PLANT-BASED BLUEBERRY DONUTS

This is the 2nd year in a row that I penned National Donut Day in my planner on THE WRONG DAY! Only to find out I missed the "holiday" by being forced to look at millions of devilish photos on Instagram. I'm such a loser! 

I've been a lover of donuts since loooooong before all of this donut hype. It's definitely the star of a lot of my "cheat days" and I anxiously awaited the day I thought I'd get to go all out....2 years in a row! 

Donuts are one of those things that you just can't get right without all of the bad stuff. As soon as you take away the yeast, lard, white sugar, etc., you get something that tastes nothing like a donut. That said, there are some healthy vegan or gluten-free donut makers out there that are rockin' it and they're delicious. Still...it's not the same. Maybe I'll make it my life's mission to create a healthy donut that tastes like a donut? 

I decided to celebrate on my planned not-donut day anyway, with healthy donut testing. This is actually the recipe I've used previously for uber-healthy vegan blueberry muffins. Baked in a donut pan...Voila! You have donuts. 

They're super delicious, but don't expect a donut texture. If you don't mind food in quotes and you love a healthy take on the classics, I think you'll dig these. The texture is a lot like a pancake. Who doesn't like blueberry pancakes? Especially, when they're wearing donut costumes? 

Long story short, this is a super yummy and healthy way to start your day. A couple of these babies with a few cups of coffee, I was able to breeze right through my morning run and workload like a boss. Enjoy! 

PLANT-BASED BLUEBERRY DONUTS 

2 Cups fresh blueberries 

1 Cup coconut sugar

1 Cup brown rice flour 

1 1/2 Cup gluten-free oat flour 

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 "neat eggs" or flax eggs 

1 Tablespoon arrowroot starch 

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 Cup almond milk + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 Cup melted coconut oil 

• Preheat your oven to 375 and grease a donut pan with coconut oil cooking spray. 
• Measure the almond milk and add the vinegar. Let sit and curdle for 2-3 minutes. 
• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, rice flour, oat flour, arrowroot starch, salt, and lemon zest with a whisk or a fork. 
• Add curdled almond milk, coconut oil, lemon juice, egg substitute and vanilla to the dry ingredients. 
• Then, fold in the blueberries. 
• Place mixture in a large ziploc bag and cut a tip off of one of the corners. 
• Pipe the batter into your prepared donut pan. Batter should be full to the rim. 
• Bake for 17-19 minutes. 
• Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. 
• Run a knife or spatula along the edges of the donuts to release from the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack or your countertop. 

If you wish to glaze- Use a bit of organic grade b male syrup and lemon zest.

Blueberry Pickin' & Plant Based Blueberry Cobbler

 This is our 3rd season picking blueberries at this local blueberry farm. That means Maisie is almost 3. Which, makes me cry, but also make me proud to know that we're creating our own traditions. We picked Strawberry's first this season, so she knew exactly what to do when I handed her the bucket.

Not unlike all of the other kiddos, she eats more than she takes home.

I'm going to be baking a few goodies with the blueberries we picked, but this first one is my new favorite recipe right now. I've always loved a good cobbler, but especially now that I can make it plant based and you'd never know it. If you substitute some of the naughtier ingredients traditionally in a cobbler for healthy ones, you get a just-as-delicious dessert that actually doubles as a healthy meal. Of course, I served it hot out of the oven with almond milk ice cream. But if you save the leftovers for the next morning, you'll get a healthy breakfast packed with fiber, antioxidants, and it'll provide you with energy to get through the day! 

Here's a tip, pre-portion your leftovers in mason jars for on-the-go breakfasts the following days. Or, heat them up right in mason jars and scoop almond milk ice cream for dessert all week. 

PLANT-BASED BLUEBERRY COBBLER 

For the blueberry filling: 

16 oz. blueberries 

1/2 cup raw honey (or pure grade b maple syrup) 

2 Tablespoons arrowroot starch 

2 Tablespoons coconut oil 

Juice & zest of 1 lemon 

For the crumble:

3/4 Cup oat flour 

1/2 Cup coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

5-6 Tablespoons melted Earth Balance Butter  

1/2 Cup creamy peanut butter (organic, no sugar added) 

2 C rolled oats 

1 Cup chopped pecans 

Vanilla Almond or Coconut milk ice cream for serving 

• Preheat your oven to 375.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, oats, coconut sugar, salt, pecans and cinnamon with a fork. 
• Then, add the peanut butter and melted Earth Balance Butter and mix until thoroughly combined.
• In a cast iron skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat, then add the remaining ingredients for the filling. 
• Turn off the heat and create an even layer over the blueberry mixture with the crumble topping.  
• Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. 
• Serve hot with ice cream, cold for breakfast, warm for breakfast, or any damn time and way you want!