Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Why You’ll Love No-Bake Energy Bites
• Ingredients
• How to Make No-Bake Energy Bites
• More [x] Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Comments & Reviews

The Story Behind the Recipe

My guy and I have an addiction to Perfect Bars. They’re a refrigerated bar with simple ingredients and basically taste like cookie dough. We discovered them a few months ago at Costco, and they’re, well, perfect for mornings when we’ve had a few sips of coffee and are ready to eat something but don’t want to make a full-on breakfast yet.

My favorite is the peanut butter chocolate flavor – so good! But the little buggers get expensive, and I’m working on relegating them to occasional treat status vs. an everyday affair.

Enter these homemade No-Bake Energy Bites! These also have a chocolate peanut butter flavor profile, but they also have good stuff like rolled oats, flaxseed meal, and chia seeds. They’re SUPER easy to make, hang out in the fridge for a good long while, and are perfect for when we’re feeling a little snackish but don’t want (or are avoiding making) a full meal.

I love that these peanut butter energy bites are so easy to make. Literally just mix together the ingredients, scoop, roll, chill, and eat!

Why You’ll Love No-Bake Energy Bites

• Super convenient – Just as convenient as an energy bar, but homemade!
• Frugal option – Listen, I love energy bars, but they get pricey! These no-bake energy bites are such a budget-friendly alternative.
• Wholesome & kid-friendly – I know some kids won’t go there, but many will because they’re a touch sweet with chocolate chips and peanut butter flavor … they’re really good!

Ingredients

• Oats – Thick rolled oats work best in these energy bites.
• Mini chocolate chips – Grab your favorite brand.
• Flaxseed meal – For a nice little dose of healthy fats and fiber, plus it acts as a binder holding these energy bites together.
• Chia seeds – If you don’t have any on hand, you can add more flaxseed meal if you like.
• Kosher salt or sea salt – To help balance and enhance the flavors.
• Peanut butter – I like to use crunchy peanut butter to add texture and heartiness.
• Honey – To add sweetness and help the energy bites stick together. If you prefer, you can swap in pure maple syrup instead.
• Vanilla extract – Just a smidge of pure vanilla extract really elevates the flavor of these bites.

How to Make No-Bake Energy Bites

1. Add the oats, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, salt, and chocolate chips to a medium-size bowl and mix.
2. Stir in the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.
3. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon-size measuring spoon to scoop up bits of the mix. Form them into balls with your hands and line them on a platter or baking sheet.
4. Chill for about an hour.
5. Devour!

I hope these No-Bake Energy Bites hit the spot for you like they do for us! They’re easy to make and absolutely delicious, perfect for when you’re feeling a bit peckish and craving something wholesome.

More [x] Recipes

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• e
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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Energy Bites

These wholesome energy bites come together quickly and are full of good stuff! Slightly sweet with a touch of vanilla, plus peanut butter & chocolate perfection. A favorite snack around here!

Keyword chocolate peanut butter energy bites, no bake energy bites, protein bites

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 18 bites

Calories 235kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons flaxseed meal aka ground flaxseeds
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds or substitute 1 more tablespoon flaxseed meal
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• To a medium bowl, add the oats, chocolate chips, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, and salt. Mix well.
• Add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract. Stir with a strong spatula until well-combined.
• Scoop out about 1 1/2 tablespoon at a time (I use a small cookie scoop). You can also use a tablespoon measuring spoon and mound the mixture in it. Roll into a ball and line up on a baking sheet or freezer-safe platter for freezing.
• Freeze for one hour to harden. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge. They keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 2balls | Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg

The post No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

So if you have an abundance of strawberries, this is a great way to use some! This strawberry jam keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 2 months, so you can enjoy strawberries for months after they’ve peaked.

Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love Strawberry Chia Seed Jam
• Ingredients
• Adaptations/Variations
• How to Make Strawberry Chia Jam
• Tips for Success
• More Jam Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Comments & Reviews

Why You’ll Love Strawberry Chia Seed Jam

If you’ve ever made homemade jam, you know it can be fussy! But when you make it with chia seeds, it’s super easy to get right. Chia seeds soak up to 10 times their size and weight in liquid, developing a gelatinous coating that makes them the most amazing thickener. Chia seeds are a great source of omega-3s, too, which is a bonus!

What I love most about this strawberry chia jam, other than the fact that it’s so easy to make, is that the taste of fresh, right-off-the-vine strawberries comes shining through.

This strawberry chia jam is amazing on buttered toast or stirred into a cup of yogurt.

