Pistachio Coconut Squares (Plant Based + Delicious!)

Essley loves helping us in the kitchen, and I'm always on the lookout for healthy, delicious snacks we can make together that don't take a ton of work. These pistachio coconut squares are slightly sweet without being overpowering, and while I love them with coffee in the morning, they make the perfect mid-day snack. Both my kids are huge fans.

Pistachio Coconut Squares 
(via One Part Plant)
Makes 12 squares

INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw shelled pistachios
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Raw honey (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper. In a food processors with the S blade attached, process the pistachios, oats, and salt for about 30 seconds, until a meal starts to form. Drizzle in the maple syrup and olive oil while the motor is still running until the meal begins to come together into a crumbly, almost-wet dough.

Press the dough evenly into the pan and cover it with coconut flakes. Bakes for 10-12 minutes, until the coconut is nice and golden brown and the dough is cooked through. You want the squares to still be a little soft - don't overbake these.

Carefully lift the cooled dough out of the pan by holding two sides of the parchment paper. Cut it into squares. Drizzle a little honey over the top for extra sweetness, if you like. Store the squares in a sealed container for up to a week.

Besides the fact that this recipe is freaking delicious and easy to whip together, the best part about it is that it comes from a brand new (like just came out yesterday) cookbook called One Part Plant. (And no, this isn't a sponsored post. I'm just a genuine fan, man.) This cookbook, which features pages upon beautifully photographed pages of delectable plant-based recipes, happens to be written by my friend, wellness advocate, and all around incredible woman Jessica Murnane. My long time readers who aren't otherwise familiar with Jessica's awesomeness might recognize her name from around here. I was on a guest her amazing podcast, One Part Podcast (where I opened up about some really heavy stuff; you can listen here), she was featured in Bubby & Bean's now defunct but still totally relevant Hip Mom Series, and she did several plant-based recipe posts here way back in the day (sundried tomato + cashew stuffing, cherry brownies with coconut cream, and lentil and arugula salad). She also has a really rad website, an incredibly inspiring story, and is a legit cool mom to the cutest little boy ever (tied with Emmett, of course) named Sid. The One Part Plant cookbook is her newest venture and I'm telling you guys, it's so, so good. (Even Lena Dunham thinks so. She wrote the intro to it, after all.)

One Part Plant begins with a friendly request from Jessica - to eat just one meal plant-based meal a day. It's not about some intense diet plan with off-limit foods or crazy rules. It instead offers realistic ideas and helpful tools to guide you into easily incorporating plants into your meals. And even if you are a junk food lover like I am (it's just not fair that candy isn't a food group), Jessica makes it easy to help you heal your body through food. (She healed her severe endometriosis through plant-based foods, FYI. True story.) The book is also seriously gorgeous. The design is stunning and the bold, colorful photographs could genuinely be framed and hung on the wall. I have it sitting on my coffee table because I can't bear to put some so lovely in the cabinet with my other cookbooks.

(This is Jessica. She's a babe, right?)

Even if I didn't know Jessica, I'd still give this cookbook the highest praise. I've had it for a few weeks now and am endlessly inspired by all of the unique recipes and authentic advice. I'm far from being able to call myself a solely plant-based eater, but having this book in my presense truly motivates me to do better everyday. It's also a pretty wonderful way of eating for my kids to learn early on. If you buy one cookbook this year, this is the one to get. I promise. Go grab it now (right here!) and then make sure you let me know what you think. (And if you make these amazing Pistachio Coconut Squares let me know what you think of them too!)

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