almonds

2-Ingredient Salted Caramel Almond Bark

7 Comments

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. 

My sweet tooth is pretty limited to coconut milk “ice cream” and chocolate. I hate to admit that I have been indulging in both a bit too much lately but c’est le vie. One of my favorite combinations with both coconut milk “ice cream” and chocolate is salted caramel a trend that I will be riding out until the end (and beyond).

Of course when these salted caramel Blue Diamond almonds arrived on my door step my first thought was these would go fantastic with chocolate and guess what? I was right. 

Blue Diamond Almonds 2 ingredient Salted Caramel Bark instagram For this (non)recipe you will need two things: Blue Diamond Salted Caramel Almonds and dark chocolate chips. Easy as that. 

Once you have acquired these two items you will also need a sheet of parchment paper. Measure out about 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and set aside. Measure out another 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and melt in the microwave in 30 second increments stirring in-between  until melted. Stir the reserved 1/4 cup of chocolate chips until melted as well; this will help to cool down the chocolate mixture faster. Then stir 2 heaping tablespoons of Blue Diamond Salted Caramel almonds into the mixture and then pour the mixture on to a sheet of parchment paper and smooth out into a thin layer.

Sprinkle the top of the chocolate bark with leftover chocolate chips and almonds. Place in the fridge and cool for at least an hour and store in the fridge. 
Blue Diamond Almonds Salted Caramel Bark instagramI tell you this is an easy (not really a) recipe that pairs two delicious things together. Now I’m off to steal another piece or two for an afternoon treat. 

What is your favorite flavor/food to combine with chocolate? 

 

WIAW | Vegan Lactation Cookies | Featuring Blue Diamond Almonds

7 Comments

WIAW | Vegan Lactation Cookies | Featuring Blue Diamond Almonds
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

It seems that everyone we know is either pregnant for the first time or second time or are just having their babies. Today I am meeting up with an old friend who just had baby boy #2 and since I believe that if you visit with a new mama in the first 4-6 weeks postpartum that you must bring food and/or do something to help around the house. That being said I decided to bake cookies because who doesn’t love cookies and I may have wanted a few for myself. 

WIAW | Vegan Lactation Cookies | Featuring Blue Diamond Almonds While these are lactation cookies you don’t have to worry if you eat them you won’t suddenly start lactating it just means they are filled with ingredients that help mamas milk supply. All it means for you men, kids and non-breastfeeding women is that you’ll be enjoying some nutrient dense cookies that are really good anytime of the day. I actually think they would be the perfect breakfast cookie.

This recipe was inspired by How Sweet Eats Lactation Cookies, which you could always veganize if you wanted (I have and they are insanely amazing). So why didn’t I just make How Sweet Eats? Well they are a little higher in fat and sugar than I was interested in this time around. Although I think she is spot on to add the chocolate chips and if I had any I would have added them as well. Either way I think these are yummy and fingers crossed so does my mama friend. 

WIAW | Vegan Lactation Cookies | Featuring Blue Diamond Almonds Dark Chocolate Almond Lactation Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons brewers yeast
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 super ripe medium bananas
1 cup coconut sugar
14-15 sticky medjool dates (if yours are not soft soak them in warm water for 20 minutes before or sub 1/2 cup coconut sugar)
7 tablespoons Earth Balance
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Dark Chocolate Almonds, chopped
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl whisk together the oats, flour, brewers yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle beat the bananas and dates together until mashed. Add in the Earth Balance, coconut sugar and vanilla and beat until creamed together.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Then stir in the almonds and coconut flakes.

Scoop out 1-inch balls of dough and place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet.
WIAW | Vegan Lactation Cookies | Featuring Blue Diamond Almonds

WIAW | Almonds That Taste Like Churros

6 Comments

I usually go for a savory nut because that’s just the type of girl I am but as soon as I tried these I fell in love. Instantly they brought me back to my childhood and the many Disney trips my family took together and those hot churros you could get at all the parks around Disney. Seriously friends these taste like a Disney World churro. So maybe it’s the nostalgia talking or maybe it’s the fact that they taste so good that I just loved me some Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Cinnamon ALmonds. blue diamond almonds - honey roasted cinnamon
You know how I mentioned that they tasted of those hot churros? Well to make them taste even more like that I like to put them in a microwaveable dish and heat for 20-30 seconds. They come out all warm just like a hot churro. Some might say they taste like cinnamon roasted nuts, you know the warm ones you can get at theme parks, farmers markets, special events, etc and why I do agree my instant thought was those churros.
blue diamon honey roasted cinnamon
On the downside Edith loved these nuts as well and she loved them so much that she decided to lick her hand and stick it in to grab up all the honey and cinnamon flavor. Needless to say once she was done doing that we had to toss out the remainder of the container because ….well you get it. I guess I’ll have to buy myself a new container or rather buy one for me and one for her…and maybe one for Neil too.

Is there a food the takes you back to your childhood?
This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

Recipe | Nutty Honey Chocolate Bites | Blue Diamond Almonds

10 Comments

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. As always all opinions are my own.

I’m back in the kitchen and it feels great! The past two months have been a little chaotic and I haven’t really been inspired or in a position to really work on any new recipes. Yesterday however I made it back into the kitchen and I brought Edith with me.

Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla - photos

I really want Edith to love cooking as much as I do and I also think that having her in the kitchen and being apart of the process makes her more interested in food and healthy eating. As you can see she is also learning how to become a food blogger with her Cabbage Patch camera. I’m thinking I need to find one of my old point and shoot cameras or maybe an inexpensive kids digital camera for her so that she can take real pictures – any recommendations?

