Raw Pate Spread

3 Cups sunflower seed or pecans ( i use sunflower seed because they are less $) 1/4 cup lemon juice (may need a little more) 1/3 cup olive oil 4 dates 1 bunch of parsley or cilantro (either is great. i do like the cilantro a little more). dash of salt 3-5 cloves of garlic Mix seeds or pecans first. Add the rest of the ingredients. You may need to add a little more lemon juice or olive oil to make it sticky (like play dough sticky). I like to buy baby portabella mushroom from Costco ($5) and Kalamata olives from Costco ($7.50 for a huge jar), stuff the mushrooms and top it with an olive. You can also take big slices of red cabbage and spread it on that. Today I used nori sheets (like for sushi), put the spread on, thin slices of avocado,olives, carrots and celery. So yummy! You could stuff small peppers etc. Ps there is just something about the Kalamata olives that taste so good with this.

Raw Pomegranate Oatmeal

If you like pomegranate juice, you'll love this.  Just soak some rolled oats in pomegranate juice in the fridge for a few hours. You can also add raisins or craisins which plump up during the soak.  It is super delicious!

For Alysa

This recipe is dedicated to my friend Alysa who reads this blog. Friends... you may be interested to know that she is the author of a delightful book blog! Find that HERE. She often blogs about children's books and I know we are all on the look out for good ones!

The reason this post is dedicated to her is because it uses dry beans which I know she has an abundance of and wants to use! When we made this last night and really liked it, I wanted to share it with her and I know that she reads this blog. This one's for you friend!

Slow Cooker Garden Vegetable Sauce with Chickpeas (From America's Test Kitchen)

2 tbsp olive oil
3 onions, minced (I did one whole and it was great!)
2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cubed (I did 4 carrots. just 2? They must have been large!)
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flour
2 cups veggie broth
2 cups water
1 1/4 cups dry chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
2 bay leaves (Alysa, if you need some I have a ton! Beachy's sells them for super cheap!)
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cubed
2 tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 oz baby spinach (6 cups)
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese- optional
Short Pasta to serve over (we used a whole grain penne. It was great! The picture has it over regular bow tie pasta. I wish they made a whole grain bow tie! I also think this would be good over rice)

Cook onion, carrots, garlic and red p flakes in oil till onions are soft. Stir in flour and cook 1 min. Slowly stir in 1 cup of the veg broth to thicken, avoiding lumps. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir water, chickpeas, remaining broth and bay leaves into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chickpeas are tender (9-11 hrs. on low, 5-7 on high). Stir in zucchini, cover and cook on high until tender (15-20 min). Discard bay leaves. Stir in tomatoes and spinach and let sit till heated through and spinach wilts (5 min). Stir in salt and pepper before serving. Serve over cooked pasta with parmesan if desired.

Hope your week is off to a good start ladies!