Vegetarian Whole Foods Made Simple
This berry baked oatmeal is the perfect way to jazz up breakfast with its gorgeously sweet-tart combination of blueberries, raspberries, cinnamon, vanilla and walnuts. Where I come from, we don’t really have oatmeal. We have no-nonsense PORRIDGE. It’s the same, but I can’t bring myself …
A nourishing lentil spinach and coconut curry that comes together quickly and is packed full of indian flavour. Hey y’all (<— texas is rubbing off on me), thanks for giving me a much needed break the last few weeks! We are still getting settled in …
These rich whole wheat Mexican Chocolate Cherry Brownies are spiced with cayenne and cinnamon, and dotted with tart cherries.
Here we go again, I know, I am always touting my latest baked good as my new obsession, or the BEST THING EVER, and these Mexican Cherry Brownies are no exception. They are my latest obsession, and they are also probably the best thing ever. Truthfully, I wanted to leave you all with something really special, because Emma’s Little Kitchen will be taking a little break for the next couple of weeks as we set up home in Houston. So let’s talk about why these Mexican Cherry Brownies are so special.
Whole Wheat- I try to avoid eating refined grains, even when baking. This recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour making them 100% whole grain- aces!
Rich Chocolatey Goodness- These babies are rich, just how I like my chocolate bakes to be. One brownie and you will be totally satisfied, promise!
Mexican Factor- A pinch of cayenne and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon kick theses brownies up a notch. If you are skeptical, just trust me!
Tart Cherries- These brownies are dotted with beautiful dried tart cherries that compliment the rich spiced brownies perfectly.
Freezibility- If I didn’t freeze at least some of these I could easily eat the entire batch in one day… Luckily they freeze really well. Bonus tip- warm for a minute or so in the microwave and top with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Ah, perfection.
Oh my, so delicious! Enjoy!
Adapted from Cookie and Kate’s The Very Best Brownies recipe (they are the very best!), and Aaron Sanchez’s Mexican Brownie recipe.
Smoky-sweet black beans and rice stuffed into chard with feta and guacamole. The perfect light Mexican fare! You guys know I love a good portmanteau (Jarfait anyone?!), so here is another for you: The Charrito. What do you get when you replace the tortillas in a burrito …
This mushroom & swiss naan bread pizza is the cheats way to a mid-week pizza fix! I would love to tell you that these naan bread pizzas stave off my occasional, but nonetheless intense pizza cravings. However, they do not. Sometimes eating pizza straight from the box …
These flourless White Chocolate Coconut Chickpea Blondies are a healthier way to get your sweet fix!
Hey guys! Happy Friday! Today is a very special day for me… its Kirk and I’s five year anniversary! That’s right, FIVE YEARS! It has flown by.
We have moved three times, lived in three cities and two different states. We have travelled to Florida, New York, California, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. We had a run in with a black bear in Yosemite, and hiked along the Appalachian Trail. We slurped cocktails in Aruba, and rang in the New Year in Edinburgh. We cycled through North Michigan and clambered up giant sand dunes to watch the sunset with Dexter.
We have spent many a wine-soaked evening with friends, and there was that one time with flaming Sambuca shots… We witnessed our friends and family fall in love, get married and make babies. In December we joined the club and had one of our own, and now we share in the simultaneous joy and terror of parenthood. We have supported each other in our passions and careers, even when it meant spending weeks apart from each other. In short, I think my guy is the bees knees, and the only one for me. I’m excited to see what adventures the next five years has for us!
So let’s celebrate! With cake! I have these gorgeous White Chocolate & Coconut Chickpea Blondies on the menu for you today. I have been pretty obsessed with chickpea blondies since I first spotted them on Ambitious Kitchen. They are flourless, free of refined sugar (minus the chocolate chips…!) and so easy to make. This White Chocolate and Coconut version stay fairly true to Monique’s original recipe, the main difference is that I added an egg for a more “cakey” texture, and of course the white chocolate and coconut for a festive twist. The egg could be easily omitted to “reveganize” the blondies, if that’s your jam. They make for a fab snack, and an equally fab dessert. In short, also the bees knees.
Enjoy!
Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen.
These can easily be made vegan by omitting the egg and using maple syrup and vegan chocolate chips.
This spinach chickpea cherry salad is a quick and easy way to get your greens! This is one of those “recipes” born out of desperation. You know, when you get to the end of the week, and you haven’t made it to the shops yet …
This spring quinoa bowl celebrates spring with asparagus, peas and rocket tossed with lemon, quinoa, feta and basil. Spring has sprung! So Spring is finally upon us! Well, almost upon us… We’re not quite there in Michigan yet, there have been some tauntingly sunshiney days, …
These gingerbread granola bars combine all of the warm spices of gingerbread with the chewy, nutty texture of a classic granola bar.
Before we get stuck into today’s recipe, I wanted to update you all on a little personal news. Next month our little family are packing up and moving across the country to Houston, Texas! This has been in the works for about two years now, so I am excited to finally settle in and have some new adventures in the South.
What does this mean for ELK? Well, my hope is that I will have a little more time to work on some (long overdue!) site updates and improvements, and make ELK a truly valuable resource for all of you health-conscious, time–pressed vegetarians and veg-curious out there. This blog has been my labor of love for the past 18 months, but I have not yet been able to dedicate as much time to it as I would like, so I’m VERY excited breathe some new life into this little space! I would love to hear your feedback- what do you want to see more of? Please let me know!
Ok, onto these Gingerbread Granola Bars…! I’m sticking to my strong suite again today- healthy snacks! I have posted many quick bites on the blog, and of all of them, these are my absolute faves! These bars contain all of the warm spices of gingerbread with the chewy, nutty texture of a classic granola bar. Absolute perfection!
Enjoy!
Inspired by Minimalist Bakers Gingerbread Granola
This recipe is very adaptable- you can play with the nut and seed combinations and even replace some nuts with a little dried fruit!
This dish of roasted broccoli with sun dried tomatoes, Farro, Feta and tahini make for a simple, nourishing dinner, packed with nutty, salty flavour. Self care. Do you make it a priority? What does it mean to you? Last weekend I was all set to …
