Sweet 'n' Salty Almond Butter Cups

In the words of my dear friend GingerKef, "Wowowowowowowowowowow!" 

I've been eyeing all the iterations of homemade Reese's cups out there on the interwebs, but none have been exactly sugar-free--the recipes I've seen have called for some kind sugar for either the nut butter or the chocolate shell. That ends now.

I played around with these puppies last night, and was amazed to find how easy they really are.  BF Kef was HUGE fan and promptly enjoyed two of these fancy little treats. They're a little sweet, a little salty, and a delicious replacement for any Reese's lover.

You'll have lots of almond butter left over--keep it in a container at room temp and enjoy it on apples, bananas, toast, and everything else on which almond butter is awesome.


Ingredients

• 2 c slivered almonds
• 2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt
• 10oz bag of unsweetened carob chip (or dark chocolate over 50% if you prefer)

Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 350. Put an ungreased cupcake tin in the freezer.
2. Spread almonds out on a rimmed baking pan. Roast in oven for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
3. While almonds roast, put coconut and in a food processor. Blend until buttery, which will take about 10 minutes. About half way through, add the vanilla extract to keep the mixer moving.
4. Once roasted, let almonds cool for 2-3 minutes, then add the nuts, 1/4 c of the carob chips and salt to the coconut/vanilla mix in food processor. Blend until the mixture resembles a loose nut butter. Check for taste, and add another 1/4 c of carob chips if you feel so inclined. Set aside.
5. Heat a deep pot of water to a low boil. Remove cupcake tin from freeze. Place remaining carob chips in a handheld pot small enough to hold over the boiling water.  Stirring very frequently, place the small pot over the hot water (but try to keep bottom from touching water) and allow carob to melt. This will take 3-5 minutes. 
6. Using a spatula, divide the carob between each cupcake hole--each one should get enough to cover the bottom completely. Move quickly so the carob does not re-harden (if it starts to get firm again, put back over the boiling water for a few seconds and stir). It will not be pretty. Then, use the back of a metal spoon to smooth out the melted carob and push some up the sides of the tin. Again--it will not be pretty, just do what you can.
7. Add about 1 TBS of almond butter to each cupcake holder and smooth. We liked these without a top layer of carob--but if you have any left over, go ahead and pour it over the almond butter to make a final layer of "chocolate." Put cupcake tin back in freezer for 15-30 minutes. Once frozen, remove from cupcake forms and let come to room temperature before enjoying.

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Cauliflower, Chickpea, and Coconut Curry

Clearly, "C" is not just for cookie.  Today we have a delicious, quick, and easy curry--no more into needed!

Ingredients

• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 med zucchini, chopped
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 4 TBS olive oil
• 3 tsp garam masala 
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1.5 tsp chili powder (add more for spicier curry)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 inch grated ginger (or ground)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can lite coconut milk

Assembly 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Toss cauliflower, zucchini, and chick peas in 2 TBS olive oil.  Then add HALF the garam masala, all the ground ginger, and HALF the chili powder. Put vegetables on a baking sheet and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, until tender.

2. While the vegetables are roasting, heat remaining oil and spices over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring to distribute spices evenly.  Add onions and garlic and saute until fragrant, 5-7 minutes.  Onions should be soft and covered by oil/spices, but not browning from heat.
3.  Add tomatoes to onion mixture.  Stir around and allow to cook together 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  
5. Add coconut milk, stirring to combine.
6. Add roasted cauliflower mix.  Allow the whole mixture to come to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for 10-12 minutes.  
7. Curry will taste best if you let it cool--the flavors come together as temp goes down.

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Orange-Chocolate Pudding that Will Change Your Life (or at least your day)

No matter how healthily I eat during the day, I always (and I do mean ALWAYS) want something sweet after dinner.  Most nights, I can trick myself into thinking an apple and almond butter is dessert enough- other nights, I trick myself into thinking a full pint of ice cream is a good source of calcium.  

Today I bring you something that will really blow your hair back: a vegan, low-fat, low-sugar, gluten- free, easy-to-make, inexpensive chocolate dessert that tastes INCREDIBLE.  If all THAT isn't good enough for you, factor in that dark chocolate is actually chock full of antioxidants (polyphenols and flavonols) and...wow. Truly, a superfood.

I also whipped up a honey cream  but was too impatient to wait for the cream to get room temp, so it looks a little bizarre- but it was delicious. 

Yep, this is really all you need!

Ingredients 

• zest of 1 orange
• 100 g very dark chocolate (I like Lindt's 85% because it is on the cheap side and has the lowest sugar at 5 g per serving)
• 2 c almond milk
• 2 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS corn starch
  Non-Vegan Whipped Cream (optional)
• 1 c whipping cream this should be at room temp for optimal whippage
• 2 TBS honey

Assembly

1. Separate 1/2c of almond milk and set aside.  Then combine remaining 1.5 c of the almond milk with orange zest, chocolate, sugar, and corn starch in a heavy bottomed pan.  

2. Over medium heat, whisk together orange/milk/sugar/chocolate/starch mixture, being sure to not to let the chocolate burn at the bottom or the starch clump together.

3. Once the chocolate has melted, pour in remaining 1/2c of milk.  KEEP THAT WHISK STIRRING!

4. Let the mixture come to a boil (stirring all the while).  You can raise the heat to medium-high if you'd like.  The mixture will come together and get thick all at once, just before it boils.  Once it is boiling, cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Remove from heat and pour into your serving bowl.  Know that if you want a nice, smooth finish, you need to smooth the top out IMMEDIATELY with a flat spatula.  Allow it to cool to room temperature, then put it in the fridge to chill until serving.

Optional Not Vegan Whipped Cream: Combine cream and honey.  Whip at high speed in metal bowl with electric mixer until you have whipped cream.

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