Date Squares

One of the awesome things about my relationship with my boyfriend, Dave, is that we both love to cook! Shortly after we started dating, he made these awesome date and nut bars - and from that moment on, I knew that he was a keeper :)

He hasn't made them in a while, so we decided that it was about time to make some again to share with all of you! They're super simple to make and absolutely delicious!

Date Squares 

1 Cup Almonds

1 & 1/2 Cups Pitted Medjool Dates (you can add a few extra)

1/2 Cup Sweet, Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut

1/4 Enjoy Life's Semi- Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips

1Tbsp Vanilla Extract

In a food processor, pulse almonds until they become coarse then throw in dates, cranberries, coconut, vanilla extract and pulse until mixed together. Toss in chocolate chips and pulse another 2 or 3 times.

Spoon mixture out onto a flat surface and then, using you hand, flatten gently.



Place in the freezer for about an hour and then cuts into squares

Be sure to keep refrigerated, otherwise, they may lose their form. If you wanted to try something a little different, I'm sure you could shape them into balls as well.

Raw "Donut" Holes

As much as I love to cook, I'm also fascinated by some of the raw food concoctions that people create. I'll occasionally peruse raw food blogs for inspiration and find recipes that I have to try - like this video for for a two ingredient "donut" hole recipe that I came across on youtube from Lisa Paris of rawbeets.com.

It's something that anyone can make: it's quick, easy, inexpensive and it definitely hits the spot if you're in the mood for something sweet! And another major plus: they're better for you than real donut holes :) Give it a try, you won't be sorry!

Raw "Donut" Holes
(Makes around 12 - 1 1/2 inch balls)

8 oz Pitted Dates
8 oz Sweetened Coconut Flakes (6 oz for mixture, 2 oz for rolling)
Sea Salt (to taste - optional*)

Add dates, coconut flakes and salt (optional) to (at least) a 3 cup food processor. Mix together until it forms sort of a dough - it will probably take a minute or two. You'll know it's done when it starts to actually ball up like a cookie dough inside the food processor. The mixture should feel a bit tacky/sticky.

Roll dough into small balls and then roll them in the leftover coconut flakes to cover.

You can eat them immediately or refrigerate to let them harden up a bit.

If you're interested in how much these cost to make, here's the breakdown:
[2] 4.25 oz boxes of Champion Premium California Pitted Dates (Walmart - $.99 each)
[1] 14 oz bag og Great Value Sweetened Coconut Flakes (Walmart - $1.72)

Total = $3.70 (that's only about $.30 per ball!)

*Although the original recipe called for salt, I made half the balls with salt and the other half without and while they were both good, I preferred them without the salt.

Chocolate Mousse

I absolutely adore anything chocolate, so when I came across this recipe, while browsing Pinterest the other day, it looked so delicious and easy to make that I had to give it a try. It turns out that it was!

Chocolate Mousse
(2-3 Servings)

1 (13.5oz) Can Coconut Milk [I used Goya]
5 Tbsp Cocoa Powder [Hershey's]
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Sweeten with any sweetener to taste. [I used Splenda]

Open the can of coconut milk and put it in the refrigerator to chill overnight. The next day, It should be pretty thick, but if there's still some liquid in the can, don't worry about it.

Dump the can of chilled coconut milk into a bowl and add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sweetener. Mix together, with a hand mixer, until thick and fluffy. Taste to see if you need add more sweeter.

If you'd like to make it even thicker, after mixing, place back in the refrigerator for an hour or so to chill.

When finished, devour. :)

Original recipe can be found here @ Chocolate Covered Katie

No Bake Cashew Cheese Cake

I love to learn about all types of diets, so last week while I was looking for some information on the raw foods diet, I came across this recipe for a raw vegan cheesecake. It seemed so simple that I just had to give it a try. I made some changes to the original recipe, but it still came out great! It doesn't taste like a 'normal' cheesecake - it's definitely different -but it was still yummy! Next time, I'm thinking of adding fresh strawberries or blueberries to the filling for a bit of a variation :)

No Bake Cashew Cheese Cake
(Yields: 8 slices)

Crust
1 3/4 Quick Oats
25 Pitted Dates
Splash of water

Filling
1 Cup of Raw Cashews (soaked)
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp Water
Agave Nectar (to taste - I used 2 tsp's)

Soak cashews overnight (or if you're in a hurry, for at least 3 hours)

Grind oats until they reach a flour like consistency. Add 10 dates and blend together. Once thoroughly mixed, add 10 more dates. Blend. Add the last 5 and blend. If mixture is a bit dry, add a splash of water to lightly moisten the mixture.

