Peanut Butter + Carob Crispy Treats

I love crispy rice treats. They were one of my favorites when I was a kid. But I don’t particularly enjoy the gooey marshmallow kind. My mom used to make amazing peanut butter rice crispy ice cream bars. I loved those bars! So, I decided to recreate them for a quick, gluten-free dessert.

I used carob on top because I picked up a bag at the store a few days ago. I used to be addicted to the stuff. Anyway, if you’d rather top them with chocolate, that’s good, too. Or you can keep them naked. Whatever you like best. You can also use honey or brown rice syrup in place of the maple syrup. Or almond butter, sunflower butter, etc.

So many delicious options.

Yum.

PEANUT BUTTER CRISPY RICE TREATS

What you’ll need . . .

• 6 cups brown rice cereal
• 3/4 to 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 bag unsweetened carob chips*
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• Sea salt

* Vegans can choose Sunspire's vegan carob chips. And here’s more about carob versus chocolate.

Method . . . 

1. Pour cereal into a large bowl.
2. Heat maple syrup over medium heat until hot, but not boiling.
3. Turn off heat and stir in peanut butter and a pinch or two of salt. Mix until well incorporated and smooth with a spatula.
4. Pour peanut butter mixture into cereal and mix around with a spatula until everything is well coated.
5. Press into a 9 x 13 baking dish lined with parchment. Press down well so it’s nice and compact.
6. Then place in your freezer while you melt the carob.
7. Back in your pot, pour in the half cup of almond milk and heat until hot. 
8. Pour in chocolate chips and stir with a whisk. You might need to add more/less milk to achieve a good texture. You want to be able to pour it -- not a thick paste, but also not too runny.
9. Once it’s all smooth, take your bars out of the freezer and pour the carob on top. Spread around until uniform and return to the freezer.
10. Let cool until set and then slice with a sharp knife into bars.
11. Top with additional salt (optional). 

I store mine in zip bags right in the freezer. That way, they last longer.

(At least in theory.)

What’s your favorite childhood dessert? 

I like these guys and I’m also a sucker for worms + dirt!

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Gluten-Free Carob Chip Ovencakes

While we're on the topic of healthy, satisfying breakfasts, I thought I'd share one of my own creations. This one is as fresh as yesterday's breakfast . . . when I decided to craft some wheat-free, gluten-free (and vegan) "ovencakes" full of banana and carob.

They're called "ovencakes" because pancakes just don't describe the cooking process. You bake them. In the oven. Makes the end product less greasy and unhealthy. And despite my early attempts with gluten-free foods (uhhh, the crumbly, but beautiful, wheat-free, gluten free pizza disaster), they're even a little fluffy.

Just a little, but it's there. I promise.


What you'll need . . .

• 1 large ripe banana
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1/4 cup walnut meal (take raw walnuts and pulse them in a food processor)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• handful carob chips

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Put your banana and agave nectar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until it is as smooth and syrupy as possible.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except the carob chips. Mix until well incorporated.
4. Stir in the carob chips.
5. Spoon three 1/2 cup sized amounts of batter onto the parchment paper/cookie sheet. Flatten by placing a piece of plastic wrap on top and rolling over with a rolling pin.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. You'll start to smell them, and that's when you know they're done. They should also be lightly browned.

These tasty cakes kept me full so long I ate a super late lunch -- didn't even think about food until 2PM. And if you really examine what's in them -- you see it's all good stuff. So, even though this recipe yields a heaping serving (3 thick ovencakes), you need not feel the guilt. If you're still not convinced, read this post about our take on calorie counting.


PS: Don't forget to add yourself to this month's BLOG LOVE FEST!

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The Cake Walk: Pomegranate-Dream Cake

Good morning, everyone! Hope you all had a lovely weekend. We definitely did -- though, it seems to have blown by way too fast. Highlights include: Stephen got me flowers Friday night (!!!), we baked this amazing pomegranate cake (and various other treats I'll share soon), we went to dinner with new friends . . . then brunch with even more new friends, and -- the biggie -- we began half marathon training.

We also had an exciting weekend on the blog front. Last week, our Richard Simmons post about the Purple Sticky Rice Tart was picked up on Slashfood. And, in turn, it was picked up on the site's owner, AOL.COM! That's right, folks. We were linked and got like a ga-zillion visits this weekend. So, if you're joining us as a result -- thanks!



Though you can't really see it, I got proof! We were linked near the top of the page. And if you go to the Slashfood site, you can see all the really mean comments, too -- someone said the tart looks like "chuncks of beef tongue on top of dead bugs on top of regurgitated popcorn" -- fun, fun! But that person also apparently can't spell the word "chunk" -- so I'm not letting it bother me too much.



But enough about us. Back to the pomegranate cake! Which also happens to be this week's Richard Simmons Dazzling Dessert post (inspired by his Tangerine-Dream Cake). When I arrived home Friday night, I had received a gift from the kind folks at POM Wonderful. Some of their 100% pomegranate juice to bake with. How exciting! I got right to work picking out a recipe worthy of this delicious stuff (which is also packed with tons of antioxidants, so -- even when put in cake is kind of, well, healthy? Maybe?).

What's better is -- several months ago, I read a post about making pomegranate molasses. (Found it on this site), it's simple: Just mix together 1 cup pomegranate juice, 1 tablespoon raw sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice. Simmer until reduced and thick (coating the back of a spoon is a good measure of thickness). Just look at the gorgeous stuff (which can be used, I learned, in place of agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, or regular molasses).



