Chocolate Chip Breakfast Rug

I couldn't decide on a name for this... It was between sweet flatbread or breakfast pan cake but then Witty Husband started calling it a "breakfast rug" and the name stuck. This recipe is one of my husband's favorites.

Here it is fresh out of the oven...

Use golden flaxseeds instead of brown for a butter-like flavor. Grinding the oats and flaxseeds may seem cumbersome but it literally takes just a minute or two tops. Oat flour can go rancid easily and rolled oats are usually cheaper in the bulk aisle at your local grocery store. With both the oats and flaxseeds, this cake has a good serving of fiber. A slice of this sweetness and a cup of tea is a great way to start the day!

Including orange zest in the batter or serving with orange slices guarantees a higher absorption rate of chocolate's antioxidants.

And best of all? This "breakfast rug" is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free. Raid your pantry for all the ingredients! No need to go out shopping for anything extraordinary when this is so easy to prepare at home.

Variations:
Cinnamon Raisin (add 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/3 cup raisins)
Orange Honey (subtract sugar, use orange juice insted of milk, use less juice than calls for and add honey)
Use any frozen berries in exchange for the chocolate chips - blueberries, marionberries, raspberries, etc.

Chocolate Chip Breakfast Rug
1 1/2 c rolled oats (gluten-free certified if sensitive)
1/4 c golden flaxseeds
1 t baking soda
1/2 t cream of tartar             (use 1 1/2 tsp baking powder instead of baking soda and cream of tartar)
1/4 t salt
1/2 c applesauce
1 cup unsweetened, dairy-free milk (such as coconut, almond or soy)
1/4 cup sugar

1/2 c choc chips
1 tsp orange zest (optional)

1. In a spice grinder, grind oats and flaxseed. Add to bowl with other dry ingredients.
2. Combine wet ingredients in seperate bowl. Mix the two together.
3. Pour into a 9x13 pan (greased lightly with coconut oil).
4. Pop into 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until bottom is browned and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 4 large servings or 8 smaller servings.
My toddler eats 1/8 of this recipe and my husband eats 1/4. Depending on my hunger, I eat whichever size I feel like. It's great served cold the next day or tucked in lunches.

Easy Coconut Creamy Pumpkin Soup

The season for pumpkin everything may be over but no one wants to miss this delicious pumpkin soup! Leftover canned pumpkin makes this soup an easy go-to.

I brought this soup to a friend who recently had surgery. It was heartwarming to reconnect and visit with her as she recovers. I hope this soup sees you to some great laughter and satisfied tummies!

This soup is vegan (unless you use chicken broth base) and free of most allergens (nuts, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, tomatoes). It is delicious with crackers, bread, or oat and almond drop biscuits. Even toddlers will enjoy this vitamin A-rich soup! I know ours did.

Easy Creamy Pumpkin Soup
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin (or 15 oz can)
3 cups coconut milk (I used So Delicious coconut milk, unsweetened)
1 1/2 tsp sage,
1/2 tsp oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes (or more if you want it spicy)
1 tsp cinnamon
Vegetable Broth Base

1. Chop the onions. Saute in grapeseed oil on medium for 10 minutes, every couple minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and slightly brown.
2. In blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. To heat, put on stovetop and cook on medium heat several minutes.

And in other words, I've read a couple of books lately including
 Rethana's Trial (Legends of the Light-Walkers, #2) by Courtney Cantrell,
Widow of Larkspur Inn, The (The Gresham Chronicles Book #1) by Lawana Blackwell,
Heartless by Jaimey Grant and
Collide (A Collide Novel) By Shelly Crane.
All of these books are less than $5 on the Kindle ! I love to support as many authors as I can and when it's this price? Yeee haw!

In need of some cinnamon, sage, or other herbs? I buy my herbs from:  And you can help support Sweet Roots by buying from this link!

Double Chocolate Black Bean Cookies with Sesame

I can't take credit for these delicious and healthy cookies. I used the base from Sarah Britton's Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cookies and did my own take on her recipe. I wasn't even planning to post this until my sister begged me too. Well, begging might be exaggerating - I mean I'm not that cruel. For my take, I used chocolate chips and less sweetener, I passed on the cherries and cayenne (but that would make a delicious addition). Instead, I generously sprinkled sesame seeds over half the batch.

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Sesame seeds are a wondrous little seed. You can see them featured in my bone-building chocolate sesame melts. Sesame is one of the most calcium-rich foods, teaspoon for teaspoon. It's also loaded with trace minerals such as magnesium. Eating magnesium with calcium is important as it acts as a "'glue' that binds calcium to bone’s protein matrix, creating strong, dense bones. (Spry). Eating one ounce a day of sesame seeds can help provide 28% (based on a 2,000 calories diet) of the calcium needed daily (Nutrition Data.com). When incorporated into the diet, these little wonders of joy can help provide a good base to building strong, healthy bones (or mantaining them).

