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Showing posts with label nut butter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nut butter. Show all posts

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Healthy Cranberry Almond Cookie Recipe (Vegan, Gluten-Free)


(Makes 15 servings, 1 cookie each) 
Prep Time: 15 min 
Cook Time = None 
Wait Time = 60 minutes

What You Need

  • ½ cup all-natural smooth almond butter
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened coconut milk)
  • ¼ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
  • 1½ scoops Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
  • ¼ cup finely chopped almonds

What You Do

1. Combine almond butter, almond milk, oats, cranberries, and Shakeology in a food processor; pulse until it forms a dough.

step1
2. Shape mixture into fifteen 1-inch balls; flatten each slightly into the shape of a cookie.

step2
3. Press both sides of cookies in almonds.

step3

4. Stack for a pretty picture. Share it on Instagram and use the #ShakeologyDesserts. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

step4
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving):
  • Calories: 96
  • Total Fat: 6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg
  • Sodium: 45 mg
  • Carbohydrates: 7 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Sugars: 3 g
  • Protein: 4 g

Want to make these, but don’t have any Shakeology?
Get yours here!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Gluten/Sugar Free Banana Muffins with Butterscotch Frosting



Banana and butterscotch is a winning combination.  Add to that having no processed sugars or gluten and you’ll be delighted to hand these to your little ones for breakfast or in their lunch boxes.  These are so light and moist and you’ll be able to resist those less than optimal treats being offered to you at work if you have these on hand.
The bonus on this recipe is you can simply throw everything in your blender for mixing.  This will make 6 muffins and can easily be converted to a banana cake.

Banana Muffin Recipe


Ingredients:
  • 3 ripe bananas (with brown spots on skin)
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour (another flour of choice would work)
  • 1/2 cup coconut butter
  • 1 t each cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla powder
  • 1/4 t sea salt
Frosting: Optional
  • Butterscotch nut butter – Recipe below
Directions:
  1. Put ingredients in blender in order listed and blend on high until smooth.
  2. Spoon into paper muffin cups or greased muffin tins.
  3. Cook at 350 about 25 minutes or until lightly browned
  4. After cooled frost with nut butter

Butterscotch Nut Butter Recipe:


Ingredients:
  • Raw Cashews ground in a stone grinder until desired consistency or any 16 oz jar of Raw Cashew Butter (I recommend grinding fresh nuts yourself to ensure the quality of the nuts and that your end product is as silky and pourable as possible, but obviously this isn’t necessary or possible for everyone)
  • 2 T Powdered Lucuma
  • 10 drops White Chocolate flavor made by Medicine Flower
  • Sweetener-options can include: Stevia and/or coconut sugar (I used 1T coconut sugar and 1/2 dropper vanilla stevia)
  • Vanilla if not using vanilla stevia
  • Sea salt

Directions:
Mix together by hand and adjust sweetener to taste
The possibilities of what to do with this butter are endless. I’ll be posting more recipes that use it, however.  For now, use your imagination, eat it straight out of the jar for an on the go treat, spread on bananas, use as a topping for banana ice cream or put it in candy molds and keep in freezer or refrigerator.  The possibilities are endless!
Nutritional Benefits:
Cashews are one of the sweetest nuts making it higher in carbohydrates compared to other nuts. They are high in mono unsaturated fat which has been shown to offer many health benefits. The vitamin, mineral and phytochemical profile is impressive along with important fiber.  Worth an honorable mention is its selenium content which is crucial for manufacturing glutathione peroxidase, possibly your most important antioxidant. Without proper levels of glutathione you will suffer subpar detoxification. (1)
Lucuma is a fruit that provides 14 essential trace elements.  In its powdered form it can easily be added to recipes to emulsify fats and sugars with the end product being very creamy. In a study conducted at Rutgers University it was shown that Lucuma may have anti-inflammatory properties when used topically. My hunch is that it would have the same effect internally. (2)

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Homemade Protein Fortified Nut Butter



Something I've been thinking about...why should we pay higher prices for protein fortified nut butters, when we can make it at home ourselves!!  Plus I also have a low fat option as well!!!

Prep time:  2 mins 
Cook time:  30 mins 
Total time:  32 mins
Serves: 6

Easy Almond Butter Recipe:
2 cups of Almonds
1/8 tsp Sea Salt

Add-Ins: Optional
For sweetness: Honey, Agave, Coconut Oil, Maple Syrup, Xylitol/Stevia 
Protein: Whey or Vegan Protein Powder 
Fats: Flax or Chia Seeds (with chia, mixture may be a bit dry as chia absorbs a lot of moisture)

Directions:
1) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread 2 cups of almonds out.

2) Roast at 375 degrees for about 6-8 minutes until slightly darker brown. (Careful not to burn!)

3) After the almonds cool slightly place in a food processor or high powered blender to grind for several minutes. You want to stop every few minutes to push down what accumulates on the sides of the bowl. Continue to process until you get a nice thick, creamy texture. Sprinkle in a pinch of sea salt and blend once again just to incorporate.

4) If you want additional flavor- add a teaspoon of coconut oil, maple syrup, agave, honey, flax/chia seeds and/or protein powder and mix well.

Store in a tupperware or mason jar in the fridge for about 6 weeks. (If you add the oils, syrup, etc this will last about 1-2 weeks.)

LOW FAT PROTEIN NUT BUTTER OPTION:
1/2 cup (8 TBS) PB2 Chocolate or Plain Peanut Butter Powder 

(Used Chocolate PB2 for calorie calculations)
2 scoops Protein Powder (Using Sun Warrior) 
Water (enough to blend & mix smooth)

4 servings: 
Nutritional Info per serving
Calories: 82
Fat 2 grams
Carbs: 8 grams
Sugar: 3 grams
Protein: 12 grams