MAYAN PUMPKIN SEED DIP

I have an overflowing clipboard of recipes I've ripped out from magazines. You read that correctly, clipboard, probably not the right tool for the task but I love them. In my other life of wanting to be a director or boss of something I carry clipboards around and wear trendy glasses and carry almond milk lattes and graciously boss people around. Though I'm sure real boss people these days use their phones. Alas, I suppose I am the boss of my kitchen so therein my clipboard lies. This recipe came from the stack and I can remember exactly when I ripped it out - on an airplane along with a tortilla soup recipe that suggested a nub of butter to make the broth silky smooth and I still do that. There are about three or four dips or dressings on this site that are different amounts of the same-ish ingredients and I can't help it, I like what I like. When our quick meals are sandwiches, bowls of leftovers, salads and tacos, it's the spreads and dressings that bring the otherwise average meals to life. Our fridge sometimes has 8+ jars of things up top but they are my arsenal for quick meals. Many things can be thrown over rice or in a tortilla and qualify as dinner with a good sauce. My best lunch this week was this sauce, roasted sweet potatoes (which I already make a big batch of for Cleo), my fave feta and more herbs in toasty corn tortillas. Hope you can find a good home for it too. 

MAYAN PUMPKIN SEED DIP // Serves 8
Recipe adapted from Food and Wine 2013

The original recipe said to remove the jalapeno seeds but I strongly disagree. The dip needs the heat for flavor and there is enough fat here to mellow it out. It could handle two peppers if you really like spicy. I'm a baby with spice and I know every pepper is different but I threw in the whole thing and it was great. 

1 cup pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped shallots (about 4)
1 large jalapeno, stemmed and chopped
sea salt, to taste
1/3 cup each parsley and cilantro
juice of one lime
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water

In a saucepan over medium heat, toast your pumpkin seeds until just fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor. 
Add the oil to the pan to warm up. Add the garlic, shallot, jalapeno and a generous pinch of salt. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the food processor to cool. Add the parsley and cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, oil, water and another pinch of salt. 
Run the processor until combined but still a little chunky. Add water or citrus to loosen if needed - you want it to be more like guacamole than nut butter. Salt to taste. 
The dip will keep in the fridge for a week, where I believe it gets better. 

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CHEWIES

I came across this quote on my friend Stacey's blog this week and I just love it.

In How to Be Here, Rob Bell writes this:

You and I were raised in a modern world that taught us how to work hard and be productive and show up on time and give it our best…

We learned lots of very valuable skills, but we weren’t taught how to be here, how to be fully present in this moment, how to not be distracted or stressed or worried or anxious, but just be here, and nowhere else—wide awake to the infinite depth and dimension of this exact moment.

I have my head down these days trying to keep everyone fed, rested, clean and happy. But I do feel that these days, in our times, stopping and seeing is so encouraged. It doesn't mean I do it, but it may be quote on Pinterest or line from a self help book or a loved one with a terminal illness that puts things back in perspective. It's advice I'm choosing to, or trying to, listen to because I am happier when I do.  The exhaustion, the 3am rocking, the mess and the tantrums, the baby smiles and the toddler phrases that make us laugh. It all feels like too much for my tender heart - both the hard and the really good of it. These are the days. 

I saw those virtuous candy bars on My New Roots a few weeks ago and while they look perfect, I used her general idea to come up with something a little quicker. That cookie layer would be perfect, but these still feel like such a treat drenched in dark chocolate. They remind me of these truffles but without the cocoa and a little nuttier inside. They are soft, so I keep them in the fridge and actually prefer them cold but I am not one to turn down a treat at any temperature. 

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CHEWIES //Makes about 16

You'll have to use your judgement based on the juiciness of your dates. Notes are in the recipe to compensate for dry or super juicy ones. We are going for the texture of a Lara bar inside - chewy and a wee bit crunchy. You can use all hazelnuts, but I wanted to pair them with a fattier nut for creaminess. 

