Apple & Caramel Cake

Living in the Midwest, we love our Falls. It's cold enough to put on our favorite sweaters, scarves, and pull out the cute boots, but not so cold we hate the outdoors all together. We know winter is coming soon, so we all head outside to enjoy the last bit of warmth for 5 months. I love going to the apple orchard in the Fall and finding the best apples I've had all year (since my last trip to the apple orchard), indulging in an apple donut and some warm apple cider. Pair apples with caramel, and you've hit one of the best fall food combinations around.

This cake is just that, a perfect combination of apples and caramel. The caramel is swirled into the cake, which makes every bite from top to bottom sweet and delicious. Drizzle a little more warm caramel on top, and it's perfect.

I originally made this cake last New Years Eve actually. (It just shows how bad I am at posting...) Every year for New Years, I have my close friends from high school over and make them dinner. It's my love language- food and acts of service- so I love doing it. I love cooking for them because they are always open to trying whatever I put in front of them (unlike my family who asks what I did to it to make it healthy). This cake was a hit; I'm pretty sure we finished the whole thing.

As always, the recipe is dairy-free. This time it's even vegan! So enjoy some great fall baking!

Adapted from Oh, Ladycakes
Makes one 9″ spring form cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups whole spelt flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raw turbinado sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond milk
2 flax eggs*
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup caramel sauce, divided
3 tart apples, peeled and chopped

*to make 2 flax eggs: combine 2 Tbsp flax meal and 6 Tbsp water, let sit for 5 minutes.

Caramel Sauce:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk fat
3/4 cup raw turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)

Directions:

Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line the bottom of a 9″ spring form pan with parchment paper and spray with oil; set aside.
2. Stir the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Create a well in the center and pour in the butter, vanilla extract, almond milk, and flax eggs; beat with a hand mixer on high speed for 30 seconds.
4. Fold in the pecans then pour half of the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
5. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of caramel, then top with the remaining batter. Run a knife through batter in a figure-8 motion several times.
6. In a small bowl, toss the chopped apples and remaining caramel. Place apples over batter and press to even.
7. Bake at 350˚F for 50-55 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve with warm caramel sauce drizzled on top. Keeps in an air tight container for 3 days, but is best the day of.

Caramel Sauce:

Yields 1 cup

1. Refrigerate two cans of coconut milk overnight, or at least 12 hours.

2. The next day, scoop the fat off of the top of each can and measure out 1 1/2 cups.

3. Place the coconut milk fat into a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat until liquid. Add the sugar and whisk until the mixture turns a dark caramel color.

4. Allow mixture to boil for 15-20 minutes, whisking briskly every 3-4 minutes. The longer it cooks, the thicker it will become; cook a minimum of 15 minutes.

5. Refrigerate extras in an air tight container. Reheat to soften.

Perfect Guacamole

Avocados are still 5 for $5 at my local grocery store; therefore, in my opinion, they are still in season. Which means... this post is appropriate, despite the fact that tomorrow is November. Also, who doesn't like some good chips and guac while watching the football game?

This summer, I was tired of eating subpar guac that never turned out the same two times in a row from neglecting to measure the ingredients. Thus, I set out to perfect my guacamole recipe.

My family loves cilantro, so a lot of cilantro was a must. I know the like / dislike of cilantro is genetic; if you don't like cilantro, simply omit it. I like my guacamole to have a little kick, just barely, hence the cayenne pepper. Finally, this guac is also fairly lime-y, it's something everyone points out, yet they all love it and say not to change it.

I would say I reached my goal of perfecting my guacamole, so this post definitely earns the title "Perfect Guacamole," because it truly is delicious every single time.

Ingredients:

3 Avocados
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 chopped tomatoes
1/4 chopped red onion
2 Tbsp lime juice (about 3/4 of a lime)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Mash avocado in a bowl using a fork
2. Stir in remaining ingredients
3. Enjoy with chips, on tacos, or anything else!

Cashew Coconut Granola

Mom told me to get rid of the cashews, so I opted for cashew granola.We had two huge containers of cashews (who knows why), and she didn't know how we were going to eat them all. In the process, I also got rid of our almonds, raisins, and coconut, so I'd say that it was a pretty good pantry-cleaning recipe!

This granola instantly became my new favorite granola. It is so good. It has the perfect sweetness from the maple syrup. It's crunchy like a granola should be, with just a touch of chewy from the raisins. I had never made granola with sesame seeds before, but toasted sesame seeds truly are delicious, so I thought I would throw them in! (Plus, they have calcium in them- which I am always in need of.)

Regarding the family test: passed with flying colors. Mom said it might be her new favorite too. Dad loved it simply from the coconut I'm pretty sure.


