Thursday 30 January 2014

Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies - Vegan & Gluten Free

First thing first I want to state that I am not currently Vegan or Gluten Free.  That being said I LOVE experimenting with new healthy recipes and challenging myself in the kitchen.  These brownies just looked all around amazing so I decided to give them a go. The result was satisfyingly fudgy and absolutely delicious!






 This recipe is courtesy of Minimalist Baker my favorite blog for Vegan desserts!

Vegan Gluten Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

INGREDIENTS


  • 1 15 oz. can (~ 1 3/4 cups) black beans, well rinsed and drained
  • 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 5 T water)
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice)
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder (the higher quality the better)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave (or sub honey if not vegan)
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tsp raw sugar, ground to fine texture (or sub granulated)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup salted natural peanut butter (smooth or creamy)
  • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips + more for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan or a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (not mini).

3. Prepare flax eggs by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.

4. Add remaining ingredients through baking soda and puree – about 3 minutes – scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth.

5. If the batter appears too thick, add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse again. It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny. Add almost all of the chocolate chips and stir.

6. Evenly distribute the batter into the 8×8 or muffin tins and smooth the tops with a spoon or your finger.

7. Measure out peanut butter in a mixing cup and add in powdered sugar – mix to combine.

8. To the brownie pan, add dots of the peanut butter powdered sugar mixture and swirl with a toothpick or knife. Sprinkle top with a few more chocolate chips or shaved chocolate.

9. Bake for 20-26 minutes if using muffin tins, or 35-45 minutes if using an 8×8 dish. You want the top dry and the edges to start to pull away from the sides. It shouldn’t be jiggly when shaken.

10. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes in the pan before serving. They will be tender, so remove gently with a spatula or fork. If they’re too tender, let set in the freezer to stiffen so they’re easier to lift out. The insides are meant to be very fudgy, so don’t be concerned if they seem too moist – that’s the point. Plus, they’re vegan so it doesn’t really matter.

11. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.


Danielle

Tuesday 28 January 2014

This weeks food highlights - Week 4

Adding to my cookbook collection is very exciting! I see it as an investment to my health and my culinary journey! Here are the two latest additions to my collection

1) Joyous Health - Eat and Live Well Without Dieting. 

'Joy McCarthy is a Holistic Nutritionist, author of JOYOUS HEALTH: Eat & Live Well without Dieting, professional speaker, nutrition expert on Global’s Morning Show, Faculty Member at Institute of Holistic Nutrition and co-creator of Eat Well Feel Well.'

2) Joy of Cooking - 75th Anniversary Edition. In my opinion this is a culinary bible that every person interested in cooking should invest in!

I'm so excited to dive into these books and try out new recipes to share with you. Oh and it's a complete coincidence they both have Joy in the title!


Top Left: Thai Coconut Curry Soup - Pure heaven in a bowl and my favorite go to soup
Top Right: Homemade Hummus (I recommend doubling the roasted garlic) & Veggies
Bottom Left: Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon, Oven Baked Onion Rings & Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds with Goat Cheese & Balsamic Glaze
Bottom Right: Lemony Lentil Soup with Dill and Feta & Spinach Salad with Shredded Yellow Beets, Avocado, Toasted Sesame Seeds & Glory Bowl Dressing

Glory Bowl Dressing from Whitewater Cooks
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 tbsp tahini paste

*Mix well in blender or processor and keep in a mason jar ready to drizzle when ever you need a good kick of yum.

This dressing is unbelievable! Super creamy and tastes like there is cheese in it because of the nutritional yeast!

Danielle

Monday 27 January 2014

It is Monday and it is cold!

Hello and Happy Monday! I'm excited it's Monday because it's my first of 3 days off! Sometimes having the opposite schedule to the rest of the population is kind of nice and sometimes it sucks. Haha.  I usually do my 'This weeks food highlights' post on Monday but I will do that tomorrow instead.  Today I just feel like ranting and posting a picture of myself all bundled up (the weather here is ridiculously cold and I would like a hot vacation right now!!) Sometimes I wonder why we live here.  I am generally not a complainer and am generally a lover of winter….however this winter is a different story.  It's been very cold for many many weeks in a row and I've had enough! The extreme cold causes Kevin to miss days of work since he works outside, makes us not able to do fun outdoor stuff like x-country skiing without freezing and makes us burn a lot of fire wood! Anyway that's my rant and now I will go back to sucking it up, staying positive and enjoying this Manitoba winter while it is here! I have a lot to be grateful for and there are worse things then the cold :)

Now I am going to make homemade sushi, drink red wine and celebrate a good friends birthday!




Danielle

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Make Up & Jewellery Station

My Mom bought me this lovely piece from an antique store when I was in University. It is now prominently displayed in our bedroom and is where all the getting ready magic happens in terms of accessorizing, doing my hair and makeup!



My talented hubby built me this a few year ago using plywood, fabric and
cabinet hardware!



I made this earring holder from a picture frame and a piece of cork



























Danielle



Tuesday 21 January 2014

Monday 20 January 2014

This weeks food highlights - Week 3

Last week was pretty meat free for dinners around here….except for the delicious deer smokies we chowed down on Thursday night! 

Last weeks menu:

Monday: Crunchy Cabbage Salad with spicy peanut dressing & Sautéed Bok Choy
Tuesday: Crispy Autumn Veggie Burgers with Slaw (I used some left over slaw from the night before and added avocados instead of mushrooms to my burgers)
Wednesday: Sesame Crusted Tofu (Reaffirming I'm not a huge fan of tofu) & Salad
Thursday: Deer Smokies courtesy of Sayer! Delicious!!
Friday: Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup (I took advice from a few different recipes and invented a delicious pot of garlic-ey, tomato-ey, chees-ey, basil-ey goodness!
Saturday: Delicious greek feast at Sayer & Carly's with Ian & Marney followed by Balderdash & Cards Against Humanity
Sunday: Kale Caesar Steak Salad


Fudgy Vegan Double Chocolate Beet Muffins - Give these muffins a try they are so yummy! I am not vegan but love trying new healthy recipes and these were fudgy and completely satisfying.



Danielle


Friday 17 January 2014

New Trench Coat & MK Bag

I was spoiled this Christmas! Okay I feel this way every Christmas but as I get older I think I am appreciating gifts more and more. Plus I have had these 2 items on my wish list for a while now and I was so excited to receive both a tan trench coat and a Michael Kors bag! My Mom & Dad got me the trench coat (I sent them the Amazon link but didn't actually expect to receive it) and Kevin got me the bag (okay I bought it for myself at TJ Max on a great sale but he wrapped it and put it under the tree!!)

Oh and I almost forgot my brother in law got me a tripod so I can finally take better pictures outside. Yay!

Also it was a balmy -9°C here yesterday so I was actually able to take outfit pictures outside without freezing my bum off! Happy girl over here.







































Trench Coat - Sam Edelman via Amazon
Toque - The North Face
Bag - Michael Kors via. TJ Max

Danielle

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Energy Balls

I am a self proclaimed snacker. I like to snack and I LOVE sweet things!! These energy balls make the perfect snack and will satisfy those sweet cravings. Chocolatey goodness, peanut butter, crunchy seeds, chewy raisins...yes please! I try to have a stock of these in my freezer at all times!






You can adapt this recipe to include whatever your heart desires! This batch I did half peanut butter and half almond butter, added some chopped dried figs and substituted the cranberries for raisins because that's what I happened to have in my pantry.  There is no right or wrong ingredient to add to an energy ball as long as it is something your into!

White Water Energy Balls

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
  • 1 cup sesame seeds, toasted
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • 2 cups peanut butter (or favorite nut butter)
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 ½ cups toasted coconut (for coating) – optional


Directions 

  1. Put everything except coconut in a large bowl
  2. Mix all ingredients together well with your hands.  You may need a bit more honey to hold it together
  3. Roll ¼ cup scoops of dough into balls and then roll them in the toasted coconut
  4. Store in Freezer

Nutritional Analysis

Recipe makes 40 balls = 200calories each


Monday 13 January 2014

This weeks food highlights - Week 2

Okay so I missed a week…or two of this post over the holidays but what can I say I barely ate at home! I am back into my routine of cooking at home and loving it!! Trying lots of new recipes.  Here are a few food highlights from the past week or so.
Tacos with Homemade Tortillas! Once you make homemade tortillas you will never go back to store bought (well unless your feeling really lazy or just don't have the time.)  It takes about half an hour to make the dough, roll it out and cook the tortillas! Here is the recipe I use - Homemade Tortillas
Toppings for my tacos are varied but usually include: some sort of crockpot chicken or beef or veggie tacos with black beans being the protein,  avocados, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, salsa, red cabbage, lettuce,  jalapeños, chipotle sour cream, cheese, lime

