I think it helps blend everything easier. Spoon ice cream into a bowl and stir in any additional ingredients you desire. That’s it!