Addictive Cream Cheese & Walnut Stuffed Dried Plums (Gluten-Free Confection)

Exotic Sweet Cream Cheese & Walnut Stuffed Turkestan Prunes

Turkestan Stuffed Prunes

There is something so Arabian Nights about these exotic confections...

I have absolutely loved these since I was a little girl. I still love them. These are a wonderful sweet treat. They are really unique with their sweet, fluffy, anise flavored cream cheese centers, paired with the crunchy walnuts - which perfectly compliment the sweet, soft dried plums. You really must try them.

I remember asking my mom to make these often, and I always wanted more anise extract added.

We did not have candy, soda, and chips in our home when I was growing up. My mom did sometimes make honey taffy with me - and occasionally we would get some carob or chocolate covered raisins, or halva, real maple candy or sesame seed candy from the health food store.

Life was good. My mom has always been a great cook, so I certainly didn't suffer from missing out on junk food! She did me a big favor. Thanks mom!

It is true that the foods we ate as a young child become our comfort foods as an adult. It makes you think twice about what you feed your young children, doesn't it?



Turkestan Prunes Recipe:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened
1 T. raw honey (or vegetable glycerine, or agave syrup)
1 t. anise extract (or a very few drops anise essential oil, to taste)
A few drops stevia glycerite to taste (recipe on this blog)
1/4 c. chopped "Crispy Walnuts" (recipe on this blog listed as crispy almonds)
1 t. "Frosting Thickener" (recipe below), optional
Softened pitted prunes

Method:

Place the softened cream cheese in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Pour in your sweetener of choice and mix together with a hand mixer until creamy.
Add the anise extract, to taste, mixing in very well.
Taste and adjust sweetening to taste with the stevia glycerite (add just a few drops at a time).
Beat in the Frosting Thickener, if using.
Stir in the Crispy walnuts by hand.
With your fingers open the softened prunes (dried plums) and form into boat shapes.
Fill the formed softened prunes with the cream cheese-nut mixture.
Chill in an air-tight container.


FROSTING THICKENER Recipe:

Measure the ingredients by weight

75% Arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
25% Coconut flour


Method:

Mix the starch and coconut flour together.
Grind together as finely as possible in a Krups seed mill (or as long as you have the patience for).
Store in an air-tight container in your pantry.


Note: I like to use 4 drops essential oil of star anise and no more than 1/8 t. stevia glycerite. Start with less stevia and see if it is sweet enough before adding more. At times I also double the crispy walnuts.

Mom's Recipe card

Crispy Walnuts

A unique treat that is quick and easy to make.

Make little cups out of the soft dried plums.

"Come to mamma"

Enjoy!

Leila & Nancy

The Kitchen Cheetahs

Herb Flax Crackers - The 7th in a series of excellent Raw Food recipes

Herb Flax Crackers


I am posting a series of RAW FOOD RECIPES created by my mother Nancy Glazier and her good friend Irene Hauver. 

Together, as raw food pioneers, they complied an amazing collection of unique recipes that they used in teaching a series of raw-food-living un-cooking classes. We have a selection of delicious raw food recipes big enough to fill an entire cookbook. I know, cool, right?

These recipes are amazingly tasty! This is doing raw food right. Most raw food recipes are seriously lacking in taste and texture - well, not this collection. These beautiful ladies don't do anything half way! We are excited for you to try them.


Herb Flax Crackers are very handy to have in your pantry for when you need a speedy lunch or get the munchies. They have a delightful crunch and are SO healthy for you! Spread with Sunnie Sour Cream (recipe on this blog), Sunny Hummus (recipe on this blog), or other spread of choice.


HERB FLAX CRACKERS Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 cups Flax seeds, soaked in 8 cups water 8 hours (do not drain)
1/2 Onion, quartered
5 cloves Garlic
2 cups Chopped fresh herbs (chives, dill, sage, basil, oregano, parsley, kale, spinach, etc.)
2 t. Sea salt
1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice


Equipment:

Blender (like a VitaMix)
Food dehydrator with Teflex sheets for drying the crackers on
Bowl and spoon


Directions:

Combine onions, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, and lemon juice in blender. Puree until smooth. place in bowl.

Add 2 cups of soaked flax seeds and 1 1/2 cups water to blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into bowl with herb mixture.

Repeat with 2 more cups of soaked flax seeds.

Pour remaining whole soaked flax seeds into bowl with herb mixture and sir well to combine flavors.

Spread 2 cups of batter 3/8-inch thick on approx 8 Teflex Food dehydrator sheets.

Dry in a food dehydrator at 110 degrees for 8 hours. Flip onto screen.

Dry 12 more hours until crisp. Break into large cracker-sized pieces.

Store crackers in a pantry away from sunlight, in air-tight bags or bins. Fills an 8-quart size Zip-lock bag.

These crackers keep and store well.



Tips: 

The idea is to add just enough water to the soaked flax seeds in the blender to make a rough puree. This makes for crisper, thinner chips instead of just chewing on flax seeds stuck together. Use enough water to make it blendable in your blender.

