A healthy plant-based easy-to-prepare fruit crumble is sure to satisfy. A delightful dessert that is heavy on the fruit – apples and blueberries or apples and cherries – and heavy on nutritional value. When the blueberries or cherries are fresh, it makes a special treat but don’t stop there, make this sure-to-please dessert any time of the year with frozen fruit too. Just look at the beautiful colorful presentation, how much fun is that!
APPLE BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE: A Colorful, Yummy and Good for you Dessert!
Main Fruit Ingredients: 5 baking apples (5 cups), peeled and cored, thinly sliced 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or cherries ( no need to thaw) 5 (3 inch) pieces crystallized ginger, minced 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 medium lemon (juice from lemon plus 1 teaspoon zest) 1 -2 tablespoon sweetener (maple syrup, date sugar or brown sugar), to taste 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Topping Ingredients: 1 cup granola 1/4 cup walnut pieces or slices almonds
Directions: Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Prepare apples then place into a non-stick or parchment paper lined ovenware. Add remaining main ingredients into the ovenware; gently combine. Crumble the granola over the top of the fruit and add nuts on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
ENJOY THIS DELICIOUS PLANT-BASED FRUIT CRUMBLE -WE DO!!
Grab a bar for a whole food, plant-based snack. These delicious Date Walnut Cranberry Bars are filled with natural sweetener for a scrumptious healthy dessert. When you combine dates, dried cranberries and walnuts you get terrific flavors, a satisfying taste and plenty of nutritional value! Let’s get started.
DATES- 10 ounces for healthy DATE WALNUT CRANBERRY BARS
Preparing the Dates: Today we are using 10 ounces of pitted whole dates as the main sweetener for the DATE WALNUT CRANBERRY BARS. To keep them fresh, I freeze a bag of pitted dates until I’m ready to use. They are easy to pull apart and thaw in a microwave in about 30 seconds.
CHOPPING DATES (10 ounces) to make DATE WALNUT CRANBERRY BARS
Chop the thawed dates with a knife and when the knife becomes sticky just run it under cool water and continue chopping. The 10 ounces of chopped dates make about 2 cups.
10 ounces pitted dates or 2 cups chopped 3/4 cup water (to cover chopped dates to soften) 1 cup (5.45 ounces) white whole wheat flour 1/2 cup (2.20 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour 1 cup (3.30 ounces) oats 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon concentrate orange juice 3 tablespoons aquafaba (brine from chick peas) 2 tablespoons peanut butter 3/4 cup (3.00 ounces) chopped walnuts 1/2 cup (2.10 ounces) dried cranberries Optional: If the dough is too stiff to spread, add additional water tablespoon by tablespoon Optional: Use dried cherries in place of dried cranberries
Preparing the dates: Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Chop pitted dates and place in a small microwaveable bowl along with 3/4 cup water. Microwave the dates for 3-4 minutes or until they break down to your liking; stir and set aside.
Preparing the dough: In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt. To the dates add vanilla, aquafaba, peanut butter and orange juice concentrate; mix until combined. Place wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mix until combined. At this time, if needed, add tablespoons of water. Combine walnuts and cranberries. Either (1) fold in walnut/cranberry mix or (2) place walnut/cranberry mix on top of dough and press into dough.
Baking the bars: Spoon and even out the dough in a non-stick 9 inch by 13 inch pan or line a bake ware pan with parchment paper. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool before cutting into 24 servings.
Sugar cookies with icing is a perennial Christmas favorite. The whole family can join in the activity to decorate Christmas cookies and especially sugar cookies. Last year during Holiday season my friend, Dr. Liz, asked if I had a favorite sugar cookie recipe but I didn’t, in fact, it had been years since I had a sugar cookie or similar; even in the days before I became vegan, sugar cookies with icing were too sweet tasting for me. I don’t often tackle old recipes calling for lots of unhealthy ingredients such as butter, eggs, oil and sugar. Understatement – to make this recipe healthier was a challenge but I was up for it.
Of course since our taste buds on a whole foods, plant-based life-style makes us hypersensitive to sugar, my first task was to cut down on the sugar, which I handily did. I borrowed Sarah’s, my neighbor’s, Christmas cookie cutters and off to my test kitchen – now I was all in. Testing. Tasting. And I am happy to report that I, as well as, those who were tasting and testing the cookies were pleased with the results! I had fun creating, baking and eating, I hope you have as much fun as I did! SEE CoachBJ’s Sugar Cookie recipe below.
