Almond Butter Chocolate Brown Rice Chow

You know when you have a vision for something turning out just-so...and then the outcome is completely different but also better than anything could have hoped for? 

That was the case with this recipe.

When I first read this month’s Recipe ReDux theme, “Favorite Chocolate Matches,” my brain started buzzing about the possibilities. 

I’ve talked about my lack of the “chocolate-lovers” gene on the blog before here. Just to clarify, it’s not that I dislike chocolate. It’s just that I like carrot cake, apple crisp, pumpkin pie, and puffed rice treats more.

That’s where the idea for this recipe was born. I really wanted to emulate a recipe I tasted a few years ago that was a healthier spin on your average marshmallow-butter-puffed-rice-cereal-squares. It was a recipe that mastered the sweet/savory combination perfectly; it incorporated almond butter and nuts with coconut and marshmallows. 

Then, of course, I wanted to add chocolate to this non-chocolate recipe since the sweet/savory combo is my favorite way to enjoy chocolate.

Except my bars didn’t necessarily hold up the way I expected; instead, the recipe created these really wonderful, fun clusters. They’re the perfect vehicle for leftover melted Valentine’s Day chocolate and shredded, unsweetened coconut. 

Don’t you just love it when life gives you those unexpected surprises?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Brown Rice Chow

This simple & fun snack is the a cross between puppy chow & puffed rice treats. If you like the sweet/savory combination, this treat is made for you! 

 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup almond butter

20 large marshmallows

3 cups puffed brown rice cereal

2 tablespoons flax seeds

1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts and almonds)

1 cup chocolate, melted

1/3 cup unsweeteend shredded coconut

Directions:

1.     In a large bowl, combine brown rice cereal, flax seeds, and nuts. Stir to combine.

2.     Over the stove, on low heat, combine the butter, marshmallows, and almond butter until melted.

3.     Pour over dry ingredients and stir to combine.

4.     Press into parchment lined or greased pan (like one you would make brownies in). Allow to sit over night.

5.     The next morning, break up the mixture into chunks and lay out on a lined baking sheet.

6.     Drizzle with melted chocolate and then sprinkle with unsweetened coconut.

7.     Allow to set in the fridge for at least an hour.

An InLinkz Link-up

Vegan Vanilla Beet Cupcakes with Vegan Vanilla Coconut Frosting

I initially intended to post this recipe on Tuesday.

Tuesdays are such an under-appreciated day.

There’s Monday, which gets all the extra attention for being positioned at the start of the week.

Then there’s “Hump Day.”

Thursdays are practically the weekend, am I right? And Thursdays also are the day of the week that aired new episodes of Friends on TV, so it will forever hold a special place in my heart. 

And I’m sure you can understand why I don’t feel the need to justify the attention worthy of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

So, that leaves us with lonely Tuesday. But, since this last Monday was technically a holiday, that would make today Tuesday in it’s own kind of way.

And so that’s why I’ve decided to post my second dessert recipe of the week. This feels-like-Tuesday-kind-of-day deserves a reason to smile. So, here’s a spunky dessert, colored naturally with the beautiful hue of beets. 

By themselves, these cupcakes aren’t too sweet at all. I let the frosting add most of the sweetness.

And as a fair warning, this vegan frosting has a distinct coconut flavor, so if that’s not for you, I would opt for a traditional frosting with butter. Or if you adhere to a vegan diet, I would simply opt for a plant-based non-hydrogenated butter alternative. But for coconut lovers like me, this simple frosting recipe certainly does the trick! 

Happy Tuesday! xo

Vanilla Beet Cupcakes with Vegan Vanilla Coconut Frosting

Naturally colored with beets and only mildly sweet, these whole grain, plant-based cupcakes are certainly a reason to celebrate.

Makes 12 cupcakes 

Ingredients for cupcakes:

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup coconut sugar

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

3 medium beets, cooked

Ingredients for frosting:

¼ cup coconut oil

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk

2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions for cupcakes:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.     In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.

3.     In a food processor or blender, combine beets, coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

4.     Add beet mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine.

5.     Pour batter into lined muffin tins.

6.     Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding frosting.

Directions for frosting:

1.     Beat all ingredients until smooth. Keep in the refrigerator until cupcakes are ready to be frosted.

Vegan Carrot Cake Energy Bites

The fastest way to my heart on Valentine’s Day (or pretty much any day) is with chocolate and flowers carrot cake and cream cheese.

For the most part, I think it’s pretty common for people’s preferences to go through phases whether it’s with fashion, music, or food. But, my loyalty to carrot cake is unwavering.

My closest friends and family all know that it’s my favorite dessert; they know my favorite recipe for making it at home, which restaurant I think serves the best slice, and that for me, the cream cheese frosting can literally make or break it.  

But, I usually reserve carrot cake for only special events. I like to have slice on my birthday and Valentine’s Day; I don’t want carrot cake to lose its special spark.

But, when I started whipping up a batch of these Dark Chocolate Date Bons Bons the other day, the thought came to me that I could satisfy my unwavering love of carrot cake more often without all that added sugar and butter.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still happily enjoy a slice of carrot cake now and then, but these are such a nice treat to have on an otherwise ordinary Wednesday simply because I feel like it.

Vegan Carrot Cake Energy Bites

Loaded with the goodness of whole grains, fiber, omega 3s, these little bites are a dessert-worthy way to do your body so much good.

Makes 12 bites

Ingredients:

1 medium carrot, shredded (about 1 cup)

1 cup oats

¼ cup hempseeds

4 Medjool pitted dates,  chopped and soaked in water*

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

2 tablespoons maple syrup

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

*If your dates are somewhat firm, you may need to soak them in water for about 10 minutes to rehydrate them. After the 10 minutes is up, discard the excess water.

Directions:

1.     Combine all ingredients in a food processer and pulse until ingredients are combined.

2.     Form the dough in 12 golf-ball sized balls and refrigerate for at least one hour before eating.

3.     Store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.

Raspberry Coconut Smoothie

Aren’t there some foods that instantly transport you to a happy place? The smell of homemade cinnamon rolls, for example, transports me straight to my grandma’s house where I’m surrounded by family -- and often in my yoga pants and free of make-up. The taste of spicy black beans reminds me of the 5-week adventure I took in Central America a few years ago with some of my very best friends. And, raspberries and coconut? Well, that just shouts “warm weather, sunshine, and beach!” Those are all very happy things. 

We think that warm weather and the fun that comes with it calls for a celebration.

Today, we’re sharing our recipe for a Raspberry Coconut Smoothie. We hope it makes you happy.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen raspberries

½ cup coconut milk

¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

½ cup ice

Directions:

Combine raspberries, milk, and coconut in a blender. Blend until smooth and add ice as needed. 

Enjoy, preferably with someone you love (and with a little tiny umbrella in your drink).