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Vegan Recipes: 10 Ingredients or Less

5 Ingredient Raw Vegan Bars

11/11/2020

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Vegan Bars
We are a busy family, and this year has been no exception. Trying to juggle homeschooling, working from home full time, and building a business has been quite the task in 2020. Quick and easy vegan meals and snacks are a necessity in our household. Homemade vegan trail mix and vegan bars are essential items.

When shopping for vegan bars I definitely check out the ingredients. Is there a long list of ingredients? Are they packed with added sugars, artificial additives, or artificial preservatives? Those are some of the questions I ask.

​Some of our favorites store bought items are Made Good Bars and Mezcla bars. They contain wholesome, non-GMO, and gluten free ingredients.
vegan ingredients
Almonds, walnuts, raisins, dates, and a sprinkle of cinnamon are all it takes to make these yummy bars. This is also a simple vegan recipe for kids to enjoy. My daughter helped me make these, and they turned out very well. Many bars today are marketed for kids and have a large amount of added sugars.

​People fail to realize that there is a very big difference between added sugars and natural sugars. Added sugars are added in during the processing stage, and they do not provide any nutritional value. Naturally occurring sugars in whole foods like fruit have added health benefits like fiber and antioxidants. 

What about the sugar in dates and raisins? The sugars in raisins occur naturally and are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. When eaten in moderation they have great health benefits. Raisins can boost iron levels, keep your bones strong, and help you with digestion.

Like raisins, dates are a great alternative sweetener. Dates 
contain vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin C, and magnesium. They also contain antioxidants that help prevent cell damage from toxins and folate that is important in pregnancy.

Dates are such a versatile and nutritious treat that can be used in everything from vegan chocolate brownies to delicious, energizing bars.
Vegan bars
Sweet, chewy, snackable, nutritious, and only five ingredients!

Author: The Sensible Vegan
Recipe Type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Vegan
Serving: 8

​Ingredients:
  • 2 cups pitted dates
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 cup lightly salted almonds
  • 1 individual snack box of raisins (1 oz.)
  • A pinch of cinnamon
Directions:
  • Place dates and raisins into food processor. Pulse until evenly blended.
  • Slowly add in almonds and pulse the mixture again.
  • Add in the walnuts and cinnamon and pulse until thoroughly ground and blended.
  • I used this granola bar mold (paid link) I found on Amazon to shape them. It's such a great product and makes everything even. You can also use a square  pan lined with parchment paper as well.
  • Once the mixture is evenly distributed in the mold or the pan, press it down firmly. 
  • Refrigerate for two hours.
  • Slice and serve.

Nutrition Info: Serving size: 1 bar   Calories: 154   Fat: 4.5g    Saturated Fat: 0.4g    Protein: 2.5g  Sugar: 23.2g    Fiber: 3.4g   Sodium: 63mg   Carb: 33g

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5-Ingredient Chocolate Chunk Granola

8/31/2019

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Easy vegan granola
Granola is a staple in our home. We eat granola bars, granola bites, granola cereal, and love making our own vegan granola as well. When we're not making our own, we absolutely love Made Good products. This recipe contains some of my favorite ingredients: dates, dark chocolate, and protein powder.


vegan granola ingredients
People often talk about vegan food being too complicated, tedious, and expensive. One of the most inexpensive and versatile vegan foods are oats. They can be used a variety of ways, and they are nutritious and filling as well. I used gluten-free rolled oats to prepare this recipe. You can toast them before adding them to the recipe or leave them raw. I prefer leaving them raw.

Dark chocolate finds its way into many of my vegan dessert recipes. It's not too sweet, packed with antioxidants, and adds the perfect touch to the granola bars. 

This recipe is a hit with my husband and daughter, and I hope you love it, too! I am happy to make wholesome granola for my family. In the past when I was not as mindful about ingredients and picked just any old granola off the shelves, I was basically basing it off the price of the product versus the health benefits and quality.

