Veggie Staples

dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free, plant based recipes

Paleo & Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

· by · 3 Comments

IMG_2329

The Holidays are here! What is your favorite way to celebrate? My friend is hosting a cookie swap in a few weeks, and these Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies (Gluten Free & Paleo) are an oldie but goodie for any holiday party! They incorporate that lovely combination of chocolate and peppermint that everyone is sure to love! And better yet, they are sweetened with natural honey! I was lucky enough to get some Nektar Honey Crystals on my hands from Nektar Naturals! (Thank you Nektar Naturals!) I used this as a healthy sugar substitute, (as I always do), and they still were a big hit. How awesome is that?

Who can resist such cute spirals? I had a few mishaps (I decided to use coconut sugar, which is brown… guess what? brown sugar does not take color dye, whoops!). I found these awesome natural food dyes after scouring the internet, and they worked really well! I was really impressed with the coloring, I wasn’t sure if they would turn out muddy or too dull. I would have been upset if I had ended up with pink instead of red! Anyways, if you are into Chocolate Peppermint (my whole family is obsessed) you will really love these cookies! Did I mention they are also gluten free and paleo? Note: If you do use coconut sugar in this recipe, the color will not turn out! Don’t learn the hard way like I did! I recommend using Nektar Naturals honey crystals!!

And don’t forget to head on over to my instagram account for a Nektar Naturals giveaway!

*Nektar Naturals can be found in any Walmart!!

IMG_2293 IMG_2296

 

IMG_2299

5.0 from 1 reviews
Print
Paleo & Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • ¾ cup honey crystals, stevia or truvia
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon almond or coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • green & red food coloring to liking
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking soda.
  2. In a large bowl or in an electric mixer, beat honey crystals and coconut oil until fluffy (around 3 minutes)
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla into the honey crystals and coconut oil
  4. Add flour and baking soda, reduce mixer to low or beat until just blended
  5. Divide dough in half and place in two bowls
  6. Stir in cacao and milk into one bowl, stir in peppermint into the other bowl
  7. Divide peppermint dough in half and place in separate bowls
  8. Mix the red food coloring into one peppermint dough, green into the other
  9. Divide the chocolate dough in half
  10. Shape all the dough pieces into 3 X 5 inch rectangles, set on wax paper or parchment paper and place another piece of paper on the top for easy rolling
  11. Roll out dough into 9 X 12 inch rectangles.
  12. Refrigerate rectangles in the refrigerator for at least an hour
  13. Place 2 chocolate rectangles on a floured work surface (I like using arrowroot or tapioca flour)
  14. Remove from sheets of wax paper
  15. Lightly brush the chocolate dough with water (helps with sticking)
  16. Place red dough on top of one chocolate dough, place green dough on top of the other
  17. Trim edges if the dough shapes are uneven
  18. Roll dough together (from the long side) into a log form (both green and red dough)
  19. Roll dough tightly so the log is compact
  20. Wrap dough in plastic wrap/saran wrap for at least 3 hours
  21. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  22. Remove logs from refrigerator and unwrap
  23. Cut logs into ¼ inch thick cookie slices
  24. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet or Silpat
  25. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown, rotating half way through

paleoglutenfreechocolatepeppermintpinwheelcookies

Gluten Free High Protein Pumpkin Cranberry Mug Cake

· by · Leave a Comment

IMG_3503

I know we are well on our way into peppermint and gingerbread season, but pumpkin will always be my favorite. I recently teamed up with Sun Warrior, a company that makes delicious, gluten free, vegan, non GMO, no soy protein powders and supplements! I love their protein powder and was excited to get in the kitchen to create some recipes using their products!

One thing I haven’t yet made my for my blog, but love and eat all the time are mug cakes! Sun Warrior gave me the perfect opportunity to incorporate their awesome products into a mug cake. Like I said, I’m still wayyyyyy into the pumpkin, so with the fresh cranberries I just picked up at the store, pumpkin cranberry it was! (You could also swap out the cranberries for chocolate chips). This is easy to throw together, and it’s a super healthy treat with almost 30 grams of protein packed into it, between the protein powder, egg whites, pumpkin & coconut flour! How could you go wrong? I really hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and give Sun Warrior products a try, they truly are one of my favorite protein powders out there!

IMG_1072

Print
Gluten Free High Protein Pumpkin Cranberry Mug Cake
Author: 
Recipe type: Mug Cake
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1 mug cake
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup fresh cranberries
  • 28 grams (one scoop) Sunwarrior Vanilla Protein Powder
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 tablespoons liquid egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
  • *optional: ½ teaspoon stevia for extra sweeteness
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
  2. Grease the inside of the mug you are going to use (I like using a tiny bit of coconut oil)
  3. Add ingredients to mug and heat on high in the microwave (3-4 minutes)
  4. Enjoy immediately!

