Dressings, Dips & Spreads

Blueberry Cashew Butter

//#ad This post is brought to you by Bare Snacks, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

3-ingredient homemade cashew butter made with freeze-dried blueberries and raw nuts. Serve it with Bare Snacks Banana Chips for an easy snack!

Today I added a plant to my plant family.

A spider plant!

My grandparents used to have one hanging in their sunroom, the tufts hanging low from their green striped foliage.

After asking Instagram what plant I should get for the new place, I received several spider plant recommendations.

When I rounded the corner and saw a sea of them at Whole Foods, I decided it was a sign and carried my favorite to the checkout.

Now it’s perched in my living room, getting acquainted with my split leaf philodendron and the daylight from the deck window.

I like to think it looks happy.

What’s been also been bringing me joy lately is this new butter recipe I’m sharing with you today.

This Blueberry Cashew Butter is made in less than 10 minutes with just three ingredients

It’s mildly sweet, berry-y, and kind of addicting.

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The Best Oil-Free Hummus

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Oil-free hummus made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and a splash of almond milk. Perfect to prepare and have on hand for snacking, dips, and spreads!

Last weekend I got out for my first outdoor adventure in Maryland.

I made it to see Weverton Cliffs with one of my oldest friends from high school.

One of the definite perks to moving to Maryland is living in the same state as this lady who I’ve kept in touch with since the 7th grade!

The hike to the top is short but our conversation felt long as we caught up on life the past year.

We’ve both changed a lot since we last hugged in person, and in communicating “what’s new” that change felt like something to be pretty proud of.

We stopped at the overlook and took pictures, embracing, and posing against a breathtaking backdrop of tree canopy and blue sky.

Then we completed a breath work meditation, resting against slabs of rock with our eyes closed.

It was kind of magical.

Also magical is this The Best Oil-Free Hummus recipe that goes with…literally anything.

This hummus takes just 10 minutes to blend up without any preservatives or added oils!

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Pineapple Guacamole

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//#ad This post is brought to you by Bare Snacks, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

Easy guacamole with plenty of avocado and a sweet pineapple finish! Serve as a fun summer appetizer or side for dipping or a spread for the main meal.

I may be in the process of moving, but I refuse to miss a taco Tuesday.

Which is really just a weekly excuse to make guacamole.

How do you make tacos at your house?

Every Tuesday I count the squishy avocados and lay them on the counter for M to open and smash.

He’s unofficially the resident in-house guacamole maker.

He makes the guacamole while I prepare the fajita veggies and black bean filling.

If you’re looking for an excuse to make guacamole this summer, try this Pineapple Guacamole!

It’s adapted from the stuff I enjoy with M weekly with the addition of a fruity flair.

This minimalist guacamole is made with all of your tried and trues plus the addition of pineapple chips for sweetness and crunch!

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Vegan S’mores Dip

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Vegan baked s’mores dip made with dark chocolate and vegan marshmallows. Serve with graham crackers and fresh fruit as a summer dessert or appetizer!

Remember how we counted sleeps before Christmas?

Well today is my last sleep before the big move.

Tomorrow I have friends and family come and help me muscle stuff from Virginia to Maryland.

I’m slowly accepting the chaos that is life in flux right now.

I finally realized that letting all of the uncertainties and unknowns remain uncertain and unknown is a lot easier than desperately trying to control them.

You’ve heard of the hot girl summer, right?

Well, here I am, proud of my hot *mess* summer.

My time and creativity in the kitchen has been limited, too.

I’m mostly working my way through the fridge and freezer; using up random jars of sauerkraut and frozen peas in a desperate attempt to lighten up the U-haul situation.

But that’s okay because the recipe I have to share with you today requires minimal ingredients and prep!

This Vegan S’mores Dip is so easy to bake and enjoy for whatever season you’re in this summer.

It’s made vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free with just three ingredients and your choice of dippers!

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Cherry Tomato Salsa

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Fresh homemade salsa made with sweet cherry tomatoes! Enjoy as a dip with your favorite crackers or as an addition to tacos, burritos, and bowls.

Today I had a coffee date with a girlfriend that I haven’t seen in over a year.

We parked our cars outside of the Starbucks drive-through and socially distanced sipped on coffee, bridging the gap between our cars with conversation.

Guys, I had forgotten how nice it is to be in the company of another woman and catch up on life as we know it.

I came home with an empty coffee cup and a full heart, ready to take on a photo shoot and blog post writing.

Lately I’ve been all about mixing up my routine; making small changes to embrace an awakening world.

I’m currently enrolled in not one but TWO 7-day free trial via workout apps.

Which kind of goes hand in hand with the 6 AM alarm that startled me into waking up after the third snooze this morning.

I feel like I’ve been in a deep sleep or meditation for the past year and I’m just starting to regain consciousness.

Like, Rip Van Winkle level sleepiness.

An in-person game night with my cousins and sister is planned for two weeks out; the first date we’re all fully vaccinated.

We joked that no games would be played– the entire night will probably revolve around hugging.

So much hugging. And food!

What better way to embrace summer celebrations, in person and afar, then with a fresh dip?

This Cherry Tomato Salsa is made with just six ingredients and served with my favorite grain-free crackers!

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Raw Walnut Cashew Butter

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#ad// This post is brought to you by Bare Snacks, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

2-ingredient homemade raw walnut cashew butter made super creamy in under 10 minutes Serve it with Bare Snacks Banana Chips for an easy snack!

