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Healthy Cookie Dough (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

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scoops of healthy cookie dough on a baking sheet

This healthy cookie dough is perfectly sweet and loaded with chocolate chips! With just 5 ingredients and in just 5 minutes, you’ll have a totally edible and good-for-you cookie dough. Sprinkle some of this healthy cookie dough over your favorite vegan ice cream for a healthier no-bake treat!

scoops of healthy cookie dough on a baking sheet

I’m sure we’ve all eaten raw cookie dough. I may or may not have purchased cookie dough in the past for the sole purpose of eating it raw. I know, don’t judge me! While I never thought twice about shoving spoonfuls of cookie dough in my mouth before it even had a chance to make it to the oven, there was always that little thought in the back of my mind like – this is SO not good for me. If anyone out there is like me and actually prefers raw cookie dough to the baked kind, then this recipe is for you!

This isn’t just any edible cookie dough recipe, it’s HEALTHY edible cookie dough. So healthy, in fact, that you could even enjoy it as an afternoon snack if you’d like! Protein-rich almond flour, a dash of natural maple syrup, and healthy fat-packed coconut oil make this edible cookie dough the most nutritious of its kind. I personally love whipping together a small batch of this stuff at around 3pm on a Tuesday when I am in dire need of a pick-me-up. This healthy cookie dough tastes indulgent without leaving you feeling like you overindulged. Trust me when I tell you this, you NEED this better-for-you sweet treat in your life. And lucky for you, with just five ingredients and five minutes you can have this healthy cookie dough in your life!

What You Need To Make Healthy Cookie Dough

Almond Flour – Almond flour is becoming easier and easier to find at the grocery store these days. I love almond flour for most of my gluten-free baked goods and treats. It also does a darn good job as the base in this recipe. If you don’t already have a bag of almond flour on hand, I highly recommend you go pick one up. And when you do, make sure this vegan and gluten-free cookie dough recipe is the first thing you make with it. Though be sure to purchase almond flour, and not almond meal. Almond meal is not as fine as the flour and will result in a grainier dough.

Coconut Oil – Coconut oil, like almond flour, is becoming increasingly easy to find at most major grocery stores. If you’re not a fan of that coconut flavor, try to use an ultra-refined coconut oil in this recipe. The refining process strips the oil of most, if not all of its flavor. If you don’t have coconut oil, you can easily use melted vegan butter or regular butter instead!

Vegan Chocolate Chips – I use and LOVE the Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips for this recipe. Enjoy Life’s chocolate is entirely dairy, nut, and soy-free. Making it the ultimate addition to this healthier recipe. However, feel free to use your favorite vegan chocolate chips in this recipe. You can even chop up a vegan chocolate bar into chunks and add that to your healthy cookie dough!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

  • Add Dairy: Use regular melted butter instead of coconut oil if you’re not vegan or dairy-free.
  • Make it Sugar-Free: Substitute the maple syrup for your favorite sugar-free syrup, or leave it out altogether. Also, be sure to use sugar-free or stevia-sweetened chocolate chips instead!
Healthy Cookie Dough (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
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Healthy Cookie Dough (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

4 from 29 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

2

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

This healthy cookie dough is perfectly sweet and loaded with chocolate chips! With just 5 ingredients and in just 5 minutes, you’ll have a totally edible and good-for-you cookie dough. Sprinkle some of this healthy cookie dough over your favorite vegan ice cream for a healthier no-bake treat!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups almond flour

  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil or vegan butter, melted

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips, see Notes

Directions

  • Stir together all ingredients except chocolate chips, until combined.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips and serve.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • I used mini vegan chocolate chips in this recipe, though you can use any kind of chocolate chips or chunks you’d like!

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30 Minutes or Less

Gyro Salad with Tzatziki Dressing (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

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tzatziki dressing being poured over a gyro salad

This gyro salad with (dairy-free) tzatziki dressing is loaded with fresh flavor! Easier and healthier than classic gyro wraps, this salad comes together in under 30 minutes. Make this protein and veggie-packed meal on a busy weeknight when you’re craving something delicious and nutritious!

tzatziki dressing being poured over a gyro salad

So basically, I woke up one morning craving a gyro. Though when I searched for recipes, they all seemed way too complicated (yes, even for me) to make. And that my friends, is how the gyro salad was born. I wanted to keep this Greek-inspired recipe as similar to the traditional gyro wrap as possible. Therefore, I was sure to include every classic seasoning, herb, and flavor. The only thing I changed for this gyro salad was the method! First, you sautée the ground meat instead of baking and slicing it. Then, you quickly mix together the homemade tzatziki dressing with just a few simple ingredients. Lastly, you throw all of the ingredients in a bowl, drizzle it with that tangy dressing and enjoy! Also, I’m just going to say it, I could drink this tzatziki dressing with a straw – it’s that good!

