Dark Chocolate Tahini Buttercups

Tahini in a dessert? It's an amazing, silky combination. Tahini on it's own is a little....tart for lack of a better word. It's not sour or bitter or salty. It has this amazing note of creaminess that can not be imitated by another butter. In essence, if you don't know, it's sesame butter. When I combined it with coconut oil, which is a little sweet in it's natural state, it totally bloomed! Especially when paired with  the semi-sweet layer of dark chocolate, it was incredible! So, I posted a similar tahini cup recipe before that had a date-caramel layer instead, which is amazing, but this was way different. I made the chocolate layer from coconut and almond butter and cacao powder and a little maple syrup. You could totally use a chocolate ice cream or Coconut Bliss if you didn't want to make it from scratch or have the time. I'm all about quick, healthy substitutions. I mean, we don't always have the time to do it all and in a pinch, I use fixes like anyone else. I'm including the recipe for it, which is what I did. I should note that I made these in mini silicone cups. They are not muffin sized. I highly recommend investing (like $10-$15) in these reusable cups. It reduces waste by not using paper and allows you to avoid using an aluminum muffin tin.

INGREDIENTS
equal parts tahini + coconut oil,  melted
chocolate butter or
1|2 cup almond butter + 2T raw cacao powder
1|4 cup almond milk or coconut milk
1T maple syrup
pinch sea salt

DIRECTIONS
Pour a bit of the tahini mixture into the bottom of each cup. Put them on a sheet pan and put into the freezer for half an hour. In the mean time, make the chocolate mixture in a blender or food processor. Blend until thick and pourable. If you need to add more coconut milk or liquid, do it until it's smooth and creamy. Pull the cups out of the freezer. Pour in about 1|4 inch for each cup, depending on how many you're making. This recipe makes 10-12 mini cups. Pop them back into the freezer for another 30 minutes. Then top them with the remaining tahini mixture and then back into the freezer until set. These are ready to eat in about an hour. So delicious!

ENJOY!!

Almond Coconut Mini Muffins with Raw Cacao

Almond flour is perfect for pastries, desserts and crusts. I've posted about using it numerous times and I pretty much always have it on hand from making almond milk. It's available in most grocery stores, and certainly in all health food stores but it's always cheaper and fresher to make it yourself. This was originally a recipe for cookies but I put them into these silicone mini cups instead because they were snacks for my son's classroom and these looked more fun. If you want to make the cookies, just drop the dough onto a non - stick sheet pan or one lined with parchment paper.

I collect vintage tea towels, tablecloths and dinner napkins. I love this fifties cake pattern. Doing something really simple when you serve your family and guests makes all the difference. We really do eat with our eyes first. Make your daily food rituals a thing of beauty.

You can find silicone muffin cups at kitchen stores, gourmet or specialty stores, some department stores, Bed Bath + Beyond etc. They come in sets of 12 and do not require non - stick spray. After baking, they just peel off and are really easy to clean by hand.

INGREDIENTS
1 1|4 cups almond meal
1|4 cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips
1|2 cup shredded coconut
1|2 teaspoon baking powder
1|4 teaspoon sea salt
1|3 cup coconut sugar (turbinado, brown and muscovado also work)
1 egg
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1|2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 375. In large mixing bowl, stir together the almond meal, cacao nibs, coconut, baking powder, salt + sugar. In another bowl, beat the egg until it has doubled in size. Whisk in the warm coconut oil and the vanilla. Add this to the dry mixture and bring it together until just combined. Pop the bowl into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes or cover and leave it overnight. Using clean hands, roll the chilled dough into balls about an inch in diameter and place on a baking sheet to make cookies. Give them a gentle press on top to flatten slightly. If you're making the muffins, drop the dough into non-stick cups or a tin lined with paper sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 7 to 10 minutes until the edges begin to brown or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin cups comes out clean. Let them cool slightly before serving with a warm coffee, tea or an ice cold glass of homemade almond milk!

ENJOY!

