Granola Nests

From Lisa Lee

2 C Old fashioned oats dry

1/3 C shredded unsweetened coconut

2 TBSP ground flax seed

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla

5 TBSP liquid coconut oil

¼ C honey (*local)

(you could also add some chopped nuts - E)

Mix until oats are completely coated. Use ice cream scoop to drop into greased muffin tin. Gently press with the back of the scoop to form into cup shape. Bake at 325 degrees (*F) for 18 minutes. When cool, top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, berries, more coconut, shaved dark chocolate, etc……

Ginger cookies

by Julie Olsen.  http://foodfuelfun.com/
•    1.5 cups almond meal/flour (Bobs Red mill has some)
•    1/4 c. coconut flour (coconut whizzed down in a blender)
•    1 c. butter, softened (replaced with 1 C  mashed cooked sweet potato – it worked!!)
•    1/2 c. molasses
•    1/4 c. honey (*** try replacing some with applesauce?)
•    1.5 tbsp minced fresh ginger (a must)
•    1/2 tsp. cinnamon
•    1/2 tsp. ginger
•    1/2 tsp. clove
•    1 tsp. vanilla
•    2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix on high speed until soft and well-combined, about 3 minutes. (For best results, store the cookie dough in the fridge overnight in a covered bowl. If you’re in a hurry and desperately want warm gingersnaps right away, charge ahead with the rest of the instructions.) Spoon small dollops of the dough onto parchment paper on a baking sheet, squash, then and bake for 20 minutes. You can slide the parchment with cookies onto a flat surface to cool. They are fragile, but grow a spine as they cool.

Chai-Spiced Almond Butter Bites

(From MindBodyGreen)

Makes 18 to 20 bites

Ingredients

  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons shredded coconut, unsweetened

  • ½ cup raw almonds

  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds

  • 1 cup medjool dates, pits removed (buy dates with pits in them and remove the pits yourself. Otherwise the dates are really dried out.)

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • ¼ cup almond butter

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

  • ¼ teaspoon allspice

  • ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

  • Preparation1. Toast 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut until lightly browned.2. Pulse almonds and ½ cup shredded coconut in a food processor until completely ground (no chunks of almonds!).3. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the 2 tablespoons of toasted coconut, and blend in the food processor until all ingredients are combined into a dough-like consistency.

    4. Press chunks of the dough into a ball in your hands, then roll dough into balls with the palms of your hands. If you’d like, roll them in the toasted, shredded coconut.

    Store in the refrigerator in a glass container. They will firm up in the fridge because the coconut oil will cause them to “set” at that cooler temperature.

    If you want them to be a little softer, feel free to set them out on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes before eating. As you chew them slowly, they will feel like they are melting in your mouth.

Fruit-nut Balls

Lemon OR Choc-Orange OR Choc-Peanutbutter

Make a base of:
1C dates
1 C walnuts or sliced almonds
1/2 raw cashews
1/2 C coconut
(mix n match nuts to your taste, add more nuts if too sticky)

Put all the ingredients into your blender and pulverize. (I love my vitamix!) Add extras below to customize the balls, or create your own combinations! Cool the dough for easier handling, wet your hands, and make little balls, then roll them in something to quell the sticky factor (coconut, cocoa). These make great gifts. They last days/weeks in the fridge and indefinitely in the freezer (airtight). Freeze them in dough form or in ball form before your roll them in something.

*Lemon balls: 2 teaspoons of zest and 1/4 C lemon juice, roll in coconut or a little sugar
*Choc-orange balls: 6 Tablespoons of cocoa (unsw), juice of 1 big orange, zest of same orange, roll in cocoa or coconut.
*Choc-Peanutbutter (or almond butter – why not?)
- use 1 C peanut butter and 1 C coconut as base, add 1/2 C Choc chips, roll in coconut