Ingredients

Just 3 ingredients are all you need!

• Strawberries – fresh strawberries, hulled and diced.
• Honey – I love honey as a sweetener for this jam, but pure maple syrup (grade A only, because it’s more neutral-tasting) or even granulated sugar will work well. I’ve actually also made this strawberry chia jam without any sweetener, and it’s still great! The sweetness of the strawberries is sometimes all you need.
• Chia seeds – our star ingredient!

Adaptations/Variations

• Feel free to use other berries if you’d like, or a mix of two or more. The cook time might be a bit more or less depending on the berries you use.
• A squeeze of lemon juice is nice in this jam for a bright burst.
• Leave out the sweetener – sometimes, the strawberries are sweet enough on their own! If you do that, you may want to add a splash of water when you first put the strawberries over the stove, to help get them cooking.

How to Make Strawberry Chia Jam

First, cook your strawberries and honey until thick. You can mash them if you’d like your jam to have a smoother consistency. Then, stir in the chia seeds, and let the jam sit off the heat until the chia seeds have worked their thickening magic! From there, it’s just a matter of refrigerating your chia seed strawberry jam and enjoying it.

Tips for Success

• If, after sitting for the initial 10 minutes, your jam doesn’t appear to be thickening, you can add another tablespoon of chia seeds.
• If you prefer a perfectly smooth jam without the appearance or texture of seeds, you can puree this jam using an immersion blender after it’s thickened.

More Jam Recipes

• Chia Seed Jam with any fruit you have
• Gingered Pear & Plum Chia Seed Jam
• Gooseberry Blueberry Jam

Print

Strawberry Chia Seed Jam Recipe

For the freshest tasting jam, try making strawberry jam with chia seeds! It's so easy, and the strawberry flavor shines through without a lot of sweetener. We love this jam!

Course condiment

Keyword strawberry chia jam, strawberry chia seed jam

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10 tablespoons

Calories 52kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh strawberries hulled and diced
• 1/4 cup honey can substitute grade A pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

Instructions

• Set a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the strawberries and honey.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries and honey come to a boil. Let it continue to boil until it starts to break down and form a sauce, 5-10 minutes. If you'd like, you can mash the berries with a potato masher or fork until it's the consistency you prefer.
• Taste and add more honey if you'd like. Use a little at a time – it goes a long way.
• Stir in the chia seeds and remove from the heat. Let sit until thickened, about 10 minutes. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools, but if it still seems a bit thin after 10 minutes, add another tablespoon of chia seeds.
• Transfer to a jar with an airtight lid and refrigerate. Your jam will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to two months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.4mg

The post Strawberry Chia Seed Jam Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Between that plant-based breakfast challenge and the fact that I often find myself trying (unsuccessfully) to dig up a quick breakfast when I’m out and about, I was pretty excited to discover Starbucks’ new menu item, Strawberry & Toasted Almonds Overnight Grains.

It’s steel cut oats, quinoa, and chia seeds all swimming in creamy coconut milk, then topped with fresh strawberries, toasted sliced almonds, and crunchy shaved coconut chips.

It’s delicious and satisfying and plant-based and has a decent amount of protein and, well, you probably know what’s next … I just had to figure out how to make it at home so I could have it whenever I wanted (without spending as much cash).

I thought this one would be pretty easy to replicate, but it actually wasn’t! For one, it’s not like your typical overnight oats recipe – you actually have to cook the grains first. So it’s not just mix, chill, done – it requires a bit more work up front.

But if you’re all about meal-prepping, this one hits all the right notes. Just a bit of up-front investment + super easy peasy when it actually comes time to eat. Perfect for the busy school year staring us in the face (how is that possible?!)

Second, in order to maintain the creaminess, it requires a lot more coconut milk than I originally thought it would! Two cans’ worth. And you need to stir it in after you cook the oats. I tried cooking the oats directly in the milk thinking it would be uber-creamy perfection but after chilling it was just too thick. I didn’t want thick. I wanted creamy.

(The good news? All this recipe testing meant that I had my plant-based, protein-packed breakfast taken care of for many days in a row!)

Overnight oats is one of my favorite camping breakfasts, so last time we went out, we took some mason jars of these Strawberry & Toasted Almonds Overnight Grains with us. LOVE! Stow the grains in the RV fridge or ice chest, pop ’em out come breakfast, top with sliced strawberries, coconut chips, and almonds and voila. A power-up breakfast that requires zero work (at least, not at breakfast time).

