These are naturally dairy free, scrumptious, tender, moist, and fluffy. Just the perfect snack packed with wholesome whole grains, protein, good fats, made with unrefined sugar and so easy to whip up…honestly cant get any better than that! Originally adapted from a Banana Bread recipe my friend, Esther Tyorkin Pinkhasov, was so kind to share with me and I’m forever grateful. Made a few tweaks and additions to the original recipe and voila! Nutrition analysis provided at the bottom of the recipe.
Prepation: 10 min.
Baking: 25 min.
Yield: 14 muffins
INGREDIENTS:
3-4 Large Ripe Bananas
1 Large Egg
1/3 cup unrefined Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1-1/2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Enjoy Life Mini Chips
2 Tbsp Dark Chocolate Chunks for the topping
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare your muffin tins with cupcake/muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix with the same fork you mashed your bananas with. Using either a 2oz. Scooper or 1/4 measuring cup, fill each liner with the batter. Bake for 20-25 min. Let cool for 10 min. and enjoy! Give this recipe 5 stars if you’ve tried it and loved it. Thank you.
Over the years I started to realize that conveniently available manufactured bottled dressings are just full of synthetic fillers, flavors and unnecessary ingredients. Therefore, I been making my own authentic Caesar dressing for quite a few years and it so yummy! This dressing will be a staple in your fridge. Try it today!
INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 tsp anchovy paste or 2 fillets chopped finely
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 cup organic mayonnaise
1⁄4 cup low fat buttermilk
1⁄3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 Tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp Finely ground black pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Whisk all ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup and store in a glass jar with a tight fitting cap in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Enjoy!
Heat Oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Dry the fish with paper towels and place the fish skin side down on the baking pan.
Whisk all ingredients except for lemon and chives and spread it all over the top of the fish. Out some lemon slices on top and garnish with chives. Roast for 15 min. Let sit for 5 min. Then serve with your favorite sides.
1/4 of Red, Yellow and Orange Bell Pepper, Chopped
8-10 oz. of Baby Bella or Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
4 Large Scallions, sliced on an angle, divided
12 Large Eggs
1 Cup Half & Half
1/2 cup +2 Tbsp Shredded Sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup+2 Tbsp Shredded Mozzarella
3/4 tsp sea salt, divided
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2 Tbsp unsalted Butter or Ghee
2 Tbsp Avocado Oil
12” Cast Iron or Nonstick Pan
13×9 Casserole Dish, greased with cooking spray
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 375°F.
Heat pan very well. Add butter, oil, onions and 1/4 tsp salt. Sauté until soft, about 4 min. Add peppers and continue to sauté for another 3 min. Add mushrooms and another 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Sauté for 3-4 min until tender. Turn off heat and let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs very well. Whisk in half & half, cheese, half of the chopped scallions and the rest of the salt and pepper. Add a third of the sautéed veggies at a time until all incorporated. Pour into casserole dish and bake for 20 min until almost set but still raw in the center. Sprinkle the rest of your 4 Tbsp of cheese and scallions. Bake an additional 10-15 min until cheese melts and eggs are set in the center.
Let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 12 servings. Enjoy.
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (the kind with just peanuts in the ingredient list)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup 100% Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp Honey (can substituted for Maple syrup)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
1 cup Semi Sweet or Dark Chocolate Morsels
Food processor
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 400°F. Grease a standard muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
Add first 7 ingredients to your food processor and purée until smooth and creamy. Fold in the chocolate scraping down the sides to ensure that it’s fully incorporated.
Using a cookie scoop distribute the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Add a few more chocolate chips on top. Bake at 12-15 min or until a tester comes out slightly a lean. I like to under bake them just a tad bit because they continue baking in the tin due to all the residual heat. Allow the muffins to cook for 10 min then transfer onto a cooking rack. They’re delicious when warm with all that oozing, yummy chocolate. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS: •4 Large Eggs •2-3 Tbsp Cane Sugar (depending on how sweet you like your crepes) •3 Tbsp Avocado Oil •500ml Organic Whole Milk •280g unbleached all purpose flou •500ml Boiling water
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and oil until completely combined. Add milk and whisk again. Sift flour into egg mixture and whisk until incorporated well. Finally, add boiling water and whisk well. Heat your crêpe pan(I use a 10”) on medium heat and grease with oil using a silicone brush. Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto pan and swirl it around to distribute evenly. Fry about a minute on each side. Repeat process until you have used all the batter. Makes about 24 crêpe. If you have tried this recipe. Make sure to tag me in your posts or drop your comment/feedback below. Thank you!
