Category Archives: Snack

For Your Consideration: Oat Flax Beer Bread (Gf and Vegan and The Best Gf Bread I’ve Ever Tasted!)

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P1030093_2Sometimes I really, really miss good fresh bread. My grandpa used to make the best sourdough, and everything else has kind of paled in comparison. I’ve been tweaking this recipe for a couple of months now, and I think I finally got it totally right. IT IS SOOOOO GOOOOOODDDD! Whoa.

If you’ve been looking for a good all around bread that doesn’t cost $7 a loaf (Udi’s, I’m looking at you), this is your new best bread buddy. It toasts well, makes a mean sandwich, and was born to sop up soups and sauces. It also freezes like a champion, so you can make it, slice it, and freeze it for another day.P1030092_2What you need:

1 cup oat flour (gluten-free, natch). I ground my own in the magical bullet

1 cup supafine rice flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1/3 cup sweet sorghum flour

2 Tbsp flaxseeds, soaked in 6 Tbps water until a gel is formed

1/8 cup coconut sugar

1.5 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 Tsp of sea salt

12 oz of gluten-free beer (I used New Grist)

coconut oil to grease breadpanP1030094_2First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then grind your oat flour, and sift together all dry ingredients. Add flax gel and beer, and stir until well mixed. Pour into prepared bread pan and pop in the oven until golden brown and slightly cracked on top and a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 30-45 minutes, but varies quite a lot depending on your oven).P1030096_2Let cool for a few minutes (I could only wait for about 2 before I had to eat some, but I’m weak, you might be stronger). Eat plain, or top with something tasty. Hummus and tomato worked pretty darn nicely for me. Enjoy! 🙂P1030097_2P1030098_2

 

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Vanilla Cashew Apricot Bites. Dee. Licious.

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P1030077_2This week has been fantastic. A whole week with only work, and no school. Hooray!!!! That said, it’s all ending tomorrow. But, I only have two terms left, and the end is in sight. Again, hooray!!!! Anyway, today was filled with time with friends, fresh air, SUNSHINE (it’s a miracle!), lots of good food, and one killer spin class, and it was a great reminder that unwinding and de-stressing is so incredibly worth it even when it seems like there’s not possibly enough time.

These little bites were inspired by some bites I read about in a magazine, I wish I could remember which, but I’ve been waiting to make them for a long time. They’re dense and flavorful, and a great pre or post workout snack and SUPER easy to make. Seriously and for reals.

P1030076_2To make them you need:

1 cup of soaked cashews (soaked for at least 2-3 hours, up to overnight)

3/4 dried, unsweetened, unsulphured apricots (soaked for at least 15 min, up to an hour)

1/3 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut (ground into a flour if you prefer)

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

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P1030071_2First, drain apricots and cashews and place in food processor. Process until a thick paste is formed.

P1030073With paste, roll a spoonful at a time into a ball and roll in coconut to coat. If you prefer to grind the coconut into flour (I did a mixture of fine coconut flour and shreds), just place shreds in a food processor to grind to the desired fineness. After coating each bite, place them all in the freezer and freeze for 1-2 hours. Keep in an airtight container in the freezer or fridge. Eat, relax, and enjoy!!!P1030074_2YUM!

 

 

 

 

Mango Coco Kiwi Smoothie. Sunshine In a Cup!

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P1030066March in Seattle means gray, windy, rainy, and often unpleasant. So for the past few mornings I’ve been mixing up this little sunshine smoothie not only because it tastes super good, but it makes me feel like I’m in some tropical climate, even if just for a few minutes. Come summer, I guarantee I’ll be posting more about how awesome the PNW is and how I’d never want to leave.

P1030061What you need:

about 3/4 cup of frozen mango chunks

1 sliced kiwi

1 Tbsp chia seeds

1 Tbsp sliced or whole almonds (preferably soaked in H20 overnight)

1 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup coconut water

2 Tbsp light coconut milk

P1030060Put all ingredients in your blender (I used my magic bullet). Blend. Seriously, that’s it. 🙂

P1030067Drink and enjoy!!!!

 

 

 

 

Baked Apple and Pear Chips. Two Ingredients, So Much Yum.

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P1030052_2We had quite a bit of extra fruit that I’d bought to make pies, and while it’s so tasty fresh, juiced, and smoothied, I’ve been feeling snackish today. Sooo…fruit chips seemed like the right thing to make.

P1030045_2Start with apples, pears or both. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Slice your fruit very, very thinly.

P1030048_2Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place slices on sheet. Pop them in the oven.

