Most Filling Snack Ever

When you're on the hunt for a snack, it would be great if that thing you were hunting for was quick, healthy and filling.  Amirite?

These cute snacks are just that.  They are full of insanely good for you omega 3 fatty acids, and fiber which helps keep you full long after snack time is over.  I love this mid-afternoon to get me through till dinner. 

You can also make a tray of them as a super simple appetizer. They look cute, taste bomb, and your guests will thank you for making them healthy. 

Best part is its super easy to put together.  Otherwise it just wouldn't be FastBeets Approved!

The Low Down

Flackers are made almost entirely of raw, sprouted flax seeds.  Making them a nutritional super hero.  As you probably know I'm a huge fan of flax seeds.  They are one of the best sources of Omega 3 fatty acids that we all need to reduce inflammation and encourage optimal brain & heart health.  In addition flax seeds are a tremendous source of fiber, which the Standard American Diet is devoid of.  In my book, flax seeds are a superhero food we all need more of. 

Flax seeds by themselves are difficult for your body to digest because the outer shell is tough.  What that means is if you consume regular flax seeds your body wont be able to absorb all the amazing omega 3 that flax seeds are known for.  This is why normally I recommend flax seed oil or ground flax seeds, so the shell is broken down and you can digest the goodness in them. 

By soaking the flax seeds in Flackers, the seeds are more easily digestible.  So these crackers a real winner. 

Ingredients:

• Flackers brand flax seed crackers
• Kite Hill brand chive cream cheese 
• Pitted kalamata or green olives
• Oil-free hummus (store bought or homemade)

Method:

1. Add a dollop of either the cream cheese or the hummus on each Flacker.  Top with a kalamata olive.  

Serve. Eat. Enjoy!

xx, SS 

Tart Raspberry Granola Cake with Almond Honey Drizzle

The Low Down

A couple things you need to know about this alleged "cake": (can you call something cake when it is this good for you?)

1. The Taste Test: I force fed this to my family.  They love me so they have no choice but to taste test what I make.  Good news tho!  They loved it so you will too. I even caught a couple of them taking some home for breakfast the next day. So basicially, its a real winner.  

2. Health Status: This "cake" falls under the category of better for you than last night's dinner and probably tomorrow's breakfast. Removing all associated guilt with the term - cake.  It's chock full of really good for you fats from the almonds, protein from the oats & almonds, and tons of fiber from all of the ingredients. It's aimed at keeping your waistline slim, your heart healthy, and your inflammation a thing of the past.  It travels well and makes for a wonderful breakfast bar. 

3. You Decide: Its one of the easiest things you can make.  I even broke down 3 different ways to make it (below), so that you decide just how easy making this cake will be. 

4. Frozen for Convenience: I use frozen raspberries, because I always have them in my freezer.  If you wanna use fresh, go for it.  It won't make a big difference. 

5.  Have Fun: This recipe (like all the FastBeets recipes) requires you to have fun making it.  You don't need to fuss about having exactly the right amount of any of the ingredients.  In fact, I'm pretty sure if you skip one of the ingredients things will still be OK.  It is designed to be fool-proof.  So you can't really mess it up.  Its not chemistry or rocket science and you don't need a degree in pastry baking to be able to do it.  As long as you can turn a spatula in a bowl, you've got this. 

You can do this recipes in 3 different ways:  

1. Throw everything except the raspberries into a blender blend it till you get a smooth batter, then add the raspberries, pop into a cake pan and throw it into the oven.
2. Use pre-made almond flour and pre-made date paste instead of blending the almonds and dates.  Throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Then transfer to cake plate and throw into the oven. Although making your own almond flour will make it taste slightly better, this is by far the fastest way. 
3. Blend just the almonds into an almond flour, and blend the dates for a quick and fresh date paste. Then transfer to a bowl, mix everything together and pop into the oven. 

This 3rd method will provide you with the best results and my favorite consistency.  The 1st method is the easiest, and will yield a much different consistency, that being a very moist almost gooey like center.  The 2nd one has the best consistency, and is super easy since you won't need a blender, but using fresh almonds and dates in my opinion is always best when you can.

This is YOUR cake though, so you do YOU.  Do whatever is easier for you and that you have time for.  You can't go wrong with any of the methods. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almonds (or almond flour)
• 1.5 cups oat bran
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1/4 cup tart cherry butter
• 1/2 bag of frozen raspberries
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 6 medjool dates (pits removed) or more if you need it sweeter
• 2 cups of plant-based milk (or water)

Method

1. Preheat over to 350 (or 450 if you're in a rush)
2. In a high speed blender, blend the almonds until you get a flour like consistency. 
3. Place the almond flour, baking powder, & oat bran in a bowl and mix well. 
4. In high speed blender, blend dates with 1 cup of almond milk until smooth.
5. Add the date liquid, the other cup of almond milk, the cherry butter, the coconut butter and the lemon juice to bowl and mix well. 
6. Add in the frozen raspberries.  Fold them in gently.  Note, they will fall apart a bit in the batter due to the different temperatures.  This is okay and makes the batter taste more raspberry like. 
7. Add parchment paper to a baking tray and pour ingredients in.  You may split the batter in two trays for a thinner cake and a faster cooking time. 
8. Cook in oven for 30 minutes at 350 or 20 minutes at 450 if the batter is split. 

