Super Simple Pickled Carrots - Great Side Dish for BBQ Season!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here's a quick and easy recipe for a colorful side dish that can be used alongside burgers, chicken or thrown on top of a salad for a tangy flavor.  As a side note, what the heck is wrong with my carrots?? I'm guessing my raised garden boxes are not deep enough, and the carrots can't grow down, so they end up curving (or doing the splits) into the softer soil. My kids and I had a good laugh pulling these 'carrot men' out of our garden.</span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_9eGsqkQivM1X6iCFEOZoQCsDNlvmTMhV7YKI2fOkymT577MOLaS1aYiaM706zo9wkfY7Wfy574ZMMqQwkZVhq9ZAiExm3iUUaY3mZprtJEf4EQzXdffu70F4weTrjIX4UzrSJBpJ99h/s1600/carrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_9eGsqkQivM1X6iCFEOZoQCsDNlvmTMhV7YKI2fOkymT577MOLaS1aYiaM706zo9wkfY7Wfy574ZMMqQwkZVhq9ZAiExm3iUUaY3mZprtJEf4EQzXdffu70F4weTrjIX4UzrSJBpJ99h/s320/carrots.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My husband jokes that I don't have a green-thumb (although I argue this point every summer when it's garden season). I'll admit that I absolutely DON'T have patience...I'm conveniently absent when he's starting all our seedlings in a hundred little containers all over my kitchen, but I'm there singing his praises during harvest time:) </span><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I love gardening AFTER the little seedlings are happy and growing in our garden, I guess I need that instant feedback that something will actually be accomplished from all the hard work. Nevertheless, these purple carrots were very tasty both raw and in this recipe!</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Pickled Carrots:</b></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">-3/4 cup vinegar</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">-1/4 cup water</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">-1 TBSP brown sugar</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">-1 tsp sea salt</span><br /> <i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Optional: pinch of chili flakes - this makes them SPICY yummy:)</span></i><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e22aBtdhlWHYM1N_kaPlA0jQGbNS4vZ0xABsbZ1CrdIXveTMRy5pZ4Kv749V3nGYs52DJJgZPWqF15m1yu1nAqdZZgt3tXTuN0Zsa8GPlPlwkqps8_bjFgMpCN-6OzylyN54jWUOKjwG/s1600/carrotsgarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e22aBtdhlWHYM1N_kaPlA0jQGbNS4vZ0xABsbZ1CrdIXveTMRy5pZ4Kv749V3nGYs52DJJgZPWqF15m1yu1nAqdZZgt3tXTuN0Zsa8GPlPlwkqps8_bjFgMpCN-6OzylyN54jWUOKjwG/s320/carrotsgarden.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bring the above ingredients to a boil, and pour over a mason jar full of julienned (or grated) carrots. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving, but they get better after a day or two (if they last that long!). When serving, I sprinkled with a few sesame seeds to make them look fancy (and for a bit of calcium and crunch).</span>

Super Simple Pickled Carrots - Great Side Dish for BBQ Season!

Here's a quick and easy recipe for a colorful side dish that can be used alongside burgers, chicken or thrown on top of a salad for a ta...

