3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

I heard today is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day. I'll take it! In honor of the holiday, I figured it was due time I share this recipe for 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies. Yeah, 3 ingredients. Does it get any easier than this? In the realm of daily desserts (ya'll eat dessert on the daily, right?), I love the combination of dates and nuts. So simple, so rich, and so clean. 

For these cookies, I use Adam's brand peanut butter. All natural, and it contains a little salt. If you're using an unsalted peanut butter, add a pinch of sea salt to the recipe.

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies makes 16 cookies

peanut butter, dates, almond flour

• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 cup dates
• 3-4 Tbsp almond flour

   

Method

Combine peanut butter and dates in a food processor until smooth. You should have a fairly thick paste.

Add 3 Tbsp of almond flour, blend again. Add another Tbsp if necessary to thicken. You want to be able to press the dough between your fingers and have it stick together. 

Use a 1 Tbsp measure to scoop dough, roll into a ball with your hands, and use a fork to cross mark and slightly flatten the cookies.

Cover and refrigerate! These babies will last for about a week in the fridge-- If they make it that long! And they freeze great.

Healing Beetroot Raspberry Smoothie

So it's been freezing the past two weeks in beautiful Bellingham. Like scrape my car, sit in the cold, and make me late for my workout cold.

Not cool Robert Frost!

Kid President, anyone?

Anywhooo. I don't even care that icicles are forming from the tip of my nose, I'll still be making this smoothie and enjoying it from the comfort of my home, curled in front of the space heater.

Just kidding.

...kind of.

I mean, look at that shade of fuchsia! Let me tell you all about it.
Beets, raspberries, banana, ginger, lemon, almond milk. ZING. Talk about powerhouse of flavor and healing properties. Let's get clear, any smoothie packed with fresh foods is going to be healing. That's just how mother nature works. Give your body the right resources and it will heal itself. But what is so stand-out about these ingredients?

Beetroot

• improves circulation, cleanses the blood and vitalizes the liver
• moistens intestinal tract to promote bowel movements
•  promotes menstruation
•  alkalizing

Raspberries

• antioxidant-rich & anti-inflammatory
• reaps anti-inflammatory properties similar to that of aspirin and ibuprofen   

 Ginger

• warming effect on the body
• aids digestion, upset stomach, and intestinal bloating
• known to enhance the flow of saliva, relieving sore throat
• reduces nausea, used to treat motion sickness and morning sickness during pregnancy  

Beetroot Raspberry Smoothie makes 1 smoothie

ginger, lemon, almond milk

• 1 small beetroot, raw, peeled
• 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk + more for a thinner smoothie
• squeeze of lemon 

method

Combine all ingredients in a high power blender until smooth.  

Note; if your blender is not high powered, try lightly steaming the peeled beets before blending so that you can get a stellar consistency!

enjoy!

Peachy Mint Smoothie

There is nothing I love more, on a hot summer day, than a killer smoothie. Easy nutrient dense meal. Stay cool. Drink from a straw. Nothing better.

This smoothie is the result of needing to use up leftover mint after a batch of this Quinoa Tabbouleh. What would be icy fresh and just lightly sweet enough to compliment mint? Step in, frozen peaches.

From there, just a little Greek yogurt for creaminess, chia seeds, and spinach for good measure.

In my mind, a smoothie is forever the perfect opportunity to get a heavy hand of vegetables into my day.

And voila! Insta-breakfast!

Cool down, green up, and enjoy!

Peachy Mint Smoothie serves 1

coconut water, chia seeds, greens

• 1 cup frozen peaches
• handful of greens (I used spinach)
• 3/4 cup coconut water
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 sprig of mint, leaves only
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp agave

Method

Combine first 5 ingredients in a high power blender. Blend until smooth. Add in remaining ingredients and blend to fully combine.

NICE Bars, the KIND Bar Copycat

KIND Bars have a special place in my heart, only second to Larabars, as far as energy bars go. I love the identifiable ingredient list, the texture of whole nuts and fruit. I 've been experimenting with what I call NICE Bars, aka the KIND Bar copycat. The much more economic, customizable version.

