Vegan Neapolitan Cupcakes // Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free

was there ever a time in your life that you visited a grandparents house for dinner and the minute dishes and leftovers were put away , they cracked open the Neapolitan Ice cream?

It’s basically the grandparent/summer staple dessert that everyone enjoys, but it’s nobodies favorit. Thankfully, It’s is an ingenious idea and a great starting point to making any dessert better! Natalie, Daniel and I all agreed Neapolitan ice cream needed a face lift so we recreated it into the best darn vegan and gluten free cupcakes you can get your hands on!

The strawberry icing uses only 2 ingredients and is super flavorful and versatile! If you take anything away from the recipe, is that vegan frosting is NOT a myth and is super simple to accomplish! The freeze dried strawberries and the coconut cream make a lovely couple that definitely beats the artificial strawberry taste you usually find. The layers are fluffy and moist with the perfect punch of chocolate and smooth vanilla flavor! All coming together to make a perfect trio of vanilla, chocolate & strawberry!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup applesauce

• 1/4th cup coconut oil

• 1 cup almond milk

• 1/3rd cup agave

• 1 tsp. vanlla

• 1 3/4th cup oat flour

• 1 1/4th cup almond flour

• 1/4th cup tapioca flour

• 1/4th cup cocoa powder

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp. salt

Strawberry Frosting

• 1 cup coconut cream

• 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Whisk together the applesauce, coconut oil, almond milk, agave, & vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond four, oat flour, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until lump-free

4. Add the wet to dry and stir to combine

5. Separate batter into 2 bowls. Stir the tapioca starch into one half and the cocoa powder into the other.

6. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners (or spray with nonstick spray)

7. Fill each cupcake halfway with the vanilla batter. Top with chocolate batter, filling almost all the way to the top

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F. When done they should spring back when lightly press in the center.

9. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

10. For the frosting, grind the freeze-dried strawberries to a fine powder. Whisk into the coconut cream until smooth and pink. Chill until ready to frost.

11. Frost cooled cupcakes, top with sprinkles if desired, and enjoy!

Cosmic Brownies // Gluten Free & Vegan

One fine afternoon my friend Natalie from the blog Feasting on Fruit and I were discussing what treasures we would make next. Our obsession with pumpkin for the season had yet to begin so we began to brainstorm what to make until then.

When we come up with recipes they have to be Daniel approved because if we can make a baking traditionalist happy with something baked that’s gluten-free and vegan, we can make anyone happy! We also take every opportunity to make recipes that give us some glam drizzle shots!

We landed on something nostalgic, chocolaty, and irresistibly good! You probably guessed from the title of course, but we landed on making Cosmic Brownies, and we were determined to make them even better than the original. I know that’s saying a lot especially when we are making them without flour, butter, or eggs…

Well, folks, this one here is a winner if I have ever seen (or eaten) one! The fudgy brownie and decadent chocolate ganache will without a doubt bring up your dessert game while simultaneously bring you back to your childhood days, eating Little Debbie snacks on the back porch with your friends.

We made this recipe simple so that everyone can have a chance to make and enjoy them! We also kept in mind to make these vegan, gluten-free, & paleo so that more than just one group of people can enjoy them! Let us know how you enjoy the brownies, and in the meantime don’t forget to check out Daniel Peacocke on YouTube and Natalie on her website Feasting on Fruit!

Now without any further delay here is the recipe!

Brownies

• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp warm water)

• 3/4 cup (185g) runny nut/seed butter

• 1/4 cup (50g) coconut oil*

• 1/2 cup (75g) coconut sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup (70g) cacao powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

Ganache

• 1 cup (160g) chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup coconut milk

• Colorful sprinkles for topping**

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F

• Whisk together the nut/seed butter, coconut sugar, prepared flax eggs, and vanilla.

• Stir in the cacao powder, baking soda, and salt to form a thick batter. If batter seems too dry add 1/4 cup coconut oil or nondairy milk.

• Spread into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350ºF.

