So far, the worst part about Lent is the fact that I discovered Larabars the week before. If you have never had one before, what are you waiting for? They. Are. So. Good. Larabars are made from no more than 9 ingredients each, gluten-free, kosher and vegetarian friendly. Actually, the only bars that aren't vegan friendly are the ones with chocolate chips in them and that's only because of cross-contamination possibilities. I knew after my first bite I was going to have to make these myself or not survive Lent! The recipe I based my Raw Bars on can be found here. From there I followed other links which used different ingredients and my recipe is a bit of a mixture of them all.
Blueberry Pie Raw Bars
What you need:
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup dried blueberries, soaked for an hour
1 tsp vanilla
fresh lemon zest
What you do:
1. Soak your blueberries. I tasted a few before and after soaking to see if this was really necessary, and yes, it is. Soaking makes them softer and easier to incorporate.
2. Blend cashews in your food processor until they are in little tiny pieces.
3. Add everything else and blend. You may need to pause a few times and scrape the sides. Your "dough" will be VERY sticky.
4. Transfer to a pan lined with parchment paper and spread to your desired shape and thickness. Freeze for ~1 hour.
5. Cut into desired shape and store in the refrigerator. This is very important as these are raw and contain no preservatives.
For some reason, while I was grocery shopping I decided that I needed some sweet potatoes. I really don't know why, but I ended up with two of them. On President's Day, or more importantly, Subway Free Cookie Day I had to stop by Subway for a $5 footlong and free cookie. When trying to decide what to pack for lunch with the remaining half of my footlong, I rediscovered the potatos. Inspiration hit, Baked Sweet Potato Fries. I quickly looked up this Pin on my phone knowing I would find a recipe but all I really wanted it for was a baking time and temperature!
2. Blend cashews in your food processor until they are in little tiny pieces.
3. Add everything else and blend. You may need to pause a few times and scrape the sides. Your "dough" will be VERY sticky.
4. Transfer to a pan lined with parchment paper and spread to your desired shape and thickness. Freeze for ~1 hour.
5. Cut into desired shape and store in the refrigerator. This is very important as these are raw and contain no preservatives.
For some reason, while I was grocery shopping I decided that I needed some sweet potatoes. I really don't know why, but I ended up with two of them. On President's Day, or more importantly, Subway Free Cookie Day I had to stop by Subway for a $5 footlong and free cookie. When trying to decide what to pack for lunch with the remaining half of my footlong, I rediscovered the potatos. Inspiration hit, Baked Sweet Potato Fries. I quickly looked up this Pin on my phone knowing I would find a recipe but all I really wanted it for was a baking time and temperature!
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
What you need:
1 Sweet Potato
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Sea Salt to taste
What you do:
1. Cut potato into fries or wedges, trying to keep a consistent size. *To do this, I used a mandolin to first slice the potato and then I cut fries from there.*
2. Toss in a bowl with the olive oil. Then add seasonings.
3. Bake on a foil-lined pan for 20 minutes at 450, turning them over about halfway through.
I have been wanting to make kale chips for a while now. Kale is just so gosh darn good for you and I know that I need to eat more of it but I don't want to slather it in some creamy sauce just to make it taste good. Then I saw this and I knew I was a goner. Oh man, oh man, oh man, this is one of the best things to ever come out of my kitchen. I have just about killed an entire bunch of kale since I made it less than 24 hours ago. Trust me, you will not regret making or eating these.
Chocolate Covered Kale Chips
What you need:
1 bunch kale, washed and de-stemmed
1/2 cup cashews, soaked (4-6 hours is ideal)
1/2 cup agave/honey/maple syrup or any combo
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
What you do:
1. Drain the cashews and add everything except the kale to your blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour mixture over kale and toss to coat.
3. Spread kale out on parchment lined pans and bake at 300 for 20 minutes.
4. Flip and bake another 10 minutes.
*It is very important to spread the kale out. I used two cookie sheets like the one pictured. Spreading ensures that you get individual chips and not big clumps. Once you flip the kale be sure to watch it closely. It may not need the whole 10 minutes. Some of my smaller pieces got burnt and burnt chocolate just doesn't taste good.*
Well, I'm off to go make some banana icecream with the bananas I rescued from my roommate. I hope you have enjoyed the multitude of food posts. I know I have!
Lauren
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