Tag Archives: peppermint

  1. Dairy-free Peppermint Mocha or Hot Cocoa (Gluten-free with Vegan Option)

    Dairy-free Peppermint Mocha (Gluten-free with Vegan Option) // tasty-yummies.com

    This time of year, I am all about the familiar comforting flavors of the holiday season. Gingerbread, cinnamon rolls, egg nog and of course, chocolate and peppermint, etc. The Starbucks Peppermint Mocha used to be one of my favs, but I just really don’t love all of those sugary syrups and other junk, plus since I prefer to avoid dairy, my only option there is soy milk, which I really don’t like drinking, either. That said, those flavors are the perfect way to get me in the holiday mood. We have been known to go out of our way to get peppermint mochas, just to sip on while we pick out our tree or check out the holiday lights. It’s holiday perfection in a cup!

    Though I am not a regular coffee drinker these days, I do enjoy a cup of joe – now and again. It’s a nice treat once in a while, but I love not being a slave to the caffeine like so many regular coffee drinkers. I only drink it when it sounds good, not because I have to. I find I enjoy coffee and coffee drinks so much more since I tend to indulge only about once a month or so.

    This holiday season, I was determined to recreate the classic Peppermint Mocha, so that I could enjoy it without the junk. Dairy-free, refined sugar-free, made with high-quality ingredients! I am super happy with my homemade version, I like it better than any that could come in a cardboard cup with snowflakes on it. It’s thick and creamy, rich in chocolatey goodness and it has just the right amount of peppermint flavor. Read the rest of this entry »

  2. Vegan Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Mix (Gluten-free)

    Vegan Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Mix

    There a some flavor combinations that for me are the classic quintessential tastes of the holiday season. The combination of chocolate and peppermint this is definitely one of those. For my final giftable recipe this month in my series with Free People, I thought a handmade gift that was not only pretty, but tasted amazing would be the best way to end things.  Hot cocoa is not just for kids, but also for the kids at heart.

    Layer the delicious ingredients for this homemade candy cane hot chocolate in a jar and add some fun decorative touches like a fresh clipping of evergreen, wrap fabric over the lid, tie twine or ribbon and add a pretty tag. It not only looks beautiful, but it is so tasty, too! The bonus is this hot cocoa mix is vegan and gluten-free and depending on the ingredients you use,  low in refined sugars, as well.

    On it’s own or with a nice mug to compliment it, this simple DIY gift is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face! It’s a great hostess gift, it’d perfect for the secret santa giveaway, or just a thoughtful handmade gift for the chocolate loving vegan in your life. This simple ratio of ingredients can also be used to make a small batch for yourself, anytime you’d like!

     

    Vegan Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Mix

    [print_this]Vegan Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Mix
    Fills a 1 quart jar, makes 12 servings

    • 1 cup powdered non-dairy milk, such as soy or rice (or powdered dairy milk, if you aren’t vegan)
    • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (be sure it is vegan)
    • 3/4 cup coconut sugar (or raw cane sugar)*
    • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
    • 1/2 cup crushed vegan peppermint candy (these particular candy canes are great – no GMOs, no HFCS, no artificial dyes, etc )

    Optional:

    • 1/2 cup vegan mini marshmallows
    • A few additional mini or full-sized candy canes

    Layer the powdered non-dairy milk, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, salt, chocolate chips, and peppermint candy. If you’d like, you can add mini marshmallows to the top of the jar, if there is room or attach a plastic bag full to the jar. On the back of the gift tag, write:

    “Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. For each serving, place 1/4 to 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup boiling water or non-dairy milk. Mix keeps in airtight container at room temperature for up to six months.”

    OR

    If you wish to leave the powdered milk out, shake all of the remaining ingredients together (you may want to increase the ingredients by 25-50% to fill up the jar without the powdered non-dairy milk). Once fully mixed, add it to the jar and layer marshmallows on top, if there is room. Change the directions on the gift tag to read:

    “For each serving, heat 8 ounces of your favorite non-dairy milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot (alternatively, microwave 2-1/2 minutes at full power). Whisk in 1/4 to 1/3 cup hot chocolate mix. Mix keeps in airtight container at room temperature for up to six months.”

    *Consider making a homemade vanilla sugar first, using my recipe for vanilla sea salt, replacing the salt with sugar. Use an equal amount of the vanilla sugar instead of plain sugar in in this recipe and it takes it to a whole new level!!

    **Note: if your container is a different size, just keep the ratio of ingredients constant.**[/print_this]

     

    This recipe originally appeared on the Free People blog BLDG 25.