This Honey Cake is one of the most requested holiday desserts in our household. It originated in the 19th century in Russian Empire and has been popular in countries of the former Soviet Union ever since. It is a dessert which is known for its lengthy preparation time and is best made a couple of days in advance before serving. You may bring it completely to room temperature or serve it cold. It’s delicious both ways. It’s a honey flavored sponge cake with caramel cream filling topped with a nutty crumb. Absolutely decadent to say the least.
Serves: 20-25 people depending on the size of the pieces.
INGREDIENTS:
1 (14oz.) can Organic sweetened condensed milk (I get mine at Trader Joe’s) or you can buy pre-made caramel
2 -½ cups Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour (King Arthur)
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
3 sticks of Organic Grass Fed Unsalted Butter, 1 stick at room temperature (for caramel cream)
¼ cup Organic Clover or Wildflower Honey
3 Large Organic Eggs (I use Pete & Gerry’s)
1 ½ cups Organic Evaporated Cane sugar
1 cup Organic Walnuts
1/2 10 oz. Bag of Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate chips for drizzle
Parchment Paper
Pencil
Off-set Spatula
13 x 9 cutting board
Hand Mixer
DIRECTIONS:
Boil your condensed milk submerged in water for 2 hours. ** (see note) Let cool completely. Beat the cooled caramel with 1 stick of butter. Set aside.
Sift your flour along with the baking soda and set aside.
On your parchment paper, trace the shape of your cake with a pencil. I used a 9×13 cutting board with rounded edges. I had enough dough for 4 layers. Therefore I traced four sheets of parchment paper.
Heat oven to 350°F. In a large Pyrex bowl set over a double boiler, melt 2 sticks of butter over medium heat. Whisk in honey until completely combined. Using a hand mixer beat in your eggs one at a time until incorporated . Now add your sugar and beat again for about a minute or so. Now add your flour/soda mixture. Beat until completely incorporated and creamy. Remove the bowl from the double boiler and set on a trivet or kitchen towel. Measure out 1 cup of dough and put it on your parchment paper. Using an off-set spatula spread evenly going just over the edges that you traced. It’s not supposed to be perfect because you will trim the layers after they bake again with the cutting board over it. Continue with the rest of the dough until you have 4 parchment papers ready with the dough to be baked. Bake for 5-6 min. Cool completely.
Use the same board you used to trace the parchment paper. Put it over each cookie layer and trace again except this time cut with a paring knife. Separate the edges and put them all into a food processor with walnuts continuing to do the same with the rest of the layers.
Now place the first layer on your serving plate. Start spreading the cream filling with the offset spatula. Try to distribute the cream as even as possible. Continue with the rest of the layer until you have used up the cream filling at the top of the last layer and the sides. Using the crumb-walnut mixture, spread some over the top of the cake and sides. Melt your chocolate, transfer to a sandwich bag and cut off a tiny corner and drizzle over the top. Let the chocolate set. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days.
1.5 Cups Organic Vegan Shortening (I use Spectrum Organics)
1 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour (I use King Arthur Flour)
1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour (I use King Arthur Flour)
8 oz. Almond Paste (I use Solo )
1 Cup Coconut Sugar (I use Madhava)
4 Large Eggs, Room Temperature, Separated (Pete & Gerry’s Organic)
1/2 tsp Almond Extract (I use Flavorganics)
1/2 tsp salt ( I use Himalayan salt)
Red and Green Plant Based Food Coloring (I use Color Garden Dyes Holiday Pack)
1/2 Cup Organic Apricot Preserve (I use Trader Joe’s)
1/2 Cup Organic Seedless Raspberry Preserve (I used Trader Joe’s)
1/2 a package of 10oz. bag of Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/3 bar of 100% Cacao Baking bar (I use Dagoba Organic)
1 Tbsp Vegan Shortening
Cooking Spray
3- 9” x 13” x 0.75” non-stick pans
Off-Set Spatula
food processor
Parchment Paper
Cooling Rack
DIRECTIONS:
1.Prep. First, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray the pans with cooking spray and lay parchment paper in each one.
2.Make the batter. Put your almond paste in a food processor to get it finely crumbled. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond paste, sugar, and the shortening. Beat on medium speed until combined. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, and extract and until smooth . Add flour and salt and beat until just combined. In a clean bowl, using a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites on low-medium until stiff peaks form. Fold about one-third of the egg white mixture into the batter with a rubber spatula, then gently fold in the rest.
3.Color the batter. Divide the batter evenly among 3 bowls. I used a digital kitchen scale. Stir enough red and green food coloring in 2 of the bowls to create a red and green batter. Leave the third bowl uncolored.
4.Bake the layers. Transfer the batter to the prepared pans (one pan for each color). Dip an offset spatula in water and spread the batter to the edge of each pan, smoothing the tops (the layer of batter will be very thin). Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans on wire racks.
5.Assemble the layers. Remove the green layer onto a large cutting board. If your preserves are a bit hard, heat it up until it is somewhat liquefied. Spread the raspberry jam evenly on top of it (use as much as is needed to make a thin layer). Remove the plain cake layer by inverting it onto the green layer. Peel off the parchment paper. Spread the apricot jam on top of the plain layer. Remove the red cake layer by inverting on top of the plain layer. Peel off the parchment paper.
6.Trim the cake. Trim the sides with a serrated knife to make straight edges. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Carefully slide the cake onto the rack, using a wide offset spatula to help you, if necessary.
7.Cover in chocolate. Melt the chocolate (preferably in a double boiler) and pour over the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread and smooth the chocolate on the top. Allow the chocolate to cool for 45 min. Flip the cookie to the other side and pour the rest of the melted chocolate. Let set slightly for about 15-20 minutes. Scrape wavy lines into the chocolate with a fork. If the lines in the chocolate don’t hold their shape, let the chocolate set a little longer and try again.
8.Cut the cake. Slide the cake back onto the cutting board. Cut the cake into 1”x 1.5” squares. Slice crosswise into strips, and then cut each strip into rectangular pieces. For clean edges, dip the knife in warm water and wipe it with a paper towel in between cuts.
10.Store in an airtight container. Your cookies will stay fresh in a tight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 1 week, but it’s doubtful these tasty gems will last that long.
Wash basmati rice under running cold water until water runs clear. Soak rice in enough warm water for at least 10-15 min. Drain the rice and let it dry in a strainer for 10 min. This helps to firm up the rice.
Cooking the rice:
Heat the butter/oil in a thick bottom saucepan on medium heat. Add and sauté for a minute. Add water, salt, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to the lowest it can possibly go. Simmer for 20 min. Turn off the heat and let it stand covered for an additional 10 min. This step is a must and should not be skipped. This allows time for the rice to firm up so it doesn’t break when your fluff it with a fork before serving. Then open fluff with a fork.
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes
1 cup Trader Joe’s Plain Cultured Cashew Beverage
6 cloves garlic, grated, divided
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger, divided
2 Tbsp Refined Peanut or Avocado oil
1 Tbsp Vegan butter (I use Miyoko’s)
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 can (15 ounces) canned Organic tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 cup Organic canned coconut milk or cream
3 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
Fresh cilantro, chopped, to serve
4 cups basmati rice, to serve
DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, whisk together the spices. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cashew beverage, half of the garlic, half of the ginger, and half of the spice mixture, reserving the rest for later. Stir, cover, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes, or preferably overnight.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil and butter over medium-high. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pot in batches. Cook until browned all over and beginning to char, turning once, about 6 minutes total. Remove from the pan and set aside for later. Repeat until all of the chicken is browned.
Add the chopped onion and the remaining garlic, ginger, and spices to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the browned bits while stirring.
Pour in the coconut milk/cream, sugar and add the chicken back to the pot. Stir and reduce to low heat. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve over basmati rice with naan or paratha bread. Enjoy!
4 Cups Organic Low Sodium Chicken Bone Broth or Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
1-1/2 Cups Ripple Original Half & Half
2 Medium Yellow Gold Potatoes, diced
2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Organic Sweet Corn
1 tsp Salt
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Trader Joe’s Onion Salt
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4 tsp Red Chili Flakes (optional)
Immersion Blender
DIRECTIONS:
In an 8 quart pot, heat oil. Add onion, and celery. Saute for 4 min until soft. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute or so. Add all spices and seasonings except for bay leaf. Lower the flame to medium, add flour and stir for 3 minutes without letting the flour burn. Slowly pour in your stock and continue to stir to combine. Bring to a boil on high heat. Add potatoes and simmer on medium low for 10 min. Add half & half, corn and bay leaf. Simmer for another 10-15 min to ensure the potatoes are fire tender. Remove bay leaf. Use the immersion blender to puree the soup halfway through to create a thick and creamy consistency. Add shredded or diced poached chicken breast and serve.
*To poach chicken breast, put them in a 3 quart saucepan filled with water, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried sage, salt, pepper, 1 tsp dried rosemary. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 25 min. This poached chicken can be added to any soup as a lean protein.
