Re: SOME SWEET RECIPES FOR YOU

[Guest guest]

These look very tasty ! Beware that honey is a concentrated sugar and has basically the same effect on the body as other sugars if one is looking to eliminate sugar from the diet. Dates are very sweet, so maybe honey isn't needed by most? It these are eaten only as dessert, one or two a day, not too important that the have a little honey, and what super healthy little treats! Natural foods make the best "treats" anyway, a matter of adjusting our taste buds to enjoy them more than store bought processed stuff!

On a slightly different note, I keep raw nuts and seeds in the fridge bins and eat a tiny handful almost every day. My family has always eaten dates and dry fruit, just a couple a day on top of oatmeal or with lunch. Having citrus trees, we also use lemon and lime juice on tons of things, sweet potatoes, all veggies, sliced fruit, in our water with dinner. If preparing special foods seems daunting, one can just eat the various items whole or with other foods. The lazy person's healthy diet! I eat a very simple diet, but it's mostly whole foods with herbs, spices, garlic, onions, citrus, avocado, and other things used to make it tasty. Keeps it simple and easy to do and stick with for the long haul. Then, if I'm out somewhere once a year and see a Divine chocolate eclair or sinful ice cream sundae, I can have one with no real harm to my body.

Kay

To: bronchiectasis Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 2:36:54 AMSubject: SOME SWEET RECIPES FOR YOU

These healthy recipes should satisfy the keenest of sweet teeth!! I use raw honey when poss as it's at it's most natural at that point (a lot of runny honey goes through a heat process that takes out all the goodness) ... If you like the savoury recipe, try using different seeds, put the mixture on different bases (oat biscuits, rye bread etc!)MACHINE I USE FOR THE MINCING (AND IT'S THE BEST JUICER I'VE EVER COME ACROSS! )It juices with a blunt swirly contraption and the motor works in a way that `slow juices' so it holds more vitamins. The machine is also very quiet – which is so much nicer! – and it separates pith/pips etc. You do have to remove orange skins etc, but apples can just be chopped up and fed through with all the parts and a perfect juice will come out. I can peel and make orange juice from 6 oranges and clean the machine in 5 minutes!) ... I've never used detergent on it. I just wash it under a warm tap and use a brush/cloth as soon as I've used it.http://www.livingpure.co.uk/oscar-vitalmax-900-juicer-p-287.html(try other sites to compare prices)Raw Energy Balls (the original Thai recipe I learned)200 grams of fresh dates (you need to use top quality, pudgy dates, toffee like in consistency, not hard ones!)200 grams of ground almonds100 grams coconut snowMince the dates (remember to remove all stones if you want your machine left in one piece!)Mix with almondsRoll in coconut snow & #8195;Below are MY versions of the above!! I play around with the ingredients and make `to taste.' I always start with some ground almonds and sesame seeds (I now use equal amounts of both, but you can use whatever suits your taste buds best) ... I add the dates next and ... when I add lemon juice and honey I do it slowly, mix everything with my hands and taste with a small spoon as I add (it's impossible to do with an implement and it's a VERY messy job (!) so it's worth having all your ingredients – and a few little spoons for tasting - ready to grab, as your hands will be completely sticky throughout this process). If the mixture gets too wet, I add some more nuts/seeds. If it's too dry, more lemon juice or honey. With the lemon sweets: Always have plenty of ingredients ready to use as you experiment, as the balance has to be right or the sweets end up to tart or too sweet.With the other sweets: Always have plenty of ingredients ready to use as you experiment, just because you put chocolate marks all over the kitchen if you don't – or you have to wash your hands constantly and whichever batch you're making, you'll wash off and waste tons of the ingredients in the process! & #8195;RAW LEMON AND HONEY ENERGY BALLSMinced DatesGround AlmondsSesame SeedsLemon JuicePlain Runny Honey (no strong flavours or it will interfere with the flavour)Mix all the ingredients together, roll into bite sized or larger balls and roll in dried coconut snow (this is sold as desiccated coconut)My Thai friends also suggest mixing lemon juice AND apricot juice into their original recipe. Maybe try it with this version above. Could be interesting!RAW CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE ENERGY BALLSMinced DatesGround AlmondsSesame SeedsOrange essence (buy the quality `essence' not the chemical `flavours')Plain Runny Honey (no strong flavours or it will interfere with the flavour)Natural Raw Cacao PowderMix all the ingredients together, roll into bite sized or larger balls and roll in cacao powder (you can roll in other coatings – such as vermicelli – but these sweets are so healthy that vermicelli, although it looks prettier than raw chocolate powder, tastes very plastic in comparison to the sweets ... I've also rolled all versions of these sweets in chopped nuts ... the world's your oyster – play with ideas and use flavours you enjoy)Note: You don't use as much essence as you would lemon juice (!) so this recipe will require extra honeyRAW RUM TRUFFLESMinced DatesGround AlmondsSesame SeedsNeat Rum (naughty!)Plain Runny Honey (no strong flavours or it will interfere with the flavour)Natural Raw Cacao PowderMix all the ingredients together, roll into bite sized or larger balls and roll in cacao powderNote: You can go heavy on the rum, but keep tasting as you go (naturally!) & #8195;OTHER SWEET SUGGESTIONSCinnamon works with honey, so you could make a version with those ingredients mixed togetherTry making the sweets with chopped nuts in the actual ball, rather than as a coating & #8195;SUNFLOWER PATE (another healthy Thai snack – I really like these, but don't know if they'll be to your taste – but it's simple to make and worth a try?)ShallotsSunflower SeedsCucumberSaltSoak sunflower seeds overnightCrush in pestle and mortarAdd salt to tastePeel and slice a cucumber (I don't bother peeling, I enjoy the skin)Add spoonful of pate to each slice of cucumber and pat down a little