Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Freshly picked strawberries and rhubarb cooked to sweet perfection and topped with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups chopped strawberries
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch



Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter together in a bowl; press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Top with strawberries and rhubarb.
3.Stir water, white sugar, and cornstarch together in a saucepan. Bring to simmer, constantly whisking, until mixture bubbles and thickens; pour over fruit layer.
4.Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 1 hour.

Note: The original recipe did not call for cinnamon but I added it and I liked the results :)

enjoy my little herbivores.

Chocolate Covered Kiwi Pops

recipe courtesy of oh desserts

 

Kiwi – peel and cut into 1 inch thick rounds, with a popsicle stick in each round. Freeze on a tray in the freezer.

Chop 1 cup dark chocolate and 1/2 cup Coconut oil – melt over a double boiler. Cool down to room temp.

Dip each Kiwi-pop into the chocolate mixture (it will immediately turn crispy) and place on a tray to refreeze

enjoy my little herbivores.

Inside out Caramel Apples

A great snack and easy to do!
 
INGREDIENTS:
3 large Granny Smith apples
1 large lemon
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbs butter
2 tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

ACTION:Cut your apples in half and use a melon baller to scoop out the insides, leaving the walls intact at about 1/2 inch thickness.(NOTE: the more you apple you remove, the more caramel you will end up with)

Squeeze the juice from the lemon onto the apples and allow to set. This will keep them from turning brown right away.

In a sauce pan over high heat, add the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream and corn syrup. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved. Allow to boil, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 230 degrees, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, stir continually until it stops bubbling. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes.

Using a paper towel, wipe your apples down, removing the lemon juice as much as possible. If the inside of your apple is too wet, the caramel wont stick.

Pour the caramel into the hollowed out apples until just below the top.

Sprinkle with pecans. (if desired)

Chill in the refrigerator until the caramel has set, about 20 minutes.

Cut into serving slices.

Enjoy my little herbivores.

caramel recipe courtesy of  domesticfits

 

Fruit Popsicle

With summer at our door its time to enjoy the heat and cool off with a nice treat. What better snack than a healthy popsicle made entirely of fruit!

Ingredients:
3 cups watermelon puree (seedless if possible)
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 peach or nectarine, diced small
handful fresh cherries, pitted and chopped

Cut the watermelon into chunks and then puree it in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

Set out about 1 dozen popsicle molds (amount needed will vary depending on size of molds). Fill each one with the chopped fresh fruit. Then pour in the watermelon puree until each mold is full to the top. Place a popsicle stick into each one. Place into your freezer and freeze for about 6 to 8 hours.

When ready to serve, run the popsicle molds under warm water for a few seconds and then pull each one out.

B-raw-nies

Here is a recipe for frosted brownies that are gluten-free, raw, and soy-free. You can feel good about munching on these raw brownies, made with nuts and dates... and don't pass on making the frosting, it's what makes these brownies especially delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
Base:
1 cup raw almonds (see note)
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1 3/4 cups (packed) pitted medjool dates (see note)
1/4 cup dried organic pitted cherries (OR more dates, ie can use 2 cups dates in whole - omit almond extract if not using cherries)
1/3 cup raw cocoa powder (or regular cocoa if you prefer)
1 vanilla bean (see note)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

Frosting:
1/2 cup coconut butter (not coconut oil) Artisana coconut butter
1/4 cup raw agave nectar (or can use pure maple syrup if raw not essential)
2 tbsp raw cocoa powder (or regular if you prefer)
pinch sea salt

ACTION:
In a food processor, first add almonds and cashews and process until very fine (the almonds are the hardest, and need to be worked until crumbly). Let them process for a minute or two until quite fine. Then add walnuts, dates and cherries and pulse/process until mixture is quite crumbly, but not yet coming together. Then, add cocoa powder, salt, and almond extract, and pulse through. With a sharp tip knife, slice the vanilla bean down the outer side to open up the bean. Using a blunt (butter) knife, scrape out all the tiny seeds from the bean on both sides, and add them to the processor (or add vanilla extract). Process again, along with the almond extract if using. Process until the mixture comes together. The mixture should be sticky and hold together when pressed with your fingers. You don’t want to over mix (to prevent the nuts from releasing their oils, see note), but the mixture does need to hold and be sticky. If it’s not doing so, add a few drops of water, as your dates might be dry. Once you have a good, sticky mixture that will hold together, remove it from the processor and press into a brownie pan (8” x 8”) lined with parchment paper. Use a small piece of the parchment to help press and flatten the mixture evenly into the pan. Press it firmly to ensure the mixture holds. For the frosting, in a mini-food processor, first combine the coconut butter and agave nectar until smooth. Then add the cocoa powder and salt, and pulse through again until just combined. Do not over process or the frosting will begin to separate with the heat of the churning and become oily. (If you don’t have a mini-processor, you can follow the same steps stirring by hand in a bowl). Smooth frosting over base, and refrigerate for an hour or more until set. Cut into squares and serve! You can also freeze the squares after cutting, and enjoy them out of the freezer!

NOTE:

• A combination of ¾ cup almonds and ½ cup cashews also works well.
• You can substitute 1 – 1 ½ tsp of pure vanilla extract for the vanilla bean seeds.
• If your dates are on the dry side, you can add 1-2 tbsp of water to the mixture to help assist the pureeing and the mixture easily coming together.
• If you process the mixture too long, the heat generated by the food processor will bring the oils out of the nuts. If this happens, the brownies won’t be ruined necessarily, but they will have an oily appearance and be oily to the touch. So, process minimally to begin, rather than over processing the nuts at the outset.

Recipe from the book Let Them Eat Vegan.

Watermelon Cake

Are you looking for a great healthy dessert idea for your next get together? With the health movement becoming all the rage people have been creating healthier alternatives for everything including desserts. Here is a scrumptious looking idea that is both vegan and vegetarian!
 
Ingredients:
- 1 large seedless watermelon
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk (left in fridge for 6 hours or more)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. raw honey
- 1 cup sliced raw almonds
- Seasonal fresh fruit (for topping)

Directions:
TO MAKE THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM
1. Make sure to place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (or overnight). This will cause the cream to separate from the milk. The cream will be at the top of the can.
2. Open the can of coconut milk and scrape out the cream into a medium sized bowl. Hint: I always open the can from the bottom and pour the milk out into a separate container before scraping out the cream. You can use the saved milk for smoothies and other recipes.
3. Add the vanilla and raw honey to the mixture. Whip the cream with a hand mixer on medium speed and work your way up to high speed until the cream is fluffy. Place the bowl of whipped cream in the fridge until ready to use.

TO MAKE THE TOASTED ALMONDS:
1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat and allow the pan to get hot.
2. Add the sliced almonds and toss in the pan until they are toasted and turn a light brown color. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

TO ASSEMBLE:
1. Remove the top and bottom from the watermelon and remove the rind from the middle section. You should be left with a cake-shaped piece of watermelon. Cut the watermelon "cake" into the number of wedges/slices you want (I recommend 6-8 slices depending on the size of the watermelon).
2. Pat the outside of the watermelon dry with paper towels (this is important because it will help the coconut whipped cream adhere better).
3. Dip the outside edge of each slice into the coconut whipped cream and then into the toasted almonds, and reassemble the wedges into the cake shape on a serving platter. Top with more whipped coconut cream and your favorite fresh fruit (I used blackberries, strawberries and kiwi). Serve or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Best when served within a few hours of assembling.
 
Enjoy my little herbivores.

courtesy of paleocupboard