Heart Shaped Rice Crispy Treats for Valentines Day

Okay so this is not a typical blog post for me.  I know that marshmallows are not vegetarian.  They are made with gelatin which has bone fragments and gross things.  And I know there are vegan marshmallows, but that is not what I used this time.  Moving on...

I made these for my daughters Valentine's Day party at school after seeing it on Pinterest.  It was super cute so I wanted to share.  I didn't read the recipe, so I probably didn't do this the best way, but I'm going to share how I made these cute and rather tasty treats.

Ingredients/Tools:

6 cups Rice crisp cereal (any cereal can work, I've made them with organic o's as well)

3 tbl vegan butter

10 oz large marshmallows

1 drop red food color

1 tsp vanilla

Heart shaped cookie cutter

Parchment paper

Popsicle sticks

Vanilla candy coating

Heart shaped sprinkles

Method:

First put marshmallows and butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat for up to 3 minutes and stir after each minute.  Next, add food coloring and vanilla and stir.  Add cereal and mix well.  

Then I pressed the treats out into a squarish shape on some parchment.  To do this without it sticking to you, place another sheet of parchment on top and press down.  It helps to make it more even as well.  Then, I just used my cookie cutters to make as many heart shapes as I could.  Once,  I made the shape I pushed it out of the cookie cutter with a popsicle stick again to prevent sticking.  Then, gently put a popsicle stick in the center of the heart.  I had to slightly remold the hearts after doing this, which I again did with two sticks and that worked great!

I kept reshaping the treats to get as many hearts as I could and once I was done, I let them sit and harden for the next step.

This was the fun part for me and my daughter.  First in a microwave safe bowl melt some of the candy coating.  I had a 16 oz bag and I only used about a third of that.  I don't know exactly and it doesn't really matter.  So, melt some of that and lay out a layer of sprinkles on a plate.  Then, like an assembly, spread a layer of candy coating and then either dip or lay in sprinkles.  Add more sprinkles to the plate as needed.  

The candy made these so yum, and my daughter was very excited to have such a cute treat to share with her friends!  I know this seems like a lot, but it's really simple and doesn't take that long.

Quick Healthy Vegan Banana Pancakes (no sugar, no oil)

Here we go again on Pancakes and Such!  Just kidding, but obviously I've got a problem.  There has been the carrot cake , the chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream cheese , chocolate chip oatmeal , and blueberry pineapple .  What other kind of pancake creations should I make?

Super tasty and quick!  Great breakfast for kids or anyone who loves pancakes, but wants to enjoy a healthy guilt free version!

My three year old always wants her pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse, with syrup on the side.

These are really easy to make you just need a coffee grinder.  Which I've recommended before.  It's a great kitchen tool to have for stuff like this.  Plus, it's small and probably cheap.  Alternatively you can also use a blender, but I really like the convenience of the grinder.  Also, my three year old can use it and help me in the kitchen, which always makes us both happy.  No sugar and oil might not sound too good, but a ripe banana is filled with different types of sugar.  It will be plenty sweet. I just happened to make these without oil, and they taste great and stayed together fine.  

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

2 ripe banana

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup rolled oats (gf if you want them gf)

1/2 cup raw cashews (or any other raw nuts, or more oats)

crack of pink salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup to 1 cup almond milk (I usually just pour until I get the consistency i want)

                                                         Baby also digs pancake mornings





Method:

Mash up banana in a medium bowl.  Add vanilla, and lemon juice, and stir.  Grind up oats and cashews and add them. Add the remaining dry ingredients.  Slowing add milk and stir until you get the consistency you want.

Cook on medium heat in an oiled pan.  I used canola oil because that's what I have.  I like using unrefined extra virgin organic coconut oil best.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until they turn golden brown.  Then I put vegan Earth Balance butter on them and usually some peanut or almond butter and of course pure maple syrup. Eat!

Vegan Chocolate Caramel Nice Cream Sundae

Want to make your kids or yourself a treat you can feel good serving?  Well, this would do it!

It's healthy, fast, and most of all simple.  Anyone with a blender/food processor can do this.  I have basic quality equipment, no vitamix over here.  And they work perfect for this! 

So, okay does the caramel taste just like "real" caramel? No, but it tastes great and if you care about being healthy, why not give it a try!  The caramel is made from dates, and the nice cream is bananas!  The consistency is just like ice cream!  Its amazing. When you see your bananas are getting ripe and don't know if you'll be using them, just break them into chunks and freeze.  We've been doing this for awhile, so I thought I would share.  My kids and husband love it!  This is just one of the many ways you can make this tasty treat!

 

We've even had this for breakfast!

                                             Once the Nice Cream is all done!


Ingredients:

Nice Cream:

2 or 3 frozen sliced bananas (3 was too many for us to finish)
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbl cocoa powder
1 tbl tahini (you can use any nut butter, or exclude this, but I highly recommend it

Caramel

15 Medjool Dates soaked overnight
1/4 cup to 1 cup boiling water
crack of pink salt
1 tsp vanilla


Method:

Make the caramel first so your nice cream doesn't melt.  Put all ingredients into blender, except water.  Add 1/4 cup and blend.  Check consistency and taste and add a little water at a time until still thick but not too much.  This part is personal preference.  I think I added about a 1/2 cup. And that's it!

Next add frozen bananas to food processor.  Turn on and watch the magic.  After about a minute your bananas will become ice cream!! Once that happens, add the remaining ingredients and process again.  That's it!
Then, I just layered them into a glass!  So easy, and fun!  My daughter loves to help, and to the kids it's ice cream!  They will love it, and love that they can make it.
I have a bit of caramel leftover, and I'm hoping to create something with that!  Let me know if you try it!.