Veggie Staples

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

Paleo & Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

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The Holidays are here! What is your favorite way to celebrate? My friend is hosting a cookie swap in a few weeks, and these Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies (Gluten Free & Paleo) are an oldie but goodie for any holiday party! They incorporate that lovely combination of chocolate and peppermint that everyone is sure to love! And better yet, they are sweetened with natural honey! I was lucky enough to get some Nektar Honey Crystals on my hands from Nektar Naturals! (Thank you Nektar Naturals!) I used this as a healthy sugar substitute, (as I always do), and they still were a big hit. How awesome is that?

Who can resist such cute spirals? I had a few mishaps (I decided to use coconut sugar, which is brown… guess what? brown sugar does not take color dye, whoops!). I found these awesome natural food dyes after scouring the internet, and they worked really well! I was really impressed with the coloring, I wasn’t sure if they would turn out muddy or too dull. I would have been upset if I had ended up with pink instead of red! Anyways, if you are into Chocolate Peppermint (my whole family is obsessed) you will really love these cookies! Did I mention they are also gluten free and paleo? Note: If you do use coconut sugar in this recipe, the color will not turn out! Don’t learn the hard way like I did! I recommend using Nektar Naturals honey crystals!!

And don’t forget to head on over to my instagram account for a Nektar Naturals giveaway!

*Nektar Naturals can be found in any Walmart!!

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Paleo & Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • ¾ cup honey crystals, stevia or truvia
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon almond or coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • green & red food coloring to liking
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking soda.
  2. In a large bowl or in an electric mixer, beat honey crystals and coconut oil until fluffy (around 3 minutes)
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla into the honey crystals and coconut oil
  4. Add flour and baking soda, reduce mixer to low or beat until just blended
  5. Divide dough in half and place in two bowls
  6. Stir in cacao and milk into one bowl, stir in peppermint into the other bowl
  7. Divide peppermint dough in half and place in separate bowls
  8. Mix the red food coloring into one peppermint dough, green into the other
  9. Divide the chocolate dough in half
  10. Shape all the dough pieces into 3 X 5 inch rectangles, set on wax paper or parchment paper and place another piece of paper on the top for easy rolling
  11. Roll out dough into 9 X 12 inch rectangles.
  12. Refrigerate rectangles in the refrigerator for at least an hour
  13. Place 2 chocolate rectangles on a floured work surface (I like using arrowroot or tapioca flour)
  14. Remove from sheets of wax paper
  15. Lightly brush the chocolate dough with water (helps with sticking)
  16. Place red dough on top of one chocolate dough, place green dough on top of the other
  17. Trim edges if the dough shapes are uneven
  18. Roll dough together (from the long side) into a log form (both green and red dough)
  19. Roll dough tightly so the log is compact
  20. Wrap dough in plastic wrap/saran wrap for at least 3 hours
  21. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  22. Remove logs from refrigerator and unwrap
  23. Cut logs into ¼ inch thick cookie slices
  24. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet or Silpat
  25. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown, rotating half way through

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The Best Gluten Free ‘Sugar’ Cookies

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We recently celebrated Zoey’s first birthday - I’m not really quite sure where 1 year went! Here she is shoving her face full of birthday cupcakes at school (gluten free & dairy free, of course)!!

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One thing I also sent to school with Zoey were these awesome ‘sugar’ cookies - they really are the best gluten free ’sugar’ cookies!!!! The kids really loved them and I don’t mind giving Zoey a treat knowing it’s gluten free and as ‘healthy’ as it can possibly be, not full of anything processed. Sometimes I think I’m crazy when I make everything homemade (time consuming), but at least I know what’s in them and what she’s eating - plus these really are the best gluten free ‘sugar’ cookies.

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You would never know I’ve replaced everything bad that comes in a normal sugar cookie and replaced it with much better ingredients! I also love making sugar cookies because I love all the fun cookie cutters you can use to make them way more fun - my Mom bought me a bag of 100 different cookie cutters last year for Christmas, and I don’t think I will ever have a shortage of any cookie cutter I’m looking for!