I have a few flavor combinations below for you. This standard recipe is meant to be played with and adapted to the flavors you love, and what you happen to have in your bulk foods stash. I used puffed amaranth as my grain of choice for these bars. Puffed brown rice cereal works just as well.

Traditional Fruit & Nute NICE Bar

Amaranth, though is looks like a typical cereal grain (oats, wheat, etc.), it is a pseudo-cereal grain, of the family of quinoa and millet. Amaranth is gluten-free, an iron, calcium, and protein powerhouse.

Success Tips for NICE Bars:

• Don't try to substitute brown rice syrup with any other liquid sweetener. I tried honey, agave, maple syrup, and a touch of molasses-- nothing holds quite like brown rice syrup. You can find this at most well-stocked grocery stores and co ops.
• Press the fruit and nut mixture firmly into the prepared pan. Otherwise, you'll take them out of the oven and watch them crumble like sticky granola.
• Line your baking tray with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper, these bad boys are sticky- for real.
• Let them cool completely before cutting into bars. 

Now! Onto this recipe! The flavor of choice that I'm featuring is a Coconut Almond Dark Chocolate NICE Bar. There was nothing NICE about them when I wouldn't share, I'll leave you to figure that one out on your own.

Coconut Almond Dark Chocolate NICE Bars makes 10 bars

 puffed amaranth, sea salt, brown rice syrup

• 1 cup raw unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup puffed amaranth* or puffed brown rice cereal
• pinch sea salt
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 3 oz dark chocolate

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine nuts, coconut, puffed amaranth and sea salt. Add brown rice syrup. Mix with a wooden spoon until nuts and fruit are completely coated and beginning to stick together. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan, distribute evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and press the mixture firmly into the pan, working into the edges of the pan. Remove plastic wrap, bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool completely. I placed mine in the fridge overnight.

Once cooled, remove from pan, cut into 10 equal bars. In a double boiler or microwave, heat the dark chocolate until just melted. Dip fully-cooled bars into the chocolate, then place chocolate side up on a plate to set. I placed mine in the fridge for 10 minutes to set. 

* To make puffed amaranth: Preheat a heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. The pan is hot enough when a drop of water beads up and dances across the surface. Add dry, uncooked amaranth to the pan, 2 Tbsp at a time, cover with a lid and shake. You'll hear it start to pop, like popcorn. This takes less than 30 seconds and goes from puffed to burnt quickly, so be careful. Remove from heat, and continue 2 Tbsp at a time. 2 Tbsp dry amaranth makes roughly 1/3 cup puffed amaranth. Note that if some of the amaranth is not puffed, it's ok, it's will add a little crunch and taste just fine.

These bars keep well at room temperature for 3-5 days, or in the fridge for up to two weeks- if they last that long ;)

.      .      .

 NICE Bar Variations

Traditional Fruit & Nut 

Use a combination of almonds, pecans, cashews, and pepitas for the nuts, and dried tart cherries in place of coconut. Omit chocolate coating.

Ambrosia Delight

Use 1/4 cup dried coconut, and 1/4 cup chopped dried apricot for the fruit. Omit chocolate

Classic PB&J

Use 1/2 cup chopped, dry roasted peanuts in place of cashews. Use dried tart cherries and blueberries in place of coconut. Omit chocolate.

Seedy Bars

Use 1 cup almonds and cashews, 1/2 cup sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and 1/2 cup sesame, chia, and flax seeds for the nuts, omit fruit and chocolate.

Carrot Bread for Vata Season

Non-stop busy days?

Rushing from one place to the next?

Offering support to the people in your life?

Not a lot of time left for yourself or to b r e a t h ?

I feel you.

Late fall/winter is the season of Vata (take your dosha quiz and read more on ayurvedic healing here). This season brings out qualities such as cold, dry, airy, clear, and moving. Change is in the wind, transformational shifts can occur.

When an excess of the aforementioned qualities are present, we can begin to feel out of balance. This might show up in the way of insomnia, dry skin, constipation, anxiety or depression. So how do you get yourself back into balance in the midst of this bustling season?

