Almond Butter Truffles

Almond butter is expensive. I buy mine from Costco (Kirklland brand) because it’s much cheaper and comes in a 27oz jar. You could substitute peanut butter too, the “all-natural” kind with the oil on top. Smuckers is a good brand. I’m betting you could also use sunflower nut butter here as well. Whatever you like. For the coconut flour, I used Bob’s Redmill. Shop around because you can find good prices on that. You also don’t have to use expensive chocolate for the topping either. This is a small, delicious treat. It satisfied my Justin’s almond butter cup craving.

Ingredients:

  • 1 C. almond butter
  • 1/2 C agave syrup
  • 5-6 TB coconut flour (more if your nut butter is smooth/oily
  • 1/2C melted dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Add almond butter, agave and coconut flour into a bowl and stir with a fork until all combined. Pop the bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is more firm. (Firm enough to roll into 2TB balls of dough). You’re going to have to eyeball the coconut flour. If you think you need more because the dough isn’t quite firm enough, then add more a tablespoon at a time. (That’s what I did). It all depends on how runny your almond butter is.

Put chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl and cover with a paper towel. Nuke for 30 seconds take out bowl and stir, pop it back in for 20 seconds. (Mine took almost 2 cycles. Around 45 seconds.) You want to keep an eye on the chocolate because you don’t want it to burn!

When the dough is firm to the touch, roll it into about 2TB balls, and place on a parchment covered baking sheet. If, at this point the dough isn’t firm enough, pop it back into the freezer.

Use two forks and roll each ball of dough in the chocolate until covered. Or, if you would rather drizzle the chocolate that’s cool too. Place the truffles back onto the baking sheet. You’ll have 13, depending on how much dough you used for each truffle. Maybe I made mine too large. Hmm. I also sprinkled some Maldon sea salt on top. You can definitely make them smaller too. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for several hours until the truffles are firm. Store in airtight container. They’ll keep for a week. Probably less because you’ll eat them all.

Spicy Chickpea Spread

This is not a revolutionary recipe. (Truth be told, I made it one day because I didn’t have any tahini and was too lazy to use my blender.) But maybe you need a little something different. This chickpea spread reminds me of a Mahón & chickpea cheese spread that I used to buy at Stinky Brooklyn cheese shop over on Smith St. in Carroll Gardens. (Sadly, Stinky Brooklyn are no more). It comes together quickly and then you can enjoy it as a sandwich spread or a dip with substantial crackers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained
  • 1-2 TB olive oil
  • 1 TB or so of Nutritional yeast (eyeball it)
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Tajin

Put chickpeas in a bowl and mash up with a fork. You can leave slightly chunky; it doesn’t have to be a smooth paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Adjust spices to your liking.

I guessed on the measurements for olive oil and nutritional yeast and spices. You can make it super spicy, or not. It’s up to you. Trust yourself. There is really no way you can mess this up!

Crocheting, Grief, and What Comes Out of It.

I’ve been crocheting for years. Well, let me back up. I learned when I was a kid–just basic stuff, single crochet. Then I picked it back up in the early 2000’s & then stopped for some reason–which was probably boredom or lack of creativity on my part which then led to boredom. I kept my hooks and what little yarn I had accumulated and put it away. I had unfinished projects (Works in Progress, WIPs) that were also stored away in a closet. I wanted to hold on to the stuff because I thought maybe I’d return to it some day.

In 2020 one of my closest & dearest friends, Judy, died. We knew each other for 20 years. 20 years wasn’t nearly long enough. We had worked together for 17 years (met at work, actually) talked in some form every day….and then she was just.. gone. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that Gemini buddy/twin was not here anymore. I didn’t know what to do but cry and mourn her. Even though I could hear her telling me that ‘crying gives you wrinkles, so stop that.’ In a word, grief is an asshole. It’s always present in some form or another. You think you’re doing okay and healing, but then grief is like, “Hey, remember me?” and then you break down again. Someone I like and follow on the ‘gram said it best, “…synapses in my brain trying to remap themselves to accommodate this permanent change in geography.” And that’s exactly it.

I didn’t know what to do with my grief (and anger if I’m being honest). I looked back at crochet and thought, ‘yea. let’s do that.’ So, in early 2020 (pre-Pandemic) I bought more yarn and watched countless YouTube videos and relearned crochet. I subscribed to my favorite creators and learned so much from them. I learned new stitches, and Tunisian crochet as well (so neat!). I made so many stitch samples. Which then turned into So. Many. Scarves. Everyone got a scarf whether they’d asked for it or not. I made myself a bunch of them it was ridiculous. I also made several cat blankets to the point that my cat must’ve thought, ‘OK, that’s enough.’ I would spend hours crocheting. And, I realized that It made me feel better. I was doing something else to occupy my brain and not cry all day. I wouldn’t call it an escape though; it felt more like a meditation to me. Plus, I found a tiny bit of joy & pride at being able to create something with my hands. It’s not a “cure all”, but I think beyond running & cycling, it helped me process things while at the same time be present in my thoughts.

I continue to crochet and have amassed a lot of yarn. I have an Etsy store too. (selling stuff is harder than I had thought. That’s another story for another time). But, what I think will happen is that I’m going to donate what I’ve made–scarves, shawls, wraps, cat blankets, baby blankets. I hope that what I make brings someone a bit of joy. Something that I made with my own two hands, initially out of grief and in darkness, but turned into something that brought me a range of emotions…the predominant one being joy. Joy that I’m able to crochet, but also joy (and gratefulness) that I had such a lovely, dear friend for so long. I miss my friend and think of her often. Especially when I come across some yarn that’s in her colors (purple was her favorite, like me). I think to myself, ‘Man, Judy would really like this.’ I guess the synapses have re-mapped to some degree….and I will keep crocheting.

Spicy Chickpea Carrot Soup

What’s more comforting than a bowl of soup? How about some spicy soup? You can decide how spicy, onion-y, and garlicky you want to make this. For diced tomatoes, I used fire roasted with green chiles from Muir Glen. This recipe is all up to your own taste. Also, I prefer to use a neutral veg stock/broth because some brands are “too vegetable-y”. (IYKYK.) Use a hand blender to smooth out, or you can use a blender. (I use a hand blender). These are the ingredients:

Ingredients

  • 2 cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes (either spicy or regular)
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, chopped (you can roast them first too!)
  • 1-2 TB garlic
  • olive oil
  • 1 carton of veg broth (I like Swanson’s veg broth)
  • a little lime juice and zest to taste
  • corriander, to taste
  • cumin, to taste
  • crushed red pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or stock pot, sauté onion, garlic, carrots in olive oil, medium heat until softened. Add the diced tomatoes, cover and cook until some of the liquid has cooked out and the tomatoes have cooked down (10-15 min, depending on your stove). Add the 2 cans of chickpeas and the spices, lime juice and zest too. Again, all are to your own tastes. I like it medium spicy, not too many onions or garlic. Stir and let simmer for 20 minutes. Then, take out your hand blender, use until the soup is well blended and smooth. There, you’re finished. Now go enjoy your soup.