Date Sweetened Chocolate Chia Pudding

 

This pudding is so thick and decadent it's hard to believe it is vegan and refined sugar-free. I love to make this when I want something rich and chocolatey but don't want the sugar crash after eating. This is a great option for a vegan dessert that is healthy and satisfying. The Mayo Clinic lists several health benefits found in chia seeds including Omega 3s and lots of fiber to keep you feeling satisfied.

Date Sweetened Chocolate Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

6 dates

1 1/2 cups plant milk

2 tbsp rolled oats

1/4 cup cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup chia seeds

Directions:

Simmer the dates, plant milk, and oats for 15 minutes on low heat. You want the dates to get very soft and the oats to really cook down.

Pour the date-milk mixture into a blender and add the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Blend until everything is smooth and creamy. Pour this into a glass jar and stir in the chia seeds. Let it set and thicken in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

For 3 Servings:

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3
Amount per serving
Calories	209
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.4g	6%
Saturated Fat 0.7g	4%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 12943mg	563%
Total Carbohydrate 42.3g	15%
Dietary Fiber 9.2g	33%
Total Sugars 4.3g
Protein 4.9g
Vitamin D 21mcg	104%
Calcium 147mg	11%
Iron 2mg	13%
Potassium 219mg	5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

Masala Rose Chai Concentrate

 

Making your own chai concentrate is easier than it sounds and makes your house smell so good! The warming spices simmering on your stove infuse the air with a comforting smell that signals something yummy and comforting is on its way. 

I love the combination of chai with a hint of floral rose behind all the spiciness of a masala chai. I like to serve the concentrate either hot or cold with equal parts concentrate and plant milk (soy and oat are my favorites for this recipe).

Masala Rose Chai Concentrate

Ingredients:

25 whole cardamom pods

10 whole black peppercorns

10 whole allspice

6 whole star anise

1 tsp fennel

1/2 tsp nutmeg

10 cinnamon sticks

4 slices licorice

1 1/2 tsp beetroot powder (optional, but adds a pretty color)

1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger

1/2 cup dried rose buds and petals 

10 cups of water

1 tbsp vanilla

5 black tea bags

6 tbsp sweetener (maple syrup, or sugar)

Directions:

Put the cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, star anise, and fennel in a mortal and use the pestle to roughly crush the spices.

Place the crushed spices in a large stockpot over medium-low heat and allow the heat to make the spices nice and fragrant. This just takes a couple of minutes, no more than 5. Once the spices have bloomed, add the nutmeg, cinnamon, licorice, beetroot powder, ginger, dried rose, and 10 cups of water.

Bring to a low boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the vanilla, tea bags, and the sweetener and let it steep for 5 minutes more (over low heat).

Take the tea off the heat and let cool enough to strain. Pour through a mesh strainer to remove the spices and tea bags. Store in the refrigerator.

To serve, combine equal parts Masala Rose Chai and your favorite plant milk. Serve hot or cold.

Spiced Quinoa Porridge

 

I love quinoa for breakfast because it keeps me full without feeling weighed down. Quinoa is a seed that cooks up like a grain and it is packed with nutrition. Here is what Harvard says about quinoa. It is a good source of plant protein and magnesium. This keeps nicely to reheat throughout the week. So you can cook it ahead and have some delicious and healthy breakfasts ready to go that provide a good source of plant-based protein. What's not to love?!?

Spiced Quinoa Porridge

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa (rinsed)

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups plant milk

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup chia seeds

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 cup raisins

Optional: Toasted sunflower seeds

Directions:

Rinse the quinoa and put it in a saucepan with water, plant milk, and a pinch of salt. Cook until it begins to boil and then lower the heat and cover to let it steam for 15 minutes. After it has steamed fluff it with a fork or spoon and then add the remaining ingredients: which are the hemp seeds, chia seeds, maple syrup, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger). Then stir in the raisins. Sometimes I add a bit more plant milk to get the consistency of porridge that I like. I like to top this with an additional sprinkle of cinnamon and some toasted sunflower seeds.