Sadly, there are a vast number of granola products on store shelves packed with preservatives, GMO-ingredients, and a long list of other ingredients that help preserve the shelf life by being laden with chemicals. There are quite a few with "wholesome" "all-natural" and "made with whole-grain" on the packaging. These terms do not always ensure a healthy or clean product. That is a definite marketing ploy.

When I started reading labels and ingredients and researching what the chemicals can do to our bodies, I woke up. I am so glad I did! For this reason I love preparing our own snacks and meals so I know exactly what I am using in my recipes. 
Vegan chocolate granola
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Sweet, simple, and only five ingredients.

Author: The Sensible Vegan
Recipe Type: Snack
Cuisine: Vegan
Serving: 14


​Ingredients:
  • 1 and 1/2 cups pitted dates
  • 7 tbsps dark chocolate chunks
  • 1 scoop Just Pea protein powder
  • 1 cup gluten-free sprouted rolled oats
  • 1 packet Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut butter 
Directions:
  • Pulse the dates in a food processor until they turns clumpy and dough-like. 
  • Add the dates, 5 tablespoons of chocolate chunks, protein powder, and oats to a large bowl, and set aside.
  • Melt the nut butter for 30 seconds, and pour it over the ingredients in the bowl.
  • Evenly combine the ingredients, breaking apart the clumps of dates and distributing them evenly.
  • Press granola evenly into a glass baking dish.
  • Melt two tablespoons of chocolate chunks at 30 second increments in microwave.
  • With a fork, drizzle the chocolate atop the granola.
  • Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Cut into 14 bars (depending on the size of your dish) and serve. You may have to adjust the recipe for number of servings made and nutritional information.
  • Store remainder in freezer or airtight container.

Nutrition Info: Serving size 1 bar   Calories: 200   Fat: 4 g    Saturated Fat: 2.5g    Protein: 4g  Sugar: 14g    Fiber: 3.4g   Sodium: 20mg   Carb: 23g

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5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola

10/29/2018

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vegan granola
I really enjoy a great granola bar, and I usually keep a few in my purse for those emergency snack situations. As much as I love granola, I have never made my own until now. When looking for a quality granola bar I normally choose the one with the least amount of ingredients.

My daughter and I were looking at various brands, and we were happy that there were several plant based varieties but disappointed at the amount of sugar packed into those little packages. Some of the ones marketed specifically to kids had the highest sugar content per serving! One of  our favorite brands is Made Good. They really know what they are doing, and one of their bars or packages of granola bites are usually in my daughter's lunch bag several days of the week.

This time we decided to make our own chocolate chunk granola, and we had a blast doing it. When you make it yourself you know exactly what goes into it, you control the sugar content, and you can put together your favorite plant based flavors and easily make some delicious granola yourself!
Vegan protein powder
Not all vegan protein powders are created equal. While researching several brands I was appalled at some of the ingredients that were inside. Some people are not particular about ingredients as long as the product is vegan and no animals were abused or killed in the process, but I look at other factors as well. Some of the protein powders contained high amounts of:
  • lead
  • mercury
  • cadmium
  • arsenic
  • solvents
  • chemicals
  • GMO

and a host of other not so clean ingredients. I learned that it's not just the ingredients that matter but also how the protein is processed. I have not looked so closely at this in the past. All that concerned me was that it was vegan and tasted good, but those days are gone. I received this pea protein powder from Basik Health Company, but it was before I started doing my research. Was I going to have to discard it? Not at all. After looking at the company's website, I knew that I had a clean, quality, protein powder. The JustPea protein is
  • dairy-free
  • soy-free
  • gluten-free
  • GMO-free
  • grown, processed and packaged in America
  • no stevia, sweeteners, or additives
and many more outstanding qualities. Because the company is committed to creating clean and transparent products without artificial ingredients and proprietary blends, they even post their heavy metal testing results on the website.


