Triple Chocolate Quinoa Muffins

Anytime there is loads of chocolate in a recipe I am generally going to be happy with it. Frankly, I was raised by a mother who taught me the basics of baking as 1) always use the finest quality chocolate you can afford; and 2) when in doubt, add more chocolate. So, you see this recipe, with it's legitimate claim to 'triple chocolate' has secured itself in my "I'll bake you till my Hottie husband begs me to stop" repertoire. These are rich, decadent, velvety, and perfect - oh, and high in protein and gluten and dairy free. Yeah, I've got your attention now don't I haha. I have high hopes of spoiling my sweetie pies, big and small, with these delightful chocolaty goodies on Valentine's Day, so I thought I'd share the recipe in time for you to do the same. Enjoy!

Triple Chocolate Quinoa Muffins

an original recipe created by me!

1 3/4 c. cooked quinoa, packed

3 eggs

3/4 c. unsweetened pure cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 c. plain coconut yogurt [made from coconut milk, not simply dairy yogurt that has been flavored with coconut]

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp cinnamon 

1/4 c water [optional, I just found everything blended a bit better with it]

1 c palm sugar

1/2 c chopped dark chocolate, finest quality you can afford

Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare muffin tins with either liners or non stick spray. I prefer liners to spray on this one. Add all the wet ingredients and quinoa to a blender and combine until smooth. Pour out into a bowl and mix the remaining ingredients, aside from the chopped chocolate, and mix with a whisk or fork until all clumps are gone and batter is of an even consistency. Mix in half the chocolate, and pour into prepared muffin tins.

Place muffins in oven for 10 minutes. At 10 minute mark, divide the remaining chocolate between the muffins, sprinkling generously on top of each muffin. Place the muffins back in the oven, and bake for approximately 8 more minutes. Toothpick will come out dirty still, but should not be wet.  Let muffins cool completely on wire rack before removing from muffin tins. 

Yield: approximately 2 dozen

Cookies worth drooling over

  For most pumpkin seems to be a gourd enjoyed most in the fall and winter months. While I see nothing wrong with this, pumpkin is bursting with flavor and nutrients and my family and I enjoy it year round in cookies, pancakes, soups, chili, and more. Wednesday being the chilly day it was called for comforting warm food - and pumpkin naturally. As Eli napped, Darius and I headed down to the kitchen and whipped up a new recipe featuring pumpkin of course, then again for dinner. Dinner was not an original recipe, but seeing as it was a truly nourishing and delicious [and vegan!] chili, here's the link to the recipe I found courtesy of pinterest [does anyone else thing pinterest is fabulous when they find a golden pin like this one??]
  After some taste testing on these cookies by many, it has been declared that they are amazing, and a recipe worth sharing. So, without further ado, here's the cookie creation Darius and I pulled together this week. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Protein Cookies

an original recipe created by me

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 c. vegan butter, at room temperature
7 medjool dates, pitted
1/3 c. vanilla egg protein powder
1 lrg egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. pumpkin puree [not pumpkin pie filling]
3 1/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c. dark chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 375* and line two baking sheets with a silicone baking mat, or parchment paper, and set aside.
2. in a blender, combine pitted dates, pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla. Pulse blender, scraping down sides as needed, until dates are fully incorporated into the mixture.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until fluffy, then add pumpkin mixture and continue to beat. With beaters running, slowly add protein powder.
4. Stop mixer and add all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips. Mix until fully incorporated. Add chocolate chips and blend until evenly distributed.
5. Spoon mixture onto cookie sheets by the rounded tablespoon [a cookie scoop is great for this!] and pop in over. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for two minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield 3-4 dozen

These cookies are slightly crisp on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside fresh out of the oven. While these cookies are not vegan, I was trying to find something to replace the sugar content, and the protein powder my husband bought currently seemed like a good fit as it is sweet without being filled with sugar or additives.

