Veggie Staples

dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free, plant based recipes

Archives for November 2014

Pumpkin Pie Lara Bars

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Do you love Lara Bars? I’m kind of obsessed with them. They are super duper expensive though! I recently found these Pumpkin Pie Lara Bars (Duh, my favorite). I only bought one box and when I went back to Target to get another box, they were sold out (and not getting any more because they are seasonal).

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So… I had to go home and figure out how to make my own. It wasn’t too hard, considering all the ingredients are on the box, and I happen to have this AMAZING dried pumpkin powder from a company called Activz. This is hands down one of my favorite things ever. It’s awesome to add to food, soups, smoothies, etc. and perfect for the pumpkin flavor in the lara bars. I started buying it at the health food store, but then I started buying it on amazon because I could get twice as much for almost the same price.

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You will not regret making these! You could also use gingerbread spices to make that flavor instead (I haven’t tried it, that’s next weekend)! My husband, who is super picky, loved the Pumpkin Pie Lara Bars but he said mine were even better!! How about that?!! What a compliment to the chef! What is your favorite flavor lara bar?

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Pumpkin Pie Lara Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup almonds
  • ½ cup cashews
  • 2 cups pitted dates
  • 2 tablespoons Activz dried pumpkin (or 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice)
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender
  2. Prepare snack as desired (I made 7 sized bars, you could also roll into snack bites)!

 

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Gluten Free Baked Zucchini Bites

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Working in a school I come across a lot of kiddos with allergies. Wheat, dairy, peanuts, you name it. Ian’s Natural Foods made a great infographic about it!
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Do any of these surprise you? I guess I’m more sensitive to all of these because of my own sensitivities. I always need to plan ahead with snacks and know where to go when I’m out to eat, or else I’m pretty much just eating a salad.

With the holidays coming up (see my awesome mini pumpkin pie scone recipe for parties, too) its easy to eat junk for just about 6 weeks! These are another healthy alternative, and just as delicious! This is a snack you can bring to a party that you will not feel guilty about! It’s also awesome with this creamy avocado dip (with optional added kick)!

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Gluten Free Baked Zucchini Bites
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
 
Ingredients
for the zucchini bites
  • 2 medium zucchini, washed, peeled & sliced
  • 2 cups Ian's Gluten Free Original Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 eggs
for the avocado dip
  • 2 avocados
  • ¼ cup of cashews, soaked for 30 minutes or more in a bowl of water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix the breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic salt and oregano in a bowl and set aside
  3. Mix the eggs with a fork in another bowl
  4. Wash, peel and slice the zucchini
  5. Dip the zucchini pieces (one at a time) into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture
  6. Place the breaded zucchini slices onto a Silpat or greased cookie sheet
  7. Place in the oven for 10-14 minutes, flipping between 5-7 minutes for even cooking
  8. While the zucchini is in the oven, remove cashews from water and place all avocado dip ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth
  9. Serve avocado dipping sauce with zucchini bites (while warm) and enjoy!

 

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Mini Pumpkin Pie Scones

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Are you still in the mood for pumpkin? I hope so! This may be the last one? I’m sorry… I just really let pumpkin season get the best of me. My in laws were recently here and my brother in law, Ryan, is an excellent baker. We made a batch of some pumpkin english muffins… they weren’t pumpkin-y enough for me (and we burned ’em, oops)! Still working on that recipe…

Anyways, these are delicious, my mom helped, of course. They are great because they are just enough for a snack and not so over indulgent you feel bad about just eating one. more. thing. at the holidays… (it is that season). These are great for holiday parties, too (and maybe people won’t feel so bad if you tell them that they aren’t sugar laden)!

