Crunchy Peanut Butter with Flax Seeds

This is a simple how-to for my new favorite peanut butter. I have been making my own peanut butter for over a year now, and finally decided to mix it up a bit! Pieces of peanut and golden flax seeds give this peanut butter a great crunch factor, and it tastes oh-so-tasty by the spoonful. Or on apple slices as pictured above if you have enough will power to slice an apple before diving into the jar! I haven't written a post for making peanut butter yet because I thought it was too simple. However, after posting a picture of a jar I made on Instagram the other day, I had people reaching out to me for the recipe! Just when I was having bloggers-block for the past two weeks wracking my brain over some fancy new recipe that had yet to come to mind, I had my followers point out that even the simplest of recipes are valued and needed. Thank you guys! 

Ingredients

16 ounces of roasted, unsalted peanuts 1 bag at Trader Joe's

1 tablespoon golden flaxseeds

1/2 teaspoon salt I use pink Himalayan salt 

In the bowl of your food processor, add 1/3 cup of the peanuts and pulse a few times to break into small pieces. Add these pieces to the empty jar in which you are going to store your peanut butter. Add the flaxseeds to the jar as well, and add the remaining peanuts to your food processor with the salt (adjust the amount of salt to taste, or leave it out entirely if you wish!). Turn your food processor on and let it run for about five minutes. The peanut will clump, maybe even form a ball, and then begin to smooth out. When your peanut butter is looking smooth and glossy let your processor keep running for an additional 30 seconds to ensure it is as smooth as it can get. Transfer your peanut butter to the jar with the peanut pieces and flax seed, and stir with a knife to mix. Keep in your refrigerator to chill until ready to serve. The peanut butter will thicken substantially once refrigerated for a few hours. 

Chocolate Covered Crunchy Speculoos Balls

Hello all! Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. It was my first one as a vegan so instead of "turkey day" it was "lentil loaf day" for me, and it was delicious! That being said, I am done with Thanksgiving food and ready to move on to all the amazing sweet treats of Christmas! Finally, what I wait for all year long, chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter ball season. Ever since I was a little, I can remember rolling them with my mom. We only ever make these at Christmas, and I look forward to it all year long. This time, though, I was walking down the aisles at Trader Joe's getting the ingredients I needed (practically jumping with excitement) and there it was, speculoos (cookie butter), and I had the greatest idea. What is better than one batch of chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter balls? TWO batches, and one make with speculoos instead! Oh my, what a great experiment. These turned out amazing. If you do not know what speculoos is, it is basically a cookie in spreadable form. I know it sounds wacky, but it's true - you just have to try it! Below is my chocolate covered crunchy speculoos balls' recipe, and I added our family peanut butter one as well! Happy treat making.

Crunchy Speculoos Balls

Ingredients
11 ounces speculoos cookie butter spread (one 11oz. jar from Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
1 cup organic powder sugar
2 cups crispy rice cereal
17 ounces dark chocolate, melted for dipping


Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
2 cups organic powder sugar
3 cups crispy rice cereal
17 ounces dark chocolate, melted for dipping

*I got all of the above ingredients at Trader Joe's (except for the Earth Balance vegan butter sticks I purchased at Whole Foods). One jar of TJ's speculoos cookie butter, or 1 jar of their creamy peanut butter are both perfect measurements for the above recipes! Also, their organic powder sugar and crispy rice cereal are amazing. I have rolled these in their huge Belgium dark chocolate bar, melted, since I was a little girl. These are all just my own opinions and recommendations though, not sponsored in any way!

Begin by combining the speculoos (or peanut butter) and the softened butter in a large mixing bowl, stirring well to incorporate. Next, add in the powder sugar and give it a few stirs. Now add in the crispy rice, and using your hands mix everything together. Roll balls using about two tablespoons of the mixture for each ball, and place them on a few large plates, or one large cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer. Freeze the balls for at least 20 minutes. Then melt your chocolate in a glass bowl, either in the microwave or in the stove top using the double boiler method. Roll each frozen ball in the melted chocolate, and place on a plate or cookie sheet lined with foil. I usually use two spoons to twirl the balls in the chocolate to get them fully coated. You could always stick toothpicks in the top of the balls before freezing to make it easier to dunk them in the chocolate. Once you have coated all the balls, place them in the freezer to set for at least another 20 minutes. Then store in an airtight container in either the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.

Chipotle Quinoa Sweet Potato Burgers with Crunchy Guacamole

There is nothing quite like these savory, sweet, spicy, and crunchy quinoa sweet potato burgers! They are packed with flavor and amazing nutrients - and not to mention, gorgeous looking! I was so excited to try to come up with a recipe for these, and it has finally arrived. The best aspect of vegan burgers is the level of creativity you can have with them, as well as their potential for incredible nutritional value. There is no guilt after eating one of these babies! Just a meal packed with protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, and mouth-watering-savory-sweet-crunchy bite after bite enjoyment.

Nutritional value: Sweet potatoes are packed with high amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, as well as contain fiber and are a highly anti-inflamatory food. Out of all the grains, quinoa has the highest amount of protein. Quinoa is also filled with fiber, phosphorous, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Not to mention it is gluten free! Beans and avocado add extra fiber and protein. While avocado also adds vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and pantothenic acid. Now top it all off with iron,  vitamin K, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, folate, zinc, copper, and manganese rich raw pepitas - and whew! - you are loaded with nutrients.

This recipe yields either 2 extra large patties, 3 medium sized patties, or 4 sliders. 

Burger Ingredients
1/3 cup quinoa
2/3 cup filtered water
1 cup cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup white beans (I used white kidneys, but any white kind will do)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (spicy or super spicy!)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced fresh garlic)
1 - 2 tablespoons tahini (optional)
1/2 cup panko crumbs (found at Trader Joe's)
Olive oil for cooking
2 sprouted grain hamburger buns (I use Ezekiel brand, found them at Sprouts)

Crunchy Guacamole Ingredients
2 avocados
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa or pico de gallo
2 tablespoon raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds - I buy mine raw and sprouted in the bulk bins at Whole Foods)

Start by heating a small pot on the stove with the 2/3 cup filtered water and 1/3 cup quinoa. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Let the quinoa cook for 10-15 minutes (or until all the water is absorbed), then remove from the heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, peal and dice 1 medium, or 2 small, sweet potatoes. Cook the sweet potatoes in a pot of boiling water on the stove for about 10 minutes, or until soft and mash-able.

Once the sweet potatoes and quinoa are done cooking, combine the sweet potatoes and white beans in a mixing bowl and smash with a potato masher until well mashed but still retaining a little texture from the beans. Now add in the tahini (if using) and the spices. Mix well, and then add the quinoa and fold it into the mixture with a spatula. Heat a medium size pan on the stove to medium heat and drizzle with some olive oil. Form the quinoa sweet potato mixture into your desired size/amount of patties, coat them with panko crumbs, and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side (or until a nice crispy golden brown outer shell is reached). While the burgers are cooking you can be assembling the crunchy guacamole by simply combining all the ingredients you see above and mashing them together (or less mashing if you like your guacamole chunky!). Now take one of those delicious sprouted grain buns and build your burger with your crispy sweet and spicy burger patty and crunchy guacamole - and enjoy ever bite :)


This recipe was featured on Healthy Vegan Fridays over at Every Day Vegan Girl! Check it out here.