More Oatmeal Recipes

• Berry Baked Oatmeal
• Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal 
• Mango Oatmeal
• Apple Gingerbread Oatmeal
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal
• Carrot Cake Oatmeal
• PB&J Overnight Oats
• Blueberry Oatmeal

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Strawberry & Toasted Almonds Overnight Grains Recipe

Made with steel-cut oats, quinoa, chia seeds, and coconut milk, this make-ahead breakfast is utterly creamy and wonderfully hearty. Inspired by Starbucks’ recent menu item of the same name.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword overnight oats

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 329kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1/4 cup red quinoa rinsed
• 3 1/2 cups water
• Pinch sea salt
• 2 (14-ounce) cans lite coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup) (+ more to taste if desired
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean powder or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup strawberries sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds*
• 1/4 cup coconut chips

Instructions

• Add water to a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Stir in the oats, quinoa, and salt. Cook on medium-low, uncovered, until the grains are just tender and the water has evaporated, 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in the coconut milk, chia seeds, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla. Taste and add additional sweetener if desired. Allow to cool, then pour into eight separate containers (about 1 cup per container). I like to use mason jars because they have lids + they’re sturdy and portable. Seal and refrigerate (it should keep for 4-5 days).
• At the time of serving, top with strawberries, almonds, and coconut chips. Eat directly out of the jar or pour into a bowl – your preference!

Notes

* To toast the almonds, heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread raw sliced almonds in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once or twice, just until some pieces begin to turn lightly golden – about 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Vegan option:

Use pure maple syrup instead of honey.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Strawberry & Toasted Almonds Overnight Grains Recipe (with Oats & Quinoa) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Packed with omega-3s, chia seeds can soak up about 10 times their size and weight in liquid. Which is not only intriguing, but convenient, too! Because they develop a gelatinous coating after soaking in all of that liquid, and that makes chia seeds a most excellent thickener.

Just look to this plant-based powerhouse when you want to create a unique and healthy spin on puddings, smoothies, and – yep, you guessed it …

Chia Seed Jam!

ESPECIALLY jam.

Why Try Making Chia Seed Jam?

Chia seed jam is one of my favorite ways to enjoy summer berries and stone fruits.With just fruit, a surprisingly small amount of sweetener, and chia seeds, you can make a delicious and healthy “jam” that you can enjoy now or stash in the freezer for later.

No pectin, no hours of stirring, no cup after cup of sugar, no praying to the jam gods that your batch doesn’t fail. (In fact, it doesn’t need any sugar at all to gel!)

If you’ve never made it before, you might just be shocked and awed by chia seed jam and all of its awesomeness.

The only downside is, in my opinion, the fact that you can see the chia seeds in it – that might bother a few folks. That photo above, for instance, is strawberry chia seed jam. It looks like raspberry jam with those seeds, but nope!

One thing you can do is puree your jam to help smooth it out a bit. But here in our house, we don’t mind the seeds.

So are you ready to learn how to can make chia seed jam? Let’s do this thing! First, I’ll share my basic formula for chia seed jam; then, I’ll break it down step-by-step.

The Formula for Chia Seed Jam

The general formula I start from when making chia seed jam is:

• 1 pound fruit 
• 1/4 cup sweetener (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

From there, I might add a bit more sweetener or more chia seeds to get the right sweetness and thickness. It all depends on the type of fruit you use, but this formula always gets me pretty close.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Chia Seed Jam

1. Prepare Your Fruit

Sort through your fruit or berries and make sure it’s in good shape – not underripe or past its prime. Wash, hull, and quarter strawberries if you like; clean blueberries and discard any stems; peel, pit, and dice stone fruit. You get the gist.

2. Cook the Fruit

Add your fruit of choice and sweetener (if using) to a pan over medium heat. I like adding about 1/4 cup of honey or pure maple syrup per 1 pound of fruit as mentioned above. You can start with no sweetener at all if you think your fruit is sweet enough and add it later on too, but if the fruit seems too dry on its own, just add a small splash of water to get the cooking process going. (Have I mentioned this jam is super unfussy?)

Bring the fruit to a boil and let it cook until it liquifies, about 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the fruit. If needed, carefully mash the fruit with a potato masher or fork until it’s at a consistency that looks good to you.

At this point, you can taste your jam and see if you want to add a bit of sweetener. Add it in and stir until it tastes just right. And then …

3. Add Chia Seeds

Stir in two tablespoons of those glorious chia seeds and remove from the heat. And then? Just let it sit so that the chia seeds can work their magic, transforming into an incredible fruit spread.