What You Need To Make Gyro Salad with Tzatziki Dressing

Ground Beef + Ground Lamb – These two meats are traditional to any gyro recipe. If you’re not a fan of either ground meat, you can easily leave it out! Also, feel free to use ground turkey instead.

Dairy-Free Sour Cream – I use and love Kite Hill Dairy-Free Sour Cream. It’s deliciously creamy, perfectly tangy, and tastes incredibly similar to the real thing. However, any dairy-free sour cream would work here. And if you can’t find dairy-free sour cream, a dairy-free plain and unsweetened yogurt will also do the trick!

Fresh Dill – The star herb of this gyro salad show! Fresh dill brings on much of the irresistible flavor of this dressing. I highly recommend you use fresh dill instead of dried dill, it simply won’t taste the same. Additionally, you’ll be able to sprinkle any extra fresh dill on top of your finished gyro salad for even MORE delicious flavor!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

  • Use Regular Sour Cream: Feel free to use an equal amount of regular sour cream if you’re not dairy-free!
  • Add Feta: For all my cheese-lovers out there, a sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese would make the PERFECT addition to this gyro salad.
Gyro Salad with Tzatziki Dressing (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
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Gyro Salad with Tzatziki Dressing (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: GreekDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

This gyro salad with (dairy-free) tzatziki dressing is loaded with fresh flavor! Easier and healthier than classic gyro wraps, this salad comes together in under 30 minutes. Make this protein and veggie-packed meal on a busy weeknight when you’re craving something delicious and nutritious!

Ingredients

  • For the gyro meat:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped

  • 1 pound ground beef

  • 1 pound ground lamb

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • For the dairy-free tzatziki dressing:

  • 1 cup dairy-free sour cream, see Notes

  • 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • For the salad:

  • 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

  • 1/2 red onion, sliced

  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced

  • 1 cup cucumber, sliced

  • 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

Directions

  • Add all gyro meat ingredients to a large skillet over medium heat and cook until meat is no longer pink, breaking it up in the process. Strain any unwanted rendered fat from the meat.
  • Add all tzatziki dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix together to combine.
  • Assemble salad ingredients in a bowl, then top with gyro meat and tzatziki dressing.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Dairy-Free Sour Cream: Feel free to use dairy-free plain and unsweetened yogurt or regular sour cream in its place.

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Dairy-Free

Vegan Graham Crackers (gluten-free)

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overhead image of vegan graham crackers on a table

These vegan graham crackers are also gluten and refined sugar-free! This easy recipe bakes up deliciously soft cookies and crumbly cookies. Enjoy these vegan graham crackers with a thick slather of peanut butter, some toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate, or simply on their own as a healthy snack or dessert!

vegan graham crackers witha glass of almond milk and rolled oats

I’d like to start off by thanking the person that first invented s’mores. Graham crackers are great, but let’s be honest they’d be nothing without the s’more. S’mores put graham crackers on the map. And it wasn’t until I had leftover boxes of this crispy cookie lying around from s’more-making that I realized how perfect they truly are. They’re soft, light, crumbly, and not to sweet. Graham crackers deserve a moment of their own and I am here to give them that. Think about this for a second – why don’t we place this sweet cracker in the same lineup as say a chocolate chip cookie? They are more than worthy of standing alone in my opinion. Not convinced yet? OK OK just make this vegan graham cracker recipe yourself and you’ll understand.

What You Need To Make Vegan Graham Crackers

Oat Flour – I love baking up my gluten-free treats with oat flour! Not only is it inexpensive, but it’s super easy to acquire. I highly advise against purchasing pre-made oat flour, it’s simply not necessary. Instead, purchase a big bag of oats then grind them in a food processor or blender to make your own cheap and easy oat flour. Oat flour gives these vegan graham crackers their irresistibly soft texture. It also make them healthier and more nutritious!

