No-bake almond butter balls

Sometimes you can take a bunch of tasty-on-their-own ingredients, combine them in a way that should be good, and end up with something awful. This is NOT one of those recipes. It is the exact opposite—a bevy of sweet ‘n salty items that, when smooshed together, become more than the sum of their parts.

Before you say anything—I know, I know, honey’s not technically vegan. Use agave nectar if you must, though I think it could affect the texture. If you really don’t care at all whether it’s vegan, feel free to use nonfat dry milk powder in place of the (more expensive and harder to find) soymilk powder. For that matter, use natural peanut butter instead of almond butter, or unsweetened cocoa powder in place of the carob. Agave or honey, soymilk or skim milk, almond or peanut, carob or cocoa, vegan or not, there’s no need to take food too seriously. Just play around and have fun!

1 cup dry soymilk powder
1/2 cup creamy almond butter
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
Dash of vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
2 Tbsp carob powder



Combine the soymilk powder, almond butter, honey, flaxseed, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Grease your hands thoroughly with cooking spray and dig in, squishing everything together until well mixed.



Roll the mixture into about 16 balls (minus however much you munch on right out of the bowl) and place on a small baking sheet. Transfer to the fridge to chill for just a few minutes.



Place the carob powder in a medium bowl. Put the chilled almond butter balls, a few at a time, into the carob powder, and shake the bowl to roll them around until completely coated. Place them back on the baking sheet and chill for an additional few minutes.

These will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week or two, but good luck keeping them around that long. It’s far too easy to pop one, two, five of them at a time, right at the fridge door! At breakfast, for dessert, or in between meals, you’ll find these calling your name at all hours. Surprisingly well-rounded nutritionally, they also make the perfect pre- or post-workout snack. No-bake, no-guilt, and delicious!

Oh, and Hannah, the fact that I could have called these "chocolate-covered nut balls" did not escape me, trust me! ;P



Yield: 16 servings. Per serving: 125 calories, 5.6g fat (trace sat), 16.2g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein.

If you like this, you might also like...
Homemade almond milk
No-bake PB-choc-oat cookies
Raw pecan pie cookies

Skinny bitchtastic brownies

There I go again, being crude and vulgar. First nut milk, now this? Well, such language is one reason the book Skinny Bitch is so polarizing. Once you brush aside all the animal rights brouhaha, the message is blunt but true—people need to stop eating like fat pigs! I can understand how more sensitive souls could see it as one big, harsh, body-image-trashing slur, but if you can take it lightheartedly, it’s really a great read, full of important points and good ideas. I tend to be a little deficient in the sensitivity department with things like this, so I found the book fun and entertaining, and I can see it being a swift kick in the ass for those who need that.

I’ve been cooking a lot lately from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, the companion book to Skinny Bitch, and these brownies are a great example of the straightforward, tasty, no-frills recipes contained there. I made them even more virtuous by replacing some of the oil with prune purée, but you can just use 6 Tbsp oil if you’d rather.

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups Sucanat, or other natural sweetener
3/4 cup firm silken tofu (about 3/4 of a Mori-Nu pack)
1/4 cup safflower or canola oil
2 Tbsp puréed prune baby food
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan. In a food processor, combine the melted chocolate, Sucanat, tofu, oil, prune purée, and vanilla.



Process until smooth. You could just stop here and eat this like a pudding, and it would be heavenly. Just look how silky it is!



But you probably want to make the brownies, so go ahead and add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.



Pulse together until just combined.



Transfer to the pan and spread evenly.



Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.



You don’t have to be a skinny bitch to love these brownies (clearly, I am proof of that). What you do have to be is a lover of all things deeply fudgy and darkly chocolatey. I highly recommend having some soy or almond milk nearby to chug between bites—these brownies are the very definition of rich. And they’re made entirely in a food processor—it doesn’t get any easier!



Yield: 16 servings. Per serving: 153 calories, 8.5g fat (3g sat), 20.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 2.3g protein.

If you like this, you might also like...
Deep chocolate brownies
Chocolate brownie muffins
White chip brownies

Nutty carob chip cookies

I realize I’ve had a lot of chocolate desserts on this blog lately. This is slightly out of the ordinary, since I wouldn’t even really consider myself "a chocolate person," but I chalk (choc?) it up to the fact that I’m dating a chocolate-lover. Thankfully, said chocolate-lover is also open-minded when it comes to my nuttier (to others) forays into cooking and baking with natural ingredients, so he’s welcomed such sweets as these carob chip cookies from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

1/3 cup soymilk
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups Sucanat (or other natural sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup roasted carob powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup carob chips
3/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine soymilk, flaxseed, canola oil, Sucanat, and vanilla; whisk until smooth.



Sift in the flour, carob powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.



Stir to combine, but don't overmix. Fold in the carob chips and peanuts.



Drop dough in 2-Tbsp balls onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, about two inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes, remove from the oven, let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.