After about 10 minutes, your chia seed jam should have thickened up fairly well (and keep in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools). But if the jam seems a bit thin, just add another tablespoon of chia seeds and let it sit for another 10 minutes until thick. Don’t worry – it’s really hard to screw this stuff up!

4. Cool, Store, and Enjoy!

Eat your chia seed jam just like you would any other jam. I love a dollop of chia seed jam on top of my oatmeal or swirled into yogurt.

And, of course, slathered on a big ol’ slice of bread.

Yummm.

To store your jam, place it in an airtight jar with a lid and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

And that’s it! Are you a convert like I am? I’d love to hear how you like it – scroll on down and leave a comment and rating below!

And here’s the printable recipe.

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Chia Seed Jam

No fuss, no muss – this fruit spread is so easy to make and nearly impossible to screw up. Plus, it’s fresher tasting, calls for very little sugar, contains nutritional-powerhouse chia seeds, and have I mentioned it is SO EASY?!

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 20

Calories 26kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 pound fruit strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, plums, pears, peaches, or a mix!
• 1/4 cup sweetener of choice I like honey, pure maple syrup [grade A], and agave syrup more or less to taste*
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

Instructions

• Clean fruit, removing stems/seeds as needed, and cutting into smaller pieces if large.
• Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the fruit and sweetener (if using – start with a little; you can always add more later). If you’re not using sweetener and your fruit is relatively dry, try adding a small splash of water to get the fruit going.
• Heat fruit, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil. Let it continue to boil until it begins to break down and form a sauce, 5-15 minutes depending on your fruit. If nccessary, carefully mash fruit with a fork or potato masher until it reaches the consistency you’d like.
• Taste and add more sweetener if desired, a little at a time.
• Stir in the chia seeds and remove from heat. Let sit until thick, about 10 minutes. If it seems a little too thin, stir in another tablespoon of chia seeds and let it sit for another 10. minutes. (Keep in mind that he jam will continue to thicken as it cools.)
• To store, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Can also be frozen for up to two months.

Notes

Nutrition information calculated using strawberries and honey.

* I’ve also made this without any sweetener at all – it all depends on your taste and the type of fruit you use!

Preservation note:

I do not recommend canning this jam – I don’t know how much the chia seeds might throw off the pH of the jam which, in a nutshell, could lead to bad things. I do like to keep small batches in the freezer to pull out once summer is long gone.

Nutrition

Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post How to Make Chia Seed Jam with Any Fruit You Have appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Know what else is nice? The ritual of it. I’d forgotten about how relaxing it is to grab the paper out of the driveway (our 5-year-old always helps – nightgown, mermaid slippers, and all), sit down with a cup of coffee, and snap open the paper. Sure, there are some stories here and there that are tough for sensitive-ol’-me to stomach, but they’re pretty easy to pass over in print if I need to.

Last week, I found myself looking forward to Sunday morning way more than usual, because I knew there would be a bit fat Sunday paper waiting for us to read while we sipped our coffee. Yeah, it’s a little different with the kiddo right there wanting to “read” with me, but still. Loving it.

I’ve also found that these Banana-Walnut Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats fit right in alongside the coffee and newspaper. It’s such a simple breakfast to whip up, and I like the idea of nourishing my body while I feed my mind. (I know, that makes me sound like a dork. But I am a dork, so. 🙂 )

I’ve been making steel cut oats in then Instant Pot for just about as long as I’ve owned one. So, you know, about 4 months or so. But I am in love with how steel-cut oats cook up in the pressure cooker – relatively fast, super creamy, perfect texture.

I thought I’d doctor up a batch with bananas for some natural sweetness, plus, for a nice dose of healthy goodness,  all of the plant-based omega-3-rich foods I had in my cupboard. Chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, and walnuts, baby. Done and done.

I should note that I’ve never been a huge fan of walnuts (in some forms, they’re probably my least favorite food – and I wholeheartedly believe they should never go near a chocolate chip cookie). But when they’re chopped fine I can tolerate them – and sometimes I even toast up a few to add as a topper. In this recipe, I’m good with walnuts. Tiny ones.

Creamy, healthy, full of omega-3s, and just darn tasty. Start spreading the news! (Sorry, sorry.)

(more…)

The post Instant Pot Omega-3 Banana Walnut Steel Cut Oats appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Ah, the great outdoors. Nothing gets you out there and, just, in it more than camping. Our family loves it.

