Raw Cocoa Cookies

Happy first day of summer! Here's to the start of camping, swimming, grilling, and lounging in the shade of a trusty old tree.

Summertime is also picnic time, and every good picnic needs a sweet treat to complete the meal. Cookies are an obvious, easy, and generally crowd-pleasing choice, however, who the heck wants to fire up the oven when daily temperatures are hitting near 90 degrees?

You're already in shorts and a tank top, sweating, and you want to subject yourself to the oven pumping out 350 degrees more heat into the air of your kitchen?

No. Thank. You.

I recommend these:

Raw Cocoa Cookies
You'll need:
1 cup walnuts
1 1/3 cup dates (pitted)
1 sample-sized package of Justin's chocolate almond butter (about 2 T)
1 T raw honey
3 T cocoa powder
1 t vanilla extract
1/8 t sea salt

To make:
1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients until contents looks like potting soil (lovely image, I know.)
2. Dump contents into a gallon ziplock bag and seal. Form 'dough' inside bag into a ball.
3. Grease up a rolling pin with a bit of canola oil. Set up a rolling station using a big piece of parchment paper.
4. Remove dough ball from ziplock bag and place on parchment paper. Roll dough with greased pin until dough is about 1/2 inch.
5. Use a cookie cutter or the mouth of a glass to cut dough into cookies.
6. Roll dough back up and roll out until all cookies have been cut (if you have extra dough, but not enough for a full cookie, roll dough into a couple balls. If you want, you could also do this for the whole recipe.)
6. Put cookies in container, separating layers using cut pieces of the parchment paper you rolled the dough on.
7. Let cookies chill for at least an hour to firm up before enjoying.

Makes about a dozen 3'' cookies.

Copy Cat

I do this all the time.

I go to a restaurant, order a meal, and upon first bite, exclaim: "We could MAKE this!"

I get so excited letting the flavors roll in my mouth, trying to sort out the spices. I examine contents, imagine the method, and make mental notes for later.

A couple recreations include Pearl Street Grill's "Queen City" sandwich: "Portabella mushrooms, caramelized onions, roaster red peppers, provolone, and garlic mayo grilled between wheat berry bread"

My version: Marinated, roasted portabella mushroom cap with sauteed onions and sweet peppers in between toasted wheat berry bread.

That one took a while to make with the mushroom cap and all, but it was worth it.

Another favorite I love to re-create is Merge's "Smothered sweet potato fries" with "spiced lentils, spinach and daiya cheese"

Their fries are crispy on the outside, yet soft on the inside. The lentils are curry spiced and the vegan cheese lends the perfect salty touch.

My version: Spiced, baked sweet potato wedges with curried lentils and wilted spinach. Homemade vegan cashew cheese to top.

Cashew cheese?!?!? Why, yes, it is.

And it's delicious.

And it's super easy.

And it's healthier for you then dairy cheese.

This cashew cheese is creamy and chewy at the same time. It has just the right amount of salt and "cheesy" flavor. I always use it atop my version of Merge's smothered sweet potato fries, but it's also an awesome dip for pretzels, a great spread for crackers and crostini, and (while I haven't tried it yet) I bet it would make a killer grilled cheese.

Cashew Cheese

You'll need:

2 cups cashews

1/4 cup water

2 T nutritional yeast

2 t lemon juice

1 t garlic powder

Dash of sea salt

Dash of pepper

To make:

1. Soak cashews for 2 hours

2. Drain cashews and throw in food processor with all other ingredients.

3. Combine until smooth, scraping the sides occasionally.

4. Store in air tight container, in fridge, for up to 5 days.



Monster From The Deep? Nah, Just Breakfast.

Mostly everyone who reads food blogs has stumbled upon a post/recipe/discussion about overnight oats. This dish is usually prepared the night before you plan to enjoy it because the ingredients need hours to settle, combine, and work their magic before being eaten.

The pictures that accompany these kind of recipes, are kind of monster-from-the-deep looking (i.e., gooey, chunky, kind of scary), however, I have seen some lovely (vegan) overnight oat displays from Angela over at Oh She Glows (see below.)

I've tried to make overnight oats a la vegan, but the consistency never really jived with my tastes. I could very well have been making it wrong, but even though I'd follow the recipe, my oats would turn out too liquidey and be more like sweet oat soup.