If you're into super yummy, crunchy yet chewy, pantry-clearing recipes- this ones for you!

Adapted from The Cafe Sucre Farine
Makes 8 cups; 225 calories per half cup

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup, room temp
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2. Stir oats, nuts, coconut, brown sugar, and salt together in large bowl
3. Combine maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla in small bowl. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until dry ingredients are coated evenly
5. Spread mixture evenly on both baking sheets and bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.
5. Remove granola from oven and let cool then add in raisins. Store in airtight containers.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

The month of February was not a good month for my stomach. Almost everyday ended with me eating crystallized ginger, drinking peppermint tea, and then lying face-down on my bed with a heating pad under my stomach. I eat mostly whole foods, and for the most part my diet hasn't changed. I just couldn't figure out what was causing this much pain and bloating! After tracking the pain and the foods I ate and talking with our schools dietician, we decided it could be either gluten, broccoli, or spinach. The only way to find out was to take each of these out of my diet for a few weeks and see if the symptoms resided. Long story short, I am now gluten free.

I really did not want to have to take gluten out of my diet. Granted, I don't eat much bread or things of the like anyways, but I just didn't want to be that person: the person who is dairy-free and gluten-free. But here I am, g-free for a month or so, and no stomach pain, bloating, or gas! In order to confirm this sensitivity, gluten needs to be out of a person's system for about two months, so the intestines can heal completely, then it needs to be eaten again to see if a reaction occurs. That will be my job next month.

That being said, mom, there will now be a lot more gluten-free items made in Your Daughter's Kitchen. Which is probably better for all of us since mom is allergic to wheat (not necessarily gluten), and my little sister is supposed to be without gluten for her hyperextension joint problems.


On to these amazing cookies. They are dense, and almost biscuit-like, but sweet like a cookie. I love the banana in this as it makes them sweeter and acts as a vegan egg-replacement. As with most of my recipes, they're great with a cup of coffee. If you're into milk, they would be delicious with that as well. 

If the mixture is a little dry, add a little more almond milk or mashed banana. If you would like them a little sweeter, add some more chocolate chips.

Happy gluten-free, dairy-free living to us all!

Makes 24-28 cookies; about 150 calories per cookie
Adapted from The Simple Veganista

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 heaping tsp baking soda
2/3 cup refined coconut oil (softened or melted)
1/2 large banana, mashed
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (at room temp)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mash banana as smooth as possible, set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil and sugar, mix well. Add in mashed banana, vanilla and room temperature almond milk.
4. Add the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda to the liquid mixture, mixing well to combine and scraping the bottom to make sure there are no flour clumps. Add in oats, then chocolate chips, mixing in between.
5. Scoop out rounded tablespoons of mixture and place on sheet about 1 inch apart, flattening slightly. Cookies stay about the same size while baking. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy.

Fig Zucchini Pasta and Hemp Seed Crumble

Being summer time, I love eating fresh fruit and vegetables. My mom and I grow a vegetable garden every year, and one of our (and many people's) biggest yielding crops is our zucchini. I am always looking for new recipes to use our abundance of zucchini in. This recipe caught my eye because it looked so fresh and easy to make. Plus, it had figs! Figs are one of my favorite foods, both dried and fresh. Once again, being summer, there are plenty of fresh figs in the store!

Lauren and I made this dish the other week (when we also made No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars and Raw Peach Cheesecake). Let me tell you, this dish is actually amazing. I can't even express how amazing it is. It took about 15 minutes total to make and was gone it about 5. We both went back for seconds and only had a tiny bit left over. The figs add a sweet taste, while the garlic in the hemp crumble gives it a savory taste. The zucchini pasta is light and fresh, yet the crumble adds some protein and substance to the dish.

The Hemp Seed Crumble, as you may notice, makes a little extra than you need for the pasta. The crumble tastes cheesy and can be used a vegan parmesan cheese. It works great on any type of pasta, salads, or even on pizza!

Adapted from Nutrition Stripped
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Pasta:

2 zucchini, spiralized
2 cups fresh mission figs, sliced
1/2 avocado, diced
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt
dash of black pepper

Crumble:

Makes 4 Servings
3 Tbsp walnuts, chopped
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
2 Tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted and chopped
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
pinch of sea salt
1/2 clove of garlic

Directions:

Pasta:

1. Spiralize the zucchini. This will vary depending on your spiralizer. Cut the end off each zucchini before spiralizing, then peel the long way. If you don't have a spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler instead. Place zucchini in large bowl.
2. Add sliced figs and diced avocado and stir.
3. Add the lemond juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Top with Hemp Seed Crumble. (I use about half of the crumble and save the rest)
5. Enjoy immediately! Extras should be kept in the fridge.

