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Spinach and Avocado Green Smoothies

By Jen, on January 22nd, 2012%

Avocados are one of my favorite foods. They’re rich and creamy with a delicate flavor that pairs well with so many ingredients. Most people think of guacamole when looking for an avocado recipe. (For good reason…yum!) But avocados are great in other recipes like creamy salad dressings and smoothies.

Here’s a recipe for green smoothies with spinach and avocado. The spinach adds a fresh flavor and the avocado gives the smoothie a thick and creamy consistency. Sweeten as desired with your favorite natural sweetener. I used a healthy squeeze of Bee-Free Honee.

Spinach and Avocado Green Smoothies
1 1/4 cups cold water
1 cup fresh or frozen mango chunks
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/2 medium ripe Hass avocado, peeled and pit removed
1/2 cup ice cubes
Natural sweetener to taste

Add water, mango chunks, spinach and avocado to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Add ice; cover and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness. Add natural sweetener according to your taste; cover and blend to combine.

Makes 2 servings (2 3/4 cups total)

Recipe Link:
Good and Green Smoothies

Product Links:
Get Vitamix 5200 Blender with Free Shipping Code
Honee 100% All-Natural Bee-Free
The Best of Clean Eating: Over 200 Mouthwatering Recipes to Keep You Lean and Healthy

Leave a comment   Drinks, Eat Clean Recipes, Vegan   , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

Watermelon Coconut Water Ice Pops

By Jen, on September 14th, 2011%

Ice pops are fun and easy to make. Simply blend up fresh and fruity ingredients and freeze in ice pop molds.

Don’t have an ice pop mold? No problem. All you need is 5-ounce paper cups, foil and wooden sticks to make your own molds.

Here’s a recipe for watermelon ice pops. So simple, it has only 4 ingredients. The most difficult part of this recipe is waiting for the pops to freeze. Patience will be rewarded!

Watermelon Coconut Water Ice Pops
4 cups fresh watermelon chunks, seedless or seeds removed
1/2 cup coconut water
Juice from 1 fresh lime
2 to 4 tablespoons organic evaporated cane sugar
8 (5-ounce) paper cups
Foil squares
Wooden sticks

Add watermelon, coconut water, lime juice and sugar to blender container. Cover and blend until liquid and smooth. Remove and discard foam. (You should have about 3 cups liquid remaining.) Pour liquid into paper cups (about 1/3 cup liquid into each paper cup). Cover cups with squares of foil; insert wooden stick through foil. Freeze until solid, about 8 hours.

Makes 8 ice pops

Tip: The amount of sugar needed depends on the sweetness of the watermelon. If the watermelon is sweet and flavorful use less sugar.

What is coconut water? Coconut water is the liquid from young, green coconuts. Be sure to use coconut water for this recipe, not coconut milk.

Recipe Links:
Watermelon Blueberry Popsicles from Jenny Steffens
Cucumber Watermelon Juice

Product Link:
Get Vitamix 5200 Blender with Free Shipping Code

Leave a comment   Desserts, Eat Clean Recipes, Snacks, Vegan   , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies

By Jen, on August 12th, 2011%

Sometimes food equals love.

Today, people all over the world are making peanut butter pie- and sharing it with someone they love. Making the pie is a simple show of support for Jennifer Perillo of In Jennie’s Kitchen. She lost her husband Mikey this week. There are no words that can change that. But, friends and strangers can make a pie for Mikey.

Here’s my recipe for peanut butter pie. I hope you enjoy it with someone you love.

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies (Vegan)
1/4 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon creamy natural peanut butter
15 mini baked fillo shells (1.9 ounce package)
15 small scoops dark chocolate coconut ice cream (non-dairy frozen dessert)
Chopped cocktail peanuts

Combine chocolate chips and peanut butter in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the fillo shells. (About a rounded 1/2 teaspoon per shell.) Refrigerate or freeze for 10 minutes or until set.

To serve, top each fillo shell with a scoop of coconut ice cream. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

Makes 15 mini ice cream pies

Tip: A small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon volume) works perfectly for scooping the ice cream.

More peanut butter pies for Mikey:
Search #apieformikey on Twitter
Find peanut butter pie blog links in a roundup from The Tomato Tart

4 comments   Desserts, Eat Clean Recipes   , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

By Jen, on February 19th, 2011%

I’ve been adapting some of my favorite recipes for baked goods, working to convert them to vegan recipes. My latest project was to veganize whole wheat pumpkin bread. After 4 or 5 tests I think I got it right. Here’s my recipe for vegan pumpkin bread. It’s made with 100% whole wheat flour and is sweetened with sucanat, a natural sugar. (dariy-free, egg-free recipe)

Vegan Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk or almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sucanat or packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup canola or safflower oil
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 8×4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Set aside.

Sir together soymilk and vinegar; let stand 2 minutes until thickened. In medium bowl mix soymilk mixture, sucanat, pumpkin, oil and vanilla until well blended. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in nuts. Spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

Recipe Links:
Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread from Joy the Baker
Vegan Pumpkin Smoothies

One comment   Baking, Vegan   , , , , , , , , , ,  
 
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