Chocolate Chip [Lentil] Cookies

A friend of mine asked me to teach her how to incorporate beans and lentils into her diet in ways that aren't common ground [like chili for example.] So, being the ambitious person I am, I quickly said yes before realising that I myself rarely use lentils, even though I do enjoy them. Lentils are one of those unique pulses which takes on the flavor of just about anything you throw at it!  Not only is is a versatile pantry staple, but it is choke full of goodness!  Here's a little blurb on the amazing little pulse we're talking about to entice you to try them if you haven't already: "With about 30% of their calories from protein, lentils have the third-highest level of protein, by weight, of any legume or nut, after soybeans and hemp.^[3] Proteins include the essential amino acids isoleucine and lysine, and lentils are an essential source of inexpensive protein in many parts of the world, especially in West Asia and the Indian subcontinent, which have large vegetarian populations.^[4] Lentils are deficient in two essential amino acids, methionine and cysteine.^[5] However, sprouted lentils contain sufficient levels of all essential amino acids, including methionine and cysteine.^[6]
Lentils also contain dietary fiber, folate, vitamin B₁, and minerals. Red (or pink) lentils contain a lower concentration of fiber than green lentils (11% rather than 31%).^[7] Health magazine has selected lentils as one of the five healthiest foods.^[8] Lentils are often mixed with grains, such as rice, which results in a complete protein dish."Source 

Dal Baht is the daily dish enjoyed in Nepal, and made primarily from lentils and served over rice. While this is always the first dish I think of when faced with a bunch of lentils, I decided it was time to branch out in honor of my friends request. So, I started searching...and found lots and lots of cookies! What I didn't find were cookies recipes that left me drooling, or cookie recipes that would pack a real nutritional punch, or better yet, cookies that delivered both! So, naturally I created my own. With many taste tester approvals I have now deemed this recipe ready for its big reveal - I hope you and yours enjoy it as well!

Chocolate Chip [Lentil] Cookies

an orignial recipe created by me!

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

1 cup naturally creamed honey

1/4 cup pure maple syrup [I'm not talking Aunt Jemima's hear, I'm talking about 100% PURE maple syrup! Don't use Aunt Jemima's or you will have made these really sickly sweet!]

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 flax egg*

1/2 cup lentil puree**

1 cup zucchini puree***

1 tbsp baking powder

2 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups dark chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350*.Cream the butter in a large electric mixing bowl. Once light and fluffy, add in the honey and maple syrup and continue beating. Add in the flax egg, vanilla, lentils and zucchini then set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients [leave out the chocolate chips] and slowly add to the wet mixture blending as you go. Once the dough is mixed, add in the chocolate chips. Drop by the cookie scoop full [about the size of a rounded tbsp] onto silpat lined cookies sheets. Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes [12 for darker pans and 15 for lighter is what I found.]

Yield: 4.5 dozen

I hope you're little cookie monsters gobble these up - they are a certifiable hit in our home!



*to make a flax egg simply mix 1 tbsp freshly milled flaxseed with 3 tbsp cold water and let it sit for 10 minutes. It will gel together as it sits and act as a binder in this recipe.

**to make your own lentil puree blend together 4 parts cooked lentils with one part water. i.e. 1 cup of cooked lentils and 1/4 cup of water.

***zucchini puree is simply made by blending up whole zucchini in the blender.

Comfort Food

When I was first married, I didn't know my way around a kitchen - unless I was baking cookies of course. My Handsome Husband cooked ALL our meals, and when he was at work or away I simply ate left overs or something from a can. This really didn't bother me in the least, and he enjoyed cooking, so it was a good arrangement for us. Fast forward a few years, and we were expecting our first babe, I was sicker than a dog, bouncing back and forth to the city for specialist appointments, and off work. With all my newly found free time I thought I should at least have supper waiting when my better half walked in the door from work. At first the meals were meager, burnt, and left a lot to be desired. Thankfully, My Man choked down the gruel and encouraged me so that I was able to have the courage to keep on cooking and make it to the place I am today - creating new recipes! What a gift it is to have his unconditional belief in me!
One of the first meals I prepared was straight from a can, and tasted horrible, but of course received two thumbs up. We laugh about my humble beginnings in the kitchen now, but seriously guys, this was no laughing matter. How did he choke down that stuff??? In honor of that early disaster, I recreated the meal - this time completely from scratch, using whole food ingredients. No cans required.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

an original recipe, created by me

6 cups water

3 tabs low sodium veggie broth

6-8 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

3 tbsp - ¼ cup water, for sauteing

¼ cup flour

2 cups almond milk

¾ cups nutritional yeast

¾ cups soy yogurt, plain

1 can strained and washed white kidney beans

½ tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Bring first three items to a simmer in a large pot, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

In a skillet, sauté the onion and crushed garlic until transparent, then add the flour and milk, stirring constantly until a thick paste forms. Add this mixture to the broccoli pot.

