I literally should have quadrupled the batch of these candy bars when I made them last week. Holly molly where they the best… They were sensational to say the least but at the same time dangerous since stopping at just one bar was rather difficult for me…what the heck, I think I have to make them again this weekend!

Have you used dates for making desserts before? If you haven’t you really should give it a try. I started not too long ago. Probably about a year ago to be exact. Not only dates are a healthier option to use in place of unrefined sugar, but they are extremely versatile. Give dates a try, I think you will love them too.

On another note, for the first time ever I am started to cook most of my meals for the week on Sunday. I started summer school and since my schedule is super crazy including study time, gym, picking the kids from school, kids activities, running small errands etc, I hardly have enough time to fit everything in anymore. I really had to device a plan to cook most of my weekly meals during the weekend with the exception of perhaps one.

Last Sunday I cooked five meals in record time. One hour to be exact. Of course I was cooking like a mad woman but the amount of cooking time that I will be saving during the week would be priceless. Will see how it goes this coming Sunday because today I spent $300 on groceries. I have never spent that kind of money in just one grocery trip before. Oh well, it was really good quality food.

Anyhow, I think if you are new to dates, or are thinking about giving them a try, this is the recipe you need to make. You would love the end result. Just make sure you keep these candy bars in the freezer and thaw for 5-10 minutes before digging in.

I truly hope you like these candy bars. Let me know if you don’t, however, I doubt that :-)

Enjoy!

Candy bars-gluten free and vegan

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 16 bars

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust

• 2 cups old fashion oats, Gluten Free
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons almond milk
• 1 cup pitted prunes or dates
• 1/4 cup chia seeds

Middle Layer

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

Caramel Layer

• 2 cups pitted dates
• 1/2 salted peanuts
• 2-3 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp celtic salt or Himalayan salt

Top Layer

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Line a 8x8 square baking pan with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.

In your food processor add the crust ingredients. With a spatula, press the mixture onto your prepared baking pan.

Place the middle layer ingredients in the food processor and pulse until the ingredients come together. It will look like pizza dough. Press this mixture over the crust. I used my fingers, however, it is a bit sticky.

Place the caramel layer ingredients in your food processor. Pulse until you obtain a spreadable mixture just like in the pictures. You may have to add a tad more water if it is not a spreadable consistency. Add the chopped peanuts to the caramel layer and with a spatula spread the caramel mixture over the middle almond layer.

Place the top layer ingredients in a microwavable dish and microwave for 30 seconds intervals until the coconut oil as melted and the ingredients are liquified. Spread this mixture over the caramel layer and freeze until set. About 3-4 hours.

Take the mixture out of the square pan and cut into squares. Keep candy in the freezer and thaw for 5-10 minutes before eating.

NOTE: If your dates are a bit dried when you make the caramel layer you can soaked them up for 10 minutes before placing them in the food processor. My dates were quite soft and moist so I didn't have to do this step.

The post Candy bars-gluten free and vegan appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I was super amazed at how good this peanut butter pie was considering how simple it was to make. The mixture in the food processor tasted like heaven so I couldn’t wait for it to solidify and dig in…you need to do yourself a favor and make this peanut butter pie ASAP it is that good.

If you like peanut butter and bananas you are going to love this version. Gluten free, vegan, no bake and healthier, what else could you ask for from a peanut butter pie?

I have been making quite a few desserts lately and I really can’t stop given the fact that I have a super sweet tooth. I haven’t been to the gym in a few days so I think I should stay away from these desserts…ah maybe not…I can’t live without sweets so I will make sure I just exercise extra hard when I make it there!

On another note, you guys, is anyone attending summer school? I am, and quite frankly it is kicking my behind. 12 years ago I graduated with my double major. I was single, having fun and on top of the world. Now, I have two kids, my own business to sustain, a household and on top of that school work. This journey better pay off because the lack of sleep, sacrificing time from seeing my kids and being stuck in a room while it is nice and sunny outside sucks big time. I will stick it out but sometimes I just want to quit and leave it all behind…

Anyhow, I am really making a super human effort to keep my posts going. I know some of you are waiting for me to post my recipes, so I will try my hardest to keep them coming.

