Vegan "Fannie May trinidad truffle" candies

Like it's not bad enough that my poor laptop has bitten the dust... I've been relying on Mike's laptop all week but he was using it most of today for work. As many of you are similarly addicted to email/blogs/twitter etc, you can imagine how tough this was!
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Soooo that's my excuse for not posting til so late. Listen to me.... I'm acting as if you guys have nothing better to do than reading my blog ;)
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I was a bit nervous for this morning's long run since the temps were projected to be almost 100 for the high today. Luckily, at the beginning of our run it actually felt a bit cool and breezy, but it quickly turned very humid!
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It was raining off and on during most of the 10 miles, but it wasn't a downpour so that was good. However, I've always found that running more than a few miles in the rain = sore feet, which happened again today. Do the soles of your feet get sore when running in the rain? Fortunately, other than this it was a pretty good run. Not a fabulous, effortless run like the 13 miler last week, but it could have been a lot worse. It definitely never got into the 90s during the run so that was a relief!
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I tried some new Gu flavors during the run... the camera ate the pix (AGAIN), but I tried a strawberry banana (caffeine-free) and a triple berry, which had caffeine. I liked them both, especially the strawberry banana! I swear I could eat those things like dessert :)
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Once I got home, I replenished my lost electrolyes by chugging this...
I loved this flavor! Later, lunch involved food processor fun. I blended:
-1/3 c. water
- 1/4 c. lemon juice
- 1/2 c. cashews/macademia nuts
- 2 1/2 T. dried chives
- 1 T. dried rosemary
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
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I drizzled this over a salad of tomatoes and cuke...
It may not look appetizing, but Mike and I found that it tasted eerily similar to Ranch dressing! I loved this recipe.
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Being (as usual) in the mood to bake, I set out to make another "experiment". The other day I walked by a huge sign in a downtown storefront window advertising for Fannie May trinidads... you know, the truffles with the nutty, whiteish coating? I have had the urge to "recreate" these ever since.... but of course, raw and vegan!
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Truffle Recipe:
- 20 dates, chopped
- 1 c. cashews, chopped
Blend with.....
- 2 c. cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 c. agave nectar or maple syrup
- 1 T. coconut oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- pinch salt
Recipe for the "icing":
- 1 1/2 c. dried unsweetened coconut
- 6 T. coconut oil
- 6 T. agave nectar
- 1 1/2 c. cashews, ground
- 8 T. water
- pinch salt
Directions for assembly:
1. Prepare truffles, and put into the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill and harden so that they are easier to roll into balls.
2. Use melon ball scooper (or something similarly sized) to scoop - using your hands will get too messy and you won't be able to roll the balls properly (TWSS).
3. Lay the balls onto wax or tin foil and freeze in layers.
4. Meanwhile, make the icing/coating/whatever you want to call it. Dip the balls into the mixture and then freeze again
These turned out awesome. Next time I make them I just need to figure out how to make them prettier - the icing layer is a bit "goopy" from the coconut - I may thin it out a bit or just blend it.
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Speaking of blenders, after getting the new blender blade in the mail from Cuisinart and having Mike successfully installing it, my blender worked for about 5 minutes... before starting to smoke like a chimney!!! Ok Cuisart, I'm pretty sure I told your customer service rep that a replacement blade was not gonna cut it, but maybe now you will believe me that I just need a new blender already!!
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Dinner was fun tonight too, even though it officially used up every single veggie I have left, minus the cukes I'm saving for tomorrow's juice. (*Tear*, *sniffle*). Here's the recipe I came up with:
Summer Lentil Salad
- Prepare lentils (I used one bag's worth of red lentils)
- Chill in fridge until completely cooled
- Chop 2 tomatoes
- Chop 1/2 onion
- Chop 1 c. cilantro
- Make dressing from 1/2 c. walnut oil, 1/c c. lemon juice, S, P, and garlic to taste
I really loved this too! I'm so jealous of people who get to cook all day for a living......*sigh*.... a girl can dream!
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On a completely unrelated note, I wanted to let all you animal lovers out there know that the small, furry animal that ran into our condo the other night was a neighbor's miniature hamster and luckily it was returned to its owner :)
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Gratitude Journal:
1. I completed my 10 miler in the high heat!
2. Had fun cooking today
3. My mom ordered me two VEGAN cookbooks.... yay!!! She told me to check my mailbox for a box from Amazon.com, and the first thing I thought of was that I hoped they were vegan cookbooks - I have a few vegetarian cookbooks but none for vegans. She knows me so well.... what a great mom! Thanks Mom you're the best!!! :-) I'll be talking more about these cookbooks later in the week.
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Have a great Saturday night everyone!