Edible Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Edible Pumpkin Chocolate Cookie Dough - Super delicious and packed with fiber and protein to keep you satisfied. Dairy, gluten, and grain-free.

Not only is this cookie dough safe to eat, it’s chock full of nutrients thanks to chickpeas' excellent source of soluble fiber and protein. When you combine it with nut butter and pumpkin puree, it’s a nutritional powerhouse! 

Professional Cycle Syncer? This is a luteal phase recipe as it contains ingredients like sunflower seeds, pumpkin, and chickpeas that are great sources of B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and fiber. During this phase, your body needs more calories and slow-burning complex carbs and beans provide calories while stabilizing blood sugar.

Bonus! PMS symptoms? Chickpeas are a great source of magnesium. They also contain vitamin B6 so when taken together, help reduce PMS symptoms! 

You can eat this for dessert, bring to a family or sports event, or simply grab a spoon and eat it straight from the fridge! 

You can most definitely use regular dark chocolate chips for this recipe, but I love using Hu Kitchen chocolate! For this recipe, I used one bar of hazelnut butter dark chocolate and used their grain-free cookies (chocolate chip and ginger snap) as the “spoon”! 

They just came out with seasonal dark chocolate bars: gingerbread and pumpkin spice and I BET that would truly level up this cookie dough! 

I love using their products because of their simplistic ingredient list: 

Organic cacao

Unrefined organic coconut sugar

Organic fair-trade cocoa butter

That’s. It.

Again, you don’t have to use these products to make this recipe, but if you want to, here the website or my SHOP PAGE and code FROMTHEROOTS for 15% off your first order! 

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If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Edible Pumpkin Chocolate Cookie Dough - Super delicious and packed with fiber and protein to keep you satisfied. Dairy, gluten, and grain-free.

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ cup sunflower or nut butter

• ¼ cup pure maple syrup

• ¼ cup pumpkin puree

• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar (chopped)

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Flaky sea salt for garnish 

Directions 

1. Place drained chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add the baking soda. Cover the chickpeas with water and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat for 5-10 minutes or until the chickpeas look bloated. In a fine mesh strainer, drain the chickpeas and run cool water over them. No need to peel the chickpeas now that they are soft and should create a creamy texture!

2. Transfer cooked chickpeas and the rest of the ingredients except for chocolate in a food processor. Puree mixture until completely smooth and creamy in texture. May need to pause a couple of times to scrape down the side of the processor bowl. 

3. Transfer mixture into a bowl and fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.  Refrigerate until ready to serve and garnish with flaky sea salt. 

Mint Matcha Smoothie

Mint Matcha Smoothie or what some people like to call, the Shamrock Shake! It’s a creamy, refreshing smoothie you can have for breakfast, pre/post-workout shake, or as a dessert! This smoothie is plant-based,  naturally sweetened with bananas, and made with only 6-ingredients!

If you love all things mint, then you will love this smoothie. This recipe uses fresh mint and/or peppermint extract depending on your mint preference. My favorite addition of mint flavor is combining fresh mint leaves and CBD peppermint oil drops - so tasty! 

What really elevates that fresh minty flavor is using matcha powder. Matcha comes from the same plant as green tea but since it is made from the entire leaf, it packs in a more concentrated amount of antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds. And since matcha is naturally lower in caffeine than regular coffee, this is a great alternative if you are wanting to cut back on coffee or incorporate it into your morning routine. 

Even though this shake is considered a healthier version to the traditional “Shamrock Shake” feel free to make this when it’s not St. Patty’s Day! Now that you have the flavor combination down, feel free to change up the recipe. For example, add the optional greens powder/frozen cauliflower chunks if you know hitting your veggie goal is not in the cards that day. 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Mint Matcha Smoothie or what some people like to call, the Shamrock Shake! It’s a creamy, refreshing smoothie you can have for breakfast, pre/post-workout shake, or as a dessert! This smoothie is plant-based,  naturally sweetened with bananas, and made with only 6-ingredients!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup frozen banana

• 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (I used my homemade cashew milk blend)

• 1 heaping handful of fresh greens

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

• 1 scoop green superfood powder (optional)

• Small handful of fresh mint leaves or 1-2 tsp peppermint extract

• 2 tsp matcha powder

Toppings

• cacao nibs, fresh mint, and yogurt

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Feel free to add more ingredients depending on preference. For example, add more bananas or another sweetener for a sweeter smoothie. 

2. Nutrition Booster tip: instead of using ice cubes as a thickener, use frozen cauliflower or zucchini. Can’t taste it I promise!

