Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Bombs

July 25, 2014

Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Blasts- Good for your Heart!

I have been so intrigued by all the raw truffle recipes on Pinterest. Every time I see a recipe for truffles or energy balls, I have to click over to the actual website to see how they are made. I can’t believe how many different versions there are! After reading so many recipes and dreaming about how yummy they all sounded, I decided to try to make some of my own.

Since I am always looking for ways to get more nutrition into my kids, I wanted to be sure my nut and seed bombs offered some health benefits. Given how each nut and seed has it’s own distinct nutritional benefits, I decide to try to incorporate as many different types of nuts as possible. I used walnuts for their short chain omega-3 alpha linolenic acid to benefit the heart and give copper and manganese. I include pistachios for their high fiber content and carotenoids. Almond butter was used for almond’s high vitamin E, manganese, copper and fiber content. Finally, hemp seeds were included for another dose of omega-3’s

Chopped walnuts for healthy omega-3’s.

After grinding up the dates, nuts and seeds, I added the melted dark chocolate. The dough turned a beautiful, rich brown color and tasted so yummy!

Dough all ground up before heading to fridge.

I found the balls rolled the easiest by squishing them into loose balls and then rolling them in the chopped pistachios. After they were lightly covered with pistachios, I would roll them into tighter balls. (Unfortunately, my ball rolling skills aren’t perfect- the balls are a little lopsided but they still taste delicious!) It also seemed best to VERY finely chop the pistachios. They adhered the best when finely chopped!

Blasts all ready to eat.

Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Bombs

Ingredients

20 dates ground into a paste
1/3 cup of almond butter
1/3 cup of hemp seeds
1 3.5 oz dark (70% or above) chocolate bar, melted
1 tsp vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp of cardamon
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup of pistachios, finely chopped

Instructions

Grind pitted dates in a food processor fit with an s-blade until a paste forms.
Place chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted.
Add walnuts and pulse until combined.
Add hemp seed, almond milk, cinnamon, cardamon and sea salt. Pulse until well combined.
Add in melted chocolate and pulse until well mixed with the nuts and dates. You may have to stop and scrape the sides a couple of times.
Place food processor bowl in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Take nut mixture out of fridge and carefully roll the dough into balls.
The balls can be rolled in chopped pistachios or other nuts according to your tastes.
(I found it was easier to lightly squeeze the dough into balls and then roll them in the pistachios and then roll them some more to make the balls stay together.)
Enjoy!

http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/dark-chocolate-nut-and-seed-bombs/

A single blast of nutty goodness.

I love the bright green of the pistachios contrasted with the brown of the chocolate! It is so pretty!

A whole bowl of nutty goodness.

Feel free to substitute different nuts or nut butters for any of the ingredients. I think you can never go wrong with a nut. Enjoy!

Shared with Rock My Vegan Socks, Girl Meets Nourishment, Today’s Creative Blog, The Novice Gardner and Real Food Fridays.

Filed Under: Blog, Snacks

Lime and Chocolate Cashew Cream Cheesecakes

July 10, 2014

Lime, raw, vegan cheesecake with raspberry sauce.

For the Fourth of July, we were headed up to the Olympic Peninsula to spend time with my in-laws. They live in a somewhat rural area on the Puget Sound. Everyone in the family loves to go up there because not only do we get to spend time with the grandparents but the area is filled with great outdoor activities. Our days are consumed with fishing, kayaking, crabbing, hiking, biking and walking on the beach. The other thing I love about going up there is all the yummy natural food. There are multiple small farmer’s markets within 20 minute of their house. The Sound is filled with fish and crab and the forest has wild blackberries and huckleberries. I love to take advantage of the natural bounty! Usually, when I am there in the summer, I end up making some sort of berry cobbler for my father-in-law’s birthday. Crazily enough, he is one of the few people I know who doesn’t like chocolate so I like to try find desserts that will make him happy.

