In celebration of this week’s launch of the Oh She Glows – Healthy Plant-Based Recipes app, we’re doing a big giveaway. One lucky blog reader will receive a brand new iPad mini 4 (this is what I use in my kitchen!) and Belkin tablet stand + stylus pen—perfect for cooking in the kitchen with your new OSG app! This is not a sponsored giveaway, but just our way of saying thank you for all your support and hoping it’ll make someone really happy!
I want to thank those of you who left such wonderful comments about our app. We couldn’t be happier with your response and excitement, and like I said, we want to continue to make it the best we possibly can! I’ve been pinching myself ever since we hit #1 in the Canadian Apple app store on Tuesday. Big hugs to all of you.
One quick note regarding the free recipe bundles in our app: Be sure to check that your Apple settings are not set to prohibit in-app purchases. Even though the bundles are free, if the “in-app purchases” setting on your phone or tablet is disabled you won’t be able to download the free bundle. To check your settings go to Settings –> General –> Restrictions. We’ve had a few emails about it (often from parents who had in-app purchases disabled for their kids), but I just want to mention it here to make sure everyone gets it! After getting your bundle, you can certainly switch back to your preferred setting.
Ok, onto the contest!! Please see below to enter this giveaway. Good luck!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks to Eric, for the gorgeous modeling once again. What a natural!
Even though I avoid doing so, I’ve disabled comments for this contest. In the past, allowing comment entries has made it difficult for me to find your questions or comments about blog recipes (and I hate missing your questions!!). In lieu of a comment entry, you can fill out the poll. Thanks for your understanding and good luck!
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Welcome to Friday FAQs—a new series on Oh She Glows! I’ve been meaning to start up my question and answer posts again, and since a couple of big projects are slowing down, I finally have a chance to do so. Woohoo! The questions featured in this series will be food related, so if you have any burning questions about any of my recipes, substitution ideas, cooking methods, ingredients, or tools, feel free to shoot them my way via social media or the blog! Each week I’ll select a handful to feature in my Friday FAQs post. My goal for this series is to share what I’ve learned in my kitchen over the past 8 years, and hopefully inspire you to try new plant-based ingredients, cooking methods, recipes, and more. You dig it?
Today, I’m sharing a few from social media and a few from my newsletter (I feature a Q+A in each issue). Let’s begin!
Q1: How long will your Cashew Sour Cream keep if refrigerated? I’m hoping to make your Favourite Vegan Chili Recipe. Thx!
A: Hi Michelle, The sour cream should keep in the fridge in an air-tight container for about 1 week. I recently discovered that you can also freeze cashew cream! I like to pour leftover cashew cream into a mini silicone muffin tray, freeze it, and then pop the cubes out and store them in a freezer zip bag for up to 3 to 4 weeks. This method is great for single servings. Thaw the cubes at room temperature or in the fridge overnight before using. Or throw a couple frozen cubes into a smoothie for a creamy twist!
Q2: Hi Angela, I’m wondering if green lentils would substitute well for red lentils in your Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup. Is there a difference between red and green lentils?
A: Hi Brandon, Great question! Red lentils are perfect for thickening and providing body to soups and curries (such as in my Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup and Golden Red Lentil Dal) and are also thought to be the sweetest and nuttiest of the lentil family. They break down while cooking and are not supposed to hold their shape. Green or brown lentils are somewhere in between—they do break down a bit, but they also hold their shape slightly better than red lentils while cooking (depending on how long you cook them, of course). I like to use green and brown lentils in veggie burgers, lentil loaves, and occasionally soups. While I haven’t tried using green or brown lentils in this particular soup, I do think it should work (the flavour will change a bit—green and brown lentils are a bit earthier tasting, but still delicious). French green lentils (or Le Puy lentils) are great for when you want the lentils to hold their shape and chewy texture (such as in a salad or pasta). I love using French green lentils in my Roasted Potato and Asparagus Lentil Salad (a spring fave!). I hope this helps and that you’ll be enjoying a delicious bowl of soup very soon! Be sure to let us know how it goes.
Q3: Good morning, My partner is a big meat eater and carb loader—I was wondering if you could let me know which recipes of yours you would recommend to try on him first to get him into it. Thank you so much.