After some thinking and playing around with ingredients, I think I stumbled on a gem.

Ultra Creamy, Super Easy Overnight (or in a few hours) Oats
(Makes roughly a one 1 cup serving)
You'll need:
1/2 C plain Greek yogurt
1/3 C quick oats
2 T Jelly or fruit preserves
1 T chia seeds
(optional: 1 - 2 T honey)
1/4 + 1T plain unsweetened almond milk

To make:
1. In a medium-sized dish, combine the yogurt, oats, jelly, chia, and optional honey (if you'd like your oats to be on the sweeter side). Mix until thoroughly combined.
2. Add almond milk and stir gently until mixture is mixed through.
3. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours before enjoying.

This dish is awesome because, in the summer time, it's a sneaky way to get your protein, calcium, and healthy breakfast carbs, and still stay cool. This recipe produces a cool, thick, creamy oatmeal that is sweetened/flavored by the jelly (and optional honey). The 1 cup serving may not seem like it would keep you feeling full and energized, but the combination of protein from the yogurt and carbs from the oats processes slowly in the body and produces a steady, slow releasing stream of energy.

Please forgive the utter grossness harshness of this photo - it was hastily taken at work. Half my co-workers already think I'm a nut for eating things like this...I can't even imagine what they'd think if they saw me taking pictures of my food at my desk. Haha.

Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bites

This post is going to be short, sweet, and...raw.

Eating raw is similar to eating vegan in that it carries a stigma from the general population that eating/cooking this way is difficult, time consuming, and does not taste very good because it lacks ingredients like butter and milk.
This could not be further from the truth...and these cookies are proof - they are easy to make, flavorful, and are ready in no time.

In addition to being fast and easy, eating raw also provides many health benefits. By not heating food over 118 degrees Fahrenheit, it retains all of its nutrients and natural enzymes. When raw food is consumed, those nutrients and natural enzymes are placed directly into the body and provide a source of energy, enhance clarity of mind, and allow the body to work with what it was intended to (it doesn't have to work through synthetic ingredients and separate the good from the bad).

Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bites
You'll need:
2/3 cup raw almonds
2/3 cup raw walnuts
2/3 cup steel cut oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3-5 tbs raisins


To make:

1. In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to a fine meal.

2. Add the agave and vanilla and process to combine.

3. Add the raisins and pulse just to combine.

4. Roll the cookie dough into balls (about 1 tbsp each) and place them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper.

5. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour to firm up.

6. Store balls in a tightly covered container in the freezer.

Slime-green Halloween smoothie

Happy Halloween!

It's my favorite holiday and, honestly, I'm kind of bummed it had to fall on a Monday this year. Although, this weekend, we did have some Halloween fun.

 



Jon went as a tree (complete with leaves, birds, racoons, and a nest)

 I went as Sacajawea (minus the baby)

We had a good time with friends, played some games, had some drinks, ate some Halloween-themed cupcakes, and got home too late :)

The festivities will continue tonight with (maybe) a local ghost story walk, carving some spooky pumpkins, and definitely some of Southern Tier Brewing Company's Pumpking beer (review to come)!

 In honor of the holiday, I'm going to share a terrifying treat. It looks scary, but it's actually very tasty (and healthy!)

Slime-Green Halloween Green Monster 

You'll need:

1 cup almond milk

1 banana

2 pineapple rings

1 cup fresh baby spinach

1 t chia seeds (optional)

3 ice cubes

To make:

1. Peel banana, split in half, and put in blender

2. Add ice

3. Put in remaining ingredients

4. Blend first using the Crush ice setting until all ice is chopped

5. Blend on liquefy until ingredients are smooth and well blended

 The result is a slime-green colored smoothie that's frothy, sweet, and full of nutrition.

What are your Halloween plans? Do you have a favorite Halloween food? 

5 mile smoothie

I've been toying with the idea of running in my city's Turkey Trot this Thanksgiving. Buffalo's turkey trot the oldest known turkey trot footrace, dating back to 1896.

 Last year was the 115th annual race and it brought about 11,000 racers. Most people go to run the 5 mile course with just a low time score in mind, but some people have really gone all out and had a lot of fun with it.