Did you pull any epic pranks on April Fools Day?

After one of my aloe plants fell out of it’s pot for the fourth (or fifth?) time last week (it was poorly potted and in a precarious position), I had a plant funeral and buried the evidence in my trashcan.

RIP, aloe.

As part of an April Fools day joke, I purchased a new plant and propped it up on the late aloe’s plant stand on April the first, waiting for M to notice.

I smirked while he ate his breakfast, finally asking, pointedly, “So, do you notice anything different???”

After doing a lingering living room scan, he finally picked out the monstera deliciosa sitting pretty near the window sill.

I laughed, assuring him I would keep my plant murderess tendencies contained.

I’m so infatuated with this little green plant and it’s smooth heart-shaped leaves already turning towards the sunshine.

Let’s see how long it survives…

Hopefully longer than this Raw Walnut Cashew Butter that I made last week and served with banana chips.

It requires just two ingredients and a blender without any added sugars or oils.

It’s true: I wouldn’t kid about something as serious as nut butter, not even on April Fools!

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Carrot Cashew Queso

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Vegan queso made with steamed carrots, cashews, and plenty of nutritional yeast. Serve it with tacos, taco salads, burrito bowls, chips, and veggies!

How was your Saint Patrick’s Day?

I forgot to wear green, but I didn’t forget to celebrate.

M and I opened a bottle of champagne that’s been hanging out in the fridge since New Years and toasted to the cookbook manuscript’s completion.

We even played a few Irish jigs (mostly rowdy drinking songs) while we attended our weekly virtual game night with my sister and cousins.

While shuffling pieces in Bandido, we talked dreamily about meeting up later this year, in person, in a post-COVID world, full vaccinated and ready for hugs.

I literally can’t wait.

But until then, I have a cookbook to finish birthing.

It’s been a bit of a transitional week here as I re-surface into the world after my manuscript submission and start to assess the next big hurdle–

The cookbook photos.

Dun dun dun.

Yes, the cookbook photos are due in less than two months and I’m equal parts excited and anxious to start photographing again.

Naturally, I’ve been procrastinating, waiting for the perfect daylight, the perfect feeling, the perfect gap in my schedule, to pick up my Canon camera.

But, you and I both know that there is will never be a perfect time, so I really just need to jump into the messiness.

Kind of like this Carrot Cashew Queso that I’m sharing with you today.

Well, it’s only messy if you blend it the way I did– with the Vitamix lid ajar on the highest setting.

I’m still finding blobs of cheezy carrot queso clinging to the cabinets and kitchen backsplash.

Lauren-error aside, this queso is super easy to make on the stovetop and in the blender for a quick savory dip!

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Tahini Date Caramel Dip

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This post is brought to you by Bare Snacks, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

Tahini date caramel dip made with Medjool dates, pure maple syrup, and a tahini twist. Perfect as a sweet dip for fresh fruit, crackers, or apple chips!

In my early conversations M we talked a lot about food.

It’s good neutral ground for conversation, and, well, I *am* a food blogger.

One day I remember asking him if he liked dates.

“The fruit, not the…well, date, date,” I said, blushing behind my iPhone screen.

As it turns out he liked both examples of the word, but I’m here today to talk about one.

The ooey gooey edible dates.

Because I just rediscovered them this past week and I blended them into something special for you.

This Tahini Date Caramel Dip is made with just 5 ingredients in the blender for a sweet snack with apple chips!

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Dark Chocolate Tahini

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Dark chocolate tahini made oil-free and refined-sugar-free with just three ingredients. Blend it up and serve with baked apple chips for dipping!

During quarantine, I became irrevocably infatuated with a store-bought chocolate tahini spread.

I used it like I would a chocolate dessert syrup.

Then I got M on the chocolate tahini train, too.

And, well…sharing is hard.

With a chocolate tahini shortage imminent, I knew I had one of two choices.

I could either hoard and hide those sweet sesame seed butter jars, or learn to make dark chocolate tahini myself.

Obviously, I took the higher path.

Are you proud of me?

This Dark Chocolate Tahini requires just 3 ingredients and 30 minutes to be yours to hide and hoard.

Or, you know, to share.

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Low Sugar Applesauce Apple Butter

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Easy 5-ingredient apple butter made with unsweetened applesauce. This fall spread is lightly sweet with maple syrup, apple cider, and a touch of kombucha.

I miss my extended family, guys.

Most of them are split between Indiana and North Carolina with a few scattered from coast to coast.

Our annual family reunion was canceled this year in an abundance of COVID caution.

We’re planning on connecting virtually over the holidays in a Zoom Room, but it’s not *quite* the same as exchanges hugs and laughs and food.

I texted my Aunt Janet on Halloween and told her how much I missed her apple butter.

I always coveted the little mason jars she sent to my parents and me, eating greedy spoonfuls on anything and everything.

It was brimming with fresh sweet apples, warm spices, and just the right amount of sweetness.

Feeling nostalgic, I decided to create my own apple butter this season that’s made super simple with applesauce.

You can make this Low Sugar Applesauce Apple Butter in under an hour with just 5 simple ingredients!

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Blueberry Cashew Butter

The Best Oil-Free Hummus

Pineapple Guacamole

Vegan S’mores Dip

Cherry Tomato Salsa

Raw Walnut Cashew Butter

Carrot Cashew Queso

Tahini Date Caramel Dip

Dark Chocolate Tahini

Low Sugar Applesauce Apple Butter

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