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Beaming Vegan

A blog on life by vegans.

Corn Canning Keeper Recipe: Zesty Corn Relish

We have endlesssss vegetables to can from our garden. Especially having harvested nearly 200 ears of corn in a day over the weekend! I only have a water bath canner, so I’m having to add acidic foods and pickle the veggies to get them preserved.

I was a little skeptical of canning corn, especially in a relish recipe, but I’m soooo happy I did! This recipe is AMAZING… And while it’s not my own, (trust me you wouldn’t be safe eating something I canned off the top of my head!) it comes from a source I trust and it needs to be shared.

I accidentally read the recipe wrong and only purchased one small jalapeno when I went to buy ingredients for this treat, so I followed the directions for adding extra bell pepper to keep the acidity at a safe level.

While I’ve been guilty of eating this with a spoon, I have some recommendations for how to eat it. I know, it seems a little weird to just keep jars of. But you won’t regret using it on tofu eggs (In breakfast burritos! Yum!), on chili, meat substitutes, mixed into soup, as a dip for tortilla chips, as a garnish for tacos, mixed into guacamole or queso, on veggie dogs/brats, and so many other options….

Posting this recipe to my website exactly as it appears where I discovered it would really be robbing the owner of those views, so please visit Foodie With Family for the recipe along with tips, tricks, and hacks!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Tomato Cavatappi (Two Versions!)

 

Of all the dozens of plants we are gardening this year, these tomatoes from Floret are my faaaaavorite. They’re so rich and flavorful and unique, but on top of all that they’re so easy to grow and they fruit like crazy!

I started them all inside really early….. like, March early… Which is insane for the PNW unless you have a greenhouse. Oops, guess I was a little over zealous 😉 They got really big in the house and when it was time for them to go outside Griffin lined their pots along the edges of the patio. I was really apprehensive about a tomato-lined patio at first, but today as I lay in the hammock and pluck decadent treats from beside me, I’m fully appreciating his idea!

Helius really appreciates lounging around the plants, too 🙂

I made the cherry tomato sauce using a blender. If you want to smash it with a fork or leave the tomatoes whole or whatever else is convenient for you, please do that! I will point out that you’ll need a blender or food processor for the creamier version, which I HIGHLY recommend trying. It’s like a sweet vodka sauce… Very unique, super delish! Just trust me on this one!

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Tomato Cavatappi

Homemade, garden-fresh tomato sauce in an original + creamy version served over my favorite gluten-free pasta!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 1 box Banza chickpea cavatappi gluten-free spaghetti would do fine but trust me when I say you'll want that sauce pooled up in the pasta spirals!
  • 2 tbsp (good) olive oil
  • 4-5 small tomatoes
  • 2 cups chocolate cherry tomatoes any cherry tomatoes from your garden will do the trick, the more robust the flavor, the better!
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar I used apricot balsamic vinegar, which if you can get your hands on, will take this to the next level I swear it!
  • 1/2 medium diced onion
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • handful of fresh basil
  • 2 tsp smoked sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

(For creamy version)

  • 2 cups soaked cashews
  • 2 tbsp plant milk
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in large cast iron skillet over medium heat
  • Add tomatoes and without stirring let them simmer for 5 minutes
  • Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook pasta in it
  • Drizzle tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and gently stir to combine
  • Toss in onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and give another gentle stir
  • Let simmer for 5 minutes
  • Add sauce mixture to blender and pulse until tomato skins become unnoticeable
  • To make the creamy sauce, add extra ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth
  • Pour sauce of choice over cavatappi and serve warm

A Long Overdue Garden Update [Part Two]

Continued from Part One, which you can find here if you missed it!

You might have seen in my Instagram stories where I asked for you to submit any questions you might have about our garden, and I fully expected a bunch of questions asking “why so many weeds?!”. To my surprise I didn’t get a single one of those. I’ll explain later anyway, though.