Until my next recipe…here you go…now go an make this peanut butter pie. You will thank me later!

Enjoy!

No bake peanut butter pie- Gluten free and vegan

Yield: 12 servings

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1 cup rolled oats, gluten free
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3-4 tbsp maple syrup, or 3-4 tbs almond milk
• 1 cup almond flour

Filling

• 2 cup organic peanut butter, I used crunchy
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 2 tsp real vanilla paste or extract
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

Topping

• 1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, vegan if need it
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

 

Directions:

Line a 9 inch round cake pan with unbleached parchment paper.

Add the crust ingredients to your food processor and process until smooth. Add this mixture to the prepared lined cake pan and with a spatula press until evenly uniformed through all sides.

Place the filling ingredients in the food processor and pulse until you obtain a homogenous mixture. Add the topping over the crust and freeze pie until solid for at least 4-6 hours.

When ready to eat, sprinkle the peanuts over the peanut butter pie. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a plate and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate has melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the peanuts and pie and serve.

You may have to let the pie sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to be able to slice. Store leftover pie in the freezer and thaw for 10-15 minutes before eating.

Recipe adapted from here

The post No bake peanut butter pie-Gluten free and vegan appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have been using thin whole wheat spaghetti noodles when I don’t have egg noodles or any other Asian noodles for that matter. I wish I add eggs noodles when I made this peanut and coconut noodles but the whole wheat thin spaghetti works rather well.

I am sure whole wheat spaghettis will be more available for most of you than egg noodles so go ahead and try the recipe with them. It will turn out great. You can also add any other veggies you may like. I choose broccoli slaw but you can also use shredded cabbage, carrots and even some soy beans.

I used coconut cream from Trader Joe’s but if you can’t get coconut cream just use coconut milk. Instead of using 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water just add about 2 tbsp of it instead otherwise the sauce may be to liquid like.

On another note, the next 3 months are going to be roller coster of events and madness around here. I have a few projects going on and one of them is going to take 80% of my time. I hope my recipe posting doesn’t suffer but if you see that it does just by patient.

Well, I hope that you like this peanut and coconut noodle recipe. It is easy and super tasty.

Enjoy!

This is how the sauce will look like right before you add the pasta. You can use brown rice pasta, egg noodles or the thin whole wheat spaghetti. Any of them will be fine. You can also add or replace any other veggies of your choice.

Peanut and coconut noodles

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup organic smooth peanut butter
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 14 oz full fat can coconut cream, or coconut milk
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
• 12 oz broccoli slaw
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 3 oz fresh organic spinach
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 12 oz thin whole wheat spaghetti

Directions:

Prepare spaghetti according to package instructions.

In a large skillet add the coconut oil and sliced pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic cloves and broccoli slaw and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Add the coconut cream, pasta water, curry paste, soy sauce and peanut butter. With a wire whisk, whisk until the peanut butter dissolves and the sauce is properly combined with the veggies.

Add the fresh spinach and chopped peanuts and incorporate well. Turn heat off and toss the cooked pasta with the sauce. Serve while still warm.

Note: I used 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water because I used coconut cream. If you use coconut milk you may need just 1-2 tbsp of the reserved pasta water.

Recipe adapted from Momtastic

The post Peanut and coconut noodles appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Homemade chocolate peanut butter is the best thing on earth. I have never made any nut butter before and for sure this is not going to be my last.

I made my homemade chocolate peanut butter with cocoa powder to add some antioxidants as well as some deeper rich darker color. It work perfectly but no so perfect when I attempted to add some melted chocolate to it. It become hard and no of a spreadable consistency so I skipped it on this batch.