 

glutenfreepumpkinmugcake

The Best Gluten Free ‘Sugar’ Cookies

· by · 1 Comment

We recently celebrated Zoey’s first birthday - I’m not really quite sure where 1 year went! Here she is shoving her face full of birthday cupcakes at school (gluten free & dairy free, of course)!!

zoeybirthday3

One thing I also sent to school with Zoey were these awesome ‘sugar’ cookies - they really are the best gluten free ’sugar’ cookies!!!! The kids really loved them and I don’t mind giving Zoey a treat knowing it’s gluten free and as ‘healthy’ as it can possibly be, not full of anything processed. Sometimes I think I’m crazy when I make everything homemade (time consuming), but at least I know what’s in them and what she’s eating - plus these really are the best gluten free ‘sugar’ cookies.

IMG_3342

You would never know I’ve replaced everything bad that comes in a normal sugar cookie and replaced it with much better ingredients! I also love making sugar cookies because I love all the fun cookie cutters you can use to make them way more fun - my Mom bought me a bag of 100 different cookie cutters last year for Christmas, and I don’t think I will ever have a shortage of any cookie cutter I’m looking for!

Print
The Best Gluten Free ‘Sugar' Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 38-48 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups Gluten Free Enjoy Life All Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
  1. Mix coconut oil & coconut sugar together
  2. *beating in a mixer will make it much easier, but not necessary
  3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and beat until blended
  4. Add the flour and baking powder until completely combined.
  5. Remove from the bowl and roll into a ball.
  6. Place the ball of dough on a plate or in a ball (covered by plastic wrap or a dish towel) for 30-45 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  8. Remove dough from refrigerator and use extra gluten free all purpose flour to sprinkle on your countertop (I like putting some on my rolling pin too).
  9. Roll the dough out to the desired thickness (around ¼ inch seems to work the best)
  10. * I did mine in small sections, I just found this easier
  11. Cut the dough with your cutters and place onto your silpat or greased baking sheet
  12. *you’ll get 38-48 cookies depending on how big your cookie cutters are
  13. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are faintly golden brown on the edges.
  14. Allow to cool before eating! (I like this wire rack the best)

glutenfreesugarcookies

Gluten Free Orange Carrot Ginger Muffins

· by · 1 Comment

IMG_3374

My husband’s favorite cake is carrot (okay, maybe second to chocolate). I had him test these out with the new Enjoy Life Muffin Mix that I used to create these Gluten Free Orange Carrot Ginger Muffins. All I have to say about his reaction is Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!! His eyes lit up when he took a bite of these!

They are super easy to put together, and they are just to die for! They are really great for a quick breakfast, but also for an awesome morning or afternoon snack. My daughter (who just turned 1), also devoured these, so kid friendly, especially because all those carrots are hidden!! The ginger makes is a little zesty, the orange makes it a little sweet - the perfect balance! Well, what are you waiting for, get to your kitchen to make these muffins!!

Print
Gluten Free Orange Carrot Ginger Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Muffin
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 9 muffins
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups Enjoy Life Muffin Mix (as prepared, I made mine with coconut oil)
  • ½ cup finely shredded carrots (you can use a cheese grater or a food processor)
  • 1 orange, zested
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger (or dried ginger)
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • *extra coconut oil for greasing muffin tin or muffin liners
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Prepare the muffin mix (as directed)
  3. Shred carrots with a cheese grater or food processor
  4. Place shredded carrots in a bowl and squeeze & zest the orange, adding it to the bowl of carrots
  5. Grate ginger & add to the carrots
  6. Add cinnamon
  7. Add the muffin mix to the carrot mixture, mixing until well combined
  8. Divide the mixture evenly among 9 muffin tins
  9. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes clean
  10. Allow to cool before devouring!

 

 

 

glutenfreeorangecarrotgingermuffins

Chocolate Coconut Tartlets

· by · Leave a Comment

IMG_3392
T
here are not many things I love much more than the chocolate & coconut pairing! I was recently gifted the new Enjoy Life Baking Mixes!! They are SO easy to use - add water & oil (I like coconut oil best) & they taste SO good! Also a plus: they are incredibly versatile)! Multi purpose mix, muffin, pancake, waffle, brownie & pizza mixes?!! They did not disappoint! Even my husband loves everything I’ve made! (Note: All enjoy life products are free of the top 8 allergens: wheat/gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish free!. Products are also made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites.

I’m sharing with you today one of the new recipes I tested out with the multi purpose flour, these wonderful chocolate coconut tartlets!! I added it as the thickening agent for the creamy chocolate center in these beautiful little gems. I also used melted Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips for the filling! They are a must make for any chocolate coconut fan you have in your life. Perfect for dessert or a summer party, you can’t go wrong! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Print
Chocolate Coconut Tartlets
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 tartlets
 
Ingredients
for the crust
  • 1½ cups unsweetened coconut shreds
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 2 egg whites
for the filling
  • ¾ cup almond milk
  • 4 ounces enjoy life chocolate chips
  • 6 tablespoons Enjoy Life Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • *coconut oil for greasing
  • *slivered almonds for topping, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix crust ingredients until they form a ball of ‘dough’
  3. Divide into 12 equal balls of dough
  4. In a lightly greased mini muffin pan, place balls of dough in each muffin tin, pressing your thumb into the dough to make a hole for the filling
  5. Place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes until the edges are brown
  6. While the coconut shells are baking, measure out chocolate chips and place them in the microwave for 30 seconds. They should be slightly melty. Mix together with a fork or whisk until completely melted, (*add more time in the microwave if needed, 10 seconds at a time)
  7. Add all other ingredients to the chocolate and whisk until well combined.
  8. Allow coconut shells to cool once they are finished.
  9. Once cooled (10 minutes or so) add filling (and sprinkle with slivered almonds, optional) and bake for another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean.
  10. Allow to cool before eating

glutenfreechocolatecoconuttartlets

Paleo Pineapple Coconut Bars

· by · 12 Comments

pinaepplebarscloseup

*picture above is right before it went into the oven!

When I think of summer foods, my mind goes to fruit! Specifically, pineapple! Who doesn’t love this awesome fruit? So versatile, too! In a salad, as a dessert, on the grill with something savory! You can’t go wrong! These (paleo/gluten free/grain free) pineapple coconut bars are a perfect summer treat. Really easy to make, and the flavor reminds me of a pina colada! Although I made these and had all of my family do the taste testing, these would be the most marvelous ending to a summer BBQ. What do you think?

meg

4.7 from 3 reviews
Print
Paleo Pineapple Coconut Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 bars
 
Ingredients
for the crust
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted + more for greasing
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar or honey crystals
for the filling
  • 3 cups chopped pineapple (fresh or canned)
  • 1½ cups sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes (depending on how sweet you like it)
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp almond flour
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Add all crust ingredients to buzz in a food processor until it forms a ball of dough
  3. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the pan
  4. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes
  5. Remove from oven and set aside
  6. Whisk together coconut sugar, almond flour, and baking powder in a bowl
  7. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined
  8. Stir in coconut flakes and pineapple
  9. Spread mixture evenly over crust (add more coconut flakes for extra topping if desired)
  10. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges are golden.
  11. Allow to cool completely, then cut into squares (12)
  12. Best if served chilled!

paleopineapplecoconutbars3

Vegan S’mores Smoothie

· by · 1 Comment

smoresmoothie

What is better than s’mores on a summer night? Not too much, right? I do really love a gooey s’more every once in a while, but most of the ingredients aren’t very good for you, unfortunately. A little splurge every once in a while isn’t so bad, but if there’s a way that I can make them healthier, I’m going to do it! (and that way I can have a few more). This smoothie was inspired by the s’more, the perfect summer treat! Just as decadent, though. I used So Delicious Coco Whip as the ‘marshmellow’ (really awesome cool whip that is vegan that So Delicious just came out with). I highly recommend it if you haven’t already tried it! But I really love either The Urban Poser’s or 100 Days of Real Food’s marshmallow recipe if you want to use the real deal (and both really easy to make). I promise you will really love this recipe!

What is your favorite summer treat?

Print
Vegan S’mores Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Smoothie
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 smoothies
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup So Delicious Coco Whip or 4 homemade marshmellows
  • 1 cup non dairy milk
  • 4 gluten free graham crackers (homemade or store bought)
  • 1 tablespoon raw cocao powder
  • Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (to sprinkle on top if desired) feel free to add some in the smoothie if you want!
  • ice to taste
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a blender & serve immediately

glutenfreevegansmoresmoothie

Cinnamon Vanilla Donut Holes

· by · Leave a Comment

IMG_2995
Let’s talk more donut holes. (see my recipe for the triple chocolate ones here). This will be the last sweet treat recipe for a while because today I started the 21 Day Sugar Detox created by Diane Sanfilippo. She’s also the author of Practical Paleo & Mediterranean Paleo Cooking! I have plateaued and haven’t really lost any weight in the past month, and I’m thinking I need a reset. I am super good about eating a clean diet, but I thought I’d try something new. We are talking eliminating every fruit or food that has sugar (or fake sugar) except for green bananas and green apples. I don’t eat a lot of fruit in general, so I’m hoping that this might not be too bad, pending the fact that at some point during the day I usually have some dark chocolate. 21 days isn’t too long, right?

