Category Archives: Nuts

PB and C COOKIE DOUGH BITES

*** I recently added this to the Secret Recipe Club’s Cookie Party ***

There was once a time when I would buy Pillsbury cookie dough and eat the whole unbaked sleeve myself (gasp!)!!!  Something tells me that didn’t help any of the medical conditions I was experiencing.

I know we all grew-up eating raw cookie dough, but I need to confess that now the idea of eating cookie dough made with raw eggs makes me cringe…can anyone say salmonella?  This cookie dough can be eaten without worry since there are no eggs in the dough.

Do you know what else isn’t in the dough?  Butter.  I have created a healthy cookie dough recipe for those (like me) who have a fondness for eating raw dough.  I do however want to point out that this is a dessert and isn’t meant to be eaten in one sitting (although it would be a heck of a lot better for you to eat this whole batch than a whole batch of conventional cookie dough).  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS – Makes 30-32 cookie bites

1 cup organic peanut butter

3/4 cup blanched almond flour

1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup vegan carob chips

2 Tbs. water

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Mash together the pitted dates and peanut butter.  I wear a latex-free glove and mash them together with my hands.  The dates will not break down completely.

Pour the almond flour and flax meal over the date/peanut butter mixture and combine well.  You can mash it together with your hands or with a pastry cutter.  Add the water and mix well to combine.  Add the carob chips and combine.

Place the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm-up.

Use a small scoop and shape the dough into balls.

Store the completed cookie dough bites in the refrigerator.  I store mine in a mason jar.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

*** I am sure this recipe would work well in a food processor as well.

Secret Recipe Club Cookie Party

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Filed under Dessert, Gluten Free, Nuts, Raw, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

APPLE PIE INFUSED PECANS

Apple Pie Infused Pecans

Apple Pie Infused Pecans

If you have ever soaked nuts in an attempt to destroy their enzyme inhibitors and increase their digestibility, then I am sure you have noticed that they swell to twice their original size.  It was this observation that inspired my latest nut recipe.  I thought, if nuts are able to absorb such vast quantities of water, then surely they are able to absorb any liquid…and boy did they!  The result is subtle, but oh so good.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups pecans

3 cups fresh squeezed apple juice

1 cup crock pot applesauce OR apple juice concentrate*

1 Tbs. honey or agave syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

*to make this recipe completely raw, you can either eliminate the applesauce or add date paste for sweetness

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Blend the fresh squeezed apple juice, applesauce, honey, cinnamon, and allspice in a high speed blender.

Blend in Your Vitamix

Blend in Your Vitamix

Add Spices and Sweetener into the Blender

Add Spices and Sweetener into the Blender

Place the pecans in a large Glasslock™ container and cover with the apple juice mixture.  Allow the pecans to soak overnight in the refrigerator.

Pour Spiced Juice Mixture Over Pecans

Pour Spiced Juice Mixture Over Pecans

Ready for the Fridge

Ready for the Fridge

In the morning pour the pecans into a colander and rinse them.

Pour Pecans and Juice Mixture into a Colander

Pour Pecans and Juice Mixture into a Colander

Rinse the Soaked Pecans

Rinse the Soaked Pecans

Place the soaked pecans on a mesh dehydrator tray (not a Teflex sheet) and dehydrate at 115 ° for 6-8 hours.  To ease clean-up, I place a Teflex sheet on the tray below the pecans so it can catch any drips.

Place Pecans on Mesh Tray

Place Pecans on Mesh TrayDehydrate in Excalibur...Tray Below Has a Teflex Sheet

These pecans are so good on their own.  I keep mine in the freezer and eat them straight out of the freezer (they are extra crunchy that way).  The Apple Pie Infused Pecans would also be a great trail mix ingredient!

 

Apple Pie Infused Pecans

Apple Pie Infused Pecans

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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Filed under Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Nuts, Raw, Recipes, Sides, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

SWEET VALENTINE – Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Molten Cake

Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Molten Cake

Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Molten Cake

In daily life we really do want to minimize / eliminate sweets, but who can resist a little chocolate on Valentine’s Day?  Make this raw molten cake with peanut butter lava for your honey and I guarantee they will be feeling the love.  This is sooooooo yum!

INGREDIENTS – Makes 6 individual molten cakes

Cake

2 cups raw pecans (best result if frozen)

2/3 cup raw agave

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1/2 cup coconut flour

Filling

1 Tbs. organic peanut butter for each cake

Toppings

Fun Fresh Foods chocolate agave nectar 

powdered sugar for dusting

fresh sliced bananas

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Take the frozen pecans and place them in the food processor (I use a Cuisinart I purchased at Costco).  Turn on the processor and process until the nuts become meal.  Do not process too long or it will turn into nut butter.

Frozen Raw Pecans

Frozen Raw Pecans

Process Into a Meal

Process Into Meal

Pour the raw agave into the nuts while processing.  The nuts and agave will turn into batter.