SUGAR COOKIES – Whole foods, Plant-Based sugar cookies. I did use a glaze to icing the cookies, a little extra for Christmas celebrations. You can’t just eat one!
COACH BJ’S SUGAR COOKIES Serves: 20 – 24 medium size cookies || Prep Time: 45 minutes || Cook Time: 9-10 minutes
Sugar Cookies Ingredients: 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (2.20 ounces) 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour (2.90 ounces) 2 tablespoons arrowroot 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons peanut butter 2 tablespoons aquafaba (chick pea brine) 1/3 cup maple syrup 3 – 5 tablespoons non-dairy unsweetened milk, as needed
Cooking Directions: Preheat oven 350 degree F. Combine the first 6 dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small bowl add peanut butter, aquafaba, maple syrup and non-dairy milk; whisk until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients to form a moist dough ball. Sprinkle a non-stick surface with flour, knead the dough and form into a disk shape. Place the disk on the floured surface, place a piece of wax paper over the disk and roll to 1/4 inch thickness with a rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to make various shapes. Place shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Cool the cookies before adding icing and decorating. Lay out decorated cookies to dry.
Have FUN decorating the cookies with icing, sprinkles and chocolate, that is, if you don’t eat them all first.
Icing Ingredients (make several containers for various colors, try mixing colors)
For WHITE ICING: 1/4 cup confectioners sugar (powdered) 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2- 1 teaspoon non-dairy unsweetened milk or as needed For COLORED ICING using natural liquids as delineated below: 1/4 cup confectioners sugar (powdered) 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract To make ORANGE/GOLD: 1/2- 1 teaspoon orange concentrate produces a pale yellow, add a pinch of turmeric to change to golden or To make PINK/REDDISH hue: 1/2 – 1 teaspoon squeezed blueberries juice or cranberry juice or Melt CHOCOLATE pieces or chips mixed with a little non-dairy milk
SUGAR COOKIES: Vegan sugar cookies. The colored icing was made by adding blueberry juice, orange concentrate, melted chocolate and mixing…it was fun decorating and eating them.
HAVE FUN BAKING AND EATING HEALTHY SUGAR COOKIES!!
SUGAR COOKIES MADE EASY: I like to call this process efficient. Just roll out the dough, cut in squares with a knife, bake, cool, then spread various colored icing with a brush over the cookies. Plant-based sugar cookies made QUICK and EASY!
Blueberries are an antioxidant superfood… they are packed with phytonutrients with plenty of potassium, vitamin C, folate, vitamin B6 – truly heart healthy. They are anti-inflammatory, contain fiber and are lo-cal. Just looking at blueberries, you know they are wonderful nuggets of nature. Don’t you just love the blue color, the beautiful shape and the natural sweetness.
They are so versatile, use in breakfast cereal, add to salads and sweeten desserts. I am working on a new book containing pies and cakes, I have enjoyed using fresh blueberries to make blueberry pies and cakes.
Shown below are a few recipes that I’m currently working on.
BLUEBERRY CAKE: Using up fresh blueberries. Topped with blueberries, this cake makes a special healthy whole foods, plant-based dessert.
BLUEBERRY PIE: Testing various fresh blueberries and ingredients. The blueberries were so sweet they only needed a little help. Here is a small 6 inch crustless pie. It was fabulous tasting with plenty of nutrients!
Rhubarb is a perennial plant, considered a vegetable but used mostly as a fruit in desserts. Locally I have seen green and red stalks. In our neck of the woods, Pennsylvania USA, rhubarb is available in the spring, it is currently in season now in June. The stalks are used in cooking, the leaves are cut off and are not eatable.
RED RHUBARB PLANT: June red rhubarb plant in Pennsylvania, USA. Great for pies, cakes and sauce.
The nutritional values of rhubarb is fantastic including fiber, protein, various vitamins, calcium, potassium and magnesium. The taste is tart and sugar is usually added in desserts. It is often paired with strawberries, as these two plants are harvested around the same time, the sweet and tart flavors are a good match.
If you’re lucky enough to have a plant, you can freeze the extra stalks. Cut off the leaves and chop into small similar size pieces, place in a freezer bag, remove the air and freeze.
GREEN RHUBARB PLANT: June green rhubarb plant in Pennsylvania, USA. Great for pies, cakes and sauce.