1 cup toasted and skinner hazelnuts
1 cup cashews or macadamia nuts
8-9 pitted Medjool dates
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 Tbsp. coconut flour

6 ounces dark chocolate

toasted hazelnuts, flaky sea salt and cocoa nibs, for topping

In a food processor, pulse the nuts until just sandy. Add the dates, maple, salt, vanilla, oats and coconut flour and pulse a few more times to combine. The mixture should start to come together in a fall. If it is still too wet, add a few more tablespoons oats or flaxmeal. If it seems dry and crumbly, add a splash more maple or warm water. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Line a baking tray with parchment and spread a thin coat of coconut oil. Dump the nut mixture and form a rectangle about 3/4" thick. Pop it back in the fridge to chill another 15-20 minutes. 
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a large mixing bowl in the microwave or double boiler. Put a baking rack (rubbed with a bit of coconut oil) over a piece of parchment to collect drips. Cut the chewies into 2" squares. Bathe them one at a time in the chocolate bath, coating both sides, and set them on the rack. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of chopped hazelnuts, cocoa nibs and flaky sea salt. Pop them in the fridge to firm up and enjoy. Keep them in a covered container in the fridge.

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SUNFLOWER SEEDED BRITTLE

Sunflower Seeded Brittle . Sprouted Kitchen

This is a big year for cookbooks. Many I am looking forward to cooking from here this spring and a good handful to anticipate for fall. One of these, which coincidentally comes out the same day as ours, is the plant-based My New Roots from Sarah Britton. Sarah is seriously about clean eating. Not just a "I love salad" kind of plant-based, but the "ice cream made with cashews" sort of commitment. If you've read her blog, it's inspiring to get a glimpse of how she views food as medicine. She writes her recipes with not only flavor in mind, but packs in maximum nutritional value. As a holistic nutritionist, she saves her prose for educating readers about the benefits of the foods she uses and I have learned so much from her. Sarah's cookbook is beautiful and encompasses her sweet enthusiasm for the work she does. I will say there are a number of ingredients featured you wouldn't find at a regular super market, but if you frequent a health food store or buy things online, lucuma and maca powder will find their way into your pantry. I have bookmarked a beautiful looking strawberry frozen yogurt, kale, onion and olive spelt calzones and must try her Life Changing Loaf of Bread that made it's way from the blog to book pages. It's one to add to your list for sure.

This brittle reminds me of a Kind bar, those sweetened nut bars for on the go, but better and fresh tasting. Lots of seeds and snappy sesame strewn throughout. Mine turned out more chewy than crunchy which is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps more cooking time or a little less brown rice syrup next time if I want more crackle. These would be perfect for traveling or kids school snacks. Portable, a mellowed sweetness and lots of seedy crunch. I think you could play around with the nuts and seeds, change the dried fruit and make them yours. Either way, these will for sure be made again and on my list for edible gifts. 

Congrats, Sarah!

Sunflower Seeded Brittle . Sprouted Kitchen

Sunflower Seeded Brittle . Sprouted Kitchen

• SUNFLOWER SEEDED BRITTLE // Serves 4-6 as a snack
• Recipe from My New Roots
• 1 1/4 cups sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins or cherries, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• scant 1/2 cup brown rice syrup

Sunflower Seeded Brittle . Sprouted Kitchen

Sunflower Seeded Brittle . Sprouted Kitchen

Sunflower Seeded Brittle . Sprouted Kitchen

Sunflower Seeded Brittle . Sprouted Kitchen

Preheat the oven to 325'. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the sunflower seeds, coconut, sesame seeds, dried fruit, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir well. 

In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil over low heat. Add the syrup and whisk until uniform. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and fold\ quickly to incorporate it before the mixture becomes too sticky. Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth out the top with the back of an oil-greased spatula.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool cool completely on the baking sheet.

Crack the brittle into pieces and store them in a sealed container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Sunflower Seeded Brittle . Sprouted Kitchen