I don’t know about yours, but my kids love no bake energy bites. We are borderline obsessed.

I love them because they are easy to make and you really don’t even need a recipe. I just pick a theme (this time — tropical flavors!), grab some healthy ingredients from the pantry (some for glue — dried fruits, honey, nut butters, coconut oil, some for filler — oats, nuts, other dry ingredients).

We throw everything into the food processor and let it go. Then we roll it into balls, and snack on them all week long. They keep the 4:00 hanger away!

These literally take me about 15 minutes from start to finish and I love that we have a healthy snack that we can grab and go on our way out the door. Something other than store bough granola bars!

So far on The Recipe Rebel, we have these Lemon Blueberry Energy Bites and these Chocolate Hazelnut Energy Bites. But these…. they might just be our favorite of the three.

I was walking through Wal Mart one day when I saw the bags of dried pineapple were just $2 (this is the regular price!), I grabbed one for the purpose of making a pina colada energy bite, only to discover that there were a few of those already out there.

The second time, I added some dried mango and we love them. The flavours are so bright and fruity, and different from a peanut butter based energy bite!

How to make Tropical No Bake Energy Bites:

• You need two types of ingredients: glue and filler. As far as what you add? You can mix it up! Try adding different dried fruits, different nuts, or other seeds or oils for a unique combination all your own.
• Do a test run. When you grab and squeeze some in your hand, does it hold together? If not, add a little more oil or dried fruit.
• Make a big batch. They freeze perfectly and I find that grab and go snacks like this don’t last long with the kiddos!
• Look for unsweetened fruit. Ideally you want to control the added sugar, and using unsweetened dried fruit is the best way to do that. It can be tough to find though, so feel free to start with 1 tablespoon of honey if your fruit is already sweetened.
• Add more protein: if you want to give these energy bites a boost of protein, add a scoop or two of vanilla or unflavored protein powder. You can also add chai seeds or additional nuts.

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Tropical No Bake Energy Bites

This Tropical No Bake Energy Bites recipe is perfect for back to school! Loaded with dried pineapple, mango, toasted coconut, oats, honey and coconut oil, it’s a healthy snack to keep you (and the kids!) going all day long. They’re freezer friendly and easy to make ahead. Includes step by step recipe video.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 24 bites

Calories 84cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut oil solid at room temperature
• 2 tablesooons liquid honey
• 1/2 cup dried mango
• 1/2 cup dried pineapple
• 1 cup instant or rolled oats
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 2 tablespoons ground flax

Instructions

• Add the coconut oil, honey, mango and pineapple to a food processor, followed by the remaining ingredients (you want the wet ingredients on the bottom).
• Process until smooth, and roll tightly into 1″ balls. 
• Place in an airtight container or in the refrigerator to set (the coconut oil will return to a solid state). 
• Store at room temperature for 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 84cal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.6mg

The post Tropical No Bake Energy Bites Recipe + VIDEO appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

So today is my husband’s birthday.

Not only is it my husband’s birthday, but it’s his “Champagne Birthday” (or Grand Birthday or Golden Birthday or Star Birthday according to Wikipedia), which means he is 31 on the 31st.

So let’s eat cake! Chocolate and cherry is one of his (and one of my!) favorite combinations, so I knew this would be a hit just like my Black Forest Icebox Cake!

I’m writing this before the actually day, but it’s pretty much guaranteed that to celebrate his birthday he will be waking up before the crack of dawn, probably leaving before the kids wake up, going to work 12-14 hours, coming back after they go to sleep. This is how our summer/fall goes.

There’s a saying my husband likes that goes like this: “Being self-employed is great — you only have to work half days. You get to choose which 12 hours of the day you work”. Now with both of us being self-employed, our schedules can get a little crazy!

Meanwhile, I’m single-momming it to two kids and trying not to lose my mind.

And as crazy as it is, it means that in the winter and the spring there are a few glorious months where all 4 of us are home together. It means that I can leave the house — ALONE — to go to the grocery store or just out. It means that we can spend more time together and have a lot more flexibility the rest of the year.

So this cake.

