RAW CRANBERRY + SWEET CACAO NIB ICEBOX COOKIES



My friend Britney and I usually have this 3 o'clock snack craving everyday.  Not sure why that is but, its there. Does anyone else have that problem?  Maybe we just love food.  But because of that, we are constantly trying to find healthy snacks to keep handy for those occassions.  I LOVE this recipe.  The flavors of the sweet cacao nibs with the cranberries and nuts is just divine.  I shared these with my friend Alicia at work and she loved it!  I have a few taste testers close by and she is one of them.  Thanks Alicia for being a guinea pig for my new recipes!  (And thank you Sydney, Kelsey, Jackie and James for being my other taste testers! ~They live around the corner from me.)



We are all about ridiculously simple recipes here.  We may create a few, slightly more intese recipes, but overall we are all about simplicity and ease.  This recipe only took a few minutes, literally.  I hope you like it as much as I did.  Here it is...



RAW CRANBERRY + SWEET CACAO NIB ICE BOX COOKIES

1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 cup dates
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
1/4 cup sweet cacao nibs
1/4 cup dried cranberries chopped small

Process the nuts in your food processor until finely chopped.  Add in the dates and process until the ingredients are mixed well and it starts to get moist from the dates.  Add in the vanilla and maple syrup or agave and process to combine.  Pour all the ingredients into a bowl and fold in the nibs and cranberries.  Mix with your hands until combined.  Shape the dough into 1-1/2" diameter cookie dough logs and wrap with parchment and saran wrap, then put it in the freezer for 1 hour.   Finally, remove the saran wrap and cut the logs into half inch cookie dough rounds. 

Makes about 2 dozen.

Enjoy!!



Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw chocolate spread recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

UPDATE: HOW EATING GREENS HELPED ME... AND THE POWER OF KALE

 

Chopped kale...my favorite!!

 

 

How eating greens helped me... And the power of Kale

 

A few weeks ago, I had my first appointment with my acupuncturist since I started my radiation treatments.  The acupuncturist didn’t want me to do any acupuncture during my radiation since it would be too much for my body.  The radiation needed to do its thing.  So, she was excited to see me and to see how things were going.

She had all types of questions to ask me like:  “How I was sleeping?  How was the burn on my back?  How was...” and the list goes on... One thing she asked about was my menstrual cycle.  “How was that?” she inquired, "when did it stop?" I said "Stop? It never stopped!"  She said, "really?"  She then went on to tell me that for many woman their cycle stops during radiation & chemo because of the stress on there body and since there body just can't do it all it has to give up something.   Do you find that incredibly interesting?  I know I did.  My cycle has stayed totally on time and in fact I have had no cramps, with no real strong PMS symptoms since I started eating so many greens.  I have to say even I was surprised that my cycle didn't change during the radiation treatments.  She said it had to be a direct result of the greens.

She went on to tell me that kale can really regulate a woman’s cycle, and she said it definitely was the case with me.   I left that appointment on cloud 9!   Radiation was so hard on me, that towards the end of the treatments, I didn't stick as closely to the diet because I was so nauseous and tired.  I felt like I had been pulling weeds in the garden all day and yet I had only just barely gotten out of bed. Nothing tasted or looked good!!   I actually started hating food a litte.  The one thing I did do was stick to eating greens, I think this really shows how powerful greens can be to our bodies and why you should try and get them in your body each day!
 

And now for the really good news, I saw my oncologist a few weeks ago as well and my last scan came back clear.  As of now, there is no cancer in my body.  I will continue to be checked every 6 months to make sure that it doesn't come back.  I feel really good.  The radiation took a huge toll out on my body and although I am about 6 weeks out from my last treatment, I still can feel the effects on me.  But overall, I do feel stronger and I'm exciting for the next year... I can't wait to see what goals get accomplished!!

Thanks for all your support!!!

Join the discussion:

I am curious to know if any of you have noticed your bodies having a positive reaction to eating more greens?  Let me know by leaving a comment...



