Omega No-Bakes (vegan, gluten free) Updated!

Omega No-Bakes (vegan, gluten free)

One the first and most popular posts on the Stealthy Mom blog was our Omega No-Bakes recipe: fudgey little chocolate and peanut butter cookie balls that each contained about a teaspoon of flaxseed and a tablespoon of rolled oats.

Today we tweaked them a little bit. We switched the white sugar for sucanat (evaporated cane juice) and the olive oil for avocado oil. Sucanat is sugar's minimally processed relative, and avocado oil has no taste and is stable at a higher temperature. We added a bit more plain peanut butter.

G-man and the Cadet were scooping up the No-Bake as fast as I could roll them. Indeed, when still warm, they were pretty gooey and yummy. The sucanat gave them a rich molasses flavour that worked well with the chocolate and peanut butter. After chilling, those that made it to the fridge set up well.

For two dozen:

2 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 cup sucanat
6 tbsp water
1/2 cup golden flaxseed meal
1/2 cup unsweetened "just peanuts" peanut butter
1 1/2 cups quick oats (whole rolled oats will work, but will

In a large sauce pan, mix the avocado oil and cocoa powder. Slowly heat, constantly stirring. When the powder is completely melted, stir in the sucanat and water. Heat, constantly stirring, until the mixture starts to bubble. (Sucanat takes longer to melt than white sugar.)

Turn off the heat, and quickly stir in the flaxseed meal and peanut butter. When the base is smooth, stir in the rolled oats.

As soon as the mixture is cool enough to touch, form into 1" balls with your hands. If your hands are a bit wet with water, the balls will roll easier. (Alternatively, spray a pyrex pan with non-stick spray and press the mixture into it. When cool, cut into squares.)

Chill in the fridge for about an hour to set.



I shared this post with these weekly natural food recipe round-ups: Hearth and Soul Hop,  Fight Back! Friday and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.


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Slim Mints

Slim Mints

G-man asked me if we could make "Thin Mints." He was referring to those chocolate mint cookies that the Girl Scouts have in their fundraising lineup. Every year, a few boxes find their way into the house, we eat them, and they are gone. (I could claim altruism and say I ate most of a box to protect the kids from the artificial ingredients. Um, sure.)

Slim Mints are crisp, chocolate-mint cookies topped with rich, dark chocolate. Scrumptious!

Several hours before, prepare the dough:

1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp cocoa powder (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp)

1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp peppermint essence

6 oz (1/2 bag) dark chocolate chips
1 tsp peppermint essence

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine the egg, butter, sugar and peppermint essence in another bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. You may need to knead the dough.

Using waxed paper, roll the dough into a 1" diameter roll. Place the dough roll (s) in the refrigerator until hardened, several hours or overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator and slice into 1/4" thin coins. Slicing them thinner, if you can, will make them a bit crisper. Be sure to slice them as uniformly as possible to ensure even baking.

Bake for 9-11 minutes at 370F. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips and peppermint essence, mixing well. I use a microwave, thirty seconds at a time. Thickly ice each cookie with the melted chocolate, using a spatula. Place them on waxed paper and cool in the refrigerator.


Makes 3 dozen.


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Raisin Spice Omega Cookies

"I want to make cookies with raisins," said G-man. I was kind of shocked, because he does not like raisins... He diligently stirred the ingredients together, checking them off the list. Flaxseed meal replaces half of the butter with a source of Omega-3 and, along with the rolled oats, a source of soluble fiber. When the house filled with the festive, spicy aroma during baking, he excitedly paced along with me to see how they would turn out. Delicious!

Blueberry Scones (no lard, shortening or butter)

Blueberry Scones

The Queen would not be amused.... These delicious scones buck tradition and contain no lard, shortening, butter, or eggs. Each bite bursts with blueberries. Not too sweet,  you will find these scones are perfect with a cup of Earl Grey.

For 8 scones:

1 1/4 cup unbleached flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp lite salt

1/3 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

1 cup frozen blueberries

Mocha Omega Truffles (vegan, gluten free)

Mocha Omega Truffles

It has been along week. How about a nice, soft truffle? Mocha Omega Truffles are rich and almost guilt-free: no butter or margarine, or artificial ingredients.  The flaxseed meal provides Omega-3 fatty acids and, along with the oatmeal, provides an excellent source of soluble fiber.  The grown-up combination of cocoa and coffee is rich in antioxidants. Our kids both like them, too. 


To make about four dozen Mocha Omega Truffles:


1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups sugar
1 cup strong, black coffee 
2 tsp instant coffee (or more, to taste)
1 cup flaxseed meal
3 cups quick oats
1 cup crushed almonds

Chocolate Omega Macaroons (vegan, gluten-free)

Chocolate Omega Macaroons

Craving chocolate? Chocolate Omega Macaroons  are fast to make and contain no butter or margarine. The flaxseed meal provides Omega-3 fatty acids and teams up with oatmeal for an excellent source of soluble fiber.  Cocoa is rich in antioxidants.... All in all, a pretty good excuse to eat chocolate, no?