Before going up there last week, I was cruising around the internet and came upon the beautiful blog, Healthy For Happy. Lisa, the blog’s author, had posted a recipe for a yummy sounding raw, lime, vegan cheesecake. I had made a raw key lime pie before using the recipe from the I Am Grateful: Recipes and Lifestyle of Cafe Gratitude cookbook. It was super tasty, particularly the crust. I decided to combine the two recipes to make my own raw vegan cheesecake. (I also knew that most of the people at my in-laws DID like chocolate, so I decided to make half mini lime cheesecakes and half mini chocolate cheesecakes.)

Chocolate, raw, vegan cheesecake with raspberry sauce.

Lime and Chocolate Cashew Cream Cheesecakes

Ingredients

FOR CRUST:
11/4 cup of macadamia nuts
11/4 cup of pecans
1/4 cup of packed dates
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp of salt
FOR FILLING:
2 cups cashews soaked overnight (or at least 4 hours) and then rinsed and drained
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1/3 cup of melted coconut oil
small amount of almond milk as needed
Juice of 1-2 limes depending on how juicy they are
zest of 1 lime
1 tbs of cacao powder
couple of squares of dark chocolate, melted

Instructions

To make the crust, put all crust nut ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor.
Process until nuts are small and crumbly.
Slowly add dates while continuing to process nut mixture.
Crust will begin to stick together.
Press crust mixture into muffin tins lined with paper liners.
The crust should hold together well in bottom of tins.
I made two different types of cheese cake so I had to divide all the filling ingredients in 1/2. If you are only going to make one type, you can pour all the ingredients into the blender at the same time.
To make the filling, add 1/2 the cashews, 1/2 the vanilla, 1/2 the maple syrup, juice from 1 lime, lime zest and 1/2 the coconut oil to a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Taste to see if it is limey enough.
If not, gradually add more juice until it tastes as limey as you want.
Once the filling tastes as limey as you like, add lime filling to half of the prepared muffin tins.
Clean out the blender.
Add other half of the ingredients, plus the cacao and melted dark chocolate to the blender.
Process until smooth.
If not getting creamy, you can add small amounts of almond milk to help your blender process the nuts.
Taste to see if chocolaty enough. If not add more cacao to the blender.
Once all the nuts are ground up, spoon filling into the prepared muffin tins.
Smooth top of the cheesecakes.
Place in the fridge for a few hours to firm up and then ENJOY!
You can serve them with a raspberry sauce if you like. Recipe to follow.

http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/lime-and-chocolate-cashew-cream-cheesecakes/

Here is a picture of all the nuts for the crust before they get chopped up.

Pecans and macadamias before they become crust.

Below is a pic of the nuts, processed into the crust mixture and then pressed into the cup cake pan. They are just waiting for the filling to be ready.

Crust before filling.

A pic of the muffin tin with the chocolate and lime fillings added. Everything is now ready to go into the fridge.

Chocolate and lime raw vegan cheesecakes.

I have a crazy amount of raspberry bushes in my yard and last week the were filled with berries. I decided to use some of the berries to make a raspberry sauce to go on the cheesecakes. The cheesecakes are super yummy without the sauce but if you want to add a little extra zing, this is one way to do it.

Raspberry on the vine in my yard.

Homemade Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh raspberries (I am sure frozen would work too)
1/4 cup of agave syrup
juice from 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a pot on the stove over low heat.
Stir frequently to prevent burning or sticking.
When raspberries are broken down and the sauce starts to thicken, turn off stove.
Allow to cool.
Put in glass jar and store in the fridge.

http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/lime-and-chocolate-cashew-cream-cheesecakes/

Enjoy!

Shared on the Plant Based Pot Luck Party, Live Laugh Rowe, A Glimpse Inside, Real Food Fridays, Gluten Free Homemaker and the Nourishing Gourmet.

Filed Under: Blog, Dessert

Chocolate Cherry Chia 24 Hour Oats

June 19, 2014

Cherries.

Healthy Chia Seeds.

