Raw Ginger Bread Truffles
One of my favorite treats to make during this season is raw truffles. It’s a delicious, rich treat made from raw, healthy ingredients and coated in antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.
And who says holiday indulgences can’t be good for you too?
It’s also a no-bake dessert so it's easy and quick to whip up…..the perfect treat to make if you’re not a big baker or you're rushed for time.
Ingredients
For filling
- 1 cup dates
- 3/4 cup Verdant Kitchen Candied Ginger Pecans
- 1/2 cup regular pecans
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons Verdant Kitchen Ginger Bites plus an additional tablespoon for topping
For chocolate coating
- 6 ounces dark chocolate chips I used a dairy-free kind
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
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In a food processor, add the dates and blend until it forms a thick paste. Remove date paste from food processor and set aside.
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Add the candied pecans and regular pecans to the food processor and pulse until the nuts are broken down but still a bit chunky (about 20 seconds). Add back in date paste with molasses, vanilla, and spices and blend until all incorporated. Add in ginger bites and pulse until they are well mixed in with the other ingredients.
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Use a spoon or small ice cream scoop to scoop out a small amount of the mixture and roll into a ball. Complete this process until all of the filling mixture is used. It should make about 12 truffles. Place in fridge for at least an hour to firm up.
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Once the truffles are firm, the next step is to coat them in the dark chocolate. Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium power in increments of 30 seconds until the chocolate is fully melted. Stir in sea salt.
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Dunk each truffle into the chocolate mixture using a fork to remove the truffle from chocolate and remove any access chocolate. Set coated truffle on a baking rack so any access chocolate will drip off. While the chocolate is still wet, add a couple of ginger bites on top. Repeat this process until all the truffles are coated. Set in fridge for at least an hour to set up.
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Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
These will store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Verdant Kitchen Products used in this recipe
Brie with Ginger Preserve and Candied Ginger Pecans - a show stopping cheese plate
A soft, nutty bloomy-rind Brie pairs beautifully with ginger. This simple crowd favorite can be made in 5 minutes. After you prepare the Brie you can warm it just a little to maximize flavor
- Cut the Brie wheel in half and spread a layer of Ginger Preserve with Lemon over the cut surface.
- For an added kick take a piece of the lemon from the bottle and place it in the center of the cut surface.
- Place the top on the Brie to make a delicious Ginger Preserve sandwich
- Add a layer of Ginger Preserve over the top of the Brie and decorate with Candied Ginger Pecans
- Serve with your choice of crackers and dried and fresh fruit.
Verdant Kitchen products in this recipe:
Cinnamon Bun - Holiday Ginger Swirl
This festive and delicious ginger glazed bun is the essence of the holiday season. Just imagine a hot chocolate, tea or coffee, a piece of this bun, and friends. It's a happy vision.
Packed full of holiday favors, it will fill your home with warm and inviting aromas. Ginger, cinnamon, molasses, and dried fruit in a Ginger Honey glazed yeast dough make this a family classic.
Makes 6 large buns.
Prep time 2 hours
Cooking time 40 minutes
Ingredients👇
For the dough
1 TSP Sea Salt
1 packet Active Dry Yeast
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
Directions👇
✅Mix together the dough ingredients and knead by hand or machine until smooth and elastic (10-15 min)✅Place in a bowl and allow to rise in a warm draft-free place for 1 hour
✅Roll out to 1/2 thick rectangle and cover with Fruit Swirl dried fruit
✅Roll up the dough and then cut into 6 x 2 inch (approx) pieces
✅Arrange cut side up to show the swirls in a parchment lined round baking tray (I used one that held 4 of the pieces and cooked two separately as individual buns on a flat baking tray)
✅Bake at 400F for 25 minutes, remove and brush with the Glaze.
✅Return to the oven and bake an addition 5-10 minutes until golden brown
✅Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack ready to enjoy
For people with health challenges the right gift can make a big difference
The holiday season provides us with an opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives. In a special way, your gift choices can bring joy to people with health challenges both big and small.
We founded Verdant Kitchen on the belief that some natural foods have an outsized ability to help promote wellness and to have a positive impact on our lives. We have had the great fortune to help improve the quality of life for so many people over the past few years.
"Chemo patients need these. Nice tin for carry in chemo bag or handbags." Denise H on Ginger Bites
A few days ago I was feeling unwell. I had picked up a chest cold on my trip to the SEMA show in Vegas a few weeks back and try as I did, I could not get rid of it. A course of heavy antibiotics quickly got it under control but let me feeling very nauseous - a few pieces of Bare Ginger every 3 hours I felt no nausea. My problem was a small and temporary one, but it reminded me how disruptive pain, discomfort, nausea, and exhaustion can be. Health issues, even small and temporary ones, can rob your quality of life.
"They make most queasiness during a flight go away without medication for me, which is helpful, but I also keep them in my desk just for snacking." Michelle E. on Turmeric Dusted Baby Ginger.
As excited as I am about great flavor I am more excited to develop products that help build and maintain strong active lives.
