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Rich Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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Rich-Zucchini-Muffins

I’m always looking for ways to sneak veggies into my kids’ diets. They flat out refuse vegetables most of time, so I have to hide them in foods they’ll eat – like chocolate. That’s where these muffins come in.

Vegan-Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins

Zucchini and black beans are my favourite to use in chocolate muffins/brownies/cakes/anything with chocolate, but I had no black beans and one medium sized zucchini in my fridge – so zucchini and chocolate it was. I made muffins, since my kids love them.

The verdict? 2 thumbs up – from both kids!

Of course, with chocolate, it’s hard to go wrong, right?

Rich-Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins

You can’t taste a single hint of zucchini in this recipe, just chocolate, which is why my kids kept begging for more and more muffins, until eventually they were gone (in just 2 days)… okay fine, I may have eaten one three myself, too!

Rich Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Snack, Dessert
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed, 3 tbsp water)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup coconut or brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup dairy-free milk (I used soy)
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¾ cup grated zucchini
  • ¾ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup water
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax seed and water for your flax egg. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder , cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, vanilla and flax egg, until combined.
  5. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and mix well, until all the flour is incorporated.
  6. Stir in the zucchini, ½ cup chocolate chips and water.
  7. Fill muffin liners (almost to the top), sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins-Vegan

Vegan Rhubarb Crisp

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I’ll admit it – I was a bit skeptical of rhubarb.

For a long time, I balked at people that told me they made yummy desserts with it, because um hello – IT’S A VEGETABLE. Desserts aren’t made with vegetables. That’s just gross!

But I was proven wrong. Yet again. I tried my mother-in-law’s rhubarb crisp the other day (veganized), and fell in love. Then I begged her for the recipe.

Rhubarb-Crisp

The rhubarb has a very sour taste to it, so you just dump a bunch of sugar on it and BOOM. Deliciousness. I hate how sugar makes everything better.

Sigh. Oh well. A treat like this is fine every once in awhile, right? RIGHT.

Rhubarb-Crisp-Vegan

Look at that caramel-y gooey pile of oats and rhubarb and sweetness. It was Amazing with a capital “A”.

This vegan rhubarb crisp is crumbly and tart and sweet and YUM. It’s also perfect for summer.

If you are scared of rhubarb, like I was, try this recipe. You won’t be sorry and you will end up loving rhubarb – because it’s freakin’ good!

Vegan-Rhubarb-Crisp

Vegan Rhubarb Crisp
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6-9
Ingredients
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3½ cups rhubarb stalks, chopped small (I did ½" pieces)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup kamut flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
  • 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
  2. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil or non-stick cooking spray.
  3. In a small pot, mix together the maple syrup, water and cornstarch over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, melted vegan butter and non-dairy milk. Crumble everything together with your fingers.
  5. Press half of the crumb mixture into your baking pan, add the rhubarb, drizzle in the maple syrup mixture, then top with the remaining crumb mixture.
  6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the rhubarb can easily be pierced through with a knife and the top of the crisp is a light golden brown.

 

Healthy & Delicious Trail Mix Cookies

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Healthy-Trail-Mix-Cookies

I was trying to come up with a way to get more nuts and seeds into my kids’ mouths, since they usually refuse to eat them unless they’re covered in chocolate.

I tried putting them in oatmeal, in smoothies, in cereal – anywhere I could sneak them in, but they always seemed to know, and they hated that I “tricked” them.

Trail-Mix-Cookies-Vegan

Even though I explained that they needed to eat their nuts and seeds in order to be healthy and get all of the nutrients these foods provided, they didn’t care.

They are kids, afterall. And kids don’t like it when you’re right and they’re wrong.

Trail-Mix-Cookies

I asked them how I could make them eat these seeds and nuts, and the only thing they agreed to try was if they were in cookies.

So, cookies it was. Of course, I didn’t want them to be loaded with sugar, so I loaded them up with lots of healthy options instead.

And a few chocolate chips. Because a few chocolate chips never hurt anybody.

Vegan-Trail-Mix-Cookies

And wouldn’t you know it – they ate the cookies! Which means they ate the seeds & nuts. Success!

The funny thing about this story is that they now ask for raw nuts on a regular basis. These cookies won them over! Thank you, trail mix cookies.