Every Friday morning, I sweat my way through an amazing boot camp class at The Refinery here in Portland. Each week features a different series of moves designed to torture us. While I am usually exhausted by the end of it, I LOVE it! It is fun, challenging and awesome to see what my body can and can’t do each week. Before each class, I have to think carefully about how I am going to fuel my body to get through the workout. I don’t want to be too weighed down but also want to be sure I have enough fuel to finish. The last few weeks, I have been relying on versions of 24 hour oats. With cherry season upon us, these Chocolate Cherry Chia Oats are my new favorite.

All the ingredients before adding the almond milk.

I added a scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder to my oats because I wanted the extra protein with such a hard workout but you can leave it out if you aren’t interested in extra protein.

We use this protein powder Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein, 622 Grams.

Shaken Oats Ready to Go In the Fridge.

These oats are great because you prep them the night before and then just grab them and go in the morning. They offer healthy omega-3 fats with the chia seeds, fiber filled oats and a dose of Vitamin C from the cherries. As you can see from the picture below, it is not a pretty breakfast but it sure tastes good.

Oats ready to eat after 24 hours in the fridge.

Chocolate Cherry Chia 24 Hour Oats

Ingredients

3 tbs of oats
2 tbs of chia seeds
1 tbs of cacao powder
1 tbs of protein powder (optional)
shake or two of cinnamon
1/2 cup of pitted and chopped cherries
1 cup of vanilla almond milk or milk of your choice
Maple syrup or other sweetener to taste

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a mason jar.
Cover.
Shake until well combined.
(You may have to open and stir with a spoon to be sure everything gets mixed together.)
Place in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, add sweetener of choice and enjoy.

http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/chocolate-cherry-chia-24-hour-oats/

I usually add a couple of tablespoons of some sort of nut butter for even more flavor and protein. You can omit it if you want or use whatever type of nut butter you have on hand.

This post shared with Live, Laugh, Rowe, The Nourishing Gourmet, A Glimpse Inside, Urban Naturale, Rock My Vegan Socks, Fat Tuesday, Mary’s Kitchen, Girl Meets Nourishement and Homespun Oasis.

This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Blog, Breakfast Faire, Health Information

Jane’s Chocolaty Gluten Free Granola

April 3, 2014

I have been in a bit of a breakfast slump lately. My normal rotation of chia pudding, warming grain cereal with coconut yogurt and fried egg sandwiches with avocado and hot sauce on sprouted bread is getting a little repetitive. As I was pondering what new addition I could make to my routine, I remembered an old recipe my friend, Jane, gave me for a super yummy, chocolaty gluten free granola. When I pulled the recipe out of my recipe box, it was covered in peanut butter smears and coconut oil stains- signs of a well used recipe. I remembered this granola not hanging around long in my household which confirmed I should reintroduce it to my family. I was excited to have this back as an option for my breakfast routine (or snack or dinner or any other time I had a hankering for chocolaty goodness!). As I looked at the recipe, I realized there were a few items I wanted to tweak from the original recipe based on the family’s changing eating habits but for the most part I left it as is. (I also changed a few ingredients based on the

types of dried fruit and nuts I had in my house.)

Dry ingredients all combined.

Nut butter, syrup, agave and coconut oil starting to melt.

Melted wet ingredients.

I used a combination of maple syrup and agave for my sweeteners but you could substitute honey or brown rice syrup if those are more to your liking. When you mix in the warm, wet ingredients, your chocolate chips will melt, spreading chocolate throughout the whole mixture. I like it this way because then I get a hint of chocolate in every bite. However, if you like granola with solid chunks of chocolate, I would wait to add the chips after the wet and dry ingredients have cooled a little bit.

Wet and dry ingredients all combined.

As you can see from the photo above, everything is lightly coated but not soaked.

Granola ready to go into the oven.

The recipe calls for only 30 minutes in the oven but mine took much longer (almost 50 minutes). (My oven runs a little cold so be sure to base your cook time on your own oven.)

