crazy good rice pudding

today is a cleaner take on the traditional rice pudding. i was craving something rich and creamy and warm this morning. olive and i had brown rice last night for dinner. the left over rice was sitting in the fridge just begging to be made into something delicious. of course, rice pudding is always a good idea.

this rice pudding is lacking white sugar, butter, white rice, and cream. what it isn't lacking? the creamy, rich, lush, sweet decadence that every rice pudding should have.

rice pudding:

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (unsweetened)

1/3 cup coconut sugar (less if your milks are sweetened)

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg beaten

about 5 roughly chopped dates

in a saucepan combine rice, milks, sugar, and salt. cook over medium heat until boil forms, turn down to low and simmer until thick and creamy (takes a good 15 minutes). quickly stir in beaten egg (stir quickly and constantly) continue to stir and cook on low heat for additional 2 minutes. 

remove from heat, add dates, enjoy! if you traditionally like butter on yours, use some coconut oil. i however think this rich enough as is. 

best part is, you totally made use of that left over brown rice ; )

clean eating fudge

i have had a serious sweet tooth lately. brett and i went to casper wy for a short business trip. we consequently ate out, every meal, for 3 days. try as you may to choose healthy options, when you aren't in control of making your own food, you consume a lot of random garbage. i am trying to clean my body up and get back on track. i can't even tell you how much food controls your mood, energy, complexion, brightness of your eyes, health of your teeth, hair, and even how you smell. when sugar cravings come, i instantly want a quick fix. if fruit doesn't do it for me... chocolate is always the answer ; ) its by far my favorite indulgence. this recipe is great because it is fast! so simple. requires little cleaning. oh, and did i mention? its dang freaking good. as always, its free of refined sugars. you can keep this soft (about the consistency of frosting) and use it as a fruit dip. you can also plop it into silicone muffin cups and freeze for a firmer fudge. i even use it as frosting from time to time.  i'm all out of my good nut butter. i usually choose an organic peanut butter, fresh almond butter, or a cashew butter. today i did skippy. it was still good. not an organic choice, but just use what you have on hand. improving the ingredient quality as you go.

clean eating fudge:

1 cup coconut oil (consistency of shortening, not liquid, not solid)
1/2 cup nut butter
1 cup organic maple syrup
generous 1/2 cup raw cocoa powder (more if you're a dark chocolate fan)
pinch of sea salt

combine all ingredients in bowl. dip in fruit, or spoon into silicone muffin cups and freeze.

enjoy!

*adapted from here

black bean burgers

I love guest posts! when bd and i lived in green bay i had a community of wonderful woman i got to be a part of. we were always swapping recipes. it was a great way to hang out. we got to eat, talk, laugh, and enjoy each others company. now when i make bread, i think of my friends for wisconsin, and the beautiful memories i created there. i now live in another community filled with strong and talented women. Nicci is one of them! every time i make white bean chili, i can't help but think of her (she graciously introduced us to this dish, and its now a favorite at our house). Nicci has a beautiful family (her daughter tops my list in cuteness). Nicci is always out and about, running, playing with her kiddos, taking walks, and always looking glam. she graciously shared another one of her fantastic recipes that hopefully your family can enjoy as well.

Nicci J's Black Bean Burgers

4 pieces day old or toasted bread
2 T. olive or canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. jalapeño, minced
1 t. cumin
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice (leftovers work great!)
2 t. fresh lime juice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In food processor pulse bread to form crumbs--set aside.
Heat 1 T. oil. Add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic, jalapeño, and cumin. Saute additional two minutes.
Scrape mixture into food processor. Add beans, rice, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until beans are chopped but not pureed. Scrape mixture into large bowl. Add half of the breadcrumbs and the cilantro. Stir until combined.
Divide mixture into four equal portions and form patties. If too moist add more breadcrumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least a 1/2 hour.
Heat 1 T. oil in skillet and cook four minutes per side.

Enjoy!!

crazy food: grape ice cream

delicious and light. sweet and creamy. you can't really go wrong with something like this. i have always loved snacking on frozen grapes. they are little explosions of frozen flavor. i was sitting there, snacking away, wondering, "why have i never had grape ice cream?" come to think of it.... i've never even seen grape ice cream. i'm sure if there is a play dough ice cream, and a cotton candy ice cream, there is bound to be a grape one. i just have never experienced it. so being the lactose intolerant queen that i am, i decided to do one, with a my own touches.

so here it is folks! vibrant, and beautiful, cold, and delicious....

