Cinnamon Cream sauce and garden talk.

Living dairy free at home is mostly easy but we do miss a little cream now and then. I found this Cashew based cinnamon cream sauce in the Green Smoothie girls cook book. It is quite tasty as a fruit dip or a topping. It is amazing how soaked cashews can actually turn into a cream. It is so easy to make and light for summer fruits. 

Cinnamon Cream Sauce

1 C. cashews, soaked overnight

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

3 T. maple syrup

1 T. vanilla

appx. 1/2 cup water to desired consistency

Drain and rinse cashews. Blend all ingredients and chill. For a sinful dip, use brown sugar. Yum.

I love this time of year. There is so much great produce available. My children aren't as excited since it means lots of zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. I can dress them in so many ways. Today, my husband and I shared a lovely Bruschetta for lunch with some fresh squeezed lemonade. It was divine. 

(Fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and Balsamic vinegar)

I have made a goal to pick something every single day from the garden. I have been doing this at least since October. I am going to see if I can keep this going year round. Right now I am coming in with a basket full daily. Thanks to the Backyard Farmers fertilizer and some fish emulsion, my garden is exploding. Here is today's picking:

Super yummy. I wish I could share.

I hope you are having gardening success. Stay tuned in the next couple days and I will give you a few more tips. Sorry for those of you who don't like the garden talk. It's what I do this time of year. 

Gelato-ish

This is not my photo but you can get the idea. My photo posting problem is still there and it has nothing to do with my abilities. It is an internal Mac problem which now requires a little trip into town to the Apple store. Fun. Thanks for all of your tips and the one-on-one, Kelli. I really hope to get this figured out next week! Just imagine this is my real recipe since it really looks the same.

Since my little Tater can't enjoy the real deal Gelato, I had to figure out an alternative for him. I don't like him to have sugar and any "Mock" ice cream you can buy always has sugar of some sorts. In my experiment with soaking grains and nuts, I came upon this little gem and he couldn't be happier. In fact, he can even have this for breakfast if he wants. (and does)

Let's first discuss why you want to soak nuts in the first place. I am fairly new to this concept due to a dragging of heels of sorts. I new it was the way to go but it is just one more thing to do. I finally purchased a book on sprouting and soaking and dived on in. I am still very much in the learning phase but this one is an easy one. Nuts are simple. You just have to cover them and let them sit, then rinse and dry if you want them crunchy again. Why do this in the first place? Here you go:

The Benefits of Soaking Nuts

A nut is coated in an enzyme inhibitor that protects the nut as it grows. Unfortunately, this inhibitor inhibits the digestive process of the nut. Also, because of that, the vitamins contained in the nut are not digested as well. The phytic acid in the nuts is reduced when soaked to also help the absorption of vital minerals.

Sound reasonable? Well another great thing about soaking a nut is that it can change the consistency of certain nuts to take on a creamy, dairy type texture. You get the cream and no guilt to go with it. You can use the soaked nuts in recipes to fool the palates.

Here is the basic "Gelato" recipe and once you try it out, you can do just about anything with it. Delish. You need a good blender to get it really smooth and you want to take your time to really churn in up. Keep it really frozen like ice cream.

1. Pinon nuts: (Pine nuts) I get mine in bulk at Costco. They are not real cheap but you don't need much. Use 1/2 cup in a jar covered with water. Put a lid on it and soak it in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

2. Fruit: I started with banana flavor. I cut up two banana's in small slices and put it in the freezer. My other favorite flavor is blueberry using frozen berries.

3. To mix: Add the following for the flavor you desire:

Banana

1/4 cup soaked pine nuts

2 frozen, sliced bananas

1 tsp. real maple syrup

1/2 t. vanilla

Blend until completely smooth. You will need to stop and stir. Add a little water if needed but keep thick and frozen.

Blueberry

1/2 cup soaked pine nuts

1 frozen ,sliced banana

1-2 cups frozen blueberries

1 T. maple syrup (totally not needed in my opinion)

a little water if too thick

Blend until creamy. Eat right away. It doesn't freeze well. It is very sweet and looks just like a soft ice cream/gelato.

You could do just about anything with this. Pine nuts are amazing but it doesn't work if they are not soaked.

Try this out on the little ones. If you tell them they are getting ice cream for breakfast, you will be the hero of the day. Even my older kids love this and ask for it. I have more nut recipe's to share but hopefully I will have pictures to share along with them. (finger's crossed).

Granola Squares....Gluten Free

I love these little granola bites. I started making these for my little gluten free Tate

but I have to admit that I probably eat more than he does . They are really tasty and very great for your body. They are a perfect little snack after a good workout to get the protein in you. They are simple and I love to make them and freeze them. Eat them straight out of the ice box! They are also great crumbled up in some applesauce.

Granola Bars

1/2 C. raisins

1 1/4 C. raw pecans

1 C. unsweetened shredded coconut ( I also use unsulphured coconut)

1 t. vanilla

1 T. coconut oil

2 T. honey

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until fairly smooth but still with some texture. Press evenly into an 8 inch square on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 300 for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool then cut into squares. Freeze.