Fresh and Summery BBQ Dessert: Key Lime & Coconut Bites

<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the weekend we had some amazing weather (finally) that warranted a gathering of a few good friends, lots of kids and great food!  I love an impromptu potluck BBQ - during these laid-back gatherings I get to experiment with new recipes (thank goodness for amazing neighbors who enjoy my style of </span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiyhL73kUv4QHWEq9xzR2KM1mVt4q8rCj7vWL_wPLarSuz642G0_qLIga2seopSOqckVYv1BEWdqB9UR8Ylsxo9jSYQPrRkNQUsDIsto2oxt3Wh2FGM1zng2hTVmN8QMDxZCNIFJXOLy6/s1600/LimeBites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiyhL73kUv4QHWEq9xzR2KM1mVt4q8rCj7vWL_wPLarSuz642G0_qLIga2seopSOqckVYv1BEWdqB9UR8Ylsxo9jSYQPrRkNQUsDIsto2oxt3Wh2FGM1zng2hTVmN8QMDxZCNIFJXOLy6/s320/LimeBites.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">food prep:) Don't get me wrong, I'm all about balance and enjoy a variety of foods (I'm an ice cream junkie for example) BUT during peak social season, I realize I need to offset the excess unhealthy choices with more healthy ones! </span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Plus, we all agreed that all the food was delicious - we had grilled chicken, kale & spelt salad, brussel sprouts, chickpea & tomato salad, potato & bacon salad, coconut flour brownies & almond flour cookies...so good! For the kids I also made watermelon and lime juice - very refreshing and low in sugar. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But today I want to share with you this amazing recipe for Key Lime & Coconut Bites WITH Key Lime Cashew Cream....this turned out beyond my expectation - I winged the recipe - my goal was to include the fresh taste of lime to create a dessert that wouldn't be too heavy after dinner OR too sweet. I'm not new to 'power-balls' or 'energy-bites' (whatever you want to call the combo of dates and nuts), so I just added the lime to give them a nice tart twist. They were a hit! The word 'fresh' was used to describe them several times.</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVki4qyowCIZci2hD_8Cdy2D981ZRmuZLJJur_AFFQQ2n3AVPtLY_q6FEbGhyasaqJmLQ2uXaiyF8numXJdl32H3okpi-f9zNbqXh6CyW2wLksnU8zxvsEDb9JD3y-7voI-EL13Yw4VLA/s1600/LimeBites1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVki4qyowCIZci2hD_8Cdy2D981ZRmuZLJJur_AFFQQ2n3AVPtLY_q6FEbGhyasaqJmLQ2uXaiyF8numXJdl32H3okpi-f9zNbqXh6CyW2wLksnU8zxvsEDb9JD3y-7voI-EL13Yw4VLA/s320/LimeBites1.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Key Lime & Coconut Bites</b></span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1.5 cups dates</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1.5 cups nuts (I used walnuts & pecans, but almonds work great)</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes </span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">zest of 1 lime</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">juice of 1/2 lime</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Note: if your dates are really hard, you may want to soak them for an hour or so - either in the lime juice OR in a little hot water (drain before using).</i></span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Put the nuts in your food processor and process until the pieces are small. Add all other ingredients and process until smooth. The mixture should stick but not be too wet. Form into 1 inch balls and refrigerate until ready to serve (these freeze well too).</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Key Lime Cashew Cream</b></span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPvCDUsfdyMkVO8QkDvCFVzaTjkZm2aGKu6LfJNW9h9v5L8tNMj9u0VugjBIu5GlktaosjP_KnaWtYEoacnFLWmzj0LC2NHLdszTHuEMVsKT5hB36-pZ6Y1E0WwKN9BAFvUU4BvrYSVVz/s1600/LimeCashewCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPvCDUsfdyMkVO8QkDvCFVzaTjkZm2aGKu6LfJNW9h9v5L8tNMj9u0VugjBIu5GlktaosjP_KnaWtYEoacnFLWmzj0LC2NHLdszTHuEMVsKT5hB36-pZ6Y1E0WwKN9BAFvUU4BvrYSVVz/s320/LimeCashewCream.jpg" width="320" /></a>1.5 cups Cashews (soak at least one hour in hot water OR overnight)</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">zest and juice of 1/2 lime (if your lime is small, use the whole thing)</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 TBSP honey or maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice)</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Drain your cashews. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Use a dollop on your bites OR serve with other desserts.</span><br /> <br /> <a href="https://momontheglow.leadpages.co/leadbox/144b8e873f72a2%3A12a7c4534f46dc/5631986051842048/" target="_blank"><img height="241" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XGOCrKMRKHJbMe20nZQLUhtChCosZlCF9O7RUrf1mLr28L7L7OJnrdddk2ju-Ty5k4_XBIvVPc2emqnNUvM6Wg=s0" width="320" /></a><script data-config="%7B%7D" data-leadbox="144b8e873f72a2:12a7c4534f46dc" data-url="https://momontheglow.leadpages.co/leadbox/144b8e873f72a2%3A12a7c4534f46dc/5631986051842048/" src="https://momontheglow.leadpages.co/leadbox-991.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

Fresh and Summery BBQ Dessert: Key Lime & Coconut Bites

Over the weekend we had some amazing weather (finally) that warranted a gathering of a few good friends, lots of kids and great food!  I lov...