No Bake Nutella Kamut Crispie Treats

I used to make rice crispies all the time when I was younger. It was easy to make and tasted so much better fresh than the packaged versions. Plus I felt like such a big girl, making my own desserts and snacks. This is an updated version of those treats. I've experimented with peanut butter, almond butter and now I'm making it even better with some nutella. Who doesn't love nutella?! Sweet, hazel-nutty deliciousness. These are a great no-bake dessert or snack. It takes less than 10 minutes to make, which is awesome, since I don't have a ton of time with the new baby, to be whipping up something sweet. I am definitely a chocoholic, and having something on hand to satisfy that craving is always a good thing. It keeps me from reaching for the not-so-desirable candy bars and similar treats. These are quite rich, so I recommend eating as more of a dessert than a mid afternoon snack. 

I used puffed Kamut,  but you could use any puffed unsweetened cereal. I just happened to have Kamut on hand. 

No Bake Nutella Kamut Crispie Treats

Cook Time: < 10 minutes
Prep Time: 20 miniutes
Serves: 9 bars

Ingredients:

• 1oz hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp salted butter
• 3/4 cup nutella, divided
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 cups organic kamut puffs

In a small skillet, toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Shake the pan every so often and set the toasted hazelnuts aside. Once cooled, chop the nuts.

In a large pot, over low heat, combine the butter, 3/4 cup of the nutella, marshmallows, vanilla and cinnamon until melted through.

Stir in the kamut puffs, until well coated with the nutella mixture.

In a 9 x 9 pan (or whatever size you'd like), even spread the kamut/nutella mixture into the pan. Press down well, compacting it into the pan.

Sprinkle the chopped nuts evenly over the crispies, and press down slightly.

In the microwave, heat the leftover 1/4 cup of nutella for about 15 seconds or until slightly melted. Drizzle the melted nutella over the top of the crispies.

Place the pan into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, to allow the chocolate to set.

Cut into 9 pieces and enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Bar:
Calories: 190 ; Fat: 10.5g ; Carbohydrate: 21g ; Fiber: 1.5g ; Sugar: 16g ; Protein: 3g

Vegan Chocolate and Banana Oat Bars

I like to make my own snacks, since buying pre-wrapped snacks can really be pricey and contain too many unnecessary ingredients. These Oat Bars are dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, vegan-friendly and are nut-free. Wow! So practically anyone can eat these! Made from very basic ingredients, these bars are easy to make and tasty to eat. You can customize them to your liking by adding toasted nuts, a tsp of flavoring, dried fruit (instead of chocolate) and spices. By making your own snack bars, you are saving not only money but you are getting exactly what you are craving in your bar. I'm a huge chocoholic - which is why these have plenty of mini chips, so I can get some in every bite. I didn't have to add any sugar to these because the bananas and chocolate chips have enough sweetness to make these perfect. 

The mini semi-sweet chocolate chips I used are by Enjoy Life. They are dairy-free chips that melt wonderfully. If you are concerned about gluten, make sure you purchase oat that are for sure not processed in a facility that may contain gluten. Although oats are gluten-free, they can sometimes be contaminated.  These can be stored in the fridge, wrapped tightly for about a week. You could freeze them as well - just make sure to wrap each one individually. 

Vegan Chocolate and Banana Oat Bars

Cook Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: < 5 minutes
Serves: 9 squares

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 3oz mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 cup organic rolled oats 
• 2 tbsp organic ground flaxseed

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 9 baking pan with a little coconut oil. Set aside

In a medium sized bowl, mash the bananas until practically a puree. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 

Pour the mixture into the greased baking pan and bake at 350F for about 30-35 minutes, or until the oat bars are set. 

Allow the oat bars to cool before cutting into 9 pieces. 

Serve them at room temp or warmed.