Other Mint Recipes

Spicy Thai Tofu with Crispy Coconut Spaghetti Squash Noodles

Spicy Thai Tofu with Crispy Coconut Spaghetti Squash Noodles - A plant based dish that is fun and flavorful! Great for dinner, #meatlessmonday, or for your lunch meal prep rotations.  

Believe it or not, I was a vegetarian for four years when I was a teenager! I know, I can’t believe it either! But when I was a vegetarian, tofu stir fry was my jam! It was something that could be made pretty fast, kept me satiated, and burst with amazing flavors. 

Within those years, I thought I was being healthy because I eliminated animal proteins from my diet. What I ended up doing was going into refined carb heaven eating all the desserts, pasta, bread, processed soy products, lots of Taco Bell... 

The imbalance lead to health issues like protein sores in my mouth, skin turning a gray color, lethargy, weight gain, brain fog, acne, the list goes on!

So knowing the route I took on my vegetarian journey, you can probably tell that my go-to tofu stir fry probably wasn’t healthy. Haha, and you guessed right! I used the ramen noodles from the cheap Maruchan noodle packets and half a bottle of soy sauce. I threw in a bag of frozen oriental stir fry veggie mix and cubed tofu and that made the entire dish seem healthy in my mind. 

And this is not to say that everyone who is a vegan/vegetarian is not healthy. Just like eating meat, being paleo, intuitive eating, counting macros, celery cleanse, etc, it’s all about having a diet rich in nutrient-dense, properly prepared, whole foods. That’s it. So wherever you are at in your journey with food, keep that in mind. And if you are just starting, here is a great post to help you in discovering what that looks like for you and your own personal journey. 

One thing I will make a note of about this dish is that we are using organic sprouted tofu as our main protein source. In order for this meal to be properly prepared, I use organic sprouted tofu as the source of my protein. The reason that I chose sprouted over regular tofu is that the health benefits far outweigh. The sprouting process improves digestion and increases nutrient absorption. It also contains more protein and higher levels of calcium than regular tofu. 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Spicy Thai Tofu with Crispy Coconut Spaghetti Squash Noodles - A plant based dish that is fun and flavorful! Great for dinner, #meatlessmonday, or for your lunch meal prep rotations.  

Ingredients

Coconut Noodles

• 1 medium spaghetti squash

• ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

• ¼ cup toasted coconut flakes

• 1 Tbsp avocado oil

Marinade

• 14 oz organic sprouted extra firm tofu

• ¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk

• 1 Tbsp red curry paste

• 3 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger (minced)

• 1 Tbsp gluten-free low-sodium tamari sauce or liquid (coconut) aminos

• 1 Tbsp arrowroot starch

• 1 tsp fish sauce (*vegan fish sauce if vegan)

Peanut Sauce

• 2 Tbsp creamy organic peanut butter

• 1 Tbsp gluten-free low-sodium tamari sauce or liquid (coconut) aminos

• 1 Tbsp water

• 2 tsp chili garlic sauce

• 1 tsp fresh ginger (minced)

• ½ tsp coconut sugar

• ½ juice of a lime

Garnish

• ¼ cup unsalted peanuts, chopped cilantro, chili garlic sauce, lime wedges

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 

2. To make the spaghetti squash, cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and lightly drizzle with oil and salt and pepper. Place squash face down on the baking sheet and roast for 35-45 minutes or until the squash peels easily away from the skin. Set aside to cool before dragging a fork across the squash to create noodles. 

3. To make the tofu, once you are done pressing the tofu to get the excess liquid out, cut into cubes and add to a Ziploc bag. In a small bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into a Ziploc bag and toss tofu to coat. Let sit for at least 15-30 minutes.

4. While the tofu is marinating, make the peanut sauce by adding all sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk vigorously until ingredients are well combined. Should be smooth and creamy yet pourable. 

5. Once the squash has cooled down and you have scraped out all the squash into noodles, transfer to a large skillet that is set on medium-high heat with about 1 Tbsp oil.

6. Saute in the oil for 5-10 minutes or until crispy. Add coconut milk to the noodles and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked off and you are left with crispy yet moist noodles. Take the skillet off the heat and garnish with toasted coconut flakes. Set aside.

7.  You can either bake the tofu in the oven or cook in the same skillet you just used for the spaghetti squash noodles. I like to cook the tofu in the skillet to give it a crispy texture.

8. Transfer noodle mixture into a large bowl and top with the tofu. Drizzle peanut sauce over the dish or put in a small serving dish to have on the side. Garnish with toppings and enjoy with chopsticks! 