Maple Syrup – Just a touch of maple syrup gives these gluten-free cookies a bit of caramel color and flavor. You’ll notice that I keep the amount of sweetener in this recipe low because these vegan graham crackers really don’t need much! Maple syrup is a delicious natural sweetener and much healthier than any refined sugar.

Vegan Butter – I use and love the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks in my vegan/dairy-free baked goods. Though any vegan butter will work here, just be sure to melt it completely before adding it to this recipe. You could also sub the vegan butter for melted coconut oil or regular butter if you’d like!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Add Dairy: Feel free to use regular milk and butter in place of the almond milk and vegan butter in this recipe.

Make it Nut-Free: Use soy, hemp, or coconut milk instead of almond milk to make this vegan recipe nut-free.

Add Gluten: I haven’t tested this myself, but you can try using 2 cups of all purpose flour instead of oat flour. If you give this a try, start with just the 2 cups then add a bit more flour until a dough forms. And of course, let me know how it goes!

Vegan Graham Crackers (gluten-free)
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Vegan Graham Crackers (gluten-free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

16

cookies
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Chilling time

1

hour

These vegan graham crackers are also gluten and refined sugar-free! This easy recipe bakes up deliciously soft cookies and crumbly cookies. Enjoy these vegan graham crackers with a thick slather of peanut butter, some toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate, or simply on their own!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups oat flour, see Notes

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar, see Notes

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter or coconut oil, melted

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 1/4 cup almond milk

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  • Mix together the oat flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Add in the melted vegan butter, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until a dough forms.
  • Cover and transfer dough to the fridge for 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Remove dough from fridge and roll out on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thick.
  • Cut dough into 2-inch squares, transfer to a baking sheet, poke the top of each graham cracker with a fork, then bake for 10-12 mintues.
  • Remove from oven, then let cool slightly on a baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Oat Flour: Make oat flour by grinding rolled oats in a blender or food processor until a fine flour forms and no large oat pieces remain.
  • Coconut Sugar: Feel free to use cane sugar or white sugar in place of the coconut sugar in this recipe!

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Desserts

Vegan No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream (refined sugar-free)

By
three cones of vegan chocolate ice cream lying on a table

No ice cream machine necessary for this easy three ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream! This non-dairy frozen dessert is perfectly chocolatey and sweet. With minimal time and effort, you’ll have an irresistible vegan summertime (or anytime!) treat.

three cones of vegan chocolate ice cream lying on a table

The Story Behind This Recipe

What most people don’t know about me is that my first job ever was actually at an ice cream shop. I worked there almost all through high school (before my dairy-free days) and ate ice cream literally every. single. day. Ohhhh what I wouldn’t do to have my high school metabolism again! So as you can imagine, once I went dairy-free in college I deeply, and I mean DEEPLY, missed ice cream. Back then, vegan/dairy-free ice cream wasn’t much of a thing. My options were typically limited to sorbet, which is already made without dairy. And while sorbet definitely helped cool me down and curb my sweet tooth, I longed for a big ole’ cone of classic chocolate ice cream.

These days, vegan ice cream isn’t nearly as hard to find, but what is hard to find is one that checks off all my boxes. I don’t want any funky ingredients such as fake sweeteners, gums, etc. Those cause just as much of a digestive nightmare for me as eating regular ole’ ice cream does. And most importantly, I don’t want to have to sell a kidney to afford it! The better the ingredient list, the more expensive it almost always is. Therefore, I came up with this vegan chocolate ice cream to both suit my needs and save me some money (because it’s either my bi-weekly manicure or $10 pints of ice cream, and I’d choose the former any day!).

The no-churn part of this recipe simply derived from the fact that I don’t own an ice cream maker. I’m looking into purchasing one now, but until I find one that doesn’t take up half of my freezer I will continue to make this no-ice-cream-machine-necessary recipe!

What You Need to Make Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

Full Fat Coconut Milk – None of that low-fat or lite coconut milk here! We need all that luscious healthy fat to achieve a thick and smooth texture. You could even use two cans of coconut cream if you’d like, only adding to the creaminess of this vegan chocolate ice cream.

