heartyspoonful

"What horrifies me most is the idea of being useless: well-educated, brilliantly promising, and fading out into an indifferent middle age."

- Sylvia Plath

• 1/3 cup tahini/smooth almond butter
• 1/4 cup softened coconut oil
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp warm water)
• 1/3 cup coconut flour (plus a few tbsp, depending on consistency)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt

Add-ins:

• Dark chocolate
• Dried cranberries
• Vegan white chocolate
• Crushed Oreo cookies

 Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together tahini/almond butter, coconut oil and coconut sugar until smooth. Add the flax eggs and mix until well incorporated.

Then, add the coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Fold in add-ins of choice. I made two batches: one with dried cranberries and white chocolate, and another with crushed chocolate/vanilla cookies.

Roll into balls. Depending on the size, you can make 12 cookies. I had 10 cookies per batch. Flatten the top a bit and bake for 10 minutes.

Let cool completely before removing from the baking sheet as the cookies need to set. Enjoy! xxx

"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."

- Lou Holtz

• 1 19 oz can chickpeas, drained and washed
• 1/3 + 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup cashew butter
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

"Too many of us are too hung up on what we don't have, can't have, or won't ever have. We spend too much energy being down when we could use that same energy - if not less of it - doing, or at least trying to do, some of the things we really want to do."

- Terry McMillan

• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free oats
• 1/2 cup buckwheat groats
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds 
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup dried figs, sliced (or dried currants/raisins/medjool dates)
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup *
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a big bowl, mix oats, buckwheat groats, chia seeds, hemp seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, figs, coconut flakes,  cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt.

Using a bain-marie or a small saucepan, melt coconut oil with maple syrup. Add vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture with the dry ingredients. Stir well to coat all the oats. If you want to be more well coated, add more maple syrup.

Transfer the mixture onto the baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring halfway through to avoid burning one side. (Mine was ready at 22 minutes.)

 Cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to a sealed glass container.

Enjoy! xx

"You are what you think about all day."

- Dr. Robert Schuller

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 flax eggs (mix 2 tbsp ground flax with 5-6 tbsp of warm water)
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup packed grated zucchini
• Chocolate chips (as much or as little as you like)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a square pan with parchment paper. 

In a medium bowl, cream together coconut sugar and coconut oil. Add vanilla and mix well. Then mix flax eggs.

Add all dry ingredients with the liquids: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix well to incorporate. Then fold in zucchini and finally the chocolate chips.

Transfer the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the sides are crisped, but the middle is still soft. (As the brownie bakes, prepare the cookie dough - see below.)

Let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

When the brownie is cool, add the frosting and spread evenly.

Cookie Dough Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup cashew butter
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance, melted
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• Chocolate chips, for topping

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or mix by hand if preferred. Depending on how you like your frosting, you may need to add more of the coconut flour or almond milk.

Enjoy! xx

"If you have the power to make someone happy, do it. The world needs more of that."

• 2 cups gluten-free oats (not quick cooking)
• 2 tbsp ground flax or ground chia
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup applesauce (add as required)
• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Add-ins: raisins, dried mulberries, dates, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pepitas, etc. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a square pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together oats, ground flax/chia, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

Add in remaining liquid ingredients. Mix until all the oats are covered. For the applesauce, start by adding a tbsp and add more as needed to make the mixture more "well coated".

Fold in add-ins of choice. I added raisins, pepitas, pumpkin seeds and dried mulberries. You can go crazy!

Bake for 20-22 minutes, but careful not to burn the sides as the bars will turn too dry. Let cool completely on a wire rack prior to slicing.

Enjoy!! xx

"Just because you can read, write and do a little math, doesn't mean you're entitled to conquer the universe."

- Kurt Vonnegut

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• Handful of chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 beets, diced (about a cup)
• 2 tbsp raw almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 

Cashew Frosting:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in warm water (2 hours or overnight)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x5 square pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips.

In the food processor, process the beets until smooth (a few clumps is okay). Make sure to scrape the side for uniform processing. Add coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla and applesauce. Blend until smooth.

Pour the liquid batter into the dry ingredients. Mix until well incorporated, but make sure not to overmix. Fold in chocolate chips if using.

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth down. Bake for 20 minutes (it's okay if the centre isn't baked through). You don't want the cake to dry out.

Transfer the cake onto a baking rack and let cool.

As the cake bakes/cools, prepare the cashew frosting.

• In the food processor, blend cashews with almond milk. You can start with 1/4 cup and add as needed. 
• Add in maple syrup and vanilla. Blend further until smooth and thick. 
• As the cake cools, chill the frosting for at least 20 minutes.

Once the cake is cool, spread cashew frosting evenly. Add a few sprinkles of chocolate chips (optional).

Enjoy! xx

"Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck."

- Dalai Lama XIV

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour +
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas, mashed *
• 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup maple syrup **
• 1/4 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil ***
• 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• Chocolate glaze for topping (1/2 cup chocolate chips melted with 1 tbsp of coconut oil)

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil donut pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.
 + I used whole wheat pastry flour, but regular pastry flour or AP flour should do the trick. 

In a separate bowl, mash bananas and add remaining wet ingredients.
* My bananas yielded just over 2 cups (approximately 2 1/8 cups). 
** Because the bananas were so overripe, I didn't need much sweetener so I used 1/3 cup. Adjust the liquid as needed for the batter (either add more oil or almond milk). 
*** I used olive oil, but if using coconut oil, make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature. 

Add wet ingredients into dry and mix until well incorporated. Make sure not to overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared donut pans and bake for 27-30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before transferring out.

Top with chocolate glaze when cooled.

Enjoy! xxx