Veggie Staples

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

Gluten Free High Protein Pumpkin Cranberry Mug Cake

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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!

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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!

 

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Pumpkin Pie Pancake Bites

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Okay, you all know how much I love pumpkin, right? Well, my newest obsession since training for a marathon is pancakes. Something so easy and simple yet so delicious after running 18, 20, or 22 miles! Especially with blueberries! Well I’ve recently found Fit Body Bakery High Protein Pancake Mix! Fit Body Bakery is dedicated to helping people meet their health and fitness goals in delicious ways. The mixes are packed with 6g+ protein per serving (11g for the pancake mix, more if you use egg whites instead of eggs!!) to satisfy hunger and keep you going all day long. The mixes are sweetened with coconut sugar and stevia, and made with 100% gluten free whole grains our mixes have no preservatives or artificial ingredients! Score all around! These pumpkin pie pancake bites are a healthy post run breakfast and something I can feel good about eating and feeding Zoey for her equally as bad pancake addiction! (and that recurring theme of pumpkin lately….) These are pumpkin pie snacks to eat anytime!

Want to try Fit Body Bakery and all of their awesome baking mixes?! Use Code SP15 for 15% off at FitBodyBakery, Expires 11/30/15

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Pumpkin Pie Pancake Bites
Author: 
Recipe type: Pumpkin Pie Pancake Bites
Cuisine: Breakfast
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8 pancake bites
 
Ingredients
  • Fit Body Bakery Pancake Mix (you need eggs or egg whites & milk)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
  • 3 tablespoons non dairy milk (I used almond)
  • 1 tablespoon stevia or coconut sugar
  • ½ tablespoon all purpose gluten free flour
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • coconut oil for greasing muffin tins
  • Cranberries for garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Create pancake mixture and make pancake from Fit Body Bakery box as instructed, set pancakes aside for baking (I got 8 pancakes out of one batch)
  2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well
  4. Grease muffin cups slightly with coconut oil
  5. Press pancakes into bottom of the muffin tin being careful not to rip them
  6. Place 1-2 tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture into each pancake depending on the sizes of the pancake you made
  7. optional: ⅔ cranberries on top of each pancake for garnish
  8. Place pancake bites in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle of the pumpkin pie mixtures
  9. Best if enjoyed warm!

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Easy Gluten Free Banana Pumpkin Muffins

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Well fall has finally rolled into town. Temps down in the 40’s at night, high 60’s & low 70’s during the day. I am in the mood to bake again. 90 degree temps until the 3rd week in September + being back at school +  marathon training = not really wanting to be in the kitchen (and no time). So sorry for the lack of blog posts. Now that things have settled into a routine, and marathon training is tapering, I’m hoping to get back into the blogging routine. I miss it, and I hope you’ve missed me too! Summer was hectic (lots of traveling) so I decided to take a little break from Veggie Staples, although I feel like I need a vacation from all of my vacation traveling! Do you ever feel like that sometimes?

Well along with fall, pumpkin season is also back in full swing (and anyone that knows me knows I love my pumpkin). I had some mushy bananas in the bowl on the counter so I decided to whip up some pumpkin banana muffins - Zoey was into them! I love that she eats ‘regular’ food now, and I can make food or other treats like these muffins that she can eat! I made these for a baby shower - also a big hit! I know you will love them too!

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Easy Gluten Free Banana Pumpkin Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Muffin
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8 muffins
 
Ingredients
  • 1 very ripe banana
  • ¾ cup pureed pumpkin
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2-3 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (depending on how big of a pumpkin fanatic you are!!)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • optional: 2-4 tablespoons stevia, or enjoy life chocolate chips!
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a whole (that easy!!)
  3. Grease or line muffin tin
  4. Fill cups (this batch will make ⅞ muffins)
  5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

 

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Pumpkin Pie Lara Bars

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Do you love Lara Bars? I’m kind of obsessed with them. They are super duper expensive though! I recently found these Pumpkin Pie Lara Bars (Duh, my favorite). I only bought one box and when I went back to Target to get another box, they were sold out (and not getting any more because they are seasonal).

