Source:  Bake With Dates by Susan Lowenberg (http://bakewithdates.com)

Carob Crust

3/4   cup   almond meal
1/4   cup   carob powder
6    medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1     tsp   vanilla

Carob Pudding

12   medjool dates, pitted and chopped
3     cups   almond milk
1     tsp     vanilla
1/3   cup    carob powder
1/4   cup    cornstarch

To Make the Crust

1.   Combine almond meal, 1/4 cup carob powder, 6 chopped dates, and 1 tsp. vanilla in a food processor until mixture adheres together.

2.   Spray 9″ pie pan with cooking spray.

3.   Press almond carob mixture into pie pan.

4.   Bake at 350º F for 10 minutes.  Cool.

To Make the Pudding

1.   Using a blender, puree 12 chopped dates, almond milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/3 cup carob powder and cornstarch.

2.   Pour into top of double boiler and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the pudding is thick.

3.   Pour pudding into a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap so a crust doesn’t form on the top as the pudding cools.

To Make the Pie

1.   When pudding and crust have cooled, pour pudding into crust.

2.   Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Servings: 8

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serving size: 1 slice. Calories: 226, Fat: 3 g

Omega-3 Muffins

These are great muffins.  Not too sweet and full of omega-3′s.

Dry Ingredients:

1 Tbsp ground chia seed
1 Tbsp ground flax
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cups english walnut pieces (optional)

Wet Ingredients:

2 Tbsp flax whisked in 6 Tbsp water (or equivalent egg replacer whisked in water)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup agave syrup
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients.  Add flax/water mixture or egg replacer/water mixture to wet ingredients.  Mix fully.  Add wet to dry ingredients, combine thoroughly but do not over mix.  Spoon into muffin molds (use parchment muffin papers or silicone bakeware) and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Cool and enjoy.

Celine Steen of  Have Cake Will Travel and Joni Newman of Just The Food have more tasty recipes on their blogs. Be sure to check out their amazing vegan cookbooks, especially The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions where this recipe comes from!

This guilt-free pudding will have people wondering why all puddings aren’t made from avocados!

Chococado Pudding

12 ounces (340 g) fresh avocado flesh (about 4 avocados)
1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup (84 g) brown rice syrup
1/4 cup (84 g) agave nectar to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder, optional

COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS in a blender and purée until silky smooth. Divide among 4 dessert cups and chill before serving.

YIELD: 4 servings

This is a delicious Dessert Bread, it’s moist and has a distinct peanut butter, banana flavor which in my opinion is definitely a winning combination of ingredients. ( For the Full story visit my Blog at Kait’s Inside Dish)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of white unbleached flour
1/3 cup of coco powder
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tbsp of brown sugar
3/4 cup of apple sauce
1/2 cup of light soy milk ( I use Silk)
1 tbsp of hot water
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 flax eggs ( 2 tbsp of flax seeds 6 tbsp of water)
2 ripe banana mashed and microwaved for 25 seconds to soften
1 tbsp of chocolate chips melted
1/4 cup of peanut butter melted

Ingredients for Glaze

1/2 cup of confectionery sugar
1 tsp of coco powder
1 tbsp of soy milk

Method

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 350
2. Start by mixing together all your dry ingredients ( flour, coco powder, sugars,baking soda, and baking powder)
3. In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients ( applesauce, soy milk, water, vanilla, balsamic vinegar, vanilla, and flax eggs)
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly until you have a velvety smooth batter
5. Next add in melted chocolate chips, mashed banana, and melted peanut butter, again whisk thoroughly until you have a smooth consistency
6. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and let bake for 25 minutes or until bread is completely cooked through
7. Let cool for 10 minutes, with a knife gently loosen edge to release bread, put bread on a plate and let thoroughly cool
8. Once bread is cool begin to mix together ingredients for the glaze
9. In a mixing bowl add together coco powder and confectionery sugar, slowly add in half of the soy milk, mix together ingredients, if necessary add in the rest of the soy milk. ( the key to this glaze is to make it thick and velvety smooth, so carefully add in the soy milk and stop once you have a achieved a creamy smooth consistency).
10. Carefully Drizzle Glaze Over Bread, Let sit for 15 minutes until glaze hardens

Check out Kait’s Inside Dish for more Vegan Recipes

Celine Steen of  Have Cake Will Travel and Joni Newman of Just The Food have more tasty recipes on their blogs. Be sure to check out their amazing vegan cookbooks, especially The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions where this recipe comes from! (Photo by Celine Steen)

White Chocolate Orange Corn Muffins

1/4 cup (84 g) light agave nectar
1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened fat-free nondairy milk
A few grates orange zest
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup (51 g) vegan white chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 g) whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 g) cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line 6 out of a standard muffin tin with paper liners.

Combine agave, milk, zest, juice, vinegar, applesauce, chips, and salt in a medium bowl.

Add flour, cornmeal, and baking soda on top. Stir until combined. Divide batter into prepared muffin tin, almost to the top of the paper liner.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until golden brown on top and firm when touched. Let cool on wire rack.

Yield: 6 muffins

An easy, guilt-less cookie recipe by Vintage Mixer.