I was super impressed at how easy it was to make peanut butter, but then again, I had an amazing piece of kitchen equipment to help me with the job. KitchenAid truly has the most amazing kitchen counter appliances and this 16-cup KitchenAid Food Processor is no different.

The power of this KitchenAid food processor is truly amazing. It literally took about 3 minutes to make this peanut butter, maybe a minute longer because I added the cocoa powder, but that is it. I also made some almond meal before making the peanut butter and that took about 10 seconds. This KitchenAid food processor is the bomb.

I picked a grey one to match my kitchen, since I leave it on my kitchen counter at all times. I use it quite a bit so there is not need to store it away. I am so glad my friends at KitchenAid were able to provide me with this elite food processor. Most definitely a huge upgrade from my previous one. The performance, quality and features are outstanding.

There is also an attachment box that comes with the food processor that accommodates all of the blades needed for you chopping, dicing, grating etc

KitchenAid food processor features:

• This Pro Line® Series 16-Cup Food Processor is the first residential food processor with hands-free, commercial-style dicing, calibrated for your countertop.
• Has an exact slice system.
• Has a 3-in-1 ultra wide mouth feed tube.
• 16-cup work bowl with ultra tight seal.

You can also buy this KitchenAid food processor in different colors, white, red, black and silver. To buy this KitchenAid 16-cup food processor visit the KitchenAid web page.

In the pictures above you can see almond meal. It took me 10 seconds to make it. I just used raw almonds with the skin attached.

Here you can see the peanut butter. The left picture is just the plain peanuts and the right picture is the peanuts and cocoa powder together. I attempted to add some dark melted chocolate to the mix but the peanut butter become quite hard so this time around I skipped it and I liked it much better.

I keep my 16-cup KitchenAid food processor in my kitchen counter at all times. I use so much that there is not need to store it away. The consistency of this homemade peanut butter was just perfect. I can’t believe how easy it was to make.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by KitchenAid. This post contains affiliate links. KitchenAid provided me with their 16-cup KitchenAid food processor to write this review and all opinions are my own. I speak from personal experience. The end :-)

Homemade chocolate peanut butter

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 10 servings

Total Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb unsalted roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp Celtic salt

Directions:

Add the peanut to the food processor and pulse for about 2-3 minutes depending on your food processor. I used the 16-cup KitchenAid food processor and that is how long it took me.

Add the cocoa powder and pulse for another minute until well incorporated. Store in half pint glass containers in the refrigerator.

NOTE: This will keep in your refrigerator for at least 2 weeks!

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 10 servings.

The post Homemade chocolate peanut butter appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

This Vegan salted caramel and peanut butter ice cream is dangerous and very addictive…oh boy I am in trouble!

I have been making quite a few popsicles lately but hardly any ice cream or sorbet. One of my kitchen appliances that I love most is my ice cream maker so before summer comes to and end I want to use it a few more times. Do you have an ice cream maker? I think it is a great asset to your kitchen. I bought mine about 4 years ago and I love it. We stopped buying ice cream after I got it. In about 20 minutes you will have your very own homemade ice cream to enjoy.

All I need to do is make sure I always have some Greek yogurt, heavy cream or coconut cream to make some!

Believe or not this is the first time I have used coconut cream to make ice cream. I have seen it used as a form of whip cream for vegans so I figured I use it and test it for myself.

I do use coconut cream for soups, and Asian cooking a lot, as well as in some bake goods, but I have never used it to make ice cream. My verdict? It was just awesome. Very coconutty, but never the less really good. Because the amazing creaminess coconut cream gives, I think I will be using it to make popsicles soon. I think pineapple and coconut will sure be awesome!

Summer time is about to end and before that happens I know I will have a few more frozen treats here to share with you.

For the caramel recipe I used a mixture of dates and coconut water to make it but you can use any caramel of your choice. Just keep in mind that if you do you may want to add less sugar for the ice cream mixture. The date caramel is sweet but not as sweet as regular caramel.

