Chocolate Drizzled No Bake Vanilla Macaroons

Josiah and I made an impromptu trip to Austin right before the new year. It was as full of tacos as I expected and my heart was so happy!

Less happy was my heart when we returned home on New Year’s Eve, just in time to host our friends, only to realize our oven was unusable. I had to nix a few of the items I had planned on and make a few adjustments which was less than ideal but turned out far better than I could have expected. One of the adjustments that I made was turning this baked macaroon recipe into a no-bake recipe that turned out to be even more delicious than the original! Just a tiny way that life is reminding me to lean into the curveballs it throws, because sometimes those curveballs might just lead us towards something even better.

This macaroon recipe takes like 5 minutes and just so happens to be gluten-free AND vegan. They pack a hearty dose of healthy fats and they’re sweet, but not too sweet which means it’s totally cool if you have one at lunch AND dinner.

Chocolate Dipped No Bake Vanilla Macaroons

Makes 24

• 1 cup raw almonds, ground into a fine meal

• 1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ½ cup pure maple syrup

• ¼ cup coconut butter

• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (I use this brand)

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the almond meal, shredded coconut, salt, maple syrup, melted coconut butter, and vanilla extract until throughly combined. The dough will be thick and sticky.

Scoop the dough out a tablespoon at a time and then roll into balls. Place the rolled balls onto the parchment paper.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over low-medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the macaroons. Freeze the balls for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.

Remove from the parchment paper and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Toast, Four Ways with Little Northern Bakehouse

This post is sponsored by Little Northern Bakehouse

“You can’t help but love someone who makes you toast.” A quote from the movie Toast and really some of the truest words ever spoken.

Toast is one of the simplest things to make, but it’s so unbelievably satisfying. The versatility of toast often gets overlooked. I have often found myself in a rut of reaching for the same peanut butter or classic avocado toast combination. To force myself out fo that rut I attempted to create some funkier plant-based combos that will keep mine (and your) taste buds intrigued.

To create these insanely delicious combos I turned to my favorite gluten-free bread, Little Northern Bakehouse, to form the foundation. Their products consistently deliver an experience that I thought I had to forgo permanently when I had to give up conventional bread. Not only do they not contain gluten, but they don’t contain any animal products either — 100% vegan! Their bread will not disappoint and neither will these unique combinations.

TOAST, Four Ways

Rawcotta + Blueberries Toast

• 1 Little Northern Bakehouse slice

• 3 tablespoons of homemade rawcotta, or this store bought version

• 1/4 cup blueberries

Plant Based Butter + Radish Toast

• 1 Little Northern Bakehouse slice

• 1 tablespoon Miyokos Plant Based butter

• 2 radishes, sliced thinly

• sea salt for topping

Tahini + Banana + Honey + Cinnamon Toast

• 1 Little Northern Bakehouse slice

• 1 tablespoon tahini

• 1/2 a banana

• 2 teaspoons honey

• a dash of cinnamon

Avocado + Pickled Ginger Toast

• 1 Little Northern Bakehouse slice

• 1/2 an avocado

• 2 tablespoons of pickled ginger

• sea salt for topping

For all combinations listed above, begin with one piece of Little Northern Bakehouse toast toasted to your liking and then simply layer the ingredients listed under that specific combination.

Super Simple Salsa

In a last chance attempt to bottle up summer, I’ve been making ALLLLL the salsa. This recipe is quick, simple, and is guaranteed to have your husband’s coworkers leaving notes asking “WHO MADE THIS AMAZING SALSA??” So grab yourself a couple of tomatoes and get to it before summer is completely gone!

SUPER SIMPLE SALSA 

• 4 medium tomatoes

• 1 tablepoon olive oil

• 1 jalepeno, sliced lengthwise and deseeded

• 1/2 a medium onion

• 1 clove of garlic

• juice of 1 lime

• 1/4 cup cilantro

• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish and brush with olive oil. Cook for 20 minutes or until tomatoes seem cooked through. Remove from the oven. Place the tomatoes and remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until you achieve your desired consistently.  

Grain-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Slowness has been on my mind lately. Probably because my life for the last three months has represented anything BUT slowness. Ever since we moved out of our old apartment and into a state of unknown (see here) there has been far less thriving and way more surviving than I would care to admit. I'm a busy body by nature. I can't sit still, but amidst the shuffle of the last few months I've lost so much of myself and my purpose and I need to get back to my normal. 

As a challenge to myself I want to make a little shift. I want to slow down. I want to embrace slow mornings where I have the chance to cook breakfast in my PJs and sip coffee as long as I want. I want to forgo rushing from errand to errand or getting anxiety over the impending to-do list. Instead I want to slow down and take more breaths. Wish me luck. 

Between breaths you can find me making these paleo banana chocolate chip muffins. They're hella easy and damn good. And I know we're all about that. 

Grain-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 

Makes 15

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly 
• 4 mashed bananas 
• 2/3 cup maple syrup 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoons vanilla 
• 2 cups almond flour 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3/4 cup Enjoy life mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, or another non-dairy chocolate chip 
• a pinch of salt
• 1 banana, cut into slices to top the muffins 

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with muffin tins. In a large bowl beat together the coconut oil, mashed bananas, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. In another bowl mix together the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet until they are fully combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake tins and then top each with a banana slice. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Take out of the oven and allow to cool.