Vegan Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies

adapted from Whole Foods

INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw unsalted walnuts
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries (use whatever combo of raisins and cranberries to equal 1 cup of dried-fruit))
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 carrots, grated
1 apple, grated
1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup almond milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

Combine walnuts, oats, raisins and cranberries in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger. Add carrots, apple, banana and almond milk and stir until combined. Drop by rounded tablespoons an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets, making about 24 cookies. Press down on each cookie with the back of a fork to flatten slightly. Bake until tops and bottoms are lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches i find myself day dreaming about Pumpkin Pie, my absolute favorite fall time dessert, although honestly I would eat pumpkin pie in just about any season. There is just something about the dense orange pie filling combined with a flavorful mix of comforting spices which I find absolutely addicting. For more Recipes Check out Kait’s Inside Dish

The other night I found myself craving pumpkin pie however, at 8:00 p.m. I was in no mood to start making a pie crust from scratch. With my cravings intensifying I wondered if I could simply bake a pumpkin pie filling (obviously the best part of the pie). Desperate for a pumpkin fix I decided to get creative and simply experiment. My experiment resulted in a soft flavorful spiced pumpkin filling with a delicious oat crumble, which completely  satisfied my pumpkin pie craving. Plus this recipes makes for a great healthy alternative to traditional pumpkin pie which can end up being quite high in fat with the pie crust. I definitely recommend this recipe to all my fellow pumpkin lovers especially for the upcoming holidays!

Ingredients
1 15 oz can of all natural pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of light soy milk
1/4 cup of corn starch
3/4 of light brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp of nutmeg
2 tbsp of maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Ingredients for Topping
1 cup of old fashioned oats
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
1 tbsp of Melted Almond Butter

Method

As the fall season approaches my cravings for classic fall desserts such as homemade apple pie and warm apple turnovers baked in a flaky puff pastry seem to have intensified. However, my limited baking supplies and restricted budget have prevented me from making such desserts. However, I have found a creative, healthy, and inexpensive solution, Won Ton wrappers. Won Ton wrappers are a great and extremely versatile staple item that everyone should consider having on hand.

This recipe is absolutely delicious, the cinnamon spiced apples paired with the sweet dried cranberries and walnuts baked in the crunchy golden brown won ton wrappers served with the warm maple syrup make for a delectable portion controlled dessert, ideal for satisfying your fall dessert cravings

Ingredients

1 apple, peeled and chopped finely
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of cornstarch

1 tbsp of water
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of grated nutmeg
1 tsp of maple syrup + 2 tbsp of warm maple syrup used to drizzle over apple dumpling
3 tbsp of walnut
2 tbsp of dried cranberries
15 Nasoya all natural won ton wrapper
1/4 cup of warm water
 

Method

Begin by sautéing apples, lightly spray a sauce pan and add in apples, sauté for 1 minute over medium heat or until apples begins to soften

Add in water and corn starch followed by brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup, continue to stir together all ingredients so that apples are well coated, sample apples, add additional seasonings if needed

Add walnuts and continue to mix together all ingredients

Remove from heat and transfer apple mixture to a small bowl, add in cranberries

Mix together all ingredients

Preheat oven to 350

find a flat surface that you can use as a work space, place 1/4 cup of water, apple mixture, greased baking sheet, and won ton wrapper on cleared off surface

Next dip your finger in water and moisten edges of won ton wrapper

spoon in half of a tablespoon of apple mixture into the center of the wrapper

fold bottom right corner up so it meets the top left corner (this should form a triangle shape), make sure all sides line up.  Using your fingers pinch edges all the way around to ensure they are tightly sealed and filling is secured inside the center. repeat this step until you have used up all the filling

place won tons on greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown (5 minutes on each side)

let cook for 2 to 3 minutes

meanwhile warm syrup, either microwave in a bowl for 25 second or heat over a burner on low to medium heat
 

Using a spoon drizzle syrup over warm crunchy dumpling and enjoy!

Delicious Low Fat Ice Cream Sandwiches

Low Fat Ice Cream Sandwiches

Recipe from:  http://www.thepeacefulkitchen.blogspot.com

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix applesauce, rice syrup, and turbinado until well combined.  Add the flours and flaxmeal and mix until well combined. Dough will be soft, add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Spoon batter into a canning jar lid ring and press to make perfect circle cookies. Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

If you are making ice cream sandwiches, chill them in the freezer for about 30 minutes before making your sandwiches.

**these cookies won’t spread out because they do not have added oil or fat but they will be perfect if you press them out into the perfect shape with a canning jar lid ring.

Delicious  Banana Vanilla Ice Cream

This is a simple, vegan ice cream with no added sugar!  It makes a delicious dessert on its own when you are avoiding any refined or concentrated sugars!  enjoy.

You will need a high powered blender or a good food processor.  Cut or break up the frozen bananas, add all ingredients except soymilk.  Start blender or food processor and pour the soymilk in slowly.  You can use a plunger or other whisk to help it blend if you need to but be careful.

You can add more soymilk if needed but do so slowly, if you add too much you will get runny ice cream.

Another slow cooker recipe from Healthy Slow Cooking
(Please join us on Facebook for more recipes.)

Slow Cooker  Creamsicle Tapioca Pudding

soy-free gluten-free
serves 6 (It’s about 80 calories a serving!)

• 1/2 cup (76 g) small pearl tapioca
• 4 cups (960 ml) Sugar Free Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Milk (*or alternative)
• 2 teaspoons orange extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• extra sweetener if needed (agave, stevia, etc.) – optional

Place all the ingredients into a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker. (Double the recipe if you have a larger one.)

Cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours or on high for about 2 hours. The size of your slow cooker and how hot it runs will change the exact cooking time. Taste and add extra sweetener if you feel that you need it.

The pudding will not set up all the way in the slow cooker (and will look like it may never set up). But it will set up perfectly after a few hours in the refrigerator. I like to portion mine out so I can just grab some from the fridge when I want it!

* You can substitute any nondairy milk if the sugar-free milk is not in your area. You will just need to adjust the sweetness using your favorite sweetener. You can add the sweetener at the beginning of cooking or stir it in after, so almost every sweetener works in this. I haven’t use regular sweetened vanilla in this recipe but I would think you would not need to add any (or much) sweetener with it. If you use plain nondairy milk you may also need to increase the vanilla or decrease the orange extract.