A: Hi Alyce, Partner-friendly recipes…I’m all about those! If Eric doesn’t like a recipe, it doesn’t get posted on my blog. (And then I eat it all and tell him he’s nuts.) That said, below is a list of his favourite recipes (and general crowd-pleasing recipes). I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Our Perfect Veggie Burger
Ultimate Vegan Lentil-Walnut Loaf
Crowd-Pleasing Vegan Caesar Salad
10-Spice Vegetable Soup
Next Level Vegan Enchiladas
Ultimate Green Taco Wraps with Lentil-Walnut Taco Meat
Golden Red Lentil Dal with Cilantro-Speckled Basmati
My Favourite Vegan Chili with Homemade Sour Cream
Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup
Q4: Hi Angela, I’m wondering if you’ve tried your Vegan Overnight Oats recipe with fruits other than banana?
A: Hi Nathalie, It’s no secret that banana tends to be my preferred fruit in vegan overnight oats due to its natural sweetness and creamy texture, but it absolutely can work with many other add-ins! You can try mixing in mashed or puréed pear (2 peeled, very ripe pears work best here), shredded apple (I like to grate the apple on a grater box and stir it in), or even mango. Also, yogurt works really well and provides a creamy, thick texture. Simply mix in a bit of your preferred yogurt (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on how thick you like the oats), and then taste it in the morning and stir in some liquid sweetener if you’d like it sweeter. I hope this helps and leads you to some tasty banana-free options!
Q5: I have not tried Matcha green tea powder, but you have convinced me to try it. Where is the best place to purchase it?
A: Oh how I love Matcha. You can certainly find it many places online, and in some grocery stores. Right now I’m loving this “Do Matcha” brand. The tin lasts a long time. If you end up getting some, be sure to try it in my Green Tea Lime Pie Smoothie Bowl! It’s also lovely in a warm homemade latte or served cold with iced almond milk.
Comments of the week:
Evelyn writes, “Oh your app is so so beautiful!!! I just purchased it and I can’t stop playing with that feature where you click on a recipe, and when you scroll down the picture on top gets smaller, only to become full-screen again when I scroll upwards! Also all the new pictures, woman what a work that must’ve been! But they really glow and practically jump from my screen, and even though I just had dinner, I want to make alllll the things now. Congratulations on this beautiful app, and I totally understand why the blog has been a little quiet lately. Hell, I’m even deeply impressed you managed to make both the app and your second cookbook! The first one a friend of mine brought it from the US for me, and I can’t wait until it gets joined by no 2 :)”
Evelyn! We couldn’t be happier to hear how much you love our app!! Truly, thank you. I hope you—and everyone else who downloads it-—enjoy it for years to come.
Brenna writes, “I made your DIY Burrito Bowl last week and it was a huge success – including with two picky preschoolers! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!”
So happy to hear this Brenna! Thanks for letting us know.
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There is one thing you have to understand about living in the northern regions of Europe. The darkness during the winter is really, really harsh. Short, cold and grey days with a minimal amount of sunlight. And if you, like me, believe that you were meant to be born in either Italy, Hawaii or India, the darkness feels twice as draining. However on the upside, the Nordics are probably the most sun-appreciating people on this planet. Come the first rays of sunshine and a little bit of warm air and we throw off our clothes and spend hours standing like suricates, gazing at the sun. Well almost anyway.
That first day of spring happened earlier this weekend when we visited friends outside the city. We threw together two simple salads in celebration of all the early produce and enjoyed them as a lunch around a table in the garden, with sunshades on! Afterwards we strolled over to the neighbour farm to pet the newly born lambs and calves (Isac was first terrified and then almost impossible to get out of there). It felt like the perfect day and well-worth getting through all those dark months for. Even for an Italian/Hawaiian/Indian guy like myself.
This salad is a version of the one our friends made that day. We have shared a couple of spring salads on this blog throughout the years (asparagus & buckwheat salad – rhubarb & puy lentil salad – egg salad – green bean salad), but what makes this one stand out is the very simple and rich butter vinaigrette that is poured over the cooked new potatoes and steamed asparagus. So delicious. We have added some lentils (you can use ready-cooked if you want to save some time and effort) and sugar peas for extra protein but any type of green beans or string beans could also be delicious. With the lentil addition, this is great as a lunch or light dinner, but it would also be a perfect side salad for a weekend bbq.
