Clean-Eating Coconut Rice Treats (Allergy-Friendly and No-Bake!)

* This recipe is Vegetarian, optionally Vegan, optionally Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free (though they do contain coconut), optionally Soy Free, and optionally refined sugar free.

This afternoon, I was looking for a no-bake treat to make for the kids because I didn't want the oven to heat up the house. I checked my Clean Eating Pinterest board and found this gem. I made some adjustments to use what I had on hand and the results were DELICIOUS!

Whether someone in your house is on a special diet or not, these will be a hit. My kids polished off 1/2 the pan and begged for more.

Coconut Rice Treats

Ingredients

• 1½  cups +  ¼ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 6 Tbsp honey
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups Rice Chex cereal
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (optional: dairy-free chocolate chips)
• 2 tsp coconut oil

Directions

1. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan.
2. Place 1½ cups shredded, unsweetened coconut in a food processor. Keep processing until the coconut clumps and turns into a paste, about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer the coconut paste to a small saucepan and add the honey and vanilla. Whisk over medium-low heat until smooth, about 5 minutes. The mixture will be thick and sticky.
4. While the mixture is on the stove, add Rice Chex cereal to the food processor and pulse until they form small crumbs, about 20 seconds.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and gently stir in the remaining ¼ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and the cereal crumbs. 
6. Press the mixture into the greased baking pan, using parchment or plastic wrap between your hands and the mix, if needed. 
7. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl 30 seconds at a time, until melted. Stir until smooth.
8. Pour the chocolate mixture over the rice mixture and spread evenly over the top.
9. Chill 20-30 minutes until chocolate topping is set. Cut into squares. 
10. Yields 16 bite-sized treats.

Paleo/Clean Eating Recipes I Tried This Summer

Paleo Breakfast Cookies - A+. Seriously. The mix-ins I used were 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, 1 cup chopped walnuts. They. Were. Delicious. Adding the oats took it from a Paleo recipe to a Clean Eating recipe, but everyone in my family loved them! This yielded 20 cookies for us and was a perfect treat. Mike was shocked at how good they were, but asked that I omit the raisins next time and add mini chocolate chips. Men!

Paleo Blueberry Bars - A-. I used frozen blueberries instead of the recommended blackberries and next time I'll leave out the shredded coconut because it was too stringy. But my, oh my! I only used 1/4 cup almond milk and it was plenty moist...too moist to even cut into bars. I had to eat it with a spoon...this tasted like blueberry banana bread pudding. It was almost a little TOO sweet for me, but that might be because I haven't had sugar in several days.

Raw Cookie Dough Bites - A+. Whether you're gluten free, dairy free, or if the idea of a special diet or anything raw freaks you out, these are delicious. They are not Paleo, as they have oats in them, but they're clean enough for me. Throw a few things in the food processor, scoop them out and enjoy!

GF Fruit Tart with Honey Vanilla Custard for 4th of July - B. The custard tasted good, but the process was annoyingly painful. The constant babysitting of the pot on the stove is more than my little A.D.D. brain wants to handle.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars - A+. I made the mistake of making these with my broken wrist and they were ridiculously hard to stir one-handed. I was all excited to make these today, but realized that we're out of protein powder. And now I'm sad...

Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Bars - A+. Again. Ryan has mastered this No-Bake Cookie recipe, but I'm always disappointed at how melty and messy they are. These bars are so much better! They taste just as good without the mess of the melting.

Creamy Ham and Sweet Potato Soup - Everyone ate this soup, even Mike who is not a fan of sweet potatoes. He said he'd rather not eat it again, but the kids all voted it a thumbs up.

Raw Cookie Dough Bites

This delicious recipe was originally found here. It is quick and easy to throw together and a great no-bake after school treat option for your kids! They kind of remind me of the No Bake Energy Bites I posted last year, but even less mess to make because the food processor does all of the work. If you have raw nuts, make these. If you only have peanut/almond butter, make the No Bake Energy Bites.

• 2/3 cup raw almonds
• 2/3 cup raw walnuts
• 2/3 cup raw oat flakes (or old fashioned oats, if you're not concerned with being raw)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup raw agave nectar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips

In a food processor, pulse almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to a fine powder. Add agave and vanilla and pulse to combine. Add the chocolate just until combined. 

Use a small cookie scoop or roll into balls using a Tbsp to measure. Place onto a wax-paper-lined plate.

Yields 20 Cookie Dough Bites.

