Recipes

~~~~~~~~~~Spring Salad with Strawberry Dressing~~~~~~~~~

large bowl of lettuce, mesulin or baby greens
¼ cup dried cherries
¼ cup dried cranberries
** Optional 1/4 c Walnuts with 2 tsp Agave

Dressing

¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup orange juice
1 tsp Agave
1 strawberry juiced or chopped
1 clove garlic minced
sea salt to taste

** Walnuts: If you have a toaster over,  spread walnuts out on tray or foil, coat with Agave and toast on lightest setting. If you don’t have a toaster oven, let walnuts soak in Agave while you prepare salad. Top salad w. walnuts just before serving.

Add together all salad ingredients and top with dressing just before serving

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fennel and Orange Salad~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 fennel bulbs slices
3 oranges sliced (no white inner peal)
2 tsp lemon juice
1T olive oil
Sea Salt and pepper to taste

This salad is so simple and is such a big hit all of the time.

~~~~~~~Beet, Cabbage, and Carrot Slaw with Caraway Seeds~~~~~~
- from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
Serves 6.

1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white or yellow miso paste
1 small shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 cups julienned or grated beets (about 2)
2 cups finely shredded red cabbage (1/4 medium)
1 1/2 cups julienned or grated carrots (about 3)

Directions

Make dressing: In a small bowl, combine caraway, lemon juice, miso, and shallot. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified. Season with pepper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine beets, cabbage, and carrots. Drizzle dressing over vegetables, and toss until combined. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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~~~~~~~Banana, Coconut, and Cashew-Cream Tart~~~~~~~~
from Martha Stewart

Makes one 9-inch tart

• FOR TART SHELL
• 1 1/2 cups whole pecans
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• FOR FILLING
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and thoroughly drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, and more to taste
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 3 or 4 ripe but firm bananas

Directions

1. Make tart shell: Coarsely chop pecans and salt in a food processor. Add dates; pulse until thoroughly combined, 15 to 20 seconds. Add syrup; pulse just until combined and mixture sticks together. Press nut mixture firmly and evenly into a 9-inch pie plate, wetting your fingers as needed. Set tart shell aside.
2. Make filling: Grind nuts to a coarse paste in a blender. Add water, syrup, and vanilla scrapings; blend until smooth, about 5 minutes, scraping sides as needed. Mixture should be the consistency of thick pancake batter. Set aside 2 tablespoons coconut; add remainder to blender, and process to combine. Pour into prepared shell, spreading evenly.
3. Thinly slice bananas on the bias; arrange in slightly overlapping rows, beginning at edge of tart. Sprinkle with reserved coconut; serve immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Cucumber and Tomato  Salad~~~~~~

Ingredients:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 large Roma tomato, sliced
3 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Instructions:
Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic in a small bowl. On a salad plate, layer slices of the cucumber and tomato. Drizzle with the dressing. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh basil.

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Lavender Chocolate Bars
From Epicurious

1 cup liquid coconut oil
3 tablespoons agave syrup
1/4 cup fresh lavender flowers or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
3/4 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup almond butter
1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped by pulsing in food processor
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup sliced almonds
In the high-speed blender, combine the coconut oil, agave syrup, and lavender flowers. Process for 30 to 60 seconds, checking that the mixture is not getting too hot, until smooth. Add the cacao and almond butter and blend slowly on low speed until well mixed.
Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the chopped almonds and raisins, and mix well.
Spread the mixture onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper in a 1⁄2 to 1- inch layer. Top with the sliced almonds. Place in the freezer to chill until solid, about 15 minutes. Break into pieces and serve. Will keep for a month or more in the freezer.