Support Katie's Awesome Charity Drive

Go here to check out Katie's Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness and her amazing giveaway... because she's a gorgeous girl with a huge heart.

Nut-Free Cacao-Hemp Butter Bites

I stumbled across the brilliant Matthew Kenney's recipe for Almond Butter Cup Ice Cream *again* and decided that I needed to make it... or at least the almond butter cups... problem being that I can't have chocolate, vanilla, or almond butter.... so what's a girl to do? Improvise of course! Below is my variation on his recipe for the almond butter cups. I just made classic banana ice cream (frozen bananas thrown in the Vitamix and blended until smooth, with the addition of raw cacao nibs... I seem to tolerate raw cacao just fine, but no other chocolate. You could certainly add raw cacao or carob powder or vanilla) and added the cacao-hemp butter cups. They also rock on their own.

Sweet Syrup:

2 T raw agave nectar

2 T pure maple syrup

1 packet Stevia (optional)

1 c. dates, soaked in ~3/4 c. warm water (reserve water)

2 T raw honey

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix until smooth.

Hemp Butter Mixture:

1/2 c. raw hemp butter

1/2 c. raw tahini

1/2 c. sweet syrup

1/2 c. raw coconut oil

1/2 T sea salt

Stir ingredients in bowl until mixed together. Set aside until ready to use.

Chocolate Sauce:

1 c. raw cacao nibs

3/4 c. raw coconut oil

remainder of sweet syrup

1/4 - 1/2 T sea salt

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix until smooth.

Line small jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with parchment paper. Pour slightly less than half of chocolate sauce into pan in even layer. Place mixture in freezer for about fifteen minutes until slightly hardened. Pour hemp butter mixture over chocolate sauce, then layer remaining chocolate sauce over hemp butter. Swirl mixture with knife and return to freezer until frozen solid. Cut into small squares and store in freezer until ready to use (will be rather unstable at room temperature due to the coconut oil). Deee-licious!

Food & Wine Festival - Pictures to Come

Today we're headed off to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival (today is the last day). I'm pretty sure there won't be a lot I can eat, but I've heard Mexico serves up awesome margaritas, and I'm definitely bringing the camera.... so expect some pictures :)

Elimination diet-wise.... beef (aren't I turning into a vegetarian / soon-to-be-raw-vegan

anyway) and garlic are

definitely out, but here's

some pictures of what I've cooked recently... tomato soup topped with basil and butternut squash lasagna with eggplant instead of noodles.

Don't forgot to check out the always-adorable Katie (aka chocolate-covered-vegan)'s blog for Operation Chocolate Covered Kindness... talk about a girl with a big heart! Please support her mission <3

Finally - a recipe!

okay, well ... it was a slightly longer recipe but I somehow deleted it... so - chocolate avocado mousse - dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and totally delicious

1 avocado

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 c agave nectar (or stevia or soaked dates)

1 t vanilla extract

blend together in food processor and enjoy! more recipes to come...