Almond White Chocolate Magic Bars

Ingredients

• 1 can Solo Almond Paste (8 ounce can)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 ounce can)
• 
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13” baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Place almond paste in a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes a fine crumb, just a few seconds.
3. Place butter and 1 cup of the almond paste crumbs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add flour slowly and mix until mixture becomes together (it will be crumbly). Press in an even layer into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Place the sweetened condensed milk and remaining almond paste in a medium bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir to combine.
5. When the crust comes out of the oven, sprinkle the white chocolate chips and sliced almonds over the top. Pour the sweetened condensed milk mixture over the top and spread evenly as gently as possible so as not to mix up the toppings.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

raw vanilla coffee creme pie with a chocolate crust

i don't even LIKE coffee; yet this is one of my new favourite recipes. my opinions on coffee are what you might expect: it's acceptable in moderation! i do not think it is a good idea for your mind or your body to chug 5 cups of cream- and sugar-laden coffee every day; but the occasional mug of organic black coffee can be beneficial. i prefer getting my caffeine from green tea simply for the flavour. now that i think about it - i bet this recipe would be delicious with some potent green tea substituted in for coffee! 

hmm... i may have to try that.

this recipe is delightful and - i give you fair warning here - difficult to stop eating. the crust is a mix of nuts, dates, cacao and cinnamon so it is like a spiced chocolate base; then the creme layer is a smooth blend of black coffee, cashews, and a whole food sweetener of your choice (everyone has their preference). i drizzled a salted caramel sauce on top made from date paste and sea salt and for the finishing touch added some goji berries, raw pumpkin seeds and coffee beans for colour and contrast. HECK YA.

bathe in the lusciousness of the creme layer mixed with the crunchy bite of the cinnamon chocolate crust. OH MA GERD - IT'S SO GOOD. i should buy some restraints when i make this from now on to control myself.  i predict the family will enjoy it as much as me and my boyfriend did this morning. yep, that's right. we ate it for breakfast... after some fresh juice of course.

how's the weather where you live? it has been raining here for days and i'm lovin' every minute - i'm lovin' it. (no affiliation to mcdonalds here.) as long as i wear a good pair of boots and bring an umbrella the rain don't bother me none. plus it's really cozy when you're inside with a fire, special people, two cats and this creme pie...

i suggest eating this at most a few hours before you go to sleep otherwise it might keep you up if you are sensitive to caffeine. try it for breakfast! it was perfect. 

cashew coffee vanilla creme cake with a cinnamon chocolate crust: serves 8 or so

cashew coffee vanilla creme:

2 cups raw cashews

seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod

3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup (or agave/raw honey/date paste)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup very strong, brewed organic coffee

cinnamon chocolate crust:

1 cup pecans

1 cup dates

2 tablespoons cacao powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

salted caramel drizzle:
1/2 cup dates covered in enough water (or coffee) to cover them
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon nut butter (optional)

to make the creme, blend all ingredients until smooth. set aside. 

to make the crust, process the nuts into a rough flour in your food processor and add all the other ingredients until you can press it together, then press it into the bottom of lined small spring-form pan. scoop on the creme and let it set in the fridge or freezer. 

to make the caramel drizzle, blend the dates, water/coffee, salt and nut butter (if using) until smooth and pretty liquid. if it is too thick - add more water; if too thin - add more dates. drizzle on top of your creme pie and garnish with coffee beans, goji berries and pumpkin seeds. it is better - but difficult - to wait until the next day to eat this, let the flavours get to know each other. then DEVOUR. 

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raw fig bars with almond and figs from shiloh farms

today i bring you an inspired treat, rawified: fig bars! shiloh farms, an organic whole foods company based in the states, sent me some of their products for free to use and review! yippie for me! they were kind enough to mail me more than i asked for. i got extra alfalfa seeds! i also received black mission figs and raw almonds. while they were in the mail i decided what i would make with them - fig bars (as you may have guessed).

they are delicious! they remind me of a raisin butter tarts. imagine if a fig bar and a raisin tart had a baby (don't worry about logistics here okay, humour me)... then make it raw and vegan and you've got one of these! yum. i won't make this post too long because you probably just want the recipe BUT ALSO my friend just got here and we gotta make some juice! WOO.

as far as my review of the products goes - i love shiloh farms! the figs were delicious, satisfying and full of flavour; the almonds tasted really fresh and actually RAW; i am going to sprout the alfalfa seeds and let you know how that turns out. 

raw fig bars: makes 9 big bars

crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 heaping cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

filling:
2 cups dried figs, soaked in water for 2-4 hours (keep the water!)
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt

topping:
1 1/2 cups pecans

to make the crust: process the nuts in your food processor until you get really fine pieces - like flour. alternately you could use oat flour here. add the raisins and cinnamon. if it's not sticky enough, add some dates or maple syrup. press into a 9X9 pan or shape it yourself on parchment paper, that's what i did.

to make the filling: blend the figs, maple syrup/agave and salt in the food processor (no need to wash it yet), adding the soak water as needed to make it smooth but still quite thick. spread this on the crust but keep a little less than 1/4 cup of it in the food processor...

to make the topping: add the pecans to the food processor (with the leftover fig mixture) and pulse until there are small nut chunks, but not too fine. sprinkle this on top of the fig filling and press down a little. cut and enjoy! i sliced the sides off mine to make it a nice square so i had these extra strips of fig bar... i made fig nut milk! just blend it with water.

raw fudge brownies: YEAH BABY!

Thank you, Mother Nature.

These sexy things are delicious and packed with nutrients to keep you living long; enjoying life and all it has to offer... like brownies.Raw desserts are pretty much the easiest food in the world to make, because usually they consist of just dates, nuts, coconut oil, and whatever else you want to add. These are no different.

Normal brownie ingredients? White flour, white sugar, butter, and cocoa. What're those gonna do for you?! Make you sleepy and gain weight. In these brownies: there's prunes, dates, hemp, chia, flax, cocoa, mesquite, cinnamon, vanilla and oats. Yummy in my tummy, good FOR my body. 

Yours too.

You can make these in like 5 minutes, and they'll disappear even faster. The best part (aside from eating them) is telling people they're healthy and made from whole foods! It's a magical world, my friends. These are also great for pre- or post-workout snacks!

 -
Raw Fudge Brownies: makes about 8 large brownies

1 1/2 cup oats

1 cup dates & prunes

1 t vanilla extract 

3 Tb coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup honey/agave/maple syrup

2 Tb mesquite powder (optional)

1/4 cup cup hemp seed

2 Tb flax seed

2 Tb chia seed
1/3 cup cashews (preferably soaked)

1/3 cup cocoa/cacao

1/2 t cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Put dates and prunes in bowl of water. Set aside.

Blend 1 cup of the oats in blender until it becomes oat flour. Then in a food processor, process dates and prunes (with about 1/4 cup of the water) with all the other wet ingredients until smooth. Now add all the dry ingredients, including the remaining 1/2 cup of whole oats and oat flour. Good consistency? It should be thick, but very moist. Press it into a pan lined with tin foil or plastic wrap and set in the fridge for a little bit so the coconut oil can stiffen them up.

Then cut 'em up and serve! Make a chocolate sauce for them, or have with fruit and nut butter!

*You can make these even simpler by just blending dates, cashews coconut oil and cacao. But I always like to add a bunch of stuff for more flavours. I cannot help it. It's up to you!