I actually made this cake a long time ago — months and months ago — to bring to a family dinner. My brother-in-law was diagnosed with Celiac disease (I know I say this with every GF recipe!) so it’s opened my eyes to gluten free baking options and I love to experiment with it.

This cake was something I just threw together to bring over. I probably used — GASP — whipped topping and canned cherry pie filling, and it went over extremely well! It is one of those things you can’t believe actually works, because it is SO good and can fool any gluten lover. But this time I wanted to bring you something really special, and there is nothing like real whipped cream and fresh summer cherries.

The cake recipe is based off of this Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake, and it is my favorite gluten free cake recipe to date! It is so simple and you don’t need any special ingredients (other than certified gluten free oats if you’re serving someone with Celiac disease).

Feel free to mix up the toppings as you like — there’s so much room to experiment with this cake base!

Also, my apologies for the 6 photos! Cherries are just so dang pretty.

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Gluten Free Black Forest Cake

This Black Forest Cake is SO EASY and naturally gluten free — and no gluten lover would ever know the difference! Chocolate Cake is layered with real whipped cream and homemade cherry sauce! www.thereciperebel.com

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 376cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

• 1 1/2 cups certified gluten free quick cooking oats
• 1 tsp ground flax seeds
• 2 tsp boiling water
• 1 cup canola oil 180ml
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee warm or cold, not hot
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cherry Sauce

• 3 cups pitted halved cherries
• 1 cup water
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 2 teaspoons water

Whipped Cream

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 35%
• 1/3 cup powdered icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Gluten Free Chocolate CakePreheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease or line 2 8″ round baking pans.
• In blender or food processor, process oats until ground into a fine powder. Pour into a small bowl.
• In a small bowl, combine ground flax and boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• In the blender, add canola oil, buttermilk, coffee, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs and blend until smooth.
• Add the ground oats, ground flax mixture, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and blend until smooth, stopping to stir and scrape down sides if necessary.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before assembling.
• Cherry SauceIn a medium pan, add cherries, water and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 10-15 minutes until softened. Stir in vanilla.
• Combine corn starch and water and add to the cherries gradually, adding only the amount necessary to reach desired consistency.
• Remove from the heat and cool completely before assembling.
• Whipped CreamIn a large bowl, whip cream with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to assemble.
• Assembly:Lay one chocolate cake layer on a serving platter. Top with half the whipped cream and half the cherry sauce. Repeat layers one more time. Garnish with additional cherries if desired.

Notes

*If you’re short on time, you can absolutely use frozen whipped topping or canned cherry pie filling
*If cherries are out of season, feel free to substitute frozen cherries and decrease the water by ¼ cup.

Nutrition

Calories: 376cal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1.7mg

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Hi friends! How is your summer treating you so far?!

I feel like this is the first summer I have really enjoyed in a long time. I know that probably sounds strange, but for the last couple years I’ve been blogging and working full time with one or two children.

As a teacher, I had about 9 weeks off in the summer and I often used it to stockpile blog posts and recipes so that I wouldn’t have quite so much to do when I went back to work.

However, this summer is my first summer as a full time blogger (Web Site Publisher if I’m trying to convince people I’m actually still a professional to some degree), and I’ve been able to set my own pace and relax a little.

And let me tell you, the pace I’ve been setting is ssllloooowwwww. But I ain’t mad about it.

We have had absolutely glorious weather here since the beginning of Spring and I feel like I’m getting an extra long, extra relaxing summer this year. I hope you are feeling the same way!

So, what better way to celebrate an awesome summer than a frozen, chocolatey treat?!

Although we don’t have any food allergies in our household, we do have food allergies in our extended family, so I am always on the lookout for easy gluten free and dairy free desserts. This vegan brownie base is adapted from my Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cake — it is my favorite gluten free chocolate cake and I use it (minus the cinnamon and spice) as a base for so many gluten free desserts!

This Gluten Free Coconut Cake is another fabulous option if you’re not into chocolate.

I wasn’t sure how it would work to make it a vegan brownie recipe, but I was so pleasantly surprised with the results on my first attempt! The dairy milk to almond milk is an easy swap, and we love almond milk in smoothies so I usually keep some on hand anyway. I was a little nervous about swapping out all of the eggs with flax eggs, but it worked perfectly!

