Will Run For Apple Nachos With Chocolate Coconut Sauce

"I don't like to eat out of the blender".  

 "Really? You don't like to eat chocolate coconut sauce out of the blender?  I could get you a bowl.  How about a really long spoon".

  What I was thinking and not saying was, "what's wrong with you"!  Soundbites from our kitchen.

I recently discovered apple nachos.  They are pretty much apple slices slathered with all kinds of delicious toppings.  Apples with caramel sauce, apples with chocolate syrup, apples with melted peanut butter.  Yum.  Why didn't I think of this sooner.

I made mine with coconut chocolate sauce, pecans, cocoa nibs and coconut but you could put anything on them.

I should fill my water bottle with chocolate sauce more often.

Apple Nachos

(serves 1)

1 sweet apple

1 T cocoa nibs

1 T raw pecans

1 T unsweetened coconut

*1/4-1/2 C Coconut Chocolate Sauce

Thinly slice apples.  Lightly brush with lemon juice to keep from turning brown.  Top with coconut chocolate sauce.  Add pecans, cocoa nibs, and coconut or your favourite toppings. 

Coconut Chocolate Sauce

(approximately 3/4-1 C)

1 small avocado

2 T cocoa powder

1 C coconut milk

1 C dates + 2/3 cup water (simmered for five minutes)

pinch salt

1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste.

In a blender combine avocado, cocoa powder, coconut milk, date paste (1 C dates + 2/3 cup water simmered on medium heat for 5 minutes), salt and vanilla.

breakfast?

Ramsey Loop I'll see you next Sunday.  You bring the nachos and maybe a wagon.

      

Will Run For Hummus, Apple Butter & Tempeh Wraps

Are you interested in making butter caramels? 

 I would suggest asking Martha. 

 How about mini pinata  favours?  

   

not a pinata

I would suggest visiting Ruffled.  I obviously can't be trusted with making a pinata.   

Rainbow Brite's horse did not throw up.  That is a pinata Hank.

I decided that it would be a fabulous idea to make a pinata and fill it with homemade butter caramels.  Why would someone do that?  An even better question is why didn't it occur to me that it takes more than three hours to make a pinata and the candy to go in it.  You can't really rush pinata making (even if you use a hair dryer).

There was an hour of stirring.  There were some delicious caramels!  There was some burnt paper mache paste (always make sure that the correct element is on!).  There was a little bit of cursing and some delicious wraps.  The wraps might seem like a bit of an odd combination but they really are delicious. 

Hummus Apple Butter Tempeh Wraps

(serves 1)

1 Ezekial wrap

1-2 T of hummus

1 T of grated cheddar cheese (brie is also delicious)

1 T of apple butter

3 strips of cooked marinated tempeh (I used Turtle Island Foods brand).

Spread hummus in the centre of wrap leaving enough room for apple butter.  Spread apple butter around the outer edge of the wrap.  Top with cooked marinated tempeh & cheese.  Heat in the oven or microwave until cheese is melted.

Will Run For Mint Cocoa Nib Ice-cream

Spring is in the air!  I have two very wet, sandy and sleepy dogs to prove it.  Why not celebrate with a little green ice-cream. 

Green ice-cream would also be a great way to celebrate your favourite St. Patrick's day run

Mint Cocoa Nib Ice-cream

(serves 2)

2 very ripe frozen bananas

1 T cocoa nibs (or  chocolate chips)

1/4 C tightly packed fresh mint leaves

1/4 C tightly packed raw spinach lightly steamed

1/4 C + 1T unsweetened soy milk (or milk of your choice)

1.  In your blender combine frozen bananas, mint leaves,  1/4 C unsweetened soy milk and steamed spinach.  Continue to add soy milk until ingredients are well combined.  Make sure that there are absolutely no green bits or chunks!

2.   Pour mixture into a shallow dish and add cocoa nibs (or chocolate chips).   Place in freezer until mixture is firm (approximately 1 hour).

3.  Serve with fresh mint leaves and additional cocoa nibs.

You might want to share but maybe only a spoonful.

* approximately 159 cal/serving, 8g fibre & 2g protein 

Will Run For Coconut Almond Macaroons

Sometimes your Farmer just needs a macaroon (and sometimes regardless of how hard you try the spacing on your blog is just a little off). 

You can tell that she needs a macaroon if she announces that she is going to change into something comfortable before she settles in for a night of homework when she's already wearing elastic waist pants and has eaten several plates of fried frozen perogies (6 dozen for $1.99) with dijon mustard.  Did I mention that those pants are Oscar The Grouch green hospital scrubs?


You can tell that your Farmer needs a macaroon when you pick her up from her placement and you ask how her day went and she proceeds to gag for the next 3-5 minutes (Farmer is working on becoming a nurse.  Currently,  she's about 1/4 quarter of a nurse.  If you need your vitals taken, you need someone to help you with basic hygiene or you need an enema she's your girl) 


You can tell that you might need a macaroon when your Farmer is about 30 days away from the end of her first year of nursing, she needs to write about her feelings (when she only has one feeling) on a regular basis and her second day of placement is tomorrow and her teacher has suggested that her goal for tomorrow should be working on her gag reflex (is that even appropriate?).


About those macaroons....


Check out Choosing Raw for some delicious raw macaroon recipes or drop by in about 16 hours (a ridiculously long time to wait but totally worth it) once our macaroons have finished dehydrating.  These macaroons are crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.  Most of them were eaten directly out of the dehydrator or out of the freezer.


I tried a second variation once I saw that Farmer & I both obviously needed a macaroon and not in 16 hours from now. 


The first batch I tried I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 T of ground cocoa nibs & 1/4 tsp of cardamom, I dehydrated the macaroons at 115 for about 16 hours.  DO NOT try baking them in the oven as the recipe suggests.  That was a disaster!