Do not add an excess of water to soak the flax seeds - add just enough to make the mass like a thick batter. Then you can add water if needed during the pureeing process in your VitaMix blender. it's not like when we soak nuts in lots of water.

My mom always adds a bit of Vitamin C powder to her chips. It keeps her chips fresher tasting for longer, plus it keeps the colors lighter and brighter. Start with adding from 1/4 to 1/2 t. Vitamin C.



Note: Do not add more than the 2 t. sea salt asked for in this recipe. All dehydrated chips and crackers taste saltier once dried, because they are condensed, concentrating the salt.




Recipe created by the Kitchen Cheetahs, Nancy Glazier & Irene Hauver.

Enjoy!

Author, Leila Wood.

Tiger Bites - A healthy coconut-apricot sugar-free candy

Tiger Bites - A Sugar-free Candy


I love these cute little confections.  My mom made a similar version of these but I didn't have her recipe, so I recreated this version of them. They are a perfect combination of sweet and tangy. The fresh citrus brightens the flavor and they have a delightful chewy texture. Best of all, they have no added sugar!

There are sorta-similar recipes out there using sweetened condensed milk and powdered sugar. They are flat tasting compared to these.

You can feel good about serving this great tasting, sugar-free and dairy-free version to your family!


TIGER BITES recipe:

1 1/2 c. (12 ounces) dried unsulphured California apricots
3 T. (1.5 ounces) Juice of 1/2 organic orange
Zest of 1/2 organic orange (0.50 ounces)
3 T. (1.5 ounces) fresh lime or lemon juice
1 T. (0.50 ounces) xylitol (or Lakanto zero-cal white granular sweetener)
1/4 t. BioSalt (recipe on this blog)
2 c. (4 ounces) dried unsweetened coconut chips
1 1/2 c. (3 ounces) unsweetened dried coconut, finely ground, for rolling


Method:

Snip the whole dried apricots into quarters and place in a bowl of a food processor.

Pour the orange juice, grated orange zest, lime or lemon juice, xylitol, and salt over the apricots.

Let the apricots soak while you prepare everything else, or about 5 minutes.

Place the finely ground coconut in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Place the BioSalt and half of the coconut chips into the food processor with the apricots.

Blend until the mixture until it starts to look chopped.

Add the rest of the coconut chips and process until it clumps into a mass.

Taste for sweetness and tartness. adjust if necessary.

Use a stainless steel 18/8-size ice cream/portion scoop to portion out half-ounce balls.

Drop the balls in the bowl of finely ground coconut and roll to completely cover the confection.

Seal air-tight and store in the refrigerator.


Note: I drop 4 or so balls at a time into the bowl of finely ground coconut, and then shake and roll  them about until well coated.


Enjoy the sweetness of life!

Leila

Make your own Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Clusters

Dark Chocolate Almond Cherry Clusters

We bought these at Costco and loved them. They are very easy to make yourself. I like portioning them out with a mini cookie scoop, they look professionally made that way.

Enjoy the benefits of the antioxidants and protein packed in these little babies.


Almond Cherry Clusters Recipe:

16 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate (like a 72%)
8 to 10 ounces dry-roasted whole almonds (salted is o.k.)
8 to 10 ounces dried TART cherries


Method:

Melt and temper the chocolate.
Stir in the almonds and cherries.
Drop by Tablespoonfuls onto parchment or silicone lined cookie sheets.
Cool in the fridge, in front of a fan, or outside if its cool.
Store airtight once set up.

Makes 2 cookie sheetfuls.

Note: To save money, alter the ratio of almonds to the cherries, to cut costs.
ie. 16-oz chocolate, 12-oz almonds, 8-oz cherries, works well.


Enjoy!

Leila

Easy Southwest bean Dip Recipe

Southwest Sour Cream Bean Dip

Easy to put together and very tasty. Serve it cold with corn tortilla chips or raw vegetables for dipping. You can also include this as a spread in wraps, or use as an ingredient in your favorite 7-Layer Bean Dip recipe.


SOUR CREAM BEAN DIP Recipe:

1 c. re-fried beans
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. paprika
1/4 t. ground cumin
1 garlic clove, crushed
onion salt, to taste
Tabasco sauce, to taste


Method:

Mix everything together well.
Chill to allow flavors to blend.
Serve with homemade corn tortilla chips.


Enjoy,

Leila

Healthy Mini Cheese Balls (Gluten Free, Nut Free & Sugar Free)

NUT-FREE MINI CHEESE BALLS

A super snack, a little goes a long way into satiety. You can vary the combinations of coatings and cheeses, to suit your taste. These work great for a low-carb, high protein mini-meal on the go. Kids like them too. They curb the munchies nicely.


NUT-FREE MINI CHEESE BALLS Recipe:

creamy cheese of choice (ie, cream cheese, neufchatel, chevre goat cheese,  thick seed cheese, etc.)

Toasted, salted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (homemade with BIOSALT is best)


Method: 

Form small balls and roll to coat thickly in seasoned seeds of choice.
Place into an air-tight container and chill.


Notes: If the cheese is too firm, soften at room temperature. If the cheese is too soft, chill until workable. You may use pecans or walnuts instead if you choose.

The recipe for BioSalt is on this blog.



Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy