Celebrate Earth Day with Raw "Dirt Brown"-ie Earth Truffles and a "Greener than Grass" Smoothie

Happy Earth Day!

There is no dirt or grass in either of these recipes so don't be alarmed!

However there is everything delicious... chocolate, almonds, vanilla and dates in our "Dirt Brown"-ies and bananas, calcium-rich sesame and spinach in our "Greener than Grass" Smoothie!

This smoothie is one of my all-time favorites. I love enjoying it in the evening with the calcium-rich sesame seeds and dark greens and potassium-rich banana. Sesame seeds (what tahini is made from) meld wonderful with banana and a touch of vanilla and date. It has a wonderful "earthy" flavor so I've been saving it to post for Earth Day although I usually just call it Green Sesame Banana.

Feel free to substitute any dark green for the spinach. I'd recommend kale or any other local greens (make it truly eco-friendly)! Also for a grown-up version, add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground Green Matcha Tea powder available from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Almonds are a great food to mix with dessert ~ they have a neutralizing effect on blood sugar spikes. They also have a natural affinity for chocolate and dates!

For another fun trick, gather twigs or straws and stick the Earth truffles on one end, making Earth Pops!

"Dirt Brown"-ie Earth Truffles
1 cup almonds
10-12 Medjool dates
3 TB coconut oil
1/3 cup cocoa powder (or more for richer browner)
1/3 vanilla bean (these are still on sale on amazon)
Pinch of salt
1. Add dates and almonds to food processor. Process until coarsely chopped.
2. Add remaining ingredients and process until ball starts to form like dough.
3. Shape into round "Earth" shapes. Refrigerate.

"Greener than Grass" Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice
2 Medjool dates
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Large Handful of Baby Spinach (or other green)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from 1/3 of a vanilla bean

1. Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.


How are you celebrating Earth Day? And are there any gardening books you enjoy?

In the spirit of Earth Day, I've downloaded these two books to enjoy:

 
The Dirt-Cheap Green Thumb: 400 Thrifty Tips for Saving Money, Time, and Resources as You Garden
and
Don't Throw It, Grow It!: 68 windowsill plants from kitchen scraps

Double Chocolate Black Bean Cookies with Sesame

I can't take credit for these delicious and healthy cookies. I used the base from Sarah Britton's Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cookies and did my own take on her recipe. I wasn't even planning to post this until my sister begged me too. Well, begging might be exaggerating - I mean I'm not that cruel. For my take, I used chocolate chips and less sweetener, I passed on the cherries and cayenne (but that would make a delicious addition). Instead, I generously sprinkled sesame seeds over half the batch.

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Sesame seeds are a wondrous little seed. You can see them featured in my bone-building chocolate sesame melts. Sesame is one of the most calcium-rich foods, teaspoon for teaspoon. It's also loaded with trace minerals such as magnesium. Eating magnesium with calcium is important as it acts as a "'glue' that binds calcium to bone’s protein matrix, creating strong, dense bones. (Spry). Eating one ounce a day of sesame seeds can help provide 28% (based on a 2,000 calories diet) of the calcium needed daily (Nutrition Data.com). When incorporated into the diet, these little wonders of joy can help provide a good base to building strong, healthy bones (or mantaining them).

I love sesame seeds sprinkled on eggs, rice, soup, cooked greens and baked goods! Of course, these are optional (hense why I photographed half of them without). You can buy them from your local grocery store in the bulk section or Mountain Rose Herbs sells organic sesame seeds for an amazing price of $4 for one pound.

Black Beans are a great source of iron, protein and fiber. You can read more about this understated superfood on Sarah B's post.

Besides these wonderful nutritients, the cookies are relatively inexpensive and quite easy to prepare. No bowls are dirtied. Only the food processor!

Also if you don't want to turn on your oven (and you haven't used eggs in the batter), this batter makes a wonderful dip for apples or spread on sweet crackers. Or just eaten by the spoonful *wink wink*.

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All in all, these fudgy cookies are a great treat or snack for anyone! Being vegan and void of most allergens.

Doubling the recipe is a good idea so you have enough to share!

Double Chocolate Black Bean Cookies with Sesame Seeds (or brownie dip if you prefer not to bake it)

(This recipe is inspired by my bone-building chocolate sesame melts and mainly by Sarah B's black bean chocolate chili cookies).

1 1/2 cup cooked black beans (or one 15 oz can, drained and rinsed well)
2 Tb coconut oil
1/3 cup + 2 Tb cocoa powder
1/2 tsp course sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (or you can use same amount of non-dairy milk with liquid stevia equivalent)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tb chia seeds (or 2 Tb ground flax seed or Sarah says you can use 2 eggs)

1/2 heaping cup chocolate chips or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In food processor, add beans and coconut oil. Process until smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients (except for sesame seeds) and process until smooth (about a minute). Wait a few minutes for it to thicken and the chia to expand.
4. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls onto stoneware or parchment lined tray and flatten with fingers or fork.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for at least ten minutes before removing from pan.

Makes ten or so unless you eat a lot of the batter like we did.

Cinnamon Curry Almonds (In slow cooker) for the Holidays

These flavors has been ocuppying my mind lately. It kept calling for me to try it...

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Spicy Saigon Cinnamon combined with the rich depth of curry and coarse sea salt plus with a little sweetener, shredded coconut, and calcium-rich sesame seeds. The seeds, honey and coconut flakes create a crunchy exterior which pairs lovely with the toasty almonds. It reminds me a little of brown sugar almonds but without all the sugar and fat.

These almonds would be wonderful with dried cranberries and dark chocolate. And tied in some lovely clear bags or jars, they make a tasty gift.

Trying this in my slow cooker was not an original idea. After dreaming of these almonds, I saw this recipe on pinterest over at Detrimental Beauty and I knew I had try my hand at using the crock pot for toasting nuts. Her recipe looks equally delicious so go give it a look.

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Cinnamon Curry Almonds with Coconut and Sesame Seeds
3 cups almonds
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
4 tsp curry powder of your choice
2 tsp course sea salt
2 TB Saigon cinnamon
1/2 cup liquid sweetener (I used 1/4 honey and 1/4 cup maple syrup)
2 TB coconut oil

Optional add-ins (add after everything has cooked):
Chocolate Chips or Chopped Dark Chocolate
Dried Cranberries
Dried Mango
Popped Popcorn

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Turn on low for two hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
2. Remove from crockpot and spread across parchment paper to cool.
3. Store in glass jars or pretty baggies and gift or enjoy yourself!