Search Results for: vegan chocolate

Press

Interested in working together? I’d love to share my recipes, create a recipe, or do the occasional product review if you feel it would be relevant to my audience. Feel free to email me at ari@arismenu.com, or get in touch and follow along through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest. In the meantime, here’s a list of some of my features and affiliations to help you get a better idea of my work.

TV Appearances:

Health2Fit…December 2013

Print Media Coverage

Arizona Republic, Food & Drink Section…July 31, 2013

Online Features & Media Coverage

Today.com….May 2014

Bustle.com…December 2013

FitFluential…October 2013

Hella Wella…October 2013

Foodista…June 2013

Vegan Today…June 2013

The Berry…June 2013, October 2013, November 2013

Greatist…May 2013, June 2013, December 2013

Health Fit Magazine…May 2013

Panic and Anxiety News Blog…May 2013, June 2013

Eat Seed…May 2013

BuzzFeed…April 2013, June 2013, September 2013, October 2013, January 2014

Bliss Tree…April 2013

Nutrition News…April 2013

Brightnest…March 2013

Silk…February 2013

The Huffington Post…February 2013, April 2013, June 2013

Fox News…January 2013

DailyBuzz Food…October 2012, January 2013, March 2013, May 2013, November 2013

SF Weekly…October 2012

Brit + Co…September 2012

The Kitchn…August 2012, January 2014

Yummly…August 2012, May 2013, June 2013

Affiliates

FitFluential…Ambassador

Fav Gluten-Free Recipes…Featured Foodie

The Recipe Redux…Member

eBooks

9 Gluten Free Pasta Recipes You’ll Love…Contributor

Awards/Nominations

HellaWella’s 25 Best Recipe Blogs of 2o13….January 2014

AZ Foothills Magazine Battle of the Blogs…Nominee 2013

Recipes & Photography Featured Galleries

Photograzing/Serious Eats

3 Ingredient Roasted Banana Coconut Milk Ice Cream

May 12, 2013 · by Ari ·

Of course I would need the most complicated title ever to describe the simplest recipe. In fact, it’s probably more difficult to say the title out loud than it is to make it. It’s that chronic over-sharing thing I do. I just can’t help it.

So after an amazing cold front, it is officially into the triple digits for the next 5 months or so with very little hope at dipping back down into anything resembling a reasonable temperature, which means I need ice cream. Not want, need. Have I ever told you that ice cream is my favorite dessert? I rarely make it because I have the hardest time getting the right texture when I make it at home, but coconut milk is pretty much the best ingredient on earth, and when you combine that with sweet, roasted banana, you are looking at a pretty sure thing.

Between the sweetness and creaminess of those two ingredients, I promise you don’t need anything else. You can always add a little pure maple syrup or brown sugar if you prefer something a little sweeter, but believe me when I say that roasting that banana brings out all of it’s rich sweetness, and totally does the trick. You can also add chocolate chips, cinnamon, extra fruit, pretty much any add-ins you’d like. This recipe is more like your base–your starting point, and a great and simple treat for the long summer months coming our way!

3 Ingredient Roasted Banana Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

3 Ingredient Roasted Banana Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Simple, easy, vegan roasted banana coconut milk ice cream with only 3 ingredients.

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 medium bananas, peeled and sliced
1 can full fat coconut milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Place banana slice in a rimmed baking dish and drizzle with coconut oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until soft and syrupy, tossing half way through.
Transfer cooked bananas to a blender, scraping your pan well to include the syrup that cooked out from them. Add coconut milk and blend until combined.
Chill mixture until cooled throughout, about 4 hours up to overnight.
Freeze according to ice cream maker's instructions. Store in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 weeks.

https://arismenu.com/3-ingredient-roasted-banana-coconut-milk-ice-cream/

Drink & Dish: Lemon Almond Meal Scones {with video}

March 25, 2013 · by Ari ·

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So, today is the first day of Passover (it started last night, because we’re weird, and have to start holidays at sundown), and I should be here with a recipe for matzo ball soup, or macaroons, but instead I’m bringing you totally leavened Easter brunch scones. I’m sorry mom and dad.