For our vegan friends, we have also tried this with a few alternative dressings with great results. Either just replace the butter with olive oil. Or try a delicious Dijon dressing by stirring together equal parts Dijon mustard and maple syrup (or honey if you prefer) with a bit of lemon juice and a good glug olive oil.
Asparagus & Potato Salad with Butter Vinaigrette Serves 4
The butter dressing makes this salad ideal served straight away, when the vegetables are still slightly warm.
1 1/2 lb / 800 g new potatoes 2 bunches (1 lb / 500 g) asparagus 1 cup / 100 g sugar peas 1 cup / 175 g cooked whole lentils, rinsed (we used green/brown but any color is fine) 1 small handful chives 5 radishes, very thinly sliced
Butter vinaigrette 2 oz / 60 g organic butter or ghee (use olive oil for a vegan option and skip the heating part) 2 tbsp organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar 1 spring onion, very finely chopped salt & black pepper
Rinse and scrub the potatoes and place them whole in a large saucepan, cover with water and add sea salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Rinse and trim the asparagus by snapping off the dry ends. Place the asparagus in a steaming basket (or use a sieve with a lid) and cover. Remove the lid from the saucepan with the boiling potatoes and place the basket on top, the steam from the boiling potato water is used to steam the asparagus. Steam until the asparagus are tender, 5-10 minutes depending on their thickness.
Finely slice the sugar peas and radishes and rinse the cooked lentils. Melt the butter on low heat for the vinaigrette. Finely chop the spring onion and add to the melted butter and stir in apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Place all salad ingredients in a bowl. Right before serving, add the butter vinaigrette and use your hands to toss until everything is coated in the vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
As the cauliflower was roasting in the oven and I was busy preparing the other vegetables, the smell of burnt plastic started oozing through the kitchen. I could hear our pyromanic son laughing as he ran from the crime scene into the next room. All the dials for the stove top were switched on to full heat and our poor old spatula was melting away on the stove. I had barely scraped it clean before I could hear him giggling again, this time from our bedroom. In less than a minute, he had managed to pull out every pair of clothing he could possibly reach from our wardrobe and was currently bathing in a sea of trousers. “No harm in that” I thought and left him for a minute to check on the cauliflower and continue preparing the vegetables and chickpeas. All of a sudden it went quiet in the bedroom and then … “squeeeeak” the sound of pebbles scraping against glass, cut through the apartment. Isac had just figured out that he could use our iPad as a skateboard and was skating away in the hallway.
He’s an awesome little guy but sometimes he is simply a hooligan with more energy than the sun. This cauliflower salad, however, turned out perfectly regardless of how much he tried to disrupt it.
Anyone following us on instagram must have noticed our love for the Middle-Eastern spice blend Za’atar. We always keep it within reach and use it on avocado toasts, salads, soups and omelets. The slight tartness from the dried and ground sumac berries is well balanced with nuttiness from toasted sesame seeds and herbiness from thyme.
We have been collaborating and creating recipes with spice company Santa Maria and when they asked what spice blend we thought was missing from their product range, the obvious answer was za’atar. So now we have created a Green Kitchen Stories special edition Za’atar blend for them and it’s available through this competition on their site (only in Sweden, sorry!).
This recipe is however available for everyone, regardless if you are using our za’atar blend or another one (often available in spice shops, delis and Middle-Eastern food stores). You can also make your own by combining 4 tbsp sumac, 4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 2 tbsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp dried oregano and 2 tsp cumin.
In this recipe, roasted cauliflower florets are sprinkled with za’atar and mixed into a fresh salad with avocado, spinach, parsley and cucumber slices and topped with small pomegranate jewels. It is served with creamy chickpeas drenched in yogurt and tahini and also sprinkled with za’atar. If pomegranate isn’t in season, it can be replaced with raisins (preferably yellow).
Roasted Cauliflower with Za’atar & Yogurty Chickpeas Serves 2 very hungry persons or 4 normal
1 head of cauliflower 1 good drizzle of olive oil 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 large cucumber, seeded 1 avocado 1 x 400 g /14 oz tin chickpeas (or 200 g cooked) 50 ml / ¼ cup natural yogurt 1 tbsp tahini 1-2 tbsp za’atar spice blend 1 handful parsley 1 handful spinach seeds from ½ pomegranate
Preheat the oven to 220°C / 450°F. Divide the cauliflower into florets and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and toss until all is combined. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until soft and golden and with slightly crispy edges. Meanwhile, prepare the other vegetables. Divide the cucumber in half. Use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds and cut into 1 cm / 1/3 inch slices. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Cut into large chunks. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly. Pour them into a bowl and mix with yogurt and tahini until all is mixed. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and sprinkle generously with za’atar. Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss carefully to combine. Make space in the side and add the yogurt chickpeas. Top with pomegranate seeds and a sprinkle of za’atar. Enjoy!
