Candied Almonds

For Christmas two years ago, my 20-year-old daughter gave me a book called Raw Food Real World...

I've found that one of the best ways to find whole food recipes is to scour raw food cookbooks and internet sites. Raw foodists, as a rule, use only whole, natural foods, so these books and sites are a great place to start if you're trying to go the whole food route.

The following recipe was a tweak of the "Candied Walnuts" recipe in Raw Food Real World. My husband is allergic to walnuts, thus the almond substitution...

(Look how they glisten right before their entrance into the dehydrator.)

...and the recipe calls for maple syrup powder, which I've never been able to find. Using the maple syrup powder instead of honey would make the candied almonds less tacky, I'm sure, but, to me, these turned out beautifully anyway. The fam loved them, too.

By the way, if you're looking for a good dehydrator, one of the most useful pieces of kitchen equipment I own is the Excalibur food dehydrator...

I've made so many amazing dishes and snacks using this energy-efficient machine and I would highly recommend it.

Thanks for listening and enjoy your almonds!

Prunes and Dates

They're snacks we normally don't think about when trying to figure out what to give our kids when they're hungry, but dried fruits are great ways to get vitamins and other nutrients into our kids and make them happy at the same time. If you don't believe me, read what WHFoods has to say about prunes...

"The fresh version (plums) and the dried version (prunes) of the plant scientifically known as Prunus domestica have been the subject of repeated health research for their high content of unique phytonutrients called neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid. These substances found in prunes and plums are classified as phenols, and their function as antioxidants has been well documented. These damage-preventing substances are particularly effective in neutralizing a particularly dangerous oxygen radical called superoxide anion radical, and they have also been shown to help prevent oxygen-based damage to fats. Since our cell membranes, brain cells and molecules such as cholesterol are largely composed of fats, preventing free radical damage to fats is no small benefit."

And here's what Organic Facts has to say about dates...

"Health benefits of dates are uncountable, as this fruit is affluent in natural fibres. These natural products also contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health. Dates are even rich in several vitamins and minerals. It is said that one date is minimum requirement of a balanced and healthy diet. It helps in fighting constipation, intestinal disorders, weight gain, heart problems, sexual weakness, diarrhea and abdominal cancer."

Plus, prunes and dates don't make crumbs, don't stain clothes, and don't melt on warm little fingers. We love 'em!

Feta Cheese and Tomato Bites

My 18-year-old son came up with recipe when he couldn't find any meat in the house. It's simple and surprisingly tasty...

Ingredients:
Feta cheese, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced
Olive oil

Directions:
Place tomato slices on top of feta slices, then drizzle with oil. This dish needs no seasoning as the feta has such a rich taste...

Enjoy!

Craisin Ants on a Log

This is a trendy version of ants on a log created by my 15-year-old daughter. I loved it much more with the craisins than with raisins. I'll bet you will, too!

Ingredients:

-craisins
-sticks of celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
-natural peanut butter (we love Smuckers and Laura Shudder's)...

Directions:

Spread peanut butter on celery stick, then place craisins on top in a row...

Enjoy!

(Note: Please be aware that some brands of craisins contain preservatives. Look for craisins that are all-natural.)