To be fair, I did eat my fair share of those things last night, and agreed to go over the story of Passover by watching the Rugrats Passover. I much prefer it to the 8 hours Seders we used to have where we never got to eat dinner until, like, 10 p,m. You know me, I get grumpy if you hold out on the food. 😉

Anyway, I’ve been reallllly wanting to make scones, and I’ve had almond meal scones on my recipe ideas list for quite a while now (I keep a running list in the note app on my iPhone–it’s awesome!), and when Nicole and I were deciding what to make for our Easter brunch Drink & Dish, I knew scones were the way to go.

Okay, that’s a lie. I wanted to make bagels from scratch with flavored cream cheese. I was so sure this would be brilliant. Then Nicole reminded me that perhaps trying to cram the entire bagel making process into a 5 minute video was not the best idea. This is why I’m glad I don’t do this alone. Oh, and the drinks. The drinks also make me glad to have the world’s most perfect partner in crime.

PS, did you see that Drink & Dish has its own YouTube channel now? Nicole and I figured rather than both of us sharing it on our channels, it would be easiest if you could get everything in one place, so if you haven’t yet, please take a second and head over to subscribe.

I absolutely LOVED making these scones! In fact, I made them a few times. The first time they came out far too thin and crunchy to be considered a scone. However, my friends loved those crunchy ones! The texture is easy to play with here–they don’t rise very much, so if you want closer to a cookie/biscotti, them leave them thin and let them get nice and browned. However, for scones, I wanted thick and fluffy. Well, the second time was the charm–all I had to do was keep the dough nice and thick, and they baked up perfectly soft, tender and thick. These perfectly tender scones are topped with my favorite part–the sweet, drippy, lemony frosting with tons of vanilla bean specs. They are so pretty!

These scones only require 1 mixing bowl, and they are done start to finish in about 20 minutes. Perfect for a hectic morning brunch! You can make them the night before, or whip them up quickly in the morning. They work for almost all food allergies, and are a nice healthy treat to balance out all of those chocolate eggs.

Don’t forget to watch the video for step-by-step instructions, and some friendly banter. 🙂

Check out Nicole’s delicious sangria recipe!

And for an added bonus, we uploaded one of our sound checks. We always sing when we work together, and have started singing a lot of our sound checks because…ummm I don’t know. We’re weird. But we found this one especially humorous, so we thought we’d share it for your enjoyment.

Lemond Almond Meal Scones

adapted from Elena’s Pantry

yield 8 servings

For the scones:

2 cups almond meal
dash salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp corn starch
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp honey or agave (or liquid sweetener of your choice)

For the glaze:

Heaping 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 medium lemon)

Directions:

To make the scones, preheat oven to 350. Line a medium baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond meal, salt, baking soda, corn starch, and lemon zest. Add almond milk and liquid sweetened. Mix until combined.
Roll dough into a large ball and press down into a 1-1 1/2″ thick disk. Cut into 8 equal pieces. Do not separate. Bake as if for 9-11 minutes until golden and set. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
To make the glaze, place powdered sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Add vanilla bean paste. Slowly squeeze in lemon juice mixing constantly until you have reached your desired consistency. Again, make sure to only add a small amount of juice at a time–a little bit goes a long way.
Use a pastry brush to evenly brush glaze over cooled scones. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Weekend Ramblings

March 2, 2013 · by Ari ·

1. EEEEE!!!!! I can’t believe it!! I’ve been nominated for Arizona Foothills Magazine’s Battle of the Blogs!

This is the first time my little blog has been nominated for anything like this, and the prize is incredible–a feature with the magazine, guest posts, dying of happiness…you know, the usual. 😉 It would mean sososo much to me if you would take a moment and vote for Ari’s Menu. The contest goes until April 15th, and voting is unlimited. So if you’re feeling extra generous, you can vote multiple times, and share with all your friends.

2. I LEAVE FOR NEW ORLEANS IN ONE WEEK!!!! A real vacation! No to do list. No work. No outside world. Just me, and my cute husband. Oh, and tons of beignets. Duh. I started a pinterest board for the trip, and right now it’s pretty much all food. I’m sure that comes as no surprise. 😉

3. For months, and months I’ve been searching for cute little ceramic spoons like some of my favorite bloggers use in their photos, and I finally found some cute ones at World Market! They were just sets of measuring spoons, but they work perfectly, and were only like $5 per set. Look how much better they make things look!!! So cute.