Almond Honey Drizzle

For Almond Honey Drizzle, place equal parts raw honey and equal parts almond butter in a small bowl.  About two tablespoons each. Mix well. Drizzle to top of cake. 

Super Powered Coconut Fudge Brownies (That Conquers PMS)

Time: 10 minutes to prepare + 20 minutes in the oven

Its coconut flavored fudge, but its so healthy you can legit use it a pre-workout snack.  Its allergy friendly, and everything free (dairy-free, grain-free, gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, and refined sugar-free) 

It also happens to be paleo-friendly, passover-friendly, vegan-friendly and solves PMS woes. 

Fast Tips:

The big secret in all of this are the black beans.  But they're not just any black bean brownie.  I've been scouring the internet for a black bean brownie recipe that was just as healthy as it was yummy.  Some that i've made have seriously disappointed, while others called for sugar or maple syrup.  In other news, I've broken 5, yes 5, Blendtec Blenders trying to make previous versions of black bean brownies from other sources.  (You can blend an iPhone in a Blendtec, but apparently black bean brownies are unblendable?!) These were easy peasy and the Blendtec offices did not have to be called in a for a replacement blender jar.  

What makes these brownies super-powered is their delicious ability to conquer the toughest PMS (even on passover)! The combination of beans + dates + chocolate solves nearly every PMS issue.  The chocolate part is pretty obvious.  The dates and the beans provide the much needed iron you need in the midst of your PMS. So goodbye fatigue, hello chocolate fudge.....:)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of plant based milk
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (<---secret weapon that you won't taste)
• 1/3 cup of cocoa (use the best quality you have
• 8 dates (my dates weren't that sweet so I used 8 of them.  Adjust according to your sweetness preference 
• 1/2 of a banana
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon psylium husk (or 1.5 if you like it marshmellow-like)
• Optional Toppings: Coconut Shreds, chopped nuts, chocolate chips

Method

1. Pre-heat convection oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put beans and milk in a high speed blender and blend till smooth. (will be liquidy)
3. Add all other ingredients except psylium husk. (optional: add only half of the dates to test for sweetness, blend and taste batter then adjust accordingly)
4. Add psylium husk and blend again until smooth. 
5. Place batter in an 8 inch brownie pan lined with parchment paper. Add toppings of choice.
6. Bake in oven at 350 for 20 minutes. When done the inside will be gooey and marshmellow like. (Its vegan, so gooey is OK!)
7. Enjoy!

Thanks for making this! I would love it see how it turns out. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram so I can see! Any questions on it? Message me on Snapchat.  

Xx, SS

Happy Hearts: Chocolate Chip Cookies

This might be the simplest cookie recipe you've ever experienced.  It also happens to taste incredibly sinful and yet is actually really good for you and your heart.  Its chock full of soluble fiber which not only helps to keep you regular, but it binds to toxins and kicks them out of your body.  You'll find this recipe super sticky, be happy about that. That's the fiber in action.  

The sticky fiber also eliminates the need for eggs and the hazelnuts eliminate the need for butter. Which makes this a ZERO cholesterol cookie!  Moreover, the soluble fiber will actually lower your cholesterol! So make, eat, repeat!       

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup roasted organic hazelnuts
• 2 cups organic oatbran
• 4 dates
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond or cashew milk
• Chocolate chips of choice. (I used Lily's stevia sweetened, vegan dark choc. chips)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a high-speed blender, blend the hazelnuts until you get a creamy hazelnut butter.  Depending on your blender, you'll may need to use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides down and then re-blend until you get the proper consistency.  (Alternatively, you could just buy hazelnut butter, but where's the fun in that?)
3. Dump all the other ingredients except the chocolate chips and blend until everything is evenly incorporated. 
4. Taste the batter.  Make sure it is to your liking.  If you prefer life on the sweeter side, add another date.  
5. Transfer to a bowl and throw some chocolate chips on it.  Feel free to use as much as you'd like.  (Note - when using a high-speed blender, the batter may warm up a bit which is fine, but you may want to bring it back to room temp. before adding chocolate chips, unless you like the chocolate a bit runny through the batter like I do) 
6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone liner.  Grab a tablespoon and create cookie shapes onto tray.  Your dough will be incredibly sticky, but this is totally normal.  Wait 30 seconds after you place the dough on the tray and then use your fingers to even out the dough into smooth cookie shapes. 
7. Pop cookies in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. 
8. Enjoy! 

Thanks for making this! I would love it see how it turns out. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @fastbeets so I can see your #fastbeetsapproved healthy creation! Any questions on it? Message me on Snapchat.  

Xx, SS