chocolate + tahini energy balls

These are my new favorite snack. Sweet enough to satisfy, hearty enough to fuel, and easy enough to devour. As you may know by now, I am in love with tahini and I am always looking for good, on-the-go snacks! So these are perfect!

The original genius recipe from Dishing Up the Dirt turned out a little sticky for me, so I had to make a few adjustments. Keep that in mind when you are making anything with dates or tahini, as different brands or types can change a recipe completely! I also used a bit less maple syrup in my balls because dates alone are sweet enough for me! If you like your balls a little sweeter just add a bit more maple, but that might mean that you need some more oats to soak it up! Being creative and innovative in the kitchen is half the fun (the other half being the eating part of course).

chocolate + tahini energy balls

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• dash of salt
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup soaked dates
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp cacao powder + more for rolling

Grind coconut, 1 cup oats, and salt in food processor until it is a course meal. Set aside. Add dates, maple syrup, cacao, cinnamon, and tahini to food processor and blend until smooth. This is a good time to taste test to see if you want to add any more maple syrup. Transfer to a mixing bowl with oat and coconut meal. Roughly mix with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of oats and combine thoroughly, mixing with your hands if necessary.

Roll into balls and coat with extra cacao powder. These are so tasty and convenient! They hold up and travel well so you can have a sweet and healthy snack wherever you are; we are bringing some to the movies tonight!

veggie packed spring rolls + creamy thai sunseed dipping sauce

It's spring and I am feeling so fresh! I have been loading up on raw veggies lately and feeling amazing! Fresh spring rolls are an awesome way to get your fill of veggies; all rolled up in a pretty little package.

This is a nut-free version of a creamy peanut sauce. If you want to make it peanutty just use 1/4 cup peanut butter in place of the sunflower seeds. This dipping sauce is adapted from the Detoxinista, and is so tasty, I'm going to eat it on everything!

creamy Thai sunseed dipping sauce:

• 1/3 cup soaked sunflower seeds, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup water

Throw all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth. If you haven't soaked your sunflower seeds, just give them a rinse and maybe use 1/4 cup to start out. Allow sauce to set while you construct your rolls. If it gets too thick, thin it with a little water.

My veggies included:

• grated carrots
• shredded purple cabbage
• green beans
• golden beet, cut julienne 
• sprouts
• mints leaves
• cilantro leaves

I like to use a veggie of every color! Be creative with your veggie choices, or just use what you have in the fridge! I also rolled some tofu spears in with mine to pack in some protein.

You'll need some rice paper for rolling, I made 8 rolls. A package usually gives you about 30 sheets so you'll have plenty of extra!

To roll:

Pour about an inch of hot water into a shallow baking dish, I used a 9X9 glass dish. Place one sheet of rice paper in water and fully submerge. The water should be hot but not too hot, you should be able to put your fingers in it and handle the rice paper, no problem. Let rice paper soak for about ten seconds, making sure all areas get wet, transfer to a wet surface (a wet cutting board works really well) and flatten out into a circle.

Pile on the fillings and fold like a burrito, starting with the two sides (left and right) and rolling away from you. If you are having trouble just try rolling one with less filling to get the hang of it, it's not easy!

Now; dip, bite, repeat.

Fresh spring rolls are always best if eaten immediately! If you are taking them for lunch, keep them from sticking together in a container with a bit of parchment paper. If you have extra sauce, make some quinoa nori wraps for lunch tomorrow! 

killer lentil tacos

After being a vegetarian for almost four years now, I have no desire to eat meat. It seriously weirds me out, and if you haven't had it in a while, you'll understand where I'm coming from. Something that I really don't understand is why a vegetarian would want a non-meat product that has the taste and texture of meat. For example, at a Mexican restaurant they served vegetarian nachos with some sort of soy "taco meat". I thought, sure, I'll give it a try! Well, it was so close in taste, texture, and color to ground beef that I couldn't even eat it! Out of all the meats, the last one on my list is ground beef! The logic behind the "fake meat" is lost on me. I don't eat meat for lots of reasons, the main one being I DON'T LIKE IT! So why would I want something that was almost exactly identical?!

Anyway, enough ranting! One thing I do like is tacos! Bean tacos, sweet potato tacos, tofu tacos, mushroom tacos, there are so many opportunities for little veggie Mexican masterpieces. And I LOVE lentils; they are versatile, protein packed, and nutrient dense.

This recipe is easy, adaptable, hearty, and fun!

Lentil taco filling (not "meat"):

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup dried lentils, soaked overnight (will swell into more than 1/2 a cup)
• 1 can diced tomatoes, blended for a quick second
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup water
• at least 1 cup thinly shredded dino kale

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add onions and peppers. Cook a few minutes and add drained lentils (it ends up being over a cup of soaked lentils). Cook for a few minutes to heat through and add tomatoes (if you like chunks of tomatoes, don't blend them as much or at all), spices and water. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the water is mostly absorbed, add the kale. Cook for five more minutes.

Make sure to taste the lentils to see if they are cooked and soft, if they are too crunchy, add a little more water and cook until done.

Other taco fixings:

• creamy cilantro + lime dressing
• chopped lettuce
• jalapeños
• fresh lime
• 8-10 corn tortillas, heated

This recipe makes 8-10 tacos, maybe more if you are conservative on the filling. Heat tortillas in the oven for a few minutes, layer on the filling and fixings, and enjoy!