No Bake Carob and Coconut Macaroons: Raw, vegan, gluten free--only five ingredients!

NO BAKE CAROB AND COCONUT MACAROONS

These raw, gluten free, vegan no-bake cookies sprang from a well of desire for one of my favorite candies ever (Mounds!). I wondered if I could make something similar without baking; a quick and easy (plus way healthier) treat. My beta version was a huge hit (even for my fiance, who isn't afraid to express his dislike for carob).  They were a yummy addition to the Christmas Cookies we gave to friends and family this year AND they look like little adorable ice cream scoops!!! So let's get started!

INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

1/4 cup cold pressed coconut oil (I used Simply Nature organic brand)

2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I used organic bulk coconut from my local health food store)

1/2 tsp liquid organic stevia (or any other sweetener to taste)

4 tsp coconut flour (you could easily substitute a finely milled rolled oat or something similar)

3 tsp carob chips

OTHER OPTIONAL ADD-INS (careful not to add too much of anything)

-a drop or two of vanilla, almond flavoring or even peppermint

-a small amount of slivered almonds

-finely chopped maraschino cherrries

DIRECTIONS:

In a glass bowl, melt coconut oil in microwave for 30 seconds and stir until fully melted. Add stevia or preferred sweetener and stir together. Add shredded coconut and stir until coated in oil. Add in final ingredients (coconut flour and carob chips) and incorporate carob chips as evenly as possible. Add any additional flavoring or ingredients. At this point, if you've used stevia, the mixture may taste slightly bitter, but that flavor mellows after the cookie sets!

Using a rounded tablespoon to measure, tightly pack mixture into the spoon and press on the top of one end of the spoon wtih your finger to gently pop the macaroon out. They are very delicate and this part takes some patience! You can also experiment with other tools or simply pack ice cube trays or another small mold with the mixture. The little scoops sure are cute, though!

Once you have the tiny scoops on a plate, pop in to the freezer to set (minimally 10 minutes, though they may be ready before that). These actually keep quite well in the freezer and are yummy cold, but we always eat ours within a day! 

Once the coconut oil has chilled and firmed they are actually quite well set, and do well at room temperature from that point forward.

They are certainly a much healthier version but BOY, do they ever taste like Mounds! If you use stevia to sweeten, they are actually quite low carb considering the coconut is unsweetened and the coconut flour is very low in carbs as well. Don't forget about the awesome health benefits of coconut oil!

This recipe yeilds 8 tbps size cookies. They are petite and adorable!

ENJOY!

Vegan Ginger and Soy Tofu Stirfry with Spicy Peanut Sauce

VEGAN GINGER AND TOFU STIR FRY
With Spicy Peanut Sauce

Makes 3-4 servings 
(add more vegetables to stretch things farther, or serve with rice or bean threads)

YUM. It's one of our go-to "Meatless Monday" entrees! It's a quick, easy, meatless dish that offers lots of plant based protein, healthy fats, and deliciously healthy veggies! We rarely have left overs. ;)

You can stretch or modify this recipe by serving it over rice or bean threads if you prefer--but I like to cut the calories and up the healthy fiber with lots of yummy stir fry veggies.

INGREDIENT LIST:

-(1) 14 oz container of firm tofu (I prefer to use Nasoyu Organic Lite Firm Tofu)
-Stir fry veggies (show here are cubed zuchinni, red and orange sweet peppers, green onions, broccoli and sugar snap peas)
-Preferred oil for cooking and sauce (I used raw vegan coconut oil this time, but you could easily sub olive, peanut, or another oil throughout the recipe)
-Fresh minced ginger (or powder if you prefer) and fresh chopped garlic (or powder if you prefer)
-Soy and teriyaki sauce
-Sriracha Sauce
-Natural peanut butter or PB2
-Sesame seeds for toasting (optional) and orange for garnish (optional)


HOW TO MAKE IT:

I start by cubing my tofu. If I have time, I will marinate it in soy, teriyaki, or a blend of both! When I'm running short, I toss it into a hot pan with a tsp or so of oil and sautee it while adding the sauce on top. Add the finely minced ginger half way through cooking. Carefully stir periodically and once tofu chunks are brown, remove from pan to be added to vegetables later.

I wash, chop and stirfry my vegetables using the same method: a little oil, a little soy and teriyaki, and a little fresh garlic. Stir fry veggies are best, in my opinion, seared in a hot pan, slightly al dente. Once they are cooked, gently toss together the tofu and vegetables. 