Thank you Santa Maria for the fun opportunity to create this spice blend and for sponsoring this post. All words and opinions are our own.
Being a recipe developer means grocery shopping almost every day. On my way out the door I always ask my husband if he would like anything from the store, and more often than not he says: “a treat, please”. Now, he doesn’t mean a lovely bag of blood oranges or a pint of juicy strawberries – he means a chocolate bar. Not a healthy chocolate bar. A low-vibe, sugar-laden, not-real-food chocolate bar. But I do not judge him. I just buy the thing and pick my battles (toilet cleaning and garbage disposal rank higher on my list).
Recently, standing near the cash register and cruising the candy bars like a very reluctant weirdo, I actually experienced a pang for one myself. That rich and total over-the-top decadence is not something I am often drawn to, but for whatever reason the Snickers and the Twix bar spoke to me like long lost friends. And that was the exact moment I decided that I was going to makeover my two favourites with the best whole food ingredients I could find, that would deliver both total satisfaction and nutrients. A healthy chocolate bar to end all healthy chocolate bars. Could such a dream be realized? Oh yes, the universe loves us and wants us to be happy.
The Colossal Healthy Candy Bar is three tasty parts. First, the bottom biscuit layer inspired by Twix, is a mildly sweet, vegan and grain-free cookie made with coconut flour. It is crisp when it comes out of the oven, but goes pretty cake-y once it is combined with the other ingredients. Delicious nonetheless, and a pretty important counter-point to all the richness of the other layers.
Second, the caramel-and-nut layer inspired by Snickers, but with a twist: instead of just using dates in the caramel, I balanced out the sweetness by adding a healthy does of hazelnut butter. Wowzers. This was a very delicious decision. The caramel became far more complex, rich-tasting, and it is essential to note that this would make a fantastic spread or topping all on its own. If you do not have hazelnut butter, I recommend almond or cashew in its place (click here for instructions on how to make your own nut butter). Instead of using peanuts, I used roasted hazelnuts to sink into the top of the caramel for awesome texture and crunch – almonds could also be used here.
Lastly, each bar is enrobed in luscious, raw, dark chocolate. I usually use coconut oil in my raw chocolate recipes, but after reading the (incredible!) new cookbook Clean Cakes by Henrietta Inman I was convinced that using solely raw cacao butter was the way to go. It delivers a crisper finish and creamier texture. If you want to make things simpler and faster, feel free to use a ready-made bar of chocolate in this recipe instead of making your own. Raw chocolate is of course the healthier choice, but if you’re pressed for time or ingredients, this is a good shortcut to take.
Coconut Flour Power! With so many diets and lifestyles focusing on gluten-free and grain-free eating, coconut flour is wonderful option for many people. Made entirely from dried coconut flesh that is pulverized into a soft, fine powder, coconut flour is a nutrient-dense alternative that is increasingly available at health food stores and even supermarkets. Score!
There are several benefits of coconut flour, my favourite being that it is remarkably high in protein and fiber. Translation: super filling and satisfying! It is low in sugar and digestible carbohydrates, and scores low on the glycemic index, so it a perfect choice for paleo eaters and diabetics. It’s also nut-free and non-allergenic.
The flavour of coconut flour is slightly coconut-y, but not overwhelmingly so. I like it in things like these chocolate bars where there are many other strong tastes going on that overshadow the taste of the flour. If you want to compliment and enhance the flavour of the flour, use coconut milk as the liquid portion of a baked good. Seriously yummy.
