Carrot Bites

December 14, 2010 By Leanne Vogel July 22, 2015

Boy does December get ridiculous! In the last 48 hours I’ve been to 3 Christmas parties at colleagues’ houses, 1 nutrition seminar about seasonal eating, and 1 CAHN-Pro Christmas potluck. In the next 48 hours I’ll have been to 2 more potlucks, 1 kids birthday party, 1 colleague Christmas party and will be absolutely ready for my Christmas vacation… after attending 2 more Christmas parties :| I knew this past weekend was going to be absolutely bonkers so I baked up several batches of goodies last weekend. I then divided them up into pre-made treat baskets so I could take them with me to the countless Christmas events that lay just days ahead. I combined cacao macaroons, lemon blueberry muffins (the mini-sized ones), and carrot bites for a cute bite sized dessert take-along. They’ve been a huge hit so far. Although baking 10 batches of each recipe requires countless hours in the kitchen, I’m reminded at how rewarding this work is when I have the opportunity to introduce others – who aren’t familiar with whole foods, gluten free living, or the concept of allergens – to ingredients they’ve never heard of before. Many times I can see a spark ignite in their eyes when we begin to chat about the ingredients in my foods. My hope is that when they leave the conversation they’ll take with them a bit of “nutrition knowledge” and apply it to their personal lives. Nothing pleases me more than to hear that their husbands are cooking with coconut oil and explaining the benefits to their friends, or when a colleague comes to me and says she’s had the best sleep in years due to a couple of my suggestions. Nothing is sweeter. So when I’m on my third attempt at the same recipe because I can’t get the ratio of liquid to solids right, or my muffins come out tasting like drywall I remind myself of why I do what I do and why it’s all so important to me. So when life gets busy; especially around this time of year, ask yourself: “is what I’m doing benefiting me or the important people around me?” If so, what are those benefits? What is gained when you donate your energy? If you can’t come up with anything, sit with that for a while. You may come to the realization that there is nothing gained and if that’s the case, it’s okay. Acknowledging tasks, people, or things in your life that drain your energy allows you to create balance in your life, state of mind, and awareness. Keep these reasons close to your heart and the rest will follow

Carrot bites

Author: Leanne Vogel

Recipe type: Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Refined Sugar-free, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: Makes 20

Inspired by Oh she glows These macaroon style cookies are moist and deliciously paired with a tall glass of almond milk.

Ingredients

¾ cup almond flour
¾ cup quinoa flakes
¾ cup unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon himalayan rock salt
2 tablespoon ground flax seed
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded and packed
½ cup raisins, diced
½ cup maple syrup, room temperature
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and line 1 baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large bowl, combine flour, quinoa flakes, coconut, baking powder, sea salt, flax and cinnamon
Add in the nuts, carrots, and raisins
In a small bowl mix the maple syrup, coconut oil, freshly grated ginger, and vanilla. Add this to the dry mixture and stir until combined
Drop about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough onto lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each bite
Shape into a ball with hands. Bake for about 25-30 minutes and cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack

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This entry was tagged: carrot, cookies, oatmeal, quinoa flakes, walnuts