• Cool completely (or chill to speed it up) before frosting

• For the ganache, melt the chocolate chips with the coconut milk. Stir until smooth pour/spread on top of cooled brownies.

• Top with sprinkles. Chill until the ganache is set.

• Slice and enjoy!!

Notes

*You can use non-dairy milk instead of coconut oil for an oil-free option, but the brownies will be drier.

** For an all-natural revision check out Feasting on Fruit for a homemade sprinkles recipe!

MInt Chocolate Chip Smoothie // Dairy Free & Gluten Free

Smoothies have a special place in my heart because they are piqued my interest in how healthy food can taste like a real treat! It all started when I was 14 and got a job babysitting. I would go every Thursday morning where the family was just finishing breakfast and the mom would set aside a cup of whatever smoothie they were making for me! it was awesome and helped me to learn that breakfast could be more than just cereal. Their family always had healthy treats around and near the end of work the mom and I would usually chat for a bit about life over a piece of dark chocolate.
It was one of the best jobs I have ever had and helped me learn about how to care for other people, but also how to care for my health with food!
As you guys might know, once life hit college life got tough and the idea of living a healthy and balanced life changed. I was at a job that made me miserable, my fiance lived in another country, I was convinced I would fail college, and felt a lack of control. What I knew I could control was what I put into my mouth, which made my love for living a healthy and balanced life, just an unhealthy obsession.
Thankfully after many years of recovery I have learned that intuitive eating was what I needed to get back to. It’s what I did in high school and I knew that if I wanted to regain my love for food I needed things to change.
I had all the rules beforehand that stemmed from me having to restrict my diet for medical reasons, that carried over into a “healthy diet”. it took months and months to break the cycle and to test the waters. For me it was having carbs in the morning. I loved smoothies, but the ones I was making were not what I genuinely loved or enjoyed. Even though I was eating enough food, I wasn’t satisfying my emotional connection with food. This leads me to overeat the Sonya approved food, leading me to an unbalanced diet.

After acknowledging these issues, and consistently working to break the bad habits and mindset I was stuck in I noticed things started to change.
I began eating dessert, every day, sometimes twice a day! But I also started doing my favorite exercises, having fun, and switching it up. I wasn’t focused on the calories I consumed or burned, I was simply enjoying the things that I loved! I felt like I did in high school were my favorite activities were ether doing something active or eating great food with the people I loved.
I stopped obsessing and started living again.
Thankfully living included eating a lot of yummy things, and that’s when this page truly began to change for the better!

Now I can bring to you fun recipes like this Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie that you can conveniently enjoy for breakfast or dessert! All you have to do is switch up the ingredients and voila! You have a tasty meal that brings joy!
If you want this Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie for Breakfast all you need is…

If you want this Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie for Breakfast all you need is…

• 1 Frozen Banana

• 1 Cup nut milk (I like almond)

• 1 scoop collagen of vanilla protein powder

• 1 Tbsp. Cocoa powder

• 1 Tbsp cacao nibs

• 1 Tbsp sunflower butter

• handful of spinach

• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 ice cubes

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 Tbsp. avocado (optional)

• 1 Tbsp. Flax meal (optional)

  And if you want to enjoy it as a tasty dessert…

• 1 Frozen Banana

• 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

• 1 Tbsp. cacao nibs

• 1/4th to 1/2 cup milk (less milk = thiccc like ice cream)

• 1 Tbsp. sunflower butter

• pinch of sea salt

• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

• 1/3 tsp vanilla extract

  Directions

  FOR BOTH**In a blender pour the almond milk in first and then add in all other ingredients and blend away!
  

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Double chocolate banana bread was the only reason I was excited this morning. It’s not that I lead a miserable life and need baked goods to pull me out of bed, it’s the fact that my dreams and lack of sleep were enough to put a damper on this morning. When I say dreams I don’t mean the half remembered, barely anything to talk about dreams. This was a full on Sobbing with real tears, scaring my husband type of moment that left us both confused and and tired.

