salted tahini-date caramels {vegan and raw}

I am not going to lie. I ate the entire batch of these caramels in one sitting, by myself.

So, maybe they are not the best Valentine's Day gift. An empty box doesn't make for a great gift.

BUT if you can hold yourself in check, and allow a few to remain in the gift, the recipient will be forever grateful. They are vegan and raw, after all. And there is no extra sugar added: only the sweetness of the dates. Kind of amazing how much they resemble the real deal. I felt fully vindicated in eating them all.

A sinless pleasure.

So, maybe they ARE the best Valentine's Day gift.

Hard to know.

You'll just have to see for yourself.

Salted Tahini-Date Caramels
Adapted from The Kitchn
Makes about 18 candies

Ingredients

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel or other finishing salt

Instructions

1. Combine the dates, tahini, coconut oil, and cardamom in food processor. You should have a very smooth, creamy, thick paste. Mine had a lot of oil which separated from the rest, which I poured off the top.
2. Transfer mixture to a parchment lined loaf pan. The entire ingredients does not fill a pan, so I formed it onto a flat bar or paste and rolled it in parchment paper. Sprinkle salt on top.
3. Freeze until firm. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.

sweet cashew ricotta

I have been eying nut cheeses for a while, but only just made the plunge this week. What has keep me from making them, you ask? Mostly the soaking overnight. I am just not that organized.

But lately my time has opened up in the morning and I find myself at home with a half hour to kill, all to myself. As a result, I am exploring breakfast options. I mean, breakfast, alone, in my own kitchen. I never thought I'd see the day (those with children understand). And this sweet lemony 'cheese' is just perfect for topping toast. Add a nice warm mug of tea and you have the best breakfast ever (besides pancakes). I found this recipe at the Tolerant Vegan. Check her site out - it is full of great recipes.

{recipe}

Other new morning rituals include lunch making. At first I had trouble getting into the swing of this routine and considered buying the school lunch on offer. But American cheese and chocolate milk (and by the way - why does the DOE offer peanut butter when so many kids are allergic??)?? I don't think so.

So, I began to make my own. It really isn't all that hard once you have a plan: protein and grain in large compartment, veggie and fruit in the smaller ones.

roasted turkey and muenster cheese on whole wheat hearts. grape tomatoes. peach slices.

almond butter and honey on whole wheat puzzle pieces. blackberries. yellow pepper.

frosty raw blueberry tart

I don't know about you, but I am kind of over blueberries.

To round them out this season, I made this no bake tart. It was one of my failed attempts at ad-libbing.

I made the crust out of almond meal, dates and water. The filler was made from coconut milk and honey, and the blueberry topping? Well, you know.

Pretty simple, no? And it was delicious. too.

Why do I call it failed, you ask? Well, the coconut milk did not stay firm, dripped over the edges of the crust and made a big mess. We still ate it. If you make this eat them fast, before they over flow.

Raw Blueberry Tart 
Serves 3

Almond Crust
2 cups almond meal
10 dates, pitted and chopped
water

1. Mix all ingredients in a food processor and add enough water until they are mixed throughout and starts to clump together like crust or batter.

2. Press into 3 five-inch tart pans. Place in fridge.

Coconut Milk Filling
1 can coconut milk
Honey to taste
One box blueberries

1. Mix ingredients in food processor. Place in a bowl in the freezer. Leave until starts to freeze. Mix in food processor again. Place in tart pans and add as amny blueberries as you like. Eat immediately.

raw vegan avocado gazpacho

I have never been a fan of cold soup.

Not until I tried Mark Bittman's Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho. That changed my mind for good. Now I look forward to the cool, thirst-quenching goodness on a hot summer day.

I was very tempted to make Joanne's Sweet Pea Goat Cheese Gazpacho this week, but I went for this Avocado Gazpacho instead. Just as refreshing in the hot weather. And super yummy with all my favorites: cilantro, lime and cucumber.

I am entering this in Kahakai Kitchen's Souper Sunday.

{recipe}

nutty tarts with pistachios and almonds

Do you remember the first time you went ice skating?

I do.  It was a mess.  I was on my face more than my feet, my clothes soaked wet with melted ice, shivering and praying to stay upright.  I never went back again.

Almost as much a mess as the first time I went skiing, rollerblading, bike riding, and skate boarding.  But those are stories for another day. 

My son has been invited to go ice skating for the first time.  My three-year-old son.  And I have to say I am a little nervous. 

But I am also angry at myself for my scaredy cat behavior.  I should have stuck with it, mustered some perseverance, if only enough to enable me to participate in birthday parties where skating was the entertainment.  I am hoping that I can keep smiling while my son tries his hand at this balancing act.

Wish me luck.

And try these lovely tarts while you're at it. They are the answer to the question, What the heck am I going to do with all that pistachio cream?

I used this recipe for the pistachio cream, which I found on Susan's blog, Rawmazing.

And this recipe for the almond tart crust, which I found on Erin's blog, The Goodness Life.

Both are raw and vegan. Win-win.