Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bars

These are hands down the most delicious thing we have ever eaten. They are great to eat for a snack or for a pre/post workout boost. The energy bars are full of protein and good fatty acids. They are so rich and yummy its hard to believe that they're good for you. This recipe was handed down to us from Thomas' mom, Molly. Thank you to her and you're welcome from us.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bars
2 cups almonds
1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup oats
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2 Tbs chia seeds*
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup coconut butter (also called coconut oil)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1 10oz package of semisweet chocolate chips

Pulse almonds, coconut, oats, salt, flaxseed, and chia seeds in a food processor until ground.

Add in the peanut butter and dates. Pulse in the food processor again to mix.

Heat the coconut butter and agave in microwave or on stove to get the coconut butter melted. Mix together and add into the mix in the processor. Add in the vanilla. Mix the dough in the food processor until well mixed (the dough will start to ball up).

Press the dough into a 8x8" pan with your hands or a spatula. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove until smooth. Spread on top of the dough in the pan. Chill in the fridge until set. Eat and love!

Makes 16 bars.



*Chia seeds were a staple food for the Aztecs. They are an awesome source of protein, calcium, omega fatty acids, fiber, vitamins and minerals. You can find them in natural foods stores.

Couscous Yam Salad

We decided to put couscous and yams together in a salad one night because they were the only two ingredients in the house. To the intense excitement of our hungry bellies, the salad turned out really good!



Couscous Yam Salad
2-3 medium yams, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup couscous
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup agave
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Place the yams and carrots in a baking dish, lightly coat in canola oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake about 30 minutes or until soft.

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pot. Once boiling, remove from heat, stir in couscous, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes until the couscous has soaked up all the broth and is fluffy.

Pour the couscous into a large bowl along with the yams, carrots, bell pepper and red onion.

To make the dressing, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, agave, cumin, and salt and pepper. Adjust any of the ingredients to your taste. Pour the dressing over the couscous mixture and stir until well combined. Serve!

Serves about 4.

BBQ Chili

This bbq chili is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It is sweet, smokey, and satisfying. Yet another kick ass recipe from Vegan Planet, this chili is one of our favorite meals.



BBQ Chili
1 Tbs canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup water
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups vegetarian burger crumbles
3 cups (or two 150z cans) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onion and bell pepper, cover, cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and juice, water, bbq sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, brown sugar, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the burger crumbles and beans and cook for another 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve hot with crusty bread and a salad!

Serves 6.

Coconut-Carob Haystacks

These raw haystacks are so nommy that we have officially decided to keep an endless stash of them in the freezer. It take four ingredients and five minutes to make them and they are a sweet treat you don't have to feel bad about eating. We got this recipe from our local raw food restaurant, Euphoria.



Coconut-Carob Haystacks
1/2 cup carob powder (cocoa powder would work too)
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup cup coconut butter (also known as coconut oil)
1/2 cup agave nectar

In a large bowl, combine the carob powder and coconut. Mix well. Stir in the coconut butter and agave. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop the batter into large round mounds. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store the haystacks in your freezer and eat cold!

Makes approx. 12 haystacks.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a traditional Middle Eastern salad. Usually it is made with bulgar but since we didn't have any, Thomas and I made it with quinoa instead. It turned out quite smackable :)You can add beans to this if you want to make it more of a meal.



Quinoa Tabbouleh
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
salt
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
leaves from 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, minced
4 Tbs cilantro, minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs lemon juice
pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot. Add in the quinoa and some salt to taste. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.

Pour the quinoa into a large bowl and add in the tomatoes, onion, parsley, and cilantro.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste. Blend well. Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve chilled :)

Serves 4-5.

Basic Grain Burgers with Garlic Fries

Homemade burgers are waaay better than any burger you could buy at the store. Our grain burgers are made with brown rice and walnuts and are crazy good! Thomas plays with the spices each time so feel free to do so too. However, the spices of rosemary and adobo are especially tasty. The burgers go great with a side of homemade garlic fries that are baked, never fried. The fry recipe follows the burger one below :)



Basic Grain Burgers
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 Tbs ground flaxseeds
2 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbs fresh or dried parsley, minced
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tbs dried rosemary
1 1/2 Tbs adobo

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts to coarsely chop. Add in the flaxseeds, tamari, brown rice, onion, parsley, vital wheat gluten, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, rosemary, and adobo. Process until well combined but with some texture remaining. Shape the mixture into patties and place on a platter. Refrigerate for 10-15 minuets.

Heat 1-2 Tbs canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties, and cook until browned on both sides. About 4-5 minutes per side. Serve hot on a whole wheat bun with whatever toppings you like!

Makes 3-4 patties.

Garlic Fries
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs canola oil
2 large red potatoes
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Keep the skin on the potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks.

Heat the garlic and oil together in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil and set aside for later. Toss the potatoes with the garlic oil and salt in a large bowl until well mixed.

Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and spread the potatoes out on it in an even, single layer. Bake until golden crisp, about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle the cooked garlic pieces on top of the fries along with some pepper. Serve hot!

Serves 4.

Banana Split Pudding Brownies

These brownies are gooey and wonderful with lots of yummy banana in them. They're fast to whip up and are a great way to use up all those frozen bananas in your freezer (or is that just us?). We got this recipe from Isa Moskowitz's cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance.



Banana Split Pudding Brownies
For the Brownies:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt

For the Topping:
1 cup mashed very ripe banana
2 Tbs cane sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs arrowroot powder (cornstarch would work too)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of mashed banana, the oil, and the cane sugar. Use a handheld mixer to beat everything together for 1 minute (or use a fork and beat for several minutes). Mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add this to the banana mixture in batches, mixing with the handheld mixer as you go along. Mix well.

To prepare the topping, combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and mix with the handheld mixer for about a minute.

Spread the brownie batter evenly into the baking pan. Pour the topping mixture over that and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. After about 15 minutes, move the pan to the fridge to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve!

Makes 12 brownies.