Riggghhhttt??? My Samoas Donuts only look good because they’re sitting next my new cute spoon. 😉

4. Speaking of World Market, is it now just the most amazing store on the planet??? Every time Nicole and I go in, we can’t leave without looking at allllll the pretty food photography props. So many pretty things. So cheap. Also, they have things like potato chip chocolate, and some kind of chocolate bar with pop rocks in it. Hello childhood. Why yes, I’d love to go back.

5. You know those weeks where it seems like everything you do is 5 billion times harder? Well, this was one of those weeks. I may have cried a little over photos of one of my new fav meals not working out for the second time in a row. Then, I had some Drink & Dish technical difficulties, and it was just one of those weeks. All of this was made better by #1, though. And I feel like it just means next week is going to be really great!

6. I beat my Bop It. Or at least the first level. You see, I was having a really good go around with it, and then all the sudden, it did this happy little beep, and told me I passed the novice round because I got to 100. Then it moved on to some harder round which I didn’t understand at all because it doesn’t tell you what to do! It just makes the noises, and I was all kinds of confused. I got a zero in that round, and I haven’t played since. Maybe I’ll bring it on the plane to New Orleans. That would certainly win me a lot of friends. 😉

7. One of my favorite bloggers-turned-friends Sally is in a really awesome contest with Nestle. The prize is super amazing, and she totally deserves it. Please go show her some love. All you have to do is go here and repin her salted caramel dark chocolate cookies.

8. Recipes that made my jaw drop this week include these brownie peanut butter cup cookie bars, this pistachio cardamom hot chocolate, and this spaghetti squash baked eggs.

Weekend Ramblings

February 24, 2013 · by Ari ·

1. IT’S HERE!! IT’S HERE!! IT’S HEREEEEE!!!!! Academy Awards weekend!! I’m a total movie nerd, and award season is like a 3 month long holiday for me, and this has been such a great year for movies in my opinion. Lincoln is still my favorite film of the year, but Argo was probably second. I loved almost everything I saw this year, and the only film left that I really want to see is Beasts of the Souther Wild. How cute is that little girl???

2. I’m trying out this new thing called Not Eating Chipotle for Dinner Every Night. You see, I easily get out of the habit of the whole meal planning thing, then I get really hungry, insist there is absolutely nothing to eat for dinner in my entire house (if you’ve seen my pantry, you know this is a dirty lie), then convince Steve that we should go to Chipotle. While I love Chipotle, it’s not great on the wallet, and I LIKE cooking. So this week, we planned ahead, and I made 4 new recipes that were all healthy and delicious. This is a double bonus because now I have lots to blog about. As much as I love cookies, all cookies all week long was starting to get a little old…

3. This weekend Ragnar del Sol happened. I moped a little, but I’m mostly just tried to be excited for my girls running. I also avoided social media at all costs because it certainly was not helping my “positive attitude” to read an entire news feed full of people running. Also, on Thursday the fro yo guy told me he was running the Phoenix marathon, and I walked away from him refusing to continue the conversation. I swear, I can be an adult sometimes…!

4.This week, my chai spiced snickerdoodles were featured on THE HUFFINGTON POST??? What??? You guys, I’m still in shock every time I get a comment that someone made my recipe, or an email from someone saying they want to feature me. There is so much amazing work out there, I just feel so honored that people are interested in my creations! This whole blogging journey just keeps getting more amazing!

5. Last night we all went out to celebrate Nacho’s Birthday. I started the evening in a totally grumpy mood between my knee being a little jerk, my scones not turning out the way I wanted, and just general grumpiness, but by the end of the night, I was happier than I’ve been in a long time. There’s something to be said about an evening with your husband and best friends. Oh, and beer.

6. I have a super embarrassing confession. I’ve started Tivoing and rewatching the entire series of Gilmore Girls. I don’t know what sparked this interest, and I’m not proud of it, but I can’t stop, won’t stop.

7. Speaking of TV, we’ve started watching Breaking Bad. From the beginning, obviously. It’s actually good, not Gilmore Girls good. I never find out about the good TV shows until it’s too late, and they are super far in, or off the air entirely. Whenever people start talking about current TV shows, I just kinda sit there pretending I’m at all caught up on pop culture. Sorry, I didn’t watch the latest episodes of Girls or Dexter, I was busy watching the Gilmore Girls and Paula Deen. Oh, and can’t forget about the Seinfeld reruns I could watch all day ever day.

8. I’m really excited for Friday night. Nicole and I have devised a genius plan for our Drink & Dish filmings. Instead of starting early in the morning, we’re spending our Friday night recording, because then at the end there are DRINKS and DISHES. Meaning dinner and liquor. Editing is going to be so much more fun.

9. I am currently letting my bananas die so that I can make these. Also, I am pretty obsessed with these brownies. And I tried to make this on Friday, but I didn’t follow any of the instructions really. It still tasted fantastic.

Cinnamon Raisin Sunflower Seed Butter

February 18, 2013 · by Ari ·

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, there are a few things you’ll know about me.

1. I am addicted to nut/seed butters. Peanut, almond, pistachio, macadamia, pecan, sunflower….you name it, I love it. and 2. I am obsessed with all flavors of PB&Co, but my two favorites are white chocolate wonderful and cinnamon raisin swirl.

It’s funny, sometimes I have ideas floating around in my head for months before I get around to making them, and sometimes I just go to the kitchen to get a glass of water, and before I know it, I’m whipping up some new recipe that I had no plans on making. We were out of most of our nut butters, so I stuck some sunflower seeds in the food processor to make more, and before I knew it, this came out!

Okay, maybe not before I knew it. I must confess that sunflower seeds took longer to process, and form a nut butter than anything I’ve tried before. BUT with patience (and overheating my food processor), I finally got the result I was looking for! Thick, creamy, slightly sweet, with the bold flavor of cinnamon, and sweet, soft raisins in the mix. It was well worth the wait.

I’ve learned a little bit of patience since I first started making my own nut butters. I used to quickly get frustrated that it wasn’t coming together quickly enough, and add oil to help it along. Well, I’ve learned that *most* of the time, it really isn’t necessary. Most of the time, if you are patient, it will come together on it’s own, but patience isn’t really my forte, so I recommend spending the time while you wait reading a book, or blogging, or making dinner to keep yourself occupies. 😉

In the end, it’s 100% worth the wait. Pinky promise.

Cinnamon Raisin Sunflower Seed Butter

8oz roasted sunflower seeds (I used salted, if you don’t, add a pinch of salt)
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it. I used 1 1/2, but I love sugar, and could have easily added more…)
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Place sunflower seeds in your food processor. Blend for 3-4 minutes at a time (less if your food processor starts to sound like it needs a break–give it one!), scraping down the sides of the bowl in between. Eventually, sunflower seeds will form a paste-like consistency, then finally a nut butter consistency. This took me about 30 minutes.
When seeds have reached your desired texture, add cinnamon and brown sugar to food processor, and blend to combine. Start with 1 tbsp brown sugar, and add the rest at your discretion.
Remove sunflower seed butter from food processor and fold in raisins. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I do not refrigerate mine, but you may if you like.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bites

February 15, 2013 · by Ari ·

Today I want to tell you about how embarrassing my busband is.

Yesterday he got into an argument with a lady at the store. Apparently, she gave him a dirty look, and he thought this was a good reason to cause a scene and argue with her right in the middle of the grocery store. Clearly, he’s really mature. 😉

Luckily, I wasn’t with him. I only felt embarrassed hearing the story. You see, he is totally the type to just say whatever is on his mind, which is, like, the opposite of me. I am the type that when I say the wrong thing, I still think about it, and analyze it months later.

I suppose I should be less embarrassed, and more grateful that I have a husband who never minds running out to the store for whatever crazy ingredients I need at the moment. You see, I am also the type of person who forgets everything. I’m really type A about some things, but not normal things. I make lists, but I don’t follow them. I hate mess, but I’m messy. Sometimes, I don’t even understand myself!

You know what else I don’t understand? Dates. How do they make things so sweet, and delicious when you don’t add any sugar??? And WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING THIS FOREVER AND EVER????? The thing is, my sweet tooth has gotten totally out of control, and I’m not running right now to at least balance out all the sugar I want to eat ALL THE TIME, so something needs to give. My friend Heidi is always making all sorts of delicious treats that are only sweetened by dates, then the other day Sally made some that looked amazing too.

Then, I went to Whole Foods, and they had samples of something pretty similar, and it literally tasted JUST LIKE COOKIE DOUGH. I looked at the ingredients, took it as a sign, and went right home to my food processor.