Some answers I haven’t given yet:

Q: Did you fertilize the ground before planting?

A: No! We disked up our plot, hoe’d some rows and planted seeds. I was really unsure if anything would grow without fertilizer since the ground is so nutrient deficient and dry, but look at us go!

Q: Do you spray for weeds or pests?

A: To be really clear, I hate hate hate spraying anywhere, but especially around my food. However, the weeds around the fence line were growing like crazy (like weeds) and were taking up too much time, so Griffin went through and sprayed them. This was an issue because weeds around the hot wire (which we strung along the bottom of the fence) will ground out the electricity and the wire won’t be “hot” anymore (you already know that I’m sure, just clarifying anyway).

G made sure to keep his distance from the things we planted and we didn’t turn on the irrigation until well after the spray dried and killed the weeds. As for the weeds in the garden, I pulled them over, and over, and over, and over again but before I could finish pulling weeds in the front half, they were overgrown in the back half again. I gave up after coming back from vacation in Hawaii and now they’re basically at their max height potential… It really pained us to kill them anyway, as the vast majority of them are food just like the foods we’re growing. Now we pull an armful every time we’re out there and bring them home as a snack for our neighbor’s bull.

Q: Can you two eat all that food?!

A: Yes and no! We CAN eat all the food… We’re just going to have a hard time tackling the things we can’t preserve before they perish. That means loads of food for our neighbors, friends and family!

The challenges of organic gardening

As of right now, besides the weeds, there’s really no huge challenge to organic gardening! It all comes down to prioritizing the organic factor and cherishing it over everything, even when that means you put in a little extra elbow grease. We used no -icide of any kind other than the minimal aforementioned, we put organic seeds into the ground, and used nothing to grow them aside from water. To my own surprise, these were the only requirements to being able to say this an “organic” place of growth!

How much we invested

A fresh half acre garden complete with equipment use, an entire barbed wire and electric fence, dozens of seed packets, an irrigation system from scratch, and water to run through the irrigation sounds like a pretty penny of an investment just to grow some veggies.

In total, to this point, we have invested just over $150. Griffin is a hay farmer and we used equipment from work to work the ground. We also used irrigation pipes and valves that were laying around and tapped into the irrigation already existing on the land for one of their fields (all with permission). We had to buy a couple pieces that cost $5 or so, and the bulk of the investment was for hose to run from a nearby water pump when the irrigation was shut off (which happens every month or so when they’re cutting and drying the hay in the neighboring field). The rest of the cost came from seeds and tools!

What tools we used

Once the entire garden was established we decided we’d be “real” farmer Joe and Jane and invest in a couple new hoes and a rake. We rescued an old pitch fork from our neighbor’s junk pile to use to spread straw through the garden to hold in moisture, which was really necessary in the desert! I ended up just using my hands anyway because the fork was too heavy after a while. We wore one hoe out (I did, I wore one hoe out) by using it to wack weeds for days on end. Oops!

Our plans for the harvest

Our goals with this big ole beauty were to have nearly all the food we need to feed ourselves and the doggos! It’s also really important to us to have enough to share with those who made it happen and let us borrow the land and equipment, and then we’d like to pass the joy on to family and friends. We’ll also can what we can (lol), dehydrate, and freeze what’s left. We wish nothing more than to have homegrown food through the winter!

A Long Overdue Garden Update [Part One]

I started a little hype toward our garden back in March when I was so beyond excited and hopeful about what we’d accomplish with it. After hours and weekends and evenings full of ground breaking, weed pulling, seed planting, fence building, and irrigation setup, I got lost in the hustle and bustle and stopped providing regular updates, which resulted in skipping over opportunities to share lessons learned (the most important part!).

If you haven’t been part of the process since March, that’s a-ok. I’m going to start there and fill you in from the get-go.

