C&C in the Kitchen

Over the weekend I hosted a "Fashion First Aid" party at my house. I had some ladies over for afternoon snacks and beverages. More to come on the purpose of the party in another post, but in the meantime, prepare yourself to salivate....because the two recipes I am about to share are not just good, they are amazing! And an extra bonus, both are healthy-ish, meaning no refined sugar!

Let me start with the most perfect gluten free, vegan summer dessert, the Summer Fruit Pizza. The crust is made with nuts, honey, golden raisins and dates, the sauce with raspberries and lemon juice, and the cheese with cashews, lemon juice and honey. The recipe called for Stevia, but I substituted honey and it worked perfectly.

This pizza/tart may look complicated, but it took me less than 20 minutes to make. 

You can choose any type of fruit. We love berries in our house!

It was definitely a crowd pleaser. I will be making this dessert again, and again and again. It was THAT good! 

The next recipe is also crazy good. There's a reason they are called the "Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Bars." It's nearly impossible to eat just one, or even two. 

The recipe source (moneysaving mom) took a more appetizing photo than I did. 

But I guarantee mine tasted just as good. 

These are a great brownie or cookie alternative for anyone that likes peanut butter and chocolate. 

I suggest you try both as soon as possible! You won't regret it! 

C&C in the Kitchen

I came across this recipe for quinoa granola bars and knew I had to try it! I love granola and granola bars and have recently stopped buying nearly all store varieties of both due to added sugar and other preservatives. Instead I prefer to make my own!

As with nearly all recipes, I modified it into my own creation!

Quinoa Granola Bars

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cups nuts (your choice) or dried fruit (or both)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly coat a 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment for easy removal of the bars. I suggest the latter. As a side note, I used a large glass Pyrex dish and doubled the recipe to share with my barre3 class.

In a medium skillet melt the coconut oil over medium heat and add the oats.  Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the oats start to turn golden brown.  Transfer the oats to your mixer bowl (or a medium bowl).  Add the quinoa, flaxseed, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, coconut, nuts and fruit to the oats.

In a small saucepan add the honey and peanut butter and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.  Pour the syrup over the oats and use mixer to integrate or use a spatula make sure that all the ingredients are evenly coated.  Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes until the bars are golden brown.  Let them cool completely, slice and serve.

Here is what they look like before going into the oven.

And after baking!

You could easily exchange peanut butter for another nut butter and add ingredients such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, raisins, cranberries or chocolate chips. These are definitely going to be a treat that I make often. They are easy and delicious! 

C&C in the Kitchen

It's been a while since we shared a new recipe, so I thought I would share with you one of my new favorite smoothie recipes...it's kind of like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a jar. 

"Peanut Butter and Jelly" Smoothie

1 banana

1 cup strawberries (frozen or fresh)

1/4 cup oats (or less, depending on how thick you want it)

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp honey or agave

1 Tbs chia seeds

1 cup almond milk (or any type of milk)

4-5 pieces of ice (if not using frozen strawberries)

Products We Love

About a month ago my mother-in-law was at Coscto where two University of Oregon alumni were selling their almond butter. She bought me a jar, and it was love at first bite!

Meet Keeley and Erika, the founders of Wild Friends Nut Butter!

These ladies found themselves in their college apartment scraping the bottom of a peanut butter jar with a spoon. In a quest to extend the life of the jar,  they emptied their cabinets of all their favorite things, like cinnamon, chocolate chips and coconut, into a food processor to create their first nut butter. 

And as they say...the rest is history. Wild Friends Nut Butter now sells six flavors of nut butters including the first jar I received, the Chocolate Sunflower Seed Almond Butter! A-MAZING!

The other flavors include Sesame Cranberry Peanut Butter, Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter, Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter, Honey Pretzel Peanut Butter and Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter! 

You really can't go wrong with any of the flavors. And, they sell them in individual servings which are great for your a snack in the car, on an airplane, for hiking or for a late night snack! 

Wild Friends Nut Butters are sold at Coscto and other stores all over Portland! If you don't live in Portland, you can buy the products on the Wild Friends website and on Amazon, and it's PRIME eligible!

If you want to follow along with the adventures of these "Wild Friends" check out their blog!