You guys, THEY TASTE JUST LIKE COOKIE DOUGH!!! Not like the “oh these taste pretty good for healthy food” or in the way a Larabar says it tastes like cookie dough, but really just tastes like a delicious snack; no–these taste like legit cookie dough, and the 8 that came out of my batch lasted about a day. Soft, chewy, cinnamony goodness that is totally good for you. I’m in so much love. I made these Wednesday, and it took me all of 36 hours to share them with you!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bites

yield 8

3/4 cups chopped pitted dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp butter extract
1 tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter, or sunflower butter, or whatever kind you like)
1 tbsp chopped roasted almonds (or any nut of choice)
pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp rolled oats (use gluten-free if that’s important to you)
1/4 cup raisins
finely shredded reduced fat unsweetened coconut for rolling (optional, but recommended)

Directions:

Blend dates and extracts in your food processor until they form a sticky ball, about 4-5 minutes. Add almond butter, and continue to process until combined. Add almonds, salt, cinnamon and oats, and process for 1-2 more minutes, until everything is sticking together.
Remove dough from food processor. Use you hands to fold in raisins.
Roll dough into 1″ balls. If desired, roll in coconut. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Cookie Butter Cookie Dough Bars

February 11, 2013 · by Ari ·

You know those people who go through life only speaking the bare minimum amount of word required to get by in social situations?

Yeah, that’s not me. I’m that person who, even as an adult, can’t get through situations where you’re supposed to be quiet. Work meetings? Don’t put me next to anyone I find remotely interesting. Library? I get the evil eye from everyone who actually went there for some peace and quiet. I even talk the entire time through massages.

I think the only time I ever stop talking is during a run when I get reallllly tired, and then it doesn’t matter because I’m usually with the only girl I know who loves to talk more than I do. 😉

So when I name a recipe, I always want to tell you every single thing about it. The name doesn’t do justice for me unless it accurately describes every detail of the food. In fact, if I were going to name these what I wanted to, they would be called Double Salted Chocolate Covered Cookie Butter Cookie Dough Tops with Graham Cracker Crust. I had to put it in bold so that you could actually see the beginning and end. It’s only slightly excessive.

The problem is, it is all of those details that make these bars so fantastic. It took me a few tries to actually figure them out. The first time, I didn’t put two layers of chocolate–I only put chocolate on the top–and the dough didn’t stick to the crust, and they ended up a sticky mess.

Then I tried to cut them before freezing them–well that resulted in cookie dough oozing out. It wasn’t pretty, but they still tasted great. However, it was when I finally completely froze them before cutting that they finally worked for me. You can see that cutting the frozen chocolate causes the tops to crack, but I didn’t mind it. If you do, you could always cute them when the chocolate is first put on, and is still melty, then freeze.

For the graham cracker crust, you must use old fashioned graham crackers. Please don’t use the regular store bought one. The crust is probably my favorite part, and it is due to that spicy cinnamon and molasses taste that the old fashioned graham crackers bring. This crumbly crust is topped with a layer of melted chocolate, then sprinkled with sea salt, followed by soft, gooey, eggless cookie butter cookie dough, and topped with more chocolate and an other layer of sea salt. If you don’t love sweet and salty as much as I do (ummm WHY NOT?). you could leave out the salt on the bottom layer, or (gasp) all of the salt, but I wouldn’t do that. With all the sweetness of the graham crackers, chocolate, and cookie butter, the salt puts everything into perfect balance.

Using a spring form pan makes them about a million times easier to get out, but it does make cutting them….interesting. I did most of the outside pieces in triangles, but did the middle in squares and rectangles. Honestly, it doesn’t matter how you slice ’em–they are a totally out-of-this-world decadent treat that is perfect for any occasion. I made them after Steve’s first century and again for after my marathon.

Cookie Butter Cookie Dough Bars

8 oz old fashioned graham crackers
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup apple butter
1 cup cookie butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup white whole wheat flour
12 oz bag dark chocolate chips, melted and divided
coarse sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of a 9-10″ springform pan with parchment paper. Spray edges and parchment paper well with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Pule graham crackers in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. With the food processor on, stream in the coconut oil and continue to run until combined, about 1 minute.
Press graham cracker crust into the bottom of your spring form pan making smooth, even layer. Bake until lightly browned and set, about 15 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly.
Spread half the melted chocolate over cooked crust. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let set in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, beat together apple butter, cookie butter, sugars and molasses until well combined. Beat in vanilla and almond milk. Slowly beat in flour and continue mixing until fully combined.
Top cooled chocolate with cookie dough. Use a sprayed piece of parchment paper to press cookie dough into a smooth even layer.
Top with remaining melting chocolate. Use a pastry brush or spatula to spread evenly. Sprinkle with more sea salt.
Either slice immediately, then freeze, or freeze completely for about 3 hours, then slice and serve. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month (yes, I was eating these for a WHOLE MONTH!).

Best of 2012

December 28, 2012 · by Ari ·

This has been an incredible year for my little blog. This time last year, I had my first day with over 100 visitors, and I was thrilled! Since then, I’ve gotten a little better with the camera and in the kitchen, and I have put out a lost of posts and recipes that I am really proud of. I love seeing what posts you guys love most. So here are your favorite recipes of 2012!

10. Gluten-Free Cannoli Bars

9. Spinach Artichoke Mac & Cheese

8. Salted Chocolate Cookie Butter Cups (vegan)

7. Cookie Butter Brownie Bars

6. Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

5. Skinnified Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

4. Skinnified “Fettuccine” Alfredo (gluten-free)

3. Vanilla Bean Cookie Butter Cup Cupcakes

2. Cake Batter Dip

annnndddd dun duh duh dunnnnnn

1. Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad

I have to say, I was pretty surprised by #1! I mean, I LOVE that recipe, and I literally make it all the time, but for some reason, I didn’t think you guys would love it as much as I do. However, it was the clear winner, and it has inspired an other awesome dish that is sitting in my fridge, and will be coming your way very soon. 😉

I also wanted to share my favorites from the year. Ummm, that’s hard. I truly do love every recipe I share. If I don’t love it, I’m not going to tell you to make it. That’s silly. But there are definitely some that stand out to me, so in no particular order, here are my 10 favorites. Some of them are repeats because you guys have great taste! 😉

#3 & #4 above (probably my top two of all time actually).
Skinny Mini Corn Dogs
Brown Sugar Sweetened Condensed Milk (vegan)
Spaghetti & Spinach Avocado Pesto (gluten-free option)
Skinnified Chicken & Waffles
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies (vegan)
Cinnamon Chip Granola Cookies
Hawaiian Macadamia Butter Cookies
Fro-yo Cake with Nutella Cookie Crust
Red White & Blue Cookies

Okay, I fibbed. That was 11, but I just really loved them!

YOUR TURN!! Tell me your favorite recipes of the year–from my blog, your blog, anyone’s blog, ANYWHERE! 🙂 Feel free to leave links to some of yours and hopefully get some love on your favorites!

Orange Cranberry Almond Meal Muffins

November 30, 2012 · by Ari ·

Have you heard? After Thanksgiving, cranberry is the new pumpkin.

Oh and peppermint is the new sweet potato. Trust me, that’s coming too. I’m pretty obsessed with the chocolate peppermint combination, so it’s only a matter of time. But for now, I’m in cranberry land.

Let me just say, I’m usually pretty skeptical about any type of “muffin” that doesn’t include flour. I’m a girl who likes her bread. Thick, doughy, gluteny bread is a staple in my diet, and I’m not ashamed.

I had my reservations about just using almond meal. I thought they would come out dense and brick-like. I didn’t think there was any way I could have a perfect fluffy muffin with no flour.

Turns out, almond meal muffins are basically perfection. Soft, fluffy, hearty and filling! I hate when you try to eat a “muffin” for breakfast-and by muffin I mean a glorified cupcake that’s missing the frosting-and 5 minutes later you’re hungry again because you just ate the equivalent of a bowl of ice cream for breakfast. These muffins could actually serve as an on-the-go breakfast. That is, if you’re not me and don’t feel the overpowering urge to eat half your calories before noon.

I don’t know what it is, but I always wake up feeling like a ravenous beast. You know those people who skip breakfast? I DON’T GET IT!! So, you know, I’d probably pair one of these up with, like, half a dozen eggs, but if you’re a normal human, you could just grab one on your way out the door, and be good to go.

The sweet and tart orange and cranberry flavors meld perfectly with the hearty nutty flavor to make the perfect breakfast treat that you can share with just about anybody!