Often, people who love camping start out in tents when they’re younger, then upgrade and eventually find themselves in a big ol’ RV. But it’s actually been the reverse for us. When our daughter was born, we owned a travel trailer – but we were too chicken to take an infant camping. So we sold the trailer.

But after a couple of years, we missed camping! We lack the space for parking an RV at our current house,  so last summer, we picked up a tent on a whim and headed to a nearby state park. I was a little worried about going back to basics, but armed with a couple of airbeds and and a sense of adventure, we had a ton of fun – our adventurous daughter most of all.

The day we got home, I planned our next trip – and so it went. So I guess now we are officially tent campers!

Once the issue of shelter was out of the way, I started thinking about vegan camping food. As fans of camping know, part of the fun of camping is the food! But for vegans, finding vegan camping food ideas that are easy to cook in camp can be a challenge.

Campfires aren’t always allowed in campgrounds around here, so we often rely on our camp stove and portable grill to cook meals. But it’s way more fun to cook over the fire, so we’re trying to do that a little more.

I’m not a vegan – I don’t eat meat or dairy, but I still eat eggs and honey – but when we went camping a couple of weeks ago, I challenged myself to go full-on vegan with my food. Leaving honey out was easy, but I had been relying on eggs for breakfast – so I had to come up with a few new ideas.

But first …

General Rules for Stress-Free Camping Meals

• Plan your menu beforehand (write it down!)
• Keep meals as simple as possible
• Use only one pan whenever you can (less dishes = a good thing)
• Consider paper plates (again with the less dishes thing!)
• Prep veggies/fruits/etc. before you go

Now for the grub!

Vegan Camping Breakfast Ideas

The post Vegan Camping Food Ideas + A Recipe for PB&J Overnight Oats appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I can’t stop eating them.

They are just … yum. Perfect right out of the fridge. Sort of chewy, but not crazy chewy. A little sweet, a little salty.

But they’re chock full of good, good stuff. Oats, pumpkin seeds, even some chia seeds thrown into the mix. I could be wolfing down a lot worse, right?!

I am pretty much obsessed as evidenced not only by how much I love to eat these things (my guy has a hard time keeping his hands off of them, too), but I am also obsessed with:

1. How easy they are to make. Five minutes to whip up!
2. How handy they are to have around. Homemade grab-and-go food – the best kind of grab-and-go food!
3. How delicious they are. Oh wait; I’ve covered that, haven’t I?

I first came across the recipe for these granola bars in my brand-spankin’ new Food 52 Vegan cookbook by Gena Hamshaw. This version of the recipe, No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Dried Cranberries & Pepitas, is a slight spin on the original. I’ve swapped the raisins for cranberries, added chia seeds, and chosen salted pepitas. Yum.

These no-bake granola bars are a tasty, tasty problem indeed.

If you try this recipe, please leave a rating! And, if you find it share-worthy – which I hope you do – please share. Tag #kitchentreaty on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, and don’t forget to check out my other recipes!

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No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Dried Cranberries & Pepitas

These refrigerator granola bars take mere minutes to assemble. Our favorite homemade grab-and-go snack!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup toasted salted pepitas unsalted/untoasted work too
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds optional
• 2/3 cup smooth peanut butter I use the natural stuff
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup brown rice syrup can sub agave nectar

Instructions

• Line an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. I like to use a long piece with the sides sticking out so I can use them as "handles" to lift out the bars later on.
• In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pepitas, cranberries, and chia seeds.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter and 1/2 cup brown rice syrup.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix well with a wooden spoon. If the ingredients aren't quite sticking together, add a little more brown rice syrup, stirring after each addition, until they do.
• Pour into the baking dish and press flat with your hands. The more firmly you can press, the less likely they are to be crumbly!
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm. Lift from baking dish and cut with a sharp chef's knife. Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Notes

Gluten-free note:

This recipe is already gluten-free; just be sure to use certified gluten-free oats to be safe.

Adapted from Food52

The post No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Dried Cranberries & Pepitas appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

There are bad hybrids, like my poor dogs’ names (hey, at least they’re not Buck and Fitch, so it could be worse). And then there are good hybrids, like these Pumpkin Chia Pancakes.

These pancakes are a combo of our all-time favorite pancake recipe, these Chocolate Chip Chia Pancakes, and these top fall goodies, Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes.

Now that I’m avoiding dairy, I made these dairy-free. They do have an egg in them, but can easily be made into vegan pancakes by using a flax egg instead (more about that in the recipe!)

