Pomegranate-Mango Guacamole

There are various types of people who make up groups of friends, and I'm sure a lot of you are the foodie friends. That makes two of us. Whenever a party commences, I'm required to bring these two things: bean salad and guacamole (we're dip people). Of course I can add to my contributions, but if these items are not on the table, someone is going to bring it up. And it's not that I mind in the least bit either. These two dips guarantee my appetite will be taken care of amongst a sea of buffalo chicken and cream cheese. I tend to stick with variations of these and other Mexican-style dips, because I know they'll be crowd pleasers. "Vegan dip" can sometimes be met with wandering eyes. I've been holiday party hopping as of late, so I changed things up slightly to be a little more festive. Green avocados + red pomegranate seeds? Nailed it. And I know pomegranates can seem like a lot of work, but c'mon, they're like instant (not so instant) fancy food. I've been sprinkling these magenta jewels on just about everything, so I knew they'd be a great addition to a savory dip, not to mention meet my desire to add to the nutritional profile of anything I serve. This pomegranate-mango guacamole is skin-loving, superfood heaven. The entire pomegranate fruit (skin and all) has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, from remedies for intestinal troubles, to blood building and cataracts. The arils inside contain free-radical fighting antioxidants and provide the body with a good dose of vitamin C, vitamin K, and dietary fiber - all of which are effective in reducing blood pressure and heart disease risk factors. Their antibacterial properties may even help with dental plaque! On top of all that, the avocado, perhaps the most delicious addition to any meal, has a nutritional profile to match. Recent research shows that lycopene and beta-carotene (two key carotenoid antioxidants) absorption increase tremendously when avocado is added to an otherwise avocado-free salad. It's also recommended to peel your avocados rather than squeezing out the buttery insides to get the most bang for your buck. The greatest concentration of antioxidants lie just underneath the skin. Besides the healthy fat that make up most of the calories in the fruit, avocados are excellent sources of fiber, vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, B5, B6, and potassium. All of these stats are sure to combat the entire bag of chips you're about to throw down, too. It's called balance.

Pomegranate-Mango Guacamole

Inspired by A Cup of Jo

4 ripe avocados

3/4 cup chopped mango (fresh or frozen, thawed)

3/4 cup pomegranate arils

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 red onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

juice of 2 limes

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

himalayan pink salt (or sea salt), to taste

Add the onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and salt to a medium sized bowl. Mash as much as possible with the back of a fork or a potato masher (or use a mortar and pestle). Add in 3 of the avocados, and mash again, mixing everything together. Stir in the mango and pomegranate arils. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lime juice if necessary. Chop the last avocado into chunks, and gently fold in. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, and enjoy!

Raw Brownie Bites

**Here's another post I did for Sakara Life a couple summers ago. More holiday treat inspiration! Perfect for cocktail parties, hostess gifts, long car rides, or late-night snacking!**

If you're like me, then you're probably aboard the breakfast-for-dinner-train, solely for an excuse to eat another sweet meal. As a kid, my eating habits were far from healthy, and even though I've cleaned myself up quite a bit, my sweet tooth remains intact. If you're trying to lead more of a whole foods diet, but still can't end your day without dessert, I give you dates. I honestly don't know why this amazingly rich, sweet treat has not gone mainstream. Medjool dates are Mother Nature's caramel, and I really don't think it's my biased earthy-crunchy attitude towards food in general. This candy-like fruit grows on the date palm in large hanging clusters near the top of the tree, very similar to the coconut variety. Although most of the calories in dates come from sugar, eating just one or two can really satisfy a craving for something sweet. Take out the pits and fill them with a scoop of almond or coconut butter, and suddenly I think we should be friends. They're a great source of fiber, copper, and manganese, and have more potassium than bananas. They're also the main ingredient in most raw food desserts and bars, making this ancient fruit a perfect substitute for your daily cookie break or pre-workout energy boost.

