Blissful Bites Cookbook Review (and a giveaway!)

***Giveaway Closed – Congratulations Theresa!***

When I made my Peanut Butter Bliss Pudding I had no idea it would turn into a book review!  I jumped at the chance to review my own copy of Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals That Nourish Mind, Body, and Planet and was even more thrilled when I learned that one of you – yes, YOU! – will get a chance to receive a copy of your own. 

Christy Morgan, vegan chef and author of Blissful Bites, is on a “mission to help others make the connection between the mind, body and spirit, so they may live authentic, healthy, happy lives free of physical pain and mental suffering.”  She is on a roll with Blissful Bites, her first cookbook, as well as her blog The Blissful Chef. 

One of the things that grabs my attention about a cookbook before even delving into the recipes is the pictures.  Mm, mouthwatering pictures!  Not every recipe features a photo, but there’s a yummy, full color photo at least every other page, scattered throughout the book like a little trail of [vegan, whole grain] breadcrumbs, leading you to the end.

The cookbook is broken down into food categories (such as breakfast & brunch, appetizers & soups, salads & dressings, vegetable sides, whole grains, etc.) and within these categories are seasonal recipes, which make it easy to pick the freshest ingredients.  There’s a nifty little menu in front of each recipe section that lays it all out for you.  I love that it’s color-coded for easy identification – green for “spring,” blue for “winter,” you get the idea. 

What’s nice about this cookbook is that it’s super-informative about making healthier choices and encourages you to start leaning towards a more plant-based lifestyle without being judgemental.  I am not a vegetarian, but I do like to try meat-free, dairy-free and even gluten-free recipes from time to time.  Whether you like to experiment or have specific dietary needs, there are special identifying icons for some of the recipes - raw, gluten-free, soy-free, low or no oil, or taking less than 45 minutes to prepare.  It really removes all the guesswork!

After devouring the pudding, I was excited to try some more of the recipes and started making a list of my favorites.  I wanted to make them as authentic as possible, using the ingredients called for, but I will admit this wasn’t the easiest to do.  Unless you specifically shop at an organic or specialty food store (or already have these items in your pantry) you may not be able to find the exact ingredients – things like vanilla flavoring, grain-sweetened chocolate chips, coconut  palm sugar, nutritional yeast, miso, kelp noodles, dulse flakes, kombu and the other sea vegatables, none of which are at my grocery store.  Luckily, if you’re willing to make a special trip or do a bit of online shopping they are obtainable.  Also, many of them can be easily substituted; it’s hard for me to stick to a recipe anyway!

The Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie was one of the first on my list.  When I buy strawberries on sale I freeze half of them for smoothies during the warmer months and we had extra on hand since we went strawberry-picking at a local farm recently.  This was a really easy recipe and easily-tweaked by adding different fruits or types of milk. 

I’m in love with the sauce from the Penne with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce!  The kids and I often have pasta in the evenings, so I thought this would be a good choice.  I didn’t have quite enough red pepper, but it was still full of flavor and I went back for seconds.  Later it occurred to me that it would make an excellent dip for chips, crackers and veggies, which of course I put to the test.  I don’t usually buy tofu since I’m worried about its effects as a staple in one’s diet but I could definitely swing this once a week.  

Cooking is not something I like to do in the Summer.  Friday night is our homemade-pizza-and-a-movie night but there’s no way I’m cranking that oven to 450 degrees!  We usually opt for salads and sandwiches, so I was curious to try the Un-Tuna Salad.  We love cooking with beans – quesadillas, enchiladas, falafel, black bean burgers, hummus, you name it – so the idea of a sandwich filler with chick peas sounded like a yummy idea.  It’s basically a tuna or chicken salad with chick peas instead of the meat.  I used dried beans, which take longer to prepare, but the results were sooooo good!  This will definitely be a staple in our diet; I’m anxious to try adding curry powder for extra pizzaz. 

  

Dessert… my favorite!  I decided to make the Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies with a few tweaks.  I don’t buy egg replacer, so I opted for the flaxseed substitute instead.  That, combined with the fact that I blended my own brown rice and almond flours, may have contributed to the fact that the batter was really runny.  I made one cookie sheet’s worth then added some white whole wheat flour to thicken it up.  Those came out better and they were all soft and had great flavor – not surprising considering the coconot oil, maple syrup and peanut butter.  Care to make a batch for yourself?  Knock yourself out…

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
1/4c vegan margarine or coconut oil, melted
1/2c maple syrup
1/3c unsweetened applesauce
1t Ener-G egg replacer, whisked with 1T water
1t vanilla flavoring
1/2c peanut butter
3/4c almond flour
3/4c brown rice flour
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
2t flax meal
1/4t sea salt
1t arrowroot
1/2c vegan grain-sweetened chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  In medium mixing bowl, beat margarine (or coconut oil), maple syrup, and applesauce until smooth and creamy.  Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.  In separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and soda, flax, salt, and arrowroot.  Mix wet into dry ingredients until well combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips and stir well.

Drop spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.  Using wet fingertips or the bottom of a glass, press down each cookie evenly (continue to dip fingers or glass in water to prevent sticking).  The cookies will not spread much, so you can put them close together on the cookie sheet.  Take a fork and press lightly on the top in two directions, to create a grid on top of the cookie.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cool cookies on a wire rack.