Orange Cranberry Almond Meal Muffins

yield 10-12 muffins

adapted from Bran Appetit

2 cups almond meal
3 tbs corn starch
3/4 tsp baking powder
dash salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup honey or agave
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond meal, corn starch, baking powder and salt. Stir in almond milk, honey/agave, orange juice and extracts until combined. Fold in dried cranberries.
Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

CGST 2012 Weeks 2 + 3

July 16, 2012 · by Ari ·

Wow, it’s been a crazy, busy, awesome, fulfilling two weeks. Here’s a look in mostly photos:

Pam’s Kitchen. Super yummy Caribbean food in Seattle.

Jerk chicken sandwich from Pam’s Kitchen. Ahhhhhhmazing.

I visited Heather and Kara, and got not a single picture with Kara. Lame. We did go to Pike Place together though!

Original Starbucks!

: Ridiculously amazing mushroom pizza from The Pine Box in Seattle.

Go here.

BFFFF!!!!!

Weekend off ladies! Tasha, Tali, me & Camille

Chocolate potato donuts. What??? @ Tasty & Son’s in Portland.

I baked!! These are so yummy–will definitely have to make them again when I’m home, and have the whole photography set up. Lemon, blueberry, chocolate covered ginger cookies. And vegan.

Something about me looking like a child, and Terra being old? Even though I’m 4 years older than her….

The camera game. My favorite past time.

Tali and I are so good at it. We win.

I don’t even know…

More time with my fav ladies.

I love her so much I’M GOING TO EAT HER!!!

2 weeks to go!

Gluten Free Almond Joy Cupcakes

February 20, 2012 · by Ari ·

Happy belated birthday to my super, awesome, lovely, beautiful friend Carolyn! If you haven’t checked out this girl’s blog, you really should. Her work outs are amazing, and she has been a total inspiration to me ever since I met her! She is also super sweet and a truly amazing friend. She eats gluten free, and I always feel bad that when I make desserts for things, she can never eat them. So Nicole and I put our heads together to plan out some awesome surprise birthday cupcakes for her. Well, then poor Nicole got sick, but still gave me all of the fantastic ingredients I needed to carry out our plan!

My friend Christina sent me a recipe for gluten free coconut cupcakes that I used as a base. I’m not sure who it’s originally from, so dear person who created it, if you read this lil ole blog, please tell me so I can be like “Hey readers! All 3 of you! Go look at ______’s awesome recipes”. Thanks in advance. I’m a big fan of your recipe!

I altered the recipe a bit to make it healthy(ish) and put some of my own touches in. Also, Nicole gave me all of these gf flour options, so I ended up getting a little accidentally creative on the flour mix, but I think it was pretty much the happiest accident ever.

Sometimes gluten free things come with weird textures, but not these babies. Friends and family scarfed them down, and my step dad called them the best cupcakes I’ve ever made! Who knew creating recipes around different diets could be so fun? It makes me want to explore more with gf, vegan, paleo and any other fancy diet recipes. I found that I really like creating things for people who eat a certain way and may not always have foods on their plan provided.

Gluten Free Almond Joy Cupcakes

yield 24 cupcakes

For the coconut cupcakes:

1 cup raw cane sugar
1 cup Splenda
1 cup egg substitute
2 1/2 cups brown rice flour mix (see below)
dash salt
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup unsweetened coconut vanilla almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Brown rice flour mix:

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup sweet white sorghum flour
2/3 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
1/3 cup tapioca flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners and lightly spray with nonstick spray.
Beat sugar, Splenda, and egg substitute at medium speed for approx 1 min. Add in all remaining ingredients and beat at medium speed for 1 min.
Evenly divide the batter between your 24 lined cups. Each one should be about 2/3 full.
Bake for 18-20 min, until top springs back when you press lightly on the middle, or toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean.
Cool completely on wire rack, then frost with chocolate almond cream cheese frosting.

For the Chocolate Almond Cream Cheese Frosting:

yield enough to frost at least 24 cupcakes

adapted from How Sweet It Is (I love pretty much every single one of her recipes)

3 x 8 oz blocks reduced fat cream cheese (you could also use fat free, I just had red fat on hand)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 oz grain sweetened chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1-2 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Beat cream cheese on medium speed in a stand mixer until smooth. Add almond extract.
On low speed, add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, followed by cocoa powder.
Increase to medium speed and add melted chocolate.
Beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl often.
Frost and enjoy!

Optional Toppings: