Frugal Fit Family Recipes: November 2013

Yes...you read it right! This chocolate sauce is low-carb, vegan, and ORGANIC! I NEVER thought I could find a sweet chocolate sauce that was all 3!! It only takes a few minutes to make and is a fantastic frosting for cupcakes, sauce for ice cream,dip for fruits...you get the idea!

You can change up this sauce in ANY way you want! It is a very basic recipe but can be jazzed up with spicy peppers, mint, nuts, booze, etc!

Now....since I wanted to make my sauce low carb, I used stevia instead of sugar. 1 tablespoon of this sweet chocolate has only 3 grams of carbs! If you are not familiar with stevia, it is an organic sweetener that is notably better for those controlling their sugar intake! Yes, you can use other sugar substitutes in this recipe but I prefer to avoid chemicals whenever I can. Feel free to use your favorite sugar substitute or regular sugar for that matter.

I would also like to add that this totally can be considered HEALTHY chocolate! If you use the vegan recipe and use coconut oil, you are adding so many health benefits! Coconut oil is known to lower cholesterol, boost metabolism, fight disease.... it is a never ending list of health benefits. You can read more about coconut oil HERE. Now, don't worry if you don't like the taste of coconut. It really doesn't impart too much coconut flavor....my hubby HATES coconut but LOVES when I use it to cook, bake, and make this chocolate sauce!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar (if you are making this LOW CARB by using organic stevia, start with less as it takes less stevia to sweeten)
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons coconut oil (if you are not vegan, use butter)
1/4 cup organic cocoa powder

Directions:

1) Put sugar, salt and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then remove it from the heat
2) Stir in the butter and mix until incorporated (you may want to use a whisk)
3) Add remaining ingredients. Stir until glossy.
4) Pour into glass container.

You can TOTALLY make this in the microwave! Just follow the same steps!

If you enjoyed this easy Vegan recipe...you can check out a few others on my site! I focus on organic cooking that is easy, inexpensive, and that tastes good. After all, if it isn't good....the family isn't going to eat it. It is my challenge to prove that eating healthy does not mean boiled veggies for every meal! I actually aim to prove that healthy food tastes better!

Check out a few recipes while you are here:
Organic Vegan Chicken Salad
Healthy and EASY Organic Black Bean Soup
Healthy Homemade Almond Butter
Soy Free Vegetarian breakfast sausage

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I have been a vegetarian for 5 years and I will ALWAYS tell you that I do NOT MISS MEAT! Not one burger looks good enough to eat, not one chicken "chunk" good enough to dunk, nor a hot dog good enough to munch! That being said though...I do miss all of the things that go along with these carnivorous snacks. I do miss sauces, toppings, and condiments. I know that I can eat these on the morning star, boca, and quorn meatless options BUT have you looked at the back of the package? These meatless options are filled with chemicals and additives...things that I am trying to avoid!

So...I found a recipe from my friend over at Hoppy Bottoms for Vegan Tuna Salad. HERE IT IS . Now, I have not eaten fish since I was a young girl so I can not imagine why ANYONE would want to recreate Tuna Salad (giggle) but I know that people do! So...I basically took her inspiration and ran with it!
She has tons of Vegan options so check her out at her site Hoppy Bottoms.

This got me thinking...I REALLY miss chicken salad! Something HAD to be done! I really wanted to make some vegan chicken salad BUT I wanted it to stay as organic as possible. Storebought mayo is packed with chemicals and usually vegan options are too. Neither would work. I ran to the health food store and found that there are organic vegan mayo options available. SCORE! *I also found some vegan chicken salad in the deli - it was $10 per POUND!!! For $10 you could make tons of this recipe!

And don't worry! If you are not vegan and want to make this, it is a crowd pleaser! It will just look like a chickpea salad not a "mock meat" recipe. You can still make it organic by using my 5 minute/5 ingredient homemade mayo recipe found HERE. The chemical list for storebought mayo is pictured there as well so it is worth a look!

This vegan "chicken" salad recipe is so easy to make and can be altered in any way you would like to fit your favorite chicken salad. Since everyone has their favorite recipe, I am leaving the amounts off. This is merely for inspiration! This recipe from start to finish takes about 15-20 minutes and that includes toasting the chickpeas!

Here is what you will need:
I noted that I use organic. Please know that you can use ANY product available to you and it will still make an amazing vegetarian salad!

Can of chickpeas (I use organic but any will do)
Organic Vegan Mayo
Celery (diced)
Sweet Relish (organic)
Onions (diced)
Apples (small dice) - my favorite part!
salt, pepper, seasonings

Instructions:

Now, this step may be omitted but I believe it is what MAKES the salad. Drain your chickpeas and rinse well. Then toss them in a bit of oil and seasonings (my favorite is chili powder, salt, and pepper). Pop in the oven for about 15 minutes. For more complete instructions on making toasted chickpeas - click HERE.
Try not to eat all of the toasted chickpeas! They are addictive and a great snack but you need to remember that you are making chicken salad.
While the chickpeas are cooking, dice your ingredients.
Mix together all ingredients (including chickpeas) and finish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper!
I like to allow this recipe to sit in the fridge in an airtight container for about an hour before serving. It really allows the flavors to melt together!

That's it! It is honestly that easy to recreate something that is vegan and organic!

If you would like some other recipes that can save you money while staying vegetarian....Feel free to check these ones out!