#100 - Prepare 30 new recipes

My kids helped A LOT with these recipes, since my wrist has been broken for 6 weeks. This is the result of Jason "helping" stir the dry ingredients before I added moisture to the KitchenAide mixer. The mess covered every surface within 3 feet of the island. Chia seeds, cocoa powder, dried fruit bits...everywhere. It was so fun to clean up with one hand!

This item on my 101 in 1001 list was fun to complete, especially because I've been trying to find some gluten-free, even dairy-free and Paleo, recipes to make more regularly. I put an * next to the recipes that we've made (or will make) again. About 1/2 of the recipes were a huge hit, the other 1/2 were a hit with some of my family, but not everyone. ALL are worth a try!!!


Breakfast

* Paleo Blueberry Pecan Breakfast Cookies - I've made these again and again. A+!

* Paleo Pancakes - These have become the only pancakes I make for Jason. 2 eggs + 1 banana = gluten free, dairy free, grain free and perfect for his diet. I love them, but they were slow to grow on the rest of my family. Now, if we don't have cottage cheese for the Biggest Loser Pancake recipe (below), everyone eats these.

* The Biggest Loser Pancakes - OHMYGOSH these things are so good. And filling!!! I make them every weekend. Actually, I also throw in 2 bananas and 4 eggs to add some healthy fillers and the consistency stays perfect.

Greek Yogurt Pancakes - Thumbs up from everyone - I used gluten-free all-purpose flour. The only reason I probably won't make these again is because I avoid using GF flour or flour substitutes.

* Primal Banana Bread - A perfect pre-workout snack or breakfast on the go.

* Grain Free Muffins - These will be a new staple in our freezer! Yum. For real.

Main Dishes

* Grain Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust - I was shocked how good this was. Shocked. Not crispy like a traditional crust, and not sturdy enough to pick up, but my whole family gave it a thumbs up. The chicken pesto version went over better than the sausage and mushroom with marinara, I think because the pesto was so flavorful that it overpowered the taste of the cauliflower.

Creamy Ham and Sweet Potato Soup - This was doomed from the beginning, as my family doesn't love sweet potatoes. At all. But personally, the taste grew on me. Regardless, I won't make it again.

Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowls - Tasted like a quinoa version of Chipotle bowls.

Greek Pizza on Pitas - My family choked this down, I loved it. 

Paleo Tropical Turkey Meatballs - My family hated these at first, until I gave them some Tastefully Simple Honey Teriyaki Sauce to dip, then everyone, especially the kids, were begging for more. Good thing, because I doubled the recipe and froze the extras!

Crispy Quinoa Bake - This was very similar to my Southwest Quinoa Casserole that I make, but more steps and more dishes. We'll stick with my go-to recipe instead.

* Homemade Taco Seasoning - Kinda spicy, but very good! I'll use less red pepper flakes next time.

* Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks - I substituted the pasta for brown rice pasta and the heavy cream for evaporated milk and it was DELICIOUS. As in, Ryan and Kaylin ate 3 and 4 bowlfuls, respectively, and asked me to make this for dinner every single night. A+...and why have I never cooked with leeks before this???

Desserts

* Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Dough Balls - I made these before I started keeping notes of my recipe reviews, but I do remember that they were delicious. I used mini chips instead of regular to cut down on the chunkiness of chocolate in every bite.

Clean Frozen Banana Cream Pie - I'd give this a B-.

Clean Pumpkin Pie - My kids actually loved it...Mike didn't. 

* Avocado Chocolate Mousse - Very rich, so I actually use only 1 T. honey, but Mike thinks he can taste the avocado. I can't. It's the perfect chocolate fix for this sweets-deprived girl!

* Healthy Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip - YUM!  We've made this again and again. The link is broken, but it's basically 1/4 c plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp peanut/almond butter, 1 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Trail Mix Balls - Not a huge hit, but my family ate them.

Gluten Free Fruit and Nut Energy Bars - These were okay, not awesome, but edible. The ingredients were pretty pricey, so I made sure none of them went to waste.

GF Fruit Tart with Honey Vanilla Custard - This was delicious, but a huge pain because of the constant "stir or it will burn" pressure. Won't make it again.

* Raw Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars - I will be making these all the time once I have two free hands! Stirring this thick mixture one-handed with a broken wrist was a joke!

No Bake Paleo Cookies - We added 1/2 oats to these, so they were gluten free, but no longer Paleo. Everyone loved them, but they melted if not eaten quickly.

* "Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Bars" - Yum, will make these again and again.