Batter

Batter

Add the raw cacao and process to incorporate.  The processor will begin working very hard…you may have to stop and scrape down the bowl. 

Add the Cacao Powder

Add the Cacao Powder

Scrape Down the Sides

Scrape Down the Sides

When well mixed, take the batter out and transfer it to a bowl.  Wearing latex-type gloves (to avoid sticking), mix in the coconut flour with your hands.

Transfer to a Bowl

Transfer to a Bowl

Add the Coconut Flour

Add the Coconut Flour

Use Hands to Incorporate

Use Hands to Incorporate

Line your mini cake molds with saran wrap.

Mini Bundt Molds

Mini Bundt Molds

Line With Plastic Wrap

Line With Plastic Wrap

Once mixed well, use a 2 Tbs. ice cream scoop to fill each of the 6 molds.  Wrap the remaining cacao batter in Saran Wrap and place it as well as the filled molds in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden.

Scoop in Batter

Scoop in Batter

Wrap-up Remaining Batter and Chill

Wrap-up Remaining Batter and Chill

Once hardened take the molds out and wearing gloves press the batter into the molds making a well in the middle.  Make sure you spread the cacao mixture as evenly as possible so it dehydrates evenly.  Fill the wells with 1 Tbs. of organic peanut butter (or chocolate sauce). 

Press Into Molds Evenly Then Create Wells

Press Into Molds Evenly Then Create Wells

Add Filling (Peanut Butter or Chocolate)

Add Filling (Peanut Butter or Chocolate)

Take the remaining batter that was in plastic wrap out of the fridge and pinch off enough (approx. 1 Tbs.) to make a disc that will cover the bottom of each PB filled mold.  Gently press the disc onto the bottom of the filled cakes.

Shape Disc for Bottom

Shape Disc for Bottom

Ready to Chill Again

Ready to Chill Again

Put the cakes in the fridge for another hour to harden.  Keep the cakes in the fridge until 2 hours before you plan on serving them.

2 hours before serving time place the cakes on your dehydrator’s mesh tray and dehydrate for 2 hours (It takes longer than that for the Excalibur dehydrator get to 115°, so rest assured those enzymes will still be alive and kicking).

Place on Mesh Dehydrator Trays

Place on Mesh Dehydrator Trays

Dehydrated Cakes

Dehydrated Cakes

When the 2 hours is up you will notice that the cakes are no longer shiny, they will look matte as if they have been cooked.  Top each cake with some chocolate sauce, a very thin sprinkling of organic powdered sugar, and sliced bananas.  Serve IMMEDIATELY since these cakes are best warm…it will allow the peanut butter to ooze out when cut into.

Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Molten Cake

Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Molten Cake

I also made an all chocolate version using the Fun Fresh Foods chocolate agave nectar as the filling…topped with powdered sugar and strawberries!

Raw Chocolate Molten Cake

Raw Chocolate Molten Cake

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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Filed under Dessert, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Raw, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

CRUNCHY CANDIED NUTS

Crunchy Candied Nuts

Crunchy Candied Nuts

These are the candied nuts that I use in my kale salad recipe.  The other night I ran out of candied nuts and put roasted nuts in the kale salad we were having with dinner…my family made it very clear to me that the candied nuts are an integral part of the kale salad!  So, today I needed to make some more candied nuts.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups assorted raw nuts

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1/3 cup shredded coconut

2-3 Tbs water

1 tsp cinnamon

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First measure out the raw nuts. 

Raw Nuts

Raw Nuts

In a separate bowl put the coconut sugar, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and water.  Mix well.

Sweet Coating Pre-Mix

Sweet Coating Pre-Mix

Mixed Sweet Coating

Mixed Sweet Coating

Combine the sweet coating with the raw nuts.  Mix well to coat.

Sweet Coating on the Raw Nuts

Sweet Coating on the Raw Nuts

Place the nuts on either a cookie sheet (I also use a silpat) or on a dehydrator tray with a ParaFlexx lining.

Place On A Baking Sheet

Place On A Baking Sheet

Or a Dehydrator Tray

Or a Dehydrator Tray

If you plan on baking the nuts, put them in the oven at 200 degrees.  You will need to watch the nuts carefully to make sure they do not burn.  The candied nuts will be done when the coating is no longer wet.  When you take them out of the oven to cool they will harden.  If they are not crunchy enough for you, return them to the oven for some additional baking time. 

If you will be using the dehydrator (I used my Excalibur), put the tray of nuts in the dehydrator at 115 degrees for 8-10 hours. Check the nuts after about 3-4 hours, take them off of the Paraflexx, and place them directly on the Polyscreen tray.  Once you remove the nuts from the dehydrator they will crisp as they cool. 

Into the Dehydrator

Into the Dehydrator

When the nuts have cooled, put them in a bag and store them in the freezer.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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Filed under Gluten Free, Nuts, Raw, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian