Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

Lately I've been experimenting with putting coconut butter into all the places that vegan butter normally goes. Cookies, cupcakes, and everything else really. Sometimes it imparts a little bit of coconutty flavor, other times I don't even notice it except for the rich light texture it leaves. In cookies it keeps them moist and chewy but not oily, and in these cupcakes it made them a little denser than an ordinary cupcake but incredibly moist and flavorful. I hate the word moist but I honestly couldn't think of a word to replace it.

My original plan was to put lemon zest as well as juice in the batter, but our zester's vanished so that didn't happen. Adding a couple teaspoons would be an awesome addition though!

These guys are pretty tasty on their own, and frosting would make them even better. I'm one of those people who prefers the tops of muffins to the rest of them, and that happened with these a little as well. There's a couple sitting in my fridge decapitated right now actually. No shame.

I used homemade cashew milk for this recipe which turned out awesome, (1/4 cup cashews blended with 1 cup water), but any commercially made nut or soy milk should turn out fine as well.

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

1 cup cashew/almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut butter, softened
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup cake/pastry flour, sifted
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350, line a muffin tin with liners.

Mix together cashew milk and apple cider vinegar with lemon juice, set aside for a few minutes.

Cream together sugar and softened coconut butter. Add vanilla, and milk and apple cider vinegar mixture.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.

Mix the dry into the wet, and combine until smooth. Fill liners and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't think chocolate chip cookies need a lot of introduction. They're round, they're perfect, they're chocolatey. I'm a chewy cookie kind of girl, and I recently discovered the secret that adding a bit of cornstarch to your cookies keeps them soft and amazing.

I also discovered that I don't think there's a saturation point for too many chocolate chips in a cookie. It's just not possible. When the cookies harden and cool, so does the chocolate and that keeps it together. Handy for when you're only using cookies as a vehicle to get chocolate into your mouth.

Another cookie tip to keep in mind is that if you prefer softer cookies take them out when they look just barely cooked. The edges can be crisped up and a little brown, but if the middles look a bit doughy it's perfect. They continue to cook once they're out of the oven, so doing this keeps them from becoming to crispy.

Putting the cookie dough in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes before baking helps keep cookies from spreading too much, and relaxes the gluten a little keeping your cookies soft. It's not essential though if you're impatient.

I used spelt flour which resulted in a slighty denser, almost nutty tasting cookie. You can use whatever flour you like though.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup vegan butter
1 cup sucanat
1 egg replacer(I used 1 tablespoon chia seeds and 3 tablespoons water, mixed and left to sit for 5 minutes)
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 cups spelt flour
1 1/2 tsps cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate chips

With a hand mixer cream the vegan butter for a minute or two til smooth, then add in the sugar.

Cream together til smooth, add in the egg replacer, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

Mix into the butter mixture til smooth. Add in chocolate chips.

Place in tablespoons onto cookie sheets, place in the fridge(if you're doing that step) for 30 minutes.

Set oven to 350, bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.

Copycat Protein Bars

My plans for blogging while travelling failed miserably, but I'm back now! In Australia and New  Zealand it's pretty slim pickings for vegans, but most of the places we stayed had kitchens. I mostly ended up just making simple stir fries most of the time with things I found at the grocery store, which doesn't necessarily make for the most exciting blogging.

It made me realize how many things I have in my life that I really don't need. Living out of a suitcase for 2 months will do that to a girl I guess. I loved Australia so much that I decided to move there. It's warm, there's beaches,  and the people are the nicest I've met anywhere. It was a pretty easy sell! I think  as a photographer(or any kind of artist I guess) you need to live where you're inspired, and I guess it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to find that in Toronto.

I also realized that in life you really can do absolutely anything you want, and go anywhere you want, the only thing that stops you from doing those things is yourself. Your excuses, and fears, and maybe a like for being comfortable where you are. I think the opportunities to push yourself and do things that scare you a little (or a lot) are the most rewarding, so I've decided to do more of them in 2013. Find bigger things that scare me, and try to do them to the best of my ability.

Anyhow back to food, while I was in New Zealand, I came across these super tasty protein bars from a brand called One Square Meal. The ingredient list wasn't the best(too many processed things for this girl), but I think when travelling(as a vegan) you sometimes have to stretch yourself ways you wouldn't ordinarily. I've been dreaming about them ever since I got back though, and since I've been hibernating due to the cold I've had lots of time to try to recreate them.

Copycat OSM Bars

2 cups quick cooking oats

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup agave

1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted

2 scoops chocolate protein powder

1/3 cup hemp seeds

pinch of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

In a bowl stir together oats, hemp seeds, cinnamon, salt and protein powder. In another bowl mix coconut oil, agave, chocolate chips. Mix the wet into the dry, and pour into a 9x12 pan lined with parchment paper. Press down firmly with your hands or a spatula, let set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Makes 8.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

A lot of good recipe stories begin with a bunch of bananas languishing on a counter. That's what happened in this case as well. I smushed the offenders up with some ground up almonds and oats, and these babies were born.

I once saw some graffiti on a wall that said "Oatmeal raisin cookies are the reason I have trust issues". I can relate. It's the worst when you're deliberating in front of a pile of cookies and you can't tell the difference between chocolate chip and raisin. I don't see why you have to choose though, just put them all into one cookie and your problem is solved. And I don't see why you need to stop at those, goji berries, chopped nuts, and hempseeds should also be invited to the party. Some is good, more is better, too much may be just enough.

If you're not feeling bananas, you could try pumpkin puree, or applesauce perhaps. Each banana is equal to about 1/2 cup. If your dough looks a little too wet though, try adding some more oats.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 cup almonds

1 cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons oat flour

2 large ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tablespoons chocolate/vanilla protein powder

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chocolate chips

pinch of salt

Grind the almonds in a food processor so that it's almost flour texture, but still a little chunky.

Mix almond meal, oats, oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, protein powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl combine bananas and vanilla, then mix into oat mixture. Add in chocolate chips and raisins, stir till combined. 

Bake on a cookie tray at 350 for 12-14 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.

Pumpkin Maple Granola

I've almost run out of pumpkin in my house. I realized when making this that I've never tried making home made granola before, and then I was embarrassed at how easy it was. But after that I was too busy to be concerned about that, and instead took to topping this on everything. Eating it on it's own straight as well. Then I remembered that the grocery store sells this stuff for $13 a measly bag. That was followed by thoughts of maybe I'm missing out my chance to be a multi millionaire because I'm not selling overpriced granola. It's never too late. I'm quitting my job and going to start hawking this stuff instead.

This is a little less sweet than most granolas, but if you like it sweeter just add more maple syrup. Agave and honey are good as well, but I'm Canadian and since the stuff comes out of taps, I might as well use it. You could sub the almonds for walnuts too. The hemp seeds provide a nice extra protein kick, plus some healthy fats.

Pumpkin Maple Granola
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl til evenly coated. Spread flat on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20ish minutes, it's okay if it comes out a little soft since it firms up on cooling.

Caramel Crispies

I've got a confession to make.

The first set of photos I took of these I deleted from my camera before they ever saw the computer. Oops.

So now that the tray is pretty much done I figured I'd better squeeze in a quick shot before I devoured the last piece, cause this recipe is too tasty not to share. These were originally sort of inspired to be Luna Bar knockoffs(inspired by this recipe), but they turned out to be much better and not like Luna Bars at all. I also topped half the tray in coconut butter(NOT oil!), but that was the half that got eaten first, so no photos for them. But just imagine it's there.

Caramel Crispie Squares

3 cups puffed millet
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cashew almond butter
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 scoop Vega chocolate protein powder
2/3 cup coconut butter(not oil), optional

On the stove over medium heat mix together nut butter, agave, salt, and vanilla extract til melted. Pour over millet in a large bowl, and add protein powder. Mix well, then press firmly into a baking pan.

In the same pot you mixed the nut butter in, melt the coconut butter til smooth. Pour over the pan and spread to cover.

Freeze until firm enough to cut into squares.

I liked storing these in the freezer because of the chewy texture it gave them, but the fridge would probably work too!

Crispy Tofu Steaks

I love tofu. For awhile I pretended I didn't, and then for a bit soy kind of freaked me out so I didn't eat it. It seems like evidence in inconclusive(as of right now) that tofu is completely terrible for you, so I'm going to keep eating it til someone proves otherwise. I try to stick to organic soy products only though, since non-organic soy is susceptible to being genetically modified, which is something I'd like to avoid!

I've tried a lot of tofu brands in my day, and contrary to what most people think, tofu does have a subtle flavour, and the flavour is more pronounced depending on brand. My favorite right now is called Soyarie, and it's made in Canada. I usually choose the one with herbs, since who doesn't like extra herbs in everything? It's also pretty cheap at $2.19 a pack, and I'm all about cheap protein!

Tofu works like a flavour sponge, it'll absorb the taste of whatever you put it in. If you're feeling fancy you can press your tofu between two plates(the top one weighted with cans or something), and that'll squeeze some water out to allow room for extra flavour in it. If I do this I usually press it for about an hour, but if you don't feel like it it's not a big deal. Marinating it or using lots of spices usually works great. The smaller you cut your pieces the more flavourful they'll be!

