Banana Oatmeal Qunioa Bars--Sugar and Dairy Free!

I've been looking for something full of natural sugars, long-lasting carbs, and protein to eat before I head to the gym for an intense weight-lifting session. These are what I came up with:

2 C old fashioned rolled oats (use gluten-free oats to make recipe without gluten)
1 C cooked qunioa (about 1/2 C dried; sprouted if  you'd like)
1/2 pepitas
1/2 chopped walnuts
1/2 halved Almonds
1/4 C shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 T salt
2 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 C natural peanut butter (you can use any nut butter you like)
8-10 large pitted dates, chopped of 3/4-1 C (feel free to vary the amount, dates are added for their chewy texture and as the main source of sweetness)
1/2 C milk, yogurt, or dairy-free substitute
1/4 tsp. vanilla

6" square baking pan
cooling rack
1 large and 1 medium mixing bowls
spatula, mixing spoon, knife

optional:
1/2 C rasins
1/2 C dark chocolate chips (Will make this recipe no longer dairy and sugar free)
1/4 C coco powder
switch out any of the nuts used above for others (pecans, cashews, etc.; just use roughly the same amount or adjust your wet ingredients to make up for it.)

Yield: 16 bars cut in 2" squares

Directions:
Mix oats through salt together in the large mixing bowl. Mix bananas through vanilla together well in the medium mixing bowl. Add together and stir until all ingredients are incorporated, adding any optional ingredients at this time.

Pour batter into a 6" square greased baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes (longer if you like them a little crunchy). When finished baking, the sides should be pulling away from the edges a bit. Use your spatula or knife to cut around the edges, ensuring that nothing is stuck. Flip the pan over the cooling rack and let sit for 20-30 minutes before cutting into squares and placing in an air tight container. Freeze if you plan to keep them around longer than 1 week at room temp. (They are also delicious just out of the freezer!)

Enjoy!

Maple Nut Granola

3 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup whole raw almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raw, hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of cinnamon
dash of cardamon
pinch of nutmeg
4 Tablespoons real maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 Tablespoon honey (this is optional, you could sub it for more maple syrup, or take it out completely)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dried fruit, optional (I like rasins)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and take out a baking sheet 

Combine oats through nutmeg in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil in maple syrup and honey. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into oat mixture then stir until well coated.

Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet then bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until granola is golden brown (granola will not be crunchy when hot.) Cool completely then stir in dried fruit and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

This recipe is a variation on one I found from another blogger: http://iowagirleats.com/2013/04/09/homemade-maple-almond-granola/

Bruschetta!

This is super simple and very delicious! I ate it 2 nights in a row when I first made it and am serving it for an appetizer this week at a dinner party.


1 pound Grape or Sugar Plum Tomatoes (I get the organic ones from Trader Joe's)
1 Tbs EVOO
dash of salt
freshly ground black pepper
basil (chopped if fresh, you can also use dried)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1-2 Tbs. GOOD traditional balsamic (not the junk you buy in a department store, if you want this recipe to rock, spend the cash at a fancy balsamic/olive oil tasting room. It should be sweet, thick, and almost syrup-like in consistency)
french baguette or italian bread, sliced and lightly toasted (you can use gluten-free breads!)
baking sheet
mixing bowl
large spoon
spatula

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and place in a mixing bowl, add EVOO and gently stir until all tomatoes are covered. Place tomatoes on the baking sheet cut side up and bake for 10-15 minutes or until they've begun to shrink and soften. Set bowl aside. Take baking sheet out of the oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes. Put tomatoes back into the mixing bowl and add balsamic, salt, pepper, and basil. Sprinkle toast slices with parmesan cheese and spread mixture on toast. Top toasts with a sprinkle more of parmesan, freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of balsamic, if you like.

Enjoy! Makes a great light appetizer for 4 people.

Thai Coleslaw Salad

Here's a delicious vegan salad I just whipped up this weekend for Jason's birthday:

Dressing:

1/2 - 2/3 can coconut milk (I use the "light" variety)

3-4 Tbs (or so) of natural peanut butter

5ish cloves of garlic, peeled (more or less, depending on your taste

2-3 tsp fish sauce (start light and add more after tasting)

1Tbs pineapple juice (can use honey as an alternative)

cayenne pepper or jalapeno, to taste

2-3 limes

Slaw:
3 bags coleslaw mix (or you can do this yourself with nappa cabbage, red cabbage and carrots)
cilantro (if you like it) to taste, probably around 10-15 sprigs, chopped
1 cup roasted peanuts
6-10 green onions, chopped
1 red pepper, cut in half, cored, and thinly sliced into strips

Directions:
Put all dressing ingredients in a food processer and blend! (or a strong blender, whatever you have) Taste and adjust to your liking.
Mix all slaw ingredients in a large bowl (or, divide it into 2 and make one extra spicy!)
Pour on the dressing and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes-3 days. You may need to add extra seasonings as it sits (salt, cayenne, garlic powder). If you're not going to eat this right away, I suggest waiting to add the peanuts and cilantro as they will soften/lose flavor the longer they sit.