I’d never experimented with carob before, and I’m happy to report that I liked it! I found the carob flavor to be very pleasant, and I loved the crackled tops and crunchy nuts. You’re not going to fool anyone into believing these are chocolate, but if you think of them as a separate taste and enjoy them for what they are, I think they’re great. Even my chocolate-lover approved!



Yield: 24 cookies. Per cookie: 167 calories, 9.1g fat (2g sat), 20.3g carbs, 2g fiber, 2.8g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Chocolate peanut butter cookies
Choc-oat banana walnut cookies
Chocolate chip cookies

Vegan Italian Valentine feast

Here's a peek at the dinner I made for my Valentine...

Spaghetti with vodka marinara sauce (which I will remake and blog about at some point), steamed broccoli, from-scratch garlic flatbread, and a Piemonte Barbera red wine. Pretty perfect.



Hannah Kaminsky (a.k.a. Bittersweet)'s famous Mocha Devastation Cake. Absolute fattiest and most caloric thing I have ever made in my life. Needless to say, it was a hit.



Mocha Devastation Cake = two layers of dense chocolate cake sandwiching a rich coffee buttercream frosting, enrobed in a thick dark chocolate ganache and ringed with crushed chocolate-covered espresso beans. Life is good.



Happy V-Day, everyone!

Chocolate banana bread

No wordy intro for this one, folks. This sweet bread is another holdover from before Europe, and its entire raison d'être was simply that I was craving chocolate + bananas at the time. I modified the recipe from Veganomicon to produce this lighter, lower-fat loaf that’s perfect for breakfast, snacktime, or dessert.

2 large ripe bananas, well mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2T molasses
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, applesauce, oil, sugar, and molasses.



Sift in the flour, cocoa, coffee, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.



Use a wooden spoon to fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix), then gently fold in the chocolate chips. You can use semisweet, milk, white, swirled, or just about any type of chip you please.



Transfer the batter to the prepared pan...



...and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.



Invert onto a cooling rack, then flip the bread right side up and let cool completely before slicing. I like to cut it into bite-size pieces for easy snacking. I must say, I still like my peanut butter banana bread better, but if you’re seeking the classic combo of chocolate + banana, this quick bread hits the spot.



Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices). Per slice: 205 calories, 7.3g fat (2g sat), 35g carbs, 3g fiber, 2.7g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
PB–banana "Elvis" cupcakes
Choc-oat banana walnut cookies
Peanut butter banana bread

Pumpkin cheesecake swirl brownies

Last October, in the evening after my second marathon, I went to my friend Jo’s Halloween party. Another friend, Teresa, had brought a pan of pumpkin swirl brownies. They looked scrumptious, but until I tasted them, I had no idea just how scrumptious they would be—decadently moist and devastatingly flavorful, they were far and away my favorite treat of the night. I couldn’t stay away from them! I asked Teresa for the recipe, and she graciously obliged, so I made a veganized batch of them that very next week to take to my friend Rachel’s Halloween party. You know, to keep the party-dessert-karma train going.

I know it’s not anywhere near Halloween anymore, or even Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I don’t care how many weeks ago the holiday season ended—I love pumpkin year-round!

For the pumpkin layer:
6 oz. vegan cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu)
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose (or WWP) flour
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

For the brownie layer:
1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a food processor (or a good blender, or with a sturdy hand whisk), combine all pumpkin layer ingredients.



Process together until smooth, then transfer to a small bowl.



Clean out the food processor, then add the melted margarine, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla.



Process until smooth, then add the tofu (half at a time) and process to combine.



In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Pour the margarine-tofu mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined.



Spread about 2/3 of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Gently pour the pumpkin mixture on top and spread evenly. (Sorry bout the blur here.)



Drop the remaining brownie batter by spoonfuls over the pumpkin layer. Swirl together with a knife.



Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely on a wire rack.



I was so pleased at how well the tofu stood in for egg, and in my opinion, the ratio of chocolate to pumpkin was perfect. Cut into cute little bite-size pieces, these made great party food. (Nevermind the fact that only half of them actually made it to the party!) I can’t wait to bake these again.



Yield: 16 brownies or 36 brownie bites. Per brownie (16): 183 calories, 9.3g fat (3g sat), 23.8g carbs, 2g fiber, 2.6g protein.
Per brownie bite (36): 81 calories, 4.1g fat (1g sat), 10.6g carbs, 1g fiber, 1.2g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes w/cinnamon glaze
White chip brownies
Pumpkin oatmeal cookies

No-bake PB-choc-oat cookies

Oh, I see, you thought I was going to start out the new year with a totally wholesome, healthy, guilt-free recipe? Not quite, although there’s really no need to feel guilty about eating these. The fiberful whole grain oats, monounsaturated peanut butter fats, and antioxidant-packed cocoa make up for the sugar and vegan margarine. They’re also super-quick and -easy, and the instant gratification factor is high since no baking is required.

My good friend Brandon shared this recipe with me, and challenged me to make it vegan but keep the awesome taste that got him addicted to making these. I am happy to report that I succeeded, and earned his characteristically difficult-to-acquire seal of approval.