Notes

• Ingredients that I use: canned organic unsweetened coconut milk, tamari, soy-free version - coconut aminos, sprouted organic tofu, fish sauce, organic peanut butter, vegan fish sauce, chili garlic sauce

• Meal Prep Version: divide noodle mixture and tofu into 4 containers and keep the peanut sauce/garnishes in a separate container so that you can pour over the mixture and garnish when ready to eat. 

• Feel free to add roasted veggies to the dish like peppers, onion, carrots, and zucchini or steamed veggies like snap peas and broccoli. 

• Plant-based protein alternatives: chickpeas, tempeh, beans or use chicken if you are wanting an animal based protein source.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Pesto

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Pesto - The perfect go-to side dish to make for dinner or as a carb source for your weekly lunch meal prep.

I have been making smashed potatoes for years! Why? Because they are just so simple to make! 

Quick little breakdown on how to prepare these bad boys: 

• Boil the potatoes until they are fork-tender. 

• Make a creamy garlicky pesto that takes less than 5 minutes to make.

• Smash those bad boys with a glass cup, palm of your hand, or a saucepan.

• Drizzle with oil and roast until golden brown and crispy. 

• Spoon that delicious sauce over the potatoes and serve!

Lately, I have been digging planked salmon so for dinner this week, I paired smashed potatoes with planked salmon and a paleo caesar salad using Primal Kitchen Caesar Dressing and added fun uncured bacon bits from Epic. This would also pair well with baked hot chicken, pecan crusted spiced salmon and turkey meatballs. 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Pesto - The perfect go-to side dish to make for dinner or as a carb source for your weekly lunch meal prep.

Ingredients

Smashed Potatoes

• 1 lb (16 oz) baby potatoes

• 1-2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil

• Sea salt & black pepper

Garlic Pesto

• 2 cups packed fresh organic basil

• ¼ cup nutritional yeast

• 5-8 raw almonds

• 3 large cloves garlic (peeled)

• ⅓ cup olive or avocado oil (oil-free version - water or veggie stock)

• Healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Add rinsed potatoes to a large pot with water until potatoes are fully submerged. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. A knife should be able to slide in and out easily. 

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. 

3. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the pesto mixture by adding almonds and garlic to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add basil, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and turn the setting on low. As the processor is on low, pour the oil through the feed tube gradually. Scrape down the sides and add more if necessary to achieve the desired sauce consistency. (Oil-free version* add water or veggie stock gradually until desired consistency)

4. Taste and adjust taste if necessary, adding more nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor, salt for overall flavor, garlic for that “bite” or almonds for a nuttier flavor. Transfer to a small serving dish and set aside. 

5. When the potatoes are soft and tender, place on the baking sheet and smash them down with the bottom of a saucepan, glass cup, or the palm of your hand. For any larger potatoes, cut in half and then smash. 

6. Drizzle smashed potatoes with oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. 

7. Spoon the pesto mixture over the potatoes and garnish with additional oil, salt and pepper if desired.

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce is a creamy dairy-free, gluten-free healthier version as compared with the original recipe. 

If you are looking for a dairy-free version of the traditional alfredo sauce then look no further! Made with whole food ingredients that most will have on hand. All you need is a strong blender that will create this creamy velvety sauce texture, that’s it! 

I love mixing my sauce with pasta noodles, chicken, veggies, or use as pizza sauce! 

If you are looking for a more cheesier vegan or dairy-free sauce, check out my favorite spicy vegan cheese sauce recipe.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce is a creamy dairy-free, gluten-free healthier version as compared with the original recipe. 

Ingredients

• 3 cups (packed) boiled cauliflower

• ½ cup plant based milk

• ½ cup chicken or veggie stock

• ½ cup cashews (soaked and drained)

• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 4 cloves minced garlic

• ½ white onion

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp grass fed or vegan butter

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook for about 8-15 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Reserve 1 cup of boiling water. 

2. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic and diced onions until soft and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. 

3. Drain the cauliflower and transfer to a blender. Add the sautéed garlic and onions, milk, stock, cashews, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. If the sauce looks too thick or dry, slowly add the reserved boiling water. Season with more salt and pepper for desired taste. 

4. Serve with cooked pasta and enjoy! 

Notes

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Will last 4-5 days in the fridge. 

• Freezer friendly! Since there is no dairy in the mixture, you can freeze the alfredo sauce once it’s cooled down. 

• Use the sauce with pasta, chicken, vegetables, or even as a pizza sauce!