Decadent Figs
16 fresh figs ½ cup Greek-style yogurt, goat cheese or ricotta cheese 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted 1/3 cup honey Make 4 even lengthwise cuts around each fig. Place four figs on each plate, spoon in about a teaspoon of yogurt or cheese into each cut. Sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle with honey just before serving. Notes: Use a sharp knife to cut the figs so you don’t squash them! Selecting figs can be tricky – you want them to be ripe and sweet but not too mushy and definitely not moldy! Fresh figs are highly perishable so be careful when purchasing. You can use other fruits for this dish such as melons, apples, oranges, peaches, or pears. This makes a nice appetizer or dessert but can also be placed on top of greens as a salad. A fig is a type of fruit that grows on a fig tree, which is part of the mulberry family. They can be purchased fresh, usually between the months of June and September, or they can be found dried throughout the year. They are full of potassium, fiber, calcium, and manganese and are low in calories. Recipe from The Jungle Effect: Healthiest Diets from Around the World--Why They Work and How to Make Them Work for You by Dr. Daphne Miller Easy Chocolate Pudding
Serves 1-2 1 ripe avocado 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 6-12 Medjool dates, to taste Splash of maple syrup (if needed – dates may be enough sweetness) Water, just enough to keep everything moving in the blender Put ¼ cup water in high-speed blender, food processor or VitMix. Add avocado and blend until creamy. Blend in cocoa powder and dates adding extra water as needed to keep things moving. Add more dates or maple syrup if needed to adjust sweetness. Blend until smooth & creamy. This is so amazing and you will not know that you’re eating avocado! It makes an incredible pudding or you can spread it into a nut crust for a delicious chocolate pie. When I make the pudding, I oil two small ramekins with coconut oil and sprinkle them with shredded coconut to coat the bottom and sides, add the pudding and top with shaved chocolate or cocao nibs. Chocolate Icebox Tart
8 to 10 servings 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut ¾ cup ground almonds (or any type of nut) 1 1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder ½ cup maple syrup 1 1/3 cups coconut oil (gently melted but not hot) ½ cup almond butter (or peanut butter) In a bowl, mix together the coconut, almonds, 1/3 cup of cocoa powder, ¼ cup of maple syrup and 1/3 cup of the coconut oil. Mix well to make the crust. Press crust into the bottom and partially up the sides of an 11 by 7 by 2” baking sheet or baking dish. Chill for 30 minutes. Put the almond butter and the remaining 1 cup cocoa power, ¼ cup maple syrup, and 1 cup coconut oil in a food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour filling into the chilled tart shell and chill for 2 hours or until firm. Cut into 1-inch squares and serve. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Recipe from True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure by Dr. Andrew Weil, Sam Fox and chef Michael Stebner Carob Nut Bars
1 cup crispy almonds* 1 cup crispy pecans* ½ cup crispy sunflower seeds* ½ cup toasted carob powder Scant ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 cup unsweetened, dried, shredded coconut ¼ cup raw honey 1/3 cup coconut oil, gently melted 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Place nuts and sunflower seeds in food processor and pulse until finely chopped but before they reach “flour” consistency. Add the carob powder, dried coconut and salt to the food processor and pulse again. Add the honey, coconut oil and vanilla. Pulse until everything is well mixed and the mixture starts to clump. Line a 9” by 12” shallow dish with parchment paper and spread the mixture no more than ½ inch thick. Refrigerate for several hours until firm. Slice into small squares and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Notes: If the honey you are using is not liquid, mix it in to the slightly warm coconut oil to melt it a bit before adding it to the nut mixture. It blends better this way. *See our blog entry for how to make your own crispy nuts. If you do not have crispy nuts handy, substitute dry roasted nuts. Feel free to use any type of crispy nuts you like. You could make this recipe into bars, balls, or press into candy molds. Recipe from www.easynaturalfood.com Blueberry Sour Cream Pie
Crust: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces 2 tablespoons sugar Pinch of salt 4 tablespoons (about) ice water Filling: 1 cup sour cream ¾ cup sugar 2 ½ tablespoons all purpose flour 1 egg, beaten to blend ¾ teaspoon almond extract ¼ teaspoon salt 2 ½ cups fresh blueberries Topping: 6 tablespoons all purpose flour ¼ cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1/3 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons sugar Preparation For Crust: Blend flour, butter, sugar and salt in processor until coarse meal forms. With machine running, add water by tablespoonfuls until clumps form. Gather into ball. Flatten to disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim edge to ½-inch overhang. Fold edge under and crimp. Freeze 10 minutes. Line crust with foil; fill with beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 12 minutes. Remove foil and beans. For Filling: Mix first 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Mix in blueberries. Spoon into crust. Bake until filling is just set, about 25 minutes. For Topping: Using fingertips, mix flour and butter in medium bowl until small clumps form. Mix in pecans and sugar. Spoon topping over pie. Bake until topping browns lightly, about 12 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature. Blueberry Lemonade Popsicles