P1030050_2After about 50 minutes, flip the fruit, and bake another 30 min before removing. Eat straight away or place in airtight container and save for another day. Yum!

P1030053_2Also, making a little almond butter sammie is definitely a good idea.

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Almond Chia Chocolate Cookies! (Gluten-free and vegan!)

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P1030021_2   Today is not going super well. 3 finals are due today, for all of which I’m way behind in terms of preparation (one of which I thought I had till Sunday to finish), yesterday I just announced I’m changing jobs…it’s been kind of a tough week. And thankfully it’s almost over! 🙂 So, while I’m re-listening to lectures, I decided to do a little baking.  Because why not. And it’s better than sitting here stressing while I have to be tied to my computer anyway.

P1030025_2These cookies are really less sweet treat, and more power snack. They’re tasty and the almond meal gives them a nice almost cakey texture, but they’re not very sweet. If you’re looking for  a sweeter cookie, I might send you back to my Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chunk Cookies instead. That said, if you’re looking for something that you can grab before running out the door to workout or something, these might be the winners.

What you need:

1 cup almond flour

1.5 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob’s, though King Arthur is my favorite)

1/2 cup gluten-free oats

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 Tbsp chia seeds (2 of which will be whisked together with 6 Tbsp water to form a gel and set a aside)

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

pinch cinnamon

1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

P1030016_2First, whisk together your chia gel and set aside for a few minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together all dry ingredients in one bowl. In separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients (including chia gel and melted coconut oil). Add wet to dry ingredients, and mix. Add chocolate chunks and remaining chia seeds.P1030018_2Place parchment paper over cookie sheet, and spoon dough (it’s very thin dough) onto parchment. Place it all in the oven, and bake for about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.P1030024_2Build a leaning tower of cookies and eat them up!!!

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Epic Granola Bars! (Vegan and GF!)

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Ever have one of those weeks where you just feel like you’re under water? Mine’s been kind of like that this week. Just more to do than I think can humanly be done. Fortunately for me, I’ve got a lovely trip to Mexico coming up on Sunday, and a couple of days off to catch up (and breathe, and maybe stop treading water). Traveling gf style can be tricky. More and more airports have gluten-free goodies, but they often cost upwards of $3 or $4 for a granola bar, and I’ll be honest, as a student that seems like a lot of money for little snack bar. So, these tasty little friends came to be. P1020953_2 They’re extremely customizable, so just use what you’ve got on hand. This combination of fig, date, oats, almonds, chocolate, coconut shreds, chia seeds, and maple syrup is sooooo good though. Lovely and chewy with just the right amount of sweetness, I find myself wanting to high-five these bars, but as it turns out, granola bars don’t really give a solid high-five back. It’s much more satisfying to eat them.P1020952_2   To make these, you need:

1. 5 cups gluten-free oats

1 cup puffed rice cereal

1 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

3-4 squares of dark, dark chocolate, chopped into small bits

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup maple syrup

6 dried figs, chopped

5 dates, chopped and pitted

a dash of nutmeg

a dash of cinnamon

1/8 cup waterP1020956_2Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl. I know, that sounds like such a complex step. One of the many reasons homemade granola in any form is the best.P1020958_2If you have an 8 x 8 inch dish, use that, but if not, I found that two bread pans worked out just fine. Either way, line the pan (or pans) with parchment paper, and press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Don’t be afraid here. Press really hard! The better pressed it is, the better your bars will stick together. Now bake for 30-40 minutes, until the tops is golden brown.P1020961_2Remove the parchment and granola from the pan, and let cool completely before cutting into bars.P1020967_2Take them anywhere, eat, and enjoy!

The World’s Best Green Juice, Ever. In the world! (did I mention the world?)

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I’d like to start by saying one thing: Green juice is MAGIC. Yes, it looks weird (although I like pretty much anything that looks like it may have come straight from a rainbow), and like it might taste really bad. Once you make the leap to the green, you’ll be so glad you did. This juice is a nice start to the morning, an afternoon pick me up, or a good post workout recharger. And it’s an excellent gateway juice before you start getting all hardcore with green juices that don’t have anything ungreen in them. Also, it’s amazing. 🙂

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Makes about 16 0z of wonderful, beautiful juice.

3 small apples (or 1 large, ignore the 5 pictured)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

about 3-4 cups baby kale (or 5-7 leaves grown up kale)

1-2 inches of fresh ginger

1 pear

(optional: handful of parsley)

Juice apples, pear, kale, ginger. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon into juice and stir. Drink it up and feel like a juggernaut of rainbow-colored goodness.

