My Foray into Fat Bombs!

Have you heard of the fat bomb trend? Since going gluten-free, I've seen a lot about this ketosis-spurring vehicle. I'm still learning about all this, but without gluten, our bodies arrive at a state of ketosis where we burn our stores of fat instead of the blood sugar in our systems from the carbs we used to eat. A fat bomb -- a gluten-free portion of healthy fat -- is said to spur the process. I'm more interested in the health benefits to my central nervous system and the energy jolt these will provide, but I'll take the ketosis too. A word to the wise:  ketosis will not happen if you are still eating bread and pasta. In that case these are just really delicious, mostly-organic raw, vegan truffles:  still worth making!

I can't believe how deliciously decadent these turned out to be! I have a wonderful, creative job working with dear friends. I can work at home, but I also work collaboratively at the studio. On studio days I find myself so "in the zone" that I have no interest in sustenance until I find my energy flagging. I normally bring a couple of dates or a square of dark chocolate for these times so the productivity can proceed uninterrupted, but one of these will be so much better for me! I used what I had on hand, so you could obviously tweak this recipe to your convenience and liking.

Chocolate Truffle Fat Bombs

12 oz. coconut almond butter (the whole jar)
1 c. almond meal flour (Bob's Red Mill has a good one)
1/3 c. hemp protein powder (Bob's Red Mill)
1/3 c. raw organic cacao
1/2 c. date sugar (really 100% crushed dates - that's all)
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 c. raw, unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp. salt
a few shakes of chipotle chili powder (if you like)

1/4 c. cacao nibs
1/4 c. golden raisins
1/4 c. raw cashews

In a food processor, combine and process the first group of ingredients until smooth, periodically scraping down the sides. Add the last three ingredients and pulse, roughly chopping and incorporating them, retaining a bit of texture. Taste the mixture and add more salt, chili powder or sweetener if desired (I only added a pinch more salt). The mixture will have softened from the heat of the mixing, so refrigerate for an 1/2-1 hour to firm it up enough to roll into balls. I left mine in the fridge a little longer than that and it was quite firm and hard to scoop at first:

But at room temperature it softened pretty quickly. Roll the mixture into golf ball sized pieces and roll in shredded coconut or cacao to seal in the moisture. arrange on parchment-lined pans and freeze for an hour.

Once frozen, the fat bombs can be stored in a Ziploc freezer bag in the freezer or fridge.
Makes 22 fat bombs.

These are delicious and completely satiating! I had only one after making them and found myself completely full and energized and, dare I say it, focused for the rest of the afternoon! I could see myself chowing on a couple of them, though, if 'm really hungry. These natural fats are unstable in a warm room (they melt) so plan to store them refrigerated until munching.  Experiment with your own combination of ingredients and textures. If you don't like 'em crunchy, process until smooth. Share what you come up with!

The Garden -- Time to Plan

Look at this lovely straggler from last season. I so love a veggie like this who thrives on neglect. During our chilly, wet winter I hardly checked my garden and most of it is in shambles. There were a few stalwart lacinato kales still producing, however. When I harvested this lot the weather was still pretty cold, so the flavor was a delicious sweet/bitter/fresh. Kale loves the cold. I've not cleared out the garden yet but we've had some warm days so I can expect the next straggler harvest to be less mild.

Life is full and fulfilling right now so I'll take a minute to research plants who love neglect as much as this little guy before planting!

My Kind of Macaroni and "Cheese"

This turned out to be a serendipitous treat. Lately I can't get enough bitter broccoli rabe so that's where it started. In coconut oil at medium-high heat, I sauteed several chopped garlic cloves and a big bunch of the greens. At the last minute I remembered I had some leftover gluten-free pasta in the fridge so I threw it into the pan along with lots of nutritional yeast and a little olive oil.  The yeast flakes coated the noodles and got a little crispy in the pan. Oh boy. The juxtaposition of the fresh bitter with the rich pungent was amazing -- reminiscent of an almost Gorgonzola-like flavor. Mmmmm.