One of my favorite things about the Little Italy farmer's market is that I'm always finding new fruits and veggies I've never made myself, eaten before, or even ever heard of. Almost every time I go, I come home with something new to try. Last weekend, I came across a stand that had fruit called jujubes. No, I'm not talking about the artificial candy. Also known as the red/Chinese/Korean/Indian date, the dried fruit first caught my eye because of its dark red color. After reading the chart above them that listed all their nutritional benefits, I was curious to try one. High in antioxidants and various vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin B2, jujubes aren't as sweet and sticky as the typical date. The inside of the fruit is sort of spongy. Today I sliced some jujubes up ... [Read More]
dates
Happy Birthday Dad! + Chickpea & Date Tagine
First thing's first... Happy Birthday to my wonderful dad!! I love you and can't wait to see you soon! :) Dinner Moving onto food, for tonight's dinner I tried a new recipe out from Vegetarian Times. Up until seeing this recipe, I had never heard of a tagine before. Assuming I'm not the only one, here's a quick explanation: A tagine is a North African (Moroccan to be exact) dish that is named after the type of pot it is cooked in - one that is formed entirely out of clay. It consists of two parts: a flat base unit, and a large conical, dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base ring during cooking, designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom: Kinda neat huh? I slightly modified the ingredients and portions from the original recipe. And one thing to ... [Read More]
Delightful Date Truffles
After I eat dinner, I tend crave a little something sweet. Lately I've been having some raisins, a piece of hard candy, or a few dates to satisfy my sweet tooth. They say that fruit is nature's candy, and dates are the epitome of a fruit full of nutrient-rich sweetness. This is obviously why I love them. While recently browsing through one of my cookbooks, The Vegan Table, I spotted a recipe for date truffles. When I saw that they were described as a lighter treat after a meal, I knew these would be a perfect little snack for me to have around as my post-dinner sweet fix. Delightful Date Truffles Makes 10 Ingredients: 1/2 c raw almonds 10 large dates (pitted) 1/2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for rolling truffles in Zest from 1/2 orange 1 TBSP agave nectar 1/4 TSP ... [Read More]