5 layers of dessert heaven

Bailey is king of the fridge

Turning one year old has had its ups and downs for Bailey, my kitchen cat. The upside is he can now scale tall mountains, like our refrigerator and cupboard tops. The downside is he has packed on too many pounds eating his delicious kitten chow.

Bailey dreams about cat food

He's not at all happy about being on a diet and having to eat cat food formulated for overweight kitties.
What happened to the scrumptious birthday treat I had planned? Bailey turned up his little feline nose at the tuna snacks I prepared for him. Can you believe it from a little guy who is always on the prowl now for food? Oh well, the dogs were more than happy to celebrate his birthday for him. They eagerly gulped down a tuna snack or two in his honor.

Bailey takes on Nika

Now that Bailey is losing some kitty pudge, he is ready to take on goliath, A.K.A. Nika, our malamute. He is a spunky guy undeterred by the 6:1 size difference.

Bailey in his scratch lounge

When Bailey is not playing with Nika or Misha, or cuddling with Kona, he can be found batting around his toys or taking it easy in his scratch lounge. Sounds like a hard life!

5-Layer Dessert

Now, here's a dessert for me for Bailey's birthday or anytime. It's 5 Layers of Dessert Heaven.
I adapted the recipe from a 5-Layer Flat Belly Dessert to make it free of gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts and sugar.
Ingredients:

1. Chocolate brownies (recipe follows)
2. Vegan whipped cream (recipe follows)
3. 1/4 cup shredded coconut
4. 1/2 cup toasted quinoa flakes
5. 2 T. chia seeds
6. 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
7. 1/4 cup cacao nibs
8. 2-4 cups of fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

Directions:
Step 1: Make the Brownies
Ingredients:

1. 4 T. coconut oil
2. 4 T. hemp milk
3. 2 tsp. vanilla extract
4. 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
5. 1/2 cup cacao powder
6. 1 T. chia seed
7. dash of salt
8. 1/2 cup amaranth flour
9. 1/2 cup coconut flour
10. 1/2 tsp. baking powder
11. stevia to taste
12. Optional 2+ T. cacao nibs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Blend all ingredients
3. Spread in sprayed 8X8-inch baking pan.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
5. Cool.

Step 2: Vegan Whipped Cream
Ingredients:

1. 1 tsp. agar agar powder
2. 1 cup almond milk
3. stevia for sweetening
4. 1-2 T. additional almond milk
5. 3 drops coconut extract
6. 1/2 of a block of extra firm tofu

Directions:

1. Prepare the agar base.
2. Measure into a pot the 1 cup almond milk. Sprinkle in the agar powder.
3. Let sit for 5 minutes
4. Slowly bring to a boil for 5-8 minutes.
5. Allow to set for 2 minutes before putting in the fridge to cool and thicken.
6. Once thickened, put in a high-speed blender with additonal almond milk, coconut extract , tofu, and stevia, and blend until whipped and smooth.

Step 3: Make the quinoa flakes, coconut, seed sprinkle

1. In ziploc type baggie, combine the quinoa flakes, chia seed, coconut and sunflower seeds. Seal the bag and shake to combine.

Step 4: Assemble the dessert

1. Fill the bottom of a glass container of choice with a layer of brownies, split in half lengthwise.
2. Evenly spread half the vegan whipped cream on top.
3. Sprinkle some of the quinoa flake, coconut, seed mixture on top.
4. Top with berries to cover the whole surface.
5. Now repeat all four layers and end with berries. Sprinkle the top with cacao nibs.
6. Note: Depending on the size of your bowl, you may have some remaining ingredients to make another dessert at a later time.

Contributed to: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2012/03/22/wellness-weekend-march-22-26-2012/