I recently borrowed a copy of Thrive (thanks Mom and Adelie!), and I'm loving it so far. It's interesting to me that it's marketed as a vegan guide to Optimal Performance in sports and life...because it really is about so much more than that. The author has an excellent grasp of the things that tax our health, not just physical stressors, but emotional and nutritional stressors, and has developed some exciting recipes that are packed full of nutrition and taste surprisingly good too!
The recipe originally calls for almonds on this one, but I had cashews. It also calls for balsamic vinegar, but I had apple-cider vinegar. I'm not sure how much I would like these raw, but I was truly surprised at how delicious they were. I made a sesame ginger sauce for them from Dr. Ben Kim's website which you can find HERE or at the bottom of this page. I brought these to a friend's house the night I made them, and they were so tasty that I had to make them again later that week. (I'm used to leftovers and getting to eat everything twice I guess :)) Many of his recipes call for a food processor, which I don't have, so I make everything a bit more chunky than it calls for. I have a coffee grinder that I don't use for coffee, so I actually used it to get the cashew into a more usable form. I usually don't trust already ground flax seeds (because the oils can turn rancid quite quickly once you break the shell of the seed), so the coffee grinder does a great job of grinding just enough to use for each recipe.
The sesame ginger sauce is totally addictive to me. You could probably switch the honey to agave nectar if you are worried about a blood sugar reaction, or cut down the amount. The first time I made it I was just looking for excuses to use it, when really I just wanted to eat it by the spoonful. You can make it thick for a dip (it's great for veggies), or a little more runny for a dressing. The sesame makes it high calcium and the fresh ginger and garlic give it a nice kick and are excellent for the immune system and blood circulation. Here are the two original recipes, enjoy!!
Almond Flaxseed Burger
2 cloves garlic
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp coconut oil, hemp oil, or blend of healthy oils
Sea salt to taste
Put all ingredients into a food processor, blend to desired consistency. Form into patties. Serve raw or bake at 300degrees for 35 min. or lightly fry over medium heat until golden brown, flipping once.
From Thrive, Brendan Brazier
Sesame Ginger Sauce from Dr. Ben Kim’s website:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw, organic tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1.5 tablespoon organic honey
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or a strong blender. For a thin, salad dressing-like consistency, add one tablespoon of water at a time as you blend until desired consistency is reached.
If you use just a tablespoon or two of water in total, the result will be a thicker sauce that can be used as a dip for a vegetable platter or a plate of steamed vegetables.