Balance/Pacify Vata

• Eat warm foods, fresh, well-cooked foods. Avoid cold salads, dry, and uncooked foods. To pacify the qualities of cold, dry, and airy, eat foods that oppose these qualities; think warm, thick, liquid qualities.
• Drink warm water or tea throughout the day to stay hydrated. I like to slice fresh ginger rounds, toss them into a mug with cardamom pods, pour some hot water over the top and let it steep for a few minutes. These spices have a warming effect on the body too!
• Eat more foods with sweet, sour, or salty properties, less astringent, bitter, and pungent foods. Does this make that bucket of Halloween candy free game? Probs not.
• Be at peace with eating a little bit more. Instinctively, this is our body's time to store fat for the cold winter ahead, to choose more hearty foods. Work with nature rather than against. Eat in moderation, honor your body by honoring the food you take into it and the energy that it provides you.

This bread is adapted from the Xinalani Retreat, a yoga retreat center in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This recipe was featured in Yoga Journal Magazine a few years ago. This remains to be my favorite recipe for cakebread. Think like zucchini or banana bread, but with carrots Studded beautifully with pecans and raisins.

 

I've been making this bread regularly this season. I'll make a full loaf, take half for my long weekends of yoga teacher training, and freezing the other half for later use. This bread make a fantastic, easily packed snack. Warm a slice with a smear of ghee or coconut oil for breakfast, serve with some fresh fruit. Sometimes I'll crumble it over Greek yogurt with extra raisins and pecans. Ah-mazing!

This is also a fabulous base recipe that you can further adapt. Sometimes I'll omit the turmeric and sub in zucchini, walnuts, and currants for carrot, pecans, and raisins. Try any combination that strikes you!

Carrot Bread makes 1 standard loaf, 10 slices

pecans, raisins, coconut oil, turmeric

• 2.5 cups spelt or other whole grain flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup raw cane sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
•  1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk of your choice

Method

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and lightly grease a standard 9-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, turmeric, baking soda, and sea salt.

In a large bowl, mix shredded carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. Fold dry ingredients into wet until well blended. Gently fold in pecans, raisins, and milk. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted through the middle comes out clean.

Enjoy this bread with a strong cup of french press coffee, chai tea, and great company!

I love to hear from you, how do you find balance amongst the change of fall/winter?

What are some of your favorite fall recipes?

Fresh Homemade Yogurt

Good news- I'm still alive. I know, I missed you too.
I feel like I owe the blogosphere an explanation, and a recipe. Behold, how to make yogurt!
note: I've altered the recipe as of 3/26/13 to initially heat the milk to 180 F/82 C, let cool to 115 F/45 C as I have found that this higher initial heat results in a thicker yogurt. 

 If ever there was a recipe to make a comeback with, it's gotta be yogurt. Am I right? Maybe I'm the only enthusiast.

A little backstory of the past few weeks:

I'm used to working on my feet all day and standing for long periods of time, however this combined with awkward twisting, reaching, and lifting in the kitchen at the retreat, I acquired a mild pain in my lower back. Thinking nothing of it, I continued working, practicing power yoga and not listening to my body pushing my limits. Worst. Idea. Ever. Especially if you have aches and pains.

After one power yoga class in particular, I realized I had gone too far. There was an acute pain in my lower back. I spent the remainder of the class in Child's Pose, mentally kicking myself for not listening to my body sooner. After class, I slipped on my trainers and couldn't even bend down to tie them without my back seizing. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking on eggshells, in fear that any sudden movement would surely send me spiraling into agony.

Luckily for me, I happen to be in the best possible place for healing. We have an amazing Reiki practitioner, Wendi, who took very good care of me, answering my endless questions and entertaining my wild theories. As well, Jamie and Karissa were back for a visit. Jamie is a prominent Pilates instructor, and a wealth of knowledge in the way of the body's inner-workings. He gave me a few simple exercises that I could do each day to release the hip flexors, which helped me to find some relief. I was also fortunate enough to take almost a full week of rest. Bedridden and actually enjoying it, can you imagine? Two weeks later, I have significantly improved. I've crossed that line where laying in bed all day no longer feels good, this is how I know I'm better. A hard lesson to learn, but a necessary one. I was forced for the first time to listen, really listen, to my body. I became sensitized to the cues my body gives me in the way of physical exercise, what I eat, and how I move through my day. Everything became much more mindful and deliberate.