Nutritional Info per bar:
Calories: 140 ; Fat: 5.5g ; Carbohydrate: 31g ; Fiber: 5g ; Sugar: 8g ; Protein: 2.5g 

Dark Chocolate and Cherry Banana Bread

I was browsing on Pinterest and found this wonderful recipe. It originally has raspberries but I didn't have any on hand - I had sweet delicious cherries.  I am so impressed with how it turned out!! The cherries are perfect in this bread -they really stand out. It is definitely a dessert bread - but I'm sure with some more tinkering, I can make it even better. Maybe add some ground flaxseed and remove the sugar completely. I already reduced the sugar to 1/2 a cup but I think next time I'm going to see how it is with just the sweetness of the fruit and chocolate. I also used whole wheat pastry flour, rather than all purpose flour. A bit more fiber and nutrients than the white stuff. Hands down - this is my favorite combo for a sweet bread. The bits of dark chocolate throughout the bread are amazing. If you choose to eat the bread warmed, the chocolate is slightly melted and heavenly. Trying this recipe gives me inspiration to start baking more, and I'm sure my husband won't be complaining. We thoroughly enjoyed our slices with some french pressed coffee after dinner - my husband had some vanilla bean ice cream with his. 

I used a stand mixer to combine everything together, but I'm sure a hand mixer will work just fine. Just make sure to combine the ingredients well in each step. I did let it cook for 55 minutes and found that the top browned too much, so next time I'm going to aim for 50 minutes and see how that does. I topped the bread batter with the leftover shavings of the dark chocolate, which gave it a nice look and taste.

Dark Chocolate and Cherry Banana Bread

Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Prep Time: <15 minutes
Serves: 10

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 2 c whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 4 tbsp organic unsalted butter, room temp
• 2 eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1.5oz 60% dark chocolate, chopped
• 8oz rainer cherry, pitted and chopped (toss with 1 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour)

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan with alittle coconut oil. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until well combined. Gradually add each egg, beating well. 

Then mix in the bananas, yogurt and vanilla. Beat the mixture well. 

Gradually mix in the flour mixture until it is combined. Then add the chocolate, mixing in lightly.

By hand, fold the cherries into the batter. 

Once the batter is well mixed, pour into the grease loaf pan and bake in the oven at 350F for 50-55 minutes. Check to see if it is baked completely by inserting a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean. 

Let the loaf pan cool for about 15 minutes before trying to remove the bread. 

Slice into 10 pieces and enjoy warmed or at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Recipe Boy

Nutritional Info per slice:
Calories: 265; Fat: 8.5g ; Carbohydrate: 42g ; Fiber: 5g ; Sugar: 18g ; Protein: 5.5

Guest Post - Jen's Cinnamon, Chocolate & Date Bread

Hey Everyone! It's Jen from JenBeansBlog with a 2nd recipe using dates (check out my Date Balls from Monday!). It's the weekend and that means more time to play around in the kitchen. Just surround yourself in the company of yeast, flour, and some good quality dates (and maybe a glass of wine) and you'll be sure to create something spectacular. For something nutritious and delicious on its own or dipped into egg for french toast, give this recipe a try! 

Cinnamon, Chocolate & Date Bread 

Ingredients:
2 tsp bread machine yeast
3/4 cup warm soy milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup Medjool dates
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder

Dissolve yeast in milk for 5 mins so that it starts to bubble. Mix in egg and flours and oil until homogeneous and proof for several hours until at least doubled in size. 

In a food processor, add dates, cinnamon and cocoa powder and process until you get a crumbly date mixture. 

Flour a working surface, roll out dough to get maximum surface area and smear date mixture on top. Roll the dough and curl into an oiled baking tin. I used a loaf tin and curled the dough roll several times over. 

Proof for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 415 C. Brush the surface of the dough with egg wash and bake for 20 - 25 mins.

Because I had promised to bring this loaf on a cottaging trip, I could not dig in right away. When we cut into the loaf a few days later, it had hardened a bit but still smelled wonderful. We drenched it in egg/nutmeg/milk and fried it up. Topped with peanut butter and syrup, some fresh blueberries and bananas, and combined with the beautiful view of the lake and pine trees, chirping of birds and quite lapping of the waves against the dock, it was the closest thing to what I imagine retirement to be like :)

Happy baking/cooking everyone!

Guest Blogger - Jen's Date Balls

Hey everyone, My name is Jen from JenBeansBlog.  This is my very first guest post and I wanted to create something nutritious and simple and doesn't require cooking or baking or actually turning on any large appliances for long periods of time and something sweet to satisfy that sweet tooth for the new moms out there. 


