Vegan Ambrosia

I haven't posted anything in quite a long time, apart from finally pressing "Publish" on a 3-year-old draft just now. (I didn't even check for typos - sorry, folks - I'm clearly not a blogger.) But I threw together this recipe today, and it worked out quite well, so I thought I would share. I did not think to take photos while making them, so there's just the one of the end product. Here goes it. 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Cover with hot or boiling water and let sit: 2/3 cup raisins 3. Mix wet ingredients thoroughly (using electric mixer if possible): 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used "natural" chunky) 1/2 very ripe banana 1 Tablespoon molasses 1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup but could reduce that) 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water, let sit for a couple minutes) 4. Mix separately then add to wet mixture: 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 5. Fold in until well distributed: 1-2/3 cup rolled oats 1/3 ...

I recently decided that, even as I cut back on calories overall, I need more chocolate in my life. More and more research is coming out about the health benefits of chocolate, with the only caveat I see is that it comes with unhealthy fats and refined sugars we don't want. So let's eat chocolate in forms that are healthier and still enjoy the benefits (including deliciousness)! This recipe gets its sweetness from agave syrup and dates, and the fats come from nuts and legumes. I adapted this recipe from a few others, and really, you can adjust ingredients and amounts to make this your own. Brownies: 1 cup raw walnuts 1 cup raw pecans 2 cups pitted dates 1 cup raw cacao powder 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shreds 1/2 cup agave syrup dash of salt In food processor, chop walnuts and pecans coarsely.   Add dates and cacao powder and chop together until a fine crumble; then add coconut, salt, and agave syrup.   Run food processor unt...

These cupcakes are fairly low in fat, and since I mistakenly left out the applesauce, they turned out denser and more like brownies than cupcakes.  Feel free to add 1/3 cup of applesauce to the batter (I have done a version with that before) if you want them more cakey. Brownie cupcakes: 1/2 cup coconut milk drink or lite coconut milk 1/2 cup turbinado sugar 1/4 cup agave syrup 1/2 cup soy milk 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup raw cacao (or cocoa) powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a mini muffin pan.  (I like that size, but feel free to use the bigger ones and increase the baking time.) Mix together the coconut milk, turbinado sugar, and agave syrup (not pictured - sorry!).  Mix vigorously with a fork or whisk every minute or so, until sugar is dissolved. Meanwhile, stir together soy milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside for a few minu...

I posted this a few weeks ago on my Facebook page, but I thought I would reproduce it here.  I might copy a few others over as I go along, and so I'm sorry for the repeat to my FB friends. I recently discovered the joys of candy-making when I had an excess of vegan caramel (and pecans and chocolate) leftover from making candy apples with friends (hence - turtles!).  So I thought I would try making some of my other favorite candies at home.  It is surprisingly difficult to find vegan peanut butter cups, but not so hard to make!  They may not be pretty, but they're yummy! For the filling: 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used a mini chopper, but you could probably crush them by hand) 3/4 cup powdered sugar 3/4 cup natural crunchy peanut butter (no added sugar) For the chocolate coating: 1/2 pound vegan dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe's)   Mix the ingredients for the filling together with an electric mixer on low until it resembles cookie ...