Vegan protein powder
I tossed all of the ingredients into my food processor, and the protein powder blended smoothly with the peanut butter and made some tasty granola.
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After I pressed the granola into an 8 x 8 inch pan and placed it in the freezer, it was ready to eat within 30 min.
vegan granola
Sweet, chunky, dark chocolatey, snackable, and only five ingredients!

Author: The Sensible Vegan
Recipe Type: Snack
Cuisine: Vegan
Serving: 8

Ingredients
  • Two cups packed, pitted dates
  • 1/3 cup gluten free sprouted rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tbsps dark chocolate baking chunks
  • 1 scoop JustPea pea protein powder​
Instructions
  • Add dates to food processor and pulse into small bits. You may need to push some of the mixture down with a spoon to make sure there are no large chunks and everything blends smoothly.
  • Add peanut butter, sprouted oats, and protein powder and pulse until well blended.
  • Open processor and add in chocolate chunks, but do not blend.
  • Scoop out mixture and transfer to lined 8x8 inch dish.
  • Press evenly into dish.
  • Set for 30 min. in freezer.
  • Slice evenly into bars or squares.
Nutrition Information
Serving size:  1 bar Calories: 170.5 Fat: 11.5g  Saturated Fat: 2.6g 
Carbohydrates: 13g   Sugar: 3.4g   Sodium: 114.8mg  Fiber: 3g   Protein: 8g
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​If you made this recipe, please tag me @thesensiblevegan, #thesensiblevegan!

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Chocolate Trail Mix Bark

11/7/2017

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My daughter had a day off from school due to it being a teacher's work day. Each student had to do an enriching activity and report on it when school returned. Making a new recipe was on the list of ideas, so of course we jumped on it.

​This is a fun, kid-friendly recipe, and it is super easy to make. It started with my trail mix recipe and evolved into chocolate trail mix bark!
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I have had several people ask me, "How do I get my kids interested in vegan food?" I hear frustration about kids not liking the food or not wanting to try certain foods. My answer is, allow your kids to take part in the preparation. Let them help create the recipes. They may even come up with their own recipes. When they are invested in the process, there is usually a better outcome. Plus, it is so much fun!
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Something amazing happens when you combine dark chocolate and trail mix. You get a nutritious snack that is packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and it tastes great, too!
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​Kid-friendly, fun, sweet, chocolatey, and only ten ingredients to make!

Author: The Sensible Vegan
Recipe Type: Snack
Cuisine: Vegan
Serving: 15


Ingredients
  • 1 package of non-dairy semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup of raisins
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup of dry roasted peanuts
  • 1/2 cup of raw almonds
  • 1/2 cup of dried apples
  • 1/2 cup of chopped dates
  • 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts​
  • 1tbsp peanut butter

Instructions   
  1. In a large bowl with a lid, combine all ingredients. 
  2. Place lid atop bowl and shake until all ingredients are evenly mixed.
  3. Melt chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl at 30 sec. intervals until melted. Stir in peanut butter.
  4. Line baking dish or cookie sheet with parchment paper, and spread chocolate evenly atop paper.
  5. Sprinkle ¾ cup trail mix evenly atop chocolate.
  6. Freeze for 2 hours.
  7. Break the bark into pieces, and enjoy!  Refrigerate remaining portions.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 piece Calories: 123  Fat: 7.2g  Saturated Fat: 3.3g 
Carbohydrates: 15.5g   Sugar: 11g   Sodium: 6mg  Fiber: 2g   Protein: 2.3 g



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Coconut Chocolate Energy Bites

5/4/2017

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This recipe was so fun to make! It is absolutely a kid-friendly vegan recipe, and my daughter and I had a ball making it! I wanted to make a quick and easy vegan snack that incorporated some of our favorite ingredients: chocolate and peanut butter.  This recipe definitely did the job!
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The base of the recipe is pitted dates. This is the perfect consistency after pulsing them in the food processor. Dates are high in vitamins and minerals, they promote digestive health, reduce blood pressure because of the high magnesium content, and studies also show that they boost brain health because of the vitamin B6 content. 
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Whenever possible, I encourage my daughter to help with my vegan recipes. She loves cooking, and she really liked this recipe. She was able to mold the mixture and be messy! She is also learning about tastes, textures, different ingredients, and how they work together to make a recipe. She was so proud of the finished product. Those teachable moments are priceless!
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​Rich, chocolatey, coco-nutty, hard-to-eat-just-one, peanut buttery and only five ingredients to make!