Last year we gardened a little sliver of our back yard, our first desert garden, where we learned how difficult and rewarding it is to grow in this area. Our last garden was in the heart of Kansas, where garden success came easily thanks to perfect soil, abundant water, and a mild climate.

Regardless of our low success rate and awareness of the work required to grow anything here, we were given a little piece of land for a garden and we accepted it. This meant going all in, despite Griffin working impossibly long hours through hay season (which is also gardening season!). Our thought process was you can’t learn if you don’t try. We’re all about taking advantage of opportunities!

Some requirements we had for our homegrown food: It had to be organic, we had to grow what made the most sense in regards to food waste and what we had access to at the store, and we didn’t want to throw crazy amounts of money at this project we weren’t sure we could make work.

Where We Started

This piece of property we were offered had never been gardened on before. It was just a weed and sage brush covered little corner of land Griffin works on. We borrowed equipment to disk up the garden which took a few rounds of a tractor. It ended up being about half an acre in total, although it’s a funny shape and odd amount of land.

Next came the fence. Deer, coyotes, rodents and birds were all threats to the establishment of a garden that we had to take into consideration. In the spring wind and snow, Griffin and I were out there setting fence posts and stretching barbed wire.

After much deliberation we settled with two rows of hot wire around the bottom of the fence, close to the ground so the critters wouldn’t crawl under. A more experienced gardener in the area informed us of the coyotes’ skill in rolling entire melons out from under the fence. We added many rows of barbed wire to the fence, stacking them as high on the posts as we could to prevent the deer from jumping over. This wasn’t entirely successful, as we spotted the occasional deer tracks through the mud, but I assume they just passed through because I’ve never seen evidence of them snacking.

Choosing Seeds/What We Planted

Seeds had to be organic, because we planned to garden entirely organically. I shopped long and hard for quality, organic seeds, settling with some from local farms such as Floret and some from brands like Seeds of Change. The large majority of our seeds, however, came from the stash we had saved from the organic produce we purchased at Natural Grocers over the past 6 or so months. This is one way we reduce waste- save those seeds! We were gifted a pack of 100 seeds of corn that we planted which were not organic, but we grew them separate from our organic section of corn.

What we got in the ground:

  • Sweet Corn (two varieties)
  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Acorn Squash
  • Butternut Squash
  • Pumpkins
  • Giant Pumpkins
  • Gourds
  • Ornamental Pumpkins/Squash/Gourds
  • Zucchini
  • Summer Squash (three varieties)
  • Watermelon
  • Cantaloupe
  • Beets (two varieties)
  • Kale
  • Onions
  • Green Beans
  • Sugar Snap Peas
  • Carrots
  • Parsnips
  • Giant Sunflowers

What we got in tubs:

  • Tomatoes (three varieties)
  • Cherry Radishes
  • Basil (two varieties)
  • Cilantro
  • Chives
  • Parsley

We consciously chose to grow what we did based on what was already available to us and easy on the budget. For instance, potatoes were a hot item we wanted in the garden for a while, but we realized we could save the time and space and buy them by the 50lb bag for $10 at the store. Peppers, jalapenos, garlic, etc. are readily available for next to nothing at the farmers markets through the summer, and we already have trees of cherries, apples, and pears at home so we put the focus on vegetables rather than starting new fruit babies. Most of the vegetables we planted are going to give us hundreds of seeds which we’ll save and plant again next summer.

Come back for part two of the garden update tomorrow, where I’ll answer some questions we received and address the challenges of organic farming, how much money we put into this space, and “can we really eat all this food?!” 🙂

What I Ate as a Vegan in Maui

Before we get started here I just want to say thanks so much to Coconut Bliss for sponsoring this post! I basically indulged in some Coconut Bliss between every meal in Hawaii, because… vacation, right?!

Now to get to business… Let’s talk food!