Yum! A whole container of granola!

Chocolaty Gluten Free Granola

Ingredients

3 cups gluten free oats
1/3 cup of amaranth, soaked (This is optional. I had it so I added it for a protein boost.)
1/4 cup flax seeds (1/2 of them ground, 1/2 of them whole)
1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
1/4 cup of coconut
1/4 cup of dried blueberries
1/4 cup of dried cherries
1/4 cup of chocolate chips (vegan or regular)
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (Any nuts will do. Go with what you have available or what you like.)
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cup of almond butter (Any nut butter will work in this recipe.)
1/4 cup of agave
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/2 tsp of vanilla
5 tbs of coconut oil

Instructions

If using amaranth, soak for at least six hours and overnight if possible.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a sauce pan, over low heat, combine almond butter, vanilla, agave, maple syrup and coconut oil.
Stir until well combined.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
Stir until all dry ingredients covered with almond butter mixture.
Press into a pan.
Place in oven for at least 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. (Mine took over 50 minutes to be fully cooked but you will have to keep checking for when it looks done to you.)

http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/janes-chocolaty-gluten-free-granola/

Enjoy!

This post is part of a Friday Link party of Nap time Creations, Today’s Creative Blog, Live Laugh Rowe, Gluten Free Homemaker, The Nourishing Gourmet and The Shabby Nest.

This post

Filed Under: Blog, Breakfast Faire

Dark Chocolate Cherry Snack Bars

March 19, 2014

Finished Bars.

In our house, I am always looking for the easy grab and go snack for my active family. As I have moved through this journey towards healthier eating for me and my family, I have been appalled at some of the ingredients listed on food boxes- especially foods marketed towards kids. My kids love their snack bars so I like to try to develop recipes that appeal to their desire for a bar but without all the extra “special” ingredients of commercial bars. With these Dark Chocolate Cherry Snack Bars, I think I have scored a winner.

They are crunchy, chewy, chocolaty, nutty mounds of goodness with tons of healthy omega-3’s, protein and other vitamins and minerals. And best of all they have no “mystery” ingredients that you need a science degree to pronounce!

Chopped and roasted pistachios.

In this bar, I have used both quinoa, a seed most people are familiar with and millet, a grain most people aren’t familiar with eating. (Even though people in Europe have been eating it for centuries, most Americans will only recognize it as one of the ingredients in bird seed.) I like to add millet to baked goods because it is a gluten free, high protein, high fiber grain that adds a little crunch to whatever I am whipping up. Millet is high in amino acids, B-complex vitamins including niacin, folate, thiamine, and riboflavin, and is high in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and potassium. It also is a good source of calcium and zinc. However, if the thought of eating “bird food” makes you squeamish or can’t find millet, you can replace it with quinoa or another of your favorite grains.

Oat mixture before the almond butter.

Oat mixture combined with the almond butter mixture.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Snack Bars

Ingredients

1 cup soaked uncooked old fashion oats
1/4 cup soaked uncooked quinoa
1/4 cup soaked uncooked cup of millet
3/4 cup unsweetened dried cherries
1/2 cup of salted dry roasted pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup of hemp seeds
2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
1 ounce of dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup of almond butter, smooth
6 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Instructions

Soak oats, quinoa and millet for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight- (if you are going to soak).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain oats, quinoa and millet and then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake at least 10 minutes but until lightly brown. Stir to break up any clumps that form.
Let cool.
Place oat mixture in a large bowl and add the coconut, cherries, pistachios, flax meal, chocolate and hemp seeds.
Combine the almond butter, coconut oil and maple syrup in a pot.
Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly.
Pour almond mixture over the oat mixture. Stir to combine.
Press mixture into an 8x8 pan greased with coconut oil.
Bake for 13 minutes or until lightly brown.

http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/dark-chocolate-cherry-snack-bars/

Finished product. Yum! Yum!

This post is part of a link-up party on Tip Junkie.

