Homemade cinnamon vanilla granola // Gluten free & Dairy free

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to giving gifts around the holidays, I tend to lean towards making huge batches of granola to share! When I do this I like to add in a lot of fun bits and pieces that add extra texture and sweetness.

I came up with this recipe because I had mixed up my own trail mix for my husband and me to snack on while we put up our Christmas decorations up this past Sunday. Even though he didn't love some of the components, when eaten together we were both big fans!

I had used a combination of dried cherries, coconut chips, walnuts, chocolate chips, and man oh man was it delicious! When I woke up the next day I was craving some more and decided it needed a little bit of a crunch! What better way to make that happen then to mix it with granola!

The minute I thought of this I knew that this would make a perfect Christmas gift! SO here we are now, with a simple recipe that will have everyone asking for more!

Ingredients

Granola

• 3 cups gluten-free oats

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• pinch of salt

• 1/2 cup agave

• 1/4th cup coconut oil

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 egg** (Vegan option below)

Trail Mix

• 1/4th cup walnut pieces

• 1/4th cup coconut chips

• 1/4th cup dried cherries

• 1/4th cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Directions

preheat your oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together the oats, cinnamon, and salt, then mix in all of the wet ingredients.

Spread evenly on your baking sheet, making sure the mixture is less than 1/2 inch thick.

bake for 12 minutes, take out of the oven and mix with a wooden spoon. Making sure to re-spread the oats as they were before.

Bake for another 12-15 minutes, making sure the granola does not get too dark, instead it should be golden brown when it is finished.

Let cool and then combine in the trail mix ingredients. Once you are done seal into individual ball jars for a cute Christmas gift, or just enjoy it right there!

• **If you are a vegan feel free to omit the egg and instead up the coconut oil from 1/4th cup to 1/3rd cup coconut oil.

Enjoy!

Psst…before you go here are the items I used for the trail mix!

Bare Toasted Crunchy Coconut Chips 1.4 oz

Sunrise Fresh Dried Fruit Company No Sugar Added Dried Dark Sweet Cherries, 16 oz. Bag

Nature's Eats Chopped Walnuts, 32 Ounce

Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet, Dairy Free, Nut Free Vegan Chocolate Chips, 10 Ounce (Pack of 6)

PIN!

Dairy Free & Gluten Free Banana Cream Pie

I was watching a show the other week and they began to discuss pies. Specifically how bad American pies are, and I have to say it left me a little upset. So upset that I made a pie, ate it and then felt satisfied in knowing that American pies are indeed delicious!

Now, this pie is a little different because I can’t have dairy or gluten, but I have to say it was not that far off! The banana cream layer was a perfect consistency and tasted exactly how a banana cream pie should taste, without any of the fake tasting pudding stuff, this was the real deal!

The crust was something I wanted to present as baked. I have done raw vegan crusts and honestly you could even make this a no-bake crust with a little more honey, BUT I wanted this pie to be so close I wouldn't feel like I was eating something like a pie, I wanted it to be a real pie. So I baked the crust and Man oh Man was it worth it. It offered the perfect texture, tasting almost like a graham cracker!

The filling I felt like going half and a half with homemade ingredients was good enough as well because I wanted this to give you the experience of a real pie. Thankfully my local grocer carries dairy-free whipped cream! I used this as the second layer. Just make sure when you are serving the pie that you put this on right before serving as it can deflate a bit. If you have this issue, spread the whipped cream around and call it a day.

So with all this explained and talked about, let’s get to the details!

Banana Cream Pie

Crust

1 & 1/4th oat flour

1/3rd cup cold coconut oil

3 tbsp. flax meal

2 tbsp. honey

3 tbsp. water  

Pinch of salt

Directions 

Set the oven to 350F

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor until combined.

Roll the dough into a ball and place in a 9” pie plate.

Spread the dough evenly in the plate and then bake for 20-22 minutes. The edges should be brown.  

Let cool

Filling

1 cup soaked cashews  

1/2 cup coconut cream

2 large banana

1/4th cup honey

2 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of salt  

2 tsp. lemon juice  

Directions

Soak your cashews in Hot water for about 15 minutes.  

Blend together all the ingredients until smooth and then refrigerate until pie crust has cooled

Once cool pour filling into pie crust and add a layer of bananas, top with whipped cream, more bananas and whatever else to make it look real pretty for your guests!!  

serve & enjoy!

Carrot Cake Pops: No bake, Gluten free & Vegan

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to desserts Carrot Cake is appreciated no matter when, but naturally with the budding of new blooms and a new excitement for fresh food Carrot cake is more then welcomed!

Recently my friend Natalie and I were trying to figure out how to spice up the traditional carrot cake recipe. Thankfully as we thought about it, my husband Daniel popped in with the ingenious idea of creating carrot cake pops!

If it’s as hot or busy it is here in Florida (hello spring break!) you’ll be happy to hear that this is a no-bake recipe! SO These perfectly delicious and healthy carrot cake pops are no-bake, Vegan, Gluten-free and FULL of flavor! Definitely a recipe to make the whole family happy! 

