Raw Candy

Bill and I have been trying to eat healthier lately.  You know the rap, less sugar, more honey. Less butter, more coconut oil.  Less bread more vegetables.  So how is it going?  Pretty good.  The holidays are more difficult though.  If one only had an alternative candy, that was truly delicious and could be waiting in the fridge for when those “hungry-s” attack.

Enter Healthy Raw Candy!

I did this twice and I will share both versions.

Takes about 5 min to throw together…ok…maybe 10.  But it is fast, I promise.

Raw Candy

1 cup oats

2/3 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup honey

1 t. vanilla

shake of cinnamon

Mix and roll into little walnut size balls. Refrigerate in covered container for at least 30 min.  When they get cool, they dry out a bit and can be easily held in your hand.

Second time:

Raw Candy with Chocolate

1 cup oats

1/2 c. coconut butter

1/4 cup peanut butter or 2/3 cup ground nuts

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup cranberries dried

1/2 cup chocolate chips or other chocolate morsels

1/3 c. honey

1 t. vanilla

extra cinnamon

roll into balls and place covered in refrigerator for half hour.

These will keep up to one week in fridge.

No Bake Cookies

 

Almost like candy, these cookies are an all time favorite.

The other day, a couple of friends came by to make some at my house.  We adjusted the recipe and loved the outcome.  Be sure not to boil the chocolate mixture past 230F degrees. It becomes clear and at the moment it starts to turn milky looking, it has gone too far.  If that is the case, the mixture will begin to harden before you can get your cookies on the paper.  The recipe actually says, boil one minute, but my experience has been that the sugar must all be dissolved before you start your timing.

But a candy thermometer is the best way to perfectly measure the progress of the candy.

We did not have a candy thermometer, but I find that a meat thermometer works fine too.

No Bake Cookies

 

Measure:

1/4 cup peanut butter

3 cups oatmeal

(optional 1/4 cup dried or flaked coconut or nuts or both)

into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Then put the following into a boiler or a non stick wok:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder raw or dutch processed

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

boil till dissolved and then to the 230 F degree point. Turn off the stove.

Pour very quickly – and carefully- into the already prepared oat mixture.

Stir till peanut butter is just dissolved.

Then quickly drop onto wax paper

you can use a teaspoon, tablespoon, melon scoop or ice cream scoop for different shapes. The spoon cookies will look more like cookies and a bit flat, the scoops will make more bon, bon type cookies.

They will harden in a few minutes and will be good to eat.

I like to put the cookies in pretty muffin papers and store in bags of six.

Have fun making these!  Definitely a great activity! 🙂

 

 

Pasta and Black Beans

This is a great dish to make when you have left over pasta in the fridge that you don’t know what to do with.

1 cup black beans

1 T. coconut oil

1/2 cup pepper jack cheese

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup cooked and cooled pasta – (I used quinoa spaghetti pasta because it is gluten free)

It is very important that this pasta is cold, preferably in the fridge over night.

Melt oil in saucepan over medium heat.  add beans, and pasta.  Stir in cheese and salsa.

stir till warmed through and the cheese is melting.

serve with avacado slices and salad