Raw Cocoa Mint Truffles
My friend Lisha brought me a lovely meal after Emma was born, and frozen inside a little square of tin foil were the most amazing raw truffles. These are so incredibly delicious! Sure to help the biggest chocolate addicts out there. They taste like fudge and you only need one to feel satisfied. Yummmm….here is the recipe!
Raw Vegan Gluten-Free Cocoa Mint Truffles
Adapted from recipe by Meghan Telpner
1 cup raw walnuts, unsoaked
1/2 cup almonds, unsoaked
1/2 tsp salt
15 pitted medjool dates, unsoaked
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 Tbs maple syrup or honey
2 Tbs water
2 drops peppermint oil (food grade) or peppermint flavoring (use 1/2 t)
1/2 cup extra cocoa powder
- Place the nuts & salt in a food processor fitted with the S-blade and process until finely ground.
- Add the dates, cocoa powder, agave, peppermint and vanilla process until the mixture starts to stick together. Add water as needed & process briefly.
- Using about 1 Tbs of mixture, roll into balls.
- Sprinkle coconut or extra cocoa out onto a plate or cookie sheet and roll balls through, giving them a light dusting.
- Keep refrigerated until serving, or even better- eat them right out of the freezer.
My New Love: Coconut Water + Green Smoothies
I’ve never liked coconut water. Honestly? It tasted like vomit to me. Gross, I know. But it did!
In the raw food world, there are lots of recipes that call for it and I’ve purchased them at the Asian grocery store and cracked them open with a butcher knife in hopes of gaining some love for them. I even bent my favorite knife doing it! But despite my efforts…no love.
And then my friend was going on and on about it…but she wasn’t drinking it plain, she was putting it in her smoothie as the liquid.
So I thought I would try it too.
Eureka! I liked it. I more than liked it…I LOVED it. It gives my smoothie a totally new taste…nothing really overpowering, just a nice overall flavor. I don’t use it every time, but if I have it on hand, it adds a twist. It also has nice health benefits like high potassium and electrolytes (great for post partum) and a bunch of other things that (according to the Internet) may or may not be true. Google it 🙂
I like the kind with no sugar added (for obvious reasons) and have found it locally for 9 cents an oz. If you want to order a case (but not the same brand), check out Amazon. It appears to be well-liked and is 12 cents/oz if you do the subscribe and save option.
So for all you smoothie lovers out there, try it out! I know I’m late to the game and I’m sure some of you are already doing this, but I just had to share. Yum.
Quinoa Spinach Bowl
Tonight I wasn’t feeling very well an wanted something super light, yet still highly nutritious. I was glad when I saw my sister post this recipe to her Pinterest board. I’ve been seeing so many delicious recipes there lately!
I’ve been doing a lot of these types of bowls because they are easy…and luckiy my entire family will eat them. 🙂 Eating healthy, whole foods does not have to be difficult!
I started out by making the quinoa (2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa) with a veggie bouillon cube and I added a handful of diced sweet potato to it while it cooked.
When it was done, I opened the lid and put a couple handfuls of fresh spinach in and put the lid back on with the burner off. After it steamed lightly for a few minutes, I put it all in bowls and topped it with herbed goat cheese and avocado.
This could be customized so many ways! I would have added some shitakes if I had them, or maybe some cranberries. You could also leave out the boullion and top it with a yummy light dressing (Martha Stewart does a light vinaigrette in her original recipe).
Have fun with it and then come back and tell me what you did!
My Copycat Rice Bowl
Awhile back, I posted about our trip to Cafe Gratitude and my obsession with their “I am Accepting” rice bowl. I never did try to make it at home…until today! I’ve been craving kale and salty things…so I meandered around the web for awhile to find a dressing that suited my fancy. And I must say, it turned out pretty close to the real thing! 🙂 I just used what I had on hand…but this can be made with so many different ingredients.