This past summer (two summers ago) I put together a weekend with some of my favorite gal pals, filled with great music and even better snacks. We threw on our crop tops and high-waisted shorts, adorned ourselves with flower crowns, and piled into a Volkswagen, hoping to bring a bit of the 1969 Woodstock to the 2013 Nines Festival. Now typically I tend not to make big batches of desserts, no matter how raw and healthy they are, because I have no self control and will eat 45 brownie bites as quickly as I roll them out. My digestive system wishes I wouldn't. But when I have a group of fellow food lovers to share with, I'll gladly pull out all the stops. Our festival menu included these raw brownies, almond butter and coconut cups, homegrown peach salsa, a fancy quince jam and cheese board, all sorts of chips and hummus, and the most delicious huckleberry vodka and pear cocktail. We definitely got after it. Vodka milkshakes happened, too. I can't be sure what happened after that. All I know is, I woke up around 3 a.m., turned into The Hulk, and shoveled a handful of these brownies into my mouth. Surprisingly, the next morning wasn't too painful. Must be all those superfoods running through my system. 

Raw Brownie Bites
I realize maple syrup is not raw, but like, cut me some slack

12 medjool dates

1 cup raw pecans

3 tablespoons cacao powder

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Throw the pecans into a food processor and blend until crumbly. Add the dates and blend again. Mix in the cacao and maple syrup and process one last time until the dough comes together. 

Form into balls. Leave plain or roll in shredded coconut, cacao nibs, finely chopped walnuts, or extra cacao powder. Refrigerate or freeze to keep fresh (they thaw really quickly, and keep for months in the freezer!). 

Raw Almond Butter + Coconut Cups

Finding healthy alternatives in a world that also creates Reese's Pieces is not an easy task. I get it, it's hard to eat right all of the time. But when you also have medjool dates at your disposal, I promise it will get easier (is that only something a lunatic would say?). I promise I didn't storm into this world with a bottle full of kale juice and a diaper made of pinecones. I ate junk just like everyone else, probably more so. My diet now is the result of years of food network viewing, food blog browsing, and an ever evolving passion for whole foods (both the store and the term for food in its original state). Pinterest has also brought some new game to my inner foodie. With the amount of pins I have, you'd think I lived inside a Martha Stewart Living magazine, but I swear I'm just like everyone else, and have really only mastered the sock bun (which I'm so over by the way. Top knots = life). This recipe in particular was inspired by my vegan sweet board, which I really need to explore more of. I tend to steer away from dessert making, even the healthy kind, because I have no self control and will eat 45 raw brownie bites as quickly as I roll them out. Pig. But when I have a group of fellow eaters to share with however, I'll gladly oblige. 

I made these cups for a music festival I went to last weekend with some great gal pals. We threw together some flower crowns (the best), stuffed a cooler, and headed to Devens, MA (Uh, is this place real? No, I don't mean Danvers). Traveling with girls is pretty great. The spread of food we brought to share almost convinced me to bail on the music and binge eat in the hotel room all night. Almost. We did our fare share of eating and drinking before me made our way to The Nines Festival, and then continued to do so once we arrived. The weather was perfect, the music was flowing, and things definitely got crazy. Vodka milkshakes happened, too. I'm pretty positive it was a curdled mess, but I really can't be sure. I might have also took a power nap in the beer tent, if we're being honest. 

These almond butter and coconut cups were the hit of the weekend. The original recipe called for peanut butter, and I'll be going that route next time to see if it compares to the classic Reese's cup, but I went with almond butter this time, because I love the coconut-almond combination. I also added some dates because my sweet tooth has no limit. I made a batch of raw chocolate for the topping, instead of melting chocolate chips, because I have a need to impress people with anything I do. But I also realized that making raw chocolate is super easy, and the results are incredible. Really. I'll never buy chips again. This recipe makes a good amount, and I made sure to leave a few at home for when the craving struck again (I ate them all as soon as I walked through my front door). I stuck them in my freezer, and ate them straight from there. No need to thaw, they do so pretty quickly anyways. 

RawAlmond Butter + Coconut Cups
Inspired by This Rawsome Vegan Life
Makes about 25-30 mini cups

1 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup oats

1/4 cup maple syrup

6 medjool dates

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup almond butter

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

sea salt, for sprinkling

raw almonds, for decorating tops

Raw Chocolate

1/2 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup raw cacao powder

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Add the first eight ingredients (shredded coconut through coconut oil) to your food processor, and blend until you've got a rough paste - a couple minutes or so. Divide the mixture among lined mini cupcake trays, leaving room to top with melted chocolate. Press the mixture firmly inside the cupcake papers. 