For 6 servings

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	328
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7.9g	10%
Saturated Fat 0.5g	3%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 6481mg	282%
Total Carbohydrate 59g	21%
Dietary Fiber 5.6g	20%
Total Sugars 33.3g
Protein 8.5g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 119mg	9%
Iron 4mg	21%
Potassium 380mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

 

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are oil-free, refined sugar-free, made with whole grains, and are of course, vegan, but they are still really yummy with a nice chewy texture. I love these for a quick snack or as a sweet something after a meal. They hit all the right notes with whole grains, flax, and banana, which are healthy ingredients that when mixed with oats and chocolate make a great cookie.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ground flax

3 tbsp water

1 or 2 ripe bananas mashed (to equal a 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Optional: add in 3 tbsp raisins, nuts, chocolate chips, or sunflower seeds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the ground flax with the water and stir to combine. Mash the banana and then combine the wet ingredients (flax, banana, maple syrup, and vanilla). In a larger mixing bowl combine the wheat flour, oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to ensure there are no lumps of cocoa powder or baking soda.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in any optional nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, or raisins. Place heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment paper and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Oil-Free Cornbread

Oil-Free Cornbread

I have been working on an oil-free cornbread recipe that comes out with a nice springy bread texture. Some of my earlier tries were too dense and a little dry. After lots of tweaking, I found that the combination of flax and applesauce resulted in a moist bread with some lift. It was just what I was looking for in an oil-free version. I have been baking vegan cakes, breads, cookies, and pastries for just over 20 years now and have tried so many different things as egg replacers. For me, a flax egg gives the best texture to most baked goods without altering the flavor. If you are new to vegan cooking, know that your tastes do change over time. You can adjust to and grow to love this way of cooking and eating. I love the challenge of recreating old favorites and making them in a healthier way. Try a variety of methods and recipes and find the ones that suit you! 

This cornbread has just a hint of sweetness and is good on its own, especially when it is warm out of the oven.  We have made this a few times now and my family devours it within a day every time, so I knew it was a hit. Try this oil-free vegan cornbread alongside some chili, or a winter stew for a satisfying and healthy meal.  This can be made gluten-free if you use oat flour in place of the whole wheat flour, which still makes a great loaf of bread that is just slightly more dense than the whole wheat version.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp flax meal

6 tbsp water

1 cup soy milk (or other plant milk)

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

1/2 cup applesauce

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup whole wheat flour (oat flour works, too, but is a bit more dense)

1 cup cornmeal

1 tbsp baking powder (that is not a typo - you need a full tablespoon to get a nice rise to this bread)

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flax meal with the water. Give it a stir and let sit to thicken up a bit.

Stir the vinegar into the soy milk and add the applesauce and maple syrup to this mix.

Set these wet ingredients aside (I usually prep them in a glass measuring cup. Once the flax is thickened, I add the soy milk and vinegar to it, plus the applesauce and maple syrup).

For the dry ingredients, combine the whole wheat flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then add the wet ingredients and fold these in until everything is just combined.

Pour this batter into an 8x8 square baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and if the top is getting too browned, loosely cover it with some foil. After 20 minutes check that the bread is done with the toothpick test - which is a real thing. 

Let the bread cool a bit and then dig in!

Dark Chocolate Drizzled Kettle Corn

A couple of weeks ago we picked up some chocolate drizzled kettle corn from Sprouts, and absolutely loved it! It was totally addictive, but also cost around $2.00 for a small bag. I figured I could recreate this sweet snack for a fraction of the cost. It takes a couple of steps, but makes a nice big bowl of salty sweet chocolatey goodness.

Dark Chocolate Drizzled Kettle Corn

Ingredients:

16 cups air popped popcorn

1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup natural brown sugar
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
1-2 tbsp non dairy milk (soy works well)

Directions:

Pop your popcorn. Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees. Spray a large rectangle glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat the margarine over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar, syrup, and salt. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and let it simmer until the sugar dissolves. Be sure to keep stirring it so that it doesn't burn on the bottom. Once the sugar is incorporated, take the mixture off the heat and add the vanilla and baking soda. Mix these in. It will lighten in color and puff up a bit from the baking soda.

Put half of the air popped popcorn in the prepared baking dish and pour the sugar mixture on top. Stir gently to coat the popcorn evenly.

Bake the popcorn for 45 - 60 minutes, and stir it every 15-20 minutes. It will come out crisp and sweet when it is done.

