Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Pumpkins, eggs, and oil in the mix makes for a moist, flavorful pancake with a crepe-like texture.  Credit is due to the wonderful book Practical Paleo for the recipe.  Easy, healthy, and delicious, these pancakes have become a Sunday morning staple in Veggie Wonder-land.  They're also grain-free and paleo, with lots of fiber and protein to boot.  

Most pumpkins and squashes will do, and the recipe works especially well with a butternut squash base.  The brand and texture of squash mixed in does influence the taste - the Kroger organic brand I tried this morning resulted in a thicker, more substantial pancake than the standard Libby's brand version.  

Enjoy!

You will need:

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup canned squash (pumpkin or butternut squash work very well)
• 2 spoonfulls of melted butter or oil
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• dash vanilla
• equal amounts of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, to taste
• sweetener to taste (maple syrup recommended)
• chocolate chips or chunks (optional)

1. Mix wet ingredients, and then stir in the dry ingredients.
2. Fry in greased or nonstick skillet on medium heat.  A 2-3'' diameter cake works well.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips if desired.  Flip after a few bubbles appear.
3. Enjoy!

Frozen Pear Mocha

This is good stuff.  Sweet, creamy, and super healthy to boot!  I enjoyed this coffee drink much more than a standard Starbucks Frappuccino, and I'll definitely repeat the combination of frozen fruity pears infusing my blended coffee beverages.  It's so easy, and most things you'll have around the house anyway.  If you chop and freeze the pears yourself, you can freeze and blend with skin (frozen fruit is often already skinned) for an extra fiber boost.

You will need:

• Chopped frozen pear
• Milk of choice (I used unsweetened Silk Almond Milk)
• Unsweetened cocoa powder to taste (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
• Instant coffee or espresso, 1-2 servings worth
• Optional: cinnamon to taste (I used it), additional sweetener (I didn't include)

1. Put all ingredients in a blender.  I used my Magic Bullet.
2. Pulse until blended.
3. Enjoy!

Super Fudgy Steel-Cut Oats

Nutty + chocolatey +... healthy?  Yes!  Cocoa + coconut oil work so well with the steel cut oats here.

Steel cut oats have a wonderful nutty flavor and a satisfying crunch.  While I generally prefer them to the standard rolled variety, I would avoid them because they were too much work.  That is, until I realized I could make steel cut oats easily in my single serving rice cooker (stay tuned for some more details in a future post!).

To make these chocolate oats, you will need:

• Plain oats of choice, cooked as you like them and warm (steel cut oats are wonderful!)
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, to taste
• Sweetener of choice, to taste (I used Splenda)
• Coconut butter, a small dab for richness or to taste

1. Mix everything together.
2. Taste and adjust ingredients as necessary.
3. Enjoy!

Strawberry Mocha!

Sometimes it's the most brilliant of ideas which remain hidden in plain sight.  Such is no doubt true of the strawberry mocha.  Chocolate is of course polyamorous, and we've always known it to pair well with strawberries and with coffee.  Raspberry lattes have been en vogue for ages.  Why do we not, then, fancy strawberry lattes?  And so it was with a sudden epiphany that I read that a strawberry latte was available at local cafe, and I ordered it.  Instant, sugary and caffeinated bliss!

I will certainly make another one for myself later, using SF strawberry syrup (such as Torani), unsweetened almond milk, instant coffee granules, and unsweetened cacao powder.

Deep Chocolate Truffles

 I'm a huge fan of Chocolate Covered Katie, so as soon as I saw her recipe for fudge babies and friends, I knew I wanted in.  They're easy, healthy, natural, and delicious.  So one day, when I get a super high powered blender and can pulverize some walnuts, I totally plan to make them.  Several varieties of them.  However, until then, I'll be making this recipe and calling on the same CCK concepts and deliciousness in spirit.  This recipe yields a truffle that's pretty tasty in its own right.  Your truffles will also be rich and delicious.  As with the originals, you'll need no added sugar and no blender.  You only need:

• Almond butter (choose a variety according to taste - e.g. salty or not, roasted or not...)
• Mashed dates (if they are difficult to mash to the consistency of applesauce, soak them for a few hours first)
• Unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark for rich color)
• Instant coffee powder (optional, for a mocha flavor)

1. Mix the first three ingredients in approximately equal portions with a fork (possibly use less cocoa depending on how bitter you like things, a little goes a long way here) until a chocolatey batter forms.  
2. Taste and adjust the proportions, adding some coffee granules if desired.
3. Role into balls.
4. Enjoy!

Have a Healthy, Vegan Passover

These beautiful beet chips are delicious year round, not just on Passover!

Consider this a totally unauthorized guide to healthy food that happens to be vegan and suitable for Passover. It also can serve as a resource for easy to prepare, healthy vegan foods which happen to be gluten-free.