Serve chilled with a lime wedge, cilantro, and sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

Warning: this makes a TON of coleslaw. It's great for a BBQ or get-togethers. Feel free to make a smaller amount and adjust the seasonings :)

Veggie Chili

4-5 cups of cooked black, red, kidney, and pinto beans (etc. whatever mix you like)


1 small can of tomato paste

1 large can of stewed/roasted tomatoes (I like the fire roasted tomatoes with chilies from TJ’s)

1 large white onion, chopped

2-3 jalapenos, ½ charred over a gas stove or roasted, chopped

2 poblano peppers, charred over a gas stove or roasted, chopped

1 green bell pepper

1 head of garlic, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 bunch of swiss chard, ribs cut out; chopped leaves and ribs

½ cup frozen corn

1 bottle of a dark lager, porter, or stout (I used a chocolate stout last time, it was great; you’ll need to balance the flavors of whatever beer you use with more/less molasses, coffee, and salt)

¼-1/2 cup strong coffee, brewed

1-2ish Tbs chili powder

1ish Tbs of cumin

1ish Tbs of molasses

Salt, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Optional: ground meat (if you do this, add more liquid accordingly during the simmering and reduce the amount of beans a bit); stock; other veggies (squash, zucchini, etc.)
****

Sautee cumin, chili powder, garlic, carrots, chard ribs, un-charred jalapenos, bell pepper, and onion in oil until onions are translucent (adding a touch of beer for liquid if you need it)

Add everything else except the salt, coffee, beer, chard leaves, and corn to a crock pot or Dutch oven. Add about half of the beer, cover, and bring to a simmer for 30ish minutes-2 hours (depending on how long you have). Adjust any seasonings to taste (cumin, salt, chili powder, red pepper flakes). Add more beer, water, or stock for liquid, depending on taste.

Add corn and chard leaves and cook for another 10ish minutes, until corn is warm and leaves have wilted.

Add the coffee to taste (it will be bitter) and potentially more molasses and salt to balance the flavors.

Top with cheese, more chopped jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, etc. Chili will stay good for about a week in a sealed container, refrigerated.


Enjoy!!

Killer Kale and Quinoa Salad

2-3 C cooked quinoa
small bunch (4-5 leaves) kale, finely chopped
1/2 red onion
1 large carrot
1/4-1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 diced roma tomatoes (use whatever variety you like)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup cooked chick peas
1 fresh lemon-squeezed
touch of honey (1/2 tbs) added to small amount of boiling water (to dissolve)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
olive oil, to taste

mix it all together and refrigerate overnight--tomatoes will get soggy, so I suggest dicing some on top of each portion as you eat it. You could also add other veggies/change the ratios to your own tastes. Enjoy!

Best guacamole in the world.

This is my prized guac... it changes every time I make it, so the specific measurements are just a guess--the best things to do is to start on the smaller side and increase as you taste. But, remember to taste everything again after it sits for a little while because you'll probably need to add more lime or adjust for adding too much (add some more honey and salt).

3-4 large super ripe avocados, peeled and mushed
1 smallish head of garlic--roasted
1 jalapeno--charred (keep skins on)
1-2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 large red onion, chopped
1 large lime, to taste (about 2 Tbs or so? start with a smaller amount and add more as you like)
1/4 of a bundle (10 stalks or so)of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground black pepper
1-2 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp garlic powder (if the roasted garlic flavor is not strong enough for you)(sub salt if you have it, but decrease the sea salt)
2 tsp sea/kosher salt, to taste
2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
2 Tbs. plain greek yogurt (or sour cream), to desired consistency

roast the garlic (it takes about 45 minutes)--cut the top of the head off to expose the fresh garlic, put some olive oil on it, wrap in foil, and roast at 250 F

char the jalapeno on a flame (use flame of the burner on a gas stove) and *leave the charred bits on it!*

Mix everything together. (I like to use a food processor for everything but the avocados and yogurt, but only to roughly chop/mix things together) add a touch of lime juice on the top of the guac and let sit in the fridge for a few hours. Enjoy!