I traveled to Hawaii with my non-vegan family and dining together in strange places took a little patience and planning, so here’s what I ate! :

  1. I stopped at Hawaiian Moons Natural Foods and picked up all the Coconut Bliss I could get my hands on! Ice cream bars for the beach, ice cream cookie sandwiches for road tripping, and pints for filling the condo’s freezer. This one was a real crowd-pleaser the whole family could got their hands on!
  2. Maui itself is vegan-friendly enough to offer a few plant-based restaurant options. At one of these joints we had a raw veggie burrito and breakfast burrito.
  3. I took advantage of farmers markets, fruit stands, and other outdoor food markets which I guess would be considered food stands but also strike me as a mix of a farmers market and fruit stand… Ya know? If you’ve been to Maui you’ll know what I’m talking about! I got a “fruit canoe” at one of these places. It was where I had my first whole Hawaiian avocado and it was heavenly!
  4. Dining with the family at restaurants offering little to no vegan options, I created something suitable with menu items like salads, fries, etc. and it was in one of these settings that I had orange vinaigrette, which was basically life changing. 😛
  5. Sushi!! In an area packed with seafood restaurants, don’t forget sushi can be made vegan and can be a really healthy option!

How Even the Best Dog Parents are Their Dog’s Worst Enemy

(To skip my rambling scroll down to bulleted points!)

Our dogs, Marble and Bo, are our best friends. Maybe this is a story for another day, but Bo was Griffin’s chocolate son before I came along. His life pre-step mom was mainly hunting/hunting dog in training, and being a good boy in the back yard where he lived. He shared his kennel with his brother from another mother, BJ. BJ was an old man when I met him and yet he lived another happy 6 or so years with us and got to roam freely on our 160 Kansas acres before he died. I came along and didn’t love that he was outside full-time but also didn’t care to make an issue of it.

At about 17 years old I set my sights on a puppy. I was working at a grocery store after school and a coworker’s mom was a boxer breeder and was desperately trying to rehome a litter of “oopsy” puppies that her purebred boxer birthed with a purebred lab. (My thoughts on “purebred” dogs, breeds, and breeders also a story for another day…) Griffin, like any smart human would do, originally said getting another dog when we had two in the back yard wasn’t a great idea.  I, like any 17 year old girl would do, protested. Griffin agreed we could get a dog but he wanted a particular breed and he wanted to get it for me after doing his own research. I didn’t listen, and shortly after I brought our brindle baby Marble home from the boxer breeder.

Marble lived inside with us and was spoiled as could be while Bo and BJ lived outside in a kennel. I took Marble outside to potty multiple times a day and never stopped to think how Bo and BJ felt about seeing her roaming the yard freely and going back inside. I just assumed since they’d always lived outside that they wouldn’t do well indoors and it would be a huge disaster to bring them in. What the heck?! Stupid teenagers.

Then we moved to a home where none of the dogs could be inside. All of them lived outside and since we were on 160 acres they got to roam freely for the most part, but they slept in a larger kennel at night and came in the garage if the weather ever got downright nasty (which happens in KS!). When we moved to Spokane we were short one dog (BJ) but still had to find a rental that allowed our two big dogs and our cat. We found a place that took us on and the dogs lived inside together for the first time. It went as smoothly as having two dogs inside could possibly go. Bo is an extremely well mannered, well behaved gentleman. I felt like a real jerk for having left Bo outside those few years ago.

My point is Bo could have shown me that he was the perfect indoor dog, but I never considered giving him the chance. How frustrating that period must have been for him! There’s a million other ways we slack as dog parents and even more so in the past, but as we learn, we improve our behavior. I’m here to try to help you learn, document, and learn from you as well.