FAVORITES LIST: SALAD RECIPES

via tartelette blog: quinoa + butternut squash + kale

Sometimes we just need a little inspiration right?  I have several friends and know people who would LOVE to incorporate more vegetable into their diet, but they just need a little inspiration.  We all need inspritation so we aren't eating the same old salad everyday.  I love creating these favorites list of recipes that I would love to try and taste.  Sometimes I drool just looking at these, but I love logging them here, so we can refer back to them later. 
Salads are a really easy way to incorporate raw vegetables into your diet.  Of course, raw is always better than cooked, since you willl get the most nutrients out of them this way.  I  love the colors and combinatioins in these salads and can't wait to try them!

via green kitchen stories: millet pumpkin winter salad

 



FAVORITES LIST: SALADS



Quinoa + Butternut Squash + Kale

 

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

 

Kale + Grapes + Poppyseed Dressing

 

Millet + Pumpkin Winter Salad

 

Shaved Root Vegetable Salad with Beets

 

Cherries + Fennel + Lentils

 

Moroccan Carrot Ribbons + Lentils

 

Tripple Raddish Noodle Salad

 

Coconut + Quinoa + Spinach + Pomegranate

 

 

 

Enjoy and have a wonderful day! Bon Appetit!

 

 

 



 

 

RAW NUTELLA (CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD)

 

 



I only know one or two people who have never tasted Nutella, which is strange because you would think everyone must have tasted Nutella once in their life! It's nostalgic to me.  Growing up, I loved the taste of spreading it on toast, eating it with fruit or just taking a spoonful to into my mouth.  Who doesn't like Nutella, really?  When I starting eating more plant based and more raw, I had a ton of friends ask me to figure out a raw Nutella recipe.  Well, here's a great start.  I got my inspiration from Fragrant Vanilla Cake.  Amy is so good at transforming our old favorite desserts into fabulous raw creations!  This recipe is not as super creamy as the original Nutella, but let me tell you, its super chocolatey good for sure.

 

RAW NUTELLA (CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD)

1 cup raw hazelnuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond milk

Blend the hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground.  Add the sea salt, agave, cinnamon, and Vanilla and process utnil its combined well.  While the motor is running, add the almond milk slowly to make it smooth, for 1-2 minutes or more.  Blend it until is very smoooth.  Store in an air tight jar in the refrigerator and enjoy!

What do you like eating your raw nutella with?



Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw chocolate spread recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.



YUMMY PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE

Vegan Pumpkin Coffee Cake

 

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Dessert for breakfast?  Yes, please!  Head on over to Family Sponge today to get this delicious Pumpkin Coffee Cake recipe.  It is dairy free, so if you are vegan, you will love this.  This is the perfect sweet treat for your next breakfast guest!  Enjoy!

THANK YOU NOTE

I hope everyone's Wednesday is going well.  Just wanted to send out a THANK YOU! note to all of our viewers out there!  We really appreciate all the support we have been getting... we truly, truly appreciate it!  We have some great things planned over the next few months, so we hope you stay tuned!  We can't thank you enough for all the love, support and kind words!  Have a fabulous week and be careful out there on Black Friday! :)  xF



PUMPKIN OATMEAL CRANBERRY COOKIES

 

 

There's something about pumpkin that makes us all feel cozy and these cookies are one of those things.  Just picture yourself sipping on your favorite hot drink, sitting by the fireplace with your family eating these cookies.  Ummmm so good!  I love the size of the cookies too.  So, I will just cut to the chase and post the recipe for you.  Here's the recipe:

 

 

PUMPKIN OATMEAL CRANBERRY COOKIES

 

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup light brown sugar

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave nectar, I used maple syrup
1 cup fresh pumpkin, steamed

½ cup coconut oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla



 

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oatmeal baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, and cloves.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin, coconut oil, and vanilla until smooth. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring with a rubber spatula until just combined each time. Finally fold in the cranberries.

Roll the cookies into 1” balls and then flatten them with your hands slightly as you place them onto the prepared baking sheets. These cookies really don’t spread during baking. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.

Makes about 3 dozen small cookies.