Snickerdoodle Nut Butter

January 29, 2016

Hi, my name is Natalie, and I’m addicted to nut butter. It’s true. Take any nut, grind it to a smooth paste, and I’ll find any way to shovel it into my face hole. Make it taste like cookies?! Well, let’s just say I have to hide this Snickerdoodle Nut Butter from myself…

To be totally honest, I made this nut butter before the holidays and gave it as gifts. Yes, I’ve been holding out on you. Please forgive me.

What has been the biggest killer is that in attempt to not over indulge before sporting a bikini on the beach in the Bahamas, I’ve had to resist the temptation to go ham on this jar. I could easily take it down with a spoon. #noshame

Aparently, National Peanut Butter day was this week… Missed that one. Oops. But let’s be honest almond butter in the new peanut butter anyways!

If you think nut butters are just for fancy grocery store shelves and juice bars, think again. There are so many ways to use nut butter…

As a toast topper (duh.)
In a smoothie
An artisanal spin on PB&J sandwich
Dipper for apple slices
On top of a bowl of oats
Grown up “ants on a log”
Mixed with soy sauce for a savory sauce
With a spoon… I mean…

Let’s chat real quick about making this nut butter. Whenever you’re grinding nuts, the major key is consistency. First, the nuts will turn into a powder, then a coarse grind, and then a creamy, runny mix. If you’re really struggling to get it smooth enough, you can add the oil to smooth it out. If you don’t need it, it’s better without. ALSO. Do not add the maple syrup until completely smooth. Adding it any earlier will cause the paste to seize up and ruin the consistency. Yes, I know from experience.

If you’re completely obsessed with nut butter and also ok with ruining any sort of shred of a diet, make this nut butter NOW. Actually, make it anyways. And thank me later.

Snickerdoodle Nut Butter

Scrumptious cookie spices + creamy nut butter = pure bliss! Make this easy treat and you’ll be spreading Snickerdoodle Nut Butter on everything!

Ingredients

3 cups toasted cashews
2 cup toasted walnuts, almonds, or other nut
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
2-3 Tbs. maple syrup or coconut sugar
1-2 Tbs. coconut oil (if needed)

Instructions

Add toasted and cooled nuts to a food processor or blender. Grind until smooth, scraping sides every few minutes. This could take anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes, I found the consistency was perfect after about 15 minutes. Give your machine a break if it starts to overheat.
Add the cinnamon and salt and pulse to incorporate. At the very end, add maple syrup or sugar and blend until just incorporated.

http://areyoukitchenme.com/snickerdoodle-nut-butter/

What I Ate Wednesday

January 27, 2016

T-minus two weeks until I’m lounging on the beach in the Bahamas… AH! So am I officially on a cleanse-detox-purification-bikini-body-juice-flush-diet? NO. Am I keeping my diet super clean and not indulging in anything too crazy? Yup! Just good old, back-to-basics, clean eating. Let’s get into What I Ate Wednesday!

Banana-nana-boo-boo to break the fast.

Breakfast #2 was some dee-lish overnight oats. To be honest though, there are for sure more apples and carrots in this jar than oats. Overnight… Veggies? Doesn’t have a ring to it. But either way, it tastes like scrumptious carrot cake and I’m not mad. #secretveggies

Had a coffee date with a coworker and this black half caff’ from Stauf’s sure hit the spot.

Little baby clem for a snack.

For lunch, I packed a big salad from the lettuce and tomatoes we got in our Door to Door Organics delivery last week. John forgot to cancel our subscription so we have a surplus of leafy greens in the fridge. There could be worse problems right?? Some black beans, green onions, hemp seeds, and a dollop of hummus rounded out this bowl of goodness.

I stuck around after work for some yoga led by a coworker but was starving before hand, so of course I had to snack. Carrots and hummus can do no wrong.

Leftover curry that I made on Sunday was devoured at record speed for dinner. It’s made of red lentils, butternut squash, carrots, onions, chickpeas, green peas, and loads of spices. SO spicy but so, so, so good! Totes going to recreate it to share with you all! Had to have a rice cake with hummus on the side to cool my fiery mouth. And because hummus everything.

Th-th-th-that’s all folks! Keep an eye out a sweet treat recipe later this week!

Green Goddess Hummus

January 25, 2016

I got a pressure cooker for Christmas this year and I’ll be honest, the thing scares the bajeebus out of me. I mean, people make bombs out of them right?! Ok, sure but they also make chickpeas really, really fast and have beans coming out their ears. Moral of the story: I pressure cooked a fart-load of beans, had more garbanzos than I knew what to do with, and made this amazing Green Goddess Hummus to use them up.

When I asked you all on Facebook and Instagram this weekend whether you wanted to see Green Goddess Hummus or Snickerdoodle Nut Butter first, I expected the nut butter to be a landslide. But it was nearly a tie!! So I decided to go with the savory first, and save desert for later. Because that’s the civilized thing to do, right??

Back to the chickpeas. You wouldn’t believe how much you get out of one pound of dried beans! Jury’s still out on whether a pressure cooker is any better than stovetop (you still have to pre-soak…) but regardless of how you cook them, I highly recommend starting from dried. They are so tender, the taste is unparalleled, and it cost a fraction of the price! Oh and less cans = happier environment. Win!

Now let’s talk about the gorgeous green this daring dip displays [wee alliteration]. Peas and edamame act just like the chickpeas and are super tasty. The avocado brings an unreal creaminess and smoothness. And the herbs. Ohhh, the herbs. They really bring the flavor and brightness.

If you’re looking for a party dip [I heard there’s some big football game coming up…? 😉 ], this is an easy crowd-pleaser! It’s perfect with some crudité and would also be phenomenal on toasted baguette slices. Dive into this divine dip!

Green Goddess Hummus

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Packed with delicious and nutritious greens, this divine dip will please everyone! Perfect for big parties or hoarding to yourself!

Ingredients

2 cups chickpeas (or 1 can)
1 cup green peas, frozen
1 cup edamade, frozen (or more peas)
½ cucumber, seed removed (skin on or off)
1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh chives, finely chopped
½ avocado
2 Tbs. lime (or lemon) juice
1 Tbs. tahini
¼ cup water
1 tsp. salt + more to taste
½ tsp. black pepper
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of spirulina (optional)

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.

http://areyoukitchenme.com/green-goddess-hummus/

1 2 3 4 next