ALMOND AND CASHEW BUTTER CHOCOLATE FUDGE

I love homemade nut and seed butters for many reasons: they're easy, quick, additive-free, fresh, you can make any combination and quantity you want, and you can do so much with them. Like this "fudge" with almond and cashew butter.

If you want to know how to make nut butter at home, check out my almond butter blog post. Feel free to use a single nut butter or a combination - hazelnut, almond, pumpkin seed butter, tahini, whatever you fancy. Store-bought nut butter certainly works in this recipe, just make sure it is made with only nuts and has no additives like sugar or oil.

I sometimes toss 1 - 2  of these into my breakfast smoothie - totally delicious.

Almond and Cashew Butter Chocolate Fudge

Makes: approximately 25 pieces

- 1/2 cup homemade almond butter
- 1/2 cup homemade cashew butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (not hot cocoa or hot chocolate mix!)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt

Optional garnishes:
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened coconut, shredded or flaked
- 2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds, toasted or raw

1. Mix everything except garnishes in a bowl. Taste the mixture and add 1 tbsp. maple syrup at a time to adjust sweetness.
2. Spread in a pan to make a 1/2 in. thick layer. Smooth the top and gently press on the garnishes (if you just sprinkle the garnishes on top, they won't stay on).
3. Freeze for at least 2-3 hours. Remove the fudge from the pan and cut into approximately 1-1/2 in. square pieces (I find it easiest and fastest to cut the fudge into 1-1/2 in. strips in the pan itself, then remove it from the pan 1 strip at a time and cut into squares.) Store in the fridge.

CRANBERRY BEAN, ROASTED CORN, AND SWEET POTATO STEW

I always fall for good looks. Cranberry beans, or borlotti beans in Italian are probably the most beautiful of all beans, with gorgeous pink streaks all over their cream background. The flavour is quite creamy and subtle, and although they are related to kidney beans, they taste totally different. I would not recommend substituting kidney beans in this recipe.

Sorry for the blah photos, but I was really short on time when I was making this stew.

Cranberry Bean, Roasted Corn, and Sweet Potato Stew

makes: 4 servings

- 1 tbsp. coconut oil

- 1 small onion, diced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tsp. smoked paprika

- 1 tsp. ground cumin

- 1 tsp. dried oregano

- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper

- 3 plum (or 10 cherry) tomatoes, chopped or pureed in a food processor

- 2 cups (or 1 can) cooked cranberry beans

- 3 cups vegetable stock

- 2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1-1/2 in. cubes

- 1-1/2 cups roasted corn kernels (fresh or frozen, like the ones from Trader Joe's)

- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

- salt and crushed red pepper, to taste

1. In a stock pot over medium heat, sauté onions in coconut oil for a few minutes, until translucent.

2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

3. Add sweet potato and stir, cook for 3-4 minutes.

4. Stir in smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, cumin, oregano, tomatoes, and beans, and cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add vegetable stock and 1 tsp. salt.

6. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat and simmer uncovered, for 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.

7. Add roasted corn and cilantro, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

8. Add salt and additional crushed red pepper to taste.
9. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 
10. Serve with bread, white or wild rice, quinoa, millet, or salad.

Notes:

1. Add diced carrots if you have them.
2. Since olive oil is unstable and oxidizes at high heat, I use coconut oil for sauteeing usually. Unless I'm making something where the coconut oil flavour won't match the ingredients.