I love sesame seeds sprinkled on eggs, rice, soup, cooked greens and baked goods! Of course, these are optional (hense why I photographed half of them without). You can buy them from your local grocery store in the bulk section or Mountain Rose Herbs sells organic sesame seeds for an amazing price of $4 for one pound.

Black Beans are a great source of iron, protein and fiber. You can read more about this understated superfood on Sarah B's post.

Besides these wonderful nutritients, the cookies are relatively inexpensive and quite easy to prepare. No bowls are dirtied. Only the food processor!

Also if you don't want to turn on your oven (and you haven't used eggs in the batter), this batter makes a wonderful dip for apples or spread on sweet crackers. Or just eaten by the spoonful *wink wink*.

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All in all, these fudgy cookies are a great treat or snack for anyone! Being vegan and void of most allergens.

Doubling the recipe is a good idea so you have enough to share!

Double Chocolate Black Bean Cookies with Sesame Seeds (or brownie dip if you prefer not to bake it)

(This recipe is inspired by my bone-building chocolate sesame melts and mainly by Sarah B's black bean chocolate chili cookies).

1 1/2 cup cooked black beans (or one 15 oz can, drained and rinsed well)
2 Tb coconut oil
1/3 cup + 2 Tb cocoa powder
1/2 tsp course sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (or you can use same amount of non-dairy milk with liquid stevia equivalent)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tb chia seeds (or 2 Tb ground flax seed or Sarah says you can use 2 eggs)

1/2 heaping cup chocolate chips or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In food processor, add beans and coconut oil. Process until smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients (except for sesame seeds) and process until smooth (about a minute). Wait a few minutes for it to thicken and the chia to expand.
4. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls onto stoneware or parchment lined tray and flatten with fingers or fork.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for at least ten minutes before removing from pan.

Makes ten or so unless you eat a lot of the batter like we did.

Purple Cabbage Coleslaw with Apple Dijon Vinaigrette

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Happy New Year!

What does 2013 bring for you? What are you looking forward to? What are you striving for?

Last year I read this article, My Spiritual Vocabulary: Choosing Words to Live By Debbie Macomber in a Guidepost my mother in law gave to me. I love the idea of devoting one year of prayer and resolution to a word. This word becomes a direction, a map to let discover areas that need work, that need the Word.

This year, I'm debating whether or not to pick "proactive". (No, not the skincare). I knew this year I wanted to be more active - go exercise, get sweaty, walk more. I want to be proactive with my daughter's learning and education (she just turned two). I want to be more proactive in my relationship with my husband, let him know how much I do care for him. I want to be more proactive in cleaning the house, planning menus and making meals, just getting things done... The more I write and think about this word, the more fixed it becomes.

This is the word. Now I just pray that I find a scripture that can help guide me.

Planning meals and being more active, I hope will lead to a shedding of a few pounds that sit unsafely around my middle. This is no whine or gripe about body image. I know I am beautifully made - but I, my heart and liver specifically, would be healthier if those pounds were gone.

And this is one recipe that helps...

So in the spirit of the New Year, I offer you a tasty coleslaw packed with tons of vitamins and lots of vibrancy.

Served in cabbage "bowls", coleslaw is brought to a whole new level. Save a few of the outer cabbage leaves and serve the coleslaw in the bowl-like shape of the leaves on top of a white plate for contrast.

Purple Cabbage Coleslaw
1 Purple Cabbage
Large Bunch of Organic Carrots (or 4 cups mini carrots)
2 granny smith apples

Feel free to add whatever grated vegetables you like!

1. Grate or chop all the vegetables.
2. Pour vinaigrettte over the vegetables and toss. Refridgerate until ready to eat. Better the next day!

This vinaigrette is delicious on dark green salads as well!

Apple Dijon Vinaigrette
3 Tb apple juice concentrate (fruit juice only)
1 heaping Tb dijon mustard
4 Tb oil of choice (I used half olive oil and half grapeseed oil)
1 Tb white balsamic vinegar (apple cider would work great as well)
1 tsp ground coriander seed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt

1. Add all ingredients to a lidded jar. Shake vigorously until combined.

This is shared on Lifeologia

I did start new years by being a little more active. We went snowshoeing up at my mothers house which was so lovely and refreshing! Here is a picture I took on the way...

And in other news, I read this book Inescapable (The Premonition Series) by Amy A. Bartol. It was very entertaining with life-like characters and an interesting story. Those who liked twilight would definitely like it. And those who didn't would actually find it an intriguing story with a strong heroine.

Question of the Day: IF you were to pick a word for this year, what would it be?