Here are a few ideas for you. Our food, supplements, and collections can be a gift in themselves but also consider building your own gift box around your Verdant Kitchen selections. These include simple items you can pick up at any grocery or drug store. Think of things to help stay warm, moisturized, entertained and relaxed. Warm socks, scarves, and soft blankets. Natural ingredient based moisturizes and lip balm. Books and magazines or audio books and subscriptions are always appreciated.
Rather than come up with an exhaustive list, here are some starting point suggestions. Think about your friends and family who may be putting on a brave face but would really appreciate a gift that made them feel brighter and better able to cope with the holidays.
Prescription medications and chemotherapy often cause nausea, low appetite and a rejection of many familiar tastes.
"Ginger Syrup was the only thing that got me through my breast cancer treatments" Meredith on Ginger Syrup in water as a drink to sip.
for higher levels of Ginger consider our Farm Fresh capsules
People who suffer from Motion Sickness - for those who suffer from motion sickness, it can ruin travel. Ginger can help reduce nausea that is the result of motion sickness.
I loved this quote from Katie M
"..not the flavor for me AT ALL, but when I read it’s helpful for morning sickness, I had to give it a try! these are in tiny tolerable pieces and seemed to tame the nausea a bit."
Pregnant Moms often have a unique battle with nausea. We have so many moms tell us that our ginger products really helped them.
Ida M on nausea she suffered during pregnancy.
"Got this to help fight my pregnancy nausea. Love being able to use a natural remedy. The sugar makes it super tasty."
Ida chose the Ginger Bites, but similar items include Bare Ginger and Crystallized Ginger.
For people battling various arthritic diseases, consider warm Ginger Turmeric Green Tea and Turmeric Infused Honey as individual items or gift collections.
Check out more ideas in gift giving from our blog The Six Essentials for Great Gifts
The Six Essentials for Great Gifts
Gift choices and giving should be a natural pleasure but often it feels stressful.
Why does it sometimes fill us with dread ? How do we get something for the person that has everything? We looked to leading psychologists, philosophers, and grandmothers for answers. What they said made sense. Their advice not only opened a new universe of potential gift ideas but changed gift giving back to what it should be - a time to appreciate and honor others.
We give gifts to celebrate others. In the end, it does not matter if it is to say thank you for kindness, to a stranger as an act of compassion, to our partners, parents, siblings, co-workers, or children we have created these 6 Essentials for Great Gifts:
1. Be Personal - Gift giving is one to one. It is your opportunity to connect directly with someone. This is a gift for them and no one else. You chose it for them. Spend some time to look at the next 5 Essentials and you will meet this #1 essential of gift giving.
2. Look to the Past or to the Future - Gifts can celebrate the past or the future. Memories of past times, a great flavor, a familiar texture, a happy scent from our past that is full of joy. Pick a gift that connects to time. Future times are full of promise. Are they planning a trip? Moving house? Getting married? Having a child? Find a gift that can be part of that future or that helps connect to a happy past time.
3. Be an experience - choose gifts that can be enjoyed. Experiences are best shared. Find gifts that can be enjoyed many times. Wonderful snacks, beautiful aromas, and great tastes can be enjoyed over and over. Small happy experiences that can be repeated and shared many times make for great gifts.
4. Include a little bit of yourself - make the gift connected to you. Add a special note about the history or providence of the gift. Add something that made it special to you and gives more information on why you are sharing it.
5. Make them happy - gifts should make them happy. Gifts that make them comfortable, relieve their stress, or provides them with relaxation are appreciated.
6. Be what they need - a gift that solves a problem is a good gift. If your gift is to help someone climb a mountain next month then that is a great thing but most people have simpler ambitions. Not everyone feels well or is leaving for an outward bound adventure in the next month. Gifts that bring simple comfort, warmth, and better mobility are always well received.
At Verdant Kitchen® we have curated a selection of individual items, gift collections, and gift sets from $5 to $60. They include gifts that prepare for great adventures or bring simple comfort when times are tough. We work to craft gifts that bring joy to those who receive them and to those give them.Ginger Coconut Farina Bowl - a sweet, warm and gluten free start to your winter morning
Thanks to our Instagram friend @sundaybacon for the image and recipe
Start the day with this sweet, gluten-free and nutritious Ginger Coconut Farina Fun fact Growing up in Australia 🇦🇺I ate Farina (milled wheat flour) as my daily hot cereal. This gluten-free recipe has @bobsredmill brown rice flour version.
Ingredients:
For the Farina 👇
1/2 cup @bobsredmill brown rice Farina
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
2Tbsp dried cherries
2 Tbsp walnuts, chopped
1 Tbsp @verdantkitchen Ginger Bites - we added these to boost the ginger. You can use some grated or dried ginger.
For the topping👇
1/4 cup fresh berries
2Tbsp @verdantkitchen Ginger Syrup
1 Tbsp sliced Almonds
1Tbsp Pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp unsweetened coconut
Durections👇
✅Bring coconut milk, cherries and Ginger Bites to a boil
✅Add Farina, cover, reduce heat & simmer 8 minutes, stirring occasionally
✅Scoop the goodness into a bowl and load with the toppings
✅Drizzle with @verdantkitchen Ginger Syrup
Verdant Kitchen Products in this Recipe
Why is Lemon and Turmeric Infused Honey Water so good for cough and cold season?
INGREDIENTS
1 tsp Turmeric Infused Honey8 oz waterJuice of half a lemonINSTRUCTIONS
Boil your water and let cool.Juice the lemon into the water.Stir in the honey.
You can download a printable PDF of the recipe here.
When you have a cough or cold (or are trying to avoid getting one) there are several foods that can provide comfort and essential nutrients and active ingredients that support your bodies natural ability to be well.
When we have a cough or cold several issues come into play.
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We cough to help expel contaminants and irritants from our airways. A body function that is critical but when we cough too much can cause discomfort and lack of sleep.
Honey appears to increase salivation, this is probably due to its sweetness and this, in turn, can help your body reduce the urge to cough.
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Our immune system is working overtime, producing white blood cells and seeking out and destroying the invading virus and bacteria. This battle produces toxins across our bodies, including bits of dead cells and other byproducts.
Lemon is full of minerals and Vitamin C, a strong antioxidant. Antioxidants can help with cell repair and immune system strength. Oh, and did I mention that when mixed with Turmeric Infused Honey the sweet/sour/earthy flavor is absolutely delicious.
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Our immune system is triggering its histamine weapons to help attack the invaders but this often gets out of control and causes inflammation that we feel as discomfort.
Turmeric contains Curcumin and many other active ingredients that studies and 10,000 years of use, as a natural food, have shown its ability to modulate inflammation.
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We often feel the aches and pains of dehydration. We need to stay hydrated and flush our systems clean.
Water is the magic liquid. It is a wonderful carrier of our nutrients. When we warm the water up to make our drink, the warm water helps the Turmeric be more soluble and easier for our bodies to absorb.
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Simple, time-honored, delicious and soothing. Made in minutes with natural ingredients. Don't wait to be sick to include it into your every morning routine.
Verdant Kitchen® Products Used in this Recipe:
How to Grow Turmeric at Home - 5 key steps for the best results
5 Steps to Growing Turmeric at Home
- Get three pieces (each about 1 inch) of fresh Turmeric root from the grocery store. Make it organic if you can.
- Fill a 5-gallon plastic pot or container 3/4 fill with well-drained potting soil. The extra room will be needed as the turmeric root grows later in the season and fills the container
- Place the turmeric pieces 1 inch under the top of the soil and cover them and keep it damp but not wet
- Place in a sunny warm location where the temperature stays between 70-80 degrees F. We like to cover the top of the potting mix with a 2 inch blanket of mulch like pine bark or straw to reduce evaporation and keep it warm. Now be patient - it is going to take a while for them to shoot.
- 5. Shoots will appear in 2-4 weeks. Add a general purpose fertilizer every 6 weeks
Green Smoothie with Mango & Lemon and Mint Dusted Baby Ginger
Ginger is a powerful addition to your morning smoothie. Ginger is a natural source of a wide range of anti-oxidants and polyphenols. It supports your whole body nutrition and has a wonderful calming effect on your digestive system.
loaded with nutrients for your body and brain. This is our take on a green smoothie from @pinchofyum green smoothie boosted with our Lemon & Mint Dusted Baby Ginger.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup frozen peach slices
2 cups kale (stems removed)
1-2 cups almond milk
1/4 Avocado
4 pieces Verdant Kitchen® Lemon & Mint Dusted Baby Ginger
A drizzle of Verdant Kitchen® Ginger Infused Honey to taste
A squeeze of lemon juice
You can download a printable PDF of the recipe here.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
- Serve in a glass tumbler
Verdant Kitchen® Products featured in this recipe
Pecan Pie with Ginger Infused Honey - a more healthy recipe without refined sugar
It just seems that as soon as the mornings get even a little cool in the south you suddenly think about a slice of pecan pie.
Delicious yes but to us, the recipes have just become overly sweet and loaded with refined sugars.
We went looking for a healthier option. This is our take on a more "healthy" pecan pie inspired by A Sweet Pea Chef https://www.
We think you will love it. Easy to make, it will be a fall favorite.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine Verdant Kitchen® Ginger Infused Honey, coconut oil, eggs, fresh orange zest, sea salt, unsweetened almond milk, ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, and whole wheat pastry flour. Stir to combine.
- Arrange the Verdant Kitchen® Candied Ginger Pecans into the prepared 9-inch pie crust.
- Pour the liquid filling mixture over the pecans, spreading some with a spoon if necessary.
- Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- The pie will rise in the oven. You’ll know it’s done when it has small cracks in the top and is no longer jiggly.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool, preferably overnight.
You can download a printable PDF of the recipe here.
Verdant Kitchen® Products featured in this recipe
