Almond Coconut Chocolate Granola

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, and I love having a huge variety of things available every day. One of the things I have always loved to have in my pantry is granola. Not only is it so easy to make and customize, it's fairly easy on the wallet as well compared buying the natural granola in the grocery store. It only takes a few minutes to put together and bake, and even though it also takes only a few minutes for it to disappear as well, it is definitely worth it. 

Now that the weather has cooled off and I can no longer fully enjoy springing out of bed to eat a refreshing morning meal, I decided I'd better switch up my granola to be more Autumn-themed as well. I was working on making a gingerbread granola and decided that would have to wait until at least the end of November. Then this was born in a very good last minute decision. Adding cocoa to granola puts it on the edge - healthy, but with the subtle, flirtatious taste of chocolate. Okay, it may not be sooooo subtle...I added chocolate chips - which adds a whole other amazing dimension.

Does adding chocolate chips mean it is technically a dessert? Nah, though I wouldn't mind eating a bit after dinner. Or for dinner. I am adult, so that means I can do whatever I want, right? Sure.

Almond Coconut Chocolate Granola

What you need:

• 5 cups old fashioned oats

• 1 cup sliced almonds

• 1 cup dry shredded coconut

• 2 TBSP cocoa powder

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/3 cup pure unrefined coconut oil

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (depending on your sweet tooth)

• 2 tsp pure almond extract

• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

What to do:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a large baking sheet by putting parchment paper on it

2) Mix dry ingredients well in a large bowl

3) Melt coconut oil in a small saucepan and whisk in maple syrup and almond extracts

4) Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix until oats and nuts are well coated

5) Spread granola evenly on the baking sheet (you may have to use two)

6) Bake for 15-20 minutes, being careful not to let it burn

7) Allow to completely cool and dry, then crumble the chunks and add the vegan chocolate chips

8) Store in an airtight container

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Do you make your own granola?

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Vegan Tofu Ricotta

What a sad thing: I have gone SO MANY YEARS without trying to make a tofu ricotta. Why has it never crossed my mind? Well, besides the fact that I hardly ever ate ricotta and didn’t know what it was or what it was used for...

Anyway, I finally got around to doing it, and I'm so glad I tried something new!

A few weeks ago I wanted to try my hand at a new vegan lasagna. I’ve been making them for years, but wanted to try something different. I decided to put the tofu into the food processor to make it more ricotta-like instead of just crumbling it finely like I usually do. The result? Well, let’s just say that my cheese-loving husband told me that he never wanted the real stuff ever again. That’s pretty strong. Of course, all the other elements of the lasagna were playing a part, but this ricotta was one of the VIPs.

Turns out this is great for a lot of things - spreading on crackers or bread, and stuffing manicotti noodles with. I’m going to be trying it in some meatballs, so stay tuned for that experiment as well.

Easy Tofu Ricotta

What you need:

• 16 ounces super firm tofu

• 2 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 TBSP lemon juice

• 1 TBSP basil (dried)

• 2 small cloves garlic (or one large)

What to do:

1) Drain the tofu, getting as much moisture out as possible
2) Add all ingredients to food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as you go.

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What do you use ricotta for?

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Vegan Corn Chowder

The best thing about Autumn (besides fireplaces, candles, fuzzy blankets and cuddling, that is) is soup. I love soup. All sorts of soup. I could eat soup year-round to be completely honest. I have been holding on to this recipe, just waiting for the perfect moment to share it with you all, and I decided that instead of waiting until it was cold out, I would share it now so that you can brace yourselves for it!

Autumn is indeed coming.

So my mom and brother came to visit and just left after two weeks. I hadn't seen the two of them in two years, so I was so excited and was literally bouncing off things I couldn't wait! Two weeks went by way too quickly, and even though we did a ton of fun stuff, I felt bad because they came just as I was prepping my life and classroom for the school year to start. It was a total bummer, but we are hoping to visit them for a few days at Christmas. They allegedly had a good time despite helping me haul desks and label books, so that is good I suppose. 

Anyway, back to the soup: Growing up, corn chowder was seriously my favourite. I actually loved (and still love) soup in general, but I could down bowls of this if I was in the mood. Even today, I love enjoying a hot bowl of this on a chilly day. Since we just concluded a lovely visit with my family, I thought it would be appropriate to [finally] share this recipe. It's a bit different than the original but still tastes delicious.

By the way, this soup has cashews in it. If I get enough nut-free requests, I'll share that version too ;-)

Vegan Corn Chowder

What you need:

• 3 small potatoes

• 1 medium onion

• 1 red pepper

• 1 TBSP homemade vegan chicken-style seasoning

• 2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp basil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 stalk celery

• 3/4 cup cashews

• 2 cups water

• 1 cup cooked brown rice

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (or 1 TBSP dried)

• 4 cups corn

• 2 cups water

• 4 cups vegetable broth (try this homemade version!)

What to do:

1. Dice onion, pepper and potatoes and put in a large pot with 4 cups of vegetable broth.

2. Bring to a boil, and then a simmer. Add salt, seasoning, and garlic powder.

3. Blend the cashews, celery, 2 cups water and rice until smooth. Add the parsley and blend for a few more seconds and add cashew mixture to the pot.

4. Put 2 cups of corn and 2 cups of water in blender. Blend and then add to the soup.

5. Add the remaining 2 cups of corn to the pot and bring to simmer.

6. Add salt to taste.
    

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What's your favourite soup when the weather starts getting chilly?

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DIY Vegan Chicken-Style Seasoning

Growing up, we would have McKay's Chicken-Style Seasoning on occasion (especially since I was mostly vegetarian). However, the stuff is crazy expensive, in my humble opinion, and it contains ingredients not suitable for our current lifestyle such as MSG and lactose. Lactose!! I was honestly shocked when I picked up a jar to read the ingredients! 