Dates are a great source of fiber, vitamin A, iron and B-carotene. I was skeptical to use dates in my baking at first, but after trying it the first time I considered it one of the best major healthy discoveries in my baking. I love using dates for sweetening things!

Let me know if you get to try this Vegan salted caramel and peanut butter ice cream. Of course you can make any other flavors you may like. Once you have an ice cream maker the sky is the limit.

Enjoy!

Here you can see the type of coconut cream I used. It was from Trader Joe’s but I am sure you can get it at an Asian supermarkdet, whole foods or even Amazon. My ice cream took about 20 minutes to get done and then I placed it in the freezer for an extra hour to hardern.

Vegan salted caramel and peanut butter ice cream

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 (14 oz) cans coconut cream, refrigerated
• 2 tbsp unrefined sugar
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
• 2 tbsp peanuts, chopped

Caramel sauce

• 8 dates, pitted and previously soaked in warm water
• 3 tbsp coconut water, I got it from the coconut cream cans
• 1/2 tsp celtic salt

 

Directions:

Place dates in a small bowl and soked in warm water for 5 minutes.

Place dates, salt and coconut water in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.

Place coconut cream, peanut butter, and  sugar in your ice cream maker. Turn it on and let the ice cream maker do its magic. After 10-15 minutes add the chopped peanuts and continue until the ice cream is to your desired consistency. On the last minute or so add the caramel sauce.

Turn off ice cream maker and transfer mixture to serving bowls or if you like the ice cream firmer place in the freezer for about 1 hour.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 6 servings.

The post Vegan salted caramel and peanut butter ice cream appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Wow at last another blog post. Sorry but I have been down South Spain for the past two weeks without a steady internet connection, thus keeping up with the blog has been quite hard. However, I am back now ready to share really good recipes in the next few weeks to come!

Today I have brought you my own version of drunken noodles with shrimp, which in my opinion, they are mighty delicious.

I have tried many versions of drunken noodles before only to find one Thai restaurant that really prepared them right to my taste. Not that I am an expert on Asian cuisine, but even though the base of drunken noodles is made with soy sauce, it is not rare to see them prepared differently just like mine.

For my drunken noodles with shrimp version the sauce base of the noodles was using a Pad Thai sauce mixed in with a chilli sauce. This sauce may sound odd but it is mighty good. This recipe has been a secret of mine for quite some time but today I thought to share it with you so that you can enjoy it with your family and friends as well.

If you live near an Asian market like I do, you will be able to get Asian staples, likes sauces, at a much better price. If you don’t happen to have and Asian market near by you can rely on Amazon. Many of the ingredients can be found there.

This drunken noodle recipe is truly a gem. You can prepare this dish in no time. If you like drunken noodles and Pad Thai I suggest you double the batch. You will thank me later :-)

Enjoy!

On the left picture you can see the two different sauces I used. You can get them at any Asian market but if you don’t live near one you can get the Sweet chilli sauce and Pad Thai sauce on Amazon.

Drunken noodles with shrimp

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 14 oz wide rice noodles
• 16 oz medium cooked shrimp
• 10 oz grated carrots
• 2 organic eggs, scrambled
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
  1 Tbsp grated ginger
• 1 cup fresh Thai basil, regular basil will do
• 3 Tbsp olive oil

Sauce

• 1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce
• 1/2 cup pad Thai sauce

 

Directions:

Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.

In a bowl mix sauce ingredients and set aside.

In a large pot, over medium to high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the grated carrots, ginger and green onions and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked shrimp, basil and combine. Turn the heat off and set aside.

On a separate pan, over low heat, heat 1 tsp of olive oil. Add the scrambled eggs and cooked stirring constantly until done. Add to veggies.

To the veggies, add the cooked rice noodles, sauce mixture, chopped basil and chopped peanuts and combine. Serve while still warm.

Nutrition facts based on the recipe giving 5 servings.

The post Drunken noodles with shrimp appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.