[I have gotten my hands on some Avocado oil, which does not have as strong a flavour as olive oil. I'll try this out and make an amendment if it's a good idea- Laura @ Stealthy Mom, May 2013]


To make about four dozen Chocolate Omega Macaroons:



3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups water
1 cup flaxseed meal
3 cups quick oats
1 cup flaked coconut

In a large sauce pan, mix olive oil and cocoa powder. Slowly heat, constantly stirring. When the powder is completely melted, stir in the sugar and water. Heat until it starts to bubble, constantly stirring. Add the flaxseed meal and stir again until bubbly. Stir in the oatmeal and coconut, maintaining a low heat for a couple more minutes.

Turn off the heat.  As soon as the mixture is cool enough to touch, start breaking off chunks and rolling into 1" balls, and chill at least an hour before serving. (If you are short on time, spray a pyrex cake pan with non-stick cooking spray and press the mixture into it. Cut when chilled.)


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Omega Pie Crust (vegan)

There is an ongoing debate among pie bakers regarding lard vs shortening. I prefer to use just butter myself, to avoid using either hydrogenated oils or preservative-laden lard from the grocery store. A butter crust is rich and flaky and smells wonderful while it bakes. If only cholesterol was no object. Butter is very high in cholesterol.

This crust recipe contains no lard, shortening, or butter. Instead, it features olive oil and flaxseed meal, with a touch of baking powder for lift. I sighed with relief when it was approved by G-man because he is a connoisseur of pie crust.

For either three single crust or one extra large double-crust pie:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp lite salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup flaxseed meal (preferably golden flaxseed)

1/4 cup olive oil

2/3 cup warm water

Mix the dry ingredients together well. Add the olive oil and stir with a spoon until the mixture looks like crumbs.

Add the water. Unlike a traditional crust, a bit too moist works better than a bit too dry.

Allow he dough to sit for at least 15 minutes to relax the gluten in the flour.

Roll the dough out. It will not be dainty or crumbly like traditional crust. It will expand some during baking, so roll it thinner than regular pie crust.

Fold the crust onto into the pie plate and proceed with your pie recipe.

For a pre-baked shell, bake for 10-11 minutes at 400F.




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Ginger Omega Cookies

Ginger Omega Cookies

This afternoon, G-man and I decided to puddle around in the kitchen and make up a cookie recipe.

Ginger Omega Cookies are low in sodium and each one contains a tablespoon of flaxseed meal. (What? A tablespoon? Yup.)  G-man and the Cadet have eaten two each, so we must have done something right.

Just the Flax, Ma'am.

One of my earliest memories of my Gida was of him coming in from the field on his old tractor, covered in flax seeds. They would be in his hat, in his pockets, and in the bib of his overalls. He would let me eat some, raw and fresh from the field. That was good stuff.

Thirty-odd years later, I am learning about just how good that stuff is.

The whole seeds are nutty and delicious in a porridge or bread. Nutritionally speaking, though, whole flax seeds are better for you when they are ground. (“milled.”) Flaxseed oil, released through grinding, is rich in alpha linolenic acids (ALA) and may lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and blood pressure. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory within arteries and has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. For more about the health benefits of flax, click here.

Ground flaxseed is high in soluble fiber and can be used a substitute for eggs and for other, less nutritious oils in baked goods. So far, I have baked ground flaxseed into cakes, bread, muffins, pizza crust and cookies. It is easy to sneak into spaghetti sauce and has gone undetected in stews. Pancakes take on a lightly nutty flavour that is kid-approved when some flaxseed meal is stirred in.

Peanut butter cookies rich in ground flax provide a tasty dose of this good stuff. The boys love cookies no matter how we bake 'em! 

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Basic Cornbread (with flaxseed)

Basic Cornbread (with flaxseed)

This is another of those recipes that is so simple that a kid can help make it. Flaxseed meal replaces the usual oil and adds a subtle, nutty flavour.

Peanut Butter Omega Cookies (gluten-free, vegan options)

G-man, our three-year-old son, likes to help bake these.  Some afternoons, while his baby brother naps, we have fun making a big mess in the kitchen. His aim, when dumping dry ingredients into the bowl, is improving and he is mastering the art of smashing the little balls of cookie dough with a fork. He watches with anticipation while they bake, and proudly runs off with the first one from the sheet. He has no idea that they are better for him than plain, old peanut butter cookies. The Cadet enjoys them frozen, especially when he has new teeth coming in.

For about 5 dozen cookies: