Tag: healthy

Recipes, Uncategorized

Wheat-Free Banana Bread

veganlivingbydanielle

Vegan Living by Danielle | Wheat-Free Banana Bread

These banana bread muffins are so satisfying and delicious! I don’t feel guilty eating them either because all the ingredients are healthy (in moderation).

If you want the bread to be gluten-free, make sure that the oats are certified gluten-free. Sometimes oats are mixed with other, non-wheat, grains.

Some people are, but I’m not a huge fan of the hint of coconut flavor, so I love to use butter flavored coconut oil in the batter and to grease the pan too! Vegetable oil is another oil you could substitute for coconut oil.

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium-size ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 and 3/4 + 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, divided
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or line muffin tin or pan.
  2. In a mixing bowl, mash the 2 bananas.
  3. Mix in peanut butter, nut milk, syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. (Highly recommend adding the peanut butter first. I dropped it in after the milk and syrup…things got messy.)
  4. Use a blender or food processor to grind the 1 and 3/4 cup oats to a very coarse flour as shown below. (Finer flour will yield a final product with a gummy texture.)

Vegan Living by Danielle | Oats for Banana Bread

  1. Mix the coarse oat flour, the 1/2 cup whole oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the batter.
  2. Once you have a relatively smooth batter, mix in chocolate chips!
  3. Scoop into your pan or muffin tin.
  4. Use a spatula or knife to spread the batter across the pan. (It doesn’t need to be perfect, just get it into all the corners.)
  5. Cook the bread for 30 minutes, muffins for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the muffins. (I cooked my 6 large muffins for 20 minutes.)
  6. Check if the middle of the bread is cooked with a toothpick or fork.
  7. Set bread to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
  8. If you greased the pan instead of using a liner, use a fork or knife to carefully remove the bread from the pan.

Enjoy!

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Recipes, Uncategorized

Corn Chowder

veganlivingbydanielle

I have missed chowder so much! A perfect mix between the New England and Rhode Island style chowders. Feel free to substitute more non-dairy milk for water and add extra cornstarch for a chowder that is more creamy.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter flavored coconut oil
  • 1 cup white onion, diced (about 1 small onion)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup celery, chopped (about 4-5 stalks)
  • 1 cup carrots, chopped (about 4-5 carrots)
  • 2 cups unsweetened, original non-dairy milk
  • 4 1/2 cups of canned sweet corn (about 28oz)
  • 2 cups potato, diced (about 1 medium potato. Peel potatoes if you prefer, I leave them on because a lot of the nutrients are there.)
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Chowder Ingredients | Vegan Living by Danielle

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, over medium heat, sauté the onions in oil until soft.
  2. Once the onions are soft, add the water, celery, and carrots. Cook for 12 minutes.
  3. Add non-dairy milk, corn, potatoes, and spices. Cover and cook for 20 minutes over medium-low heat.
  4. Serve warm. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.

Enjoy!

Meal Prep Tip: Let the chowder cool, stir, and portion into 8oz – 12oz Tupperware to take with you for lunch! I can normally eat the same thing for lunch for the whole week and not get tired of it, but if you like more variety, throw a couple of the Tupperwares in the freezer. Just be sure to leave about an inch or more of space because liquid expands when it is frozen and you don’t want to crack the Tupperware. Also, I have found that soup can look a little strange as it defrosts, so don’t be alarmed if it does. Stir it up and thoroughly heat in the microwave or on the stove.

Corn Chowder | Vegan Living by Danielle

Recipes, Uncategorized

Auntie’s Apple Casserole

veganlivingbydanielle

I have had this recipe for a while and make it every week. I have had a hard time choosing a name, which delayed my post.

I originally made it as a dessert, but it’s so healthy that I started having it for breakfast too. The first time I made this for a family gathering – Christmas 2017. My Auntie Diane kept raving how delicious it was and got several helpings! I love when my family enjoys what I bake, and her praises mean so much to me. Every week since then, when I make the casserole, I think of her. Cancer took Auntie Diane from us a few months ago, but I continue to think of her whenever I bake it. It’s for this reason, I decided to title this dish “Auntie’s Apple Casserole.”

Auntie's Apple Casserole | Vegan Living by Danielle

Ingredients:

  • 3 large apples; peeled, cored & sliced (best apples for baking: Cortland, Empire, Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith…I used Crispin and I loved it)
  • 8 oz of fresh cranberries (alternatively, you can use 1 cup of craisins and/or raisins, or any combo of the 3! Be creative! Fresh cranberries are tart, raisins and craisins will be sweet)
  • 1 cup Old Fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 cup syrup

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300F.
  2. Prep the apples.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the apple slices with cranberries, craisins, and/or raisins.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
  5. Pour the mixed dry ingredients into the bowl of fruit and lightly toss to coat the fruit evenly. If this is difficult, put all the fruit and dry ingredients in a container with a lid, seal the lid, and shake it!
  6. Dump the fruit mixture into a casserole dish.
  7. Drizzle the syrup evenly over the top.
  8. Place the lid on the casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
  9. Before serving, allow to cool for about 5 – 10 minutes with the lid on.
  10. Serve warm alone, with non-dairy ice cream or non-dairy whipped cream, or allow to completely cool and serve it cooled.

Enjoy!

3 Apples | Vegan Living by Danielle

Apple Ingredients | Vegan Living by Danielle

Mixed Up | Vegan Living by Danielle

Lifestyle Tips, Uncategorized

Paleo-Vegan

veganlivingbydanielle

Are you like me and need higher fat and protein than carbs? Are you vegan but interested in Paleo? Are you looking to go vegan but want healthier, lower-carb options?

Most people are under the impression that foods that are vegan are going to be healthy. It is extremely important to realize this is not fact. Another impression people have about vegan foods are that they are expensive. The expensive part about any diet is what items you are purchasing.

When practicing paleo-vegan eating, I make exceptions here and there for quinoa, granola, and potatoes. I decided to periodically include these foods because vegan and paleo can both be challenging to meet all when combined. Here are the guidelines of a combined paleo and vegan diet WITHOUT my little “exceptions”:

paleo-inspired vegan

Recipes

Green Goddess Guacamole

veganlivingbydanielle

Green Goddess Guacamole | Vegan Living by Danielle

Ingredients:

  • 2 hass avocados
  • 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 small, red onion, diced
  • 2 1/2 tsp lime juice
  • 2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin

Directions:

  1. Cut the avocados in half.
  2. Remove the pits and cut the avocado into square sections, then scoop from peel into the bowl. (You really don’t need any fancy avocado cutters for this. You can get the pit out by prying it out with a butter knife, and cut it with a butter knife too. That way you don’t go through the peel and cut yourself. Scoop out the meat of the avocado with a spoon or the butter knife. To tell if an avocado is ripe, it should be slightly squishy, but not so squishy that your fingers leave dents. There shouldn’t be much resistance at all when cutting the avocado in half. If the avocado is ripe, the pit should come out easily.)
  3. Add remaining ingredients to the avocado and mix.
  4. Mash the avocado with a fork, spoon, or potato masher. (Mash to your preference. I like my guac a little chunky!)
  5. Add salt, pepper, and any other spices to your preference! Every tastebud is different.

Enjoy!

(Healthy Tip: the appropriate serving of an avocado for one person at one meal is 1/3 of an avocado. Keep this in mind when consuming the guac, I have to think about this to stop from eating the whole thing!…and licking the spoon…)