Vegan and Gluten Free Brownie Bites

This Fourth of July I decided to make something sweet to bring to a friend's BBQ.  Now, since my children choose to eat a vegan diet and I rarely make sweets except when they're home, most of what I have on hand are vegan ingredients.  Also, one daughter avoids gluten and she contends that it has greatly contributed to the fact that she no longer needs to medicate for depression.  For that reason, and the fact that I try not to consume much wheat at all as I fight the middle age battle of the bulge, I only keep gluten free flour in my cabinet.  

I've found this one from Costco to be quite good as a one to one substitute in all of my baking recipes.  Now for the recipe, I adapted one from one of my favorite bloggers, theminimalistbaker.com. Dana is a pro blogger and always has super quick and delicious vegan recipes!  I started with her Simple Vegan Brownie recipe, made it GF and added the frosting to come up with a hit!  After deciding what to make I gathered the ingredients...

With everything mixed, the mini muffin pans filled, and the oven hot, it was time to bake, cool and frost!

I had these plastic star plates from the Dollar Tree that were perfect to take them to the BBQ.  The finishing touches with the patriotic sprinkles were just right. They were a big hit for holiday style and deliciousness!

Kale Chips

A healthy and tasty snack!

These easy chips are healthy and delicious.  They are vegan and gluton free!

Garlic Sesame Kale Chips    6 cups Kale 2 TBSP olive oil 2 tsp garlic 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp sesame seed

Cheesy Kale Chips 6 cups Kale 2 TBSP olive oil ½ tsp salt ¼ c Nutritional yeast

Wash and remove stems from kale.  Toss with olive oil to coat. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spread out evenly.Preheat oven to 425.  Sprinkle kale with other ingredients.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through.  Kale is ready when it is dry and crispy.  Don't overbake.  Let cool and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 74 g Amount Per Serving Calories  78 Calories from Fat  49 % Daily Value* Total Fat  5.4g 8% Saturated Fat  0.8g 4% Cholesterol  0mg 0% Sodium  223mg 9% Total Carbohydrates  7.1g 2% Dietary Fiber  1.4g 6% Protein  2.4g Vitamin A 206% • Vitamin C 134% Calcium 10% • Iron 7% Nutrition Grade A- * Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis  Good points ·         No cholesterol ·         Very low in sugar ·         High in calcium ·         Very high in manganese ·         High in potassium ·         Very high in vitamin A ·         High in vitamin B6 ·         Very high in vitamin C Bad points ·         High in sodium