The only solution was to make some myself. It took a few months before I got something I like, but I have finally done it. I felt that sharing it was almost a duty. I was so excited about this I could hardly wait!

This post contains affiliate links

It's not as salty as the original, which I actually prefer (you can always add more), and the flavour is out of this world - well, actually it's out of my pantry, but that just makes it that much easier for YOU to make too!

I use it in pretty much everything - soups, sauces, gravies, you name it!

Vegan No Chicken-Style Seasoning

What you need:

• 1/2 C Nutritional Yeast Flakes

• 2 TBSP Sea Salt

• 4 tsp Garlic Powder

• 2 tsp Onion Powder

• 4 tsp Celery Salt

• 4 tsp Turmeric

• 4 tsp Parsley

• 1 tsp Basil

What to do:

1) Combine all ingredients and mix well - either in a mortar and pestle or food processor.

2) Store in airtight container for up to 4 months.

Healthy Vegan Snacks for the Road: 3 Easy Recipes

Eating healthy on the road is a feat. Whether you’re on a road trip, on a hike or you’ve decided to get out of town for a few days, you still need to take care of what you’re going to eat while travelling. Sure, you can always go for some greasy junk food in diners along the way, but you better believe that those calories will stay right where you are and they’re not that good for you to begin with. This is why we come to you with healthy vegan snacks suggestions that are perfect when you’re hitting the road and you need to eat right.

Yummy Vegan Granola Bars

There are many recipes for granola bars that taste great and are really filling, but we decided for this chocolate chip one that is very easy to make and can last for a few days. With these, you don’t have to buy chocolate bars or any other sweet; they’re scrumptious enough.

what you'll need:

• 1½ cup of oats

• 1 cup of pitted dates

• ¼ cup of maple syrup

• ¼ cup of almond butter

• ¼ cup of vegan chocolate chips

• ½ cup of raw cashews

• ½ cup of raw almonds.

what to do:

Bake the oats for up to 15 minutes in the oven, the temperature should be 350 degrees F. While they’re toasting, pulse out cashews and almonds in your food processor just until they’re in chunks and then mix them with roasted oats in a bowl.

After that, take your dates and use your food processor to make them pasty and finely chopped, and then add them into the bowl as well.

Take a saucepan where you can warm up the maple syrup and peanut butter (on a low heat) and then pour it over the oats, nuts and dates mixture. It’s mixing time, so don’t give up until you get a well-combined sticky mess. Line a tray with parchment paper, pour the mixture into it and press it down firmly, after which it’s time for the chocolate chips. When you’ve pressed them into the mixture too, you should put it all into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. After the granola is hardened, you can cut it into even pieces, put it in a plastic container and take it on the road with you.

Fresh Veggies and Hummus

Though it might be a bit rough to preserve fresh veggies for a longer period of time, you can always restock on the go and it’s actually more affordable than buying chips and snacks. Carrot sticks and celery are always a good way to go, because they don’t have to be refrigerated to stay nice and crunchy, but you can also go for some sliced bell pepper, cauliflower and even cucumber. You can add some spices into the combination and we always suggest taking some hummus along with you because let’s face it, hummus goes well with everything. If you want to go all out and make your own hummus, there are some excellent recipes out there, but we’re giving you our favorite and simplest one. Anybody like garlic?

what you'll need:

what to do:

Take your garlic bulb and cut off the top, so that you can clearly see the cloves. Generously drizzle olive oil over it, add a bit of salt and wrap it in aluminum foil. Roast it in the oven at 375 degrees F for an hour.

When the garlic is done, make sure to gently squeeze it out of the peel and put all the creamy garlicky goodness into the food processor. Add the rest of the listed ingredients into the processor and then mix it until it gets smooth and hummus-like. Get it into a container and you’ve got yourself a healthy and delicious vegan dip.

• 1 large garlic bulb

• 2 cans of chickpeas (don’t forget to rinse them)

• juice of 1 lemon

• 3 tbsp. tahini

• ¼ cup water

• 3 tablespoons EVOO

• ¼ teaspoon of sea salt

Energy Bite

These little balls of joy and taste are a great way to go when you’re craving something sweet, and there’s no vegan treat in sight. Besides, nothing beats eating healthy food you’ve made yourself. Here’s one recipe that can be taken anywhere you go, it won’t get bad easily and it’s filling. When you’re on the road and filling a bit hungry, reach for these ginger-fueled energy bites and enjoy.

what you'll need:

what to do:

Put the walnuts into the food processor and pulse until they’re chopped well. Add the dates and pulse continually so that you get a mixture that resembles a dough. Chuck in the rest of the ingredients and mix until you’re satisfied with what you have, after which you can roll the dough into balls and have them on the go. Portion yield: 15+ gingerbread bites.

• 1 cup of quick oats

• 2 tbsp. of maple syrup

• 1¼ cup of walnut pieces

• 3 tsp. of ground ginger

• 2 tbsp. of blackstrap molasses

• 1 cup of dates

• ½ tsp. of sea salt

• 2 tbsp. of cinnamon

As you can see, preparing vegan snacks for the road doesn’t have to be complicated nor expensive. These munches are simple to make, they will help you stay full longer and what’s most important, they will allow you to eat healthy even when the conditions for it are not ideal. 

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Monica Nichols is a 32-year-old fashion designer and freelance writer from Omaha, Nebraska. She's been writing for www.diet.st since 2014, and in her free time, she likes making pottery and playing with her pet cat.

Connect with Monica: Blog // Twitter

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