Here's a recipe for something nutritious, and super easy, and super yummy:

Date Balls 

(I'm sorry but that's the best name I can come up with at 11:30 pm!)

Ingredients:

• About 200g (7oz) Medjool dates, pitted
• About 1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
• About 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts/filberts
• Other coating options: shredded coconut, ground walnuts, chocolate sprinkles, cookie crumbs

In a food processor, process dates with a teaspoon of cocoa powder and 2 teaspoon of ground hazelnuts until smooth. It should be sticky but not overly sticky. Dust your fingers and palms with cocoa powder and roll into balls. Roll them over more cocoa powder and ground hazelnuts and they are ready to eat! (or refrigerate for later)
If the dates alone are not sweet enough, add a bit of honey or syrup during the processing step. If they are too sweet, add a bit more ground nuts to dilute the sugars in the dates.


Enjoy with a hot cup of herbal tea. Happy eating!

Keep your eyes peeled for another delicious date recipe this upcoming weekend! 

Toasted Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

It's Friday - finally!! I'm so excited for the weekend... catching up on sleep, trashy tv, and some cooking. Good Times! I'm excited to announce that I am participating in my first Blog Hop sponsored by ABpetite. Blog hopping is basically a chance to check out other blogs and expose your blog to their readers as well. So check out her site if you are interested in participating the next go around. Some of the other bloggers in the blog hop are: Real Food Runner, Ape's Eats, Skinny & Delicious and Bargain Bites. Please check out their sites, show some love and subscribe if you'd like!

 Now about those brownies....

I have this one recipe for black bean brownies that always turns out great but I wanted something with a little less fat and sugar. My original recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of pure maple syrup. So I went in search of a "better" recipe. I found this one on the Whole Foods website and it sounded like my kind brownie - fudgie. Another great thing is that these are gluten-free! Awesome! I adapted the recipe by reducing the sugar and add my own mix-ins. I love Nutella, but it is really sweet. The flavors of hazelnuts and chocolate together is on of my favorite combos. These are really something else... and I'm totally digging it! The texture is perfect and I'm so glad I made these.


I used a dark chocolate (70%) that I found at Whole Foods sold by the chunk. It's great, not too sweet and flavored with a little vanilla. Great find! I also purchased the hazelnuts from the bulk section, so no need to purchase large quantities of those ingredients. Just buy what you need. I ended up only needing to bake mine for 30 minutes, so check them to make sure you don't over cook! 

Toasted Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate 
Black Bean Brownies

Cook Time: <35 minutes
Prep Time: < 10 minutes
Serves: 16 small squares


Ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp coconut oil
• 2 cups cooked black beans (or 1- 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained well)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2oz dark chocolate, cut in chunks/pieces
• 1.5oz hazelnuts, toasted and chopped finely
• powder sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with a little coconut oil. Set aside. 


In a small pan, toast the hazelnuts over medium heat on a dry pan. This should take maybe 5 minutes, just keep swirling the pan to prevent burning. Remove from heat and chop finely. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, eggs, butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla and brown sugar. Using a food processor, puree the mixture until it is completely smooth (about 5 minutes). 

Then stir in the dark chocolate pieces and toasted hazelnuts. 

Pour the brownie batter into the grease baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is set.

Allow the brownies to cool before cutting. 

Nutrition Info per Brownie Square:
Calories: 125 ; Fat: 8g ; Carbohydrate: 10g ; Fiber: 2.5g ; Sugar: 4g ; Protein: 4g 

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Eating plant seed pudding? Trust me on this. Chia seeds are not just for growing a plant that looks like a dog or Bart Simpson. They are actually very healthy and easy to incorporate into your diet. They are an excellent vegetarian source of Omega-3's, Protein and calcium. You can eat them raw or add them to cooked dishes (oatmeal) if you'd like. I usually add chia seeds to my green juice or smoothies to give it a thicker consistency and bump up the nutrition.


I've seen this recipe a few different times and had to try it out for myself. I am definitely going to experiment more with this, it was SOOO easy! I really want to try a chocolate version of this next. This version is a very basic approach. Making it easy to put whatever kind of toppings you'd like on top. Chia seeds when mixed with a liquid make a gel like substance, thickening this pudding. It resembles a tapioca pudding consistency. Since this requires no cooking - anyone can make it. 

