March 2015
If I were Catholic, I’m not, but if I were Catholic, I have this nagging guilt I would attempt to assuage through confession. The dialog would transpire as follows:
Priest: In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Penitent/Me: Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been never since my last confession.
Priest: Proceed my child.
The remains of making homemade almond milk: chopped almonds, dates and vanilla bean.
Penitent/Me: Father, what I did was so reprehensible, so inconceivable, I shudder to say it out loud to another human being. My sin happened about a month or two ago. With glazes and preparation methods whirling in my head, I removed two salmon filets from the freezer to thaw. By nightfall, they were ready to be savored, but the Urban Farmer had already eaten, so I saved them. The next night, the bright, orange and coral fish filled my vision every time I opened the refrigerator. “I must cook those soon,” I thought to myself, but for one reason after another, day after day, the fish never made it to our dinner plates. One week later, I held the fish package in my hand and evaluated how willing I was to risk food poisoning- not very. I had to throw away the fish. I had to throw away the salmon! The wastefulness haunts me to this day, father [voice screeching by this point. Some tears forming].
Priest: I see. You must say an Act of Contrition [that came straight from my Google search to this “priest’s” monologue], and you must find ways to make amends [is that a Catholic thing?].
Salmon. Of all the foods to squander, salmon! Images flashed in my head of starving children, over-fished waterways, questionable fish farming practices and the price tag on the fish itself. The guilt ran deep, but I tried to channel this negligence into something more productive, something more chocolaty!
This brings me to a brand new category I am introducing here on my blog, “Waste Not, Want Not.” Though this series of blog posts will never undo the fish I have wasted, it will challenge me, and hopefully inspire you, to waste less and enjoy more.
I recently shared a recipe for homemade Vanilla Bean Almond Milk, which I recommend for its simplicity and purity. The potential downside to this process is the remaining almond pulp. There’s nothing wrong with this almond mixture, but using it instead of pitching it does require a little creativity. Being the chocolate lover I am, I combined the remaining almond meal with almond butter and a touch of pure maple syrup, then dunked the combination in dark chocolate. These chocolate balls are difficult to name, but they’re rewarding to eat.
Chocolate Covered Almond Treats
About This Recipe: Landing somewhere between a peanut butter cup and a buckeye, this recipe starts with the leftovers of making Homemade Vanilla Bean Almond Milk. Mixing the chopped almonds with organic almond butter and just a touch of maple syrup yields a high protein, healthy treat that’s low in sugar. Use a high quality chocolate to keep this treat as wholesome as possible. I recently started using Guittard’s Extra Dark Chocolate Chips because they are 63% cacao, all natural, GMO-free, and they use sunflower lecithin instead of soy. They are the best chips I have found to date.
Bless me friends, for I have tried to make amends!
-Quelcy
Chocolate Covered Almond Treats
Ingredients
2 cups chopped almonds from homemade almond milk
2/3 cup organic almond butter
dash of cinnamon
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 cups high quality dark chocolate chips (I used Guittard extra dark chips)
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to garnish
Directions
Combine almond pulp, almond butter, cinnamon and maple syrup in a large bowl, until well blended and tacky.
Scoop with a large spoon and roll into balls. Place on wax paper.
Heat the chocolate using a Maria bath method. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, keep the chocolate over the simmering base pan. Place an almond ball into the chocolate, and use a spoon to coat with chocolate, rolling around the pan as necessary until completely coated. Use a fork to remove, allowing excess chocolate to drip into pan again.
Place the chocolate-coated ball on wax paper to cool.
As the chocolate starts to set slightly, sprinkle with sea salt.
Allow the chocolate to set completely.
Enjoy!