Special diets always pose an interesting and exciting challenge.  Passover, a Jewish weeklong holiday, is especially challenging for observers of the holiday who are of Ashkenazi descent, as these followers are to avoid most flours as well as rice, corn, beans, soy, peanuts (!), etc.  For vegans, such restrictions cut out many key sources of nutrients.  For a while, I had wondered if both sets of constraints (Passover and vegan) could be met with adequate nutrition and variety.  I gave this dietary puzzle some serious thought.

I now believe that, given proper planning, a healthy and nourishing vegan Pesach is indeed possible.  You can enjoy a number of delicious and healthy vegetarian and vegan Passover meals while adhering to the dietary guidelines for the holiday!  In fact, you can even expand your culinary horizons and try a lot of new and interesting foods while you're at it.  For those of you observing the holiday - or who are supporting friends who are choosing to do so, here are some tips for how to enjoy the holiday in a healthy, vegan way:

1. Eat lots of vegetables.  
   Veggies are delicious, healthy, and relatively inexpensive.  Almost all of them are allowed for the holiday.  They are filling, and really, we should be eating more of them anyway.  There are so many new and exciting ways to prepare vegetables that you could try.  How many have you considered?  For example, grilling, roasting, sauteeing, etc.  
   
   You could cook a different vegetable, prepared in a different way, each night.  You could even try two different types of vegetables each day.  You are bound to come away from such an experience with at least a few new recipes for vegetables you absolutely love.  Of course, I'm biased on this count-this is the Veggie Wonder blog, after all!   

Some of my favorites from this blog:
• Best broccoli of my life (just omit the nooch, it's still delicious!)
  
• Buttery brussels sprouts
  
• Curried eggplant
  
• Curried cauliflower soup
  
• Garlic chardonnay asparagus
  



2. Consume healthy and diverse sources of carbohydrates.
    Matzo crackers are of course the traditional carbohydrate for the holiday, but you can improve the nutrition quotient of your matzah by going for a variety made with whole grain, bran, or oats.  
   
   Quinoa is for some reason also allowed, and it's one of the healthiest grains out there.  You can use quinoa with sweetener, etc. as a wholesome breakfast in the morning (and you can prepare it in the slow cooker!), or with salt and pepper in a savory manner for lunch or dinner.  Substitute quinoa for couscous in tabbouleh recipes, or for rice for a delicious pilaf.  Quinoa is also an excellent source of protein.  And don't forget, potatoes-baked, mashed, or just the skins.  Yum!



3. Include healthy proteins in your diet.  
   There are proteins that you can find that work here.  Yes, tofu and beans are unfortunately out.  However, there are some protein powders which should pass muster.  For example, you can find online two magical, lifesaving powders: brazil nut protein powder and pumpkin seed protein powder.  Hemp and flax powders are also available, and may or may not be acceptable to you, depending on which set of guidelines you follow.   Protein balls are delicious, with a protein powder as the main bulking agent for various sweet treats.
   
   Protein powder can add a nice boost to anything you are making from a pudding to a smoothie.  Mmmmmmm, smoothies!   Now is a great time to try out a green monster smoothie, if you haven't done so already!
   
   You can also mix your protein powder into soups, drinks, and sauces, to be sure you get a decent amount of protein in most of your meals.
   
   Some of my favorite high-protein recipes from this blog:
   • Sweet nut butter balls (use almond butter instead of standard pb)
     
   • Chocolate almond protein truffles (substitute a different protein powder, and you are golden)
     

Following are some delicious healthy holiday food substitutions:

• Pasta-Spaghetti squash, regular shirataki noodles (the kind without tofu)
• Soups-Curried cauliflower soup, gazpacho soup, etc.
• Sauces-Guacamole, salsa, most nut butters and seed-butters (you can stir in some protein powder into creamier sauces to make a meal out of them)
• Sandwiches-layer a high protein sauce from above with cooked or raw veggies between matzo, or roll in a large leafy green, such as cabbage or lettuce, for a wrap
• Salty Snacks-Beet chips, kale chips
• Sweet Snacks-Baby carrots, homemade applesauce (really easy in the slow cooker!), baked sweet potato fries
• Desserts-Chocolate almond berry truffles from this blog, as well as our sweet nut protein balls (use almond butter instead of peanut butter); Chocolate Covered Katie also has some great ideas, including fudge babies, healthier macaroons, and a grasshopper pie (all of which I have tried, and found delicious)

This list is incomplete, and I'll add to it as time passes and I get more ideas.  Please feel free to comment with some of your vegan holiday-appropriate favorites!

Chocolate Blueberry Bread with Quinoa and Amaranth Flours

This is a healthy, nutty tasting bar, I think from the amaranth flour.  Like something "decadent" you might get in the vegan section of a health foods store.  If you like amaranth, you will almost certainly enjoy this bread, and even if you're not a fan, you still might like it.  I had bought the amaranth flour a few weeks back and been planning to experiment with it for a while.  Finally, I had some free time so I opened the bag of amaranth flour, and I realized that I don't like the smell of amaranth.  For this reason, even when baked, the bread seemed slightly less appealing to me than it might otherwise have been.  However, I love, love, love blueberries and chocolate, so I was able to tolerate the first slice or so of the bread.  I then left it out on the kitchen counter, and I guess overnight the smell dissipated and the flavors melded, and so the next day, I thought it tasted good, and the third day, I thought the bread tasted delicious - still healthy, though - it looks like a dessert but doesn't taste like one!