Anyways we headed to the kitchen to make a snack for the week. Now you might be thinking chocolate as a snack? YES! These bites are filled with yummy and healthy ingredients like oats and almonds and just a little chocolate to make them a treat as well as a tasty snack. I used Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Vanilla Almonds in this recipe because a. they are super tasty and b. I thought they would be amazing with chocolate. Check out the recipe below and then head to the kitchen right away and MAKE THESE they are seriously insane! 

Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla

Nutty Honey Chocolate Bites

Inspired by Annie Eats

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1-6oz container of Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Vanilla Almonds
  • ½ cup creamy unsalted almond butter
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
  • ¼ tsp. Himalayan pink salt

Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla - photos

DIRECTIONS

  • Place oats in the bowl a food processor fitted with the s-blade and process until it is small coarse pieces. Add the almonds and coconut and pulse 15-20 times until finely ground. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla - process
  • Add the almond butter, honey, coconut oil, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips to a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate chips are completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the salt. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the oat-almond mixture and stir together until everything is evenly mixed. Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla - chocolate
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour out the mixture. Top with another sheet of parchment and roll out into a square or circle that is 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours until set and then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container the fridge or freezer

Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla - bites Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla yum bites

OUTTAKES

Edith enjoyed helping me make these tasty treats but she is only two so she is easily distracted by other things like putting stuff on top of her baby brothers head. At least he didn’t seem to mind!

Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla - outtake Blue Diamond Almonds- Honey Roasted Vanilla - E&A

Recipe: Wasabi Shoyu Almonds

2 Comments

One of my favorite snacks are almonds but not just any almonds, I love tamari almonds. As much as I enjoy them I don’t purchase them often because they are pretty expensive per pound so I usually just get regular almonds. Finally I decided that instead of spending $4 more per pound I’d make my own.

Wasabi Shoyu (Tamari) Almonds

  • 2 cups raw almonds
  • 1/4 cup shoyu or tamari
  • 1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
Pre-heat oven to 250F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl mix the shoyu with the wasabi powder; toss with the almonds and spread in one layer on the baking sheet.
Bake for 25-30 minutes; tossing half way through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet.  Once cooled store in an air tight container.

Recipe of The Week: Italian Almond Tart

1 Comment

I have been attempting to get myself back in the kitchen to cook up some new recipes from my pile of ideas. Finally last night I decided to try out one of my ideas for this wonderful and delicious tart filled with creamy white-bean cashew cheeze and sweet roasted tomatoes.

Italian Almond Tart 

with Cashew-White Bean Cheeze, Sauteed Summer Squash & Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Yields 8 Servings

Ingredients:

  • One large tart crust (recipe below)
  • Cashew-White Bean Cheeze
  • One medium summer squash, thinly sliced & sauteed in olive oil for 4-5 minutes
  • Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Greens, for garnish
For the Crust
  • 1 1/2 cups almond meal
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning (dried) or 1 TBSP fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 TBSP water

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix together the almond meal, salt, and Italian seasoning. In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil and water. Create a well in the almond meal mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until  combined. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter for about 30 minutes.

For the Cheeze

  • One 15-oz can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients; process until smooth.  You may need to add a little water to help the mixture combine; start with 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
For the Tomatoes
  • One pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
Preheat oven to 350F
Toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and place on a sheet pan.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

—
For the Tart

While the tomatoes are roasting, fill the cooled tart shell with the cashew-white bean cheeze.  Place in the 350F oven to warm for 10 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and top with the slices of sauteed summer squash.  Once the tomatoes have finished roasting remove them from the oven; place the oven roasted tomatoes on top of the tart.  Garnish with a handful of greens, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
This is delicious warm, cold or room temperature.

On the 7th Day…There were Nuts and more

60 Comments

Nuts Online was kind enough to send us (and one lucky reader!) their Vegetarian Sampler. This sampler gives you a taste of what Nuts Online has to offer from snacks to tea to proteins and minerals.

The veggie chips were a great mix. They had a sweet sort of flavor and made a great snack, especially the green beans! The anti-oxidant mix gave us the little kick we needed making our way around DC in between meals and were full of great nutrients!

The Hubz ate all but one  of the Turkish Figs- he was in love at first bite! He also devoured the Organic Raw Cacao Goji Energy Squares which he said tasted like a fudgey brownie- guess I can be glad he was eating these filled with super foods instead of brownies filled with oil and sugar!

We used the chia seeds and flax seeds in smoothies and on our cereal. And the quinoa was cooked up and eaten with beans and greens- my favorite!

This is sampler is a great way to see what Nuts Online has to offer and it’s yours to win!

TO ENTER: This giveaway is open until December 8th at 6am. This giveaway is open to U.S.  and Canadian Residents.

The Winner is:

1. Visit the Nutsonline.com site and tell me what you would most like to try. (required)

Additional Chances to win (PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY; also if you already do any of these ie. follow me on twitter/facebook, ect it counts so leave a comment).

  1. Subscribe to the NutsOnline.com Newsletter
  2. Follow NutsOnline.com on Twitter.
  3. Like NutsOnline.com on Facebook.
  4. Follow me on Twitter.
  5. Tweet about this giveaway “I want to win @cookveganlover @Nuts_Online Giveaway http://wp.me/pFVWo-1m5”
  6. Like Cook.Vegan.Lover. on Facebook.