Scoop mixture into a dish 9" round dish and press down with your fingers to cover the bottom and sides of the dish.

For the filling, blend together cashews, lemon juice, agave nectar, vanilla extract and water until smooth, fluffy and thick. (add additional lemon juice, agave and vanilla as needed). Note: Be careful not to over blend or you may wind up with cashew butter!

Fill the crust with the filling and spread evenly. Freeze for an hour or refrigerate for a few hours to set.

 The pie should last a few days in the refrigerator. but you can also cut it into slices and freeze them.

Vegan Donuts Invade Your Tummy

When I have free time at work, I like to scour the internet for new recipes to try or draw inspiration from.

Lately, my focus has been on vegan baked goods (cupcakes, brownies, etc) because I'm hoping to pay my way through culinary school by selling them at local flea markets and farmers markets. I'm also looking to donate vegan baked goods to fund-raising events, in the Northern NJ, so if you know of any please let me know or have them contact me!

So yesterday, I came across this recipe for vegan donuts and it seemed so easy to make that I just had to give it a try! And then I had a thought; in my area, vegan donuts are nearly impossible to find - so adding donuts to the baked goods line up would be great.

I slightly modified the recipe from the original and I think that next time I might try using half whole wheat/ half all-purpose flour to make them a little healthier :)

Baked Vegan Donuts
(Makes 6 Large Donuts)

Dry Ingredients:
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1 tiny pinch or shake Cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Plain Soymilk
1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Egg Replacer for 1 egg (I used 2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer + 2 tbsp warm water)
4 tbsp Vegan Butter

Preheat oven to 350º F

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, with a whisk, and mix thoroughly.

Melt the butter (but try to keep it from getting too hot) and then in another bowl stir together all of the wet ingredients (including the melted butter). Add the wet ingrediants to the dry ingrediants and stir until just combined.

Using a tablespoon, spoon the mixture into an un-greased, nonstick donut pan - fill to just below the rim - and then smooth out the top of the dough with your fingers or the back of a small spoon.

Bake for 12 minutes.

You don't want the donuts to be browned on top but when inserted, a toothpick should come out clean.

Remove donuts from the pan by inverting them onto a cooling rack (or cutting board) and then let them cool before you decorate or fill them.

I made 3 donuts with holes and 3 donuts without holes: topped the holed donuts and one (1) of the non-holed donuts with confectioners icing and sprinkles. The other two (2) non-holed donuts I rolled in confectioners sugar and filled with chocolate buttercream icing

Your imagination is the limit when it comes to decorating, but for my testing purposes this is what I used. These recipes can also be modified for different flavors!


Confectioners' Icing
1 Cup Confectionser Sugar (sifted)
1-3 tsp Soy Milk (depending on how thick you like it, use more or less)

Mix together with a fork until it starts to form a paste.

Wilton's Buttercream Icing - Slightly modified and veganized.
(Makes about 3 cups of icing)

1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
1/2 Cup Vegan Butter
4 Cups Confectioners Sugar (sifted)
1 tsp vanilla extract (they specify clear, but I've used the regular stuff and it really doesn't effect the color all that much)
1 tbsp soy milk* (optional)

Beat together the shortening and the butter until well blended. Add in the confectioners' sugar and beat until fluffy. Then add the vanilla extract, beat until mixed, and then slowly drizzle in the soy milk*.

*The recipe calls for soy milk, but I find myself using very little of it or omitting it altogether.

Homemade Mixed Berry Soy Ice Cream

Last summer, I went to a fundraiser for The Last Resort Animal Rescue and Sanctuary and bought a Donvier Ice Cream Maker (manual version) for $4 - which turns out to have been an amazing deal! I remember thinking that you needed a special type of salt to make ice cream, so I put it away in storage and forgot about it.

Over the past few weeks, I've seen a lot of different recipes - not using salt - but they all called for an ice cream maker which I (thought) didn't have. That is until I paid a visit to my storage room the other day and saw it sitting there! So I picked it up, brought it home and made myself some vegan ice cream. It was delicious, creamy and so simple that I can't wait to test out other flavors!