Ways we don’t realize we’re driving our dogs crazy

  • Domestication of animals is not a mutual decision, and we need to take that into consideration as “owners” of animals. When humans domesticated dogs, we took so much from them. It’s so important to keep in mind that they are still dogs and they are way closer to wild beasts than we give them credit for. I keep this in mind when my dog rolls in something stinky, makes a mess, chases another animal, etc. It’s impossible to be frustrated at these situations when you understand we’re forcing them into a lifestyle that’s extremely inconvenient and restricting to them.
  • Along with the domestication topic, when we domesticated dogs we essentially made them extremely vulnerable. Because we think it’s cool to own these cuties, there’s millions of displaced and/or abused dogs in the world that don’t have the skills and resources to survive on their own as a wild canine would. I’ll say it clearer: because we think it’s cool to have dogs, dogs are suffering.
  • The standard dog owner is not nearly educated enough on the nature of canines to show them what they consider respect. (Really if any of us were as respectful as we should be we wouldn’t “own” a dog.) We think we respect them when we tell them they’re good, give them treats, or give them space to run… But some things we do that they can find extremely distressing and disrespectful include making direct eye contact, touching their shoulder area, handling their paws, shaking a finger or a hand at them, physically moving/manipulating them to meet our agenda, and so much more. And quite simply, if you’re not respecting them you’re not going to get respect out of them.
  • Speaking nonsense to them can cause them distress and confusion. Our dogs love to understand what we’re saying. Since reading how dogs listen to everything we say and get frustrated when they can’t understand us, I’ve noticed Marble behaving differently when I’m talking jibberish to her (by jibberish I mean using big sentences and words she doesn’t understand AND baby talking her). She acts on what I’m saying, trying to please me as if I’m asking something of her and she can’t figure out what it is. If she’s not able to get me to stop talking she will stare at me with her ears up and sad eyes as if she’s straining to spot a word that resonates with her. However, when I say things to her she understands like “Need a drink?” “Breakfast” “Dads home”, etc. she has the opportunity to listen + understand, respond however she pleases, and carry on with her day.
  • Disciplining dogs for the wrong reasons is huge. Often times, we are simply too impatient to properly redirect and train a dog on disagreeable behavior. Barking at noises, begging, crying/whining when they want something, or doing things that are normally ok but doing those at a time that is wrong for us are all instances where we may be too quick to discipline. Being inconsistent in disciplining is also unfair to dogs. It is difficult to not discipline in anger when our dogs do something we thought they knew better than to do, but acting out of anger won’t redirect them to better behavior in the future and it pins them against us and makes them uncomfortable in their own home.

There are dozens of other ways in which we can be difficult for dogs to deal with, but hopefully these few listed above will open the door to recognizing what behavior is beneficial to them and set us all on a path to cohabiting smoothly.

A Guide to Gut-Healthy Summer Treats

If you’ve been around for a minute you probably read about my journey to heal my gut which in turn healed a plethora of health issues. Since educating myself on how to keep my gut healthy and bacteria in check, I’ve known exactly how to keep myself feeling well and clear-minded. It’s a surprisingly powerful feeling! I decided to round up a few things I’m eating/drinking this summer to satisfy cravings and be kind on my body, and I hope you find it so helpful!

(Thanks so much to my fave item on this list, Brew Dr. Kombucha, for sponsoring this post!)

Clear Mind Kombucha from Brew Dr.: This ‘booch is made with sage, peppermint, dandelion root, and rosemary and is delicious as can be. One of the first things I noticed with my candida cleanse months ago was the mental clarity I felt, and now even without being on a complete cleanse I can get that happy clear-minded feeling with the ingredients in my favorite kombucha!

Blueberries: In-season, fresh (preferably hand-picked!) and organic blueberries are my current favorite snack. This summer as I’ve been running all around and get the urge to snack mindlessly I reach for a handful of these yummy berries. The sugar in fruit is not something to be afraid of in any other dietary regard, but if candida overgrowth is a potential issue for you, limiting sugar in ALL forms (naturally occurring and processed) is the quickest road to a healthy gut.

Chia pudding: Soak chia seeds in coconut milk for a couple minutes. Sweeten with stevia or agave, add cinnamon, berries, whatever you please! It’s as filling as it is delicious and easy to prep in advance to grab and go!

Avocados/gluten-free avo toast: We’re already avocado everything, right? How about just grabbing them, slicing, and eating with a spoon? I like to eat them topped with a little nutritional yeast and garlic powder. If you’re not into eating them alone you could make some gluten-free avo toast, just make sure those bread ingredients are clean and simple!

Pickled veggies: As always, homemade is preferred but any kind of clean-ingredient pickled veggies you can get are an amazing summer snack. I love pickled radish, cauliflower, snap peas, and mini cucumbers. Pickled veggies are an easy fix this summer too because stores are recognizing our love of pickles and keeping the trend going strong with easy to grab single-serving pouches! That cold crunchy goodness is a perfect way to keep your stomach healthy and snack lightly.

Kale chips: I remember a time when I was in high school that this snack was becoming increasingly popular and decreasingly appetizing… Everyone was making crispy baked kale which sounded like a fantastic idea but the taste didn’t live up to the hype. TODAY though… wait for it… kale chips are delicious. There are some amazing recipes out there and health food stores sell bags of them in scrumptious and gut healthy flavors. Bake some at home in coconut oil and garlic powder and enjoy them warm!

Things to avoid: alcohol, excessive sugar, grains, yeast-y breads, highly processed foods, non-organic foods. These items feed the bad bacteria in the gut leading to candida overgrowth and simply don’t allow the stomach the environment it needs to heal.

Ways to incorporate good bacteria and promote quick healing: coconut milk, vegan yogurt, organic kombucha, herbal tea, warm water with lemon and ACV, turmeric, garlic, vegan probiotic capsules, and plant-based collagen supplements.

Elderflower Lemon Blueberry Jam

Thank you to Belvoir Fruit Farms for sponsoring this recipe!

Print Recipe

Belvoir Elderflower Lemon Blueberry Jam

Delicately sweet, citrus-y, and fruity, this easy to prepare recipe would be flattering aside crackers fresh out of a picnic basket and impressive on your summer entertaining tablescape. Goes great with pancakes, toast, biscuits, crackers, and oats. This recipe is small batch and pectin free. It should last in the fridge for two weeks if stored in a tightly sealed jar.
Cook Time30 mins
Keyword: belvoir, blueberry, breakfast, canning, Cookie, dessert, jam, lemon

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups blueberries fresh, frozen, or a combination
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup Belvoir Elderflower Cordial
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch

Instructions

  • In a large pot, combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and cordial.
  • Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer.
  • Whisk in cornstarch and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Remove pot from heat and prepare the jar you will be storing jam in.
  • Pour hot jam into jar using a kitchen funnel to avoid messes and stains. Secure lid on hot jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

An All Natural Gifting Guide to Mother’s Day

(Big thanks to Belvoir Fruit Farms for sponsoring this post!)

Mother’s day is this weekend! I’d say you’re welcome for the reminder, but Lord knows you’ve been seeing it all over social media! What can I say, moms have never been ones to let us forget anything… 🙂

Part of the lifestyle I’m currently embracing is being less wasteful and ensuring my purchases are coming from healthy, natural, plant-based, less-wasteful sources. I remember thinking these focuses were just too far out of reach and unrealistic not too long ago, but then I realized I can never be too picky with how I spend my money, because with every dollar spent you’re voting for your values. I.e., when I spend my money on a zero-waste vegan gift instead of a plastic-wrapped, milk-filled chocolate bar, I’m voting for compassion and brand responsibility instead of speciesism and waste.

Gift giving is probably the last aspect of my life to have this concept implemented, but it’s better than never implementing it at all! I’ve rounded up a few gift ideas to make this process easier on you and your schedule… Everything here can be purchased before Mother’s Day! There’s still hope! 😉 Hopefully you find it valuable, if you buy anything from this list tag me in it on social media so I can see your finds!