Add nutritional yeast, and soy yogurt to the pot, then seasonings. After stirring everything well, ladle into a blender, and blend until desired consistency. Leaving some soup in the blender, add in the beans and emulsify completely. Add this thicker mix to the soup pot, and stir to combine. Serve warm with fresh focaccia bread – so good!

We made this soup while winds drove rain sideways against our windows. It was quite the comfort food amidst the storm :) Darius really wanted me to take a picture of him with his soup, as he would emphatically praise the soup after every slurpy bite. Life definitely becomes more entertaining when kids are on the scene!

Chocolate Pancakes

Pancakes are a hot commodity in our home. As in, "eat it while its hot before Darius does!" That boy is a pancake destroyer! With pancakes being on our regular breakfast menu I find myself reinventing the wheel a bit, simply to shake up the mundane. We have a wide variety of recipes now ranging from pumpkin, coconut, vanilla, and now chocolate. If you reach for the big blue bag of pancake mix at grocery stores you may reconsider when you see how easy and super inexpensive! it is to make your own from scratch; homemade pancakes taste about a bagillion times better! Oh, and did I mention that you can make these in your free time [or just a double batch at breakfast,] freeze them, and then have toaster pancakes another day? Pure laziness genius at its best!

 

Chocolate Pancakes

and original recipe by me!

1/3 c. unprocessed cocoa powder

1/2 c. hemp protein powder

1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats

2 c. fresh ground whole wheat flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp vanilla

1/3 c. naturally creamed honey

2tbsp coconut oil, melted

2 c. coconut milk [in a carton, not a can]

1 c. water

Mix all of the ingredients together it's really that simple! while heating up a pancake griddle [I heat mine to about 300-350*F]. Once griddle is hot, and ingredients are combined, use 1/4c scoop to ladle batter onto the grill. Cook until bubbles start to form on surface [about three minutes,] then flip pancakes and cook for an additional one to two minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!

I like to enjoy my pancakes with natural peanut butter [meaning, when you look at the ingredients list all it says is 'peanuts'], hemp hearts, and a touch of 100% pure maple syrup with apple slices on the side. Sooo good!

 



Fruit and Nut Heaven

Do you like fruit and nut chocolate bars? My Amazing Husband loves them, and so by association I've come to appreciate the slightly salty, ever so creamy, tart and chewiness bar myself. The only problem is, now that I have decided to not consume milk products [for my reasons why, check out this post] I am on the outs with the good ol' fruit and nut bar. Being the innovative woman that I am, I decided to try my hand at making my own version, a healthier version of course, and see what my hardest critique [aka my Awesome Hubby] had to say. He tried theses for the first time while I was at the park with the boys, so I didn't get his first reaction to them, but I heard a loud, "THESE CHOCOLATE BARS ARE AMAZING!" when I entered the door. I think they passed the test haha! If you'd like to make a batch for your own sweeties,or for yourself and not to share with anyone it's simple, fast, and will tempt you to make them everyday, so slice the bars small, freeze them, and try to make them last as long as possible...or keep them in the fridge in an airtight container - and they'll be gone before you know it!

Organically Awesome Fruit and Nut Bars

an original recipe created by me!

1/2 c. natural almond butter
1/2c. natural peanut butter
2/3c. naturally creamed honey
1/2c. coconut oil
1c. chopped 72% dark chocolate
1c. rolled oats
1/3c. shelled pistachios
2/3c. raw whole almonds
1/3c. hemp hearts
1/2c. craisins

Combine ingredients from the oats on down to the hemp hearts in a large bowl, and set aside. In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine the first five ingredients and heat on medium low heat, stirring constantly. Once all the ingredients are completely melted, pour over the oat mixture in the bowl, and use a spatula to thoroughly combine. Prepare a 9x13 pan by lining with parchment paper, folding so the paper covers the sides of the pan as well. Turn the mix into the pan, and spread evenly with the spatula. Give the pan a couple of taps on the counter to let all air bubble escape and let ingredients settle, then place in fridge to set for at least two hours before cutting into bars. Yields 25 good sized bars, or 50 bite sized.

Feel free to play around with the nuts or fruit involved to satisfy your sweet craving!

What treat do you want recreated? I'm always up for a new challenge!