I also learned a lot from Wendi, as she works holistically, we talked about everything from stress to my diet. At one point she advised me to stop drinking lemon water for the time being because it was too taxing on my kidneys. We talked about how my diet has changed over the past few months since coming to Fuerteventura. Before, I was relying on eggs, soy milk, and yogurt as a primary protein source, but in the past few months the above foods have become almost non-existent in my diet, in lieu of grain+legume combinations to create whole proteins. After telling Wendi this, she reminded me how great of a pro-biotic fresh yogurt is (you knew this had to wraparound somehow). She said, "Keep eating how you're eating, just try adding in yogurt again". Don't have to tell me twice.

At the retreat, we make our own yogurt. It far surpasses commercial brand yogurts. And I'm not just saying that. If you look at the ingredient list on some of the most popular dairy brands- and don't even get me started on "flavored" yogurt, I'm talking plain, as close as you can get to fresh clean yogurt- you'll find stabilizers, thickeners, preservatives to prolong shelf life. Gross.

You know what's not gross? Creamy, fresh homemade yogurt with a drizzle of raw local honey.

And it's so damn easy! If only I'd known this years ago. All you need is two liters of fresh whole milk, and roughly 250g of plain natural yogurt. Get the best quality milk you can, preferably the freshest. If you know a local farmer, give them a call. It's worth it. The fresher the milk, the creamier your end result will be, you will taste the difference. Another thing to note, the specific amount of already-cultured yogurt you use is not terribly important. Anywhere from 150g-300g will absolutely work, what is important is that you start with an unsweetened, whole milk, plain yogurt. The ingredients should read something like,

pasturized organic whole milk, living cultures: A Acidophilus, L Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, and Bifidobacterium Lactis

If you're in North America, a couple brands that I'm familiar with and would shoot for are Straus, and Mountain High.

The milk gets slowly heated, then the already-cultured yogurt gets slowly stirred in. Once you make your first batch of yogurt, you can reserve some, and begin using this as your active culture when you make your next batch, just as you would with kombucha, and any other cultured good-ness.

Then simply cover the yogurt, wrap it with a few kitchen towels to insulate it, and let it rest on the counter over night. Shhh, it's culturing.

The next morning, you can transfer it to another container and place into the fridge. Overnight, it will have thickened up and you will be left with the creamiest yogurt that money can't buy. From here, you can strain it through a cheesecloth to make greek yogurt. This process concentrates the cream and solids in the yogurt by straining out any excess liquid, or whey. Straining leaves you with a thicker, creamier, and significantly less tart tasting yogurt. I think the first thing you'll notice about homemade yogurt, however, is that it is already much less 'sour' than store-bought. If you do strain your 'gurt, don't throw away the whey! It's a natural acid that you can use to soak whole grains and beans before cooking to make them more easily digested, you can also use it the next time you make something like Raw Buckwheat Porridge. And hey, some people even drink whey straight. To each their own.

Fresh Homemade Yogurt  

• 2 liters whole milk
• roughly 250g unsweetened plain yogurt

Method 

note: I've raised the initial heat temperature to 180 F/82 C after finding that this higher initial heat results in a thicker yogurt.
Pour the milk into a large metal pot, heat over a low flame until it reaches about 180 degrees F/82 degrees C. The milk should be steaming and frothy, but not yet boiling. Remove from heat and let it cool to 115 F/45 C, which will still feel warm to the touch. This is optimal for the live bacteria in your yogurt to thrive.

Slowly add already-cultured plain yogurt, stirring gently with a metal spoon  or whisk to dissolve completely.

Once dissolved, place a lid on the pot, and place it on the counter out of the way. Wrap a few kitchen towels around the pot to hold the heat it. Let the yogurt sit undisturbed on the counter overnight to culture. In the morning, transfer to another container and place in the fridge. Enjoy throughout the week, and reserve some of this culture for your next batch!


Eat on, friends!