Tasty Freeze Shake

Full credit for this one goes to the Jaroudi Family YouTube Channel.  This is delicious!  I've never had a Wendy's Frosty but this plant-based healthy recipe stand-in for a vanilla or chocolate shake really hits the spot.  Click here to watch the original video for making these tasty treats.  Thank you, Jaroudi family, for what has become one of my go-to healthy shakes after a sweaty work out!

Ingredients for the Vanilla version

1 frozen banana

1 1/2 pitted date (you can change the amount for your own preference)

1/2 cup rolled oats, soaked in water*

*(Place oats in a container covered with water and set aside for 1-2 hrs until soft)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (you can change the amount for your own preference)

5-6 ice cubes

Directions:

+Make sure you have soaked the rolled oats in water for 1-2 hours before making

+Blend all ingredients until smooth

+Place shake in refrigerate till cold and enjoy!

Oat shake will thicken as it sits.

For the Chocolate version just add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and follow the same directions for the vanilla shake.

YUMMERS!

Banana & Chocolate Bites

I've written about these delectable taste treats before.  Just never managed to get them posted where I can find and share the recipe easily.  Time to do it.

In trying to curb my habit of eating a dark chocolate bar daily, I've found that having these morsels on hand in the freezer help me skip the processed chocolate in exchange for a healthier version. 

Super simple, all you need is some ripe bananas (with nice brown spots on the peel but still firm and able to hold their shape when cut), a couple heaping teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, a dribble of vanilla extract, and a tablespoon or two of peanut butter (almond butter could work, too).

Cut two bananas into 1/4" slices.  Arrange on parchment paper or foil in a pan that will fit into your freezer. On top of each banana slice drop a tiny amount of peanut butter.

In a separate bowl, mash a 3rd ripe banana (the riper the better) until it's almost liquefied.  Add your two teaspoons of cocoa powder and splash of vanilla and mix until combined.  If your chocolate sauce is too thick, add a couple drops of water. But carefully, you want it thick enough that it won't be runny.

Start 'dolloping' a little of the chocolate sauce on top of each banana/peanut butter slice.

I topped these bites with a sprinkle of toasted buckwheat groats.  You can use toasted coconut or unsweetened cacao nibs.  But without a topping is just as tasty.

Pop your pan into the freezer and wait several hours (or longer).  When you have a craving for a little sweet nibble, your bites are ready for you to indulge in.

For more ways to use bananas, click here: http://krylivinggreen.blogspot.com/2015/09/orange-you-glad-i-wrote-about-bananas.html

Chocolate Pudding

Borrowed this latest taste-treat from Chef Del's "Better than Vegan" Cookbook.   Had to change-up the sweetener portion of the recipe since I did not have enough dates to make the 'date syrup' per the recipe instructions. However, I did have date sugar (not really sugar at all but ground dried dates) on the pantry shelf and a few Medjool dates.  So I whipped up a suitable substitute.

Hankering for a chocolate fix?  This could be your next favorite new thing.  I made myself two pudding cups  for the refrigerator and froze the rest in ice cube trays.  Want to try some in the blender when I'm craving some 'nice cream.'

1 12-oz package silken tofu, drained

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup BEST DATE SYRUP EVER (click here for a recipe)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.  Refrigerate until well chilled.

Here's the sweetener I used...1 c. water, 1/4 cup date sugar, liquid stevia to taste and two whole dates (pits removed----hahahaha  Forgot to remove pits and when I put everything in my blender I heard this GRATING sound and remembered "I forgot the pits!!"  What a mess removing them at that point in the production.  HA!  But I did...too many yummy ingredients to waste...and removed them both).  You can simmer this on the stovetop, like I did...or just throw it all in the blender with the other ingredients.  I'm not sure it makes much difference in taste, the way I did it.  

YUMMERS!

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Sweet and simple.  Throw in a little more milk for a larger serving portion and a few ice cubes to make it go farther.  I've added 'spinach' to this smoothie before but decided to keep this recipe in the 'ungreen' category.  This taste treat is also worthy of a mid-afternoon snack break or after dinner dessert.

There should be a comma after "almond milk" as the 'vanilla/unsweetened' describes the almond milk.  I prefer the 30-calories-per-cup variety.  Yummy stuff!

Enjoy!

Lunchbox Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe in "Forks Over Knives:  The Cookbook."  So glad I did.  My prior attempts at a healthier cookie always left me wanting.  The secret ingredient in these beauties is almond butter and it makes all the difference in the taste!   Now my 'go to' cookie recipe and really hits the spot when I have a cookie craving.  A note of caution:  It's hard to eat just one.  So, I don't even try.  When the cookies are baking in the oven, I brew up a fresh cup of coffee or tea.  When my tea is steeped to perfection, the cookies are ready to come out of the oven and I serve up THREE of these taste treats and Enjoy every bite.  The rest I store in the freezer and remove a few at a time for that next cookie craving.

Makes 24 Cookies

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup almond butter

1/2 cup dry sweetener (I use Stevia)

1 T. ground flaxseeds

2 t. pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups rolled oats (I use closer to 1 1/2 cups since dough is very sticky)

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 cup sorghum flour or whole-wheat pastry flour (I use the latter)

1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips (Easy to use less.  I can get away with using only 2 T. and prefer regular semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats.

2. In a mixing bowl, use a strong fork or wooden spoon to beat together applesauce, almond butter, sweetener, and flaxseeds.  One relatively smooth, mix in the vanilla extract.

3.  Add in the oats, baking soda, and salt and mix well.  Add the sorghum flour and chocolate chips and mix well.

4.  Drop by small spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheet in about 1-1/2 T. scoops, about 2" apart.  Flatten the cookies a bit, so that they resemble thick discs (they won't spread much at all during baking.)  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  The longer you bake them, the crispier they will be.  

5.  Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Final Notes:  After making these cookies several times, I've found that my smallest melon scoop works very well for a uniform size cookie and makes closer to 30 cookies rather than the 24 the original recipe states.  Also, I squeeze all the cookies onto one large cookie sheet, leaving less space between each cookie, no problem. 

Enjoy!  And special thanks to Isa Chandra Moskowitz for her contributions to this cookbook!