My parents were given a batch of homemade li hing mui which is my Inspiration for a new snack for next summer...homage to Hawaii, of course! Want to create an interesting snack inspired by Hawaii. Li hing mui powder is the direction it's going, don't want to incorporate the obvious: pineapple, guava, macadamia nuts blah blah blah.

Next summer will play with li hing mui raw ice cream!

 

 

Think I'm getting closer to THE recipe. This BLT batch was yummy...but need to taste test with others to make sure this actually kind-a-sort-a tastes like a BLT! Ended up eating the entire batch! Addictive...

This snack does not look pretty, going to have to be creative with the photography...

 

 

Trying to coat soaked sunflower seeds with a mix of brown and golden ground flax seeds to give a fried effect for the next BLT prototype...didn't really stick to the seeds.

My flat smelled like a BLT (...it did get a little nausiating)! Great taste but doesn't look pretty, need to try a mix of kale and arugula.

Ingredients:  Vegan bacon bits, cherry tomatoes, ground flax seeds, raw pine nuts, arugula, olive oil, honey, himalayan salt, garlic, raw cashews, apple cider vinegar

 

 

...a little curious if I can pull off an interesting vegan snack inspired by the classic BLT! Have two variations of recipes and can't wait to try em out! Updates to follow...

Second attempt to make a raw version of one of my favorite snacks, Food Should Taste Good CHOCOLATE Chips. Four years ago a good friend in NYC introduced me to these delectable delights and I coudn't find them in LA. 

My first attempt was a big fail (as noted). The second time around not enough corn and missing the element of surprise...finger's crossed for the third attempt!

Was planning to make adzuki bean flour, soaked the beans for 24 hours, in the process of boiling them, smelled something buring...oops...back to the drawing board! Fail!

Instead of throwing the beans away, I ended up eating them (trying to consume more protein and iron since I do not consume any meat or anything with eyeballs).

Health benefits:

 

 

We have a couple of new ideas we want to play with. I've been wanting to create a snack with sesame seeds. Our first idea was to combine my favorite, kinako with black sesame seeds, crunchy rice cereal, organic maple syrup, raw almond butter, organic shredded coconut, organic rice bran and Himalayan salt.

The outcome? At first I thought it was too bland, maybe because I gobbled it too quickly? So I ate a second one slowly and I savored the flavor-- it's a combination of a slightly salted rice cracker with a subtle sweetness from the sesame and kinako rounded out by the earthiness of the almond butter.

Most of our goods have a twist or unexpected pairing of ingredients. I'm still debating if I should experiment and pair it with something unexpected (I have a few ideas) or keep this as a simple and satisfying cluster. This cluster reminds me of my trip to Nara Japan last spring, it's a keeper!

Received a bag of beautiful dried cherries from a friends family farm. So we've been playing around with a couple of macaroon ideas...I think we've stumbled upon a delightful treat! This will be a great summer macaroon! We are starting to think about seasonal snacks!

(beauty shot to come-still under development) 

 

Santa Monica, CA

A couple of months ago we found an interesting recipe for an Apple Pecan Kale salad and the description of this salad had us salivating and inspired! We thought it would be interesting to turn the concept of a salad into a snack! 

Combining crispy kale, diced apples and scallions marinated in apple cider vinegar and molasses mixed with chopped pecans and almonds topped off with sprinkles of hemp seeds. Already been taste testing our samples and the reaction has been great!