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The Best Gluten Free ‘Sugar' Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 38-48 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups Gluten Free Enjoy Life All Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
  1. Mix coconut oil & coconut sugar together
  2. *beating in a mixer will make it much easier, but not necessary
  3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and beat until blended
  4. Add the flour and baking powder until completely combined.
  5. Remove from the bowl and roll into a ball.
  6. Place the ball of dough on a plate or in a ball (covered by plastic wrap or a dish towel) for 30-45 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  8. Remove dough from refrigerator and use extra gluten free all purpose flour to sprinkle on your countertop (I like putting some on my rolling pin too).
  9. Roll the dough out to the desired thickness (around ¼ inch seems to work the best)
  10. * I did mine in small sections, I just found this easier
  11. Cut the dough with your cutters and place onto your silpat or greased baking sheet
  12. *you’ll get 38-48 cookies depending on how big your cookie cutters are
  13. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are faintly golden brown on the edges.
  14. Allow to cool before eating! (I like this wire rack the best)

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Gluten Free Orange Carrot Ginger Muffins

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My husband’s favorite cake is carrot (okay, maybe second to chocolate). I had him test these out with the new Enjoy Life Muffin Mix that I used to create these Gluten Free Orange Carrot Ginger Muffins. All I have to say about his reaction is Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!! His eyes lit up when he took a bite of these!

They are super easy to put together, and they are just to die for! They are really great for a quick breakfast, but also for an awesome morning or afternoon snack. My daughter (who just turned 1), also devoured these, so kid friendly, especially because all those carrots are hidden!! The ginger makes is a little zesty, the orange makes it a little sweet - the perfect balance! Well, what are you waiting for, get to your kitchen to make these muffins!!

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Gluten Free Orange Carrot Ginger Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Muffin
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 9 muffins
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups Enjoy Life Muffin Mix (as prepared, I made mine with coconut oil)
  • ½ cup finely shredded carrots (you can use a cheese grater or a food processor)
  • 1 orange, zested
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger (or dried ginger)
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • *extra coconut oil for greasing muffin tin or muffin liners
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Prepare the muffin mix (as directed)
  3. Shred carrots with a cheese grater or food processor
  4. Place shredded carrots in a bowl and squeeze & zest the orange, adding it to the bowl of carrots
  5. Grate ginger & add to the carrots
  6. Add cinnamon
  7. Add the muffin mix to the carrot mixture, mixing until well combined
  8. Divide the mixture evenly among 9 muffin tins
  9. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes clean
  10. Allow to cool before devouring!

 

 

 

glutenfreeorangecarrotgingermuffins

Cinnamon Vanilla Donut Holes

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Let’s talk more donut holes. (see my recipe for the triple chocolate ones here). This will be the last sweet treat recipe for a while because today I started the 21 Day Sugar Detox created by Diane Sanfilippo. She’s also the author of Practical Paleo & Mediterranean Paleo Cooking! I have plateaued and haven’t really lost any weight in the past month, and I’m thinking I need a reset. I am super good about eating a clean diet, but I thought I’d try something new. We are talking eliminating every fruit or food that has sugar (or fake sugar) except for green bananas and green apples. I don’t eat a lot of fruit in general, so I’m hoping that this might not be too bad, pending the fact that at some point during the day I usually have some dark chocolate. 21 days isn’t too long, right?

These cinnamon vanilla donut holes are actually on the less sweet side, my husband didn’t like them as much as the chocolate (of course). But I thought they were awesome & would definitely eat these as a snack all. the. time.! And of course they are paleo and gluten free, so go make these - what are you waiting for?!!

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Cinnamon Vanilla Donut Holes
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 15 donut holes
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar, honey crystals, or stevia/truvia
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon + more for dusting
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees if using a cake pop mold, or plug in your cake pop maker
  2. Beat egg & coconut sugar together in a bowl
  3. Add egg, vanilla extract, almond milk and coconut oil to egg/sugar mixture & mix well
  4. In a separate bowl, sift cinnamon, baking soda & almond flour together
  5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture & mix well
  6. Add batter to the mold or cake pop maker (I find you get the most rounded shape from overfilling the mold a little bit)
  7. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, or 7-8 minutes in a cake pop maker
  8. Repeat for second batch (you should get 15-18 donut holes)
  9. When cool, remove from cake pop mold & dust with extra cinnamon

