Super Quick Oat Bars

Supper quick and easy recipe thanks to The Kind Life with Alicia Silverstone  I love the fact that she took the time time searching for recipe ideas without added sugar, syrup or honey so I did not have too :)  That makes these snacks great for anytime and you can easily change up the seeds, dried fruit and even the grain to make them super versatile.

• 1 1/2 cups Oats or Quinoa Flakes
• 1/2 cup Cashews (Pulsed in Food Processor until a Fine Flour)
• 1/2 cup Sunflower Feeds
• 1/4 cup Flax Seeds
• 4 Medjool Dates
• 1 cup Raisins or craisins
• 1/2 cup Dried Apricots
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl add oats, cashews, sunflower seeds, flax and sesame seeds.
2. In a food processor add the remaining ingredients and continue to blend until a paste is formed. This will take a little while so give it 30 seconds - 1 minute
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry combining well.
4. Lightly grease (I use coconut oil) an 8x8" pan and press mixture well to form and even layer.  Bake in the oven at 160 degrees celsius for 10 minutes.
5. Cool and slice, great for kids lunches or snacks on the go!

Quinoa Nut Balls

These are so yummy! Adapted from Angela who has many other great recipes.  I am always in a hurry so instead of forming the mixture into balls, I just line a pan with saran wrap and press into a 1/2" layer into the pan.  Put in fridge to firm then cut into squares.

Ingredients

• 1 cup puffed quinoa (if making your own Puffed Quinoa you may need 1.5 - 2 cups)
• ½ cup peanut butter (or any nut butter)
• 3-4 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
• 1 tbsp crushed peanuts (optional, or nut used)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• vegan dark chocolate (optional)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, agave and vanilla. You may need to warm mixture slightly on stove if too firm.
2. Add the puffed quinoa (and peanuts, if using), and stir to combine.
3. Place mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes to let it firm up.
4. Remove from fridge, roll into 12 balls, and return to fridge for 15 minutes before serving.
5. Optional: dip some or all of the balls in the melted chocolate or drizzle on top of squares or if you are in a hurry just chop some chocolate and throw into the mixture.

Cashew Cream

1 cup Cashews raw
3/4 cup water

Pour cashews in a container and top with filtered water.  Put in fridge and allow to soak for 8 hours or overnight.  Rinse cashews with cold water then put into Vitamix or high speed blender with 3/4 cup filtered water.  Puree until creamy smooth.  Cream can be used in coffee, soups or sauces.  If you want cashew milk, just add more water.

For "non planners" like me, soak up a few cups of cashews as a time then rinse and strain well.  Pour into a zip lock bag or freeze safe container and take out to puree as needed.  This way you can make the cream/milk on the fly for whatever you are cooking up on a whim.

Vegan "Alfredo" Sauce

Oh my goodness this sauce is delicious!  Thanks to Katie from Chocolate Covered Katie for this and many other amazing recipes!  I modified it a bit

• 1 1/2 cups raw cauliflower (160g)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• optional: 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil if not using Cashew Cream
• 1 cup milk of choice (I used Cashew Cream - SO awesome and creamy)
• optional: 1/4 cup  nutritional yeast
• optional: Add a little Dijon mustard or lemon juice if desired.

Put all ingredients into a medium pot and bring to a complete boil, then cover and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly and pour into Vitamix or high speed blender and puree until creamy smooth. with either an immersion or regular blender. Serve over pasta, rice, quinoa or heck just drink the stuff it is so darn good! Makes about 2 cups which thickens as it sits.

Vegan Recovery Drink

I used to think recovery drinks were just a way for sport nutrition companies to make more money.  But after trying a vegan on my hubby bought I was surprised how less sore I was after a tough workout and that I could actually function afterwards instead of wanting to crawl to the couch and flop.  So, I decided to come up with my own version that is vegan, quick, easy and yummy. 