Adapted from Oh She Glows.

Healthy & Delicious Trail Mix Cookies
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Serves: 24 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water)
  • 1 cup oat flour (just take rolled oats and throw them in your food processor)
  • ½ cup almond flour (just take almonds and throw them in your food processor until they resemble a "crumb-y" flour)
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup sliced almonds
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips (or finely chopped chocolate)
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 tbsp dried cranberries
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup maple syrup or agave (I used maple syrup)
  • 1¼ tsp vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
  2. Mix together the ground flax and water in a small bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients, including the flax egg. Yes, add every last ingredient to your bowl!
  4. Scoop about 2 tbsp of the cookie "dough" and form into balls. Place them on your prepared baking sheet, and flatten slightly with your hand.
  5. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottoms. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before handling.

 

Raw Vegan Lime Tart with Cashew Cream

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Raw-Vegan-Lime-Tart

I saw this yummy dessert recipe on Neely’s site a few weeks back, and added it to my to-make file, until this past weekend when I finally made it.

And oh my, was it ever good. I’m ashamed that I waited so long to make it, because it was incredible.

Lime-Tart-Raw-Vegan

I made a few substitutions and added some ingredients to my preference, and in the end, this turned into one of my favourite desserts I’ve ever made! I thought I was a lemon lover, but… limes are certainly growing on me, that’s for sure.

I used my food processor to make the crust and my Blendtec blender to make the cashew cream, and both worked well. I wish I had a tart pan, because that would have made my “tart” look better, but I didn’t, so I just used an 8×8 baking dish (which was a bit too large, so I only spread the crust out using about 3/4 of the pan dimmensions).

It worked, and it tasted delicious, and that’s all that really matters anyway, right?

Vegan-Lime-Tart-Raw

Adapted from Neely Wang.

Raw Vegan Lime Tart with Cashew Cream
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6-12
Ingredients
Crust
  • 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
  • ⅓ cup walnuts
  • ⅓ cup cashews
  • ⅓ cup almonds
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp lime zest
Cashew Cream
  • 2 cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours)
  • ⅓ cup lime juice
  • 1 tbsp lime zest
  • ¼ cup agave
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup water + more as needed
Instructions
Tart
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process for a minute or two, or until everything comes together into a sticky ball.
  2. Press the processed tart ingredients into a baking dish/pan (I used an 8x8 dish, but an actual tart pan would work better!). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Cashew Cream
  1. Add all ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender and process/blend until smooth and creamy, adding more water, as needed.
  2. Pour cashew cream over tart crust and smooth it out. Add a bit of lime zest on top, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes before cutting into bars/squares and serving.

 

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Vegan-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies

The other night I had a craving for chocolate (what else is new?), but I didn’t feel like going too heavy on the chocolate – just a hint of it would satisfy my cravings.

Chocolate chip cookies were the answer of course. Nothing is better than a homemade, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie.

Am I right?

Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-Vegan

I’ve made quite a few vegan chocolate chip cookies, and they would either come out too crispy and flat, or too cake-like. Never anything right in the middle.

With a bit of experimentation, I landed on this recipe. And it’s been my go-to recipe every since. Everyone that eats these cookies loves them, and they can’t even tell that they’re vegan!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
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The most delicious vegan chocolate chips cookies I've ever had. They're perfect!
Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Serves: 12 cookies
Ingredients
  • ½ cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1¼ cup kamut flour (or all-purpose)
  • ½ cup vegan chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax seed + water for the flax egg, and set aside to thicken (at least 5 minutes).
  2. Add the brown sugar and butter to a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat them together until creamy. Beat in the flax egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt.
  3. Beat in the flour, ¼ cup at a time, and then fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Form the dough into small balls and place on your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
  5. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.

 

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

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Chocolate-Cupcakes

I love an excuse to make cupcakes, so when we hosted our daughter’s 2nd birthday party a few weeks ago, I made these delicious cakes – and boy, am I ever glad I did. I’m still getting people asking me for the recipe, so I thought I should post it here and have somewhere I can refer people!

The cupcakes on their own aren’t super sweet, which is why I added a bundle of vegan buttercream frosting on top of them, which really just takes them over the top, if you ask me. Delicious and chocolaty!

Vegan-Chocolate-Cupcakes

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
  • 1¼ cups kamut or all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Vanilla Buttercream
  • ½ cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
  • 1½ cup vegan powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Non-dairy milk, as needed (I used about 3 tbsp)
Toppings
  • Vegan sprinkles (optional)
  • Vegan chocolate candies (optional)
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with a oil mister and set aside.
  2. Whisk together flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add in the water, vanilla, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar, whisk again until well combined. Do not over-mix. A few little clumps are fine!
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cook completely.
Vanilla Buttercream
  1. Beat the vegan butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add in the vanilla and ½ cup powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is mixed in, add another ½ cup, and repeat again. Add in some non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
  3. Beat everything together until the desired consistency is reached. Top with vegan chocolate candies and/or sprinkles, if you want!

 

Mind Blowing Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

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Chocolate-Oatmeal-Cookies

I’m just gonna come right out and say it:

Last week was my “special” time of the month. And during this time, I crave chocolate. Just like every other woman on the planet.

So, I did what any chocolate craving woman would do – I stuffed my face full of chocolate chips. The only thing I had on hand.

But then I thought – there has to be something better than this that I can make, that wont leave me slaving away in the kitchen for an hour (or more)!

Oatmeal-Chocolate-Cookies

I had planned on making chocolate chip cookies, but decided – nope. Not enough chocolate for me. So instead, I made my chocolate chip cookies with a few additions, chocolate CHUNKS (mmmm, more chocolate) and cocoa powder.

I get my ingredients out of the cupboards, and I’m about to grab my whole wheat flour, but then I realize – OMG, I’m out of flour! I’m out of flour! I will never eat cookies again!

After I sobbed for a bit, I put on my thinking cap. There has to be something I can use instead of whole wheat flour. I stared in my cupboards for about 10 minutes and finally I saw them… a big container of rolled oats.

YES! I can make oat flour! That will work!

And, it did. I made these cookies twice last week (don’t judge!), once with the oat flour and once with whole wheat flour (after I made my hubby grab some from the store on his way home from work). I actually liked these with the oat flour more than with whole wheat flour. Imagine that.

Mind Blowing Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
 
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If you're craving chocolate, this recipe is for you, my friend. These cookies come together so quickly and easily and they are loaded with chocolate! Ooey gooey delicious chocolate. Enjoy!
Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Serves: 1 dozen cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 2 tbsp water)
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup peanut butter (use sunflower seed butter for nut-free option)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1½ cups oat flour
  • ½ cup chocolate chunks
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silplat mat or parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the flax and water and set aside to thicken (about 10 minutes).
  3. In a large bowl, add coconut oil, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix the ingredients until very smooth.
  4. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix again until combined. Add in the oat flour and flax egg, and mix again.
  5. Finally, add in the chocolate chunks and stir by hand. Make sure everything is combined very well. Add a bit of plant milk if your batter is too dry, a tablespoon at a time.
  6. Roll batter into 12 large balls, place them on your prepared baking sheet, and press down gently on each ball, with the palm of your hand, to flatten.
  7. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Notes
*Use sunflower seed butter to make these cookies nut-free.
*Add a tablespoon or two of plant milk (almond, hemp, soy, etc.) to your batter if it is too dry to roll into balls.

To make oat flour: Take 1½ cups rolled oats and add to your food processor. Process until the oats resembles flour. 1½ cups rolled oats = 1½ cups oat flour.

 

Chocolate Mug Cake in 3 Minutes

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chocolate-mug-cake

I had a hankering for chocolate yesterday, but no energy to whip up cake or cookies or anything else, so I did the next best thing, I made cake in the microwave!

This cake is simple, delicious and only takes 3 minutes start to finish. You’ll want to make it over and over again (I may or may not have made 2 of these in a row).

Add a scoop of your favourite vegan ice cream on top, and you’ll be blown away!

Chocolate Mug Cake
 
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Chocolate cake that's vegan and ready in only 3 minutes? Count me in! This recipe is a keeper!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 3 tbsp spelt flour
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1½ tbsp cocoa powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp orange juice
  • 2½ tsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Sift flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a large mug.
  2. Add orange juice and olive oil, and whisk together.
  3. Microwave for 1½ - 2 minutes.
  4. Allow to cool, and enjoy!