 

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No Marshmallow Rice Crispy Treats

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My husband loves rice crispy treats. As in, I make them, and they are gone within the day. It’s a pretty crazy addiction (along with all his other sweet treats). But, unfortunately, marshmallows are not very good for you, and making them on your own is not easy! So, I thought, what could I use that I know would be a good marshmallow substitute? Honey, for sure (I didn’t try my two batches with maple syrup, so I’m not sure that it would work). These were just as awesome with no marshmallows! Husband approved, and I added chocolate chips to the second batch for hint of extra sweetness! Yum! These no marshmallow rice crispy treats are a great alternative so the normal ones - full of processed ingredients! I also used Enjoy Life’s Crunchy Flax Cereal for the ‘rice crispies’. I am a huge advocate for their foods, free of the top 8 allergens (especially gluten & dairy free! I always use their chocolate chips)! You could also swap out half of the honey for some sort of nut butter to help the cereal stick together. What is your favorite indulgence?

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No Marshmallow Rice Crispy Treats
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 bars
 
Ingredients
  • 1 box enjoy life crunchy flax cereal
  • ½ cup honey (or ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup nut butter)
  • ½ cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Pour cereal in a large mixing bowl
  2. Melt honey, coconut oil & vanilla on a pan on low
  3. Pour honey mixture over cereal until evenly distributed
  4. Add in ½ cup chocolate chips and mix well
  5. Place rice cereal mixture in a 9 X 9 inch pan, pressing down until flat and even
  6. Place pan in the refrigerator for at least one hour
  7. Cut into 12 squares and serve
  8. Best if left refrigerated

 

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No Bake Cocoa Cranberry Bars

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I’m reallyyyyyy into these no bake cocoa cranberry bars right now. I normally really dislike dried fruit, but with the cashew butter in these no bake bars, and the cocoa, they really are just delicious. I find myself craving them in the afternoons or in the evening after dinner! I don’t have to feel guilty about eating them; no refined sugars, full of protein & fiber, so they are very satisfying. And did I mention they are no bake? (if you like no bake bars, check out the other no bake bar I just posted)! I’m finding that cocoa & cranberry is my new favorite combo! What is your favorite combination in any type of snack bar?

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No Bake Cocoa Cranberry Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 bars
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw almonds (slivered or whole)
  • 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • ⅔ cup nut butter
  • ½ cup honey or maple syrup
  • ½ cup raw cocao
  • ¼ cup low sugar dried cranberries (or any dried fruit you like!)
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until all the ingredients have stuck together
  2. Press mixture into an 8 X 8 pan and press flat
  3. Place pan in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes
  4. Remove from refrigerator, cut & serve
Notes
Best if kept refrigerated

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No Bake Nut & Seed Bars

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The past few weeks I’ve gone through a bit of a dry spell with recipe creation. I’m not sure if it was just the winter season coming to an end, or my crazy schedule (it really felt like March Madness in the Staples household)! After a few weeks hiatus (I did post some workouts & fitness pieces), I’m back! I had some requests for some snack items, and was inspired by my recent trip to Starbucks. Have you heard of the company called Evolution Fresh? They make great cold pressed juices & snacks, and they are sold at Starbucks. When I’m out and need something to eat, this is usually one of my go to places, as I know I can get a bag of almonds, a juice, or even one of their snack bars. The only problem with this is they are pretty outrageously expensive. I don’t know about you, but I cannot pay $3 for a ‘granola’ bar every time I feel like it. So I went home, looked up the ingredients list, and got into making my own. I think mine are actually a bit healthier. They are about the same amount of calories, but I used raw honey for my No Bake Nut & Seed Bars, they used brown rice syrup & agave. Anyways, these are delicious, and they are a great go to breakfast (super filling, lots of fiber & protein)! Perfect for a post workout snack, or even something to take care of that sweet craving after dinner at night. Snack on!