I have been listening to a lot of Jane Austin books on Audible, which has been great until last night... I dreamed that my little sister and I were the eldest in a family of several children. We were definitley poor and in need of assistance. I visited a wealthy family and they seemed nice enough, but also game me a bad vibe. At a party that evening I saw my sister sneak off and hop on their yacht and sail off into the night, I was furious, how could she leave me?

I stayed up all night waiting for her (even in my dreams I don’t rest), and when they got back I made a lame excutse as to why i was creepily waiting in their driveway. My sister was okay, but when I tried to urge her to come home, the wife told me that they wanted to keep my sister forver. I ran away sobbing and distraught, and that ques me waking up Daniel and soaking my sleep mask in tears.

Like I said though, I had Double Chocolate banana bread waiting for me in the fridge. Thankfully this brought e to life once again and I was able to write this blog post just for you. SO with that, let’s get into baking this bad boy!

I decided to make this Double Chocolate Banana bread with a pancake mix because of my lack of correct flours in the pantry and my detest for running to the store for one item…ever since the whole walk this way down the lane and everyone being stressed out in a small place, grocery shopping just isn’t the same.

Anyway, I used The Ancient grain pancake mix by Purely Elizabeth because it’s what I had on hand, not because this is a sponsored or paid post! The beauty of using a pancake mix, is that you don’t have to source a bunch of gluten free flours or worry about getting the ratio correct, because it’s already done for you!

I added in the oats and cocoa powder because I wanted to make sure the bread ended up with a heartier texture, closer to bread then a pancake which worked out perfectly!

I decided to use cacao nibs because for #1 I didn’t want to go to the store, and #2 I didn’t want to add in a ton of extra sugar to this recipe. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate chips, but the addition of cacao nibs to this bread helped it reach that next level taste. The carimalization of the banana met the bitterness of the cacao and it made a perfect combination!

SO here is your perfectly baked, fluffy and simple, gluten free and dairy free, Double Chocolate Banana Bread!

Ingredients

·         2 medium ripe banana

·         1/3rd cup Almond Milk

·         1 Tbsp. avocado oil

·         2 Tbsp. agave

·         4 eggs

·         2 cups Purely Elizabeth pancake mix

·         1/4th cup cocoa powder

·         1/4th cup oats

·         1/3rd cup cacao nibs

Directions

Preheat the over to 350F

In a large bowl add in the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.

Add in the pancake mix and fold together until well combined but not fully combined.

Whisk in the cocoa powder and oats and then fold in the cacao nibs.

line a bread pan with parchment paper and spray with coconut oil. Pour in the mixture until about 1/2 inch from the top.

Slice a banana in half and place on top with extra cacao nibs.

Place in the oven for 50-60 minutes, making sure when you stick a knife in the bread it comes out clean.

Note** Initially I used a smaller bread pan & had some leftover for mini Muffins, so if you have any leftover feel free to bake into muffin form, making sure to reduce the baking time to about 20 to 25 minutes.

Slice a banana in half and place on top of the mixture in the pan.

Let cool & enjoy immediately or store in the fridge

Tahini Energy Bites // Gluten Free & Dairy Free // Vegan Optional

Staying at home has its ups and downs, on one hand, it’s awesome because I don’t have to put on makeup all day! On the other hand, I have to make sure I have snacks and dessert ready in a moment’s notice to satisfy all the hunger and cravings. This has been kind of annoying, because it feels like I am a teenager again, with minimal responsibility and a lot of time filling my time with random activities. The thing is when I was a teenager the snacks just appeared after every Thursday when my parents would grocery shop…But obviously I am an adult now and have to provide for myself.

Thankfully being an adult means getting to make whatever you want, and since I am a firm believer that snacks and dessert have the ability to be totally interchangeable good things happened in the kitchen this week.

Behold, I bring to you, Tahini Energy Bites. They taste like dessert, but totally can pass as healthy snacks! They are packed with protein & healthy fats from the nut butter, collagen & hemp hearts! All while offering you a tasty treat that has the perfect balance of sweet & bitter from the dates & cacao!

