Super Easy No Bake Granola Bars

A great sweet healthy treat, my kids LOVE these!  They are also perfect to add to your food storage ingredients.

2 1/2 c. Rice krispies
2 c. quick cooking oats
6 T. Flax meal, hemp seed or other ground seeds or wheat germ (for added protein)
1/2 c. dried fruit (cherries, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, raisins, whatever you like)
1/2 c. chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, whatever you like)
1/2 c. sweetener, liquid (brown rice syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses) I like brown rice syrup it gives it a caramel taste and texture.
4 T. sucanate or dark brown sugar
2/3 c. nut butter (almond, cashew, soynut, peanut or whatever you like) I like almond butter it has a deeper flavor and taste then peanut butter.
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. ground cinnamon

mix the rice krispies, quick oats, flaxseed meal (or other), dried fruit and nuts in a large bowl.

Over med high heat bring liquid sweetener of choice and brown sugar or sucanat to a boil, stir constantly.  Remove from heat, and stir in nut butter and vanilla until blended.

Pour warm nut butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir until coated.  Press mixture firmly into a 9x13 pan that has been lightly oiled.  Let cool in pan.  cut into 24 bars, wrap in saran wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

There are other variations you can make up your own favorites:

GERMAN CHOCOLATE BAR: Add chocolate chips or carob chips, with coconut flakes

CHERRY CHOCOLATE BAR: Add Chocolate chips or carob chips with dried cherries.

PEANUT BUTTER BAR: Add roasted peanuts with peanut butter and use honey as sweetener.

CHERRY ALMOND: Add dried cherries, almond butter and chopped almonds and use almond extract in place of vanilla, if you like.

APPLE PIE: Add chopped dried apples and rice syrup or honey with walnuts or pecans and cinnamon.

PECAN PIE: Add pecans, almond butter, rice syrup, dates and cinnamon.

TROPICAL BAR: add pineapple and mangos, with brazil nuts or macadamia nuts and Almond butter or macadamia butter. use almond extract.

Hearty Cheesy Potato Soup using Mexican potatoes vegan style

• 6 T. vegan butter
• 2 leeks, sliced thinly (could use other onions)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery (I used dehydrated)
• 8 cups water
• 2 Malanga (spanish potato), skinned and chopped (could use bakers potatoes mixed or use a total of 8 one kind)
• 4 red potatoes, chopped with skins on
• 8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 1/3 cups soy milk
• 4T. brewers yeast
• 1/2 c. cashews
• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 oz. pimentos
• 2T lemon juice
• 1 t. salt
• 2 T. chopped garlic
• 1 T. smoked paprika
• • 2T corn starch
  • 1 1/2 c. water

Melt butter in a pan.  Add sliced leeks and celery.  Saute until softened.  Add 8 c. water, and malanga or 4 other types of potatoes.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until tender.  

In a separate pot heat water, and place 4 cut up potatoes in pot.  cook until tender then set aside.

When Malanga is cooked and softened,  place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Place back in stock pot and add cooked potatoes from other pot.  Add soy milk, salt and pepper to taste and stir.  

In a blender blend together cashews, warm water, brewers yeast, pimentos, lemon juice, smoked paprika, garlic and salt.  Blend until smooth.  Add to soup. and stir.  

In a small bowl mix water with corn starch, stir well and add to soup.  Bring soup to a boil stirring often and then reduce and simmer.  Serve topped with non-dairy cheese and sprinkle smoked paprika on top.  

Serves 8

Apple Pumpkin Crisp

Autumn has officially begun!  One of my very favorite times of the year.  I have been filling my home with scents of autumn all week using this recipe.

We are now in day 12 of our Paleo eating lifestyle and I've got to say I have never felt better. But today it hit me pretty hard that I really needed something with lots of Fall pumpkin flavor and a little bit of sweetness.  I had just bought 50# of farm fresh assorted apples, which are so very juicy and sweet.  So I knew I had to come up with something using a few of these, and I just bought a case of organic pumpkin puree from Costco.  Hrm..pumpkins and apples, those are definitely fall flavors!

It turned out to be a BIG hit my family and extended family members couldn't get enough.

4 thinly sliced and peeled apples (I used granny smith and used my apple peeler/corer/slicer to slice them.

3/4 C.  Coconut flour or any gluten flour mix (almond flour would work too)

1 1/2 C. Coconut sugar or raw honey

3/4 C. shredded coconut. (not sweetened)

1 C. No dairy/no soy butter or coconut oil

1/2 t. pumpkin spice

1 can organic pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

2/3

cup coconut sugar or honey

1/2 can coconut milk or 1/2 C. milk substitute 

4 Tablespoons GF flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 c. applesauce

Non dairy/non soy Whipped cream, if desired, or non dairy/non soy ice cream.

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spread 1/2 the apple slices over bottom of 9x12 glass baking dish. Place apples in oven while you mix up the rest of the ingredients.
2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, toss 1 1/2 C flour, the Coconut sugar, 3/4 C. shredded coconut, 1/2 C. butter and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice until crumbly. Set aside.
3. In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients. Spread over apples. Place remaining apples on top of pumpkin mix.  Pour remaining butter over top.  Sprinkle with flour mixture. Bake 30 min. or until golden brown and . Cool before serving. Serve warm with coconut whip cream or coconut ice cream.

Makes 16 servings

 

Ceasar Salad veganized :)

We have slowly been transitioning over to Vegan and tonight my 9 year old daughter and I made this to go with the stuffed bell peppers.  It was actually really good, thanks to Angela Liddon at Oh She glows.  This was really good.  I would suggest starting with less lemon juice and tasting it as you go, my husband is not too fond of sour, so I we used less in the recipe.  I think it would also be really good with some vegan worchestershire sauce added for a little more depth.  But it's a great recipe to build off of.  And the vegan parmesan was absolutely outstanding!

Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing

1/2 c. cashews, raw
1/4 c. vegan parmesan (see recipe)
3-6 T. lemon juice (we like it less tart so we use 3T)
2 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 t. sea salt
black pepper
1/2 c. water

In a blender - add lemon juice, water and olive oil.  Mix well.  Then add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Vegan Parmesan (this is really good)
1/2 c. sesame seeds

2 T. nutritional yeast

1/2 t. sea salt

Toast sesame's until lightly browned.  Add sesame's, nutritional yeast and sea salt to blender and blend approximately 30-60 seconds until right consistency.

Toss salad dressing with chopped up romaine, add croutons if you like (of course regular croutons would change the recipe into a no vegan, vegan recipe, does that make sense?)