While half of the popcorn is baking, spread the other half of the popcorn over a non-stick surface (wax paper or a silicone mat work well). Take the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and add the 1-2 tbsp (just enough so it will melt, start with 1 and then add another if you find you need it after heating) of non-dairy milk in a glass measuring cup or small bowl. Microwave the chocolate chips for 30 seconds at a time and stir in between. Once they have melted and are smooth you pour the chocolate over the second half of popcorn. You can add a few sprinkles of salt at this point too. Let the chocolate drizzled popcorn cool while you are baking the kettle corn.

Once the kettle corn is done and cooled, combine the two types of popcorn and enjoy! It is an irresistible combination. 

Healthy Happy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

These are lightly sweetened gluten free cookies that come out soft and chewy. To make the oat flour, simply grind oats in a food processor or blender and use as you would any other flour. I do the same with flax seeds - grind them up in a spice grinder and then store in the freezer. I actually store my oat flour in the freezer as well and then you have what you need ready to go for baking.

Healthy Happy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/3 cup water

1 1/4 cup oat flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

2 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup natural sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

Optional: 1/3 cup chocolate chips (you could do walnuts as well if you like)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the ground flax seeds with the 1/3 cup of water. Whisk with a fork to combine and let thicken while you prepare the other ingredients.

Put the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl (oat flour, oats, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon). Stir to combine. Be sure you don't have any clumps of baking soda.

Combine the wet ingredients, which are the smashed banana, sugar, vanilla, coconut oil and the flax mixture. Stir to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just mixed (where you don't see any flour) add the optional chocolate chips and mix them in as well.

Let the dough sit for about 10 minutes so the oats can begin to soak up some of the liquid. Make 12 balls of dough and place them on two lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then let cool and enjoy!

Baked Ziti

This recipe has been a new family favorite for the past year. With the tofu and meatless meatballs it has a good amount of plant based protein. It works well as leftovers, too. We like to open a second jar of spaghetti or pizza sauce and add a bit more to each serving when we reheat it.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

16 oz ziti - penne works too (cooked aldente according to the package directions)

1 block of firm tofu (about 16 ounces)
2  tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup plain unsweetened soy milk
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 -1 cup vegan parmesan cheese
3 cups pasta sauce (25 oz jar)
vegan meatballs (I have been using the ones from Trader Joe's - Gardein has some good ones too)

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain, rinse and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 350. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Make the tofu ricotta by combining the tofu, lemon juice, plain soy milk, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. It works great to pulse the ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Toss the pasta with the tofu ricotta and then stir in the vegan parmesan cheese. Add one cup of the pasta sauce and mix with the noodles. Put the mixture in the prepared casserole dish. Top with your favorite meatless meatballs and pour over the remaining pasta sauce. Cover and bake for 45 minutes in the oven. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies come out soft and chewy with a nice balance of pumpkin and spice. I made them this week for a back to school lunch or snack option.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup vegan sugar
1 tbsp flax meal
2 tsp molasses

1 1/2 cups flour (I have used a gluten free mix before and they still turn out great)
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the wet ingredients and the sugar in a large bowl (margarine, pumpkin, sugar, flax meal and molasses).

Add the dry ingredients and fold them in until everything is combined (flour, oats, salt, soda, cinnamon, and allspice).

Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. These cookies hold their shape in the oven, so I like to lightly press them with the back of a spoon before baking.

Zucchini Noodles with (Mostly) Raw Creamy Alfredo Sauce

This turned out so much better than I expected. I ate two huge bowls and was very happy. Surprisingly a big pile of zucchini noodles filled me up and kept me satisfied for the evening. I have had this a few times since I first tried it and can say it is now a part of my regular recipe rotation; I like it especially in summer when light foods are most appealing.

Zucchini Noodles with Raw Alfredo

Ingredients:

2 medium sized zucchini

1/2 ripe avocado
2 tbsp hemp seeds
3 tbsp tahini (you can buy this with toasted or raw sesame seeds)
2 tbsp Bragg liquid Aminos (could substitute soy sauce or coconut aminos)
1 clove garlic
1/4 of a large fresh tomato
1/4 cup water
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast

Directions:

Wash the zucchini and cut off the ends (throw the ends in your blender with the other sauce ingredients). Spiralize the zucchini (you can also use a vegetable peeler to make long strips of zucchini if you don't have a spiralizer), and keep the core of the zucchini to add to the sauce mix as well. Sprinkle a little salt on the zucchini and set aside while you make the sauce.

