Recipes, Uncategorized

Easy PB Cookies

Vegan Living by Danielle | Easy PB Cookies

These vegan, gluten-free cookies are super quick and easy to make. The ingredients are simple and healthy, and the results are amazing! My boyfriend is super picky and he loves these. He had one the other day and assumed they are loaded with sugar…SURPRISE! They aren’t. When I told him the only ingredients are peanut butter, maple syrup, almond flour/oat flour, and a sprinkle of sugar he was so surprised and had another!

I normally use almond flour for these cookies, but I was craving them the other day and didn’t have any almond flour left. I was not going out to the store for it either, so I experimented with ground oats. It worked just as well as the almond flour, and it’s cheaper! I used the same technique as my banana bread recipe: put 1 1/4 cup oats in the blender/food processor and grind until it forms a powder like flour. Substitute in the recipe for the almond flour.

Vegan Living by Danielle | Easy PB Cookie Dough

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of almond/oat flour
  • 1/2 cup creamy unsweetened peanut butter (if PB doesn’t have salt, add 1/4 tsp salt)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • a few Tbsp of unrefined sugar (to roll dough in)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, or use a stone cookie sheet like I have.
  2. Mix flour, peanut butter, and syrup with a wooden spoon until smooth.
  3. Take chunks of the dough and roll the dough in your palms to make 1-inch cookie dough balls.
  4. Put sugar on a plate and roll each cookie dough ball until covered in sugar.
  5. Evenly space the cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet.
  6. Squish the cookie dough ball down with a fork in an “x.”
  7. Bake for 8 minutes. They do not need more time or they will be very dry.
  8. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.
  9. Allow to cool completely on a plate.

Enjoy!

Recipes, Uncategorized

Berries and Cream Oatmeal

Berries and Cream Oatmeal | Vegan Living by Danielle

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup Instant or Old Fashioned Oats
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein (Arbonne’s Vanilla Protein Shake Mix tastes GREAT – see protein comparison chart at the bottom of the page)
  • 1 scoop fiber, optional (Arbonne’s Daily Fiber Boost has no flavor and mixes well)
  • 3-4 strawberries, sliced (substitute your favorite berries!)
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, optional (substitute your favorite nuts!)
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds, optional (substitute flax or chia seeds!)

Directions:

  1. Heat 3/4 cup water for 1 minute in the microwave, or bring to a boil stovetop.
  2. Put 1/2 cup oats in a cereal bowl.
  3. Mix protein and fiber into oats.
  4. Pour heated water into oats mixture and mix well.
  5. Let oatmeal sit for about 2 minutes to absorb the water.
  6. Top oatmeal with berries, nuts, and seeds.

Enjoy!

Serves 1

Arbonne Protein Comparison Chart | Vegan Living by Danielle.jpg

 

Recipes, Uncategorized

Winter Kale Salad

Winter Kale Salad | Vegan Living by Danielle

Ingredients:

Salad –

  • 1/4 cup dry quinoa (I think red or tri-color quinoa look the best)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 8 cups of kale, thick stems removed
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds (walnuts work well too, we have a nut allergy in the family so I sub hemp seeds)
  • 2 apples, chopped (I like fuji and honeycrisp best, but chose your favorite apples!)
  • 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds (sub dried cranberries)

Dressing –

  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

  1. Put dry quinoa in a small pot with of water.
  2. Set timer for 15 minutes once the burner is turned on.
  3. Move the temperature to low or medium-low once water is boiling. (You’ll know quinoa is fully cooked when the kernels opened and look fluffy.)
  4. Remove the thick stems from kale and cut into bite-size pieces.
  5. Put all kale in a pot to steam with about 1-2 cups of water. Stir kale and repeat until all kale is very slightly cooked.
  6. Once kale is cooked, drain the pot and pat kale dry with paper towel if needed.
  7. In a small bowl, mix the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and syrup.
  8. In a large bowl, combine cooled kale, cooled quinoa, fruit, seeds/nuts, and dressing.
  9. Toss until mixed thoroughly and dressing is evenly distributed.
  10. Enjoy!

Makes about 4 side salads, or 2 lunch-sized salads!

Recipes, Uncategorized

Banana Berry Smoothie Bowl

Banana Berry Smoothie Bowl | Vegan Living by Danielle
Smoothie Bowls are way easier to make than you think!

Ingredients:

  • Smoothie:
    • 1 1/2 cup frozen fruit
    • 1/3 cup non-dairy milk (hemp, almond, soy, cashew, flax…)
    • 1 scoop vegan protein (my favorite is Arbonne’s vanilla protein)
    • 1 Tbsp flax seed or chia seeds (I use a chia/flax blend)
    • optional – a very small handful of spinach (Recommended if you have difficulty getting your veggies in. This will change the color of your smoothie bowl, but shouldn’t affect the taste too much. You may also be interested in a powdered greens supplement.)
  • Toppings:
    • 1 banana, sliced
    • 1/3 cup of your favorite berries
    • 1 Tbsp flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or oats

Directions:

  1. Blend together the frozen fruit, non-dairy milk, protein, seeds, and spinach until smooth.
  2. Pour smoothie in a bowl.
  3. Top with the banana, berries, and seeds or oats.
  4. Enjoy!

Makes 1 serving

Recipes, Uncategorized

Ideas for Serving Quinoa Salad

There are many different ways you can serve quinoa salads!

The two recipes that I have shared so far are the Mexican Quinoa Salad and the Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. Both of these could be served on their own, hot or cold.

Some other ideas include serving the quinoa salad over a bed of fresh greens. The Mexican Quinoa Salad always pairs well with some salsa and slices of avocado.

One of my favorite ways to eat these salads, is wrapped in a tortilla, served cold, with some fresh greens. This is a really good way to grab lunch or dinner on the go! The Mexican Wrap is delicious with avocado slices and fresh salsa (the less liquid in the salsa the better). The Mediterranean Wrap is very yummy with a tablespoon or two of hummus spread on the tortilla.

Most tortillas are vegan, but always check the label to see if it contains milk, eggs, honey, or other non-vegan ingredients. For help identifying non-vegan ingredients, check out my post on Vegan Apps on iTunes!

Enjoy!

xo,

Danielle