For these tofu steaks I marinaded them for about an hour, then covered them with a Nooch based coating then tossed them in the oven for about 20 minutes. They're great for dipping, or in a salad, or any other way you can think to eat them.

This weekend's the Vegetarian Festival in Toronto, and I've got butterflies! 3 days of vegetable goodness, last year was great and I ate so many samples I pretty much needed to roll home. Hopefully this weekend will be the same!

Crispy Tofu Steaks

1 block extra firm tofu, cut in thirds lengthwise then into triangles

Marinade
1/3 cup soy sauce/tamari
1 tsp garlic powder
1tsp coriander
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Crispy Coating:
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Combine all marinade ingredients in a tupperware container, then submerge triangles. Leave to marinate for an hour or two.

Stir coating ingredients in a shallow dish, and coat each triangle throughly.

Preheat oven to 400. Place triangles on a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Banana Soft Serve

This week is flying by, I can't believe it's Thursday already. This morning I woke up planning on maybe making today a rest day, but I was feeling zesty and wanted to go lift some weights, so off to the gym I went! It was empty today, which is my favorite way for it to be. I did some strength moves in short bursts of 20-30 seconds, with 15 second breaks which was great for getting my heart rate up. I feel like I noticeably lost strength when I stopped lifting heavier while I was in Vancouver, so I've been easing back into it slowly.

While I was in Vancouver I was experimenting with adding more healthy fat into my diet, and somehow from that I lost weight. Or toned up a bit more, or a bit of both. I've been using photos to measure progress because they don't seem to bother me the same way knowing numbers does. Even though it's been a year since I started making a conscious effort to feed my body what it needs, and not restrict it still seems like it's slowly stabilizing itself still. I only started getting regular periods in January, and I guess things are still working themselves out.

Lately I've been trying adding more carbs into my diet in the forms of whole grains mostly. It's kind of making my energy levels go off the walls! In my head for some reason I still think I should stay away from carbs, even though I know your body needs them. Still learning to let go of weird food hangups I guess.

I've done miraculously well with cutting down my sugar intake the past couple days. I've been eating less fruit than previously, and more lower sugar fruits. One thing I noticed was even though I've been eating lower sugar fruits, after I eat them I crave more for no particular reason, even if I'm full. It's interesting to see how foods can affect you when you start paying more attention to them.

I had my 5th Health History session today, and I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of it. It was so much easier to talk and connect, and get meaningful answers. I enjoy so much about learning about other people's diets and journeys'. I never get tired of talking about food.

Banana soft serve is so ridiculously easy, and not even really a recipe. It's one that's been floating around the internet for awhile. I made some the other day because I was excited to try my new food processor, and it photographed well, so here it is:

Banana Soft Serve

Take 2 bananas, chop into pieces, then freeze til hard. Process in a food processor until soft. It will sounds like the food processor is about to die initially, but it will be okay!

For a bit firmer texture freeze it for about half an hour before serving, or use as is for a more soft serve consistency.

You can add 1/2 cup frozen other fruit as well, like strawberries, blueberries, mango, etc. Chocolate chips are a good mix in as well.

I topped mine with this recipe!

Mango Coconut Bites

I can't stop with coconut lately. Or granola bars for that matter. These were intended to be granola bars, but I figured I should give them a break and made these into smaller bite sized treats. Then dipped them in chocolate, because that was the obvious choice!

Dipping them in chocolate proved a bit difficult since I don't have any toothpicks, and so I tried using a fork but kept dropping them into the chocolate and not being able to retrieve them. I ended up just drizzling the rest of them with chocolate and sprinkling some more coconut on top!

These are best when stored in the freezer, it gives them a nice chewy texture which slows you down so you enjoy them a little longer. That works in theory, but I'm pretty sure I was swallowing them whole. You could make them into bars as well if you'd rather go that route.

Mango Coconut Bites


1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup puffed quinoa
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dates
1/4 cup fresh mango
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Grind the almonds to a powder in blender, then mix with puffed quinoa, buckwheat, oats, and coconut in a bowl. In the blender blend the dates, mango, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Mix into dry mixture in bowl, then roll spoonfuls into balls. Place in freezer to set and store.

If dipping in chocolate let set in freezer for about an hour, then melt some chocolate in a bowl and dip bites in to cover. Or drizzle on top and top with coconut!

The dates are sometimes easier to blend if you soak them in water for 10 minutes before.

Tropical Superfood Bars

A huge part of being successful in keeping healthy eating habits, or being a vegan is being prepared. I bring snacks everywhere, and energy/protein bars are super handy and easy to carry. A lot of bars available though are packed with not so healthy for you ingredients, and are more like glorified candy bars. In general you want to steer clear of bars with ingredients that you aren't aware what they are, isolate powders, artificial sweeteners, or anything you can't pronounce. I look for ones that are within the 200-300 calorie range, with a decent protein/fiber content(5g and over usually for protein), and not too much sugar. A few favorites are Larabars, Macrobars, and the occasional Clif Bar or Luna Bar, although they're a little more processed than I generally like.

Bars are incredibly easy to make, and much more cost effective! I like to wrap them individually and store them in the freezer so they stay fresh and are ready to grab on the go. These ones come together in minutes, and are slightly tropical flavoured. There's no baking involved, you simply mix them and pop the tray in the freezer.

While superfood is a broad, unregulated term, and I don't really think that stuffing your face with superfoods will cure all what ails you, any foods that pack an extra nutritional punch are a plus! The goji berries in here are high in antioxidants, protein and iron. Puffed quinoa adds some complete protein and fiber, buckwheat is packed with magnesium and trytophan. Oats help reduce cholestrol, and digest slowly to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Coconut oil is a healthy fat and a great source of energy. So overall, they're pretty amazing for you!

Tropical Superfood Bars


1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup puffed quinoa(available in the cereal section of most health food stores)
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbspns coconut oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 mashed banana
pinch of salt
1/4 cup dried pineapple chunks
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix oats, quinoa, buckwheat, pineapple, goji berries, coconut, chocolate chips, and almond flour in a bowl. Mix coconut oil, vanilla, agave, and banana in a seperate bowl. Mix wet with dry ingredients, and press into a 9x9 pan firmly(line the pan with tin foil for ease in removal). Let set in freezer, then cut into bars.

Hummus!

I think hummus is a food group for vegans. For this one it is at least! I put it on everything, and I love the way it lends itself to multiple flavours! It's also a great way to sneak in some beans if you didn't love them right away(like me). Chickpeas have quite a neutral flavour in comparison to most beans(you can even use them as a base for brownies!!). Canned is easy, but purchasing them in bulk and cooking them yourself is super simple and cost conservation! Plus you don't have to worry about any pesky BPA being in your can lining.

Hummus is ridiculously easy to make, and the only thing really limiting you with it is your imagination. You can even swap chickpeas for edamame, mash in steamed sweet potato, or mix in different types of beans or avocado for creaminess. The basic recipe consists of chickpeas, tahini(sesame seed butter), garlic, lemon, salt, and olive oil. I like it with lots of garlic and rosemary, or super spicy! It's great for dipping, topping salads in place of dressing, or in wraps.

Rosemary Garlic Hummus


2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder(fresh is good too)
salt to taste
1/4 cup water(or more, depending on desired consistency)

Place everything in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. It thickens up when placed in the fridge, so you may find you need to add more water the next day. It also tastes better after a couple hours when the flavours have had a chance to mix.

Other add in's that could taste good:
Hot Sauce
Caramalized Onions
Roasted Garlic
Curry Powder
Sweet Potato
Ginger
Chopped Herbs

Coconut Dream Bars

As of late I've been on a coconut binge. No shame though. Coconut is awesome for you! It may have gotten a bad rep in the past due to it's saturated fat content, but since it's natural saturated fat, not man made, it's not bad for you. Some fats are healthy for you, and the fat in coconut oil can improve your heart health, boost your thyroid, increase your metabolism, and support your immune system. The magic ingredient in coconuts is lauric acid, which has unique health benefits. Your body converts it into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-protozoa properties. The medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil are also smaller, so they're easier for your body to digest and use as fuel. Whereas long-chain triglycerides, which are harder for your body to break down, and therefore easier to store as fat.

Farmers discovered this back in 1940 when they tried to use low grade coconut oil to fatten their livestock. It didn't work! Instead it made the animals leaner and more active. Coconut oil has shown to help optimize body weight, and can improve healing and immune function. All the more reason to scarf down these bars!!

Coconut Dream Bars

Raw, Vegan, Gluten and Soy Free

2 cups pitted dates

2/3 cup almonds

2/3 cup cashews

2/3 cup shredded,unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons coconut oil(melted)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Topping

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

2-3 packets stevia

coconut for sprinkling

In a food processor process dates, almonds, cashews and coconut oil until thoroughly mixed, but a little chunky. Add in coconut and chocolate chips and process until combined. Press into a 9x9 pan.

Topping: Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, pour over bars. Sprinkle with coconut.

Place bars in fridge or freezer to set, cut into pieces!