Gluten Free Energy Balls

Gluten Free Energy Balls

• 1 cup gluten free oats - you can use old-fashioned oats whole, or process them a bit for a finer texture
• 1/2 cup smooth almond butter
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, cover, and chill for 30 minutes.

Once chilled, roll into 1" balls and store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Makes 20-25 balls.

Original recipe can be found at: Gimme Some Oven.

Red Wine Cheesecake Brownies

Red Wine Cheesecake Brownies

For the cheesecake layer:
8 package of neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature
1 egg white
1/4 cup  sugar
1/4 cup sucanot

For the brownie layer:
3 egg whites
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 t liquid stevia
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup melted butter
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 325°. Combine ingredients for the cream cheese layer in a large bowl and whisk well until completely incorporated and smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine egg whites, syrup, stevia, salt, butter and red wine. Whisk well to combine.

Add cocoa powder and flour and mix until just combined. Pour in chocolate chips and fold in.

Line a 9 x 9 pan with parchment paper. Pour 3/4 of the brownie batter into the pan. Pour over the cheesecake mixture. Dollop the rest of the brownie batter by the heaping tablespoon on top of the cheesecake layer. Use a spoon handle or butter knife to swirl the brownie batter into the cheesecake batter.

Bake brownies for 50 - 60 minutes, or until a toothpick is clean when inserted into the middle of the brownies.

Lowfat Chocolate Banana Muffins

This recipe is originally from Lauren - whom I love - with a few Kristinifications (as usual). My husband and I have decided that we must have a batch of these delicious muffins (equally as good for breakfast, a snack, or dessert) in the house at all times - or we tend to get
a tadgrumpy. They freeze wonderfully and you'd never in a million years guess that they were full of good ingredients and low in fat!

Lowfat Chocolate Banana Muffins

3 large overripe (with almost black peels) bananas

1/2 (scant) cup sucanot
2 egg whites
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (scant) good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 cup grained-sweetened chocolate chips
1/4 cup (or less) all natural peanut butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin. In a large mixing bow, mash the bananas with a fork. Stir in the sucanot, egg white, and applesauce.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be lumpy.

Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full and top with a small dollop of peanut butter if desired (maybe 1/2 a t). Swirl peanut butter with a knife to form a pretty pattern on the surface. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (note that the chips and peanut butter may give you a false reading-you can also go by a touch spring test).



Cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days, in the fridge for about a week, or freeze for a month (if they last that long!).