Author: The Sensible Vegan
Recipe Type: Snack
Cuisine: Vegan
Serving: 17


Ingredients
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 3 tbsps chunky peanut butter
  • 3 tbsps unsweetened coconut chips
  • 2/3 cup gluten-free rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions   
  1. Pulse dates in a food processor until they are the above consistency. (Optional: Soak them  in water for 10-15 min. to soften them before pulsing.) 
  2. Add peanut butter, oats, coconut, and chocolate to the processor and blend with the dates until the mixture is well blended and finely ground like the above photo. 
  3. Form the mixture into balls. You should be able to make 15-17 evenly shaped balls from the recipe.
  4. Allow to set in the freezer for 15-20 min.
  5. Remove from freezer, and after five minutes at room temperature, enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: One ball  Calories: 83  Fat:  4g
Sat Fat: 1.9g  Carbohydrates: 18.7g   Sugar: 8.6g    Sodium: 11mg 
Fiber: 2g  Protein: 2g


​Please let me know how you like this recipe. I'd love to hear from you and see your variation of the recipe as well! Post your recipe photos #thesensiblevegan. Thank you!

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Dark Chocolate Trail Mix

3/23/2017

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Trail Mix. It's a high energy, yummy snack that is super quick and easy to make. I don't know why I didn't think of making it sooner. There are tons of variations and ingredients that you can use to make it your very own. This recipe uses nine ingredients and took less than five minutes to put together. My five year-old daughter loves it as well. Of course, she likes the chocolate chips, but we also used it as a teaching tool. While we were eating the mix, several times she picked up something and asked, "What is this?" It was a great opportunity for her to learn about fun, healthy ingredients!
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Out of all of the ingredients I used, I knew that I definitely wanted to include dark chocolate. I used dark chocolate chips. I like to incorporate dark chocolate in my vegan dessert recipes. I purchased an extra package when I made the ​no bake dark chocolate peanut butter bars, so I decided to put them to good use. Dark chocolate has several amazing health benefits as well. It's a powerful source of antioxidants, and the plant phenols in dark chocolate have been shown to lower blood pressure! Just make sure you buy the kind that has at least 70% pure cacao or cocoa solids.
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 Sweet, crunchy, nutty, dark chocolatey, and only nine ingredients to make!

Author: The Sensible Vegan
Recipe Type: Snack
Cuisine: Vegan
Serving: 20


Ingredients
  • 1 package of non-dairy semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup of raisins
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup of dry roasted peanuts
  • 1/2 cup of raw almonds
  • 1/2 cup of dried apples
  • 1/2 cup of chopped dates
  • 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts​

Instructions   
  1. In a large bowl with a lid, combine all ingredients. 
  2. Place lid atop bowl and shake until all ingredients are evenly mixed.
  3. You may choose to leave them in the bowl for a grab-and-go snack, or you may divide the mix into 20 individual portions in Ziplock bags. 
Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1/4 cup Calories: 227  Fat:  13.3g
Sat Fat: 4g  Carbohydrates: 20.2g   Sugar: 14g    Sodium: 2.7mg 
Fiber: 3.4g  Protein: 5g


​Please let me know how you like this recipe. I'd love to hear from you and see your variation as well! Post your recipe photos #thesensiblevegan. Thank you!
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    About Tabatha James

    Tabatha James is a wife, mom, and children's book author who loves creating vegan recipes with 10 ingredients or less!

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