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So… I had to go home and figure out how to make my own. It wasn’t too hard, considering all the ingredients are on the box, and I happen to have this AMAZING dried pumpkin powder from a company called Activz. This is hands down one of my favorite things ever. It’s awesome to add to food, soups, smoothies, etc. and perfect for the pumpkin flavor in the lara bars. I started buying it at the health food store, but then I started buying it on amazon because I could get twice as much for almost the same price.

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You will not regret making these! You could also use gingerbread spices to make that flavor instead (I haven’t tried it, that’s next weekend)! My husband, who is super picky, loved the Pumpkin Pie Lara Bars but he said mine were even better!! How about that?!! What a compliment to the chef! What is your favorite flavor lara bar?

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Pumpkin Pie Lara Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup almonds
  • ½ cup cashews
  • 2 cups pitted dates
  • 2 tablespoons Activz dried pumpkin (or 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice)
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender
  2. Prepare snack as desired (I made 7 sized bars, you could also roll into snack bites)!

 

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Tomatillo Pumpkin Salsa

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One of my favorite snacks is tortilla chips and salsa! Really, really love it. Fresh, local salsa is kind of expensive, and it seems silly (sometimes) to buy it instead of making it homemade and fresh. Tomatillo season is coming to a close, and I have a feeling I may have gotten one of the last batches of them when I went to the store last week! I had also recently picked up an awesome pumpkin salsa at my local health food store, so I was inspired after tasting it to make my own. This really is delicious, my husband even asked me to make a second batch. The salsa can store in the refrigerator up to 7 days, but I’ll bet it won’t last that long!

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Tomatillo Pumpkin Salsa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of tomatillos, husked and washed
  • 1 jalapeno, washed and sliced (deseeded if preferred)
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • one bunch of cilantro (or two, or three, if you like cilantro!) washed and chopped
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash tomatillos, jalapeno and cilantro
  2. Chop cilantro
  3. Blend or pulse all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth
  4. Serve immediately with chips (or store for later use)
http://veggiestaples.com/tomatillo-pumpkin-salsa/

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Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed Pudding

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Sometimes you just get sick of smoothies for breakfast! This is a great recipe to make the night before for an easy, already made breakfast, and chia seeds are a power house super food! High in fiber and protein, are loaded with antioxidants, and are said to help aid in weight loss! What’s not to like?

Have you ever heard of Mila Chia Seeds, though? They are a special blend of seed you can’t get anywhere except from a company called Genesis Pure. These chia seeds are grown with exact specifications and deshelled to maximize the nutritional value so you receive even more of all those awesome benefits. They are also packed with Omega 3’s! You can only get them online, so if you are interested you can find them here (and then contact me)! There is also a great article and video testimony about them here! They provide 6 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber in one serving (2 tablespoons). Chia seeds are also an anti inflammatory and help bone health. When I throw these into my smoothie in the morning (or these protein poppers for a post dinner snack) They keep me full a very long time! Can you tell the difference in the photo? The regular chia seeds are on the left, and the Mila Chia Seeds are on the right. It’s pretty awesome, right?

Either way, this recipe is seriously delicious.  It’s a great breakfast (that’s not a smoothie or eggs) and it’s really easy (and nutritious)! And a little goes a long way, just a small portion of this is very filling because of those awesome chia seeds!

 

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Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of raw cashews (soaked for 20-30 minutes)
  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon (or more to taste)

Instructions

  1. Soak cashews in water in a bowl for at least 30 minutes
  2. Drain water from cashews and place cashews in blender or food processor
  3. Add all other ingredients to food processor or blender
  4. Blend until smooth
  5. Place in a bowl over night
  6. Serve cold for breakfast or a snack
http://veggiestaples.com/pumpkin-pie-chia-seed-pudding/

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Pumpkin Pie Coffee Shake

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More pumpkin, can you handle it? I’m not going to lie, I definitely splurge on a pumpkin iced coffee here and there even though they are not very good for me. I sat down and whipped up this pumpkin pie coffee shake of my own (vegan and paleo, mind you). Nothing fancy, but a lot more ‘clean’ than Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts! Not to mention all the added protein and fiber from the actual pumpkin, which makes you feel a little less guilty about enjoying this! Fun to drink in the morning or an afternoon treat! (and of course, you could make it decaf too)!

