Raspberry & Apple Granola Crumble

Disclaimer:  Lisa and I are consulting dietitians for the National Processed Raspberry Council.

I mentioned on Tuesday that I’ve been spending the week in Delburne, the small town in Alberta that harbors some of my fondest memories.

Aside from having some focused work time, enjoying nourishing family-style meals in the evenings, and finding a new show that’s gotten my attention on Netflix (Bloodline), we’ve laughed a lot. There’s a lot I appreciate my family, but their sense of humor rate among the top. 

Earlier this week, for example, what we thought would be a reflective and meditative walk turned into honing in on my horse wrangling skills. To make 45 minutes into a few short sentences, envision five horses, a donkey, and a llama, named Bugsie, fleeing for their freedom. The adventure started with our adorable host 'rancherette' graciously letting us roam her beautiful property; on our way to the walking trail, a few horses snuck out of the gate. In the initial moments, we were panicked, but as soon as we realized everything was okay and the animals returned to their home, we all shared some good belly laughs.

Before I head back to the city today, I wanted to share a recipe that’s perfect for gatherings with family and friends. Crumbles have always been one of my favorite desserts – they’re not overly complicated and still have room to pack in some nutrition with the goodness of fruit. This crumble is entirely plant-based, and utilizes date paste, which are dried dates, soaked in warm water and pureed; it’s a naturally sweet way to sweeten your desserts.

Have a great weekend!

Raspberry & Apple Granola Crumble

Raspberries and apples make a great pairing in this wholesome dessert, which only calls for a little bit of added sugar and a variety of good-for-you ingredients! Top with a scoop of Greek yogurt or serve plain for a nutritious, sweet treat.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups oats

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ slivered or sliced almonds

½ teaspoon cinnamon

dash of salt

4 tablespoons date paste, divided*

2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 bag frozen raspberries

2 sweet apples, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ orange juiced

*Make the date paste by soaking dried dates in warm water and pureeing.

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2.     Mix dry granola ingredients (oats, seeds, nuts, cinnamon, and salt) and set aside.

3.     In a large bowl, toss diced apples and frozen raspberries with vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, orange juice and 2 Tablespoons date paste.

4.     In another large bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons date paste, agave nectar, coconut oil, ½ teaspoon cinnamon; mix in dry ingredients.

5.     In a medium baking dish, add raspberry apple mixture. Top with granola mixture

6.     Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

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.