Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe. I love it when I can easily make something at home and it turns out to be just as good or better than the more expensive store-bought kind. I’ve been wanting to try some homemade chocolate syrup. The basic recipe is very simple, but there are a few variations of it, so the other day I decided to experiment with them and have a chocolate syrup taste test. Not a shabby way to spend the afternoon!
The one I liked the best was from Amy Dacyczyn’s The Complete Tightwad Gazette. ½ cup cocoa powder 1 cup water 2 cups sugar ⅛ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon vanilla Mix the cocoa powder and the water in a saucepan. The result is very rich, so I only use a teaspoon for a glass of chocolate milk. I poured the chocolate into a flip-top glass bottle and added a label. I’ve been gradually learning how to replace some of the foods we used to buy.
Small Notebook is full of practical ideas to simplify your life and home. Freezer Cooking with Slow Cooker Recipes. Welcome Pinners! Please be sure to check out my Real Food tab at the top to find more slow cooker freezer meals! Also, I love to see everyone excited and sharing on their blogs and social media when they use my recipes, but please be sure to link back to me and do not publish the entire recipe! Thanks! My new Ecookbook, From Your Freezer To Your Family , full of new recipes, nutrition info, grocery lists and cute labels! Like I mentioned in my post the other week, the last time I did a big cooking day, I had a big ah-ha moment. Although, I had a blast with Lauren, it was logistically very difficult to accomplish.
So this latest big cooking day, I did it by myself and only did slow cooker recipes. Basically, all I was did was chop vegetables and assemble ingredients. Even with doing it this way, it was still a 3 hour affair, but during this time I was able to finish all the cooking AND the cleaning. Once I was done and cleaned everything up, I felt like I had invented electricity! Perfect puddin’ I took my sweet time posting this recipe because I wanted it to be perfect. I wasn’t looking for anything fancy. My criteria were the following: quick low on sugarno fake sugardessert worthychocolatesubstantial In other words, I wanted something that I could whip up with ease, that would satisfy my sweet tooth, without excess sugar. However, I wanted it to be made of real ingredients so it would both hold me over and offer something nutritionally.
Perfect puddin’ (v, gf) Ingredients: 7 oz. soft tofu (1/2 block)1 tbsp chia seeds1 tbsp maple syrup3 tbsp cocoa powder Directions: Pulse everything together in magic bullet/food processor/whatever. Serve. Voila! *Chilling the pudding in the fridge for a while before eating is definitely advised, but not necessary. Does anyone else associate Bill Cosby with chocolate pudding? Chocolate deception. I can’t recall the last time I made brownies.
But then, Katie got me thinking about them…and I couldn’t get them out of my mind. With brownies on the brain, I nervously set to work in the kitchen. I baked them with my fingers AND toes crossed…and then Kyle and I had a taste test. Together. Crazy dense and reallllly gooey. Obviously I was aware of the ingredients, but Kyle had no idea that the main ingredient was… Beans! I have heard of black bean brownies before (chances are you have too), but I always had my doubts. I won’t sugar coat it, they don’t taste like brownies. Chocolate Deception (aka Vegan Banana Bean “Brownies”) Ingredients: 2 bananas (the more ripe the better)1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed well1/4 cup whole wheat flour1/4 cup NuNatural baking stevia 1/4 cup cocoa powder1 tbsp cinnamon1 tsp NuNatural vanilla steviashredded coconut (for topping) Directions: Blend black beans and bananas together.
Pulse until everything is reallllly well blended. I have to be honest. ‘Aint nothing wannabe about it. Evan’s vegan fudge is no joke. I can’t put it into words. I mean, look at that! Still not sure why he’s a “wannabe” chef. As far as I’m concerned, this dessert is about as close to heaven as it gets. For Evan’s recipe, click here. I altered mine because I didn’t have some of the ingreds on hand, so I made the following changes. Ingredients: 1 cup vegan chocolate chips2 tbsp. cocoa powder1/2 cup coconut oilvegan butter substitute the Earth Balance was empty when I opened it1/8 cup almond milk I combined the Tropical Traditions coconut oil and the WF vegan chocolate chips and popped them in the microwave. After ~2 minutes it went from the above to the below. At this point I added in the WF organic almond milk and the Hershey’s cocoa powder.