I keep finding new ways to use rhubarb by creating new recipes for cakes and pies with jams and sauces yet to be explored. Unfortunately we don’t grow it in our garden but I’m putting a bug in Tom’s ear. Stalks have also been available in the grocery stores for a few weeks now. I recently learned how to pick rhubarb, you grab the stalk at the crown and pull it straight up…voila…it worked perfectly! I’m lucky to have a friend, Tanny Nitterhouse, who offered me a gifted batch of fresh red and green stalks and boy did it make a lovely plant-based pie!
RHUBARB PIE: Garden fresh garden red and green rhubarb. I made my first rhubarb pie…ever! If I must say so, it turned out well and was tasty…nice seasonal Spring plant-based dessert.
‘Tis the season for wonderful, healthy Cranberries – fresh from Maine. The raw berries are bitter-tasting but full of powerful antioxidants. I will add some unprocessed sugar and orange flavoring to make a tasty syrup to use in healthy plant-based baking. The cranberries will gel from their natural pectin, causing the sauce to thicken. The color and texture of the cranberry syrup is stunning, the translucent berries are especially captivating for a photographer.
CITRUS: Oranges, lemons and cranberries.
SIMPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE RECIPE (to be used in desserts):
Quantity: After cooking, makes about 1 cup sauce.
2 cups raw cranberries, wash and sort
1/3 cup sugar-in-the-raw type sweetener (or to taste)
1/3 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed or 100% juice)
1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier (orange-flavored liqueur)
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So easy to make Cranberry Sauce: Add sugar, orange juice and Grand Marnier to a small skillet. Stir and heat until sugar dissolves. Add raw cranberries, stir gently, bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Some of the berries will pop. Don’t over stir or over cook, leave some berries whole.
CRANBERRY SYRUP: This syrup is made from fresh cranberries and can be used in cakes or other baked goods.
ORANGE – CRANBERRY FLAVORED CAKE: Fresh cranberries add a seasonal touch to this orange flavored moist cake.
ORANGE – CRANBERRY CAKE: My Orange Cake with fresh cranberry sauce turns into a delightful holiday dessert.
Yummy gems for a special chocolate chip cookie treat! Who doesn’t love a soft chewy chocolate chip cookie with a low calorie count, natural sweetener and no oil. It’s hard not to eat them all right out of the oven…save a few for later!
Coconut Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Serves: 24 (2” cookies); Bake 12-14 minutes.
1/4 cup date syrup or maple syrup
1 medium banana, mashed
3 T. aquafaba (chickpea brine)
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 lemon (juice and 1 T. grated peel)
1/2 cup water plus 1 T.
1/3 cup Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup coconut reduced-fat shredded flakes
2 T. flaxseed meal
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven 350F. Prepare and combine all liquid ingredients. Place dry ingredients in mixing bowl (except choc chips), mix. Pour liquid ingredients into dry, blend. Fold in chips. Cover a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper, spoon batter onto it. Bake 12-14 minutes.
Nutritional Facts: Amount per Serving, Calories 103, Calories From Fat 40, Total Fat 6g, Sodium 51mg, Total Carbs 13g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 6g, Protein 2g
A nice cool refreshing dessert made from frozen fruit, including bananas and fruits of your choice, is easy to make with another toy that we own – Yonanas. But don’t fear, if you don’t own one, you can do the same by using a strong blender.
Yonanas
No dairy or added sugar but all the wonderful nutrients makes this a super healthy treat. Plant-based ice cream can be made anytime of the year but it is especially pleasurable during the summer.
Ice Cream Made with Bananas and Blueberries
Ice Cream Made with Bananas and Cherries
The other day I noticed that our cantaloupe was getting ripe faster than we could eat it. We’re aware of food waste and try our best to eat what we purchase or grow. So what to do with those fast ripening fruits, well easy, just freeze them, especially bananas and, in this case, half of that cantaloupe. I’m curious about how yummy this ice cream will taste. First time try but I think it will be perfect with cantaloupe’s natural sweetness!
You can see from my food photography that I’ve made ice cream from bananas and blueberries and cherries. Try strawberries, peaches, mangoes, raspberries…how about watermelon. Remember to throw over-ripe or excess bananas and fruit in the freezer – make an ice cream treat later! Top with nuts and add chocolate chips too. Delicious. Waste NOT!
SUGAR COOKIES – Whole foods, Plant-Based sugar cookies. I did use a glaze to icing the cookies, a little extra for Christmas celebrations. You can’t just eat one!
SUGAR COOKIES: Vegan sugar cookies. The colored icing was made by adding blueberry juice, orange concentrate, melted chocolate and mixing…it was fun decorating and eating them.