I topped with some Chocolate Truffle cashewmilk Frozen Dessert from So Delicious — it’s made with cashewmilk but is so rich and creamy, you won’t miss any dairy! I love finding easy treats that those with allergies and without can enjoy just the same!

*This post is sponsored by So Delicious — thank you for supporting brands that help me bring you more tasty (chocolatey!) recipes! All opinions are always my own.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of So Delicious. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Frozen Chocolate Truffle Brownie Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

These Frozen Chocolate Truffle Brownie Bars are the perfect summer treat for chocolate lovers! They are rich and creamy and you’d never know they are vegan, gluten free and dairy free.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Calories 189cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

Brownies

• 3 tablespoons ground flax
• 7.5 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free quick cooking oats
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1//4 teaspoon salt

Topping

• 1 litre Chocolate Truffle Frozen Dessert from So Delicious softened
• Fresh berries if desired

Instructions

• BrowniesPreheat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8×8″ pan with tin foil and grease lightly with canola oil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together ground flax and boiling water until smooth. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
• Add oats to a blender (or food processor) and process until ground into a powder (this will take just a couple minutes.) Pour into a medium bowl and set aside.
• To the blender, add canola oil, almond milk, coffee, brown sugar, vanilla and flax mixture. Blend until smooth.
• Add ground oats, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides once in between. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 24-26 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs and center looks set. Set aside to cool completely.
• Topping:Spread softened Chocolate Truffle Frozen Dessert evenly over top of cooled brownies (you’ll likely want to let it sit at room temperature for 20-40 minutes beforehand, depending on how cold your freezer is). Place in the freezer until firm, at least 2-4 hours. Garnish with fresh berries if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 189cal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1.4mg

The post Frozen Chocolate Truffle Brownie Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free) appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

Flourless by Nicole Spiridakis is a seriously exciting compilation of dessert recipes that are naturally gluten-free.

I’m going to try to tell you about this book without being too gushy, but guys, seriously – gushing.

If you know me at all, you know I am not gluten-free, or dairy-free, or sugar-free… I think it’s great that some people choose those lifestyles and I also think it’s great when people who don’t get to choose have options like these fabulous desserts from Flourless.

I also think it’s important for people without dietary restrictions to be able to adapt and cook for those who have them. Now, I am not an expert in allergy-friendly baking. But the thought that maybe it doesn’t have to be so hard is really intriguing to me.

I think this cookbook would be awesome for people who are celiac or choose to eat gluten-free.

I think this cookbook is even more awesome for people who don’t. Because we (gluten eaters) are the ones without the experience and arsenal of gluten-free baking mixes or substitutions.

To sum it up better than I ever could: “With these delectable recipes, you can put away the complicated gluten-free flour mixes, forget about the hard-to-find “gums”, and finally make flour-free desserts worthy of any weeknight indulgence or special occasion.”

I have bookmarked a lot (a lot) of recipes to try. They’re just so… normal. Cookies, brownies, layer cakes, cupcakes – she’s got it all. But I chose to make the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake with Milk-Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting. The picture looked incredible, and I’ve never actually had “Mexican Hot Chocolate” anything, so I needed to change that.

The cake comes together using ground flax (which I always have stocked, and is not hard to find) and ground oats. I would recommend quick cooking oats if you are grinding at home because they are smaller and won’t be as hard to get smooth. I only had large oats, and I ground them in my food processor. There was still a bit of texture to them, and my cake had a larger crumb because of it.

The frosting is just insanely good. I don’t often use milk chocolate in anything, as I usually prefer semisweet or dark chocolate, but the sweet, creamy milk chocolate and tangy buttermilk complement the spice in the cake so well, I definitely recommend going that route.

I doubled the frosting recipe (which is reflected in the recipe below), because I like a good amount of frosting. And, besides, it’s delicious.

I was a little nervous adding the cayenne to the cake, because I’m not a big spice lover. But I did it, and I have to say I really like it! The cinnamon is the predominant flavor, but you get just the slightest bit of heat from the cayenne. If you’re not sure and not ready to try it, you could leave it out and it’d still be awesome!