Cleaning Up

My Mom is amazing, and one of her specialities is baking - cookies in particular. Growing up we often munched on delicious, hot out of the oven, gooey chocolate chip cookies. My siblings and I took for granted just how awesome my mom's cookies were/are, until we started having play dates at other kids homes and the cookies were...well, far below what our Mom had brought us to expect [sorry to all those Mom's whose cookies I snuffed at!] The first thing I learnt how to make in the kitchen was cookies. In fact, when I got married cookies were still pretty much the only thing I knew how to make. Oh, and brownies and cake. You get the picture? My Mom's recipe calls for refined sugars, loads of butter, and refined flour, and so I haven't baked a batch in, well, a very long time. As I was up with Eli much too much in the night, it occurred to me that I am more than capable of creating a clean chocolate chip cookie recipe that could [and does!] taste just like Mom's. So today that is just what I did! I baked up a batch of delicious cookies that bring back all the warm and gooey memories associated with my Mom's baking, but without all the animal products and refined goods! I hope these cookies satisfy your sweet tooth as they have mine!

Katie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

an original recipe created by Me!


1 c. coconut oil
1 c. unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/2 c. naturally creamed honey
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract


3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
3 c. stone ground whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tsp baking soda


2 c. dark chocolate chips [the better the quality chocolate the better - believe me, it matters!]


Preheat your oven to 350*F. Mix the wet ingredients [the first four listed] in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy and fully incorporated. The mixture will lighten up as it mixes. Next, add the dry ingredients, starting with the salt and baking soda. Mix those two into the wet ingredients, then add the flour and oats and mix until dough forms. Now add the chocolate chips* [or chopped chocolate if you prefer!] and mix until combined. Drop the dough onto a non stick baking pan** using a cookie scoop***. Make sure the dough is about 1" apart on the pan to avoid cookies blending into one another. Bake cookies in preheated oven for approximately 8 minutes. The cookies will be golden, but look a little gooey in the centres still - don't worry, they'll firm up as they sit on the pan, resting on a cooling rack. Give the cookies 5 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack to cool completely. Yield approximately 6 dozen cookies.


*Substitute all, or half, of the chocolate chips with raisins for a oatmeal raisin cookie.**feel free to use a silpat pad, just avoid non-stick cooking spray as it makes the dough spread.

***a cookie scoop ensures uniformity of cookie size and shape, and provides portion control.

Aunt Terri's Underpants

Growing up in Vancouver, the schools were big on 'stranger danger' education. Every student had i.d. booklets, which included our finger prints, blood type, a recent photo and our stats [height, weight, etc]. As families we were encouraged to create a password, a code that could be used to ensure that the right person was picking us up from school, so that even those whom we were familiar with could not abduct us [sounds funny writing it down, but it's the sort of thing I'll most likely do with my boys when they go to school.] My families password was, "Aunt Terri's Underpants." It was ridiculous enough that we would never forget it, plus it involved the name of one our Mom's sisters, an aunt whom we loved - and still love! - to go and visit. Today is my Aunt Terri's birthday, and so Darius and I headed into the kitchen to whip up a treat in her honor. Aunt Terri loves sweets, and so it was only fitting to bake some cupcakes! Per her request we made then without sugar [well, we didn't use the refined stuff anyway; instead used natural sweetness in the form of honey and 100% fruit puree and juice] and they can be made without fat [her other request] however I put a bit of fat in ours since healthy fats are great for every body [in moderation of course.]

 Happy Birthday Aunt Terri! I hope you enjoy these as much as we enjoyed creating them [and eating them!] in your honor!

Mouthwatering Mango Cupcakes

an original recipe created by me!



1 cup fresh ground whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c. naturally creamed honey

1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 c. unsweetened apple sauce

3 tbsp coconut oil, softened*

1/2 c. 100% unsweetened mango juice and puree

Preheat your oven to 350*F. Mix the dry ingredients together, then set aside. In your stand mixer, mix all the wet ingredients together until thoroughly combined. With the mixer on, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stop the mixer on occasion to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Pour the batter into medium sized cupcake liners [which are in a muffin tin of course ;)] and place in preheated oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven to wire rack, and let cool for a few minutes before placing cupcakes directly on wire rack. Cool completely and then enjoy! Yield 16 cupcakes

* to make these fat free, simply add more apple sauce instead of the coconut oil