Of his Tangerine-Dream Cake, Richard writes: "Take a nibble of this cake, close your eyes, and you'll dream you're in old Tangier, surrounded by baskets of fragrant tangeries." I hope our version is as transformative for you.

And even if it isn't, you'll still benefit from the superpower antioxidants that make pomegranate juice king even red wine in kicking butt against free radicals and oxidative stress. In human terms, this means it'll help you body get rid of bad stuff . . . which is oh-so good! 





POMEGRANATE-DREAM CAKE


What you'll need . . .

• Mini bundt pan (or you can make them as cupcakes)
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or your favorite butter substitute)
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1-1/4 cup wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
• 2 handfuls carob chips

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease your bundt pan (or line your cupcake pan).
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the Earth Balance and sugar on medium speed. Until fluffy -- approx. 4 minutes. Add the applesauce, beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, flax meal, baking power, baking soda, and salt. I like to give mine a nice vigorous whisk to get it all incorporated.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with 1/4 cup of the pomegranate juice. 
5. Fold in the carob chips.
6. Fill bundt pan about 2/3rds full. Same with cupcake, if you're doing it that way. And bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool cake in pan.

POMEGRANATE ICING


What you'll need . . . (obtained, but modified from the one here)

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (see recipe earlier in this post -- and you can use what you have left over for a recipe I'll post later in the week)
• 7 tablespoons pomegranate juice

Method . . .

1. Stir everything together until smooth. You may need to add a bit more powdered sugar, consistency should be thick, but not too thick so you can't drizzle it. 
2. Wait until cakes have fully cooled (you might be able to tell I didn't wait long enough because the icing sank into the cake), then top off each one generously and refrigerate.

If you'd like to read our other recipes inspired by the Richard Simmons Private Collection of Dazzling Desserts, just click below:

• Puddin' on the Ritz: Purple Sticky Rice Tart 
• Pie in the Sky: Vegan Coconut-Carob Pie

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Pie in the Sky: Vegan Coconut-Carob Pie

I did a little cooking in the kitchen with Richard Simmons this weekend. If this statement sounds incredibly strange/unexpected to you, go check out last month's post about Mr. Simmons great book of desserts. Basically, I have an entire book full of the guy's most "dazzling desserts" -- and I'm not afraid to say I think they look scrumptious. From cookies, to cakes, to pies and other traditionally wicked-high-in-calories creations, Richard takes care making them with less sugar and fat, but not less taste.

Now that you're up to speed, I chose to start my culinary quest with the "My, oh, my! Chocolate Mousse Pie" from the "Pie in the Sky" chapter -- however, make it in my own, vegan way . . . and not with chocolate (or gelatin, evaporated skim milk, etc.) at all. The pie's about as natural and detox-appropriate as you can get (OK. Again, not a true detox, but if you HAVE to eat some kind of dessert -- this one's not full of crap).



Instead, I whipped up this delicious coconut-carob pie. Carob because Stephen loves the stuff (and because I spent a mint on a gargantuan container of chips at Greenstar this weekend). Coconut because I thought the pairing would be, well, a match made in heaven.

What do you think?

Richard writes:

"Like so many of my culinary introductions, I first met a chocolate mousse when I was a child, in a fancy New Orleans hotel, the Roosevelt. Anyway, it was love at first taste, even though I wasn't quite sure what to make of it."

Oh, Richard.

"Was there a Mr. Mousse who created it for Mrs. Mousse, like the great chef who created the fabulous meringue dessert for the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova? Could I use the leftovers in my hair?"

I've made vegan chocolate mousse before (it's a simple blending of tofu, chocolate, and a bit of honey or agave). However, in that particular instance, I used soft tofu, didn't drain . . . and the next day, my pie was a big pile of goo -- full of water. Disgusting!

It's vital that you use firm silken tofu, or you -- too -- will have a tremendous mess to clean. And no pie to eat.



What you'll need . . . (for the crust)

• 8 graham cracker rectangles (I had a ton left over from my s'mores binge this summer. Yes. Graham crackers have honey in them. I know some people don't feel honey is vegan. When I was vegan, though, I ate honey.)
• 1/3 cup (heaping) unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. Break up graham crackers and place in a food processor. Process into fine crumbs.
3. Add coconut flakes and pulse until well mixed.
4. Add agave and coconut oil and pulse until well moistened. (It will still SEEM a little dry, but if everything is coated in some wet ingredients, you're good to go on to the next step. If not, add a bit more agave or oil, 1 teaspoon at a time).
5. Turn into a 9-inch springform pan (I used a tart pan). Spread crumbs evenly over bottom of pan and 1-1/2 inches up the sides.
6. Cover with piece of plastic wrap and press crust firmly. Remove plastic.
7. Bake crust for 5 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool completely. (I actually put my crust in the refrigerator to speed up the process.)

What you'll need . . . (for the chocolate mousse filling)

• 12 ounce package firm silken tofu (If you've never used tofu in desserts before, I realize it can sound gross. But it's not at all! It soaks up whatever flavor you put with it. Trust me. You'll love it!)
  
• 8 ounces vegan carob chips
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (depending on how much you like coconut)

Method . . .

1. Take the tofu out of its package and press with a clean paper towel (to get the last bits of moisture off).
2. Melt carob chips in a double boiler (or in the microwave on medium) until smooth.
3. Put tofu, carob, agave, and coconut in your food processor and blend until well mixed.
4. Pour "mousse" into chilled pie shell and refrigerate for at least one hour, or until set.

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