Crumble:

1. Toast pine nuts until fragrant and golden in color.
2. Using a knife or food processor, chop the walnuts and pine nuts until they are coarsely crumbled.
3. Add nuts hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, and garlic to small bowl and stir until combined.
4. Add sea salt to taste.
5. Crumble will keep in the refrigerator for 3 weeks.

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No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars

My willingness to write long descriptions of my food endeavors is close to nonexistent right now. I currently have 6 recipes written up and photographed simply waiting to get a description, therefore this is going to be brief. But who wants a long intro anyways? I'd rather just get to making some yummy food!

Anyways, last week my good friend Lauren (owner of Not Your Ordinary Kitchen) came over and we whipped up these babies, along with Fig Zucchini Pasta and 2 others things (to be posted soon). Basically, these bars are good- real good. They take about 5 minutes to make and an hour in the freezer. They are very rich, so the mini bar size is perfect. Eating these is almost like eating Muddy Buddies, but in a bar- so like heaven. There we go, brief intro! Now eat up!!

Adapted from Hungry Happens
Makes 24 mini bars; 200 calories per bar

Ingredients:

1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dairy free chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Line and 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper
2. In a medium bowl melt peanut butter, maple syrups, and coconut oil in microwave; takes about 1 minute. Stir occasionally to keep mixture from burning.
3. Remove from microwave and mix in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish, smoothing top with spatula. Freeze for 1-2 hours or until set.
5. Pull entire dessert out of baking dish then cut into 24 bars. Do this quickly as bars soften fast! Enjoy! Store leftover bars in airtight container in fridge.

Banana Nut Granola

Granola truly is one of the best foods. It works as breakfast with a little bit of milk, mixed into yogurt, on top of a smoothie, and is a great snack on the go as well. This granola recipe is honestly amazing. The banana really shines through and makes it naturally sweet. I'm very proud of it because it's my own recipe, and I got it right the first time! Two serious victories for me.

When making this granola, I chose to use almonds and walnuts for their mild flavor in comparison to some other nuts and seeds. They are also two of my favorite nuts to eat once they are roasted, as roasting them brings out a whole new flavor and texture. I tested the recipe with and without cinnamon; both taste great, but the little bit of cinnamon helps balance out the sweetness just a touch. Finally, most granolas would call for some sort of oil. Instead, I used almond butter, which has fat and oil in it, but also keeps the granola a little more clumpy (which I love).

While baking, be sure to mix thoroughly after the first 10 minutes or you will end up with a big granola pancake. Also, you are going to want to pull it out a little early because it starts to darken pretty quickly after the first 15 minutes. Do not do this!! Be patient and stir more frequently if it starts to darken too much. Pulling it out early will make the granola more chewy and less crunchy.

Eat up!


Makes about 5 cups; 118 calories per 1/4 cup

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 small very ripe bananas (or 2 large), mashed
3 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp almond butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Stir oats, almonds, walnuts, and flaxseed together in large bowl.
3. Add bananas, maple syrup, and almond butter to dry ingredients, stirring thoroughly to separate all banana and almond butter chunks.
4. Divide granola into two equal parts and spread mixture evenly on each baking tray.
5. Bake for 10 minutes then stir well, breaking the granola apart as you stir. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes so granola does not burn.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Finals are done, I am home in Minnesota, and summer is here! This also means I am finally able to spend some much needed time in my (mom's) lovely kitchen. My stay will be short this time, as I am heading to Nepal on a 7 week missions trip in less than 3 weeks (eek). I am maximizing this time with days filled with friends, the vegetable garden, pilates, and making delicious food.

First on the list was blueberry muffins. I found this recipe in a book my sister-in-law gave my mom for Mother's Day called Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris. I'm loving the recipe book so far and the extra health info it gives on many superfoods.

These muffins are more dense than your average bakery muffin, which makes them very filling despite their smaller-than-a-bakery size. They are the perfect sweetness for a breakfast muffin; the fresh blueberries help hit the sweet tooth, but they don't make me feel like I just consumed a dessert. They are made with 100% whole wheat flour and are vegan since they are made with almond milk, maple syrup, and coconut oil. The applesauce replaces some the the coconut oil, so if I wanted to I could give it a "low-fat" label. I'm not usually about labeling foods with health claims though, and would rather just enjoy a good, fresh-baked muffin.

Here's to summer!

