Vegan Beet Cake with Avocado Frosting

In honour of Melissa's, as well as my dear friend Krysta's birthday, which we celebrated this weekend, I am going to post a healthy birthday cake option. Unfortunately, they live out of town so my family and I had ate it all before they had gotten a chance to try any, oops :).
This recipe is extremely rich and only for devoted chocolate lovers. Besides the higher sugar content, which is typical for any sweet treat, it is relatively healthy alternative to classic chocolate cake and even sneaks in some vitamins and minerals with the beets and avocados. It can even be made gluten free by substituting out the wheat germ for an extra half cup of gluten-free oat flour.

Ingredients:
Batter:
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground coffee
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup of packed beet
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Icing:
2 avocados
1/2 cup cocoa powder
~7 tablespoons of maple syrup or more depending on sweetness preference

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees celsius. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the oil to the wet ingredients.
2. Blend a cooked beet in the food processor and add to the wet ingredients. Mix well and then add the dry ingredients to the wet.

3. Line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper and oil the edges. Add the batter. And enjoy licking the bowl, since it's egg free! The batter was actually so delicious, I think I even liked the batter more than the cake (even though that was still good). I realized after I had stuck the cake in the oven that I had gotten a little out of control licking the bowl....

Cook the cake for 35 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

4. Make the frosting by using a hand blender to combine all of the ingredients. Add more maple syrup as desired.

5. Once the cake is done, let it cool and then frost the cake. Use toothpicks to keep up saran wrap, and cover the cake. Keep in the fridge overnight or make it in the morning and keep it in the fridge until night and then serve.

-A

Dark Chocolate Cashew Cookies

Since Im really trying my best to stay away from refined sugars this month, I adapted this recipe from one I tried a few months ago here. I tried the actual recipe the first time I made them and they were delicious, but I didn't have any almonds when I made them on the weekend, so I improvised. These cookies are flour free, and made with ground up nuts and coconut! I made these with cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and some dark chocolate chunks and they were delicious! If you love cookies and are looking for a healthier alternative, give these a try! They are vegan and can be made gluten free too! 

Here's the recipe:
1 cup of cashews
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 dark chocolate chunks
1/4 coconut oil
1/4 maple syrup
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind/blend cahews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and coconut in a blender or food processor. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave and combine with the maple syrup and vanilla. Combine nut flour with wet ingredients, then mix in the oats and the chocolate. Form balls, flatten and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

-M

Chickpea Chocolate Coconut Energy Balls

Here is a recipe for some delightful guilt-free energy balls. Energy balls are all over the internet lately, and I wanted to try out my own version. These are a great alternative to chocolate bars and sugary granola bars. I ate a couple today after the gym and they were just what I needed, they are a great source of complex carbohydrates and protein, which is important post workout. They are packed with fibre, protein and delicious chocolatey flavour! I gave away the surprise in their name, but can you believe these are made from chickpeas! This was the first time I made something sweet with chickpeas and I was surprised at how well it worked, chickpeas have such a mild flavour and creamy texture that they are a great alternative.

Recipe: 
2 cups cooked chickpeas
4 tablespoons maple syrup - these were not very sweet, so add more if you want something sweeter
2 tablespoons/chunks of creamed coconut (optional)
7-10 dried dates - these add more sweetness
2-5 tablespoons cocoa powder - depending on how chocolatey you want them
4-5 tablespoons coconut milk
20 cashews
1-2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup dried coconut

Directions: 
In food processor add all ingredients except rolled oats and coconut. Puree the mixture for 5-15 minutes until smooth. Add the 1/2 cup of dried coconut and oats to the mixture and combine. Form balls and roll in the 1/4 cup remaining coconut. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

^^ the chickpea puree ^^ 

I decided to try out this recipe because I have been trying to make more of a conscious effort to cut out refined sugars from my diet. I'm a healthy eater - I try to stick with the 80/20 rule (80% of my diet is very healthy, 20% is more indulgent :) Lately though, I've been doing a lot of travelling, visiting with friends and family, and I haven't been home as much as usual. This has resulted in me eating out more often, and eating more sugar (I lovvvve sweets by the way) and especially refined sugar. So, I'm going to try my best to cut out (actually reduce - I don't like strict rules) refined sugar and get back to eating real food!

Enjoy! 

-M