The second batch I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 T of ground cocoa nibs, 1/4 tsp of cardamom and I used date paste (1 C of dates + 1/2 C of water heated until dates can be stirred into a paste + 2 T of agave nectar).  This batch only took about 3 hours to become crunchy on the outside and still soft and chewy on the inside.


Enjoy.  Remember not to ask your Farmer or your favourite nursing student how her day went unless you have a puke bag in hand.

Coconut Macaroons

let the waiting begin

16 hours later

Or if you aren't quite that patient or if you just love date paste (yes, there are people who love date paste).

you could totally eat these raw

and you could totally eat the whole bowl

If you aren't up for all off that waiting and dehydrating check out vanilla almond snackaroons by Laughing Giraffe Organics (try Homesense).

Will Run For Cinnamon Date Apples and Dumplings

breakfast or dessert?

1/2 marathon slacking training for Sudbury Rocks has officially begun.  In order to reduce the chances of getting run over by a bus or a snow machine (our sidewalks have been replaced with mountains of snow and apparently snow machine trails) PB and I decided to run inside instead.  I got to experience extreme treadmill running when Hank decided that he wanted to join me on the treadmill (twice) as I was rocking out to Beyonce videos (don't judge.  It wasn't like I was watching American Idol.  PB.).

Who?  Me?  I couldn't possibly have launched myself at the treadmill.

Hank & I both survived the treadmill.  We decided to celebrate with apples and dumplings (or just apples in Hank's case).

Apples and Dumplings

Apples

6 C of Macintosh apples (peeled, cored & sliced)

1/4 C diced dates

1/3 C apple juice

1 T cornstarch

1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cardamom

 seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Dumplings

1/2 C wholewheat pastry flour

1/4 C all purpose flour

1 T sugar 

1/2 tsp baking power

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 C + 1 T soy milk soured with 1/2 tsp lemon jice

1 T melted coconut Earth Balance (or butter or margarine)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.  Combine apples, dates, apple juice, cornstarch, vanilla seeds, and grated ginger in a casserole dish.  Bake for 15 minutes uncovered.

you could just stop here and eat the apples

2.  While waiting impatiently for the apples to cook in a small bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and soda.  Stir in soy milk and melted Earth Balance.  Dough should be sticky.

dumplings ready for the oven

3.  Remove casserole dish from oven.  Spoon heaping tablespoons of dough over apples. Cover with lid, foil or a silicone baking mat and cook for approximately 15 minutes. 

4.  Serve with apple cinnamon dip, greek yogurt or ice-cream.

5.  Enjoy having your furry running partner lay on your feet as you sit at the computer.

Will Run For Popcorn Mix

Party!

From January until the end of March I get to spend every second Thursday afternoon with 10-15 students from grades 2 to 5. Talk about organized chaos or some days just chaos!  They are so excited to be in the kitchen cutting and chopping (so far everyone still has all of their digits), trying new foods and playing games that involve nutrition trivia.

I think that I'm crazy for doing this at least once a week but it's really hard not to be excited when you have a bunch of kids  who are dying to take home the red lentil tomato and basil pasta sauce that they made so that they can have it in their lunches the next day or share it with their brothers and sisters.

This week we made Nutty Popcorn Mix.  They used cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds and raisins but I went with what I could scavenge in our cupboards.

Popcorn Mix

(makes approximately 4 servings)

1/4 cup cocoa nibs (or chopped nuts)

1/4 cup dried coconut (or sunflower seeds)

1 T clover honey

1 T water

1 T coconut oil ( or butter, margarine, or Earth Balance)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup popping corn

1/4 C dried fruit e.g. apricots, peaches, pineapple (or raisins)

1 pinch of cardamom 

1. Make popcorn in a hot air popper or a large pot and set aside.  It's a good idea to get rid of the kernels that didn't pop rather than sorting through them as you eat.  Set aside.

2.  Add cocoa nibs, dried coconut & dried fruit.

3.  Stir honey and water together over medium heat until honey is hot and bubbly (approximately 200 F).   Take care not to burn the honey mixture. 

4.  Add coconut oil, vanilla, and cardamom.

5.  Spread mixture into a large baking pan.

6.  Bake at 300 F for 15 minutes.

7.  Stir and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

* double the honey, coconut oil, water, vanilla & cardamom if you are looking for something a little more sweet.

Will Run For Melted Dark Chocolate & Crunchy Peanut Butter Dip

love in a bowl

Valentine's day ended much better than it began. 

glorified paper cut

It started with me smashing a glass/cutting my hand before 7 a.m.  (doesn't matter how many dishes I break I just can't seem to get out of dish duty).


In between there were some arguments with seven year olds about whether the day is called ValentiNe's or ValentiMe's day.  Some of them still aren't entirely convinced that it's called ValentiNe's day.  There were Justin Beiber cards, candy and lots of giggling girls.


Valentine's day (or Valentimes day depending on who you ask) ended with a kitchen party for Ms. Jenny, Farmer & I and pumpkin ricotta tarts with peanut butter crust  for the boys.  We've been put on notice.  They are moving to Jenny's.  Apparently the food is better there.  We'll send their troughs.

a different kind of love in a different kind of bowl

Enjoy your tarts I'll be eating chocolate and peanut butter.

Melted Dark Chocolate & Crunchy Peanut Butter Dip

(serves 3-4)

ingredients 

1/2 C peanut butter (or your favourite nut butter)

1/3 C camino dark chocolate (71 %)

1/4 C buckwheat honey

3 T coconut oil or coconut earth balance

1/4  tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a small heavy bottomed saucepan.  Warm until all ingredients are melted.  Stir until well combined.  Serve with fresh fruit (apples, strawberries, bananas, etc.).