A new Chick-Fil-A just opened up near my house and so I broke down and went and got their chicken sandwich (I did opt for the wheat bun). I must confess- they make some good chicken. A few hours later, to my disgust, it seemed my breath started to smell, well, bad. And, it kept smelling bad- I think I chewed a whole pack of gum that day. It has been so long since I have really had meat that I forgot how bad it can turn your breath. Have any of you noticed meat turns your breath bad?
I realize it is a little nutty to make your own nut butter, but it is really easy, fresh, and delicious. If you have a VitaMix or something else strong enough to whip nuts to a creamy paste, then I think you should give it a try. Almonds have vitamin E, antioxidants, and the good fats that help lower harmful LDL cholesterol, reducing your risk of heart disease. They are also in season during the summer, so now it a great time to order a big bag and start blending.
2 cups Raw Organic Almonds
4 Tbs Organic Raw Whole Flaxseed 
1/2 Vanilla Bean
2 Tbs Organic Raw Hemp Seeds
2 Tbs Organic Coconut Oil
3/8-1/2 cup Organic Sunflower Oil
Cut Vanilla Bean in half, vertically, and scrape out the insides with a knife, add the bits from the inside of the vanilla bean to your blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend on high, you will need to use the tamper to keep the thick mixture moving, blend until you have creamy almond butter.
Okay, I really did it, I made raw spaghetti using spiral sliced zucchini instead of regular pasta noodles. It was actually really good- I have to admit, I was a little surprised. I got the recipe from this link, and check out their pictures because they are a lot better than mine turned out- (I am still working on my photography skills.) They said to put in 1-2 cloves garlic, but that was just to much, so I would say 1/2- 1 clove will be plenty.
Recipe:
3 large heirloom tomatoes, or the equivalent of the same amount of cherry tomatoes – cut in chunks
2-3 halves sun-dried tomatoes
1-2 dates – pits removed
1/2 -1 clove garlic
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup or more fresh basil leaves
1-2 leaves, or 1 tbsp of fresh oregano (optional)
Handful of flat leaf parsley (optional)
Celtic salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Serve over zucchini shaved on a spiral slicer on the spaghetti setting.
Try it… and let me know what you think!
I want to share a quote on exactly why I have a hard time calling myself a vegan, vegetarian, raw foodist, or any other ist:
“I think that people have framed this conversation in absolutes. Either you are or you aren’t. The word vegetarian, I think, does a disservice because there are a lot of people who care but maybe don’t care, or can’t care in an ultimate way. If you think about environmentalism, nobody would ask, “Are you an environmentalist or not?” The question doesn’t make any sense. And the notion that the first time you drive in a car or fly in a plane that you should throw your hands up in the air and say, “Okay, well I give up. I’m not going to try at all anymore,” is crazy. If people thought about food more like how we think about the environment, a lot of people would be eating differently and the whole system would look a lot different.”
- Jonathan Safran Foer, from an interview about his book Eating Animals, with Kiera Butler for motherjones.com.
To see the whole interview click here, for the book, click here
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I get asked all the time if I am vegan or a vegetarian or if I never eat sugar. I have a hard time answering because I eat Green almost all of time, but just not 100% of the time. Some people are absolutist about food which is actually admirable, but it’s not what works for me, at least not yet. And I don’t think pushing absolutism onto others is what will change the world.
I like to tell people, “Take that next step for you,” “Just lean into it,” ”Find out where you are and where you want to go and just start.”
These bars are like a slice of fruit cobbler that you can eat on-the-go. They are a sweet dessert that is simple to make. These cobbler bars can be made with any all fruit jam- strawberry, apricot, raspberry- just make sure there is no added sugar in the jam. I used blackberry jam this time. I use 1 egg in this recipe to hold them all together, but I would love to know if any of you find a way to stick together without the egg.
- 1 (13-ounce) jar all fruit jam (about 1 1/4 cups) (my favorite is St. Dalfour )
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup applesauce (no sugar)
- 1/2 cup of canola oil
- 1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13 by 2-inch metal baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.
Crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, honey, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the applesauce, oil, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
Using a fork or clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the jam over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the filling with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