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No Bake Nut & Seed Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Cuisine: Nut & Seed Bar
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 bars
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • ½ cup nut butter (I used almond)
  • ¼ cup flax seeds
  • ¼ cup raw honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl
  2. Press mixture into an 8 X 8 pan until flat and evenly distributed
  3. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour
  4. Remove from refrigerator and cut into 12 even pieces
  5. Serve and enjoy!

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Almond Butter Banana Blender Muffins

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Almond Butter Banana Blender Muffins - say that five times fast! I have just been going to town on the almond butter (or cashew butter) lately and when I was searching for some banana recipes on pinterest, and a blender muffin recipe came up. Easy to do, had all the ingredients. Yes. I cannot take all of the credit for this one. I found this inspiration for this over at Thirty Hand Made Days. Really good stuff over there, check Mique and all of her crafting projects out, they are great! I hope you enjoy these muffins, only a few ingredients, and did I repeat, you make them in the blender? Double Awesome Sauce!

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Almond Butter Banana Blender Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Muffin
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 muffins
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw nut butter
  • ½ cup enjoy life chocolate chips (optional)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 very ripe bananas, the browner they are, the better
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Coconut oil for greasing pan (or muffin liners)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Place all ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) in the blender
  3. Pulse until smooth
  4. Fold in chocolate chips
  5. Grease muffin pan or place liners in cups
  6. Distribute batter evenly
  7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are brown
  8. Remove from oven & wait 10 minutes to cool before serving
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 muffin Calories: 224 Fat: 13 Saturated fat: 4 Carbohydrates: 17 Sugar: 10 Sodium: 94 Fiber: 3 Protein: 8 Cholesterol: 35

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Paleo & Vegan Almond Chocolate Biscotti

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One last chocolate recipe! After this there is no more for a little while, okay? I know I’m not helping you keep that New Years Resolution to lose a few pounds..
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I’ve been back on a baking kick lately, and decided to dive into a biscotti recipe. Almond Chocolate Biscotti, in fact. I love biscotti. It’s dry and crumbly kind of like a scone, but a smaller serving and dunks perfectly in tea or coffee! And a nice little crunch if you choose not to dunk. Plus, who doesn’t like a little chocolate with their coffee & tea? Nevermind that these are paleo, gluten free, vegan, and have no refined sugars! What is your favorite flavor of biscotti?

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Paleo & Vegan Almond Chocolate Biscotti
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6 biscotti
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • ⅓ cup coconut flour
  • ¼ cup raw cacao
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup enjoy life chocolate chips (plus more to sprinkle on top, if desired)
  • ¼ cup raw almond slivers (plus more to sprinkle on top, if desired)
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients together (except chocolate chips & almond slivers)
  3. Add chocolate chips & almond slivers (if desired)
  4. Roll into a square, brick shape
  5. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips & almond slivers on top of the biscotti brick if desired
  6. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until sides and bottom begin to brown
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for one hour
  8. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
  9. Slice biscotti (I got 6 thicker slices out of my log)
  10. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until biscotti begin to come hard and crunchy
  11. Remove from oven and allow to cool
  12. Enjoy biscotti with coffee or tea

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Chocolate Dessert Hummus

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I promised more chocolate in the last post I did (and there is still more coming… ). I am a huge fan of hummus. I eat it almost every day, sometimes I make it on my own, sometimes I pick it up at the store (I love cilantro/jalapeno). But going along with the sweet treats I’ve been posting, this is a great afternoon or evening snack with some fruit or graham crackers (I like this recipe). Hummus is easy, you throw everything in a blender or food processor and you’re done! Simple. Just what I like. Especially when you are hustling to get things done in the kitchen. This Chocolate Dessert Hummus is a great combination of bringing lots of fiber, protein and chocolate together. You can add coconut, peanut butter, or more chocolate chips and make your own flavor combos as well. Does it get better than that? I don’t think so….

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Chocolate Dessert Hummus
Author: 
Recipe type: Hummus
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 can of organic garbanzo beans (15.5 ounces)
  • ½ cup raw cocao powder
  • ¼ cup enjoy life chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons non dairy milk (or more as needed if you like it a less thick)
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons tahini (or almond/peanut butter)
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in the food processor or blender and buzz until smooth (scraping down the sides as needed)
  2. Serve immediately or hummus can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days

 

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