Cranberry Almond Maca Truffles

The Ingredients

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cup sliced raw almonds

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp maca powder

1 cup dried cranberries

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp raspberry jelly

juice of one large lemon

cocoa powder 

Blend all ingredients in a food processor but the cocoa powder. It will thicken up and will be easy to mold into little balls. 

I formed mine like so:

Roll the balls into the cocoa powder or dust them with it. 

The finished product should look like this. I leave mine in the freezer and enjoy a sweet and cool snack! 

Shiitake Kale Soup

The Ingredients

1/2 tempeh "block"

1 container of fresh shiitake mushrooms 

2 cups kale

4 cups water 

1 cup miso paste

1 tbsp grated ginger

1/4 white onion

1 cup tamari

1 tbsp coconut oil

First, cut the tempeh into small cubes and stick in a ziplock bag. Pour all but one tbsp of tamari into the bag and let it marinate for a few hours. Set aside.

Coat the bottom of a pot with coconut oil and heat at medium heat. Take the onion and dice it into small pieces. Cook the onions until they are translucent. 

Pour the water and miso paste into the pot and let it simmer. 

Cut the mushrooms into long strips and set aside. Then, cut the kale into pieces similar in size to the mushrooms. I use pre-cut Trader Joe's kale, which saves a bit of time. Add both the kale and mushrooms into the broth mixture. Then, add the tempeh. dd the ginger and leftover tamari  and cook for 20 minutes. And enjoy! Filling and vegan! 

Miso Dressing

The Ingredients

1 tbsp miso paste

1 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 splashes tamari

2 tbsp water

Shake ingredients and BAM! Enjoy it on any type of salad. My choice was a sprouted lentil and beet salad with a hard-boiled egg. Super tasty and light. It makes around 8 oz. If you'd like, you can add some ginger and/or lemon. Serious nom noms! 

Lemon Miso Ginger Hummus

The Ingredients

1 can garbanzo beans

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp sweet miso paste (low-sodium)

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 small garlic cloves

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp sesame oil

I love hummus. And as of a few days ago, I discovered a new love: a love of miso paste. What a great way to make things more tasty without adding a ton of calories. I wanted to make hummus and I wanted to use miso paste, so I found this recipe: 

http://www.thesmartkitchenblog.com/2012/08/lemon-miso-hummus.html

I followed it, but added some toasted sesame oil for an earthy flavor to balance out the citrus and tanginess from the ginger. Blend and enjoy! I plan on using miso in the future for some new hummus creations, so stay tuned... 

Miso hungry!!!!!