Brownies (yes, it's own catagory)

Clean Eating Brownies - These separated into two weird layers. I don't think Ryan whisked the ingredients enough. I would try making them again - they were soufflé-like.

Sweet Potato Paleo Brownies - Made with melted chocolate (chips), cooked sweet potatoes, honey, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and just 1 T each coconut oil and coconut flour. I left out the cocoa powder (we ran out) but adding a little extra coconut flour (unsweetened, shredded coconut in a coffee bean grinder) and some chocolate chips on top.

Zucchini Paleo Brownies - Made with almond butter, grated zucchini, honey, egg, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chips.

* "Best Gluten Free Brownies Ever" - Made with almond butter, eggs, agave nectar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and chocolate chips.

Chickpea Brownies - Made with Starbucks Via, garbanzo beans, eggs, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips, sugar (we used agave nectar) and canola oil (could use coconut, but we followed the recipe for this ingredient).

GF Fruit Tart with Honey Vanilla Custard for July 4th

Grain Free Muffins

Grain Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust
(with 1/2 soy cheese for Jason and 1/2 regular mozzarella with mushrooms for Mike)

Ryan making No Bake Paleo Cookies

Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free Banana Nut Muffins

I tried this recipe for 5 minute muffins and they're really good! A perfect pre-workout snack. I wanted to repost so I won't lose it.

1 cup nut butter (almond, cashew, peanut, etc)
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Topping ideas: unsweetened dehydrated coconut, raisins, dried cranberries, dark chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend until well mixed.

Pour batter into a greased muffin tin.

Add additional toppings to each muffin (they need a little something extra, so don't skip this step).

Cook time: 15 minutes for full size muffins and 10 minutes for mini muffins.

Yields 12 muffins or 24 mini muffins. This recipe doubles and freezes well!

Raw, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free Energy Bars with Chocolate, Cashews, Almonds and Dates

Are you scared of all of my weird recipes lately? I've spent lots of time in the kitchen experimenting this month and I can't help but share the recipes that are worth repeating. I'm posting them so I will remember, but also to help those of you who are on my little gluten-free, dairy-free bandwagon.

That's the kind of girl I am.  I'm a giver.

Ingredients

2 Cups (300g) Moist Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped
2 Cups (280g) Raw Cashew Nuts
½ Cup (60g) Raw Almond (without skin)
¾ Cup (75g) Cocoa Powder
A Pinch Of Sea Salt
½ Cup (40g) Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (I omitted - not a fan)
2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
2 to 3 Tbsp Cold Water

Equipment: Food Processor
11 ½ x 4 ½ inches (29 x 12 cm) Loaf pan, lined with aluminum foil

Directions

Combine chopped dates, cashews, almonds, cocoa powder, and sea salt in a food processor. Pulse and process all the ingredients together until the texture is coarse. Then add the shredded coconut, a quick pulse, and add the vanilla extract, a little water at a time until it reaches a dry but moist dough consistency. Scrape the dough mixture into the lined pan, press evenly with a rubber spatula, and chill for about an hour before serving.

Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bites

I've been experimenting with finding tasty desserts and treats no our little gluten-free, dairy-free adventure and - I have to admit - it's been tough!

So I'm not ashamed to admit that within 8 minutes of seeing this recipe on Pinterest, I was pulling ingredients out of my pantry. I thanked the pinner of the recipe (my neighbor) by walking down enough little bites to feed her family. Knowing that she posted the recipe about 20 minutes earlier, she is now probably thinking that I'm a psycho/dessert fiend.

Whatever.

Those of you who have been around for a few years may remember my post for Black Bean Brownies.   Don't laugh - they are pretty impressive!  Well these are equally as weird.  And you can't taste the chickpeas/garbanzo beans at all.  Promise!  Give them a try.  Even those of you who aren't gluten-deprived will be pretty impressed.    

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups canned* chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) natural peanut butter 
• 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey
• 1 teaspoon baking powder**
• a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have salt in it
• 1/2 cup (90 grams) chocolate chips

* My can was a 15.5oz can and I used all but a few tablespoons

** If you need grain-free baking powder, you can use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. 

Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they're combined. 

Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. 

With wet hands (or a mini cookie scoop), form into 1 1/2" balls. Place onto a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper. You can place them close together because they don't flatten or rise much. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls with wet hands. 

Bake for 10 minutes. 

Yields about 14 cookie dough balls. (I formed mine with a 1" scoop and ended up with 26 balls)