Gavin and I decided to start the year off with a challenge- a cleanse of sorts. We have cut all animal products and sugars out of our diet for 3 weeks- and it has been pretty eye opening! We quickly discovered that our bodies were totally addicted to sugar (the pounding headaches were the give away) and I realized how much I depend on animal protein to make a meal.
I was so excited going into this little adventure. The idea of having to be create meals that Gavin and I both love with absolutely no animal products seemed like a fun challenge- and it has been! Never did I think that my meat loving husband would be so excited about a veggie and tofu scramble or a bowl of slow cooked black beans and rice…but he has been loving it! And I have been loving the wonderful world of vegan cooking blogs.
We are both finding this no-meat way of living to be easier and more enjoyable than expected…but the no added sugar part has left me craving chocolate like a crazy person- so I pulled up two of my favorite vegan blogs and started looking for sweet treats that I could tweak and re-work to fit our dietary perameters.
I made a great adaptation of a recipe from Oh She Glows and another from Chocolate Covered Katie. Maybe its the fact that I haven’t had sugar in a while- but I loved both of the concoctions that were inspired by these two lovely vegan ladies.
Frozen Truffle Bites:
Adapted from these Frosty No-Bake GloCakes
1 large banana, mashed
2 T date butter, recipe below *If you are not concerned about added sugar you can sub this for 1T agave or honey
1 T creamy peanut butter
1 t unsweetened coco powder
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 C quick cook oats
1/2 C puffed brown rice, I use Arrowhead Mills
1/8 C shredded coconut
In a medium bowl combine the mashed banana, date butter, peanut butter, coco powder and salt. Mix until almost smooth. Now, add the oats, puffed rice and coconut. Fold together until everything is covered in the banana mixture. Now, cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil. Make 1 inch (truffle sized) balls of the mixture. Cover the cookie sheet with foil or plastic wrap and place in the freezer to set for about an hour. Once the truffles have set, store them in a zip lock baggie in your freezer.
These little truffle bites turned out amazing! The perfect sweet treat with no added sugar! Of course, if you don’t want to make date butter you can definitely sub it for agave or even honey.
Date Butter:
1 C pitted dates
1 1/2 C water
In a small pot over medium heat, combine the water and dates. Bring to a low boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Now, pour the dates and water into a blender and blend until smooth.
Since my frozen truffle bites turned out so yummy, I decided to make another sweet vegan treat courtesy of Chocolate Covered Katie. I found this recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies on her blog…and since they meet our new requirements- I decided to whip up my own version! They have turned out to be the perfect mid-day snack for times when our sweet tooth starts flaring up :) They are more of the consistency of baked oatmeal…so they feel hearty and nutritious at the same time.
Baked Oatmeal- Raisin Cookies
adapted from this recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
1 C quick cook oats
1 C unsweetened apple sauce
2 T peanut butter
2 T date butter
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 C raisins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large owl, combine the apple sauce, peanut butter, date butter, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Now, gently stir in the oats until moist. Next, fold in the raisins. Place the dough in tablespoon sized dollops on a cooking spray coated baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
