Coconut Energy Bites

I've been seeing a lot lately about energy bites, basically little balls packed with tons of nutrients. They look like the perfect snack, so I decided to take a shot at it. I completely winged this, so I made a small batch that yielded six individual balls, so feel free to double the recipe if you're looking to make a bigger batch. 

1/4 cup raw almonds
4 dates
3 tsp peanut butter 
1 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tsp ground flax seed
1/4 cup oats

Mix everything together in the food processor until the everything is finely ground. Roll the mixture into little balls. I coated some of mine in more shredded coconut, which is entirely optional. Store extras in the fridge. Enjoy!

Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes

I have a confession to make. I hate sweet potatoes. I always have, and I've always felt left out from all the cute sweet potato recipes. So this morning, I decided to suck it up and give them another try, and I'm pleased to announce that this vegan sweet potato recipe was an all-around success!

1/2 cup oat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup almond milk

Combine all the dry ingredients (I use a food processor because I grind my oat flour) then add mashed sweet potato and almond milk. Cook on medium heat in preferred oil (I use coconut) until they begin to bubble, then flip. I layered mine with banana and topped them with warmed berries and mango. Enjoy!

Sesame Buckwheat Noodle Salad

This noodle salad is super summery and a great use of buckwheat noodles. It also keeps well and makes for delicious leftovers. And yes, you guessed it - it's easy! 

Buckwheat (soba) noodles

Asparagus 

Green onions

Kale 

Cilantro

Soy sauce 

Sesame oil

Rice vinegar

Sesame seeds

Cook the noodles as directed on the packaging, but be careful not to overcook them because they become sticky and almost mushy. Blanch asparagus. Any veggies will do - but I love to keep the green theme going, so I used these particular ones. If you like to add a little kick to your food, a little bit of chopped jalapeño will do wonders for this dish!

 Mix ingredients together in a large bowl, seasoning to taste. Serve cold and enjoy!

Toasted Coconut + Almond Granola

I love granola. Seriously. Probably a little too much. I especially love homemade granola, though, which makes it a little better, right? Let's hope so.

Anyway, this recipe is delicious and quick and - ideally - more user friendly in terms of sugar and fat content. 

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

1/2 cup seeds (I used sunflower + pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp flax seeds

Mix everything together in a big bowl with your hands - yes, it will be messy, but it's super fun! Spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet and stick in the oven at 300 degrees F. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring intermittently. I like my granola on the toasty side, so I left mine in for a little longer. Let cool and enjoy!

Gluten Free + Paleo Pancakes

I've been dreaming about these pancakes all week! I wanted to switch up my ingredients since I've been using my banana oat recipe a lot lately, so I came up with this gluten free, paleo friendly concoction. 

1/2 banana

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1/3 cup almond meal

1 tbsp coconut flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Mix everything together in a food processor. I use coconut oil when cooking mine because I like the taste and I think it works really well, but any other oil you want to use will work, too! I layered the pancakes with sliced banana and topped with warmed berries. 

Enjoy!

Vegan Lemon Blueberry Scones

I was definitely skeptical about the prospect of vegan scones, but these have definitely cured that skepticism. They're light and fluffy on the inside and crusty and sweet on the outside, just like scones should be. And yes - they were super easy to make!

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tbsp salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp apple sauce

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 1/4 cup almond milk (or a different non-dairy milk)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup frozen blueberries

zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400. 

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Fold wet ingredients in until just combined. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter onto baking sheet, spreading evenly. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top for browning (this is totally optional). Bake for about 15 minutes. 

See? So simple. There's nothing to it!

Also, go check out Brenda's blog, www.onehungrymami.blogspot.com. She did a nice little feature on me and has tons of great, plant-based recipes. She's a gem!

Chia Overnight Oats

If you're anything like me, mornings tend to become rushed - before you know it, it's time to go and you can't find your right shoe and your lunch isn't packed yet etc. etc. etc. But the hectic nature of weekday mornings shouldn't affect the healthfulness or tastiness of your breakfast, because after all, it is the most important meal of the day.

Overnight oats in a jar are truly the perfect solution. Made the night before, they're ready to go in the morning and the fact that they're in a jar makes them a great portable meal.

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 almond milk
1 tsp. chia seeds
1 tbsp. yogurt

Mix all ingredients together and transfer to a jar with a lid. Layer with anything - sliced banana, kiwi, strawberries, apples, more yogurt, nuts and seeds - you really can't go wrong! (I used homemade raspberry chia jam, yogurt, and banana.) If you're a chia seed person, use a whole tablespoon! I prefer less chia seeds myself, so I've settled on just using a teaspoon.

And please excuse these less-than-perfect photos, my camera charger seems to be missing so I had to use my iPhone. Oopsie!