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Olive Oil Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins (gluten-free and vegan)

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Today was a day for muffins…savory, fruity, cakey muffins. I’ve been so swamped with school lately that I’m prepping a lot of food on sundays to get through the rest of the week. I’ve also discovered that listening to lectures on my iPod while I cook is actually helping me retain the information better, so it’s win-win. 🙂

These tasty little friends are made with cornmeal, olive oil, and luscious, luscious blueberries, and they have a velvet-y texture despite the cornmeal. I never actually thought I’d describe any food as velvety because it’s always struck me as impossible unless you’re talking about mousse, but these come pretty close.

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To make:

1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 Tbsp chia seeds (whisked into gel with 6 Tbsp water) – if using eggs, use two whole eggs instead

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup almond milk

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 tsp sea salt

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cinnamon

From here, it’s easy. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk chia seeds into a gel (will take about 5 minutes of setting). Sift together dry ingredients (except sugar), whisk together wet ingredients (include sugar here).

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Add wet to dry and fold in blueberries. Add extra almond milk by tbsp if the batter seems too dry.

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Spoon into regular-sized greased muffin tin, and bake til golden-brown on top and fork comes out nice and clean (about 20-30 min).

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Eat ’em up!!!!!

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Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Vegan and Gluten-free!) Say what?!

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Oatmeal, raisins, dark chocolate. There, that’s my post. It’s all you really need to know, and maybe all anybody really needs to know when it comes to cookies AND life.

Okay, that’s probably not true. Except the cookie part.

Anyway, today’s been one of those exceptionally grey Seattle days, a little bit drizzly, and absolutely no discernable patches of clear sky anywhere. I’ve been holed up working on school, and cookies suddenly seemed absolutely necessary. In times of such necessity, it’s best to just make the cookies.

These little delights are super easy, and through a combination of gluten-free all purpose flour, almond meal, and oatmeal, have the best texture; a little chewy on the inside, a little crispy on the outside, with lots of raisins and big dark chocolate chunks. I won’t lie, it’s taking most of my willpower not to eat about 10.

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Let’s make cookies! What you need:

1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1.5 cups gluten-free oatmeal

1/2 cup almond meal

4 Tbsp chia seeds (2 combined into 6 Tbsp of rice or almond milk to form a gel, and 2 folded into batter)

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut sugar

3/4 of a broken dark chocolate bar

1/2 cup raisins

3 Tbsp maple syrup

9 Tbsp rice, almond, or other non-dairy milk (6 for chia gel, the rest added to wet ingredients)

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch each of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While chocolate bar is still wrapped, smash it to pieces with the bottom of jar. Very satisfying and keeping it wrapped prevents chocolate from flying everywhere. You can also use chocolate chips, I just didn’t have any.

In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. A note here about almond meal…you can buy pre-mealed almonds at Trader Joe’s or, if you have whole almonds, pulse them in a food processor or magic bullet until a crumbly flour is formed. Don’t go too far or you’ll make almond butter, which isn’t a bad thing, but not what you’re going for here. The conversion is 1:1 almonds:almond meal (or flour). Whisk together 2 Tbsp chia seeds and 6 Tbsp rice milk, let sit a few minutes until a gel is formed.

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In a separate bowl, combine sugar, oil, chia gel, maple syrup, and vanilla. Whisk together and add wet to dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate and raisins. Spoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheets, and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Eat and be happy!

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Warm and Gingery Carrot-Apple-Parsley Juice. Zing!

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Last time I was in Portland, I finally got to stop at a juice truck that I’ve been dying to try for ages. Their smoothies and green juices were originally what I was super excited about, but being that it was October and blustery and rainy, I decided to try a hot juice to boost immunity. I didn’t fully anticipate two things: 1) Hot juice is delicious. Duh, apple cider…don’t know why I never made that connection; and 2) garlic is not something I enjoy in juice. That said, I did buck a nasty cold going around, so maybe it all worked out. Either way, I’ve been drinking hot juices of varying combinations for a few months and found myself headed back to Portland this afternoon to see some of my best friends. It just seemed right to post my favsie warm juice concoction.

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In your juicer, combine:

2 large carrots

2 regular or 3 small apples

1 handful of parsley (Italian parsley was what I had)

A generous cut of ginger (I used about 2 inches)

After juicing, place on stove in small saucepan, heat until just before boiling (if you do let it boil, it gets really, really foamy. Too foamy). Once warm, remove from heat, drink and enjoy the spicy zing!

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