The day of Love is upon us…(aka) Valentines Day!
Personally we love this day more for the package deal; mouth watering sweets. If you’re like us-you are always looking for a way to still indulge, but with a healthier spin. We go over our top 4 favorite recipes for the sweet tooth lover.
(P.S.) If you are a sucker for peanut butter, recipe number three will be right up your alley!
Alllrriiiiight, Let's get into it!
Strawberry Nutella Cheesecake Bites
What you Need:
10 Ripe Strawberries
4oz low fat cream cheese
T tbsp Nutella Hazelnut Spread
How to:
Start by washing the strawberries and patting dry with a paper towel.
Cut the Strawberries in half leaving the green leaves on. Mix the Nutella spread and cream cheese together w
ith a hand held beater. Once smooth, fill a piping bag with a fun tip and swirl onto the flat side of cut Strawberries. You may top with a dusting of baked shredded Coconut.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
Black Bean Melt Cake
What you Need:
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp warm water)
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt (divided)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
4 pieces of chocolate, for center.
How to:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make flax egg and set aside
In a blender combine black beans, maple syrup, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, and half of sea salt. Pulse to combine (about 1 minute)
Add in almond meal, cocoa powder and flax egg. Process until combined (about 30 seconds)
Add in baking powder and continue processing for another 30 seconds.
Grease ramekins, or a
Add a 1/4 cup of batter to each ramekin.
Place a piece of chocolate in the center and then cover each ramekin evenly with remaining batter.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25 mins.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with remaining sea salt and let cool for 10 mins.
Use a knife to loosen edges and then flip ramekins over on a plate. They should come loose easily.
Serve warm.
Peanut Butter Hearts
What you Need:
Peanut Butter
Coconut Flour
Maple Syrup: Honey is another option or any other liquid sweetener
Salt: skip if your nut butter is already salted!
Chocolate: Opt for dark chocolate if available
Coconut Oil
How to:
Start by mixing together the peanut butter, coconut flour, maple syrup, and salt. Mix until smooth, and add more coconut flour as needed to make it a smooth, thick dough. It needs to be firm enough that you can dip in the chocolate without it falling apart.
Shape your hearts. I found using a cookie cutter heart shape works great and is much easier!
Freeze the hearts. To prepare them for dipping, place your hearts in the freezer to firm up. This will make dipping in the chocolate way easier!
Melt chocolate. Over the stove or in the microwave, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil and place in a small bowl that’s deep enough for easy dipping.
Dip away!! Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper and dip your hearts into the chocolate, letting any excess drip off before placing on the sheet.
Garnish, refrigerate, and enjoy!
Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Bars...(We could eat the whole pan ourselves)
What you need:
For the crust
¾ cup raw cashews
¼ cup almond flour
4 pitted dates
2 tablespoons coconut oil
¼ teaspoon salt
For the cheesecake
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in cold water overnight
½ cup canned coconut milk, shaken
¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
⅓ cup pure maple syrup (other liquid sweeteners will work)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups strawberries, halved
How to:
Line an 8×8” pan with parchment paper and grease well with coconut oil. Set aside.
Add the cashews, almond flour, pitted dates, coconut oil and salt to a high-powered blender and blend until it comes together into a sticky dough, with small bits remaining. Don’t over process, or you will have nut butter! Press the date dough on bottom of pan.
In the same blender, combine all of the filling ingredients except the strawberries and blend for around 2 min, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk or lemon juice to get it to blend smoothly if your blender isn’t super high-powered.
Pour the filling into the prepared pan over the crust. Smooth out the top of filling with spatula. Press the strawberry halves into the bars.
Place in the freezer to firm up for at least 3 hours before cutting. them thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the freezer.
We Hope you love these treats as much as we do!
xx Kaitlin and Kayla