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Mini Pumpkin Pie Scones
Author: 
Recipe type: Paleo/Gluten Free
Cuisine: Scone
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8 scones
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ cup arrowroot powder or tapioca starch
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients into a bowl
  3. Make dough into a ball
  4. Place dough on a baking sheet (grease the pan with coconut oil or use a silpat)
  5. Press down on the ball of dough until it is in a flat pancake shape
  6. Divide the dough evenly into eight triangles
  7. Separate the scones slightly
  8. Place in the oven for 14-17 minutes or until edges brown
  9. Enjoy
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 scone Calories: 118 Fat: 5g Carbohydrates: 19g Sugar: 6g Sodium: 102mg Fiber: 5g Protein: 2g

 

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Anti Inflammatory Smoothie

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I’m sure that I’ve mentioned this is other recent posts, but since I’m always on the go now because of Zoey, I’m obsessed (and in need of) with smoothies! I’m guilty of eating/drinking them for breakfast and for lunch. I pack them full of lots of different stuff every time, but I’ve been on a butternut squash kick, since squash is in abundance right now. Squash and mangos are also loaded with anti oxidants, anti-inflammatory and full of vitamin C! Mango helps aid in digestion, is said to help memory, and helps regulate blood sugar. Going into cold and flu season, these will definitely help the immune system out - the ultimate anti inflammatory smoothie!

 

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Anti Inflammatory Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butternut squash (raw or steamed)
  • 1 cup of mango or apple
  • 1 cup of non dairy milk
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1-3 tablespoons honey for sweetener
  • ice to taste

Instructions

  1. Blend all ingredients
  2. Serve immediately
http://veggiestaples.com/anti-inflammatory-smoothie/

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Tomatillo Pumpkin Salsa

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One of my favorite snacks is tortilla chips and salsa! Really, really love it. Fresh, local salsa is kind of expensive, and it seems silly (sometimes) to buy it instead of making it homemade and fresh. Tomatillo season is coming to a close, and I have a feeling I may have gotten one of the last batches of them when I went to the store last week! I had also recently picked up an awesome pumpkin salsa at my local health food store, so I was inspired after tasting it to make my own. This really is delicious, my husband even asked me to make a second batch. The salsa can store in the refrigerator up to 7 days, but I’ll bet it won’t last that long!

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Tomatillo Pumpkin Salsa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of tomatillos, husked and washed
  • 1 jalapeno, washed and sliced (deseeded if preferred)
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • one bunch of cilantro (or two, or three, if you like cilantro!) washed and chopped
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash tomatillos, jalapeno and cilantro
  2. Chop cilantro
  3. Blend or pulse all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth
  4. Serve immediately with chips (or store for later use)
http://veggiestaples.com/tomatillo-pumpkin-salsa/

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Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed Pudding

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Sometimes you just get sick of smoothies for breakfast! This is a great recipe to make the night before for an easy, already made breakfast, and chia seeds are a power house super food! High in fiber and protein, are loaded with antioxidants, and are said to help aid in weight loss! What’s not to like?

Have you ever heard of Mila Chia Seeds, though? They are a special blend of seed you can’t get anywhere except from a company called Genesis Pure. These chia seeds are grown with exact specifications and deshelled to maximize the nutritional value so you receive even more of all those awesome benefits. They are also packed with Omega 3’s! You can only get them online, so if you are interested you can find them here (and then contact me)! There is also a great article and video testimony about them here! They provide 6 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber in one serving (2 tablespoons). Chia seeds are also an anti inflammatory and help bone health. When I throw these into my smoothie in the morning (or these protein poppers for a post dinner snack) They keep me full a very long time! Can you tell the difference in the photo? The regular chia seeds are on the left, and the Mila Chia Seeds are on the right. It’s pretty awesome, right?

Either way, this recipe is seriously delicious.  It’s a great breakfast (that’s not a smoothie or eggs) and it’s really easy (and nutritious)! And a little goes a long way, just a small portion of this is very filling because of those awesome chia seeds!

 

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Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of raw cashews (soaked for 20-30 minutes)
  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon (or more to taste)

Instructions

  1. Soak cashews in water in a bowl for at least 30 minutes
  2. Drain water from cashews and place cashews in blender or food processor
  3. Add all other ingredients to food processor or blender
  4. Blend until smooth
  5. Place in a bowl over night
  6. Serve cold for breakfast or a snack
http://veggiestaples.com/pumpkin-pie-chia-seed-pudding/

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