almond butter

Desserts, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip

I am always looking for the healthiest alternatives to my favorite foods. One of my favorite things to do with friends is bake. You know… typical girls! Most of my “girls baking nights” used to consist of Funfetti cake mix, a package of break and bake cookie dough, and more “sampling” than actually baking. I love doughs and batters, in fact I cannot get enough! When my sister and I used to make cookies and cakes with my mom, we would both argue over who got to lick the bowl and who got to lick the spoon. So glad we never ended up with salmonella! Yikes!

I have come to the conclusion that I love vegan baking because it’s challenging and fun, but really because you can eat all the batter you want without getting sick from raw eggs! On top of using only plant based products for baking (with the addition of natural salt), I try not to use any refined sugar, making my treats pretty much guilt-free.

While eating hummus the other day, something struck me. Why not use chickpeas as a base for a sweet treat? My friend and I made cupcakes from chickpeas before, so I thought it was worth a try to master another dessert. Not only is this a fun appetizer or dip for a party, but these fabulous little legumes are a great source of fiber and protein to keep you full and satisfied.

Now let’s talking about some dipping action!
Apple slices, whole-grain pretzels, graham crackers, toast, the possibilities are endless!
Question: What would you use to dip into your bowl of Chickpea Cookie Dough?

My recipe is an adapted version from Chocolate Covered Katie’s Cookie Dough Dip. To make the dip as healthy as it could possibly be, I made a few adjustments to the original recipe:

omit baking soda
only 3 Tbsp almond butter
2 Tbsp rolled oats
no extra milk

Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
Makes about 2.5 cups of dough
keep servings to 2Tbsp per person/snack

1 15oz can of chickpeas
1 + 1/4 cup pitted medjool dates
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chocolate chips (of your choice, you could use carob chips for a vegan option)
3 Tbs almond butter
2 Tbsp rolled oats
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda

Remove pits from the dates and place in a bowl or jar with 1/2 cup of water. Cover the bowl or jar and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (or overnight). Strain and rinse the chickpeas. After dates have soaked, combine the chickpeas, dates (including their soaking liquid), almond butter, oats, vanilla, and salt in a food processor, excluding the chocolate chips. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Remove dough from the for processor and gently mix in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate and serve cold.

| 18 Comments
Breakfast, Snacks, Toast Tuesdays, Treats

Cherry Almond Toast

It’s snack time. Toast Tuesday. Nom nom. ‘Nuff said!

I’ve been making a lot of savory toast recently, and today I wanted something sweet. If you haven’t tried almond butter before, you need to jump on board the almond butter train! In a nutshell, almonds contain protein, fiber, vitamin E, calcium & tons of other essential vitamins & minerals, and are an outstanding source of monounsaturated fat! With their outstanding nutritional value and great health benefits, you could go nuts with almonds! Oh, and may I just add, that that my favorite way to eat heart healthy almonds, is in butter form.

Almond butter is slowly appearing in grocery stores all over. I usually buy my Almond butter at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, but I have seen it at Ralph’s, Kroger, Bristol Farms, and even Target! If you cannot find almond butter in a store near you, you could also make it your self in a high powered food processor or blender out of whole almonds. After all, your almond butter should only consist of almonds anyway. No added oils, sugar, or salt!


Cherry Almond Toast
Serves 1

1 slice whole-grain bread
1Tbsp unsalted almond butter
1/4 cup unsweetened dried cherries
cinnamon to taste

Toast the bread, spread with almond butter, top with dried cherries, and add cinnamon to taste.

 

| 6 Comments
Recipes, Snacks, Toast Tuesdays, Vegan, Vegetarian

Blackberry Almond Butter Toast

It’s Toast Tuesday!

Creamy almond butter and fresh berries contribute to this tasty little treat that is reminiscent of a PB&J, only this is much better!
I’m allergic to blackberries (I usually use bing cherries), but I shot a picture of this slice when I made it for a friend! She said it was blog worthy!

Almond Butter & Cinnamon Blackberry Toast
Serves 1
1 slice Julian 12-grain bread
1 Tbsp unsalted almond butter
1 cup blackberries
cinnamon to taste

Toast the bread, and spread with almond butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with fresh blackberries.

| 1 Comment
Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Hail To The Kale

After attending Chef AJ’s cooking class last Sunday, I was dying to try one of her recipes and definitely craving some kale.
I went for the “Hail To The Kale” salad, which was the original dish I had tried at Whole Foods before discovering Chef AJ!

 Hail To The Kale Salad
Recipe by Chef AJ
serves 3-4

Salad:
2 large heads of curly kale
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup raisins

Dressing:
1 cup raw almond butter (unsalted/unsweetened)
1 cup coconut water (I use O.N.E.)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic
3/4 oz. fresh ginger (approx 1″)
2 tablespoons low sodium Tamari or low sodium soy sauce
4 pitted Medjool dates
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Chop the kale and set aside in a large bowl.
In a high powered blender, combine all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
Massage about 1/2 cup of the dressing onto the kale (more or less depending on your taste).
Toss with slivered almonds and raisins and serve.
Store excess dressing in a jar and refrigerate.

Chef AJ’s recipe doesn’t call for raisins, but I thought they were the perfect chewy addition to this creamy salad.

As Chef AJ says “Like a woman, this salad gets better with age.” I have to agree, I love to let the kale marinade in the dressing overnight in the refrigerator. It is twice as good the next day!

This recipe makes a large amount of dressing.
I was able to coat my 2 heads of kale, and  fill an entire mason jar for future salads.
This dressing is a great staple to have in your fridge for veggie dipping and quick salads.

 

| 14 Comments

1 2