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Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cake

Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cake with Buttermilk Milk Chocolate Frosting: a rich chocolate cake with cinnamon and a hint of cayenne, smothered in creamy, tangy chocolate frosting. www.thereciperebel.com

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 424cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake

• 1 tsp ground flax seeds
• 2 tsp boiling water
• 1 cup canola oil 240ml
• 3/4 cup buttermilk 180ml
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1 cup packed brown sugar 200g
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free quick cooking oats 170g, ground (I use a blender!)
• 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 60g
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp salt

Milk Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter 230g, room temperature
• 4 oz milk chocolate 120g, melted, slightly cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4-6 tbsp buttermilk

Instructions

• To make the cake:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 8” pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray (spraying under the parchment is a good way to get it to stick to the pan).
• In a small bowl, combine the ground flax and boiling water. Set aside 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flax seed paste, oil, buttermilk, coffee, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add the ground oats, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, cayenne and salt. Whisk until combined.
• Evenly divide the batter between the two pans and bake until tops are firm and shiny, about 23-24 minutes (original recipe says 30 minutes – mine were much sooner). Remove from the oven and let cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning them out onto the rack to cool completely.
• To make the frosting:Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a handheld mixer) and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and beat until combined.
• Add the powdered sugar and 4 tbsp buttermilk, and beat until a smooth, fluffy frosting forms, about 5 minutes. You will notice the color lighten as it gets close to being done. Add more buttermilk if frosting seems too dry.
• To assemble:Spread half of the frosting on one cake layer, then top with the other layer and spread remaining frosting on top.

Notes

*You will measure your oats before grinding them

Nutrition

Calories: 424cal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 238mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 1.5mg

*This post contains affiliate links 

The post Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cake appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

I wanted to write a few posts about some of the basic recipes I use all the time, like this pizza dough. It’s nice to have recipes like this to use as a jumping off point, to customize any way you’d like.

If you’re not used to the texture of whole wheat dough, it’s going to be a bit different. I promise you that this dough will still rise beautifully and be fluffy and soft in the end, but it is going to have a little more texture to it. If it’s your first time making whole wheat dough, I suggest starting with maybe a half whole wheat to half all-purpose ratio.

Because I use whole wheat flour and flax, I allow quite a bit more of a rise time than the original recipe I adapted this from. I use instant yeast, so theoretically you could roll it out pretty much right away and bake without rising, but I always let it rise at least 45 minutes, up to 1 – 1 ½ hours. ‘Cause why not? It’s going to be that much lighter and fluffier and I find it much easier to roll out because you don’t have to stretch it as thin.

Feel free to customize the seasonings as you wish — these are the ones my family enjoys.

*This recipe makes enough for 2 15″ pizzas. We always make two and there are only two adults and a two year old in our house, so I figured we probably aren’t the only ones out there who would make 2 anyways. If you only want to make one pizza, the recipe is easily halved. It always freezes very well! Wrap loosely in plastic wrap and place in a large freezer bag and mark it with the date.

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Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

This easy whole wheat pizza dough recipes makes enough for 2 15″ pizzas — but it’s easy to freeze and use later when you have little time!

Course Bread and Baked Goods

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 189cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp instant yeast
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer combine yeast, water, sugar, and oil with a whisk (don’t set in the stand mixer just yet). Let sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
• Set bowl into the stand mixer. Add flour, flax, garlic, salt and oregano and knead until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes, adding ¼ cup more water or flour if dough appears dry or wet. (Or feel free to knead by hand — you’ll just need a little more muscle)
• Cover and let rest at least 30-45 minutes, or up to 1½ hours on the counter. If you need to leave it longer, just put it in the fridge.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Divide dough in half. If freezing one crust, set aside in a freezer bag and mark with the date.
• Roll out dough the size of your pizza pan or stone. Bake dough (without toppings) 8-10 minutes until slightly puffed and dry looking (not hard, just not wet). Remove from the oven.
• Add toppings and bake another 10-12 minutes, until crust is golden brown on the top and underneath and cheese is melted.
• Optionally, broil 1-2 minutes until cheese is lightly browned (*I don’t recommend broiling low fat cheese as it tends to dry it out).

Nutrition

Calories: 189cal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1.7mg

The post Whole Wheat Pizza Dough appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.