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 2 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of organic green stevia (or a little more if your prefer)

Mix all of the ingredients into a medium sized glass bowl or into a mason jar and shake, if you prefer. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. After it has had time to thicken, stir well. Serve chilled and enjoy.


Recipe adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

Chocolaty Avocado Brownies

So I found this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it out! I modified a few things to my liking and found them to be pretty good. Not too sweet, dense and very chocolaty. They are super moist as well. Who would have thought to use avocados in a brownie recipe? I sure was surprised and not a lot of things surprise me in food world. I will be making these again but I think next time I'm going to make them into cupcakes...


These brownies are practically guilt free! Avocados are an amazing fruit that we all could benefit from. A healthy fat. And yes, fat is good! Fat is very good. It is essential. Avocados provide a great source of vitamin B, folic acid, fiber and vitamin E - all of which, every pregnant woman (and every person) should be getting plenty of. 


I used Frontier organic cocoa powder and whole wheat pastry flour, which is much lighter then whole wheat flour. I used an 8 x 8 pan because I couldn't find my loaf pan, but the original recipe uses a loaf pan and bakes longer.  I have featured my picture as well as the original recipe's picture. Man I got to work on better food pics! 

Chocolaty Avocado Brownies

Cook Time: 20-25 mins @ 350F
Prep Time: < 10 mins
Serves: 12


Ingredients:

• 3 ripe small avocados
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp freshly brewed espresso, room temp
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with a little coconut oil. In a large bowl, mash the avocados until smooth. Add the sugar and by hand, mix to incorporate. Add eggs, vanilla extract & coffee. Gently mix everything. In a separate medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients: cocoa powder, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt & baking powder. Add dry ingredient into wet ingredients. Gently stir just till it combines. Do not over-mix (as it can make the brownies tough). This batter will be thick! Transfer batter into baking dish.  Spread batter evenly toward the edges of pan. Bake for 20-25 mins or until the middle is set. Once cooled, cut into desired sized squares. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Kiran Tarun (and picture #2)

Coconut Banana Nut Bread

I always seem to have leftover bananas in my house. I usually buy a big bunch of them, since they are so inexpensive and can be used in a slew of recipes. Today I decided to make banana bread with my extras. Using what I had in my pantry, I came up with is version of banana bread. Dense, and slightly sweet - this is perfect as a quick breakfast, snack or something sweet to finish off a meal. I'm going to enjoy a slice with a cup of hot tea....

It can be customized according to your tastes and what you have on hand. Don't have pecans, almond or coconut? Use whatever nuts you have or omit completely. Also if you prefer a sweeter bread, add more sweetener. You could use agave nectar, coconut sugar, honey or whatever you like to use as a sweetener.

Coconut Banana Nut Bread

Cook Time: 35-40 mins
Prep Time: <15 mins
Serves: 10 (or how ever many pieces you choose to cut)


Ingredients:

• 1oz pecans 
• 1oz almonds 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut 

Dry:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Wet:

• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup grade A maple syrup (or 1/2 cup if you prefer it a bit sweeter)
• 3 Tbsp of coconut oil 
• 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

A little extra coconut oil for coating pan


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get a loaf pan and light coat the the sides with a little coconut oil (I use a paper napkin, dab it with a little oil and rub against the sides).


In a small food processor (or by hand), blend the pecans, almonds and coconut until broken up into very small pieces.


In a side bowl, combine dry ingredients and nut mixture, set aside. 


In a large bowl, blend wet ingredients until most of the banana is broken up. Then gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until well incorporated. The batter will be thick. 


Add the mixture to the oiled loaf pan and evenly spread the mixture. Bake for 35-40 mins or until the middle is set (check by inserting a toothpick into the middle, it should come out clean). Let the bread cool before cutting into it (I recommend using a serrated knife to cut it). This bread should keep for 3 days, in a well sealed container. Can be served as is or how ever you enjoy eating it. 


Nutritional Info per Serving (1 slice):
Calories: 200 ; Fat: 9.5g ; Carbohydrate: 31g ; Fiber: 3.5g ; Sugar: 11.5g ; Protein: 3g