Top Left: Spinach & Mixed Green Salad with Granny smith Apples, Blue Cheese and Pecans.  Top Right: Homemade Pizza: Roasted Veggies with Asiago cheese and fresh mozzarella.  Bottom Left: Cashewgurt - yummy dairy free Cashew "Yogurt". Delicious snack with blueberries, vanilla and cinnamon.  Bottom Right: 1) White Bean, Spicy Italian Sausage and Kale Soup from Whitewater Cooks - these cookbooks rock!  2) Winter Abundance Bowl - oh my goodness…so healthy and so delicious!

Danielle




Sunday 12 January 2014

Blogs I Love!

Over the past year I have become seriously addicted to following a few choice blogs and I thought it would be fun to share them with you!  I am constantly discovering new bogs through friends, links on other blogs or through Pinterest and it is always fun to add a new blog to the list.  These are my all time faves that I check a few times a week. 

Hope you enjoy!



Danielle

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Random Quote for the day!

I am feeling very reflective today and I came across this quote on pinterest which seemed fitting...


I am who I am due to my experiences, adventures and travels.  I am so grateful for all the opportunities I have had to learn and grow into a better person. The journey continues everyday.

Happy Wednesday! I am busy in the kitchen today so stay tuned for some delicious recipes soon :)

Danielle



Monday 6 January 2014

Blue on Blue on Blue

Here is a quick post showcasing one of my favorite new pieces - my chambray shirt! I picked this beauty up at Old Navy before Christmas on a great sale and I love it!  I wore this outfit for a quick grocery run into Kenora the other day.










Chambray Shirt - Old Navy
Jegginings - Garage Clothing
Scarf - Forever 21 (old)
Earrings - H & M (old)
Bracelet - Nana Benson's (I wore this at my wedding)
Ring - My Mom's (Gift from her Grandma for her 10th Birthday)


Danielle





Thursday 2 January 2014

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends! 

I was lucky enough to have all my family home for Christmas (my sister and brother in law from BC and my two brothers who have also been living in BC the past couple of months).  We enjoyed lots of delicious food, watched Christmas movies, did puzzles, visited with friends, spent a bit of time outside (it has been FREEZING here - we are in our second week of -30 temps everyday). Then we spent a couple of days in Winnipeg with Kevin's family which was lovely as well! We had a big family dinner and spent time with his parents, brothers and sis' in laws.  We are feeling very grateful to have such amazing family and friends and we are looking forward to another amazing year in 2014!

To start the year off I thought I would share a few holiday photos. Enjoy!

Delicious is an understatement for this cake my sister made - hazelnut heaven!! Yummy


Sleigh ride at the Ranch with some great friends!

Fun on the sleigh!

Kevin & Dallas


Table all set for Christmas Eve Brunch at our place!




Cappuccinos & Lattes were very popular this holiday due to my brothers new found
love of frothing milk!!

Christmas Eve Brunch - Waffles, Fruit Salad & Bacon

My family relaxing after brunch

Chris & Logan



Christmas Eve Ski with family and friends

Spoiled this Christmas! My new Michael Kors bag from Kevin

Kona's Stocking full of toys at the Klatt residence!

Opening presents!

Lisa & myself!

Lisa, Kirsten and I

Kevin and his best friend Derek sharing a moment - haha

Annual girls Christmas party at my place! Had a blast catching up with the ladies however we missed those
who live far away and those who were unable to attend due to weather!!

Cheese Platter

Snacks & Drinks for girls party

Me! I failed miserably at taking outfit posts over the holidays. I got dolled up so many times
but was always in a hurry….. selfies it is

Kona and I enjoying some fun in the sun

Tobogganing 




Bundled up for the cold temps

Snowshoeing with Jenna on her last day in MB


Mare & I on NYE @ Krista & Scott's Wedding Social

Jody, Mare, Krista, Gill, Steph and I

Danielle