These treats are a much healthier alternative to the classic recipe.  You could really add any nuts or dried fruit that you like, and even pieces of dark chocolate!

Brown Rice Almond Crispies

• 1 tsp virgin coconut oil
• 1 C Brown Rice Syrup (I like Lundberg
• 4 Tbs Almond Butter
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 C Unhulled Sesame Seeds
• 1/3 C Almond Meal
• 6 C Brown Rice Cereal- Gluten Free (make sure you check b/c they often contain barley malt)

Put coconut oil in Large Pot on the stove on low heat.  Add Syrup and almond butter and melt together.  When fully combined, add in Sesame Seeds and Almond Meal.  Turn heat off , add Vanilla, and stir well.  Add in Cereal and mix to coat thoroughly.  Wet hands and pat mixture into 9 x 13″ pan.  Cool at room temperature to let set.  Cut when cool.

For a more decadent dessert: melt dark chocolate in a double boiler (place bowl over pot of simmering water).  Pour dark chocolate over the rice crispies and let cool to set up.

This pumpkin seed butter is an excellent additive to smoothies and also a great ingredient in raw energy bars like the ones in the Thrive Diet book.  I like to make variations on Brendan Brazier’s bar recipes and keep them wrapped in wax paper in the freezer for snacking and quick breakfasts.

So to make the pumpkin seed butter…

Soak the desired amount of seeds for at least an hour.  (you don’t HAVE to soak them, but they will blend easier and break down more easily in your digestive system).

• Add pumpkin seeds (2-3 cups) to food processor or high powered blender.  (I love my 3HP K-Tech)
• Add sweetener to taste (suggestions include: local raw honey, raw agave, grade B maple syrup, or stevia)
• Add a few pinches of salt (use Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink salt for added minerals)
• You may need to add a little coconut oil or water for added creaminess when blending especially if using stevia.

The chart above is from the World’s Healthiest Foods, they are a great resource for nutrition information on plant-based foods: www.whfoods.com

When we got back to Portland I was elated to find that my very own Whole Foods in the Pearl is carrying both the orginial and the unsweetened varieties. I picked up a carton of the unsweetened version last night and made some hot rice porridge for desert. It was so creamy I wanted to cry.

I’m waiting for Natalia Rose’s newest book to come in the mail: Detox 4 Women. It was just released on April 7th and I ordered it that day from Amazon.com, but it just hasn’t arrived yet. Hopefully it won’t be back ordered too long since I think I need to start the yeast phase soon!

Until then…

This recipe comes from the VegNews Recipe club. They have great recipes (vegan, but not always gluten free or raw) and they just shoot them straight to your email address. They are often a source for inspiration in the kitchen.
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup raw walnuts
3/4 cup dates, pitted
3/4 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
Shredded coconut, for coating

What You Do: 1. In a food processor, pulverize the raisins, walnuts, dates, and apricots for 1 to 2 minutes or until finely chopped. Add coconut, orange juice and zest. Process for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture comes together to form a ball.

2. Place some shredded coconut on a plate. Dampen hands with water, form mixture into one-inch balls, and roll in shredded coconut

In your food processor or blender:

Chop 2 cloves of garlic, then add:
1 can Organic Garbanzos
1 can Cannellini beans (which are Italian White Kidney Beans)*
2TBS or Big spoonfuls of Tahini (sesame seed paste)
Splash of lemon juice (add more to taste)
Splash of Olive oil- add to get the consistency that you want. (sometimes I leave it out or just add a splash)
2 tsp of paprika
Salt & Ground pepper to taste

Sometimes I add Cayenne & Cumin for a Mexican variation… and my favorite is when I add roasted red peppers (jarred or roasted in oven and peel skin). I’ve also added palm hearts, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes and roasted eggplant. Ian likes it when I add fresh basil and walnuts or pesto to the mix.

The possibilities are endless!

*Instead of Cannellini you can use 2 cans of Garbanzos or substitute Great Northern Beans. I like the Cannellini beans because they give the hummus a really smooooth texture. And if you don’t want to use canned beans you can always buy them dry and cook them, but that takes longer… and usually when I’m making hummus, I’m ultra hungry.

For a hilarious commentary on hummus (and gluten-free white people).
Check out this post from Stuff White People Like.

So, after a beyond-muddy long run on Sunday, I decided that I would usher in nicer weather with some Spring Cleaning. Sometimes there is no greater satisfaction than bringing organization to chaos and disarray! OK… so maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But I have been obsessed with cleaning and detox more than ever lately. I just want to shed any unnecessary baggage and live lightly, freely. I have recently donated significant portion of my clothes, weeded out unused kitchen items, and shredded loads of old receipts and papers.

In the spirit of domesticity and my new creative energy, I embarked on two new cookies- both vegan and gluten free of course…. Pumpkin Seed Hippie Cookies & Sunbutter Delights… one for me and the other for Ian.

Cream coconut oil, sweeteners and almond butter together. Then add dry ingredients mixing well. I mixed these with my hands! If you want it to be sweeter, just add a few sprinkles of stevia. Drop dough in small mounds or spoonfulls onto cookie sheet. (I use the silicone liners so they are non-stick, if you don’t have these you will need to greese the cookie sheet).
Bake for 12-16 minutes at 300 degrees until edges get golden.