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Caramel Apple Cashew Butter

Posted on February 10, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Ok, so maybe this weekend wasn’t a TOTAL loss…

And maybe…just MAYBE, I ended up with something to soothe my soul after
The Great Vegan Pancake Meltdown of 2014.

There’s something to be said about comfort food.

When I was a kid, my mom used to make THE BEST car-mul apples from scratch. It’s been YEARS since I’ve had one, but I can still remember how it felt, standing beside her in the kitchen, eye-level to the countertop, watching her work, sucking back the saliva forming at the corners of my mouth while waiting…WAITING the twenty thousand years for them to set.

You know, give or take a day or so.

Eventually, the clouds would part, the angels would sing, and the sun would cast it’s heavenly light upon the no longer forbidden fruit. I would squeal with delight as I was bestowed my caramel confection, spinning it round and round on it’s spindle admiring its sugary sheen.

Then, I would finally FINALLY take that first bite…

I would struggle to find just the right angle…undoubtedly coming back with only a mouthful of caramel after the first few attempts…but I would conquer that snack on a stick. And when I had finished, I would look up to my mother and hope she could see my gratitude…under the layers of stickiness that streaked my face, dribbled down my shirt, and clung to a few strands of my hair.

If only food processors had been as popular as camcorders in the 90’s…perhaps my mom could have saved herself from having to wipe the entire house down with baby wipes. This Caramel Apple Cashew Butter is the quicker, ~~picker upper~~ snack of today and in less than twenty minutes you can have your ~~cake~~ caramel and eat it too…without having to take a bath afterwards! 😉

Caramel Apple Cashew Butter

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cook Time: N/A

Keywords: food processor breakfast dip/spread snack

Ingredients (1 cup)

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 Tablespoons prepared caramel sauce
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Now break out the apples, graham crackers, bagels, or in the case of impending tears, just shove a spoonful of that comforting classic flavor right in your PIE hole! 😉

What was one of your favorite comfort food treats growing up?

CARmul or CARAmel?

Posted in Recipe, Snacks | Tagged apples, caramel, childhood, comfort food, food processor, nut butter | 50 Comments

The Vegan Pancake Vow

Posted on February 9, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

So I got this GREAT idea for a pancake recipe!

I was treadmilling at the gym Friday morning, AFTER a 5:30am Body Pump class…obviously holding true to it’s name ’cause I was feeling the PUMP…and the thought just POPPED into my mind! It was good…oh yeah, it was VERY good! I verbally (ok, literally) patted myself on the back, stopped my hamster wheel, and practically (ok, you got me…literally) skipped my way to the car!

On the way home, the pancake vision was getting brighter. I saw sprinkles…PINK sprinkles. I saw a clever Valentines Day title blaaaaaay-zing at the top of my post in all it’s PicMonkey glory. I saw people bowing at my feet and throwing me roses! 😆

I prepared myself. It’s been, what two months since I last made pancakes? I wanted, no I NEEDED it to be good. I had a snack. Then I threw on my headphones, pulled out my spatula (slash microphone) and set to work.

I mixed, I measured, I stirred, I flipped and…

The beauty of pancake procreation was witnessed!

I readied the props…proud of myself for the impulse buy I made at TJ Maxx a few days prior. I sorted out pink and white dots from a bottle of birthday sprinkles…because I will never learn to have enough forethought to plan ahead for food holidays. I even had the brilliant idea to craft some banana art!

Then I proceeded to take one hundred and thirty SEVEN pictures. Finally, an hour after this entire spoon to batter process began, it was time to taste my masterpiece. It was time to sink my teeth into some soft and fluffy…

Very Vanilla VEGAN Pancakes!

But something…something was just…OFF!

Of course I ate them anyway (because at this point, I was starving), but I didn’t loose hope…because tomorrow was another day! So yesterday morning, I tweaked a few things and thought, what the hell…let’s have a little more fun! There was no way in HELL I was sorting out more sprinkles, but I now think I deserve a degree in banana-crafts. This time I took one hundred and forty TWO pictures…five more, ya know, just in case! 😉

But something…something was still…OFF!

Of course I ate them anyway (because at this point, I was starving), but I didn’t lose hope…because I still had a full day ahead of me and with a snowstorm brewing outside, I didn’t have ~~any reason to freeze my ass off~~ anywhere else to go. Plus…

I was determined to make some damn VEGAN pancakes!

