So sad the weekend is over, this one just flew by.

This past Saturday I got to do something fun though. We had another Atlanta blogger meet-up, this time at R. Thomas, a strange little place that focuses on healthy food with a veggie focus. It’s a pretty eclectic place, with tropical birds in cages and detailed gardens surrounding it.

I hadn’t been there in several years so I was excited to get to go back. Please forgive these crazy photos, the lighting in there is all neon green flourescent.

I started with a Vitality juice, carrot with a “green superfoods” powder added. It tasted very…carroty. Good for me though.

I decide to try something really different for me and went with one of their raw plates.

This was just ok. Both of the salads were bland, the walnut sunflower loaf was really salty, and the guac was very moussey when I much prefer it chunky. Nothing was bad, just not awesome and not very filling.

No matter, this is what I was really there for…

Kristy snapped that one of me totally immersed in my camera.

It’s so nice to hang out with a whole table full of people who also take pictures of their food, makes me feel less weird. Surprisingly, we didn’t talk much about blog stuff, we never really do at these things.

Tina was nice enough to bring us samples of LoveGrown granola and Lindsay brought several types of Snickers Marathon bars for us to choose from. Yay, goodies!

I can’t believe how big our group is getting, and this was just the ones that could make it!

From left to right – Back: Lauren, Myself, Lee, Lindsay, Laura, Kristy, Brooke.

Front: Carol, Katy, Laura, Tina, Katie

Awesome group of girls! Can’t wait for the next one!

August 1, 2011 Alayna Discussion 5 comments

Aren’t they pretty?!

Our local farmer’s market always has an amazing selection of dried fruits and nuts. I stumbled upon a bag of juicy-looking dried nectarines recently and knew I’d wanna try making a raw cookie with them.

They are delicious out of hand too though. The concentrated nectarine juices burst with their bright peachiness. It’s a great flavor for summertime!

Raw nectarine dream cookies

A summery raw cookie that is great for a snack, healthful dessert, or crumbled over yogurt like granola.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• about 6 large dried nectarine slices
• 3 tbsp. brown rice syrup
• 1 tsp. agave nectar
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Cooking Directions

1. Pulverize nuts in a food processor.
2. Add chopped nectarines and pulse to combine.
3. Add all other ingredients and combine.
4. Roll mixture into a log on wax paper and press tightly.
5. Refrigerate until firm and then slice into cookies.

I love popping one of these after an intense workout for a shot of protein. The juicy little bits of nectarine are so sweet and sticky.

It’s a total accident that these came out in the cute little teardrop shape they did. I was going for round, but I kind of like that they look like little cookie guitar picks.

And they are rockin’!

June 29, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 10 comments

(For another raw vegan treat, check out my recipe for raw nectarine dream cookies!)

Oooooo! These are so good!

I just love the combination of orange and pistachio together! These bars are so soft and citrusy, they remind me a bit of lemon Larabars, and yet they’re totally different from any Larabar I’ve ever had.

Here’s what you’ll need for these little emerald gems:

• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup raw pistachios
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tsp. agave nectar
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• zest and juice of a small orange such as a clementine or satsuma
• desiccated coconut for dusting

Start by pulverizing the nuts in a food processor…

Then add the chopped apricots…

Then grate over the orange zest and add the remaining ingredients…

Blitz it til it pulls away from the sides and looks fully incorporated…

So green!

Now you need to mold it into bars. I lined a loaf pan with wax paper to help pull the bars out with later and then poured some desiccated coconut in the bottom so they wouldn’t stick to that.

It took a while to press it all out flat in the pan, just keep working at it until you get it to reach the edges.

My loaf pan was just a bit too big so these didn’t quite make it all the way to one side. After spreading it out I topped it off with more coconut.

These should get popped in the freezer for a while to make them easier to cut. I chose to cut mine into little squares.

They are delicious! The bright orange flavor really stands out and contrasts with the earthy and slightly bitter green pistachio flavor. They taste so springy and fresh!

I’ve been keeping them in the fridge since they have orange juice in them that could go bad if left out. It also helps them to hold together better being that they’re very soft at room temperature. They are even more refreshing nice and cool right out of the fridge anyway.

Raw vegan orange pistachio bars

Bright citrusy orange zest accents these nutty raw pistachio bars.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Yield: about 10 squares

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup raw pistachios
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tsp. agave nectar
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• zest and juice of a small orange such as a clementine or satsuma

Cooking Directions

1. Pulverize nuts in food processor until very small.
2. Add all other ingredients and pulse to incorporate.
3. Press mixture into a wax paper lined baking dish with desiccated coconut.
4. Sprinkle more desiccated coconut on top and press in lightly.
5. Freeze until firm then turn out and cut into squares or bars.
6. Keep refrigerated.

What is your favorite snack bar/granola bar/protein bar?

March 8, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 20 comments