Filed Under: Blog, Snacks

Easy Instructions for Making Kombucha

March 16, 2014

It seems like every time I pick up a magazine or look on the internet there is an article about adding probiotic foods to your diet. Besides the “normal” items you read about like yogurt or sauerkraut, kombucha, a fermented tea, has become a big part of the conversation. It is amazing how easy it has become to find this naturally carbonated, fermented beverage filled with amino acids, probiotics and a spectrum of B vitamins. In fact, the other day, I even saw some on the self at Target! But what is kombucha and why are so many people talking about it?

Kombucha’s origins can be traced all the way back to the Chinese around 220 BC. From there, it spread to Tibet and into Russia where talk of the “miracle fungus” drink began to appear. Over the years, it continued to spread, eventually, appearing in the US in the Sixties. Since that time, it has grown in popularity.

Kombucha is amazingly easy to make. Black or green tea is combined with filtered water, sugar and a scoby (a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and then left to ferment on the kitchen counter. After 7-10 days of fermentation, you are ready to bottle your own probiotic drink. It has the effervescence of a soda but without all the sugar and calories. (Sugar is used to brew kombucha. However, most of the sugar is consumed in the fermentation process.) Kombucha is easily and inexpensively produced at home using either the continuous brewing or single batch brewing method.

I have to admit. I was a little nervous to begin producing my own kombucha. However, with a single bottle of commercial kombucha ringing in around $3.99, my daily habit was getting too expensive for my budget. As I started to research at-home production, I found the Kombucha Kamp website. This website is a treasure trove of information about kombucha brewing. Here I could buy my scoby, get my starter liquid and find the answers to all my questions.

: Starting Scoby.

: Scoby forming at top of brewing jar.

: Growing Scoby

I was so excited when my scoby arrived and was even more excited when I realized how easy it would be to start producing my own kombucha. Kombucha Kamp’s directions are straight forward and are the ones I continue to use today.

Since producing my first batch of kombucha, I have produced hundreds of bottles. The best part is I no longer have to spend $3.99 a day to support my addiction.

Directions as Taken From Kombucha Kamp

Supplies Needed

tea kettle or large pot
1 gallon glass container (no metal or crystal)
3 quarts of purified water (no chlorine)
1 cup of sugar
4-5 tea bags or 4-5 tsp of loose leaf tea
1-2 cups of starter liquid (non-flavored kombucha from previous batch or included with your scoby purchase)
Scoby (obtain from kombucha making friend or purchase- I bought mine from Kombucha Kamp on the internet and it included the starter liquid)
Tightly woven cloth and rubber band (no cheese cloth because weave is too loose and fruit flies will get in)

Steps

Heat 4 cups of purified water in tea pot or large pot.
As water starts to boil, turn off heat and let cool 1-2 minutes, then add to your brewing vessel. Make sure your vessel isn’t too cold to prevent it from cracking.
Add 4-5 tea bags (green, black or a combo) and steep for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the tea bags and stir in 1 cup of sugar until dissolved.
Add 2 cups of purified water, lowering the temperature of the water. It needs to be no warmer than body temperature or it can kill the scoby.
Add your starter liquid.
Add scoby.
Cover container with tightly woven cloth and seal with a rubber band. (I used two layers of coffee filters held with a rubber band.)
Place container in dark, warm, ventilated area for 7-21 days. Try to disturb as little as possible during this time.
After 7 days, gently insert straw under the scoby to taste your brew. When it has the right balance of sweet and sour, it is time for bottling. (This is personal preference.)
With clean hands, remove the scobies and place in clean bowl.
Pour 2 cups of brew over the scobies to use as starter liquid for next batch. Cover with cloth and set aside for next brew.
Use clean glass bottles with tight fitting lids. (I reused bottles from store bought kombucha.) Metal lids are not ok.
If flavoring the brew, put juice, fruit or flowers in the bottles.
Insert funnel in the bottle and ladle or pour brew into the bottle. Leave some room at top for secondary fermentation.
Repeat with remaining bottles. Screw on the lids and allow to sit for 1-3 days on the counter, burping the bottles to release carbonation as needed.
Move bottles to fridge as they reach desired carbonation. Refrigeration halts secondary fermentation from flavoring.

