I have always been the kind of person who LOVED birthdays. I would celebrate as long as possible - the whole month if you'd let me! If you listened to the latest episode of my podcast, you know that I'm a total PITTA and that fire in my belly keeps me craving attention, so it makes sense that I would love a day centered around celebrating ME! I've had a pretty great last few birthdays, but this year totally snuck up on me. I have been so insanely busy between the blog, podcast, and new promotion at the yoga studio (studio assistant what whatttt) that I literally didn't realize until just a few days ago when my husband reminded me that we needed to figure out how we were going to celebrate. YIKES! (I must be getting old guys - I'm already forgetting my OWN birthday! 🙈)

It's the Thursday before my Saturday birthday and I still don't know how I want to celebrate (taking suggestions!) but I DID know what I wanted to eat on my birthday. I love sweets but I'm all about that low-sugar life, so I created the birthday cookie cookie of my dreams - an Organic Funfetti Sugar Cookie that hold its shape when it bakes, so you can cookie cut them into whatever cute shapes you like! They're light, sweet, and the PERFECT cookie to splurge on for your birthday - because you can eat as many as you want without having to worry about your sugar intake! Also it's your damn birthday and SOMEONE better make you cake, so let these be your at home treat. I had 6 yesterday. No regrets - bring on 28! ​

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cup organic all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-dairy butter
1 cup monk fruit sweetener (I used this brand, but you can always use sugar or your fave sub instead. If you choose to use stevia, I would recommend only subbing half the amount for taste.)
1 egg (or vegan egg substitute - a chia egg works great here!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sprinkles

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate, larger mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar (or sweetener) together until fluffy. Add in the egg and the vanilla and beat until the mixture becomes fluffy again. Pour in the dry ingredient mixture, continuously mixing until a dough forms. 

Pour in the sprinkles and use your hands to mix them evenly into the dough. Refrigerate the dough, covered, for 20-30 minutes. While the dough chills, lay out some parchment paper and grab a rolling pin. When your dough is ready, roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out your favorite shapes.

Place cut cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before enjoying. Leftovers save well in a sealed container for up to a week - if they last that long! 

The Holidays are in full swing and I've been feeling ALL the stress! Between present buying, prepping for the New Year - and my Husband's 30th birthday immediately after, writing my 2nd cookbook manuscript and preparing for yoga auditions at my favorite studio just after the New Year - I've been busy! But we all are this time of year. Wrapping up everything in 2017 up nicely before tearing into the giant gift that is 2018!

Because I'm a totally stress eater, I try to help myself out during this crazy time of year by NOT having tons of sweet treats around to pick at. It's only trouble if I do! That said, it just isn't the Holidays if there isn't some type of snackable chocolate something on the counter! This year I decided to reform my normal chocolate Muddy Buddies recipe and make them something I could snack on - guilt and nearly sugar-free - through Christmas. So I subbed out the powdered sugar for a homemade, sugar-free, monkfruit version, instead! Muddy Buddies are a totally Holiday classic in this house and one of my Husband's favorite things to snack on while watching Christmas movies. The only sugar in these babies are the trace amounts in the cereal and dark chocolate chunks we melted down for coating! We used EnjoyLife's Mega Chocolate Chunks for this recipe since they're allergen-free (and I have all the allergies), but you can use whatever chocolate makes your heart happy. Let's make some muddy buddies!

INGREDIENTS
9 cups Rice Chex (they're vegan - but you can use whatever kind or brand you prefer!)
2 cups powdered monkfruit sweetener OR 1 cup regular monkfruit sweetener (we used Lakanto - but you can also use powdered stevia or even regular powdered sugar here if you prefer)
1 cup vegan chocolate chunks (we used this brand)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 
1/4 cup vegan butter
1 teaspoon vanilla


DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, measure and set aside the cereal.

If you're using prepared powdered sugar, go on to the next step. If you've got regular monkfruit sweetener and need to make it in into powdered 'sugar', simply place 1 cup of sweetener into a blender or food processor and process for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar has pulverized into a finer, powered sugar. It should double in size using this method. Set aside.

Using the double boiler method (or a microwave!), melt together the chocolate chips, peanut butter, vegan butter and vanilla until creamy, stirring consistently. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the cereal and use a wooden spoon to gently toss and stir until the cereal is evenly coated. Pour the powdered sugar evenly over the mixture and continue to use the wooden spoon to toss and stir the mixture until the chocolate-coated chex are all evenly covered in a fine layer of powdered sugar. Enjoy or save in air-tight container on the counter or in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!

NOTES
If you prefer regular sugar here, go ahead and use it. 

​If you find another sugar substitute you prefer, use that instead. I can't guarantee the quantity exchange will be 1:1, but a little taste test should help guide you if you're unsure.

Serves 8-10.

Guys! We're back up and running. ICYMI, the site was down for a couple of day because we're working on a  transitioning the blog to a new name. You may've already seen the sneak peek on instagram, but if you haven't, we'll be soon be ditching the name Fettle Vegan and calling the blog Good Saint. More on that in my next post! If you're not already subscribed to our weekly newsletter, now might be a great time - so you don't miss a thing when we switch over! For now, I'm bringing you a sweet, seasonal treat: Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. This crumble is the BEST. Is it yummy, it is sugar-free, and it is so simple it'll blow your mind. Oh, and did I mention gluten-free? And soy-free? It ticks those boxes too, babes. It's a baked good you can feel good about eating and will feel good about eating because it tastes damn delicious. I did good, guys. And I think you're gonna be really proud of me. 