So a few hours later, I set to it. And after FOUR batches, I had FLAT, still FLAT, too SALTY, and wait, is that GREEN?! I was so disappointed. I got angry. I left the room. I came back. I left the room again. Then I cried. 😥

Last night, I gave it ONE LAST try, convinced that my lucky number seven would serve me well. So there I was, at 11pm, flipping ‘cakes. I tried another direction from the other batches. The batter turned out perfect. After flipping, I stepped back and marveled at the golden brown color. Once they were FINALLY done, I plated one, took a bite, and…

FAIL!

I’m done. That’s it. From this day, February 10, 2014, and on, I solemnly swear to never attempt another vegan pancake recipe! I’m sorry, I do like to try to accommodate all my readers out there but it just doesn’t seem like it’s worth the effort (slash waste of ingredients) when I myself am not vegan…and frankly, I’m done crying over
~~spilled milk~~ shitty pancakes!

So I have no VEGAN pancakes for you to share with your honey this Valentines Day (sorry, Davida, I tried), but hey, THESE should keep you busy for a while!

Vegan Pancake Roundup from www.kissmybroccoliblog.com

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Cha-Cha-Cha Chia Pancakes
Thin Mint Protein Pancakes
Whole Wheat Vegan Pancakes with Strawberry Syrup
Samoa Cookie Protein Pancakes
Triple Berry Coconut Pancakes
Blueberry Beet Pancakes
Oatmeal Raisin Flax Pancakes
Biscoff Cookie Pancakes

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go fix a plate of EGGS and CHEESE! 😛

What are YOU having for breakfast today?

Describe your last kitchen fail…please, save my dignity!

Posted in Breakfast, Confessions, Pancake Sunday, Recipe Roundup, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged pancake fail, pancakes, Photography | 44 Comments

Pumpkin Custard Oats

Posted on February 7, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Hello, my beautiful (and handsome) friends!

It’s FRIIIIIIIDAY!!

And what a great DAY it is! I am in SUCH a good mood right now after reading through all your warm comments on yesterday’s post! I’m seriously grinning from ear-to-ear right now! So, I brought something today to help show my thanks…

Pumpkin Custard Oats A creamy DREAMY bowl of goodness guaranteed to warm you up this winter! www.kissmybroccoliblog.com

It’s creamy…it’s decadent…and it’s guaranteed to help you achieve that winter glow we foodies love so much! 😉

That’s right, I’m breaking out the pumpkin again…in FEBRUARY!

But this time, instead of a frozen treat, you have to enjoy while bundled under every single blanket in the house (+ mittens), this bowl of goodness will help you shake off the chill from this relentless winter weather in NO time!

Pumpkin Custard Oats - Allow me to introduce to you your new breakfast addiction! ;) www.kissmybroccoliblog.com

Based off my beloved French Toast Oats, these Pumpkin Custard Oats are filled with the flavors of butter and maple annnnnnnd a WHOLE EGG!

Trust me people, this is THE best way to make thick and creamy stove top oats. And with the added protein and healthy fats from the egg, they’ll keep you satisfied for hours! Without the Greek yogurt topping, they’re completely dairy-free and with certified gluten-free oats, all you sensitive sistahs (and brothas) can enjoy it too! As for my vegan friends, please see THIS bowl of yum!

Alright, everyone presented and accounted for? Let’s proceed! 😀

Pumpkin Custard Oats

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 5-6 minutes

Keywords: stove top breakfast high protein gluten-free high fiber vegetarian eggs oats pumpkin puree fall

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter flavor*
1/2 teaspoon maple extract*
1 large egg
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
Toppings: Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and trail mix

*If you can’t find these items in stores, use coupon code QQQ940 for a discount on your first order from iHerb.com!

Instructions

1. Combine oats, milk, and extracts in a small pot and set over high heat.
2. Once boiling, crack egg into pot and stir vigorously with a whisk until smooth.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes or until oats have reached desired consistency.
4. Stir in pumpkin puree and spices.
5. Transfer to a bowl and top with Greek yogurt, a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and some nutty trail mix!

Soft and creamy oats filled with warm cinnamon spice, drizzled with the purest of maple syrups and sprinkled with coconut, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, cranberries, and yep, those would be cinnamon chips!

You can almost taste them through the screen! 😉

Strange but Good Pumpkinified

And la di da di DEE, would ya look at that? ANOTHER reason to use my favorite button! Now head on over to Laura’s #strangebutgood world and see what other creative dishes pique your curiosity! 🙂

Have a great weekend!