You can make a whole bunch of these and store them in the freezer for whenever your feeling peckish so don’t be shy! Double or triple the batch, either way, you won’t be sorry!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Pitted Dates

• 1/4th cup Hemp Hearts

• 1/2 cup Tahini

• 2 Tbsp Cacao Nibs

• 2 Tbsp Almond Milk

• 1/4th tsp Sea Salt

• 2 scoops Collagen (optional)

Directions

In a food processor or a high-speed blender combine all of the ingredients except for the almond milk.

Blend on high until well combined. Add in your almond milk and then blend for about 1-2 minutes longer, until combined.

Roll into balls, coat in hemp hearts, and then store in the freezer!

Eat whenever pleases you & enjoy them!

No-Bake Coconut Cookie Bars

Chocolate is kinda my thing if you haven’t noticed from the presence of chocolate in my recipes. So when I am thinking of a new recipe, that’s usually where I start! Then I think to myself what goes best with chocolate? Well today I had a huge bag of coconut in my cupboard that was just ASKING to be made into a sweet treat!

Now in order for my sweet treats to be accepted into the realm of Sonya’s Open Cupboard they have to be tested and approved by both my nieces, nephews and my husband. All who are equally picky…When I presented these No-Bake Coconut Bars it was a success!

The kids loved them and so did Daniel and my sister, and me, and…well we ate them all so that was as many people I had try them that day!

My favorite part about these bars is that they are a no-bake recipe, that is super easy to make, especially if you are home with little ones! I take care of my nieces and nephews a lot who are all under the age of 10. Keeping things creative with them is super important to me so whenever there is a simple recipe to make with them it’s so much more fun!

The Coconut Cookie layer is great because you get to use your (washed) hands to mix and place in the pan which is great for stimulation!

For the Chocolate layer, you get to teach them about using a double boiler, and how easy it is for the chocolate to burn. This helps them learn precision and the importance of following directions! It also teaches me to be more patient and relaxed with them…so all around it’s a win-win!

Coconut Cookie Layer

• 1 cup coconut flour

• 2/3rd cup shredded coconut

• 1/4th cup Agave

• 1/4th cup hemp hearts

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1/3rd cup full fat coconut milk

• ½ cup sunflower butter

Chocolate Layer

• 1 cup chocolate chips

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil

Toppings (optional)

• Toasted Coconut (see directions below)

Directions

Line an 8x8 Brownie pan with Parchment paper, making sure the paper covers the sides of the pan.

In a bowl whisk together the coconut flour, shredded coconut, hemp hearts & sea salt.

Add in the Coconut Milk, Agave, and Sunflower butter and mix until well combined, using your hands if need be!

Press the dough into the pan evenly, making sure to get the cookie base evenly into every corner!

Freeze the base for about 30 minutes.

While your base is in the freezer, combine your chocolate chips and coconut oil together and melt using a double boiler method. What I do is boil water and put it in a glass bowl, and then place the smaller glass bowl with the chocolate and coconut oil, into the hot water. Making sure the water doesn’t overflow into the small bowl. Make sure you are stirring the chocolate and coconut oil together. Feel free to replace the water with hot water halfway through if need be.

it should take about 5 to 10 minutes to melt the chocolate.

I have found that it is a super gentle way to melt the chocolate, and you end up with more control, especially since the amount of chocolate is small.

Once your chocolate is melted evenly pour evenly on top of the Coconut Cookie base and then place back into the freezer. If you want you can top with toasted coconut**!

After the cookie has been in the freezer for 30 minutes check to see if the chocolate has set. Once the chocolate has set take out, cut into squares and enjoy!

Toasted Coconut**

For the toasted coconut, all you have to do is preheat your oven to 350F

Put your desired amount of coconut on a baking sheet and bake it for about 8-10 minutes, making sure to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Let cool and use to top your No-Bake Coconut Cookie Bars!