Blend the sauce ingredients until smooth. This includes the ends and middle of the zucchinis, avocado, hemp seeds, tahini, bragg, garlic, tomato, water and nutritional yeast. Pour the sauce over the zucchini and add some cracked pepper and extra hemp seeds.

Nacho Cheese

This veggie based nacho cheese sauce is amazing! It is a twist on the one from High Carb Hannah and I absolutely love it! It is so good on top of burrito bowls, in wraps or on top of a baked potato.

Ingredients:

2 small potatoes
1 carrot
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
water to cover

1/2 bell pepper
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tsp salt

Directions:

Roughly chop the potato, carrot, onion, and garlic. Put them in a sauce pan with water to cover. Boil over medium heat until the veggies have softened which takes around 10 minutes or so. Put the boiled potato mixture in a blender with about 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Add the pepper, salsa, nutritional yeast, hemp seeds and salt. Blend until smooth.

Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oats

This is a basic steel cut oat recipe that isn't too sweet. It is a canvas that can be topped with just about anything. Try granola, bananas, apples, berries, nuts, chocolate, shredded coconut, seeds or stir in pumpkin or cocoa. This makes a great breakfast that you can reheat throughout the week. Put it in the microwave for a minute or two and then stir in a tad more water or non-dairy milk to make it nice and creamy.

Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups steel cut oats
6 cups water
1 cup chopped fresh dates (120 grams) or 1/4 cup sweetener (sugar or maple syrup)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Optional: Add 1tbsp molasses, 1/2 tsp allspice, and a pinch of ground ginger for a richer flavor that hints at gingerbread.

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in and cook on low for a few hours (start checking them at around 4 hours. I find that they have a nice texture after 4 1/2 hours. They can cook a lot longer than that, though. You can leave it overnight, but know that without occasional stirring the oats will stick along the edges. With some effort in the morning you can scrape it off and it's not a big deal. I like to cook them during the day on Sunday when I can check on them, and then eat them reheated throughout the week.

For 6 servings.

With chopped dates:                                                 With 1/4 cup sugar:
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Chocolate Protein Waffles (Gluten Free)

I have made these waffles every week for the past month and we still want more, so I decided they were worth a post. These go with syrup and are also really good leftover. We have been making them into little waffle sandwiches with sunbutter and banana - yum!

Chocolate Protein Waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups soy milk
2 tsp vinegar

1/3 cup water
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 smashed banana

3/4 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup protein powder (chocolate is great)

3 tbsp oil

optional: chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine the soy milk and the vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside to let curdle. Mix the water and the ground flax seeds and set aside to let thicken (it helps to stir it occasionally).

Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. This is the buckwheat flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cocoa powder and protein powder.

Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients which are the soured soy milk, flax egg, and the oil. Mix well (a few clumps are fine) and let the batter sit for 10 minutes while your waffle iron heats up. It is important to let the batter sit because the oat flour and the protein powder will soften up and incorporate more as the absorb the liquid in the batter. Also, the baking soda and the vinegar will react to leaven the batter and make it a bit fluffier.

Once your waffle iron is hot and the batter has rested, cook the waffles according to your waffle iron instructions. With mine, I find it works best to cook them a bit longer than indicated by the waffle maker and they turn out great.

This recipe made 14 - 4 inch waffles. The nutritional information below reflects that size waffle.

Ultimate Vegan Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I have been tweaking this recipe for awhile, and I know I have hit the mark now because we keep eating the whole pan before I can snap a picture! This vegan macaroni and cheese hits every note I am looking for. It is rich and creamy and gooey (thanks to tapioca flour) it even gets the crisped golden edges when you bake it. It is so freaking good!

Ultimate Vegan Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 pound noodles (shells are great, and I really like the brown rice ones because they don't absorb all of the sauce. If you use a wheat noodle, add another cup of water to keep it nice and creamy)

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (sounds weird but adds a richness that you can't get with other oils)
2 tbsp vegan margarine (Earth Balance is very good)
1/4 cup flour

3 cups soy milk plain unsweetened
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar

1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 cup of cold water

4 tbsp bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a large rectangle casserole dish with cooking spray.