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Pumpkin Pie Coffee Shake

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup non dairy milk
  • 1/2 cup iced coffee
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup to taste (depending on how sweet you like it!)

Instructions

  1. Buzz all ingredients in the blender and enjoy/serve immediately!
http://veggiestaples.com/pumpkin-pie-coffee-shake/

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Chocolate Pumpkin Candies

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My Mom loves Halloween. Every year she would go all out decorating and make is super fun for us. She also is an amazing seamstress and would make us the most unbelievable costumes - I had a seriously authentic Snow White costume in the 2nd grade, and I was purple unicorn in the 1st grade (complete with a standing horn and a white fluffy mane running down my back)! I know that Zoey will be getting some awesome costumes herself! I just started picking up decorations to start my own collection.

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I wanted something simple and easy to bring as a treat to work with me (I haven’t visited with the baby yet), and I also wanted to experiment with some molds. I haven’t used them too much before, and I thought they would be fun to experiment with! They were really fun to use and I think I’m going to be going back to the local cake decorating shop to see what else I can experiment with! If you love pumpkin, these homemade chocolate pumpkin candies are really fun to make and to share! (see the fun mold I used below, I also have this one, which I love too)

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Chocolate Pumpkin Candies

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat chocolate 30 seconds at time in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave
  2. Between each 30 second interval, take the chocolate out and stir it with a fork, many times the chocolate will be melted enough when stirred that it won't have to be heated again (I had to heat mine 4 times)
  3. Have chocolate mold(s) and pumpkin ready when the chocolate is melted (you can can mix the pumpkin with a tablespoon of honey if you like your candies sweeter
  4. Add a teaspoon of melted chocolate to the bottom of the mold
  5. Add a teaspoon of pumpkin on top of the chocolate
  6. Fill the rest of the mold to the top with the melted chocolate
  7. Do each of the molds one at a time so the chocolate doesn't harden before you have a chance to pour the pumpkin or second layer of chocolate
  8. Place mold in the fridge until the chocolate sets
  9. When chocolate is hardened flip mold over gently on a flat surface and push lightly on the molds until they pop out.
  10. Repeat steps to make more chocolates if desired
http://veggiestaples.com/chocolate-pumpkin-candies/

 

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Paleo Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

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There are few things I love more than I love pumpkin. Really. No, I’m not kidding. And oh, yes, my friends.. the pumpkin season is upon us. I cannot wait until Fall rolls around every year, it really is the best season. Apple picking, pumpkins, sweater weather, brisk air, the colors of the leaves… I could go on and on. The perfect time to be in New England. Very romantic, in my opinion, which is why I got married in September, too (two years ago today, in fact!).

I’ve made lots of other pumpkin recipes: Pumpkin Hummus, Pumpkin Ginger Muffins, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Chocolate Pumpkin Mini Muffins, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Pumpkin Parfaits, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Mac & Cheese, Pumpkin Risotto…. okay, you get it.

I have wonderful memories as a child always making and decorating sugar cookies with my Mom and sister, and I hope to one day do that with Zoey! I just hope she loves being in the kitchen as much as her mama does! This paleo pumpkin cookie recipe is a keeper, too. I hope you like it as much as we did!

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Paleo Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup arrowroot or potato starch
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin (puree)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  1. Mix ingredients all together (no fuss!)
  2. Place dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  4. Roll out dough into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick slabs
  5. Press cookie cutter into cookie dough and place on Silpat or greased cookie pan
  6. 12 cookies should fit on each sheet depending on the size of the cookie cutter
  7. Bake cookies in the oven for 15 minutes or until edges are brown
http://veggiestaples.com/paleopumpkinspicesugarcookies/