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest 1/2 cup of organic cane sugar (coconut palm sugar, Sucanat, rapadura) 2 ½ cups water (or coconut water) Rinse the berries, then combine all ingredients in a blender on high until thoroughly and evenly pulverized. Hold a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher and strain the mixture by slowly pouring. Let the mixture rest until any forth that has formed has dissolved, or, remove the froth by spooning it off. Pour the liquid into the pop molds and add sticks. Freeze until solid, 4-6 hours. Recipe from The Popshop, Los Angeles. These are Popsicles for grown ups! Blueberries are in season right now so this would make a fun, seasonal dessert for your next picnic or party. You can adjust the amount of lemon and sugar based on your taste. You may like them a bit more tart or slightly sweeter. You could even add some basil or mint to the mixture before blending for an added level of flavor. These are very refreshing on a hot summer day! Baked Apples
Preheat oven to 350 degrees 4 large or 6 small, firm, tart apples 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (maple syrup or honey may also be used) ¼ cup chopped nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, almonds) ¼ cup raisins (or substitute crystallized ginger or another type of dried fruit) Grated zest of ½ lemon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ½ teaspoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2/3-cup apple juice or cider Core the top of each apple, stopping ½ inch from the bottom. Set the apples in a shallow 1-1 1/2–quart baking dish, with enough room to fit but not touch. Combine the dry ingredients and spoon the mixture into the center of each apple. Dot the top of the apples with butter. Pour the liquid into the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake the apples for 30 minutes. Uncover and baste with the liquid at the bottom of the pan, and bake until they are tender but not mushy, about 10 more minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream or for the dairy-free coconut milk. Note: The amount of time you cook the apples will depend on the type and size of the apple and how soft you like them. I prefer them to still have a “bite” so I cooked them for the amount of time stated above. You might enjoy them a little less firm and want to cook them for longer. It’s important to choose a variety of apple that is firm and tart. Suggestions include Rome Beauty, McIntosh, Jonagold, or Granny Smith. As always, we encourage you to shop locally and apples are in abundance at the farmer’s markets this time of year! Apple Crisp
Filling: 1 ½ to 2 lbs. peeled, sliced apples Pinch of salt Pinch of cinnamon ½ cup apple juice or apple cider Topping: 2 cups rolled oats (not quick oats) ½ cup whole wheat flour ¼ cup melted butter or coconut oil 2 tbsp. maple syrup Pinch of salt Pinch of cinnamon Peel the apples, quarter and slice. Place the apples in 8 by 8 baking dish (apples should come to the top of the baking dish or slightly rounded above the top). Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon and pour juice over the fruit. Mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl and crumble evenly over the apples. Press down gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Adapted from Natural Food Cookbook by Mary Estella. Nothing is better than a good apple crisp on a cold autumn day! I’ve been making this easy apple crisp recipe for years. Top it with fresh whipped cream or homemade ice cream while it’s still warm! I especially like that this recipe isn’t too sweet as some apple crisps can be. The apple juice/cider gives it plenty of sweetness and the touch of maple syrup in the topping is just right. Enjoy! Almond Chocolate Clusters
1 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped ½ cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped 6 oz dark, organic chocolate, coarsely chopped Toss together the almonds and cherries. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Melt half the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water. Stir frequently. When melted, remove from heat and mix in the rest of the chocolate. Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Put in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature. I purchase small candy boxes at The Container Store and fill them with these little treats to give out to co-works, neighbors, friends, etc. at the holidays. You can change this recipe by adding any type of nut or dried fruit that sounds good. You can also make the clusters bigger (cookie size) or smaller (bite size). It’s a fun recipe to make with kids since it’s easy and quick. |
Authors:
Dr. Julia Wray
Doctor of Chiropractic Rebecca Haines
Certified Holistic Health Coach Browse by Category
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