Recipe Post: Strawberry Basil Mojito Re-visited, Crab cakes, SunButter Brownies, and Carrot Macaroons!

I’ll get straight to the point–the highly requested recipe for this amazing drink I’ve been making!

Strawberry Basil Mojito:

8oz ginger ale (Zevia was used for this one)
2oz cold tea (optional!)
muddled strawberries, ginger, and basil
squeeze of lemon juice

Crab cakes:

I know, it doesn’t sound special to make crab cakes. I never cared much about them until Joe made them for me a couple years ago. He’s grossed out by eggs and mayo, so he came up with this version—and kindly shared the recipe.

16oz crab meat (I bought Boss brand, jumbo lump crab)
1tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 glop (1/4 cup?) of Veganaise (we always use the grapeseed based vegan mayo, but I’m sure any kind would work)
1/2c bread crumbs (I used gluten free millet bread crumbs that I made)
1tbsp (or so) whole grain mustard
a few dashes of chopped parsley
splash of worcestershire sauce

Heat a skillet to medium and lightly oil with coconut oil (or whatever you like to use). Brown both sides. Done.

SunButter Brownies:

After making the huge pan of nut butter/SFSB brownies a couple weeks ago, I thought I’d try one with just SFSB to simplify a little. It turned out great!

1 jar SFSB
6oz (or so) canned pumpkin
1/2 cup maple syrup (or stevia baking blend–if you use this, you’ll need to add some almond milk or some liquid)
1/2 bag chocolate chips (or 1/2 bar bakers chocolate, chopped)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp espresso or coffee powder
4 tbsp cocoa powder
dash of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips/baker’s chocolate. If you want them sweeter (they are pretty dark chocolate-ish), add more maple syrup and use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet or baker’s.  Now you have a choice! I sprinkled the chocolate pieces (choc chips if you use those) on top, but last time I mixed them in. I like the bubbly effect that happened this time, but I think I prefer them mixed in.  Bake in 9×9 greased pan for 35 minutes. Let cool in pan.

Note: if you can use a stand mixer and really mix the batter thoroughly, I think they will come out more gooey. Last time, I did that, and this time I just stirred with a spoon.  The batter was super thick this time (I could have used it as frosting), and last time it poured very easily into the pan–I wasn’t sure it was going to turn into brownies then!

The first version of these (with the almond butter) was way more gooey, but these had a better flavor in my opinion!

Last time Katelyn and I got together, we made Carrot Macaroons—they weren’t like carrot cake…just totally delish!

Do you ever eat veggies for dessert?  Carrots are an easy dessert ingredient….note: beet pulp did NOT work for this dessert recipe!

What’s your favorite seafood? Dessert? Cocktail?  Do you try and health-ify them, or just eat them as is?

For me, it depends on what it is—if I can make it a little healthier without compromising my enjoyment level, then I usually do. For desserts, I focus more on quality of the ingredients, not healthiness.

Hope you had a great weekend!