Vegan Recovery Drink

• 1/2 scoop Complete Green protein (4g carbs/9g protein/ 2.5 g fibre)
• 1 cup Silk almond milk (0 g carbs/ 1 g protein)
• 1 full banana (24 g carbs)
• .5 cup organic frozen mixed berries (8g carbs)

Throw everything in the Vitmix or blender and blend until creamy and drink within 30 minutes of your workout.  If you miss the 30 minute window, 60 minutes max.  This mixture has 36g carbs and 10 g protein which has a ratio of  3.6:1 which is pretty darn close to the optimal ratio of  4:1 carbs to protein for a recovery drink.   Plus it is just darn yummy and sometimes that is all you need to get through the last few sets!

Eating or drinking foods in this ratio after a workout allows your body to focus on rebuilding rather than digestion. This means you'll bounce back faster from tough workouts, which is a critical factor in building muscle and strength retention. If you are not fueling your body properly after a workout, either by not eating at all or eating the wrong foods,  your body will remain in a stressed state. This stress creates higher levels of cortisol in your body which causes you to retain fat and use muscle for fuel, which is totally the opposite of what you want from your workouts!

Home Made Granola Bars

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Honestly I am not a huge granola fan but needs to find healthy convenient snacks for on the go and several of my friends raved about this recipe so just made a batch.  I tried the fig and date recipe below but it seems my figs were hard as rocks so just used all dates and made my own apple sauces (4 apples cored & peeled, 2 Tbsp lemon juice & puree) as I never can seem to keep the stuff on hand.  I just threw all the ingredients in the Vitamix except the oats so really fast to make. I found it a little sweet for me so I will likely cut down on the sweetener next time around but oh man are they yummy! Perhaps a little too yummy....

I love that the original author included a basic recipe so you can mix it up so you are not making the same type every time and it is so easy.

Basic Granola Bar Formula
1. Rolled Grains (2½ cups)
Suggestions: Quick or Regular Oats, Rye flakes, Barley flakes, etc.

2. Nuts, Seeds & Spices (1 cup)
Suggestions: Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Pistachios, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, 
Pumpkin Pie Spice, Cinnamon, Ginger, etc.

3. Sticky Sweetener (1/3 cup + ¼ cup)
Suggestions: Honey, Agave Nectar, Molasses, Maple Syrup

4. Dried Fruits (1 cup)
Suggestions: Raisins, Apricots, Dates, Figs, Prunes, Cranberries, Pineapple, etc.

5. Binder (1 cup)
Suggestions: Pureed Dried Fruit, Apple Butter, Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Unsweetened applesauce, etc.

Fig, Date & Almond Granola Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 + ¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup chopped dried figs
1/3 cup chopped dried dates
1/3 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Throw everything but oats and almonds in Vitamix and blend until nicely mixed.  Pour into bowl then chop nuts in Vitmix and then pour into bowl with the rest of ingredients.  Add oats and stir until combined.

3. Pour mixturer into the pan and press down to evenly flatten..

4. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the freezer until the bars are firm, at least 1 hour. Remove from the pan and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

(Recipe adapted from Good Life Eats)

Sweet Quinoa Dosas

Adapted from Reboot with Joe  I had to make another batch as these went so fast....next time I make a double...maybe triple batch.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup  water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 date (pitted)

Directions:
1.) Rinse quinoa well.  Add to bowl and cover with water.  Soak for about 20-30 minutes.

2.) After quinoa has soaked, drain and add it a blender with 1/4 cup of water, the date, cinnamon, baking soda, and sea salt.

3.) Blend until smooth.  Add more water if needed.  Batter should be smooth, like a crepe batter.

4.) To cook, heat pan over medium heat.  Add 1/2 to 1 teapsoon coconut oil (or other oil).  Ladle a small amount and quickly spread out.  Cook about 3-5 minutes and flip.  Dosas should be golden brown on both sides.

Note:  To make dosas savory, leave out the date and cinnamon and substitute with fresh herbs or spices.