After mixing it all up I poured it in an 8×8 glass pan. If you aren’t drooling yet, there’s something wrong with you. At this point it was still warm like chocolate syrup. Instead, I popped it in the refrigerator to harden and set. Best cleanup ever. Oh. Roasty Toasty Cocoa Nuts. This is probably the easiest recipe ever. I almost feel like a fraud using the word “recipe.” As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been hankering for sweets in a major way lately. Lord knows I have plenty of chocolate on hand, but what I was really craving was something more snack-like. I went to Whole Foods in search of something to satisfy my appetite… Sweet AND snacky?
After discovering they were out of candied ginger (the tragedy!!) And that’s how these roasted cocoa almonds were born. Salty Cocoa Roasted Almonds 2/3 cup raw almonds1 T. cocoa powder1/2 t. saltsprinkle of stevia (to taste)1 T. water Add all ingredients to a bag and you’re ready to shake ‘n bake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Once everything is coated in chocolate, dump the cocoa nuts onto a sprayed pan. I’ve found that cutting off a corner of the bag is the cleanest (and most hassle free) way to get them out. Try and resist the urge to not eat them all before they make it into the oven Well done. And voila! Holy sh! Just add Sabra. To know me is to know I love hummus. I mean really. Even my coworkers (who don’t know jack diddley about me) know that I’m a chickpea connoisseur. So how excited was I to get this in the mail?!? SO EXCITED! Naturally, I already had Sabra in the fridge because it’s the best. And you can buy it in bulk at Costco.
So back to the point. Cheesy Kale and Couscous (vegan, gluten free) Ingredients: 1 cup cooked couscous (I used Lundberg brown rice couscous) 1 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese (I used Follow Your Heart cheddar alternative)1/4 cup hummus (I used Sabra classic)3 large kale leaves2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)salt and pepper (to taste) Directions: Make couscous. While the couscous is cooking, wash, rib, and steam kale. This step also takes under 15 minutes. Shred cheese. Add the kale, couscous, cheese, and almond milk to a bowl and mix. At this point I also ran my knife through everything in the bowl (especially aiming at cutting up the kale). Divine. Quinoa granola. So. Effing. Tasty. This was so much more simple than I thought it would be. I’m never buying granola again (yeah right), but still…I know what I like in my cereal so why wouldn’t I make it to my exact specifications?
My favorite things: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Given all this, I decided it was high time I made my own mix. Then, a couple of weeks ago my cousin hooked me up with this quinoa cookbook and Roland red quinoa. Divine intervention! On my first flip through, several things caught my eye, but the really intriguing recipe was quinoa granola. So I decided that “Q” day of alphebruary would be the day to experiment.
Oh boy was it a winner. I tweaked the recipe quite a bit (ok, a lot) to meet my (aforementioned) specifications…and behold! Perfection. Quinoa and Buckwheat Granola (vegan, gluten-free) Ingredients: Directions: In large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (first 4 listed). Chop nuts and add to the bowl along with seeds and coconut. Mix well. Add liquids (melted coconut oil and maple syrup). Social Light. This weekend was a reminder of why Kyle and I moved back to the West Coast.
No offense NYC, but when it comes to the weather and the social scene, California is where the party’s at! I may be well out of college, but that doesn’t mean I’m an old fart (yet). This weekend I was drawn to keg parties and tailgates like a moth to a flame. I don’t mind a seedy bar once in a while either. But before I get to the brew-fueled festivities, let me back up to Friday. You like my new pink Wifey mug?
I had mega frothy coffee while making headway in my job search. I decided to break the fast with a bang. Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Vanilla Pancakes 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking powder 3 drops NuNaturals vanilla stevia pinch of salt 1/2 banana (mashed up) 1 cup water 1/4 cup So Delicious coconut milk French Vanilla “creamer” Check out the banana inside. After such a hearty breakfast (I’m usually into lighter fare in the AM), noon came and went and I still wasn’t hungry for lunch. Whoa. Avo.