vegan seven layer dip
Stick around here long enough, and you’ll see that dips are one of my favorite recipes to make and eat. I think they need official status as their own food group. This vegan seven layer is I’ve been making for several years and is a perennial crowd pleaser. It’s probably the first appetizer recipe that inspired me to include dips on a regular basis into our meal plan. Here’s why. I have four kids who all have very different ideas of what tastes good and have varying degrees of pickiness. They also love meat and cheese so I need to work hard to come up with all veggie recipes that…
low carb crispbread (vegan, oil free)
(this post contains affiliate links which help fund this blog but at no cost to you) I’m absolutely crackers over this low carb crispbread! When I grabbed a package of crispbread from Trader Joe’s a couple of months ago, it was love at first bite and I knew I had to try and re-create it at home. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but was ecstatic with the results the first time I tried it. Why all the excitement? When I cleaned up my diet by going plant-based, one of the interesting “side effects” was a desire to cutting back on my bread consumption.…
chocolate peanut butter mousse (vegan, dairy free, gluten free, no added sugar)
(this post contains affiliate links which help fund this blog but at no cost to you) “We go together like birds of a feather…” If chocolate and peanut butter ever had a theme song, that would be it. They were simply made for each other. #Godsagenius And if you were playing Family Feud and had to name a food that went with peanut butter, I’m pretty sure “chocolate” would be a top answer. (“Jelly” might have the edge, numbers-wise, but taste-wise chocolate has “j” beat hands down IMO). You too? So it was only a matter of time before I gave my go to chocolate mousse recipe a slight makeover…
blueberry banana bread bars (vegan, no added sugar)
I love hard-working recipes – especially ones that can work as breakfast, dessert or a snack! And these blueberry banana bread bars are perfect for all three. I have a particular soft spot for these since it’s one of the first recipes I tried (thanks to the inspiration of Angela’s muffin tops recipe at Oh She Glows) that didn’t require any added sugar. And didn’t end up a yucky gummy mess which can happen when you remove the dairy and the added sugar. These blueberry banana bread bars are just one of the recipes featured in my 7-day plant-based refresh which you can sign up to receive for free…
festive vegan yogurt parfaits with no added sugar berry jam
Mmm, mmm, mmm. Aren’t these pretty? I love the colors in these vegan yogurt parfaits and the combination is so festive! While yogurt parfaits usually are associated with breakfast, I prefer them as a snack or dessert…I have a hard time parting with my go-to oatmeal bowl each morning. LOL Plus these are so pretty, I think they can hold their own on the dessert table and offer a refreshing alternative to heavier desserts. To make them, grab your favorite non-dairy, no added sugar yogurt (I used a cashew-based one here), whip up a batch of granola (I recommend this one to keep it free of added sugars) and…
rockier road vegan brownies (no added sugar)
Sometimes getting a recipe just right takes awhile. Sometimes the results are only good for the garbage (yeah, that bad). And sometimes they are an unexpected blessing. This last result is exactly what happened here. I can’t remember exactly what I was going for when I first mixed this rockier road vegan brownies recipe up. I think it might have been chocolate cookies. Anyway, whatever it was, it just didn’t happen. Except the results were exactly what I was going for in an chocolately fudgey vegan brownie recipe. Whooop, whooop! Then inspired by another recipe I saw in a vegan cookbook, I tossed on some chopped almonds and cacao…
carrot muffins (vegan, dairy free, no added sugar)
Since we’re in the season of getting together and gift-giving, I want to give you a better-for-you, better-for-them muffin recipe. A carrot muffin recipe and one that is free of any added sugar and full of vitamins and make-you-feel good ingredients. This time of year, it feels like we’re inundated with foods that are high in fats and sugars, doesn’t it? And even though muffins appear innocent, many muffin recipes have plenty of both. Especially if you add the pat of butter – vegan or no. Why am I so passionate about this? It’s because I’ve seen how much better I feel and how much better my…
jam roll (vegan, added sugar free, nut free)
Growing up, I always knew pie meant one thing…jam roll. I’m not sure where the tradition started, but I remember my English grandmother and my mom making them – often using strawberry or raspberry jam as the filling. It’s a completely genius way to use up scraps of pastry left over from pastry making and there’s something so right about warm jam between a crispy layer of pastry. Here’s how it’s done. 1. Reform your pastry scraps into a ball and roll out to 1/8″-1/4″ thick. 2. Spread a thin layer of jam over the pastry bringing it almost to the edges. To keep it added sugar…
loaded sweet potatoes with spicy guacamole and black bean sofrito (vegan, dairy free, soy free, gluten free)
It always amazes me how hard it is to find a recipe that my entire family likes. I often get close with a 5 out of 6 thumbs up, but hitting a perfect score of 6 for 6 is maddeningly elusive. So imagine my surprise when this loaded sweet potato with spicy guacamole and black bean sofrito was a clear winner. Even with my daughter who doesn’t usually like bean dishes. Or my boys who prefer mild to spicy. Let’s pause while I celebrate with a hearty “ole.” I love the contrasting flavors, textures and color of this dish…the sweetness with the spicy, the creaminess punctuated with…
easier-than-pie apple crisp (no added sugar, vegan, soy free, dairy free)
I never was much of a pie person. Unlike pizza where I could eat just the crust, pie crust left me cold. And making it? My results were rarely worth the effort. Which is why crisps are more my speed. Easier to pull together and capped with a sweet, flavorful topping…mmmm. Yes. Please. My favorite way to make this apple crisp also makes it virtually foolproof because you can control your chunky-to-sauce ratio and turn out the perfect-for-you apple crisp every time. Personally, I like things a little more on the saucy side. For the topping, I swapped out the traditional brown sugar and butter for dates (in the…
