Delicious Peanut Butter Snack Bar

In comparison to store bought snack bars or granola bars, these are healthier, delicious, filling and far less expensive!

The Benefits of Eating Nuts and Seeds

As a whole eating nuts and seeds can be very satisfying and they are packed with a variety of nutrients, protein, fiber and powerful antioxidants (once you can have them).

There is research suggesting that the nutrients in nuts can have a protective effect on heart health, diabetes prevention, cancer, neuro-generative diseases and further may be helpful for weight loss or maintenance.

Seeds are said to contain a surprising amount of nutrients including essential fatty acids like omega-3, protein, fiber and a range of healthy antioxidants.

I am only restating what I have found in my online research, you must decide whether you agree or not. However, based on that information, it is safe to say that this recipe makes a better for you snack bar.

What if you cannot have nuts?

If you are allergic to nuts, you can use a variety of seeds. There is even allergen-friendly sunflower butter which can be used in place of peanut butter. You may need to vary the amount of milk you use but the recipe itself works well with substitutions

Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

My recipe also includes dairy free dark chocolate chips. Chocolate is made from the seed of the cacao tree and cocoa is rich in flavanols, which are plant chemicals loaded with nutrients that can positively affect your health. In fact, quality dark chocolate is rich in fiber,

iron, magnesium, copper, manganese and a few other minerals. Dark chocolate is also loaded with organic compounds which include polyphenols, flavanols and catechins, that function as antioxidants.

Dark chocolate might help to protect your heart, reduce the risk of diabetes and lower blood pressure.

Even while I'm saying that this bar is better for you, especially in comparison to store bought bars, I am not giving you medical advice, nor am I suggesting that you can binge on them without consequence. Your health is your responsibility, my bars just makes that task 'sweeter"

Other Snack Bar Recipe

You can also try my refined sugar free snack bar, which has slight variations to this recipe.

Hope you enjoy this recipe! Leave me a comment or contact me if you have questions

Gluten Free and Vegan Peanut Butter Snack Bar

Gluten Free and Vegan Peanut Butter Snack Bar Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats

¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cup coarsely ground nuts and seeds*

¼ cup chocolate chips (I used 65% dark and dairy free)

1½ tbsp flax meal (ground flax seeds)

¼ cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)*

¼ – ½ cup coconut milk (add a little at a time)*

pinch of salt

2 tbsp brown or coconut palm sugar (optional)

Notes*

Any combination of nuts and seeds can work e.g. almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds. I’ve also used dried fruits like cranberries

The peanut butter I used was sugar and salt free with no added vegetable oils. If you are using peanut or other nut butter with sugar and salt etc. add the nut butter before adding the salt or sugar suggested in the recipe. Taste and adjust accordingly

You can use more peanut butter than is specified in the recipe. If you do, you will need less coconut milk. Whatever you decide add the milk a little at a time until the mix is sticky enough to hold together. It’s possible that you may need more milk than is stated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a baking tray with parchment paper allowing the paper to overhang from the sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine until evenly mixed the oats, cocoa powder, mixed nuts/seeds, chocolate chips and flax meal. Set aside.

Add the peanut butter to the dry mix (as per recipe or more, see notes above) and combine until it’s evenly distributed. Add the milk, a little at a time kneading it into the mixture until it all sticks together and can form a ball. Taste for salt and sugar, add if desired. Leave the mixture to rest for about 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes and only if necessary you can add a little more milk so the mixture is decidedly sticky and holding together

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking tray. Press down firmly and smooth with a pastry roller or a flat sided object to the desired thickness. Bake in the oven for 8 – 10 minutes or until it is just set.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 mins. Hold onto the parchment paper and lift the entire sheet out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container (refrigeration storage works best for me)

Tasty Orange Vanilla Fried Donut (Doughnut) Holes Recipe

There are times when you just want something indulgent to eat. Baked donuts (doughnuts) are awesome and I have a few recipes for those (below). Fried donuts though may not be great for the waistline but they just taste so good!

When I was younger I would buy a box of donuts almost every week. Sure I could and I did make them at home every now and then but I loved the convenience and the taste of these donuts. The outside was lightly crisped and the inside was somewhere between a cookie and a cake, just fluffy enough. These donuts are the closest I've come to replicating that taste and texture.

The little bit of yeast here I believe makes a difference as well as resting the dough. Of course frying instead of baking will also change the texture.

This recipe is for donut holes but I have also made free hand mini donuts. When I pinch pieces of the dough off, I lightly knead to form a smooth ball. Then I flatten the dough to about 2" in diameter and with my finger poke a hole in the center. I widen the hole by making a circular motion with my finger. I may flip the donut to the other side to even out the hole.

Go ahead and try my recipe for these Gluten Free and Vegan Orange Vanilla Donuts. I always appreciate feedback and if you have questions please message me.

One more thing if you prefer a baked donut try one of my other recipes (below), the liquid to flour ratio will be different

Salud

Recipe for Baked Gluten Free and Lemon Vanilla Donuts

Recipe for Baked Gluten Free and Vegan Chocolate Blender Donuts

Recipe for Baked Gluten Free and Vegan Red Velvet Donuts

Gluten Free Vegan Orange Vanilla Donut (Doughnut) Holes

Mini Gluten Free Vegan Donuts (Doughnuts)

Gluten Free and Vegan Orange Vanilla Fried Donuts (Doughnuts) Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup brown rice flour*

2 tbsp potato starch*

2 tbsp tapioca starch*

¼ cup almond flour

1 tsp xanthan gum (omit if in your blend)

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup white sugar

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp yeast

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

½ cup coconut milk

1-2 tsp of orange zest

Tapioca starch to shape the dough

Oil for frying

*You can replace these ingredients with a 1 to 1 or a light flour blend as opposed to a bread mix

Orange Glaze

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

In a mixing bowl add the dry ingredients and stir to combine

Add ¼ cup of the coconut milk and the rest of the ingredients. Mix or blend adding more coconut milk a little at a time, until you have a somewhat smooth dough (you may need a little less or more coconut milk than specified in the recipe). The dough should feel fluffy, moist and be fairly easy to handle

Prepare a surface to roll out the dough, dust with a little of the tapioca starch

Pinch off pieces of the dough to form round balls, around 1½ in diameter. If the rounds are too big the outside will brown too much before the insides are cooked. Roll the balls in your hand or on your work surface until smooth. Set aside and continue with the rest of the dough. Let the rounds rest for 30 minutes (this is optional, but it helps with the final texture of the donuts)

Toward the end of the rest, heat to moderate a pot or skillet with oil for deep frying

When the oil is ready starting with the first ball, fry the donuts a few at a time without crowding the pot. Turn each donut so that it can brown evenly on both sides. You want a nice medium to deep golden brown colour, do a test donut so you can figure out how long you want to fry it for.

Once fried, drain the donuts in a dish lined with paper towel. Let the donuts cool before coating with the orange glaze.

To make the Orange Glaze add the orange juice to the powdered sugar and stir until all of the sugar has been incorporated. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before serving

Gluten Free and Vegan Chinese Steamed Buns (BAO) Recipe

This is my recipe for soft and fluffy gluten free, vegan Chinese Steamed Buns (BAO)

Gluten Free and Vegan Chinese Steamed Buns (BAO)

These buns were a regular feature of my childhood. On treat days, my Mom would bring them home with her after work in a box also filled with pastry and cake! In Trinidad and Tobago we call them POWs and the filling would usually be chicken or pork. There was a time when we could buy these from a street vendor. Now we have Chinese Food Restaurants at almost every corner (seriously, there are about 5 restaurants within 2 minutes from my home)!

The ones I grew up with are smooth all around, not pinched or styled as with other variations. I also used a veggie filling in my buns but you can use whatever you like. Taking inspiration from the movie Kung Fu Panda, you could even make a red bean paste filling.

I can't guarantee that this is the best Chinese steamed buns ever. However, if you've been missing out on this for sometime or just craving a taste, this is way, way more than just satisfactory...when you try it remember I told you so

Gluten Free Chinese Steamed Buns (BAO)

How to make Gluten Free and Vegan Chinese Steamed Buns (BAO)

(Recipe makes about 8 buns 2½” – 3” diameter)

Equipment you will need

Parchment paper cut into 3 1/2” squares or just bigger than whatever will be the final diameter of your buns

Bamboo steamer (If you do not have a bamboo steamer you can use a metal steamer or a wire rack. Whatever you use ensure that the steam cannot condense and drip onto the buns. You may have to wrap a towel to cover the lid of your improvised steamer)

Large pot (large enough for the steamer to sit comfortably on top)

Ingredients

¾ cup oat flour*

½ cup brown rice flour*

2 tbsp tapioca starch*

2 tbsp potato starch*

1 tsp xanthan gum*

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp yeast

½ tsp salt

1½ tsp white sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vinegar

2/3 cup warm water (105-115°F, more if needed)

Tapioca starch for shaping dough

Filling of choice**

Notes

*A bread flour blend can replace the oat flour, rice flour and starches. Substitute 1½ cups of your flour blend for the ingredients listed here. If your flour blend has xanthan gum do not add more.

**The filing should not be watery or runny as this will weaken the dough once it’s filled

Traditional steamed buns are white in color. These buns will be slightly yellow because of the flour and the ingredient that are used

Directions

Place all of the dry ingredients into a bowl, mix to combine

Make a well in center of the dry ingredients. Add all of the wet ingredients. Stir or mix to form a smooth dough. The dough should be soft, sticky, holding together and fairly easy to work by hand. Add more water a little at a time if needed to achieve the right consistency

Clover the bowl tightly and set the dough aside to rest for at least 30 minutes

A few minutes before the end of your rest period, bring a large pot of water to boil. The water should never touch the bottom of the steamer

To form the buns, dust your work surface with some of the tapioca starch, have your filling ready. The dough should have risen a bit, re-knead it just enough to form a somewhat smooth ball again

Pinch off a piece of the dough, enough to make a round ball about 2½” - 3” in diameter. Roll around on your work surface or in your hands until it is as smooth as possible (if your dough is not smooth at this point you will not get a smooth bun). Lightly oiled hands will help. Once smooth, flatten the dough into a round disc. Peace some filling in the center of the disc, pinch the dough together to seal the bun. Place the bun, sealed side down, on a piece of the parchment paper (you may have to moisten the paper with a very small drop of water to keep the bun in place). Put the bun into the steamer (leave room between the buns). Repeat the process to make the rest of the buns

Because this is gluten free dough, you do not want the filled buns to sit and rise for too long. I often find that by the time I am finished filling about 4 - 5 buns, that the first batch is ready (you only need a small increase in size, the buns will puff further while they cook). It takes abut 8 minutes to steam and cook the buns so I setup the first batch to cook while I am filling the second set. When the buns are done remove for the heat and plate immediately. They are best served warm