I cooked up some brown rice and added some chopped raw kale while it was still a bit steamy. Then I added:
- nori
- cucumber
- avocado (the creamy mild flavor cut the saltiness of the seaweed and miso nicely)
- hemp seeds
Then I made this dressing:
1/4 cup white miso
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup (it called for agave, but I’m not really using that anymore)
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons water
It was REALLY tasty. This made enough for a large bowl. I ate it all, but it could definitely be split to 2 servings or even 3 small side servings. You could also use this dressing for a regular salad.
Enjoy!
Poached Bling
Is there anything better than poached eggs?
Yes.
Poached eggs with steamed/buttered spinach and avocado on toast. Add salt and pepper and bring on the yummy.
Good Finds
When we were traveling and I would find something fun and delicious locally, I was always a little bummed out because I knew we wouldn’t be around forever to continue buying it! But now that we are settled in one spot, I am thrilled about all of my good finds.
This week while shopping at a health food store close to our house, I found:
- Alpine Avocado Vinaigrette…this is officially my new favorite. Seriously. So delish. And made locally!
- Spring rolls that rival the local Thai restaurant! So fresh and tasty…with a PICKLE inside! Who would’ve thought?
- Nacho Mom’s Vegan Queso! Perfect for dipping chips or in a burrito. Love.
- Whole wheat pie crust. I was just wanting to make some potato & kale quiche but didn’t want to make my own crust. Voila! So happy.
Happy weekend eating! 🙂
Poach Pods
I love eggs. They are a great, cheap source of protein and if you use farm fresh eggs, the flavor is out of this world! My favorite egg cooking method is poaching, but I’ve never liked poaching in straight water. Enter…the POACH POD! This little silicone wonder has revolutionized my mornings.
You just put the little pod into boiling water, spray the inside, crack the egg into it…cover and cook for 4-6 minutes and VOILA! If you’re a fan of poached eggs, you cannot live without this! Trust me 🙂
*this photo was over Christmas when we were poaching A LOT of eggs for our family!
California = Farmer’s Market Fun
The San Luis Obispo farmer’s market is a fabulous, bustling mecca of food and deliciousness. The trees downtown are HUGE and beautiful and it was so fun to peruse the goods.
Heirloom tomato heaven. Can you just taste how sweet they are!!? Amazing.
Dry farmed watermelons. Have I told you lately how much I love watermelon? Probably not. Love love love.
Reunited with my sweet pineapple guava. Oh how I love them. Remember when I tried them last year? Well, I’ve been dreaming of them ever since. And they are in season again while we’re here. I like to spend Thursday nights eating myself into a guava induced blissful state. Ahhhhhh…
What kind of yummy have you found at your local farmer’s market lately?
It’s Soup Season!
Yes…it’s soup season! There is nothing better on a cool autumn day than some delicious steamy soup, paired with a crisp green salad, and warm bread. I was searching for a new soup recipe and found a goodie that I can’t wait to share with you. I’ve made it 3 or 4 times in the past month and it’s super easy.
I like it because it’s a “pantry soup”. It’s made with items that you normally have in your pantry or fridge anyway…making it a great “I have no idea what’s for supper” meal. The next day, I like to use the leftovers to something else. Last time, I added it to a stir-fry mixture with a little drizzle of Trader Joe’s yellow curry and it was delicious!
We like to top it with avocado, cilantro, raw goat cheese cheddar, brown rice…yes, I love toppings. Toppings are fun. They give soups a completely different texture and texture is good.
Lastly, here are a few of my favorite soups for the fall/winter:
Curried Split Pea
Sweet Potato, Squash, and Apple
Sweetcorn and Potato Chowder
Honey Baked Lentils (not technically soup, but it acts like one!)
Without further ado, here is is. You must make this. Yum.
Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
Serves 4 (Matt and I had 2 helpings and Bella had 1).
3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I’ve also used diced tomato or marinara sauce)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.
1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.
Recipe credit: New York Times