So, who’s ready to win a copy of Blissful Bites?  There are a number of ways to enter (leave a separate comment for each, being sure to include your name and e-mail address):
1.  Share the love and tell someone about the giveaway (twitter, facebook, e-mail, etc.) then leave me a link to that share.
2.  Check out The Blissful Chef and tell me what recipe you’d love to try.
3.  Tell me what healthy eating means to you. 
*Giveaway is open for 30 days and is open to U.S. residents only.  

As for me, I can’t wait to experiment with the recipes and include more plant-based meals into our everyday life.

Kid-Friendly PB&J Banana Dogs

I’m always on the lookout for fun new ways to serve my kids healthy meals.  A while back I pinned this idea for Banana Dogs and knew instantly the kids would love them since it combines two of their favorites: bananas and peanut butter and jelly. 

 

We don’t normally buy hot dog rolls, but I just so happened to have a pack of whole wheat rolls I had gotten on sale and put in the freezer.  I spread natural peanut butter on the inside, cut some bananas to fit, then spread all-fruit strawberry jam on top.  They don’t look as pretty as the original picture because I use jam from a jar (as opposed to the sugar-laden squeeze bottles), but they were a huge hit with the kiddos.

Another alternative sandwich idea would be to use the same ingredients in a tortilla, either as a quesadilla or a wrap.  Kid tested, Mommy approved.

Fluffy Chocolate Yogurt with Chocolate Granola

I’m always on the lookout for healthy-yet-yummy snacks or desserts for us.  I don’t usually buy packaged items at the grocery store, but whenever we pass the Jell-O section at the grocery store Josiah says “jelly! jelly!” (he can’t seem to get the “o” on the end).  I sometimes let them pick one of the sugar-free varieties, and last week we picked one out and I got some whipping cream to make fresh whipped cream (though I almost got lazy and bought Cool Whip). 

We had some leftover whipped cream after using up the Jell-O and then I remembered a recipe for Chocolate Delight Yogurt that I had pinned a while ago while on the lookout for yogurt ideas.  It’s just one recipe among a slew of other yummy yogurt concoctions like Red Grapes with Nut Butter Yogurt Dip, Banana Nut Butter Honey Yogurt, Banana Split Yogurt and Mint Chocolate Chip Yogurt. 

So I mixed some homemade yogurt with homemade chocolate syrup then folded in the leftover whipped cream (in a 1:1 ratio with the yogurt – probably a cup or so of each).  The night before I made a batch of chocolate granola (using the greater amount of oats and less sweetener), which I sprinkled on top of the yogurt – soooo goooo!  The kiddos and I gobbed it all up. 

*See my Snacks and Dessert Pinterest boards for more inspiration.   

Raw Applesauce

Did you know you can make applesauce without cooking the apples?  Cooked applesauce is actually pretty easy, and I’ve done it plenty of times either on the stovetop or in the microwave, but this was a revelation! 

I don’t remember where I found it – perhaps while looking for a recipe for apple chips, which I have yet to try – but I immediately knew I had to try it.  Just cut your apples  (you could use an apple corer, but I just cut around all four sides), put ‘em in a food processor, and process till smooth.  You could add a splash of lemon juice to keep the apples from browning, some cinnamon, even some honey or other sweetener – but I find the fresh apples sweet enough already. 

 

Don’t even bother peeling your apples!   The skin contains fiber, antioxidants and all sorts of good stuff, but you may want to get the organic apples since the peel retains pesticides from the growing process.  I find it most cost-effective to get bagged apples, and the organic brand is only a dollar more.  Not only is the apple peel nutritious, but it makes the applesauce look pretty and rosy with flecks of red (if you use red apples, like I did!).

I first started making my own applesauce when making homemade baby food, but it has since become a staple in our home.  We like our applesauce plain, with walnuts on top, as a substitute for some of the oil in baking, and in oatmeal – one of my newfound favorites.  I’m curious to try adding other fruits for flavored applesauce, but still want to keep it raw.  I bet blueberries and strawberries would blend well, and peaches if they’re fresh enough.  How do you do applesauce?

        

 

Chocolate Chip Coconut Oatmeal

I first fell in love with Chocolate Covered Katie‘s healthy desserts when I stumbled upon her Fudge Babies recipe and decided to whip up a batch.  And proceeded to eat them all.  I’ve since been making my way through her recipes, and let me tell you, I have not been disappointed. 

I’m not a big fan of oatmeal – I just can’t get past the texture – but when I saw her recipe for Coconut Cookie Dough Oatmeal, I knew I had to try it for the kiddos and myself.  Since I wanted to make three portions, I multuplied the original recipe times three and made my own little tweaks.  Here’s my version: 

1 1/2c old-fashioned oats
2T coconut palm sugar (or rapadura, maple syrup, or other natural sugar)
3/4c unsweetened applesauce
1t vanilla extract
3/4c milk (combination buttermilk & almond milk)
3T melted coconut oil
2T unsweetened shredded coconut
handful of dark chocolate chips

In the past, I’ve had better success with the texture of the oatmeal when I’ve soaked the oats overnight, so I did the same here.  I mixed the oats with the milk(s) and let it sit on the counter overnight (if using milk other than buttermilk, I would put it in the fridge).  In the morning, I added the other ingredients, put it in a small casserole, and baked it for 10-15 minutes in my little convection toaster oven set around 375.  

This was a huge success – definitely a keeper in my book!  I topped it with a little extra coconut milk to cool it off for the kiddos and they gobbled it right down.  Nothing like starting the day off with chocolate! 

I’d love to try this with coconut milk and coconut extract to make it really coconut-y, and maybe some chopped almonds to make it Almond Joy Oatmeal – yum!