What’s the catch I can hear you asking. Well, there are a few downsides to using coconut flour, mainly due to its density, dryness, and lack of elasticity. It’s certainly not a flour to experiment with if you’re looking to replace wheat flour for instance, as the two behave completely differently (that goes for using coconut flour in place of almost any other flour, whether grain, seed, or nut-based). Coconut flour is also crazy-absorbent and needs quite a large proportion of liquid to solid to avoid crumbly results (I’ve read the comments below and it seems like a lot of you are struggling with this factor!) Most recipes I’ve found online remedy this by using a lot of eggs, but I used applesauce and flax seeds instead with good results. Once you get the correct ratio down it’s pretty easy to work with, but I’ve learned the hard way that it’s best to use tried and true recipes with this finicky ingredient!
Back to the candy bars. Which are insane. These truly colossal creations have everything you could ever want: tasty cookie, ooey gooey chewy caramel, crunchy roasted nuts, divinely rich chocolate, and tiny salt kisses. I am so darn proud of this recipe, and I can’t believe that such a decadent thing can exist without making me feel lousy after eating it. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that I feel colossally healthy after eating one. Or two. Stop looking at me like that.
The Colossal Healthy Candy Bar Makes 16 bars
Coconut flour cookie bottom 1 ½ cups / 175g coconut flour ¼ tsp. fine sea salt ½ cup / 125ml unsweetened applesauce 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds 1/3 cup / 85ml coconut oil, melted 2-3 Tbsp. maple syrup, as needed
Date and nut caramel 1 ¼ cup / 325g pitted soft dates 1/3 cup / 80 ml nut butter (I used hazelnut) seeds of 1 vanilla bean ½ tsp. sea salt
Roasted nuts ¾ cup /115g raw hazelnuts or almonds
Raw chocolate coating 8.8 oz. / 250g cacao butter (not coconut butter or coconut oil) 1 ½ cup / 150g raw cacao powder ¼ cup / 60ml maple syrup pinch of sea salt Note: raw chocolate can be substituted with two 3½ oz. / 100g bars of dark chocolate (minimum 70% cacao).
Directions: 1. Start by making the cookie bottom. In a small bowl stir the applesauce and the ground flax together. Set aside and let gel for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. In a large bowl sift together the coconut flour and sea salt. Stir in the melted coconut oil, two tablespoons of maple syrup, the applesauce-flax mixture and blend until the mixture holds together when pressed. If not, add the remaining tablespoon of maple syrup and stir to combine.
2. Line a brownie pan with baking paper and firmly press the mixture into the pan, especially around the edges. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are beginning to turn golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool at room temperature.
3. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F/150°C. Spread the nuts out in a single layer on baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes until fragrant and slightly darker in colour (a good way to check is to cut one in half and check the colour in the center. Instead of cream, it should be golden). Remove from oven and let cool completely. If you are using hazelnuts, rub them together to remove as much of their skins as possible. Roughly chop and set aside.
4. Make the nut caramel. Add the pitted dates to a food processor and blend until creamy. Add the nut butter, vanilla bean, and sea salt. Taste and adjust according to your tastes.
5. Spread the nut caramel in an even layer over the cooled cookie bottom. Cover the caramel with the chopped toasted nuts, and press them down so that they are slightly sunken, reserving a few for garnish. Place the pan in the freezer to firm up for at least 4 hours (frozen bars are easier to cut and coat with chocolate).
6. Prepare the chocolate. Melt the cacao butter in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Remove from heat, stir in the maple syrup and salt, then sift in the cacao powder. Whisk together until smooth.
7. Remove the brownie pan from the freezer and pull up the edges of the baking paper to remove the filling. Place on a cutting board and slice into 16 equal bars.
8. Roll each bar in the melted chocolate, then pick up using a fork, allowing most of the excess chocolate to drip off. Set on a wrack and let harden. Take remaining chocolate and drizzle across the width of the bar to create a design (this step is optional, but it makes the bars look really beautiful). While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts and let set. Place all bars in the freezer to firm up. Store in an airtight container in the freezer, and remove 10-15 minutes before serving. (Note: these are okay outside of the freezer, but if you’re using raw chocolate they will be relatively soft if left at room temperature).
I hope you guys find as much satisfaction in this recipe as I have. It’s pretty rad to have a stockpile of candy bars in your freezer for when the urge strikes, and to keep you out of the chocolate aisle on your next trip to the store! For the record, if you see me there, I’m buying treats for my husband…since I’m really bad at sharing.
Show me your candy bars on Instagram: #MNRchocolatebars
The post The Colossal Healthy Chocolate Bar appeared first on My New Roots.