I needed a sweet, simple dessert. I've been BUSY lately! With the site changes and the wedding - posts on THAT coming soon, too! - plus the honeymoon, and now my 200-hour yoga teacher training at CorePower, I've been exhausted lately and playing constant catch-up. I just don't have time for 15-ingredient layer cakes these days! Just 10 ingredient crumbles. 😉 I worked hard to keep the ingredients simple and whole, because I'm all about eating real, wholesome foods these days. Nothing processed, no preservatives, no extra sweeteners. It's summer - you don't need that shit. Whether you pick your own sweet strawberries (I MISS doing that in Maine every year!) or just buy 'em on sale at the grocery store, the secret here is really the rhubarb. It gives such a great tart balance to this easy dish. I highly recommend adding a dollop of coconut whip before serving - it's the perfect topping. Recipe linked below - so let's get cooking! 

INGREDIENTS:
Crumble
2 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced
4 heaping cups fresh strawberries, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 cup almond flour
2 cups GF oats
1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener (or sweetener of your choice - sugar works if you're into it, and the ratio is 1:1!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened coconut oil

Coco Whip
2- 15 oz. cans whole fat coconut milk
1-3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1-3 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener (again, use your fave sweetener here if you prefer!)
1 teaspoon vanilla 

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish and set it aside. 

​In a large mixing bowl, toss your strawberries and rhubarb in the lemon juiced chia seeds until evenly coated. In a separate mixing bowl combine the almond flour, GF oats, flour, monk fruit sweetener, baking powder and salt. Add in the softened coconut oil and stir until crumbs begin to form. 

Pour the strawberry rhubarb mixture evenly into the greased glass baking dish. Top with the oat + almond flour crumble mixture, distributing evenly. Put the crumble into the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, until crumble topping becomes golden and berry mixture bubbles. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving. Or eat it straight from the pan while you watch the Bachelorette. I'm not here to judge! 

To prepare the coconut whip, simply scoop the firm solids from the cans of coconut milk into a large mixing bowl and toss in the sweetener, milk, and vanilla and whip with beaters until fluffy. Scoop onto your crumble and enjoy!

TIPS:
​Leftovers - both the crumble and the ship - stay well, wrapped separately, in the fridge for up to a week.

To reheat, cover with foil and reheat at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until warm in the middle.

IT'S FINALLY HERE! Well, TWO things are finally here! First, I leave for my bachelorette weekend in Palm Springs tomorrow with 14 of my closest friends to spend the weekend poolside - and I'm SO excited! We'll be doing yoga, tie-dyeing, taking selfies on pool floaties, and just generally chilllllling before I have to get back to the stress of wedding planning on Monday. I can't wait! But before I go, I also teased you guys last week on instagram with this recipe, and figured it was only right to share it with you babes before I left on this long weekend adventure. It's a recipe I'm super proud of and super into because it's totally free of ANY sugar (you'll see how!) and all grains, making this the perfect batch of brownies to make for someone with food allergies or who is just crazy strict watching their diet, like I am in prepping for this wedding. (I wanna look badass and feel my best!)

I based the recipe off of the Double Fudge Mint Brownies recipe in my cookbook, Homestyle Vegan, but the original version is full of flour and sugar and all things generally off limits for people with food allergies. Of course, if you need to tweak it to suit your particular preferences please do so, but let us know what changes you make in the comments! It can be helpful for other readers to see what substitutions worked...and which didn't. These are the ultimate fudgy brownies, soft and dense with a chewy outer crust. You can pull them from the oven a few minutes early if you like 'em even fudgier, but either way I think they're best served warm with a glass of almond milk on the side. Anyway, I've got bathing suits and sunscreen to pack, but trust me - you're going to love every second of eating these - and you're going to love how healthy they are even more! 

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup monk fruit sweetener (we use Lakanto Classic)
​2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup monk fruit syrup (we use Lakanto Maple Syrup to keep it sugar-free) OR maple syrup OR agave nectar 
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips or chunks 

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease or line an 8x8 in baking dish.

In a large whisking bowl whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, monk fruit sweetener, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. 

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, monk fruit syrup, unsweetened almond milk and vanilla extract. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredient mixture and use a wooden spoon to combing the mixture completely. The batter may be stiff, so feel free to get in there and use your hands if you like. Once the batter is uniform, pour in the chocolate chips or chunks and stir to evenly distribute them throughout the batter.

Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish, using the back of the wooden spoon to press the mixture down evenly into the dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out almost completely clean. If you bake them too long, they will become dryer and much more cake-like than fudge-like in texture. Remove the dish from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. For the ULTIMATE fudge brownies, see the tip below. Once cooled, slice and enjoy! 

NOTES
Make these brownies EXTRA FUDGY by refrigerating them after cooling for at least 1-2 hours before slicing. The fridge helps cool the core before it has set completely, resulting in some of the best damn brownies ever! 

Leftovers can be left on the counter or in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. After that they'll start drying out.