Making dinner healthier, one slow cooker at a time.
These cheery pancakes are full of luxurious coconut milk. The whole wheat flour and ground flax seed make them healthier, but they do have fat in them from the coconut milk. They are a snap to make so you could whip up a batch in no time! [Read more...]
I used to love Nutella but it’s not vegan-friendly since it contains milk. I also don’t like that it has vanillin, is full of sugar and palm oil. But there are tons of vegan nutella redos, so I will spare you yet another. Even if nutella-making was out I still had it in my head to make a spread. One that would taste a great dissolved in a cup of coffee or spread on a graham cracker or a bagel. Something rich with no refined sweeteners and, after thinking too much about Nutella, it had to have hazelnuts in it too. I made a coconut hazelnut spread that only sweetened with dates. It has a slight caramel flavor from the dates in a creamy blend with a shading of hazelnut permeating throughout. [Read more...]
Happy weekend everyone! These little single-serving cakes are perfect for a dinner party or could be a special brunch treat. Full of sweet and tart cherries the almonds and coconut add great texture too. The cherry Amaretto sauce makes them an even more decadent treat. [Read more...]
My friend Gail Davis from So Delicious reminded me that today is oatmeal day. I can’t believe it almost past me by!
Since we’re so close to Halloween I selected 13 of my favorites for you to warm up with. So stay toasty and dry, and eat your oatmeal! [Read more...]
Spring came months ago it seems. The bad part is there are already mosquitos trying to sneak into the house, in fact one is actually nibbling me now. But the best part if that some of my fresh herbs are ready to use again and that more than makes up for my blood loss. [Read more...]
I originally made this as a Valentine cocoa, but romance shouldn’t be limited to just one day. Surprise your someone special with the yummy dessert cocoa. The lavender and rose flavors blend together to form its own taste that’s not as floral as you think.
I used lavender extract which I got at Savory Spice Shop, but if you can’t find any you could fill a muslin tea bag or tea ball with 1 to 2 teaspoons of culinary lavender and add this at the beginning of cooking. This will infuse the milk with a great lavender flavor too.
I do use real sugar in this recipe, because it helps to thicken it up. The longer you cook it the thicker it will be. You can substitute stevia or agave, but the hot chocolate will be thinner.
Slow Cooker Lavender Rose Cocoa
soy-free, gluten-free
Serves 2 to 3
**Uses a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker**
Add all the ingredients and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours or on high for 1 to 1 1/2 hour.
Stir once or twice during this time with a whisk to help the chocolate mix in well. Whisk a final time and serve.
I’ve been on a donut kick this weekend and this is the batch that got me started. I wanted a sweet treat with little or no white sugar and low-fat as well. Not always an easy feat. I’m not giving up white sugar altogether, but I would like to be able to use stevia instead whenever I want to.
The chocolate glaze is made with grain-sweetened chocolate chips with almond extract, coconut milk, and a touch of agave nectar. These chips may not be gluten-free, so feel free to substitute the ones you have on hand.
The base of the donut is whole wheat pastry flour and almond meal. It’s sweetened with a combination of stevia and agave. You can make them gluten-free by subbing your favorite gluten-free flour mix.
Don’t have a fancy shmancy donut pan? Use a mini muffin pan instead. Don’t want to make a glaze? These are great all by themselves too!
Baked Almond Donuts with Chocolate Glaze
soy-free
makes 12 mini donuts
wet ingredients:
dry ingredients:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another. Spray your mini donut pan with a little oil so they will be easier to get out.
Then add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix just until it’s mixed. Divide the batter between the 12 donut molds. Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.
Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully remove. If you don’t wait they will stick and break in half, so be warned!
glaze ingredients:
Melt the chocolate (on the stove or in the microwave). Add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Dip cooled donuts into the glaze.
I had The Market‘s Mint White Russian the other night. (It was one of two creamy vegan drinks on their menu!) They used homemade Kahlua and mint infused vodka. If you live in the triangle you must give them a try.
I was hesitant about the coffee mint combo but I was won over. It was so good that I wanted one again. I didn’t have any mint vodka ready to go, but I decided this warm minty drink would fill in just fine.
If you don’t have mint extract you can add a mint herbal tea bag in the beginning. You could also use semi-sweet chocolate instead unsweetened, just adjust the sweetener.
Hate coffee flavors? Try substituting Grand Mariner for an orange mint twist.
Slow Cooker Tipsy Mint-Coffee Cocoa
**Uses a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker**
Serves 2 to 3
Add the coconut milk, baking chocolate, and mint extract and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Whisk then add Kahlua and sweetener. Whisk again and serve.
Saturday we had our annual Gothic dinner party and I have to say it was our best one yet! Everyone brought super yummy treats that they made themselves, and of course Cheryl transformed the house into an amazingly spooky haunted house.
I took today off work, but I’m trying to decide if I should be trying to put the house in order or get a head start on some recipe development and writing. Maybe I’ll take the dog for a walk and try to decide.
My vegan gluten-free main course was grit cake ghosts over slimy eyes, or black-eyed peas.
Slow Cooker Black-eyed Peas
soy-free, gluten-free
serves 8 to 10
This uses a 4 quart slow cooker. If yours is larger you may need to add extra water.
Sorry I missed posting the last 2 days. I have a confession to make. I spent those 2 days oatmeal-less. I cheated on my oatmeal with vegan sausage biscuits and I have to admit it was pretty darn tasty!
Of course, what really made it special was that I ate them on Halloween biscuits. I made 2 dozen Halloween biscuits for a mini Halloween shoot. It was the perfect excuse to decorate the dinner table early.
And now back to our regularly scheduled Friday oatmeal:
Slow Cooker Coconut Banana Pecan Coffee Cake Oatmeal
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add oats, milk, coconut, vanilla and coconut extract. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. Stir in mashed banana and sweetener. Top with chopped pecans
**(See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS)