  • My favorite item on this list, something I’m thrilled to share with the moms in my life this weekend, is Belvoir’s Elderflower & Rose Lemonade. It’s plant based, bubbly, and perfectly sweet. It’s made of 100% natural ingredients like spring water, elderflowers, rose petal extract and lemon juice. Pick up a beautiful bottle of Belvoir at Whole Foods, World Market, Target, Total Wine, or Kroger on your way to mom’s!
Elderflower and Rose Lemonade 75cl

  • Keep mom stocked up on her fave CBD! If she doesn’t have a favorite, try a medium-strength tincture, a CBD-infused balm or lotion, or CBD bath bombs.
  • Potted flowers- It’s pretty common to gift a flower bouquet, but I find there’s a lot more value, enjoyment, and versatility in gifting living plants instead. Lucky for moms, their day comes smack in the middle of spring, so live flowers will thrive!
  • Clay travel mugs, plates, bowls, and serveware make beautiful gifts!
Ocean Waves Serving Platter
https://www.westelm.com/products/ocean-waves-serving-platter-e2004/?pkey=call-serveware&isx=0.0.4008
  • Framed pictures are always a hit, but instead of the common recent photoshoot, dig deep to find a meaningful picture from your childhood of you and mom, 3 generations with you mom and grandma, or a picture from mom’s childhood of her own mother.
  • A smeg juicer is low waste and high quality. Plus it could result in some fresh juice for yourself, right? 😉
SMEG Citrus Juicer
https://www.westelm.com/products/smeg-citrus-juicer-d4678/?pkey=cappliances-electronics&isx=0.0.3392

Drop some of your gift ideas in the comments and inspire the rest of us!

Vegan Peanut Butter & Jelly Slices

Do you ever get those child-like cravings for a gooey sweet PB&J? No, just me? I knoooooow it can’t be just me…

This is a really good and wholesome grown-up version of a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

These would make a very impressive vegan treat to share with friends and fam! The slices can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and eaten gooey, although I recommend freezing them for an hour or two for optimal enjoyment!

Beaming Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Slice Step One

Beaming Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Slice Step TwoBeaming Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Slice Step 3Beaming Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Slice Finished Product

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definitely make sure you lick the blender/food processor clean, too. You don’t want to waste any of that peanut buttery goodness. 😉 I mean, if you happen to leave like 1/3 of the batter in the bowl to be eaten with a spatula, it happens, right?

Beaming Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Slice
Print Recipe

Quick and Easy Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Slices

Just decadent enough to hit that PB&J craving sweet spot. Can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and in the hands of your BFFs and family immediately!
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
Keyword: bars, cashew desserts, dessert, peanut butter and jelly, quick, vegan cheesecake
Servings: 8 Slices

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 3/4 cup soaked dates
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 tsp finely ground himalayan salt

For the filling:

  • 1 1/2 cups soaked cashews
  • 1/2 cup plant milk
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

For the "jelly":

  • 3 cups frozen blueberries
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  • Pulse all crust ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor until it turns into a fine, uniform crumble.
  • Press crust mixture in a small glass baking dish (the smaller the dish, the thicker the slices). It should stick together really well, if not keep pulsing.
  • Set crust in the fridge and begin making the jelly layer by heating blueberries in a pan over medium heat. If you prefer, you can use store-bought jelly. I think this recipe just gives it a nice extra sweet touch.
  • Smash the hot berries until they reach yourdesired consistency and add the rest of the jelly ingredients. Mix thoroughly and then let sit on medium heat until it bubbles. Scrape the sides and bottom occasionally with a spatula.
  • Remove from heat and let cool while you make the peanut butter layer.
  • Combine all peanut butter layer ingredients in a blender or food processor, then spread on top of crust with a spatula. Make sure this layer is even to avoid the jelly sliding to one side.
  • Top with cooled jelly mixture and place in freezer for an hour or two, or if you prefer, slice and eat it warm (it should still hold it's form for the most part).