Pumpkin Cashew Chocolate Cups

Pumpkin Cashew Chocolate Cups

Makes about 24 small cups
Vegan

--Ingredients

Filling:
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup raw unsalted almond butter
1 cup raw cashews
1 Tbsp coconut butter
1 Tbsp agave
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
A dash of cardamom
A dash of nutmeg

Chocolate:
Semi sweet chocolate chunks or chips, about 1 bag
Coconut oil

--Instructions

Lightly grease a mini muffin pan with coconut oil.  Place thin strips of parchment paper (about 1/2 inch wide and a few inches long) on the bottom of each cup.  This will make it easy to pop the cups out later if you're using a metal pan.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave by heating it in about two 30 second intervals, stirring each time.  Mix in about 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil.  Place a thin layer of the melted chocolate + coconut oil on top of the parchment paper in each cup.  Refrigerate for a few minutes to harden the chocolate.  Combine all filling ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  Refrigerate for a few minutes.  Once the bottom layer of chocolate has hardened, place about 2 teaspoons of filling in each cup.  Melt another batch of chocolate if needed, and pour it on top of the filling in each cup.  Refrigerate until hardened before serving and store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut & Roots Soup

Hearty, warm, roast-y flavors make this soup perfect for a chilly night!  Roasted butternut squash, carrots, and parsnips are added to sautéed onions, sun choke, celery root, and chickpeas and cooked in a coconut milk base.  Coriander, turmeric, and nutritional yeast (three of my favorite things) add to the flavor profile.  Any leftovers are great for a work or school lunch (hot or cold)!  I hope you enjoy!

Nutritional perks:
- full of veggies
- 9 grams protein per serving
- 8 grams fiber per serving
- low in sodium

Roasted Butternut & Roots Soup

Serves 6
Vegan, Gluten Free

--Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, halved
2 parsnips, halved
4 carrots, halved
2 Tbsp olive oil
Cracked black pepper and salt to taste

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 sun choke, chopped
1 celery root, chopped
Cracked black pepper and salt to taste
1 can chickpeas (about 1.5 cups), drained and rinsed
1 cup reduced fat canned coconut milk
2 cups water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp ground turmeric

--Instructions

Place the butternut squash, parsnips, and carrots on a baking sheet and cover with olive oil, cracked black pepper, and salt to taste.  Roast for about 40 minutes at 375 F.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, add the olive oil, chopped onion, cracked black pepper, and salt to taste and sauté until lightly browned.  Add the chopped sun choke and celery root and sauté until softened and lightly browned.  Add the chickpeas and sauté for a few minutes.  Next, add the coconut milk, water, nutritional yeast, coriander, and turmeric and bring to a low boil.

Once the roasted veggies are done, add them to the soup pot and continue a low boil for a few minutes.  Then, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and process until pureed.  This makes a thick, hearty soup.  If you'd like yours thinner, just add more water or coconut milk. :)

--Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Serves 6

340 calories
40 g carbohydrates
8 g fiber
17 g fat
5 g saturated fat
9 g protein
130 mg sodium (excluding any salt added to taste)

Spicy Kale Mac & Cheese

Mac and cheese was my favorite meal as a kid and it's still a go-to, except now raw tahini and nutritional yeast provide the "cheesiness" and turmeric adds to the color. This is a hearty, comforting dish- perfect for a cool fall night!

Nutritional perks:
- heart healthy fat from tahini and olive oil
- 23 g protein per serving
- heart healthy whole grains
- high in fiber
- a hidden veggie serving

Spicy Kale Mac & Cheese

Serves 4
Vegan, Gluten Free

--Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chopped scallions
1 diced jalapeno
1 tsp minced garlic
Cracked black pepper and salt to taste
2 cups kale

1/3 cup raw tahini
1/2-1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Cracked black pepper and salt to taste
1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1 cup water

2 cups brown rice pasta

Optional toppings: sesame seeds, raw sunflower seeds, hot sauce

--Instructions

Start boiling pasta and let it cook while you prepare the sauce.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the scallions, jalapeño, salt, and pepper and sauté for a few minutes until softened.  Add in the garlic and kale and sauté until the kale is just partly softened.  Mix in the remaining ingredients and continue to heat over medium heat.  Once the pasta is done cooking, add it to the sauce and combine.  Enjoy!

--Nutrition Facts per Serving

Serves 4 as a main dish

520 calories
51 g carbohydrates
9 g fiber
25 g fat
3 g saturated fat
23 g protein
150 mg sodium

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

It's hard to find a veggie burger that has the taste you want and that stick-together consistency-- this is it!  I love the slight sweetness from the sweet potato along with the zest from the jalapeño, scallions, and lime.  Sunflower seeds and hemp seeds provide some texture and crunch! These burgers are easy to make and perfect for anything from a quick weeknight meal to a dinner party.  They're both vegan and gluten free and pack 8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per burger!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

Serves 5

--Ingredients

Burgers:
2 Tbsp ground flax seed + 2 Tbsp water
1 can (15 oz) black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup grated sweet potato (about 1 small/medium sweet potato)
1 finely diced jalapeño (about 3 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp chopped scallions
2 Tbsp unsalted sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt/to taste
Cracked black pepper to taste

For the pan:
2 Tbsp olive oil

--Instructions

Combine the flax seed and water in a bowl and set aside for a minimum of 5 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.  Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until the mixture is well combined, but completely pureed.  Form into patties.  In a frying pan, add the olive oil and heat the pan to medium heat.  Cook the burgers for about 6-7 minutes on each side.  For maintaining the best burger shape, make sure to only flip the burgers once.  I like serving mine with a mashed avocado!  Hope you enjoy!

--Nutrition Facts per serving:

205 calories
19 g carbohydrates
6 g fiber
11 g fat
1 g saturated fat
8 g protein
185 mg sodium

Vegan, Gluten Free

Super Moist Banana Bread

This oaty almond banana bread has been a breakfast staple lately! It's super moist and perfect for a breakfast on the run or even for dessert. With 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per slice, it's a breakfast bread that will stay with you! The base is oats and almond flour which makes this bread gluten free if you make sure to buy certified gluten free oats/oat flour. (It's also vegan!) Hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!

Super Moist Banana Bread

Serves 8

--Ingredients

Dry:
1 cup oat flour (or process 1 cup old fashioned oats to make your own)
3/4 cup finely ground almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom

Wet:
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1/4 cup water
3 large extra ripe bananas
1/3 cup agave nectar (or sub honey)
2 tsp oil (I use hazelnut oil for extra flavor)
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Fold in:
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

--Instructions

Heat your oven to 350 F.  Grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2- inch loaf pan.

You can either buy the oat flour pre-made or make your own by processing 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats in a food processor or blender until finely ground.  If you're gluten free, make sure to buy certified gluten free oats/oat flour.  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

In small separate bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water and let it sit for at least 5 minutes as this will form the "flax egg"/binder.

In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher.  Add in the other wet ingredients and mix.  Mix in the flax/water mixture.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.  Avoid over mixing.  Fold in the pecans.  You can either buy these pre-toasted, or toast them ahead of time yourself.

Optional toppings: more pecans, banana slices, oats, etc!

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 F.  Enjoy :)

--Nutrition Facts per serving:

250 calories
30 g carbohydrates
5 g fiber
12 g fat
1 g saturated fat
7 g protein
155 mg sodium