Mixed Berry Soy Ice Cream

2 Cups Soy Milk (I used Silk DHA Omega-3 & Calcium)
2 Cups Mixed Berries (frozen are fine, but make sure they're slightly thawed)
3/4 Cups Sugar (I used Evaporated Cane Sugar)

1. Freeze the metal freezer bowl for at least 7 hours before use.
2. In a blender, blend together soy milk, mixed berries and sugar until combined well.
3. Remove the metal freezer bowl from freezer and place into ice cream maker. Place the blade in the bowl, pour in the berry mixture and then cover with the lid and attach the handle.
4. Rotate the handle 3 to 4 times and then let sit for another few minutes. Repeat this process for about 20 minutes or until mixture reaches an ice cream consistency.
5. You can eat the ice cream right away of if you want a firmer consistency, transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe bowl and freeze for another hour or so.

That's all there is to it!

Makes about 1/2 quart of ice cream

Peanut Butter Fluffies

The other night I was craving peanut butter cookies, so I threw together a few ingredients and made one for myself in the toaster oven. It turned out so well, that I decided to try to recreate it. I tend to like my cookies on the fluffy side, and not flat and crispy, so that's why I named these 'fluffies'. Let me warn you, though; these are definitely not low calorie but they are quite delicious.

Peanut Butter Fluffies

1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C + 2 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 C Water

1. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients together. Add in vanilla extract and peanut butter and combine.  Then add water and stir until dough is thoroughly mixed.
3. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press lightly down with fork, making cross marks on top of the cookie.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Cookies should be fluffy and moist in the middle.

Makes 12-14 Cookies

Chocolate Cream Pie

This is one of those desserts that you can make for vegans and non-vegans alike. It's decadent, super simple to make and no one would even be able to tell that it was made with tofu

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp Corn Starch
1 Package Silken Tofu (I used Nasoya Lite Silken Tofu)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (I used Keebler, reduced fat)

1. Drain tofu and place in food processor with cocoa powder, corn starch, sugar and vanilla.
2. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (or a double boiler if you have one) and then add to food processor.
3. Mix (pulse) together until mixture is creamy and smooth. It should be like the consistency of pudding.
4. Pour filling into graham cracker crust and place in the refrigerator to chill and set for a few hours.

If you'd like to top the pie with a non-dairy whipped cream, follow this recipe:

Non-Dairy Whip

1/4 cup Soy milk
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1. Pour soy milk into a blender (or magic bullet - flat blade) and then add the sugar and vanilla extract.
2. Start to blend but then slowly add oil through the top hole. The soy milk will thicken to a whipped cream like consistency.

If it doesn't, try adding a little extra oil or a bit of corn starch.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These are more like oatmeal raisin biscuits, but I don't think anyone will complain about that :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes 10-12 cookies

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Quaker Quick Oats
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Mashed Banana (1 whole medium banana)
3/4 cups Raisins
1/2 cup Soy Milk or Water
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients together until they are all combined.
3. Use an ice cream scoop and place scoops of dough on the cookie sheet. Press down lightly, using a fork, to spread the cookie dough out a bit.
4. Place cookie sheet in oven for 18-20 minutes.
5. Remove from over, let cool slight and then devour!

Note: You can use any type of flour or milk, 1/2 cup of apple sauce if you don't have a banana handy and any type of oil (thought vegetable or canola olive works best)

Rice Cooker Cake

I don't know what took me so long, but after wanting one for years, I finally got a rice cooker / steamer. I was looking through the booklet to get some ideas on other things to make in the rice cooker and saw a recipe for a chocolate cake that you bake right in the rice cooker. I was skeptical, so I decided to give it a try. With a little tweaking, it actually worked!

Chocolate Crazy Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 c water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1. Spray steamer / rice cooker pot with vegetable spray.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a separate bowl and stir until combined. Pour mixture into rice cooker pot.
3. Close lid on the rice cooker and press COOK. After a few minutes, the rice cooker will switch to KEEP WARM even though the cake is not done. This is normal. Keep the rice cooker on KEEP WARM setting for about 10 minutes and then press COOK again. The rice cooker will once again switch to KEEP WARM. Wait an additional 10 minutes then press COOK one more time. Once it switches to KEEP WARM again, wait for about 30 minutes or so and then check the cake with a toothpick. Cake should be done but if it's not press COOK one more time then when it goes back to KEEP WARM check the cake again.
4. Remove the rice cooker pot with potholders and invert onto a serving plate.