Makes 12 muffins; 150 calories per muffin

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup almond milk (or nut-milk of choice)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Stir together  flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a large liquid measuring cup measure and stir together the nut milk, apple sauce, maple syrups, coconut oil, and lend zest. (The measuring cup doubles as the bowl and the measuring cup very nicely.)
4. add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over stir, as the batter is supposed to be lumpy.
5. In a small bowl, measure out the blueberries and add a handful of flour to the bowl. Toss the berries, making sure they are fully coated with flour. This will keep the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffin tin while in the oven.
6. Scoop the batter equally into the prepared muffin tins. This makes exactly 12 muffins; there should be no batter left over.
7. Bake the muffins for 24-28 minutes, or until tops turn golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

One-Minute Muffin

A couple of weeks ago my mom sent me the recipe for this muffin, then a couple days later sent me the ingredients in the mail (#1 mom). Since then, it has become a breakfast favorite for both of us. It takes a minute to stir together, a minute to cook, and has virtually no clean up- basically perfect for at college. 

I tweaked the muffin a little (of course) by adding some honey to sweeten it and throwing in some cacao nibs. I loved it with the cacao; they added a little crunch and, of course, that chocolatey goodness. My mom said she's been putting raisins in it for my dad, so it's easy to mix and match add-ins depending what you like in muffins!

I make this in a 4-inch glass ramekin, but I'm sure it would work in a coffee mug too. This muffin is gluten free, and as always, it's dairy free as well. It contains egg and honey, so it's not vegan, but I'm going to try replacing the egg with a chia egg this weekend to see how it turns out. (keep you updated). Update: This muffin can be easily be made vegan. Replace the honey with agave nectar or coconut sugar, and replace the egg for a chia egg*. The chia egg version will be more dense and not rise as much, but it will also be more moist. Both versions are equally as delicious!

My only caution in making this muffin is to make sure the egg is mixed in well- or else you will end up with white coagulated egg chunks in your muffin. This doesn't affect the taste, but it makes it less pretty. 

Enjoy this quick weekend (or week day) treat! 

Makes 1 muffin
360 calories per muffin

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Almond Flour

2 Tbsp. Golden Flaxseed Meal (or grind your own seeds)

Pinch Sea Salt 

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp. Honey (agave nectar or coconut sugar work too)

1 tsp. Coconut Oil

1 Large Egg (or chia egg*)

Optional add-ins:

2 tsp. Cacao Nibs + 1 tsp Cacao Powder

1 Tbsp. Raisins + 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/3 mashed banana + 1 Tbsp coconut

Directions:

1. Melt oil in a 4 1/2 in. ramekin dish (or a coffee mug works too)

2. Whisk egg into the melted coconut oil.

3. Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, honey, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.

5. Cook for 45-50 seconds in microwave. (Watch for bubbling over)

6. Eat right from the bowl with a fork or remove from microwave and invert on plate and enjoy!


*To make the chia egg measure out 1 Tbsp chia seeds and stir in 3 Tbsp water then let sit for 10-15 minutes until seeds have absorbed most of the water and formed a gel-like substance.

Roasting Almonds + Almond Butter

There is something about homemade almond butter. It is just so good. I made my first batch of almond butter this past fall before college and haven't turned back since. I honestly can't even eat almond butter from the store anymore because the taste just can't compare to when I make it on my own.  This recipe is so simple, everyone is surprised when they find out that the only ingredient is almonds!

Before the almond butter can be made, the almonds must be roasted. These too are delicious and I end up eating a good portion of them before they even make it in the blender. Roasting them beforehand gives the almond butter a whole new taste, maybe that's why store-bought just can't compete. Also, by roasting them many more nutrients are released! Since almonds are technically seeds, they have enzyme inhibitors on them that keep them from sprouting as they sit on the shelf. The only way to get rid of these is to soak them or roast them. Since I'm all about the nutrition aspect, this fascinates me- but not everyone... so if you want to read more Sarah Britton writes more about it here. 

Makes 1 cup of almond butter

Ingredients:

2 cups raw almonds

Directions:

1. Roast almonds by heating oven 300 F and spreading in a single layer on a metal baking sheet.

2. Roast for 18-25 minutes. Almonds will be a golden caramel color on the inside when done, test by biting in half. They can burn easily if left in for too long, so keep a careful eye.

3. Let almonds cool completely then put in a food processor (I use our Vitamix). Blend on highest speed until smooth and creamy, scraping as you go.

4. Store in an airtight container in fridge for up to 1 month

*If you want to make chunky almond butter remove 1/4 cup of almonds from the blender once almonds have been broken up a bit but before they become a powder. Stir back in when butter is finished.

**Tips for cleaning the Vitamix: Rinse with water and get big chunks out with fingers. Fill with warm, soapy water and blend on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Rinse. Repeat if necessary.