Total Health Month: Day 2

My head hurts.

As part of Total Health Month (THM), I have decided to forgo caffeine.  This is doubly hard after spending a week with my “always-have-a-pot-on” family over the holidays.

Going caffeine free means that rather than ordering my tall Americano, I got a tall decaf Americano (okay, okay, I know that decaf has some caffeine in it – but have some pity, people!).  Being a flavor slave and something of an addict, I also have been drinking coffee substitutes.  Krakus and Grain Gourmet are my favorites in Canada – they are comprised of some miraculous combination of barley, rye, chicory, and beet root.  Throw it with with some Soy Delicious creamer or a MimicCreme and it’s vegan, too!

But my head still hurts.

Withdrawal is a bitch.  Which is probably why it’s 9 pm and I’m going to shortly crawl into bed.

However, before I pass out, I must share that tonight I made some exciting vegan goodies.  I made them while my roommate was out teaching, so I would have ample time to clean the kitchen before she got home.

 

Sundried Tomato Cashew Cheese

• cup of soaked cashews
• container of sundried tomatoes (including oil)
• Water as needed.
• Blend it in a food processor.

That’s it.  And you can tell my ingredient measurements aren’t too exact, so use your judgment and blend until you have a nice thick texture.  The fellow that gave me this recipe also adds in a whole bunch of basil, which I will try next time.  The phrase, “cashew cheese” sounds pretty gross to me (evoking “toe cheese” or something – ew), but the result is spectacular.  Delicious, and so easy to make – even for me.

Chocolate something or other

Okay, I wanted something chocolate to be able to dip into in times of trouble.  Something that would adhere to my THM intentions.  So I whipped this up in my Vitamix (I love my Vitamix) based on inspiration from my friend Steph.  I added in lots of “good for you” stuff, too, to get this in under THM rules.

• raw cocoa nibs – about 2-3 cups
• raw almond butter – about 1 cup
• spoonful of chlorella
• tablespoon of maca
• tablespoon of chia
• water to blend (probably 1/2 cup)
• cinnamon to taste

Blend this all up, then add:

• about 2 handful of dates

Again, it’s not an exact science.  And you’ll need a hard core food processor as the mixture gets quite thick.  I spooned it out and put it into a tupperware container and put it in the fridge to “set”.  My intention was that it would make bars or something of the sort.

My roommate came home and I proudly showed her my chocolate creation.  Susan is also doing the THM this month.

She looked at it, “”Can we find some cake to put under it?”  She dabbed a finger in and tasted.  Her brows lifted.  “What did you use for sugar?”

“Dates.”

She slowly nods, “This could work.”

This is high praise.

“It’s even got chlorella in it.  And chia,” I say proudly.

“So what’s the plan for this,” she says, nodding to my tupperware.

I look down at it.  “I don’t know.  That it will eventually get cold and I can cut into bars.”

She shakes her head, “That’s not going to set.”

“Then we’ll eat it with a spoon.”

She laughs, “Okay, fine with me, just checking to see if there was an end game here.”   I make a note to check in with Steph and see how she gets hers to set into bars.  But seriously, I’m pretty happy with the spoon thing.

She starts unpacking her grocery bag and pulls out a bag of potato chips.

She looks at me, and pauses.  “They’re baked.”

We all have our cheats.