  3. New NuNaturals Stevia Flavors and Giveaway

     

    ****** This giveaway is now closed.******

     Congrats to the winners – NicoleCaraSonja and raechel.

    These winners were chosen at random using random.org. Ladies, you will be contacted via email shortly to get your contact info. Thank you to everyone that participated.

    ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

    Stevia is one of my favorite alternative healthy sweeteners. It’s a herb from South America that has been used for over a thousand years. It’s 100% natural and has zero calories. Unlike other alternative sweeteners stevia does not impact blood sugar and insulin. NuNaturals Stevia is my favorite brand of liquid stevia for so many different reasons. There are no artificial ingredients and there is no lab altered weirdness. Plus, unlike some brands of Stevia that I have tried, NuNaturals leaves no bitter aftertaste. The key with stevia is to know that a little goes a long way, a few drops in a smoothie, tea, oatmeal, etc. is more than enough. I personally haven’t yet experimented too much with using stevia when baking, but I need to just take the plunge and play.

    NuNaturals recently released a line of all-natural flavored stevia liquids that are are far superior than any other flavored stevia products available. Unlike other manufacturers, that use artificial flavors, these new products use all natural, REAL ingredients. NuNaturals was nice enough to send the new flavors for me to try and I have really been having fun with them. The aroma from these when I just opened the box, was incredible. The three new flavors are lemon, orange and peppermint. I plan to share some really fun recipes in the coming weeks with you guys, but some of my favorite ways to use them are, of course, in smoothies, vegan ice cream and they are also great in chia seed puddings. Just a few drops of the lemon and orange flavors are also great in dressings and sauces. A few drops of orange or peppermint in hot cocoa or coffee would be amazing, and the lemon in iced tea or sparkling water, yum! The possibilities are endless and I cannot wait to keep playing around, so look for some new recipes in the coming weeks here on Tasty Yummies.

    I am very excited to be hosting a giveaway of NuNaturals’ newest flavors. NuNaturals is giving four (4) of my lucky readers one bottle each of Pure Liquid Orange NuStevia, Pure Liquid Lemon NuStevia and Pure Liquid Peppermint NuStevia. That’s right, we are giving away 12 bottles of stevia! It’s very simple to enter, too.

     

    NuStevia Flavors Giveaway

    Enter the contest

    Please leave a *separate comment* below for each entry!
    You can enter up to 4 times

     

    1) Leave a comment below telling me what you’d use the stevia for.

    For additional entries:

    2) Like both the Tasty Yummies and NuNatural pages on Facebook.
    Then, share the post I put up on the Tasty Yummies page to be included in the giveaway then come back and comment here telling me you liked both pages and that you’ve shared my post.

    3) Tweet about the contest and while you are there follow me on Twitter @herobeth and follow @nunaturals
    You could say something like: “ I just entered to win @nunaturals‘ 3 new all-natural flavored stevia liquids from @herobeth on Tasty Yummies http://wp.me/p23r4t-Dt ″
    Make sure you comment here to let me know you follow both of us and that you posted about the giveaway.

    4) Subscribe to the Tasty Yummies RSS feed in your RSS reader or by email.
    Again, make sure to comment here to let me know that you subscribed.

    Please make sure to leave a comment for each entry and please make sure to comment using a working email address. The giveaway will be open until Wednesday August 29 with the winners announced on Thursday August 30. Winners will be announced here and contacted  via email. Good luck guys!

     

    NuNaturals

     

    **** If you cannot wait to see if you are a winner and you want to start shopping at nunaturals.com right away – you guys get 15% off! Enter the DISCOUNT CODE “BLG1212” at the checkout page and you will receive a 15% DISCOUNT on your ENTIRE ORDER. This discount remains EFFECTIVE UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2012. Plus you will also receive FREE SHIPPING to the CONTINENTAL U.S. on all orders exceeding $35.00 after discounts.****

  4. Double Fudge Candy Cane Cupcakes – Gluten-free, Dairy-free

    Double Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cupcakes - Gluten-free and Dairy-Free

    I know Christmas has come and gone now, but I still wanted to share these delicious cupcakes with you. I made these for Christmas Eve dinner and they were a huge hit, my 2-year old niece took one bite of the one I was about to eat and ran off with it before I even took a bite! They are super fluffy and moist with a perfect balance of chocolate gooey-ness inside and a bright peppermint burst from the peppermint extract inside and the candy cane bits on top. I told you I have been on a chocolate peppermint kick! I adapted Elana’s Almond Fudge Cupcake recipe from her cupcake cookbook, substituting peppermint extract for the almond extract. I really wanted a strong peppermint flavor so I kept it at the 1 tablespoon, but I actually think it could use a bit less (use your judgement). I cannot get over how incredible and simple Elana’s cupcake recipes are, in terms of flours and starches, these delicious treats only had almond flour and coconut flour, that’s it – no gums, no starches, no oil or butter, it is so simple. I, once again, also used Elana’s vegan chocolate frosting recipe from her cookbook, because I absolutely love how simple it is to make and I almost always have everything on hand to just whip it up quickly. If you are gluten-free and you don’t own Elana’s Gluten-free Cupcakes cookbook, you need to get it ASAP!

    I want to note that I have almost completely stopped baking with agave nectar since I learned a few months ago that even though it is an unrefined vegan sugar-alternative, naturally coming from a cactus plant and having a low-glycemic index, it has been discovered it is very high in fructose and it’s affects on the body are very similar to that of high-fructose corn syrup. Yes it is true that sugar is sugar no matter what the source and I know everyone has their own opinions on all sugars and sugar alternatives and it is also true that no sugar is truly good for you, per se. I just personally try to limit my sugar intake (no matter what the source) and be smart when I do use sugar and sugar alternatives, choosing things that I know work for me, like dates or bananas to sweeten things like smoothies, cookies and muffins, naturally whenever possible or choosing coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup when those won’t work in baking, etc. There are times when a recipe is best made with sugar and I will obviously go that route and in this particular recipe since I was adapting a recipe from Elana’s Pantry, who uses agave nectar quite often, I decided rather than experimenting, to just keep the recipe as is in that way and use the remaining agave I had in the pantry from before. I figured it was best to keep the recipe with it’s original ratios, to avoid a Christmas eve cupcake failure. Leanne from Healthful Pursuit has a wonderful video here about healthy alternative sweeteners.

    The holiday celebrations continue for us until New Years Day, so I hope to be making other goodies in the next few days. We have dinner with the family tonight, a big Greek feast with souvlaki and avgolemono soup, I am not doing any of the cooking or baking for tonight, but we are heading down to Kentucky later this week to visit with Mark’s family and celebrate Christmas and New Years there, so I plan to make some healthy treats for us all to munch on then.

    I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day, hanukkah or whatever you celebrate! Did you make any special treats for the holidays? Are your holiday celebrations continuing this entire week, like ours?

     

    Double Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cupcakes - Gluten-free and Dairy-Free

    [print_this]Double Fudge Candy Cane Cupcakes – Gluten-free, Dairy-free
    makes 12 cupcakes
    Adapted from Elana Amsterdam’s Almond Fudge Cupcake recipe from “Gluten-Free Cupcakes – 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour”

    1 cup blanched almond flour
    2 tablespoons coconut flour
    2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
    1/4 teaspoon sea salt
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    4 large farm-fresh brown eggs
    1/2 cup honey (maple syrup or agave nectar
    1 tablespoon peppermint extract (use less here if you want the peppermint flavor to be subtle)
    1/2 cup dairy-free mini dark chocolate chips (73% cacao)
    1/4 cup crushed candy canes (corn syrup free, if you can find them)

    Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

    In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, agave nectar, and peppermint extract. Blend the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture with a handheld mixer until thoroughly combined, then stir in the mini chocolate chops.

    Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into each prepared muffin cup.

    Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cupcakes cook in the pan for 1 hour, then frost (see below recipe), sprinkle with candy cane bits and serve.

    Chocolate Frosting

    6 ounces dark chocolate chips (73% cacao) (about 1 heaping cup)
    1/2 cup Spectrum all-vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum sustainable organic palm oil shortening)
    1/4 cup raw honey (maple syrup or agave nectar)
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    2 tablespoon water
    Pinch of sea salt

    Heat the chocolate in a medium saucepan over a very low heat, melt until it is smooth. (You can also melt them in the microwave in a medium glass microwave-safe bowl). Allow the pan or bowl to rest on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes to cool the chocolate to room temperature.

    With a handheld mixer, blend in the shortening, then blend in the agave nectar, vanilla extract, water and salt until smooth. Place the saucepan in the refrigerator for 3 to 8 minutes, until the frosting is spreadable.

    If the frosting gets too stiff to work with, reheat the pan very briefly over a low heat and stir until it is softened. If the frosting is too runny, place it back in the refrigerator until it firms up.

    Use the frosting immediately or store in a glass Mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

    [/print_this]

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