 I've never raced before, but I think it would be a fun challenge. I have until Oct. 31st to make a decision.
As I think about signing up for this race, I've been pushing myself on my runs with the idea of training for 5 miles (in the Buffalo November weather) in under 45 minutes. I can currently do a 4 mile run (indoors, on a treadmill) in roughly 36 minutes -  I know I can do better than that! Bring on the miles!

One of the things that helps me get through my runs is the post-run smoothie I've concocted.
It's sweet, hearty, and definitely satisfying after a good run.

 5 mile smoothie
You'll need:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or any non-dairy milk of your choice)
1 somewhat ripened banana
3 ice cubes (not shown in picture above)
3 T rolled oats
1T carob powder
1T cinnamon
1t chia seeds

To make:
1. Peel banana, break in half, put in blender
2. Add the oats, carob, cinnamon, and chia
3. Add the almond milk and ice cubes
4. Blend on the CRUSH ICE setting until the ice is completely broken up
5. Switch to the LIQUEFY setting until all oats are blended and the texture looks thick and smooth

The result is a sweet, hearty, guilt-free recovery shake that provides you with some good carbs and keeps you feeling full.

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

The best part of a morning workout is getting to come home and drink a smoothie. Most always, this is how I conclude an a.m. trip to the gym.

My smoothies are usually some variation of a green monster, but this fall, I've become slightly obsessed with decided to experiment with pumpkin.

I messed around with a few different ways to make this smoothie, but I think I nailed it this morning.

People seem  to go pumpkin-flavor crazy once October rolls around, and then after Thanksgiving, they're done with it. They move on. C'est fini.

 This makes me sad. Why can't pumpkin be enjoyed year round? Most coffee shops don't even carry the flavor once December hits. Pumpkin is packed with vitamins and keeps you feeling full. I say viva la pumpkin!

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

Ingredients:
4 ice cubes
1 yellow (not over-ripe) banana
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 T cinammon
1 T pumpkin pie spice
(optional add-ins: brown sugar, chia seeds, vanilla extract)

To make:
1. Put all ingredients in blender
2. Use "crush ice" setting for about 45 seconds to...well...crush the ice
3. Use the "liquefy" setting for another 45 seconds until it looks thoroughly blended

The result is a healthy, thick, smooth, not overly sweet pumpkin spice smoothie!

Do you drink/eat/make pumpkin-flavored items after the pumpkin is out of season? What is your favorite pumpkin item?

Wanna date?

Yesterday, I received a package in the mail from the people of Bard Valley Medjool Dates. As a thank you for submitting a recipe (that uses their dates) and picture of the finished product, they sent me samples of their dates!

I was moseying around in Facebook when I saw that Bard Valley had posted a status update: "We love hearing about the interesting ways you use Medjool dates. So send us your favorite recipe and we'll send you a sample pack."

...Free stuff? I'm in.

I dug through my recipe folder to find my go-to recipe that uses dates - Raw, vegan brownies with frosting.

I entered the recipe just hoping they might see it and give me a few free dates. I actually kind of forgot about until a few days ago, I was trolling the Facebook wall and saw a post from Medjool dates...then I saw my name...then I realized it was my raw, vegan brownie picture they posted...they chose my recipe!

Here's what they posted:

"Here's a recipe sent in by our good friend Alyssa. She has sample packs of Bard Valley Medjool dates on their way to her as a thank you. Would you like some Medjool Dates? Send us your recipe and we'll send you medjool dates as a thanks you too. More details at http:bardmedjool.com/recipedateexchange

Raw, vegan brownies with frosting

Ingredients : Brownies
1 cup walnuts
1 cup Bard Valley Medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Ingredients : Frosting
1 avocado
2 tbsp + 2 tsp raw honey (for just raw) or agave nectar (for raw and vegan)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
dash salt
dash cinnamon

To make:
1. Combine walnuts, dates, and the 1/3 cup of cocoa powder in a food processor and process until the mixture has a fine, grainy texture. Pat this into a 8inch x 8inch pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, blend the avocado, honey or agave, second bit of cocoa, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until smooth.
3. Spread the icing over the brownie base and then put in the freezer for about an hour to set. The brownies keep well in the freezer (never freezing solidly) for about a week.

I was very excited that they chose to post this recipe - it's so easy to make and really very delicious.

Have you ever baked/cooked/used dates in a recipe? What is you favorite is your favorite way to eat dates?