Coconut Sugar – Coconut sugar keeps this three ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream completely refined sugar-free. This natural sweetener is more nutritious than regular sugar and contains 25% less sucrose than white sugar. Though if you don’t have coconut sugar, you can easily swap this out for cane sugar or white sugar if you’d like!

Cocoa Powder – This ingredient seems pretty self-explanatory. However, I will say that if you’d like you can substitute cacao powder for the cocoa powder in this recipe. Cacao has more nutrients and antioxidants than cocoa powder and would make this three ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream that much healthier.

Vegan No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream (refined sugar-free)
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Vegan No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream (refined sugar-free)

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Freezing time

8

hours

No ice cream machine necessary for this easy three ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream! This non-dairy frozen dessert is perfectly chocolatey and sweet. With minimal time and effort, you’ll have an irresistible vegan summertime (or anytime!) treat.

Ingredients

  • 2 (14 ounce) cans full fat coconut milk or coconut cream, see Notes

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar

  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Directions

  • Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Transfer to a parchment-lined container and freeze for 8 hours or until firm.
  • Remove ice cream from freezer 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Coconut Milk: I used Let’s Do Organic heavy coconut cream for this recipe, but any full-fat coconut milk or cream will work!

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30 Minutes or Less

Sous Vide Asparagus

By
fresh lemon being squeezed over sous vide asparagus

This sous vide asparagus is incredibly tender and delicious! This method yields perfectly cooked asparagus with minimal effort every time.

fresh lemon being squeezed over sous vide asparagus

If you own a sous vide throw ya hands in the aiiiiiir! I’m still pretty new on the sous-vide-scene, having only owned mine for a few months now. Though I gotta say, I already can’t stop using it! The sous vide is the new crockpot in my opinion. It gives you the magical ability to throw something in there, then return to a perfect meal or side dish without worry every time. This sous vide asparagus is no exception to that. Except, thanks to asparagus’ quick-cooking abilities, you’ll only need to leave it to cook for about 10 minutes. Once done, you’ll have the tastiest, most tender fool-proof asparagus of all time!

What You Need To Make Sous Vide Asparagus

Asparagus – This easy vegetable pairs well with most meals, making it a year-round favorite. Though when cooking asparagus, there is always one thing to cook in mind – it cooks quickly. Despite setting the sous vide to a pretty low temperature, you will still only need to set the time to 10 minutes. Your cook time may vary slightly, depending on the thickness or thinness of your asparagus. Though my recommendation is to start slowly, give your asparagus a quick check, then continue to cook if needed. I used pretty medium-sized asparagus and found that just 10 minutes left my asparagus tender with a slightly crunchy bite – yum!

Butter – The butter is used for flavor in this recipe, and just a tablespoon gives delicate asparagus that delicious savory taste. I used vegan butter since we like to keep things dairy-free around here, though any kind of butter will do! You can even leave the butter out altogether if you’d like.

Lemon Juice and Zest – A touch of lemon right before serving brings some freshness back into the sous vide asparagus. Lemon juice and zest is totally optional in this recipe, but highly recommended!

Why Sous Vide?

  • The sous vide does an incredible job at keeping the temperature consistent, giving you amazing results every time.
  • Cooks slower in seasoning, giving the flavors time to permeate and develop throughout the food.
  • The sous vide does all the work for you – just set it, then walk away and return to a perfectly cooked meal or side dish!
Sous Vide Asparagus
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Sous Vide Asparagus

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: SidesDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

15

minutes

This sous vide asparagus is incredibly tender and delicious! This method yields perfectly cooked asparagus with minimal effort every time.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch asparagus

  • 1 tablespoon butter (I used dairy-free)

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • Fresh lemon juice and zest, optional

Directions

  • Toss all ingredients to a zip-top bag, toss asparagus in bag to coat in spices then remove air from bag.sous vide asparagus process photo 1
  • Drop in sous vide bath set to 180° Fahrenheit (or 82° Celsius) for 10 minutes. If the bag floats to the top, add a few metal utensils to help weigh it down.sous vide asparagus process photo 1
  • Remove bag from bath, then remove asparagus from bag and finish off with fresh lemon juice and zest.sous vide asparagus process photo 3

Notes

  • If you’re not vegan or dairy-free, finish this asparagus off with some shredded parmesan cheese for even more flavor!

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