  

The spicy peanut sauce:  First, I warm a few tablespoons of soy, water, and oil (in this instance I used raw coconut oil) in the microwave. (This is no exact science--feel free to taste as you go, I know I do!) Though I usually use natural peanut butter (2-3 heaping tablespoons), I decided to try PB2 this time (3-4 heaping tablespoons). It blended nicely and the flavor was good--in fact, a very nice substitute!-- but I can't lie: natural peanut butter is the overall winner. Be careful with the soy--it is VERY salty. If you do accidentally have too much in the mix, level it out with more peanut butter and oil. I also add a nice healthy squirt of sriracha (it's a mellow heat, but add more or less to your tastes) and blend until it is creamy! It will thicken as it stands; warm just before serving so that it drizzles onto stir fry nicely.

Mmm...toasted sesame seeds set things off! Of course, this is an optional step along with the sliced orange (and so is the pretty design you see below, but hey, this vegan tofu stirfry was the star in a photo shoot)! Plate the combined tofu and veggies and serve with peanut sauce for drizzling.



ENJOY!

Blue Vintage Gingham and Veggie Frittatta recipe!

OH! Hello. I'm a total dork! And I'm in a cooking mood today!
(P.S., the vintage blue gingham dress I'm wearing was thrifted for $1.50)

BLUE VINTAGE GINGHAM AND VEGGIE FRITTATTA RECIPE!

I was in a SERIOUS cooking mood today! It all started with poached eggs and fresh strawberries this morning. From there, I made butternut bisque with home made whole grain croutons, and fresh cilantro. The sriracha was flowing freely, my turntable was spinning records, life was good.

I got lazy.

I had fully intended to share this cute blue gingham dress and the grey and brown accents I paired with it (including a super cute vintage Dooney & Bourke handbag I had thrifted a while back)in a great outfit post...but I got lost in my kitchen and an apron. 

Then I thought...why not share? As some of you may know, I've been using the Weight Watchers program to lose weight! I'm about twenty pounds from my goal weight, and though I haven't been on the program throughout my entire weight loss journey, I've lost about 25 pounds since last August. Over the last three or four years, I have also made some serious dietary and lifestyle changes, but honestly--nothing was easier for me than eating healthy. I love it! It pleases me to cook and eat this way. And I love sharing the food I make!

Try my recipe for veggie frittattas out and see what you think. They were SO YUMMY and according to my calculations, only about 2 weight watchers points per patty! I had two with creamed avocado, cottage cheese and tomato slices. This was an 8 point dinner total; very filling and about 450 calories according to my (somewhat loose) calculations! Enjoy!

VEGGIE FRITTATTAS (Makes 4 patties)

Ingredients: 

--1/2 bag frozen stir fry veggies (mine included broccoli, snap peas, peppers, onions and water chestnuts)

--1/4 bag frozen shredded spinach

--1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

--1/4 cup fresh chopped green onion

--3-4 heaping tbsp of unbleached whole wheat flour (I like King Arthur brand)

--2 heaping tbsp of ground flax (I keep my flax in the refrigerator in a clean glass peanut butter jar for easy use!)

--Salt, pepper and seasoning to taste (I used, in addition to salt and pepper, garlic powder and veggie flakes)

--1 egg (vegans can easily substitute Vegg Yolk or even 1/4 cup pumpkin or squash puree)

--olive oil for frying along with frying pan over medium-high heat

I thawed out my frozen veggies but didn't heat them (I didn't want the excess liquid).



I added my flour and seasonings in and stirred things up!



Then came one egg and more blending.



I'm always sprinkling flax into things! ;)



Got my pan nice and hot with a drizzle of olive oil! The mixture was ready to go but slightly watery upon sitting for a moment, so I added a touch more flour to firm it (less than a tbs). Use your best judgement!



I formed patties with my hands and tossed into the pan! Patties will be "gooey" upon forming but no worries...they will firm up and fry nicely once they are in the pan/griddle.



I fried them to golden brown which was about 3-5 minutes on each side! The egg cooks quickly and because the frozen veggies are already cooked, these were very quick to make!



As if the patties weren't already AWESOME enough on their own...I decided to make them even sexier by adding a dollop (yes, I said dollop) of avocado on each one! All I did was cream one half of an avocado. One half of an avocado was the perfect amount to top the four patties.



I served them with cottage cheese and fresh tomato slices...and a little dash of salt! OOOOOOHHHH yeah...that's a little sriracha on top. Couldn't help it!



IS THIS A BIG BITE? I CAN'T TELL!
HAHAHA! 

Mmmm...I'm so glad I had leftovers for lunch tomorrow. These were absolutely amazing!
Try it out...and let me know what you think!

PS....Click the image below to visit me on Instagram! :)