chocolate doughnuts with milk chocolate glaze (vegan, no added sugar)
Doughnut, you guys! No added sugar, baked-not-fried, packed-with-fruit and finished-with-fun chocolate doughnuts. With milk chocolate glaze. And pink sprinkles. Food dye free sprinkles. It’s a party on your plate and in your mouth. How is all this accomplished in one little recipe? Simple! I used my chocolate zucchini muffin recipe, sweetened it up a bit (more dates and stevia) and spooned it into a doughnut pan. Voila! Healthy chocolate doughnuts. But, wait, there’s more! To increase the fun factor, I added a milk chocolate glaze and pink sprinkles – all made without a lick of added sugar, dairy or food coloring. This recipe makes more batter…
cheesy kale chips (vegan, oil free, gluten free, soy free, paleo)
Aren’t snack foods made from good-for-you ingredients the best? Like kale chips! The first time I tried kale chips, it was love at first bite. Savory, salty, crunchy…yum! But the thing I wasn’t in love with was the price tag, especially for frequent snacking (keep in mind we have four hungry children to feed, three of which are boys). So I turned to my own kitchen to try and re-create the ideal snacking experience. Here are few things I’ve learned along the way: The key to a good kale chip is the seasoning. Since kale is strongly flavored itself, if you’re too light with the seasonings, you…
vegan italian sausage soup (dairy free, soy free)
Last week, I shared my basic veggie stock recipe with you. Today, I’m giving you the perfect recipe to try it out with: vegan Italian sausage soup. When I first decided to go all in with a plant-based diet, I immediately thought of ways to replace meat-based dishes with vegan versions that closely approximated those flavors and textures I was used to. But when I started experimenting with new-to-me-foods like TVP, seitan and pre-packaged vegan “meats,” I wasn’t too thrilled with the results. You see, my goal in adopting this new diet was to get healthier and eating a lot of wheat-based and processed foods didn’t feel like it…
basic vegetable stock (vegan, sodium free, soy free)
Besides creating healthy yummy recipes, there are two things I love to do that go along with creating healthy yummy recipes: finding ways to save money and reducing waste. This basic vegetable stock manages all three. How? Glad you asked. The genius of this vegetable stock is it’s simplicity…just save your scraps of onion, garlic, carrot, celery and wilted bits of fresh herbs, freeze them, then turn them into a flavorful stock. No hard and fast recipe needed, but here are a few helpful tips: A higher ratio of onions and garlic will produce a more savory stock; carrots and celery one with a sweeter overtone. It’s possible to include…
essential ingredient: the scoop on stevia
If you’ve been here for more than a few posts, you’ll notice that the majority of my recipes are free from any form of added sugars. Instead, I love using whole fruits (mostly dates) and stevia to do the heavy lifting of adding the required sweetness because they don’t give you the spike and crash and are more immune system-friendly. Stevia has continued to gain traction in the food marketplace, but with it, packaging that I believe is deceptive and misleading. You might think you’re getting stevia, when you’re actually getting stevia + other sweeteners and fillers. That’s why I decided to go live over on the wildberry press Facebook…
apple pumpkin granola fall parfait (vegan, no added sugar, gluten free option)
Last week, I shared one apple-based recipe and one with pumpkin – both bonus recipes in my Perk Up Your Pantry – Fall edition recipe ebook. Today, I’m ending the debate and bringing both flavors together with one snack-tastic recipe…the apple pumpkin granola fall parfait. When I created Perk Up Your Pantry, my thought was to include recipes that could be enjoyed by themselves, but also easily combined in new ways so your meal plans feel fresh and fun. Which is exactly what I love about this pumpkin harvest granola! You could make this for breakfast or as a snack – even one on the go. To…
pumpkin harvest granola (no added sugar, gluten free option)
Pumpkin lovers, this one’s for you! If this big orange fall fruit-that-we-think-of-as-a-vegetable is your thang, than you’ll want to scoop up this recipe pronto. The pumpkin harvest granola is seasonal twist on my simply saturday version and ushers the spicy scent of fall right into your kitchen. Eat it at breakfast if you want to stick with tradition, but I’ve found a few ways to work it into my snack-happy habits and I’ll be sharing one of those with you next week. It’s recipes like these that are slowing winning me over to the ways of pumpkin…I don’t think it will ever edge out my love of apples, but it…
apple cabbage slaw with apple cinnamon dressing (vegan, raw, paleo, gluten free, no added sugar)
In the apple vs. pumpkin debate, I fall in with the apple crowd. What about you? It’s been a great year for apples here in Northeast Ohio…especially the organic red apples we’ve been enjoying from my parent’s neighbors. Which got me brainstorming ideas for a fresh fall apple-based salad… Voila! Apple cabbage slaw with apple cinnamon dressing. I can eat it like candy. My favorite thing? I can’t decide. It’s a toss up its crunchy sweetness (but without any added sugar!) or being the perfect balance to the heavier comfort food dishes because the apple cinnamon dressing is free of heavier oils found in traditional coleslaw. The apple cabbage…
roasted carrot coconut ginger soup (vegan, dairy free, gluten free, soy free)
This roasted carrot coconut ginger soup absolutely hollers “fall” doesn’t it? The bright orange color. The roasted root vegetables. The richness of the coconut milk and comforting heat of the ginger. Then add a sprinkle of spicy sweet pumpkin seeds and this is a meal and the sings. The inspiration for this soup came from similar versions I’ve seen in stores. But my version comes without the added oils that most store-bought varieties include and cutting back on added oils = a healthier you. There are two extremely important lessons I learned when making the soup: 1) peel the carrots before roasting them. I merely scrubbed them to leave the…
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german chocolate cake (vegan, no added sugar, soy free)
Happy Birthday…to me! Yep, it’s my birthday today and I’m celebrating by sharing this german chocolate cake recipe with you. But first…if you’ve been checking regularly with me, you might have noticed it was awfully silent here last week. It’s for a good reason, I promise you, and I’ll be revealing more later this week (eek! excited!). My newsletter tribe already got a bit of sneak peek. If you also want to be among the first to hear exciting news and never miss a recipe, sign up for the newsletter here. I also share a little more content and personal stories there too! Right. Back to the cake. Before…
