Monday, July 31, 2000

Snack & Treat Recipes

I snack constantly! And I love having all these delicious, vegan snacks to munch on! Many of these recipes can be made before-hand and wrapped up for convenient, on-the-go snacks. A lot of them can double as dessert recipes, too.

*The recipes in unformatted font are soon-to-come recipes.

Raw "Balls, Bars, & Bites":

Raw Gingerbread Men

Figgy-Walnut Bars

Raw Thin-Mint "Brownies"

Cacao-Goji Bites

Lemon-Poppy Bites

Raw "Reese's" Bites


Freezer Goodies:

Cereal-Banana Bites

Banana Pops


Oatie Balls (raw)


Baked Snacks:

CCK's Chickpea Poppers



Baked Goods--Cookies & Bars:

Pumpkin-Quinoa Bars

Sunday, July 23, 2000

Monkey Oatmeal

When I was little, my dad's nickname for me was Shann-the-Monkey. Whenever he still uses it now it always makes me smile. :-)
The nickname inspired the name of this oatmeal variation, especially because my dad LOVES peanut-butter.

Peanut-butter and banana is a classic combo, and they make an epic duo in this oatmeal variation! But ANY nut butter works really good in this recipe--almond and walnut especially.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup non-dairy milk or water (I like almond milk)
1 banana, preferably more ripe than not
1-2 tablespoons all-natural peanut-butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg


Directions:

Either mash up the banana, peanut-butter, vanilla, and spices together by hand or blend together in a food processor. Use your favorite method to make the oatmeal. If you use the conventional stovetop method, cook the banana mash a little first and then stir in the liquid. Once it's hot, mix in the oats and cook on low as usual, until done. If using the overnight method, blend the liquid with the banana puree, stir in the oats, and cover and let rest in the fridge overnight. Top with chopped nuts, cacao nibs, a few banana slices, and/or a sprinkle of extra cinnamon if desired.
For a Choco-Monkey version, just add one or two tablespoons of dark cacao powder or stir in some cacao nibs.

Wednesday, July 19, 2000

Shirley Temple Oat Bran Recipe

Mocha-Banana Soft-Serve/Shake Recipe

This is one of my favorite flavors! I don't think i'll ever tire of it. I <3 mocha-banana. It's like a cup of espresso and creamy banana ice-cream got together one night, made spontaneous passionate love, and had a baby.

"Soft-Serve," "Shake," Smoothie, and Other Beverage Recipes

Basic "Soft-Serve"/"Shake" Recipe

Soft-Serve/Shake Flavors:

Mocha-Banana

Green Tea

Peppermint

Green Tea Soft-Serve/Shake Recipe

This flavor is good for green tea lovers everywhere; it has a refreshingly light and green taste that I love. And it's full of all the great, beneficial antioxidants of green tea. Use your favorite brand. You can use this same recipe to use other tea flavors as well--just pick any kind you want! (But with certain other flavors, you might want to skip the spinach or use some other kind of add-in.)

Basic "Soft-Serve"/"Shake" Recipe

I originally got this idea from my favorite blogger, Chocolate Covered Katie. She's discovered that frozen bananas make the PERFECT vegan soft-serves and shakes--so simple, yet so brilliant. When you blend up the bananas they have a deliciously creamy consistency (and, of course, they taste divine!). Add chilled almond or other non-dairy milk and BAM. Instant, yummilicious soft-serve or shake. And the flavor possibilities are endless; I've included several of my favorite variations in my recipes (see Soft-Serve & Shake Recipes) and I'm still experimenting and coming up with new ones. Feel free to experiment or tweak around yourself! (And I'd love to hear your ideas! :-))

For a thicker, more soft-serve-like consistency, use less milk; for a shake, just use more.
Here's the basic recipe:

Basic "Soft-Serve"/"Shake" Recipe:
(serves one)
Ingredients:
  • one banana, peeled, cut into small chunks, and frozen (make sure it's frozen completely--I put the banana in the night before or even earlier)
  • 2 tablespoons to 3/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice; the lesser extreme is closest to ice-cream, and the other makes a milkshake
  • 1-3 teaspoons extract(s) of choice (like vanilla, almond, peppermint, coconut, etc.)
  • 1-5 teaspoons spice(s) of choice
  • other add-ins, like extra frozen or dried fruit, cacao nibs, seeds/nuts, or frozen spinach, kale, or other veggies

Directions:
At least twenty minutes beforehand, mix the extract(s) and spice(s) into the milk. Leave in the freezer to chill until you take it out to use. Process the banana, milk mixture, and any add-ins* in a food processor or Vita-mix (oh, Vita-mix, you will someday be mine! <3)** until the soft-serve or shake is smooth and creamy, with no lumps. Serve immediately or place in the freezer to harden up a little before serving. Enjoy the dreamy (but absolutely healthy and vegan) deliciousness!

*Some add-ins may be better added later than the banana and milk, so that they aren't too obliterated while the banana gets a chance to get well-blended; this will be included in the directions for those specific recipes.

**I only recommend using blenders when making more than one serving. Since most inexpensive blenders don't work well enough with such small amounts, food processors tend to work better.

Oatmeal, Pudding, and Other Things of the Sort

OATMEAL!

{includes all basic flavors that can also be used for other pudding (and other warm goop-like things of the sort) recipes}

See Oatmeal Methods if you haven't already, for how to prepare oatmeal. Use your favorite method to make any of the following variations.

Why eat oatmeal? It's ah-MAZing, of course!

Shanna's Banana Oatmeal


Monkey Oatmeal


Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal


Mocha-Banana Oatmeal


Apple Pie Oatmeal


Shirley Temple Oatmeal


Ginger-Plum Oatmeal


OAT BRAN

Shirley Temple Oat Bran



PUDDINGS

Strawberries n' Cream Oatmeal Pudding