Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Snack Cake for Easter

     Easter is just a few days away! I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by already!!! With Spring here, its time for fresh, bright flavors and colors! This Lemon Poppyseed Snack Cake is full of the bright and delicious flavors of spring! Super lemony, sweet and light, its perfect for your Easter lunch or anytime of the year!

Easy Vegan White Bean Dip

     I love hummus! Hummus and I have a relationship, and it will always be there for me, but sometimes I like to change it up a bit! Give hummus a break, and try something new! That's when I discovered white bean dips and I just had to make my own! It turned out delicious and I want to share the recipe with you!

Brownie Batter Balls

   Everyone loves brownies and brownie batter is almost as good (if not better!)! Its gooey, sweet, and most importantly, chocolate! You can never go wrong with chocolate and you can never have to much of it! Finding new ways to have chocolate is always fun, and finding a healthy way to have chocolate is even better!

     Dates are a fairly new food in my diet. I had never really heard of them or tried them up until a few months ago, but now I don't know how I lived without them! They are super sweet, creamy, gooey and delicious! Add some cocoa powder and some coconut to the mix and you have yourself a winner!

     These Brownie Batter Date Balls are going to become a favorite of anyone who loves chocolate, brownies, and yummy snacks! They are completely vegan, dairy-free, oil-free, gluten-free( as long as you have gluten free oats) and refined sugar free! Also, they are super amazingly delicious and I want to eat the whole batch right now!


Ingredients:
12-13 Mejool dates, pitted
2 TBS Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup Rolled Oats
1 tsp Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut ( Sweetened or Unsweetened is fine!)

Start by pitting your dates and adding them to a food processor.

Process them until you get a creamy texture. You might need to add some warm water a TBS at a time if your dates were on the dry side.

Not a very pretty picture, but we'll change by adding in the cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and oats. Processes until well combined and the oats are a chopped up a bit.

And there is your brownie batter dough! Taste it to make sure its good! :) Then pour your coconut into a bowl, ready for rolling.

 

Then start rolling your dough into balls. You can make them as big or as small as you like! I got around 16 in my batch. If the dough is sticking your hands, dip your hands in some water every once in a while. This will prevent the sticking!

 

 

And there you go! Healthy Brownie Batter Date Balls! Let them sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to firm up a bit before snacking on! Store them in the fridge to keep them fresh longer!

 

 

Not only are these little treats delicious but they are packed full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats! Perfect for a snack or little dessert to satisfy a sweet tooth! Make them for yourself or share them with your friends and family. You will suddenly become very popular! :)

 

 

If you make this recipe, please let me know what you thought! I hope you like this post and it has given you inspiration to live a healthier lifestyle!

 

Please share this recipe and my blog with your friends and family to spread the love of healthy living!

 

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood, Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett, and on Instagram @ the_vegan_runner. Follow on social media for more Spinachisgoodforyou content!

 

I post every Friday!

 

Stay Healthy, Happy, and Laughing!

H. Banana

Go Bananas! Vegan Banana Bread

Who doesn't love a nice piece of banana bread? Its soft, moist, sweet and so comforting! Wouldn't you love it if banana bread could be good for you? So good for you that you don't feel guilty about eating the whole loaf in one day?... Well then, this is the recipe for you!

I love banana bread, I always have, but now that I am vegan, finding a good recipe hasn't been easy. I just decided to make a recipe that had everything I wanted. Low-Fat, Oil-Free, Vegan and (most importantly) super delicious! This is the resulting recipe!

 

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Salt

2 Super Ripe Bananas

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Almond Milk ( or Coconut would be really good too!)

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 cup Raisins (Optional, but recommended)

 

Topping:

4TBS Flour

2 TBS Brown Sugar

Pinch of Cinnamon

2 TBS Almond Milk

2 TBS Oats

 

Okay, lets get rolling! Start by finding some super ripe bananas. They should look like this.

 

 

Peel them and add them to a bowl and give them a really good mash.

 

 

Then you can add the rest of the ingredients. Start with the wet ingredients and then add in the dry. Make sure not to over mix!

Feel free to tuck in with a spoon... no one will judge! :)

Line or grease a bread pan and pour in your batter.

Then, mix up your topping. You are going for a crumby mixture. Crumble your topping over the top.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for 40-45 minutes. To test that it is done, stick a tooth pick in the center. If it comes out clean, its done.

 

 

Allow it to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Slice while warm to enjoy the fullness of this beautiful bread!

 

 

 

I couldn't believe how great this bread turned out! Its soft, moist, sweet and so healthy, all at once! What more could you ask for?

 

If you enjoyed this post, and this recipe, please share it with your friends and family! Recipes like these are rare, so you'll want to keep it!

 

You can follow the  blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood, and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

 

I post every Friday!

 

Stay Healthy, Happy and Laughing!

H. Banana

Smoky Roasted Chickpeas

    If you are anything like me, finding a good and healthy snack option isn't always easy! Maybe its pretty healthy, but its probably super expensive, or, its pretty cheap but not so healthy! What are we to do? Settle for expensive healthy snacks or cheap unhealthy ones?! No Way! There is a much easier and better solution than that!

     I have been seeing these roasted chickpeas all over the place lately. Lots of stores are selling them and a ton of people are posting recipes for them! The only problem is most of the time these chickpeas are covered in oil and ( if you get the store bought ones) preservatives! So, while they may be delicious, they aren't so healthy.
     So how do we solve this problem? We make our own of course! Not only is it cheaper to make your own snacks, its also so much healthier! You get to personalize it to your unique taste and you know exactly what went into it! Making these roasted chickpeas at home allows you to have a personalized and healthy snack, without losing taste or lots of money!

Ingredients:
1 can Chickpeas
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

or
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar

As you can see, this recipe really customizable. If you like savory snacks, go with the smoky flavor like I did. If you have more of a sweet tooth, go with the sweet option! I might also add, a little lime juice on the savory ones would be amazing!

First, open your chickpeas and rinse them really well. Then, pour them on a paper towel and dry them. Add them to a bowl along with your spices of choice.  Stir until each chickpeas is coated.

 

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Pour your coated chickpeas onto a baking sheet- large enough for them to be in one flat layer. Looking back, I would have put down some parchment paper to protect my pan, so you might want to do that as well!

 

 

Bake for 35-45 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes or so for even roasting. Once they are done, allow them to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes.

 

Once they are cool, remove them from the pan and enjoy! What you don't eat right away can be stored in an air tight container!

 

 

Besides being a great snack, these roasted chickpeas are also great on salads, in wraps, in tacos, or even to replace the croutons on top of a soup! However you choose to eat these roasted beauties, I know you will enjoy them as much as I did!

 

Chickpeas are full of fiber and protein, so they are a great thing to add to you diet! Roasting them and adding flavor is just one way of making these cute little beans extra delicious!

If you enjoyed this post and the recipe, please share it with your friends and family! Everyone needs this healthy snack in their life!

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett. I look forward to connecting with you guys!

I post every Friday!

Stay Healthy, Happy and Laughing!
H. Banana