ABCD Moon Medallions and Anchorage Snow

Happy Friday, everyone! We've been in Anchorage since Wednesday, so I'm a little out of the loop. Had a couple serious appointments--some intense processing to do as a result. But I've been enjoying the face of Anchorage at this stage of the winter (yes, it is still winter, bright sun this afternoon notwithstanding). This moose cow and calf pair were right downtown, enjoying a tree that wouldn't normally be their first choice...

 And here's our friend Lynn's deck--the table and chairs have been the site of many a gorgeous late summer dinner, and now they are a little snow-toadstool! We hiked on trails where the level of snow was as high as the benches, which you could see buried every here and there along the way. I'll post some more pics when I get home.

For now, though, a new recipe that seemed too good not to share. With all the complex breakfasts I've been posting lately, low on calories and long on mineral-rich fillers, I wondered how to make a similar breakfast on the road as we are. The answer has been to eat a granny smith apple and one of these "ABCD Moon Medallions," which are about 35 calories apiece. Holds me all the way to lunchtime!

 

A-is for apricots--AND Amazing Grass
B-is for brazil nuts
C-is for chia AND carrot pulp
D-is for dates AND delicious

And what about the Moon? Well, the reason I included brazil nuts in these medallions is that they're so incredibly high in selenium, and with my thyroid condition especially, it's a good idea to get plenty of selenium in. Oh, and "selene" is the moon. You know I'm terrified of omega-6, and brazil nuts have lots of those, so they're balanced out by ground chia seeds, which have more omega 3 than omega 6. I'm more comfortable eating one of these medallions than eating a straight brazil nut. I dehydrated the rest of my carrot pulp so that it could feature in these "instant" recipes and cut the denseness of nuts/seeds and dried fruit.

Like my fig bars, these also feature dried nettles for extra mineral richness, and in addition these have some chocolate Amazing Grass powder for the same, and for a subtle chocolate flavor.

ABCD Moon Medallions (raw, vegan, soy/gluten/dairy free) (Makes 20 medallions)
1/3 cup apricots, chopped
1/3 cup dates, chopped
1/4 cup brazil nuts
1/4 cup ground chia seeds
3/4 cup dehydrated carrot pulp
2 tablespoons powdered dried nettles
2 tablespoons Amazing Grass chocolate flavored green powder

Whiz the brazil nuts alone in a food processor until chopped. Add the nettles, then the dried fruit, and gradually add the ground chia, carrot pulp, nettles, and Amazing Grass. Process until everything comes together into a ball.

Roll the "dough" into two thin logs and refrigerate for an hour or two.

Slice them into medallions--I got 20 out of this recipe.
That little sweet, nutty, mineral rich boost combines perfectly with the juicy apple for a lasting breakfast.
They're a little lighter than the typical lara bar, with the addition of the greens and the pulp. Also, because they use chia seeds and pulp in greater proportion than smooth, creamy nuts, and because of the nettles, they have a slightly grittier texture--but in a good way! It's kind of an earthy, good for you but delicious kind of taste, and they're more satisfying for less calories.

Sound good to you?

Since I seem to be transgressing my chocolate interdict at the moment anyway, I might as well confess to another treat I've enjoyed in the past week--chocolate coconut water, who knew?

There's real cocoa and coconut cream in there with the coconut water, as well as some cane sugar and ??natural flavors (a bit of a red flag). I enjoyed this over two days--smooth and yummy. I was surprised by it--all the coconut waters flooding the market at the moment tend to run to mango or pineapple flavors if they're not plain. I wasn't sure it would be good, and was pleasantly surprised.

I'm going to sign off so I can get back to preparing my classes for next week and also maybe do some of the processing I need to do. I hope you enjoy the medallions--and have a great weekend!