Caramel Dip

I love caramel, but since I  have been dairy free, it hasn't really been an option... until I discovered this post on "My New Roots Blog"!  I changed up her recipe a bit just because of some of my limitations and what I had in the kitchen, so please check out her post for the original recipe.


Ingredients
2 cups pitted medjool dates, soaked for at least 4 hours in water
1/4 cup nut butter (I used peanut butter, but I think it was too strong of a flavour, I think cashew, sesame, or sunflower butter would be good.)
4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
Soaking water as needed


Directions
1) Make sure you soaked your dates.
2) Drain dates, reserving the soak water. 
3) Add dates and all of the other ingredients except for soaking water into a food processor.   Blend on high until dates are smooth.  Add soaking water, 1 tbsp at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
4) Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week.

Baklava Nut Butter

This is a little more complicated than most nut butter, but still pretty simple. I have modified a recipe from Cuisine at Home. I am still not 100% satisfied, but it is pretty good!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup toasted slivered almonds (you can toast them in a dry pan)
1/3 cup roasted cashews (low sodium)
1/3 cup pistachios (low sodium)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup (combination of rose water, water, a splash of lemon)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Directions:
Pulse in a food processor, 20-30 pulses. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.