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the raw chocolate. I did this inside a liquid measuring cup so I could easily pour the chocolate on top of the coconut-almond-oatmeal mixture. Top each cup with a raw almond and a sprinkling of sea salt. Refrigerate for a couple hours, or overnight, and enjoy. They also freeze extremely well. 

Avocado Toasts

Here's a quick, healthy, and delicious snack or lunch option if you're looking for either. Not so much a recipe, as what you see is what you get here, but it's a favorite of mine, so I thought I'd share. And, if you read my previous guacamole post, you would know all about my unconditional love for avocados. I'm sure you've all eaten toast this way anyways, so I'm not sitting here thinking I've discovered smeared avocado on some sort of carb or anything, mostly I've never eaten it so plainly before. I usually add beans, cheese, and tomatoes, and make some sort of Mexican fiesta when I get my hands on these ripe beauties. But as is typically the case, keeping things simple is a good idea in life. So if you find yourself the proud owner of some perfectly soft avocados, add some lime and salt, and call it a day. 

Avocado Toasts

also pictured is toast with tomato basil hummus and diced tomatoes

toasted bread or crispbread

1/2 an avocado

sea salt

1/2 lime, juiced

Mash up the avocado with some salt and lime juice and spread on some bread (I use GG Bran Crispbread). Dice up some cucumber and tomato to scoop up any extra avocado mash. 

I promise a more substantial recipe soon.

Product Review & Giveaway: Matt's Munchies

I was recently contacted by Diana of Matt's Munchies, in hopes of posting a product review on Buff Chickpea. Free food? Why not. So that's what you have here today, my first official product review. Matt's Munchies, a division of snacks from Chef Roberts, is based out of Cedarhurst, NY, and consists of a line of all-natural fruit leathers. Think fruit roll up, but without all the junk. They're gluten, nut, dairy, soy, and egg free. Certified vegan and kosher parve, Matt's Munchies are packed with only pure and natural ingredients. All six flavors are either mango or banana based, and all are under 100 calories. As for the flavor? Delicious! Unlike similar products, these are sweet, but not overly so. You can actually see flecks of real fruit in the thinly rolled out leather. They have a wonderfully smooth texture, and a nice chewy bite. I would love to try incorporating some of these into a baked good, or maybe in some homemade ice cream. And I bet the ginger zest one would be fabulous steeped in water and consumed tea-style, or sliced stick-thin and sprinkled over stir-fry. To give you a better idea of what Matt's Munchies are all about, here's a breakdown of each flavor (scroll to the end for the giveaway)...

Choco-Nana

If you can imagine strolling through Disney World chowing down on a frozen, chocolate-covered banana, then you can imagine eating the Choco-Nana flavor.
Ingredients: Banana puree, semi-sweet chocolate (vegan), organic chocolate concentrate

Apple Pie

For not containing any apple what-so-ever, this variety surprisingly tastes a lot like the Thanksgiving pie of the same name.
Ingredients: Banana puree, organic cinnamon

Banana

Like a fresh-out-of-the-oven slice of banana bread, this flavor is almost begging to be topped with some chocolate almond butter, or maybe that's just me.
Ingredients: Banana puree

Mango

You could drive to your nearest Thai restaurant for a mango lassi, or just chew on one of these. I'm thinking the latter is a little more realistic, for your wallet and your waistline.
Ingredients: Organic mango puree

Island Mango

For someone who hates the texture of coconut flakes, this was absolutely my favorite flavor, and it's loaded with real coconut flakes! I felt like I was lounging in a beach chair, and sipping on a Pina Colada.
Ingredients: Organic mango puree, organic coconut flakes, natural organic coconut flavorings

Ginger Zest

A less harsh version of the Asian ginger chew candy, which can sometimes be a little too spicy for me. Also great for digestion.
Ingredients: Organic mango puree, organic ginger powder

GIVEAWAY!

Now I couldn't just tell you all about this fabulous product without a little sample to back it up. So for two of you lucky friends, I'll be sending some Matt's Munchies your way! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post explaining what you think there next flavor should be. Be creative, I can't wait to read your ideas! You have from now until next Friday, the 13th, so get thinking!