These pancakes are rich and fluffy, and they smell and taste like fall. They’re hearty and satisfying. I love them topped with a touch of pure maple syrup or even the tiniest drizzle of honey. As far as the chia seeds go? Barely detectable – I daresay nobody will know, unless you want them to. I use white chia seeds so that they’re really hidden in there.

With whole wheat flour, vitamin-rich pumpkin, and chia seed superfood power, this is a healthy pumpkin pancake recipe that our whole family loves. Even Dizzy and Laz – err, the dogs. (Though if they really want a dose of pumpkin, they’re better off getting one or two of these.)

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The post Pumpkin Chia Pancakes appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

And then there are smoothie bowls. They … well, they basically skeeved me out. Why in the heckin’ heck would you eat your smoothie with a spoon? That’s what straws are for! Then I kept hearing about acai bowls and right around that time I was searching for new breakfast ideas. So I gave an acai bowl a try and … holy wow. SMOOTHIE BOWLS ARE LIKE ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST!

All-caps-worthy epiphany! Which is to say, I am without a doubt a smoothie bowl convert. So freakin’ good.

Basically, the point isn’t to eat your smoothie with a spoon instead of just drinking it with a straw. The point is to dress that bad boy up with tons of delicious and nutritious toppings. And then eat it with a spoon, because it is totally the way to be.

This version, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl, is my favorite – and even the more mainstream eaters in my house are down with it, too.

You know chocolate peanut butter ice cream? A.K.A: Elixir of the Gods? That’s what the base of this tastes like. Except thinner.

I add ice to this one because I feel like it needs some volume, plus, the colder the better in my book.

And then you just top it with all kinds of goodies. I like coconut, pepitas, chia seeds, sliced banana, peanuts, and maybe a little sprinkle of chocolate chips if I really feel like going for it.

This smoothie bowl is the best heatwave breakfast ever. Ever ever. With all those toppings, it sticks to your ribs. And it’s pretty darn healthy overall. But it seriously is like eating ice cream for breakfast.

Hello, bandwagon. I’m glad to be here.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl

Wanna feel like you’re getting to eat ice cream for breakfast? Make this! It’s refreshing, surprisingly hearty, and pretty dang healthy, too.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 smoothie bowl

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 medium frozen banana
• 1/4 cup almond milk or canned lite coconut milk *
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup ice cubes

Topping ideas:

• Banana slices
• Berries
• Shredded coconut
• Pepitas
• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds
• Peanuts
• Mini chocolate chips or shaved dark chocolate

Instructions

• Place the banana, almond milk or coconut milk, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add ice and puree again until smooth. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle on toppings of your choice. Eat immediately.

The post Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

But my fall readiness – or lack thereof – was not supposed to be my point here. What is my point? This jam is my point! Gingered Pear-Plum Chia Seed Jam is perfect for this strange little time of limbo between summer and fall.

Summer = plums. Fall = pears. And together, they are glorious, so I guess I can get on board this moody weather train and embrace the chill that’s pervaded the fronts and backs of our otherwise hot days. Especially if I get to eat this jam at the same time.

It started with some overly ripe pears and yet another pound of plums in our weekly CSA box.

A little ginger, some maple syrup, a buncha chia seeds, and voila!

Okay, so let’s talk a bit about chia seed jam, shall we? Have you gone there yet? I have, and do, and I’m not sure I’ll go back. These crazy nutrient-rich gems soak up to 10 times their weight in liquid, so they are perfect for things like healthy puddings and jams. No need for added pectin, no need for granulated sugar. This jam recipe relies heavily on the sweetness of the fruit itself (the juiciest ripe pears help there), and then a little all-natural sweetener like pure maple syrup or honey. And not even that much.

I did the math, and if each jar of jam has 15 servings, each serving only has about a half a teaspoon of maple syrup. For real!

This recipe makes enough for two sizable jars – one for your fridge, one for your freezer, say. If you want to preserve a bunch of summer-slash-fall bounty, just double, triple, quadruple, hundredize (?!) the recipe for gobs of healthy freezer jam to remind you of the summer/fall limbo time – and how blissful it actually really was – all winter long. (Note that I would not recommend canning this jam traditionally, such as hot water bath canning, because I don’t know enough about how chia seeds affect the pH level of the jam, which is crucial for safe canning.)

Oh, and if you’re new to chia seeds, you should be able to find them in most well-stocked grocery stores. I’ve found the best prices at Trader Joe’s, but when I’m not feeling a trip to the grocery store, I just order these chia seeds off of Amazon and they’re in my hot little hands before I know it.

(more…)

The post Gingered Pear-Plum Chia Seed Jam appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.