These cinnamon vanilla donut holes are actually on the less sweet side, my husband didn’t like them as much as the chocolate (of course). But I thought they were awesome & would definitely eat these as a snack all. the. time.! And of course they are paleo and gluten free, so go make these - what are you waiting for?!!

Print
Cinnamon Vanilla Donut Holes
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 15 donut holes
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar, honey crystals, or stevia/truvia
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon + more for dusting
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees if using a cake pop mold, or plug in your cake pop maker
  2. Beat egg & coconut sugar together in a bowl
  3. Add egg, vanilla extract, almond milk and coconut oil to egg/sugar mixture & mix well
  4. In a separate bowl, sift cinnamon, baking soda & almond flour together
  5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture & mix well
  6. Add batter to the mold or cake pop maker (I find you get the most rounded shape from overfilling the mold a little bit)
  7. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, or 7-8 minutes in a cake pop maker
  8. Repeat for second batch (you should get 15-18 donut holes)
  9. When cool, remove from cake pop mold & dust with extra cinnamon

 

paleoglutenfreecinnamondonutholes

No Marshmallow Rice Crispy Treats

· by · Leave a Comment

IMG_3005

My husband loves rice crispy treats. As in, I make them, and they are gone within the day. It’s a pretty crazy addiction (along with all his other sweet treats). But, unfortunately, marshmallows are not very good for you, and making them on your own is not easy! So, I thought, what could I use that I know would be a good marshmallow substitute? Honey, for sure (I didn’t try my two batches with maple syrup, so I’m not sure that it would work). These were just as awesome with no marshmallows! Husband approved, and I added chocolate chips to the second batch for hint of extra sweetness! Yum! These no marshmallow rice crispy treats are a great alternative so the normal ones - full of processed ingredients! I also used Enjoy Life’s Crunchy Flax Cereal for the ‘rice crispies’. I am a huge advocate for their foods, free of the top 8 allergens (especially gluten & dairy free! I always use their chocolate chips)! You could also swap out half of the honey for some sort of nut butter to help the cereal stick together. What is your favorite indulgence?

IMG_3000

Enjoy-Life-Perkys-Crunchy-Flax-Cereal-Gluten-Free-853522000917

Print
No Marshmallow Rice Crispy Treats
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 bars
 
Ingredients
  • 1 box enjoy life crunchy flax cereal
  • ½ cup honey (or ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup nut butter)
  • ½ cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Pour cereal in a large mixing bowl
  2. Melt honey, coconut oil & vanilla on a pan on low
  3. Pour honey mixture over cereal until evenly distributed
  4. Add in ½ cup chocolate chips and mix well
  5. Place rice cereal mixture in a 9 X 9 inch pan, pressing down until flat and even
  6. Place pan in the refrigerator for at least one hour
  7. Cut into 12 squares and serve
  8. Best if left refrigerated

 

veganglutenfreericecrispytreats

Paleo & Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Donut Holes

· by · 6 Comments

IMG_2978

If there’s one thing that my husband really loves, it’s chocolate. Lots. Of. Chocolate. We aren’t big donut people, but I was in the mood to make, or try to make, homemade donut holes. Why not, right? Triple chocolate donut holes, nonetheless. Gluten free & paleo. No refined sugars. It took a couple of tries, but this version is a winner. My husband ate the whole batch & repeatedly told me he would eat lots more (good to know). Did I mention they were triple chocolate? I also made a batch of cinnamon vanilla, but I’ll post those later. I don’t need to overload you all on sugar, do I? I’m thinking of doing a little detox myself soon.

Print
Paleo & Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Donut Holes
Author: 
Recipe type: donut holes
Cuisine: donut
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 15
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup raw cocao + more for dusting
  • ¼ cup enjoy life chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar, honey crystals, or stevia/truvia
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees if using a cake pop mold, or plug in your cake pop maker
  2. Beat egg & coconut sugar together in a bowl
  3. Add egg, vanilla extract, almond milk and coconut oil to egg/sugar mixture & mix well
  4. In a separate bowl, sift cocao, baking soda & almond flour together
  5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture & mix well
  6. Gently fold in chocolate chips
  7. Add batter to the mold or cake pop maker (I find you get the most rounded shape from overfilling the mold a little bit)
  8. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, or 7-8 minutes in a cake pop maker
  9. Repeat for second batch (you should get 15-18 donut holes)
  10. When cool, remove from cake pop mold & dust with extra cocao powder

paleoglutenfreetriplechocolatedonutholes