Grape ice cream

1 heaping cup of frozen grapes (i used seedless black)
1/8 to 1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1 frozen banana

place all ingredients in high powered blender (such as vitamin, blendtec, ect). Pulse until ice cream texture is achieved. (our blendtec has an ice cream setting, if yours doesn't, pulse until creamy and combined; add more liquid if needed) ice cream should be stiff and still able to form peaks, so add liquid slow!

enjoy!

peanut butter cookies

bd requested peanut butter cookies tonight so i had to try and fulfill. i asked if he wanted my version of a cookie, or the traditional version. he chose mine ; ) i was a bit apprehensive at first, i've seen a few versions of gluten free peanut butter cookies online. i also wanted mine free of refined sugars. you can even go more extreme and try some unsweetened carob chips in yours. try these out. they are sure to impress!

gluten free, refined sugar free, peanut butter cookies:

1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup creamy almond butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
dark chocolate chips to taste

preheat oven to 350. cream sugar, nut butters, egg, and vanilla. add soda, mix, add chocolate, combine. form into 1'' ball, slightly flatten, place on parchment paper atop cookie sheet. place in oven for 10-12 mins. allow to cool slightly. enjoy!

hope ya'll enjoy these as much as we did over here, chewy but soft, sweet but salty, these are sure to please. flour? nope, didn't even miss it.

crazy food: clean eating kettle corn

I'm so happy about this for so many reasons. i made this in hope that it would be a mediocre substitution for kettle corn. i tasted it and was immediately like wohooo! this is stinkin great! so great, in fact, that i think its better than the original kind. however, with that being said, this is a very flexible recipe. everyone likes their kettle corn differently, some like it salty, others sweet... so use this as a general guide.

clean eating kettle corn:

5 cups popped popcorn
roughly 2 TBS honey
roughly 1 tsp salt
1 TBS coconut butter

when popcorn is freshly popped and hot, add coconut oil and incorporate until combined and melted. (if your popcorn is cold, simply warm up oil and drizzle over). drizzle about 1 TBS honey over popcorn, mix (this just gives the salt something to stick to) sprinkle on 1/2 tsp salt, mix, and other 1/2 tsp, mix. drizzle over remaining honey combine. taste and adjust if needed. let rest 5 minutes. enjoy!

could that be any easier?! trust me, well worth the 5 minutes of effort to make this. so tasty!

peanut butter cups

ok, as you know i have been mostly dairy free and gluten free for a while now. recently i have also added sugar free. no, that doesn't mean i never eat anything sweet, i've just given up white, powdered, and brown sugar. i cannot tell you how great it has made me feel. i also can't tell you how many people think i'm nuts, or swear up and down that i cheat when no one is looking. i really don't cheat though. the reason being? i've replaced it with something new! you can't cut out something and not replace it for another. especially not sugar! it'll just set you up for failure. i know some body builders have the self control to cut out all sweets. i, however, do not. so i sub things out for healthier options. these peanut butter cups are just that! a healthier sub. to make every now and again for a splurge. once you make them though... i'll bet you'll be tempted to give up the old peanut butter cups for good. they really are that tasty!

(don't mind that some of my oil separated and left little white dots. they still tasted perfect!) alas, i cannot take credit for this recipe. i found it here one of my favorite clean eating sites. she really is amazing! so here is my take on my new roots nut butter cups. pop over to her site, she goes into detail on why this chocolate is better for you. due to where i live, i do not have access to all these ingredients in their raw form. if you do, sub it all out for raw!

peanut butter cups

chocolate:
1/2 cup coconut oil
3 tbs cacao butter
3/4 cup cacao powder
1/3 cup honey
2 TBS coconut sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla

filling:
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 TBS real grade A maple syrup
2 TBS coconut powder
sea salt to taste

directions:
1. in a double boiler melt coconut oil and cacao butter. once melted add remaining ingredients, turn heat down and stir until coconut sugar is less gritty and better incorporated.
2. in silicon muffin cups (due to richness i feel mini muffin cups work best) add thin layer of chocolate to each cup (about a 1/2 TBS to mini cups) and place in freezer to chill. apx. 10 min.
3. meanwhile, make nut butter filling by combing all ingredients. you want the filling to be the consistency of soft molding clay. if it is to wet, add more coconut sugar. form into small balls and press flat. making sure they are small enough to fit in your cups leaving a slight border for chocolate to fill around.
4. remove chilled chocolate from fridge. place balls of pressed nut butter on top of chilled chocolate. add about a TBS of chocolate sauce over each. making sure nut butter filling is covered.
5. place back in fridge to harden. about 1 hr.

enjoy!

since these are so clean, they don't have any of the garbage that normal chocolate has to slow down the melting. so once you pick one up, you've committed to eating it! they melt fast! store in fridge. i hope you love them as much as i did. thank you to my new roots for creating such a beautiful recipe!

crazy food: raspberry quinoa granola

this stuff is pretty darn good; and pretty darn easy. i promise. the raspberry pulp gives the glaze a flavor that is perfect for summer munching.

raspberry quinoa granola

2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup quinoa
2 tbs chia seeds
handful of macadamia nuts
handful walnuts
handful of shredded coconut
1/3 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup raspberry pulp
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
2 tbs minced fresh ginger root
dash of cinnamon
dash of cloves
dash of nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

handful dehydrated cherries
handful of craisins

mix all ingredients, omitting only the cherries and craisins. mix well. spread on cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until oats have started to brown.  cool slightly, remove from parchment paper and break into chunks. add berries. enjoy!

helpful tip: don't let the granola completely cool on the parchment paper. it will stick and you will have a huge mess on your hands.