Ingredients  

½ cup applesauce

1/3rd cup SunButter

½ cup shredded carrots

1/4th cup maple syrup

2/3rd cup coconut flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ginger

½ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/4th cup chopped walnuts

Glaze

3 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tbsp. SunButter

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Shredded coconut for coating  

Directions

Combine all the wet ingredients and then add in the dry.

Roll into cake balls and let chill in the freezer for about 15 minutes while you make the glaze.  

For the glaze mix together all the ingredients, making sure that your coconut oil is melted beforehand.  

Take the cake balls out of the freezer and coat with glaze and then coconut!

Serve and Enjoy!

Dairy Free Parfaits // What to use for Natural Dyes

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to Easter I love how cute the different colors and decorations are! It’s really the only time of year where decorating with pastel colors and bunnies is totally acceptable. Now I love all the fun colors put when it comes to making those colors happen in our food, dyes a really not my favorite thing. It’s one of those things to make food more fun and festive, but are extremely toxic!

If there’s one thing we should kiss goodbye its artificial dyes, but does it mean we have to stop making food colorful and fun all together? Definitely not! There are plenty of natural foods used to create those beautiful colors! Here are some of my all-time favorites!

• Matcha Powder & Spirulina = Green

• Beetroot powder & Red Berries = Pink & red

• Turmeric = Yellow

• Blue = Blue Spirulina

This is one of the simple ways to replace toxic ingredients in your kitchen while keeping your kiddos excited and healthy food fun!

Here is an example of Easter inspired parfaits!

Ingredients

• 1/4th cup chia seeds

• 1 cup almond milk

• Honey to taste

• 1 & ½ cup Yogurt (I used almond milk yogurt)

• Toppings!

Instructions

• Combine liquid and chia seeds, mix well and set aside to let gelatinize.

• Separate the yogurt into equal amounts and add color. Start with small amounts and add more until the desired color is reached.

Mix in honey to taste.

• Add Chia seed pudding, then the yogurt mixture and top however you like! It would be a fun project to gather toppings fitting your theme and have your kids decorate them individually!

Thank you again for stopping by!

- Sonya Peacocke

Quick and Easy Vegan SunButter Chocolate Mousse // Valentines Day

I don’t know about you guys, but when it comes to Valentine’s Day treats the options are endless. The problem is that these options are usually not so much dairy free and gluten free. Plus making something is more of a romantic gesture then a store bought box of chocolates (Not that I will ever say no to them).

So in order to combat the issue at hand my friend and I came up with a gluten, dairy free, chocolate filed and EASY recipe to whip up for your special someone.

So, now that you know how much you need this recipe in your life this Valentine’s Day, or any day, here it is!

Ingredients

·         1 Cup Coconut (Or Greek ) Yogurt

·         1/4th Cup Creamy SunButter

·         Pinch of Salt

·         2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

·         Sliced Strawberries

·         Chocolate Chips  

Mix the yogurt and sun butter together and spoon half of the mixture into jars. Add in cocoa powder and salt into the other half of the mixture and mix together. Spoon the rest into the jar and then top with strawberries and chocolate chips. Serve to your special someone, and enjoy!  

Vegan Sunflower Butter Chocolate Pie

Vegan Sun Butter Chocolate Pie

I’m not sure about you guys, but when it comes to the holidays the most important thing is of course family, but the second most important is always dessert! I always loved making fun new treats, but this became a bit harder to recreate when I went dairy and gluten free. I was determined to remake some boss desserts so that when my healthy treats came out, all else was forgotten.

I have had some really good recipes so far but this one takes the cake. Get it…cake…or pie I guess.

Anyways, this recipe was inspired by the classic peanut butter pie and I have to say, I ended up liking it better than the classic. SO without further adue here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

Crust

·         1 & 1/2 cup pitted and soaked dates.

·         1 tsp. salt

·         1 cup oats

·         1 tsp. vanilla  

·         2 tbsp. coconut oil

Sun Butter Layer   

·         1 & ½ cup sun butter

·         2 cups whipped coconut cream ( I used a store bought brand but you can make your own as well!)

·         1 tsp. vanilla  

·         3 tbsp. maple syrup

        Chocolate Layer

·         3/4th cup cocoa powder

·         1 cup whipped coconut cream

·         1 tsp. vanilla

·         1 tsp. salt

·         ½ cup pitted and soaked dates   

·         1/4th cup date water

Directions

For the crust soak the dates in hot water for about 15 minutes or let soak overnight in the fridge. Save the water for the individual layers.

Pulse all ingredients for the crust together and then press into the pie plate. Let set in the freezer while you make the layers.

For the Sunflower Butter layer use a mixing bowl and fold ingredients together until combined. Pour into pie pan and let set in the freezer.

For the chocolate layer blend all ingredients until fully combined. Add in more of the date water if needed to blend but make sure the moisture does not become watery, but keeps a thick and creamy consistency.

Pour in the last layer and let sit in the freezer.

Top with your favorite toppings such as nuts, coconut, chocolate, ice cream etc.

Here I used coconut whipped cream and shaved dark chocolate!

Bring to your next party and watch your guests as they stare in awe of this beautiful creation!

and THEN enjoy.