Tips for Success

Cleanliness is VERY important. Be sure all utensils, hands and vessels have been thoroughly cleaned and rinsed of soap.
To dechlorinate water, allow to sit out overnight or boil for 10 minutes then allow to cool.
Kombucha brews best between 72-85 degrees. If below 70, will ferment slower and you run the risk of the scoby growing mold. (If your scoby looks like it has mold, you must throw it away and start over.) If your environment is below 70, you can use a heating pad to maintain adequate temperature.
Keep out of direct sunlight.
Your scoby is a living organism. Do not put it in water above 100 degrees or touch it with dirty hands or hands that have been cleaned with anti-bacteria soap.
Avoid contact between your brew and metal (except stainless steel). It can affect the taste and will weaken the scoby over time.

Filed Under: Blog, Drinks

Seven Seed Bars

March 15, 2014

Photo by Naomii on flickr.

One of the major bonuses of being in a Wholistic Nutrition program is having other students and teachers cook for you. We have shared some seriously tasty meals in the year we have been in school. In one of our beginning classes, the Wellspring teachers brought a snack bar that has become a stable in our house. This bar is something I can cook up in a short amount of time and know the boys are getting some good, healthy nutrition in a grab and go package. These bars do not hang around very long in our house.

Measured quinoa.

Roasting macadamias and quinoa.

Stirring up some seeded goodness!

Seven seed bars ready for consumption.

Seven Seed Bars

Ingredients

½c quinoa toasted
1 ½c almond butter
½c maple syrup (I don't like mine really sweet, so I often short my 1/2 cup a little.)
½c brown rice syrup or agave (I will also short this a little too.)
¼tsp cardamom
¼tsp cinnamon
½c sunflower seeds toasted
¾c pumpkin seeds toasted
¼c hulled hemp seeds
½c macadamia nuts toasted & chopped
¼c cacao nibs (sometimes I leave these out, depending on if I have them or not)

Instructions

Toast nuts and quinoa in 350 degree oven or on the stove top in a heavy pan.
Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Mix almond butter, syrups and spices.
Add all seeds.
Mix well.
Oil a 9x13 pan and spread batter evenly.
Bake 15 minutes til golden brown.
Cool before slicing.
Stores well in the fridge for about a week but only if they don't all get eaten in the first hour.

http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/seven-seed-bars/

As you can see, these are an amazingly dense bar, packed with nutty nutrition. These bars offer a high amount of protein in a small package. Quinoa is a gluten free seed which is an excellent source of vegetarian protein. It contains eight essential amino acids our body needs to thrive. One cup has 5 grams of fiber and is an excellent source of manganese, potassium, copper, B6, phosphorous and thiamine.

Almonds have been recommended for years as a quick source of healthy protein. They contain two essential brain nutrients, the amino acid, l-carnitine and riboflavin. Both nutrients have been shown to increase brain activity. Almonds help raise the HDL cholesterol, “good” cholesterol, and lower the LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body. They also contain high levels of phosphorous with helps build strong bones and teeth.

Depending on the other nuts or seeds you choose to use in this recipe, you can create a nutritional powerhouse for your own family based on the flavors and textures they enjoy.

This post shared with Gluten Free Homemaker.

Filed Under: Blog, Snacks

Tag Archives: vegetarian

Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Bombs

Lime and Chocolate Cashew Cream Cheesecakes

Chocolate Cherry Chia 24 Hour Oats

Jane’s Chocolaty Gluten Free Granola

Dark Chocolate Cherry Snack Bars

Easy Instructions for Making Kombucha

Directions as Taken From Kombucha Kamp

Supplies Needed

Steps

Tips for Success

Seven Seed Bars