Things I Am Loving This Week

It's Tuesday which is of course one day better than Monday, and also time for the "Things I Am Loving This Week"--those (mostly) food-related things I am enjoying and want to share.

I think I have previously mentioned my squirrel-like habit of storing nuts and seeds (in my freezer though--not in the ground!), and I am trying my best to work through the mass quantities I have stock-piled. I had a large Ziploc of raw sunflower seeds and this Sunflower Seed Spread from my "Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook" seemed like a great way to make a dent in them. Similar to a hummus only with the nutty flavor of sunflower and sesame seeds, I am loving this spread on veggies, as a sandwich spread and I think it would be great thinned out a bit as a salad dressing too. Sunflower seeds have a combination of selenium and vitamin E and provide great antioxidants.

Tosca says, "Cooking" does not get any easier than this. If you can assemble things in a blender and press "start," you can make this delicious bread spread that quite frankly tastes just as good on a chicken breast.

Sunflower Seed Spread

Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook

(Makes 5 Cups)

2 1/2 cups / 600 ml raw, unsalted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup / 60 ml sesame seeds

2 Tbsp / 30 ml pumpkin seed oil

2 Tbsp / 30 ml roasted sesame oil

2 shallots, peeled and cut into chunks

1 lb / 454 g silken tofu, unflavored

1/4 cup / 60 ml light soy sauce or red tamari

1/2 tsp / 2.5 ml sea salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

juice of one lemon

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until absolutely smooth. Adjust consistency of this spread by adding very small amounts of water. Store unused portions in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid (A Mason jar is a good choice) in the fridge.

My Notes: I didn't have pumpkin seed oil and the smallest bottle I could find was $17.00 so I subbed some coconut oil--not the same thing taste wise but I didn't want to buy the pumpkin seed oil at that price. (I did use the sesame oil as the recipe directed). Once I tasted the spread I found that it was good, but I wanted it a bit "brighter" and so I used the juice of two lemons and liked it even more.

Nutritional Value for Two-Tbsp Serving: Calories: 73, Calories from Fat: 62, Protein: 3g, Carbs: 20g, Total Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Fiber: 1g, Sodium: 11mg, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sugar: 1g.

It's not food but I love bath products almost as much, especially when they contain natural ingredients and a good friend gave me this big bottle of Archipelago Pomegranate Body Wash. This purple-red liquid has been waking me up in my morning shower with its fresh scent of pomegranate, cranberry, lemon and orange. It foams up nicely and smells good enough that I almost want to eat it. Although surely not nearly as effective as eating these fruits for their antioxidants, I guess washing with them can't hurt! ;-)

I having been trying to cut down on my processed sugar lately and that means limiting the amount of chocolate I am consuming too. When I do indulge I want it to be "splurge-worthy," meaning something that I think is worth indulging in. My latest find is this new Lindt "Touch of Sea Salt Bar" which I am loving as it works for that salty-sweet craving I often get.

The dark chocolate in this bar is creamy and the level of sea salt just about perfect--enough to taste it but not overpowering. Chocolate and sea salt remains one of my favorite pairings ever and I love that one thin square (or two on a tough day!) of this bar satisfies me and makes me happy.

So that is it for this week's "Things I Am Loving"--a little bit of healthy mixed with a little bit of indulging myself, so a good balance.

What things are you loving this week?