Servings: 8 Slices
Calories: 221 Calories per slice

(Recipe via Instruction Booklet. Recipe by Debra Murray, Wolfgang Puck HSN Host)

Seltzer Brownies

Seltzer Brownies

1 Box Brownie Mix
6 oz of  Seltzer

1. Pre-heat oven according to temperature on the box of brownie mix.

2. Mix together, using a spoon, the brownie mix and seltzer until thoroughly combined.

3. Pour batter into cake pan and cook according to the baking time on the box.

(Picture coming soon)

Soda Cupcakes

Soda Cupcakes

1 Box Cake Mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
10 oz of Soda, Diet Soda or Seltzer
1 Can of Frosting (I prefer Duncan Hines)




1. Pre-heat oven according to temperature on cake mix box and line cupcake trays with inserts or grease.

2. Using a hand held mixer, beat the cake mix and soda/seltzer together for about 2 minutes.

3. Pour batter into cupcake trays and bake according to cooking time on the back of the box of cake mix.

4. Let cupcakes cool, frost cupcakes.

Tip: If you're not going to use seltzer, for darker cakes - use darker colored sodas. For lighter cakes, use lighter colored sodas.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smudgies

Peanut Butter and Banana Smudgies

2 ripe bananas
2 heaping tbsps of peanut butter
10 graham crackers rectangles (1 sheet = 2 squares = 1 smudgie)

1. Peel the bananas and place them in a bowl.

2. Add the peanut butter and mash the two together with a fork until creamy.

3. Place 10 graham cracker squares on a piece of foil. Use the fork (or a spoon) to smear the banana and peanut butter mixture onto the crackers.

4. Then place a plain graham cracker on top to make 10 sandwiches.

5. Stack them so you have a row of three (and 1 extra on top in the middle) and then wrap them in the foil.

6. Place them in the freezer for at least six hours and enjoy.

(Original recipe found on FitSugar)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

1/2 Cup Earth Balance Butter
3/4 Cup Crunchy Peanut Butter
3/4 Cup Graham Crackers or 10 Graham Cracker Squares
1/4 Cup Maple Sugar or Other Granulated Sweetener (I used agave nectar, which isn't granulated)
1 Cup Non-Dairy (Dark) Chocolate or Carob Chips
1/4 Cup Soy, Rice or Nut Milk (I used Soy)
1/4 Cup Chopped Pecans, Almonds or Peanuts (I used Peanuts)

1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar and mix well. Remove the mixture from the heat. Evenly divide the mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup, among the muffin cups (I followed the 2 tbsp suggestion and got 13 PB cups)

3. Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture. Top with chopped nuts.

4. Place in refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

(From The Kind Diet)

Pie-less Apple Pie

Pie-less Apple Pie

Prep/Cooking: Under 10 minutes
Yields: 1 Serving

1 Apple
1 Sheet of Graham Crackers (2 Crackers), smashed
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Butter

1. Cut up apple and put slices in a microwave safe bowl
2. Fill Bowl with Water. (It should cover the slices)
3. Microwave on High for 4-5 minutes (or until apples are soft)
4. Drain Apples and put back in the Bowl
5. Add Butter, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Graham Cracker Crumbs and mix thoroughly.

You can adjust the amounts of Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Butter to taste.

Easy Pumpkin Pie

Easy Pumpkin Pie

1 can of Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix (30 oz)
1 box silken firm tofu
1 frozen pie crust shell

Add any (or all) spices listed, to taste:
ginger
nutmeg
cinnamon
allspice

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Mix Libby's Pumpkin Pie mix with the silken tofu in a blender.
3. Add in spices and blend a bit more
4. When happy with the taste, pour mixture into pie shell.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. then bake for an additional 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

3, 2, 1 Cholate Cake (aka 3 Minute Cake)

3, 2 ,1 Cholate Cake (aka 3 Minute Cake)


3 tbsp Bisquick
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
Soy Milk

1. Mix ingredients together and put into a small bowl (or mug)
2. Microwave for about 3 minutes or until the cake looks like it's finished.