Spicy Magic Green Sauce

When Josiah and I were in Austin a few weeks ago somewhere amongst our 9 taco-exclusive meals in a row, we had some tacos at this little local restaurant. We ordered a few of the vegetarian options they offered and were about to pay when the cashier said “Oh I forgot to ask, do you want any salsa with that?”

Don’t get me wrong, I like salsa, but it’s not a necessity for me every time I have tacos, so when I heard myself say “yeah, sure” I kind of surprised myself. Without really thinking much of it, I took the little cups they hand you to grab some from the condiment station and filled it with one of their spicy options. The green color spoke to me and spicy is something I often gravitate towards so this one fit the bill. There was minimal thought put into it otherwise.

I got back to the table and decided to dip one of the chips from our chips and guac order into the salsa (again, maybe not weird for others, but not a sure-thing for me). I dipped it and immediately knew that this salsa was different. It was hardly salsa. It was more of a godly nectar sent down from above. Fate intervened and salsa, which was merely an afterthought has become a staple. My life has been forever changed.

As soon as we got home I knew I had to attempt to recreate this deliciousness and this is what I came up with. We are currently putting it on everything: tacos, veggie bowls, eggs or even just straight up dipping chips! It’s on repeat in our life now and I hope you try it and can see why.

Spicy MAGIC Green Sauce

• 1 pound jalapeño peppers

• 12 cloves of garlic 

• 1/3 cup olive oil 

• 1/4 cup cilantro 

• juice of 2 limes 

• Salt to taste

Turn the broiler on high. 

Slice the jalapeños in half and remove most of the seeds (see note). Toss the jalapeño peppers in a little oil, then place on a baking sheet. Broil until the peppers are mostly blackened and soft, about 10-12 minutes. 

Place the  jalapeños along with the garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in the base of a high-powered blender. Blend until mostly combined, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form a smooth and creamy sauce.

Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to a week. 

Note: The amount of seeds to remove is completely up to you. I absolutely love spicy things and I think I have a pretty high spicy tolerance, but the first time I made this sauce I left about half of the seeds in and nearly burned my mouth off. The next time I made it I ended up removing 90% of the seeds and found that was a much better level of spiciness for me. Use your own judgement, but also note that jalapeño spiciness differs from jalapeño to jalapeños so each batch may be just a touch different because the peppers themselves will be slightly more or less spicy. 

Vegan Turtles

The only recipes I’ve posted for 2019 so far are all sweet things, which totally goes against the whole new-year-new-you trend, but it just feels so right for this space right now. It reflects the heart of my kitchen because let’s face it, even though I cook 2-3 savory meals every day and cooking is growing on me more and more, my soul still belongs to baking. My first true love. It’s also true to the current theme of my kitchen, speed.

These turtles come together in under 10 minutes (maybe 20 with the freezing time) and they’re as delicious as they are adorable. If you’re having friends over and need a little something sweet , I got you. If you just like a little something-something after dinner every night (or breakfast and lunch), I got you.

Vegan Turtles

• 6 ounces dark chocolate, I like 85% cocoa or darker

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

• one batch of vegan caramel

• 50 pecan halves, raw (about 1 cup)

Place the chocolate and coconut oil In a medium bowl and microwave in short increments, 15-30 seconds or so, until they have both melted. Be careful as to not burn the chocolate.

On a sheet of parchment paper place 5 pecans together as to create a star formation (see pictures). Place about 1 tablespoon of vegan caramel in the middle of each of the stars. Next, use the melted chocolate to cover the caramel. Leave the little turtle feet and heads poking out to maintain the cute “turtle” vibe. No matter what happens though, they’ll taste good.

Place in the freezer for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to harden. Remove from the parchment paper and place in an airtight container for 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Drizzled No Bake Vanilla Macaroons

Josiah and I made an impromptu trip to Austin right before the new year. It was as full of tacos as I expected and my heart was so happy!

Less happy was my heart when we returned home on New Year’s Eve, just in time to host our friends, only to realize our oven was unusable. I had to nix a few of the items I had planned on and make a few adjustments which was less than ideal but turned out far better than I could have expected. One of the adjustments that I made was turning this baked macaroon recipe into a no-bake recipe that turned out to be even more delicious than the original! Just a tiny way that life is reminding me to lean into the curveballs it throws, because sometimes those curveballs might just lead us towards something even better.

This macaroon recipe takes like 5 minutes and just so happens to be gluten-free AND vegan. They pack a hearty dose of healthy fats and they’re sweet, but not too sweet which means it’s totally cool if you have one at lunch AND dinner.

Chocolate Dipped No Bake Vanilla Macaroons

Makes 24

• 1 cup raw almonds, ground into a fine meal

• 1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ½ cup pure maple syrup

• ¼ cup coconut butter

• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (I use this brand)

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the almond meal, shredded coconut, salt, maple syrup, melted coconut butter, and vanilla extract until throughly combined. The dough will be thick and sticky.

Scoop the dough out a tablespoon at a time and then roll into balls. Place the rolled balls onto the parchment paper.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over low-medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the macaroons. Freeze the balls for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.

Remove from the parchment paper and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Caramel Coconut Macaroon Bars

Remember that vegan caramel recipe I shared a little while back? Well I hope you kept it handy because you’re going to need it to make these caramel coconut macaroon bars.

There’s a tiny piece of me that feels guilty for making the first recipe I’m sharing this year something sweet instead of something green, but the remaining part of me that loves any and all things gooey and indulgent is 100% behind this decision and I hope you are too. Happy baking! <3

Caramel Coconut Macaroon Bars

• 1 cup raw almonds, ground into a fine meal

• 1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ½ cup pure maple syrup

• ¼ cup coconut butter

• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup vegan caramel

• 1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (I use this brand)

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 275°F. Grease a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the almond meal, shredded coconut, salt, maple syrup, melted coconut butter, and vanilla extract until throughly combined. The dough will be thick and sticky.

Spread the dough evenly into a 9x9 pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the crust is golden around the edges.

Allow to cool completely and then spread the vegan caramel onto the crust.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over low-medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth.

Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel layer. Freeze the bars for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.

Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.