1 stick (1/2 cup) Earth Balance
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup soymilk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 cups quick oats

Line a large baking sheet with wax paper. In a medium saucepan, bring margarine, sugar, cocoa, and soymilk to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute 30 seconds.



Stir in peanut butter, vanilla, and oats.



You can either drop by spoonfuls onto the waxed paper, or dump the whole mess on there and spread it out like a cookie pizza.



Let cool at least slightly before slicing and munching. The longer you wait, the more solid they will become. If you just can’t help yourself (we couldn’t), be prepared for a slightly sticky and pliable cookie experience. Not that there’s anything at all wrong with that.



Yield: 24 servings. Per serving: 174 calories, 7.3g fat (1g sat), 25.6g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Peanut butter chocolate cookies
Choc-oat banana walnut cookies
Peanut butter bliss cake

Deep chocolate brownies

I have been on a casual search for awhile now for the perfect brownie recipe. I like the brownies I’ve made in the past, but I want something dense, fudgy, classic. I also, however, want a recipe that’s not terribly unhealthy. Anyone can make drop-dead-delicious brownies with a pound of butter and 8 oz. of melted chocolate and 3 cups of sugar. No, I want something nutritionally middle-of-the-road, but explosive in flavor. I want them to taste rich and decadent without monumental amounts of fat. Tall order, right? I know.

I recently came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. I was especially intrigued by the inclusion of maple syrup. They didn’t turn out to be quite what I’m looking for, but nonetheless, they were anything but shabby.

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a glass 8x8 baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, sugar, soymilk, and vanilla.



In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. I added the sugar to the large bowl a little late, as you can see. I diverted from the original recipe in that respect because sugar should technically always be considered a "wet" ingredient.



Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if desired.



Pour the batter in the pan and spread it out evenly (then lick the spatula!).



Bake for 30-35 minutes (be careful not to overbake). Cool completely before cutting.



Truth be told, these were not as moist as I expected. Despite the dry crumb, once you start chewing, they condense into a startlingly intense chocolate flavor. I guess a full 1/2 cup of cocoa will do that! The taste is more akin to dark chocolate than milk chocolate, and boy, will it make you thirsty. Have a cold glass of water or soymilk on hand for gulping in between bites. Just because these aren’t my holy grail of brownies doesn’t mean they weren’t very yummy. Let’s just say I was not sorry at all for giving them a try. Meanwhile, the search continues...



Yield: 16 servings. Per serving (without nuts): 181 calories, 9.7g fat (2g sat), 24.9g carbs, 2g fiber, 1.9g protein.

If you like this, you might also like...
Chocolate brownie muffins
Deep chocolate bundt cake
White chip brownies

German chocolate cupcakes

My friend Mike and his girlfriend Emily recently brought their son Emery into the world, and per Emily’s request, I whipped up the German chocolate cupcakes from VCTOTW. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it out to visit them before the cupcakes would have gone stale. I owe you guys! Instead, these became birthday cupcakes for my mom.

I used sweetened coconut in the frosting, so I cut out some of the brown sugar. I also used lite coconut milk, and it turned out just fine. In addition, as I may have mentioned in the past, I always use vanilla soymilk in baked goods unless otherwise specified; it adds that yummy extra dimension of sweetness. These too are calorific (as any German chocolate cake tends to be) but keep in mind that all the saturated fat here comes from the almighty coconut, whose medium-chain fatty acid goodness is not to be feared.

For the cupcakes:
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

For the frosting:
1/4 cup soymilk
2T cornstarch
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1T whiskey, bourbon, or Tuaca (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and coat with cooking spray. Combine the soymilk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to curdle. Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla into the soymilk. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.



Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two batches and mix until no large lumps remain.



Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.



Bake for 18-20 minutes for regular cupcakes, or 14-15 minutes for minis. When done, let sit in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soymilk, cornstarch, and salt. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut milk and brown sugar.



Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 more minutes. Whisk the soymilk mixture once more and slowly pour it into the coconut milk mixture, stirring constantly.



Stir continuously till the mixture darkens again, gets very thick and smooth, and the cornstarch is cooked, about 6 to 7 minutes.



Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, whiskey or bourbon (or, in my case, since I don't like either—Tuaca!), chopped pecans, and coconut.



Stir till everything is coated and combined. Cool to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.



The base chocolate cupcake recipe is tasty, but the coconut pecan frosting is the real standout. This stuff is RICH! The assortment of textures – creamy, crunchy, chewy – is delightful, and the use of coconut milk rounds out the flavors marvelously. Be careful; you might want to eat this frosting with a spoon.



Yield: 12 regular or 24 mini cupcakes. Per cupcake (regular): 294 calories, 16.4g fat (7g sat), 37g carbs, 2g fiber, 3.4g protein.
Per cupcake (mini): 147 calories, 8.2g fat (3.5g sat), 18.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 1.7g protein.

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Dreamy creamy tiramisu cupcakes
Hazelnut cupcakes w/chocolate mousse filling
Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes w/cinnamon glaze