Bev's Recipe Collection

1 cup raw pecans, soaked
1 cup almond milk
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
2 Tbs chia seeds
1 Tbs coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2-3 Tsp maple syrup

Place pecans in a bowl and cover with water by a couple inches. Let pecans soak for a few hours. Drain and rinse the pecans well and then place in the blender.  Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend on the highest speed until the dip is smooth. Add sweetener to taste. Serve with apples or pear slices. Store leftover dip in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

From www.ohsheglows.com

• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 32 oz vegetable broth
• 3 cups almond milk
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbs salt
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
• 4 apples, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
• 5 carrots, chopped into bite-size piece
• 2 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash
• 3 (15 oz) cans organic black beans, drained and rinsed

Place all ingredients in a cock pot and and set on high 4-5 hours, or on low 6-8 hours.

2 cups rotini pasta, dry
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz organic sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup medium salsa
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
juice from 1 lime (about 2 Tbs lime juice)
handful of fresh cilantro leaves
salt to taste

Cook and cool pasta. Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with tortilla chips if desired.

From www.blogofjoy.com

Hummus:

• 1 15 oz can organic chickpeas, drained
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp salt (1 t salt if using organic chickpeas)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• sprinkles of chili powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, and dried parsley to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Spoon into a bowl.

Sauteed Red Peppers:

• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Place ingredients in a skillet and sauté for a few minutes. Let cool.

Assembly:

Make a well in the center of the hummus. Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil in the center. Spoon the sauteed peppers into the well. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve fresh or refrigerate.

From www.blogofjoy.com

Crust:

1 1/2 cups almonds
2 Tbs coconut oil
2 tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs almond butter or peanut butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

Add the almonds into a food processor and process until fine crumbs, slightly larger than sand. Now add in the rest of the crust ingredients and process until the mixture comes together, scraping the side of the bowl as needed. The mixture should be a slightly tacky and should stick together when pressed with your fingers. If it’s not, add a very small splash of water and process again for a few seconds. Evenly press into a parchment lined 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Place in freezer while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

2 medium ripe bananas, peeled
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened slightly
2 Tbs almond butter or peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch sea salt, to taste

Give the processor bowl a quick rinse. Add all the filling ingredients into the processor and process until smooth. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the filling on top. Smooth out. Return to the freezer for at least 1-2 hours to set, until the filling is very firm to the touch.

Chocolate Drizzle:

3 Tbs semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp coconut oil

When the filling is completely solid, prepare the topping. In a small pot heat the chocolate and coconut oil on the lowest heat, stirring to combine. When half of the chips have melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir until completely melted. Remove the bars from the freezer. Lift slab out of the pan and slice into squares. Spread out the squares on a plate lined with parchment paper. Drizzle on the melted chocolate and return bars to the freezer until the chocolate is firm and the bars are solid. Enjoy these bars frozen, straight from the freezer. They melt very quickly so I don’t suggest leaving them out for more than a couple minutes. Store leftovers in the freezer. Yields 16 small squares.

adapted from www.ohsheglows.com

• 2 cups almonds
• 2 cups coconut, shredded or flaked
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or 1/4 cup of chocolate chips for a sweet spread)

1. Place almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 for 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted and fragrant; cool.
2. In the meantime, place the coconut in a food processor and process until it turns moist, scraping down sides as needed(about 8 minutes). Scoop into a dish and set aside.
3. Place cooled almonds in the food processor and process until it turns into butter, scraping down the sides as needed (about 8-10 minutes). Add the coconut, salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder and process till smooth. Palce in a glass jar and store at room temperature so it does not solidify. However, if storing more than 2 weeks, store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using.

adapted from www.minimalistbaker.com

• 3 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup chopped dates
• 1 1/2 cups all-natural creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup honey
• 3 Tbs vanilla extract
• chia seeds (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Drop by heaping tablespoons on wax paper. Wrap each bar and store in freezer.

From Dr. Oz

2 medium ripe bananas
2 eggs  (or two flax eggs if vegan)
1/2 cup natural, salted peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 Tbs honey (or maple syrup if vegan)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (or oat flour)
1/2 cup almonds meal (ground from raw almonds)
3 Tbs chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Mash bananas in a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, peanut butter, coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the oats, flour, and almond meal and mix. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to harden. Drop cookies by spoonfuls on a baking stone or parchment lined pan.  The cookies won’t spread much when they bake, so you can place them 1″ apart. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Let rest on the baking stone for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. After completely cooled, store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate or freeze for an even longer storage time.

Adapted from www.minimalistbaker.com

yield: 13 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3/4 cup ground flax seed
1 cup whole wheat flour (could try almond flour)
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup raisins
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup to make these cookies vegan)
1 cup lightly packed thinly shredded carrots
2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325F and toast the walnuts for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly roasted and fragrant; let cool.
2. In a bowl, mix the coconut oil, applesauce, honey, carrots, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flax, flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and cooled walnuts.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. The dough will be very sticky, so not to worry.
5. With a spoon, scoop about 13 cookies onto a baking stone (or parchment lined baking sheet). They don’t spread much so you can put them an inch apart.
6. Increase the oven temperature to 350F and bake 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or cooled.

adapted from www.ohsheglows.com

A creamy homemade poppy seed dressing made with four simple on-hand ingredients.

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup honey granules (or sugar)
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tsp poppy seed

Whip the ingredients in a blender; refrigerate.