As seen on CTV’S The Social, February 2024

Cherry Amaranth Bars

Makes 18

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped, or slivered, almonds
• ½ cup puffed (popped) amaranth
• ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1cup dried tart cherries
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Coat 9×9” baking pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray, or line with baking parchment, leaving overhang on all sides
3. Toast almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds on a rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, for 10–12 minutes. Let cool
4. Reduce oven temperature to 200°
5. Process cherries, brown rice syrup, salt, and 2 Tablespoons water in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl add the puffed amaranth and stir in toasted almond mixture.
6. Press firmly into prepared pan and bake for 20–25 minutes until no longer sticky
7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. Remove from the pan and cut into bars
8. Bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week

Chocolate Peanut Butter Teff Cookies

Makes 12-15 (dependent on cookie scoop size)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups teff flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ripe banana (100g peeled), mashed
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter, or other nut/seed butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup unsweetened oat milk
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with baking parchment
2. Combine the teff flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, whisking together
3. Add all of the wet ingredients (mashed banana, peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, milk, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract) and mix well until fully combined
4. Fold in the chocolate chips 
5. Scoop the mixture using a cookie scoop, spacing evenly on the baking tray
6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. This will keep the cookies quite soft – leave in for a few more minutes if you like a crunchier cookie
7. Remove from the oven and place on a colling rack to cool fully

Mocha Black Bean Brownies

Makes 9 (or 12 bite size)

Ingredients

• 1 cup very strong brewed coffee
• 1 cup dried dates, pitted
• 1 ½ cups low sodium Black Beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• ⅔ cup spelt flour
• 2 tablespoon ground chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Method

1. In a bowl combine the brewed coffee and the dates, and allow to soak at least 20 minutes
2. After this time, pour the coffee and dates into a blender, and blend on high until very smooth. Set aside until needed later
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
4. In the same food processor, add black beans, pumpkin puree, vanilla, coffee/ date mixture and maple syrup. Process on high until the mixture is smooth. This may take a few times, scraping down the side and bottom of the processor bowl. You want to make sure there are no large pieces of black beans or bean skin remaining
5. Combine the cocoa powder, spelt flour, ground chia seeds and baking powder in a separate large bowl and whisk to combine
6. Add the wet ingredients from the food processor to the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir well to mix
7. Transfer the mixture to a 9×9 brownie pan, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top
8. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until cracks begin to form on the top, and the edges are visibly cooked.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack
10. Allow to cool completely before slicing

Sprouted Buckwheat Baked Donuts

Makes 6

Ingredients

Donuts

• 1 cup dry buckwheat, sprouted*
• 2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1 apple, grated
• 5 medjool dates, soaked and pitted
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Date Glaze

• 1 cup medjool dates, soaked and pitted
• ¼ cup soaking water, approximately
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Donuts

1. Preheat your oven to 150°F
2. Combine everything in a food processor and process until a sticky dough forms
3. Wet your hands and then split the dough into 6 equal parts
4. Using your hands, roll each part into a ball and then use your thumbs to make a hole in the centre of each ball. Continuously use your hands to smooth together the dough as you dig a hole in the centre to make a donut shape
5. Place on an oven-proof, oiled cooling rack and bake in your preheated oven for 3 hours. After this time look for a hard outside and cakey inside, test with a skewer
6. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the glaze

Glaze

1. Place the dates into a food processor and blend to a paste.
   Adding the water depends on how soft and moist the soaked dates are. Add any water until you have a smooth, glaze-like consistency. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl between blending
2. Add in the cinnamon and process sone last time to combine. Check for taste and add kosher salt if neeed
3. Once the glaze has been prepared, transfer to a bowl. Dip your dounts to glaze or drip the glaze over your donuts with a spoon or piping bag
4. Serve and enjoy!