Vanilla Cashew Date Spread

It's customary to dip apples in honey in honor of Rosh 
Hashana, for a Sweet New Year...

This year we made something different...

Vanilla Cashew Date Spread! 

All you need are 3 ingredients: 

Dates, Cashews and a few drops of Vanilla.

So easy, delicious, filling, healthy, and extremely versatile... 

For 1 cup of spread use about 8 dates, 1 cup raw cashews 

(or 1 cup raw cashew butter) and ½ teaspoon vanilla

Soak dates in 1 cup of water for 30 minutes, then strain, but save a few tablespoons of this water. In a blender or food processor whip cashews and dates and slowly add water, little by little, until smooth consistency is reached

Also delicious on bread, pancakes, waffles, muffins, crackers...

If you want it sweeter, add more dates. Less sweet? Use fewer dates. 

Experiment and enjoy!

Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy 

& Sweet New Year!

Heavenly Creamy Tahini-Miso Dressing!

I am so excited to share this amazing, healthy and delicious salad dressing that I am just crazy about! I don't know why it took me this long to discover Miso, but I am totally hooked and I imagine you will be too! 

My 'go to' dressing has always been a lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar based dressing with herbs and spices, but for a change I like a creamy dressing every now and again...I usually add Tahini (sesame paste) to make my dressings creamy, since I always have it on hand to make humus and techina, and now that I have found Miso, the 'magical ingredient', my taste buds and I are 'in love'! 

This rich and thick creamy, vegan, Tahini-Miso dressing or sauce goes with just about everything. It’s great drizzled over roasted or steamed vegetables, brown rice, quinoa, potatoes, whole wheat pasta, lentils, beans, in a seaweed or tortilla wrap, and obviously, with any kind of salad. It's great to serve as a dip as well, just make it a bit thicker by putting less water.

Miso is an inexpensive ingredient with Asian origins, which you can find in the refrigerated section of any Asian grocery store or health food store. It's a fermented soybean paste and lasts for months in the fridge, so it’s a fun ingredient to have around for experimentation with all kinds of recipes.

You can whip up a small amount in a few minutes by hand with a fork or whisk, or make it in your food processor or blender, especially when making a large amount. 

However you decide to make it is up to you...hope you enjoy...

INGREDIENTS

Creamy Tahini-Miso dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 1 tbs miso (soybean paste)
• 1 minced garlic clove or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
• Juice from 1 lemon/lime 
• 1/3 cup water
• Small handful chopped herbs such as cilantro/parsley/basil/
• Optional additions - dash of tamari or soy sauce, honey, ginger, cayenne

Wheatgrass - so easy to grow yourself!

How can I make wheatgrass on my own? I used to ask myself that question every time I bought a 'shot' for $2.50 at Whole Foods...

As you know, wheatgrass is a very healthy and popular drink in juice bars or sold as powdered supplements at health stores, but it can be rather expensive. 

I hope the easy instructions and photos in this post inspire and empower you to grow your own!

Please take the time to review the Amazing Benefits of Wheatgrass for extra motivation.

There is loads of information, instructions and great YouTube Videos for extra help, but here are the basics to get you started:

1. Soak your hard winter wheat seeds (also called wheatberries) which you can find in Whole Foods or on line for very cheap (wheatgrass-seeds)
2. Sprout the seeds in a jar for the next 24 hours, by rinsing and draining the seeds well three times a day, (before work, after work, and before bed). Put cheese cloth or mesh over the jar, or use a sieve with tiny holes to drain.
3. Plant the seeds after a very short 'tail' is visible, on top of the soil (basic potting mix or top soil will work fine.) Do not bury the seeds under the soil, but do keep them wet. As you can see, I used small plastic pots leftover from plants I purchased and saved, or you can purchase wheatgrass trays.
4. Water gently, but soak the soil, once in the morning and once in the evening, so they don't dry out. 
5. By the fourth day you can already see the grass growing, which is very exciting, and within a few days it will be ready for you to consume.
6. Cut with a scissors and juice!

I do not own a dedicated juicer, but have been enjoying the benefits of wheatgrass along with a mixture of greens in my juices. I also blend wheatgrass in my shakes and smoothies and love the extra flavor, energy and healing properties it offers.

A picture tells a thousand words...hope you enjoy!