Recipe Collab: Quinoa Coconut Cup Cookies
Superfood + superfood + more superfood = cookies.
Read MoreSuperfood + superfood + more superfood = cookies.
Read MoreThis tart will win your heart, just start with the part... um... just make it, it's really good!
Read MoreA sweet treat with no refined sugar and a double dose of superfoods? You're not dreaming, you're quinoa-ing.
Read MoreWe've been crushing hard over Nutpods dairy-free coffee creamer. Not only is the product dairy-free, paleo, and vegan, but it is also low fat (1g of fat per tbspn). We're in love (#notasponsoredpost I swear, we really just love you Nutpods!).
We decided we'd try to pair Nutpods with our Chocolate Puffs in a summer-friendly Cookies & Cream Blended Coffee recipe. Turns out that Nutpods works well when combined with ground chia seeds. The chia seeds act as a natural emulsifier to enhance the creamy texture of Nutpods.
1/2 cup of Nutpods Original
3/4 cup of cooled brewed coffee
1 cup of ice
1 tspn of chia seeds (pre-ground in a coffee grinder)
1 tspn of vanilla extract
2 tspn of maple syrup
2 tspn of raw cacao powder (optional)
10 I Heart Keenwah chocolate puffs (any flavor)
Throw everything except the I Heart Keenwah chocolate puffs in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Then add the 10 chocolate puffs and pulse for a few seconds until you achieve a traditional cookies and cream texture.
Pro-tip: to add a stronger coffee flavor, swap the 1 cup of ice with 1 cup of coffee cubes frozen in an ice cube tray. This step takes a bit of pre-planning.
Pro-pro tip: for those looking for a bit more indulgence, add a scoop of (dairy free) ice cream to the mix.
I have been trying out new recipes with date paste and cacao powder, and I was recently pleased with a concoction that used a nut butter from one of our pal-companies YumButter. Not only does YumButter make tasty seed/nut butters out of Wisconsin (go team Midwest), but they also package them in portable pouches. Double win!
The recipe below is essentially a vegan chocolate truffle recipe, only with healthier ingredients. The texture is fudge-y, with strong dark chocolate flavor notes. The sweetness level is low. The binder is made of dates. The recipe is raw, vegan, gluten-free and nut-free. I also threw in some puffed quinoa and ground seed meal for a protein boost.
1 cup of dried dates (Medjool dates are best but supermarket dates will also work)
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of pepitas
1/2 cup of cacao powder (not cocoa powder, cacao powder is cold-pressed and more nutrient dense, spring for the good stuff)
1 7oz pouch of YumButter Superfood Organic Sunflower Butter (which also contains hemp, chia and lacuma)
1/2 cup of puffed quinoa (optional; this item is a little hard to find in stores but there are sources online)
pinch of sea salt
In a food processor, pulse the sunflower seeds and pepitas into a fine paste. Add dried dates (pits removed) to nut mixture and grind. Add cacao powder and sunflower butter and continue to grind. A crumbly dough texture will be achieved. Transfer to mixing bowl, add salt and puffed quinoa and combine by hand. In the palm of your hand form 1-inch diameter balls. Dust them with some extra cacao powder and arrange on cookie sheet. If dough is too dry, add a splash of (nut)milk. Refrigerate truffles on cookie sheet for 1 hour until ready to eat. Recipe yields 24 truffles.