Prepare the noodles according to the package directions, taking care that they are al dente. Drain and reserve the noodles.

Heat 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil and 2 tbsp vegan margarine in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the 1/4 cup of flour and stir to combine and make a roux. Stir and cook this for about 5 minutes, to cook the flour a bit.

Next, slowly pour in the soy milk while continuing to stir to avoid any clumps forming. If you do get clumps, simply press them against the side of the pan and keep stirring. Once the soy milk has been added stir in the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and vinegar.

Whisk the tapioca flour into the cold water (mix until there are no lumps), and slowly add that into the soy milk mix in the pan. Lower the heat and let this simmer for about 10 minutes until it has thickened up and become a bit gooey. Taste, and adjust the seasonings.

Put the noodles in the prepared casserole dish, and pour the sauce over the top. Stir gently to combine and then sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Finally, add a sprinkling of salt and pepper over the top. Bake for 40 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven and enjoy!

Mushroom Stroganoff with Boca Crumbles

This recipe is a throw back to my grandmother's ground beef stroganoff. My mother preferred to cook from scratch, while my grandmother embraced recipes made with various cream soups. She (my grandmother) once had me over for dinner and served a beef stroganoff made with cream of mushroom soup over thin ribbon noodles, I remember thinking it was such a delicious combination. The creamy sauce coating the long ribbon noodles was so good and I have loved the combination ever since. I have finally landed on a vegan version that hits all the right notes for me: savory, creamy, and rich.

Mushroom Stroganoff with Boca Crumbles

Ingredients:

8 oz noodles, cooked according to package directions (ribbon noodles are best)

2 tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 yellow onion, diced fine
8 oz mushrooms, chopped (I like to use half baby portobello and half button)

1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
12 oz Boca crumbles (or other TVP product)
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp Better Than Bouillon (or other vegetable bouillon)

12 oz vegan sour cream (Tofutti makes a really good one)

pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
salt to taste (the amount will depend on how salty your vegetable broth is)

Directions:

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.

Heat the margarine over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan, and add the diced onion and cook until it turns translucent. Next, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and saute until they begin to soften. Once the mushrooms have cooked down a bit, add the Worcestershire sauce, the Boca crumbles, the water and the bouillon. Let that cook until the crumbles are heated through. Lower the heat to warm and stir in the sour cream, nutmeg, black pepper and paprika. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve the sauce warm over the noodles.

For 6 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 245 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  404 Calories from Fat  145

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  16.1g 25%

Saturated Fat  10.9g 55%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  11mg 4%

Sodium  164mg 7%

Potassium  1148mg 33%

Total Carbohydrates  21.9g 7%

Dietary Fiber  4.3g 17%

Sugars  5.5g

Protein  50.2g

Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 3% Calcium 11% • Iron 55%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Chocolate Sunbutter Steel Cut Oats

These baked oats are a very loose take on a "Reeces" flavor. Chocolate and Sunbutter are added to oats, which are baked for a sweet breakfast that tastes a bit like dessert. Yay! Steet cut oats have 5 grams of protein per 1/4 cup servings, 4 grams of fiber, and are less processed than other types of oats - making these yummy oats a healthy breakfast.

Chocolate Sunbutter Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegan margarine
1 1/2 cups steel cut oats

2 cups soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 1/2 cups water
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup Sunbutter (or your favorite nut butter)
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Heat the margarine in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, and then add the steel cut oats. Toast the oats for about 5 minutes, until they begin to smell a bit fragrant and toasty. Next add the soy milk, water, vanilla, maple syrup, salt, Sunbutter, and cocoa powder to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

Pour the oat mixture into the baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 35 minutes, and let cool for a few minutes before serving. These keep well and are great leftover. You can make a big batch and enjoy throughout the week. Sprinkling some toasted sunflower seeds or vegan dark chocolate chips on top is a nice touch, too.

For 8 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 185 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 235 Calories from Fat 100

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11.2g 17%

Saturated Fat 2.4g 12%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 151mg 6%

Potassium 352mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates 28.3g 9%

Dietary Fiber 4.0g 16%

Sugars 12.1g

Protein 8.7g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 4% • Iron 18%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet