Snack Attack

There's something so relaxing about having the house to myself and time to experiment. I spend most of my time in the kitchen because I have to. I know that when I eat quality food, I feel better. On our budget, that means cooking all the meals, most of the snacks, and some of the desserts. (Thank heaven for plantain chips in coconut oil, pre-made organic guacamole, Hail Mary tarts, and Sejoyia cookies!) I used to love cooking, searching out new recipes, and learning new techniques, but lately I mostly feel like a galley slave. Today I had an exceedingly rare combination - time alone in the house AND a short to-do list. So I was inspired to level up my snacking!

I love fresh-ground almond butter. There's usually some in my fridge, but not a lot of it (because I ate most of it already). A crisp apple and some plain almond butter has been my go-to snack since I started following a paleo/primal eating plan. It's tasty and satisfying, and somehow I never really get tired of it. I've been seduced by those plantain chips with guac lately, and it seemed like it might be a good idea to get back onto a healthier track. Fancy almond butters should do the trick.

Apple Dip

1/2 cup fresh ground almond butter or plain almond butter
1/2 cup coconut butter/coconut manna
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Add all ingredients to the top of a double boiler or bowl over a saucepan of steaming water. Once the coconut butter starts to melt, mix well. Stir occasionally until coconut butter and almond butter are very soft and all ingredients are well combined. Dip apple slices (or whatever your taste buds want) and enjoy. This should probably be stored in the fridge, but will need to be warmed before using. Coconut butter gets pretty danged solid once it's refrigerated.

And because I like salty snacks almost as much as I like the sweet ones, I made a savory almond butter, too.

Celery Stuffin'

1 cup fresh ground almond butter or plain almond butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of onion powder

Warm the almond butter in the top of a double boiler or in a bowl over a saucepan of steaming water. Once it softens, add the seasonings and mix well. Dip celery sticks (or whatever makes you happy) and enjoy.

This one might be a bit subtle for some taste buds, so you might want to increase the amounts on the seasoning. If you like heat, I suspect some sriracha would be good in it, too. Let me know in the comments if you create any tasty variations!

Much yum