The gooey-ness of the blueberries and chocolate in the final loaf was retained for a few days after the baking process was complete.  This is a moist, healthy and nutty-tasting loaf.

To make it, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour
• 3/4 cup quinoa flour
• 3/4 cup amaranth flour
• 2-3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 container beer (I used New Grist)
• Blueberries (I used ~1 cup frozen)
• Chocolate chunks (I used 1/2 of a 90% cacao Lindt bar) 
• Salt and sweetener to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix the first 4 dry ingredients and fluff with a fork.  Add the beer and stir until clumps dissolve.  
3. Add remaining ingredients, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
4. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until tester comes out without bread on it (some chocolate or blueberry will be inevitable).
5. Enjoy!  

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like our wild blueberry bread or spiced plum muffins!

Two Ingredient All-Natural Deep Chocolate Pudding

This is a wonderful guilt-free healthy pudding.  I make it when I'm craving chocolate and have a banana lying around the house.  The pudding has no added sugar, no gluten, and very, very little fat, yet is totally amazingly delicious!  You will need:

• 1 banana
• Unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Mash the banana.
2. Add cocoa powder to taste and stir until all of the powder has been absorbed into the banana mash.
3. Enjoy!

That's really all there is to it!  If you want the pudding to have a mocha flavor, you can also add some instant coffee to the mix.  Super yum!

Part of Allergy Free Wednesdays.

60 Second Magical Mocha Mug Cake

 After reading about a 60 second, super easy, flourless microwaveable mug-cake from Foodie Fiasco (click for her recipe!), I knew I was going to have to try making one of these myself.  I was not disappointed!  What a brilliant approach, and yet healthier than the sinfully delicious espresso brownie cups I had made earlier.

I followed Ms. Fiasco's recipe to a T, except I added a bit of instant coffee to the mix before popping it in the microwave to get a mocha flavor in the mix.  The texture is amazing and cakelike - I didn't taste the pumpkin in the mix at all.  The cake is also beautiful and yields a substantial portion.  Be careful to add a lot of sugar or sweetener, though-without it the cake can be a bit bitter.

I will definitely make this again, hopefully veganized.

Enjoy with a 60 calorie vegan mocha!

You will need:

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 egg white
• 2 spoonfuls of canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspon/small spoon of baking powder
• 3 spoonfuls of milk of choice
• Instant coffee (optional)
• Sweetener of choice

1. Mix everything together.  You may want to put everything except the egg in so that you can safely taste and be sure you have sufficient sweetener.
2. Pour into microwave safe greased or sprayed ramekin.
3. Nuke it for about 3 minutes, but watch it like a hawk, as every microwave is different.
4. Enjoy!

Do please also check out Kelly's post on this at Foodie Fiasco.  She has a lot of ideas/commentary/etc. for the recipe, and her site is just generally awesome.

If you would like something similar in taste but less healthy and even faster to put together, try these espresso brownie cups!  You may also enjoy our grain free brownies (more work, but more servings and also super yummy).

Low Calorie Vegan Mocha

I prefer this mocha to the Starbucks variety.  It's cheaper and it avoids the all the unnecessary sugars found in store-bought drinks!  When made with the recommended ingredients below, the drink has no sugar, 6 grams of fiber, and 60 calories.  You will need:

• 1 cup unsweetend almond milk (I used original Almond Breeze)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, or to taste (I used Hershey's special dark)
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• sweetener to taste (I used 1 packet of stevia)

1. Heat almond milk in mug in the microwave for 90 seconds on high or until milk is hot.
2. Add dry ingredients and stir until dissolved.
3. Enjoy!

Moist Cake Brownies

These moist, delicious brownies just might be healthy!  Well, they're almost healthy.  They're made with black beans(!) instead of white flour, so they have more fiber and protein and fewer carbohydrates than your average brownie.  You don't taste the black beans, though, I swear!  The brownies taste like a nice rich slice of cake.  They are so easy to make!  I found this wonderful recipe on the wonderful site Chocolate and Carrots, and I made only simple changes-I used brown sugar instead of white, and less of it than in the orginal recipe, I omitted chocolate chips (I didn't have any around, but I'm sure they would have been divine sprinkled on top!), and I added instant coffee granules for espresso/mocha flavor.  To bake a batch today, you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained black beans (I had freshly cooked beans ready, but a 19oz can will do)
• 1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark, but a fancy brand like Valhrona would work really well here!)
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg white
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• a few drops of vanilla extract
• a spoonful or so of instant coffee powder
• sweetener to taste - if you are using table sugar, use between 1/2 and 2/3 cup

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Blend all of the ingredients together.  
3. Pour into greased 8x8 pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
4. Let cool a bit, and enjoy!

The brownie stack.

The view from above.