Choco - Nut Granola Bars

These high protein granola bars are rich in fiber and antioxidants and fall low on the glycemic index. It's basically like making the Maple Almond Granola with a couple of minor adjustments. There is room for many optional embellishments of course. Dried fruit, your favorite nuts and seeds, cacoa nibs, chocolate chips and coconut all work well. Typically, I'm a kitchen sink kind of gal and I want to put some of everything inside, but I have a picky nine year old to contend with so I have to find a happy middle between us. That struggle is getting much easier the older he gets, and for the simple fact that I am consistently having him try new things. The secret behind that is to keep offering. His issue is texture, not taste. He stays acclimated to different things as long as I continue to put it in front of him. We have a two bite rule that satisfies both my need for him to be open to new things, and his need to exercise his personal preferences - all without leaving my ego wounded. Some people just don't like nuts. I get that. So I get crafty and start sneaking in almond meal and chia powder instead, waiting until he says he likes them so that I can reveal my delicious, deceptive success.

These bars are something between chewy and crispy. The top has a little crunch but the inside is kind of like a rice crispy treat. After they cool, you can cut them into whatever sizes you like. Bars and squares both have their place.

The most superior form and origin of chocolate is cacao which refers to the raw, unprocessed bean. You can find them lightly sweetened or slightly bitter. Raw cacao is certainly a SUPERFOOD which you hear me talk about all of the time. The antioxidants are extremely high in this form and the trace minerals are undeniably awesome. Antioxidants are those wonderful anti-aging compounds that preserve the integrity of cell tissues and destroy free radicals. Blood is the purifying fuel of the human body. Contrary to the general notion that it is a liquid, blood is actually a flowing tissue. Raw cacao also contains powerful flavanoids that greatly improve cardiovascular function and decrease the oxidation of LDL, which is the bad cholesterol. The kind that deposits fat into the bloodstream and eventually clogs the arteries of the heart with plaques. Processed, artificially sweetened commercial chocolate is not even the same animal. It contains little to no nutritional benefits and there is hardly any cacao left in it, making it mostly made of sugar which is inflammatory. I'll be honest, it's an acquired taste at first. You can start gradually by substituting dark chocolate for all of the milk in your pantry. Choose an organic one that is responsibly grown and harvested with a minimum of 55% cacao. The flavor is delicious, rich, and intense. It will set you on the course to eliminating processed sweeteners, I'm confident.

I cut a few into small squares for my kids' lunches and afternoon snacks. These are perfect for a day hike or an airplane snack, wrapped in a little parchment or brown paper and tied with string. They make an easy grab and go pick up. I just throw a couple in my purse when we are running errands or spending time in the car. Use plastic wrap if you're going to store them for a few days. This recipe makes eight large bars. Wait until they have cooled before you cut them. They keep at room temperature for a week or two, if they last that long.

                     

INGREDIENTS
1 1|4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup crisp brown rice cereal
3|4 cup dried fruit such as raisins, apricots, cherries or mango
1|2 cup slivered or chopped almonds
1|2 cup coarsely chopped cashews or walnuts
1|4 cup optional slot - cacao or chocolate, sunflower or sesame seeds, pecans or shredded coconut
1|2 cup sweetener such as brown rice syrup or honey or maple syrup
1|2 cup vanilla protein powder or green powder
1 tablespoon filtered water
1 tablespoon flax and|or chia powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1|4 teaspoon sea salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the oats, almonds and cashews on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until just barely toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Turn the heat down to 300.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sweetener, water, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Add the toasted oats and nuts, the rice cereal and protein powder, and stir until everything is coated. Stir in the dried fruit and the optional ingredients.

Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. Scrape the granola mixture into the center. Using a large spoon or your fingers, press everything down compact and spreading it to the edges and corners. Wetting the spoon or your fingers with warm water will help with the stickiness. Bake until the top is toasted, 23 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely. Pull up on the parchment to remove the block in one piece and cut into eight bars of equal size or into smaller squares. If you are going to eat them later, wrap with plastic. They will keep about a week or so.

ENJOY!